Frozen Pancakes!

Are your mornings as hectic as ours? Trying to get three children up, dressed, fed and out the door can be a big task! I try to make our life as simple as a I can and sometimes it's easy to grab prepackaged to make sure mornings are easy. I really don't like feeding my kids prepackaged from the grocery store though so I try to make my own. Not only do I KNOW what's in the ingredients but it also saves us so much money. So today I wanted to show you how to make your own prepackaged pancakes. It's super simple!!! 

The first thing you want to do is make your own delicious pancakes. If you use a mix GREAT and if you do homemade GREAT! What I usually do is make several extra when I make fresh breakfasts on the weekends. Other times I will make a ton of pancakes to get ahead! 

After your pancakes have cooled take a cookie sheet and line it with parchment paper. Spread the pancakes out onto the parchment.

 

Next place the whole cookie sheet in the freezer. This will allow the pancakes to freeze separately so they don't stick together later.

I usually leave them in the freezer an hour. Once they are good and hard I take the cookie sheet out and get them packaged two per package. I use fold over sandwich bags I get at the Dollar Store!

After they are all packaged I place them in a zip lock bag so they are all packaged together for fast grab in the mornings! 

See it's that easy!!! You can do the same thing with waffles and even french toast! So the next time you pick up at the package of Eggo's remember that you can make your own delicious fast breakfast!! It will be a lot less than $2.00-2.50 a box!!

How to plan a party.....

I wanted to bring over some parties &/or decorations I've done in the past for my children/home. They are on another blog but I'm trying to get everything centralized!! See the list below and it will take you directly to the party link.

Phineas and Ferb: Go HERE

Mermaid: Go HERE

Fancy Nancy: Go HERE

Fairies: Go HERE

Bird Theme: Go HERE

Halloween Decorations: GO HERE

Basic H Giveaway Winners!!!!

Thank you so much to all who participated!!! Britney helped me draw the names and we made a cute little video! I'll be in contact tomorrow to get everyone's mailing addresses!!!

Brady Boo & Benny Too!

Eeeek, with school starting I got a little behind in doing an update on the kids. So today's post is going to be about Brady AND Ben!! Even though these little guys are three years and ten days apart they are catching up to each other in size/weight. Brady is 42 pounds and Ben is 40. Brady has a few inches on Ben but we have a feeling that Ben is going to bypass him in height shortly. Clothing wise, Brady is in a 6 slim (some 7's) and wearing small to medium shirts. Ben is completely out of the toddler section in shirts (wearing an x-small or 6) but still needs 5T's in pants/shorts. He has a very long torso and always has. Everything I saved for Ben in the pants area from Brady is a no go. He is just a bigger boy. While they are so close in those areas they are completely different in personalities. Brady is my shy, quiet, out going only at home, deep thinker/observer, homebody. Ben can be quiet but he LOVES being around people, spontaneous, likes to be the complete opposite of everyone else, and is so affectionate. I prob get a million kisses a day from just him. They are best friends and if you ask them each they will tell you the other. I LOVE this! I hope it always is this way. They also love to tattle or make fun of the other for getting into trouble. It's nothing to hear, "Haha, you got caught" when the other does a no no. Since they share a room I love to sit out in the hallway after they think I've gone and listen to their sweet conversations. They tell each other about their favorite toys or what they did for the day. I love to hear their giggles and it makes the rough days seem not so rough. When we are out (and maybe one is at school or another location) they always make sure the other isn't left out of the new toy or surprise. I can't believe they both have a birthday coming up. Brady will be 8 and Ben will be 5. I heard a song the other day by Darius Rucker that had me in complete tears (It Won't Be Like This For Long) it was about his daughter growing up. Time is going so fast. Seems like yesterday we were bringing our first born son home (a daughter too, two weeks later) and dreaming about today or waiting for Ben to be born and wondering how close the boys birthdays would be (10 days apart). As I sit today reminiscing over getting the kids (it's our Forever Family Day!) and the joy that was brought to our life, my eyes well up. I can't believe this is the life I get to live. A wonderful hubby and three precious children to share all the wondrous things with..... just amazing! I want to share some pictures with ya'll, ones I re-found. Really takes me back!

Brady: LOVES orange sherbet and chocolate ice cream together! His favorite show is a cross between Sponge Bob & Fan Boy and Chum Chum. He begs me to make banana bread, loves steak, chicken, pork, all veggies but HATES butter (no butter on waffles/toast/pancakes/etc), cream cheese, American cheese, & lunch ables. Loves to run and is hoping to earn a medal in school this year for Mighty Milers. Is going through a stage where he needs "man time" with dad. He requests it often and tells me that since I am a WOmen, I can't participate. LOL. Cracks me up. I 'm super glad he has a great relationship with Riley and wants his daddy to do things with him.Will rub his head up against my arm and say, "Easter Blanket." I finally said, "What does that mean?" He said it means I am soft. LOL.

Ben: LOVES orange sherbet and chocolate ice cream together (like brother) and M&M's. Would drink chocolate milk all day long if he could. Would eat peanut butter and jelly for every meal if I would let him. HATES Mac & Cheese, all veggies, all fruits (except raisins), all meats, and anything that isn't peanut butter sandwich. Loves to swim, play puzzles, cuddle and often says, "Mom cuddle me", and Wii.

CONTEST NOW CLOSED Don't forget to go HERE and leave a comment for our GIVEAWAY!! The contest ends tonight at 8pm. After we get back from our adoption anniversary dinner I'll have the kids help me decipher the winners!! Also, in case anyone is wondering... Shaklee wants you to like their products so much and they are so confident you will, they offer a 100% money back guarantee on all the products! My husband is a chemist and we went over every ingredient to make sure it was safe (and did what it said it would do) for our family. I feel good about having my name attached to this product or I wouldn't endorse it! :) -Kriss

Brady: 1st night home

My little baker! He will be an awesome cook when he grows up!

Tuxedo for Ben's adoption!

Easter 2012

This is one of my favorite pictures! Cheese face!

Ben was a gorgeous baby! Make me ache for another one! lol

Best Friends!

Ben's Adoption Picture for his announcement

Easter 2012

Port Aransas 2012

Shaklee Giveaway!!

GIVE AWAY CLOSED 8/29/2012

I thought in honor of our FOREVER FAMILY DAY coming up on Wednesday it would be fun to host a GIVEAWAY!!!  Three (3) lucky winners because we have Three B's!!!

HERE IS THE GIVEAWAY

I am GIVING AWAY BASIC H2 samples to 3 PEOPLE!!!!!

I am giving away enough Basic H2 to make two bottles of powerful cleaner when diluted in 16 ounces of water.

You must be a follower of my blog! (there is a follow button on the side wall )

Entry : Tell me why you are interested in these products!

FOR BONUS ENTRIES…..

Entry 2: Post about my giveaway  (leave a link)

Entry 3: Tweet or Facebook about my giveaway (leave a link)

Entry 4: Order something from my website this week (3 entries)

Entry 5: Order the Get Clean Kit before Aug 29th (5 entries)

 THIS GIVEAWAY ENDS NEXT Wednesday, August the 29th @ 8 PM!!!!

Good Luck!

HAPPY CLEANING!!!!!

The Dirt Edition: Basic Cleaning List

With my kids being home for the summer my bedroom has not been the restful escape that I want it to be. I've been lucky if my bed is even made and there is nothing worse than crawling into a wrinkly bed in my option. With the kids starting school on Monday, I plan to take my bedroom back. Our bedrooms (esp when you have children) should be a place of relaxation and not a stressful environment. Not to mention a place where you don't fear to step out of bed (Legos, OUCH!!) So I plan to follow these simple basic rules to get my room back to what it should be.. the hubby and I's haven!

 

 More cleaning tips to come in the future. Loving that we will be using non toxic cleaners to get our haven back! Now go get that room clean and back to being your haven! 

Little Ballerina

With our adoption anniversary coming up I thought I would do a post on each of my beautiful children. Some of you have known me for a very long time and some of you are just getting to know me (welcome!).

My life has been so greatly impacted by adopting. You can read about our adoption story here. I never knew until my children came along how big my heart could grow. How much they would make me grow as a person and stretch me beyond limits I thought possible. I never knew how many tears I could shed in one day or how much my face/heart could smile. Let me introduce you to my oldest child, Brit. While she is my oldest she is actually my second child by two weeks. I got Brady first and then she came to live with us two weeks later. Never in my life had I ever met a more beautiful child inside and out. I can still remember her piercing blue eyes the first time I laid eyes on her. Her hair was bleach blond and she had a smile that could light up a room (she still does and her dimples do the talking!). Also, there has never been a time in my life that I have ever been so scared. Since she was almost three years old, I worried that we wouldn't be able to bond. Boy was I WRONG! I can't believe that she went from being 34 months to 10 going on 11. Brit is always a helper, always thoughtful, an observer, girly girl to the core (makeup, shoes, purses..just like me!!), a ballerina, good student, always tries her hardest and an amazing reader. I absolutely love it when we have girl time (no brothers allowed) and I get to have one on one time with her. I love to hear her thoughts, her dreams and her likes/dislikes. I feel so blessed to call her my daughter and I really cherish the relationship we are creating with each other. That is SO important. I always want her to know and feel that we are her number one supporters and we LOVE her so much!

How about some pictures???

First Camping Trip (4yrs old)

Princess Birthday (age 5)

First Ballet Concerto recital May 2012

Ballet camp July 2012

How about a fence?

This summer we put up one of the large Intex pools and even took it a few steps further by getting it a salt system and a MUCH bigger pump. We hope this will last a couple of years and give Ben a chance to get taller before we get the real thing! Having a pool with small children is scary! Even one so far off the ground is still a little nerve racking. Thankfully he is very attached to his life vest and won't step foot in it without it. That is the one good thing about Ben is he all about routine and you can't break from it, which gives a "little" peace of mind, although you can really never fully trust that. The kiddos love it! I love it too because it's an activity we can do at home. Not to mention it's really given them a chance to work on their swimming skills! We also put in a garden and there was only one sunny spot in the yard with all the oak trees we have. This garden sat right at the end of my patio and while it's nice to have the bounty, it's an ugly site to look at. So I suggested a fence. Something to hang pool towels on and the back side to hang the pool gear (net, vacuum/etc). I wanted it where it would also hide the garden. My husband, the handy man he is, built and painted it for me! I love it!!

 

The Handy Hubby!

My Mystic Blue Fence!

I love the look of prints on canvas just not the price tag. I had found a great deal on one of those daily deal pages for a 16x20 (literally saved 60%) but couldn't see paying $20 a piece for 8x10's. Hobby Lobby was running a sale on 8x10 canvas's, two for $3.99... what a deal!! Then I got to work on finding a website with DYI instructions, thank you Pinterest and Google! I ended up going with this BLOG for instructions. The only thing I did different was use Liquitex on top instead of Mod Podge (I like Liquitex better!). I didn't have a lot of time so I didn't take detailed pictures of the process. I am in love with the outcome though!

It might just be wicked....

Remember when I posted this about my new rug here? Well it seems ** RUGS USA is having another huge clearance sale and this time 75% off. I just had to share because some of these rugs are $500-$1500 a piece normally! Just use the code BLOWOUT75 to get the discount and that includes free shipping!
 ** this is not a paid advertisement, just something I wanted to share with my friends.

Spent today having such a great time with my kids. Everyone was in great moods and ready to tackle the day. I absolutely love to see them talking and playing nicely with each other because some days aren't like that. They also love to sing songs in the car and they have such adorable voices. We ran to The Container Store to pick up some leak proof bottles and drool over all the organization items. I seriously could stay in there all day long dreaming up organization projects. My husband will be super happy that I didn't stray from my list and only got the bottles. Afterwards we made a quick pit stop at TJ Maxx so I could pick up a gift for someone. My kids were good sports when I made them look through the linens and promised them a trip down the toy aisle if they would just humor me. :) As we headed out to the car I asked them what they would like for lunch and Brady pipes up and says, "I want a burrito because it will make my farts wicked."  Yes, this is my daily life having two boys errr, I mean three if you count my husband. I can guarantee you he prob. taught that to my son. All I could think about was, "pray for me" because I could imagine having to hang my head out the window like a puppy dog after the kids got done playing musical toots. I gave in and let them have a nutritious lunch of Taco Bell. Prob. not that nutritious, we live on the edge here. lol. Afterwards we took our filled bellies and braved Trader Joes (our first time). I say, "BRAVED" because let me tell you that is one small store, one small parking lot and many many people. A lot of the neighboring stores must have had trouble with all the overcrowding because there were huge signs in all the surrounding parking lots/store fronts that said, "You will be towed if you park here for Trader Joes." Once inside though I can see the hype. It was nicely laid out, I thought prices were really good, and everything looked incredibility fresh. I even picked up some hamburger meat for $2.69 a pound which I thought was great. I wish I could have spent more time looking and checking everything out but I could tell the kids were starting to get tired. So I vowed to come back another day with just me myself and I (ok, prob. my MIL too, she will kill me when she finds out I went without her, lol.)  A quick funny tidbit I over heard in the backseat headed home.... I am not sure what Brady did to Brit but she says to him, "I hope you get swallowed by quicksand for doing that." Quicksand??? What have they been watching and where do they come up with this stuff??  LOL!!!!

Eating our nutritious Taco Bell!

Random Ramblings

Random Ramblings:
I can't believe my sweeties all start school in 10 days. This will be the first time in seven years I will have an empty house two days a week.  Truth be told I am a little sad that we don't have a little one coming up behind Ben but I am trying to be thankful with what we DO HAVE! I believe in miracles and I have hope that life is as it should be and if it's supposed to be different, God will change it. I just hope he does it before I turn 40.... which is only four years away...eekkkk!!! Scary thought right there. I've learned through the years though that you can't really plan life. You can try with all your might but it's not like planning a party, it's more like riding a roller coaster with a blind fold on. You can't really plan and say you will have 2 or 3 children because those are things you really have no control over. I guess what you can plan is the day to day events....... So what do I plan to do those two days a week that I don't have a child? Well, I "plan" to go to the gym since it's right across the street from my son's preschool. I also plan to "work" on my business, maybe see a friend(s) for coffee more, get in some doctor appts, SEW, have a quiet lunch with my MIL (I am in desperate need of a tea house lunch!!) & maybe even take a much needed nap. One thing that is super nice is my older two B's will have school programs after school which will allow more time to get errands run and such. Time seems to be a constant factor here.... something I don't have a ton of and always in need of more.

Missing the Beach

We spent alot of time this last year deciding where we wanted our summer vacation to be. It had to be somewhere that would be easy to get too, one that wouldn't break the bank (since we put up a pool in the backyard too) and included water! Port Aransas fit the ticket! A friend of mine just raved about it and after looking at pictures and condo's online we booked our stay. We got up early in June and headed out on the six hour adventure. Our first stop was in West for Kolaches. I've had them before but never from this particular store and they did not disappoint. Yumminess!!! A few bathroom breaks in between and we FINALLY got there! We were so excited and couldn't wait to get on the water. Our condo was everything we hoped it would be! We started everyday with a beautiful home cooked breakfast (my yours truly) and then out to the water. Never in my life did I laugh so much. We would put our chairs in the actual beach and ride the waves. It was like a roller coaster. One time I got washed away and so tickled over it, I couldn't stand up. Riley had to pull me up. lol. Riley's 36th birthday was while we were there. Most of our meals we ate in our condo but we went out for seafood that night. Then I had baked cake and made icing ahead of time and fixed a trifle. Riley said being at the beach was even better than when we celebrated his birthday in Disney. The kids absolutely loved the beach and it was a struggle to get them out of it most days. The day we left Riley and I actually cried. We loved the time we spent with the kids and made a plan to come back next summer but stay more than 3 nights!! I can't wait and June needs to hurry and get here! That is one of my goals with doing Shaklee is to be able to stay even longer! Shaklee really rewards it's people and I can't wait to finish and accomplish my dream board! Here are some pictures!

Getting Kolaches in West, Texas

What's a vacation with Dairy Queen???

Headed to the Beach!

Add caption

Ben was super scared of the shark! We had to bribe him, lol!

Special Offer from Shaklee!

Did you know Shaklee has an awesome special going on right now with Vitalizer? I take these vitamins and they make such a difference in my life chasing after the 3 B's! The free membership gives you membership prices instead of retail!

Special Offer: MemberShip Free with Vitalizer™
Purchase Vitalizer™, the most advanced multinutrient supplement pack, with 80 bio-optimized nutrients, and get your membership free. Go HERE and check it out!

Another Addiction...

Remember my love affair with the label maker? Ya, well I have one with pretty bottles too! This one I found at World Market. It holds the vinegar I like to pour into my towels when I wash them. Plus it takes up much less room than a bulky plastic jug! Not to mention it makes me smile when I open the laundry cabinet and lets face it everyone should smile a little when you HAVE to do laundry!

Roger Barnett Story

I had to share this video because it was the first time I heard about Shaklee. I LOVE that Shaklee was one of Oprah's favorite things and I LOVE that this particular video has Roger Barnett's story of why he bought the company! I thought it was such an interesting story. It wouldn't be until later than I decided to try the products. I wish I had started sooner because there hasn't been one thing I haven't liked. I trust Shaklee and sharing it with others makes my day!  I would never ask people to buy something that they are not already buying and consuming (not to mention something I didn't trust!).

Stop by my website HERE and check it out! Did you know they have a 100% satisfaction guarantee? Shaklee is always SAFE, always WORKS and is always GREEN!

Follow my Journey to Happy Facebook page HERE

Metal Hooks Before and After

I decided I needed some new kitchen towel hooks the last time I went to Hobby Lobby. Only hiccup was they weren't on sale. Booo! So I did what every thrifty person does.... I waited for a sale! Much to my delight metal went on sale for 50% off this week! I will give you two guesses where I went yesterday. :) I picked up three metal hooks and got out of there for under $6.00!!! When I got home though I decided they looked to plain. So I broke out some left over craft paint, a flat stippling brush, a paper plate and a napkin. Gave those hooks a little dry brushing patina look! It's super easy. Put a little paint on a paper plate, dip your brush in the paint lightly and then tap it on a paper towel a few times to remove excess paint. Lightly brush the metal in the creases (you can even wipe it a little after if you get too much paint on it). Voila, patina! I love how they turned out!! Hmmm, I might need some new dish towels to go with them.

Shadow Puppets

What a long and crazy day! The hubby and I worked out in the backyard in the heat on some much needed projects. Did I mention we live in Texas and it was like 150 degrees out? He was finishing a towel fence project while I brushed and vacuumed the pool. Then we worked on cleaning some patio furniture. All we could think about was dinner and putting kids to bed. That's when I discovered I forgot to pull meat out of the freezer, oh darn we will have to do takeout, hahahaha! Came inside for a quick shower and then out to grab some dinner.  About the time I got the kids down from the table it started to thunder. Lights were flicking and Brady starts saying "We are in danger." I assured him we were fine and then BAM, a transformer blew outside. My lovelys were freaking out but it was all good once they learned I was going to light candles! Thankfully I keep lots of candles in the house and the hubby has us well equip with a generator! So while he hooked that up (I feel so bad for him because he's so tired) the kids and I did shadow puppets on the wall. While I am so tired, I am happy that I had this extra special moment with them before our generator brought back the light. Appreciate the unexpected!

There really is 50 Shades of Grey

This is my living room. It's about to not know what hit it! A new rug is on order, some new paint this fall and an attempt at a canvas chair cover for the wing back. I might even take my Neiman Marcus chair and have it professionally recovered (if I can ever decide on a fabric). I love fabric stores but I get very overwhelmed when it comes to something so permanent.

The plan is paint the walls a grey (my new favorite color) and get rid of the boring drab beige we painted pre-kid. Did you know there really is 50 Shades of Grey? LOL! Just had to throw that in! I LOVE to change out pillows on my couch to match the season, so grey will go with so much! I also can't wait to get rid of the rug. This rug is so not me! So when I friend mentioned that RUGS USA had awesome sales I kept my eyes out for a new beauty!! I finally found one that spoke to me, had a 50% off price tag (love a good sale!) and bought it! Only one problem it must be loved by many because it's on back order until Sept. 5th. Boooo! That's ok though because the kids start school in two weeks and I prob. won't have alot of time to start my re-do until they are at school and not spreading their toys all over the current rug. :)  
Please come home to mama soon!!