My Super Exciting Announcement!!!

Hi everyone!!

I'm so sorry it has taken me so long but I am finally ready to make my extra special announcement !!! In my about me it says I'm lucky to have lil ones in my life that are so so special to me! But now I can officially say that I am having one of my own and we are so incredibly excited!!! It's been the most amazing experience so far however, we had a minor scare but it all worked out just fine!!! We are expecting a healthy baby boy in July 2014!!!! Follow me on my path to the mommy club and Chelsea and Jen on the way to the wonderful world of auntiehood !!! 

Lost Legos

Well my son, Maximus has now entered the stage of loving Legos. We have already bought a few different lego sets in which they get all mixed up and it's very frustrating. Maximus decided we needed to be more organized and wanted to keep the boxes they came in for the picture on the box. While at my favorite local dollar store today I picked up some storage boxes ( what's a dollar more when your already spending 20 dollars, most of the time more on these sets).  So here's what I came up with : 

I asked Maximus what pictures he wanted on the box and I taped the big ones on top and the little ones on the side..... He loves his new lego boxes and so far as soon as he's done playing the pieces go right back into the storage box. 

Happy lego building !

Have a great week !

 CheLs 

DIY T-ball picture

Okay so we all know that every season our sweet t-ballers get lined up and sit through the usual season pictures. Don't get me wrong I'm the mom that buys the biggest package and shows them to anyone who will look. But this year I wanted something different. I saw something similar on Pinterest that was done for a Senior picture session. I knew I wanted to re-create it with my little guy. List of Supplies:

Lots of baseballs, a bat, the beautiful mess app or any text writing app., and a cute t-ball player.

Make your numbers out of the balls using the bat for the #1. Snap tons of pictures:) once you have one that you like save it and use your text writing app to write on the picture. You can also use frames and play around with your image using photo editing apps. 

Happy t-ball season!

Xoxo

~Jenn 

Valentine's Day Pie Pops

Today I'm sharing these fun Valentines Day pie pops. I'm the February room mom for my sons class so I wanted to find a fun treat to take the kids to kick off the month. It had to be quick, cheap and easy for little hands. I have seen a few of these on Pinterest using homemade pie dough which I love but making dough from scratch is too time consuming for this busy mama. So here is my lazy moms pie pop recipe. You can do these in just about any shape. Here is my Valentine version.

Ingredients:
Refrigerated pie crust
Small heart cookie cutter (about 2")
14oz Pre made pie filling (this will make 12 pops) Mine was cherry flavor
Lollipop sticks (mine were from Michaels)
Cooking brush
Melted butter
Small cup of water

First take your pie crust and lay it out. Use your heart cookie cutter to cut out 24 hearts and set them aside.

Now fill up a small container with water. Set aside.

I set Parchment paper on my counter, taped it down and began assembly.

Take one heart and lay it flat on parchment paper. Place a dollop of pie filling onto pie dough. Be careful not to over fill these. Keep it at least 1/4 inch away from the edges. A little goes a long way. Trust me. Once you have your filling done place your lollipop stick in the middle leaving 1/4" at the top. It needs to be high so your little pie doesn't fall off.

Dip your finger in the water and run it along the edges of your bottom heart. Now take another heart and place it over the pie filing. Place another fork on top and press around the edges to help create a seal. Take a fork and crimp it all around the edges.

Once all your pies are sealed and crimped lightly brush melted butter on the tops.  Now use your fork and poke the middle of each pie to create a vent. Pop these cuties in the oven for 15-20 minutes at 375 degrees. Enjoy!

XOXO~Jenn

It's going to be a great t-ball "season"

It's my favorite time of year! Baseball season!!!! That means I will not have a Tuesday or Saturday to myself until May. Doesn't matter to us because our little guy loves it and that's what's important! Last night was our parent meeting so I wanted a quick gift for my baseball moms this season! After all it's my job to make this season fun, their life a little easier and keep them looking awesome while cheering on our team! 

I made these cute baseball mom "season"ing packets and some baseball necklaces for them to wear to our games:) Just a fun little gift for making it to the meeting. 

I found the taco seasoning at target for about .70cents and also snagged the cardboard box they were displayed in since I bought 12. I used the beautiful mess app to create the tag. Here is how I did it. First you obviously need the beautiful mess app. Next google "baseballs" once you find an image you like screen shot it. Then go to beautiful mess app and launch your photos. Pull up your baseball image and type the saying. You can certainly type anything you like but I love this saying that I have seen on many baseball mom shirts. I added the "this is going to be a great "season" to go with the taco seasoning. Next save your creation to your phone and email it to yourself. Then print it in wallet size. That's it! Easy right?

Now go and make your baseball moms happy! 

XOXO ~Jenn 

Mr. & Mrs. Heartbeat

Well hello there everyone !!!!

Let me start off by saying..... Happy Friday!!!!!! TGIF I don't know about you but I had a busy busy week!!! I hope you had a great, busy week too!!! 

Last weekend I was lucky and got to babysit Jens fun, crazy kiddos. It's always a good time with her kids and Chelsea's son Max!!! Unfortunately, Max couldn't come play because he hasn't been feeling very well. We were all disappointed and he was defiantly missed! 

When I babysit I'm not the kind of sitter who let's the kids watch tv or sit on a video game or tablet... I'm more annoying and want to do fun stuff!!!  We started with pizza ... Yummmm... Needless to say we were all happy campers !!! Mr.&Mrs. Heartbeat are at the bottom of the post!!! 

Next, we played hot potato... So much fun!! This was their first time playing so it was hilarious trying to explain that you do NOT want to have the potato when the music stops!!! 

This game lasted a surprisingly long time!! Of course we added some dance moves too!! 

Next on our agenda was the game Pop the Pig!!! Because I worked with kiddos II have played just about every game out there however I'd never heard of this game until these kiddos got it for Christmas!! They absolutely love it!! Notice lil sister waiting patiently for big brother to finish his turn!!! (( sharing and taking turns at this age ... You know how it goes haha)) 

Mr. & Mrs. Heartbeat!!!

Next was craft time!!!! My favorite! I love to see the imagination and the wheels turning in their heads! We kept it simple because it was almost bedtime and I wore them out.. They were super sleepy!!! We used crayons sparkly fuzz balls and googlie eyes .. You can get creative and use construction paper to make clothes or a top hat ,yarn to make hair, glitter, water colors or paint!! Go crazy! 

I was trying to find the printable coloring sheets online however I wasn't able to.. :/ 

The heart is simple but the arms and legs a a little different. You can google it or draw your own. Here is a quick picture I took ... Not the best pictures I'm sorry :/ 

Heart:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/scaohnm5twvze47/sRFVDc4Ilr

Legs/arms:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/scaohnm5twvze47/sRFVDc4Ilr

I hope you enjoyed this little post :) have a great weekend!! And add some sparkle to someone's day!!!

Xoxo Kali

Late Night Dessert

Hello my sweet tooth friends!!!!! I know I said I had a fun announcement and I do but this isn't that post!!! I will post about it very soon! I promise... So far I think I'm doing pretty well keeping up and posting often!!!

So now onto the sweet stuff!!! I know we have all seen recipes on Pinterest and thought that looks easy peasy!!!! Then you try it and it's a def Pinterest fail!!!! Well, I found an idea on Pinterest and of course said this looks ... You guessed it "easy peasy" well guess what !? It actually was!!!!! It's delish let me tell you!!!! Oreo cookie stuffed chocolate chip cookie!!!!!! Ummmm AMAZING!! So here's my easy way of making this heavenly dessert!!! 

All you need!!!!

Next step... Smash one square for the bottom.. But not to much.. Then stack the Oreo on top and smash another chocolate chip cookie dough square on top! I made sure that the top overlapped the sides a little bit.

Pop  them in the oven and bake!!!!! Thennnn ta da!!!!

Delish late night snack!!!!  Add some ice cream and enjoy!!!!! 

I hope you try this delish dish!!! Quick, easy and yummmmyyy !!! 

Enjoy and don't forget to add some sparkle to someone's life!!! <3 Kali

Simple & Delicious Corn Salad

Local Produce is my favorite!

Mystery Apples, Fresh Cilantro, Goat Cheese Feta...Oh my! This was my haul from Amy's Farm. I found this hidden gem just a few miles from my home. I 'm seeing frequent bike rides to this farm in the summer for local produce and amazing cheeses. 

Here is a yummy versatile corn salad recipe that's on our families favorite list.

5 ears of fresh corn~cooked and cut off the cob

1 green bell pepper chopped

1 red onion chopped 

Cilantro chopped- Add as much or as little as you would like (We have a bit of a cilantro addiction and often use the whole bundle) 

Goat milk Feta Cheese 4 oz. (chopped)  You can certainly use regular Feta as that is easier to find. It will still taste amazing!

Balsamic Vinegar- to taste

Juice of 1/2 a lemon 

Salt -to taste

Add the corn, chopped onion, chopped bell pepper, chopped cilantro and chopped feta to a medium sized bowl. Add balsamic vinegar and salt to taste. Finish with the juice of 1/2 a lemon. Toss & enjoy!

We love to scoop this on to these yummy garlic crackers. I found them at our local grocery. 

Enjoy! XOXO~Jenn 

Valentine's Day Centerpiece

Hello everyone!!!!! Time for some more pink, white, hearts and sparkle!!!! I wanted to make a centerpiece for my table so I asked my nephew Max to help me by going out into the backyard with me to collect sticks. Okay Auntie he said, let's go on a stick hunt!!! So off we went...and collected our sticks. Then off I went to create the image that I couldn't get out of my head... Haha you know once you think of a craft it bugs you until you do it ... please tell me it's not just me. Hmm... maybe I'm really crazy and I'm the only one.  Haha Either way I finally finished it !!! So now I can sleep without thinking about my centerpiece! :)

Yep we collected sticks that were different sizes. 

Then get some fun pink, red, hearts and sparkles!!! I got mine at the dollar store and another bargain store! 

Gotta have some candy hearts!!! 

Next I put it all together!!! 

All done!! Super quick and super cute!!! Not to mention I got everything for under $10!!!

Just thought I'd share my Valentines Day centerpiece with you!! Add your own sparkle !!! 

Love~Kali

P.S. I have a big surprise announcement coming soon!!! So keep checking back on our blog to get some nice juicy info!!!! :)

Ice Cream Flowers

The weather here in Ca had been in the low 80's. I know right!?!? Where is winter these days. I'm not complaining. We are a big ice cream family. It doesn't matter what kind:) we like them all! Today I'm sharing our Ice cream flower pots. My kids look forward to this dessert every summer. These are easy to put together and only have 3 ingredients. I know there are several tutorials for this but this is how our family does it. 

Ice Cream Flowers 

Ingredients:

Ice Cream (I used Sherbet today) 

Lemon loaf cake (you can use your favorite loaf cake) my grocery store sells these pre sliced in the bakery section. They have chocolate, pumpkin, lemon and many others. 

Oreos 

Supplies:

Thick straws

Clay Pots-lead free 

Artificial flowers 

Wire cutters

Parchment paper

Scissors

Hammer

First take your parchment paper and trace the bottom of your clay pot. Then cut out the paper and place it in the bottom of the pot. This helps the ice cream from dripping out. Next take your clay pot and set it right side up on top of your loaf cake. 

Use a knife to cut out the small circle of loaf cake and place the cake on top of the parchment paper in the bottom of your pot. You can add as many layers of cake as you would like. Our kids like more ice cream and less cake so we only use one layer. 

Now push your straw into the center of the loaf cake. Carefully add the ice cream around your straw. I say carefully because the straw isn't too secure with only one layer. The more layers of cake the sturdier the straw. 

Now place the pots in the freezer for 10-15 minutes so the ice cream hardens back up. While they are in the freezer let's get started on the dirt. You can't have a pot without dirt. 

To make the dirt take 8-10 Oreos and get rid of the center. The hardest part is finding someone to eat this. I ate it all by myself. Now place the cookie part of your Oreos into a zip lock bag and go grab your hammer. 

This is my favorite part. Hammer the Oreos until they look like dirt. It relieves stress so take your time. 

Once the dirt is done take your pots out of the freezer and pour your dirt on top. Make sure to keep the dirt out of the straw. 

To finish these cute pots just add your artificial flower down the straw and admire your hard work! If your flower stem is too long just snip it with some wire cutters until it's the length you desire. Have fun!  and Eat.More.IceCream!

XOXO~Jenn 

P.S. Add some gummy worms if your kids love them as much as mine do:)