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Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Moments mean cookies.....right!?!?!

I was in search of something quick and easy to make with Dylan. She loves to help in the kitchen.....my kitchen aid is like the holy grail to her. I did a quick little search on pinterest and I found this little gem of a recipe for peanut butter cookies.  The perfect "faux" baking recipe, only 4 ingredients and I had everything on hand.

We grabbed our ingredients and got to work. 
(Of course I forgot to take pictures of her mixing)

Peanut Butter Cake Mix Cookies
  • 1 yellow cake mix
  • 1/2 cup of peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup of oil
  • 2 eggs
Preheat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients together. I used a spring-loaded cookie scoop, and then rolled in sprinkles....because who doesn't love cookies with sprinkles. Place on cookie sheet and slightly flatten. Bake for 8-10 mins. 

Enjoy your handiwork
And watch your baby gobble them up!
Wondering why we used orange sprinkles....because it's BEAVER NATION baby! And treats are required when one is watching football!
Rooting for our teams is kind of a big deal around here :)

Love,
Stace

Relishing in the moments

It's the little moments that I hold close to my heart. My kids laughing and playing together or my husband holding my hand ♥  Everyday there are so many "moments" that I have to take a step back and pause and really see all of these special times. Before I know it time will fly by and my babies will be big kids and I don't want to look back and think I wished I would've played with them more, built more forts, let them help me cook or let them watch one more My Little Pony. I want them to remember the little things..... like playing princesses with brother
or watching daddy play soccer or waiting for the hummingbirds to come with papa b




 Life goes by too fast because we're always in a hurry; trying to cram one more thing to do or having a schedule that makes you so stressed to get from point a to point b that you forget the moments.

There's really no point to this post other then to take a step back and enjoy the now. 

(I say this as a daily reminder to myself)

Love,
Stace

Saturday, September 7, 2013

Oh what a rainy day

Woke up yesterday to lots of rain.  You can't have a rainy day without boots, raincoats and umbrellas.  
So we waited for the bus and investigated the puddles. 
Rainy days to me, mean crockpot dinners. This is one of our "staple" dinners during the fall.  You can even make it Whole 30 compliant.  


Crockpot Rotisserie Chicken
 Get your veggies (onion, sweet potato and baby yukons)
 Rinse of your whole chicken, and discard the "insides)
 Chop up your veggies
 Grab some seasonings and butter (i forgot to take a pic) I used sea salt, rosemary and Irish Kerrygold butter (whole 30/paleo friendly)
 Place the chopped onion in the cavity of the chicken. Place chicken in the crockpot, add chopped sweet potatoes and yukon. Put pats of butter on chicken and potatoes and season accordingly.
 Set crock on low cook for 5-6 hours or 3-4 hours on high.
 Now you just have to resist the delicious smells coming out of your kitchen all day.

Tada, simple and quick delish dinner.  We usually make soup out of the leftovers :)

Crockpot Rotisserie Chicken
  • 1 organic whole chicken, rinsed and insides removed
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 sweet potato, chopped
  • 5 baby yukons, chopped (omit if doing whole 30 or Paleo)
  • 3 TBSP of butter (I used Kerrygold)
  • Sea salt, to taste
  • Rosemary, to taste
Place chopped onion in cavity of Chicken. Put Chicken in crock pot, add potatoes.  Place pats of butter on top of potatoes and chicken and seasonings. Cook on low 5-6 hours or on high 3-4 hours. In addition you can add carrots or other root vegetables.


Last but not least, what I've been working on in the studio. Matching baby bestie leggings and turban headbands.
Of course I had to test it out on Sully :)
And I also tried my hand on a pair of leather moccasins for little man. 

Happy Saturday! 
Love,
Stace

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Polka dots, top knots and sweet tunes

Ugh, I really dislike alarm clocks. They always seem to go off when I'm the coziest in my bed and having an amazing slumber, and then BAM.....the buzzer goes off and it's time to start the day. Not working, no preschool and summer break really made us lazy, I never scheduled anything before 9 AM, now I have to get up at 6:30....guess I'm going to be a morning person again....right. Dylan is not a fan of getting up, she did it, but she informed me that tonight she was going to bed right after dinner so she isn't tired in the morning, I may have laughed in her face just smiled. 

School for D means being fashionable and having outfits of the day aka OOTD. If you know my girl, she's got an edge and a whole lot of sass. She loves herself some top knots and funky outfits. 
Pants from Target (similar), Shirt from Hello Apparel (follow them on IG for coupon codes) and her plaid boots are from our fave consignment shop, Little Bo-tique ......seriously I find all sorts of amazing deals there for the kids, if you're local check it out!
She's fierce, can't you tell!?!?
And since there was a 60% chance of rain that meant her rain coat was a must, since any chance of rain usually means RAIN in the PNW.
So we walked to the bus stop and listened to some sweet tunes....
Yes, there is a baby in there.....see his little pajama clad foot? 
Good tunes to start the day, and I highly recommend the Avett Brothers station on Pandora. The perfect blend of awesomeness.

Off to go get dinner started and Sully thinks its nap time. I wonder if that means I can take a nap instead of doing mom stuff!?! 

Love,
Stace

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

An unbelievably big day today

Today was a big day; we talked about it all summer. School clothes were made and bought, a new backpack and supplies were packed and unpacked over and over and learning how to spell her last name was her big accomplishment of the summer. Back to school night and meeting her teacher was a hit! She was able to meet her new teacher and did a scavenger hunt in her classroom....PS my daughter apparently knows everything.....and really likes to pop that hip!
Last night I prepped myself for this big day with packing her lunch and writing her a note.....it was really weird packing her a lunch FYI. Side note these wrap mats are amazing!  You could easily make them or wait for them to go on sale on Zulily like I did, but I would def pay full price for them.
Alarms were set, an outfit was laid out and I had one little girl that excitedly fell asleep for the big day. Mommy on the other hand, felt like it was her first day of school and slept awful :)  Waking up the sweet little lady to tell her it was her first day of Kindergarten put a smile on my face. Of course she didn't want to get up because she was still tired, but once she realized that she got to ride the school bus it was game on! Breakfast was had and a special note from Auntie Jen and Uncle Brett was read and then we were off, but first we had to get our special "first day of school' pictures out of the way. I mean, she accessorized people, pictures were a must!
Off to the bus stop we went, she practically ran which is always fun when you're carrying 20+ pound baby brother :) Daddy was able to sneak in a quick "good-luck-on-your-first-day-of-school" call while we walked to her bus stop. 
She waited all by herself and then it happened.......
Just like that the Blue bus was here to pick up my big girl for the first day of Kindergarten and boy was she excited! So excited in fact, that she forgot to say goodbye :) No tears were shed, but let's just say it was eerily quiet at our house and 7 hours of no questions asked blew my mind! ;) 
A morning walk with Sully and the G-rents and then a little booty shakin' "parking lot" Zumba with my little sidekick started my day off right and probably was the best way to keep my mind off little Miss D being gone. And yes I did do Zumba in a parking lot, because we're uber cool....and because they're refinishing the hardwood floors in the grange. 
Between nap time, errand running and wasting time on the interwebs it was time to pick her up before I knew it! 
She came home more excited then when she left! Fave part of the day....recess.....OF. COURSE. (There she goes poppin' that hip again....must be from her Dad's side) My Grandma asked her if she missed us and she promptly replied, "no!" I can act like I'm surprised, but if you've ever met this little lady you know that she means that in the nicest sassiest way possible. Of course since it was such a big day that meant she needed special treats, so brother bear and I whipped her up some hodge podge cookies before she got home from school. 

Today was a whirlwind but a happy lady, tasty treats, a balloon and cupcake from Auntie Jen and then ending the afternoon with a bike ride with her friends was just what D needed for her first day of Kindergarten <3 
Thank goodness for no tears, smiles and memories being made!
Love,
Stace

In case you want the Hodge Podge Cookie Recipe
(expect soft and chewy type cookies)
Hodge Podge Cookies (makes 4-5 dozen)

2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 4oz pkg of instant vanilla pudding (other flavors can be used)
2 eggs 
This is the basic recipe but I add extras. Today I added 3 mashed bananas, 3/4 c oatmeal and 1 1/2 c of chocolate chips.

Mix flour and soda together and set aside. Mix butter and sugars together. Add vanilla. Mix in instant pudding and eggs. Once mixed, add to flour mixture. Add additional "add-ons" if you'd like. If not, bake at 375 degrees for 7-9 minutes.

Add On Ideas
chocolate chips
white chocolate chips
chopped nuts
banana
oatmeal
m&ms

I've made these cookies with vanilla and butterscotch pudding. Our fave add on combo is vanilla pudding with butterscotch chips (1 cup), nuts (1 cup) and oatmeal. They always "disappear" rather quickly. Enjoy!

Monday, July 30, 2012

Summer lovin'

(Disclaimer: Sorry in advance for all the pics of D....I can't help it haha)
Summer is quickly going by!  Waited all year for it, and now its almost August...waaa!!! But we've been having lots of fun :) Thankfully the pacific NW is gorgeous during the summertime. Learning to skate, painting and a little sewing <3  Not to mention trips to the farmer's market with two of my favorite girls. 
Best Ikea purchase EVA' $15 and oh so much fun!  Not to mention stealing Daddy's shirt was fun too!
I tried a new tutorial for a nightgown for the little and a matching one for miss Birdie :) Super simple and easy to follow. I think next time I won't add so much width...my kid is a bean pole, what can I say.  Check it out the tute! 
I found it via Pinterest and I'm sure glad i did!
My fave part of this sewing adventure...the HUGE hug she gave me after she tried on her new duds!

Uncle Brett was a saint and proved amazing patience to try and show this little gal how to skateboard on her new princess skateboard! Thank you Uncle Brett and Auntie Jen for her new prized b-day present!  She's no pro, but she had fun!

Saturday we ventured over to the Vancouver Farmer's Market.  The best part was finding out the Hawaiian Festival was going on.  Dancing, singing and folktales made for a great afternoon. Not to mention snow cones, face paint and yummy produce :) Tomorrow I'm cooking up something with all that produce....

Thanks for stopping by and happy summer! 

<3 Stace


Friday, February 24, 2012

Epically failing at blogging.......

Just a lovely little catch up

The hubs and I ran off to Vegas to watch our besties get married it was a blast!  I couldn't imagine going to Vegas with anyone else, vacation with friends that i've known since elementary and middle school is def recommended! Crazy that Jen and I have known each other since Middle School, know work together and I was a part of their special day. 
Just a few "G-rated" pics from our trip.....

 Jen's Bachelorette Party!
 My favorite SEEEESTER!!!
The beautiful bride and a few of her girls!

I fell in love a little more with this handsome fella'
(picture taken at the karaoke reception BEST IDEA EVER!!!!)

Back to reality, Valentine's fastly aproached so I had to my monkey a heart dress! 

Back to life with Love Moo, not going to lie i most def took a break from sewing after the Christmas rush!  Just finished catching up on orders and made some new items :)
 Leather Ponytail Cuffs
Trying something NEW!
Upcylced Flower Clips

Have a happy friday everyone!

Love,
Moo