Happy Home

I had to share this great idea that I saw via Roots & Wings, via SugarDoodle, via  Chicken Babies who is the ORIGINAL creator of the Happy House.

How cute is this?  I love the idea of sharing with your children how building each other up is a great thing. Jack just turned 3 and the MIL gave Hubs all his old legos! What a perfect time to build our own Happy House!

I am sharing this with everyone I know! In fact I think it would be a great thing to do with j’s class. I really feel like showing them the concept of what a finished product looks like and then breaking it down and allow them to build it back up by building up their friends, using their manners, being good listeners, sharing, all great ways for them to learn. I just LOVE it!! I think I will make something fun for them next week. Hum? What to build that boys and girls will get excited about? I will have to think…. Will re-post with the school one next week.

Have a great week/end Labor Day! We are heading to the BEACH!! Praying Earl doesn’t wreck havoc.

xoxo, Mama Bird

Stuffed French Toast with Blueberry Syrup

Sunday was a great day! It was kickoff day for a all new Sunday School Classes and I thought brunch would be a fun treat. I made super easy French Toast and stuffed it with Trader Joe’s Cream Cheese, which I must say it is the least expensive cream cheese I have bought in a long time and tastes delish! Then I made a super easy Blueberry Syrup. I was inspired by My Carolina Kitchen although I did adapt it a bit for what I had on hand.

Blueberry Syrup

1/2 c fresh blueberries

1/3 c water

2 T sugar

1 T brown sugar

zest from 1 orange and apx 1 T juice

1 t vanilla

2 T honey (added at the end)

Bring all ingredients except honey to a boil, reduce heat to a slow simmer and allow berries to burst a little. Stir in honey just before serving. 

It was a huge hit!! Hope you enjoy!

xoxo, Mama Bird

King Ranch Chicken

I am making a good friend a casserole this week and this Mexican Favorite never disappoints. It is easy as pie and although there are many variations on this classic dish this is my fav.

Old-School King Ranch Chicken Casserole
3 split chicken breast (roasted with olive oil, seasoned with salt & peppeer ) shredded
10 flour tortillas
1 onion, chopped and sautéed
2 cups of grated cheddar cheese
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1 can of chicken broth
1 can of Ro-Tel tomatoes
1 t cumin

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine soups, broth, Ro-Tel tomatoes and cumin; mix until smooth.
Place a layer of chicken in a greased casserole dish. Add layers of tortillas, onion, cheese and sauce.Repeat layers, ending with cheese.
Bake uncovered for 30 mins or until hot and bubbly.

Enjoy!!

MY son….

We celebrated j’s 3rd Birthday a few weeks ago and I thought I would write about him. Happy Birthday to my sweet, sweet boy!

Jack {age 3}

You are so full of LIFE! You look at EVERYTHING as if it is the 1st time. There is a LIGHT in your eyes that I pray never, ever gets blown out. Your smile is contagious, your laughter lightens the mood in any room. You are so smart I am concerned, will be able to keep up? Your energy level is so HIGH that IF it could be bottled we’d be millionaires. You are so mischievous and stubborn and never give up. You are a dare devil and yet scared all at the same time. You will do AMAZING things. When you get bored you are DANGEROUS! You look so much like me when I was your age it is FREAKY! (and NO you don’t look like a girl!) and you ACT a lot like me too! You are my WILD CHILD!

I am so BLESSED to be your Mommy!

 

Cupcake Wedding Cakes

I am in love with the idea of a cupcake wedding cake. In fact, I really wanted it for my wedding, but my cake was a gift and the sweet lady who made it didn’t want to do a cupcake wedding cake. Said it was “too labor intensive”. Oh well, such as just one other thing to add to my DO OVER LIST!

I am so excited to have two brides that I am working with and I have been looking at tons of cupcake and wedding cake ideas and these are a few of my fav cupcake wedding cakes!

 

Love the simplicity and whimsy

 

  Adore the dots and the swirls of frosting!

BIRDS! Ahhhh, I just LOVE!!! the sweet simple flowers and the birds just look fun! FAV!!!

Carrie Underwood picked 1 of my favs for her own wedding cake!! Who knew?

xoxo, Mama Bird

Hey Day!! {Teacher Gift}

Friday was “HEY DAY” at pre-school! A time for the kids to go in and see their new classroom and meet the teacher. I thought it would be a nice idea to take a little something.I bought 2 boxes of Altoids Mints, wrapped them in this cute polka dot paper and attached a little note that said “YOU WERE MINT TO TEACH!” Very inexpensive, yet a thoughtful way to say “HELLO”!!

xoxo, Mama Bird

Coffee/Bourbon Pork Chops

 

I had some great looking pork chops that I picked up at the new Lowes Grand Opening and wanted to try something different! I was in the process of making my fav chocolate chip cupcakes and had an extra cup of coffee so I thought, ummm… coffee, bourbon, molasses (I used this crazy syrup/molasses like ingredient called Steen’s Pure Cane Syrup which our good friend Matt brought us from Louisiana. It is crazy thick, I had to take a pic for you all to see!!

Here is what I used:

1 cup cooled coffee

1/4 c bourbon

1/4 c steen’s syrup (or molasses)

1 T whole grain mustard

2 T apple cider vinegar

2 cloves garlic, crushed

fresh thyme

salt & pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients, salt & pepper the chops and put in gallon plastic bag. Marinate overnight or longer! Hubs grilled on the gas grill you could use grill pan or whatever works best for you. We had these fantab carrots with the pork. A great side!

xoxo, Mama Bird

Happy Birthday P! {Buzz Lightyear Cake}

Mr. P is turning 3 and I can’t wait for his party! Jack is so excited and now he wants a BUZZ cake too! oops. I just LOVE how this turned out! Bright and Happy!!

xoxo, Mama Bird

{Crockpot} Curry Beef

I really enjoy Thai flavors, the one problem is many times when I eat Thai out I get a headache, but I have found when I prepare at home I am fine! Today I used only ingredients I had in my pantry, freezer or fridge! I had stew beef in the freezer and a can of lite coconut milk in the pantry and that is where the idea was born!

1-2 lbs stew beef

1 can lite coconut milk

1 c tomato sauce

1 c chicken broth

2 t curry powder (I like to use Madras and Dean & Deluca, 1 tsp of each)

1 green pepper, cut in 1 in cubes

1 c frozen pearl onions (would have used a sweet onion, but ran out!)

2 carrots, cubed

6 plum tomatoes, cubed

1/2 c golden raisins

1 granny smith apple, cubed

Throw everything in your crockpot EXCEPT the raisins and the apple, add those apx 1 hr prior to serving. Set on low and cook apx 6 hrs. Serve with rice and a fresh salad! YUM!

xoxo, Mama Bird

Pizza Night!

 

Almost every Friday we eat pizza (healthy, I know). Sometimes we order from our favorite, Frankie’s Pizza, sometimes we pick up a Wally World Special, and sometimes…. I make a homemade pizza! Tonight, I made an amazing pizza with roasted tomatoes, caramelized onions, buffalo mozzarella, and parmesan. It looked beautiful and tasted even better!!

1 thin pizza crust (Wallie World has a great all-natural crust in the deli for $2.50!)

1 cup marinara sauce or pizza sauce

1/2 roasted Vidalia onion

2 handfuls roasted cherry & grape tomatoes

slices of fresh mozzarella cheese

parmesan cheese

I spread my fav Trader Joe’s Marinara Sauce on the top and then just layered all my items. Then sprinkled a little extra virgin olive oil on top. Baked at 450 for 10mins. DELISH!!

xoxo, Mama Bird

Photo Booth {Carnival Car}

What Carnival would be complete without a Photo Booth? I had one at my wedding reception and it was so much fun! I have 2 or 3 Polaroid  cameras and think it will be so cute to snap pics of all the kids. I wanted to have a backdrop and since the party is outside I thought I could make one of those cut-out stands where they can put their heads in. So, I busted out the paint and brushes and went to work! I did a carnival car with 3 places to cut-out (Hubs will do that part!). This is my FAVORITE thing that I have made thus far! It is just so dang cute!! What do you think??

xoxo, Mama Bird

Lollipop Tree

How stinking cute is this Lollipop Tree?! I LOVE how it turned out. Found this great bucket at the dollar store along with the aqua paper shreds for the bottom. Bought a foam tringle shaped tree from Hobby Lobby, painted it RED and added some cute ribbons and a #3 at the top. Decorated with some cute red & blue gumballs.



xoxo, Mama Bird

It’s almost here….

Jack’s 3rd Birthday!!

Everyday this week is dedicated to an element of Jack’s upcoming CARNIVAL PARTY! Today I am going to share the party hat! I covered an old Dora hat with the red and white stripped fabric and then put fuzzy balls all around the bottom and took ribbon and made the #3 and the backdrop for the number! Isn’t it cute?!

xoxo, Mama Bird

Happy Birthday S! {Skateboard Cake}

S is turning 9 and he loved the Orange Cream Cake I made for his Mom so much that he requested it as his Birthday cake!!
I baked the cake in a 9x13 cake pan and then carved the skateboard shape.  For the wheels I used chocolate covered doughnuts.
Here is a pic of his skateboard and the inspiration for the cake.


 Birthday Cake

Blueberries…. {cooking with kids}

What a fantab idea  over at Red Carpet Recipes had when she did a week long theme BLUEBERRIES. She suggested reading a fav book,  Blueberries for Sal and then making this great Blueberry Soup!
2 cups fresh blueberries
3/4 cups lemon juice
1-1/4cup cranberry juice
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups whipping cream, additional for decorating
Put blueberries in a blender and puree until smooth.  In a medium saucepan, combine the blueberries, lemon juice, cranberry juice, and sugar.  Stir until mixed together.  Simmer on low heat, covered, for 10 minutes.  Turn heat off and let cool for about 20 minutes.  Gently stir in the whipped cream.  Put the pan in the refrigerator and chill for three hours.  Pour the soup into bowls and decorate with additional whipping cream.  Notes:  I put my cream in a ziploc bag and cut a small hole at the end.  I then put dots of cream on the soup and dragged it with a skewer to get the design. 

What a great idea!! I would to share this with Jack’s class! I think kids learn so much in the kitchen. I went last Thursday and both copies were checked out so I am crossing my fingers that it is in tomo!

Shutter Love {Weddings}

This week at Trendy Treehouse that have the theme of Weddings! I could not resist. This is my all time favorite photo from MY wedding! I totally say’s “who we are” and it makes me smile!

My Dad looks as if he is directing traffic!

 

Happy Birthday John!!!

xoxo.

Color… {chalkboard paint}

I can not wait for this craft project! I just. found COLOR chalkboard paint. I can’t believe I didn’t know about this before?!

I am going to paint one wall in the playroom mercantile red 

and in the kitchen I am going to paint the short wall between the entry to the next room .

                  

   itailian kitchen                 bakery green

Which one do you guys like best? My kitchen is a pumpkin color with black and stainless.

The loco for the board will be perfect as it is where I have a current message board and calendar. It will be great to be able to jot messages as well as grocery list.