8.30.2014

No. 11

Today marks the 11th year of marriage for my hubby and me.



We got to celebrate last weekend with a little getaway and Jack Johnson concert.



We did some shopping and enjoyed sleeping in and having no schedule. 

We tried a new brewery. If you are ever in Bend, OR, go to Crux Fermentation Project. It's got a cool atmosphere and a family friendly outdoor space.


This was the first getaway for us in a while and it was much needed. Thanks to my mom and dad for watching our kiddos! That was truly a gift!

Happy 11th Anniversary, Mr. Turco! Looking forward to many more years to come!

8.25.2014

Tropical Fruit Shortcake

Need a special, extra yummy dessert to end your summer? I am sharing one of my favorite summer treats over at 30 Handmade Days...Tropical Fruit Shortcake.
























You guys! These shortcakes are made with coconut oil, which give them a tropical flavor, not to mention a flaky texture.

I could eat the shortcakes all by themselves. And when they're warm...forgetaboutit!!

Then add tropical fruit, flaked coconut and whipped cream and you've got yourself a seriously yummy dessert!

Hop over here for the recipe.

8.21.2014

Back to School Tips

For some around the country, you have already packed the lunches, stuffed the backpacks and sent your dear ones off to school. But for us in the Pacific NW, we have a few more weeks of summer.

As we gear up for school routines, early wake up calls and a new schedule, I wanted to share some helpful tips that are inspiring me to get organized.

Here are three back to school organization tips...easy and totally do-able.

3 Easy Ideas for Back to School via Clean Mama
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Mornings are always crazytown here. 

No matter what time the kids wake up, early or late, it never fails that someone can't find their shoe, a permission slip needs to be signed, someone's chocolate milk got spilled in their backpack from the day before, homework is missing and usually at least one child is crying for one reason or another. 

So, breakfast is usually a piece of bread with some peanut butter slathered on it...on a good day! 

Or a granola bar as we run out the door.

In an effort to make sure everyone eats a decent breakfast, here are a few make-ahead, grab & go breakfast ideas I'd like to try:

Pancake muffins...the kids would love these!

Easy Baked Pancake Muffins - ---- Family Fresh Meals --
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One of our favorites...Berry Peachy Smoothie

Berry Peachy Smoothie
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I like the idea of smoothie packets too

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Pre-made oatmeal in jars. Just microwave and go.

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Mini Frittatas

Easy Egg breakfast
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These breakfast burritos are yummy!

breakfastburritos
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PB and Banana Muffins, with only 5 ingredients...the perfect simple breaky.

Peanut Butter Banana 5 ingredient blender muffins www.thirtyhandmadedays.com
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Eggs Benedict with homemade Hollandaise sauce, green salad and freshly-squeezed oj...hahahaha just kidding. 

Eggs Benedict
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Ah, yes...lunches. Towards the middle of the year, I get in a rut. This post is sure to free me of that! I mean, come on! 2,250 lunch combos?! With a printable?! Awesomesauce!

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I have a whole Pinterest board dedicated to School Lunches. You can check it out here.

And to stay on track for dinners, here are a bunch of easy crockpot recipes:

Here is a super easy meal plan - get 20 slow cooker meals from Aldi for under $150.00!  This includes printable shopping list, monthly calendar, and recipes for all 20 meals!
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Over a month's worth of the best Slow Cooker Meals .  Have something ready for dinner every night!   www.thirtyhandmadedays.com
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Crock Pot BBQ Ribs
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And last, but not least, here's a little laugh for your Thursday



How do you stay on top of everything during the school year?

8.13.2014

DIY Dreaming

I've been craving a crafty DIY project, but with long summer days and all the kids at home, my quiet/crafting time is limited.

And that's okay.

I enjoy spending time with my kiddos and doing projects together. Checking off our summer list. Going to the pool. Making messes in the kitchen.

And once school starts (and the dishes and the laundry is magically done and put away), I will have a little more time for fun projects.

So until then, I will dream about the projects I will make (and maybe finish up the ones I have already started).

How cute are these letters? I love the colors together!

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Mirror Make-over. I even have a mirror sitting in our closet. Perfect!

DIY West Elm-Inspired Herringbone Mirror
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Adding planking to an alcove...yes! We have the perfect little space for that!

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I've wanted to make one of these for a long time. I should probably do it soon...before the kids grow up too much!

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Paper birds on painted canvas. So cute and simple!

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Monogram Wreath

cute.
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Glitter + Pallet = awesome

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Cute and easy pinecone garland...maybe spray paint instead of gold leaf?

DIY gold leaf pine cone garland from The Sweetest Occasion | Photo by Alice G Patterson
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You can find more ideas on my DIY Pinterest board

What are some DIY projects on your to-do list?

8.05.2014

Summer at it's finest

We've been enjoying our summer. How about you? Here's what we've been up to...

Two weeks ago we took a little road trip to San Jose, CA to see some family. In-n-Out Burger is always a stopping place.


We also took the kids to Great America and they had a blast!

This was Sweet Pea's first roller coaster ride ever! She giggled the entire time!


This girl and her map.


And these boys were thrill seekers and arcade kings!


She wasn't so sure of the carousel.


While we were in California, Sweet Pea lost her very first tooth. She was pretty excited!


Another stop at In-n-Out...all smiles around


Side note: Baby girl LOVES this dress and would wear it everyday if she could.

And yes, The Boy is holding a jawbreaker the size of a baseball.

We got back from California the day before my birthday.

A birthday fairy left these on our porch. So thoughtful!


I still don't know who dropped them off, but I love Sunflowers and are enjoying them still!

My mom baked a beautiful cake. We met my parents at the park to watch the hubby play softball and have cake and ice cream :)


Notice Baby girl is wearing that dress again. HA!

The day after my birthday, my hubby took us out for my favorite pizza place and topped it off with some ice cream!



We were all happy campers!


I got to spend the next day with these silly girls at Fun in the Park, a fun event with lots of booths that feature different community businesses and organizations.





The next night, we celebrated marriages with our awesome small group. The couple on our right was celebrating their 18th wedding anniversary, so what did we do? We crashed it.


We shared our engagement stories, parenting and everyday stuff. We love these people!

I shared on my Facebook page that my mom had given me a bushel of apples from her garden and I was looking for a good applesauce recipe.


I ended up using this one from The Pioneer Woman. It turned out so yummy!

I had a cute little helper too.


One of the items on our summer list was to do a craft. The kids and I made these little robots from a kit and they had a great time racing them. You can find the kit here.


So there you have it...are a few of our summer highlights so far. What are some fun things you have done this summer?