Insta lately

My $4.00 thrift store find... yep 

 Oh Insta gram how we love you... Here is a little recap of our week via iPhone.. 

I am loving florals lately, everything about them.... 

 Photo shoot in the drop off line at pre-school

 I finally bought a cover for my phone... I am lucky it has been safe this long!

 This is a braid, but you only use two pieces of hair so it creates a twist..

 What to do about your grown-out schellac mani.. 

 My reason to live

are these two boys

 My sweet little baker husband made monkey bread

Future heartbreaker! 

Christmas party

This weekend was our church Christmas party... 

I made North Pole cupcakes, and there were hundreds of adorable yummies there as well! 

Noah sang in the Christmas pageant, wearing his superman shirt.. 

So appropriate right?

Cupcakes 

Straws

Computer printouts

redhots

Coconut {for the snow}

 Noah helped me add the swirlies.....  Such a big helper... 

Don't they look so great thrown into my cardboard box?

Dear Santa- I WANT a cupcake carrier.....

Sweet Chili

Hi Lovers, Algum was craving chili dogs, so being the perfect wife  of course I wanted to make it.. I read through my recipe books and thought that most of them sounded and looked just like my taco soup....  I was thinking of how to make it different, sweet even, I know I am not the one who came up with it, but I thought to add 3 TBS of maple syrup... ah so Delish and it made a perfect meal for the cold Michigan nights! 

Alex made his into a Chili dog, and I tried to be healthy and just had a bowl... boring!! looking at the pictures now I am mad and sad  that I was so lame and didn't go all out.... 

 Chili is one of those things that if you are missing a few ingredients or feel crazy and wild and want to add something , its not like there are any rules... But here is how I made it this time who knows it might change......

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb	Lean Meat, beef, chicken, pork, turkey or any other lean meat.
	Can Be Ground, chopped sliced or cut into small bitesize pieces.
1 1/2 can	Small Onion, chopped 4oz of tomato paste
1 can	(15 Oz) of Stewed Tomatoes, plain or any flavor
1  or 2 cans	( 15 Oz at least) of Beans, any type except "baked"
1 1/2 Tbsp	Minced Garlic or 3 Whole Cloves
3 Tbsp	Real Maple Syrup
1/2 2 cans 1 can 1 tsp 1 tsp	whole red pepper green chilis sweet corn cumin (more to taste) parsley Salt and pepper to taste
2 tbs	Olive Oil

DIRECTIONS:

In a medium sauce pan or large skillet, Saute onions over medium high heat until transparent in a small amount of olive oil. I use a medium size cast iron pot or my large cast iron skillet.

Add meat and cook until meat is done but do not over cook. Drizzle more olive oil if needed to keep meat from sticking.

After meat is cooked, add tomatoes, garlic, beans, corn, chilis Mix well.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper, cumin and parsley to taste.

Add Maple syrup. The amount can vary depending on sweetness wanted.

Heat slowly over low to medium until beans are heated through. Do not boil or over cook.

Enjoy and you can thank me later!! 

 It was even a big hit with Noah, I just had to tell him it was Ketchup soup... 

Pumpkin Cookies

My favorite Cookie of all time

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup LIBBY'S 100% Pure Pumpkin
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips
•  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease baking sheets.
2. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in medium bowl. Beat sugar and butter in large mixer bowl until well blended. Beat in pumpkin, egg and vanilla extract until smooth. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto prepared baking sheets.
3. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until edges are firm. 
4. Sprinkle with powdered sugar...

Happy Saturday!

Hope everyone has a great weekend.. 

I will be spending some quality time with my boys, planning Noah's Birthday party
{my baby is turning 3}

and catching up on Gossip Girl! I also just made the most delish 

Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies..

Recipe post to follow!!  

Here is a sneak peak of our party planning... 

{All Super Heros}

Charleston and Kat

Yes I said Charleston and Kat.

We were talking about going to Charleston for so long that Noah thought Jon's name was Charleston. I totally think it has a nice ring to it! 

Speaking of Jon and Kat they were so kind and brave to let us stay at their house {2 kids under 3}. We did have a great time and hopefully didn't wear out our welcome too much because I plan on going back soon!!  Thanks again guys, we love y'all!

Here is a list of some of the things we did.

{Just to name a few}

1. Kats Hair color and cut {We counted 61 foils} can we say blonde? hooray!
2. Ate {I overate}
3. Went swimming
4.  Noah tried without success to win over the cats approval.
5. ate
6. made Butter Beer from Harry potter
7. Jon taught me some sweet tricks with blogs {I have a new one I haven't switched to yet}, my camera, and other electronic devices.
8. I showed Kat "Pinterest" and we pinned all day during Algums meetings
9. Ate at the Mellow Mushroom
10. Had a birthday dinner {sushi} and dessert at Kaminsky's...                                                                

 I think the look on my face says it all.. 

 Boston cream pie from Kaminsky's in Charleston the best yummyness EV

 butter beer recipe

1 cup light or dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons water

6 tablespoon butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar

3/4 cup heavy cream, divided

1/2 teaspoon rum extract

Four 12-ounce bottles cream soda

In a small saucepan over medium, combine the brown sugar and water. Bring to a gentle boil and cook, stirring often, until the mixture reads 240 F on a candy thermometer.

Stir in the butter, salt, vinegar and 1/4 heavy cream. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Once the mixture has cooled, stir in the rum extract.

In a medium bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar mixture and the remaining 1/2 cup of heavy cream. Use an electric mixer to beat until just thickened, but not completely whipped, about 2 to 3 minutes.

To serve, divide the brown sugar mixture between 4 tall glasses (about 1/4 cup for each glass). Add 1/4 cup of cream soda to each glass, then stir to combine. Fill each glass nearly to the top with additional cream soda, then spoon the whipped topping over each.

PS Kat has a cute blog about her life in Charleston 

Kats and blogs