A tribute to our family dog Sport!

Sport 2004-2016

Today our family dog Sport passed away sleeping in his favorite bed.  Sport was honestly the best pet anyone could have! Sport has been in our family for twelve years. He loved us so much and his happiest place was at home surrounded by our chaos! Sport followed the kids around everywhere, he probably knew more about them then I did. He was allowed in their rooms when I wasn't.  He was there for them when they were in trouble, when they were happy, or just when they slept.  .  We saw him grow up & we watched as he turned grey and old.  He was always by someones side. He was human in so many ways & just such a perfect pet.  

When Jordan & Matthew grew up Sport had the life!  He could lay around and nap all day long & then one day Maximus came home & Sports world had changed forever!  He was confused at first but then he knew what he had to do, PROTECT & that he did!  Sport began to follow Max & Madden around the house and watch as they played just as he did with Jordan & Matthew.  Once he was content with the kids then we brought home Toodles & this really had Sport confused!  They worked things out and Toodles knew when not to mess with Sport.   

I'm the one person in the house that isn't really an animal person but I had a relationship with Sport!  I loved him like a child and I am so heartbroken to know that he is no longer with us.  Sport knew when I was sad, he protected me at night when I was home alone.  I counted on him many times to protect our house & he never let me down.  Sporty, I will miss you!  I will miss you cleaning the kitchen floor when I make a mess and I will miss yelling "Sport, laundry" when I leave the house.  

I pray that his doggy heaven is peaceful & that he knows how much his family loves him!  

Below are just a few pictures I'd like to share of Sport & our family.  

-paula

Maxi's spring party!

GRAPE CATERPILLAR'S!

Today is Max's spring preschool party & I signed up to bring grapes.  I don't why but I cannot just take in a bowl of grapes.  I searched Pinterest for ideas and all I could find were worms on a stick!  I didn't think Max's teacher would want 20 preschoolers with wooden sticks so I decided to make caterpillars in a bag!  They turned out so cute & the kids loved them!  Maximus was so excited to take them to school and share them with his friends.  I know sending a bowl of grapes would not have been as exciting!  In case you were wondering how to make them, the directions are below!!  Happy Spring!  

SUPPLIES:

1 BAG GREEN  GRAPES

1 BAG RED GRAPES

1 BAG OF EYES

PIPE CLEANERS

PRETZEL BAGS

TAPE

HOT GLUE

DIRECTIONS:

ADD THE GRAPES INTO THE BAG ROTATING THE COLORS.  THE PRETZEL BAG IS A LITTLE BIG SO I FOLDED IT OVER AND TAPED IT SO THE GRAPES WOULD STAY UP. USING THE TIES THAT COME WITH THE BAGS CLOSE THE BAG.

USE HOT GLUE TO PUT THE EYES ON.

CUT THE PIPE CLEANERS IN HALF AND TIE ONE HALF AROUND THE TOP CURLING THE ENDS TO LOOK LIKE ANTENNAS!

THAT'S IT!  

HAPPY CRAFTING! -paula

PICTURE TIME!

MADDEN'S FOUR YEAR PICTURES!


Today I took Madden's 4 year pictures!  I'm not gonna lie, it was not a fun experience but it is always better than being in the studio.  This year I stopped taking the boys to the Picture People because I really didn't feel like their portraits were any better than the pictures I take and the experience isn't always pleasant.  I usually break out into a sweat trying to get the boys to sit still and have fun.  I don't know what it is but when the curtain closes and it's photo time my boys act like animals!

Anyway, I've decided that indoor photos are for school pictures only!  So I took Madden behind our house to the dessert.  I thought Max's pictures turned out so well I would do the same for Madden.  It wasn't quite the same experience because the sun was so bright that Madden literally could not open his eyes!  He tried so hard & I was getting a little frustrated.  I kept shooting pictures and begging him to try harder to open his eyes.  I finally gave up and went back to our house where I took a few more pictures of him in the front where the sun was not shining down on him and then I took a few more in front of the faux ivy!

I didn't think it was a very successful photo shoot until I came home and downloaded the pictures to the computer.  I took 60 photos and out of the 60 I found four pictures that I truly loved & here they are!

I think I love these pictures as much as I would if a professional took them!  I have already framed a couple and they look amazing!  The last photo is Madden's tradition photo & it couldn't be more perfect!  He has that open mouth smile and I didn't have to force him to pose, it just happened!  In the second photo Madden was doing his spider-man thing and I just happened to snap a shot at that perfect moment!  The first photo is my absolute favorite!  He opened his eyes in two of the desert photos and this was one of them!  He looks like the coolest four year old & so handsome!  I have a lot to learn about photography but one thing I know for sure is that capturing moments that just happen truly make the best photographs!

-paula

IT'S A RECIPE!

ASPARAGUS!


One of my favorite side dishes is so good it could be the main dish! 

INGREDIENTS:
Asparagus
Extra Virgin Olive Oil                                               
Salt

DIRECTIONS:
Set the oven to 350 degrees.

Bend each asparagus towards the end until it snaps & throw away the end pieces.

Place the asparagus on a large cookie sheet.

Sprinkle Olive Oil all over the asparagus.

Sprinkle at least 1 tsp of salt to the asparagus.

Use your hands to make sure all the asparagus is covered. 

Bake 15-20 minutes.   You will hear the veggies sizzle!  

This was one of the first recipes Jordan wanted when she went away to college.  She says she makes it at least once a week.  My four year old & sixteen year old love it just as much.  I make this with meatloaf, ham & filet.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

                                                              Happy Cooking-Paula                                                                          

It's a family tradition!

EASTER IN MARCH!

I cannot believe Easter is in two days!  I love Easter but having it in March is too early.  This picture was taken last year of the boys and their Grandma's.  The boys were so excited when they gave their Grandma's an Easter lily.  I love that they enjoy giving as much as receiving!  

Playing the Easter bunny is so much fun for me.  I love buying little toys to fill up the baskets.  My kids have the same baskets year after year.  For some reason the Easter bunny puts the baskets in our Living room, a room we rarely use.  I bring this up because yesterday the boys found a bunny stuffed animal and they told me that they were going to leave it out for the Easter bunny....I said ok!  Later that day I was picking up all the toys around the house and I found the stuffed bunny laying on the coffee table in the Living room....THIS IS WHERE THE BUNNY PUTS THEIR BASKETS!!! I had an AWE MOMENT!  They remembered!  =)

We of course have an Easter egg hunt.  This is my husband's job and he takes it very serious!  He puts money in the eggs, the older kids love this more than the little ones.  None the less everyone enjoys hunting the eggs until 20 minutes has passed and they can't find some of their eggs.  My husband hides them so well that sometimes he forgets where he hid them! 

Our Easter dinner is always Ham, potatoes, asparagus, deviled eggs, dinner rolls & a salad.  Every year it's the same & it's delicious!  I change up the dessert, sometimes I purchase a Nothing But Bundt cake because they are so cute & so delicious!  I usually try a new Pinterest recipe.  This year I am making the carrot cake cookies since everyone loved them so much! (SEE RECIPE BELOW)

The deviled eggs are made from the Easter eggs the kids colored from the night before!  This is a must.  Big or little, coloring eggs is so much fun for everyone!  The grandparents even get involved & it's such a wonderful family event! 

That's our Easter tradition!  

Here are a few more pictures from last year!  

Happy Easter! -Paula 

IT'S A RECIPE!

CARROT CAKE CREME COOKIES!

My sister came to Vegas for a visit & being the wonderful sister that I am I made her these cookies because she is such a fan of carrot cake!

I got the original recipe off of Pinterest, of course.  However, I made a few tweeks to make it my own!

INGREDIENTS:

Cookie Ingredients:
1 pouch Betty Crocker Oatmeal Cookie Mix
1 stick of butter softened
1/2 cup grated carrots
1 tbsp water
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 egg

Creme Filling Ingredients:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 Tbsp of butter softened
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS:
Heat oven to 375 degrees    

Add cookie ingredients to bowl and mix until stiff dough forms.

Use your hands to form 1 inch balls with the dough and add to a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Bake 9-10 minutes and cool on baking rack for 10 min.

Mix cream cheese, butter, vanilla, powdered sugar in a separate bowl until smooth.

Spread two spoonfuls of creme mixture onto one cookie and add another cookie to make a sandwich.

Refrigerate for 20 minutes & serve!

My sister loved them, she really loved the filling the most!  The cookies were moist and yummy & perfect for any occasion!

Happy Baking! -Paula       

IT'S A PARTY!

HAPPY 4TH BIRTHDAY MADDEN!

So our little Madden finally got to celebrate his 4th birthday!  He has been waiting for this day since Max's party a month ago!  

He couldn't decide between spider-man & minion so we had a spidey-minion party and it turned out to be such a cute party!  I got to make most of the decorations which made me happy!  

The city-scape turned out to be an adorable backdrop for Madden's party table!  I found the red wrapping paper at Wal-mart and it really brought everything together & made the decorations pop!




Madden's cake was suppose to have an actual 8" spiderman-minion toy that shipped from China three weeks before his party but got lost in the mail...luckily I had printed extra spidey-minion decorations, I just hot glued it to a stick and I think it looks perfect, it matches the mini spidey-minions on his cupcakes!

Using old boxes is a great way to add height to your party table!  I just wrapped them & stacked them on top of each other.  The pow four really made the boxes connect with the party table!  I painted a dollar store frame red and added Madden's spider-man photo!

The ball toss game was a hit for the birthday boy!  When he made 100 points he was so excited!  The game held up well, thanks to all the hot glue & the balls were perfect, just the right size for the holes, heavy enough to toss & the colors and design matched his b-day theme!

I printed out a spider-man word search & maze that I found on Pinterest! They were cute and a great idea for the older kids at the party but Madden would have rather played bingo!  (now i know)

The food was simple 

and all of Madden's favorites!

I USED THE BACKDROP FROM MADDEN'S SPIDER-MAN PHOTO AS A BACKDROP FOR PICTURES WITH THE BIRTHDAY BOY!  

   

THE FAMOUS CHALKBOARD! 

SPIDEY-MINION INVITATION!

MAKE A WISH!

IT'S A RECIPE!

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!

INGREDIENTS:

1 CORNED BEEF BRISKET

10 RED POTATOES QUARTERED

1 BAG OF BABY CARROTS

1 WHITE ONION

2 CLOVES OF GARLIC

SALT & PEPPER

4-5 CUPS OF WATER

1 HEAD OF CABBAGE

DIRECTIONS:

IN A CROCK POT ADD THE POTATOES, CARROTS, ONION, GARLIC, SALT & PEPPER.

ADD THE BRISKET & WATER.

TURN THE CROCK-POT ON HIGH & COOK 4-5 HOURS.

IN THE LAST HOUR ADD THE CABBAGE.

**I DO NOT USE THE SEASONING THAT COMES WITH THE CORNED BEEF**

I SERVE THE CORNED BEEF WITH CREAMY HORSERADISH SAUCE!  

DELICIOUS & EASY!

MY WAY RUEBAN RECIPE!  WE ALWAYS HAVE THESE THE DAY AFTER ST. PAT'S DAY WITH THE LEFTOVER CORNED BEEF!!!

INGREDIENTS:

WHITE OR WHEAT BREAD

BUTTER

SWISS CHEESE

SAUERKRAUT

LEFT OVER CORNED BEEF

1000 ISLAND DRESSING

SALT & PEPPER

DIRECTIONS:

ADD BUTTER TO ONE SIDE OF TWO PIECES OF BREAD.

PILE ON THE CORNED BEEF, SAUERKRAUT,  2 SLICES OF SWISS CHEESE, 1000 ISLAND DRESSING, SALT & PEPPER.

PLACE THE SANDWICH ON A PANINI PRESS FOR 2 MINUTES.

THAT'S IT!  

SERVE WITH CREAMY HORSERADISH SAUCE.....SO YUMMY!!!

Chocolate Suckers!

Spider-man Suckers!

Today I am making the chocolate suckers for Madden's Spidey-minion party!  I could not find a spidey-minion but I found this spider mold that I thought was perfect!

SUPPLIES:                                                                                

1 Sucker mold

Candy melts

Sucker sticks

Bags

Ribbon

First melt half the bag of melts in the microwave for 3 minutes!

Carefully spoon the melted chocolate into the mold!

Add the Sucker sticks & put the mold into the freezer for 10 minutes or until the chocolates are completely solid!

Turn the mold upside down and the suckers will pop right out of the mold!

Put each sucker into a bag and add ribbon!

I've made these for years, I've tried using the colored chocolates but my kids prefer the light cocoa not as cute sometimes as the colored suckers but they get eaten & that is what's important!

Happy Crafting!  -paula

it's a craft!

Spiderman-minion pinata!

Today I made the pinata for Madden's birthday party.  I decided to use the spidey-minion clip art from his invitation!  It turned out better than I pictured & it only took a couple of hours to make!  

Supplies:

2 16x20 poster prints                                                    
2 white foam boards

card board flaps from old boxes
hot glue
red tissue paper
red create paper
a bottle of Elmer's glue
scissors
exacto knife
pencil
ribbon





Directions:

Cut the poster leaving at least an inch around the minion.  

Trace the minion to the foam boards, turning the minion face down.

Use the exacto knife & cut the pieces out.

Using the flaps from old TV card board boxes, hot glue around the inside of the back of the pinata.  

Line up the front piece of the pinata and hot glue it down.

At the top of the pinata cut two slits about 2 inches apart, this is to add the ribbon for hanging.

Cut a slit in the side of the pinata.  Use the slit to string the ribbon through the cuts on top of the pinata and tie a knot.  Use this handle to hang your pinata.

Add candy & goodies.  Glue down the side slit & glue red tissue paper to cover the seams and side of the pinata.


Glue down both of the minions to the front and back of the pinata.

Use the Elmer's glue to add the streamer around the pinata.  I add one line of glue at a time a use my finger pushing the streamer to make ruffles & that's it!!

                                                       

                                                               Happy crafting!  -paula

It's a craft!

Superhero Ball Toss!

Supplies:

4 Black foam boards

1 Red poster board

1 blue poster board

1 yellow sheet of card stock

exacto knife

pencil

hot glue gun

bean bag balls

Directions:

Cut out three circles on one of the foam boards, this will be the top piece of the game.  I used a bowl to make the circles and I made all three circles the same size.

For the red & blue designs I found a clip art on google and enlarged the design to make a stencil.  I traced the stencils on the red and blue poster boards & cut them out.  Then I glued them to the board.  

Using a word document I created the numbers using the font and size I liked.  Cut out & glue the numbers to the top board.

To build the box I used one of the foam boards and cut out two 5" vertical strips.  On another foam board I cut out two 5" horizontal strips.  I used hot glue to glue them to the top of last piece of foam board.  When all four pieces were glued down, I placed the top of the game on top & glued it down.

On the bottom of one side of the game, I cut out a square to make it easier to gather the balls.

I ordered the superhero balls from amazon!  The designs on the balls match perfectly!!

By changing the colors & the designs you could make this game for any occasion!  

I'd love to hear your thoughts! =) -paula

it's a 40 thing!

Call me Old Fashioned!


I never thought this would be me, old fashioned!  I have used the term many many times to my MOTHER who is 85 years old & now I'm hearing this from my kids!  

I can't help it, I really like reading from a real book!  So if this makes me old fashioned then I guess I'm guilty!!  

I have an ipad and a tablet that I have read a few "books" on but it's just not the same!!  I NEED AN ACTUAL BOOK!!  I love the smell of a book!  I like holding it and actually turning real pages!  I like having a cute bookmark and I love seeing the book as decor on my nightstand!  Some of these reasons may seem silly but I guess that's just the old fashioned in me!  

I know I'm not the only one who likes reading an actual book.  I'm sure of it, right?  Just because my truly old fashioned 85 year old mother reads on her kindle doesn't mean everyone does this!!  Does it?!?  

I have also been told that writing an actual list is a no no!  Make a list on your phone, don't waste paper!  I try, I really really do but I love having cute writing pads & the perfect writing pen!  I love being able to cross my list off as I go!  I confess, once I'm done with the lists they usually end up in my purse or somewhere in my car which is not a good thing!  So I should probably try more to use the notes on my phone.  

Back to the book thing though.  I will forever as long as books are made buy an actual book!  Shelves always look good covered in books (designer tip)!  I would love to hear your thoughts about this subject...what makes you old fashioned??  -paula

It's a new month!!

Happy March!

This is going to be a very busy month for us!

I will be blogging about Madden's birthday party!  I'm making a superhero ball toss game, chocolate suckers, a pinata & much more!  

I will share my corned beef and cabbage recipe in honor of St. Patrick's day!  Y U M M Y!!

I have also started a new workout, I will let you know my status weekly!  

Jordan may be coming home for spring break or she will be going to Nationals...either way, I will be blogging about her!  GOOD LUCK, Jordan!!

Matthew & my husband will be going to Dallas for THE DALLAS CUP!  This is a huge soccer tournament & Matthew's first time there.  I want to wish him good luck as a ton off college coaches will be watching!

Since I will have the house to myself for a week without the bigger boys anyway!!!  My sister & two of my great nieces will be spending their spring break with me & the two little guys, my mom will be here as well so I will have a ton to share!  I will be baking, crafting & playing tour guide on Las Vegas Blvd. 

Easter is this month as well so I will share how I play the Easter Bunny & how we spend our Easter Sunday! 

I would love to hear from you!  Please let me know what you think about our blog so far!