Making Dinner Easier Part 1

You know that feeling when your kids get off the bus, 

homework is getting done and  

dinner is prepped and ready to serve

::record scratch::

Yeah, me neither, for a really long time

Then I got smarter about it.

I started keeping track of meals we liked, 
meals that were easy, 

ingredients that you could find 
at the regular grocery store, 

meals that were healthy & 
meals that everyone actually would eat 
with out whining about it

I started making groceries lists and then

I found Pinterest

Frikkin life changer people

I have decided to put together a post of really great meal ideas that I have tried & have worked. Some are from Pintrest,
 some are from the web or from magazines.  
I will include some helpful hints along with each recipe too!

 These tried & true recipes have been super simple to make & have been enjoyed by pretty picky eaters.  
With a little planning ahead I can honestly say 
I have stopped reaching for the Xanax 
every time I heard the bus in the afternoon.

Mediterranean One Dish

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Mediterrean-One-Dish-Meal#.T-MielivbA8.pinterest

This one is super simple, you use one pot and that's it!
We serve it with pita & hummus or Tzhiki
I dont care for oregano so I leave it out
We also serve with feta on the table 
so you can add as much or as little as you want
Same goes for the olives

Applesauce Glazed Pork Chops

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Applesauce-Glazed-Pork-Chops

Ok so this one I have made with pork tenderloin 
sliced into medallions.
It takes no time to cook and is soooo easy

Serve with a green veggie & rice

Done with dinner

Mongolian Beef

http://www.pinkbites.com/2009/01/mongolian-beef.html

Another super simple one
most of this stuff you have on hand

Serve with rice & brocolli 

Gingery Pork and Cucumber Pita

http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/gingery-pork-and-cucumber-pitas-recipe-00000000020845/index.html

For this one I used pork tenderloin cut up into tiny slivers rather than ground pork
I also made the cucumber salad as a side rather than putting it inside the pita
This was soooo quick & easy

Chicken Pot Pie "Cupcakes"

http://quick-dish.tablespoon.com/2012/03/07/chicken-pot-pie-cupcakes/

This actually works

It is so easy its stupid!
This is one of those quick meals to make when its 
just you & the kids
Serve with salad
Done

Hopefully these are a few new super simple recipes to make your life easy.

Let me know if you tried them and what your family thought!

(many of these were found on Pinterest, in magazines or on the web.  I made sure to give credit to all original sources.)

You Can't Hide Crazy..Leigh Bones

I had the pleasure of meeting a new blogger who is totally hilarious & intelligent.   

Most of her posts have me peeing in my pants.  

Go to her blog, follow her on Facebook.  

Just go do it!  She is awesome!!!  

AND.......shee is going to be attending BlogHer - Chicago in July, HELLO!!!!  

Very cool!

      http://www.leighbones.com

Happy Mother'sDay Wish

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all the moms i know & love.  First & foremost to my own mom who showed me unconditional love & self sacrifice, almost to a fault. To all the moms that came before her in my family that paved the way. To my aunts who were second moms constantly surrounding me with a sense of humor, a nurturing nature and the love I needed.  To my sisters who are not moms yet but have blessed my daughters with kindness, love, generosity and laughter.  

To my mom friends. Whether we walked the mall armed with Cheerios & sippy cups, shared misery about nasty diapers or the pukeys or whether to call the pediatrician.  Figuring out preschools or trips to Disney.  Moms who have endured playdates, hangouts & room mom responsibilities by my side. From the mundane-sharing recipes or cleaning tips. To the hilarious TMI stories that we have sworn to keep secret.   To the heartbreak we have all shared over loss of a parent or loss of a pregnancy.  To mom's who have shown unwavering courage & strength through their own children's diagnoses & illness.  To those persevered by my side through infertility, especially to all who listened to my heartbreak as I struggled with it and still loved me afterwards!!  

To moms to be, step moms and any woman who has loved a child, this day is in your honor too!!  

This day would not be possible for me if it wasn't for the unselfish gift of a mother who sacrificed and placed two precious babies in my arms and allowed me to take over for her as mommy for the rest of their lives. I am still in constant awe of the gift I was given, some days I am still moved to tears!!  

I hope you all have a Mothers Day that is peaceful.  I hope your are honored today and shown love. Hope you are spoiled rotten & your day is designed the way you imagined!  

Thank you for the impact you have made in my life. 

Love,

Tracey

He's so gay!

Conversation between me & the girls the other night...

twin: He is sooooo gay!

me: gay? do you know what that means?

twin: yeah, it means if a boy acts like a girl

me: hmm no, not really? where did you hear that?

twin: this boy at school, everyone says that he acts like a girl, he talks like a girl & he thinks he is a girl, so they call him gay.

me in my head:       ::well hold on to him ladies cause he will some day be your bestie!!!!::

me: well, hmm how bout I tell you both the truth about the meaning of gay, cause your friends dont really have it right..

me:      ::deep breath, hoping i get it right::

me: sometimes, a person is born they have feelings like they like being with someone, they identify or like to hang around someone who is the same as them. A boy can like a boy & a girl could like a girl. they can fall in love & be together for a really long time, they may date for a short time, they could even get married.

twin: but they cant make a baby

me: no, but they can adopt a baby and can be a family

me: but they are gay and its part of them just like the color of your hair or the freckles on your nose (S) or the two different color eyes you have (C) Its very much who they are and not something to be made fun of, if you make fun of someone because of being gay, you are a bully. it would be the same as someone making fun of you because of the way you look. Its just part of who they are.

twins:       ::silence::

me in my head:       ::holy crap, i hope i got that somewhat right......but i think i did?!?!?::

twins:        ::more silence::

me: so what specials did you have in school today?

So this conversation has been one I have been waiting for.  My girls are official tweens, they will be 11 in a few weeks. We have had the discussions about body parts, changing, growing up & yes...."the birds & the bees".  This was the next phase of the dialogue, Dialog really never ends in my chatty house.  With two girls + me, its inevitable.  But I kinda like it that way.  Open dialog & honesty seems to always have worked for us.  My mom was always open & honest with me, I chose to parent that way also.  

My goal for my children is to teach them kindness, love, acceptance of all people.  Regardless of....well... anything.  It makes me sad that so many people are so divided on this topic.  I felt good about telling them the way I told them.

If I have lost friends because of this post, then that's sad.  If I have helped another parent with telling their child the same thing then great!  I never really know what direction I want this blog to go in.  I just felt really compelled to share this here.  Leave a comment if you'd like.

More Hockey Autograph Books

So I was asked to make a new batch of hockey autograph books for a "Hockey Mom"
who is a busy mom raising 2 adorable Hockey Boys
while running her own business

The Hockey Mommy

I originally made this book for her older boy

Very First Hockey Autograph Book

Her boys are huge fans of the local team here

The Carolina Hurricanes

Her boys have been able to skate with the Canes
so these books are perfect for collecting all those famous signatures!!!

These are the newer, updated books I made for her son & two friends.

Very cute, very fun to make "boy" stuff

I had to really stop my self from adding a flower or a burlap heart!

It was a lot of fun to be asked to make these again!!!

A Tribute to The 26 Angels of Sandy Hook Elementary

Amazing song in honor of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary Tragedy

My prayers goes out to every one who knew & loved all these beautiful angels

Grapevine & Burlap Rosette Wreath

So I have totally been on a wreath extravaganza lately

It is a simple way to change things up for the seasons

and so far the ones that I have made 

have been really frikkin easy

I found this one 

Grapevine & Burlap Rosette Wreath

on Pinterest...of course

Here is the technique Jenni recommended to make rosettes

For this wreath

Really all you need is:

*Burlap

*Glue Gun & lots of glue sticks

*Grapevine Wreath 

Thats it!

I love the wispiness of these grapevine wreaths

but it would work with anything

I am soooo addicted to burlap

Its everywhere

I love how elegant & rough it looks at the same time

So here are few pics I took along the way

and some instructions too

It is really simple, so I am sure my lame attempt at explaining isn't really needed but here we go...

So I started with about a 1 1/2--2 inch thick strip of Burlap 

 I rolled, twisted & glued.  

 as I went to get the rosette look

Roll, twist & glue

Roll, twist & glue

Kinda like

Lather, rinse, repeat...

hee

You really cant screw this up, the faster I went, the more sloppy the rosettes were & I actually liked the sloppy ones better,

kinda like I do in real life

(liking the sloppy ones, that is)

Then I lined the rosettes up along the circle (inner part) of the wreath till they looked right

again i just eyeballed them

I was going with the odd number rule too

Love how that works out!

This is the finished wreath

Hanging on the front door

Close up

I also made a tiny one for a bridal shower

& attached a Gift Card.  

Kinda a nice gift?!?!

So that's it, lots of fun to make & super easy!

Let me know if you try one!