Raising Hands

I love one pot suppers. I really love pot roast. I picked up a roast for Sunday dinner last week and when the day came I went to reach for my tried and true onion soup mix to get the party started. I was out! There was no turning back. What happened next (while not earth shattering) may change the way I make pot roast forever. My two options were Italian dressing seasoning or Ranch. I went with the Ranch.  Instead of mixing with water or broth and pouring over the meat I sprinkled the dry seasoning over the onions and carrots as they did a quick sautée in the same pan I seared the beef.  While the veggies hung out in hot pan I quartered a few red potatoes.  I transferred everething into a Dutch oven and deglazed the skillet with a little red wine and chicken stock (I would probably use beef stock but the chicken stock was already open in the fridge. Honestly, I use chicken stock for everything.) I poured the liquid over the meat and veg and topped in with a l

We celebrated Bella's second birthday yesterday. But wait. We couldn't have?! Didn't this like, just happen? Wasn't she just this small? It did happen. A baby no more. This girl is bright, and funny. She loves to tease EVERYONE! She told anyone who asked her this week that she was going to be three years old instead of two.  She is adored by us all. Exhibit A being the picture above. She loves dolls and playing princess almost as much as she loves playing with her brothers trucks and super heroes. She calls her brothers "Day-Dup" and "Wee-Yum" and loves whisker rubs and dancing with Daddy. But I must say she's a bit of a Mama's girl and that's alright by me. I love her squeezes and her sloppy kisses. Her mischievous grin brightens even the most dreary day. I always imagined I'd be the mother of a house full of boys but I'm awfully glad God saw fit to bless our family with this extraordinary little girl. Happy bi

Saturday night was an amazing night for my dear mother in law, Barbara. She was so surprised to celebrate her birthday surrounded by 50 of her family and friends. We were happy to assist my father in law with the planning. I may or may not have gone a bit over the top. It's okay though, she totally deserved it! In my previous party  post  I previewed the guest book. Here is the finished product. I used my garage sale birdcage for cards and gifts The cake was coconut filled from a fabulous local bakery  The paper flowers were a hit and who new that Epsom Salt in a mason jar could be so pretty. I pinned the tutorial for the flowers ages ago and have been saving the mason jar lighting for just the right time. It was the perfect accent to go with the hard wood floors, exposed brick, down home feel of the restaurant. The cookies acted as our thank you favors. I founds these super cute and free vintage inspired printable labels for the backs.

The party post is coming. I have a few loose ends to tie up for Stephen's Mom and I'm having some fun playing with the latest version of iMovie on our new Mac. We may have celebrated Barbara's birthday on Saturday, the 18th but her actual birthday was yesterday the 19th. It's a day she graciously shares with her son and I as it also happens to be the anniversary of our marriage. It's been seven years and myriad adventures. Not the least being our three gorgeous kids.  After the previous evenings festivities Mom was kind enough to offer her babysitting services so that we could share a meal, take some selfies and marvel at how the years have flown. Unfortunately, our revelry was short lived. I had been ignoring the tell tale signs of a medical issue that happens to ladies who get dehydrated and stressed out (say coordinating a surprise birthday party for 50 guests;-) I had planned to try to make it until the morning and head in to see our family doctor but I couldn&#

Well, not quite. My life has been hijacked by a party. I'm in the home stretch. Only five more days of secret keeping. Clandestine meetings and conversations with my Father in law in the garage. trying desperately not to spill the beans to my children. I've worked too hard to have loose lips sink this ship now! They are curious about the 30 paper flowers and the 50 cookies I've made but won't let them eat. Poor little lambs. In the meantime here are just a couple of the other projects I've been working on. I'll do a full party recap after Saturday. I'm so excited to see it all come together. I loved this idea for a guest book. I'd love to credit a blogger or website but the Pinterest link doesn't get to any source material. The picture is for a wedding guest book but the description had the great idea to modify it for a birthday party. That's just what I've done. I found a free chalkboard Guest Book printable and put some serious elbow

On the way home from church on Sunday we had to stop for gas. Naturally, while my man pumped the gas I perused Pinterest to see what all my crafty and foodie friends have been up to. I was immediately curious about a Beef Stroganoff recipe our favorite newlywed  had recently pinned. I love seeing all the recipes she's been pinning lately. Isn't being a newlywed grand? Back to the Stroganoff. Stephen has made a version of this for me on more than one occasion and I haven't cared for it. It shares some of the same ingredients but calls for jars and JARS of sliced jarred mushrooms. YUCK! Steve's recipe also lacks a creamy quality that I love about Stroganoff. Anyway, this  recipe has it all. Two kinds of beef, fresh mushrooms, and two creamy additions stirred in at the end. If things couldn't get any better. The whole sha-bang gets tossed in your crockpot and five to six hours later you've got creamy, dreamy, beefy, goodness. We shared this crowd pleasing meal w

Since I can pretty much guarantee that pictures of my house will never be featured on websites or in magazines. I give you the holiday home tour that nobody asked for. With some family Christmas pictures thrown in for good measure. I'm very proud of this little corner. My sewing machine is getting some work thrown her way and I just adore that ceramic Christmas tree. I know the big tree is naked on top. I am on the search this year for the perfect tree topper. Thank you to Nest of Posies for the awesome chalkboard printable and to Lauren for showing me the awesomeness of printables. This Nativity is a new addition this year. It's actually been sitting in my closet for four years and this is the first year I've displayed it. We usually display a Fonatanini nativity. Lord willing we will be in a new house by next Christmas and I can display them both. This nativity is special as it was made in the holy land from pure olive wood. There is a small glass tile on the b

Yesterday we celebrated Jacob's sixth birthday. We did the usual. A family meal and cake. Or in this case cupcakes. I can't believe he's six. He is so bright and smart and funny. He is so much like me (Not the bright, smart, and funny part). Which is the reason he drives me the most crazy. And why he holds a very special place in my heart. Despicable Me was a big hit movie at our house. The enthusiasm carried right over into the request for a themed birthday cake. I quite exhausted myself over Christmas and I am so grateful that over the years I have made friends of the ladies in the bakery department at my favorite grocery store. $9.00 for a dozen cupcakes with 18 hours notice? I'll take it! We had a quiet day. The first real Winter snowfall, and the coldest temps too. It was a great day to stay in, play with Legos, color Angry Birds and have serious meeting with all of the Avengers. Grandma and PeePaw Kolaskey sent a lovely and delicious fruit bouquet to hel