S'more Cookies

I have a love hate relationship with summer.  I love the long, slow days that come with school being out, enjoying time with friends swimming and making s'mores. I don't like the heat. The combination of friends hanging out around the fire and marshmallows on sticks slowly charring over the fire (or in my case, quickly catching on fire!) brings so many memories of camping as a child.  Earlier this summer, our best friends and us took turns watching each other's kids for different events we each had.  When we arrived to pick up our kids, we ended up sticking around and roasting marshmallows for a bit before heading home and I'm pretty sure it was one of my favorite memories of this summer!

Since today marks the start of Labor Day weekend and we have been on countdown mode all week. . . because it's been pretty insane around here and we are ready for some time or rest, margin, and family time!  I've already dug out my book and picked up some magazines and I baked a batch of the most amazing cookies ever and of course they combine all the things required to make a delicious s'more. 

 I love s'mores so much that when I first started blogging, I made a pact with Jon to not make the same kind of cookies for an entire year in order to prove to him that there had to be a better recipe than the Nestle Toll House recipe we all tend to stick with (yes, they are good. . . but we found better).  One of the recipes I tried was this one.  And it was good, but after the Summer Bake from Scratch came out and one of the recipes this S'mores recipe that had a major improvement to the ones I had tried several years ago.  The problem with using regular mini marshmallows is that they burn really easy in the oven, just like over the fire.  And then, you are just left with largest blotches of sticky goo.  Still good, but there is a better way.

 A few years ago, Kraft came out with some teeny marshmallows that are dehydrated and are more like the consistency of those you'd find in a box of lucky charms.  We buy them and keep them in our coffee/hot cocoa basket and honestly, I never even considered using them in cookies. . . until I saw this recipe.  Seriously, life changing.  Best thing ever!  They came out perfect, perfect amounts of marshmallow bits combined with chocolate pieces and ground up graham crackers.  You definitely feel like you are eating a s'more when you eat these!  I'm kind of drooling as I type. 

I loved this recipe so much that I made them again this morning. . . they really are drool-worthy!  They are so good, that I have been holding on to this recipe to share with family this weekend, but when Weston got home from school and saw them sitting here, he was begging for one.  So, we may need a miracle that they even make it to the family gathering. 

So, without further torture of how good they are, let's get to the recipe and get this Labor Day weekend going.  I hope you all have a wonderful and safe weekend! 

S'more Cookies
adapted from Bake from Scratch
(Baking Made Easy 2019)

Ingredients:
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 package of chocolate chips
1 cup miniature marshmallow bits.

 Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy.  Then add eggs and vanilla.  Beat until well incorporated.  Add in all your dry ingredients and only stir until it's all mix in.  Add chocolate chips and marshmallow bits and stir with a spoon.  Using a cookie scoop or a spoon drop dough onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Bake for 10 mintues.

Notes:
We used Annies Graham crackers (soy free), Guittard dark chocolate chips (soy and dairy free) and then today I used Enjoy Life Chocolate chunks (dairy and soy free). 

Here's a link to the marshmallow bits. . . so you know what you're looking for.  I found them at Target, but you can get them on Amazon, so you don't even have to leave your house.  See, a win!

And once again, Enjoy your weekend!

Front Bathroom Update & and goals

I've been finding my self wandering into the front bathroom just to soak in the transformation that took place over the course of the summer.  Our front bathroom was this year's big home project. It's probably going to take all year, and we're okay with that.  We move slow, we take our time, we make it a point to not go into debt with a home project. We also are easily distracted and started working on decorating our room a bit. We also make sure that we have money saved and set aside for these projects.  We don't want to go into debt to get the home that we love. 

We started this project by chalk painting the cabinets white.  I used Annie Sloan Pure White and then applied clear wax over the top.  Before the cabinets were this really ugly golden brown that screamed paint me every time I walked in.  We decided to keep the original light blue tile since it's in great condition and so was the blue tub and tubs are super pricey!

After the business of Christmas and once we got back into a routine with the second half of the school year, we started researching and getting quotes for someone to come in and do the new tile and add a shower into the wall of the bath (there was never one put one in).   This was the first time we've hired a contractor to do something that we could've probably done, but we'd probably still be working on it if we hadn't.  We had the tile done while I was running around with my head cut off during the last week of school (between all sorts of school activities and getting ready for summer, I was busy!).  We went with a basic white subway tile and added a niche for the kids shampoo and used some small white hexagons to fill in the niche.  And we had switched out the spout to coordinate with the new shower head.  I am in love with the brushed bronze against the simplicity of the white subway tile.  I can't even begin to tell you how much I love it.

 Once the tile was finished, I started painting away the color I painted when we first moved in.  I loved the color 10 years ago, but it was time for a change, and so I painted it Pure White, by Sherwin Williams.  I'm really loving the simplicity of white lately.  And from there, we just sort of enjoyed the bathroom as it was, painted and tiled and the best part, our kids NOT taking a shower in our bathroom!  I'm pretty sure that's my favorite part.

We had our flooring put in the week we came home from vacation.  It seemed to take forever for this part to happen because the flooring was put on back order.  We went with a highly absorbent laminate planks that had a nice grey wood grain.  It's the same flooring that we used in our master bathroom.  I could not wait to get the linoleum out of there!  I hated how they went up the sides of the wall with the flooring and didn't use base boards.  I seriously could NOT wait til it was gone!  It's amazing how powerful white baseboards are when it comes to the look of a room! 

 The next big task was to add ship lap along the wall.  Jon and his brother worked so hard one Sunday after church carefully measuring and nailing with a nail gun.  Jon was a little bit nervous about this wall because there's a window and some jagged edges with the countertops.  But they did it and it's gorgeous! 

 But, we weren't quite done.  Jon added a farmhouse frame around the window.  Since we aren't going to put up curtains, we wanted to be able to frame the window. I am hoping to get the ship lap and window painted next month.  In the meantime, let's just sit and stare at the beautiful ship lap.

The one thing that was driving me crazy was that the kids didn't have anywhere to hang their towels so they were always laying on the ground.  So annoying. . . and dirty!  So, I ran to Target one day after church and grabbed these hooks by Threshold.  I love how they have a place for me to add the kids names and make it personal.  We hung these behind the door next to the shower.  They can now, get out of the shower, grab their towel, dry off and then hang up their towel. . . well, we can dream, can't we? 

The best part is that their towels stay hidden behind the door, so no one sees them when their walking down the hallway. 

 We are not finished and have a few things to do to make this room complete.  Like shelves above the toilet here.  Jon had something creative in mind for the shelves.  He has some really great design ideas and I love it!  I can't wait to see what he does and then I will style the shelves.  

 We also are going to be changing the light fixtures and faucets to match those in the shower. 

I am so excited about what we've accomplished since we started and I'm pretty sure that we will enjoy it for years. . . because I'm not sure Jon's going to be up for me suggesting a repaint anytime soon.  Ha ha! 

Some random Friday thoughts

Happy Friday!  I sat down to write a blog post several times this week and I was very easily distracted.  There's a lot of little things that are going on and it's keeping me fairly busy around here, but they are all great things.  So, I thought I would sit down, with a cup of coffee (of course!), and write some of my thoughts down. 

This summer was filled with a lot of adventure and a lot of quiet.  We rested and we wore ourselves out (in a good way) that by the time school started last week, the kids were both very ready to get back into a routine.  None of us really wanted to get up and get going (well, maybe Weston, he's our get up and get going kid).  And now, 2 weeks later, we are enjoying the last couple of weeks before the real busy sets in with sports for both boys, room parents obligations (apparently I'm room parenting for both classes), and leading a Bible Study.  I am so thankful for the quiet and rest that happened this summer, that I feel like I am ready and excited for what this school year has in store. 

The beginning of the school year is kind of like the beginning of the year.  I do well with setting goals for the school terms rather than a whole year.  There's something about the newness that comes with the start of school year.  It's exciting. My goals might be lofty and chances are I won't finish them all, but I am sure going to try.  Some might just take me all year, and that's okay.  

One of the things I am really praying about is this little space that I blog at.  It is my continuous hope and prayer that you are encouraged and maybe inspired by what you read.  I started writing and posting back when blogging was more of a thing and Ethan wasn't even crawling, and while I spend a lot of time over on instagram,  this blog is where I get to share more of my heart and expand on what I post.  I would love to grow this little space just a little bit more, and would love it if you would take the time to comment and share a blog post every now and then.  Maybe even pin something on to a board.  I've always been reluctant to ask, but if I want to grow this space, I need your help.  I have a long list of upcoming blog posts that will hopefully start kicking into full gear next week.  So, be on the lookout.  New posts are coming!  And thank you ahead of time, for taking just a few minutes out of your busy day to read my words and share them with your people.  I appreciate it so much!

The last thing I am going to leave you with is a little reminder that creating space for getting creative, is something that I believe is so vital to our mental health.  It's so easy to brush it off as extra things that don't matter or that you aren't good enough, but I just want to remind you how important it is to set aside a few minutes a day or week for something that brings you joy.  When you open the Bible, the very first verse, is "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."  It goes on to say that God created man (and women) in His Image.  I am a firm believer that God wants us to be able to create.  We don't all get creative the same ways, because we are all also created uniquely.  Some of you may be better at things than others and that's great, too!  I have a sweet friend who learned how to watercolor and she is amazing at what she does.  I probably won't ever create something as beautiful as she has, but I know that isn't going to stop me from trying something new and feeling satisfied by brushing paint across a paper in an attempt to makes something beautiful.  So, don't let fear of failure stop you these next few months.  Give your mind a break and try something creative.  Use creating to give margin and life to your tired, overworked souls.  Try it with a friend and see what happens when you add laughter to the mix.  The effects of creating are so helpful for our weary souls. 

I remember being pregnant and being told that I wouldn't have time to create once my baby came.  It was even recommended that I just get rid of my stuff.  I am so thankful that I did not head their advice because those opportunities to be creative that first year of being a mom helped my very tired, very sore (post c-section), new mom find joy in the midst of sleepless nights and finding my groove as a stay at home mom.  I am very confident that scheduling in times where I can be creative is so beneficial to the way my mind works. 

So, as we start this school year, let's do it creatively and let's cheer each other on. 

Follow me on FB here and on instagram here to stay inspired and join the community so we can cheer each other on. 

Back to School Time!

Summer vacation came to an end this week and my back to reality we all went.  Back to waking up to an alarm, packing lunches, homework, and attempting to get these two off to school on time.  As much as I was not quite ready for heading back into a routine (I like staying up late and sleeping in), I am pretty sure that Ethan was ready, he has been all sorts of antsy ever since we came home from vacation.  Weston is a completely different story, he is always sad to leave the quiet of the house. . . unless we are going on a vacation.  He is loving school, though! 

In honor of the first week, I thought I would share some tips that we have learned over the past few years that have really helped keep our year organized and sane.  These are things that we have used every year just because they work for our family.  Your family may have different dynamics or things that work better.  I'm just sharing ours. 

1.  Stay organized.  I am not always great at this, but when I do things go so much smoother than I ever dream.  We have a family command center that has a computer (we've replaced that old clunky one with a little laptop), the kids each have their own bench and drawer, a place to hang their backpacks.  They know where their stuff goes, so it usually goes back into the spots.  If things are too heavy, they just get put into the crate under neath them.  The library books also go in there, so they have a home so we don't loose them.    On the bulletin board, we keep a monthly calendar, weekly calendar, and the menu plan.  By planning meals, we save money and time by not daily trying to figure out what we are going to eat.  Since, I know I know our schedule for the week when I am meal planning, I can plan for specific meals on nights where there are meetings or sports practices.  You can see the original command center post here.

2.  Create a routine that works with your family.  The teacher in my loves routine.  I have always found that kids thrive in an environment that they know what to expect.  This is the first year, we aren't using our mourning routine cards because they have this down (You can read about them here though).  I did make one for our oldest that stays in the bathroom and reminds him about deodoarant and washing his face, because he's a boy who would rather be doing other things and we need to make it a habit.  We also have daily chore cards that have helped so much because if it's in writing, there is nothing to argue about.  These chore cards tell them which days they set the table or clear off the table, empty the dishwasher, fold clothes, etc.  They know what's expected of them and have learned that the sooner they get their stuff done the sooner they can veg out our play video games. We try to keep bedtimes at the same time, that includes showers, reading time, and lights out.  We are crazy and our kids are in bed by 8:30 at the latest because they need their sleep.

3.  Get as much done the night before.  I am not a morning person and there never seems to be enough time to get all the things done in the morning.  I have learned that doing things like packing lunches and setting out clothes the night before is a huge help the following morning.  If you need some lunch inspiration, I've got some here and here. 

4.  Take advantage of sales and learn to wait for the school supply clearance.  When school time rolls around, I know that my kids need certain items for school and certain items in our own stash to keep stocked away for homework and projects.  I also know that this stuff adds up, even when you are buying them on "sale."  I stock up on crayola markers, crayons, and colored pencils when they are a dollar and 50 cents.  Don't be cheap and by the store brands. . . they just don't work as much.  Also, stock up when Ticonderoga pencils go on sale.  Grab a few packs of paper and a couple notebooks and then wait.  Wait so patiently for all that stuff to be marked down and then go buy your notebooks and paper for almost nothing.  And then see what else is there.  You will thank me, I promise.  (also, I shop at Target. . . I don't know how that works for Walmart).

5. Choose to love on your child's teacher.  I say this every year, but it something that is so important.  Teachers work so incredibly hard for very little acknowledgement. They don't do it to receive those words of praise, they do it because they love kids and want to see them thrive.  They spend money out of their own pockets and put in more hours then the normal school day to make your child's learning experience one for the books!  So, pick up an extra wish list item or grab them their favorite chocolate bar on a rough week.  Don't wait for teacher appreciation week to spoil them.  And really, get to know the person who is spending all day with your child.  Volunteer in their room or see if there is anything they can help you with.  Periodically check in on your child.  This really helps build a great child-parent-teacher relationship that I kind of took for granted until my child got into a fight and ended up suspended last year.  Trust me, not the phone call you want to get.  But, knowing that my child had an incredibly loving teacher and an equally loving administrative staff, I knew that my child was going to be okay and the suspension was not going to change the way that he was loved on by the staff. 

I am sure you have a lot of things you do and I would love to hear them!  I am always looking for ideas to make our transition into school mode a smooth one!  Feel free to leave a comment and feel free to even share.  It totally makes my day when someone reads my blog and leaves a comment!  

I hope you have a fantastic first week of school! 

Summer Pinterest Challenge 2019: Week 6

 Summer vacation has officially ended at our house and while we have returned to routine and bedtimes, we do have one more art project to share with you.  This is a great chance to fit in one more art project before you start school or pin it for an activity on a day where your kids are at home, whether for snow (we don't have those), or a holiday.  I know I am already looking at other artists to do during Christmas Vacation.  We have just had so much fun learning about artists and their art this summer. 

As a kid, I remember my mom liking Georgia O'keefe.  I remember her doing a bulletin board in her classroom and talking about her being one of her favorites.  I could be mistaken, but it's a vague memory I have from childhood.  O'Keefe is definitely different from the other artists we talked about this summer (Picasso, Kandinsky, Seurat, Van Gogh, and Matisse), but she has a beautiful story and some of the most gorgeous paintings of flowers.  She grew up loving nature and seeing things that most people miss as the hurry through life. She hoped to urge people to slow down and look around, so she painted pictures of nature, large and colorful.  We did a lot of talking about why it's good to take time and look around and admire the beauty of God's creation.  You can definitely see it when you look at O'Keefe's work. 

For this art project, there were a lot of ideas on Pinterest, but we went with just drawing large flowers on our 8x11 painting paper (just a book from Target. . . pretty sure it's that Up&Up brand that's cheap and perfect for keeping around for your kids to do all sorts of art projects).  We used tempera paints. . . I am partial to Crayola.  Their tempera paints are nice, thick, with rich colors.

 We talked about O'keefe's flower paintings being only 1 flower, BIG, and barely any negative space with the petals often hanging off the edge of the canvas.  The kids got to draw their own flowers and then choose their colors.  We talked about white and black paint and what happens when we combine one of them with another color and how you can make shades and tints (a lesson we did together awhile back).  I kind of just let the kids paint in peace and watched to see how their creative juices get inspired by other artists.  We aren't setting out to simply copy another artists work, but to be inspired to try new things and take risks when armed with paper and and a paint brush. 

 I cannot begin to express how much I love their paintings.  Weston did the yellow and brown flower, and decided to not paint the negative space because he had an idea in his head for another art project that he wanted to start ASAP.  So, while he told me at the beginning that he did NOT want to do art the day we did this, he had fun and then I couldn't get him to stop painting.  The wheels in his head were spinning! 

 Let's also not talk about how my almost 11 year old is looking more like he's a teenager every day.  Oiy Vey.  Send help.  Just kidding!  I love the things that they have created.  I had fun, joining in and getting to paint, too! 

We read these three books before starting our paintings and they really helped us understand Georgia O'Keefe's life and the way she painted.  I am pretty sure that her story inspired us!  While both Through Georgia's eyes and My Name is Georgia were very similar, they both gave some different perspectives on her life and art.  And once again, we found the O'Keefe version of my favorite art books, which was so much fun! 


 Here are some more facts on our art project:

O'keefe books:
Through Georgia's Eyes
My Name is Georgia
O'keefe (My favorite)
Georgia O'Keefe 

Catch the rest of the Summer Kids Art Challenge here:
Week 1: Kandinsky
Week 2: Seurat
Week 3: Picasso
Week 4: Matisse
Week 5: Van Gogh 

 Art Supplies:
Tempera Paint in assorted colors (we used Crayola)
pencil
drawing paper
paint brushes (our favorite's are these from Ikea)

Don't forget to post a picture and use the hashtag:

#ootrbsummerkidsartchallenge 

Happy Creating! 

Summer Pinterest Challenge 2019: Week 5

I can't believe this is our 5th week of doing art together here on the blog.  We have one more week after this, so don't worry.  I might even sneak some art projects in throughout the year, because there's some really good artists out there that I think my kids need to know more about.  Plus, I just love the conversations that come from doing art together and watching them make connections when we go visit art galleries. 

This week, we are learning all about Vincent Van Gogh and he's so much fun to study.  He is a man who loved to paint.  He tried so many jobs before settling down as a poor painter.  He loved painting so much that he often spent all his money on paint rather than buying food.  When he painted he liked to use thick brush strokes and often didn't take the time to mix the paints to create colors, he just went with them fresh out of the tube.  A lot of people thought his paintings were weird, and like most other artists, he was not famous until after he died.  He got sad a lot and one day decided to cut off part of his ear. He has a really neat, but very sad story.

We got to see this one on our vacation this summer and the one below it 2 years ago, when we were in Chicago.  As we read, Camille and the Sunflowers, Ethan and Weston were both remembering the pieces we have seen. 

 Because Van Gogh is famous for his deep brush strokes and bright colors, I really wanted to use a medium that would show the kids about lines.  We went with this tutorial using oil pastels.  We haven't used oil pastels this summer, so it was fun to pull them out and put them to use during our summer kids art challenge.

One of his famous paintings are his Sunflowers and since we read the book that talked about that particular painting, we thought it was a good idea to do our own sunflower project.  Here's a picture of one of his sunflower paintings.

I cannot even begin to tell you how much I love how these came out!  It was such a simple art project, but the way the sunflowers pop on the dark paper, makes oil pastels so much fun!  The kids often asked if we were scribbling, because at times, it really felt like it.  But in truth, sometimes scribbling can bring the best lines!  Weston figured out that he could smear the oil pastels with his fingers, so we let him do another project afterwards and it turned out beautiful!

We read Camille and the Sunflowers, which is a fun story about some of his paintings that Van Gogh painted and then we read the Van Gogh book, because those books are so much fun and they are filled with so many facts!

Here are some more info on our art project:

You can find the directions for this very easy piece here.  

Other books about Van Gogh:
Camille and the Sunflowers
Vincent Can't Sleep
Katie and the Starry Night
Vincent Van Gogh (My favorite artist books!)

Catch the rest of the Summer Kids Art Challenge here:
Week 1: Kandinsky
Week 2: Seurat
Week 3: Picasso
Week 4: Matisse

 Art Supplies:
oil pastels - I have a box of the crayola ones I picked up a few years ago someplace. . . they were probably on sale.  Here's a link to some on amazon.  

black construction paper - we used navy blue cardstock, because I had some hanging around.  

Don't forget to post a picture and use the hashtag:

#ootrbsummerkidsartchallenge 

Happy Creating!