TREX OUTDOOR FURNITURE GIVEAWAY!!!

It finally feels like summer!  The perfect time to eat outdoors, have smores around a campfire and enjoy lots of fresh air!! :)  A super cool blog I enjoy reading is offering a great giveaway to win a two piece Cape Cod Folding Adirondack Seating Set! Boy, our family could REALLY use this as we are working on redesigning our backyard and deck/patio area. Pop on over to Meg's blog http://megduerksen.typepad.com/ and enter to win right away. Good luck :)

How to save over $100 each month on Starbucks coffee

I came up with an easy way to save over $100 each month for my favorite coffee drinks and I want to share it with you :)  I love caramel in my coffee and one of my seasonal faves in Starbucks Salted Caramel Mocha or Salted Caramel Mochas.

Heat 1 cup milk. Add your favorite instant coffee(I was on the go so I used a Starbucks VIA packet but any instant coffee will do) Add 1/4 packet (or about 2 Tablespoons)Hot Cocoa Mix. Unwrap a delicious Trader Joe's Fleur De Sel Caramel (or 2 if you want it really caramelly) and place in cup. Carefully pour the hot milk,coffee and cocoa mixture on top of the caramel in the mug.  The heat of the liquid will quickly melt the caramel.  Stir and ENJOY!   Mmmmmmmmmm......
What's your favorite at home drink creation?

FREE Starbucks Hazelnut or Caramel Macchiato! Available at participating stores thru March 31, 2013.  Go get yours NOW!!!!  They are DELICIOUS!  :)

Stop by your local Starbucks and ask for your free Tall Hazelnut or Caramel Macchiato by 03/31/13.  Be sure to call your local Starbucks to make sure they are participating before you make the drive there.  Some stores are handing our a certain number of these coupons each day. You can ask for them or  mention "Code 350" and they should know what you mean.  I simply went through my local drive thru and showed them the code on my cellphone.  I tried the new Hazelnut Macchiato and it was YUMMMMY!  I've been told there are some stores that require a purchase in order to receive the FREE tall Macchiato.  No problem, Starbucks has this cute reusable cup for only $1!

Be sure to  leave a comment and tell us how it worked at your local Starbucks :)

Reduce,Reuse,Recycle and Organization

As a Mom, one of the constant challenges seems to be organization!! If we do not set up easy to follow systems for organization, how can we expect our children to follow along?  Organizational systems have to change as your family's needs change.  Children grow older, have more or less small toys to store, join sports and now have a plethora of sports equipment,etc... We seem to have an overabundance of shoes around here too! We need an organizational overhaul around here and I am in search of simple solutions that are easy to stick with and follows one of our favorite family mottos: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.  We are trying to minimize the amount of stuff coming in and reuse what we already have and perhaps shift those things around to work better for us at this point in time.

The first area that needed a makeover is our garage entryway. This is a small space that used to be a closet with bifold doors. (we removed those beauties a few years ago) When you are coming in from the garage, you walk right past this area and through another door leading to the hall and kitchen.  The basement stairs are open to this small area and are in front of the closet area.  Here is a view from the hall doorway:

And another pretty shot standing on the basement stairs looking forward:

Yikes! So, I took the casters off of a white one of these:

Placed it on top of the current shoe rack, added a coat rack and a sign with one of our favorite mottos on it and voila:

Used what we had and streamlined our systems.  This is where muddy boots can go and winter hats,gloves,scarfs, sports equipment/spare lunch bags in the bins.  Easy to see so no one can tell me "I don't know where it goes!" :)

By the way, did anyone try the Cream Wafer Cookie recipe I posted? If you did, be sure to let me know what you thought!  

How was your Valentine's day? 

Here is a quick easy recipe that will "WOW" your friends and family! You can customize these wafer cookies for different holidays or events by changing the filling color and cookie shape and/or color.  Flaky, buttery, mouthwatering, pastry-like wafer cookies with a sweet creamy filling.  These cookies are light and go well with a tall glass of ice cold milk or your favorite delicious hot beverage!  My Mom has made these since I was little and I believe she originally found the recipe in her Betty Crocker Cookbook. So here it is for you to enjoy:

Cream Wafers

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup butter or margerine, softened

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

Granulated sugar

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup butter or margerine, softened

1 tsp vanilla

Food color, if desired

In medium bowl, mix flour, 1 cup butter and the whipping cream with spoon. Cover and refrigerate about 1 hour or until firm.

Heat oven to 375ºF. Roll one-third of dough at a time* 1/8 inch thick on lightly floured surface. (Keep remaining dough refrigerated until ready to roll.) Cut into desired shapes with 1 1/2-inch cookie cutters. Generously cover large piece of waxed paper with granulated sugar. Transfer cutouts to waxed paper, using pancake turner. Turn each cutout to coat both sides. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Prick each cutout with fork about 4 times.

Bake 7 to 9 minutes or just until set but not brown. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, mix all Creamy Filling ingredients until smooth. Add a few drops water if necessary. Spread about 1/2 teaspoon filling between bottoms of pairs of cookies.

*Just a helpful suggestion from my experience, try not to handle the dough too much as the warmth from your hands will soften the dough.  If that happens, add a little flour to the surface ass you roll but you want to avoid adding too much extra flour as it will change the texture of the wafer and will not be as light and flaky.

Be sure to come back and tell me what you thought of this recipe!  Isn't it hard to eat only a few??? :)

Falling Behind and Can't Catch Up!!!

I have spoken with so many Mothers over the last few days that have all shared the same thing with me..."I can't seem to keep the house clean", or "I can't keep up with the day to day stuff!"

I too have been struggling with this. The cold, gray days of fall do not help,even though I love this kind of weather. (as long as I do not have to be out in it...which is impossible with carpools, errands,etc..) I LOVE being a Mommy, even on the most frustrating of days, I still count my blessings; but being a Mother is the TOUGHEST job out there. That's right I said TOUGHEST, and you truly do not get it until you become a Mother. Before I had children, I was an organized, driven professional who had no problem balancing all of the work commitments with running a household. Even when I had my first child, I was still able to balance work, household stuff and give my baby the quality time that she deserved. We were in playgroups, mommy and me classes, etc... and I still felt like it was all balanced. Then we expanded our family and baby #2 was born. In that year we had a newborn, a toddler starting preschool, playgroups, classes, work, a household to run, house to clean, toys to pick up, diapers, diapers, diapers, pull-ups, pull-ups, potty-training, transitioning toddler from a crib to a bed................Sound familiar?

My point is that without the other Mommy friends I have, the everyday "life events" that we have to "survive" through would have been A LOT tougher. So on the days that we feel we are alone and "no one else is going through this" or "the other Mommies seem to be handing stuff a lot better that me", talk to your Mommy friends and share your feelings because chances are, they are feeling JUST LIKE YOU! We all need a little help to be supermom (or at least feel like supermom!) :) By working together, we can!

The idea for this blog started a long time ago and for whatever reason, today felt like a good day to debut it! The purpose of this blog is to be that "Mommy friend" that you need on the toughest days!! Or the days you just cannot seem to get out of the house and are CRAVING ADULT CONVERSATION!!! A spot where you can come to share and find great, creative ideas, delicious healthy-but-quick recipes for your family, design/decorating ideas on a budget (given the current economy),etc... A place for Mommies to design, create and play to make all of our lives easier!

So, I will open it up to you blog world...what are the things that you would like to see in a blog that would make "Mommy Life" easier for you?