Berry Fun

I don't know if I ever shared this on my blog. But the first summer that we lived here, we planted a bunch of berry bushes. Blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, etc. Yum! And every year, we've crossed our fingers. That the snow doesn't kill them. And neither does the heat. But we don't get fruit. Lots of pretty green leaves. But no fruit!! I'm starting to wonder about those little guys! We planted them, because we LOVE fruit that much. But we're still waiting on our first harvest....

But like I said, we LOVE fruit. Especially berries! And I've been dreaming of eating bowls and bowls, of fresh berries. One day. Fingers crossed. Instead, we took a drive yesterday. To the "local berry patch." By local, I mean 2 and a half hours away!!

But you know what? It was totally worth it!! Baskets, buckets, and what not later....I was one happy lady!! I had so many berries. And I've happily sat here, taking in as many as I can. Isn't that part of the Summer fun? Fresh and yummy berries. Maybe next year, our little plants will give us some berries.... ~Chels

Fruit Fun!!

I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July! We had so much fun! We had a bunch of friends over. And then, late in the evening, we headed over to J's house. For a little swimming and fireworks. :)

J had told a bunch of friends, that he was going to have fireworks. So we all planned on it. And I wanted to make some yummy treats. It was totally last minute. Since hubby came home Tuesday, with the news. :) But I knew, there just had to be something out there, that I could make.

Oh yes! Made It. Ate. Loved It. didn't disappoint! I'd seen these fruit pizzas a while back. And really wanted to make them. They look and sound so delicious!!

I was on a bit of a time crunch. Not going to lie! So skipped making the cookies. I actually used the mix in a pouch. You just add water. :) But I made all the rest. And these sweet treats were so good! I need to make them again. And soon! But this time, I'm going to follow this recipe. All of it! Who knows, I might just gain 10 lbs this week!! ~Chels

I Surprised Him!!

My hubby totally surprised me for Mother's Day. I wasn't expecting anything. For real!! Because I'm pregnant. I know that I feel like a momma. But I'm not really a momma yet. Anyway, my hubs totally surprised me. And completely spoiled me on Mother's Day. I knew immediately, that I wanted to do the same for my love. :)

Weeks ago, I started thinking of what I could do. And I started planning. Ultimately, we went on a long drive to the mountains. Were I surprised my hubby with a new fishing pole, and a new tackle box. Jammed with all kinds of fishing stuff. We spent the day in the mountains. He fished. I enjoyed the quiet time. It's so great to connect with nature. Oh, and I cooked us up a big 'ol picnic lunch! We did end up, stopping at the cutest steakhouse, in the mountains. For dinner, on the way home!

But I know I surprised my hubby. First, that I was able to plan, and pull off the entire day! Second, because I cooked. And it was darn good. Most of what I made, were my hubby's favorite foods. I called my MIL weeks ago, and begged her to help me. Which wasn't a tough thing to do. She was happy to help!! :)

The one thing that I totally did on my own, was I made these ginormous cinnamon buns. For breakfast! I'd seen this recipe, months ago. And I'd been wanting to try it. But to me, it seemed like a "fancy recipe." Something you make on a "Special Day."

I'm pretty sure, that my hubby wondered why I crawled out of bed...at midnight. But I whispered to him, that I was having trouble sleeping. Lately, that has been true. It's just hard for me to sleep now. I'm guessing that it's due to my expanding baby belly. But I told him to go back to bed. I quickly made my way to the kitchen. And started these sweet treats. Knowing that they needed some time, to "do their thang!"

Then I went back to bed. On Friday, I'd prepped all the other food. Things were good to go. And I got up, extra early, on Sunday morning. I put the cinnamon rolls into the oven. With our main course. And headed back to bed. My hubby actually slept through all of this. I was shocked! After 15 minutes, I got out of bed. Pulled out our yummy goodness!! And grabbed my hubby's card.

He was shocked! I'm not sure if he was more shocked that I was celebrating him on Father's Day. Or that I had baked a batch of these sweets. And they were so good! I swear to you, 1 roll, was bigger than my hand!! OMG!!

After our sugary breakfast, we got ready for the day. Headed out to church. Then hit the road. It was a really WONDERFUL day! And I hope that we can turn this into a family tradition. Next year, having our baby girl with us! And these little guys, are going to be a regular for all our "Special Mornings!" ~Chels

Tastes Like Summer!!

Let me just say 3 things. One, my sweet tooth is so intense right now. Two, I blame it all on my pregnancy. And three, I've made these sweet treats 5 times, since Shay posted the recipe. Just over a week ago!

I know, right? It's insane!! But I keep craving sweet treats. This one is sweet, has ice cream, oh and it tastes like summer! My grandma used to say that a lot, when I was little. When something just reminded you so much of summer...."It tastes just like Summer!"

Come on! This cookie has it all! Ice cream, strawberry, pineapple. coconut. And it's super easy to make. Run to the recipe....and don't blame me when you've gained 10 lbs. It's Shay's fault. I'm just passing along the great news!! ~Chels

For My Lova'

This week, my hubby and I celebrate 4 years of wedded bliss! On Thursday to be exact! Man, time does fly by! Now, we're just months away, from becoming parents. It's just crazy, how fast life moves.

Back to our anniversary. I wanted to do something special for my Lova'. Ya know, he's been so wonderful, during our pregnancy. Actually, he is wonderful all the time! That's why I married him. Ladies, I wasn't that crazy! I knew, this man was special. :)

I want to do something extra special. Take into account, it's like a million degrees here! We have had horrible smoke, from a fire that's a couple hours from us. Outside stuff, just ain't gonna happen. :( And here I had had my hopes on a starlight picnic. Maybe next year! Instead, I figured I'd make my hubs a special dinner. Inside. With the AC blasting!

And like any normal pregnant woman, when I think of food....I think of desserts!! I know, I shouldn't. But it's all I crave these days. And then I remembered. Those "no bake" cheesecakes. In a flippin' jar! Dang it, they look so good.

So I hauled my pregnant self down to Wally World. This morning. In nearly 100 degree weather....at 10AM. Ugh....the "Dog Days of Summer" are here!! I must have spent, 2 hours looking for those cute little jars. Then I gave up. My feet were getting all swollen. My belly was rumbling. Baby girl and momma were hungry. I bought my ingredients. Then hopped over to Subway. :)

One, I can't find any cute jars. To me, they make this dessert. I'll keep hunting. I've got a couple of days. Two, what the heck else am I going to serve? Honky Tonk Husband likes to eat. And until about 20 minutes ago, I hadn't realized, I don't have a menu planned! I need to get on that! ASAP!!

On a good note, I got my hubby's present. And it's all wrapped up! Yay for me! That rarely happens this early in the game. Maybe pregnancy is getting me more "on the ball." Do you have any dinner suggestions? Or plans. Any ideas? I'd LOVE to hear them! My hubby really is a special guy. And I want to show him on our special day! ~Chels

Thin Mint Heaven!!

Every year, I count something down. Something that you won't expect. Girl Scout cookie time! And let me tell you, it's tough to find those little guys. Around here anyway! We must not have a troop around here. I'm not sure. But without fail, my hubby brings home 10 boxes. Every year. Bless my Lova'!!

Right now, those sweet delight, are long gone. I'm a little ashamed to admit, that hubs only got 3 cookies. 3 cookies people!! I ate the rest. Me and baby girl. :) And they were darn good! But I got real sad, when I found this recipe last night. Oh. My. Goodness! What am I going to do now??

Well, nothing gets by the man I love. We're completely out of thin mints. Hubs took to hunting out something similar today. Didn't even know he was going to the grocery store. I would have asked him to pick up some ice cream. And maybe some bagels with cream cheese. :) Can you tell what I'm craving?

Hubs did find a yummy cookie. I think they're made by Keebler. I'm not even positive. And a little too lazy to go look right now. But as we speak, I've got a batch of these in the oven. And our home smells AMAZING!! I can't wait to try them out.

On a side note, hubs bought 3 packages of those cookies. And I've already eaten 6 cookies! It's bad. And the Andres mint chips....from the baking aisle....are so good! Darn Lola!! You got me hooked on eating them, with vanilla ice cream. And by themselves. :) Can you tell that I like chocolate and mint? ~Chels

Our Easter Treats :)

How was your Easter? Ours was nice. Actually, it was just what we needed!! It was totally "low key." My hubby and I went to church. And then had a fun afternoon with friends. It was so nice to see Lola again! Glad she came out for a few days.

And because Lola and her man hosted Easter, no one had to worry about cooking. Lola is the best cook I know! Sorry to my momma and MIL, but it's the truth! I still wanted to make a little something. So I took to my new favorite blog. And made a triple batch of these sweet treats!! Which were gobbled up in record time!! :)

Oh, yes. They were delicious!! Not only were these Rice Krispies treats delicious. But they were fun. Last week, while buying some groceries, I found some Easter Sprinkles. And that's what I used. So fun! The kids really enjoyed them. Most of all, we just enjoyed the good times, with our dear friends. When you live so far away from family, good friends are so important! Not only did God give us his son. But he's blessed us, with some AMAZING friends! ~Chels

What the Peep??

O-M-G!! I saw this picture on Pinterest, and it made my heart just stop! Peeps and smores? It can't get any better!!

Oh yes it can! We made a quick stop at Albertsons on the way home from church. Bought our supplies. And recreated this happy little treat. Thank you Pinterest!! You made our Thursday night, so much happier, than we could have ever planned! ~Chels

Oh. My. Goodness!

It's October. How did that happen? I still feel like it's May. And that I just graduated! Life is just moving so fast! And I still don't have a job. :(

But don't get to sad. My hubs likes to tell me....turn that frown upside down. :) With all this spare time, I've been trying to be a better wife. You know, take care of my hubbys, take care of our home, do more home projects, clean, laundry, and cook. The last one....is definitely the toughest! And I hate to admit it!! What's worse, I had to take a handful of cooking classes in college. Apparently, I didn't learn a thing!! My "go-to" recipe is still the English muffin pizzas, that I learned how to make in middle school. With a salad! :)

Thank goodness for Pinterest and blogs! I'm learning a little from both. Honestly, I've been a little down lately. A "pick me up" is definitely in order! Today I decided that I was going to bake something yummy. When I found this recipe on Classy Clutter....I just about died with excitement!!

There's a cake in there. With Kit Kat's all around. Then M&Ms on top! Are. You Serious? Yes, I am! We just happened to have lots of candy. I spent about an hour in the Halloween candy aisle Friday. We also have a cake mix, and frosting in the house.

Yes, this is what I'm making in 5 minutes!! I just can't wait. With a different bow, I think this would be perfect for Halloween! Heck, I might make one for the Halloween Carnival at church. Because how can I mess this up? Candy and cake....does it get any better? ~Chels

Like Heaven!!

It's Fall. I've been ready for this glorious season....since July!! Heck ya! I'm tired of triple digit temps. And I'm ready, to just enjoy life again. :)

Along with that, comes a little laziness. Sitting outside, with my laptop. Catching up on blogs. Like one of my new favorites! Mix and Match Mama! Um, hello, where have you been all my life? Now there is even hope for me. The woman that can't cook. :) And this recipe....OMG!

I decided to bake up a batch....or 3!! This was a few nights ago. And it's still hot outside. I can't lie! Our freezer is well stocked with frozen treats!! But what my hubs did next....was life changing! He placed a scoop of brown sugar ice cream....in between 2 cookies. Life changing!! Oh, you must try this recipe out! ~Chels

Cupcakes in a Jar

I was searching through flickr today. And I found this picture. It lead me to this blog and the recipe for these yummy goodies! Don't they look good? I'm not a baker. But I might just have to try these. It would make my Wednesday a lot better. Do you think I can get the same result from a cake mix, a container of frosting, and some Mason Jars? ~Chels

The Garden Set Giveaway

Lola is the best friend around. She finds great blogs and people, and then she shares them!

Enter in, Newly Wife. Right up my street. Gals, I'm just dying to make this chocolate cake they keep posting about! But this is the best part of it, Newly Wife is hosting a giveaway. For this cute little package of goodies. There's seeds, an apron, some starter soil thingys, and even some sticks to mark your garden.

Man too bad, I'm 2 days late for this giveaway! I just love this necklace! It would go with my new boots. :) Anyway, go to Newly Wife and enter for your chance to win too! Oh and Happy Birthday Megan! ~Chels

Much Needed

Lately, we've been all stressed out. You know, tax season. And we're first time homeowners. And I think you can say it, we're still "Newlyweds." Plus this stupid Census! Life has just been a little stressful lately. But we're holding it together. Our taxes are pretty much done! Yay! And I've filled out the 3rd Census. I'm pretty sure it's the 3rd. What's with all these papers?

Anyway, I was feeling stressed out. And desperately in the need of a laugh. Or some good news. So I googled "Longhorn food." OK, I was also in need of some good food. And you can't deny it. Football food is good. And very comforting. Insert these gems.



Aren't they cute? They're cake pops. Just decorated like Longhorns. OK, so I'm not all crafty. My Longhorns probably would look horrible. But, I would like to try and make plain cake pops. After doing a quick search, and calling Lola, they don't sound too hard to make. Basically, you bake a cake. Then you mix together the frosting and the cake. And roll into balls. Insert a stick and dunk in chocolate. Sounds yummy! ~Chels

Girl Scout Cookies

I've really been wanting some Girl Scout cookies. Really badly. But around here, you don't ever see Girl Scouts. Ever! Where are they? So I asked around. And I got a number for the local troop. I called, and the lady took down our address. She promised to come by. That was almost 2 weeks ago! Ugh! I really, really want some cookies. Has anyone else had this problem? Do you know if they sale the cookies online? I really want a few boxes. ~Chels

Cowboy Cookie Cutters

I'm not much of a cook. I try, but I never really learned how to cook. My poor hubby, well he's learning how to eat around the burnt stuff. Poor hubby! And baking, I'm even worse! I even mess up those "slice and bake" cookies. I try, I really do.

But I came across these cookie cutters. They make me want to learn how to bake. No lie! I really want some. But this site is a UK site. I'm sure I can find them somewhere in the US. The set sells for £8. Is that like $10? I'm not sure. But I'm definitely going to keep my eye open for this set. You know what they say, "Practice makes perfect." I'd be willing to practice my baking skills a lot, if I had these cookie cutters. ~Chels