what's for dinner ..

how did that get in there?
 
didn't we just buy toilet paper?

are we there yet?

how could you forget?

where the Hell did I put that?!

what's for dinner?

some questions are just so much easier to answer than others ... :)

I printed a simple menu template
put it into a $ 0.50 thrift store frame
covered the frame in washi tape

glued on bananagram letters

done - cute, simple dry erase menu :)

if only thinking up dinner was so easy ...

wash dry fold .. repeat.

Just in case you didn't get the memo - there are parts of our day as a Mom that leave us feeling less than glamorous. 
Weird, right? 
You'd think after spewing forth a child from our loins, we'd get some sort of voucher redeemable for an eternity of effortless fabulousness.  The powers that be clearly didn't get that memo - so we still have to do things like laundry and dishes.

After years of fashion consultations and early-morning tangle fights; my girls are finally beyond the 'I don't care what I wear or if I brush my hair all week' phase and have traded it for an equally-annoying  'I'm changing my clothes 142 times a day' phase.  

I've always considered laundry and dishes to be the bane of my existence.  Crusty dishes and dirty underwears gross me out plus both chores chip my nails - double fail.  My distaste for the two chores may or may not have been a major part of the reason I had children, to begin with.    Free labor.    I'm kidding .. right ? :P  

There really is no help for my hate of dishes .. but I figured we could put some pretty junk up in the Laundry room as I find it slightly less annoying. 

Eventually I plan on making a lost sock board - but for now I've made 2 prints.

The Subway art (below) was the most fun, because the girls and the G. man chipped in; sharing their own creative laundry words. Our (almost)17 year old pointed out that if people aren't familiar with a couple of the brand names we put on there 'SNUGGLE' and 'SHOUT' - it's going to look like there's a crazy person washing laundry while hugging and screaming at people.   LOL

 

My favorites were 'endless' and 'repeat...' but one suggestion that didn't make it was "whites" and "colors."  A totally innocent suggestion by the G.man that led to us giving him a hard time for being racist. (haha-we're jerks). :P     If we can't laugh at ourselves .. we laugh at our loved ones ! :P

I put Washi Tape on the frame and it says "Made with Love."       I guess it's a little reminder in case you forget half way through a 20 pound pile of laundry how much you love making memories and dirty clothes with the smelly people in your family.    :) 

And here's the framed word art along with the scariest door-knob in the house.
I don't like to open it for fear of what lurks behind ...

washi'd up mini-notebooks

This week, the girls are earning cool points like nobody's business.

On top of all their schoolwork, soccer practices, book reports, and living life as an awesome kid; they've also managed to use Washi tape a few different times.
They even wrapped my Mother's Day presents in the sticky cuteness.
In and of itself; that isn't really a feat.
But, because of their crafty adventures - we've managed to begin to justify the $100 I recently blew on a Washi tape spending spree.

good girls.    good times.   good tape.    bad $100.

toes in the water ...

Over the last year or so we've had a few friends move away.
more specifically .. they've moved to the water.
not near a lake or some river .. but to the OCEANS!!

I'm not jealous .. or as my 16 year says 'jelly.'
actually .. I lied.
Sorry about that.
I'm totally jelly.
I'm jelly beyond belief !! (haha ok I swear not to use jelly like that, again)

On our vacation to San Diego last year; as soon as there was a hint of salt in the air - we swore every single hill was going to be the one that would reveal the blue waters of the ocean.

After an hour of  "OOOHHH this is the hill!" we finally laid our eyes on the much awaited coast. :)   Yes .. we were that excited.

I know that there are cool watering holes and places to swim around Moab; but it's not quite the same as the smell of the ocean in the air and the feel of seaweed in your toes making you scream like a girl.

I see my friends on Facebook fishing and boating and swimming and tanning in the ocean breeze .... ahhh!!  :P  Jelly OVERLOAD !!    (sorry about breaking the jelly promise ... lol  I was weak)

my point ?

• I love the smell of the ocean
• I want to go back to the ocean
• one day I'll live close enough to regularly visit the water 
• and I'm a little envious of my family/friends on the coast

why ?
Because life is better at the beach ..

I made this print out of one of my favorite pictures from
our 2012 vacation to San Diego.

ps .. it's Mother's Day in 2 days - don't forget your mamas, grammas, and sister wives.  (LOL)

click here for the print quality version of the print above

cream cheese and chicken enchiladas

It was a boring Tuesday night.  

no soccer, no after school clubs, no games, no plans.
so of course I thought to myself - "woman  .. find something new and exciting for dinner!"
after an exhausting 3 minute search - I found this blog and awesome recipe. 
"Pearls, Handcuffs, and Happy Hour.." 
You should visit the blog, for the simple fact that the name is off the charts awesome; then stay for the easy squeezy recipeasies :)  (see what I did there .. huh huh ? do ya ? :P)

Back to it .. 
.. who am I to pass up making something that is 'to die for?'
exactly.
I'm not.

we gave them a whirl and holy delciousness, Batman!
these bad boys live up to their name - so here's the recipe : 

2-3 chicken breasts, shredded (or rotisserie)

1  pkg. cream cheese {8 oz.}

1 28 oz. can green enchilada sauce

1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
optional - 1 can green chiles -
by optional I mean, you should add them or you'll regret itmmensely if you don't

2 cups cooked rice
{I'll teach you how to make rice .. real rice!}

Tortillas
{use flour tortillas - they work a lot better than the ones in MY picture}

1-2 cups shredded monterrey & colby cheese

cook and shred the chicken while you make the rice
Mix the shredded chicken, cream cheese, and 2 cups of the enchilada sauce together.
Pour half a cup of the enchilada sauce into the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.
Layer the rice & black beans to your taste, inside the tortilla
 top with the chicken cream cheese mixture
Roll up each of the tortillas
place them in the baking dish seam side down.
Top with 1 cup of the enchilada sauce…
and 1-2 cups of shredded cheese.

Cover the baking dish with foil and bake at 375 for about 25 minutes.
Uncover the enchiladas, turn on the broiler, and broil for about 3-5 minutes uncovered
...just long enough to brown the cheese.

shove everyone out of the way and get your grub on!!
enjoy the ridiculous feast fit for someone super awesome.
YOU !!

Red Rocks and Classic Cars .. yes, please!!

This year marks the (I believe, but could be wrong) 21st annual April Action car show in Moab.
Since moving here in 2008 - we haven't missed one :)

For the record - I always love living in Moab.
However - the car show is my favorite event ALL. YEAR. LONG.
I don't have a jeep anymore - so I could sleep through Jeep Safari.
I don't rock climb, because I'm a big baby ...
we go hiking/biking/camping a LOT .. so it's fun - but not super special.
But car show .. oooohhh car show :)
sexy cars
hot people
money being spent
classic engines rumbling in the distance as far as your ears can hear.
.... what's not to like ?
horribly long lines at the checkout...
bumper-to-bumper trafficmakes you scream, despite the cool cars..
having to elbow your way through the grocery store for a loaf of stupid bread...
... ok fine !
it's not all happy grins and unicorns puking rainbows.
..  but it's worth it - I PROMISE!!

I even have pictures as proof .. :D

Happy Spring, everyone
season is here ! :)

team pretty - team washi

I like to pretty.   

I've always decorated around me.

rewind  - I'm 3.
My mom bought a brand new bathroom 'cover set' ..  one of those awful 80's sets of shag carpet covers for 'prettying' bathroom stuffs.  One on the toilet, one onto the back of the tank, and a couple matchers on the floor. Then, BOOM!  your bathroom is totally matching .. totally hideous

As a toddler and lover of anything colorful - I found her new pure white pieces offensively boring .. so I decided I needed to decorate for her.   

what can I say ? 

I've ALWAYS been a giver.

I took her brightest, prettiest, reddest nail polish and flung the liquid stain EVERYWHERE!  Making sure to not miss a single spot on her lovely carpet decor. 

WHAT?!?!?

I thought it was pretty.  However, she screamed and cursed a lot more than I would expect coming from someone who had just received a free bathroom makeover.

fast foward - I'm 6.

My mom hasn't changed the curtains in my room since I was a toddler.  

I don't LIKE Winnie the Pooh, ANYMORE !! So ..I randomly poked 42 billionty holes with a metal nail file.   

Voila!  

Now they are 'fancy' and let the sun into the room. Clearly not the kind of 'fancy' my mom likes.  I know this, because the next day she went out and purchased me 'whole' curtains again; throwing away my 'refashioned' curtains; without regard for all my efforts in redecorating.

fast forward 30 something years later : 

 we laugh about these stories, until we cry and/or snort.

it's apparently just in my nature to pretty :) 

and yes - I sometimes use 'pretty' as a verb .. don't judge me.

so, in my recent efforts to pretty the world - I joined the washi tape movement. 

I'm a little late on the 'craze' - but I'm Danielle and I'm far from trendy.

so what if washi tape was ''cool'' last year .. that means I'm cool this year !! right!?!?! >_<

wrong - but who cares?

moving on ..  I know someone just said - 'What is washi tape?'

it's a cute, fancy, japanese tape with the feel of masking tape. 

I may or may not have gone a little mad after seeing so many Washi crafts on Pinterest ..  which may or may not have led to me ordering a box filled with $50-60 worth of washi tape ..

special thanks to both WillowWashi as well as Consumer Crafts for contributing to my craftaddiction.

Once I opened up my box of pretties, I realized I needed somewhere to store the sticky cuteness.

sticker nails and cracker chips .. yay.

I don't often do it .. but I did.
I stepped outside my box.
I tried TWO new things this week.

yes, I want a medal AND a cookie for that - thank you.

In an effort to continue to shrink my size without effort .. (make sense?)
I tried some Ritz Cracker chips.

effort without effort just means I don't actually excercise
because that means I have to sweat and that's gross.

definition : all I did was cut down how much soda I drink on a regular basis, drink more water, and buy the occasional low-fat item.  lol like sour cream and 2% milk instead of whole milk, chips that aren't chips, etc.  BABY STEPS !!

Anyway - I tried these and they were YUM !!



I also tried these 'sticker nail' things .. omg they are AWESOME !!

Not only did they stay on all week, including working EVERY day; but they protected my nails from chips and dings. YAY !!
NOT THOSE CHIPS UP THERE .. duh :)

so - 2 steps outside the box - 2 thumbs up.
DOUBLE YAY !

mad world

As a full-time mom and part-time control freak - I've always liked chaperoning school field trips.  It's a lot of fun (mostly) and there've only been a handful of trips we've missed over the girls' years in school.

By we, of course, I mean myself and the besterest husband ever created.  Fourth grade and teenage boys tend to have a problem listening to a woman shorter than them; so I'm glad the G. man is so awesome.

Over the last week I've been having a hard time wrapping my head around something that rocked our tiny town of 5,500.  Two boys that we've 'watched over' in the past, were responsible for taking someone's life.
There was no accident .. it wasn't something that ''just happened.''
They planned, plotted, and repeatedly shot the boyfriend of one of their ''moms.''
To top it all off - this ''mom'' helped them get rid of the evidence.

The man they killed was a guy we worked with in the past, the brother of an acquaintance, as well as a 'friend of friends.'  I guess in this town it's impossible to not ''know'' someone, which makes something like this even harder to accept.

With life in our tiny town, I don't mean to, but I get complacent.
I start to think stuff like this only happens in the city.

But then along comes a reality bitchslap like this to remind us what a mad world we live in.

I've been locking my doors at night for the first time in years .. :(

the Easter pretties

 super cute chicks and fluffy, little bunnies

toys and chocolate as far as you can see

family time and a hunt for colorful eggs .. 

who doesn't LOVE Easter!?!?!?

fine fine fine!

I KNOW the answer

"billions of people all over the world who aren't Christian"

fine !

I guess all that matters today is we do !!

I totally adore these shiny, happy bunnies !! 

they're too cute for words

&
 I waited until they were on "Easter's Over" clearance :)
I might adore 75% off even more than shiny, happy bunnies.

I had planned on 'cropping' this picture to be square around the bunnies;
but Senor Owl's photo bomb made me laugh...so I kept him. :)

click here for the high-quality print version of my 'oh hoppy day' print

 and of course .. I made Easter Subway art ..

focus on the good

I'm not even in the same zip code as perfect, but I make an attempt to better myself, everyday. 

I've never been a bony little size 3 - but I still classify myself as pretty damn cute.  (if you find me aesthetically pleasing or not .. is neither here nor there - this is about ME :)
I may not have a 'dream job' - but I'm good at what I do and I like it; I don't know that there is much more I could ask for.  ok, other than a billionty dollars - but you get my drift, smartass.
I don't have a billionty dollars & every silly little thing I want; but I have all I need and even lucky enough to even have a little extra.
Besides .. who needs a billionty dollars when you're rich in love?

I guess I'm ranting and made the print below, because I'm just exhausted by all the whining.
I'm tired of people boobing around about how hard life is.  I've had enough of the housewives on tv bitchin about their hard lives; "omg - what ever will I do with all this money and time on my hands?" .... blah blah blah.
Go spend a month in a 3rd world country without your luxuries; then let's talk about how hard your Louis Vuitton drenched life is .. PLEASE.

focus on the good.

just do it.
don't sweat the petty stuff and definitely don't pet the sweaty stuff.it's gross and as far as hand sanitizer goes ... 'I don't have a square to spare.'

I'm happy, I'm healthy, my kids don't run away from me, my husband still wants to hang out with me, my customers at work miss me on my days off,  I even GET days off, I HAVE a job to get days off from, I can read/write/hear/see/smell ... jeez - have a little perspective, people.  

click here for the full size printable of "focus on the good."

LOVE is LOVE

what is LOVE ... ?

Blurting out or even just typing those three words makes me mentally replay the really bad song and even worse bar scene from Saturday Night Live.

Well, isn't that just GREAT!
Now, instead of being outraged as I write about this highly controversial subject; I sit bouncing my head left to right like a jackass - trying to rid my brain from visions of side humping.

Thanks A LOT, Haddaway and early 90's !
/end sidetrack
let's get back to being outraged! *furrows her brow & stills her bouncing head*

We've landed on the moon, perfected microwave technology and split the atom .. but still find ourselves having to ask the world if it's ok to marry the person we love, in the year 2013.

Something is VERY wrong with this picture.

Whether at work, in daily life or on my blog - I don't like to openly discuss highly sensitive subjects. As a rule, I avoid discussing religion or politics because those conversations start wars and people die. I figure it's best for me to avoid the subjects, altogether; I can't be responsible for more people dying!  (I make jokes at tense situations .. my bad!)

However, marriage equality is a subject that touches a sensitive spot.   In my family, alone - we have an amazing Uncle, a brilliant cousin and a phenomenal nephew who are gay.  Not to mention several friends and coworkers that fly their rainbow flags - very high and very proud.

How is telling adults they can't marry someone of the same sex any better than making people sit at the back of the bus, because of their skin color ?  I find it no less offensive than scooping up people by the thousands, branding and enslaving them because of their religion.

Love is Love.   black, white, gay, straight, Jewish, Catholic, rich, poor, fat, skinny .. who cares?

"Even if being gay were a choice - so what? People choose to be assholes and we still let them get married."

get it right, people -LOVE IS LOVE !

love is kissing boo boos better & scaring off 'under-the-bed monsters'
love is surprising your mate with breakfast at 5am, before their early shift
love is trying to make their day better, every day; no matter how bad yours was
love is just love and it's the only thing worth living for

does it really matter - as long as we stick to our own species
... unlike 2 of our favorite pets

love isn't judging another for things beyond their control

love is accepting your fellow man for who they are

in honor of the matter being brought before the supreme court today - I made some very rainbowlovetastic prints ..

here's to hoping today will become a proud day in history and not an embarrassing one for our rights as American citizens.

click here for the full-size print quality version of ^ this Love is Love ^ picture

click here for the full-size print quality version of ^ this print Love is Love - caps  ^

and since I'm a facebookaholic - I made facebook covers to match
Love is Love # 1 - BUTTON LETTERS for FB cover
Love is Love # 2 - CAPS for FB cover


and the rainbowlovetastic print I made for Valentine's day :

Lego Box of Awesome

I honestly think I could hear my mom's heart breaking, despite the two time zones and 2,500 miles that separate us.

She was on the phone discussing upcoming Christmas gifts with our 9 year old and I only had to hear her answer, to know the question ..

"No, Gramma. I don't even like princesses OR Disney Princesses.  I like cars and guns and legos and robots and helicopters ...."

That answer, in and of itself, pretty much sums up our girls and our lives.

They're as happy as can be - living life as little, redneck tomboys.
It's nice, because I actually prefer them to be rough n' tumble versus frilly n' froofy.

Fast forward to Valentine's day .. 

our fourth grader had a fabulous idea for this year's Valentine's box.
She wanted to connect a few boxes to create a huge, three-part Tyrannosaurus Rex; complete with giant head, tiny arms and a tail.. :)

Cute.

ambitious and elaborate, but still cute.
I really did love her idea, but I knew it wouldn't be within the classroom guidelines.  So, I decided to innocently peruse pinterest for another idea that maybe, just by chance she'd like.

Within a minute or four, I'd stumbled upon the original lego box of awesome.  (ok, that might not be the actual title of the original post that inspired us.  sue me.)

I showed her the idea and she got so excited about making this, instead - that I actually thought maybe she had forgotten about the T-rex. 

until ..

"One day, mom, when I'm a grown-up and don't have a teacher to tell me how big my Valentine's box is; I'm going to build a HUGE T-Rex and you'll have to stick your hand in his mouth to give me my Valentine's card."

she smiled and laughed as she walked away to gather materials.

I didn't have a chance or the heart to tell her we don't build Valentine's boxes, as adults.

Then, I figured she already has to grow up too fast in this world.
So,  I'll save that, for another time. ;)

I also found it ironic she should mention robots in her answer to my mom;
considering her last years' Valentine's box .. lol - my kids RULE! <3 :)

supplies for our Valentine's Lego box of Awesome
a box, box-cutter, spray paint and six 'dixie cups'

I commissioned the local, hot handy man to cut holes into the box - about the same width as the middle of the cup. 

we also placed some tape onto the box, holding the cup up from underneath .. just in case.

we taped the top of the box shut, sprayed on a couple coats of paint

voila !

chicken pot pie biscuits of ridiculousness

I've seen a lot of different versions of this recipe, online. 

Different meat, soup & prep methods; inevitably ending up with the same thing.  

A biscuit with cheese, soup, meat and veggies baked into it.

No matter the different spices, measurements or personal twists people lend to the recipe; in just about every one I saw online, people were calling them CUPCAKES. 

@#($&*@#*&%$*(%&$(*%&

At BEST I would think they'd be considered muffins.

They're missing the ever-important qualifier to receive cupcake status. 

Icing.                   *homer simpson drool*

If not having icing isn't enough to disqualify them as cupcakes

- consider this mind blowing fact -
THEY DON'T EVEN HAVE CAKE !! 

LOL .. I'll give you a minute to mull that one over.

Anyway .. I think I had a point.

Oh yea - we'll always call these 'chicken pot pie biscuits' in our house.

Enjoy!!

They're ridiculous easy & ridiculous delicious.
I'm such a girl that I ate them with a fork.
judge me all you want .. I've got cupcakes. biscuits.

Chicken Pot Pie Biscuits

2 cups cooked chicken, diced.
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup veggies
1 cup cheddar cheese
salt & pepper
2 cans biscuits

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

In bowl, combine the diced chicken, soup, veggies, cheese and spices.
Separate your biscuits, spreading each one slightly so they are like a tiny crust.
Oil your muffin pan and spread the dough, pressing down the sides and into the center.
place your meat mixture into the center of the 'crust'
Bake for approximately 15 minutes, checking at about 10 (just to be sure they aren't overflowing, exploding, spilling over, bursting into flames or any of the other things that float through my mind as I bake something for the first time. :) 

Valentine's printables ..

In case the seasonal backgrounds, festive crafts, Holiday puns and annoying 'singing' in blog-form wasn't enough to convince you; I'll spell it out before your pretty little eyeballs.
 

I LOVE HOLIDAYS :)

Even though Valentine's Day might be considered a 'greeting card' holiday - it's a holiday nonetheless. I don't actually need an excuse to decorate; but, I use 'em anyway. ;)

So ... for the day of hearts, pink, and all things lovey dovey; I made happy little 'vignettes' throughout the living room, that were centered around my valentine's day prints.

I made a few new prints recently, but a handful of my 'lovey doveys' are from posts of Holidays past. (ha ha).  Nevertheless, here's the links to each full size print-quality version.


Happy heart's day and don't forget to hug your single friends :)

 

Last year's "love prints"