i'm back!

long time, no blog! i'll keep this one short and sweet :) (forgive the grammatical errors and lack of capitalization, one arm is currently occupied by a sweet, sleeping baby)

when I decided to start blogging last year I had every intention to keep up with it and give you all something fantastic to read, cook or create on a regular basis but life happened. We've since moved cross-country, had no internet service, finally got ourselves settled in sunny California, friends have come & gone (you will be greatly missed, Casey!!) and we welcomed a second beautiful baby boy into our lives.

Meet Tanner, my 8lb 14oz bundle of joy born June 8

adjusting to having two babies at home has been a challenge to say the least, but I wouldn't trade it for the world. my day now consists of many many diaper changes, lots of hugs and kisses and even more cooking & cleaning. big brother mason has been very helpful and is learning day by day how to deal with being gentle with baby bro and how to share mama and daddy. I can't lie though, I find myself wishing at least once a day that my Grandmom was still here. She and Nana were a HUGE help to us the week after i came home from  the hospital and no one gets Mason like she does. i pray one day i have half her patience...and her cooking skills would be nice too :)

...so onto something you can cook!
this is a super easy, customize-able recipe great for those who need a yummy, healthy breakfast on the go. i apologize for not uploading a picture, but i have a sleeping boy on one arm that i do not want to disturb! Thank you pinterest for the great idea, i cannot find the original pin but here is my adaptation:

breakfast muffins aka "muscle muffins" (that's what hubby calls them)
makes 12 'muffins'
ingredients:
10 eggs
1/2 lb cooked, crumbled bacon or sausage or you can use both!
1-2 slices of bread, cubed--any kind will do
shredded cheese again, any kind will do. i don't measure out my cheese when making these i just sprinkle it on top
salt and pepper to taste

preheat oven to 350
spray muffin tin very well with nonstick cooking spray
drop a few bread cubes, sausage or bacon into each muffin cup
beat eggs and season with salt, pepper and a splash of milk if desired
pour eggs into each muffin cup, filling each about 3/4 full
sprinkle cheese on top
bake for 25 min at 350

i usually put two muffins in a snack size baggie and stick in the fridge for an easy grab & go breakfast for the hubs. when ready to eat place muffins on a paper towel and heat in microwave for about 45 sec-1 min depending on your microwave. these will keep in the fridge for a week or freeze them and let them thaw in the fridge overnight. these save me from cooking a big breakfast each morning and keeps him from dropping $8 or more on Subway breakfast.


hope you enjoy!
i will do my best to post more often...really!
please leave me feedback on what to do for future posts...organizational ideas? recipes? craft tutorials?

until next time...
<3 lauren

Here lately...

If you were looking for something remotely interesting to read, this may not be the post for you--not too much exciting stuff going on this way lately...well I take that back---

So last week I got to see Maroon 5/Train/Gavin Degraw (FOR FREE!!) in concert with great company (thanks for the girl's night Jasmine!), a ridiculously expensive beer ($11--have they lost their freaking minds?!?), and one heck of a rain storm. Unfortunately we had lawn seats; fortunately I brought a  pretty big blanket that doubled as our storm shelter :) We got soaked, but it was so worth it to see Adam Levine. Hey, he's not Ryan Reynolds but you can't say this guy ain't pretty good looking ;)

As of Friday I no longer have a babysitting job. They are moving 45 min away and it is just not reasonable to drive all that way when they now live closer to work. This is both good and bad.
It is bad because a) no more extra $ b)who is going to hire me to babysit for two and a half months till we move?? Not expecting many prospects.
It is good because a) no more getting up at 5:30 am and waiting around just for them to text me at 6:30 to cancel...this has happened at least a dozen times, causing me to have to reschedule and cancel my own plans. b) I can have a life again! Not that I ever leave the house anyway, but at least now I'm not waiting for a child to be picked up by a mother who has no concept of time (she has been known to leave her child 6+ hours later than scheduled pick up time) and finally c) more time for my little man!!

After being inspired by a friend's similar book (thanks Jess) I am beginning to compile all of my recipes and household stuff so that I will have a nice, shiny, informative collection of information to pass down one day. I can already tell it's going to take me awhile but it will be SO much easier when it's all in one place. I just love organization projects, don't you?! (too bad I don't finish them half the time)

On a bittersweet note, I was so touched that a family member came to me for advice about something very near and dear to both our hearts. My heart breaks for what she is having to take on and I wish I could do more to help her. As much as I hate what she is facing, it feels nice to be needed once in awhile and I hope that she will let me support and stick with her through the whole process.

Now back to something happy--
Mason is sitting up so well! He can be wobbly at times but I am so proud of him! He is also scooting and rolling all over the place...even trying to scoot under his crib!! (fully supervised, of course!)

...on another good note, I am happy to announce the birth of my 2nd cousins: Lauren, Marilyn, Ryan and John Quadruplets!! They were all delivered safely and in good health on Friday. Follow Allison's blog to hear about their amazing journey---The Flynn Quads

I am also getting more fans for my business FB page (thanks to all!!) and have been making some new stuff  lately. Also talked the hubs into letting me start a new venture this winter that I think will do much better that hairbows and crafts. I guess we'll see, all I can do is take a leap of faith and hope for the best.

I suppose I better take advantage of naptime and do some dishes...sigh. While washing said dishes I will daydream about the day I have a dishwasher that does not entail my two hands. Oh, and can't forget the daunting task of "what's for dinner??" that's never fun when it's time to go to the grocery store again.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Monday, and great rest of the week!

Homemade Clean

So I have been holding on to these recipes for awhile (I know, I know; how shameful!!) of some homemade household cleaners and laundry essentials. I have not been able to try all of them out yet but reviews on all of these are phenomenal! Living on one income I have been looking for every way possible to save as much as we can and these homemade household items were a great place to start, because let's face it...we all have to clean and wash clothes (sigh) so why not save money while doing it?!?!

Recipe #1

Degreasing All Purpose Cleaner

Ingredients:

•1 teaspoon washing soda

•2 teaspoons borax

•1/2 teaspoon dishwashing liquid

•5-10 drops essential oil (you can find this at Michael's in the soap making section, or order online @Brambleberry.com)

•2 cups hot water

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together into a spray bottle, and shake to combine this homemade all purpose cleaner.

Recipe #2

Homemade Laundry Stain Removers

1 cup hot water

1/2 cup baking soda

1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide

Directions:

■Mix ingredients then store in spray bottles. Spot treat stains then soak overnight.

Recipe #3

Homemade Fabric Freshener (Febreeze)

Ingredients:

•1 part baking soda

•1 part fabric softener 

•2 parts warm water

Directions:

Mix those three ingredients and there you go, your own home-made Febreeze.

Recipe #4

Homemade Laundry Detergent Powder

Ingredients:

•1/2 cup laundry soap flakes*

•1/2 cup baking soda

•1/4 cup washing soda

•1/4 cup borax

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients together and place into a 16 ounce (or larger) plastic container, with a lid.

Each time that you do a load of laundry use 1/2 cup of this mixture as your laundry detergent.

* Nowadays it can be difficult to actually find soap flakes. You can make your own, however, by grating a bar of laundry soap with a kitchen grater. Fels-Naptha is a popular soap and I have seen a few others at Albertson's and Wal-Mart

Recipe #5

Homemade Dish Soap Recipe

■1/4 cup soap flakes or soap shavings (I use Ivory--buy with coupon @ WM for 0.47!!)

■2 cups water

■1  tsp lemon juice or white vinegar

Pour the water and soap fakes in a sauce pan and slowly heat it over medium heat. Stir the mixture and keep heating it until all the soap flakes melt into the water. DO NOT let the mixture come to a boil. Turn down the heat if needed.

Allow the soap  mixture to cool a bit, then stir in the lemon juice or vinegar. Keep it sitting in the pot until it is completely cooled, then pour it into an old dish soap bottle.

Recipe #6

Diaper Rash Cream

■1 tsp olive oil

■1 tsp cornstarch

■2 tsp zinc oxide ointment (you can find at dollar store)

■2 tsp antibiotic ointment (dollar store!)

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil and cornstarch until it becomes a paste.

Stir in the zinc oxide and antibiotic ointment, blending well with whisk or fork.

Store in tightly sealed container and apply as needed.

Recipe #7

Cleansing Soothing Baby Wipes

■1/2 cup light olive oil

■4 cups water

■1/2 cup gentle baby shampoo

■1 roll paper towels cut in half

■2 empty baby wipes containers, plastic coffee cans, or other containers that fit the halved paper towels

Mix olive oil, water, and baby shampoo.

Remove the cardboard center from both halves of paper towels.

Place halves of paper towels in 2 separate containers.

Pour 1/2 of mixture into each container, cover shake gently.

Pull sheet from the center of the paper towel roll and poke through the hole in top of baby wipe container; or cut hole in lid of plastic coffee can. Use just like regular store-bought wipes.

So there you have it, just a few small ways to save BIG MONEY!! Many of these ingredients can be found at the dollar tree and Wal-Mart, and re-use your old cleaning bottles to save even more.

Just rambling on...

just when I thought I was done packing our orders to Alaska were cancelled (approximately 1 week after buying a new truck to get us to Alaska)--
I was slow to unpack because we were hopeful to get another assignment we'd requested...weeks pass, no news. In my scatterbrained state I think 'well if I start unpacking everything maybe we will get orders!' So I start unpacking. I was wrong--our request was denied while Mason and I were visiting family. Not a happy camper. After my 3 week long visit back home I decided to get over it and finish unpacking for good. Every last bit of it..
Naturally the day I finally decided to accept the fact that we WEREN'T moving, I get a text--"you ready to move to California?" What?!?!? NO WAY!!! I thought this had to be another one of my husband's tricks to see how gullible I am (he does this ALL. THE. TIME.) So I promptly replied that I'd believe it when I saw it on paper.
Today, one week later, I got to see that paper and hold it in my hands; heck he even made me a copy. Wow. I can't believe we are actually leaving. It is a bittersweet time for me; we bought our first house here, made some good friends, had some good times, had a baby and watched friend's babies grow. I will miss admiring my husband's handiwork throughout the house every day ( I LOVE our crown molding and vaulted ceiling...he is a construction mastermind, I tell you!) and who wouldn't miss living within walking distance to the beach?!?
That said, I am beyond excited for our new adventure! I may grumble about having to re-pack my entire house (yikes!) and not getting to enjoy a remodeled kitchen (I've been without a dishwasher for 4 years), but everything happens for a reason and I knew marrying into the military we were going to move eventually. We will be a few hours drive from cousins and one of my best friends from high school. Mason will get to go to Disneyland, the aquarium, the Pacific ocean (not many babies can say they've dipped their toes in both!) and have the opportunity to grow up near a dirtbike track --so he can be like his daddy of course ;-)

In addition to all the moving hullabaloo my aspiring business is finally starting to grow! After a LONG spell of no interest or orders things are beginning to pick up! I sure hope Californians like hair bows :) I have so many ideas but have not been able to justify spending money on supplies not knowing how things would sell, so I have decided to take a leap of faith and just go for it. I've gotta start somewhere, and maybe before too long i'll actually have more that 49 Facebook fans!!

Now that i've rambled on I should be off  planning, adding to my incredibly long to do list and most importantly kiss my little guy goodnight :)

Faith, family ...and friendship?

Many recent events, including the news of our upcoming PCS to Edwards AFB have gotten me thinking about friendship and what it really means to me. This is not directed to anyone in particular, just something that's been bugging me lately and hope that I'm not the only person out there that feels this way. So I am venting my issue and intend to leave it at the door; once I have this off my chest!!
 I've been lucky enough in life to know some amazing people, and I have the most wonderful best friend anyone could ask for. We text every single day (seriously!!) and  although we talk on the phone rarely and live hundreds of miles apart when we get a chance to visit with one another it's like I just saw her yesterday, rather than months ago. We get each other, and rarely in life do you meet a friend that you can tell your honest opinion to and it not cause a rift. She is truly a blessing and I don't know what I would do without my bestest, we have stuck with each other through thick and thin and that is so hard to find these days.
So that gets me to the part that has been bothering me. I don't understand how a person can call you a friend if you do not appreciate your relationship with one another. REAL friends can talk about things and not put on a big charade, REAL friends are always there to help, REAL friends don't expect anything from you and are grateful for you just being you, REAL friends are there for you no matter what, when, where...well you get the point. After re-evaluating some of my "friendships" I realize to my dismay that some of them are one-sided. I feel like an idiot for being someone's doormat only because they want me do things for them, and when my family calls on them for help all we get is an excuse. Sure these people have always been nice and friendly and I have always thought well of them and that their intentions were good but was it really genuine? Do they really give a crap about our friendship or are they keeping us around in case they need to use us for something?
At the end of the day I know who my real friends are now. I know who will be there to see us off to California and who we will keep in touch with. I know who I can call when I'm irritated with my husband, the military or whatever else is going on. I will go to our new base with an open mind, but I have learned that it is better to have a few good friends that I can count on than a bunch of acquaintances.
 I hope that my friends do know that I appreciate their friendship, that I will do my best to help them in any way that I can and i'm sorry if I do not remind you what our friendship means to me. I know I need to do a much better job at keeping in touch with old friends, and I feel guilty for not doing as well as I should've over the years. Many people, including myself tend to let the stresses of  life get in the way of  what should be #1- Faith, Family and Friendship.
So if anyone out there is reading this (and I really hope you are!) thank your friends, tell your family you love them, be kind to one another and show appreciation when someone goes out of their way to help you. Life is too short to hold grudges, so this is me letting go of my grudge and starting new. Although the distance is long, I am looking forward to the opportunity to see new places, meet new people and recapture an old friendship. I am vowing to myself to work harder at maintaining  friendships and allowing myself to grow as a person in hopes that I will be a good example for my son. Speaking of my son, naptime has commenced so I must get back to being mommy. Again I did not write this to tick anyone off, this is just my way of washing away the bad and starting a new, happier chapter with my sweet little family of three :)

Salute to the military wives and mamas

two blogs in one day?!?! I wanted to save this until tomorrow but it is really weighing on my heart so I couldn't wait...otherwise i'd be up ALL.NIGHT.LONG. thinking of what I was planning to write; hoping I wouldn't forget anything.

Being a military wife means you see the world in a completely different perspective.
Being a mother, sister, brother or cousin is equally important to a servicemember but no one can support a soldier or airman like his wife.
There are many perks to being a military wife (healthcare, woot woot!!) but there are just as many things that keep us up at night worrying about one thing or another.

I have several friends and one family member who are fellow military wives and also mothers, of course there's one thing they all have in common with each other--their husbands are deployed and they are raising a child alone for the moment. One cannot fathom the emotions involved in that--mothers trying to keep it together so it does not affect their child or distract husbands from doing their jobs, fathers trying to keep it together as to not worry their wives and children.  I thank my lucky stars every day that my husband is still able to come home to us every evening, even though we may drive each other crazy at times--but I know at the end of the day that if I need a break even for five minutes he is there for me. If I need a good laugh, if things didn't turn out as I'd planned, if I need to cry...he is there.
My friends don't have that right now and it breaks my heart.
I know the lonliness and days of impatient waiting for my husband to get home from a deployment, so my heart goes out to all of these women.

I've been doing a lot of soul searching lately and i've come to this: When things get you down, when times seem tough, when you feel like breaking down--just remember that someone else out there is in a tougher situation and they are dealing with it and doing just fine.
Some people gripe about waiting five minutes in the grocery line, these women have to wait 6 months, sometime a year or more just to see their husbands again. They can't just be "too tired" to cook dinner or go to playgroup; they have to suck it up and be not only super mom but dad too and those are two big pairs of shoes to fill.

This post is not to make you pity these women, they are strong and independent and we military wives know what we are getting ourselves into the day we say our wedding vows. We do not want sympathy, only understanding. I just want people to realize that the woman who yells at the checkout lady for no reason or who neglects to put up her Christmas tree this year may not be the crazy neurotic woman you think she is..half of her heart may be on the other side of the world and she has the world weighing down on her shoulders. Do you think YOU could cope with all that AND raising a child with a big genuine smile on your face?? Didn't think so.
Try putting yourself in their shoes, both pair they have to fill while their husbands are defending our freedom.

I admire and respect these women more than words can say, you ladies are so brave, patient, steadfast and caring. I hope that if one day I am put in the same situation that I can push through just as you all are. I pray for you, your families and for the safe return of your husbands.

So if you're reading this tonight say a prayer, give thanks and help someone out when you can. You never know when you may need to call upon someone else to help you.

Not quite June Cleaver...but i'm working on it!

First off, HAPPY THURSDAY! It's almost the weekend, hooray :)

So lately i've become obsessed with saving money and making things homemade. Sadly i'm anxiously awaiting the day I run out of laundry detergent for the simple fact that I am dying to make my own. I have accumulated numerous recipes for homemade cleaners, soaps, even diaper wipes and diaper rash cream. Who knew!?!? My plan is to document in how-to form (with pictures!) my attempts at becoming the 'homemade housewife' if you will. So far I have concocted a mechanic's hand cleaner (similar to GOOP) that I gifted to my dad and father in law for father's day. Unfortunately I did not document the experiment with pictures but I assure you it turned out MUCH MUCH better that I expected--and it made my hands really clean!

Here is the recipe for the Mechanic's Hand Cleaner for those of you that are interested:

Mechanic's Hand Soap Recipe
You'll Need: 1 c. ground soap; 1 c. borax; 1-2 t. pure turpentine; 1 t. sweet orange essential oil.
To Make: With very clean hands, work the turpentine and essential oil into the borax until there are no lumps left. Work into the soap. Put in a wide-mouthed jar or tin that's easy for him to open when his hands are greasy. Gift wrap and add a nail brush as a bow!
Special thanks to Bluebird Gardens for this great recipe

*tips*
Mom and I were able to find turpentine at Michael's in the painting section, they also sell small vials of essential oils in the soap-making section. Buy two vials--I only purchased one and ended up going through mom's extracts to add a more pleasant smell (turpentine is not so pleasant!)
Purchased the Borax at Wal-Mart, along with Ivory soap that I grated with a simple kitchen grater (**coupon for Ivory soap comes out in this Sunday's paper making a 3-pack only $0.47!!)
We also picked up two small containers with easy-open lids in the kitchen section.Don't buy a container that's too big, remember each batch only yields two cups. Since it is a dry mixture and doesn't quite resemble the actual GOOP cleaner I added orange food coloring for fun. This is a quick, easy and CHEAP gift idea!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And for those of you looking for an easy and delicious homemade recipe here are the the yummy pancakes I made for breakfast this morning. Sometimes you just want pancakes and I did not have any mix on hand, and had I realized we were almost out of syrup I probably wouldn't have made them but they were great without it! And of course I must add CHEAP!! Anyone who bakes occasionally should have all of these ingredients on hand-Thanks to AllRecipes.com

Good Old Fashioned Pancakes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions

1. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg and melted butter; mix until smooth.
2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

*I used a 1/2 cup for each pancake and it made 8, I also added a splash of vanilla

Well I'm off to do something a little more productive...gotta take advantage of every single minute of Mason's nap time!! If you'd like me to blog about a particular subject, leave me a comment!! I am open to any suggestions. I am currently researching solutions for my 'Homemade Clean' blog so be on the lookout! Hope everyone has a wonderful day!