Just Another Manic....Saturday!?!

Happy Saturday! Here it is just another crazy morning with the kids, no breaks for mama around here! Wayne is working (again), as it seems that he works 6 days a week for the majority of the year. So I was awakened on numerous occasions before 8 am with, "Mom! I want to get on the computer!", and "Mama where's my froggy?" and "Mom, my butt hurts!" (Yes, really), and my four year old thinks that its okay to scream at the top of her lungs on occasion when shes mad... so, I finally gave up the thought of sleeping in on a Saturday and stumbled out of bed, only to find that the little ones already fed themselves breakfast; honey nut cheerios. The only problem was that they opened a brand new box and thought they would eat it off of the living room floor. Cheerios adorned my carpet from wall to wall. Ahhh. I think its time for some coffee now...

PS. Went to pour myself some Raisin Bran, and well, it appears that only the Bran is coming out...I guess the raisins were the popular choice in there too!!

Melissa

Creative gift wrap!


Hey! It's been a few days since I have posted on here! Busy week I guess, can't believe its already Friday! Well, I've been going through all of my pictures of projects I have created over the past couple years, and this one was one I did about a year ago, for two of my friends' birthdays. I just took some postal wrap (I came across 5 rolls for $1.00 once and couldn't pass them up!) Anyways, I just wrapped the gifts, and then took out some extra scrap booking papers that I had, and used my Cricut to cut out some flowers. I wrapped a ribbon around the package and then glued the flowers together on top. I added a little sparkle in the middle for the finishing touch, and then took one of my glitter pens for a little extra decoration!

I got really creative (HaHa) and figured out how to get the Cricut to cut the birthday letters out, and then made a little matching card to go with it...

Here is the other gift I wrapped, sorry I can't get the picture to turn the other direction for some reason, but you get the idea!

And Tada! Super easy, really quick and cheap, and much more thoughtful :)

~Melissa

Sun, Sun, Beautiful Sun!

Yesterday was the first beautiful day of the year! We have been having a cold, wet spring, and the lack of sun was really getting everyone spirits down. Well, this weekend has been our lucky weekend! Yesterday highs around 70 and today highs up to 80! Makes me feel like its July, not April! Well, yesterday was my daughters last soccer game as well, and what a treat to play a spring soccer game in the warm sun!


The girls did a fabulous job and beat out their toughest competition (they are the two best teams in the county and this was their best out of 3 games), they played super hard and earned every goal! So I guess that unofficially makes our team the best around :) The girls have a fabulous coach, and that makes a world of difference!




The Seaweeds!!

Wayne and I enjoying the Sun at the soccer game!

Ice Cream at Serendipity!

Afterwards we drove downtown in Mcminnville to Serendipity for Ice Cream with the grandparents. Its this little old fashioned ice cream parlor with umpteen amounts of flavors and sundae options. Then we took a stroll downtown, and I think half of the town had the same idea as us! Everyone was flocking downtown to enjoy the beautiful weather.


Later I made a cold pasta salad and we sat outside on our back deck and played a mean game of Po-Ke-No. Emma (my 4 year old) got SO excited when she won that instead of shouting "Po-Ke-No!" She said, "Mommy! Mommy! I got a Taquito!!!" I about died laughing!


All in all, the sun really helped everyones grumpy moods change! And we are in luck, there is one more day of sunshine in the forecast today, and we are going out to enjoy it! In fact, we are going to BBQ with family, and I'm making the potato salad right now!
Happy Sunday!
Melissa

Dinner idea! BBQ chicken pizza!

I love pizza. But I have to admit, the same sauce and toppings can get a little boring sometimes. So, what better way than to whip up my own version of BBQ chicken pizza...its super easy and you can add whatever toppings you want on it!

What you'll need:

BBQ Chicken Pizza

                                                                       Pizza dough

Your favorite BBQ sauce

3 slices of bacon - cooked and crumbled

6 oz cooked chicken breast

1/3 cup fresh or canned pineapple

1 small onion

1 1/2 (approx.) cups feta cheese

1 green onion

One Glass of your favorite wine!

Preheat oven to 425

I made it even easier tonight by using Tyson ready grilled chicken breasts. Normally I'll just cook my own, but snagged a couple bags of these on sale. I also use pre-made dough, it saves so much time! Safeway has pizza dough fresh, and its only 1.50. They have original, whole wheat, and a herb dough. This time I chose the whole wheat.

So, all I did was cook up the bacon, sliced up the onion and sauteed it.

I happened to have some leftover fresh pineapple, so I diced up about 1/3 a cup, and then sliced a couple green onions I had for color.

I spooned on the BBQ sauce on the dough, and then spread it around until it looked sufficient :)

  Then I sprinkled all but about 1/2 cup of the feta cheese, then layered all of my toppings on! Then into the oven for 12-15 minutes, and there you have it! Quick and easy BBQ chicken pizza, and of course, you can change and add whatever toppings you want/have available!

 

 

 

 Now, sit back and enjoy your pizza with your favorite beverage!

~Melissa

Fun with Corks (Cork Crafts)

It all started when I met my husband and was introduced to wine...thus slowly began collecting the corks off of the bottles we consumed. He is a manager for a vineyard as well, so he had a collection of corks as well. I designated an old clear glass vase that I will toss them in as we come across them. I kept them thinking that someday I would make SOMETHING with them.

Then one day an idea occurred to me. I had been wanting a napkin holder for quite some time now, but hadn't a.) found one I liked, that was b.) in my budget and price range. So that is when a light bulb popped into my head and I began eyeing those corks that were just sitting there, waiting to be reused. I grabbed a glue gun and went to work.

I glued one row of corks together for a base, then two rows together for sides.

I then glued all of the sides together and added tops from champagne corks that I had for a little bit of a decorative edge

And voila'!

It isn't the prettiest napkin holder ever, but it has held up really well for the past year and a half, and its a conversation starter when guests come over!

I have also made a couple cork boards, still haven't completely implemented them in the house, but I'm pretty pleased with how they have turned out.

And that is my cork creativity! I've heard of people making mats with the corks too... any other ideas for reusing corks???

                                                                   ~Melissa

A Little Bit of History, a Little Bit of Fun...

Last Saturday we decided to take the kids to the Yamhill County Farm Fest, where the historical society does their annual plowing competition with draft horses. Admission was dirt cheap, $3 for adults, kids under 12 were free. There was fun activities for the kids, and there was a little education mixed in with it. There was sawmill and blacksmith demonstrations, art show, a tour of the museum, music, food, and of course the horses! There was even a hayride to shuttle you back and forth from your car.



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  A crazy quilt, made in 1928!

 

 The girls loved planting sunflower seeds, and Emma got to sit on a big girl saddle....

 

 There was baby chicks and geese (gosling's I should say) that captured Noah's interest...along with all of the cool old cars!
 

                                      

                      Anika decided she was going to be my Vanna White and be the car model!

 

 

One of the Draft horses after a day of hard work!

All in all we had a fun family afternoon, the weather was perfect, and with lunch included our grand total spent for the day was $25...not bad! I encourage you to look around locally and find a fun event to attend, it teaches our kids history, and helps support the local community!

Until next time,
Melissa

Welcome to my blog!

I've dreamed about creating a blog for quite some time now. I discovered and fell in love with some other blogs that inspire me to be more creative, more organized, and to try new things. I have contemplated and contemplated and have decided to divide my blog into different segments, and will keep it within four categories. These four different areas are things that interest me, and hopefully you as well!

• Divide and Conquer: My attempt at de-cluttering, organizing, and simplifying my house.

Organization in the laundry room!


• Creative and Crafty: All things involving my creative mind, whether it be a craft with the kids, party ideas, holiday decorating, or whatever else my brain can come up with!

                                                               Fun masks to make with the kids using items around the house!

•  Fabulous Food (and Drinks!): Whether I'm attempting a new exotic recipe, fixing a new fun cocktail, or exploring a fabulous local restaurant, you won't want to miss out on these delectable finds!

                                                                                     My first attempt at homemade Baklava!

• Family Fun: A fun recap of a family activity that we enjoyed! It is so important to take time out of our busy schedules and make sure we are connecting with our families on a weekly basis, even if it means hanging out in the backyard roasting marshmallows on the BBQ, or snuggling in for a movie night. Family fun doesn't have to cost a fortune and I will show you some of the fun you can have on a budget together! 

Family fun at the coast!

I am super excited to share all of my ideas, and I think this blog will help keep me in track and organized as well! 

XOXOXO

Melissa                                                                                                                                                             

Meet the Family :)

So, without adieu here is my family! Dirty faces and all :) This was taken on a rare sunny spring day around here! Anika's the red head, then my little blondes Emma and Noah...

 Here's the whole family while camping in Southern Oregon last fall...

 ...And my husband and I :).

Alright! Well, it's a good thing I quickly learned how to add pictures on here, because as you will soon find out, I'm a little bit obsessive with them!

~Melissa

Begin the journey with me :)

Hello! Welcome to my blog! I am brand spanking new at this, so forgive me if it takes a little while for me to catch on. Let me introduce myself first...my name is Melissa, I'm nearly 27, and as you might have guessed, yup I live in the Willamette Valley. Why am I a wonder woman you might ask? Well, if you asked me directly, I'd probably tell you I'm not! But I have had others tell me that I am before, probably because I tend to dabble in a little of everything and always have my hands full! I have three children, Anika 8; Emma 4; and Noah who will be two next month! My husband Wayne works more than full time as a highly experienced vineyard manager, and when I'm not busy as a domestic goddess I work a few shifts a month as a charge nurse for a local skilled nursing facility, and I also host some in-home parties for adult women. I am one of those people who will never run out of things to do on my bucket list, whether its attempting to organize and de-clutter my house, crafting up things (with or without the kids), or trying a new creative recipe, I will share it all! So get ready, grab a glass of vino, and enjoy the journey with me!

~Melissa