Berry, Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake

I’m not really sure what to call this coffee cake but we’ll go with it.

Yesterday I was on Pinterest and found this yummy recipe for some kind of an oatmeal, berry, chocolate chip granola bar/coffee cake thing. It looked and sounded so good. But silly me didn’t pin it and for the life of me this morning I could not find the recipe.

So, I got out my cookbook/notebook where I keep a ton of recipes and found my tried and true blueberry coffee cake recipe.

I then kind of came up with my own version of a mixture of what I remember seeing yesterday with this recipe I had.

I actually thought it turned out pretty good. Here it is:

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour                  

2 tsp. baking powder                                        

1/2 tsp. salt                                      

1 cup old fashioned oats

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

1-2 cups frozen mixed berries

1 cup chocolate chips

1 handful chopped walnuts

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 cup old-fashioned oats

1/4 cup butter, softened

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 9 inch baking pan.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix in 1 cup oats. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar, and egg. Stir in the flour mixture alternately with the milk, mixing until incorporated.
4. Layer batter in bottom of greased pan.
5. Sprinkle top of batter with fruit, chocolate chips, and walnuts.
6. In a small bowl mix the streusel topping, and sprinkle on top of fruit. To make streusel topping, combine 1/3 cup flour, 1/2 cup sugar, cinnamon, and oats. Cut in butter to resemble coarse crumbs.
7. Bake at 375 degrees for about 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
8. Cool a few minutes and then enjoy.

It was super yummy. I hope you try it sometime.

Happy Wednesday, y’all!!!

It’s All Their Fault…

Look at ‘em…go on, take a good hard look at ‘em.

See those cute, adorable smiles? Their beautifully groomed hair, precious matching outfits, arms wrapped around each other in nothing but sweet love…

And those eyes…one pair of blue and one pair of brown…just like their Mama and their Daddy. Those eyes that you look into and just fall in love…

IT’S ALL THEIR FAULT!!!!

They’ve sucked it out of me….what you wonder???

MY BRAIN!!!!

That’s right, these cute, little, adorable, sweet-natured, crazy - want to make you laugh kids sucked out every bit of smart, or whatever that was in my brain.

There’s nothing left.

You see, before I had kids, I was a teacher. My classroom was so organized. You know all those super organized classrooms you see on Pinterest these days? Well, my friends, my classroom was one of those.

Everything was color coded: days, classes, lessons, groups, books…everything. Everything had a color and a place and a label, and a I knew what each thing meant and where it was. {I get my organization from my Daddy not my Mama. Bless her heart, you could never see the bottom of her desk, and she liked it that way…I digress}

Our house was basically the same. I cleaned on Sunday {like clockwork} and the house was picked up, neat, and organized. Ha. Don’t even get me started on the house.

Then, these sweet kiddos entered my life and over the past 6 years all of my brain has been sucked out of me.

I’ve been feeling something was missing, and I realized today what it is.

Hunter started camp this week at his new preschool. We were excited about it. He was excited to go make new friends and play games, and I was super excited to get a break. He’s been out of school since May and since then he’s been my barnacle. He’s always been my “hip-baby” and he still loves to be right up next to me. He touches me all.day.long. He calls me all.day.long. He needs me all.day.long.

It’s been getting a little tiresome, so I was looking forward for him to go to camp so I can get a few things done around the house. I have some organizational projects I want to do and can’t do them when their home…just doesn’t happen. There’s always juice to be made, a sword fight to play, and sometimes even a bottom to wipe.

Well, picture this…me, my Silhouette SD, some vinyl, and some organizing to be had. My Happy Place…

It’s the end of Tuesday, and want to know what I’ve done???

Nothing!!!!

No, I’m not napping, not talking on the phone, not completely running errands.

I find myself for hours aimlessly roaming around this house wondering, “What in the world do I do with myself???”

What do you mean, no one needs juice, no one’s hungry, and there’s not a sword fight to have. This must be some kind of a joke, right.

I feel like I’m playing some sort of hide-and-seek game with him and he’s hidden in a really good spot. I can’t find him. I can’t hear him call my name. Where is he?

So, I go look at my To-do list and wonder where to start. I go in my craft room to start organizing ribbons, fabrics, scrapbook paper, tulle…

It’s the end of Tuesday and it’s not done. In fact, I don’t even know where to start. What??? That’s not me. I thrive on organization. I thrive on labels and color codes. And I can’t figure out where to start with my labels. What kind of bins do I need? What shelves shall I get?

Mush….mush I tell you! It’s nothing but mush. The one thing I was always so good at and loved to do, I don’t know how to do it. Man, that really stinks. I feel empty.

Maybe one day it will come back. Until then I will have sword fights, and play American girl, and hope there will be a glimpse of my old friend, “Ms. Organization”, that will come for a visit soon. I miss her.

Daddy’s and Daughters

So, of course as usual I’m a day late and a dollar short, but our Father’s Day yesterday was filled with spending time with our Daddy of the house. I made all his favorite meals, and tried to make him feel as special as possible.

Daddy’s, especially ours, works so hard and I wanted him to have an extra special day.

Dads and sons always have a special bond…you know, they throw balls, go fishing, talk sports, have sword fights…all that rough and tumble boy stuff.

But, I have to say there’s something extra special about Daddy’s and their daughters.

I remember when my husband and I got married and I told him I always wanted to have a boy and a girl. I know you take what the good Lord gives you, but I was kind of putting my order in to the man who helps create us all.

Eric kind of looked at me like I had two heads… “A girl? What on earth would we do with a girl? I don’t know anything about girls.”

Well, I have to give him credit, because coming from a family who mostly produces boys, he was right. He grew up with girl cousins, but never had experience with baby girls. So, I could see how he would feel this way.

When Dallas was born, I will never forget the look on his face when he told me she was a girl. See, we didn’t find out her sex, and boy was she a surprise.

He was holding her and looks at me and says, “Boy she already has me wrapped.” She was only minutes old, but that bond was already formed.

They have this bond like no other…just like my daddy and me.

My daddy was always the one who knew how to calm me down. When I was having a bad teenage moment and ranting through the house yelling, arms a swinging, and no one seemed to understand what I was feeling, he would stop me in the hallway, wrap his arms around me and whisper, “Let it go, Baby.”

It was something about those arms and that warmth that I would just let it all go. Funny thing is, to this day he still does the same. If I’m having some kind of bad mommy day and I’m ranting and yelling, arms a swinging, just the sound of his voice can calm me down. He may be 8 hours away and can’t wrap his arms around me, he can calm me down.

It’s that Daddy/Daughter bond…

I see the same similarities with Eric and Dallas. She can be having some kind of 6 year old tantrum or she and I could be arguing. He seems to know how to calm her down…always. {To be honest this sometimes drives me a bit batty, but I know it’s just that bond thing again.}

None-the-less, he calms her down and that’s what daddy’s are for…to make everything better; to make all the hurt go away; to make the world right again.

One of my favorite things as a kid was at bedtime my daddy would carry me on his back down the hall and let me drop onto my bed. It was the greatest thrill. I think it’s so funny that Eric and Dallas do the same thing most nights. He carries her up on his back and lets her drop onto her bed. Hearing her squeal and giggle brings back so many memories of my childhood, I love watching them do this little ritual. It’s that special bond.

I am such a lucky girl to have a daddy who shares that extra special bond with me. He’s not perfect, but none of us are. However, I do know that there are arms that will wrap around me and make the world better, and even though I’m 33 there will always be a lap for me to curl up in…it’s that special bond. And I am so thankful that my daughter and her daddy share that same bond…

So, to all you daddy’s out there, Happy Father’s Day {a day late}!!

Laundry Room Reveal

Hey y’all!

I know I’ve been a bit incognito for almost a month now. It’s been very hectic around here, but I’m back and very excited to share with you my laundry room reveal.

It’s been finished for a while, but I wanted to share it with you before I share the other projects and rooms we’ve been re-doing lately.

So, here we go:

Remember this?

This was my laundry room up until about the first of the year. I started the transformation and posted about it Here and Here.

I began by painting the cabinets white.

We also added board and batten to the lower part of the walls. The upper part I painted yellow with a darker yellow stripe.

And I put a bench in the entry part of the room.

If all that wasn’t enough we got new flooring to get rid of that old “nineties” vinyl.

Much better, huh?

Well, then it was time to accessorize…one of my favorite parts. Here’s a ton of pictures to show the room now:

This is from the top of the cabinets. I picked up a few things here and there {mostly from Michael’s} and pieced them together with things I already had.

I love the UGA drawing and had to have him in there. Eric gave me that a long time ago. He bought it from a guy in the streets of downtown Athens, GA. He was drawing these pictures with his mouth seeing that he had no arms….just amazing to me.

My sweet Mama made my valance and I just LOVE how it fits the room perfectly.

I made the bench cover using a shower curtain I purchased from Target and THIS tutorial. It was so user friendly.

I love how it turned out.

I had a little material left over from the valance and made a small pillow for my bench.

The bulletin board I used in the old laundry room and thought it was great to hang kid’s art work and birthday invitations.

I cut out the “Be Kind, Be Happy” and “Be YOU” on black vinyl from my Silhouette and applied them to a couple of picture frames. I used textured scrapbook paper for those frames, and used a couple of pictures I had on hand of the kids.

Last was the door. I shared with you earlier how I painted it grey. It looks so great now and adds a bit of contrast.

Well, there you have it, my laundry room transformation.

And to think, all this started with a little inspiration…

…a little ironing board cover I received for Christmas. Thanks, Grammy!!! I love my new room!

It’s still me…

Hey friends! How are y’all???

It’s been a little while since I’ve last written and there are a few reasons for that. I’ll explain…

First, Dallas was tracked out for almost 4 weeks (this is like her “summer”). It was our longest track out, but it was a lot of fun. I think I’ve told y’all before but if not, I LOVE year round school. Every 9 weeks we get a little break. It’s a great time for travel and just some “chill” time. When I was a teacher (way back when…ha) I didn’t know what to think of the concept of year round school and frankly wasn’t too keen on the idea. But now having a child in the system I love it! I’m sure it has it’s disadvantages for those working parents, but around here there’s all kinds of track out camps for kids that run throughout the year.

I just love it.

Although, I do not love the fact that the first week this go around I was playing police officer all the time to my two kids. They were at each other’s throats all day and the constant competition between them is unreal sometimes…I mean really, does it matter that much that one of you can poop a minute faster than the other one??? Really?

So, after we got through the first week it was time to hit the road. We had an impromptu trip to Delaware to see the in-laws for a very quick trip. My brother in law and sister in law won a bidding war at a gala to get 4 tickets to the Phillies game in the Hall of Fame section. They asked if Eric and I wanted to join…uh yeah! It was awesome. I’ll post pictures later…

We drove home on Sunday and Monday we all left again. Eric had a work trip for the week so I wasn’t sticking around here. The kids and I made the 8 hour trek to Lexington, KY to see my bestie and one of my most favorite people in the world. It’s a tough drive and people tell me all the time I’m crazy for doing it, but they don’t get it. She’s my soul sister. I haven’t seen her since Labor Day and needed some Liz time…it was an awesome week. The kids were all wonderful and we had so much fun. It’s “home” being with her. It’s always so hard leaving her, but she’ll come see me soon and I can’t wait!

Ok, so that’s one reason I’ve been a little incognito and there’s another as well. I’ve been fighting this one part of the post trying to find the way to explain. Don’t worry, nothing’s wrong…I’ve been having an inner battle with myself if you will.

You see, last year I started this blog for a couple of reasons. I love to write. It’s something I enjoy and I just feel like myself when I’m writing. I also wanted to start kind of a journal of things we do…trips we take, parties I host, recipes I make, and some crafts here and there.

However, over the last couple of months I started feeling a bit overwhelmed with it all. I’ve been following some amazing blogs with amazing women and moms who create just awesome crafts almost every day. Then Pinterest came along. I love Pinterest don’t get me wrong, but I started pinning all these things I wanted to do and create and before I knew it that’s all I was thinking about….things to make, new crafts to do – and post, how to turn my blog into a money maker, I felt I HAD to post something everyday, something amazing.

It started consuming me and stressing me out…which is not very good for my ever so sensitive to stress stomach. My stomach began to get tighter and tighter and I began to get grumpy and pulled away from my family. I felt that I needed to post something before I played with my kids. And I had to have pictures for everything.

Recently, I started participating in a Bible study for women through our church. The title of the book is “How to be a Mary in a Martha World”. It seemed perfect for me and was calling my name.

I have to say it’s an amazing book. It’s really helped me see that we all have worries and we all have “rocks to carry” so to speak, but it’s what we do with those rocks. Do we pick up other’s rocks along the way and try to carry them as well? Yes, I do that. Do we turn the rocks we carry into something they’re not supposed to be? Yes! Yes! I do that.

I am a self-proclaimed perfectionist and a people pleaser. I’m always looking for the flaws in the things I do. I want to make sure things are perfect and make sure everyone around me is happy (and well fed). Now I’m realizing there is a time and a place to be a perfectionist and a people pleaser.

The study has also helped me see that we all have gifts to give. I think sometimes being a stay at home mama I tend to lose who “I” am…sometimes I look in the mirror and think, “Who is Shana? What is my gift to give?”

I believe I was starting to feel that and felt that my "rock” of this “perfect” blog was who I was supposed to be…it was my gift to give others. Well, over the last couple of weeks I’ve realized that’s not the case. My friend, Liz, knows me all too well, and in just the right time sent me THIS article. As I read it, I felt like I was reading my own words in my head…my own thoughts.

It really hit home to me and I realized that this blog of mine was no longer a rock but a boulder. I was trying to pick up other rocks along the way to make it bigger and better when in fact it was good just the way it is or was meant to be.

I also realized that I may not be an artist or a great singer. I may not have a job that makes money, but the gift that I have to give is none other than to be a good Mama and Wife. That’s my gift. That’s the gift that our Lord has granted me at this moment.

So, in a nutshell, I’ve been doing too much (as usual), and it’s all taken me away from my true gift…my family. I’m really working on getting back on the path with the three rocks I’m supposed to carry up the hill…my husband and my two precious kiddos. I might not post as many crafty things, but I will still be posting…just maybe not everyday. So, please stick around and see the crazy things we get into…you never know what it will be.

Thank you so much for reading and the comments you’re always sending. They really mean a lot.

Happy Tuesday, y’all!!!

A Little Get-a-way

Hey y'all. Happy Friday! First of all, I can't believe it's already Friday, and I really can't believe I haven't posted since Monday! Wow, this week has really flown by (in some sense).
Dallas started her first full week of track out this week, and I was thinking the kids would love being together (as they normally do) and play so I could get things done around the house. Crazy me! What in the world was I thinking??? They argued and fussed all week. So instead of doing things I really needed to be doing, I was playing referee all.day.long...everyday. It's been so exciting...notice the sarcasm in my voice?
I am pooped, I'll tell you that.
Anywho, I'm not going to go on and on about my crazy week, poor Eric's heard enough of it. ;)
I am excited though because today started the first of two trips we have planned. It's so nice to be out of the house and away from projects, if only for a few days.
We are in Delaware this weekend. It's going to be a super short trip, but we are so happy to be here. Tomorrow will be filled with some fun with the cousins, then off to the Phillies game to sit in the Hall of Fame section!!!! Über excited about it!!!
So how will you be spending your weekend? No matter what you do, have fun and make memories!!!

Half-Bath Mini Makeover

Hey y’all. Happy Monday!

I was a pretty busy little bee this weekend, but that’s nothing new I guess.

After washing the bath mats and them basically disintegrating in my washer and dryer, and the fact that our towel hanger fell off the wall months ago and was half on there, I decided it was time for a “mini-makeover”.

My little shopper {Dallas} and I went out yesterday and had some fun shopping for this little project.

We hit Home Goods, Bed, Bath, & Beyond, Target, and Michael’s.

Here’s the end result…

I’ve been wanting a white cabinet in there for quite some time but never bit the bullet and bought one…until yesterday.

I love it. It’s got the bead board look on the sides with cute little feet and crown molding around the top.

I loved the white frame but now wondering if I need to paint it or not. I kind of like it white, but maybe some stripes might look nice on it too…What do you think?

I do love the starfish jar on top. I used some sharks teeth and goodies Eric’s found on scuba diving trips to fill it.

I made the “Toes in the Sand…” canvas which came from Michael’s. You can find the tutorial HERE.

And of course we had to get a new rug. That’s the whole reason for the new makeover, right?

Yes, the tags are still on it in case I changed my mind, but I think it’s found it’s home.

I also made a new towel hanger.

You can find that tutorial HERE.

So let’s break it down…

The rug came from Target and cost – $34.99

The cabinet came from Bed, Bath, & Beyond. It cost $47.99

The starfish jar came from Home Goods and cost – $9.99

The white frame came from Home Goods and was – $5.99

The canvas came from Michael’s and was a whopping – $.31

The wood plaque for the towel hanger cost – $.17

The coat hanger for the towel hanger came from Target and it was – $3.49

The hand towels came from Target and were – $3.50 each.

So, for about $115.00 this little room got a mini-makeover and is now happy again.