Do you Stamp? A stampers ramble...

If you've seen my scrapbook area, you'll notice that I have a lot of supplies. And one area I am not lacking is rubber stamps. I love them. And mainly, I collect them more than I use them!

I have quite the range from cheap .50 stamps to stamps that I paid $15 to $20 for. Ya, I've paid that much for one stamp! Basically, the only type I don't have in my collection is notary supplies /stamps!

A couple of months ago I mentioned in this post that I am switching to digital scrapbooking. And one thing I'm toying with is getting rid of my stamps. Or at least the majority of them. I used to make every.single.card that I gave out, detailing it to perfection, and even adding a little "hand stamped by Kate" to the back of each card. And now,  I'm not actually sure the last time I made one of my cards. It's probably been close to a year ago!

And I keep thinking of the space I'd free up once I got rid of the hundreds of stamps that are collecting on my scrapbook shelves. But then I have to decide, which do I keep? And which do I get rid of? As I stated above, I have a very wide variety, from birthday, to every holiday you can think of, to animals, and borders, and letters, to flowers and shapes. If you ask, I probably have it.

If you are a crafter, where would you start? What would you get rid of?

Do you get rid everything? Maybe the ones I used the least? Should I keep the expensive ones and just get rid of the cheap ones? I'm trying to overcome a serious issue of keeping things 'in case I need them"!

Ugh... Where do I start?

Disclosure: "This sponsored post was made possible by SheHeard. I have been compensated for my time and work on this campaign, however all thoughts and opinions are 100% my own."

Blog Angels: The Reveal

Every couple of months when it's time to start a new session of Blog Angels, I'm always looking forward to who I will have, and what I can do for them.

This year Rosie changed things up a bit and we were picking someone from a group of bloggers looking for help. As a relatively inexperienced blogger myself, I am not sure why I volunteered. What do I have to offer this person?  

The blog I chose to help is Heart of Wander. 
I really enjoyed reading what Laurel had to say.

But I must say this: I was sort of at a loss of what to help with considering she already has a great blog. She is well put together, has social media buttons, a button for her blog, etc. and I didn't feel I could help her in many ways. So what did I do? I followed Laurel's social media, retweeted tweets and commented on her posts.

So now that we're done, Laurel, what can I do for you?

If you want to follow Heart of Wander yourself, check it out!

Heart of Wander (blog)
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest

And keep an eye out for the next round of Blog Angels, coming your way soon!

How to make your own Febreze!

Making your own Febreze could never be easier!

Thanks to Pinterest and Fake-It Frugal I am febrezing for a much smaller cost!

This is what you need: 

an empty bottle (I just used the bottle I already had, and it's a 27 oz.)

1/8 cup of Fabric softener (I use Downy because it's my favorite!)

2 Tbsp. baking soda

and hot tap water to fill the bottle.

Shake it up and you are ready to spray!

Way cheaper than buying a $5+ bottle of Febreze!

Foodie Friday: Apple Nachos

I actually made this last fall but I always forget about it. Maybe I was just actually holding on to it for a week that I didn't make something new!

All I used were:

3 apples
peanut butter, softened in the microwave until it will pour
caramels
chocolate chips
but topping

Yum, Yum!

Passport to Love

With kids ages 10, 2 and 5 months, Travis and I don't get out a lot. So for Valentine's day I wanted to give Travis something fun that we could look forward too. Whether dates nights out, or at home I wanted to do something different. I found this Passport to Love on Pinterest and I thought it was perfect. I've been sitting on this pin for well over 6 months and Valentine's Day was a great time to give it to him.

The Dating Divas have everything you need to make this passport, itinerary and airline tickets!

First up, China!

DIY: kids bedroom sign

Ever since Zachary was just a little guy we would always say this to each other, typically as I tuck him into bed at night.

And even though he is going on 11, I still say it regularly.

I thought it would be a nice sign to put up in his room as a constant reminder. And luckily, he wasn't too embarrassed to have it up in his room.

Toddler crafts

I love finding new crafts for Tyler and I to do together. Normally Zachary will join in too, but this time he wasn't interested in making hearts.

This was simple and Tyler enjoyed it.

I used 4 empty toilet paper rolls and shaped them into a heart. Then I put some Red, Pink and White paint onto a disposable plate for us to dip into and then we put the paint onto our paper. Simple as that.

Blog Angels: Half way link up

Sadly, I don't have a lot to say about my blog angel.
I have followed that person in any way I can,
But they have had limited posts this month for me to comment on,
and they already have a pretty great blog.

I haven't found a way to really contribute.
I'm hoping something over this last week and a half something will come up! 

Want to know who I am a Blog Angel for? Find out at the end of the month! 

Resolutions in Motion- Round 2 complete!

For the past 6 weeks I have been participating in the Resolutions in Motion challenge. You can read about about mine here, but basically I was planning to get 6 pinterest projects made. And guess what? I did it! 

I have a board for projects I want to make priority so I picked 6 that I thought would be great to do in this first round. 

Here are my final projects:

Headband holder

Dinner choices sign

Love blocks

Valentine's Day felt heart

These last two things are linked to the original Pinterest project. My camera is having some issues and any picture since the 13th is gone. That might not seem like a long time, but for me that was my 30th birthday, Valentine's day and my baby's 5 month birthday. So I'll get more pictures of these two projects soon and blog about them. 

Passport to Love

To the moon sign - This was my inspiration but I changed it up to reflect the saying that my 10 year old and I've said to each other since he was just a little guy.

ETA: My completed version of the To the moon sign and Passport To Love

I was surprised at how many projects I got done. Besides these 6, I have 4 more that are part way done. Looking forward to getting them done too! I also had a little Valentine's day project that Tyler and I did together that maybe I can get up later today and made several recipes! It's been a productive 6 weeks!

Summer at 5 months!

(So yesterday Summer turned 5 months. And I got some great shots of her. As soon as I got done taking pictures I headed to my computer to get them loaded on so I could add them to this post that I had all ready to go. But then my camera wasn't reading my new memory card that I've had less than a week. So after multiple times trying I decided to give up for the night. And today I've been trying again. But now I'm getting an error saying that my camera cannot read my memory card. And cannot be recovered. I'm guessing that all the of pictures I've taken since Wednesday, my birthday, Valentine's Day, Summer's 5 month b-day, are gone.... But I'll update this post if I get them back!)


This little girl just gets sweeter every.single.day.

I don't know how I got so lucky to be blessed with this little girl. But I'm so in love.
As bittersweet at it is that she is already 5 months old, I look forward to all of the mother/daughter stuff that is to come in the future.

Here are a few things about Summer @ 5 months.

You love the bath more with each time. I didn't know that could be possible but everyday you kick and splash more than the day before!

You have rolled from belly to back and back to belly. And now you are unstopable. You roll everywhere.

You don't mind your paparazzi mommy taking pictures all the time.You just keep on smiling.

You like sitting up in your bumbo. And you look like such a big girl while you are in there!

You are still about 14 pounds and soo long! You are wearing 3-6 month clothes just barely. I had to move you mainly because 0-3 mo pants are like capris but 3-6 mo pants are so big around your waist! You are also wearing size 2 diapers still, but when the box is done that we are on now we'll be moving on to size 3.

Your poor little head still has a bald spot but I'm hoping now that you willingly roll to your belly it will start growing back in! Your hair is getting long and it makes me excited for the day that I get to braid it and put it in pigtails!

You love your brothers so much. Tyler is always right in your face and you just love him.

You love to play Peek-a-Boo!

You do lots of talking, cooing, and jabbering.

You leave your headbands on and they don't seem to bother you. Luckily.

You are still chewing on your hand like crazy. Sophie is on her way for you to chew on. 

We love you so much Summer Lucille. You are such a good girl. So sweet and happy.
And I love every day with you sweet angel.

Foodie Friday: Chicken corn chowder with Sweet Potatoes

I "pin" a lot of recipes. And some I know immediately that I will try and love. Others sit on my recipe board for a while before I decided it's time to try it.

This chowder fell into the latter. I pinned it 38 weeks ago!

But just last week I finally gave it a try.

I thought it was amazing. So did Tyler. Travis and Zach, on the other hand, didn't.

Though they both said it was better than they thought it was going to be, Zach said he didn't want to eat it again, and Travis said he didn't want it as the "main" part of a meal, but thought it would be good as a side with something else. Basically, Tyler and I ate if for lunch and dinner for the next two days because it makes a pretty huge amount.

Chicken and Corn Chowder with Sweet Potatoes- Originally from Mel's Kitchen Cafe
3 cups whole milk

1 cup yellow corn muffin mix

2 T. butter

1 onion, chopped fine

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

2 quarts chicken broth

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 " cubes

2 sweet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled and cut into 1/2" pieces

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese

3 cups frozen corn (not thawed)

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

salt and pepper, to taste

Mix milk and muffin mix in bowl until well combined. Meanwhile, heat butter in large pot over medium heat until foaming. Add onion and cook until softened, about 8 minutes. Stir in garlic, cumin and oregano and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add broth, chicken and sweet potatoes. Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer until sweet potatoes are just tender, about 8 minutes.

Stir in milk and muffin mixture and simmer until soup thickens, about 10 minutes. Add cheese and corn and cook until cheese begins to melt, about 2 minutes. Stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper. Serve

 

How well does your spouse know you? A V-Day link up!

I found this fun link up over at The life of a Not So Ordinary Wife last week and thought it would be fun for Travis and I to fill out and see how well he knows me.

Here's how it went:

How long have you been married?
K: 3 years in April 
T: 3 years

Where was your first date?
K: We went to a parade and then back to his house and watched a movie. 
T: Red Lobster

Where was your first kiss?
K: In his truck on our second date. 
T:  In the white truck (ooh la la)

Who first said, "I love you"?
K: I think he did technically.
T:  Them

What were your wedding colors?
K: We didn't really have colors. I wore a white dress and he wore a white button down shirt with a black tie. My flowers were white. So, maybe black and white? 
T: Green and white

What is her most commonly used phrase?
K: Seriously
T: Really

Who is her celebrity crush?
K: My Rascal Flatts guy. Or Channing Tatum.  
T: Rascal Flatts Gary

If she was ordering drinks for both of you what would you each get?
K: Lime Margarita/Strawberry Margarita or Coke/Mt. Dew
T: Lime Margarita (her) Strawberry Margarita or Kokanee (him)

What is the best meal she has ever cooked you?
K: The recent spaghetti I made? He likes most of the things I make! 
T: Too many to mention them all

What is the worst meal she has ever cooked you?
K: Probably the Quinoa Mac and Cheese I just recently made. 
T: The weird rice thing  ((This would be the Quinoa mentioned above))

What is the most-played song on her iPod?
K: Lately it's Bruno Mars- Marry you or T. Swift- Never getting back together, like ever
or anything Rascal Flatts
T: Rascal Flatts

What would she say is your most annoying habit?
K: Picking his toe nails or not being able to make up his mind!
T:  Indecisive

What is the last thing she does before she goes to bed?
K: Typically it's read 
T: Fills her water

If you could throw out one item of her clothing what would it be?
K: Probably my flip flops 
T: Rascal Flatts shirts

What would you say is your favorite thing about her?
K: Kind/caring
T: Great friend/Mother

What's her go-to drink at Starbucks?
K: Iced Caramel Macchiato 
T: Caramel Macchiato

What's her blog's name?
K: Life as I know it 
T: Life as I know it

Well I think we did pretty good! I'm not sure where he was going with #3, and usually before bed I fill up my water bottle and then go climb in bed and read so that was pretty good! :)

How well do you and your spouse know each other? Take the survey and link up with The Life of a Not So Ordinary Wife

Thirty.

That's how old I am today people!

Some people love their birthdays, some dread them. Some worry about getting older, some don't care.

Me? I LOVE my birthday! I don't care that I am getting older.

Today I am THIRTY years old and I am going to embrace every minute of it.

I have an amazing husband. 2 incredible boys and a sweet baby girl and I can't help but just look forward to our future and all the good in store for us. I know my 30's are going to be some of the best years as I watch my children grow, enjoy every moment with my husband and just enjoy life! 

30 before 30

Tomorrow I am turning 30. So typically more of  these would be crossed off...but I've gotten 7/30. 1.) Build a snowman family

2.) Learn to sew with a sewing machine

3.) Build a sandcastle

4.) Go huckleberry picking

5.) Learn to can foods

6.) Have professional pictures taken

7.) *start* getting in shape

8.) Up cycle a piece of clothing

9.) Spend an afternoon reading in the park

10.) Make money from my blog
11.) Try wearing fake eyelashes
12.) Identify 101 things that make me happy and photograph them

13.) Make a list of 50 songs I could listen to forever

14.) Learn to identify 10 constellations

15.) Take the kids to the zoo

16.) Take the kids to the ocean

17.) Swim in the ocean

18.) Make home made donuts

19.) Have a picnic

20.) Dance in the rain

21.) Do a random act of kindness for a stranger

22.) Go whale watching

23.) Camp on the beach

24.) Make my own skirt

25.) Don't spend any money for a week

26.) Try 10 new recipes (10/10) - Check out the recipes I've made HERE
27.) Make pizza from scratch
28.) Send flowers to someone

29.) Tie a note to a balloon and send it off

30.) Improve my posture So this is what I'm doing. I'm making this a 31 before 31. That's less than 1 every two weeks... So doable!  So #31.) Do the Dirty Dash

DIY: "Love" blocks

I should just start every post with this sentence: I originally found this on Pinterest. 
Does anyone else feel that way? I sometimes wonder what I would do without Pinterest. Mainly because I have found sooo many cool things on there that I've already made, or want to make.

So, I found these blocks on Pinterest. I won't lie. I'm one of those people that when I see something in the store, or Pinterest, I think, "I don't need to spend money on that, I can make it myself."
Anyone with me on that? 

But the problem is that half the time I never make it. I forget about it, or don't remember how it looked once I'm home, etc. Thanks to Pinterest, I can now just pop it in a folder.

I thought these were super cute. And I decided to make them as part of my 6 items to make for my Resolutions in Motion.

Here is what I used to make these cute blocks:

4 blocks. (2x4 pieces that were just laying around after we finished part of our basement last summer)
black paint (those little tubes from the craft store)
1 piece of deco scrapbook paper. Luckily I have lots of this laying around
1 piece of black card stock. Again, laying around.
and some mod podge.

I also used my Cricut to cut the letters (using Plantin schoolbook font) 

Foodie Friday: Million $ Spaghetti

I can't believe I haven't made this "Million $ Spaghetti" sooner. It has become an overnight favorite in our house, and after you try it, I bet it will be in yours as well! About 6 months ago I came across this recipe. And though I have thought about making it lots of times, it always ended up on the back burner. (No pun intended) But a couple of weeks ago I finally decided to make it. We love spaghetti in our house and finding another variation is fun! And after reading all of the great comments on Being Grown Up's blog, I couldn't wait! Here is the recipe:

1 lb. of Ground Beef

1 can of Spaghetti Sauce

8 oz of Cream Cheese

1/4 cup of Sour Cream 1/2 lb. of Cottage Cheese Whole Stick of Butter 8 oz. of Noodles Bag of Sharp Chedder Cheese

-Preheat oven to 350. Start boiling the noodles, and brown your hamburger.

-Once you have those two things going, mix your cream cheese, sour cream and cottage cheese thoroughly.  (I used my mixer)

-Add spaghetti sauce to browned/drained meat.

-Put a few slices of butter on the bottom of your 9x13 dish and then put HALF of your spaghetti noodles in the casserole dish.

-Next, pour the cream mixture onto your noodles and spread around evenly.

-Then add the rest of your noodles and put finish adding the slices of butter on top of the noodles.

-Now pour on your meat and red sauce and spread it around.

-Place in your oven and cook for 30 minutes.

-Add cheese and cook for 15 more minutes.

The first time I made this I followed the recipe exactly. But the 2nd time I made it I changed a couple of things, and it didn't change the taste a single bit. My changes were: I sprayed the bottom of the pan with cooking spray rather than using slices of butter. Then after I put the 2nd layer of noodles I put slices of butter, but I used less than half a stick total. Also, I used turkey burger and it tasted great!

My night with Rascal Flatts

 

I've shared this picture with you more times than necessary, 

but it's from when I met Rascal Flatts back in 2009. 

 

I have loved Rascal Flatts from the moment they came on scene and I saw them open for JoDee Messina in 2000. I have seen them 11 times now and was so grateful in 2009 when I got to do a meet and greet with them. (Even though it lasted only a few minutes) 

Last summer I heard they were going to be in town. You might remember me talking about it here. But then the show was cancelled and I felt like it was my lucky day! It was rescheduled for January and I had to go!

I didn't even care that we bought the cheapest nose bleed seats they had, because I just wanted to be there. 

But then something pretty cool happened....

We were originally in the very back of the Arena, in the very back row. You couldn't have gotten any further away. I wasn't really paying that much attention to the opener, I was doing my norm: people watching. 

I spotted a man in a button down shirt and slacks in the section over from us talking to people and pointing down by the stage. I told Travis that I think that guy is giving out closer seats. I thought I should go ask. 

Travis thought our seats were fine, but I kept watching this guy handing out more and more tickets. Finally I told Travis I was going to ask! Couldn't hurt, right?

So I ran over and talked to him. I asked if he was giving out close tickets and he said Yes! He asked where we were and I showed him my tickets, and he handed me three tickets and pointed to our new section!

I was now super pumped that we were going to be right next to the stage! When we sat in our new seats, this is what I saw.

We were now 10 rows back! We brought Zachary along and we were so excited! He thought it was pretty cool that he was about to see RF up so close! 

((My boyfriend right up close))

It's been years since they were in Spokane last.... Fingers are crossed that they will come back sooner!

DIY: Valentine's Day Felt Heart

I found this fun Valentine's heart on Pinterest, and decided to try one of my own.
It's a little different than the original, but here is my version.

What you need:
3 pieces of felt cut into circles
1 wooden heart
Hot glue gun

Put a  dot of glue into the middle of the circle and then fold in half.
Put another dot of glue in the middle of the flat line and fold in half again.
Then add one more dot to the end of the piece and stick onto the board.
I just added a dot of glue to the back to attach the ribbon too! 

And here is how it looks up on our wall:

NYC New York Color Liquid Lipshine

  Straight from the city that never sleeps, NYC New York Color offers products with uptown style at down-to-earth prices, from $.99 - $4.99. The energy, style, and color of New York City shines through the wide range of shades, textures and innovative products. NYC always delivers the most on-trend products & shades hot off the runway! 

I am not a huge lip gloss fan. Typically I like just some type of moisturizer on my lips but I do like this Liquid Lipshine. Probably one of my favorite things is that it's not sticky!It's a great price and I would buy it again for sure!  For more information about NYC New York Color Liquid Lipshinecheck them out here, and for more on what others think, click here!     Disclaimer: I received this product free from Influenster to review. However, all opinions are my own.    

Montagnne Jeunesse

  Whether you enjoy looking after your skin, or being pampered, you will absolutely enjoy one of these "Life’s Little Pleasures"! With a huge array to choose from, our face masques are packed with the most delicious natural ingredients and are bursting with luscious fragrances. Suitable for all different skin types, there is one to suit every mood and everybody! 

  We all love chocolate, it’s our guilty pleasure! Well treat yourself to some chocolate without the guilt and make your skin look fabulous! Our Chocolate Masque, rich in natural ingredients will not only deep cleanse your skin by helping unblock pores, allowing impurities to be drawn out but will also hydrate and nourish your skin. 

 I always love doing these face masks and feeling so refreshed afterwards,And at under $2 each grab a few and get together with your girlfriends for a fun night offacials and a glass of wine. Or maybe get your husband to try it out with you. If all else fails, doing this by yourself with be just as fun and refreshing!  (Travis did do this with me, and I got a picture, but I may have promised him that it wouldn't end up online.) Want more information about Montagnne Jeunesse face masks? Check them out here!And here for other reviews.   Disclaimer: I received this product free from Influenster to review. However, all opinions are my own.   

Foodie Friday: Cheesy Quinoa

I've been trying to incorporate better for me foods into our family dinners for quite some time. 

We don't really eat terrible or anything, but we can definitely make improvements and

one place we can make a change is adding more grains and vegetables.

I pinned this recipe for Cheesy Quinoa a couple of weeks ago after my mom gave me some Quinoa to try. 

I had no idea how to prepare it, so this was a great recipe for me to get started.

Here's Leanne's recipe:

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed and drained
• Veggies of your choice (optional)
• good pinch of salt
• a few grinds of seasoning salt
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup soy milk or non-fat milk
• 1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar cheese, more for sprinkling
• Optional- Crushed Red Pepper, Panko Bread crumbs for topping
• Toppings (optional)- salsa, hot sauce, sour cream, scallions

1. Lightly saute any veggies you would like in this dish. 
2. Cook quinoa to packaged instructions until fully cooked. (About 15 minutes)
3. Preheat oven to 350 F. Coat 13x9 inch dish( or 8 individual ramekins) with cooking spray.Whisk together eggs and milk in large bowl. Fold in quinoa mixture and cheese. Stir very well and let some of the cheese melt.  Transfer to prepared baking dish and if using Panko Crumbs or Bread crumbs add now and bake 30-35 mins, until bread crumbs are browned. 

I added broccoli and cauliflower as my vegetable(s) of choice.

I served this with a turkey meatloaf and I thought it was delicious.
The guys in my house, however, didn't feel the same.
None of them liked it, actually. And even though both Travis and Zachary finished the scoop
I put on there plate, Tyler wasn't having a 2nd taste of his!