A Scrumptious Spring Dessert

The taste and smell of fresh strawberries always reminds me of the sunny weather of spring and summer. Ummmm! Love strawberries! So for our game night last friday, I made this scrumptious Strawberry Dessert Pizza for everyone to enjoy. It reminded me that sunnier, spring days are ahead, despite the fact that most of last week was rainy and dreary.


This dessert pizza is so easy to prepare and tastes delicious. Their was two small slices left after our game night. One each for Trent and Laci. Kid tested and approved! You could, of course, use different varieties of fruit, but I just wanted the taste of those fresh strawberries. I used Pillsbury's recipe for Fanciful Fruit Pizza, which you can find here. I also opted to leave off the apple glaze over the top. Hope your spring days are sunny and delicious! Enjoy!

Cute Place Mat Bags

All you need is a few items and you'll be well on your way to making a cute place mat bag. The main item being a place mat. That's right. You pick what your bag will look like by the place mat you pick out. You can alter it to your own taste. These little bags are fun to make even for me. The not-so-skilled seamstress. All you will need to do is cut your strap material down to the size you like and sew on the straps to the two ends of your place mat which will be the top of your bag. Then fold your place mat in half. Be sure to have it inside out before you start sewing. With your bag inside out, measure and mark about a 1 inch triangle in the bottom corners or fold in bottom edges. This will create a bottom for the bag. Starting at the bottom ends, sew up each side of the place mat to make a bag. Turn the bag from inside out to reveal your cute place mat bag.

These are great to use as a tote for carrying extra things or how about a church bag to carry your scriptures in. There are lots of possibilities. I've made quite a few of them over the past few years after a friend from church showed them to me. I actually made three bags like the one in the picture as my craft-it-forward give away item. I hope the ladies that get them will like them and find a use for them.




I picked out this pink and white damask patterned place mat with green and polka dot fringe. I think that's my favorite part of the whole thing. It makes for a cute "topper" around the bag. Have fun picking out your place mats and making your own cute creations.

Birthday Oreo Ice Cream Pie

They say it's your birthday! Happy, Happy Birthday! Yep, yesterday my husband,Will, celebrated his B-day. Trent was the first one up to give him happy b'day wishes. Bright and early before he left for work! He said he did have a good day. Yay!I was planning on making him a special dinner, but that just didn't happen since I wasn't feeling so good yesterday. However, I did take him out to lunch at one of his favorite spots, Jason's Deli. Their muffeletta and strawberry shortcake are two of his favorites there. That strawberry shortcake is so stinkin' good. I had to remember that was for him and I didn't need to hog all of it. Anyway, later that evening we sang to him and gave him his ice cream pie, which I had made that morning. This pie has long been a favorite of his and since I hadn't made it in a long time, I thought I'd surprise him with it. He was pleasantly surprised! Everyone enjoyed a piece of this refreshing ice cream treat!

We rounded out the evening by playing with one of his b'day presents, which he has actually had for a few weeks, Rock Band 2! We get to have our own little band. Ivy even tries to get in on the action. We have a lot of fun with this game even though we skip over some of the songs because they are a bit too "heavy."We still get to let our inner "rocker" come out. Will and I both love the 80's songs on it.

And..... back to the pie. These are all the ingredients you'll need to whip up this treat in minutes.

Oreo Ice Cream Pie
1 Oreo pie shell
1/4 c. caramel ice cream topping plus 2 Tbsp.,divided
2 Tbsp. chopped pecans
1/2 gallon softened vanilla ice cream(I used all but about 3 scoops of the 1/2 gal.)
crushed Oreos

Pour 1/4 c. caramel topping in pie shell and spread over bottom of crust. Scoop out ice cream into pie shell, filling in empty spaces as you go. Sprinkle chopped pecans and crushed Oreos on top of ice cream. Drizzle 2 Tbsp. of caramel topping over top of pie. Cover.(I used foil since my little cover wouldn't fit over the pie) Freeze.

Another Spring Break Has Come And Gone

Well, another spring break has come and gone. I do like spending time with the kids when they're out, but I'll be honest, I'm glad school is back in session. I'm pretty sure they are too.
We didn't go on any trips or anything, just hung out around here. Don't get me wrong. We did have fun together, but boredom did set in and Laci was sick with double ear infections for a few days. Poor little girl. After two shots, antibiotics and rest, she was feeling better by the middle of the week. So what DID we do? We played Wii and watched movies some, which I don't mind for a while, but I like to get them involved in other things too. So, we visited the park a few times, played in the back yard,took walks in our neighborhood and had a couple trips to Costco and one to Bass Pro. My family loves both of those stores. Yep! We just go for fun sometimes, not to really buy anything. I guess we're just weird like that. We also visited the Nestle Tollhouse Cookie Store, which we've never been to. I captured a few pictures of the kids there, but nowhere else. They enjoyed ice cream while I splurged with a triple chocolate cookie. It was very tasty! Overall, it was a pretty good spring break!

Girls' Night Out

Last week we decided to take the kids out on separate nights to spend some time with them and do something fun together. The boys had their night on Wednesday. They went to the theater to see Race To Witch Mountain. It received 2 thumbs up! (No pictures of their night.)Thursday was girls' night out! Oh yeah! Laci and I invited our friend Christina to come along with us. We had a blast bowling at Montgomery's newest bowling alley, Ace Bowling Center. It's new and nice! We had a lot of fun bowling. Laci even got 2 strikes! In the end, mommy prevailed as the winner! No one in our family can ever beat her at Wii bowling. She's good! She wasn't too bad at "real" bowling either.

After our bowling fun, we went to a nearby Applebee's for appetizers and dessert. Laci talked Christina's ear off at the restaurant, but I don't think she minded a bit. After a girls night of fun, we had a tired little girl on our hands. She fell asleep on Christina's shoulder on the ride home. The next day Laci said,"Mom that was so fun. We have to do that again!" I agree Laci bug.

Hoping for a strike.

The bowling center had music playing, so Laci decided to do a little dancin' too!

Laci and Christina

Honestly, Someone Thinks I'm Creative

Two, yes two, blog awards to tell you about today.I think these are so fun to get! First, Rhonda from Down Memory Lane actually gave me the Kreativ Blogger award a while ago and I’m just gettin’ around to posting about it. I do appreciate the award and am touched that you find my blog “Kreativ.” Thanks a bunch, Rhonda! Head on over and check out her super cool and cute blog.

So, I’m supposed to tell you 7 things that I love and then pass this on to 5 other bloggers. Here’s my list.(Probably a boring one.)

1. I love my family and good friends.

2. I love hot baths.

3. I love French vanilla hot cocoa.

4. I love baking.

5. I love to play board games.(party games)

6. I love the Gospel.

7. I love University of Alabama football.

I give the Kreativ blog award to:(I know the last two already have it, but their blogs are so creative, I wanted to give it again)

1.Jessica-The Pelkeys

2.Ashley-Ashley’s Adventures

3.Tanielle-The Polka Dot Daisy

4.Katie-Katie’s Nesting Spot

5. Heidi-Blue Eyed Blessings

Now, for the next award. It’s the Honest Scrap award. What? I said the HONEST SCRAP award! Heidi at Blue Eyed Blessings wants me to get honest with you! Thanks Heidi! I am an honest girl. Be sure to visit Heidi. She’s always got something crafty and neat goin’ on.

For this one, I am supposed to shard 10 honest things about myself. As stated before, I’m kinda boring, so don’t expect anything too interesting. I also pass this on to 5 others whose blog content I find brilliant in content and design.

Honesty is the best policy………. So here it goes:

1. I am a bit O.C.(obsessive compulsive) or “Monkish” as I call it. (From the t.v. show Monk)

I like things neat and in their place.

2. My husband and I were married after a lengthy 4 ½ months of dating. We’ve been married 11 years and going strong.

3. I cannot stand to be late. I attribute this to my dad who had us be like 30 minutes early to everything.

4. Baked scoops, medium Pace Picante and a glass of milk is a favorite nighttime snack for me.

5. I cannot cook rice. No, really, I can’t. It always turns out too hard or burnt.It’s something I’ve never mastered. Although, last year we finally got a rice cooker and now it’s smooth sailing with the rice.

6. My name is actually Melissa, but their’s only 3 people who call me that, my two grandmothers and one of my cousins.

7. I can’t sleep unless the covers on my bed are neat(look back at #1). My husband says that the bed basically has to be made while I’m sleeping in it. Isn’t he sooo funny!!(Say that with a little sarcasm)

8. I consider myself a pretty calm person, but those who know me best know that the “fire” does come out on occasion. “Fire” referring to being a red head.

9. I used to country swing dance a lot with my husband. In fact, he taught me. We haven’t been swing dancing in a long time. It’s so fun. I miss it.

10. I am a G.R.I. T.(Girl Raised In The South), but I DO NOT eat grits. Actually, I think they are quite nasty.

I give the Honest Scrap award to:

1.Rhonda-Down Memory Lane

2. Bethany-Graff Family

3. Hatchick

4. Jaime-Caddywumpus

5.Cinda-Nethercott Family

Fun With Felt

It's time for another Works For Me Wednesday at We Are That Family. Today I want to share some felt board fun with you. This is my large felt board. (I'm almost embarrassed to show it. It's gotten kind of shabby). We use this board to play with a lot of our felt, but we also have a smaller one that we use. It' simply a piece of board(not sure actually, something like cork board) that I covered with felt and then stapled to the back. It's very simple to make one.

The felt "works for me" because it's something we pull out occasionally. We don't get our felt out all the time, so when we do it captures the kids' attention. Mainly my two younger ones, but my son who is 9 will still play with some of it. Most of our felt comes from a company called
Story Time Felts, formerly called The Storyteller. I've been very happy with all my purchases from them. However, a lot of the felt I have are pieces I earned from having a home party. That's always nice!






Some of the kids' favorites are these that actually go to a book, but I opted to keep them as separate pieces. Their are about 8 different pages with 8 different activities. On the page with the elephant you can change out the felt window to show different weather and dress the elephant appropriately for the weather. The other one is so cute. The fridge opens and it is filled with food. So are the cupboards. It comes with canisters, a table and a bowl of fruit, too.




Another favorite is this group of felt called " Who Ate The Food?" It goes along with the book The Very Hungry Caterpillar.




This is our small felt board we use for things like this little Mix N' Match game. We also like to play with other felt favorites like "The Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly" and "Thumbkin." The kids frequently use felt that go along with scripture stories for our family night. Be sure to check out Katie's Nesting Spot for some fun felt ideas, too.

Birthday Fun!

On Saturday, I celebrated my 31st birthday. A while back I had told my sister and mom that all I wanted was for all of them to come down to our house and spend the day with us and then stay over that night. They gave me just what I wanted. My sister, her husband, my nephew, his best friend, another friend of theirs, my mom and my dad all got here about 9 a.m. Sat. morning. (They live about 2 hrs. from here.) They surprised me with all kinds of goodies. One, being the gorgeous cake in the above picture. Isn't is fab! I love it! They also brought a selection of huge cookies. So good. And wait, there's more. They brought the cutest little petit fors , too! It all came from Edgar's Bakery in Birmingham. It was all very sweet and delicious. You guys are the best!

We enjoyed a day together full of laughs and good times. We shopped a little and then had lunch at our house. Then everyone sang Happy Birthday to me and we cut that delish cake. Well, actually we cut the cake first. We just couldn't wait. Then, with some reminding from Laci, we opened the presents. Thanks to you guys for your gifts. I got some moo la to go out and get what I want. Woo! Hoo! Will and the kids gave me a new purse that was much needed and I love it. They also gave me a plane ticket to get out of town. Ha! Ha! Just kidding....kind of. It's a ticket to go and visit my good friend Tammy out in Utah. Can't wait. What a sweet husband I have! He will be off work to keep the kids while I go in April. You rock honey! Later that evening we headed off to The Olive Garden for dinner. A party of 12. I don't think they were ready for us. Everyone enjoyed their meal, me included. That night we played Electronic Catch Phrase for a looong time. It is so fun! We could not stop laughing. I've got to get this game. (It wasn't mine.) Then off to bed it was. You should have seen all the air mattresses. Their were people everywhere. It was great! I loved my birthday!

These are the sweet little petit fors that were so good!

Oh, I almost forgot, my sister's family also surprised me with these lovely flowers. They matched the cake.

Our entertainment for the evening...............presenting my nephew Kyle and his best friend Brandon. They seriously kept us laughing the whole time they were here. They're so funny, mate!(That's an inside joke, they will get it.) I actually wish I'd have taken more pictures of everyone that was here, but I was having such a good time, I just didn't think about it.

A Little Chicken Pot Pie Anyone?

Last night I decided to cut my chicken pot pie down to size and make them little or individual sized. It was the perfect size for my husband and I and maybe just a bit too much for the kids. But everyone agreed on the cuteness factor. They are pretty darn cute! I'm definitely a fan of little individual sized food. I think it's because of how it looks and makes you feel like this is all mine!

Serving them individually helped us control our portion too. As I said, it was the right amount for us. When I make chicken pot pie, we tend to go back for more and more. I also tried to lighten my recipe up a bit by using lighter versions of a couple ingredients. I couldn't lighten up the pie crust, though. Hey, it's one of the best parts of the pie!




Individual Chicken Pot Pies
5 or 6 chicken tenderloins, cooked and chopped
1 can 98% fat free Cream of Chicken
1 can mixed vegetables or 1 small bag frozen that have been thawed
3/4 c. light sour cream
2 Tbsp. water
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 refrigerated or homemade pie crust( I use refrigerated)

Mix first seven ingredients together. Divide mixture between 5 ramekins or pour into one pie plate. Roll out pie crust and cut crust with a round cutter(I used a large mug) that is a little bigger than the ramekin. Top ramekins with crusts, laying the edge slightly over the edge of the ramekin,flute edges , cut 4 slits in each crust to vent and make a small hole in center of crust. For one pie, lay crust over mixture, cut slits and hole in the center. You can brush the crusts with beaten egg for a shiny crust if you like or not at all. Put ramekins on a cookie sheet and bake at 400 for about 30 mins. or until crust is brown. For one large pie bake for about 45 mins.

Works For Me Wednesday- Holding Juice Boxes by the "Ears"

It's Works For Me Wednesday time at We Are That Family. I wanted to share a tip that I learned about a couple years ago that works for me. No, I'm not promoting Juicy Juice brand juice, but I am using it for my prop. When I was at the park with my kids a couple years ago, another lady was feeding her kids lunch and she told them to hold their juice boxes by the ears. So I payed attention as they held their juices by the two little flaps or "ears" that fold out on top of the box. This way they don't squeeze it out on themselves. "This woman is genius!", I thought to myself. She said she learned it from school when she used to be a teacher. I'd never heard of this before and thought it was great. I guess only a mom can get that excited about holding a juice box, but I did. So, for the times that we do actually have juice boxes at our house, which isn't a lot, I remind the kids to hold it by the ears and we don't have any messes.



Here is the juice box with its "ears" out. None of my kids were around to demonstrate when I had time to take the picture, but I think you get the idea. Try it and see what you think!

I HEART Card Kits!

Yes, I do like my card kits, very much! I ordered a couple of these Lisa Bearnson(of Creating Keepsakes) Card Kits last year off of QVC and have not been disappointed. They contain everything you need to make the card except adhesive. Very simple! I can put one of these cards together in like 5 minutes. All of them are cute, too! You know it's gonna be if it's by Lisa Bearnson. Love her stuff!

I used to be really into making all of my own cards, but I just don't have the time, or desire, to do that anymore. Maybe once in a while I will, but it's rare now. I would rather make crafts and cute things rather than thinking of a design and then stamping a card. I also have a Christmas card kit and have made quite a few from that kit, as well. These things have a TON of cards and designs. In my opinion, you can't go wrong with these kits. Some of the greetings are love, b'day, and congrats! By the way, there are way more designs than just the three I laid out for the picture. I think there are 12 or 13 designs.

This is a "friend" card already made up. Took like 3 minutes. Seriously.

This is the contents of the kit, which comes in a stylish little box you can use for storage afterwards. It has all the envelopes, as well.

Trent's Blue & Gold Banquet

Last weekend, Trent's cub scout pack had their Blue & Gold Banquet. The boys planned every aspect of the night. From the the theme, which was a talent night, to what the meal would be. They did a great job. The boys even took our orders and served us our meal of salad and pizza. What gentlemen!

In the picture above, Trent is telling everyone about the things he brought to display. He had just painted the fish that day at a friend's b'day party at a little shop called Corks and Canvas. Trent also brought his rock collection, pinewood derby car with stand, soccer trophy, accelerated reader award and R2-D2 and C-3PO. It just wouldn't be a display about Trent without some kind of Star Wars in it.

Trent's display.

Trent's talent for the banquet was a skit with his dad. They worked long and hard to memorize it. They did an awesome job performing Abbot & Costello's "Who's On First." It was hilarious! Everybody was rolling! Trent and Will were both really into it. He had his glove and baseball cap for props, too. I was amazed that he remembered all those lines, but he did!



To finish off the evening, everyone had dessert which was different cakes that the boys and their dads made together. Trent and Will made this delicious German Chocolate cake. Nope. No help from mom. They did all of it. It was pretty and tasted so, so good. Delish! We also tasted Pineapple Upside Down cake, Red Velvet cake with cream cheese icing, a chocolate sheet cake that was nicely decorated and a dinosaur cake. All the boys did a great job planning and presenting the Blue & Gold banquet. Thanks for a nice and fun evening!

Craft Challenge

Today is Heidi's monthly craft challenge at Blue Eyed Blessings. This month is all about the scalloped punch. You can find out all about it here and link up and join. I thought I would be able to get some new ideas ready to go, but it just wasn't happening. The past two weeks seem like they have been filled with Dr., dentist and then my youngest daughter's outpatient surgery yesterday, which went very well. Yea!! So, I thought I would link to some of the older things I've done with the scalloped punch. Check 'em out! I hope you'll be inspired to make some pretty things!

This is my scalloped punch. It is a Marvy Uchida brand.

CUTE DESK SET

The first post I want to link you to is a desk set that I made. I was very pleased with the outcome. My favorite part of it is the jumbo paper clip bookmark!

CUPCAKE KIT

Next, is a cupcake kit I made for a little Halloween gift. It has scalloped cupcake picks. You can see it here.

PARTY FAVORS

Check out these cute party favors I did for my mom and sister's birthday party. The scalloped punch make these nugget box favors stand out!

CANDY JAR GIFT WITH SCALLOPED LID

You can see my daughter's Valentine gift for her teacher here. It was a candy jar filled with goodies that we embellished by using a scalloped card on the lid. I made it using my friends Marvy Uchida Giga scalloped punch.

Snowy Excitement

Sunday morning we woke up to find what on the ground!!?? Yes! Snow! We might see the white stuff once a year here in Alabama, so, needless to say, the kids were super excited! Will told Laci to go and look out the window and all I heard was a big gasp. So funny! We all bundled up and went outside to enjoy the snow for a little while. We had so much fun throwing snow balls!
I think only in Alabama can you have 75 degrees and tornadoes one day and then wake up the next day to snow on the ground. So crazy!




Ivy didn't quite know what to think of this stuff. She just looked and felt. This child loves to be outside in any weather!

Sisterhood Award Winners

On Friday, I talked about receiving the the Sisterhood Award from Heidi and Katie, but didn't really have time to present the award to 10 fellow bloggers that show great attitude and/or gratitude. Well, today I'm going to award 10 others. And the winners are: (in no specific order)

1. Jessie @ Sprgtime- Literally, a sister(in-law). I love her posts about baby Dax and seeing what her family is up to. She's a great mom!

2.Tricia@ Craft Addict- She was one of my first blog buddies. I can always find some good craftiness on her blog. Check out her no sew applique shirt!

3. Rhonda @ Down Memory Lane- A recent blog buddy! She has a fun blog! Oh, I love the interview she gave her boys. Too funny!

4.Bethany @ Confession of a Mom of Four- Bethany has a great blog, too. I especially like her chore cards!

5.Wendy @ the Hopper Family- She's not my real sister, but definitely like a sister to me. I love seeing all her pictures of her cute family and keeping up with her through her blog!

6. Jaime @ Caddywumpus- Jaime has such a fun blog. She always has creative things on there. Check out her recent post on hair ties!

7. Lacy @ A Sparkle and a Smile- Great blog Lacy! I love her Valentine's she made for her son and her daughter's V-day party. The table looks sweet!

8. Hat Chick- It seems that I'm always laughing when I read her posts. I like to hear what she has to share. She's also makes a great apron. I know. She "crafted forward" one of them to me!

9. Shelley @ My Treasure Hunt- A recent blog I've been reading. Fun posts! You have to see her son's Dr. Seuss room.

10. Jessica @ The Pelkey's Place- I really like reading Jessica's posts. Been visiting there awhile now. She has been showing off her adorable, new little niece.

Thanks again to Heidi and Katie! Now here's what you do when you receive this.

1. Display this award on your blog.
2. Leave a comment to those you gave it to , letting them know they have it.
3. Link back to the person who gave it to you.
4. Pass it on to 10 or fewer bloggers who you think demonstrate great attitude and/or gratitude.