Friday Favorites

It's FRIDAY!!!

It's also two weeks until CHRISTMAS!!!

CRAZY!!!

I have lots of favorites this week, but my very first and most favorite is this one:

Paisley Jean turns ONE today!

I don't know how that happened so fast.  Like I blinked and she went from a brand new snuggly baby who slept on me and cuddled all day long (really only waking up to nurse) to a practically walking and talking one year old who eats huge portions of table food and is on a mission to keep up with her sisters!  I will have much more about this in my Mommy Monday post but for now this picture:

Paisley's very first day in the world and her last night before turning one!

SISTERS
The older Paisley gets, the more she becomes a "sister" and less of a "baby" in the eyes of Lacie and Blakely!  Sweet moments like this melt my heart! 

Michael Buble's Christmas Special

I looked forward to this all week.  Who am I kidding, I looked forward to it all year.  We have his 2014 and 2013 Christmas specials still saved on our DVR.  We got ready for last night's special by watching the ones from the previous years! 

Christmas Recipes

I am counting down the 12 Days of Christmas with recipes for the season!  I've shared 4 so far, and I cannot wait to share the rest!  In case you have missed days #1-#4:

Gingerbread Pancakes

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

Red Velvet Fudge Bars

Christmas Crack

Christmas Traditions: Advent Books

Instead of using a traditional advent calendar, we read 24 Christmas books to count down the days until Christmas!  The Elf brings 24 wrapped books on December 1st and the girls pick one book from the pile to unwrap and read every night.  Lacie picks on the odd days and Blakely picks on the even days! 

Some of our favorite Christmas Books that are a part of our 24 nights:

Parent Observation Night at Dance

This was last week, but I had so much fun watching my girls dance!  This is Lacie's second year of dance and Blakely's first year!  Twice a year, the parents get to come in and watch the entire class.  It's great to see what they've been up to!  Both girls love love love dance, and watching them do something that brings them joy brings my heart joy! 

Today I am linking up over at MOMFESSIONALS!!!

12 Days of Christmas: Christmas Crack

It's my 12 Days of Christmas!

Christmas Food that is! 

Today is Day #4 and I'm sharing my recipe for 

CHRISTMAS CRACK

also known as Heath Bar Crunch!

This sweet and salty snack is always very popular around Christmas time!  It's a perfect quick dessert - taking less than 15 minutes to make!  And everyone always loves it!  It's pretty addictive...hence the name Christmas Crack! 

Your Shopping List for the Heath Bar Crunch:

• 1 sleeve of salted saltine crackers (you may need a few more if some are broken...and please don't use unsalted crackers)
• 2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter (don't use unsalted...you want the salt!)
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp baking soda* 
• 1 bag semisweet chocolate chips (milk chocolate works too)
• foil and cooking spray

Now Let's Make the Heath Bar Crunch:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
2. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray it liberally with cooking spray (like PAM)
3. Arrange saltine crackers in a single layer, covering the entire pan (you may need to break pieces to make them fit)
   
4. In a sauce pan over medium heat, melt butter and mix in brown sugar
5. Stir occasionally until the butter and sugar are thoroughly combined
6. When the mixture starts to bubble, continue to stir for exactly 2 minutes (seriously set your timer)
7. After the 2 minutes is up, add in the 1/4 tsp of baking soda and stir constantly for exactly 1 minute (the mixture should get lighter and bubble higher)
   
8. Working quickly, pour mixture evenly over crackers and put in oven for 7 minutes
   
9. Take pan out of oven and sprinkle entire bag of chocolate chips evenly over pan
10. Allow to sit one minute (chocolate will begin to melt) and then use the back of a spoon to spread into an even layer
11. Place pan in freezer until set (at least 30 minutes to 1 hour)
12. Remove from freezer, using foil remove from pan and peel off foil
13. Break into bite size pieces and serve or store in freezer (you can store it in the fridge too it will just be a bit softer - I eat it right out of the freezer!)

*Cooking Tip - if you cannot remember the last time you bought baking soda, buy a new box!  You definitely want new baking soda for holiday baking!  Throw the old box in the fridge! 

12 Days of Christmas: Red Velvet Fudge Bars

It's my 12 Days of Christmas!

and Today is Day #3

RED VELVET FUDGE BARS

These bars are hands down a favorite in my family!  It's also one of my most popular blog recipes!  I get compliments on these bars all the time!  Combine the fact that they are delicious with the beautiful Red Velvet color, and they are the PERFECT bar to add to your Christmas dessert collection!  

Here's What You Need to Make the Red Velvet Fudge Bars:

• one box red velvet cake mix
• one stick butter, melted
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 bag white chocolate chips
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips 

Now Let's Make the Red Velvet Fudge Bars:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 pan
2. In a large mixing bowl stir together cake mix, melted butter, and eggs until well combined 
3. Fold in the white chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate chips
4. Spread mixture evenly into prepared pan
5. Bake in oven for 20 minutes
6. Remove from oven (you will see that the mixture is cooked but "puffy").  Use the back of a spatula and press down the bars evenly - making them flatter and more dense
7. Put back into oven for 5 minutes
8. Remove from oven and press down with spatula one more time
9. Cool in pan completely
10. Cut into even squares and store at room temperature

12 Days of Christmas: Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

It's Day #2 of my 12 Days of Christmas!

When I think about Christmas desserts, I always end up wanting to make something...anything

RED VELVET!

Red Velvet is not only delicious but so pretty and festive!  Red Velvet desserts scream CHRISTMAS!  

My Red Velvet Whoopie Pies are the perfect dessert to add to your holiday table!  Red Velvet Cake filled with gorgeous white cream cheese icing.  You could always add on green sprinkles if you wanted a little extra pinch of holiday cheer!

Your Shopping List for the Red Velvet Whoopie Pies:

• 1 box red velvet cake mix
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/2 cup veggie oil
• 3 eggs
• 1 recipe cream cheese icing (you could always use store bought cream cheese icing in a pinch)

Your Shopping List for the Cream Cheese Icing:

• 1 stick room temperature butter
• 1 block room temperature cream cheese
• 1 tsp vanilla extract 
• 1 pound (4 cups) powdered sugar

Now Let's Make the Red Velvet Whoopie Pies:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line cookie sheets with parchment paper
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the cake mix, water, oil, and eggs on low speed for 30 seconds
3. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat on medium speed for two minutes
4. Use a medium cookie scoop to drop batter onto prepared baking sheets
5. Use a knife or spatula to smooth each drop of batter into a circle
6. Bake for 10 minutes
7. Remove from oven and cool 2 minutes on baking sheets before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely 

Now Let's Make the Cream Cheese Icicing:

1. In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat together the butter and cream cheese until soft and combined
2. Beat in the vanilla extract
3. On the lowest speed, add the powdered sugar one cup at a time and mix until combined
4. Turn up to medium/high speed and beat until icing is light and fluffy

Now Let's assemble the Red Velvet Whoopie Pies:

1. Turn half of the cooled whoopie pies upside down
2. Generously frost the bottom of those pies
3. Top with the other half of the pies
4. If desired, place extra icing in a piping bag and pipe around the outside of each completed whoopie pie

Friday Favorites: Disney

It's FRIDAY!!!  And today I am linking up over at Momfessionals to bring you some of my FAVORITES! 

I recently shared a day by day look at the Disney vacation our family took in mid November!  I had a great email response from readers asking questions about different details of the trip, so I thought I would turn some of the answers into my Friday Favorites! 

Paisley's Minnie Mouse Robeez

I got a lot of comments about Paisley's Minnie Mouse Robeez both while on the trip and through reader emails!  You can see them in a lot of the pictures!  Paisley just started taking her first steps right before the trip, so I wanted her to have something to wear on her feet.  But her feet are small.  Like really really small.  So real sneakers weren't an option (she wouldn't have kept them on anyway) and I have always loved Robeez for my girls!  I found these Minnie Mouse ones at Nordstrom and ordered them in the 0-6 month size (see I told you her feet were small).  They are ADORABLE!

 

Lacie and Blakely's Frozen Suitcases

The older girls needed suitcases for the Disney trip, and my mom found these really adorable FROZEN themed ones at Kohls.  They were perfect for a Disney World trip!  They were big enough to fit a decent amount of clothing (and stuffed animals) but still small enough that the girls could pull them through the airport.  They also fit easily into the overhead compartments on the airplane!

Our Travel Agent

Jill Dowling - Mickey Travels 

I couldn't do a Disney Favorite post without mentioning our Disney travel agent, Jill! I got quite a few responses about how organized this trip was from our meals to our fast passes - and I definitely owe that to Jill!  She took the stress out of planning!  I was able to plan as much as I wanted (and I really wanted to because I'm a bit of a control freak like that) and then Jill took care of all my questions and all of the details!  It was great!  You can find her on Facebook by clicking HERE!

Skechers Go Walk Shoes

We did a lot of walking in Disney.  More than a lot!  I ordered these Skechers Go Walk shoes specifically for Disney after reading great reviews on other blogs!  They did not disappoint.  They are truly the most comfortable shoes that I have ever owned!  It's like walking on pillows!  They were much better than wearing a traditional sneaker!  Of course I got them in PINK!  They fit very true to size - I ordered a size 7.5 which is my normal sneaker size.  

If you're not a PINK fan (because I know not everyone likes pink as much as me) they come in a ton of other colors too!

Reef Flip Flops

Other than my Skechers Go Walk Shoes, I wore my Reef Flip Flops!  These flip flops have been a favorite of mine since John got me a pair in the summer of 2006 at a Jersey Shore Surf Shop!  They are the most comfortable flip flops ever.  They also have a pretty convenient bottle opener in the bottom of the shoe if that's important to you!  These I wear in a size 7 - they only come in whole sizes and I am normally a 7.5.  I would recommend sizing down like I do if you are between sizes!

Favorite Disney Meal 

My personal favorite was the character breakfast with Lilo and Stitch at 'Ohana!  The food was the BEST here and I thought the character interaction was really fun!  We also had amazing seats with a gorgeous view of the pool and the water.  The chef here was great too!

Favorite Disney Moment
Blakely's face when she met Cinderella for the first time!

ERGObaby Carrier

At the last minute I remembered that a mom friend had told me how much she had to carry her baby around Disney and how she wished she had taken her baby carrier on the trip!  I was so so so happy I remembered this advice and packed my Ergobaby Carrier!  There was a lot of walking between the stroller parking spots and our destination sometimes...and Paisley is getting heavy!  Plus she would nap in it often!  This was a lifesaver on the trip!

You can read my Disney Day By Day Here:

Disney World Day 1

Disney World Day 2

Disney World Day 3

Disney World Day 4

Disney World Day 5

Today I am Linking Up Here:

12 Days of Christmas: Gingerbread Pancakes

IT'S DECEMBER!!!!!

And that means I am bringing you 12 Days of Christmas - Christmas food that is! 

Day #1 of my 12 Days of Christmas is Gingerbread Pancakes!  

Can you think of anything that tastes more like Christmas than Gingerbread?

I can't either! 

And whipping up these pancakes is super simple because I make them from a cake mix!

What?  Yes a cake mix!  

Here's What You Need to Make the Gingerbread Pancakes:

• 2 cups Gingerbread Cake and Cookie Mix (I used the Betty Crocker one)
• 2 tablespoons veggie oil 
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 cup milk
• pancake toppings - we use butter and real maple syrup...whipped cream would be great too

Now Let's Make the Pancakes:

1. Preheat and grease your pancake griddle (I use butter but you could use a nonstick spray)
2. In a medium size mixing bowl, combine all ingredients
3. Spoon batter into small to medium size circles onto prepared griddle
4. After about 2-4 minutes <you will see lots of tiny bubbles on the top> flip your pancakes over and cook about 2 additional minutes (be careful, these will burn more quickly than regular pancakes because of the sugar and the ginger)
5. Remove pancakes from griddle and serve with your favorite toppings

I use this double burner griddle to make all of my pancakes:

Mommy Mondays: Paisley Jean is 11 Months Old

I can't believe that Paisley's last month birthday before she turns ONE has already passed!  I missed writing about this milestone while we were in Disney, but I still had to share!  Better late than never!

It was really hard to get Miss P to sit still for her 11 month pictures!  She is seriously on the go - crawling, walking, climbing!  She's doing everything she can to keep up with her sisters! 

At Eleven Months Old Paisley Jean:
*says Mama, Dada, Baba, Matt, Elmo, I Love You, Nana, Pop-Pop
*blows kisses
*waves
*points to something when asked (for example, if you say "Where's Minnie" she will point to her Minnie Mouse doll)
*feeds herself all table food - she is down to just 2 bottles a day
*climbs up the stairs
*stands up and takes 5-6 steps at a time
*plays peek-a-boo and so big
*celebrated Thanksgiving - her last "first holiday"
*has 3 teeth - her bottom two and her top side tooth...we are going to call her "Fang"...it's adorable 

Paisley Loves:
*Minnie and Mickey Mouse
*blueberries and strawberries
*Elmo
*snuggles
*climbing the stairs
*Lacie and Blakely
*being outside
*her pacifiers - she won't be giving those up anytime soon
*baby dolls and stuffed animals - she really doesn't have a favorite, she loves them all
*bathtime (remember how she hated it last month...well she's back to loving it!)

Paisley Hates:
*getting her diaper changed

That's seriously it!  I know I keep saying it month after month, but Paisley is the happiest baby on the block!  Seriously she was the MVP of the Disney World trip!  I never expected her to go with the flow and be as happy as she was when I put her completely out of her element and off her schedule!  

Here is a side by side of the three girls at 11 months!