Two Recipes - One Post (Pizza Pop Up & Cheese Danish)

Pizza Pop Up

You'll need:

1 can of refrigerated biscuits
1 can of pizza sauce
2 cups of shredded mozzarella
Pizza toppings (I used pepperoni)

Cut biscuits into pieces (about 4 pieces per biscuit)
Stir in pizza sauce, 1 cup of mozzarella and pizza toppings
Add to baking dish (8x8)
Add 1 cup of mozzarella
Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes

NOTE: You can double this and tonight I did, but you have to cook it about 10-15 minutes longer. I will say that tonight ours was done on top but it still had raw dough in the middle. I hope it turns out better next time...maybe I won't double it.

Dough...cut up and ready for mixing.

This is the sauce I used...it was pretty good. I was rushed tonight, but next time I'll probably add more seasoning.

All mixed together and ready for the baking dish. Oh, I did cut up the pepperoni into smaller pieces (but not too small because I knew Miss Jamison would want to pick them out...I was right).

Ready for the oven. There's no after picture...picture the cheese all melted. Oooh!

Cheese Danish

You'll need:

2 cans of Pillsbury crescent sheets (you can buy the crescent rolls too but the sheets are easier)
2 blocks of cream cheese
1 cup of sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 stick of butter (melted)
Sugar/cinnamon sprinkle

Mix cream cheese, sugar and vanilla
Line a 9x13 dish with one crescent sheet
Spread mixture
Top with other crescent sheet
Pour melted butter on top
Sprinkle with sugar/cinnamon

Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes

NOTE: You can serve it warm or bake it the night before, refrigerate and then serve the next morning (I usually take it out a bit before serving to take the chill off).

It will look like this:

...and your friends will thank you...it's delicious.

Mixin it Up (kind of) Because I Like to Know What to Expect

Hello Friends!

I've decided to change my blog up a bit...well not really change but organize it a little better as far as my posts are concerned. Now that I've joined the wonderful world of Stampin Up! I started thinking about wanting to incorporate that more into my blog without turning it into a stamping blog. With that, I think I'm going to have specific posts that I will do on specific days...some I already do regularly and some (like the stamping) with be new.

Mondays: Either 'The Simple Woman's Daybook' or I'm thinking of participating in Carissa's 'miscellany monday.'

Tuesdays: Stampin Up! I will share what I'm up to regarding SU, including cards, events, or new SU information.

Wednesdays: Wordless Wednesday with a focus on the kids. I realize that I don't take enough pictures of them and I would like to concentrate on that more.

Thursdays: To Do Thursday. I really enjoy posting my little To Do's and having a little accountability. My friend Joanna even created a little button for me!

Fridays: Thanking God on Friday...this is truly important for me to do.

I think this will help me to plan my posts better and you all will know what to expect. Of course, if there's something that comes up or something fun that I must share (like recipes) I will post it, but for the most part I think I'm going to stick with this format.

Wordless Wednesday - Tackling Caleb's Room

School's Out for Summer Brunch

Last weekend I hosted a brunch to celebrate being out of school for the summer. My friends Lyndsey and Amanda brought their kids and my friend Amber joined us too. It was a fun morning filled with good food and a fun game of water balloon toss.

I gave the kids these buckets filled with candy and sun screen...something small for summer.

Of course, there was the group DS meeting.

Lyndsey make monkey bread...and yes, I will get the recipe from her to share.

I made my breakfast casserole...the recipe is here.

Amanda make a cheese Danish...I'll post this recipe later too.

I also made biscuits so that my jam could make its debut!

There was water balloon toss fun:

It was a lot of fun and I'm pretty sure I'll do it again next year!

The Simple Woman's Daybook - Monday, June 28, 2010

For today...

Outside my window...rain. It is supposed to rain all day and then the rest of the week is supposed to be sunny with cooler temps. It was really hot this weekend so it was nice to be able to go to the Spray Park on Saturday and then swimming at my mom's on Sunday...thanks Mommy.

I am thinking...about my first Stampin Up workshop and all of the things that need to be done to prepare. I'm really nervous about it and I hope to have a descent turn out.

I am praying...for my children to adjust well to our new schedule...Caleb had a bit of a rough morning.

I am thankful...for God's grace. I need to work on keeping that knowledge in my heart as well as in my head.

I am reading...nothing, it feels like. I just haven't had much time to read over the past week or so. I'm sure that once our new routine is settled (which I know I keep talking about but it is a big change for us now that my aunt is gone) I'll have more time for reading. I miss it!

I am creating...cards. I made this one for my up-line:

I used a set from the SU! Summer Mini catalog called Bouquet Bunch. I absolutely love it because it has so many possibilities.

From the kitchen...baked ziti, a new pizza bake recipe that I got from a co-worker and I'm going to try and make hummus.

A few plans for the rest of the week...my To Do list for the week, go see Eclipse with my friends Lyndsey and Amber (I just watched New Moon), and have a fun-filled Saturday with a 4th of July parade and our church's Food, Fun & Fireworks event.

It's your turn to share...here.

Splish Splash - Spray Park Fun!

Yesterday we went to our local Spray Park with my friend Marja and her daughter Mila. Here are some pictures from the day:

Jamison walking along the fountain path.

Mila loved hanging with Jamison...Jamison was so sweet and patient with her.

There was lots of laughter.

Rondell captured this great picture of Mila. She had a lot of fun.

They all had lots of trips to the towels to wipe after being splashed in the face.

The whole gang.

I think I said "stop running" 50 times.

Splish Splash!

We left right before it started raining. When we got back to our house Caleb had to take some time to show Mila his moves on his DS.

Saturday + Sun + Water = Fun Times!!!

Thanking God on Friday!

~ I am thankful for Jamison's best friend's mom who is taking Jamison in for the summer. She recently agreed to let Jamison come at an earlier time until we get our new morning schedule situated. I will be forever grateful for her generosity.

~ I am grateful for the renewed appreciation for my marriage. Rondell and I have recently come across different couples (whether they are married or are getting married) who are either having a hard time with their spouses or are just not taking marriage seriously. It has made us appreciate each other and what we have. We have been praying for those couples.

~ I am thankful that the weather is going to be nice enough for us to go to the Spray Park tomorrow. I can't wait to get my feet wet. My friend Marja and her little girl Mila are going too so it should be a lot of fun.

~ I am thankful I have my prayer/book club tonight. I has been a long and stressful week and I could really use some time in prayer (which is where I should always go first, but fall short too often!).

To Do Thursday!

I am still in love with breaking down the major To Do list week by week. It's is helping me to focus on the little pictures and that way I don't get overwhelmed.

I think I need a logo for these posts (Joanna, are you listening...hint, hint).

Here's how I did last week:

1. Go through Caleb's trains/cars and organize. DONE! All of Caleb's trains are in one bin and his cars are in another. I'm not sure how long it will stay that way. I have been contemplating put his cars and accessories in his room...because remember when we used to play in our rooms?

2. Figure out a worksheet to help organize bills. Semi-DONE! I was able to create a spreadsheet that has our bills outlined, but there is some more information I need to find out in order for it to be complete. It's an excellent start though and will really help us pay things off!

3. Make my first key lime pie. DONE! You can read the recipe here. It was so good and I'm sure I'll make it again soon.

4. Bag up clothes to be donated and take them to the drop-off. Semi-DONE. Most of the clothes are bagged but I have another pile I need to put in a bag and then drop them all off (and the drop off is right next to Hobby Lobby...nice!). Rondell and I are going to finish this tonight as we clean out Caleb's room.

This Week's To Do List

1. Make a new recipe. I have a recipe for this pizza bake that uses biscuits.

2. Clean out Caleb's room. Both kids' clothes are in Caleb's room and I need to go through them and remove all of the Fall/Winter items (better late than never, right?). I also need to box up all of his Little People and donate them to our church nursery (note: need to ask Rondell to bring home boxes!).

3. Take pictures of my progress.

4. Start working on the neglected side of my house. This is an area of our yard that I have paid NO attention to and have recently realized the result of my neglect (I will hesitantly take pictures of said neglect).

5. Break out my new Cricut cartridge and make a binder cover for my BSF notes.

Wordless Wednesday - It's Official...I'm a Demonstrator

Stop by Tanya's for more Wordless Wednesday.

The Simple Woman's Daybook - Monday, June 21, 2010

For today...

Outside my window...sunny and warm...this afternoon it will be close to 90.

I am thinking...about my To Do list. I'm trying to plan out when I'm going to do each item so that I can be successful this week.

I am praying...for FOCUS. It is my word for 2010 (here) and I need to make sure that I'm focusing (ha, ha) on it.

I am thankful...that our God-daughter Jewel called Rondell yesterday to wish him a Happy Father's Day. It was so nice to talk to her since we've kind of lost touch over the years. We realized that we don't live too far from one another and she and her mom are going to stop by tomorrow...we are excited!

Pondering these words... Caleb: "Ooh Mommy (looking at the skirt I had on), you look like Sleeping Beauty." I just love him.

I am reading...the same as last week...Isaiah and Bitter is the New Black. Things are starting to slow down so I should have more time to read this week.

From the kitchen...key lime pie! It was so easy and so tasty. Here's what I did:

Mix 1/2 cup of key lime juice (I found it in the juice aisle), 3 egg yolks, and a 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk.
Add to graham cracker pie crust (store bought).
Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.
Let cool and refrigerate.
Simple and delicious!

A few plans for the rest of the week...see my God-daughter tomorrow, work on my To Do list, make a few magnets (I'm still missing some months from the time I made them here), and go see Toy Story 3 with Ron and the kids.

What about you...what's in your daybook?

Who's Your Daddy?

Happy Father's Day Daddy!

Happy Father's Day Grandpa!

Happy Father's Day Rondell!

Happy Birthday to My Favorite Husband!

To my Favorite Super Hero.

To my Favorite snuggle partner.

To my Favorite person to see all dressed up.

To my Favorite traveling companion.

To my Favorite Giants fan.

To my Favorite person to be around.

Happy 34th Birthday Rondell!

Thanking God on Friday...for Jam!

~ I am thankful for this lady:

This is my friend Katie and yesterday she coached and helped me do something I've been wanting to do for a while...make strawberry jam! She had me over to her house and together we made 20 jars of jam! I am truly grateful that she took time out of her schedule to help me step by step with this tackle. Here are some pictures:

Mashed berries...yum. Katie picked up the strawberries from a local farmer...all organic.

This is me stirring the strawberries and pectin. I found out during my research on how to make jam that pectin is a natural substance found in berries, apples, and other fruits. The pectin you buy at the store is a concentrated version to enhance the level of naturally occurring pectin in fruit, allowing for the jam to set properly. And that, my friends is your education on pectin.

Here's the beautiful finished product:

Katie gave me this antique mason jar...it is one of many that her grandmother gave to her. I will cherish it.

I also want to document the process in case you're interesting in making jam and for when I make it again next year.

~To make the 20 jars, Katie and I actually made four separate batches of jam. One batch made 4 1/2 pints of jam.

~First we rinsed and cut the tops of the berries. Then we mashed the berries with a potato masher until we had 6 cups of berries.

~Katie filled each jar (four pint size and one jelly jar) with hot water and placed them in a separate pot. She then added water to the pot until the water was about 1/2 way up the jars and turned the heat on high (you can see the pot of jars in one of the above pictures). This allows the jars to really get hot, which is what you need in order for the jars to seal. Also, in a bowl she placed boiling water (she used a tea kettle to heat the water, but she also told me you can bowl water in a smaller pot on the stove) and then added the lids to the bowl. This allows the lids to get really hot, which is what you need in order for the jars to seal as well.

~We then added the berries to a pot as well as one box of Sure-Jell, oh and about a tbs of butter (this helps reduce foaming)...continuously stir. Once this started to have a rolling boil we added 7 cups of sugar (all at once...not one cup at a time)...continuously stir.

~Once the berries with the sugar added started to have a rolling boil we set the timer for 1 minute...continuously stir. When the 1 minute is over we immediately took the pot off of the heat.

~Katie took a "jar tong" (I don't know if that's the technical name) and removed one jar from the pot and poured out the hot water. Then, using an oven mit, she held the jar, put the funnel in the jar and ladled the jam into the jar, filling it almost all of the way. She removed the funnel and wiped the rim of the jar.

~Using a fork, Katie removed one lid from the hot bowl of water and added it to the jar, screwed on the ring, and turned the jar upside down. At this time we set the timer for 10 minutes (this is because the jar has to remain upside down for at least 5 minutes. Setting the timer for 10 minutes allows you to know that the last jar you filled has been upside down for at least 5 minutes. So to clarify...the process of filling all of the jars takes a little less than 5 minutes. When you set the timer after you've finished the first jar, when you're done filling all of the jars you'll have about 5 minutes left on the timer and that's how you know the last jar definitely has been upside down for 5 minutes. I hope that makes sense). She then repeated this process for each jar...remove water, funnel, fill, wipe, lid, ring, upside down.

~When the timer went off we turned the jars upright (keep in mind the jars are still hot) and within a 1/2 hour you hear a 'pop' which means the jar has sealed...it's amazing.

~She told me to set the jars on my counter and not to do anything with them for at least 24 hours.

And there you have it...Jamming 101. There are other options as far as the canning goes but this method involved not using a canner at all, which was nice.

I can't wait to crack one open! Thank you Katie!!!!!

To Do Thursday!

This week was a better week as far as production, but I still didn't get everything crossed off. But just like last week, I'm going to keep on pressin' on. I do still really love the idea of breaking down the enormous To Do list week by week! I will say that I realize that I need to make better use of my weekends...

{Note: this week has been crazy, but I'll try and include pictures next time...because what's a post without pictures?}

1. Clean Jamison's closet...DONE! AND...I cleaned out her bookshelf, her Barbies, under her bed, and we picked up 5032 Legos. We thew away about 5 bags of trash...5 bags. Who knew there was that much stuff (aka...junk) in her room...McDonald's toys, papers, old coloring books, etc.

2. Put mulch down in the backyard...DONE! We have three bags left though so I'm going to put it in a few more places, but all of the beds are done...and beautiful.

3. "School's Out for Summer" Brunch prep...almost DONE. I have the menu all planned out, but there are a few more things I need to buy...like balloons for some water balloon fun. I'll be sure to show you all about it after it's over.

4. Go through Caleb's trains/cars...NOPE. This item will carry over.

BONUS...I tackled a To Do that I've been wanting to do for a while...I made strawberry JAM (with a lot of help from my friend Katie)! I'll post about that tomorrow.

This Week's To Do List

1. Go through Caleb's trains/cars and organize.

2. Figure out a worksheet to help organize bills.

3. Make my first key lime pie.

4. Bag up clothes to be donated and take them to the drop-off.

What's on your list...join me.

Friends Make The Best Husbands!

Today Rondell and I have been married for 8 years! We were friends for a year before we started dating and that friendship has remained throughout our entire marriage. It is was gets us through our arguments, it is what makes spending time together fun, it is why we survived my postpartum depression battle, it is the reason we'll be married forever. He is that friend that I can tell everything to and who has seen me in my weakest and strongest moments. I wouldn't trade our friendship for anything...it's what I love about us!

Happy Anniversary Friend...I LOVE YOU! (Ooh look Ron...Giants colors!)

You can read about our other anniversaries here and here.

The Simple Woman's Daybook - Monday, June 14, 2010

For today...

Outside my window...partly cloudy. We have had a lot of rain lately and are expecting to get more this week.

I am thinking...about something fun to have for dinner tomorrow...it's my anniversary (8 years!).

I am praying...for obedience, less distraction, and for my children to have a healthy and fun (and potty trained!!!) summer.

I am thankful...that for almost 7 years my aunt took excellent care of my children. Her last day was Friday and she will be truly missed.

I am reading...Isaiah still. I'm trying not to get discouraged because it is VERY confusing. I just have to remember that I have the study coming up and then some questions will be answered.

I'm also still reading Bitter is the New Black. Funny!

From the kitchen...chicken tetrazzini (we didn't get to this last week) and I think I'm going to try and make a key lime pie for Rondell (his birthday is Saturday).

A few plans for the rest of the week...hang with Rondell tomorrow for our anniversary, shop for a baby gift for my cousin, shop for items for my Schools-Out-For-Summer Bash, and celebrate Rondell this weekend...so if you're keeping track, that's our anniversary tomorrow, Rondell's birthday Saturday and Father's Day Sunday. This is always a fulfilling week for us.

What's in your daybook?

To Do Thursday!

I know you all are dying to know how I did this week with my To Do list (see post here). Well...just OK. This week was crazy and I didn't plan accordingly, so not everything got done. One week down...many more to go!

1. Clean my piles - DONE! I even cleaned out all of the stuff that came home with Jamison from the end of the year.

2. Put rest of the mulch done - DONE! I should have clarified that I wanted to put it all down in the front. The back will be on this week's list.

3. Find picture frame to hang sunflower picture - Semi-Done. I looked for the frame and I couldn't find it anywhere. But, I did see a frame on sale this week and I'm going to get it tomorrow.

4. Clean Jamison's closet - NO. I did pull out all of her clothes that no longer fit but that's all.

5. Recipes - NO. This is going to be a bigger project than I originally anticipated and will need to be on the list during a not-so-busy week.

This Week's To Do List

1. Clean Jamison's closet.

2. Put mulch down in the back yard.

3. Buy items and plan menu for a "School's Out for Summer Brunch" I'm hosting next weekend.

4. Go through Caleb's cars/trains and reorganize.

I'll be back next Thursday with an update!

A Special Thanks!

As you know from my previous post today is Jamison's last day of school. I can't believe she's going to 2nd grade!

She had an amazing teacher this year and I wanted to put together something for her as a thank you. I know that she's going camping this summer for vacation so I put together a little care package for her of some things she might need:

Water bottle, Vitamin Water, lip balm, a travel first aid kit, hand sanitizer and a card game that she can play with her family.

I put it all together in this cute little canvas bag I got from Hobby Lobby. I learned about these bags from my blog friend Kelli (thanks Kelli!).

I also made her a card.

I love adding things to the inside of the card.

There you have it...a special gift for a special teacher!