Lucky Day Giveaway!

Giveaway Closed!

With St. Patrick's Day in a few day's, we hope you are feeling lucky! To our faithful readers and new friends, we give you another contest! Don't worry, you don't have to find the end of the rainbow to get this pot of gold. Simply enter our contest, and if luck be on your side, this pot of gold is yours to keep!

Prize Includes:

-$25 prepaid American Express card

-Other small treasures

How to Enter:

1. If you do not already follow, join our site and leave a comment.

    If you're already a follower, just let us know in a comment.  

2. Leave a comment below on what you would like to see more of on our blog.

3. Invite a friend to check out our blog on Facebook

4. Wear green on St. Patrick's Day!

(Doing EACH one counts for an entry- up to 4 possible!!)

This contest will go until Monday, March 18, 2013 and the Winner will be announced on Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Good Luck!

French Kiss Casserole

Why did I name this baked french toast "French Kiss Casserole"? Read on and find out....

(Click on this button to add to your Recipe Magic Account!)
I wish this recipe would have developed in my head before Valentine's day, but it will still come in handy this month...

Just realize that I know that I am a dork before reading on:

For St. Patrick's Day, say to your husband, "Kiss me like the Irish, and I'll kiss you like the French"- give him the casserole instead...  Then kiss him, of course.

Or tease your husband the night before April Fools' Day about getting all kinds of kisses in the morning. Serve this for breakfast instead.

If you serve it for Easter, you may want to substitute the name to "French Toast Casserole." It still tastes good :). And, well, that's what it is.

Everything's better with a little "french" before the name... aka, fries, bread.........:). I've always LOVED French traditions.

Really, "French Kiss Casserole" is delicious any time, any season.

Why, did I name it "French Kiss Casserole"? Well, first, because it's made from french bread (that's the French part).
The kiss part is the secret ingredient that makes it so yummy,
like a kiss=cookie butter.
I am sooooooo all about that amazing invention!

Never heard of it?

here it is....

This is Biscoff spread. Most grocery stores keep this in stock.

 This is Cookie Butter found exclusively at Trader Joe's.

 How to make the French Kiss Casserole:

Ingredients:

1 loaf french bread
8 large eggs
2 cups milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup Cookie Butter or Biscoff Spread
2 Tablespoons vanilla extract
1/3 cup Oreos

Topping:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 stick cold butter, cut in pieces
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
crushed Oreo cookies and/or Biscoff cookies, crumbled

Whipping cream
Optional: syrup, caramel sauce, more Cookie Butter


Directions:
Butter a 9 X 13 pan. Then cube or tear french bread and place in the pan. Set aside.

In blender mix:
Eggs,  milk, heavy cream, Oreo Cookies, Cookie Butter or Biscoff Spread, and vanilla.
Pour over pan of french bread pieces.

Cover and let sit overnight... or precede with recipe if in a rush!

Topping:
Whisk together flour, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon. Add in butter pieces. With a fork or pastry cutter blend the ingredients until it clumps into little pieces. (It takes a while with a fork, but it will work).  Add in crumbled cookies.
Refrigerate until you are ready to bake.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour (or 45 minutes if you prefer it more pudding like).

While it's baking, whip the rest of the heavy cream. Then get out syrup, caramel sauce, or more cookie butter.

Top it and eat. YUM!


Enjoy!
~Nancy

Linking to:  Creative Juice,  Thursday Favorite Things, Link Love Thursday,  Weekend Wrap up Party,
Whipperberry, Tidymom, Six Sisters' Stuff,
Ladybird Lane, The Best Blog Recipes

Your Best Color

Have you ever felt washed out or just a little blaugh? Or, have you ever seen somebody and thought "Wow that color looks great on them"? Well guess what, there is a little science to it. There is something actually called "skin tone color matching" and this approach divides people into seasons. So, if you are wondering what color looks best on you or what color of makeup and hair color flatters your complexion, here is the lowdown:

First Step: Figure out if you have "warm" or "cool" undertones to your skin

Image Credit

Typically, if you have blue, green or grey eyes with blond, black or brown hair you probably have a cool skin tone. Also, cook skin tones will have a pink or rosy undertone.

For you folks with brown, black, or hazel eyes with black brown, blond, red or strawberry blond hair you most likely have a warm skin tone with a golden or apricot undertone.

Step 2: figure out if you are "clear" or "muted"

Clear:  A person with clear skin will normally have a large contrast between their hair, skin and eyes. This skin will have a slight translucent quality to it.

Muted: A person with muted skin will not have much contrast between their hair, skin and eyes.

Final Step: figure out what "Season" you are:

Photo Credit

Description:Winter skin is cool and clear. Think of very stark and dramatic skin. Asians and Africans often fall into this category. Caucasians with very pale skin and dark hair will fall into this category as well. 

Your Best Colors: true white, true black, cool grays, navy blue, deep reds, bright pinks, jewel tones (emerald, royal blue, royal purple), and icy pastels.

Avoid:  beige, orange, gold, brown and other washed out shades. Winter skin tone will look faded and ashy in these colors.

Hair color: dark browns or black, blue-black, deep coffee brown, medium ash brown, raven blacks, cool ash browns, and clean blue based reds. 

 Make-up: choose a cool color foundation with blue or pink undertones. Pick eye shadows in blues, grays, silver, pinks, and plums. Lip color: wear purples, rose, and sheer, pink gloss.

Photo Credit

Description: A summer skin tone is cool and muted. People with pale pinkish skin, ash blonde or brown hair, and light eyes will fall under this category. A summer could also have a strong complexion that tans easily. Summers are mostly natural blondes. Summer skin tone has a low level of contrast between eye, hair and skin color. 
Your Best Colors: Pastels, neutrals, and muted colors look best. Lavender, rose, mauve, pale yellow, and light blue are a few examples of flattering muted colors for the summer skin tone. 
Avoid: Colors to avoid include black and orange. Also, other intense, vivid colors will be too harsh and drown out a summer skin tone.

Hair color: light ash blond, coffee and mid level blonde, medium ash brown, dishwater blonde, sandy or beige blonde, platinum blonde,

Make-up: Similar to Winters

Photo Credit

Description:An autumn skin tone is warm and muted. People with light golden skin, red or brown hair, and brown eyes will be considered autumns. An autumn might also have darker honey colored hair or golden blonde hair with blue eyes that have a gray or turquoise cast. These people will burn easily in the sun. 

Your Best Color:Autumns look best in earth tones that are rich and muted. Think of colors you would see on autumn leaves and spices. Caramel, beige, burnt orange, gold, dark reds, olive, ivory, camel and rich brown look great on autumns.
Avoid: Cool shades will give you a pale appearance. Pink is extremely unflattering. Clear, bright colors and black and white will make you look faded and should be avoided as well.

Hair Color:Light honey blonde, strawberry blonde, golden mid level blonde, ginger or orange based reds, deep browns with a hint of rust.

Make-up: Select yellow-toned foundation. Wear eye shadow with a golden hue, such as greens, browns, gold or pinks. Warm reds and browns or pale warm shades such as champagne are good lip colors.

Photo Credit

Description: A spring skin tone is warm and clear. Someone with light blonde, auburn, or strawberry blonde hair and clear light blue or green eyes will fall into this category most times. Springs have extremely light, ivory skin. Freckles and rosy cheeks are seen in springs as well. If you can't decide whether you are a spring or autumn, most times autumns have dark eyes while springs have pale eyes.

Your Best Color:Pale, soft colors look best on springs. Ivory, peach, true reds, clear blues, camel, light pink, coral, golden yellow, golden brown, aqua and bright greens are all flattering on a spring.
Avoid:This skin tone does not go well with dark, dull colors. Black and white will also be too contrasting for a spring skin tone.

Hair Color:light honey blonde, strawberry blonde, golden mid level blonde, ginger or orange based reds, deep browns with a hint of rust, deep chocolate, golden brown, golden blonde, red colors with orange highlights, and auburn. 

Make-up: Similar to Autumn.



Hopefully, this will give you an idea as to what color works best with your skin tone. But, remember these are only guidelines. Sometimes colors that aren't in your "Season" look fabulous on you too. Most important is that you Feel Great in whatever you are wearing!

-Lauralee

Resources: http://www.thesoko.com/thesoko/article742.html,http://palmandassociates.blogspot.com/2012/06/choosing-hair-color-that-compliments.html,http://www.wikihow.com/Choose-Make-up-for-Your-Skin-Tone

Easy Spring Dessert Recipe

 

It's a "BUNDT"!!!!

 

 

It's a CAKE!!!!

 

I promise you can't go wrong taking this dessert to meet the new in laws. 

 It is so moist and so simple!

This is a great dessert for any Spring Party, Bridal Shower, Baby Shower or for a Potluck!!

 

 

You will need:

1 cake mix (any flavor)

1 pkg of vanilla instant pudding

1 1/4 cup of water

1/2 cup oil

4 eggs

1 carton of frosting

 

Mix ingredients together.  Pour into a well greased bundt cake pan and bake 350 for
 45 minutes.  Let cool for 10-15 minutes in the pan. Remove from pan. 

The easiest way to remove cake from pan is put a plate on top of cake and simply flip.
 

 

Let cake finish cooling before adding frosting.
 

Frosting: For a pink frosting, I recommend Betty Crockers Strawberry Mist.  You want to get your frosting fluffy and easy to pour into a ziploc bag so you can either mix it in the carton or my sister recommends putting the frosting carton in microwave for 10 - 20 seconds.  You don't want the frosting runny so check it after 10 seconds.   Mix frosting in carton again and then it will easily pour into the bag.   Cut tip off of one edge of the bag.  Drizzle back and forth frosting all over the cake. 

 

 

 

 Enjoy!!

Jan

  

Thanks to my sister for sharing this great recipe with me!!!  She makes a fabulous Red Velvet Bundt cake with white frosting so there are lots of options with the cake flavor.  YUM!!  YUM!! YUM!!

 

 

Linking to:
 

Skip to my Lou
Sumo's Sweet Stuff
Making the World Cuter


A Guest Post and an Embarrassing Moment

I was honored to have the opportunity to do my first guest post today at The Red Headed Hostess!! Shannon, the amazing blogger, and I were both full time seminary teachers before we became mothers. (Which means we taught the LDS religion class at a Jr. High or High school- all day). Her blog is full of amazing teaching ideas for all ages.

This is me with one of my children... my friend posted this to introduce me.

HERE is my guest post. I felt so happy and excited to do it.
  Have you ever felt elated, and then had an experience where the proverbial balloon popped?

Well, here's what happened... I wrote the post, and edited it about 4 times. I sent it to Shannon {a.k.a. The Red Headed Hostess}. She gave me great positive feedback, and posted it.  I looked a few hours later to see if anyone had commented, and sure enough a couple people had. YAY!

THEN I read the first comment.... the reader told me I should run the "article" through spell check!!!!!!!!!!! I did!!!!! BUT, but there is one word I used often, and the spell check kept telling me I spelled it wrong. Unfortunately,  I hit the over-ride button. It's a scriptural word, and I just thought the spell check didn't know the word. HAHAHA... joke on me.
 That's what I get for thinking I know more than the spell check!!

Oh well, I'll chalk it up to one more imperfection. That's OK though, I like people who make mistakes here and there :).  One more chance to laugh at myself and choose not to take myself too seriously.

It was a good experience, and I'll always run the splle chkec from now on :).

Have a great weekend,
 ~Nancy

30+ Springtime Celebration Ideas

Photo by Beautifully Imperfect

** If you are new to our blog, we have a "Friday Forum" most Fridays. Each of us share ideas about a certain topic. We LOVE it when our readers join in... please share your ideas with us!!

As I was looking at my calendar, I noticed that there are lots of reasons to celebrate in the upcoming days!!  I'm ready for some fun, especially after the cold weather and sickness the last few moths.

Time easily sneaks up on us!! Often we aren't anticipating that, and we miss opportunities to make a day more of a celebration.   I don't think we need to go all out for every single holiday, but it's nice to plan a little something to make that day more special or fun.


Here are some of our plans and ideas to celebrate the upcoming holidays and events...

St. Patrick's Day:

Jan:
1.  Our family has all sorts of fun on St. Patrick's Day! Click HERE to find some fun things we have done over the last few years... shamrock party, rainbows, green lunch, a Leprechaun pot, and more!

Nancy:
2. My favorite dinner to serve on St.Patrick's Day are these Corned Beef Sandwiches by Our Best Bites. They are scrumptious, and "Irish." The kids aren't crazy about them, but grownups need a little celebratory goodness too :)!

3. These Ribbon Shamrocks are a staple for our home and hair!

4. The Leprechauns visit us several times the week before. They do a little mischief and leave a few treats and trinkets.

Maren: 
5.My family always loves a reason to get together and celebrate. A few years ago we started a St. Patrick's Day party. Everyone brings a green or Irish-esque dish and we sway and sing about the good old days in the motherland. And no, we're not quite Irish.

Lauralee: 
6. That tricky little Leprechaun is always causing trouble, so what do we do? We build traps every year hoping to catch him!  While this years traps are still in the works, here are a few prototypes we are drawing inspiration from:

First Day of Spring:

Jan:
7. A couple of years ago, we rode our bikes to our local SUBWAY, ate lunch and rode to a park and played.  Even though we were still in pants and  warm jackets, it was so nice to realize Spring was on it's way.

Nancy:
8. My kids love these flower cupcakes to celebrate the first day of Spring (shown above).

9. We take a walk and collect things that remind us of Spring....without picking thing we're not supposed to, like the neighbor's flowers. (Sometimes though...eh hem, I'm apologizing in advance, Lauralee).

Maren:
10. First day of spring....when is that again?

Lauralee:
11. While everyone else is celebrating the snow going away and digging out their shorts and t-shirts, we do the opposite. We throw on our jackets (not coats), gear up and head to the mountains and ski! Nothing beats the soft slushy snow and warm sunshine hitting your face while spring skiing!

Easter:

Jan:
12. We always look forward to decorating Easter Eggs. Find 18 fun and beautiful ways HERE at U-Create.

Nancy:
13.  A few years ago I bought THIS BOOK that has really helped us celebrate and learn about the true meaning of Easter. It's phenomenal!A week's worth of great REAL Easter activities.

14. We also like to do fun projects like these Jordan Almond Easter Eggs and Chicks. The kids think they are so fun to decorate and especially eat!

15. Our extended family has an Easter egg with a TWIST... one of the eggs has a $50 bill hidden in it. Yep, the adults get into it every bit as much as the kids!!!

Maren: 
16.  I LOVE Easter! It's so much fun. Growing up we always lined up from youngest to oldest at the door to go out back for the annual Easter Egg Hunt. That meant I was front and center and could beat my older brothers to the eggs at least as far as the back patio.

Lauralee:
17. We always have a spectacular Easter celebration at Grandma W.'s house, with the best sweets in the world. Including homemade chocolate bunnies. We look forward to Grandma's Easter egg hunt every year!

April Fool's Day:

Photo and tutorial by Our Best Bites

Jan:
18. I stink at April's Fools Day.  I hate practical jokes played on me so I don't usually do them but I have seen some really fun ideas on Pinterest.  My oldest daughter, on the other hand, loves practical jokes and likes to perform them regularly.  This daughter also hates to be late.  So one year, we set her clock in her bedroom late so when she woke up she started running around freaking out that she was late for school.  It took us a while before we told her since she was freaking out so much.



Nancy:
I love making this a fun day to attempt to trick my family. Here are a few tricks my husband has fallen for:
19. chocolate covered cottonballs (I told him they were marshmallows... he bit into them and got a mouthful of cotton, haha!!)
20. Placing a rubber band on the sink sprayer. He got so wet!!
21. I told him that a Mr. Lyon had called out home phone and left a number to call back a.s.a.p.. The number I left for him was the zoo. (It took him a minute to get it, but it was pretty funny when he did).

20. My absolute favorite  April Fool's Day  activity is to make fun food for the kids. Sometimes it really tricks them, and sometimes it's just whimsical and fun. The cupcakes from the book Hello Cupcake. Thankfully, Our Best Bites has a tutorial  to make them HERE.

Maren: Wow, now I know to beware of Nancy's house on April Fool's! Thanks for the heads up!
21. April Fool's is such a fun nonsense holiday. I always text everyone I know and tell them I'm pregnant. Gets em every time...they may have caught on to me by now...

Lauralee:  
22. It seems like every day is April Fool's Day around our house. We don't reserve the practical joke just for April fools. My son's ultimate childhood dream is to come up with something so good, that America's Funniest Home Videos will reward him for his efforts! 

LDS General Conference:
If you don't know what this is, go HERE to read more.

 Jan: 
23. I love General Conference and will be doing another post soon with more ideas. Click HERE to see seven of the activities we've done in the past (shown in the picture above).

Nancy: We do different things from year to year, but we ALWAYS:
24. Build a tent or fort for the kids out of couch cushions or blankets.

25. Make a yummy breakfast so that our children will associate General Conference with good, happy, yummy feelings.

26. Print a conference packet like THIS with games and coloring pages.

Maren: I have two favorite General Conference traditions.
27. One is inviting family and friends over and eating an enormous breakfast. I love trying out new breakfast things, it's pretty much my favorite meal of the day. Unfortunately it's usually boring oatmeal so this is a great time to pull out that fried french toast recipe I've been eying.

28. We always go to my parents house for banana splits after priesthood meeting. This tradition started as a treat from my brothers. They would "share" with us what they learned at the priesthood session. We all knew WWIII would break out if they didn't. The tradition still stands even though my brothers all have families of their own who they have to bribe into doing their brotherly duties.

Lauralee: 
29. General Conference always means having lunch with pajamas at Grandma's house.

Just Spring

All of us:
30. At least one new item for our wardrobe. Be watching for more about this!!!

Please share your favorite Spring celebrations and traditions with us!! We'd LOVE to know!

Jordan Almond Easter Eggs & Chicks

Once I saw some Jordan Almond bluebirds by  SugarBelle, and I was IN LOVE. SMITTEN!!!  I decided though that chicks and eggs would be pretty darn cute too. So, I whipped some up.

I will admit though, when I was editing this photo, I couldn't help but add some hats and mustaches!! That part is digital, but they are still fun and adorable as they really are...

The great part is that there is no cooking involved. I love that the Jordan Almonds already come in a great egg shape :).

They are fun to serve in a bowl for a party.  They'll disappear MUCH quicker than boiled eggs, of course :)!

 A tulle nest adds a bit of extra fun for serving...

Stick them in a cellophane bag and they make the funnest little Easter gifts for a teacher, friend, your kids, someone you visit teach... the list goes on.

They can be so simple and quick, OR time consuming. It all depends on how many colors and how much detail you want. 


Click the "read more" button to find out how...