The Gingerbread Blog: May 2011

May 31, 2011

crock pot recipes: ranch potatoes

lets be honest, ranch is good on everything right? do you eat it with pizza?

we do!

are you ready for some crock pot goodness?

i went for another side dish today because left over BBQ hot dogs sounded delish, and with it being almost 90 degrees today, i didn't want to even LOOK at the stove. haha

this recipe is super easy and very yummy!

you will need:

***************************

* around 2 pounds red potatoes

* 1 {can} cream of mushroom soup

* 1 {cup} sour cream

* 1 {packet} ranch seasoning packet

directions:

*******************************

1. cut potatoes in quarters and place into crock pot

2. add all other ingredients and fold together, it will look like this.

3. cover and cook on low for 6 hours or until potatoes are tender.

these were a great substitute for chips, and had lots of flavor! I think these would have also been good with some BBQ or baked chicken, i may try that next time!

if you have any recipes to share please leave a link to your blog in the comments section, i would love to hear about your recipes.

i have a full tummy and a kitchen to clean up...

see you friends.

april

xoxo

May 30, 2011

holiday weekend

hello friends!

if we were having coffee i would tell you how much fun we had over this holiday weekend. my husband had 4 days off, which means lots of breakfast burritos in the morning and food cooked on the BBQ at night. my husband is an awesome cook!

i would ask you what you did, and if it involved food, because if you didn't know it, i love food! hahaha

the boys and i didn't really do anything this weekend besides hang out with family and BBQ on more than one day of the weekend. it was fantastic! good family time spent together breaking bread!

we did go to the strawberry festival one day for dessert with my sister in law and her husband. i took these pictures while we were there...and they are only pictures, i am way to wimpy to actually go on a ride like this, but isn't it a yummy pic?

i am pretty much obsessed with ferris wheels, and you wanna know a secret? I have never been on one!

i busted out these cowboy boots and a new old navy shirt, my skinny jeans were a little tight but we wont talk about that....haha!

strawberry shortcake that was yuuummmyyy!!!

oh wait, you didnt know i was in good with spiderman? i have connections.... :)

soft serve is another favorite of mine, my brother in law got this...and i secretly wanted to steal it from him.....

what did you do this weekend? I would want to here all about it! we could pour ourselves another cup of coffee and swap stories.

maybe let the kids play in the sandbox....

i am in need of crafts and activities for the boys this summer. do you have boys? they don't exactly get excited when we do crafts, so i like REALLY have to sell it. i am dedicated to a summer with minimal t.v. and video games. is it a pipe dream? ya maybe. ha!

thank you for coffee friend!

loves.

april

xoxo

* i am linking up here today, come check it out!

May 29, 2011

music monday: good ol'country and mason jars

music monday? what? so i love music...a.lot. its pretty much a staple in our household. whether we are in the car, playing ball outside or working in the garage, we are listening to music.

so instead of having a play list on my blog that i change all the time i am going to post a play list that reflects what i am feeling and into every monday.

feel free to take a listen and enjoy, because i always enjoy searching through other bloggers play list and finding new artists or songs.

i hope you enjoy it friends! :)

i have also been in super party planning mode the past few days. which is totally lovely because i love being creative and thinking about what fun we can have. i am planning kalebs first communion, which is coming up VERY soon.

i have decided to go with a country theme and ordered BBQ ribs and what-not from a local yummy smokehouse.

here are some other things i have been thinking of:

*mason jars

*lights on a string

*burlap banner

*brown paper table cloth

*cowboy boots

and good ol' country music!

here is a little taste of what we will be listening to:

music monday.....

here are some mason jar goodness i have pinned on pinterest:

Source: images.search.yahoo.com via April on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via April on Pinterest

Source: images.search.yahoo.com via April on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via April on Pinterest

Source: images.search.yahoo.com via April on Pinterest

totally lovely right?

i am so excited!

i am finishing up his banner and cleaning my house.

can you say steam cleaner? hahahahaha

happy day friends!

lovely lovely

april

xoxo

i am linking up here today, come check it out!

May 28, 2011

i heart you: morning edition

Source: images.search.yahoo.com via April on Pinterest

good morning friends!

its saturday morning and i need lots of this.

preferably with cute hearts swirled into every cup.

thank you.

i heart you.

april

xoxo

May 27, 2011

pinterest: doily goodness

Source: etsy.com via April on Pinterest

your welcome

and happy friday.

april

xoxo

mama bird

today is a very special day for our bubba. he made on the honor roll this trimester and received the "most improved" award. he is so proud of himself, and so are we. every time i sit down and try to write these post i have a hard time. how do you put a feeling into words?

I feel pride

love

admiration

happiness

joy

and more love.

he has worked very hard this year, and he deserves every minute of his moment in the spotlight.

we will be celebrating over a table full of drippy, messy BBQ ribs at his favorite restaurant...

congrats bubba!

april

xoxo

*linking up at casey's blog, check it out!

May 26, 2011

hey guys, the house smells like cat butt

are you wondering why we are holding our nose?

or why my post title has the words cat butt in it?

maybe why we are outside on the patio?

well im gonna tell you my last 24 stinky hours. it started yesterday when i felt like their was a gross smell in the air. not anything specific, but just yucky. i kept asking the boys if they smelled anything and of course they said no. i definitely have the most sensitive nose in the house, especially since i had kids, i can sniff out someone elses kids' dirty diaper a mile away. its a gift. hahahaha

soooo, as the day went on it got worse, and by the time aaron came home from work at 7 i was dying, but he said he didn't smell anything! I was like WHAT?

So we went to bed after i sprayed the entire upstairs with lysol, i keep that stuff close by people....i live with 3 stinky boys.

at around 2 in the morning i woke up to pee and i almost threw up from the smell...it was worse...way worse.

imagine me laying in bed trying to go back to sleep gagging...it was pretty dramatic.

so you know what i did?

slept on the couch downstairs.

until 6 a.m. when aaron woke me up.

he was like "why are you down here?"

i said "our room spells like cat butt"

we don't even have a cat people.

it was just the worst thing i could think of. hhahahaha

dramatic once again.

so after i took kaleb to school i stripped everything i could think might smell from our room.

trash, sheets, laundry

you know what it was?

a dish towel in the laundry i used to clean up the chocolate milk dylan spilled a few days ago.

a lot of chocolate milk.

woops, i guess i didn't let that sucker dry out all the way.

my bad?

so i will be washing all the laundry that nasty thing touched and cleaning up the mess i made upstairs while i was searching for the foul...

isn't it great?

i will need more coffee people.

maybe mcdonalds later.

im just sayin.

april

xoxo

May 25, 2011

kids crafts : God's eye

guess what friends? school is almost out for summer in my neck of the woods, and you know what that means?

BORED KIDS!

hahahha.

no. really.

so im starting a series of kids crafts that i hope will help you combat those bad moods with some constructive crafts.

they will be educational and fun.

so here we go, the first craft is called God's eye. it is based in Hispanic culture and represents the eyes of God guiding you throughout your day. so hanging them in your house can be a great representation of God's love, especially if your kids have made them, which makes them all the more special.

I found a great link for this craft here. There is even a video, its great.

you will need:
*various colors yarn
*popsicle sticks or wooden dowels

see? so easy and fun.

kaleb made all 3 of the small God's eyes and had no problem. He watched the video once and he was hooked. He even wants me to buy black yarn so he can make his own designs, surprising huh?

I think this craft would be appropriate for kids over the age of 7 or 8, but could totally be modified for younger kids.

dylan took the popsicle sticks and used them to dig in his sandbox, so maybe 3 is a bit young.

haahhahahah

happy crafting friends!
april
xoxo

what i love: paper goods

Source: etsy.com via April on Pinterest

Do you pinterest?

im not quit obsessed yet, but it is an easy way to organize the things you see online.

i am REALLY into paper goods right now. especially vintage looking bags and straws. i just love them!

you can find me here.
its what i love right now.

april
xoxo