Lunch Bag Popcorn

We also tried out something I've been seeing around Pinterest.

Popping Popcorn in brown school lunch bags.. and it totally works!

We used 1/2 cup of kernels because there were two of us. Then just pour it in a bag and fold over twice.

We put the popcorn in for about 3 minutes, but took it out shortly after two because the popping slowed down. We put salt on ours, but you could always eat it plain.

This can save some money over time if you're like us and eat a lot of popcorn. 

Have you guys ever tried brown bag popcorn?

What kind of seasoning would you recommend for popcorn? 

Life Updates

Currently Missing

Stonehenge - June 2007

Jonathan visiting Arizona December 2010

Bloggers, meet Jonathan (or Jon, but I prefer Jonathan). He is my bestie, and I love him to death. 

And yes, guys and girls can be just friends. But that's a whole different discussion for another day.

Now for the funny part of our friendship, we met in Europe. 

In 9th grade, my wonderful friend Ashley and I joined our geography teacher and some other students for a class trip! Our group was smaller, and so was his, so EF Tours put our groups together. Jonathan and I did NOT get along at first. And now we've been besties for exactly 5 years. He's from Colorado, and currently going to school in Iowa. So we don't see each other often, but one day (when we have bigger budgets), 

we'll see each other more. In the future, we'll raise our children together as cousins, and take trips together. All that fun stuff. Due to our budgets (again) he was unable to make it to our wedding, and yet to meet the Husband, but we're hoping that changes soon!

Current Nail Design

Current Memories

Last night we took the Husband's little brother and sister to Peter Piper Pizza.

I hit the jackpot on another game, two seconds later, 

she hits the jackpot on her game.

We're just THAT good ;)

She got more than me.. But it was pretty close! 

We combined our tickets and got her an alarm clock

and lots of candy! 

A Few Thoughts...

"I want my first marriage to be my only marriage"

If you follow me on Pinterest, I'm sure you've noticed I have an addiction. It's usually it's pretty lighthearted, but I came across that quote yesterday, And honestly, it kind of irritated me.

Now, I'm sure I'm over thinking it, but it really struck a chord with me. 

I know there are a few people, who get married, knowing it's not right for them.

But I think most people who are getting married, aren't thinking about getting divorced down the road. 

Don't get me wrong, I am a firm believer in trying to work your marriage out.

And I do feel like now days, people are too quick to get a divorce because it's easier. 

With that being said, however, I don't think it's fair or right to look down on someone who got a divorce, or is getting remarried. I actually admire people who are strong enough to realize that by staying together,

they are doing more harm than good. It takes courage and strength and admit you aren't happy.

I can't even imagine how much that turns some one's world upside down. 

My parents divorced when I was really young. A lot of children want their parents back together, but I really never have. My parents don't go together. At all. 

So to those going through this, or will go through this, don't be ashamed for wanting more out of life.

Don't be ashamed for realizing what's best for you and moving on. And don't ever let anybody make you feel like you made a mistake, or that it makes your life any less meaningful. Only you know what really went on behind closed doors,and only you know what's best for you and your life. 

To anybody going through a hard breakup, separation, or divorce, I admire you. I really do. I am sending hugs your way. And things will get better! 

Yummy Chocolate Muffins!

So I found this recipe for Chocolate Muffins on Pinterest!

And the best part, they are only 2 points on Weight Watchers Points Plus plan! 

On this plan, 2 points is a slice of whole wheat bread.

So let's just say, I was pretty excited.

But the Husband and I were pretty curious to see if these even tasted good.

So we had to try it!

It only needs three ingredients:

• 1 Box of Sugar Free Chocolate Cake Mix
• 1 Can of Pumpkin Puree 
• 6 Ounces of Chocolate Chips

Makes 24 Cupcakes

1. Preheat oven 350 degrees Fahrenheit

2. Mix together cake mix and pumpkin puree.

We don't have a mixer, we keep meaning to get one.. but we haven't. 

So we used our Ninja Blender instead!

We mixed this a little bit, but the attachment kept stopping because we put too much in.

We took half out, and then continued! 

3. Add in 6 ounces of chocolate chips 

4. Line muffin/cupcake pan with cupcake liners

5. Bake 20-22 minutes

or until an inserted toothpick (or fork, if you can't find your toothpicks) comes out clean!

They are by no means the prettiest,

but they were super yummy! 

You can taste the pumpkin a little bit, but it's mostly chocolate.

Things to buy before we try this again:

ice cream scoop

mixer 

But we will definitely make these again!

When we find a house to lease, I plan on making a huge batch and freezing them.

Such a great breakfast item to have on hand.

Let me know if you try these! 

Update:

We did make these again! 

We put in a little cake mix, and pumpkin in at a time,

and our little Ninja Blender worked perfectly! 

I also bought an ice cream scoop, and it helped so much! 

Last time I put too little in each cupcake, this time, I put too much.

So third time will be a charm! 

Happy Birthday Dad!

Today is my Dad's Birthday!

Some pictures I came across on my last trip to Utah.

And Sunday is Father's Day.

So I figured I'd introduce him, and tell you a little about him.

1. He doesn't like to smile in pictures.

2. But every once in awhile, you'll catch him smiling.

3. We go to baseball games together.

4. He thinks he's funny. 

Like when we got back from Tennessee last year, 

and he came to pick us up at the airport. 

Or when he thinks he's a "gangster"

Or, when he's talking while I'm trying to take a picture.

5. The three of us have an amazing relationship.

6. He puts up with my weirdness.

And yes, I sleep with stuffed animals

7. He takes me to football games

He even buys season tickets every year. 

8. He's my best friend. 

Most kids go through phases of being embarrassed of their parents, I never went through that.

I've been through so many ups and downs in my life, and through it all I had my Dad. He is my rock.

Who I am today is because of him. I learned a lot from him, most of which was never told to me.

I just watched him, and learned from it. He taught me how to treat others with respect, and how to tip appropriately.  He taught me about sports. He made me drive on the freeway when I didn't want to,

and today I love road trips. I wouldn't have the confidence to do that without him pushing me.

I appreciate what he's done for me more than words could ever explain. I am so blessed to have the close relationship that I have with my dad. And I'm even more blessed to have a Husband and Dad who get along so well.

Dad, I love you with all my heart.

Happy Birthday.

And Happy Early Father's Day.

You are the best Daddy a girl could ever ask for. 

Daddy Kit Take 2 & Baby Love!

So last week I talked about a New Dad Survival Kit.

Soon after I found out my friend was having a baby, 

I found out my older sister was having one too! 

So of course, I made a second one for my brother-in-law!

I did mostly the same thing,

but this one was a little different because

1. I didn't know the sex of the baby

2. It had to be smaller because I was mailing it to them in Seattle. 

I used the same labels from Domestifluff ,

but modified the color to be more gender neutral. 

Added:

Life Savers - "To remind you that parents are life savers" 

Leis - "To remind you to take some time to relax"

Changed (sayings stayed the same): 

I couldn't find boogie wipes this time, 

but these were cute too! 

I was worried about a candle melting, 

so we got glow in the dark things instead! 

 I kept the Advil the same, 

but this time I wrapped it in wrapping paper :) 

Then, I chose to laminate the cards again!

 Packed and ready to go!

When I sent this, we didn't know the sex of the baby. 

But Monday we found out that my sister is having...

A baby girl! 

I am so excited for them, they honestly will be such amazing parents! 

And I can't wait to see her grow up! 

Little girls are just so cute! 

No Sew Hair Bow

I love the bun, but I have yet to try it because, I just couldn't get past the cute bow below the bun!

I wear my hair in a bun a lot, so I decided I needed a bow too!

 While searching on Etsy I found some cute ones, but most bigger bows were at least $20, plus shipping.

That just doesn't really fit my budget, so I went back to Pinterest.

I wanted a tutorial on how to make my own. 

But they were all done with sewing machines, and I don't sew.

I have before, but truth moment, sewing machines scare me. 

So I was about ready to give up, and stumbled upon this lovely tutorial from Hopes and Dreams.

And I decided to try it! 

I already had the hot glue gun, and we don't have an ironing board, so I used my hair straightener instead!

All I had to buy was fabric, and metal hair clips.

I bought my hair clips at Sally's Beauty Supply, they were around $3 dollars. 

And fabric from Hobby Lobby. I just picked two different fabrics, 

and got 3/8 yard of each. I paid around $6.

You could probably get less fabric, and still have more than enough to make a couple bows, but I wanted extra to play around with. 

With the help of the Hopes and Dreams tutorial, I made one! 

I definitely recommend heading over there and checking out her tutorial,

it is really simple, and you'll be happy you did!

The finished bow was about 2x3,  which is good for a bow tie,but I wanted to go bigger. 

So I decided to make one with starting measurements of 12" x 7"

I also have a really hard time cutting straight lines, so I made a template to make it easier on myself.

I've been playing with different sizes, I think I'm going to try a really small one,

just to see if I can do it.

This one was 12" x 6"

(please don't mind my lazy bun haha, I'm working on cuter ones!)

Updated to add: 

I tried the bun from the top picture, it's super easy,

and will probably be my new go to hair style :)

Especially in Arizona, because it's just too hot here to wear your hair down in the summer.

And, I went back to buy more fabric, and only got 1/4 of a yard this time.

And it is more than enough :) 

Dad to Be Survival Kit

As soon as I found out a good friend of mine was having a baby, I knew I had to do something special for him!  There are tons of ideas for special things... for the Mom's. Which is totally understandable, but I wanted to do something for the Soon to Be Dad!

I scoured the Internet, and found this site. It wasn't exactly what I wanted, but it gave me a good start one what I wanted to do. I also didn't put any candy because I didn't want to worry about it melting.

I really am surprised there aren't more blog posts or tutorials about this. So I'll try my best to explain what I did :) We got most of the stuff from Target and Party City. And we went to The Container store for the Lego container. 

I like to call this organized chaos... 

It's easier for me to put everything in front of me, and then go from there.

Once I did that, I made the cards with descriptions to go with the items.

I found my labels on pinterest from Domestifluff.

She has a free printable with blank labels, and they are beautiful :)

She even gives permission to change the color,

how awesome is she?

Then, I just used PicMonkey to put words inside of it :) 

I printed a whole page, cut them, and then I laminated each individual one.

You can skip that part, but I wanted them to last longer.

Then I matched the cards and items together.
I found these little blue clothespins from the party store and they were perfect to use!
(I also tied ribbon around the items that didn't have an easy place for the clothespins to attach to)

Pen and Paper - "To write down your thoughts/memories to share when he gets older"

Candle - "So you never feel in the dark"

Safety Pins - "To remind you to keep your baby safe"

Baby Wipes - "For cleaning up those little messes" 

(How cute are these?!)

Mommy Coupons - "For when you find yourself in the dog house"

The Hulk - "To remind you that no matter what, you'll always be his hero"

Smiley faces - "To remind you to keep smiling" 

Paper Clips - "To help hold it all together"

(Yes, those are giant paper clips! Got them at Target!)

Graduation Cap - "To remind you life passes too quickly and enjoy every minute"

I actually wanted a small candy watch or clock for this, but we couldn't find one.

Sucker - "To lick all your problems away"

Earplugs - "For times when you can't hear yourself think" 

Lotion - "To remind you that babies need a lot of soft touches" 

Balloons - "To remind you to teach him to reach for the sky"

Batteries - "For those times when you are running low on energy" 

Mardi Gras Beads - "To remind you to get out and have fun every once in awhile" 

Eraser - "To remind you that all new Dads make mistakes" 

Marbles - "To replace the ones you'll lose"

Playing cards - "Raising and educating a child is risky, but so worth it"

Puzzle piece - "To remind you that you are important piece in his journey"

Rubber band - "To remind you flexibility is key"

Tissues - "To dry those tears. His and yours"

(I thought it would be better if he opened this one last, so I made a note)

Ibuprofen - "When all else fails, take two of these" 

I fit everything into the lego box the best that I could,

it took a few tries!

We put a little note on top.

It says, "We just wanted to give you a little something to help welcome your little prince into the world"

Then put the lid on :) 

Please don't mind my bow... they are not in my skill set. 

The possibilities are endless! And it's so easy to personalize it a little bit from person to person.

A little note about the cost, I think we spent around $55-60 for the stuff inside, 

but we splurged on certain items, such as the boogie wipes, the journal and the Hulk.

So it can definitely be made to be a little more cost effective.

Just depends on what you want to do :)