Lillian Sophia Turns Two.

I don't know how it happened, but it did. We were probably the last family on the planet to watch Frozen. When we finally did, it happened. Lillie was hooked! Like most parents today, everything revolves around that movie. It started out relatively small. Frozen books, stickers, and pictures. Then it escalated so fast, I've honestly lost count on just how much I've spent on Frozen merchandise. Don't get me wrong, it's a very cute movie. I really like it. And obviously I would do anything for my kids. But between all the dolls, clothes, bedding and the countless number of times I had seen the movie, I was about Frozened out. 

But was it over? No. Lillie wanted a "Frozen" birthday party. I about died. 

I figured if I had to endure more Frozen shenanigans, it would have to be on my terms. I didn't want it to look like Anna and Elsa had just thrown up all over my house with Frozen themed balloons, piñatas and decor all over the place. I wanted to take a much more subtle approach. So that's exactly what I did. 

I found this adorable garland on Etsy and it was really what gave me the inspiration for this party. It was so affordable and really just made the entire look come together. 

I made chocolate dipped marshmallows with a sugar sprinkle topping. I filled these adorable goody boxes with her favorite kettle corn. Filled two mason jars with yogurt dipped pretzels and swirl vanilla candy sticks. 

I made a Tiffany blue punch I found on Pinterest. It was absolutely delicious.

I filled two more mason jars with Tiffany blue colored Sixlets and rock candy. We had fudge covered Oreos, which are a personal favorite of mine. 

Lillie's cake was made from a local bakery and they are always so spot on with their products! This cake wasn't only gorgeous, it was equally delicious! 

Our little princess loved it and that's all that really mattered. She's the sweetest, most stubborn and beautiful little girl I know and we just know she is going to do great things.

XOXO, E. 

Churro Cheesecake.

Yes, yet another churro recipe. What can I say, I just LOVE me some churros! The best part about this recipe is it's only six ingredients! Can't get much easier than that. This is such an easy and simple recipe to make for the holidays, it's sure to be a hit. It sure was a hit in my house!

Ingredients:

• (2) 8 oz packages cream cheese, softened

• (2) cans Pillsbury Crescent Dinner Rolls

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

• 2 tbsp ground cinnamon 

• 1 cup sugar, divided

• 1 egg, slightly beaten

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Using a stand or hand mixer, mix the cream cheese, vanilla extract, slightly beaten egg and 1/2 cup of sugar until creamy and smooth. 

Mix together the rest of the 1/2 cup sugar with the cinnamon and set aside. 

Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray (I used coconut oil spray) and sprinkle half of the cinnamon sugar mixture evenly on the bottom of the dish. 

On a piece of parchment paper, roll out the crescent roll dough into a 9x13 rectangle and seal the seams together. Set the dough in the bottom of the baking dish, on top of the cinnamon sugar mix. 

Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly on top of the dough. 

Roll out the second can of dough and place it on top of the cream cheese mixture also making sure the seams are sealed. 

Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon sugar mixture on top of the dough and bake for 30-35 minutes. 

I hope you enjoy it as much and my family did. Happy cooking! 

XOXO, E. 

Adventure World.

When you have children, the park is always a great place to let those little humans run like wild beasts and tire themselves out. Even kids who are "too big" for nap time tend to fall asleep on the car ride home. It's like magic. We love the park!

Here are a few pictures from our most recent visit to the park. 

Luke is getting pretty daring. He's always been our cautious and serious little one. He has such an old soul, it's so sweet seeing him become so adventurous. I find myself staring at him and wondering how the heck he's grown so fast. He's the perfect little boy. 

Lillian is the complete opposite of her brother. She's daring, rambunctious and doesn't like the word "no." If you tell her not to do something, she's going to do it just so she can find out why you didn't want her to. Simply put, she's our little handful. She sure does love her brother though. Seeing them together just melts my heart. 

I made them. Isn't that amazing?! God chose me to be their mom. He chose me to be their safe place. It's pretty awesome. ❤️

-Elizabeth

Chocolate Churro Cereal Mix

One thing I love about fall, besides the cool crisp air, leaves changing and counting down to Christmas, is the FOOD! Seriously, when you're a foodie like me, this is the best time of the year. This is the time of year you're looking forward to as soon as the new year begins!  

Or maybe that's just me. 

Regardless, this delicious treat is perfect for fall and anytime you want a yummy snack. It's quick, easy and super delicious! It's even kid friendly. So get those little people in the kitchen to help make this fun treat. 

I used all organic ingredients to make this, but you can use whatever you have in your pantry or whatever you prefer! I hope you all enjoy! 

Ingredients:

• 9 cups Chex cereal

• 4 tbs unsalted butter (half a stick)

• 1 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

• 1 1/4 cup powdered sugar 

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

• 1 tbs cinnamon

Directions:

In a large gallon ziplock bag, add the powdered sugar, brown sugar, granulated sugar and cinnamon. Zip shut and shake, shake, shake! Set aside. 

Place cereal in a large bowl and set aside. 

In a microwaveable safe bowl, add semi-sweet chocolate chips and butter and microwave for 1 minute. Remove and stir until completely smooth. Microwave for another 30 seconds, remove and stir. Pour chocolate directly over cereal making sure to evenly coat pieces. (I used a silicone spatula to gently mix chocolate and cereal.)

Pour cereal in the dry sugar mixture, zip and shake, shake, shake. (This step is my sons favorite part!)  

Once cereal is completely coated pour into a serving bowl and devour! 

Happy cooking!

Love, Elizabeth. 

Six Year Anniversary!

6 years. 72 months. 312 weeks. 2,190 days. That's how long I've been married to the love of my life. That's two cross country moves. Two deployments. Two babies. Four apartments. Three cars. And the fact that it can all be summed up in a few short words makes it feel so easy and fast. And it's been anything but that. But it's definitely been worth it. 

There isn't a day that goes by that I'm not thankful and grateful for the man I'm married to. I really am lucky. Not everyone gets to meet their soul mate at 18 years old. And I did. 

From the first moment I met him, I knew there was something special about him. He had me. And he knew it. 

Our love was a whirlwind. Fast, hot and amazing. We married July 8th at only 19 years old. And two and a half months later, he left me for the good ole' United States Marine Corps. Not your typical newly wed status, but boy did I love that man of mine! 

Our love grew during boot camp. 

It continued to grow in North Carolina. 

It grew even more during his first deployment. 

My love for him grew more than I ever thought possible when I saw him as a Daddy. 

He's pretty great at being a Daddy. 

And here we are. Six years later. He's my very best friend. My partner in crime. The biggest pain in my ass. And the love of my life. He's my person. And I'm so blessed to call him mine. The past six years has been the greatest adventure of my life and I can't wait to see what the next hundred years has in store for us. 

Essential Oils.

Okay, I'm not going to lie, I was a total skeptic on these essential oils. Everyone I knew, and I mean everyone, was jumping on the essential oils bandwagon and I was like, there's no way I'm getting sucked in. 

Well, I got sucked in. 

I talked to another mom friend who is practically an expert on EO's and she totally convinced me I was missing out on the greatest thing ever. I really HATE taking medicine. Like, loathe it! I totally believe in vaccinations for children, but as far as I go, I just don't like medicine. So hearing that I can avoid sickness and germs with these oils, it was a total no brainier. 

I breastfed both of my children so they practically sucked all of my immune system out of me and never get sick. I rarely get sick either, but my husband is always getting sick. Like, annoyingly sick evey few months. And he is always gobbling down bottles of medicine trying to stop it before it gets worse and it just freaks me out. So hearing that I could replace my ENTIRE medicine cabinet with just a couple handfuls of oils, I was sold! 

So I did my own research on them and looked up the ins and outs of EO's and I couldn't believe some of the testimonials I was reading. People having horrible allergies for 20 plus years and with just a few oils everyday they're completely off allergy medicine. A mother saying she never sends her kids to school or daycare without a drop of Theives on their feet because the one day she forgot to do it, her kids came down with the nastiest stomach bug. Another person having psoriasis all of her life and never having relief until she bought these EO's and made her own psoriasis cream and now is almost clear of her outbreaks. I mean, those are some strong testimonies! And I just had to find out for myself. 

So I purchased the Premium Starter Kit and within five days, it was at my front door. I couldn't wait to see for myself all of the magic that was in these little bottles. And let me tell you, I really don't know how I ever lived without them! These oils have worked wonders for my family and I. Okay like first, my kids have a bedtime of 8pm. They usually don't fall asleep until around 9pm. Well not anymore. Before I put them in bed, I put a couple drops of Peace and Calming in with their bedtime lotion and rub it on the bottoms of their feet, behind their ears and on their shoulders...and within 10-15 minutes of laying in bed, they are out! That NEVER happens. Like, ever! My husband, who was an even bigger skeptic than I was, had a major headache and after I applied Peppermint to his temples, his headache was gone within ten minutes. He's now a believer. 

I usually have such a hard time falling asleep, especially since my husband works third shift, but I rub some P&C on the back of my neck and I fall fast asleep. It's awesome! I can't even begin to tell you how amazed I am. And the diffuser. Oh my goodness, the diffuser is my favorite! I diffuse Joy and Peppermint in the morning and it just makes our household run smoothly and keeps the kids from being fussy and whiny. Who wouldn't want that?! 

So if you're in the market for some EO's or are just looking to seek an alternative to modern medicine, I highly recommend trying Young Living Essential Oils. It's a great investment and definitely worth every penny. Simply put, they are beyond amazing! 

My first entry!

This blog is going to be all kinds of "cray," as the young, cool people say these days. (Do they still say that anymore?) It's going to be all over the place. I want this blog to be about the real issues we deal with as moms. Not the fake, sugar coated, smiley, cheerful, my life is absolutely perfect kind of blog. Not that it can't be. Trust me, my husband and kids are pretty dang amazing...most of the time. But there is that once in a while when they make me turn into the Exorcist. It's just not a very good look. For anyone! 

I want to write about all of the yummy things I make. Or attempt to make. All of the funny and hilarious things my kids do. They are quite the little comedians. And I'll totally take all the credit for that! And I want to share my DIY projects. I have so many cool things I want to try. Im sure I will think of so much more to write about, but between my daughter trying to eat raw potatoes in the kitchen and my son trying to break dance on our couches, I can't seem to think of anything else at the moment. 

So I guess in a nutshell, this will be a blog about my beautifully chaotic life. ❤️

My four year old, Luke. My husband, Pierce. My sixteen month old, Lillie. They're pretty gosh dang cute, huh?!