Little Schrader's Room

Since school has been out I've had a little bit of time to rearrange in what will be Little Schrader's room and start making plans.

We ordered a crib a while back and set it up to make sure it was what we wanted.

My sewing machine needs to be moved out of the room and I will be putting a dresser against this wall.  On the top of the dresser we will put a changing pad to make a little diaper changing area.

I think I like the shelving where it is, but I'd like to paint it yet.

We need to put the shelving up in the closet.

I think I'm going to paint this little dresser as well.

I am doing an owl theme for the room.  A while back Mom and I were in JoAnn's and came across this owl fabric.  It was pieced together like a quilt.  We bought some backing and she sewed me a blanket.  I just love it!! 

A friend gave me this cute owl bank.

My little niece came to school one day with a surprise for the baby!  I hadn't told the rest of the children yet and she came in and put this bag on my desk.  She whispered,

"It's for the baby!  You can open it when we go to P.E."

After a few minutes she came back and whispered,

"It goes on the carrier!" 

Another couple of minutes passed and she was back again,

"It's an owl!"

It was the cutest thing ever!  Later her mom told me she used her allowance to buy it.  I was so touched, what a sweet heart she has!

I saw a cute owl taggie on Pinterest and decided to make one of my own.

A good friend's mom made these cute owls that are attached to a mobile.

I bought these three canvas' and I'm going to use my Silhouette to make a Daddy owl, a Mommy owl, and a Little Baby owl to hang on the wall.

Well there's a sneak peek of my plans for the nursery!  There's several more ideas I've seen places and have come up with that I'd like to add to the walls and such.  Hopefully everything will continue to come together and it will all be finished before the little one arrives!

Taste of Our Home Tuesday: Congo Bars

I was searching for a dessert one day on Pinterest and found these bars.  I already have a recipe very similar to this one that I believe are called Blondies.  I've made them numerous times but they were never as good as a chocolate chip cookie.  For whatever reason I decided to give these a try.  To my surprise they tasted very similar to a chocolate chip cookie.  The middle stays gooey and moist and the top has a thin layer of golden brown cookie.  My favorite part is that they are very quick to make!  I needed a snack for life group one Tuesday and hadn't had time Monday night.  I woke up early Tuesday morning before school and quick made a batch.  They were ready to take that evening without me spending forever in the kitchen.  I never know when I'm going to need a quick dessert to take somewhere.  It's nice to have something quick to throw together if needed!  Enjoy!

Picture by Six Sisters Stuff

Congo Bars Recipe:

(Recipe adapted from Bakerella)

2 3/4 c. all purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 c. butter, softened
2 c. brown sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 package milk chocolate chips
1 c. chopped pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Set aside. Combine butter and sugar using a mixer until blended. Add eggs, one at a time to sugar mixture, mixing on low in between each addition. Add vanilla and mix. Add flour and mix until combined. Stir in chips and then pecans.

Coat a 9×13 pan with non-stick spray and spread batter evenly into dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until top is golden brown. Make sure you don’t over bake.

It's hard to believe...

It seems like just yesterday my little nephew was born

But instead a year has gone by

And he is walking and jabbering up a storm!

He loves tractors and cows, (I can't imagine why)

And has the best little personality ever!

Thanks for letting us celebrate with you Mr. Wyatt J!

Taste of Our Home Tuesday: Cheesy Enchilada Casserole

Once again Pinterest came to the rescue as I was searching for our meals for the week.  This Cheesy Enchilada Casserole was pinned from a website called Six Sisters Stuff.  I've found and pinned several recipes from this site and now when I see their name, I just pin it because there's a very good chance it's going to be tasty!  This recipe turned out to be more of a dip for us.  Mine ended up with some extra liquid in it. I'm not sure why, it still had a yummy flavor.  We just ate it with chips and enjoyed!

Picture by Six Sisters Stuff

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground beef (90% lean)
1 large onion, chopped or season with Onion powder or minced onion
2 1/2 cups salsa
1 can (15 ounces) black beans or red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup reduced-fat Italian salad dressing
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium taco seasoning
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
6 flour tortillas (8 inches)
1 small can of drained corn, or about 1 1/4 cups of frozen corn (optional)
3/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream *Note: I used 1/2 cup
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded reduced-fat Mexican cheese blend
1 cup shredded lettuce
1 medium tomato, chopped
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

Directions
In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.
Stir in the salsa, beans, dressing, sour cream, corn (optional), taco seasoning and cumin.
Spoon a generous layer of meat mixture on bottom of 2 quart baking dish. Sprinkle with grated cheese.
Place a flour or corn tortilla on top of meat mixture. Layer with half of the meat mixture, and cheese. Repeat as many layers as you like.
The last & final layer should be a healthy dose of grated cheese.
Cover with foil that has been sprayed with pam or other and bake at 400° for 25 minutes, or until hot & bubbly.
Let stand for 5 minutes before topping with lettuce, tomato and cilantro. Yield: 8 servings.

Taste of Our Home Tuesday: IHOP Pancakes

I love pancakes and am often trying to get Justin to agree to breakfast for supper.  I recently found this recipe on Pinterest and couldn't resist giving it a try.  There's a couple things I look for when I'm making pancakes.  I like when they are soft and fluffy and when I can save the leftovers and finish them throughout the week.  This recipe fell under both categories.  These were the best leftover pancakes I've ever found.  They were still soft and fluffy 2 mornings later!  As far as tasting like IHOP, I believe they were pretty close!  (It's been awhile since I've enjoyed an IHOP pancake)  Enjoy! 

IHOP pancakes
1 1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. Baking soda
pinch of salt 
1 egg, beaten
1 1/4 c. buttermilk
2 Tbsp. melted butter
1/4 c. sugar
Stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder,and salt. Mix the egg with the buttermilk and add to the flour mixture, stirring only until smooth. Add the melted butter and sugar. Fry on a greased griddle. Serves 4.

Taste of Our Home Tuesday: Chicken Ranch Pasta

I enjoy ranch on many things so I figured it had to be yummy on pasta as well!  This recipe was found on Pinterest and was very quick to throw together (I already had the chicken cooked and in the fridge).  I did add a spoonful of sour cream just because I wanted to make sure it was nice and creamy.  We both enjoyed this dinner.  It's perfect for using up that leftover chicken.  Enjoy!

8 ounces penne pasta

1 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp flour

2 Tbsp dry ranch dressing seasoning mix

2 cups milk

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/3 cup cooked, chopped bacon

2 cups cooked chopped chicken

In a large pot, cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain and set aside.

In same pot melt butter.  Add flour and stir.  Cook flour for 1 minute.  Slowly whisk in milk.  Continue cooking until sauce thickens.  Stir in ranch dressing mix and cheese.  Stir until cheese melts.  Add chicken, bacon, and pasta.  Stir to coat.

So God Made a Mother

 "Because God needed someone to love the least and the little into real whole people, and He knew that to love is to suffer so God made a mother."

Ann Voskamp posted this earlier last week and I thought it very appropriate for today.  Click here to read her entire post. 

Happy Mother's Day!