I won a Giveaway!

Hooray! I won my first giveaway last week on Whipperberry! I couldn't believe what I was reading! Whipperberry is one of my most favorite blogs on the planet, and to be featured there AND win a giveaway sent me straight to blog heaven. Would you like to know what I have won? I'm super excited to show you...

I was the LUCKY winner of a $30 credit to the shop Charmingly Chic Boutique! Seriously? $30 bones to spend on handmade AWESOME jewelry that I normally wouldn't buy myself because I'm obsessed with dressing my 2 kids and shopping at Target? YES PLEASE! I was so tickled pink it was borderline ridiculous. Lori is the owner of this darling shop, and she was such a delight to work with. I received my packages fast too! Yippee skippee! Here's what I chose...

It was time. Time to jump on the Keep Calm and Carry On train, although I'm a little tardy to the party :) I'm so in love with this one! I want to wear it everyday!

The other choice was a vintage rose getup, which I adorned yesterday and got LOTS of compliments...totally made up for my lack of mascara ;)

Simple. Fun. Well made. Just like I like the stuff in my life. Charmingly Chic has LOTS of items in their shop and are totally reasonably priced...and it looks like the CC blog *might* be having a SALE! Check em out today! I doubt you'll leave without wanting 42 things in your jewelry box stat!

Of other totally NON RELATED news...I was out watering the front yard last night and my little man stepped on a WASP NEST. He was stung THREE times by those suckers and screamed like his hand was being cut off. It was rather horrible. My husband saved the day by removing the stinger out of Aiden's nose with nothing but a butter knife. My hero. ;) Little man had a pretty good reaction and it looks like he's gonna make it. The joys of parenting, and yard work, never cease to amaze me!

Have a great Wednesday! 

xoxo-

{Monday Munchies} Brownie Covered Oreos

Today's recipe is SO EASY and FAST and UBER DELICIOSO! However I do have an announcement...I have to start doing more features of OTHER PEOPLE'S recipes on Mondays as opposed to me making stuff to feature. My kitchen is FULL OF TREATS and we just can't eat them all! Aiden wanted to put off the zoo today so we could make chocolate chip cookies, and I swear that's the last big batch of flour, sugar, and fat this body can handle for awhile. Mind you, my brain is saying "bring it on" but good gracious is the scale deciding to be mean lately ;)

However, don't let my scale deter you from these heavenly little suckers. They are most RAD, kind of different and like I mentioned above, fast. I found this recipe from the master of stuffing cookies and other concoctions, Jenny from Picky Palate. I'm sure most BADD readers have heard of her and if you have not, go there NOW! I'll wait.......

Amazing right? The original recipe can be found here, but I'm going to post my directions below.

Here's your lineup of ingredients..just pretend there are some rainbow sprinkles next to the brownie box.

Bust out your brownie mix according to box directions...

Throw an oreo in the batter and get it covered...

Plop them in a greased muffin pan and top with sprinkles, nonpareils, or leave em plain. You could always frost them and add other toppings later..I did a row of sprinkles, nonpareils, and a plain row. The sprinkles baked the best, FYI.

Bake until done, just a tad under what the box says for regular brownies.

Let em cool in the pan for a few minutes and then use a fork or spoon to get them out and rest on your cooling rack.

Enjoy...and I bet you a buck you can't stop at one...or seven :)

Happy Munching!

xoxo-

PS- CLICK HERE TO SEE WHERE WE LINKED UP!

{Monday Munchies} on WEDNESDAY! Mama Slater's Cinnamon Rolls

::WARNING::

Stupid Blogger will not let me upload any images today...blah...so you'll have to look at this post to see what these puppies look like..

UPDATE: We are starting to be on the mend....Averie looked like she was getting the gunk that's been floating around our house...but I think it's gonna pass her! Yeehaw!!! Aiden is doing a bit better and I'm MAKING MYSELF share this recipe today! I must not procrastinate! I do that with so many other things, BADD must not suffer! 

This recipe was given to me by the daughter of "Mama Slater," who so kindly shared it with me. I wanted to have a handful of new recipes ready when my husband came back for his R&R from Iraq last May. These were a hit and I've been making them pretty consistently ever since. 

I apologize up front for not having tons of pictures to show, I just took one with my iPhone before they were rising for the oven. Without further ado, here they are!

Mama Slater's Cinnamon Rolls 

Dough:  2c. hot water

1/3c. sugar

1T. salt

3/4 square margarine or butter

2 eggs

2 T. instant yeast (or two envelopes)

6-7 c. flour ( I end up with 6 cups)

1/2c. instant powdered milk 

Put hot water and margarine into the bowl to let it melt. Add the powdered milk, sugar, salt,  and 2 1/2 cups of the flour and mix together.(using the paddle attachment on your mixer)  then add the eggs, one at a time, mixing each one completely. Then add 1 cup of flour and while it is mixing slowly sprinkle the yeast into the dough. Then add the rest of the flour. (i usually end up only using about 6 cups) You don't want to add too much flour, as you want this dough to be a little sticky. After about 5 1/2 cups I take a knife and scrape the sides  to check the consistency.  When the dough is done mixing, use a spatula to scrape down the sides and mix in any flour that is left on the sides. This particular dough needs to rise twice in the mixing bowl. it will double in size. I just use the spatula to punch it down. after the second time, dump it out on to a floured surface ( i use a cheesecloth or something like that and put flour on it and fold the sides of the towel over the dough to cover it with flour) roll it out into a rectangle shape about 1/4 inch thick. spread melted butter on the dough and sprinkle regular sugar (about 1/2 cup), brown sugar, and cinnamon. you can use as much or as little as you want. i use a lot! but i never measure it... sorry! I sometimes sprinkle some chopped pecans or walnuts if you want to do that. Roll up the dough keeping it tight so all the filling doesnt fall out. cut about an inch thick and put on a buttered jelly roll pan. i can usually fit 4 across, 5 down on the pan. cover with a towel and let rise one more time. bake on 350 for about 18 minutes?? I usually just check them when i can start to smell it. They should be golden brown. You can make make the cream cheese frosting while they are baking. When they come out of the oven let cool for a few minutes and then frost them!

cream cheese frosting:  8oz. cream cheese, softened

   1 cube butter, softened

    1 lb. powdered sugar

    1 tsp. vanilla

I've apparently been on a bread kick as of late. However these will NOT disappoint! We love em and I hope you will too!!

{Monday Munchies} Procrastination style

Happy Monday! What I should be saying is...cough cough sniff...sniff blow cough...Monday really isn't too happy at our place, we are all feeling quite YUCKY! All of us except for the baby...let's hope she doesn't get the gunk we all have, that would be no fun for this mama. :(

The Monday Munchie this week is my favorite cinnamon roll recipe that I made for Jon as part of his Father's Day present, they're his favorite! However, since I've got a fever and have a sick boy to tend to, this post just might not make it today...I apologize. Here's a sneek peek of these babies just after cutting and placing them in their pan for the oven..

These might be worth checking back for later today or tomorrow! Hope everyone else is healthy and happy!!

xoxo-

{ETSY LOVE} Jackie @ Classy Clever Chic

Woo hoo for Friday!!! I had a CRAZYYYYYY day yesterday and I was just so HOT and TIRED! I ran my kids ragged and blasted the A/C in the car whenever I could. Texas heat is a beast I tell ya. On my way to my last stop I checked our mailbox at the house and found a prize! Yes! It was the totally sweet necklace I ordered from Classy Clever Chic on Etsy. It's so dang cute, and I immediately forgot how hot and tired I was and put it on immediately. Here she is, and she was quite reasonable I must add...

I have this silly obsession with birds right now. AND the fact that I am a mommy to two little ones just made this necklace seem perfect for my neck. I highly recommend checking out Classy Clever Chic and doing a little browsing. Nothing is too outrageously priced, and everything seems to make a statement without taking over the universe. Jackie was a delight to deal with and I got my treat very quickly with a cute little note inside. Totally made my hot sweaty drag the babies all over the dang place day that much better. If you're reading this Jackie, THANK YOU so very much (again) for being awesome and oh so talented. 

Here's a couple of other items that are worth checking out..

Love? I thought so. :) Have a great weekend everyone! Jon and I are going to a little taco truck competition downtown. I'm so pumped. Food served from trucks is one thing that I love trying out!

Unleash the inner Drama Queen {juice in the city}

There's a fun juice deal today that I really want to share! In case you are new to the BADD blog... Juice in the City is a daily deal site that features deals that are tried and true by moms in your local community! It's all about beefing up local businesses and saving a buck in the meantime. I'm so glad I discovered them before summer started, the kids and I are gonna take advantage of some of the fun stuff that has been offered! Today's deal is one of them!

My husband and I always say that our son, Aiden, has SUCH a flair for the dramatic. His sister is more of the rough and tumble type, while Aiden is much more analytical and well...just plain ol' dramatic. His imagination is vast and he's always acting out scenes from Star Wars or Ironman. He even has his friends and gymnastics teachers calling him Ironman. Too funny. This age is awesome!

Anyway, Juice in the city is offering a great deal today to "unleash that inner drama queen/king" and get your babes in some acting classes!

$65 FOR TWO MONTHS OF CHILDREN'S DRAMA CLASSES

Two months worth?!?! There's your summer folks! :) Acting up academy in San Antonio says this about their mission...

Our goal is to help every young person achieve "Social Presence", the confidence to speak up in any situation. We will achieve our goal through the use of Creative Drama which includes Theatre Games, Improvisation, Storytelling, Pantomime, Diction, Vocal Projection and more. Most importantly, we will have FUN doing it!

Totally cool right? I never would have thought of doing something like this for my kids...but since Juice has brought it to my attention, I'm definitely looking into it. I hope you do as well!

And the OSCAR goes to........

Daily Deals on Juice in the City

ETSY shop launch!

Check us out here!

I've been debating it for a LONG TIME....but after a little nudge from the other LB at The Elephant's Trunk, I decided it was time to bite the Etsy bullet and open my shop for my vinyl lettering. Im so thankful to Lauren and her help, she is truly becoming a dear friend and I know our budding friendship is one I will cherish. You have to check her out. She's got an Etsy shop as well and you can peek at it here. I have about 5 things I could order right this instant! 

Anyway, my shop is up and running, and I'm in the process of adding more and more things to the selection. I am working on TWO custom orders right now, and I'm just kicking myself for not doing this sooner! I'm having a blast and connecting with other Etsy girls who have such talent. It's absolutely mind boggling to see what people can do with a needle and thread, a canvas and a brush, beads and metal, etc. Unreal I tell ya!  

Do you have an Etsy shop? I would LOVE for you to leave a comment and tell Sara and I what it is! Since being a shop owner is obviously new to me...I'm totally into checking out the shops of people we have connected with through BADD. Later I'll be posting some of my favorite shops from Etsy, and it just might be yours!

Kittens and Gumdrops can be found by click this handy little link.

Hope you all have a hip happenin Tuesday!

Monday Munchies {Cloud Light Crescents}

Oh Monday. How sad I am to see the weekend go, but how happy I am for Monday, because that means in just 5 days the weekend will be back again! On Saturday we were invited to a BBQ at one of my husband's classmate's homes. Being sweet hosts, they said we didn't need to bring anything. However, we don't 'roll' like that...so I whipped out some of my Cloud Like Crescents and brought them along. 

Are you scared of bread? Do those little packets of yeast just freak you out? They did for me for a very long time, until the woman that gave this recipe to me gave me a "Bread 101" crash course many moons ago and I'll never be scared again. Bring it on yeast! I will own you! ;)

Anyway, I will share the recipe for my rolls today, and I really encourage you to try these out. Your dinner guests/kids/neighbors/etc. will be oh so glad that you did!

FIRST THINGS FIRST. Get your bowl WARM by putting some hot water in it for a few minutes or running it under the faucet for a sec. This takes the chill off of your cold metal mixing bowl and makes a safe place for your yeast.

Okay, on to cloud light crescent awesomeness!

The ingredients are as follows:

2pkg of yeast (or 2 Tablespoons)

1 1/4 cup warm water (should feel like bath water)

1/2 cup of sugar

1/2 cup oil

3 well beaten eggs

2 tsp. salt

4 1/2 cups flour

Here wee goooooooooo!

Take your WARM bowl and dump out any water that might be inside before you start. Pour 1/4 cup of your water (should feel like an almost hot bath) into your bowl and pour your yeast in. Give it a light stir and let it sit until it has dissolved. This takes about 5 minutes and you might see some bubbling. Give it another stir and add your sugar and oil, the remaining 1 cup of water, beaten eggs, salt, then finally your flour. Slap on the dough hook and mix it all up for a couple minutes, no real time is the right time, you just want to make sure everything is incorporated. A couple scrape downs with a spatula never hurt anything either. Sometimes the dough hook doesn't get it all and you need to help it out. WARNING: This dough is STICKY. And that's okay, we need it to be to get the "cloud-light effect."

Next, cover your bowl with a dish towel and place in a warm place to let rise. My favorite place is our hot and humid garage. It needs to double in size, so before you cover estimate what doubling in size would look like so you have a gauge to measure against. Mine takes about 1.5 to 2 hours to double. Just enough time to drop off Aiden at a birthday party and run to the grocery store for a few things..

Once your dough is doubled in size, bring it in and generously flour a surface to roll out your dough. I do this is THREE batches. Take approximately a THIRD of your dough and roll out into a big circle about 1/4" thick. This is STICKY remember, so the floured surface and rolling pin is crucial. NOT intimidating you scaredy breads, just be confident and do it. :) After your "pizza" is rolled out, take a pizza cutter and cut circle into 12 triangles..

Then roll up your rolls starting at the widest part and place on your baking sheets with the tip down against the sheet to prevent all of your hard work and fretting from coming undone...

Do this for the other 2 thirds of your dough and lightly cover your baking sheets with dish towels and let these rolls rise to double. Notice how mine are not perfect in size and shape, that is what I LOVE about these, they are perfect in their imperfection. This takes about another hour or so. Just enough time to pick up Aiden from said party and hit up Sonic for a diet cherry coke zero. You know you want one. OMG I'm obsessed, and Sonic is less than a mile away. Reason 7683653 why I love living where I do :) 

AN-eeee-WAYS, once your rolls look like they have about doubled in size preheat your oven to 375 and bake these babies for about 10 minutes. WATCH them at about 8 minutes, once they start to brown they go quick. Let them cool in a cooling rack and get ready to have all the kids at your BBQ beg you to please make these every time you come over. Totally good for the baking ego, just sayin' :) All 36 rolls were gone in about 10 minutes. 

Enjoy! I really hope you take these on. You won't be sorry I PROMISE!!  

Happy munching!

xoxo

Linking up to:

Skip to my Lou

Making the world Cuter

Craftomaniac

Keepin It Simple

C.R.A.F.T.

The Girl Creative

Sumo's Sweet Stuff

The 36th Avenue

Bloggeritaville

Fabric Bows and More

Somewhat Simple
Paisley Passions
House of Hepworths
The Shabby Chic Cottage
Yesterday on Tuesday
Making it with Allie
Beyond the Picket Fence
A Glimpse Inside

Tatertots & Jello

Whipperberry

I wanna getaway!

{image from good ol google}

Today is Friday. Yippee! Friday means I don't usually cook, I try to get my house cleaned up for the weekend, my husband is HOME, and I don't have any official plans. The hustle and bustle of the summer has started, and I don't even have school aged kids yet! A summer vacation would be oh so fabulous. A cruise to be exact. Where my husband and I can eat, lay by the pool, eat, get dressed up, eat, relax, eat, and enjoy being together in a laid back atmosphere. That's what I wish we could do to recharge my batteries. What are you doing this summer? What do you WISH you could be doing this summer? I really wanna know! The reality of my summer will be mommying, wifing, cooking, cleaning, CRAFTING, VINYLING, and finally launching my Etsy shop, Kittens and Gumdrops. Not as relaxing a cruise, but definitely jam packed full of fun!!

Hope all of our BADD girls have a fun, safe, staying cool and spending time with family kind of weekend! See you next week with a new Monday Munchie recipe and the final result of Averie's "Char" shutters!

Yee Haw!!!!!

Howdy Pardners! Today I wanted to tell you a little bit about my move to San Antonio. I was always excited to come here, and was very much looking forward to it. I absolutely LOVED my life in Hawaii, and leaving Sara and my besties there was BY FAR the MOST EMOTIONAL of my 8 military moves as an army wife. The people we love in Hawaii really became my "ohana," or family. I miss them dearly, but am totally LOVING all things TEXAS! I've made some seriously AMAZING friends that I know I will cherish forever. 

One of the things I love about this place is how "Texas" it truly is. Underneath the all the new growth, buildings, the NBA's Spurs, you'll see this place sprinkled with Texas flags and a love for all things "Wild West." My son received real cowboy boots for his birthday this year, and he couldn't wait to get to Texas to wear them like real cowboys!

The kids and I have searched high and low for things to go and see and explore here in San Antonio, and a couple of days back I posted about the newest and raddest deal site, Juice in the City. It has proven to be an awesome place for deals in YOUR CITY, found and recommended by MOMS IN YOUR CITY! Totally awesome. Well today there is definitely a deal worth sayin' YEEEEHAWWWWW about! Drumroll please..... 

2 FOR 1 ADMISSION AT HISTORIC ENCHANTED SPRINGS RANCH For $14! 

Aiden is gonna FLIP! This place will make you feel like you've stepped back in time to an old Western movie! There's a herd of Longhorn cattle, gun shows, costumed staff, and you can even finish off your day with a authentic Chuck Wagon dinner. How rootin' tootin' rad is that?! Jon and I are taking advantage of this deal, the kids are gonna have a blast I just know it!

Do you live in San Antonio? Hop over here to take advantage of a GREAT opportunity for a fun day with your family. 

Do you NOT live in San Antonio? Well no biggie, juice could be in your town! Check out their site and see what deals are coming your way!! You can also click the widget below :)

Daily Deals on Juice in the City

*This is a compensated post*

Whimsy Wednesday #2

Last week we hosted our first linky party! We are so happy we got some new friends to link up their RAD stuff! I really couldn't pick my fave...but here's some of what we found...

How cool is this dresser redo from It's just us?!

And this totally darling To do list frame from here

Feeling hungry? Maybe you should make some Chocolate Lush that Jackie made at Classy Clever Chic.

I loved everyone's linkup and I THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH for stopping by and leaving a little piece of your blog world with us! I was definitely inspired! Please come party every week and spread the word!

Below is the start of our partay for this week! Can't wait to see what the summer has you cookin up!

Juicy deals for moms everywhere!

I have another confession (I seem to use this blog as a place for that). I'm slightly obsessed with deal sites, such as Groupon, Living Social, babysteals, baby half off, etc. However, as a mama, those deals don't always work for my current way of life. I still stalk them anyway and ooo and ahhh over what deals come to my inbox. I kind of wish that I would know someone who has tried the deal out, knows about the place that's offering the discount etc etc. To me, it's not a good deal to get a deep discount on family pictures if the photographer stinks, just sayin'. ;) 

Do any of you guys feel that way? I know someone who did, the peeps that started Juice in the city! It's a daily deal site that was created BY MOMS and for MOMS! Did the heavens just open and are the angels singing? Yes indeed they are. Summer is here and that means ALL of your kids are home, bored, eating you out of house and home. Well, at least that's what my siblings and I did! We would always complain of boredom even though my mom had us in all kinds of activities all summer long. Well, Juice has a daily deal that goes straight to your inbox, and they are spreading their juiciness all over the country! All deals are sought out by local moms in your area who have tried the deal first hand and can highly recommend it. Rad? Yes ma'am. Am I pumped about Juice in the City? Duh. Should you be? If you are a lover of all things cheap, deeply discounted and have the spirit of 'adventure' by trusting mamas in your town, then YES! ABSOLUTELY! ONE HUNDRED PERCENT! 

You can go to the Juice site and sign up for their daily e-mail, and start loving the deals!You can even sign in through Facebook. I just love that. No need for yet another username and password. Like I said, angels are singing from on high. :) Also, if you find juice isn't in your area YET, shoot them and e-mail so they can work on getting the Juiciness in your neck of the woods, it's only a matter of time!

I am delighted to share this new source for deals with our fellow BADD girls! 

Daily Deals on Juice in the City

May your inbox be filled with deal you know you can trust and LOVE!

{My Sugar Mama} Monday Munchies!

Good morning!! I'm so excited about today's post! Many of you know that Bakerella's cake pops are all the rage, and some of you might have tried your hand at them once or twice. I know I have! I actually made some for Sara for her birthday last year...and they actually turned out! I've seen cake pops adorning dessert tables and parties everywhere for a good while now and Deena from My Sugar Mama Baking Boutique has taken on the task of turning cake pops into her side business! I personally have tasted Deena's pops, and I can assure you that they taste as darling as they look! I think they taste even better since I wasn't the one slaving over them. Cake pops are no joke!

These robots below are from my son's 5th birthday party in Las Vegas. They were a HUGE hit!

Graduation season is upon us...how cute would these be on the tables at a grad party? Complete with your school colors!

I know it's way too hot to think about Christmas, but how adorbs in this snowman?!?!

image by Heather @ {whipperberry}

If you are in the Las Vegas area, you need to know about Deena and her baking boutique. She's very talented and super amazing! You can e-mail her here. 

My Sugar Mama's cake pops have graced the tables of Whipperberry, and her guitar cake pops were featured at this AMAZING Beatle inspired birthday!

Cucumber Limeade

I had a super rad Blog BFF come visit me yesterday, and during our visit we sipped the most refreshing and super delicious beverage, and I just so happened to have sugar-rimmed glasses and a tad bit of twine on hand to make it taste "that" much better! ;) Dontcha think that everything tastes better in a sugar rimmed glass? I most definitely think so!

Are you melting in your home town like we are in San Antonio? This place is HOT folks, and there's no sign of rain any time soon...maybe that's why I have the most RIDICULOUS tan burn line from Sea World last week, but that is completely besides the point....

If you're wanting a cool, unusual and incredibly refreshing drink to have on hand for when your cronies pop in for a visit, this my dear friends, is the bev for you!

You might want the recipe...so here it is. SO easy peasy and fast!

Take-

1 can frozen limeade concentrate

1 two liter of your favorite clear DIET soda ( I used diet Sierra Mist)

a few slices of cucumber, and some reserved for garnish.

cute stemware

mound of sugar on a plate 

small bowl of water about 1/4" deep

Throw your frozen limeade in a pitcher and dump in your diet soda & mix. Then slice up some cucumber and throw a few slices in the pitcher and place in fridge. More cucumber= more cucumbery flavor.

While the limeade is getting happy in the fridge, take your stemware and place the rim in the bowl of water and transfer into the sugar on the plate. Twist glass once or twice to cover rim, then transfer to a paper towel. MAKE SURE your glass is still upside down, let dry for a few minutes. This way the sugar will have a chance to harden and not run down your glass making an unsightly mess :)

After your limeade is chilled go ahead and fill your glasses and garnish with a slice of cucumber.

SUPER tasty. Hope you get a chance to whip this up and share it with those you love!

linked to:

Somewhat Simple

House of Hepworths

The Shabby Chic Cottage

Tales from Bloggeritaville

Yesterday on Tuesday

Beyond the Picket Fence

Tidy Mom

Whipperberry

Whimsy Wednesday LINKY!

Good morning BADD bloggesses!! Today we are hopping on the linky wagon and starting our VERY FIRST linky party!! The original idea for this blog was to showcase the best of the blogosphere in one hip happenin' spot. Now that we are getting a little traffic and have some of our OWN projects in the works, the time has come! Please come join us by showcasing what you've been up to. It could be anything from a simple recipe to an entire room makeover. We humbly ask that you do not include giveaways or link to your Etsy shop. We love those things, but would la la LOVE if you contacted us directly by e-mailing us about that :)

If you would be so kind, include a text link back to BADD (a button is in the works), and leave a love note for the projects before and after you. After all, it is a party...and who doesn't enjoy getting some blog love?!