Simple Butter Drop Biscuits

****I don't know about you, but I myself absolutely love buttery crumbly biscuits with my sausage pepper gravy and this recipe is the best for it.***

You will need: 

• 1/2 cup butter (I like to use cold and shred it in with cheese grater) 
• 2 cups AP Flour
• 1 tbs baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4cup + 2 tbs milk (can use any kind, I've even used Almond milk) 
• 1 egg (beaten)

Steps to yumminess:

• Preheat oven to 450*F
• Grease cast iron, small baking sheet with parchment or round cake pan. (if using for biscuits with sausage gravy I recommend bacon grease it is awesome!) 
• Combine dry ingredients, shred or cut in butter until looks like a coarse meal, if you work fast you can do it with a fork first and then fully incorporate with your fingers (please wash and dry first rinse in cold to cool hands) 
• SLOWLY add milk while stirring. 
• Form into a round (lumps lol) and put close together in the pan, I like to make a kind of flower shape for it. ((See picture above))

Brush tops with beaten egg and bake for 12 minutes or until browned and baked through. 

**Tip* You may want to keep milk handy to moisten dough a little more if it seems dry, this will help them crumble a little less if you want to use them to have sandwiches or if you enjoy them like I do with a little honey or fresh fruit jam* 

This is also a great recipe to let kids make, just measure out the ingredients if they are under 7 and let them mix as the recipe states. If older than 7 supervise them measuring themselves to give them the practice. 

Being Scared of the World, While being a MOM!

Hi, if you are reading this that must mean the boredom and need to stay busy has gotten to you and you have stumbled across my wonderous blog. If that is the case then...WELCOME!!! If you are a follower or a fan thanks for sticking around during this crazy time in the world!

If any of you are like me then you are also a parent at home with kids that would normally be in school during the day so things may be a little out of whack for you! Well, guess what...

THAT IS OKAY!

The world is super crazy and scary right now and not having it all together is the kind of thing we all have in common right now. There are so many people who are trying their hardest to be teachers, improvisational cooks, keep the house in order and make sure that everyone is keeping up on their hygiene. It is hard, especially with so much fear and uncertainty in our futures. We need to stop pushing our selves to keep the same schedules and to-do lists and embrace the looser side of the days.

Are you someone who likes to make lists and cross off everything as you do it? Instead of making a new list each day, make one big list broken into three parts.

In this section, you want to write down the big things to get done before the month is over. This could be writing up your meal plan and shopping list for the following month, cleaning out a closet, reorganizing a room in your home, etc. These are items you can be a little lax on and leaves time for ...

In this section, you'll put things like laundry, changing bed sheets, cleaning out the refrigerator, vacuuming, dusting, cleaning the bathrooms, etc. These are things that you want to keep up on a little bit more for hygiene reasons and of course so you can keep up with what you may have stored behind that jar of jam or gallon of milk at the bottom of your fridge! (I know I myself am not a fan of finding that leftover pot roast or chicken soup several weeks later when it has developed it's own islands of mold and bacteria residents lol)

This is the section that will change the most and if you use a whiteboard like I do that makes it much easier to change when you need to. Right now I have small boards for the kids to put their personal to-do lists on and one large one in the kitchen we use for the menu of the day and most other notes. Here you can put things like, work on schoolwork, dishes, prep meals, bake something, and if you want to do smaller lists for the kids and designate a set time for the lists to be checked off, then you can put things like, make beds, get dressed, brush teeth, set table, pick up toys, read two books, etc. Make them quick chores and tasks so that there is still time to be together and reassure them that together you can get through this time.


I am still working on my board for the next month as this one is pretty much over. I will post that picture with my blog post on Tuesday to bring us into April. Tune in then to see how I played it out and use some of your own creativity and I would love to see yours!

Now comes my biggest TIP/SECRET/IDEA THAT WORKS FOR ME:

Take one day and do NOT make a list for that day. Take that day off, spend it with the kids doing fun stuff they choose to do, let them pick dinner that day, make a fun snack, stay in pj's and cuddle watching movies on Disney+, Hulu, Netflix or any other streaming service you might have.

**side note, I will be making a post about some fun shows and movies I discovered when I ran out of things on the DVR to watch** Should be fun! 

But anyway, take a day to just have fun and try to enjoy the togetherness you can get with your family that life usually doesn't give us a moment for like we would like. It is ok to be afraid of what's to come and what has already happened. It is ok to feel overwhelmed and like you cannot seem to stay on track. DO NOT be hard on yourself. (trust me I know from first-hand experience this does NOT help anything lol) be kind to yourselves and others. We need kindness more than anything right now in the world. I hope this helps you a little bit or at least gives you something new to try to keep some of the sanity at this time.

See you again soon! Keep reading and we will keep living! <3 

Making It Together (Andrew and Mama Day)

Today was another "started like any other" day. Breakfast, dressed, chores, etc. Then DJ headed off to work and me and the kids went about our day. Now lately I have been having a lot of trouble staying asleep and have averaged maybe 3-4 hours a night of actual rest, so I have a bit of a short fuse as well as lingering headaches and fatigue. (I plan to address this issue with my doctor when I see him next week, if I can make it that long). So my days I wake up and hope beyond hope that the kids will keep the rivalries to a minimum. Today has been pretty good in that regard. Mckenzee made lunch for her and Spencer (some peanut butter and banana sandwiches) then once he went down for his nap she headed outside to play with her friends. Andrew stayed inside with me because he wanted to do a project. 

Turns out his project was his version of a Titanic replica made out of cardboard recyclables I had around the house and my glue gun! 
He is really good at figuring out how to make the items look like his favorite famous ship! 

He worked on it for about two hours, cutting, folding, gluing and taping until he had a pretty good start to the Titanic. Tomorrow we plan to do a little more work on it and hopefully even get to the point of painting it as well. (There will be finished pictures posted in the post I have after he finishes it). Here is what it looks like right now with the work he put into it today. 
I am very excited to see how it will turn out in the end, I am very proud that he came up with this all on his own. I love that he is so into the history of such a famous part of this world's past. 

Andrew and I also made corn chowder tonight for dinner, which happens to be a family favorite.

 Here is how you can make it at home yourself:

1/2 cup butter
One medium onion, chopped
4-5 large potatoes chopped into bite size pieces (this feeds 5 people, you can use more potatoes if you want to feed more people) 
One 12 oz can Evaporated Milk 
One 14 oz can Cream Corn
One 14 oz Kernel Corn (drained)
Salt & Pepper (to taste) 

In a large pot saute onions in butter until translucent and soft, add in chopped potatoes and toss with butter and onions. Cover potatoes in water (just until covered) and cook over medium heat until tender. Add can of milk and cans of corn and return to low simmer cooking until heated through. 
Serve and Enjoy! 

((My kids love this meal and it is a great meatless dinner night recipe however I do know some like to add bite size cooked chicken as an alternative.))

So today everything we did was home made and done just me and him. Tomorrow Mckenzee and I will do somethings together just her and Mama! I love when days work out like this. 

Now we are ending our night with some Harry Potter, watermelon, popcorn, and some cuddles. (Mckenzee will be attending camp come the 19th and it is Harry Potter themed so we are getting her prepped up for it) 

Hope you all have a wonderful night! 

Just Another Manic.....Tuesday.

Today of course was like any other. Get up, Mckenzee off to school, Spencer up...etc. However, the Spencer part was the start of a different kind of day. Last night he had a little trouble getting to sleep due to him having some bad milk and throwing up when he went to bed. So he had to be washed up and put back to bed after cleaning everything up. Then this morning he had a diaper that decided it wanted to explode and get those tiny weird beads ALL OVER him and his bed. So I had to throw him in the bath to start his day which I am pretty sure he loved since he laughed and splashed and had a grand ol time in there. Then it was breakfast and time to get going on things that needed to be done. So I started in the kids' room and I cleaned out between Mckenzee's bed and the wall and got her bed pushed against it so I could turn Spencer's crib against the wall and make a little more room in there for them to play in. Then I remade both their beds and fixed their closet door. All fun fun fun! 
By the time I finished all that I had to pick up a mess that Spencer felt the need to make while I was occupied in the other room. Apparently there was a toy at the BOTTOM of the toy box he just HAD to have! So he took everything out to find it. Next thing I knew it was lunch and time for him to go down for a nap. I used that time to do three loads of laundry (wash, dry and fold). I also organized some paper work and crafting supplies. Then BOOM! It was almost time for Mckenzee to be home from school and Spencer up from nap and then it was time to make dinner which came out fantastic! (Pork Chops, Garlic-Cheddar Mashed potatoes, Butter-corn and biscuits with Applesauce) So yummy that Mckenzee has seconds as did Spencer and DJ (that doesn't always happen). 

I was hoping I would have time to do some writing or some artwork but the day just got away from me and before I knew it DJ and the kids were heading to bed and here I am blogging, watching "Dance Moms" and wishing I have $200 to shop at JoAnns online! (I could go totally nuts buying crafting supplies and such to make gifts and for my own enjoyment!) If things go well this year there will be tons of homemade gifts for me to send out to my loved ones and for my own kiddos! 

I am trying to be ambitious and really get things done this year. I have been really good at keeping up with my smile jar and I have been doing some small sketches to get my groove back, the only thing I need now is some gloves to help with the pain in my hands that I am sure are the early signs of arthritis. Gotta love getting older. I cannot WAIT for menopause! *sense the sarcastic tone* On that note this old lady needs to get some rest because her old man is taking her out tomorrow to celebrate his birthday with a wonderful comedic "roast" with all his friends finding something to say. Should be very interesting! 

Goodnight my faithful readers....if there are any....hey if you get a chance leave me a comment just so I know you were here! 

Trying New Foods and Recipes

Since I am trying to eat a little better and I am trying to get out of the food rut we seem to be in, (I do not want to keep making the same things all the time) I have incorporated some new foods into our meals and new recipes! The first thing I tried in the last week (which I have found I love) is "The Golden Spurtle" which is a steel cut (also known as pinhead) oatmeal. It reminds me of Maypo (another favorite). I added some dried cranberries and almonds to it and it was spectacular! It was so good I wanted to have it as a snack after dinner so I saved it in the fridge and reheated it with some milk and it was so good! 

I have also been eating more fruit and vegetables every chance I get! I love eating grapes, oranges, apples, peaches and more with the kids because they love it all too! I have been drinking more water especially since I have done more walking lately. My inspiration was a little forced due to feeling like a big failure but I am determined to become more healthy one way or another. 

Just felt like taking a picture! :) 

We also tried a new recipe this week. A few nights ago I had taken out some sauce that I had made and was just going to boil some pasta and bake some biscuits and that was going to be that...then I had an idea! I had remembered seeing a recipe for Chicken Parmesan using frozen chicken nuggets (which I have an abundance of with kids in the house). So I found the recipe and I modified it a little using some jarred Mozzarella Sauce (Ragu) and my sauce layering first the frozen nuggets in a 13x9, then slowly layering the mozzarella sauce, my sauce and some grated Parmesan cheese. I popped it in the oven at 350 for about 15 minutes, then I pulled it out and topped it with some grated Mozzarella cheese and put it back in for another 15 mins. While that was baking up all yummy I boiled the water for the pasta and used a muffin tin to put my refrigerated biscuits in (since I still don't have a cookie sheet). 15 minutes later I was pulling out everything from the oven and my family was drooling over the smells of greatness wafting through the house! Dinner was a HUGE hit that night! I am so glad I decided to make it and even more glad that a new recipe did so well with the whole family (that is just rare). 

I can't wait to try some other new recipes! 

#SuperChef #MamaChef #Shocking

Inspection Day and the Fantastic Birthday

Wednesday was "Inspection Day" in our complex so we had to make sure we had the house in order for when they came in to check things out. I have never lived in a place that required inspections so I went on a cleaning spree staying up until 12:30 am to make sure as much of the house was clean as could possibly be. That left just some vacuuming and touch up work for the day of the inspection and I was able to have the place completely awesome for when they came in to check it out! I was even able to keep "Hurricane Spencer" under order so that I didn't have to worry about him pulling out every toy he owns! The plus of the whole day was that when they came it was still early and I was able to get Spencer down for his nap after they left! As they were on their way out the door at the end of inspection we were complimented on how well we kept the place and they thanked us for being so clean! Yay, honestly even today it not too bad in our house, the floor could use a vacuum and the dishes weren't done because we took the day off and had a lazy Sunday for once, but tomorrow is Monday and I will have it all "spic and span" by the time lunch rolls around. 


Friday was little McKenzee's 7th Birthday party which of course meant I had to make sure the house was clean, the cake was made and all the presents were ready BEFORE she got home from school!  

I was able to get the "Pin the Carrot on Olaf" game drawn up and cut out, the cake baked and kitchen picked up, the floors vacuumed and presents all set before I had to get McKenzee from school.

Once we were home I had her pick up her room and then her friends were knocking on the door asking if she could go out and play and since it was her birthday I wasn't going to say no so she went out with an adamant "You BETTER be home by 5:30 for dinner!" While she was gone I was able to finish decorating her cake, (which had a huge break in it from sticking to the pan) and I made Olaf cupcakes too! 

 



Needless to say she was actually a few minutes early for fear of getting in trouble for being late. After quickly scarfing down some hot dogs and macaroni and cheese (since I was looking for a fast dinner), we were able to pick up real quick and I was able to finish up the Olaf noses JUST before her friends were knocking on the door for the party!

 Before I knew it my house was overrun with little girls wanting to put on McKenzee's princess dresses and singing along to Frozen on the TV. Luckily is wasn't too long before DJ was coming through the door to help me wrangle in the giggles and the hopping around of them as they had some fun playing and singing! 

Some family showed up and McKenzee's friends from before we moved here, and we sat down to open some presents before a few of the kids had to leave. Then some cake and ice cream to hop them all up before playing the "Pin the Carrot on Olaf" game. By the time that was done the kids wanted a little more ice cream and then we were left with about 3 little girls since the others had to get home. DJ took the ones that were left outside on the deck with Spencer and played a round of "Frozen Trivia" before it was time to call it a night. As we said goodbye to the last little girl, whose Mama stayed and chatted with us a bit before heading across the hall to her apartment. I am really starting to like our neighbor across the hall, she is funny, polite, and has a hand mixer! (That is funny because every time I go to make a cake I forget that I do NOT have a hand mixer or any kind of mixer for that matter) 

 All in all it was a great night for McKenzee and her friends and a long and exhaustive day for me in which I had to see my little girl get bigger again...oh sad Mama sigh. I love her so much but I wish that my kids would just stay little longer! 

I hope you all are following along and enjoying my funny days! More to come later this week! Including some new recipes that were tried and LOVED by my family! 

#Inspection #Birthday #SuperMama 

Another cooking adventure and a Trip to the Bug Museum

Cheeseburger Soup

So I had a new adventure in cooking on Sunday, I made Cheeseburger Soup! 

It seemed to be pretty well received too as I was able to get some "Mommy that was yummy's" out of my picky daughter! Guess I am definitely going to keep Yumprint.com as a place to get all my yummy recipe ideas! 

Tonight was a big hit as well. I made Ham and Scalloped Potato Casserole in the crock pot and it was AWESOME! So out of the three meals I have tried from that site, three of them were great! 

Ham and Scalloped Potatoes

On Saturday before DJ headed to work we took advantage of the fun at the Bug Museum and took the kids. There we were able to use a coupon to get a free caterpillar for Mckenzee to help grow into a butterfly. There was also rock drawing, picture stamp crafts, face painting, caterpillar races, and chalk drawing. Mckenzee got to check out all kinds of bugs from around the world and lots of reptiles as well, she even touched a few!