Charcuterie Board 101

No we did not invent the charcuterie 

board but we sure do own it!

We love making up these fun and yummy boards

whenever we are all together. My kids especially

love taking turns whipping up creative new items 

to slap on the board just to get a reaction! 

It really could not be easier and yet it looks so impressive!

Pick up some special cheese and crackers and then add

anything from fruit, nuts, olives, breads, mustards, salami, 

olive oils, fresh sea salt, veggies, pate or pickles.

We like to serve it before dinner with a 

glass of wine or sparkling water.

It gives me a littel extra time in the kitchen before 

I am bombarded with HANGRY people 

standing over me forging for food.

If you don't have a board use a tray or a big bowl.

There are NO rules and NO recipe to follow.

Just have fun!

My girls are oh so proud!

Good mama training for sure!

OH I almost forgot!

Don't worry about how to pronounce charcuterie.

I NEVER ever get it right!

Happy Boarding!

We put these puppies on the board too!

Go HERE for this amazing 

Sausage & Cheese Crescent recipe!

One more board to check out!

Kid-Friendly Meal - Mac and Cheeseburger

Dish it out!

Serve it up!

Line em up!

Suppers ready, 

come and get it!

I'm not gonna lie to another mama.

This is not a healthy, kid-friendly meal all

wrapped up with an organic, gluten free bow.

It is a survival meal.

One of those meals that requires no

fancy ingredients and no brainpower.

It is a kiddie crowd pleaser and it tastes 

like a cheeseburger!

Yep, I said a cheeseburger!

You've got your protein and carbs.

Serve it with a big old sip cup of milk

and you are good to go!

Add a side of fruit in a cup and you are golden!

How do you like these special bowls?

I found these beauties while Goodwill hunting and 

I snatched them up for 49 cents a piece.

My Granny had these same bowls!

They literally make everything taste better.

And yes I am a hoarder. I am not proud of it but

it does make me really giddy to pull out 

these old toddler utensils!

Oh the days are long gone where these tools

were washed multiple times a day but

I get to dust them off when B and Finn come to play!

I am still a grandma wannabe but that's ok for now.

Here is the easy recipe!

Mac and Cheeseburger

1 box of Annie's macaroni and cheese

1 pound of Laura's Lean Beef

1/2 cup of chopped onion (use white if you need to hide it)

1 tsp of garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup of ketchup

1/4 cup of yellow mustard

Make the macaroni and cheese according to the directions on the box.

Cook the hamburger with the onions and garlic powder until it is good and browned. Drain any fat from the pan. Add salt, pepper, ketchup and mustard and let it simmer on low for about 5 minutes.

Add the prepared macaroni and cheese to the hamburger and mix well. That's it! Taste it and see if you need a little more ketchup and or mustard. I sometimes add a little more for a bigger kick but I like my cheeseburgers dripping in sauce so that is just me being messy. 

Serve it up and call in the troops! Set a bowl of sliced dill pickles on the table and double dare the

children to add it to their bowl! Easy, fast and not super healthy but good for a mama's brain after a long summer day! Enjoy!

Here is another kid-friendly recipe!

Potato Chip Chicken Tenders!

Go HERE to get it!

Mother Teresa of Calcutta

I believe that God has bestowed each us with the gifts 

needed to do His work. Each person is unique as is our gifts.

He allows us the free will to do as we wish with our lives.

Sometimes we answer His calls and other times we may 

choose to take a pass for whatever reason. He will quietly present opportunities to us throughout our lives. Sometimes those opportunities come with just the perfect timing and other times it can be the most inconvenient and awkward timing possible but He still comes asking 

quietly and softly never begging nor demanding. 

It is always our choice, our will, and our decision.

As we go forward marching though this sometimes very crazy, and often scary world may we try to remember the simple and beautiful words form Mother Teresa below.

And in the back of your mind listen to that voice that tugs at you from time to time asking you, 

never begging you to take the opportunity to give 

extraordinary love in the most ordinary ways.

Do ordinary things with extraordinary love. 
                                          ~Mother Teresa

What I can do you cannot.

What you can do I cannot.

But together we can do something 

beautiful for God.

                                            ~Mother Teresa

Holiness is not the luxury of the few,

it is a simple duty, for you and for me.

                                             ~Mother Teresa

God has created us to love and be loved,

and this is the beginning of prayer, to

know that He loves me, that I have 

been created for greater things.

                                              ~Mother Teresa

The child is the beauty of God present in the world.

The greatest gift to a family.

                                              ~Mother Teresa

To learn more about the beautiful life and work 

of Mother Teresa please visit the site below.

 Ⓒ Missionaries of Charity

Dorm Room Decor

I found this little wooden nugget at Goodwill.

I bought it for $3.99!

I found an old rag and a leftover bottle 

of white acrylic paint in my craft cabinet.

I just rubbed the white paint on 

in a messy kind of way. 

This was easy for me as it required 

no talent whatsoever!

That's it!

DONE!

Very easy and very cute little shelf to stash in 

Baby Girl # 2's dorm room!

Here it is with some PINK thingamgiggies!

I know you are saying, "Wow, that is so cute!"

And you are also saying, "Mama Holli is just so clever!"

Now this is a great little bit of history!

The gorgeous brooch belonged to my husband's great grandmother!

The hanky we bought in Italy on our honeymoon.

The cute little rose dish was part of my china tea set

when I was a little girl. It was given to me by my Granny and Popeye.

The BEST part of the post!

Here is the sweet baby girl #2 who now has this

treasure in her dorm room far away from home in Texas!

How stinking cute is she!!!

I miss you Mooshka!