Girlfriend Inspirations In Portland

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, our family went out of town this past week. We used to live in Portland and it was good to go back and see family and friends while we were there.

I had brunch with a couple of girlfriends one morning and we had so much fun! We all used to teach 2nd grade together and I have missed these girls so much since moving away. 

I don't miss the Portland weather, but certainly miss these Portland girlfriends! :)

My girlfriend Shauna was the hostess and she made everything so cute! 

She had the most adorable straws I've ever seen. I can't remember exactly where she ordered hers from, but I did find them along with alot of other fun things over at The Sugar Diva.

My girlfriend Stephanie is the cutest pregnant girl ever. We were loving our sugar-rimmed glasses. It made our OJ taste oh-so fancy. :)

Check out this adorable play area Shauna and her husband put together for their little girl! The teacher in me is "all kinds of lovin' this!" :D My little guy loved the little mirror that was just his height.

I even got inspiration in the guest bathroom! I LOVED these pictures and knew immediately that I wanted to try to make some for my little guy. What great gifts these would make! Just a bit of wood, paint, mod podge and scrapbook paper and you can go to town! I think I know what I want to do for my nieces next year! :)

The nursery was adorable. Shauna had decorated quite a bit with Pottery Barn Kids as inspiration. Check out the butterflys. Don't they just make you happy? Shauna gave me two that she had leftover to use as a template. I can't wait to try it! If I still had a classroom, these would totally be going up on the walls every spring! :) She got the idea for the dollhouse shelving from PB Kids. She showed her husband the picture and he built it! I SO wish I had that kind of skill! The things you could do!

The PB Kids mobile was adorable. I took a picture so I could store it away for a future project. I really liked the simplicity of it. So perfect for a little girl's room.

I loved the different letters she used to spell out Emerson's name....

Let me know if you try any of these projects! Hope you've been as inspired by Shauna's place as much as I was! :)

Baked French Toast Casserole

I was going to post this recipe this past weekend, but due to two different family emergencies, my husband and I had to make a quick and crazy trip out of town and we've just returned. (Sorry, Tori!) :( My husband's father had to have an unexpected surgery and his grandmother took a turn for the worse. We drove 750+ miles but were able to make it back in time for my husband to see his 93 year-old grandmother before she passed. We were able to take our little man up to the hospital to see his grandpa and make him smile. Lots of travel. Lots of stress. However, I'm so glad we got there when we did. 

This past Easter, we celebrated the day with some wonderful friends. 

My girlfriend Michelle made this french toast casserole and OH MY GOODNESS!! It is so good! I've lost track of how many times I've made this since Easter. It's a Paula Deen recipe, so you know it's good. Just plan a trip to the gym shortly before or after you make this one. :) 

Okay...so enough rambling. Here's what you'll need. :)

1 loaf of French bread

8 large eggs

2 c. 1/2 & 1/2

1 c. milk

2 T. sugar

1 t. vanilla extract

1/4 t. cinnamon

1/4 t. nutmeg

dash of salt

*Praline Topping (recipe below)

*Praline Topping Ingredients and Directions*

1/2 lb (2 sticks) butter

1 c. packed light brown sugar

1 c. chopped pecans

2 T. light corn syrup

1/2 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. nutmeg

For praline topping: Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and mix well. 

Begin preparing the casserole by slicing your French bread into 1-inch slices. Arrange the slices in two rows in a buttered 9x13 baking dish. Be sure to overlap the slices. 

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, 1/2&1/2, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Beat with a rotary beater or whisk until well-blended, but don't make it too bubbly. 

Pour mixture evenly over the bread slices. Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight. 

The next day, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread praline topping over the bread and bake for 40 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden. 

Just a couple of side notes....

• The original recipe calls for you to serve this dish with maple syrup. However, I think it is PLENTY sweet without. 

• I usually put all the ingredients for the praline topping into a bowl the night before and just cover with clear plastic wrap or a lid. I don't mix it until I'm ready to spread it over the casserole the next morning. It's nice to have it out and all ready to go when I get up though. :D

• Place a cookie sheet covered with foil below your casserole while baking. Believe me! It's worth it. I've had to clean the oven several times because I failed to do this. :)

• Try serving COLD slices with coffee at a brunch. My husband loves this dish cold. He says it tastes just like bread pudding.

• I usually serve this dish with bacon. So yummy! :)

Paula Deen's French Toast Casserole = Sweet Treat for Hungry Runners - Just Don't Tell the Coach. :D

Hope you enjoy! If you try it, let me know what you think! 

THANK YOU, MS. PAULA DEEN!!! :D

Check out these link parties! 

So Much Cuteness!

Well, it's been ages since I had the chance to sit and look at some of my all-time favorite blogs and explore some new ones. The other night the baby was sleeping and my husband was in the other room watching a movie with a friend. Perfect time for me to slip out and do what I love! 

As I mentioned the other day, I have ZERO crafting supplies here with me in Mammoth. The nearest craft store is down in Bishop. I may have to make a trip pretty soon. However, between cooking, keeping up with my little guy, running errands and trying to fit in a little fitness, I'm content to take a brief project respite and look through the blogosphere to admire the many amazingly creative women and their projects. Here are a couple I've come across that I thought were so cute and are totally going in my, "Do This Someday" file. :)

Tales of a Trophy Wife (how cute is that title?) made this adorable pinwheel wreath. So perfect for summer and this coming July 4th!

Speaking of cute pinwheel decor, check out this adorable wall art Make It Perfect did for her kids' room! I HEART this project!

Make It Perfect recently used pinwheels to top birthday cupcakes as well. I may have to store this idea away for the future. 

What an easy way to add color and even a little take-home toy for guests.

Love Sweet Love made this cute Qtip jar.

 Qtips make me smile nowadays. They remind me of this picture of my little sisters who happen to be twins. 

Don't they look like little matching Qtips? :) LOL.

Grey Luster Girl gives a great tutorial on how to make this thread holder. I love it and totally want to make one for my little craft corner!

So many cute projects, so few hours in a day......

The Blogging Dilemma

So you probably thought I was dead. Sigh. I've been gone SINCE EASTER!! That's craziness! I'm working really hard to keep all my priorities in the right order and, as much as I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE all things crafty and creative...It's number 4 on my priority list.

I decided back several months ago that the new order of things in my life would be this...

FAITH

FAMILY

FITNESS

FRIENDS 

(Blogging falls under the "friends" category 'cause that's what I consider you :)

 If the truth be told, I'm doing a really, really good job at only one of the top four priorities right now. Which one, you might ask...

Well, it's this one.

 My little man is growing so fast, I don't want to miss a second. We're up in a condo in Mammoth Lakes, CA. How do you like that make-shift toy box? :) He ignored all the familiar toys and went right for the cardboard box. Awesome. :)

It's June here and we got snowed on the last days in May. It was our little man's first time to see the snow. Happy Summer.

The only way I'm getting some blogging in now is that my two little men are napping. :)

Mammoth Lakes mornings go something like this. :) My little guy watches Baby Einstein on mommy's laptop while I have a cup of coffee and try to gear up for a busy day. :) 

My husband and a friend of ours are both up here to train at altitude. They're gearing up for the marathon olympic trials that will be taking place in Houston this coming January. My husband has had an incredible running career and I'm so proud of him. He's persevered through so many obstacles and injuries. This is his last big push as an athlete before we transition over to the coaching side of this sport. I'm up here taking care of our little man and cooking like a crazy woman. You try feeding two elite runners who are training like mad twice a day. These boys can eat! If you have easy, healthy and make-ahead meals in your kitchen arsenal, please do a girl a favor and share your recipes!! :D If I make 'em and the boys like 'em...I'll feature it here with your permission! :D 

I won't have my crafting supplies up here until later this summer, so this blog may be leaning more toward the family news and family meals for the next month or so. My goal is just to show up here several times a week and keep in touch. :)

Please bear with me and my incredibly sporadic blogging. I WILL get more consistent....after my little man goes to school. :) My goal is to still fit in a run and a devotion today. It's 2:45pm and it's raining outside. Hmmm....what are the chances??? :D

What are your secrets for keeping life in balance? I'd love to hear from you. :)