Mini Kolaches

So, I came home last night fully prepared to make mini kolaches for this morning.  I had the cream cheese, butter and flour all ready to go - when what to my wondering eyes should appear?? A blue, shiny can of Pillsbury biscuits in my refrigerator, rear (how do y'all like my poetry??)!  OK- no more rhyming, I promise!  So, I pre heated the oven to 450 degrees.  I then flattened ea. biscuit with my hands and used a pizza cutter to cut them in half.  I put a little smokie at the end of each half and rolled them up and set them on a cookie sheet that was lined with foil.  when the oven was heated and all of the sausages were snug in their biscuit roll, I put them in the oven for 8 min!  Yep, it was that easy and they are that yummy, too!  My husband wants me to make more to dip in spicy mustard now!  So, if you need something quick to make for breakfast or even a football party snack, try this!

Enjoy!!
 ~Casey

Just a couple of things....

So, I went to Target the other day with my Mom and grandmother.  I had to get a few things and then head home- when I was taking everything out of the car, I realized that my hand sanitizer was in the plastic tub that I had bought.  I checked the receipt and realized that I had not paid for it!  YIKES!  I called Target immediately (they giggled at my honesty) and today when I was there, I paid for that bottle of hand sanitizer!  I know you all must think that I am crazy for making such an ordeal out of this, but this is a very important lesson for everyone- especially our children.  I told Samantha not to use the hand sanitizer until Mommy paid for it and before I could finish telling her I was going to pay for it- she screamed 'You stole?!?! Momma you are in BIG trouble!' After her rant, I was able to explain to her that it was an honest mistake and that as soon as I figured out that it had not been paid for, I called the store immediately.  I was able to explain to her that everyone makes mistakes, but as long as you tell the truth and then fix the situation, everything will be OK!  She was very happy that I was not in BIG trouble, but more than that, I am happy that she learned an important lesson about telling the truth.

I also wanted everyone to know that this weekend we will be participating in the FAAN walk for food allergy awareness in Houston. Please see the link below to donate to Team Samantha!! FAAN is a great organization that has educated my family as we learn to live with our own food allergies.

http://www.foodallergywalk.org/site/TR?team_id=74352&pg=team&fr_id=2250&et=iVS8Byy8G6PVSo2v_AQHzg&s_tafId=28662

I hope that everyone is having a great Wednesday!

Samantha, GG and Mommy! 

~ Casey

Bows, Bows and more BOWS!

If you have a girl, you will sympathize!  BOWS are everywhere!  We have 3 bow holders currently and they are all filled.  So, as I was walking through Hobby Lobby the other day and ran across these large white letters and I thought that would be a great base to add more than one ribbon onto for a BIG bow holder.  So, I bought it- of course- and then brought it home and painted it with 2 coats of acrylic paint.  After that, I added the polka dots and then the glitter (make sure the paint is still tacky to hold the glitter).  I let this dry completely and then I sprayed the whole letter with a clear spray (2 coats) to make sure the glitter stayed on and that the paint will not chip.  When that dried, I took some craft glue and adhered 3 ribbons separately. The first ribbon (about 12 in long), I connected the 2 ends together and glued the connected ends to the top, backside of the letter.  The second two ribbons (about 30 in ea) I connected to either side of the bottom of the backside of the letter.  Let it dry and HANG IT UP!!  Now we have room for all of the bows... I even think we could add a few more to Samantha's collection!

I hope that everyone is having a great day.   Remember to smile and don't forget to eat your ice cream!  OH YEAH! Birthday Cake ice cream by Blue Bell- YUMMY!!

~Casey

Growing up!

It's really funny how life changes- it seems as though it revolves in cycles. When I was a young girl, I really wanted to be around my family. They were my safety and I always felt secure around them. Then as I got into my late teen years, I felt safety in my own independence. I would go out on my own or with my friends- I had my own car, and at 18 yrs of age I was legal! I was finally able to vote, go to bars and I was even legal to order my own drinks!

After a few years, I had met the love of my life (early 20's) and we were starting to plan a future together! I realized then that I needed both my husband and the rest of my family! Whether it was for approval or just someone to model our life after, I needed all of them to be a huge part of our life. Fast forward a five + years.... Finding out that we were pregnant and planning for our new baby girl! This made me realize that I needed to be strong and independent to set not only a good example, but to make sure that Samantha was well taken care of. For many years, I have been extremely independent- as my good friend once told me "You have to put on your big girl pants and deal with it!". And that is exactly what I did for almost 6 years!

Now that Samantha is in school and doing well, I have a lot of time on my hands and I realized something... Yet again, I really miss my parents and my brothers and their families. I enjoy my parents visits a little bit more than I ever have before and I look forward to going 'home' to see my brothers and there families. It is nice to look back and remember the different points of my life and really think about what was happening and how it accounted for the independence that I had or that I didn't have at that time. I can't wait to see where the next few years take me, but I am ready for the ride!

My Dad and I

My Mom and I

This is my Dad holding me with my grandfather, cousin and older brother.

My sweet family!