Breakfast on the Go

I've seen pictures of these everywhere and decided it was time to try them. I've adapted my recipe from several recipes that I've seen. I'm guesstimating on some of the amounts as I eyeballed most of it. It's easy to make and can re-heat. Excellent for on the go mornings too.

I'll be giving you a recipe for 4 servings. You can increase/decrease from there.

You'll need:

regular size muffin tins
pam spray
4 eggs (size large or smaller, jumbo will be too big)
1c. hashbrowns
1/4 c. shredded cheese
2 strips bacon (chopped)
salt
pepper
1 T olive oil

Preheat oven to 425. Spray muffin tin with pam. Mix hash browns, shredded cheese (reserve a bit for later), salt, pepper, olive oil in bowl. Divide mixture into 4 tins. Cook for 17 minutes.

Reduce oven to 350. Crack one egg on top of each hash brown filled cup. (This is where I learned that a jumbo egg was too big.) Sprinkle top with bacon and a bit of cheese.

You can poke the yoke with a fork and it will cook through in the oven. If you like the runny middle, don't poke it. I thought it was good either way. Put back in oven and cook for 15 minutes max.

If you let them sit in the pan for a couple of minutes it will release from the pan easier. Be sure to run a knife around the edges just in case. Again, you'll want to trust me on this one.

I like to serve mine with a bit of fresh fruit.

Awesome Up Your Desk Stuff and Beat the Winter Blahs!

Here's a recipe to fight the winter blahs at work (and play with markers):

Get one box of staples,

and a bunch of AWESOME permanent markers.

Color the tops of the staples and KA-BOOM!
You have brightly colored staples.

I have been doing this at school for months now without mentioning it to anyone. A couple of co-workers wanted to know where I got my fancy staples. I felt quite posh. Try it, have fun, and enjoy!

St. Patrick's Day Freebie

I've been feeling crafty and wanted to whip up something easy to throw in a frame and decorate for the holidays. This season: St. Patrick's Day.
If you'd like to print a copy, enlarge photo and right click with mouse. Copy image to your desktop and print. Voila! It's been sized for standard piece of paper. I trim it to fit 8 x 10 picture frame. Enjoy!

Happy New Year!

Sorry I've been away for so long. We've had a busy house this year. I hope every had a wonderful 2011 and are just as excited as us about what 2012 has to bring!

Family Vacation Here We Come!

The last time we took a family vacation we landed in Branson, MO. It was fun. We were a family of 3 then.

Now, we are a family of 4 with one under one. Choosing a place that offered something for everyone (that could walk and talk) was easy. Deciding on a destination that would work us given the age of our boys was completely different.

We decided to drive instead of fly because we were afraid we'd be "that family". You know the one: baby crying, parents drinking, sibling crying because baby was crying... You get the idea. So, we decided we'd rent a mini-van. This would give us easy access to the back in case big brother had a hard time with little brother. This would also give us a DVD player. We already have a DVD player, but, it's not part of the car. This allows for more lap room for the big kid. Mini-van also accommodates the loads, and loads, and loads of stuff the smallest person in the family needs in order for this to be a happy family vacation. We'll see if we use it all.

Packing tonight and then we're off. I'm not telling where we're going. I thought I'd post pictures and let you give it your best try. Who knows, if you're someone close and don't already know of our plans, you might find a small treat upon our return. I can't say anymore as it will ruin the fun.

Tonight it's all about packing, packing, packing. We're hoping to leave early enough so the little kid can get two naps in during the drive. Cross your fingers and wish us luck!

House Number

While my friend, Megan, was over today, we broke in my new Cricut machine. I wanted my house number to pop when looking at the front of our home in case we were to get crazy and order delivery (something that happens 1x per year maximum).

I got some vinyl and a friend that knew what she was doing and here's what we did:

Carefully line up the vinyl on the cutting mat.

Peel off vinyl and place on special paper that helps when sticking it to the door.

Wipe area with rubbing alcohol and rag.
DON'T use tissue like I did, it leaves fuzzies.

Rub the letters on the special sticky paper to ensure it sticks.

Carefully align the letters before rubbing them onto
the door to ensure they are in the correct spot.

Peel and wiggle at an angle so it comes off easier.

Wait for it!

So pretty!

Repeat steps for the abbreviation

Step back and admire.

Step WAAAAY back and admire some more!