Patriotic Pancakes

I have never been a huge pancake fan, but my husband is doing a good job trying to convince me otherwise.  We have found a delicious pancake recipe made from scratch that is to die for.  We have made it over and over.  The kids keep asking for it again.  I think that's a good sign.

Cloud Cakes

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 2 large eggs, separated + 1 extra egg white
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled

Directions

• Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. 
• Mix buttermilk, sour cream, eggs, and butter in a medium bowl. 
• Add buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients and mix. The batter should be lumpy with visible streaks of flour. 
• Beat egg whites in a separate bowl until soft peaks form. 
• Using a spatula, carefully fold whites into batter until just combined. A few streaks of whites should be visible.
• Using 1/4 cup portions, cook on a skillet at 325 to 350 degrees for approximately 2-3 minutes per side. 

Source: Life Hacker

Patriotic Pancakes
Using the recipe above, just add blue food coloring.  Top with strawberries and whipped cream.  Now, your pancakes are patriotic.  Perfect for breakfast on the 4th of July!

Other posts you may enjoy:
Patriotic Pretzel Hugs
July Subway Art
4th of July Cake

Vented Trampoline Pad

We have been working on our yard since we moved into our house over 2 years ago.  We still aren't done, but we've made huge progress!  We started with a great landscape design.

One of our favorite parts of our yard is our trampoline.  We decided to put it in the ground, which we love.  However, we were disappointed when we got it all installed and learned that the trampoline pad flaps and slaps the whole time you jump.  We didn't worry about it much until we noticed that the pad was quickly being worn out.  Soon, we had more holes in the pad than we could duct tape closed.

Once we started shopping, we started looking for a better solution than the usual trampoline pad.  I'm so  happy that we found trampolineholes.com.  It is exactly what I was looking for.  I didn't even know about vented trampoline pads, but the idea is brilliant.

This vented trampoline pad is amazing.  It is made for trampolines that are installed under ground.  They are easy to connect to the frame and springs with simple ties instead of having to go around your outside frame that is mostly in the ground.  There are holes along the pad that let the air out from under the trampoline when you jump - so no more flapping and slapping!  I also love the look of these vented pads.  Very nice and classy.

These vented pads cost more than the regular trampoline pads, but I'm convinced it will be worth the investment.  It is sure to last way longer.

Last night the wind was blowing like crazy. (It even blew over my neighbor's swing set!)  My old trampoline pad would flap with the wind, continuing to wear it out.  I was so happy last night that my new vented trampoline pad wasn't moving an inch in all the wind.  Awesome!

For more information visit tramplineholes.com.  Tell Sam that you learned about vented trampoline pads from Bits of Everything!

Cake Smash!

In our family, there are usually more than one of us having a baby at once.. 

so we decided that the only thing better that a cake smash, was a 3 way baby cake smash! 

These 3 are within a couple months of each other, so we picked a day in between their birthdays.

We wanted this shoot simple, but cute.

Holly sewed the "1" on the white onsies,

and Emily made Claire's headband, and helped me cut her leggings.

 Ashlee ordered white 5 inch cakes from Macey's bakery, and then she used a cookie cutter to outline the letter she wanted, and put the letter of their name on top in the color that matched their onsie. 

 We had a long piece of white vinyl fabric from JoAnns that we used as the backdrop. It was just wide enough for the 3 of them to sit side by side.  We placed them right in front of sliding glass doors to get as much light as possible, so there is no extra lighting in this shoot. 

 As you can imagine, all of the moms were laughing so hard and having a blast watching them dig in..

It was such an awesome and fun way to celebrate these 3 babies we love so much. 

And of course... there was a fair amount of outtakes, where the moms had to jump in and keep the peace between babies and keep them all from walking/crawling away. 

We had a blast doing this shoot, and the clean up wasn't even too bad!

Give it a try!

Cute Simple Birthday Cake Ideas

Great news! The days of spending hours and hours on complex cake decorating are over.  Simple is IN!  Here are some tips for keeping your birthday cakes simple to make and still cute as can be.

Tip #1 - Use simple cake pans

No need buy specific shaped pans anymore.  Use what you have!

For Addie's first birthday, we used small, round, glass bowls to make this cake.  So cute.

Tip #2 - Keep it simple with icing colors 

Sometimes all a cake needs is just one or two colors.

  Tip #3 - Keep it simple with decorating

Simple dots and lines are way cute and don't take too much skill or practice.  Just keep your pressure even and steady, and you'll be fine!

In making the cake below, I didn't even use any cake decorating supplies!  I just put the frosting in a baggie, and cut off the corner. 

I love this idea I got from Cali - use scrapbook paper to cut out a number, then try to match your frosting to the paper.  Then tape your number to a toothpick and stick it in the cake.

  One other quick tip:

-Take advantage of your local bakery.  Tell them what size of a cake you are making, and you can buy the cardboard to put under it for less than $1.  This time I even got a little case to put it in for only a few dollars!

Enjoy the hours you save on your next birthday cake by using these ideas to keep it simple!

Other posts you might like:

Cake Carving

Hello Kitty Cake

#3 Cake

Cookie Cutters

Simple Cake Ideas

Birthday Card - Free Printable

We are sharing lots of fun birthday ideas this week.  So be watching all week for some great birthday fun!  

I used to make birthday cards, did you?  I don't take them time to make them anymore, but I still want to use cute birthday cards.  So, I made a cute card that you can print off anytime you need a birthday card.  Perfect right?  This card is perfect for boys and girls, young and old.  Anyone!  Cute, easy, and quick.  Couldn't ask for anything better.

Download the card here.  Print on card stock, trim the top and bottom margins off, cut in half (between the happy birthdays), and fold down.  Done!  2 cards already made.  

I found one other printable birthday card that I just love.  Check this one out by The Mombot.  Darling.

*Please note: This file is for personal use only. Mass production and commercial use of this file is strictly prohibited.

Get Organized

This last month has felt like a whirlwind!  Busy, busy, busy.  Luckily, we have survived.  However, my house has slowly dwindled in cleanliness and organization.  So - It's time to get busy.  Here are some printables that I found that are going to help get us back into shape.

The Idea Room/ Clean Momma

Clean Momma

The Creativity Exchange

A Feathered Nest

I heart Organizing

I use my iPhone a lot for my calendar and to do lists, but I think it is helpful to put it on paper for my kids/family to see.  This way we all know what's going on.  Let's get going!

Jump into Summer Giveaway

There is nothing better than spending quality time with your family during the summer. This year we are going to help get the ball rolling with a prize pack that is sure to help build some great memories!

Jump into summer with these awesome prizes provided by FamilyShare.com!

You could win a Little Tikes bounce house, Zoku Quick Pop Maker, Pops! recipe book, and a Nikon CoolPix to help capture all of the great memories you are sure to make while enjoying these fun summer staples!

Entering is easy! Follow all of the participating bloggers on Pinterest. Once you’ve done that fill out the Rafflecopter form and your done!

Family Share | The Mother Huddle | Flamingo Toes | Whipperberry | One Sweet Appetite | Eighteen25 | I'm Topsy Turvy | Craftaholics Anonymous | Utah Sweet Savings | Just Between Friends | Bits of Everything | Honeybear Lane | Image Map

a Rafflecopter giveaway



*This promotion is sponsored by FamilyShare.com and is in no way affiliated with Little Tikes, Nikon, Zoku or Pinterest. We hereby release Pinterest, Nikon, Little Tikes and Zoku of any liability related to this promotion, the receipt of prize winnings, etc. The giveaway will run from Monday, May 27th at 12:01 AM MDT and ends Saturday June First at 11:59 PM MDT. Once the giveaway ends, winners will be chosen using Random.org and contacted via e-mail within 24 hours. Winners will then have 48 hours to claim their prize or another winner will be chosen. This giveaway is open worldwide except where prohibited by law. Winners must be of full legal age in the jurisdiction in which they live. FamilyShare is only responsible for sending out the prize. FamilyShare is not responsible for loss, damage or theft once the prize is shipped. Participants will be responsible for any taxes, tariffs duties, etc. due upon delivery of the prize.