{strawberry} pancakes!

Can I just say YUMMO!  When I make pancakes I pretty much just do plain pancakes.  I have made the occasional blueberry but for the most part they are plain.  How boring, right?! 

Well Little Bit asked for strawberry pancakes a couple weeks ago and I was like where did that come from.  A show of course....the first episode she watched of Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood they made strawberry pancakes.

So I decided they would make a great Valentine's day meal and boy did they ever!  I started by washing and dicing up my strawberries. 

I then mixed up my pancake batter...

2 cups baking mix {I have been using Jiffy cause it is cheaper than Bisquick ;)}

1 1/4 cups milk

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

2 Tbsp sugar

Mix all these ingredients together and then fold in the strawberries {I think I used about 1 cup}.  

 

I think I used a 1/4 or 1/3 cup to scoop out the batter into the pan.  They cooked up just great!  We loved them so much I made them again last week! 

What are your favorite kind of pancakes to make?

{valentines} door

When it comes to my classroom door, I love having it decorated!  It is fun to change it out for the seasons and the kids love finding their names or picture.  I realized as I started taking the valentines decor down that I hadn't taken a picture of it yet!  So here it is, minus 2 hearts.  ;)

This one was pretty simple!  I have "Mrs. Maple's class" up on my door all the time, so I like to make my titles work around that.  I searched pinterest and didn't really find anything I loved.  I did see several with conversation hearts though so I decided to go with that.  My kiddos really are sweethearts, so this title was very fitting... "Sweethearts in Mrs. Maple's class".  I then created a heart template the size I wanted and cut enough for each person in the class using the fun conversation heart colors.  I wrote each child's name on a heart and randomly placed them on the door!

I just changed to hot air balloons....LOVE it!  Look for pics to come later!

Menu Plan Monday

This looks like almost the same menu from last week...and it practically is!  Things come up and plans change, but I'm fine with that.  I don't create a set in stone menu...for me it's more of a guide so I'm not staring in the freezer at 4:30, trying to figure out what to make.  So we have a few carry overs and one repeat just because it was yummy and I have extra sauce to use up!

 

Monday ~ bbq pulled pork, baked sweet potato, salad

Tuesday ~ parmesan tilapia, green beans, mashed potatoes

Wednesday ~ bacon alfredo pasta, salad, bread

Thursday ~ dinner out

Friday ~ meatball stew, toasted cheese, fruit

 

Linking up with Org Junkie...check them out for more recipes.

yummy dressing!

I had a salad called "yummy salad" for the first time a couple years ago.  It was made up of lettuce, grapes, cheese, cashews, crumbled bacon and the best dressing!  I asked about the recipe and my friend told me it was in the church cookbook.  So I grabbed my copy and made the salad for several get-togethers.  Then I decided to just make up the dressing and keep it on hand to use on my basic salads!

So I just call it yummy dressing!

Ingredients:
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
2/3 cup canola oil
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp poppy seeds
1 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp garlic salt

Directions:
Mix wet ingredients together, whisk in dry ingredients.  Pour into dressing carafe or other sealed container.  Store in the refrigerator and shake before use.  YUM!

Pinterest Challenge

Who doesn't love Pinterest?!  There are just so many neat ideas out there to be found!  I have really tried to limit things I pin to what I might actually make, do, or whatnot...but before you know it you have pinned and pinned and pinned without doing anything with that inspiration.  So when I saw Janssen over at Everyday Reading post this Pinterest Challenge I decided to jump on board!

The idea is to take 6 things from your Pinterest boards and do them over the next 6 weeks!  So here are my pins I hope to accomplish during this challenge...

1...straightening iron holder.  I have been wanting one of these but not wanted to pay for one.  So when I saw this idea of using a pot holder I pinned it instantly. 
2...patches for jeans.  I have a favorite pair of jeans that recently got a hole worn in the knee.  I would love to add some cute patches and extend their life a bit longer!
3...cupcake card.  I so need to make some cards for my stash.  When I saw this card Kristina Werner made I loved it and knew I wanted to create something similar. 
4...shirt dress.  I have had this on my mind to do for quite some time but just haven't made myself do it.  I think Little Bit would love a new dress for her wardrobe!  She can be quite the fashionista these days!  ;)
5...elephant art.  My sister is having a baby in July and she loves elephants.  So when I saw this I knew I wanted to try and make a similar version for her.  Guess we will see how it goes!
6...cinnamon roll waffles.  YUM!  I have a waffle maker that doesn't get used enough, so now is the time to break that sucker out and whip up some cinnamon goodness! 

Menu Plan Monday

Monday ~ leftovers

Tuesday ~ bacon alfredo pasta, salad, bread

Wednesday ~ corn dogs, sweet potato fries, corn

Thursday ~ parmesan tilapia, green beans, mashed potatoes

Friday ~ meatball stew, toasted cheese, fruit

Linking up with Org Junkie...check them out for more recipes.

Happy Valentines...

I had a valentines party today with one of my classes and have another one tomorrow.  Little Bit has her party tomorrow too.  So we have been busy making valentines and filling goodie bags!  

We found these heart mazes at Deals {a local dollar store} and there were just enough in the package for all the kids in her class...score!  Little Bit thought they were great so we went with it.  I instantly thought of the phrase {to an "a maze"ing friend}!  She wanted to draw a stem on them to make the heart into a flower.  I think they turned out pretty "amazing"!

Then I was looking around pinterest for a teacher gift idea and found one that had nail polish and a nail file.  I tweaked the phrase to include teacher and we got {to a "toe"tally awesome teacher}!  I let Little Bit pick out the file and color of polish.  We also included a caramel heart!  I sure would enjoy receiving this gift!  

Here is the valentine I made for my little kiddos!  I used an owl body template that I had from last valentines.  Then I used a heart punch to do the eyes and some glitter hearts upside down for the wings.  I cut the tip off some smaller glitter hearts for the beak.  Whoooo doesn't love a cute little owl?!  ;)

What kinds of valentines are you creating this year?

Linking up here...

Menu Plan Monday

Monday ~ BBQ pulled pork, chips & dip, strawberries

Tuesday ~ Valentines dinner out

Wednesday ~ strawberry pancakes, sausage patties, bananas

Thursday ~ alfredo pasta, salad, bread

Friday ~ pizza night!

Linking up with Org Junkie...check them out for more recipes.