Easter basket goodies...

Easter is this coming Sunday so I'm sure many of you are starting to put together baskets of goodies for your kiddos, grand-kids or other special little ones in your life.  I thought it would be fun to share what my basket for Little Bit consists of.  Plus share some of our old and new traditions!

One thing Little Bit looks forward to in her basket are a few candy treats.  This year she is in love with Twix eggs.  ;)  So I've included a couple of those, some Reese's eggs, gum & a Spongebob Pez (she LOVES Spongebob).  

She is also into surprise toys or blind bags at the moment.   These are items that come in a container or bag and you don't know exactly what you are going to get.  We have been Lalaloopsy fans for a few years now, so when I saw these blind bags at Meijer I picked up 2 for her basket.  Shopkins are another fun one she is excited to collect, so 2 of those made their way into her basket as well.

Little Bit still loves playing play-doh.  So I picked up a 4 pack.  I plan to hide a couple little dolls inside the play-doh, forming it into an egg shape.  This is another surprise item for her to enjoy!

A favorite tradition Little Bit loves is hunting for eggs around the house Easter morning.   Most of the eggs are empty or hard boiled but a few have a little surprise (money!)  

I also love to include practical things in her basket.  Her favorite color is blue at the moment, so when I saw this cute top at Meijer I knew she would love it!  Plus it has some bling on the pocket...win, win!  ;)  A toothbrush is another item I like to include.  I found this cute Hello Kitty one in the travel product section.  

Finally I love including a soft and cuddly stuffed animal in her basket.  She loves her "buddies"!  Isn't this bunny adorable?! 

 

Right now at Meijer you can snag one of these for FREE when you buy 3 cards from American Greetings.  They have grey and white bunnies available.  You could buy some cards for your child's teachers, grandkids, neighbors, neices or nephews or any other special person you have in mind!  They have a wide selection of cards to choose from.

So head to Meijer this week to pick up your 3 cards and get your free bunny!  While you're there check out all the wonderful goodies available to fill your ultimate Easter basket.

Thank you to Meijer for sponsoring this post.  All opinions are my own.

Menu Plan Monday

This is a busy week!  The hubs is having guys over to watch the third Hobbit movie on Tuesday. Then my sister and a couple friends are coming Thursday night for a fun little spring break getaway.  So lots of pizza on the menu this week.  But Little Bit is thrilled cause she could eat pizza everyday...LOL!  Then we are off for a quick family visit and then spring break next week!!!

Monday ~ burrito bowls, lime tortilla chips
Tuesday ~ guys movie night....PIZZA
Wednesday ~ scrambled eggs, bacon, bagels

Thursday ~sister & friends visit....PIZZA

Friday ~ dinner on the go...

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

Meijer mPerks Freebie!

 

Log into your Meijer mPerks account and check under the snacks & soft drinks category for a coupon good for a free Skinny Cow Iced Coffee Drink.  You can also find it by typing Skinny Cow into the search box.  Make sure you click on the coupon to "clip" it.  This coupon is valid through Saturday, March 28, 2015.

Menu Plan Monday

Monday ~ popcorn at the movies! {Cinderella was GREAT!}
Tuesday ~ grilled ham & cheese, chips, pickles, grapes
Wednesday ~ cheese pasta & zucchini, salad, bread

Thursday ~ orange chicken, crab rangoon, lo mein

Friday ~ almond coconut tilapia, green beans, baked potato

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

Displaying kids artwork...

I have been so impressed with the artwork that Little Bit has brought home from school.  They are always learning cool techniques, using wonderful colors and with such creativity.   But once they are home and we express how much we love it and how proud we are...what do we do with it?! 

One day last year Little Bit brought home 4 or 5 pieces of her artwork.  We had created an art wall in her room to display a couple canvases she painted.  So this was a great place to add a few of her newest creations. 

Last week she brought home this fish and was so proud of it.  She got so excited telling me all about the process they used to make it.  So I knew it needed to be displayed!

We also had this owl she made that was on display at her schools art show!  I LOVE it!  So I grabbed some washi tape and got to hanging.  They are both proudly displayed in our kitchen on the pantry door.  It was a big white canvas just waiting to be filled with a couple beauties!  ;) 

Once it's time for them to come down, I make sure I have taken a picture of it.  This is a great way for me to scrapbook that memory.  Then some pieces will be saved in a folder or keepsake box while others will be discarded.  We can't keep everything so by keeping our favorites and taking pictures of them all I feel like we have a good system in place.  

How do you display or store your kids artwork?  

Menu Plan Monday

Monday ~ grilled hot dogs, mac & cheese, pickles
Tuesday ~ crock pot pork chops, green beans, sweet potato fries
Wednesday ~ fish tacos, refried beans, chips & salsa

Thursday ~ pot roast, mashed potatoes, sauteed zucchini

Friday ~ pizza, salad

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

Jewelry find...

Have you been to Hobby Lobby lately?!  They have got some great jewelry on the cheap!   The brand is Iron Lily Studio.  I'm not sure how long this line has been around but it is a fairly new find for me.  At my store they are located near the checkout lanes. 

They have rings, earrings, bracelets, necklaces and hair accessories!  It looked like the prices begin at $1.99 and go up from there.  Most of what I was looking at was in the $3-$5 range.

They have a good variety of styles and colors to choose from.  I was most impressed with the earring selection!  

I thought these initial necklaces were super cute and would make a fun girl gift...only $4.99.

Of course you know I loved this little owl necklace!  I couldn't believe the price...only $2.99 and it comes on a 24 inch chain.  The necklace options came in several different lengths.

These are what came home with me...for now anyway!  ;)  I was looking for a pair of orange earrings and these are perfect.  Plus you can't beat the price.  I used a 40% off coupon and only paid $1.94 with tax!  Score!!! 

If you are a frequent Hobby Lobby shopper and have a smart phone, download the app (iphone or android) and you will always have a coupon with you.  If you prefer to print your coupon, they are available on their website. 

Where is your favorite place to score awesome jewelry deals?!

Menu Plan Monday

Monday ~ fried shrimp, baked potatoes, salad
Tuesday ~ Olive Garden
Wednesday ~ BBQ weenies, mac & cheese, salad

Thursday ~ french toast, bacon, fruit

Friday ~ leftovers

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

Target Deals...

There are a couple Target deals that I thought were worth sharing this week.  We eat cereal like it's going out of style...lol!  So anytime I can get a great deal I'm all over it.  This week at Target select Kellogg's products are on sale and when you buy 5 you get a $5 gift card back!  I bought 5 boxes of cereal at 2.75 each and used $2.50 in coupons, then got back a $5 gift card!  That means after coupons and gift card I paid $1.25 a box! 

Eggo waffles are also part of the deal at $2.00 a box.  I bought 5 of those and got another gift card back.  These are only $1/box after the gift card....sweet! 

I also picked up some gummy vitamins for Little Bit.  The L'il Critters Kids' Gummy Vitamins were $3.99 at my store and if you bought 2 you got a $5 gift card!  There is also a $1.00 coupon that you can print twice to make this an even sweeter deal.  After coupons and gift card that is only .49 each!

What deals are you hoping to score this week?!

Menu Plan Monday {on Tuesday!}

Monday ~ chicken tacos, refried beans, guac & chips
Tuesday ~ pasta & shrimp w/alfredo sauce, salad
Wednesday ~ sausage cups, scrambled eggs, fruit

Thursday ~ hamburgers, sweet potato fries, pickles

Friday ~ pork fried rice, crab rangoon

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

strawberry chocolate {cupcakes}

What to do on a snowy day when you've already played in the snow, had hot chocolate and watched a movie?  Why make cupcakes of course!  Little Bit wanted to make cupcakes, so I asked her what kind.  She said strawberry chocolate!  I went to the cabinets and this is what I had, so we made it work...

We first took a can of strawberry pie filling and dumped it into a bowl.  With a fork we mashed up the strawberries.

Then we added 2 eggs and the cake mix.  Mix until all dry ingredients are moist and incorporated.   Stir in the chocolate chips. 

Then fill each muffin tin 2/3 full and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.  

Little Bit really wanted chocolate icing for them, so I grabbed a can of butter cream icing that I had in the pantry and added some cocoa powder to it!  Delish!

She even helped me ice them...and eat them of course!  The verdict is...yummo!!!

Ingredients:
1 box yellow cake mix
1 can strawberry pie filling
2 eggs
2/3 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Dump the can of pie filling into a mixing bowl and mash strawberries with a fork.  Then add the 2 eggs and cake mix.  Mix until all dry ingredients are moist and incorporated.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Place muffin liners in 18 muffin slots.  Then fill each muffin tin 2/3 full.  {If not using liners, spray pans}.  Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.  Enjoy!....or add some yummy icing like we did!


Chocolate butter cream icing
1 can butter cream icing
1/4 cup cocoa powder
Mix together until chocolaty and smooth! {Or you could make your own if you want, but I prefer this shortcut!}