M & J Monday

It's no secret we've been looking ahead to Valentine's Day - cookies, crafts, and now clothes! I'm sure we'll be sharing more of all three as we near the pink and red holiday. 

They're teaching me to embrace the blur.
Maybe some day I'll get them both to sit still...

My little loves.

Happy Monday!

3 Easy Handprint Valentine Crafts

I've come to terms with the fact that Marcus isn't real big into crafting. It's just not his thing, and that's ok. But, that's not to say I don't want some of those cute crafts I see floating all over social media to happen in our home, too.

So, for Valentine's Day I decided Marcus, Julia and I would whip up three handprint/footprint crafts that would require very little time from either child, but would still fulfill my desire to have said items don our home and make for some cute Valentine's to send to the grandparents.

May it also be noted I did these pretty much all at the same time. We were able to knock out hand and foot prints rather quickly, and the kiddos were able to move on to their next desired activity.

Hand & Footprint Valentine Bouquet

What You'll Need
Paper or cardstock
Paint colors of your choice - I'd recommend three different colors for the flower
Paint brush
Marker
Two little hands and two little feet

How It Comes Together
This is pretty self-explanatory.
I first painted did Marcus' hands and made the flowers, and let those dry. Pro tip - I have zero patience for paint drying, so I threw the paper in the microwave for about a minute. Bam! Dried paint.
After the flowers were dry I quickly painted Julia's feet and pressed them down onto the paper to create leaves. Again, threw the paper in the microwave for speedy dry time.
After the leaves and flowers were properly dry I added a few stems to finish off the bouquet.
I then added a the little saying about "hand" picked bouquet with a marker.

This one will be dropped in the mail and sent off to the grandmas and grandpas.
Total craft time: approximately 10 minutes

Little Love Bug

What You'll Need
Paper or card stock for background as well as wings
Paint
Paint Brush
Glue
Marker
One little hand

How It Comes Together
This one was a Marcus-only effort.
We started with painting Marcus hand and adding the print to the card stock. Then I threw the paper in the microwave to dry.
Meanwhile, I quickly cut out two hearts that would eventually form the bug wings.
After the paint was dry Marcus helped me apply glue to the hearts, and then he helped place the hearts onto the bug's body.
With a marker I added the bug's eyes, nose, and mouth.
At the bottom I wrote the little "Love Bug" phrase.

Again, we'll be sending these to the grandmas and grandpas for a little Valentine's Day love.
Total craft time: approximately 10 minutes

LOVE Canvas

Please note the little smudge spot between the "V" and "E". That's courtesy of Julia's drool. I wanted to fix it, but thought better, this perfectly reflects what stage the kids are in their little lives.

What You'll Need
Canvas large enough for your child(ren)s hand and foot prints - this one is an 11x11
Paint color for canvas background and paint color for letters
One little hand and one little foot

How It Comes Together
Lightly apply a base color all over the canvas.
Allow canvas to dry. This I allowed to happen organically, as I was a little worried what might happen if I threw the canvas into the microwave.
After canvas is totally dry apply paint to one hand and place where you would like the "O" to be. Do the same for the feet, and where you would like the "V" to be.
After the "O" and "V" have dried complete the canvas with the "L" and "E".

This one is going to be Scott's Valentine's gift from the kids - even though Scott did help me get Julia's wiggly little feet onto the canvas. So, not so much of a surprise for him. But, it will be fun for Marcus to give his dad a gift, so all isn't lost.

And there you have it, three crafts that took about 15 minutes of participation from my kids - just enough time! - and little keepsakes that have met all my mom-crafting dreams.
Total craft time: approximately 4 hours (including dry time for paint)

There you have it. Three quick and easy Valentine crafts that even the most unenthused crafter can do to appease the momma desire to have a little hand or footprint creation.

M & J Monday

Taking pictures of these two giggly wiggly worms together has become increasingly more challenging.

Happy Monday!

Valentine Cake Mix Jello Cookies

This week was a long one. The kids and I spent a lot of quality time together - alone. Scott put in some crazy hours, and sadly, we didn't see a whole lot of him. That meant we had hours upon hours to fill to keep ourselves entertained.

One afternoon I'd pulled out every craft, puzzle, and toy in our house, and we still had HOURS of evening to fill. So, to the kitchen we went. Marcus loves helping pour and mix and stir, and of course, throw sprinkles on to anything I'll let him. 

We decided we were ready to start our Valentine's prep. And Valentine Cake Mix Jello Cookies were born. 

Let's talk about how easy and quick these were to whip up. Marcus was able to help with every aspect (minus the cracking of the egg), and he thought it was just the coolest to make the cookies almost totally himself. 

print recipe

Valentine Cake Mix Jello Cookies

by Desiree Macke January-15-2016

A fun, festive treat perfect for Valentine's Day

Ingredients

• 1 box White cake mix
• 1 box Strawberry jello
• 4 Tablespoons, softened Butter
• 4 oz, softened Cream cheese
• 1 Egg
• FROSTING
• 2 cups Powdered sugar
• 4 Tablespoons, melted Butter
• 3 Tablespoons Half and Half
• 1/4 teaspoon Vanilla extract

Instructions

COOKIES: In a mixing bowl combine cake mix, dry jello mix, softened butter, softened cream cheese, and egg. Mix until thoroughly incorporated. Roll out 24-36 balls and place on cookie sheet. Slightly flatten them. Bake at 325 degrees for 11-13 minutes. Move to cooling rack.FROSTING: In a small bowl combine powdered sugar, melted butter, half and half, and vanilla. Mix until smooth. When cookies are cooled, spread frosting atop cookies. Immediately sprinkle with festive sprinkles, if so desired.

Details

Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 12 mins Total time: 45 mins Yield: 24-36

I do have to point out that these are SUPER soft and SUPER sweet. I loved them, Marcus loved them, and I immediately sent a dozen to work with Scott (I couldn't have all that temptation staring at me for too long)! Scott informed me later that the cookies were a hit in the office. Glad I wasn't the only one who thought these were pretty fab. 

Grab a glass of milk and enjoy a cookie (or two). It's the perfect way to start celebrating Valentine's Day!

The Edition Without a Proper Title

We survived this week. Whew. It was a long one, and Scott logged so. many. hours. at work. But, we've made it to the weekend. So let's get to the highlights, which are a hodgepodge of everything.

1. Valentine's Threads.

{1} {2} {3}
{1} {2} {3}

I love holiday clothes for my kiddos as much as the next mom, but I really wanted this year's Valentine's pieces to wear for longer than just the week of the holiday. I think I managed to find just that. 

2. The babes. 

One of then days Scott was gone the kids were particularly smiley. At. the. same. time. We thought we should document the moment - and send it to Scott to say, "Hi!" And, that we missed him. 

3. Did I mention these babes?

One of our favorite times is story time right before bed (because, stories. And bedtime.). Julia seems to love snuggling up with Marcus as we read stories to them. It's basically all of my dreams come true. 

4. Marcus/Mommy Date. 

Earlier this week the little guy and I were able to slip away for a few hours, just the two of us. Naturally that meant shakes from In and Out, balloons, and a trip to the park were involved. 

5. Jingle Bell VoxBox.

Influenster knocked this one out of the park. 

The Biscoff cookies were gone in s flash.

Marcus loved the idea of a little something coming his way with the itty bitty Spider Man doll (which has since been gifted to Julia). 

And I'm loving the Cetaphil hand cream, which couldn't have come at a more fitting time of year. The ICE nail polish will be applied soon (the color - swooning!), and the next time I need to get good and gussied up I'll be using the KISS eye liner, and maybe even try my hand at those fancy lashes. Plus, they sent free OreIda tater tots. Enough said. 

That's a wrap. Happy weekend!

The Picture Perfect Project {{1}} - Sunsets

The inaugural post of The Picture Perfect Project is upon us! It doesn't seem possible we are already recapping parts of 2016, but alas, here we are.

When I was first trying to decide what I wanted my objective to be for the first installment of TPPP a million ideas raced through my head:

Did I want to focus on technique? No, not just yet. 

Did I want to dedicate most of my photos to my kids? Well, I basically already do. I mean, I take hundreds of photos of Marcus and Julia on any given day, but I figured maybe I'd wait to focus my attention on those two for another day/month. 

Then it hit me smack dab in the middle of driving home one evening. 

The sky. 

As I was driving home with a magnificent canvas of brilliant colors above me I knew I wanted to focus my efforts of this particular recap on sunsets. It seems California has a season for good sunsets (of which I'm obsessed), and wouldn't you know it, right now happens to be that time.

My favorite spot to catch the sun setting is by the ocean. Naturally. However, getting to the ocean (which is all of 5 miles from our house) at 4:45pm - with two kids - proved to be perhaps the biggest challenge when it came to capturing a pretty sunset. I was hoping to get down to the water more than I did. But, lucky for me, there were two evenings where I was able to sneak away for some breathtaking sky displays. 

Evening #1 by the water:

 I haven't done much shooting with my newest lens, the AF Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm. These two shots were using that lens.

While the clouds were sparse and wispy, they were just enough to add some depth and color to the sky. I also love that when you look out from the beach you can see Catalina Island off in the distance. The island seems to help break up the endless sea and sky scape. 

Night #2 by the water:

Back at the same beach, this time using my AF-S Nikkor 18-55mm (which is what I use to take most of my photos).

I was amazed at how differently the sky was painted simply by looking in different directions, or by just waiting a few minutes the sky would change to a completely different color. 

There are jagged rocks off the coast, and when the waves hit hard enough a massive spray is produced. I'd love to learn a little more about how to better capture moving water so it looks less blurry and more like it's actually moving.

The difference in color in these two photos blows my mind. The pictures were taken minutes apart. The top photo has a much warmer feel, while the bottom photo comes off as much cooler.

 And this shot, right as I was about to leave... The sky was just gorgeous.

*Disclaimer: I did not edit or touch up any of these photos in any way. 

So, this month was about sunsets, and simply playing around a bit with my new lens.

Next month I'd really like to pull out the 70-300 a little more so I can get better acquainted with that. The few photos I have taken with it are great, but I'd like to have a better feel for that lens. I'd also really like to take some time and catch a tutorial or two on getting out of automatic mode and start doing some shooting in manual mode. I don't know what it is, but the idea of manual mode intimidates me and skyrockets my anxiety.

Thoughts? Feedback? Tips on using either of the lenses I have? Favorite places to find tutorials? Let me know! I'm all ears. 

Now, how about you? Have any great captures from this month? I'd love to see! Link up with a host of great ladies, as well as myself, for The Picture Perfect Project. You can also join along on InstaGram using #ThePicturePerfectProject. 

Our Pretty Little Girls
Sweet Turtle Soup
Macke Monologues
Chasin' Mason
Wife Mommy Me
Work it Mommy

An InLinkz Link-up

Hearty Slow Cooker Turkey Chili

One of the last things to be crossed off the Winter Bucket List was to make, and enjoy, chili. And though I'm just getting around to posting about it, we've had this particular chili a handful of times since the weather has gotten cooler around these parts.

This chili is a favorite of mine for a few reasons.
1) Scott likes his chili practically dry. This chili doesn't have a ton of liquid, and Scott is able to essentially strain what little liquid there is.
2) I *do* like my chili a little on the runny side, so this is the perfect compromise for both of us.
3) It's made in the crock pot. So. Easy.

May it be noted, I don't eat beef, but this recipe could easily switch out the turkey for beef, and the beer (or chicken broth) with beef broth.

Now, without further adieu, my rendition of Slow Cooker Crock Pot chili, adapted from Allie at Gimme Some Oven.

print recipe

Hearty Slow Cooker Turkey Chili

by Desiree Macke January-13-2016

A hearty chili perfect for cool evenings, tailgates, or large gatherings with friends.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds Ground Turkey
• 1 medium Yellow onion, diced
• 4 Garlic cloves, minced
• 2 (15 oz) cans, rinsed Dark red kidney beans
• 1 (15 oz) can, rinsed Light red kidney beans
• 1 (30 oz) can Tomato sauce
• 1 (14 oz can) Petite diced tomatoes
• 1 (4 oz) can Chopped green chilies
• 1 cup Beer (or chicken broth)
• 2 Tablespoons Chili powder
• 1 Tablespoon Ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon Ground black pepper

Instructions

In a large skillet, over medium heat, brown turkey and onions until turkey is no longer pink. Drain fat from turkey. Add meat and onions to slow cooker. Add all other ingredients to slow cooker, and stir to combine. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours.

Details

Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 6 hour Total time: 6 hour 2 mins Yield: Approximately 8-10

M & J Monday

My little Cyclones.

Clearly I don't have any clout when it comes to the team for whom they cheer . :) 

Happy Monday!

The Baptism Edition

Earlier, I briefly touched on the fact that we baptized Julia over our holiday break. After a little thought I decided it wouldn't be right to leave out such an important detail of her life. This space is virtually our children's baby books, and Julia's baptism isn't something that I felt I should just skim. So, today's top moments are be from her baptism.

January 1, 2016 Julia was welcomed into the Catholic church.

Her face in this photo - I cracked up when I saw it. 

Through most of the Mass both the kids did exceptionally well. That's a miracle in and of itself. 

Julia only cried once, for a brief stint, during the blessing (and only spit up once as she was being blessed).

The ceremony was incredibly special, and Monsignor - as usual - delivered a beautiful message, that made Julia's moment very personal.

We were blessed to have my sister-in-law and brother-in-law so graciously agree to roles as Godparents.

Godmother - Susan
Godfather - Bryan

The baptismal gown Julia wore is the same gown I wore 32 years ago (and the blue dress I wore is a Stitch Fix keeper). 

And, to top it all off, we were completely surrounded by both sides of our family, and blanketed in love. It was a special day that, several times left me teary-eyed, and one that I am sure to never forget. 

Both sets of grandparents as well as Monsignor.

The whole clan.

I couldn't imagine a better way to begin 2016.

May the Lord bless this child and keep her.

May the Lord make his face to shine upon her, and be gracious to her.

May the Lord lift up his countenance upon her and give her peace. 

Numbers 6 : 24-26

Welcome to the church, Julia!

Julia || 5 Months

Sweet, sweet Julia,

Here we are, staring down yet another month. Time sure does fly, and I so desperately wish it would slow down. Long gone are the newborn days and ways.

Just a few weeks ago I caught your first, real belly laugh. My heart about burst. Ever since then I've done everything possible to make you laugh. I'm sure I look and sound crazy, but you love it and those giggles are worth looking like a fool. More often than not you oblige and laugh that sweet little laugh. I could listen to that all day long.

You've discovered your toes and I die every time your little fingers grasp those chubby little toes. This may be one of my favorite infant discoveries.

You are to Marcus like a moth is to a flame. Whenever he is near you gravitate towards him. He has solicited a few laughs from you, and seeing your interaction is what dreams are made of.

A favorite of yours includes talking with your dad and me. Your little eyes just light right up when ever we hold a conversation. And your smile, oh Julia, your smile is infectious and can brighten any mood and any room. You are genuinely a happy baby, and I love that people outside our immediately family pick up on that so quickly.

Your personality is really starting to shine, and my goodness, you are quite the little ham. If you are giving us any indication of how you will be years from now, my guess is you'll be full of jokes and have the greatest sense of humor. I also have a feeling your dramatic moments won't be stopping any time soon.

I'm pretty sure eating still ranks quite high on your list of favorites. You nurse every 2-4 hours. And, I'm so thrilled that we are still about 95% nursing. This journey hasn't been an easy one, but it's a journey we're still on, so for that I'm thankful.

Bath time is forever your favorite time. You could probably spend all evening in there if we let you (and if the water stayed warm). Watching you kick your legs and flail your arms about, all while squealing with delight is downright adorable. I'm itching for warm summer days when we can get you into a pool.

Sleep. Let's just talk about the four month sleep regression that hit us, and hit us hard. For the longest time you'd go down at 10pm and wouldn't wake until 7am, sometimes later (there were even mornings I would have to wake you at 8:30 so we could bring your brother to school). But, this past month you've been like clockwork, waking at 2:30/3, and sometimes again around 4:30/5. I know one to two wake-ups a night isn't terrible, but it sure takes some getting used to after the great sleep we were having. Naps are pretty consistent - for every 2-3 hours you're awake you require a cat nap of 20-60 minutes. Rarely do you nap for longer than an hour... I wouldn't mind if you changed this habit and added a 2 hour nap somewhere in our day.

You continue roll from your back to your front (left side to right side, only). But, if you're on your stomach for too long you let us all know how much you don't appreciate your position. One of these days you'll figure out just how much fun you can have with your toys if your not in the prone position.

It is amazing at the amount of drool you are able to produce. You are a slobbery mess and chew on literally anything you can get into your mouth. I keep thinking we are going to see a tooth pop up. But, so far, no dice.

You're still not a fan of your car seat. That's something you're just going to have to get over. We live in L.A. We are resigned to our cars for ridiculous amounts of time. Sorry.

Sweet Pea, the joy you have brought to our lives is indescribable and immeasurable. Each day with you is such a blessing, and I cannot believe I'm so lucky to be your mommy.

Here's to month five.

We love you to the moon and back, twice.

Love,
Mommy

Stats (unofficial - the next well checkup is in February)
Height: 25ish inches :: the online calculators are all over the place, one says 20th percentile while the other says 50th.
Weight: 15ish pounds - this may explain the nightly feedings, as you've gained two pounds in a month :: again, roughly 50th percentile
Clothing: Still squeezing into some 6 month clothes, but 6-9 and 9 month items seem to have a better fit
Diapers: Pampers Swaddlers size 2
Teeth: none

2016 || Focused

It's been well over two weeks since I've written an actual post. But, I have to say, my little blogging break was about the best thing ever. Two glorious weeks were spent dedicated to family and enjoying a little trip to the Midwest. During that time not once did I think, "Shoot! I need to write a post." "Shoot! I need to read a post!" "Shoot! I need to reply to a comment!" And, while I'm sure there were several great posts written in those two weeks I'm going to just hit the refresh button on my reading list and start 2016 right here.

With all that said, I wanted to take a quick minute to reflect on 2015 and how wonderful it was for our family: We discovered we were expecting, Marcus turned three, we took trips to Cabo and Yosemite, we saw the Royals play and win Game One of the World Series, but most importantly, we welcomed Julia into our lives. 2015 was pretty spectacular, and will be a tough one to beat.

However, now it's time to focus on this year.

Resolutions aren't really my thing. Only once in my life can I remember making a resolution and actually sticking to it (the year was 2008, and I vowed to run a half marathon that year... I did. I haven't followed through with any other resolutions since). So! Like many other bloggers, this year I'm going to focus on a word. For 2016 I've chosen the word "Focused."

There are so many aspects of my life that I feel deserve more focus.

1. My family.
When I'm with them I really want to focus on them. Not my phone. Not the computer. I want to be focused on them and only them. I want my people to feel like they have my full attention. I don't want to hear myself say, "Hang on." "Just a sec." "One more minute." "Just let me finish this." I'm going to try my best to focus on how much time I'm actually spending in my phone and on the computer. I want to lift my head up out of the technology suck and really focus on my loved ones. Family is of utmost importance, and they deserve to feel that way.

2. My fitness.
If I'm being 100% honest, I've done a lot of phoning it in with my fitness and workouts lately. I've come up with too many excuses to skip getting in a good workout or going for a run. Sure, I'm tired, but aren't we all? My kids deserve the best me, and to be that way I need to spend a little time focused on me. I also want want to focus on an ends to the means with the miles I run. I've talked a lot about finding half marathons to run. It's time to find them, focus on training, and run them.

3. This blog. 

I love this space. But, I really want to focus on its content. There is always room to improve my writing and photos, and I'm hoping 2016 allows me the focus to bring our stories to life with good, quality writing. 

So, 2016, I'm focused on you. 

Now tell me, what goals do you have set for this year?

M & J Monday

We had the best Christmas (and blogging) break:

Christ's birth was celebrated.

Copious amounts of family time was had and cherished.

Gifts were given and received.

We rung in the New Year by being asleep well before midnight.

New Year's Day was celebrated by welcoming Julia into the Catholic church with her baptism.

And we played in the snow.

Some of us enjoyed the snow a little more than others. 

Happy Monday!