BirchBox

I don't know how many of you have heard about Birch Box but I absolutely love it! I got a 3 month subscription to it for my birthday and it's wonderful! So far I have only gotten one box, but still. So I guess I should explain what it is. Birch Box is a site that sells beauty products and just fun things, when you sign up for the boxes they will send you 5 samples that are hand picked for you based on a profile that you fill out.
Now I am absolutely terrible with make up and stuff, I have no idea what works or looks good or anything. So for just $10 a month a get samples! It's really wonderful. For this month in my box I got a lip and check stain, some perfume, a bar of all natural soap, a face mask, and glamour band aids. After I try out each one I will post a short review on them!

(I wrote this with no compensation from BirchBox, I just love them)

M&m cookie cake

The other day I made this delicious cookie cake (that I saw on Pinterest), it was a huge hit!

                           (Note: I forgot to take a finished picture of it so here it is almost done...)

For this cookie cake you will need:

• 1 cup and 1 tsp flour
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 cup softened butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• About 1 cup of m&ms

Then the rest is simple!

1. Preheat oven to 325
2. Mix butter and sugar
3. Then mix in egg and vanilla extract
4. Combine flour and baking soda with mix, mix well
5. Fold in m&ms
6. Spray pan, pour in
7. Cook for 25-30 min (don't forget to poke it with a toothpick to make sure it's done)
8. Enjoy!

Chicken Artichoke Lasagna

So I made this delicious piece of lasagna last night. And it was AMAZING (Yes I realize it doesn't look very amazing but trust me it is. Even Melody loved it, you will also use a whole can or artichokes (which you can't even taste!) so it's a good way to sneak a veggie in there =].

So ingredients:

• 2 cups boneless skinless chicken breasts (cooked and shredded)
• 1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts (chopped)
• 1 pkg (8 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 2 packages (8 oz) cream cheese (softened)
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 cup basil (chopped)
• 6 lasagna noodles (cooked)

Now on to cooking!

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. (If your chicken and noodles aren't already cooked now is a good time to do so)
3. Combine chicken, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, and parmesan cheese into a large bowl
4. Mix with mixer; cream cheese, milk, and garlic powder. Stir in basil
5. Mix half of the cream cheese mixture with the chicken mixture
6. Spread half of the cream cheese mixture onto bottom of a large pan
7. Lay down 3 noodles, spread chicken mixture so it covers the noodles and repeat
8. Top with the rest of the cream cheese mixture and sprinkle on the rest of the cheese
9. Bake for 25 min
10. Enjoy!

John 14:18

Your father left. Your mother died from AIDS. You live with your uncle who repeatedly rapes you and your aunt who beats you. Your lucky to get one meal a day. And you're only 8. This is the reality for many young children in Zambia.

Family Legacy is an organization that strives to create a loving environment for high risk children and also create a personal loving relationship with the kids while teaching them about their Heavenly father. I have gone with them twice to Camp Life; where we each get a group of about 12 children, teach them about God, give them new shoes, a meal, evangelize with them in their community, and just love on them. These are children that may have never heard someone say "I love you." It is the most eye opening and heartbreaking experience I have ever had. It has been 3 years since I have gone and I have missed it so much, my heart is still over there.

I plan on going back June 2013 and I want to pay for the trip all by myself. I'm asking for donations (on the right side of my blog) anything at all is wonderful, I will also be doing photoshoots for people in the Austin, Cedar Park, and Round Rock area, and I will be selling jersey knit bracelets in red, back, green, or gold for $2. Also prayers are also more than welcome!

I will be doing a mini series on some of the amazing children I was able to meet while over there so please stay tuned.

#2 Have a water balloon fight

Well we got water balloons. And let me tell you, Melody absolutely loves balloons. They are like her favorite thing ever, so it's safe to say she was pretty excited. We filled them with water, she carried them around, and then she dropped one.

Oh the tears. Apparently popped water balloons are just as bad as popped regular balloons, even worse cause they also get her wet. Maybe we'll try again another day. For now we'll just barely fill them up with water so they won't pop and she can still play with them.

Birdhouse Fun

#15 on the summer bucket list - Paint a birdhouse

This was also our first time using paint, yeah we have loooots of newspaper down.

Who even needs paint? Water works just fine....

Making sure this side is good and covered, mixing paint was a very common thing. It drove mommy insane.

As you can see the paint here....

Look at that concentration; paint on the check and in the hair. My little artist, I'm dead.

Mine and Melody's finished birdhouses!!!

College decisions

Being an adult is absolutely terrible. There's so much responsibility and live choices to be made. I'm currently in my 3rd year at The Art Institute and studying for a Bachelor in Photography. Now I love doing photography, I really do. I love photo shoots, and shooting weddings, and I really want to travel abroad and shoot different places. But I don't think a Bachelor degree will really make much of a difference with any of that. And I'm starting to really dread school. It's repetitive and I've really lost all interest in it.

I want to switch majors. I want to be a teacher.

But I've already spent so much time here and my dad has spent so much money on this school. And none of my credits will transfer. I might be able to get a certificate which will make it worth it but still.

I have absolutely no idea what to do.

Diy- Jersey Knit Bracelet

So today I decided to make my best friend a jersey knit bracelet!

To do this you really just need to cut out one strip of the fabric, mine measured 1” by 40”

Next you will want to take one end and place it behind your thumb to hold it in place. You will then take the longer end, take it behind your ring finger and in front of your pinky.

Then just loop it behind your pinky and in front of your ring finger.

Next you will just go all the way around the two fingers, so it just goes straight across them.

This part is slightly tricky, you will take the loop from the early part put it above the loop you just made and take it off of your finger.

It should look like this

Just keep repeating the above step until it’s a good length, and I forgot to take a picture of the next part. But when it’s a good length carefully take all the loops off your fingers being careful not to unravel it. You will take the tail that was on the long end it put it through the two loops and gently pull it to create a knot.

Then just tie the ends together, cut off the extra material and voila!

I know I'm a day late to be posting this but here is my rather short InstaFriday! 

So here we go!

So we were about to gt in the car, it was really hot out so I opened the back door to let some of the heat out, went to the front to start the car, went back to the back to Melody in and there was this little lovely just sitting in the seat. Melody loved it.

First time painting!

2012 Summer Bucket List

1. Make homemade ice cream
2. Have a water balloon fight
3. Pick berries and make jam
4. Make sun prints
5. Paint rocks
6. Make homemade popsicles
7. Make homemade sidewalk chalk
8. Cook and eat a fruit pizza for dinner
9.  Play at the pool
10.  Picnic at the park
11.  Feed ducks
12.  Make crayons
13.  Pick wildflowers
14.  Fly a kite
15.  Paint a bird house
16.  Make pinecone bird feeders
17.  Make smores
18.  Have a squirt bottle water gun fight
19.  Build a fort
20.  Go to a movie in the park
21.  Sharpie dye t-shirts
22.  Take a trip to the library
23.  Go to the dollar movies

Whats on yours?