We have our annual Fourth of July at the lake this weekend and I always try to bring something that's homemade to the event. This week while I was scrolling through Pinterest, I found vanilla covered oreos with multi-colored sprinkles. So, the thought crossed my mind about making them red, white and blue. And y'all, it was so easy and they are perfect for all the little fingers that will be grabbing them off the dessert table.

These are so easy to make, and my little Chefs enjoyed helping make these, too! And they have two thumbs up from them, too! Get your littles in the kitchen and have some fun making these. I found the red, white and blue sprinkles at Michaels, but I'm sure you can get them at any grocery store or craft store. 

We used three packages of the Oreos, a full bottle of all the sprinkles, and two candiquik melts. Just follow the directions on the package of the candiquik, dip half of the oreo in, and then dip in a plate of sprinkles. We let them dry on some parchment paper before putting them in a container to take with us to the lake. Seriously, y'all, it's so easy.

Y'all have a safe and Happy Fourth of July!!
 

Skip Hop Satchel

When I became a mom three years ago, I knew things would change. Some of those things would change for only a few months/years, and others might be a lifetime change. And, I'm perfectly fine with that. One of those changes was my accessories. I don't wear the jewelry I used to, but I still wear my favorites so I don't really feel like I'm missing much in that department. But, when it came to a handbag/purse, that has been something I've really missed. Diaper bags are big and bulky enough without having to add additional bag to carry. And when you add a baby carrier with that, yep, you know quickly that leaving your handbag/purse behind is the best decision you'll ever make.

Fast forward to where we are now. Our girls are toddlers, but we still need a bag to carry diapers, wipes, extra clothes for both girls, snacks, thermoses, and then I have items to pack, too. At first, I let them carry their backpacks and then I'd have my purse, but that wasn't working because I ended up carrying both of their bags, too. So, I decided I'd get a backpack for us to carry all of our stuff. And the one I got off of Amazon, well, it apparently wasn't made to hold all the gear we needed. It ripped at the seam the first day we used it. I was so bummed about this, because this backpack was my style! I loved carrying it! Since this bag didn't work, it made me do some major digging on the internet for the perfect bag (for me). For over a week, I researched hundreds of bags and read even more reviews. I would drag my husband over to the computer at least a dozen times, and he would always say, "you are the one carrying it, you decide" and then I would second guess my opinion again. I'm sure a friend of mine would tell you that if I never mentioned diaper bag/backpacks ever again to her, she would be a okay with that! I really thought I wanted a backpack, but all of the reviews were leading me to a satchel.

I bit the bullet last week, and decided to go with the Skip Hop Chelsea Satchel. It came in and I started filling it up with all of my items from the backpack that I was still carrying around with a ripped seam. It has so many pockets for all of our needs. And dare I say, I still have room in the bag for more?

The bag is stylish and it looks great when I'm carrying it around. It has two pockets on the sides, one for each of the girls' thermoses. It has two pockets in the front with magnetic closure. I use one to store paci's for emergencies, and the other holds my lip gloss.

Then the bag has a zip up section that I keep all of my personal things in like my wallet, makeup, and eye glass case. It is deep and I have a lot of room left if I decide to add more items.  There is also another small zipper section where I keep my keys and my cell phone. I can get to it easily, and it's a shallow pocket so I don't feel like I'm searching forever to find those two things.

The back pocket has a changing pad included with the bag. Right now I'm keeping it in there because we still need it, but once we are out of diapers, I can put my laptop, ipad, planner, etc, in that section.

The center zipper compartment is huge! It has four pockets (two on each side) and it's deep. I keep the girls' extra change of clothes, wipes, diapers, and snacks in there and we still have room to add more. And with all of this in the bag, it still doesn't feel weighed down.

Overall, I'm really pleased with this bag! We tried out the stroller straps at the grocery store yesterday, and it freed up so much space by not having it in the buggy! The girls have even told me they like mama's new bag.

Do you have this bag? What are your thoughts on it? If you are a mama or mama-to-be, I highly recommend getting this satchel. They also have the Chelsea in a backpack, too!!

Donut + Chocolate + Sprinkles... YASSS!!

In case you missed the memo, today is National Donut Day!

We celebrated the day by heading over to our favorite donut shop this morning to enjoy their yummy goodness! The gourmet donut shops have all these delicious donuts topped with oreos, bacon and maple syrup, nutella, and bananas and peanut butter — but this ole gal loves her "plain jane" donuts. I like them glazed and chocolate glazed, and that's really it!

However, the girls prefer their donut topped with chocolate and sprinkles. Who can blame them? They are colorful, messy, and F U N! We each enjoyed a donut at the shop this morning, but of course we came home with more for tomorrow's breakfast and so daddy could enjoy some! Hope you got to celebrate this delicious the day! We sure did!!

Hello June! Hello Birthday Month!!

I'm just going to put this out here — E V E R Y O N E loves to celebrate their birthday. Do not let anyone tell you otherwise. Birthdays, no matter how old you are, should be special. Go ahead, make a big deal out of your day; actually, make a B I G deal A L L month!

Things that should always happen to celebrate your birthday:

• C A K E — there should always be cake! Chocolate on chocolate is my favorite.   

• P R E S E N T S — something you want, something you need, and a surprise!

• D I N N E R — a meal at your favorite restaurant with family and friends!

And speaking of presents... does anyone else clam up when someone asks you what you want? Knowing very good and well that you know exactly what you want, but you don't want to start spitting out all the things you want when someone asks? No? Yes? I'm not the only one? Well, that's okay. I have a solution. I'm making a running list of everything I want. Big, small, inexpensive, expensive — I'm listing it all out. And, I'm going to have the list readily available so when someone asks, I can look at that list and decide what I should tell them. Let's face it, I'm getting to that age where everything I want, and need, is expensive. So, I'm going to try to remember to think about small stuff to put on there, too.

So, you want to know what a middle aged 30 year old wants for her birthday? Wait, am I really about to be a middle aged 30 year old? How did I get to be in my mid 30s? I used to think 40 and 50 were old, but the closer I get to those numbers, the more I'm realizing that it's not old. Sorry mom and dad for calling y'all old at 40! Okay, enough sulking. I'll just pour myself a big ole glass of prune juice and deal with it. Back to the presents. While I know I won't be getting all of these presents for my birthday this year, (or I better not be, unless we won the lottery!) this is just visual board to show things that I'm interested in not only for my birthday, but Christmases, Anniversaries, etc. And maybe it can give you some ideas if you are struggling on what I ask for.

1 - Amazon Echo I'm a music lover! I would have music playing 24/7 if I could get away with it. But I really want a bluetooth speaker to play my music that's portable so I can take it outside on our screened in porch and have it inside, too. I've been looking at this Echo on Amazon, and I think this would not only give me the bluetooth speaker that I'm wanting, but it has so much more to offer as well! But, I also like this one because you can take it to the pool or outside and don't have to worry if it gets wet.

2 - Compact Camera I love my Canon 6D, but it's really a pain to carry it to the zoo, pool, etc. And we are gearing up for our Disney vacation later this year, and I know I will not want to haul in another backpack with all the other stuff we already have to carry in for the girls. So, I've been doing a lot of research, and I've decided to go with this one from Amazon. You can preorder it now, or wait til June 6th to order. It's been a really long time since I've had a small point and shoot camera, and the reviews from last year's model of this one are terrific! So I can't wait to get my hands on this one and start photographing with it!

3 - Third Wedding Band Okay, okay, I know this technically isn't something to ask for, but I've been wanting a third band for awhile. I L O V E my wedding set! However, I wouldn't mind adding a third band that's a little different to the mix. I like this one, but I'm open to others. This one is from Diamonds Direct.

4 - Birthstone Bands I have a Mother's ring that Terry and the girls gave me two years ago. I love it, and wear it daily. I love the idea of stacking a solid band of their birthstones on either side of it. Or, some days just wearing the bands, to give a different look. If they offer these with their three band sale, I'd get our anniversary month (March) to have in the center just like my Mother's ring. Everly Stackable Bands are redesigning these birthstone bands and they will be for sale in a few weeks. I can't wait to see the redesign, and I have my fingers crossed that these will be on my hand in the future!

5 - Gift Cards Yes I know it's generic, and very impersonal, but sometimes you can use these to help buy the gifts you are really wanting. So giving an Amazon gift card, or even gift cards to go out to eat can make someones day. That's the gift that keeps on giving because by the time you get to use your gift card, you remember why and how you got it.

6 - Doormat I can't tell you how many times I pass by the cute doormats at Target and love them, but never remember to purchase one. Well, we need one, badly. The one we've had is the one we've had since we got married. Except I do put a different one out for Fall and Christmas. So, I thought this would be a fun gift that is something we need, and want. Target has some really cute designs, but I think this one is my favorite!

What do you ask for when your birthday rolls around? I might need to add it to my running list of things. ;)