No bake cookies! & a mommy moment :)

Everyone loves an easy recipe, right? Especially a NO BAKE, delicious one! These are so yummy & such a quick make. I remember my grandma always making these, too! My sister can make a pretty mean no bake cookie, also. 

I needed a quick dessert for our life group that was being hosted at our house this evening. So, I knew I had all the ingredients & these sounded amazing! Even though I am supposed to be eating healthy I couldn't pass up on these. (Plus, hubby is a big fan & the other fellas of the group are, too.) So, what's a gal to do?

My sweet farmer has been working so much lately with the soy bean harvest, so he had to miss out on life group this evening, but he made sure I knew to save him some cookies. I told him if there weren't any left I would just make more. (He doesn't need to know how easy they are to make!)

My cute tester, Drake, had to try them out before he went to his Bay Bay's (His Grammy) house for the evening & they passed with flying colors. In fact, I had to bribe him with one to actually get him to come home after life group. (Don't judge me, people!) 

On another note, my sweet girl, Dru, is teething & just a tad cranky so she stayed & enjoyed life group with us & she was our entertainment! (Climbing on the coffee table, riding everyone's "horsey" AKA leg, & running around squealing!) I've been a scattered brain mama with a wild, crazy (SWEET)  3 1/2 year old & a cranky, hurting (SWEET) 16 month old. I'm rocking my baby girl now while she is sleeping (this hardly ever happens) & Drake is laying in bed with daddy watching a super hero movie, I'm sure. Things get wild around here. I mean WILD. & I get cranky, too. But, laying here knowing I have two amazing, healthy kids who love their mommy & daddy with all of their little hearts makes things a lot easier. I never knew what I wanted to be when I grew up. I just never had that "ah-ha" moment until...... I became a mommy. This is what I was meant to do. And even though I get cranky, frustrated, & every other emotion that applies to raising kids, I wouldn't change a thing. Because, I also get all of the happiness, kisses, hugs, "I love you's" & daily blessings that go along with it. I am SO thankful for our babies. God is amazing, isn't he? Yes, he is. I just had to get a mommy moment in this evening so there it is! & here is a cute picture :)

      Now, for the recipe!

             No Bake Cookies

  

2 Cups of Sugar

1/2 Cup Milk

1/2 Cup Butter

3 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Add later:

1/2 Cup Peanut Butter

1 teaspoon Vanilla

3 Cups Oats (I add extra until it gets thicker & tough to stir, so they're not runny)

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large sauce pan

Bring to a rolling boil (continue stirring so it doesn't scorch)

After about a minute & a half remove from heat

Stir in 3 remaining ingredients 

Spoon them out & put on wax paper to let them cool

& the most important..... Lick that spoon!

       Enjoy!

Chocolate Gravy. Say what!?

Yesssssss. My FAVORITE breakfast! My mom would always make this for us & it was by far the best. I think this recipe differs from hers, but I can't tell the difference. Chocolate is chocolate, right?

The hubbs had NEVER had it before I came along. (He's so lucky! Hehe) & he never really wanted to try it at first, but now he is a chocolate gravy believer! But, really. I'm so shocked when I hear people say they've never had chocolate gravy! We are in the SOUTH people! It's such a quick breakfast, too. (My kinda cookin') I also love having breakfast at dinner. (Any type of breakfast food) Hubbs hasn't come around to that one yet. He always says, "That just doesn't sound good." (I end up making it anyway) & there are NEVER any complaints. ;)

This can be eaten with homemade biscuits, but like I said, I like a quick meal. So, I use canned biscuits. Now, for this delicious recipe! Let me know how you guys LOVE it!

      Chocolate Gravy

2/3 cup sugar

2 heaping tablespoons flour

1 heaping tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/4 cups milk

2 tablespoon butter or margarine 

1/2 tsp vanilla extract (I usually put less)

Add all dry ingredients to a medium sized pot/stove top safe bowl

Add milk using whisk & mix with dry ingredients

Bring to boil, reduce heat, & stir constantly to prevent scorching

It will thicken & then remove from heat

Add butter & vanilla extract 

Mix well until all is blended

Pour over your serving of biscuits

           Enjoy!

Sour Cream Cookies

This morning we had to go get Dru's second dose of her flu shot. NOT a fun time. So, we decided to bake cookies once we got home to brighten up the day!

I hope the title of this post didn't turn some of you off. But, I bet it has the others of you (who are sour cream lovers) drooling at the mouth! Maybe?

THESE ARE THE BEST COOKIES. I remember when I was younger (& even now) my grandma always making them! I guess I didn't know they actually had sour cream in them, probably a good thing that I didn't. (I'm a SC lover now) My hubs, not so much. I honestly never tell him the real ingredients in most of my recipes. He loves a lot of stuff, it's just all in his head! Typical. Any who, these cookies are to.die.for! You honestly can't even tell they have sour cream in them. 

They are perfect for the upcoming holidays or if you're in charge of a dessert at your family gathering. I've also heard these are Santa's favorite cookies, too! Just a little FYI :) So, who wants the recipe? Get ready for a life change, people! 

        SOUR CREAM COOKIES:

1/2 cup soft butter 

1 cup sugar

1 egg

2 cups sifted all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup sour cream

Cinnamon mixture (cinnamon & sugar) (Just a little bit of each to sprinkle on top)

Beat sugar & butter until light & fluffy

Beat in egg & vanilla

Add sifted dry ingredients & Alternate with sour cream & beat until smooth

Drop rounded teaspoonful on greased cookie sheet

Sprinkle with cinnamon & sugar mixture 

Bake at 375 for about 15min!

     ^ My cute helper

     ^ ready to eat!

                ENJOY!

Cutest little personalized prints!

Okay, I wish I was some artsy farsty mama.. Sadly, I am not. And I'm almost 100% sure that's why Etsy was created! For mama's like me!

Let me just give a little info to where I'm headin'. We built our house in 2011. So, we will have been moved in for TWO YEARS (wow, already?) in December. My big boy, Drake's room was decorated in a hunting theme. (I had to stray away from the John Deere for my sake on ONE thing) & My baby girl, Dru's room was decorated in a vintage nursery. 

So, forward two years: THEIR ROOMS ARE STILL NOT FINISHED. Most of Drake's decor came down with the demolition of him being a normal 3 year old boy, right? Maybe, Maybe not. He would NOT leave his wooden ducks, canvas', or antler picture frames alone! So, they're all on the top shelf in his closet until he is "old enough" to leave them alone. Well, I've decided to change his room theme to Super Hero. (I think) Am I allowed to start another project when I haven't even finished one? Don't ask my husband. 

Dru's sweet little nursery is just perfect! Besides the fact that Drake (older, wild, rough brother) tore her personalized vinyl decal name that was above her crib. So, it looks like this non-artsy farsty mama tried to free hand it. Not cool, Drake. And the fact that my mother has yet to hang up my old baby dress in a frame that she got for Dru, that hangs to the right of her crib. Hint, Hint Nana! I also have a rocking chair & an old mirror in my garage that I'm going to paint "tomorrow" (if my husband asks) because he's threatening to take it to our warehouse if I don't get it out of his garage that it's been sitting in for 2 months. Oops. 

Anyway, what I'm getting at is I needed some new wall decor for their rooms. Something for Drake's that could go with just about any theme & something for Dru's! My sweet friend, Chelsey, who I cheered with in high school & attend her daddy's church (TheBOD.TV) started making (HAND DRAWN) personalized prints! I did both of my kiddos birth stats on each & they turned out amazing! You NEED to check out this little artsy fartsy, mama-to-be's Etsy shop here & order your own! 

Go on, do it! 

Preparing for School!

Now, first let me say, my kiddos are 3 1/2 years & 16 months (today!) They are with me everyday, besides church days when Drake goes to his class & Friday when he has gymnastics & he gets to play with other kiddos! (Or on weekends with his cousins!) So, I always feel like they (Drake mainly) need so much to be prepared for school! Drake is SUCH smarty pants, if I do say so myself :) But, I knew we needed to do more at home to get his skills up to par. We've started our daily Arts & Crafts. He has A LOT of energy, so I was afraid he would take a while to understand you can't run with scissors, you can't tattoo your sissy with the markers, & you can't put the crayons up your nose! (Or your sister's!) This kid surprised me! He loves making things for his mama (of course!) at church, so he thoroughly enjoyed it at home, too! SCORE! Here are some pics of his masterpieces. Note: Not for sale! ;) For mama's filing cabinet (aka SAFE, because I'm a freak) only! Enjoy! 

     ^ He was proud!

     ^ Made this for daddy!

    ^ Perfect for a rainy day craft!

    ^ The cutest darn turkey!