HAPPY BIRTHDAY BIG BOY!!

Big Boy turned 6 last Sunday. We celebrated with lots of friends, MANY blessings and good times! We love you Big Boy~~

Works for Me Wednesday

Big Boy has started Kindergarten and Little Guy is still in PreK. About 2-3 times a week, they have homework. In three weeks, I've already completely worn out the "where is my pencil" welcome. It's driving me mad!!

So this is my simple solution to homework time:

The super simple, super convenient pencil case! Snag an extra during that clearance time at your local Red Dot aisle, WalMart or Staples and stuff that baby full of pencils, crayons, erasers and scissors. Keep it near the homework area. For us that is the kitchen, so these little babies are in the "junk drawer" near the table. When the boys return from school, they change their clothes, grab a snack and settle in to finish their homework. This has solved the "where is my......" statement every time.

Join all the other genius moms over at We Are That Family for more great WFMW tips!!

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

I figured today I would hook with one of the old favorites....Tempt my Tummy Tuesdays and Tasty Tuesdays! 

This is one of our very favorite breakfast recipes....and we do breakfast for dinner at least once every couple of weeks. YUM! Hope you enjoy it as well!

ORANGE PECAN FRENCH TOAST

* 1 cup packed brown sugar
* 1/3 cup butter, melted
* 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
* 1/3 cup chopped pecans
* 12 (3/4 inch thick) slices French bread
* 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
* 1 cup fresh orange juice
* 1/2 cup 2% milk
* 3 tablespoons white sugar
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 3 egg whites
* 2 eggs
* 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar for dusting


Directions

1. In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, melted butter, and corn syrup. Pour into a greased 9x13 inch baking dish, and spread evenly. Sprinkle pecans over the sugar mixture. Arrange the bread slices in the bottom of the dish so they are in a snug single layer. I often use leftover bread pieces--it works great.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the orange zest, orange juice, milk, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, egg whites, and eggs. Pour this mixture over the bread, pressing on the bread slices to help absorb the liquid. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour, or overnight.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C ). Remove the cover from the baking dish, and let stand for 20 minutes at room temperature.
4. Bake for 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown. Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.

Join the others over at At The Well and Balancing Beauty and Bedlam for other terrific recipes!! Have a wonderful day!!

Works for me Wednesday!

I couldn't wait to come back to WFMW!  Oh!  How I love it!!  I learn something new and great every single time and astound my friends and family with my wealth of knowledge!  Ahem.....I'm just sayin'......

So today's tips for WFMW are what works for school.  All those great back-to-school tips and tidbits.   

Here is mine:

I took a frame with a glass front:

Then I covered the background with some some scrapbooking paper:

Finally, I measured out my calendar days, added a few boxes for miscellaneous things like grocery lists and other various to-do lists.  I mismatched a lot of different textures and designs, all in my outstanding effort to cover how much of a non-perfectionist I am.   See?  Looks well planned out, right?!  Yep--that's how I work!  :)

And voila!  The final product:

You can simply write on the glass with any dry erase marker and they wipe off in a flash.  I hung it in our kitchen area.  I did the close up because the rest of the wall is not finished yet.  I plan on adding a couple of finished cork boards to hang things on and a little chalkboard for the kids to play on, down below.  

I really use the calendar faithfully....keeps everyone on board with a quick glance to see what is coming up this week.

That really works for me.  What works for you?

Join everyone else on over at We Are That Family for tons more tips!