Picture Perfect-Grad Photo Cash Book

It's a Graduation Gift everyone will love!

  

Mom will be thrilled with a book of beautiful pictures of her amazing child.  The Graduate?...well just wait.  There is a surprise waiting for him inside that book as well.

These photo books are easily created through Heritage Makers.  Templates are available for most anything.  Just download your pictures and customize to fit your needs!

Beautiful quality with all shapes and sizes.

Talk about customizing...I knew my nephew would appreciate all the pictures in the photo book but I thought I would add just a few custom pages that included CASH!

Every few pages I inserted "Cash For The Graduate" pages.  I created pages that had pictures of dollar bills (and not just $1 bills!) and then placed the "real thing" over the picture with a removable Glue Dot.

I could hardly wait for Nate to start flipping through the pages of the photo book...

Nate thanked me for the gift with an "Aunt Kellie that is an AWESOME gift!"  I think he appreciated the photos but I know he REALLY appreciated the cold hard cash!

I also included the Sees Graduation Hat because of course a gift isn't complete without CHOCOLATE! 

Congratulations 2014 Graduates!

Grad Money Pad's

I wanted to share a fun Graduation gift I made for the 4 graduates we have in our lives this year! I made these last year too and I also made one for my Dad for Father's Day. This money pad could be used for any occasion.  

I pinned this idea to Pinterest last year and when I went to look at the directions again this year, the blog "Making Life Whimsical" where I got it could not be located. Here is the link though.

 

Items you need:

 

• New Money. Head to your bank and order or request NEW money. You want the money to crisp and clean. My bank doesn't let me order $1 bills new so I had to order $2 bills. It was fine though and I thought it was unique.
• Print the free printable Grad Money Pad designs found here OR create your own for any occasion.
• Padding Compound to make your pad stick together so that they can rip the money off like a note pad. I got mine on etsy.
• Clothes Pins or binder clips to make the pad stay in place while drying
• a paint brush or sponge brush to apply compound
• Chipboard and stickers to decorate the card

Cut out the cover and back of your printable to the EXACT size of the money.  Layer the money how you want it and clip with clothes pins. 

 Work around pins to apply the padding compound and let sit on wax paper until dry. Apply several coats

 While money pad is drying, decorate the chipboard with stickers

 Once completely dry, glue to chipboard

Some of my clips stuck to the top of the pad and ripped off some of the ink, so I just cut some ribbon and attached it to the top of the money pad.

 Tie with Ribbon and you're done!

Congrats Seniors:

 

 Brinlee & Nicole

 

Nate

 

Ben

 

 

No Name Chicken - MMMmmm Monday

This recipe has no "official name". I've called or heard it called many things

 

Cream Cheese Chicken

Marilyn Johnson Chicken (named after the person I got it from)

Mozzarella Chicken

Crock Pot Chicken and Rice

and the list goes on....

 

I decided for this post I would call it "No Name Chicken"

but I'm already regretting this decision. You see, Kellie and I started this Blog rather selfishly. We chat on the phone all the time and are always talking about events we are planning or recipes we are making for dinner. With Pinterest we can say "I pinned this great recipe, check my board" This has been awesome! When we started the blog though, pinterest was just getting started and we thought this blog would be a great place to keep track of all our parties, recipes, and anything else we wanted to document so that later we can refer to it.

So....why do I think I might regret calling this no name chicken? Well, because when I am in the store thinking about what to make for dinner and I think of this delicious meal I wont remember the name for it when I search the Chocolates for Breakfast Blog.

There you have it. My rambling....

 

This is an awesome, delicious recipe I got at a recipe exchange years ago in Relief Society. I have made this countless times and it is ALWAYS a hit. My friend Jody even added Mozzarella Cheese to it and that has made it even more fattening....er.....delicious!

So during this hot summer when you don't want to heat the house, but want a hearty meal give this a shot.

 

 

No Name Chicken

Place 4-6 (or more) chicken breast on the bottom of your crock pot 

Pour 1/2 cup milk over chicken

sprinkle with a package of Italian dressing mix

Mix together in separate bowl 8 oz. cream cheese and 1 can cream of mushroom soup.

Pour over chicken.

Cook on high 4 hours, low 6-7 hours or until chicken is cooked and you can shred.

Serve over rice.

 Variation: layer rice, a slice of mozzarella cheese, chicken and then sauce.

Please comment below and let us know how you like it!

 

Cookies to say Thank You

I needed a quick teacher thank you.  I had a fresh batch of cookies, a jar from Hobby Lobby and a cute thank you tag.  I just love it when "thank yous" come together beautifully.  

So You and I Will Live Again

One day I was taping a radio program that was just a series of chats with little children.  We had five or six children come down to the studio, and they were all dressed up in their very best.  I just started talking to them, one at a time.  We were hoping to catch some snatch of conversation that would be good for the broadcast.  The first one was a little five year old, and as she came in, I put her on my lap.  I said to her "Tell me, do you like to go to church?"
"Nope."
I said, "Why not?"
"Too boring."
I lifted her off and said, "Next."
I didn't think that we ought to air that family secret.
I talked to two or three other children, and finally the door opened and a little toddler came in, cute as a button, in a freshly ironed dress.  You know what her mother must have put her through to get her ready to come down to the studio.  What an innocent face.  I picked her up and said, "Well, who are you?"
She said, "Cory."
I said, "How old are you, Cory?"
She raised three fingers.  "Three."
By now I was out of questions, so I said, "Do you know how to sing?"
"Uh-huh."
"Would you like to sing for me?"
"Uh-huh."
Without any prompting she commenced to sing a medley of Primary songs, ending with "I Am a Child of God."  I don't know what that does to you, but I'm kind of tender.  I looked through the window and the engineer was even pushing back a tear or two himself.
Then I said, "Well Cory, you sing like you know God."
"Uh-huh."
I said, "How would a three-year-old know God?"
She looked at me, and I'll never forget the answer.  She said, "Because I have a father."
And I thought, "Oh, the power of a father in the home!"
I said, "Do you know Jesus?"
"Uh-huh."
I said, "Who's Jesus?"
She said, "Our Elder Brother."
I said, "Do you love Jesus?"
She said, "Uh-huh."
"Why do you love Jesus?"
She responded, "Because of what he did for us."
I said, "What did Jesus do for us?"
She came right back and said, "He died for us."
I said, "Why would he do that?"
And she looked at me as if to say, "Well, don't you know?"
She said, "So you and I will live again."

(Elder Paul H. Dunn)

Funny Bunny Loves Veggies

I Loved this funny Bunny card.  We decided to share the card with a couple of Kate's friends...added a little something inside...

Peas and Carrots!  Bunny food.

I was at TaiPan couple of weeks ago and came across a package of veggies (Runt type candy), 6 or 8 little packages inside a large package for about $4.00.  When I saw this card I new the veggies had to be a part of this funny bunny Easter greeting.  

If you knew my Kate you would know how fitting this card is for her to give away.  Kate dislikes (and that's putting it mildly) veggies, but LOVES chocolate.

Hope your Easter morning is veggie-free with just a bit of CHOCOLATE.

Jelly Belly Bunny Baskets

This year's Easter Bunny gifts for teachers, friends and neighbors. 

Tags can be found at Parties and Patterns

Bunny Ear bag pattern can be found here.  They used a Silhouette to cut out fabric.  We did it the old fashioned way...with scissors.

Baskets (.97cents) and ribbon found at TaiPan.  Chocolate Easter eggs found at Costco.

Now to get-a-delivering...down the bunny trail.