S'mores Bar Deliciousness

I love a good s'more. There's no other way to put it. It is a perfect summer treat, but sometimes it just isn't the best time to bust out the fire pit and make a s'more. Enter s'mores bars! These are are pretty much my 'go to' dessert when I am making something for a get together (or just because).

The other week I was getting ready for a get together with a fantastic group of ladies-my kickball team-and they requested s'mores bars be made and I was happy to comply with their requests. I seem to always have the ingredients in the pantry, ready to make these at any notice. I followed this recipe from Wit and Whistle and it works amazingly. The only thing I change is I add a little more marshmallow fluff, only because I am a marshmallow lover.  

You will need:

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 king-sized milk chocolate bars (e.g. Hershey’s)
1 1/2 cups marshmallow creme/fluff (not melted marshmallows)* I use about 2 cups*

These are pretty simple to make-here's what you do: 

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.

2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars until light. Beat in egg and vanilla. 

3. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. 4. Add to butter mixture and mix at a low speed until combined.

5. Divide dough in half and press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan. 

6. Place chocolate bars over dough. 2 king-sized Hershey’s bars should fit perfectly side by side, but break the chocolate (if necessary) to get it to fit in a single.

7. Spread chocolate with marshmallow creme or fluff. 

8. Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the fluff (I found it to be easier if you  flatten the dough into small shingles and laying them together).

9. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

                                                 

I was making these a few hours before our get together and I also had a 'No-Nap-Ninja' on my hands...so a large iced coffee was much needed as well as a fluffer-nutter sandwich. Now please tell me you all have tried this wonderful creation? If not, it is simply peanut butter and marshmallow fluff! Now since you probably have peanut butter...and you obviously have marshmallow fluff...give it a whirl and you can thank me later. 

After these have cooled, carefully cut them as big (or as small) as you would like, grab a few napkins and enjoy! Let me know if you love these as much as we do-

xox

Walking Watkins

If you're friends with me on Facebook, or Instagram (@mrs_watkins723) you would have seen that our Kaden at 17 months old is now a walker! I'm going to be honest with you all, I was worried about him walking. I know, I know-every baby will do things on their own time-but when you see babies walking and they're around 12 months old or younger and your baby has yet to brave that task-you get worried-even though I knew he would be okay. Since Kaden was born 10 weeks early, we have to adjust his age down to basically track his development across the board. So even though he really is 17 months old, developmentally he is about 14.5 months old which also means he should be doing the things that other babies that age should be doing. He is slowly gaining more confidence on letting go of things (and me) and walking around the room, especially in places other than home! It seems like he has more of an adventure sense now that he can explore so much more at his new eye level.

We also have to be seen by a high risk development clinic with NICU doctors (as well as Physical Therapists and Occupational Therapists) about every 6 months up until he is about 2 years old just to track him and make sure he is doing things 'according to plan'. Having a bunch of doctors evaluate your baby can be a lot to take in. Since we moved from California to Virginia, we were told that we now can possibly qualify for county services to help Kaden. When we were back in CA, I was one of the people that evaluated children and talked with parents to get services as well as provide services to these kids. So being on the flip side of things requires me to take a step back and be the client and not be the worker. Let me tell you, it is hard. Full disclosure here: I feel like when we have professionals coming in and testing him, I'm getting evaluated as well. Or at least my parenting skills are. I feel like being a parent is one of the hardest jobs around. I know I can do the best job that I can and I think that both John and I are doing a pretty darn good job with the cards that we have been dealt. Sometimes I feel like I can do more and maybe having these other services come our way can help with that, but I never know until I try them right?

PiYo- week 1

Hello everyone! I made it through the first week of PiYo with a lot of 'snap, crackle and pops' from my joints. I came across this program when a friend mentioned it on her Facebook page. (Side note: I have yet to meet her, we both are Military Spouses so by default we can share common interests and become friends at a rapid rate.) She is a Beachbody coach and also big into fitness, eating healthy and clean while taking all sorts of life obstacles into consideration during the process. Now I have quite a collection of workout dvd's as well as a mini gym in our basement so I really have ZERO excuse-except I haven't found a program that really sticks with me besides Pilates and recently yoga. The local yoga studio has both classes and I love it, but the schedule is hard to keep as well as a membership commitment due to our lifestyle (not to mention the price that comes with it). When Lauren told me about PiYo, which is a combination of both workouts, I was intrigued! After the first week I have come to the conclusion that I need to work on my flexibility. Luckily this program works on your flexibility along with strength training with your own body weight. We were instructed to take measurements along with weighing ourselves. I haven't seen any difference yet in my body, but I have noticed a difference in my muscles getting less tense. I know everything takes time and this challenge is 60 days.  Lauren has been running an accountability group following the schedule as well as the meal plan that is with the program. Sticking to the meal plan has been a little difficult since I have to take John and Kaden into consideration but I'm making it work and they get to eat healthy foods, so it seems to be a win-win for all of us! I finished my workout earlier during nap time and I'm expecting to feel some sore muscles tomorrow which is a great feeling to me. I'll keep you all updated as the workout schedule continues-

xox

Post Holiday

Hope you all had a fantastic holiday weekend! I know we did. We were lucky enough to have John home for an extra day and a half (wahoo!) so we had some amazing family time. We unfortunately were not able to see fireworks because Kaden is in bed by 7:30 at the latest and trying to keep him awake would have been the hot mess express coming through. We did enjoy the amazing weather and spent a lot of time outside. Otterpops and all. 

I was able to relax a bit on the deck and get some reading in. I actually may or may not have started and finished 2 books in one day...which is kind of crazy. I cough it up to a good napper and a good book! 

My wonderful husband got me a Kindle Fire for my birthday a year ago and I absolutely love it. I came across the website www.bookbub.com which is FREE to sign up for and you get daily emails on deals on different books. Some of the authors I know, most I don't but they have books you can download to your EReader for as low as 0.00. Thats right, free books friends. Others are discounted around .99 or 1.99. 

Kindle version

I got this book for free and thought it would be a good read based off of the reviews on Amazon. I thought for free, no problem. I quickly finished it and realized it was part of a series of 5 so naturally I had to get the others. Amazon has the first 3 books for .99. Thats right-less than a dollar. Started the second book and quickly finished that one too.                  

                                       

They're girly books, yes. But it is a nice thing to read every so often and have a good laugh. I'm working on the third book currently. Laundry took over my life this weekend (story of being a mom, right?) I recently discovered a new all natural dryer sheet solution and I'm really excited to give it a try and share with you! Here's a hint: 

And if you've liked the Facebook Page you may have seen that I've started a new workout challenge! It is a mix between Pilates and Yoga, called PiYo and I can't wait to share it with you guys! Stay tuned-

xox

Jamberry Jams

Have you all heard about Jamberry Nails?! These may be one of my new favorite things. If you know me, you know I have quite the selection of nail polish. Some people may call it a bit 'ridiculous'.

What can I say, I like variety! Don't get me wrong, I would love to get my nails done with the gel manicure all the time, but lets be honest. Who really can do that at 20.00-30.00 a visit and every couple of weeks? Whenever I have gel nails, getting the polish off is horrible and it tears my nails up. So when a friend of mine from California started selling these new designs, I had to see what they were about. She was kind enough to send me a couple samples to try out.  They're these nail stickers that will stay on for about two weeks (more or less, depending on application and how 'rough' you are).  I followed the directions that were given to me which were pretty simple. Basically it comes down to:

1. Measure sticker to nail and see which one fits best. You can trim them if necessary.
2. Warm the sticker up (I used a hair dryer and held it with tweezers) for about 5-ish seconds until it is flexible.
3. Carefully place the sticker on your nail, apply pressure with a cuticle pusher of your free hand to help the sticker bond to the nail. Make sure you especially watch your edges, that is where they will peel off the most.
4. Trim the ends and file it down.
5. Admire your new nails!

The one issue I had was when I needed to file my nails at the end. I realized it works best if you use a coarse board to make sure the stickers aren't jagged.When it comes time to remove them, it is simple! You can lightly heat your nail and just peel them off! There are so many designs to pick from- so if you're like me and have to change polish frequently- pick a design that has lots of color so you can mix and match! Here are two fantastic ladies that are Independent Consultants: Marie and Lindsay. I am currently attending an online party through Facebook that Lindsay is currently taking care of. On top of parties, she has fantastic giveaways on her Facebook Page so check it out and let me know if you love these designs as much as I do. 
xox

Eyelashes For Days

If you look at pictures of Kaden, you will see a mini version of my husband. I am fully aware of this, yet I hear it every single place I go. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind it because my husband is handsome. 

When we were moving, one of the movers really did ask who his mother was. I had no words. Once you get past his baby blues, Kaden has some really nice eye lashes-I'd like to say courtesy of my genetics. SO If you follow me on Instagram (@mrs_watkins723) you'd see quite a few pictures of my gorgeous baby. I've been 'watching' them since he was born growing from tiny lashes when he was a wee little one (I'm talking 4 lbs here) and seeing how they have changed from little blonde lashes to long dark beautiful lashes. Mixed with his baby blues? I'm going to have to be fighting some girls off probably on the first day of kindergarten. I can't wait to see how he grows up, but I sure hope he keeps these lashes that are just like mama's.  Man, I love this little guy. 

 

Welcome welcome, come one come all

Hello there and welcome to my newest project! After quite a lot of contemplation, debating, list making and talking I have finally decided to blog our adventures that we love to experience. A little bit about the name of this wonderful blog: I'm sure you all have seen the clip of the "Worlds Toughest Job" right? No? Okay well here it is: 

After watching it (and maybe wiping a few tears) and after John watched it, he goes "hey, you're the Director of Operations of Watkins Incorporated". I was talking with him about starting to actually document my projects that I have completed (because after moving 4 times already, I have become quite the project person) I didn't know what I would name my blog. So thankfully he chimed in with the YouTube reference-and here we are. So, I hope you come along for the ride on all of our adventures- 

xox

I'd like to especially thank my fantastic friend Lauren over at http://laurenevangeline.blog.com for also encouraging me in starting this project. Go stop and say hello as she starts her blogging adventure filled with laughter, wit and craftiness.

xox