NEVER ever ever!

Today's post is a little different than my usual posts, but I thought it would be fun!

NEVER will you EVER hear me say these things:

• An ice cold beer sounds delicious right about now!  {I hate beer!}
• Who wants to go get some tea?  {I also hate tea.  Ew.}
• Let's throw these gross cookies away.  {I don't discriminate.  Cookies are delicious.  Always.}
• Come on, hop in my Bentley and we'll head to the mall!  {I don't have a Bentley.}
• Did you see last night's episode of [insert random singing elimination show]?  I can't wait to see who gets kicked off next!  {I don't watch any of those shows...even American Idol.}
• I seriously hate taking pictures of my son, it's such a chore!  {I'm a mom-a-razzi.}
• Let's play Monopoly! {Way. Too. Long.}

What are some things you would never be caught saying!?  Head over and link up with Neely!

Social Sunday!

It's that time again!  Today we are headed back home from vacation.  Goodbye sunny Florida, hello Ohio!  While I'm not looking forward to leaving the sunshine and pool, I am looking forward to seeing our pups and hopefully some pretty spring weather at home!

Here are this week's questions: Did you sleepwalk as a child? Yes!  I actually went downstairs once and my mom FREAKED!  She went in to check on me and realized I was gone (freak out #1).  When she found me downstairs I guess she was counting her lucky stars that I made it down there without falling.  I can't even imagine.  I don't do this anymore, lucky for the husband. :)
Did you ever try to run away or sneak out of your house? No, not that I can remember.  I do have a funny story though and it has nothing to do with me, ha.  When I was little my best friend had a younger brother.  He was 5 years younger than us.  When he was about 4 he got in trouble and decided he was running away.  He packed his little suitcase and when his mom found him trying to escape, she opened up the suitcase.  Guess what little man had packed for his big getaway?  Three crayons and a belt!  Life is so simple at 4.  
Did you have any imaginary friends? No!  I think that would have been cool, but my friends were all real. 
Did you ever go toilet papering? No, I think I considered it with some friends one time but we all felt too bad to actually go through with it.  Guilty conscience for the lose, ha!

Did you ever sneak tv shows you weren’t allowed to watch? Ohhh yea!  My parents (divorced) were both totally anti-MTV.  This is back in the day when MTV actually had music videos!  I really loved watching them in the summer while my parents were working.  My mom only had basic cable (no cable box) so she took the channel off of the registry.  So if you were channel surfing it would go 46, 47, 48, 50, 51.  It skipped right past 49 (MTV).  I don't know why she didn't think I would figure out that I could just type in 49.  Duh, mom.  Thanks for thinking so highly of me!  My dad did have a cable box and was able to block out quite a few channels he didn't want me watching.  Guess what he made the code?  "0000".  Once he realized I cracked that code, he changed it.  To "1234".  Wow.

Flashback Friday

A quick flashback for everyone's enjoyment.  This is me and the hubster circa 2006.  April 15, 2006 to be exact.  We got engaged exactly 8 months and 1 day after this picture was taken.  All I have to say is I can NOT believe that was over 7 years ago already.  Time flies.  And yes, we're having fun!   I'm so thankful I was able to find and marry my best friend.  /End mushiness. 

Wordless Wednesday. Video Edition.

Katie's Cake Batter Rice Krispie Treats [Tasty Tuesday]

Remember yesterday how I guest posted for my friend Katie at Strawberry Halls Forever?  Today I have a super awesome guest post for you all from the gorgeous Katie herself!  See what we did there?  We're friends, we help each other out!  ;)  She's sharing a super delicious, simple recipe that I can't wait to try!

Hey guys!  I am so excited to be guest blogging for Emily today!  I'm Katie, and I blog over at Strawberry Halls Forever. I write about my daily life with my husband, cat, and dog.  I love to write about my family, travel, fitness, and of course- food! 

Today I've decided to share a super easy and delicious recipe with you!  I just tried these Cake Batter Rice Crispy Treats and I am a little embarrassed to tell you how fast the entire pan was gone.  Thankfully, I shared them with a few friends, and they all LOVED them!  My husband also devoured a couple, and he is somewhat of a rice crispy connoisseur, if you will.  So grab yourself some cereal and marshmallows and go to town!

You make them just like regular rice crispy treats, but you add boxed cake mix into the melted marshmallows and butter.  

After combining the melty marshmallowy goodness with the cereal, give it a good mix and let it cool slightly before adding in your sprinkles.  The sprinkles will melt and bleed their color all over the cereal if you don't let it cool!

I pressed the mixture into a 9 x 13 baking dish and let it cool completely.  I had no trouble cutting out squares at all!  I thought it would be really sticky, but it cut really easily!

SO GOOD! You can really taste the cake batter flavor in these!  I think they would be super cute made with different colored sprinkles for different holidays.  Some of the comments on the original recipe also suggest using different flavors of cake mix- I'm definitely going to have to try that!  Red velvet rice crispy treats anyone??


The original recipe is from givemesomeoven.com and I pretty much followed it to a T.  I did add a little bit more of the cake mix, and I only used 1/2 the amount of sprinkles.

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbsp. butter
• 1 (10 oz.) bag of mini-marshmallows
• 1/3 cup yellow cake mix (the dry cake mix, not prepared into a batter!)
• 5 cups crispy rice cereal
• 1 (1.75 oz.) container of sprinkles

Method:

Melt butter in a large saucepan over low heat and add marshmallows. Stir until they begin to melt, adding in (dry) cake mix one spoonful at a time so its combined. Stir in cereal so it is completely coated with marshmallow mixture. Sprinkle in half of the sprinkles and mix. Press into a baking dish (any size will do) and top with remaining sprinkles. Let sit for about 30 minutes before cutting. I find spraying a knife with nonstick spray helps to cut them cleanly.

Thanks for having me over for a guest post Emily!

xoxo, Katie

Please make sure to go check out Katie's blog!  Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe, Katie! :)

Guest Post + My Bucket List

Today I'm guest posting for my girlfriend Katie at Strawberry Halls Forever!  Please head on over to find out more about why I'm posing with this massive mammal!

Do you have a bucket list?  I made a "30 before 30" bucket list back in 2011.  When I gave up on my old blog and started Simple Suburbia, I forgot all about my bucket list...until now!  Check out my full 30 before 30 list in my tabs at the top or by clicking this link.  Please don't remind me that I only have 2 years and 2.5 months to complete this list.  Eeek!

Here are some of the things I am crossing off my list...

Cook a thanksgiving dinner. - November 2012 We hosted Thanksgiving at our house this past year and it was my first time cooking it all!  We hosted Thanksgiving once in the past, but my mom brought the turkey.  I'll admit, I did a turkey breast, but that's only because we didn't have enough people to do a full size turkey (plus all of the stuff that goes along with prepping the turkey GROSSES me out)!  

 Learn some sign language.  - Fall 2012
I know it's not much, but I learned baby signs to teach Carson!  So far he only signs for milk consistently, but sometimes he'll do "more" and "all done".  I've learned Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, water, milk, eat, drink, more, all done, library, book, bed, I Love You.... I think that's all!
I know there are some classes for baby sign language, but honestly, there are TONS of resources you can find online!  Check out this cute video I found on YouTube!

Organize my recipes. - October 2012
I finally got all of my recipes typed up and put into a binder.  They are organized into 4 sections: appetizers  sides, main dishes, and desserts.  I considered organizing them by main component but then I got frustrated when a recipe would fit into 2 categories.  I think I might end up adding sub-sections to my main dishes and desserts because right now they're really full!

Find a church to join.  - 2012
We have started going to a new church that we both really enjoy.  I want to go to church and get something out of it.  I used to hate going when I was little because I didn't understand the sermon and the message was never clear to me.  Plus, I felt like we were going because we had to go or we were supposed to do it.  Now I actually enjoy going to church and the message is always totally clear!  As a teacher, I appreciate that our pastor presents the message in various ways (anecdotes, stories, bible readings, videos, songs) because it makes it easy for anyone to understand and it's almost always relatable!  

Social Sunday

What is your shopping weakness? Sale items!  Sometimes I get stuff off the sale/clearance rack ONLY because it's a good deal.  I hate that I do that because I end up with some random stuff I'd never buy otherwise.  

What is your food weakness? This is going to sound so silly but generic chocolate oreos!  I love regular Oreos but I honestly have no self control with these chocolate yummies.  The generic are better than the actual Oreos in my opinion.  (NOT true with original Oreos!)

What is your go to movie to watch when nothing is on? I really like comedies but I don't have a "go to".  There's alway something on in my house because I'm always playing catch up with my DVR!  

What is your go to breakfast food? I don't like breakfast food.  :(  I've never been a big breakfast eater and I don't eat eggs!  Pancakes are starting to grow on me.  If I have to go out to breakfast I will order a Belgian waffle (YUM) and hopefully some fresh fruit.  If I'm at home I eat dry cereal (usually Cheerios or Lucky Charms).  So fancy!  Oh and my hubster makes some delicious chocolate chip waffles!

Courtesy of the husband.

Do you drink coffee? If so how do you take it? I used to be addicted!  I would drink regular coffee with flavored creamer (french vanilla is my go to).  I don't drink caffeine anymore but occassionally I still get a decaf coffee.  I love decaf mochas (1/2 hot chocolate, 1/2 coffee) and I also love ....wait for it, this is going to sound a little high maintenance... Decaf Skinny Soy Vanilla Latte, iced if it's warm.  Yum!  

A Pinteresting Party!

It's been a while since I linked up with Michelle!  Today I'm going to share some of my inspiration pins for Carson's first birthday party!  His party is a month and a day away!  Make the time go slower!!!

I'd like to make these with jumbo marshmallows! 

Source: party-wagon.com via Emily on Pinterest

Source: designdazzle.blogspot.com via Emily on Pinterest

Source: iloveyoumorethancarrots.com via Emily on Pinterest

Source: sugarbeecrafts.com via Emily on Pinterest

Source: summerlynphotography.com via Emily on Pinterest

Source: marthastewart.com via Emily on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Emily on Pinterest

Anyone else planning a party soon?  

Who wants to share some tips/ideas for a first birthday?!

What My Husband REALLY Thinks About Me...

I'm linking up with the lovely Becky today for a fun post written by my one and only Hubster!  No offense to any sister wives reading my blog today!  ;)

When I was telling my husband about this post, this is exactly how our conversation went....

Me: Oh, I need you to write a blog post for me!

Nick: What?  I don't even know what that means.

Me: What you mean?!  It means exactly what I said. You have to write a blog post for me!

Nick: I can't do that, I don't even know how.  I have no idea what to write.

Me: All the blog husbands are doing it.  You have to do it!

Nick: I really don't know how.

Me: You have to.

Nick: Okay, but you have to help me.

This was followed by a game of 20 questions...

"Do I have to include pictures?" 

"Are the other husbands really doing this?"

"Will this be my own post or will you write most of it and I'll just add a few sentences?"
"What is the purpose?"

...And so on.  He cracks me up.  Come on hubs, JUST DO IT!

My GQ Hubster.  How did I get so lucky?

Before I share this with you, let me just say that it literally made me smile so big when I read it.  Also, I may have shed a tiny little mouse tear.  Maybe.

So without further ado....this is a copy and paste of what he sent me via email:

***** ***** ***** ***** *****

Five facts about my lovely wife Emily

She’s obsessed with finding new crafts and decorations to make all the time! She literally makes decorations for 2 seasons out just so she is “ready” when it comes around. I don’t think we could ever move somewhere where we had to live in an apartment, because she wouldn’t be able to store all of her bins full of decorations for each season!

She’s the only person I know who grew out of wearing glasses. She wore them when she was little and her sight got better so she didn’t need them anymore.

She HAS to coordinate every outfit. I think this is a girl thing, but I don’t know what she’s going to do when Carson gets older and starts dressing himself! She may have a meltdown the first time he puts on some brown shoes with black pants. I try to dress him occasionally but normally am not always successful, because his pants don’t coordinate with his top, or his sweater doesn’t match his shoes.

She grew up without really going on vacations at all, so the first time she saw the ocean was when she was 17 with me down in Florida. We went to Ft Myers with my dad, and ever since we go back down at least once, normally twice, per year. She is now obsessed with warm weather (Probably not unusual for someone who has to put up with our crappy Ohio weather all winter).

She is a great mom! She spends all day with Carson, takes him to tons of different baby activities, and she loves doing it. She never seems to want a break she loves being with him so much. I have to get one of our moms to come over and drag her out to get her to leave him for a little bit. She does all this while cleaning, shopping, and meal planning so we always have a dinner planned (and normally cooking) when I get home!

 

It's Monday...But It's OK!

I hope everyone had a good weekend!  We got outside a bit so that makes it a great weekend in my book!  I found this picture on Google images and I think it should be displayed in workplaces nationwide!

Here's a quick look into our weekend....

{Friday}

I was sick all day so I just wanted to relax Friday evening when Nick got home.  After we put Carson to bed we went to bed and watched some TV on Netflix.  Boring, but I needed some rest!

{Saturday}

Thankfully, I was feeling MUCH better...Nick even let me sleep in (after I got up and fed Carson of course)!  We hung out at home for the majority of the day to make sure I was really "recovered".  Anytime after I'm sick I'm always a little nervous to eat "real" food so I was feasting on crackers Saturday.  Carson decided they looked tasty and wanted me to share, ha!

 We also watched the Buckeye spring game.  It's always weird to see all Buckeyes on the field....especially on the Bengals field!

{Sunday}

Sunday we had some pretty nice weather!  [Dear Ohio, stop teasing us!]  We went to the park and now that Carson is really starting to walk around, he was able to explore so many new areas!  He loves the swings and also had to wave to EVERYONE who walked by.  Oh so cute.

"All aboard!" 

"See ya next time, folks!"  This picture cracks me up!

 Representing our home state!

After we got home from the park we came home and ran 2 miles in our neighborhood with Carson in the jogger.  I'll be honest, we ran/walked.  Nick is a runner so he's being super patient and helping to "train" me!

Sunday night Nick's mom came over to watch Carson for a bit and Nick & I went out for a quick dinner.  We had a gift card to the Cheesecake Factory so we went there and the cheesecake did NOT disappoint!  My meal could have been better, but let's be honest, the dessert is the most important!  I got the red velvet cheesecake and I highly recommend it!  I still have some in my fridge and it's calling my name right about now!

Nick got the peanut butter cheesecake and I tried it, it was pretty delicious, too!

I'm linking up with Leah, Sami, and Carissa!

Friday Fun Facts!

The wonderful Kali over at Kali Now Living has nominated me for the Liebster Award!  Thanks, Kali!  This award allows bloggers to get to know each other through some random facts as well as questions and answers!  Each award recipient must post 11 random facts about them self as well as answer the questions "assigned" to them by the other blogger.  

I'm on the right.  Oh, and I've used this pic before.  Oops!

11 Facts About Moi

1. I have lived in the suburbs for my entire life and I can't imagine living anywhere else.

2. I like everything to be very organized but I have a hard time getting organized.  I get overwhelmed and sidetracked so easily!

3. I am a cold person.  It could be high 70's and you'll find me in a jacket with goosebumps.  My idea weather is 80-85 degrees and sunny.  Ahhh, perfect!
4. I have never lived in an apartment and bought my first house at 19. 

5. I'm very sentimental and I have a ton of "memory" boxes scattered around the house with cute little keepsakes.  Carson already has his own memory box in his closet! :)

6. I do not own an iphone.  

7. I've been with my husband for over 10 years and we went to my senior prom together (although he was not a senior, haha)!

8. I learned how to drive a car with a manual transmission after I bought one, haha!

9. I wear knee socks almost every day (unless it's summer, in that case you'll find me in flip flops).  My knee socks are never plain, they always have fun colors and patterns!

10. I can't imagine not living by a Target.  I seriously go there multiple times each week...it's my home away from home.  Walking around Target is my idea of fun, ha!

11. I hate singing in front of people but I'll belt it out in my car.  

Here are the questions that Kali left for me to answer:

1. What’s the story behind your blog’s name? I live in the suburbs, and I'm a fairly simple person!  Naming a blog is SO hard!  I wanted some alliteration so it would be easy to remember and I wanted it to have something to do with my life since the blog is about my life!

2. What do you hope to gain from blogging? Friends and ideas!  I love "meeting" new blogger friends and hope to meet some of them in real life someday.  (Midwest blogger meetup anyone?!)  I have already gained (and shared) SO many ideas through blogland including crafts, recipes, and mommy ideas!  

3. What place in this world do you want to visit the most? I would love to go to Australia and snorkel in the great barrier reef!  I would also love to go back to Hawaii (Kauai specifically)!

4. If you could go back in time, which era/decade would you go back to? I think the 80's could be fun....lots of neon and big hair! ;)  I also think it would be really cool to live in the 50's when my grandparents were at the stage of life that I'm in now!

5. What is your favorite movie and why? It's so hard to pick favorite movies.  I like most comedies and also love stories.  The Notebook and I Love You, Man are two that I will watch anytime if they're on!

6. Do you leave comments on blogs or are you a silent reader? I try to leave comments but I read from my phone a lot when I'm feeding Carson or in bed and it's not easy to comment!  :/

7. Is your significant other involved with your blog? No.  He doesn't read it and he doesn't really understand it.  However, he has some homework to write a blog post for me for an upcoming linkup....we'll see how that goes!  

8. Who, from the present or past, has influenced your personal style? Ummmm, stylish moms?  Hahaha!  I honestly don't consider myself to have much "style" but I try to dress somewhat cute.  That sounds so pathetic!  Maybe I should go shopping, haha!

9. What do you look for in a blog (as in following a blog)? I love when bloggers are totally real and honest.  I also love when bloggers share ideas, recipes, etc.  Oh, and if they're funny....bonus!  

10. What is your ultimate dream? I would say my ultimate dream would be to have a big family and move south to a place where we could still get a sense of the seasons.  I wouldn't mind seeing snow 0-2 times a year, ha!  As long as I'm happy, in love, and with my family, I think it's perfect!

I'm going to go ahead and nominate any of my wonderful readers!  If you're reading this and want to participate, go for it!  Make sure to link back to me and send me the link so I can learn more about you!

How Do You Feel About Pickles?

A few days ago we went out to dinner with Carson's Godfather and Carson tried a pickle for the first time.  Make sure you're paying attention to the video around 0:18.  I dare you not to smile.  :)

I'm linking up with Jamie today because I can't stop loving this video.  Seriously, I'm totally pulling this up whenever I have a bad day!

DIY Yogurt Melts [Tasty Tuesday]

As a lot of you know, I make most of Carson's baby food.  When he was eating purees, I made everything.  Now that he's eating mostly finger foods, I still buy fresh/frozen and prep his food, but I do buy a lot of prepackaged "snacks" like puffs, yogurt drops, and crackers.  The yogurt melts, but I feel like we go through the bags SO quickly!  I figured it couldn't be too hard to make your own....and it wasn't!  These are great for teething babies since you serve them right out of the freezer!

What You Need
Yogurt {I used YoBaby Peach}
Drinking glass
Plastic baggie
Spoon
Scissors
Baking Sheet
Wax Paper (optional)

How to Make
Line your glass with your plastic baggie and spoon your yogurt into the cup.  I used about a 1/2 container of yogurt.

Remove your baggie from the glass and create your "piping bag":  Squeeze all the yogurt to one bottom corner of the bag.  Twist the bag above the yogurt.  Snip off a very small piece of the corner of the bag.

Line your baking sheet with wax paper. [This is optional but definitely makes for an easier clean up!]  Drop small dots of yogurt onto your baking sheet.  I filled an entire baking sheet with only a 1/2 container of yogurt!  As you can see, some of my drops got a little messy.  That's what happens when you're trying to keep an eye on the baby and make his snacks! ;)  You can make these as big or little as you like!

Stick the baking tray in the freezer for at least an hour or two until they harden up.  Once they are hard, you can remove from the baking sheet and store in an airtight container in the freezer.

*Note: These melt fairly quickly in warm baby hands!  The yogurt drops purchased at the store are freeze dried so these are definitely a little messier!


I'm linking up with Kristin today!