Hot Spaghetti

This recipe started with me and my friend Alicia. Our favorite food EVER is spaghetti. We also love hot and spicy foods. So we decided one day that we wanted them both. So we combined the two to see if it would taste good. And as we were experimenting with different sauces and stuff we told {A}ubry about it. And together we ended up finding a great combination. So here it is, plain and simple.

• Spaghetti noodles (we prefer the spiral noodles)
• Spaghetti sauce (we use Ragu Traditional style)
• Hot sauce (we LOVE Cholula Original hot sauce)

Cook spaghetti and sauce as you normally would. Add hot sauce to taste.

And the best part about this recipe is that you can change it up to find the best taste for you. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!

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{B}ailey                      

{ATTENTION!!} Our Pictures will get better. We promise. Please bear with us while we learn!

Creamy Chicken Quesadillas

Its kind of a funny story how me and {A}ubry found this recipe. She found it in a cookbook she bought for $1.50!!! And I found it online at allrecipes.com. We were telling each other about it one day without realizing it was the SAME recipe! It just goes to show you how alike we are (And how weird we are for talking about recipes in our free time). I hope you enjoy how simple and delicious this recipe is.

• 1 (10.75 ounce) can Campbell's Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup (Regular or 98% fat free)
• 1 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken
• 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup Pace Picante Sauce
• 8 flour tortillas (8-inch), warmed

1. Heat that oven to 425 degrees F. (I set it to 375 degrees F to prevent the tortillas from getting hard).
2. Stir the soup, chicken, cheese and picante sauce in a medium bowl.
3. Place the tortillas on 2 baking sheets. Spread about 1/4 cup chicken mixture onto half of each tortilla to within 1/2-inch of the edge. Brush the edges of the tortillas with water. Fold the tortillas over the filling and press the edges to seal.
4. Bake for five minutes or until the filling is hot. Serve with additional picante sauce.

                                      {B}ailey                       

Meet Miss Molly and a FREE chalkboard printable

I am 25 years old. The last thing I expected to hear when my baby was just hours old was "she has Down syndrome." Down syndrome is a condition where a person is born with 3 pairs of the 21st chromosome. It is fairly common-1 in 691 babies in the US are born with it. People with Down syndrome have similar physical features: low muscle tone, flatter facial features, and upturned "almond shaped" eyes. Individuals with Down syndrome possess varying degrees of cognitive delays, from very mild to severe. Most people with Down syndrome have cognitive delays that are mild to moderate.



 Here I was, exhausted from giving birth, with about 3 hours of sleep, and this bombshell gets dropped in my lap. I have to admit it took a long time to accept the fact that my baby was different. Honestly, there are some days even now, 4 months later where I still struggle. I see my friends and family with "normal" babies and sometimes catch myself wondering "why me?" But then I look at the face of my beautiful baby girl and feel nothing but gratitude for the way my life turned out. There are going to be struggles-she has a few heart defects that are going to need to be repaired with an open heart surgery. She is going to take longer to walk and talk and read and write. But she helps me and my entire family appreciate the little things and have a greater appreciation for life!

The other day Bruno Mars' song "just the way you are" came on the radio. I was holding Molly and when it got to the chorus I almost started crying. The words are perfect...

When I see your face there's not a thing that I would change. 'Cause girl you're amazing just the way you are. And when you smile the whole world stops and stares for awhile. 'Cause girl you're amazing just the way you are. 

Sometimes I get a streak of creativity. Hearing these lyrics and looking at my perfect baby inspired me to make a printable to put in her room to remind her that she doesn't have to change a thing about her. I hope it can be a source of strength when the inevitable time comes when someone teases her and makes her think something is wrong with her. Anyway, I hopped on the Pinterest bandwagon and created a "mockboard" print with the lyrics!

I wanted to share it with everyone and ask that if you come across a person with Down syndrome you see them first as a person. Who happens to have Down syndrome. They are some of the sweetest, most loving individuals you will ever have the pleasure to meet and their smile will brighten your whole day! I feel so blessed to be able to have one of these most special angels in my home.

Ok I'm off my soapbox now, here's the printable! (click on the link to download!)

Just the Way You Are Printable

{S}handa

Alyssa's Bedroom

When I was little, I always asked my parents for a little sister. It was always on my Christmas list. Lucky me, they felt as if we needed another member in our little family and when I was 16, we adopted Alyssa, a nine year old cutie. After a couple years of sharing a room with her, she finally got her own room. A dark green, use-to-be guest room. It worked for the guests and it worked for my brother who had previously owned the room, but it just didn't seem to fit for her.

Just like she has always been, she didn't complain. She LOVED having her own room. She never asked for new paint or a bookshelf. I couldn't believe it. I'd grown up changing my room once a month. I'd learned how to move my bed and dresser at a very young age and I painted my bedroom at LEAST 3 times. No, she was not going to get a green room, not if I was concerned.

I asked my parents if I could have a budget to redo her room. I wanted it to be on the DL and I didn't want much. I just wanted color and personality. They said YES! And I started my plans on a $200 budget.

After 3 month of planning, color scheming, price checking and ordering stuff and hiding it in my closet, along with stuff I made such as pillows and bookshelves, she went to girls camp and I got busy!!     

Forgive me for the poor quality pictures and for not taking more "during" photos. I'm still learning.
After a long process of painting, taping, painting, untaping, taping again, painting again (I know, it seemed endless!) I painted a two-shelf bookshelf, painted the frame on top and bought a basket for even MORE books. (This girl LOVES to read) I made a few pillows and two quilts, the bottom was a turning twenty quilt and the top was from all of her old favorite shirts to comfy up her bunk bed. We used Shan's handy dandy Silhouette to make a saying for over the closet in a color that matched the focus wall and closet. My talented brother, Josh ({S}han's husband) painted the tree on the wall. Last, and my favorite part, I cut up some jeans and an old shirt and made a place for her hair ties, ribbons, bobby pins and earrings for inside her closet.

 We had tricked her into a photo shoot before she left for camp and stuck some of those photos in some matching black frames and put them on her walls above a nice comfy pink bean bag for her to relax and read in.

We had SO much fun, but we were excited to see how she'd react! Guess what? She LOVED it! Her exact words: "Oh my GOSH!" It wasn't fancy and it wasn't expensive but it was her and it was probably the most fun project I have yet to do! Let's see what this blog brings me to do next...

                                     {A}ubry                         

Peanut Butter Balls {No Bake}

Who doesn't love recipes that take 10 minutes to make? This is a snack my mom made for me since I was a chitlin! Now, us three girls make them all the time! Here goes nothing!

• 1 Cup Peanut Butter
• 1/2 Cup non-fat dry milk powder
• 1/4 Cup honey 
• Graham Cracker crumbs (about 2 crackers)

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients, except graham cracker crumbs. Shape into 1 inch balls. Roll into the crumbs and refrigerate!

It's truly that easy and THAT delicious.
Bon Appetit!!

{A}ubry                         

The {B}rainstormers

Hey fellow readers! We decided it's about time we spread our love of crafting, baking and organizing with the blog world. So to start, here's a little about us.

Hi! I'm {A}ubry! I'm 21 and I LOVE crafting and organizing. Last June, I got married to my handsome high school sweetheart, Mike. We are extremely lucky to have just bought our first house! With my hobbies of cleaning, crafting and organizing, I'm extremely excited to make it our own and share my passions with you readers as I do this and start a family! My best friend, Bailey and my Sister-in-law, Shanda, got me interested in baking and crafting and I'm so excited to do this blog with them!

{A}ubry                   

My name is Bailey and I'm 21. I'm in LOVE with the outdoors! Camping, fishing, hiking, sports, I love it ALL!! And though I love being active, I also love relaxing. If you gave me a good book, I'd be content reading all day. Also, I love to cook, bake, organize and do crafts, mostly because of my best friend, {A}ubry! I think she created a monster!!! But mostly I love life and the people in it (no matter how cheesy that sounds). I hope you enjoy our blog! :)

{B}ailey                   

I'm {S}handa! I'm 25 and married to {A}ubry's brother, josh! I just had a little baby girl named Molly who just happens to be extra blessed with an extra chromosome i.e: Down Syndrome. She has made me realize how important it is to live life to the fullest and take nothing for granted! I love photography and editing, card making, vinyl and clothing design-all done with my handy dandy Silhouette cutting machine!  These two girls above me are amazing at everything and I look forward to helping them with this blog!

{S}handa