Brenna + James 10.7.11

Here are a few of the photos I took of Brenna and James' wedding this weekend in Duluth! The day was gorgeous, as are they! It was such an honor to be a part of their special, wonderful, colorful wdding day!!

Healthy, FUN school lunches!

I have been completely inspired by this site that a friend of mine shared with me!! Here's the link: http://thislunchrox.com/ I finally got my "Bento boxes" from Pottery Barn kids, so it makes it a little easier to put it all together! (they aren't sold in stores, and were back ordered when I ordered mine a month ago- just an fyi!) This is a great way to make healthy lunches for kids, but also to make them so fun! You HAVE to check out her site! (you may have seen Jamie on KARE 11!) I bought a bunch of cookie cutters (princess crown, shoes, trucks, stars, alphabets etc), some silicone cupcake liners, and some skewers for fruit kabobs. My oldest takes cold lunch every day, so when school started, I did have to tell her not to expect a "fun" lunch every day :)  She and I have had a lot of fun with this! Let the creative juices flow, your kids will LOVE it!

"A spider for snack?!" (well...minus 2 legs!)

Meet Carl the creepy crawly. He was present at snack time today....but not for long! I used almond butter between the graham crackers, nutella on top, cashews for legs, marshmallows for eyes and a piece of pull & peel licorice for the tongue. This little guy was a hit! And so easy to make...maybe we'll see him again one day.

Rainbow s'mores!

So, we had left over Easter marshmallows. I know. They are old... but still taste just fine enough to make rainbow s'mores! And life just wouldn't be as enjoyable without treats every now and then! You can buy the multi-colored ones year round :)
I make these in the microwave...crackers, marshmallow bunnies and scattered chocolate chips. Melt them for about 20 sec. or until they get nice and puffy! Voila...happy children! :)

What are you passionate about?!

I think passion is necessary in being a happy, healthy person! Call it a hobby, God-given talent or gift. Maybe it's cooking, being artsy, woodworking, preparing healthy meals for your family, supporting a good cause, running...or sushi (yum!)!!??...it could be big or small, but I know you have at least one! Just recently I have taken my passion for photography a little further! I have always loved it, and pretty much always have the camera at arms reach when I'm at home with my kiddos. I am working on my website/logo design now, and will keep you posted when it's "live" :) I'm very excited about it! This last weekend I got to take family photos of some really great people! I think I've known Steph since 7th grade track and field!! And, we've just gotten closer over the years. I'm blessed to have gotten to know the rest of her family as well!!

  What are your passions in life? While you think about it...look at how cute these people are!!

egg "muffins" and wheat pancakes

Behnken dinner tonight:

ham, cheese & egg "muffin"

(with wheat pancakes)

We love this meal because it is easy and quick! 

All you need is eggs, ham (or turkey) cheddar cheese, and a muffin pan

~the kids think its so fun to have them shaped like muffins~

I use a lot of egg whites mixed with some whole eggs cause we have a large family, but

use how many you like :)

pour eggs into sprayed muffin tin, add deli meat of choice

sprinkle with cheddar cheese

Bake at 375 degrees for about half an hour

(depending on how full you fill your cups, I also poke with a fork)

  And these are great to refrigerate and warm up for breakfast the next morning IF there are leftovers!

Laundry can be fun!...or at least cute :)

I decided my laundry "room" needed an update. (I should have posted a "before" photo as well!) It got a fresh coat of paint (thanks to my awesome husband), and needed some major cleaning/reorganizing! I bought these white containers for only $10 each at Target! I thought it'd be fun to have some pics (of the people we do laundry for! :) so I used a long boot lace, some clothes pins and some photos and there you go! Makes laundry a little more fun! :) Simple, easy and cheap! I know a lot of my posts have nothing to do with being healthy...as in a diet sense, but I figure there are lots of ways to be healthy! Including being a happy laundry-do-er ;o)