Category: Blogging

Time for the Summer Bucket List

It is that time of year! Let down your hair, or in my case, put your hair in a perpetual messy bun and don’t worry too much about it. Picnics, playgrounds, trips, friends, ice cream, watermelon, late dinners, bright evenings, I LOVE SUMMER.

It is the best time for families to let loose and dig into some real family fun. It doesn’t need to be fancy, planned or even expensive. For the past few years, I have finally started writing down everything we want to do for good ole summer fun. It is our Summer bucket list. The kids look forward to making it each year and are always making mental notes of activities they would like to add to the list.

This year I picked a few places that cost a little more than a few bucks, some super cheap and some are my favorite – FREE!

All of the locations are located in the Denver Metro Area or the nearby foothills of the beautiful Rocky Mountains.

List of places and links:

Wildlife Animal Sanctuary – I have not ever been here but have wanted to go for several years now! They have every kind of wild animal you can think of and it is not a zoo type setting. It is a very unique place. A few animals they have are lions, bears, leopards, camels, fox, coyotes, alpacas, bobcats, and emus.

Mini Golf near our house – we scored a Groupon for unlimited rounds, plus on Wednesday nights they have all you can eat hot dogs, a boys dream!

Lakeside Amusement Park – Another Groupon score is to a local and historic amusement park, Lakeside. We love going there, it’s $40 for 4 unlimited ride passes. So many great things about Lakeside, one HUGE benefit? You can bring your own food in! That equals huge savings!

Soda Lakes – This is a beach at a local lake. It is a city run park so it only costs $5 per car. You don’t feel like you are in the city, it is the outskirts right before the mountains. There is a beach with a playground, flush toilets, snack bar and boat rentals. There is also SO MUCH more to do here. Bike trails for miles, fishing lakes, bird watching and more.

Jumpstreet is a great place to cool off in the summer. Always a hit with my kiddos.

White Fence Farm – An amazing family restaurant! You have to see it to believe it. They also have the very best fried chicken in DENVER! It is situated on a farm right in the suburbs of Denver. There is a petting zoo, a playground with a super cool treehouse, a creek, a tire swing, a duck pond, an arcade, a 2 story slide, a dance floor, an antiques store… Seriously can you believe this list!? We love this place. Not only do you eat good but you can buy all kinds of neat stuff!

Heritage Square / Miners Adventure Land – Another Groupon score. This place has amusement park rides, paddle boats, climbing walls, a human maze (my fave), water walkers, bungee tramps, and a carousel. Also, the world famous Alpine Slide, I have such great memories as a kid of that crazy ride! There is also a main street you can shop, grab coffee or ice cream. Sadly, a lot of this place is going to be demolished next year. All the great family places always disappear 🙁

Tiny Town – A must-see and go-to for all. This place is charming and cute. Kids LOVE it and you even buy tickets for the mini-train around the ground. They have a picnic area and playground. Bring your own food or buy it from the snack bar. We usually pack a lunch and then grab an ice cream from there.

Mile High Flea Market – Great place to roam around, eat yummy street food and grab some great buys! The kids always find something they ‘need’, I like to buy produce there and my husband makes sure we don’t bring home too much stuff. They also have amusement park rides and a huge slide.

Hiwan Homestead Museum – such a wonderful place to spend an afternoon in the mountains. Read all about the history here. There is one main house and several other buildings. All historic and restored by Jefferson County. The other buildings include a print shop, blacksmith shed, playhouse (kid’s love it), a bedroom, a store front and other treasures along the path. The main house is gorgeous with multiple staircases and even a chapel! You can take a guided tour, they are free. You can picnic there and take a hike around. After, we always go into town (Evergreen) and eat at Beau Joes.

I need to add a few more, the Denver Zoo, the Drive-In, Idaho Springs day trip, and Puzzah.

Can’t wait to start checking these off! It is time to enjoy time together and do super fun things!

What’s on your Summer Bucket List?

May 29, 2025
Mrs. O’s Cheez-It Chicken Recipe
When I was growing up, my mom worked full-time—yet, without fail, she had a hot, homemade dinner on the table by 5:30 every single night. I still don’t know how she pulled that off. Seriously… cape, tights, the whole superhero package.

When I worked full-time, I cooked too—but not every night, and it was just for me and my roommate (aka my sister). She cooked a lot too, so we made it work. But Mom? She was next level. She always found a way to make something delicious with whatever was in the pantry. That stuck with me.

I hope my kids grow up remembering home-cooked meals the way I do—made with love and a little resourceful magic. That said… my kids? Picky. And yes, I’ve played short-order cook more times than I’d like to admit because I refuse to let them go hungry.

But this chicken? This recipe? A straight-up miracle. Every single one of my kids loves it. No whining, no trade-offs, no cereal fallback dinners. Just clean plates and happy faces.

And the best part? It’s only three ingredients.

Mrs. O’s Famous Cheez-It Chicken

You’ll need:
- 3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1½ cups mayo
- 3½ cups Cheez-Its (crushed)
Instructions:
1. Cut chicken breasts into 1½-inch strips.
2. Crush Cheez-Its in a blender or food processor to your preferred crumb size.
3. Add mayo to a bowl, stir in chicken strips until well-coated.
4. Using a fork, pull out each strip, coat in Cheez-It crumbs, and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet (don’t skip the parchment—unless you enjoy chiseling chicken off a pan).
5. Bake at 375°F for 15 minutes, then flip and bake another 10–15 minutes until golden and cooked through.
Let cool for a few minutes and serve it up. I like to pair it with mashed potatoes, mac ‘n’ cheese, and green beans—because if we’re going for comfort food, let’s go for it.
April 12, 2025
Easy, Delicious Smores Waffle Cones
This dreary January weather has me dreaming of warm sunshine, sandy toes, and summer traditions. So I’m throwing it back to one of my favorite memories to chase away the winter blues.

Every summer, our crew heads to Horsetooth Reservoir, where we stay in cozy lakefront cabins. It’s become a beloved family tradition—20 to 30 of us packed in with beach towels, card games, and enough snacks to feed a small army. The kids spend hours playing on the beach while the adults catch up over cards and campfire stories. It’s pure joy.

Before each trip, I do what every snack-loving mom does—I hit Pinterest. And this year’s find? S’mores Waffle Cones.

Yes. You heard that right.
S’MORES. IN. WAFFLE. CONES.

It’s basically everything that is good and right in the world:
- Waffle cones
- Marshmallows
- Chocolate
- And a ridiculous amount of candy
We went all in with:
Oreos, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Cherry Nibs, Peanut M&Ms, chocolate chips, and pecans.

We let the kids go wild filling their cones, then wrapped them in foil and placed them over the fire. A few minutes later—magic.

Messy? Yup.
Ooey-gooey? Oh yeah.
Absolutely delicious? 100%.

The kids were thrilled, the adults were sneaking seconds, and yes—we’ll definitely be making these again. Next time, we’re throwing gummy bears into the mix. Because why not?

Summer can’t come soon enough.
January 7, 2025
Giving Thanks

So many wonderful things about the Fall but the one that causes us to pause, be reflective and spend time with loved ones is the best. Thanksgiving brings up so many warm and fuzzy feelings. I love it, it is so necessary to stop and reflect and be thankful to God for everything He has given us. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 tells: “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” For me, unfortunately thanks is not my natural reactions to most situations that I am not completely happy with. Thanksgiving makes me stop and truly ponder all He has done for me.

This year we invited my in-laws over for an intimate late afternoon dinner. Last year was my first time hosting Thanksgiving. I really enjoy it, who knew?

I did my research and picked the very best recipes I could find. The In-Laws brought the turkey and stuffing. I made all the traditional favorites (links to recipes at bottom of post) like mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, creamed corn, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, and rolls.

I set the table with stuff from my craft bin, not too shabby…

Ooops, missing a plate!

For the kids table, I made it super special with an Iron Man tablecloth 🙂

The kids each received a gift bag with Thanksgiving stamps and a homemade stamp book, also a personalized turkey for a place holder. The adult placeholders were simple construction paper tents with dollar tree leaves.

All in all, it was a fantastic day with yummy food, football and family! Plenty of reasons for giving thanks.

Recipes:

Pioneer Woman Creamy Mashed Potatoes – made these the day before, just like the recipe

Yummy Sweet Potato Casserole -I added a few marshmallows to mine

Green Bean Casserole

Homemade, Slow Cooker Cranberry Sauce – made the day before, this was a HUGE hit

Best Sugar Cookie Cutouts Recipe – I made these with the kids 2 days before Thanksgiving

And last but not least…. Brown and Serve Rolls from Kroger. I did not have the courage to make homemade bread. These are always a hit with everyone so why mess with perfection?

All in all, it was a great day! I am thinking of trying to pull of a Christmas Dinner next. Stay tuned!

November 20, 2024
Super Yummy Beef Enchiladas

Go to Recipes > You’ll Want This One.

As I’ve said before, I cook for picky eaters—#MyKids. There are only a few meals that every single member of my crew will eat without complaint, and this is one of them: Beef Enchiladas. Well… technically it’s Cheesy Beef Green Chili Enchilada Stacks—but who’s got time for that name?

Let’s just call them Beef Enchiladas and move on.

They’re a little different than your standard rolled-up, red-sauced version. Truth is, I only like my mom’s red chili. She makes the ultimate savory-spicy red chile that I haven’t figured out how to replicate (Mom, if you’re reading this—help a girl out!).

So instead, I make mine using our generations-old family Pork Green Chili recipe—and let me tell you, it does not disappoint.

Once that chili is simmering and smelling like heaven, brown your ground beef. Then it’s time to build those stacks. Cut up about 10 corn tortillas into strips and layer them across the bottom of your baking dish.

January 10, 2024
“Tie-Dye” Cupcakes

Recently I made a Rainbow layer cake for my son’s birthday. I had a box of cake mix leftover and thought I would try making a cupcake version of this cake.

I made the White Cake Mix and then divided it into 4 bowls, I dyed each bowl and then scooped spoonfuls into muffins cups.

I baked for 15 minutes at 350. They kids loved them. Looking back, I wish I would have swirled the colors around a little bit with a toothpick.

I did not frost them, too messy and less sugar. If you make these, share your link in the comments please, I would love to see them!

August 19, 2015
Skillet S’mores

Skillet S’mores are all over the interwebs this summer. Who likes waiting until you go camping to cook them up? In my city, fire pits are not allowed so that is not an option. What to do? Microwave ones just aren’t the same. So glad when this idea came around! I googled Skillet S’mores and then I grabbed the blog with the oldest entry…. she started this yummy deliciousness as far as I can tell. THANK YOU Five Heart Home!

I purchased the ingredients and surprised my family with S’mores @ home, in my home, this is a wonderful thing.

Super duper easy. These were overall a cheap, easy dessert that my family enjoyed very much. Really the combination is unbeatable, although now I wonder if a sprinkle of sea salt might be in order. I love sweet and salty. I Will let you know how that turns out.

Other summer treats we are looking forward to… Ice Cream Sundaes, Banana Splits, Watermelon popsicles, Fruit Salad on top of Shortcake, and of course lemonade smoothies (Mommy’s favorite!)

What are your favorite summer treats? Share your ideas with me below, would love to try something new!

July 1, 2015
Becoming a Jamberry Independent Consultant

I am so excited about this new endeavor! I was not even looking to sell anything, but I love this product so much that I am now selling it. I can earn products, marketing materials and a great commission!

The product I am talking about is Jamberry nails. I had a friend start selling them this past Fall and she sent me a sample. I loved them! I am a tomboy of sorts and I have three boys, so I am always tough on my hands while keeping up with them. I love to get manicures and quite frankly, I hardly ever could, even at this age paint my nails, they always looked a mess. Manicures, like I said are great, but the cost adds up.

What do I first notice about Jamberry? How pretty they are! Next, they were pretty easy to apply after a few tries. Last, they last so much longer than a polish job.

I wanted a way to pay for my Jamberry’s and being a stay at home, we are on a budget. This is the perfect solution! I am also a nail picker, with these on, my cuticles look amazing, I don’t pick at all.

My consultant kit showed up two days after I signed up and I am hitting the ground running. It is so important to have a good sponsor. Mine is my friend and she is a wealth of information. She did a training session with me over the phone, it was great to get me started!

I have setup a great store webpage that is provided by Jamberry, I will also be setting up a blog, a twitter and I already setup my webisite/blog.

Are you interested in purchasing Jamberry, hosting a party or becoming an independent consultant? Contact me: to learn more!

April 10, 2015
How to Stop Outlook Password Prompt

I found this helpful today, was wondering if anyone else could use it!

March 11, 2015
Cute and Funny American Kids Try Food from Around the World

This is adorable!!! I love funny kid videos, kids are so sweet and open! If you have kids that are like my youngest child – good luck getting them to try very many different foods.

January 13, 2015