easy breakfast recipe: kolaches

This recipe I'm sharing today is far from fancy and probably the most basic of them all but I love it.  It's so easy that you could probably figure it out by just me showing you a picture of the finished product but I'm still going to explain, lucky you! ;)  

These are semi-homemade sausage & cheese kolaches.  Yummy, easy & only four ingredients... yes, please!

[what you need]

-2 cans of biscuits (I use original, I don't think the flaky or layered type would work)

-1 package of mini sausages

-grated cheese

-jalapenos (this brand is my favorite because they are crunchy and have the perfect amount of heat)

**I made ten kolaches and lots of pigs in the blanket**

I have found that it's easiest to set all of your ingredients out before building the kolaches.

Lay a biscuit out on a plate and press it flat while spreading it out a bit.  Two sausages per biscuit is what I did but you can customize to your liking.

Next, add jalapeños & cheese.

When you close the kolache, be sure to pinch the top very well where it comes together so that when they bake it doesn't come apart.  I feel like I do this very well but I always have at least one that opens up.

I always bake these slower than the biscuit wrapper says.  Usually at 300/315 degrees until golden brown.  I always cut into one to make sure the center is cooked through.

That's it!  So easy and these are always a crowd pleaser.  

If you make this recipe & post it to instagram feel free to tag me so I can see it!  I hope you've had a wonderful Wednesday & thanks for reading.

Fall Bucket List | 2015

The first day of Fall happened a few days ago but here in Texas it still feels like the heat of Summer.  So, in hopes that Fall like weather is around the corner I put together a Fall Bucket List filled with things I want to do, make, create with my sweet little family.  

2015 Fall Bucket List

visit a pumpkin patch

make chocolate pumpkin muffins

take fall pictures of norah

go on a nature walk

do a craft with leaves

carve a pumpkin

go on a hay ride

make some hot cocoa

attend a fall festival

wear dark nail polish

make a big pot of chili

go to an aggie game

crunch leaves

buy a new scarf

snuggle by a fire

make s'mores, duh!

celebrate Thanksgiving

donate clothes and blankets

& patiently wait for cooler temperatures!

There it is!  I would love to hear what your bucket list items for Fall are!  Please share them below or find me on Instagram and tell me there.  As always, thanks for reading!

Review: Nuby Bath Toy

Norah hated baths as an infant and has really never been a fan of them until very recently.  It was like one day she told herself "bath time is so much fun" because for the past month or so she asks to take a bath and gets so excited when the time comes!  Adding new toys every once in a while has been fun for her and for us to watch her explore and learn.  Some of her favorite bath toys are foam toys or letters that stick to the wall and any kind of cup that she can fill up and pour water out of.  We recently added the Nuby Octopus Floating Bath toy and it has definitely been added to her list of favorites.

[what it does]

floats in the water

includes three colorful rings to place onto the arms

for the older ones the rings can be tossed on to the arms for a fun game

helps develop hand-eye coordination

BPA Free

Norah loves to count the Octopus' arms & enjoys finding and placing the rings onto the arms.

look of determination vs. look of success! 

[where to buy]

Amazon, Walmart or Bed Bath & Beyond 

You can follow Nuby USA on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & Pinterest.

Have you discovered any new bath toys that you and your little love?!

*I received this product for review but all opinions are my own*

Where Have I Been?

Hi friends!  I just wanted to get on here and explain my absence because my blog has obviously been neglected this past month and a half.  At the beginning of July we lost two dear family members, then my hubby found out he got a new job so we put our house immediately on the market.  With showings after showings, searching for a new place, selling our house, now packing and moving I'm not finding any time or energy to put here in this space but I hope to as soon as we get settled in the next couple of weeks!! 

In the meantime feel free to follow me on Instagram to stay in touch! 

eShakti: Summer Favorites

Back in February, I was able to work with eShakti on a review of my shopping experience which you can read here.  Spoiler alert: I had nothing but good things to say!  I'm excited to share with you that they have revamped their site to make it an even more enjoyable experience for their buyers.

Some of their new additions to their already simple and shopper friendly website are new search categories like jumpsuits as well as thematic lines such as Bohemian & Contemporary.  I also love that they have a list of trend categories that are always current and this list makes them easily searchable!  As I said in my previous review, their customizable options are so awesome that anyone could find a perfect fit.  I could go on to say more but I think you will just have to check it out for yourself!

eShakti was so kind to give my readers a $35 gift coupon to use to try out their new and revamped site!   Please use the code CHARMINGHEART35 at checkout on any minimum order of $30.  This is such a good coupon code y'all!  The code is good until 6/30/2015.  Lastly, I wanted to share some of my summer favorites with you which are all linked below!

flamingo | kimono | pink dress
tunic | shorts | white dress

Now, can we talk about how much FUN that flamingo dress is!!??  I know one of you can pull it off!

You can find eShakti on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram & Twitter.

If you decide to shop with eShakti, I'd love to know what you find!  You can share with me in the comments, shoot me an email or tag me on Instagram.  Have a lovely day!

deal alert: toys

Hi loves!  This post is going to be really short but I was shopping earlier today on Amazon for some gifts and came across two of our favorite toys ever & saw that they were on major sale!  The flashcards are only $6 right now and most of the books are under $5 one is even just $2!  This is such a great deal that I couldn't pass up the opportunity to share with you all & all of the items are Amazon Prime.  To make it easy I linked everything at the bottom of the post.  You're welcome! ;)

If you aren't familiar with Indestructibles books they are books that are drool, chew & tear proof.  I wash ours with soap and water and lay out to dry.  

 The flash cards are awesome because they have bright colors and awesome textures.  

N has played with these both of these things from baby stage and is still entertained by them now!  

flashcards

book | book | book

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

review: Nuby No Spill Flip It Cup

I'm just going to go ahead and say that this is the best sippy cup ever!  We have loved this style of cup and used it for months even before collaborating with Nuby.  It was THE sippy cup, after trying many others on the market, that helped Norah easily transition from bottle to sippy cup right before her first birthday.  

After shopping around for sippy cup after sippy cup, trying soft spouts, hard spouts, straw and traditional ones, I noticed the shape of this straw just looked different than all of the others and that the way it tapered towards the top resembled more of the nipple on a bottle.  I just knew that this was the one and lo and behold Norah was off of the bottle completely within a day or two! 

[about the product]

soft silicone straw

BPA free

easy to use flip top cap keeps things sanitary (my fav!!!)

lid clicks when secure - no leaks or spills

easy to grip shape

All of the above things are true especially when it comes to the spills or leaks.  It's the only cup I can trust Norah to walk around the house, climb on the couch and play upstairs with.  I cannot say enough good things about this product and I highly recommend this sippy cup!

You can purchase this cup here (designer series), here (3 pack) & here (single).  You can follow Nuby USA on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & Pinterest.

As always, I would love to hear what products made transitions for you and your little one smooth and easy.  Thanks so much for reading!

[I received this product for review but all opinion are always my own.]