Quick Cake Mix Cinnamon Rolls

Today I thought I would share with you my recipe for Quick Cake Mix Cinnamon Rolls! They only raise for 15 minutes! My friend invited me to a brunch this morning and I was able to whip these up in no time! Except  they didn't get the pink frosting and sprinkles till later. I did that just for the picture- ha ha:) 

And let me tell you, they are yummy either way but the pink frosting and sprinkles sure made it look more cute and fancy! Pink makes everything look cute though.  Suddenly an image of me with pink hair comes to mind.......okay maybe not everything.... but with these cinnamon rolls it did though!

Like I said, these can be made quickly for any time of the year but you can always spruce them up by decorating them for whatever holiday is closest. Quick, cute and delicious!

Here is the recipe:

Quick Cake Mix Cinnamon Rolls

8-10 cups of flour, divided
1 (18 oz.) box white cake mix (dry)
4 Tbsp. yeast
2 tsp. salt
4 cups warm water
4 Tbsp. butter

Cinnamon & Sugar Recipe
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp Cinnamonen
***I make a big bottle of this and keep it on hand for when I am making recipes where I want Cinnamon and Sugar. Then it's all ready to go!


In your mixer, combine three cups of the flour, cake mix, yeast, salt and warm water. Mix until smooth. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Knead 6-8 minutes. Roll out into a long rectangle. Spread melted butter over the top with a pastry brush. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Roll up and cut into slices. Place on greased cookie sheet. Cover and let raise for 15 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes.
Frost and enjoy!

*I made these even easier by using a container of Betty Crocker's Fluffy White Frosting but sometimes I have made my homemade cream cheese frosting which is also very yummy on these. I am sure they will be marvelous however you decide to frost them!

Chore Charts Part #2

You may have seen in my last post the chore charts I made for my kids. Well, as I was making them the wheels in my head started turning.......my husband would say "oh no," if he heard me say that! Usually that means I've thought of another project I want to do. Well here is the project the wheels in my head came up with. Totally unnessecary but totally adorable:)

Now, please don't judge what we pay our kids for doing their chores. Some of you may be surprised and think that we don't pay them enough and others of you may think we pay them a lot.......okay maybe not. I admit we really don't pay them a lot. They are only 3 and 6 and I want them to learn that saving takes time but it's very rewarding when you get there. I don't want to pay them too much so it's like handing them money but I want them to earn enough that they can buy something fun once in awhile. So here it is.......

 My three year old earns 5 cents for each chore which totals out to be a quarter a week.

My six year old earns ten cents for each chore which totals out to be 50 cents a week. 

We also give them the opportunity if they are saving up for something bigger or they want to save up quicker to come ask me for an "extra money" chore. My son did that the other day and I had him take off the couch cushions and vaccuum inside. It so desperately needed to be done! He also saves pop cans and when there is enough we drive him over so he can turn them in and get paid. Scott and I want our kids to learn how to work. I try not to make any chores too difficult or overwelming for them but still challenging enough that they actually have to "work" to earn their money! 

Well anyhow, usually they complete all their chores but sometimes when we have a crazy week they might miss one. So I thought it would be fun to make a cute decoration display on what chores they do and what they get paid for each.

I went to the dollar store and bought two identical $1.00 frames. I painted them and put cute blue crinkly paper in the inside to add a fun texture. Then I cut their names out of vinyl and the chores. I applied the vinyl and that was it! The kids love them and I do too:)

Stay tuned because one of these days I'll finish the organized closet these babies are going into and I'll post pictures about it! 

Stylin' Chore Charts

I got my stylin' chore charts done for the kiddos! Why do kids need stylish chore charts you may ask? They don't. I do!!! For them I mean....hmmmm hmmmm. Sticker charts are great and I'll admit, probably more fun for the kids but I do better with these because since they are so cute, I look forward to seeing them each day when I have the kids move their magnets over.

I didn't do a step by step picture tutorial because I wasn't totally sure what I was doing at the time (I got stuff out and winged it step by step till I got what I want). That's me livin' on the edge. It adds a little excitement to my life and a little anxiety too I might add- ha ha:) Here is the break down of the general idea that I did. I'll spare you the mistakes I made and the redo's.

First, here are the supplies you need. 

1. A cookie sheet. I bought the Main Stays cheap cookie sheet from Walmart. I think it was only $2.00. 

2. A can of spray paint in the color of your choice. Rustoleum Aqua is my "go to" aqua. I love it! 

3. A bottle of craft paint in the color of your choice. 

4. A bag of wooden circles. I bought these from Michaels. Don't forget your coupon! They are 1 1/2 inch circles. Twenty two pieces in the bag. 

5. A bottle of Kilz Original Primer/Sealer/Stainblocker. I buy this at Home Depot. I can't begin to explain how much I LOVE this product! I would buy this stuff by the boxes if I had enough money! Maybe I should see if they want to hire a blogger to be a salesman.........I would be their best salesman! I am a strong believer that the best sellers are those who actually love the product they are selling! My husband and I both use it on all our furniture makeovers. Anyhoo, my sales pitch is done. 

BUY IT! 

Okay, now it's done:)

And a few items I forgot to take pictures of. 

6. Vinyl color of your choice

7. Foam paint brush

8. Circle magnets (you can find them at Walmart, Hobby Lobby, etc.

9. Glue gun and glue sticks

Okay! Let's get started! Here is a list of steps. 

1. First, spray your cookie sheet with the Kilz primer and let dry. 

2. Paint all your circles with the craft paint 

3. Spray paint your cookie sheet (make sure primer is totally dry before doing this)

4.  Give all your circles a second coat of paint

5. Cut out images for the chores with your silhouette cameo and lines for the dividers

6. Measure out where you want the lines to be on your cookie sheet and apply the vinyl lines

7. Apply vinyl images on your circles

8. Hot glue the magnets onto the back of the circles. 

And there you have it!!! It wasn't hard to do, just time consuming. 

Here are the chores I have my six year old and three year old do:

Monday: Make bed & Clean toy room

Tuesday: Make bed & Put folded clothes away

Wednesday: Make bed & Clean room

Thursday: Make bed & Put folded clothes away

Friday: Make bed, Vacuum stairs

Saturday: Make bed & Get Paid!!!

If you have your kids do more than two chores a day than this system probably won't work for you. For my family it works great though. I'll have my kids do other things sometimes too but these are their basic ones they get paid for.  

How To Make a Photo Prop Frayed Fabric Garland

Lexi's pictures turned out so cute this week! I have been planning this photo session since before she was even  born! It came to me in the middle of the night when I was having a hard time sleeping. I planned her whole nursery decor and the pictures of her I'd take to put in it. I gotta admit....some of my best ideas come in the middle of the night when I can't shut my brain off. Blessing or a curse? I still can't decide! Anyhoo, this makes an adorable photo prop and that's what I labeled the tutorial as but I think it also makes an adorable decoration on a wall. I am using mine for both! A photo prop first and now a decoration:)

I wanted to take these pictures back when we took her home from the hospital but the drawers weren't done and neither was the garland. She's four months old and I still managed to get sleeping newborn like poses! I was so grateful! 

It's simple to make one. All you need is about a 1/4 a yard of a few different fabrics depending on how long of a garland you want. I think I used about ten different fabrics. You also need a long string and a rotary cutter and mat. You could cut them by hand if you needed too but it would be hard to get straight strips. You could also rip them in strips if you wanted a really shaggy look. I however, like my good ol' trusty rotary blade.

Take each fabric and cut off the white ends. Then flip it around and slice along the fold. 

You will then have two seperate strips like this. I actually leave them together but I seperated them for the picture so you could see better:)

Then cut that fabric all into about 2 inch strips. 

Follow all previous steps with your remaining fabrics. You will have a nice large pile of fabric strips. 

I found it easier to tie the string onto a chair. Then you will tie on your strips one by one. It's not hard but very time consuming. I watched a movie with my husband while I did this. 

I found the middle of the strip and then kind of folded it in half with my fingers. Make sure the folded side is down.  (Sorry about the red heart blanket that is in the next few pictures! I was cold so i had a blanket over my legs while i worked on this.)

Then with your other hand, take the two loose ends and bring them over the string and down into the hole. It will kind of  look like a tie. Pull ends till it's tightened and then slide it closer to the previous strip. 

After you get all your strips on, you can kind of slide them over to space them out how you'd like.  

Once you've spaced them out so it all looks even you are done! It's adorable for whatever you decide to use it for! Have fun with it!!!

Favorite White Chili

I got this recipe from my sister. I am sooooo glad she gave it to me because I can't even begin to explain how yummy it is! My family loves it and it's often my choice to serve when we have company come. It never fails me! Except maybe my hips......it's not the most healthy.......but it's still worth it! I can always work out later right?

 It has navy beans and chicken in a creamy mixture made up of chicken broth and half and half with spices. It does not dissapoint! I know there are a lot of white chili recipes out there but out of all of them that I have tried this one is by far my favorite. This feeds my family of four for two dinners. It warms up great the next night. You could always half the recipe if you don't want it for two nights. 

And finally here is the recipe! Hope you enjoy it as much as we do! 

Favorite White Chili

2 cans small white navy beans (rinsed and drained)

1 small can chopped green chilies

1/4 cup margarine

1 small onion, diced

1/3 cup flour

4 cups chicken broth

3 cups half and half

2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1 Tbsp. chili powder

1 Tbsp. ground cumin

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon white pepper

1 T hot pepper sauce (optional- I don't use it)

1 1/2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese

1 cup sour cream

Melt butter in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add onion and saute until tender, about 15 minutes. Add flour and stir for a couple minutes (do not brown). Gradually whisk in chicken broth and half and half. Simmer gently until thickened, about 10 minutes. Add reserved white beans, chilies, shredded chicken and spices. Simmer gently to blend flavors for about 20 minutes. Add grated cheese and sour cream. Heat until heated through and cheese melts. 

Parmesan Rolls

I'm not sure where this recipe originated. I found it typed up on a paper at my sister's house while visiting her. I knew I had to give them a try! They did not disappoint! Rhodes rolls are used which make them super easy! They are rolled in melted butter and seasonings and than placed in muffin tins to rise. They are soft, buttery and flavorful. They have been a huge hit with my family. Hope you enjoy them as much as we do! 

This is all you need to make these scrumptious rolls (plus a couple seasonings!)

I know, you are saying, "Give me the recipe already!" So here it is:

Parmesan Rolls

1/2 cup margarine

1/4 cup parmesan (Green bottle powdery kind)

1 Tbsp. dried Oregano

1 Tbsp. dried Basil

1 Tbsp. Garlic Salt 

12-18 Rhodes Frozen Dinner Rolls

Melt butter in small bowl. Add parmesan cheese and seasonings and stir. Take a frozen roll and dip in buttery mixture until completely coated and place in muffin tin. Continue with the rest of the rolls till you have a roll in each muffin compartment. Cover and let rise for about 3 hours. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Eat while warm and enjoy!