Monte Cristo Roll Ups

Remember when I used to post a recipe every Thursday? Good times.

Memories. All alone in the moonlight...

I will stop now. These Monte Cristo Roll Ups are a glorious way to welcome back Recipe Thursdays. Let me share with you how these little balls of divine yumminess came about.

A few weeks ago our family took  a cross-country trip to the great state of Ohio. We visited friends and family. We also hit A LOT of our favorite places to eat. If you are ever in the Cleveland area, there are a couple of places we recommend you make time for.

First, make time for the West Side Market in Cleveland. 

The West Side Market is similar to an indoor Farmers Market, with vendors there almost all the time during business hours. The atmosphere is delightful and we love walking around. We take a few laps, first hitting our must-stops favorites. Then after a few laps we pick a new vendor and try something from them.

A must, MUST stop is Steve's Gyros. Drool. So good. We dream of them. DREAM. They are closed Tuesdays and Thursdays, they only take Cash, and they only sell gyros. They also always have a line of happily waiting people with cash in hand for their gyros. They are THAT good.

We normally also buy fresh made pasta and vanilla bean lemonade from vendors just around the corner from Steve's.

This year I tried these beautiful macaroons. I had never tried them before and they definitely lived up to all the hype.

So what about the whole Monte Cristo thing? First, do you know what a Monte Cristo is? It is a sandwich that is typically turkey, ham, Swiss cheese, and then battered and fried. Yes battered and fried. The first time that The Hubs called me from a business trip, raving about this heart attack on a plate, I questioned his mental status.

Don't get me wrong, it sounded good, but I was a little shocked by the gluttony the sandwich represented. I died a little inside.

Then I had one. You still might die a little inside (literally), but you will die happy. If you follow me on Instagram (@larissa_anotherday), then you know we had this monte cristo sandwich from the Melt Bar and Grilled. When we lived in Ohio they only had two restaurants in the Cleveland area. Now they have 3 up there and 2 in Columbus.

Isn't it lovely? This is a half sandwich plate. Yes the full is ridiculous.

So thanks to this Monte Cristo Sandwich, our family has been obsessed with them for years. We have tried a couple of versions of them over the years. The hardest was trying to make an actual knock off of the above sandwich. Epic fail. I don't recommend it. 

However, a waffle version and these roll ups are a yummy much easier version. They are simplified, but still sporting the quintessential monte cristo ingredients. 

Give these roll ups a try. They are sure to be a family hit.

printable version HERE

Where To Buy Affordable Exercise Clothes

When I was younger, I actually didn't give two figs about what I wore when I worked out. Probably because when I was younger we weren't even 1/12th as fashion savy as youth are today. We were happy in our over-sized Adidas t-shirts, plain shorts, and junky shoes. Work out clothes weren't really a thing. I swear it is a fall out from the over use of leotards, leg-warmers, and pantyhose worn during the Jane Fonda workouts of the 80's. Once we got to the 90's we wised up and just wanted to be comfortable whilst working out.

Fast forward a few, um 10's of years and we are living in a culture where fitness and fashion had a baby and we are brainwashed that it is imperative that we look stylish while working out. Not only to be cute, but also to appear as legit specimens of athletic and fitness ability.

You know the struggle is real. All the while I am complaining and making fun of this fitness wear phenomenon, I not-so-secretly want to look just as legit and cute as everyone else. My sister laughs when I want to coordinate all my workout outfits.

I would laugh at me too. However, it doesn't change the fact that I want cute work out clothes.

Here is the dilemma- a lot of workout clothes cost and arm and a leg. And quite frankly I need all my appendages to do the actual exercising, so I can't use them as payment for a cute pair of shorts.

So what's a girl to do?

This girl went on the hunt for cute and affordable work out gear. I am sharing my favorite places to buy work out clothes.

1. Walmart

Yes, Walmart. Don't knock it until you have tried it ladies. I would say 50% of my work out clothes come from the racks of Walmart. Reason 1- even full price their stuff is affordable. Reason 2- you can find some ridiculous deals on their clearance.

My favorite finds from Walmart are their running shorts and their tanks. I have bought sports bras from there, but I don't need a lot of um..er...support (small chested) so I can do with a cheaper sports bra.

Walmart rotates styles quite often and if you are vigilant about watching their clearance you can get some freaking awesome deals. Just last week I got running shorts for $2 a pair. Insanity people!

2. Target

You all know how I feel about Target. The work out clothes selection at Target is dreamy and I wish I could buy it all. However, I have to watch for sales. The workout clothes from target, while more affordable, definitely can still be pricey. At least for my wallet. The good news is, they have pretty decent clearance too. Especially when it is close to the end of a season. I stock up on cold running gear in late winter/early spring, for the next winter.

My favorite buys at Target are sports bras and cold weather running gear.

3. Old Navy

Old Navy, similar to Target can have great deals but you have to watch for them. I haven't loved their leggings, but I do really like their shorts and their tanks. Another work out item I buy from Old Navy is their socks. While that isn't really part of the "cute" work out gear, everyone needs a good pair of socks.

At least one time a year Old Navy has a killer sale on work out clothes. Keep your ears open for that sale and load up. It is pretty magical.

4. Discount Retailers (Ross/TJ Maxx)

The variety at these stores is limited, but if you take a peek at the work out section whenever you stop by you could get really lucky and find some gems. One of my very favorite pair of leggings (that I have since had to retire) came from Ross. Like I said earlier, it can be more work to search for deals here, but it is possible.

5. Online (Amazon, Zulily, etc.)

Online can be tricky because some online deal sites are not really that affordable. They may be cheaper than high end name brands, but they are really not that affordable. You guys might know what I am talking about. My trick with online is to make sure you get notifications of sales for work out clothes.

A very small percentage of work out clothes comes from online (at least these other stores). However, I still can find some really good deals. Okay, really my husband finds me some really good deals. Deals on things like Under Armour, New Balance, Brooks, and other brands.

The Secret to Finding Affordable Work Out Clothes:

You need to be willing to look anywhere. Anytime you are at a store search their clearance work out section. Even high priced stores have affordable deals sometimes. You need to be willing to search outside the box. Also, be willing to not have name brand. While there is a reason, Nike and Under Armour are better, a stores brand will do the trick. I promise!

That being said, there are some items you really should pay more money for. I pay more money for good winter running clothes (mostly because I run in the frigid winters of Idaho) and for work out shoes. Your feet are working hard and whether you are running, cross-training, weight-lifting, or taking cardio classes YOU NEED GOOD SHOES. I still buy my shoes on sale, but I do not buy knock off brands and I do not buy the generic low price name brand shoe that is basically only good for walking around in your day to day life.

Hope that enlightens a few of you. Basically it comes down to this---YOU CAN WORK OUT, LOOK CUTE, and NOT SPEND A FORTUNE.

Trust me, I have been doing it for awhile now.

Batman Birthday Party

Parties are my love language. Well how I speak in love language I guess. I love to throw parties for my boys. The older two are past the age our family does big old birthdays every year. However, the younger two still get parties. In fact, this year was Bean's very first friend party. He has had a First Birthday Fiesta, a BYU Football second birthday party, and a Dinosaur party last year. This year he requested to have a Batman Birthday Party.

Which was a little funny considering I am not sure really how in to Batman he is. No other party theme I threw at him would do though. So Batman it was.

One of my party decorating tricks is to pick a color theme that coordinates with the party theme and then to go crazy with it. I incorporate the colors in just about everything from patterns, food, and decorations. This year the colors were the traditional Batman colors black, gray, and yellow.

I even found this perfectly coordinating Batman doll.

PS Who really has thighs like that???

Anyway, I digress. I like feeding a simple lunch and easy snacks at a toddler party. Using food is not only an easy way to decorate, but serving lunch (or dinner) is a great activity for a party.

Another easy way to decorate a party is to add posters and tags. I made all of my posters and tags using  PicMonkey. I made the simple and modern Batman head graphic using only geometric overlays. Once I had the head the way I wanted it, I saved it and then could simply insert it within other tags and posters.

Lunch was simple. However, I served it in and on these cute lunch boxes and plates.

Wrapping the stem of a banana with washi tape may have been a little unnecessary, but I couldn't help myself.

After lunch, we had a few more activities. Like coloring.

Cape and mask wearing.

We had a bat-shaped pinata of course.

We also blew some bubbles.

Before we sent off our friends with a thank you bag, we ended our party with a simple, but delicious Batman cake.

This party was SO fun to pull together, but it was slightly exhausting. Which honestly is why I have yet to throw my other March birthday boy a party. I still owe him one. Oops.

Here are the things I made--

Posters and Tags

Pinata

Cityscape Background

Chocolate-covered Oreos

Batman Capes

Tutus

Cake

What I purchased--

Batman- Walmart

Batman Masks- Walmart

Bubble Wands- Walmart

Balloons, Paper Fans, Tissue Balls, Honeycombs- Zurchers

Paper Plates, Napkins, Straws- Zurchers

Treat Cups- Zurchers

Plastic Cake Stands (spray-painted black)- Zurchers

Letters- Michaels

Fabric Banners- Michaels

Lunch Boxes- Hobby Lobby

Wrapping Paper (used as table runner)-Hobby Lobby

Milk Jar Glasses- Hobby Lobby

You Are Gonna Do FANTAstic Tags

Every one needs a little pep talk once in awhile. They especially need it when they have a big event coming up.

In the last several months I have had quite of few beautiful young ladies I know taking college entrance exams. Do you remember those days? Were you cool, calm and collected? Or were you like me...a hot mess?

I wanted to cheer my girls on, so I made these FANTAstic tags and attached them to, you guessed it a colorful bottle of Fanta soda.

I made four different colors to coordinate with four different flavors of Fanta. You can download your very own sheet of good luck tags. Just click on the link below.

Download HERE

I know have a small stock pile of Fanta soda in my food storage just waiting for a moment to wish someone good luck. When the times comes, I can just print off a sheet of tags, cut them out, and tie them to the bottles with a scrap of fabric or yarn.

I am sure this "magic" Fanta good luck gave them the mental power they needed to ace their exams. In short, I am sure they did FANTAstic.

Good luck to you in all your endeavors today, and have a FANTAstic day!

Batman Birthday Invite

Before I go into the details of this rather adorable Batman Birthday Party Invite, I would like to say something.

When you are out of the habit of blogging, almost two months goes by with no post, and you don't even realize it. I am not sure anyone else realized it either. Probably because of my "radio" silence increasing more and more over the last year, I am sure the few people I had reading this blog have given up on me. So let me say thanks for sticking with me that long.

I have come to the realization, that I am okay with my blogging life (or lack there of). Of course part of me wants to be read by thousands and thousands. I would be lying if I said I didn't want to be known in the blogosphere for my mad skills. I want validation from friends, strangers, and mega bloggers. 

BUT...

I am not good at the life. I am not great at self promoting. I don't have the funds for a blog face lift (hence that I am in the dark ages and still have a blogspot) or to go to all the amazing and fabulous conferences out there. I am not a great entrepreneur (heck I couldn't even spell it...spell check had to help). I admire those woman who do and can. They are so very awesome at what they do.

For years I felt that because they are awesome at what they do and I don't do that well, it must mean that I am about as far from awesome as you can get. 

So I backed off of blogging. I backed off because, someone could do it better. No one out there would miss me or what I do. I was getting an ulcer watching my blog views go down. My comments become nonexistent. Basically I backed off in a pity party kind of way. 

So, why even blog a tiny bit now? 

This is why. I still love creating things. I can say in some confidence that there are things I am good at. Even if only my mom reads this blog anymore (thanks MOM I love you), I still want to share. Who cares if I am not a dot com. Who cares if no one sponsors me. Who cares. Who cares.

So I "blog" for me right now. I create for me because I like to. I decorate when I can. I make stuff when I have time. I share because it is fun. If someone gets an idea from me. Great. If people occasionally stop by from Pinterest. AWESOME and welcome. However, even if just my mom reads, that is good too. 

I had a good run for awhile. Who knows maybe when my kids are all in school if this blogging thing is still around I will jump back in with a little more professionalism. 

For right now, I am good with just sharing what I do when I do it. 

LONGEST intro to a blog post ever. Sorry about that.

So on to this Batman Birthday Party Invite.  I wish I could say I came up with the concept of this modern simple batman invite all on my own. However, thanks to Pinterest I came across my inspiration on The Hostess with the Mostess Blog via a party done by Posh Paperie. I really liked her design style and the concept of the party so I copy-catted her a bit.

For the invite I turned to my handy dandy PicMonkey.

I used geometric overlays for the flood lights. I used the bat overlays found in the Halloween section. The rest was just a mixture of some of my favorite fonts.

One of the things I liked the most was the idea of a geometric Batman. So I made one. This Batman was completely made from mixing and manipulating geometric overlays. He turned out pretty amazing if I do say so myself.

For the back of this card, I just copied and positioned image after image of the original Batman head.

I also used the Batman head for some birthday posters (which I will share soon) and these name tags that I taped to the outside of the envelopes.

The whole invite ensemble looked like this.

I was able to save this all to my computer and just print from my printer on to cardstock. Setting aside making the little Batman head image, it really was very simple and the perfect way to invite some fellow superheroes over.