Pin Did: Meatloaf Cupcakes

I absolutely love meatloaf...however, when it comes to choosing a recipe I'm extremely picky!

I've tried countless recipes and finally after searching, I found a yummy one today while browsing pinterest! 

The recipe was SO easy and quick!

Here's how to make it:

What you Need:

1 1/2 lb ground beef or turkey

1 large egg

1 sweet onion chopped (I used onion powder since we aren't big onion fans)

1 cup milk

1 cup breadcrumbs

salt & pepper to taste

2 Tbsp brown sugar

2 Tbsp prepared mustard (I used dijon mustard)

1/3 cup ketchup

8 slices of cheese (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Combine ground beef, egg, onion, milk, breadcrumbs and salt & pepper.

Do not overmix or beef will become tough!

3. Coat a muffin pan with cooking spray and distribute mixture evenly into pan. 

4. In a separate bowl combine brown sugar, mustard and ketchup. Pour over meatloaf and bake for 30 minutes. During the last 5 minutes, add the cheese.

Enjoy!

Product Review: Ooyoo

Searching for the perfect bag can be tough. Between finding the right size, color, style, etc, you may be looking for a while. I was very excited to be able to work with Ooyoo. 

Ooyoo is a company with products designed by moms for moms. They know exactly what moms are looking for when it comes to finding the perfect bag! 

We were very excited to receive our very own product for review!

Ooyoo sent us one of their very popular Betsy Dots Black Baby Bag for review. 

I was instantly impressed with the packaging!

The bag came packaged nicely in a box and wrapped neatly in tissue paper.

It was also stored in a nice little drawstring bag.

I was instantly in LOVE with this fun bag! Who would know by looking at it, that its a diaper bag? 

Its fun and stylish and would pass for an awesome purse!

What makes this bag so awesome is its awesome features.

This bag includes lots of pockets! My favorite is the hidden side pockets!

Perfect for storing bottles and cups!

The inside is very spacious and even includes a changing pad!

I love how versatile this bag is. Diaper bags can be super expensive and it makes it worth spending your money when even after your little ones have grown, you can still find a way to use it! 

Want your own bag? 

Purchase your own at their Website or through Amazon

They've got some amazing deals going on right now at their website! 

Get 15% off by entering the Code: WELCOME and get FREE shipping on orders over $100!

Win it!

You can enter to win this bag valued at $105!

Complete the form below to enter! 

Must like both facebook fan pages for The Married Life Blog and Ooyoo

No Greater Love: Your Instruction Manual.....For Life

Instruction manuals. 

Some folks wouldn't dream of plugging something in or beginning assembly work until reading that little book from cover to cover. Other's thing, "If I get stuck, I'll see what the manual has to say." And still others throw it away faster than they can open the box of the thing that the manual instructs them about.

What your practice may be with manuals, one thing is certain: a clear, thorough, step-by-step instruction guide written by the very person who created that recent purchase would probably be helpful.

Well, our Creator God, the One who created you and your spouse, has given us such a manual- the Bible. But this instruction book is not only helpful, it is essential. In it is guidance for any and every situation we will encounter in live. In its pages is all the truth we need to receive the blessings of eternal salvation, on how to live a righteous life, and even how to love our spouse.

What a great encouragement to know that in his Word, the Lord has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness.

So don't throw out His instruction manual. Instead, read it, study it, meditate on it, and then do it- as a first resort, not the last!

Lord, It Made Sense that Your Word Is An Instruction Manual For My Life, For Our Marriage. Please Help Me, Lord, To Read That Manual And Do What It Says.

Love In Action

1. This week find two or three opportunities to encourage your spouse with a scripture verse. Does he need to be reminded of the Lord's strength? Does she need to hear about His love for her?

2. Each of you choose two or three verses from the Bible. Then memorize a verse a week. Hold each other accountable and plan a reward system like back rubs every day for a week for the first one who nails it. Hiding God's word in our heart helps us draw on God's wisdom and not our own.

Guest Post: Planning a Celebrity Party

Planning a Celebrity-Inspired Summer

     For me, summer always seems to start full of promise but as the temperature rises, I often find myself wishing for some exotic escape. Recently, some girlfriends and I were chatting about this. We all agreed that we’d love to be able to enjoy movie premieres, parties on private islands, and a fortnight at the Hamptons or other celebrity-style luxuries. Of course, none of us are likely to get an invite to Johnny Depp’s next party or tickets to the MTV Awards, but we can have our own celebrity-inspired events! No more whining allowed! We decided to get busy with plans, and I’d like to share some of them to inspire you as well.

Celebrity summer: Album Release Parties

Excitement is in the air for the music scene this summer as eagerly anticipated new releases from Kanye West, The Black Keys and Britney Spears hit the radio waves and iTunes store. Each superstar is certain to be circling the globe in an expensive private jet, partying in city after city to promote the latest hits. If they come to your town, do your best to snag a ticket and have fun dancing the night away!

Reality summer: Neighborhood Dance Off

If you can’t be front and center for an album-release party this season, hold a dance off in your neighborhood! Kids and adults will relish the opportunity to make costumes and choreograph dances to their favorite music. Encourage participants to work hard practicing, designing costumes and staging their dances. Then throw the mother of all block parties, complete with lighting, a stage and awards such as headphones or iTunes gift cards for the best acts!

Celebrity summer: US Open

For celebrities, tennis events such as Wimbledon and the US Open are some of the summer’s biggest events.  A crowded A-list crowd cheered on Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova took up their racquets and show off their skills. Leonardo Dicaprio, Brooklyn Decker, and Natalie Portman are some of the famous faces spotted at these sporting events!

Reality summer: Jersey Party

At home, we love watching sporting events in our home theater. Sometimes the best gatherings are centered on sports movies. Invite friends and neighbors to join you, dressed in jerseys or team colors to support their favorite teams and watch a favorite flick or two such as “Mighty Ducks”, “Miracle” or “Cool Running’s”. Between movies or even during, get guests involved with a ping pong tournament, foosball or outside activities.  Serve Gatorade slushies’ to top off an active afternoon!

Celebrity summer: “Big Time” Birthday Parties for Little Ones

Did any of you simply adore the all-out Thomas the Tank Engine party Kourtney Kardashian threw for her two-year-old son Mason? The event included a Thomas-inspired luncheon at Serendipity as well as a visit to the Gold Coast Railroad Museum. Many celebs have been known for throwing down the big bucks for their tot’s big day, most notably, Taylor Armstrong from “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” dropped a cool $60,000 for her daughter’s fourth birthday party!

Reality summer: Creative Kid’s Party at Home

You can throw a fun but affordable themed party for your little one too! Try out an “Arty Party”. Make sure all your little guests have smocks or paint shirts on. Then throw down a paint cloth and get busy. Set up stations of finger paints, clay, and other activities where kids will enjoy making their own works of art! End the colorful event by serving rainbow sherbet and a rainbow cake!

Arianna is a full-time mom and a fashion-lover, world traveler, animal lover, and family woman extraordinaire. She loves to cook and bake, travel to new places, share great fashion finds, and spend time doing crafts and projects at home with her kids. She’s got a crazy busy life, but she wouldn’t have it any other way! Follow her blog at http://ariannaknowsbest.blogspot.com/!

My Big Day Box

If you LOVE beauty products or your a bride to be, then you should definitely check out My Big Day Box! Its a monthly box subscription that includes lots of fun beauty samples!

A subscription is just $18 a month and includes about 4-5 products. August's Box is worth $150! 

Definitely an awesome deal! 

Check out their website and be sure to sign up today to get yours!

http://mybigdaybox.webs.com/

No Greater Love: Omniscient, Eternal, and Omnipotent

"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End," says the Lord, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."

Revelation 1:8

 

 

Life is difficult, and marriage may be the greatest challenge you have ever faced. But before you're tempted to think you're in it alone, let's remember three awesome attributes about the incredibly intimate God who brought you two together.

 

God is Omniscent.

The expression "the Alpha and the Omega," referring to the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, tells us that God knows all things; not one iota of knowledge is beyond him.

Right now, stare at your spouse right in the eyes for ten seconds, but don't say a word. Do you know exactly what your spouse is thinking? God does.

 

God is Eternal.

The God we can turn to when we are painfully aware of our human limitations has no beginning, and He has no end.

He not only existed from the beginning of time- He existed before there was time. Chew on that one for a minute!

 

 

God is Omnipotent.

He controls all things and upholds all things by His power. No thing or person or situation, not Satan or death, can overtake Him or hold Him. God is almight, all powerful.

For I am persuaded that neither death not life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the Love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)

 

Lord God, you are omniscient, eternal, and omnipotent- and you care about our marriage. Thank you for not caring from afar, but for coming near to help us whenever we need your wisdom and strength.

 

 

1. What situation in your life, or more specifically, in your marriage relationship does this discussion of God's omniscience, eternal nature, and omnipotence speak to?

 

2. Go through the alphabet, A to Z, and take turns saying a word starting with that letter that describes the Lord.

Almight

Boundless

Caring.........

You'll probably laught when you try to think of a Q and an X....Praise him anyway!

No Greater Love : God Gave Me You

God Gave Me You

 

 

Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent; and he took Rebekah and she became his wife, and he loved her.

Genesis 24:67

 

• Mark and Ann met on a blind date
• Scott and Jennifer met in high school
• Mike and Lisa met in college- and then again eight years later

 

 

The Lord works in mysterious ways, and the story of how you met may reflect the mystery of His working in your lives.

As you think back on your story, you can probably point to those moments that cemented your conviction that God had brought you together. The songwriters would play up the romance, and the cynics would credit fat. But the psalmist has it right when he marvels, "Your eyes saw my unformed boyd. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be" (Psalm 139:16)

God brought the two of you together, and you have vowed- before Him and before many faithful witnesses- to stay together. And you've weathered the family caming trip when the kids threw up on all the sleepping bags. You've weathered the job layoff and the skin cancer scare. And you've weathered how many family gatherings?

Now, to celebrate the storms you've survived, how 'bout going to one of your favorite dating destinations? Revisiting that significant spot might be a fun reminder to you both that "God Gave Me You!"

 

 

Thank You, Lord God that even as you keep the planets in their orbits, you care enough about our hearts, our lives, our growth into christlikeness that you give us each other for the journey. Just as you gave Rebekah to Isaac, let us cherish each other. Help us be more thankful and appreciative as we remember that our spouse is a gift from you.

 

 

1. Think back to your dating days and the reasons you knew that your spouse was the one. On a date, talk about some of those words or actions that helped you know that God's plan was for you two to be together.

2. What are some of the storms you've already weathered? What enabled you to do so? What are you doing to be sure those factors are in place for the next storm?


No Greater Love
Russ W. Rice | Brad J. Silverman | Lisa Guest

No Greater Love : Day 1

 

A few days ago, I won this devotional from an auction to benefit a local family and their adoption process. I was very excited about this book. I couldn't wait to get started. Once I received the book and read the first part, I knew it would be something that I would want to share! My plan is to every day, share a page. I hope you all enjoy.

 

Now That Is Good

 

Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good.

Genesis 1:31

 

Pulling the paper this way, folding it that way, Susie was hard at work. Her little hands didn't find the task easy, and she was concentrating as hard a six year old can. Finally, with a little smile, she lifted her special creation and said, "Look! Isn't it good?"

God gave us the ability the be creative, but He is the Creator of all things. In six literal days He created all things, including man.

 

• He created light and darkness on the first day (Genesis 1:3-4)
• Next, He created the heavens (vv 6-8)
• On day 3, God created the sea and the earth, the plants and the trees (vv 9-13)
• He created the sun, moon and stars on the fourth day (vv 14-19)
• On the fifth day He created the fish and the birds (vv 20-23)
• And on the sixth day, He created the animals and man (vv 24-27)

And God saw everything He had made, and indeed it was very good (vv 1:31)

Look out your window at the sky, trees, the people- He created it all from nothing.

But, you're wondering, what does this have to do with marriage?

 

Notice that the list above is hardly comprehensive; an important thing is missing. As Genesis 2:20 says, "But for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him". God created man, but He wanted something better than a bunch of monkeys for man to hand around with. So God created woman out of Adam's rib, and Adam was breath-taken-away excited about her.

God, in His goodness, gave Adam the most suitable mate possible: she was bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh. And God, in His goodness, has done the same for you.

 

Thank you, creator God, for knowing what we human beings need in an companion. The heavens you created declare your glory! The spouse you created and gave to me declares your love! I'm humbled by and grateful for the gift of my spouse. Thank You, Father.

 

1. Head to the nearby zoo or aquarium and marvel at God's creation. During your day of fun, don't forget to marvel at the amazing creation you have personally received from God- your spouse!

2. Write a love note to your spouse. It doesn't need to be long, but take this opportunity to think about the blessing that your mate is.

 

 

No Greater Love

Russ W. Rice | Brad J. Silverman | Lisa Guest



Rainy Day Activities For Kids: Finger Paint

Here in VA, its pretty much monsoon season. For the past couple of weeks, its pretty much rained at least once every other hour. I'm starting to think I'm growing gills! I'm also starting to go a little stir crazy which has gotten me in the crafty mood. So while browsing pinterest (of course) I found some SUPER cute finger paint ideas for you all to try out with your little ones!

Thought these were too cute not to share!

Hope you Enjoy!

xoxo- Ashley

Pin-Did - 4th of July Trifle

I am forever trying out new recipes from Pinterest. They all look absolutely amazing but when done yourself, turns out to be a total flop! After experiencing a few flops, I try to find the same recipe on pinterest twice. I figure if its posted more than once then maybe its a good recipe!

The other night I was searching for a yummy dessert to make for the 4th of July cookout coming up with my family. I loved the idea of doing something red, white and blue by incorporating blueberries and strawberries. Thats when I stumbled across this yummy trifle recipe!

*Pinterest Photo*

I thought the recipe looked simple enough- just layer the ingredients!

My favorite ingredient included was the White chocolate Pudding! Honestly, I didn't even know that White Chocolate Pudding existed! 

*My Yummy Trifle*

I think mine turned out pretty good! Okay- so mine decor on top wasn't quite as fancy....

I'm happy to report that it turned out GREAT! 

Not digging the thought of white chocolate pudding? Swap it out for vanilla! 

Honestly, Its so much flavor going on with the angel food cake, strawberries and blueberries that you really don't taste as much of the white chocolate pudding, so trading it in for vanilla would work out just fine!

So go ahead, give the 4th of July Trifle a whirl and enjoy!

http://whattheflicka.com/recipe-4th-of-july-trifle/