Birthday Wishes

This weekend we celebrated Mark’s 48th Birthday. One of Mark's Birthday wishes was to go see the country bad, Midland, in Tulsa Oklahoma. So we loaded up the family and went to Tulsa to celebrate with our best couple friend, Tom and Rachel. When we arrived to Tulsa, Tom and Rachel had a few fun surprises awaiting our arrival. As always they go above and beyond any expectations we might have. And they always make us feel at home by treating us like family.

Bedside laughs and treats for Mark and Me

Fun treats awaiting the kids when we arrived

After we got the kids all settled in, Mark's next Birthday wish was to eat at our favorite Irish Pub, Kilkenny's.  If you ever get a chance to go eat at Kilkenny's, you must go! It never disappoints. The atmosphere alone takes you to Ireland, and the food is just amazing! We love this place and always stop in for a pint of Guinness when we visit Tulsa.

This photo is a little dim, but it's a gorgeous restaurant!

Guiness is a must when you visit any Irish Pub

Cheers to the Birthday Boy!

Once we filled our bellies, it was time for us to grab an Uber and go see Midland at Cain's Ballroom. Cain's is like an old school honky-tonk, that's reminiscent of the Grand Ole Opry. It's old, beautiful and has a bbq joint inside. It smelled and looked country, we loved it! And so did everyone else!! It was crowded but we had so much fun!

Cain's Ballroom is where a lot of top artists perform at.

Walls lined with so many acts from past to present.

Midland 

They wasted no time and played hit after hit! GREAT concert!

After the concert it was time to head back to Tom and Rachel's where we sang a Happy Birthday song to Mark, just after midnight. We brought buntinis from Arkansas at Nothing Bunt Cakes and wished our Birthday boy a good night's rest, because tomorrow was going to be a busy day!

Buntinis from Nothing Bunt Cakes are amazing! The best bunt cakes ever!

An early morning Happy Birthday to my sweet husband.

The next morning we needed food...Mark's wish of not having a hang over did not go as planned, HA! Tom and Rachel took us to a diner called Metro and it was soooo delicious! Again, the atmosphere was amazing. It was very much modern meets the past. We drank bloody mary's, coffee and mimosas and ate some delicious food!

A spicy chicken biscuit with strawberries and a mimosa hit the spot!

The Birthday boy with his best friend, Tom.

This beautiful young lady was our sitter while we were out at the concert. She has the sweetest heart! We just love her! 

Mark's birthday wish for the rest of the day was to go on brewery tours. Or as he likes to call it 'market research.' We started out visiting a few breweries together before we decided to break off into groups, because Rachel and I were still recovering from the night before. So while the men went to tour more breweries for Mark's birthday, Rachel, me and kids went out for lunch and back to her house for a movie and a much needed nap. 

You know we love our brewery tours! The kids especially love collecting stickers from every brewery tour we take.

Mary Kate following along, listening to her Dad talk all things brewery at Pippins Taproom.

Nothings Left Brew Co was gorgeous inside! 

A delicious sample of beers for us to try!

Family friendly breweries are always the BEST!

Our little artist making pretty pictures while we drink to Daddy's birthday!

This girl never forgets a birthday and was the first one to wish her Daddy Happy Birthday

We have been long time supporters and friends of Marshall Brewing Company. It's so exciting to see them grow!

Our little brewery man

Playing games at Marshall Brewing Co Taproom

Mark's final Birthday wish of the night was to eat dinner at Siegi's Sausage Factory. Siegi's specializes in making housemade and homestyle German-Austrian sausages. With Mark opening a brewery that specializes in German style lagers, it's no surprise that he also loves German food. And Siegi's has an amazing German menu for the whole family to enjoy.

Sausages, sauerkraut and beer for dinner! Plus they serve pretzel bread as an appetizer before the meal. YUM!

Bread Pudding for Mark's Birthday dessert

After dinner we went back to Tom and Rachel's where Mark and Tom fell fast asleep from their day of brewery touring and eating a rich, full meal. I think most of Mark's Birthday wishes came true. Now if only our own brewery would just open, then I know his ultimate dream would be come true!

I probably don't say it enough to you, Mark, but I am so proud of you. You always have a smile on your face, a song in your heart and you work so hard for this family. You put everyone else's needs before your own and I'm so glad to see you finally doing something for yourself by opening Natural State Beer Co. You are my best friend, the love of my life and every single day you make me smile and laugh. You are everything I prayed for in a spouse and I am honored that God chose me to spend the rest of my life with you. You are a blessing beyond words and I hope you had a wonderful birthday and that all of your Birthday wishes came true. I love you more than life itself.

Homemade Brown Sugar-N-Cinnamon Pop Tarts with Candied Maple Bacon

Every now and then I get the urge to go completely outside of my comfort zone and try something new. This morning was one of those urge days. Over the weekend I bought a new cookbook and it has so many delicious recipes, y'all. So far I've tried 3 recipes in this cookbook and all have been very successful! The cook book is "The Southern Pantry Cookbook" and I can already tell it'll be a staple go to in my kitchen. I bought my locally, but you can order one at Amazon by clicking on this link:

http://www.amazon.com/Southern-Pantry-Cookbook-Recipes-Already/dp/1401605214/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1462978259&sr=8-1&keywords=the+southern+pantry+cookbook

 

This morning I made the homemade pop tarts and candied bacon, however, I used maple bacon. I had already made pie crust in my freezer I needed to use. So my crust is not from scratch but if you have the time, by all means shoot for the stars and make your own homemade pie crust. I hope you enjoy these as much as me and my family did! 

Homemade Brown Sugar-N-Cinnamon Pop Tarts

Ingredients for Brown Sugar Filling:

1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 teaspoons all-purpose flour

Ingredients for Icing:

1 cup confectioner's sugar

3 tablespoons milk

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Ingredients for Toaster Tarts:

2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts

Ingredients for Egg Wash:

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 tablespoon water

 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a rimmed baking pan with parchment paper

2. To make brown sugar-n-cinnamon filling: In a small bowl mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon and flour.

3. To make icing: In a small bowl whisk together the confectioners sugar, milk, cinnamon and vanilla extract. Drizzle over pop tarts, serve warm.

4. To make egg wash: lightly beat one egg with 1 tablespoon of water

5. To make the pop tarts: Roll out the dough and stack on top of each other and cut into even squares, making sure to keep matching tops and bottoms together. 

6. Separate the top and bottom of each pastry and brush matching sides with egg wash.

7. Spoon one pastry with about 1 heaping tablespoon of the brown sugar-n-cinnamon filling

8. Place matching pastry on top and seal edges using the tines of a fork around all the edges to crimp the dough.

9. Bake until lightly golden brown, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and place the baking sheet on cooling rack. Drizzle with icing and Enjoy!!

Candied Maple Bacon

Ingredients: 

Non Stick cooking spray

1/2 cup finely packed light brown sugar

12 slices center cut  maple bacon

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Generously spray a wire baking rack with cooking spray and then place on top of a lined rimmed baking pan. {I used parchment paper for easy clean up.}

3. Place the brown sugar in a shallow baking dish and evenly dredge both sides of the maple bacon

4. Placed bacon on to the wire rack in a single layer with no overlapping pieces.

5. Bake until the bacon is crispy, 20-25 minutes.

6. Serve warm or at room temperature. Enjoy!

Welcome to Southern Sweetys

Hi and welcome to my blog!! I'm so glad you have stopped by! Please feel free to leave comments, questions and please Pin away to your hearts desire!

Okay so let me tell y'all about myself and my beautiful family...

My name is Katrina "Kat" Smith. I am originally from Keokuk, IA and moved to Springdale, AR when I was about 8 years old. I consider myself from Arkansas, since I have lived here most of my life. I know where my roots are and still consider Keokuk home to me as well. The South has definitely rubbed off on me and now I am all Arkansas with my southern drawl, love of sweet tea and consistent use of the word "y'all." And I wouldn't have it any other way. I'll continue with more about little ol' me after I brag on those that make my story worth telling about first.....

I am married to my husband, Mark, of  almost 10 years now. We met on Match.com and he is the love of my life. I smile most when he is around and he is the most supportive, adoring, Godly, caring, sweetest, giving, loving and gorgeous man I have ever met. Saying he is the love of my life is clearly an understatement. I am your constant emotional screw-up, I deal daily with depression due to medication I was on to help heal my back after the birth of our 4 child & good ol' hypothyroid disease. My head is often in the clouds yet I am too insecure to try new things....crazy, I know. My husband is my best friend. Without him, I don't know where I'd be in my life. He is my knight in shining Armour who swooped in to rescued me from a life of loneliness. One word to best describe Mark would be Lifesaver. He the person that keeps our family afloat. Mark is an structural engineer, home brewer and lover of sports. This Spring he will be opening up a brewery {his life long dream}. Mark is braver than I will ever be and I am beyond proud and happy for him.  Mark is all things fall to me...warm and cozy and he smells good too:)
Mark is smart, talented, patient and

 just simply amazing. God blessed me ten-fold with this amazing man.

My husband, Mark and myself, Kat

Together Mark and I have 4 awesome children. We have Ryan (Ry) who is 21 years old and lives in Fayetteville, AR. Ryan has worked for Wal-Mart for about 3 years now & just bought his first car as a grown-up! Building that credit up, y'all.  Ryan has Asperger's Syndrome and has come so far in his life. He and we still struggle at many times with his AS, but we are always Ry's biggest supporters and cheerleaders. He is always making us proud and we are excited to see him grow and live the life he has only dreamed about. Best word to describe Ryan would be Determined.  With help from his Grandpa Glasgow he has learned how to play the guitar and everyday he practices the guitar looking to become better. Ryan loves music, writing and being creative. Ryan rarely gives up and when he finds something he is passionate about, he gives it his all. 

Ryan

Then there is Matthew who is 18 years old (AKA Sweets).  Matt earned the nickname Sweets for his love affair with all things sweet. Matthew is a Freshman at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. He is majoring in Science and he just landed the job of Track Manager at the UofA for the Razorback Track team. Matt is a former State winning runner and our family athlete. Matt is your constant perfectionist. He is a rule follower and hardest working kid you'll ever meet. He is loving, caring, kind, sweet and a hugger. He hugs, a lot, and I love that he hugs. He'll be like his Dad when he grows up-a very loving & attentive husband.  There's a lucky woman out there waiting to meet this prince charming one day. Matt is literally tall, dark and handsome. A word to best describe Matt would be Honorable. He is a man of his word and there is nothing that he wouldn't do for his fellow man. He's always got your back and would never turn his back on you. Matt will always be a kid at heart. He loves to build  Legos, video games, reading and singing. 

Matthew

Next is our only girl, Mary Kate (AKA MK or Kitten), who is 8 years old. Named after two of her Great-Grandma's, she is a pleasant mix of all girl and a little tom boy too. She loves hanging out with the guys playing basketball and baseball and loves dressing in pink with bows and pretty sparkles. She is the sweetest kid ever. She cares about others so much. Every morning we pray in the van on the way to school for her classmates. Is she knows someone is struggling, she keeps them in her thoughts and prayers. She is seriously just the sweetest. Mary Kate is an observer, she is a lover of animals, music, cooking shows and she is simply beautiful. Mary Kate is swimmer and singer, and she works very hard at both. But more than anything, she makes me smile, laugh and most of all she makes me proud.  She always leaves me silly messages on my phone and it just makes my day. Mary Kate is in the 2nd year grade and she is an amazing reader for age. One word to best describe Mary Kate is Talented. She sings, swims, draws, writes stories, reads a lot, and she loves performing made up songs outside for our two dogs. 

Mary Kathryn

Last but certainly not least is William, (AKA Will, The Wills, Will-Will, Little Man). Will is almost 7 years old. He is our little miracle baby that we nearly lost during pregnancy due to an infection and surgeries I had at 13 weeks gestation. Will was also born with 3 knots in his umbilical cord that could have cost him his life or could have given him brain damage. Will was born perfectly healthy. I often say that Will is perfect name for him because he had the Will to live and boy is he strong-willed too. Will is sweet, cuddly and always making us laugh. He is the comedian of the family for sure. There is never a dull moment with Will around. He is a quick witted mama's boy, who I REALLY wish would stop growing up!  Will is so much like his Daddy it's crazy. He loves to build things and take things apart, he loves staying busy. He loves Legos, baseball, drawing, playing tricks on me, board games and helping me in the kitchen. A word to describe Will would be Curious. He loves to touch everything and try to figure things out on his own. He is independent, he likes to work with his hands and I can easily see him becoming an 

Engineer like his Daddy one day. 

Will

So that's it....wait, oh there's more about me....

 I am a Catholic Wife and Mom. As mentioned above, I do suffer from depression and anxiety but have chosen to not be on medication. Medication & hypothyroid disease is why I struggle with it like I do. Instead I deal with it by praying, reading scripture, exercise, being present with my family, baking, and trying to talk myself up from my downs. Depression has caused me to have severe anxiety around other adults and so that leaves me with few friends.  I'm learning to be excepting of that, but it's hard. We all needs friends. Outside of that mess in my life, I do have lots of scattered ambitions and I love to cook, craft, photograph and laugh. Even though depression and anxiety are in my life I am a  happy person-if that makes sense at all. I am most happy when I'm together with my whole family hanging out in our back yard cooking out, swimming, tossing the football, sitting by the fire pit, date nights with my husband, sipping on a Mommy drink and holding my husband's hand. I love taking pictures of my family and I love anything kitchen, Hobby Lobby, Kirkland's and Euna Mea's.  I was saying "I Love You More" before it was cool to say. I'm your typical Southern lady; I love manners, big bows, lipstick, hairspray, sweet tea and Jesus. A word to describe me would be Blessed. Yes, Blessed. I'm hoping my blog over time will help others who are dealing with depression and anxiety due mainly to hypothyroid disease. I obviously don't want it to be my sole focus, because it's important to focus on what makes us happy. 

Okay so that is it. This is us.  These are my "Southern Sweetys." I hope you enjoy this blog. Again, please feel free to comment, message and pass it on. 

Blessings,