Saturday, December 31, 2011

New Years Eve


Can you believe that it's already here?? Where did 2011 go? We all know the tradition of goal setting for the new year, how many of you actually do that? What are some of your goals? I of coarse have the traditional lose weight, get my home more organized, but I've been thinking lately I want to come up with some different ones, something that will make me a better me! I'm thinking this year I'm just going to set a goal a month so I'm not feeling so over whelmed at the beginning of the year because that's no way to start a new year. So, what are they going to be you might ask...good question!

Let's start with January - I'm thinking I really need to take care of myself this month. Sometimes motherhood really gets me running around the house all day. I have no problem getting my girls cleaned and dressed and ready for each day but what about me? I usually just throw something on that's comfortable and if I'm lucky I get to shower after the girls go to bed at night, not cool! And make up...maybe once a week. So this month it's about me. I'm going to shower... in the morning and get ready for each day including putting on make up:) As well as getting dress, make myself feel pretty. But I have to say when I exersice I feel better about myself as well so I'm including that in my monthly goal for January.

So who's on board for making some new goals with me each month?!? I'd love to hear what you have in mind and what some of your goals may be...we'll keep each other going and motivated!!

Friday, December 30, 2011

Busy Busy Busy



It's crazy just how fast time goes around the holidays but I hope each of you enjoyed spend time with your families. I'll be back for a new year and new ideas that I just can't wait to share with you! Have a happy New Year!!

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Date Night - drive in

So it's really hard for us to get in date nights and by my husbands standards it's not a date night if the kiddos are there...this makes it hard because I'm still nursing so we're on limited time if we do anything. He might just loss with the kiddos having to be gone but thank goodness for nap time and bed time:)
So then I had to find ideas where we could still have a date but stay home at the same time...hummm.



I found this great idea that I always wanted to do with the neighbors during the summer but I never thought of it as a date night... it's perfect, just like a drive in! Show a movie outside under the stars (rent a projector & put up a sheet as your screen.) I can't wait to give this a try!

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Gift Tags - Hand Prints

Here's a great idea to do with the kids and what a perfect time of year to make them!
 We'll be putting them on the grandparents gifts for sure, they're going to love them.

To make: (it makes about 12 small hand prints)

4 cups flour
1 cup salt
1 1/2 cups water

Combine the flour and salt and sift together with a fork. Slowly add in the water. Knead for about 10-15 minutes. Cut out desired shapes or hand prints. Make sure to poke the top with a straw to make a hole to hang or tie it on. Bake it at 300 degrees for about 20-25 minutes (until golden brown). Depending on how think you make them it may need to be longer.

We made some trees for my little girl to paint and put on presents as tags...she had a blast!

Monday, December 12, 2011

Yummy yummy yummy

You have to try these...they are so simple and easy and will be gone as soon as you're done! (The reason I didn't get a picture of the finished product:) ) They're Pretzel Bits...easy, easy, easy!

You start with thawing the dough (I used Rhodes dinner rolls but you can also use the Texas style as well) until it's soft enough for you to work with. Cut them in half and roll to make round balls. Place back on cookie sheet to rise until doubled.


Bring a large pot to a gentle boil and toss them in (enough that the whole ball gets shocked) and leave for about 45 seconds.


 Remove with a slitted spoon and place on a paper towel to drain slightly (don't leave on for to long cause they'll start to stick to the paper towel, learn from my mistake. They were a pain to try and get all the paper towel off). Don't worry if they look a little funny after you take them out, they be perfect after you bake them.


 Bake in 375 degree oven for about 15 minutes until golden brown. Brush with butter and roll in a cinnamon and sugar mixture (1/2 cinnamon, 1/2 sugar). You can also sprinkle with sea salt and roll in garlic and Parmesan cheese.

I only cut them in half but I still think they could have been smaller so you could just plop them right into your mouth.
I can't wait to make them again cause they were so easy, next time we're trying Parmesan cheese.

Monday, December 5, 2011

Jamba Juice - taste like the real thing!



I just love this recipe!! It's my new favorite treat I make for myself and it actually taste just like it's from Jamba Juice! Love love love it! (and so much cheaper cause you can make a lot with all the stuff!)

JAMBA JUICE CARIBBEAN PASSION SMOOTHIE

1 cup passion fruit mango juice blend
1 cup frozen strawberries
1/2 cup frozen peaches
1 cup orange sherbet
1/2 cup ice

In a blender add passion fruit mango juice blend first then add strawberries, peaches, sherbet and ice. Blend on high until "smoothie" consistency.

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Glass Stove Top


I am so excited for this because my stove looks worse than this! I have tons of rings around my burners and it's driving me nuts. So I found this simple solution...baking soda! I will never under estimate the poor of baking soda and in a post coming up I'll give you a list of all the things they claim it can do.

So first you get a bowl of HOT water and soap mixed in. Soak a rag in it, in the mean time sprinkle baking soda over the area. Pull out the rag, ring out SOME of the water/soap and place over top of baking soda. Allow to sit of 15 mins (longer if a lot is caked on). Then gentle rub around the surface with the paste made by the baking soda. That simple! Enjoy!!

Friday, December 2, 2011

Organize Your Freezer



So I was overly happy when I found this awesome idea of putting bins in your freezer to organize it!! Can you say smart?!? I really am headed to the dollar store and Bed Bath & Beyond to find some perfect bins and can't wait. I feel like I'm always finding something new in the back of my freezer that I didn't know was there! I'll be posting my before and after pictures for you to see the great results!

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Holidays!


These holidays are so hard to get through sometimes and it seems no different right now. Sorry I've been a little MIA, I had to get my gallbladder removed after having an attack not to long ago. Now that that's done I feel I can get some Christmas stuff going. I feel like it's put a huge dent in my timeline though, I'm running out of time to get the girls gifts together along with still shopping for myself (is that just us or do you do the shopping for yourself as well? Sometimes I don't mind to much cause I get exactly what I need:) )  Is there anyone all done with your shopping? (ya jealous!) I hope you all enjoyed your Thanksgiving week!! I'll be back tomorrow with some great cleaning tips!!

Friday, November 25, 2011

Date Ideas - Next years list!


So you remember my last post about date night and how I'm putting together a date for each month next year? Well I started putting my list together...what do you think? (By the way we love that movie! If you haven't seen it...a great date night idea:) )

- Picnic in the park
- Shut off all electric devices (including lights). Candles only. Have fun.(excited for this...we're addicted
     to our electronics!)
- Boardgames & card games & video games--include cheap prizes (I love that prizes are included, I
     know what's on my husbands list there:) )
-Do a restaurant crawl. Have a drink at one restaurant, appetizers at another, main course somewhere
     else, and finish with dessert at the last place. Or do it in reverse!
- Go hiking
- Visit an arcade and challenge each other
- Go bowling
- the traditional movie and dinner!
- body shop date night - rollplay (a great clean explanation found here!)
- spa night
- Christmas in July (oh this is totally happening in July!)
- Cyber Date (love this seeing how we met on facebook:) )

Have anymore ideas?!? I found a lot of these great ideas and tons more to choose from here!


Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Birthday!


I'm pretty excited that tomorrow is my birthday!! I'm not doing anything to big, just hoping for a nice relaxing day! We are having family over for dessert! I'm making cookies for ice cream sandwhiches...yummy!!! Do you guys do anything fun for your birthday? I at least got a whole day to myself...to organize. I know weird but that's something I really enjoy doing:) I hope you guys all have a great Thanksgiving on Thursday (my daughters birthday, busy week for us!)!

Sunday, November 20, 2011

101 Things to do with your toddler

So I've really felt lately that I've run out of ideas to keep my toddler entertained. So I went searching...and found this awesome list of great ideas! Some we already do but there are tons that I hadn't even thought of! Check it out! (bolded ones I wanted to try out first!)
  1. Color
  2. Blow Bubbles
  3. Play Hide-and-Seek
  4. Peek-a-Boo
  5. Play Chase
  6. Do Finger-plays
  7. Sing a song
  8. Collect rocks in a basket
  9. Make an obstacle course out of cushions and/or furniture
  10. Make a fort out of cushions and sheets
  11. Go for a Walk
  12. Make a Car out of a Box
  13. Read a book
  14. Go to the park
  15. Finger-paint
  16. Play with Play-Dough
  17. Toss Bean bags into a Bucket
  18. Play the shell and pea game
  19. Dance to music
  20. Download games for toddlers from the Internet
  21. Practice putting things in and taking things out of boxes and bags
  22. Make a temporary slide out of a table leaf and your couch
  23. Roll a ball back and forth on the floor
  24. Scoop dirt or sand into a child's bucket (or use a serving spoon and bowl)
  25. Practice climbing by stacking boxes on top of each other (only with adult supervision)
  26. Put on a puppet show
  27. Go fishing with a yard stick and yarn
  28. Make a Horseshoe game
  29. Make a Shape Puzzle
  30. Play paper basketball
  31. Run through a Sprinkler
  32. Play with a bucket of water and a sponge (PLEASE WATCH CHILD AT ALL TIMES!)
  33. Make a Drum out of an oatmeal box
  34. Play with a kazoo
  35. Wash windows together
  36. Bang on Pots and Pans with a spoon
  37. Brush each other's teeth
  38. Play dress-up with stuffed animals and your child's clothes
  39. Stack canned or boxed food on top of each other
  40. Let child stack mixing bowls inside each other
  41. Make a playhouse out of a large box
  42. Let child play with a sticker sheet (make sure your child doesn't eat them!)
  43. Put stickers on fingers for finger puppets
  44. Play a musical instrument together- i.e.recorder, piano, etc.
  45. Go on a Smelling Hunt
  46. Frost Cookies
  47. Plant a flower or vegetable plant together
  48. Roll a tennis ball into an empty trash can or bucket
  49. Draw on a mirror with dry-erase markers
  50. Play hide and seek together- trying to find a stuffed animal or other object
  51. Have a splash party together in the bathtub
  52. Put a leash on a stuffed animal and walk around the house
  53. Record each other on a tape recorder (great for scrapbooks or journals!)
  54. Make and try on paper hats
  55. Give a piggy-back ride
  56. Play "Horsey"
  57. Talk into an electric fan (it distorts your voice)
  58. Play tug-of-war with a blanket
  59. Collect flowers (felt, artificial, real...)
  60. Make a camera and go on a Safari
  61. Play games with frozen juice lids
  62. Disconnect your phone and pretend to make phone calls to relatives
  63. Leave your phone connected and really make phone calls to relatives- let your child talk too
  64. String large beads onto or along a shoelace
  65. Squirt each other with squirt bottles
  66. Glue shapes onto paper
  67. Make sock puppets
  68. Make paper puppets
  69. Fill an old purse with toys
  70. Use a paper towel tube as a megaphone
  71. Make binoculars and go "Bird Watching" or "Stuffed Animal Watching"
  72. Put snacks in different fun containers (paper sacks, empty canisters, etc.)
  73. Act out a story from a book
  74. Walk on a balance beam- use a 2x4 placed on the ground
  75. Draw with chalk on the sidewalk
  76. Sketch an outline of your child on the sidewalk or paper with chalk
  77. Paint child's palms with tempura paint and blot on paper. Makes a great card for loved ones!
  78. Put lipstick on child and kiss a mirror
  79. Make a puddle on cement and splash barefoot in it
  80. Let child decorate and eat an open peanut butter sandwich
  81. Make a toilet paper barricade for child to go under, over, or through
  82. Do the Hokey Pokey
  83. Make a super-hero costume out of household items
  84. Do Knee-Bouncing Rhymes
  85. Play "Red Light, Green Light" saying "Go" and "Stop"
  86. Make a shoe-box train for stuffed animals
  87. Make a pillow pile to jump on (keep it clear from any hard surfaces, including walls!)
  88. Make an easy puzzle with felt and Velcro
  89. Make bracelets or collars for stuffed animals out of pipe cleaners and jingle bells
  90. Learn numbers from a deck of cards
  91. Play the matching game with a deck of cards
  92. Make a domino chain
  93. Have a picnic in the park, backyard, or living room!
  94. Play dress up in Mommy or Daddy's clothes
  95. Make a tin cup telephone and talk to each other in it
  96. Make a nature collage
  97. Mirror each other
  98. Make a "Mummy Mommy" with toilet paper
  99. Make a tape recording of short music selections and instructions to move in different ways
  100. Make and walk along a toilet paper trail
  101. TAKE A NAP!
I've also thought of a few more...

- Dress up in mommy's wedding dress and take pictures
- Love notes for daddy or other family members
- we have snow, so head out and make a snowman!
- decorate plates into different animal faces
- spray paint in the snow (can do with water and food coloring in spray bottle)
- Make a neckless out of fruit loops or other cereals
- Story time at the library

Hope you guys are having lots of fun with your kids...send your ideas over I'd love to add them to the list!

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Happy Photo :)


This just made me happy when I saw it and wanted to share it with you! I'm totally going to be doing this!! Can't wait for the next snow storm!! (never thought I'd say that:) )

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Favorite Freebie Sites


So I thought I'd put together a list of some of my favorite sites to check up on freebies and other great deals!

my number one for sure is freebies2deals.blogspot.com
There are tons of others that I love as well,
addictedtosaving.com
couponingtodisney.com
sweetfreestuff.com
allyou.com
savvysistershops.com
hip2save.com
pennypinchinmom.com

I know there are tons more but these are just my favorites! What's yours, I'd love to check out more!! Leave a comment and let me know!

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Serving With Our Children


It's such an import thing for our children to know and what better way to teach then to do it! Service is such an incredible thing and we have been very fortunate to be on both ends. I can't even say how touched I was the night I opened our front door and found a letter with money inside, it had come during a time that our family was really struggling financially. Or even the goodies from the neighbor next door just letting us know they cared after we had just lost a grandparent. Now we don't always know when a family is struggling but why not take a moment and send a thank you to the people who help us each day. Like the mail man, fire fighters, even an assisted living center. I found this really cute blog full of service ideas to do with our kids. She had tons of ideas!

1. a box of cookies left in the mailbox for the mail man (or women like ours is!)
2. The fire station a plate of cookies or muffins
3. Assisted living facility home made cards
4. The Hospital - flowers
5. Leaving home made crayons and coloring books in a waiting room
6. Change left in the vending machines
7. Donating to a food pantry
8. Books for a family in need
9. Yummies for the Librarians
10. A park with toddlers - hand out presents
11. Hiding dollars in the kid's section at a local store
12. Treat grandma or grandpa to lunch
13. Leave a gift for the waiter at lunch
14. Mail treats to surprise friends and family (a little gift card)
15. Leave behind a few diapers and wipes on a changing table in a public bathroom
16. Run an errand for someone who is busy
17. A simple Smile! (can go a long ways)
18. And of coarse thanking the millions of men and women fighting for our country!

What have you done or had done for you? I'd love to hear more ideas. I just love service it brightens my day for sure! I hope you all enjoy this coming Thanksgiving!

Monday, November 14, 2011

Home Made Chicken Pot Pies - Easy Easy Easy


These are my chicken pot pies and they are so easy and yummy, my 2 year old (very picky) ate the whole thing!! We served them with mashed potatoes...

1/2 can cream of chicken (or mushroom but we don't like mushrooms)
1 cup frozen vegetables
1 cup shredded chicken
1 pkg of crescents rolls (we used pillsbury)

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. And line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl mix together the chicken, veggies and soup.
  3. Unroll the crescent rolls and separate into 4 rectangles. Press the seam together in the center of the rectangle.
  4. Place 2 tbsp of filling on each rectangle, and fold the dough over covering the filling.
  5. Seal each pocket with a fork pressing down to pinch the edges together.
  6. Place on baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes at 350 or until golden brown
and you're done just like that! Enjoy!!

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Christmas...

I can't believe that Christmas is right around the corner. I can just say I'm usually really really excited for it and love shopping and getting gifts for everyone but this year...it's just stress. I think it's cause every time I walk out to the mailbox, another medical bill. I swear they never stop coming. So it's time to get creative and I can't wait to show you some of the things I've come up with. Number one thing I'm excited for is a gift for my husband. We all know that each of us have a different "love language" and for my husband is the touch/time together. So with that in mind I'm putting together date night ideas. There will be 12 envelopes, each one will have a different idea for that month with everything we need for it inside. Then at the beginning of each month we'll open the envelope and decide what day will work best for us...a guaranteed date night at least once a month! So, when I'm all done I'll have 12 different date night ideas for each of you. I'd love to hear some of your ideas and what you guys love to do for date nights, ideas?!?

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Online Deals

So we all know everything is online now a days and that doesn't exclude couponing. There are so many good deals you can get online. They are always offering free samples of things. One tip that will save you a lot of time and pain is setting up a different e-mail address then you're personal one, a junk e-mail. You don't even have to look at it (but I highly recommend checking it ever so often), but most online offers will ask for an e-mail address and you'll be getting a lot of e-mails. So go to hotmail, or yahoo and set one up for FREE! It cost you nothing, can't get better then that!
Sometimes they'll also ask you for a phone number, I have a hard time with this one cause they usually are looking for a cell and will start sending you text messages. I hated that before I got unlimited because they were wasting my text. So they have this web site that you can set up a fake phone number (can you say AWESOME!), and guess what...it's FREE! So just go here and set one up, they'll e-mail you when you have received a message and you can decide what to do from there. 

Free Money!!



I found this awesome deal, $30.00 in free product (to Paper Coterie)...just be sure you like her page and become a follower. She does some great things and I love watching what she comes up with next! Who can say no to free money though. This would be great for all the Christmas gifts you have to give. I'm using mine on a calendar for the grandparents (they ask every year if we're going to be doing our calendar...they love them!)

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

My Favorite Home Made Bread


I just have to share my favorite bread recipe that I'm so excited to make tomorrow! This time of year I just love to bake, I don't know what it is but I love the smells and the warmth that it brings to my home. This recipe comes from the food nanny and is very easy when it comes to home made bread so if you have never tried to make your own before this is a great recipe to try first. (Makes 3 loaves)

4 cups warm water (105-115degrees)
2 tablespoons active dry yeast
1 tablespoon salt
1/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup honey or 2/3 cup sugar
10-12 cups all-purpose or bread flour

1. Pour the water into a very large mixing bowl or the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer. Add the yeast, salt, oil, honey, and 5 cups of the flour, and mix to combine. Gradually mix in an additional 5 cups flour, 1 cup at a time, until the dough is smooth (Add still more flour, 1/4 cup at a time, if necessary.)

2. Knead by hand on a lightly floured surface, or with the dough hook on low for 12 minutes. Cover with a dish towel and let the dough rise until doubled in bulk 30 to 45 minutes. Generously grease three 9x5 inch loaf pans and set aside.

3. Punch down the dough, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it briefly to remove the air bubbles. Divide the dough in thirds, knead each section a few times and shape into a loaf. Place the dough into the prepared pans. Cover with a dish towel and let rise 30-45 minutes. The dough is ready to bake when you press down slightly with your finger and the indentation remains.

4. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the loaves for 30 minutes. Immediately remove from the pans and cool on a wire rack. To freeze loaves, place in resealable plastic freezer bags and store up to two months in the freezer.

Monday, November 7, 2011

GAK!

Every since I found this online I've been dying to try it, so I decided to whip it up this weekend! It turned out exactly how I remember it!!

Ingredients:
  • 1 cup Elmer's glue
  • food coloring, your choice of color (optional: coloring can stain!)
  • 1 cup liquid starch (found at walmart, or your mothers house - where I found it :) )

  • -Pour glue and coloring in plastic container.
    -Stir until color is thoroughly mixed in.
    -Add starch a little at a time (and they mean a little at a time, I just poured it in not thinking and it took forever to get it how it was suppose to be), stirring with a spoon or kneading with your fingers as mixture thickens.
    -Keep stirring until mixture holds together like putty.
    -Test with your fingers: if too sticky, add more starch in small amounts until mass is smooth and rubbery.


    Tip Junkie handmade projects

    Halloween Chili



    So do you have a family tradition for Halloween night dinner? I've heard of a few but we always had soup in bread bowls, yummy!! So I thought I'd share a chili recipe with you this time...

    1 lb hamburger
    1 onion, chopped
    2 cloves garlic, diced
    1 15 oz. can kidney beans
    2 15 oz. cans chili beans with sauce
    1 15 oz. can red beans
    1 15 oz. can pinto beans
    2 15 oz. cans tomato sauce
    1 15 oz. can water
    1 7 oz. can green chilies, dices (leave out if you don't like really spicy, I leave them out)
    1/2 cup salsa
    2 bay leaves
    garlic salt
    katchup
    salt and pepper to taste
    chili powder

    Fry hamburger, onions, and garlic salt in large pot. Add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour.

    Don't forget the corn bread! :)

    Friday, October 28, 2011

    Pots and Pans

    So for some reason it seems like everything is about my kitchen, maybe that's because I love being in it now! But there are always things that can be cleaned and fixed up in there. So I found this awesome blog that had this post about cleaning your pans...check this out!


    That's totally how my pans look! So what's the recipe to clean it you ask? Easy just baking soda and hydrogen peroxide! Take about 1/4 cup baking soda and pour in the peroxide to make a paste, rub it on the area you wish to clean and ta da!!
    I'll totally be trying this out this week cause all my pans could use it and whats the use of buying new ones when I can clean up the old ones I have that work just fine!!

    Thursday, October 27, 2011

    It's All About the Corn


    So I can across this cute idea that it's all about the corn. So for dinner you can have corn on the cob with corn chowder in bread bowls. They bring out the dessert, if you're up for cooking bake a cake...candy corn style. Or as I would do it buy a bag of candy corns:) They head to a corn maze...perfect for this time of year!! Who doesn't love them, you can decided on haunted or not your choice! My choice - NOT!! I get way to many nightmares from those places even though they're fun during!!

    Happy Date Night!

    Wednesday, October 26, 2011

    Coupon Questions/Policy



    So I'd like to know what kind of questions you have about couponing? What are you struggling with? What would you like to learn? Where are you shopping at? Let me know, either e-mail me or comment below...I'd love to hear them all!

    I wanted to get you started with the coupon policies...these will be your bibles as you get going. I've had to use mine before and there have been moments that I wish I had a copy on me!! So print the places that you plan to coupon at and have them in your binder when you go...you'll be glad you do in those moments!

    Walmart
    Target
    Smith's - digital coupon policy
    Walgreens - for sure...they are sticklers in some places

    If there are other places you plan on shopping just head to their web page and search for their policy. I've only listed a few but there are tons!

    Tuesday, October 25, 2011

    Halloween Yummies!

    I thought since Halloween is coming up I'd share some fun ideas I found for some good food to eat! Cute and creative!!

     
    
    Deviled Eye Eggs
    Ingredients
    • 6 large hard-boiled eggs
    • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
    • 1 1/2 tbsp. sweet pickle relish
    • 1 tsp. yellow mustard
    • Salt and pepper
    • Green gel food coloring
    • Red gel food coloring
    • Sliced black olives
    Instructions
    1. Remove eggshells and halve the eggs lengthwise. Scoop out the yolks and place in a small bowl.
    2. Mash the yolks and stir in mayonnaise, sweet pickle relish, and yellow mustard. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix in a few drops of green gel food coloring until the desired color has been achieved.
    3. Place the mixture into a Ziploc® plastic bag, making sure the bag is securely closed. Cut a small hole in one tip of the plastic bag. Fill the egg whites evenly with the mixture.
    4. Use a toothpick and red food coloring to “draw” the veins onto the egg whites.
    5. Garnish with a sliced black olive. Store covered in the refrigerator.

     
    Rice Cereal Treat Pumpkins

     
    Ingredients

     
    ¼ cup butter
    3 cups mini marshmallows
    6 cups rice cereal
    1 tsp. vanilla
    Orange gel food coloring
    Chocolate almond bark
    Braided pretzel sticks
    Pretzel sticks

     
    Directions
    1. In a large saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Add the marshmallows. Stir until the marshmallows have completely melted. Add the vanilla. Mix in a few drops of orange gel food coloring until the desired color has been achieved. Remove from heat.

    2. Stir in the rice cereal. Mix well with the melted marshmallow mixture.

    3. Lay out a sheet of wax paper. Use floured hands to form 2” and 4” balls. Place balls onto wax

    paper. Press a braided pretzel stick into the top of each large ball and half of a regular pretzel stick into the top of each small ball to create the “pumpkin stem”.

    4. Melt the chocolate almond bark according to the directions on the package.

    5. Place the melted chocolate almond bark into a Ziploc® plastic bag making sure bag is securely closed. Cut a small hole in one tip of the plastic bag.

    6. Pipe the melted chocolate almond bark onto the pumpkin balls forming faces or words. (Caution: bag may be hot from the melted almond bark!)


    MICROWAVE DIRECTIONS: ( I love that they have microwave directions!! YES!!)

    Microwave butter with marshmallows on high for 2 minutes in a microwave safe mixing bowl. Stir together. Continue to microwave 1 minute intervals until completely melted.

     

     
    So I love how easy these are...just buy the crescent rolls and cut in thin strips and wrap around the hot dogs...what a great tradition to start here!
     
     
    Candy Corn Cheesecake Mousse 

    1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese
    1/2 cup powdered sugar
    1/4 cup milk or cream
    1 teaspoon vanilla
    1 small container (8 oz.) Cool Whip, thawed
    orange and yellow food color
    candy corn (for garnish)

    Directions ~

    Beat cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer until fully smooth. Slowly add powdered sugar, then milk (or cream). Add vanilla. Continue mixing. Beat about 1 minute on medium to medium-high speed. Fold cool whip into cream cheese mixture, and stir until fully combined.

    Scoop about 1/3 of the Cheesecake Mousse into a bowl, and color orange. Color another third of the mixture yellow. Leave the remaining third white. One color at a time (starting with yellow), scoop mixture into a piping bag or large ziploc bag, and squeeze a layer of the Cheesecake Mousse into small dessert dishes of your choice. Repeat with orange and then white Mousse.

    Refrigerate 30 minutes (or up to 1 day) before serving. Garnish with candy corn if desired.
    Recipe yields 4 moderate servings or 6-8 mini servings.

     

     
    So I was thinking everything is deserts we need to find so side dishes! Check out what i found...awesome!!!

    Creepy Peepers Halloween Jell-o

    Ingredients:
    • 2 6oz packages of green Jell-O (the large boxes)
    • 2 envelopes Knox unflavored gelatin (4 envelopes in a box)
    • 1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
    • Water, various portions and temperatures
    • Food coloring pen
    • Pam (or other) vegetable oil spray
     
     
    Directions:
    1. Bring 2½ cups water to a boil, pour over green Jell-O and stir 3 minutes until dissolved.
    2. Reserve 1 cup of this green Jell-O, set aside. DO NOT REFRIGERATE.
    3. Pour remaining Jell-O into a greased 9x13 dish and refrigerate.
    4. Bring 1 cup of water to a boil on your stovetop. Stir in sweetened condensed milk; stir to incorporate.
    5. In a small bowl with 1 cup of cold water sprinkle in 2 packages of Knox unflavored gelatin. Let stand (about 1 minute) to “bloom.” Add ½ cup boiling water. Pour the unflavored gelatin mixture into the milk mixture. Stir to combine.
    6. Pour into jelly bean mold, refrigerate.(Use a well-greased, rimmed baking sheet to make the white Jell-O eyes if you don’t have a jelly bean mold)

     
    At this point you have a pan of green Jell-O and a pan of white Jell-O in the refrigerator and a cup of Jell-O on the countertop. You will need to go find something to do for at least an hour, probably closer to 2 hours.

     
    1. When firm to the touch cut green Jell-O into small pieces. Pop out white eyeballs or use a small circle cutter (cake decorating tip, bottle cap of vanilla, etc.) to cut out white eyes. Add black pupils with a food coloring pen.
    2. Layer green Jell-O and eyeballs into small glasses.
    3. Remember that cup of Jell-O on the countertop? Reheat in the microwave for 30 seconds if necessary and pour over the cups.
    4. Return to the refrigerator for 1 hour.

    I hope you all are getting excited for Halloween!! Can't wait to whip some of these up!

    Tub Time


     
    So I'm on a little tub rampage probably because I've had to be giving my daughter a lot lately!! But we found the coolest things ever at Target in the dollar section as you walk in, GLOW STICKS! Can I just saw AWESOME! I loved them, she loved them, they were just so much fun and it came with 15 in a tube so we'll have plenty cause I only used 3 of them and that was just enough. So head to Target and see if you have some as well. I know you can find them at the dollar store as well!! Let me know what you're little ones think of them!!!

    Monday, October 24, 2011

    Chicken and Stuffing


    Sorry it's a little late tonight but we're ran into some health problems around our house, but I'm still here and kickin'!

    So I have to confess that I don't really like stuffing but I can eat it this way (the only way!) and I like it, which is good cause my husband loves stuffing. Plus it's a quick easy recipe which are my all time favorites!

    8 chicken breast halves, sliced into 1-2" pieces
    1 box of dry stuffing
    8 slices swiss cheese
    1 can cream of chicken soup
    2 Tbsp water
    1/4 cup butter, melted

    Lay pieces of chicken in bottom of a 9x13" pan. Lay swiss cheese on top of chicken. Mix together cream of chicken soup with 2 Tbsp of water in a bowl. Spreed on top of cheese. Sprinkle box of dry stuffing mix on top of soup. Drizzle the melted butter on top. Bake uncovered for 1 hr at 350 degrees. Although I find it never takes that long.

    If you have a meat thermometer cook until it says 165. We don't have one so I just check the chicken around 45 minutes and it's usually done!

    Saturday, October 22, 2011

    The new and improved!

    So if you didn't see my earlier post about my kitchen check it out here. I have happy news that it's finally done and...I LOVE IT! With an added bonus, it stays much cleaner since I enjoy spending time in there:) So I wanted to show you what it looks like and how I did it!



    You seriously need to check out the before pictures cause it's a big change!! We were lucky enough to get granite counter tops from my in laws for Christmas last year (Thank you Legacy Granite!). And with the painted cupboards it's beautiful! Now just to paint the wall and it will be complete! So how did I do it might you ask? First I took just one door off and experimented (which I believe is key to loving what you do and not wasting your time on the whole kitchen), let me tell ya I didn't like the first few attempts and it saved me in the long run. Once I figured out what I wanted to do I took off the top doors (I have a two year old that would love to get into everything if I took the bottom off at the same time, so I broke it up and did the top then the bottom.) and sanded them down. Now I do realize I'm blessed with flat doors where as most homes now a days have trim on them...sorry it might be a pain to sand them down but I talked with a painting professional and he HIGHLY recommends sanding first. Then I put a thin coat of white paint (left overs from the previous home owners) let dry and sanded the edges and a little of the top to give it an older look. After, I stained it with a dark oak, I thought for sure it was going to be darker than I wanted until my dad said just try it...loved it!! That was with all the door and drawers. Now with the cupboards themselves I cheated and that's ok with me. I didn't sand...at all! I really didn't want a huge mess of dust all over my kitchen so I just painted a very very thin coat and stained...worked great!! That easy...it did take me all week with two little ones and having to stop and feed every 3 hours but it was so worth it to me!

    So I love before and after photos and if you have some send them my way! I'd love to spotlight my favorite!! So send them over! 

    Friday, October 21, 2011

    Cleaning Your Microwave

    So of coarse I find this handy tip AFTER I have already cleaning my microwave. We had a party this weekend so I cleaned it out but maybe it will help with all the stuff in the cracks, worth a shot!


    Fill a bowl with water and a dash of vinegar, place in the microwave for 5 minutes and allow the steam so soften the stuck on goodies. Then CAREFULLY (and I mean really carefully, cause water can be known to boil even after being taken out of the microwave and burn you, ouch!) remove the bowl and wipe down the microwave with a damp towel! Ta da and nice clean microwave!

    So what are you great cleaning tips? Anything you learned while growing up or just through experience? We'd love to hear them all ( cause really who likes to clean, anything to make it easier would be great!)

    Thursday, October 20, 2011

    Date Night Dreams!


    So me and my husband love going to the parade of homes in the rich and fancy areas and dream of what we could like someday! So for this date night pull some books, go online, check out open houses and plan your dream house. You can make it either realistic or out of this world! Have some fun with it! (I think I'll take the bedroom above...a dream I know!!)

    Wednesday, October 19, 2011

    **GIVEAWAY** Who doesn't love giveaways?



    So I'm really excited for this part! I love freebies as a lot of you know and that's really how we get a lot of our stuff. So here is the deal, I really want to get this website up and going so we're planning a giveaway for you!! When we reach 25 followers I'll be giving away a gift certificate to Amazon!!! So spread the word...the more we have the more information we can share and learn for each other.
    If you become a follower you automatically get enter into the drawing, then if you refer a friend make sure to have them comment on this post and you'll both get another entry!! And for one more extra entry sign up for our e-mail alerts so you never miss a thing! I'm so excited for this and hope you are too!! (We'll also have a bigger giveaway when we reach 50 so keep them coming!)

    Tuesday, October 18, 2011

    Giveaway Details...

    Make sure to check tomorrow for all the details on our giveaway!!! I can't wait to give this away, it's something I'd want for me and my family for sure!

    Homemade Bath Soap Crayons for Kids

    Update: we made these tonight and although they were way fun to make together they didn't work how I thought they would. Came out looking like crayons but when you try to color with them it doesn't appear:( we did have fun coloring on my little one, she just laughed cause it was tickling her! She did love chasing them around as they would slip through her fingers:) So maybe just try coloring water and freezing it (a cheaper, quicker way). Enjoy!

    I found this AWESOME idea for bath time (here). Although we already love baths this is going to make it so much fun!! I can't wait to whip some up today!!!

    Craft supplies you will need:
    • Clear glycerin soap base cut into cubes
    • 3 or more soap color dyes (or food color dyes)
    • Essential oils in your favorite smells (optional)
    • Glass measuring cup for melting soap
    • Spoons for mixing colors and fragrances
    • Ice cube trays or round crayon molds
    Craft instructions:
    ~Separate the soap base cubes; one pile for each soap color dye.
    ~Have the children place the soap cube for the first color in a glass measuring cup and melt in
                microwave in short bursts.
    ~Once melted, have the children add soap color a drop at a time, mixing well after each drop until 
                you get the color right.
    ~Then, add a couple of drops of essential oils and mix well.
    ~Next, have the children carefully pour the color soap into ice cube trays.
    ~If you see any air bubbles on the surface of the soap, spray it with rubbing alcohol.
    ~Have the children repeat the same soap crayon making process with the rest of the colors.
    ~After that, allow the soap to set until it is firm. This could take anywhere from 30 minutes to a few 
                hours. When the soap is close to firm, feel free to place the soap in the freezer to speed up the
                hardening process.
    ~When ready, have the children pop the soap crayons out of the trays.


    Bath Time!!

    Monday, October 17, 2011

    Birthday Dinner


    So today is actually my husbands birthday but unfortunately he has to work so we celebrated yesterday. We always get to pick what we'd like our birthday dinner to be and two years in a roll my husbands picked the same thing (it could be cause those are the only times I've cooked it...not the healthiest choice but very yummy!). So I'm going to share it with you...it's quick, easy and great to freeze for a quick fix on those nights (we all know those nights when the last thing you want to be doing is cooking dinner!).
    Beef Tortilla Casserole
    1 lb ground beef
    1 (4oz) can chopped olives
    1/2 onion, chopped
    5-6 buttered corn tortillas
    1/8 tsp salt and pepper
    1/2 lb grated cheese
    1 tsp chili powder
    1/2 bag frozen corn
    1 (16oz) can tomato sauce
     
     
    Brown beef and onions. Add spices, olives, corn and tomato sauce. Simmer 10 mins. Place mixture alternately in 9x13 pan with tortillas and cheese (1/2 mixture, cheese, tortillas, mixture, top with cheese). Pour 1/2 c water over all. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

    Saturday, October 8, 2011

    I'm Back


    I'm so excited to announce that I'm back!!! Now with two kiddos I really feel a desire to make sure I enjoy every moment I can with them especially while they are at these fun stages! So as of Monday I'll be back posting some fun things...what would you like to hear about? I have a few things up my sleeves but do you have something in mind? Remember each day I'll have something new so make sure you keep checking back! Also sign up to get my news letters so you can stay on top of whats going on! Can't wait for the fun to begin!

    Wednesday, March 30, 2011

    Swimming Day!

    Well even though it's not warm outside you can always find an indoor swimming pool. That way your kids will still get the exercise they need and will have such a blast...a little taste of spring! We're headed out now so I'll post pictures of our fun adventures later! Have fun!

    Tuesday, March 29, 2011

    My Big Project


    So ever since we moved in I've really wanted to re due the kitchen. We got a new stove and counter tops but the cabinets need something more (stove black and counters are dark). I need ideas. I don't want it all too dark since I hope someday to get a new fridge and I'd like it back to match the other appliances. I've thought about staining them or antiquing them but I'm not sure what to buy and how to apply! Any help out there?
    Tip Junkie handmade projects
    Check out the updates here!

    Thursday, March 24, 2011

    Car Washing Time!



    So don't think you always have to spend money to have a good time together. Try cleaning the car this week together, who knows it might end up in a water fight! So be prepared to get wet and have lots of fun!

    Freebie!

    So this could be used for a great idea I have for date night. It's free Armor All! A great gift for the hubby. Just click on the link and it will take you directly to the site to print off your rebate form. It goes until Dec so you have some time to get it!

    http://armorall.com/img/armorall_rebate.pdf

    Wednesday, March 23, 2011

    Picnic in the Park


    What beautiful weather we have been having lately. Take advantage of it and head outside with your kids. Head to a park and take a picnic with you...don't forget your camera there will be lots of smiles!

    Monday, March 21, 2011

    Pasta Salad


    So I had this recipe at a shower and just had to make it for my brother-in-laws home coming lunch-in. It was so quick and easy, and taste wonderful. Try it out (not the same as the picture above but close to it:) )

    1 cup purple grapes
    1 bag Bow Tie Pasta (12oz)
    1 bag Wacki Mac Pasta (12oz (same as color spiral noodles)
    2 cups celery
    1 can tidbits pineapple
    2 cans Mandarin Oranges (smaller cans or 1 large can)
    1 pk cashews
    2 cans water chestnuts (cut)
    1 pk craisins
    1 cup Mayo
    1 16oz Kraft Coleslaw Dressing
    Chicken to desired amount

    Cook pasta according to package (I cooked them separate but I'm sure you could do them together). Add the mayo until all the noodles are coated. Add everything but the cashews, craisins and coleslaw dressing. Mix well. Add the cashews, craisins, and coleslaw right before serving. (we served it without the chicken and it was still wonderful)

    Enjoy!

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