Do Tell

Aprons on Etsy Shop

2011-11-28T22:21:00.002-07:00

Hi Friends!

I'm making a batch of aprons this year for Christmas.

Check them out on my Etsy shop HERE!

Thanks for looking!

Upcycled Cherry Red Lamps For Sale

2011-11-10T21:10:00.004-07:00

Hi all!
So I came across the most darling blog...vintagerevivals.blogspot.com and fell in love with her style. I don't know if it's her style or just the fact that she rummages thrift stores like a kid in a candy shop like I have for YEARS! I love old stuff, it's character and the fact that it's really hard or expensive to reproduce in so many cases! Check her out, you might find some ideas there.

Anyway I thought I'd give some lamps a fresh new look. I found these lovely ladies a couple weeks ago that just reminded me of my Granny and the much bigger lamp she had on her cocktail table for years. Now it graces my moms family room and I'm trying to convince her too..

As I was cleaning them up I pulled off the base and there was an old newspaper shoved inside with the date of 1956. So Cool!

They are looking lovely on Granny's sewing machine, just waiting for Thanksgiving to arrive so they can become part of Christmas decor!

But with a pending move to Hawaii (Yes you read that right); the red ladies are for sale; $65 for the pair.
Weren't they a sad looking couple:(

BTW:
If you are thinking of spray painting anything-EVER..

One word:

KRYLON!

Your fingertip stays clean, the nozzle sends out an utterly perfect horizontal or vertical line that is near perfection. AND there are tons of colors to choose from AND you can glaze right over it!
Love Krylon!

Must Make This for Halloween!

2011-10-27T18:31:00.007-07:00

OK. So a couple weeks ago someone made these "intestines" for a girly get together. They were SO realistic and so gruesome I had to pass it along!

I also came across this "Meatloaf Hand." Isn't it disgusting! I love it! I haven't had time to make it yet but Oh How FUNNY! I can't wait to see the look on my families faces. They might not get it until Christmas but hey-even more scary. heeeheeeehe.

Upcycled Clothing (And those horrid maternity-like shirts you wear even though you aren't prego)

2011-10-15T22:47:00.004-07:00

Don't lie, you know you have some.
Four-month-along pregnant shirts right?

Just to help your self esteem along; and to avoid being asked if you are pregnant when really you are NOT! Let's get rid of those shirts ladies! Just one requirement though...A smallish daughter, neice, granddaughter, BFF's kid-whoever's little girl will wear a skirt.

In a nutshell:
Just whack off the shirt under the armpit as little as you can so you have lots of length to work with.
Serge the top
Fold over the top and stitch to elastic width.
Embellish if you like that kind of extra stuff.
Give it to a girl who will add the most contrasting shirt to it-and voila!

Fashionista!!
I had to add some eyelet b/c it was too short.

And if you are feeling really adventurous you could steal an old shirt from your husbands closet and upcycle it into a dress. (below)
Now lets go get rid of some potentially threatening shirts shall we?

Halloween Pillows

2011-10-15T15:31:00.004-07:00

Just in case your house is lacking in the Halloween decor department...

(Like mine totally is)

Here's a last minute pillow cover for you to try.

I love surfing Etsy. I fished around for some ideas and found these pillows:

Pillow covers are great because you can just temporarily rip off the normal every day cover and exchange for a holiday one.

Cover is made from unbleached muslin, washed and ironed only a little bit. I like the crunchy look to it after it dries. Just a simple overlap in the back to shove the pillow back in. No zippers here are you kidding?!

Here's my take on the Etsy pillows:

I kinda think mine are way cuter with the ball trim and rope trim:)
For the moon pillow I printed out the actual pillow picture from Etsy, blew it up and cut out the bats for a stensil. My moon is our small dinner plate. I used the cheap 50 cent paint. I figured these most likely won't need to be washed so.....

Then onto the spooky house. I found this one I liked on Google Images. I ended up blowing it up as well. Added a crow on top and a couple of headstones, a moon and no bats. Because I had some felt on hand I traced, cut it out and blanket stitched it onto the muslin.
THIS TOOK 4 EVER!
Won't be doing that again! Just go with the stencil-it's a breeze!

If you want an email image of the images I used-shoot me a note and I'll send them on over!!

Cuteyfied Hotpads - How to use bias tape

2011-09-30T19:01:00.006-07:00

For this project I wanted to show a simple way to practice using bias tape. I never had used it before until I made a vintage apron last year. Now I love it and it comes in really handy to finish an edge; plus when you can buy it already made it's even better.

(You can make it from scratch)
Hotpads are from Walmart, $2.50, a package of bias tape, ric rac for the cute factor and a couple of fat quarters.

Trace your hotpads. No need for perfection here.

Sandwich just the top fabric and open up your bias tape.
You will notice that all the folds are not an even distance from each other. You'll see why when you sew the other side.
Open it up and use the narrowest side first. Stitch on the fold or a smidge into the seam allowance.

It might seem tricky to figure out how to make the ends look nice. Just fold over one edge before you sew it. Follow the picture and I promise it will look good!

Now flip it over, put on your other sandwich top, and fold over the bias tape.
You won't be unfolding it all the way this time. Just let it lay the way it wants to and stitch as close as you can to the edge of the fold. You will be sewing through all layers at this point.

After the bias was put on I stitched on the ric rac.
Only thing I would do different is darker colors! They already have food spots...
Also could be used in place of a trivet.

Fat Quarter No-Sew Project

2011-09-30T18:45:00.004-07:00

I love fat quarters. It's a fun easy way to "sample" a fabric without spending the money on a whole yard. You can always find a small project for under $3.

Last year I bought this picture holder at Good Will for $1 intending on covering it into a hairbow holder for the girls' bathroom. I'm finally getting around to it this year.

You could use one of those painters canvas squares from the craft store too.
The fat quarter was barely enough to cover it. So I just hot glued it around and glued gros-grain ribbon around the edge and large ric-rac down to hold the clips.

Service Idea for PCMC

2011-09-09T16:04:00.005-07:00

Over the summer as we were drumming up things to do I remembered that Primary Children's Medical Center loves to receive quilts and blankets for the little ones. We checked out their donation website and discovered a gigantic list of items they will accept.

At the bottom are items to be sewn and a PDF pattern for these medical dolls they use for patient education and comfort. They are pretty simple and a bit tedious. We just kept thinking of sweet little children lying helpless in a hospital bed:(

Just an idea to use up some of those extra scraps!

Another thing you can do for the hospital is donate a quilt to the Festival of Trees. All of the money received on the bidding of quilts and trees goes directly to PCMC.

Happy Sewing!
(More to come...)

Dreamy Creamsicle Dessert - Easy Summer Pie!

2011-04-30T19:20:00.003-07:00

Hi everyone! Here's a summer citrus dessert for you today.

Move over plain Oreo's cuz there's a new cookie in town!
Enter Orange Creamsicle!

Here is this Sunday's dessert:

Oreo Creamsicle Pie

For Crust:
26 Oreo Cookies
6 Tbsp. melted butter
Pulse cookies in food processor until coarse. Mix with melted butter, press into a pie plate and freeze.

Filling:
1 8oz. tub Cool Whip
2 Yoplait Orange Cream Thick-n-Creamy Yogurts
1 small can Mandarine Oranges, drained

Mix the filling, place in crust and stick it in the freezer for a frozen yogurt pie; or leave in the fridge for the softer version-

To the Cloud I say, to the CLOUD!

2011-03-25T18:36:00.003-07:00

Anybody ever get tired of keeping recipes organized? I do!
A few years ago I bought a 4x6 picture binder, made some basic tabs and used that for my favs. That was a start.
Then there's that chuck-full "Recipes" folder on firefox...
Can't forget all those recipes in books I have highlighted in the index...
Oh and Tasty Kitchen, which has it's own Recipe Box, which is chuck full...
We also tend to travel a lot.
We visit family and we cook together a lot.
And I pack along recipe cards.
Not any more!
Today I googled top recipe organizing sites.
Went to this page>
Sorted through their suggestions and decided on this one: "Say Mmm."
I'm really excited to send my recipes to the Cloud!
It's is very simple and does not include other peoples recipes, just yours.
You can print shopping lists.
Or make a weekly menu plan.

The nice thing is that you can type it in, or just insert a link for all those you have saved in bookmarks.
It's Genius!
I hope it works!
Thank You Cloud!

And maybe someday....{dreaming}.....I'll have one of those fridges with the computer screen on the door and wa-la!
There is Say Mmm waiting for me.....
A girl can dream right?

A Website you should bookmark

2011-02-13T22:33:00.003-07:00

Hi everyone. I felt like I should share this important website with the few readers who still look at this blog!

(and thanks for doing so;)
I'm taking a course on Human Development and we had to do an assignment involving toddlers and movie/TV time.
The website: CommonSenseMedia.Org is all about informing you about every kind of media out there and helping you safeguard your children. There are complete descriptions, advice, ratings from parents and kids, info for educators on ALL of this:
TV Shows
Movies
Video Games
Apps
Books
Music
Websites
Or you can search by the age group and find out what's going on.
It's really fantastic.
You should check it out on the stuff you let your kids watch-see-play now or what they are asking to watch-see-play.
It's great!!
C-Ya.

Honoring {Christ}mas

2010-12-12T16:52:00.002-07:00

Just wanted to pose a question for the week. Or month I guess.

What are you doing this year to teach your children the true meaning of Christmas?

Or:

What have you done in years past that you felt was especially meaningful to you or your kin.

Do you give $$?
Do you give time?
Do you pray about it?
Do you watch for the opportunity?
Do you love to give in secret?
Is it meaningful?
Would you do it again?
Is it a tradition?
Do you think your kids will do this?
Did you remember your pet?
What have you learned?
Do you feel it is enough?

There are always the usual giving opportunities each year;
Giving trees, Community coat and shoes collections, School organized giving projects, soup kitchen, that one family, etc.
But each year as Christmas comes and goes I find myself asking if it was enough. Did I put too much of my efforts to the materialism of the holiday?
(Have you heard about the new Xbox 360 SANS Controllers?? O-M-G!)

And every year I just hope that it is; and that the best thing I can do is GIVE all year long.
My time, my talents and mostly my love.

Hope you all have a wonderful and meaningful Christmas season!
A

the thing about pumpkin pie...

2010-10-17T19:05:00.002-07:00

My husband loves pumpkin pie. He will eat it any time of year.
He may have questioned our marriage when he got me to try it,
and I didn't like it.
There is just something about the mushy-gooey texture, I just can't handle.
If you scrape off half the thickness of the pie so you have about 1/2 inch pie filling along with the crust well...
Then I can do it.
But other day I was browsing through our new grocery section at Target and came across this:
And the thought came to me:
Cinnamon Graham Cracker Crust....

Topped with the above ice cream...
Topped with this!

Ingenious I know.
Pumpkin Pie sans mushy-ooey-gooey texture!

Cold Lunches-yum!

2010-08-18T10:57:00.003-07:00

I still remember my C.P. Lunch box from my little girl days (sniff, sniff), wish it was still around.

Hi all!

So now that I have 2 lunches to make (most days) with 1 picky eater and 1 NON, I need lunch ideas!

What do your kids like?

(Besides the usual chips and sandwiches!)

Pizza Confession

2010-06-20T20:01:00.002-07:00

Just when I'm about to delete this blog I find a use for it:)

So here's my confession:

I'm a mother of 3 small children and I suck at making homemade pizza. My kids always ask to do it, almost weekly. Because decorating your own food to eat is SO much fun!

Here's what happens: I can make the dough, no problem. But if I cook it a little, then add ingredients, they complain it's too crispy.

If I roll it out thin then decorate, the inside still is gooey and the longer I cook it the more the cheese melts into the sauce and looks pink and gross.

So last time I resorted to Boboli, which I liked just fine and took a heck of a lot of work out.

However; kids didn't like that crust either.

So, HOW DO YOU MAKE HOMEMADE PIZZA?

A hot stone?

A metal pan?

South Valley Take-n-Bake? (I secretly wish..(SIGH))

Chicken-Fried Steak Review

2010-04-21T12:30:00.002-07:00

OK, here's the thing with fried foods at home; they disgust me. Can't do it. I fry maybe 3 times a year. The picture's here looked so yummy I thought I'd better give it a go.

I came to the conclusion that I'd rather pay for chicken fried steak at a restaurant than make it at home. There's something about handling raw meat then watching it absorb all that oil that makes me want to hurl. Not to mention the mess, smell and that rock that sat in my stomach all night!

Josh loved this for its down-home-meat-and-potato's meal that it was.

Son 1 even ate a little of it. Had the outside been more crunchy he probably would have eaten the whole piece.

Olive Cheese Bread Review

2010-04-21T12:21:00.002-07:00

Put this one on the list for your next Italian meal!

It's practically a meal in itself. The pile of cheese, mayo, green pimento-stuffed and black olives AND butter end up about an inch high!

It's really, really good, according to me. I give it 5 stars. My hubby HATES olives and he wouldn't even touch it.

Kids either, it was too colorful;o)

Cheese Grits Review

2010-04-17T09:32:00.002-07:00

I thought it was weird that this recipe was in the supper section.

I always thought grits were a breakfast item.

Recipe involves grits, eggs and cheese of course. (lots of butter too) It makes an entire cake pans worth and we are still working on them! After trying these I guess they could go along with any meat dish, when you tire of potato's and rice.

Hubby liked them, not loved.

I thought they were a nice change. I'll make them again only half the recipe though. Kids didn't like them. A little sprinkling of cayenne pepper makes it. I'm noticing she uses cayenne to add a kick to an otherwise bland dish.

(no offense)

It works!

Need a Vacation?

2010-04-02T22:23:00.000-07:00

Check out this idea.

A different way to serve SSC

2010-03-23T21:49:00.005-07:00

Strawberry Short Cake

Strawberry season is creeping upon us. The firstlings of the flock are already showing up at the fruit stands and I can hardly wait to devour a few.

I think SSC is always pretty messy looking. I created this way based on a layered torte I had at a RS shin-dig a couple weeks ago. I served it to friends K and B and we all thought it was kinda purdy...

Here's the how-to:

*Bake a pound cake mix in a cookie sheet. Seems thin but it will spread and rise.

*After it's cooled or a couple hours before you want to serve it mix 1 box strawberry jello and 3/4 cup hot water. Dissolve and spread on with a pastry brush. Let set in fridge for a few minutes.

*Stack two or 3 high with a dallop of cool whip inbetween each layer.

*Oooh and Aaaah.

Marmalade Muffins Recipe Review

2010-03-21T21:50:00.003-07:00

Hi again.

If you like orange rolls, then you might like these too. It's a quick bread in the form of a muffin using orange zest and the juice for a drizzle when they are done.

I'd give them about 3.5 stars.
Nice for an after school snack or a Sunday morning brunch.

Something different and not as much work as orange rolls.

Unless of course you go with Ms. Rhodes...

Buttermilk Biscuits-PW review

2010-03-21T21:43:00.002-07:00

Ahhhh biscuits!

All I think of is my favorite breakfast splurge of biscuits and gravy!

Nothing too fancy about these, just basic homemade recipe.

Final decision on homemade biscuits-

{PILSBURY DOUGH BOY }

The way they flake apart layer upon layer

upon layer

upon lay

OK I'm done.

Katie's Roasted Corn Salad

2010-03-21T21:36:00.002-07:00

Sorry friends! I haven't forgotten about this little project, just been busy.

On a total random note; I don't suggest doing anything healthy like training for a half marathon perhaps, and going through a cookbook that contains butter and bacon grease in nearly every recipe.
I'm just sayin'..............

Here's the scoup on Katie's Roasted Corn Salad:

It's a potpourii of garden vegi's, drissled with OO and balsamic vinegar. I loved the vegi combo, but not a fan of the flavor that came out of it. If anyone has a great drissle for roasted vegi's-well, I'd love to try it.
That's all.

Repurpose Something!

2010-03-06T09:09:00.002-07:00

I've been sewing again.

The half apron is a birthday gift for a neighbor girl. The pink and white was Luci's crib skirt BUT it never really stayed in place so I took it off a long time ago. The fabric was new, and now it's an apron.

The black/white was a woman's skirt I bought from goodwill. It was NWT (new with tags) in a size 2XL. It already had a cute A-line so all I did was piece the top, and added black ric-rac to cover the seam. I needed to buy a half yard for the straps. Cost: less that $10.
I came across this blog, Imperfectly Beautiful. She has lots of decorating ideas using old things you have and not spending much extra. Check her out!
A

Need an idea

2010-02-27T20:42:00.003-07:00

I love "other man's trash!" I'd been asking Josh to bring me home a gate, he's taking tons of these plus whole sections to the dump on a condo job. When kid 2 was ready for a big girl bed, I searched for an old picket fence for a headboard, then ended up doing something else. But now I don't need a headboard and I have a picket fence.
Just not sure what to do with it. I'm not too much in decorating mode.

This is my lovely entryway. I threw the window frame up when we first moved in, but I think it's a bit small. We already have plenty of coat hooks by the back door. (could attach hooks to top of fence for that purpose) Sooooo.............any ideas?

Breakfast Potatoes/Burritoes Review

2010-02-18T16:31:00.002-07:00

So there is a recipe for breakfast potatoes which are basically baked potatoes fried with onions, peels on. Then following you use the potatoes sauted with bell pepper, eggs and cheese. That gets wrapped up for a TON of burritos! We made these and wrapped them individually in foil and threw them in the freezer. Josh loves stuff like this. Because it is so hard for men to cook, (mine anyway) this jumps out of them from the big white box and says "eat me."

Typical cowboy food!

Because you need 1 more treat!

2010-02-11T16:55:00.003-07:00

I made these oreo truffles yesterday for my signifigant other who loves oreo cookies.

Super easy!

Loves to all!

Hot Artichoke Dip Review

2010-02-03T20:52:00.002-07:00

So far the only artichoke dip I've had involves spinach. I love that dip recipe, so I didn't think this would be all that good (because there is no spinach).
I was wrong!

A gives it 5+ stars
J had a headache and wasn't really commenting.

I made this yesterday and stuck it in the fridge to heat later with dinner. We were feeding the Missionaries. Well, as usual, I forgot to make it. I opened up the fridge to put away dinner after they had left and there it was. I ALWAYS forget to get something out when I feed people. I think it's cuz I don't normally serve a full course meal to just my little family:)

So I made it tonight with lovely sloppy joes. It involves cream cheese, mayo, artie's, and cayenne pepper, and a couple other ingredients. I halved the recipe and it was plenty big.
No cons here, just pure deliciousness.
Well except that it is not on the website or tasty kitchen as far as I can see.
I'm definitely taking it to my next shin-dig!

Bounce Dryer Bar

2010-02-03T19:54:00.005-07:00

So I saw this dryer bar on T.V. and decided to give it a try. I have to say so far I give it a A+. You just stick it in the inside of the dryer and leave it for 4 months. No more dryer sheets for me!

A sewing post-finally!

2010-02-03T15:58:00.004-07:00

What to do with darling fabric you see in the store and just can't pass up?

{Especially vintage Valentine card prints?}

Make a pillow case for your munchkin!

Isn't the super-mega-sized-ric-rac to die for!
I thought so.
Toodles

Iny's Prune Cake Review

2010-02-01T20:40:00.004-07:00

DON'T let the name of this cake fool you! I was hesitant, but now I'm sooo glad I tried it. It's right up there with better than (everything?) cake!

Promise. You won't be disappointed.

{Here's the recipe}

Stars:

Josh: 4 (Josh says a 4 is pretty good cuz' he's not into prunes)

Amanda:5

Kids: so-so

Pros:

-recipe is on the site

-can woo your guests if you don't tell them what it is. Just call it spice cake!

-Frosting is especially great, and good for other dessert dishes too (is caramel-ish)

Cons:

-You have to buy dried prunes and look like a constipated old lady at the store.

-You just might be addicted.

My suggestion:

Food process the prune mixture. She suggests leaving chunks to give it character. I say blend the heck out of them so people don't go: ew, what is that black mushy thing? The best part about this is the frosting too. It is so divine. It's like a cross between homemade caramel an candy. When you pour it on the cake warm it melts down into it to make a gooey cake.

The other suggestion/recommendation is to be sure and make the frosting in a big sauce pan. Once it boils up it doesn't calm down fast when you take it off the burner. It sort of keeps expanding like the vinegar/baking soda volano fountain. Mine made a sticky mess on the stovetop.

I'm still trying to figure out why this is in the breakfast section. Maybe the prunes?

Pico and Guac Review

2010-02-01T20:32:00.002-07:00

Hello ladies.

P-dub's pico and guac is pretty basic. I love pico, that's my salsa and it sounds really good right now!
Her "recipe" is equal portions of onions, tomato's, cilantro and jalepeno. I personally don't like that much onion, and I can't take that much heat either. So my pico is only about 1/2 of an onion chopped very small with just a tad of hotness. Squeeze a bit of lime over top and sprinkle with salt and pepper to your liking and wa-la. It's done. For the guac just mash up some avacado's and mix in a bit of pico. That's how Cafe Rio does their mixture too. I like lots of pepper and lime, so adjust portions to your taste.

Have a great day.

Valentine Teacher Gift Idea

2010-01-27T23:00:00.002-07:00

The sample I saw was much cuter than mine turned out. I think a bigger tube of lotion. But found this Oh so delicious Hemp lotion that I couldn't pass up. Just traced the kids' hands, let them cut it out and sign their own name on the other hand.

Simple, Perfect Chili Review

2010-01-26T21:55:00.004-07:00

This recipe ladies is only in the book as far as I can see.

Josh and I both give it 5 stars! Livianne liked it too. Of course Bridger wouldn't touch it:)

I didn't grow up eating Chili, or really anything like it. I started making taco soup when I got married with the traditional packet of taco seasoning. So I was curious about this one.
It's basically hamburger, spices and garlic; as a base or beginning point from what I gather. To eat it just like that looks kind of unappetizing. Just a big glop of groud beef in a pretty color. The spice mixture is SOOOO fantastic. I think I'm done with packaged taco seasoning. This one takes the cake.
I added a can of corn, kidney beans and blended stewed tomatoes. Someone in my family has a thing with chunky tomato's; I won't say who he is:)

Pros:
-a versatile beginning recipe; could be used for tacos/navajo taco or add like I did for a more soupy concoction
-our dinner guest loved it

Cons:
-can't think of any
Email me if you want the recipe.

Twice Baked Potatoes Review

2010-01-24T15:45:00.003-07:00

Twice Baked Potatoes is on the website

J: 4 stars (guessing cuz he's not home)

A: 2 stars

Kids: Liv said they were OK

Josh remembered his mom making these when he was younger, so he was anxious to try them again.

Pros:

-recipe is on the website

-have ingredients most of the time w/o making store trip

-go along with just about any meat dish

Cons:

-time consuming (for me), to scoop out the potato, mix it with something else, the putting it back into the shell

-i didn't think there was much flavor or anything special about them. Potoatoes, cheese, bacon man food basically.

-yes, too much time.

Maybe you'll think differently!

French Breakfast Puffs Review

2010-01-24T15:31:00.002-07:00

OK, if you're trying to cut out sugar then stop reading. If you love a good pastry that's easy to make-read on!

I can't explain how good these are. Better than any sugar-n-spice dougnut or pastry I've ever paid for. I never thought I could make something better than a dougnut at home. They are divine!

Stars: both J and A give it 5 plus stars. All the kids loved them too.

Pros:

-quick and easy

-good recipe for kids to help (rolling the muffin the butter and cinnamon/sugar

-she says they freeze well, we froze some, then nuked them for about 12 seconds and they were perfect!

-great for a brunch dessert

-fun to make In the small muffin tins for a bit-size pop

-recipe is on the website:

French Breakfast Puffs

Cons:

-messy with the butter/cinnamon/sugar part but worth it.

Enjoy!

Pioneer Woman Cookbook Review: Spicy Shredded Pork

2010-01-18T22:18:00.003-07:00

Spicy Shredded Pork

Stars:
a: 2.5
j: 4
Pros:
*Great for crock-pot
*Had all ingredients on hand w/o going to the store. (except for the pork, kind of important but I'll explain)
*Makes a lot. Had enough left over for for 2 freezer bags=2 extra meals.
*Livi liked this in her taco.
*Recipe is on the site, under main courses/pork.

Cons:
Tasted a bit too chili-powderish.
Needed more salt maybe.
Or possibly more brown sugar, not sure.

My cons might be irrelevant because I didn't have a pork shoulder! What I did have was a 5lb. bag of chicken. So I rubbed each piece with the mixture and threw into the crock pot and forgot about until 5. Her sauce looks way more juicy then mine, because the pork has so much more fat on it. But it was still moist, I just needed more flavor. Maybe some guac or sour cream. We cut up tomato's, grated cheese and chopped cilantro with a squirt of lime on corn tortillas.
Comes nothing close to Cafe Rio pork, but then that is mostly sugar anyway! But oh so yummy...I miss cafe rio:(
Josh liked it because he was raging hungry. He made 4 taco's and gobbled them.
Please comment sometime if you make it with a shoulder!

Testing, testing....

2010-01-18T17:14:00.003-07:00

Hello! Does anyone still have this blog on their reader??

If not that's OK. It's me, Amanda and I've decided I'm going to do a bit of posting here on Do Tell for the time being.

2 things first:

A)I just watched Julie and Julia for the first time a few weeks ago, cute flick.

B)Josh gave me PW's Cookbook for Christmas. Since I'm cooking my way through it I figured I might as well post about the fun. We are already about 1/3-1/2 way through it. Just to have something to do, because I'm not nearly as busy as I'd like to be (right). And because if there is anyone debating over purchasing her book, this might make up your mind. Sounds fun huh!

First off; this isn't just a cookbook. It is every bit as much a photography show-off book too. I love looking at her work, she really has a nack for it and I don't mind that it's both. She took all her photo's for the book, it's very colorful with lots of her farm life clip-art, her kids and Marlboro Man. There are 4 sections, color coded to Appitizers, Breakfast, Dinner and Supper.

So with that in mind, I'll get started! I'll let you know if the recipe I'm posting on is on her site, if it isn't and you'd like it send me an email or comment and I'll send it to you. I'll try and post a picture if it is something new!

Plan on becoming better friends with your treadmill because you can make most everything in her book if you have:

a)butter

b)beef or pig

c)seasoning salt

d)cheese

e)more butter

f) oh and half-n-half or CREAM

See ya soon!

Halloween Treats

2009-10-15T14:33:00.004-07:00

I saw these cute after school snacks on picky palate and thought I would share. I made the caterpillar today and the kids loved it!

Pumpkins

2009-08-28T06:28:00.001-07:00

Anyone need Fall decorations? Check out my cousin's blog! THESE ARE SO STINKIN' CUTE!!! Maybe we need to get together and make some?

http://bloggingwithholly.blogspot.com/

#5: Bran Muffins

2009-08-13T18:44:00.005-07:00

Now that I have enough pancakes in my freezer to feed the entire school the first day; I figured I post my fav bran muffin recipe. It is the one off the box of Kellogg's All Bran cereal. No pic this time as Bran Muffins are completely boring to look at. Hope everyone has a great school year full of pancakes!

Combine:

1 1/4 C. Flour

1/2 C. Sugar

1 T. Baking Powder

1/4 t. Salt

2 C. All Bran Cereal

1 1/4 C. Milk

1 Egg

1/4 C. Oil

In a large bowl combine cereal and milk, let stand 5 minutes until softened. Add egg and oil. Mix with dry ingredients just until moist.

Spoon into muffin cups or an 8x8 pan. It's more moist in a pan.

Bake 400 for 15-20 minutes. Drench in butter if you love butter like I do.

#4: BH&G Buttermilk Pancakes with Peach Sauce

2009-08-13T18:37:00.004-07:00

From the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook; this one ends up a good combo of all the others. I like this buttermilk one because the little bit of cornmeal makes the batter cook up better, not so goey as some others.

1 C. Buttermilk
2 t. Oil
1 Egg
1 C. Flour
2 T. Cornmeal
1 T. Sugar
1 t. Baking Powder
1/2 t. Soda
1/4 t. Salt
1/4 t. Cinnamon

Peach Sauce:
Dump 1 can of peaches or pears into a blender, juice and all. A yummy alternative to syrup.

#3: Cinnamon Buttermilk Pancakes with Cinnamon Spiked Whipped Cream

2009-08-12T18:16:00.003-07:00

Holy cow this one is more like dessert than breakfast! Whip creme is so fabulous on pancakes. Love it! You can use the leftover buttermilk for PW Chocolate Cake:)

1 1/2 C. Buttermilk

1 T. Oil

1 Egg

1/2 t. Vanilla

1 C. Flour

2 T. Sugar

1 t. Baking Powder

1/2 t. Soda

1/4 t. Salt

1 1/2 t. Cinnamon

If you use milk or make buttermilk with milk/lemon juice then you'll need a bit more flour.

Cinnamon Whip Cream

1 C. Heavy Cream

1/4 C. Powdered Sugar

1/4 t. Cinnamon

Whip cream until peaks form. Mix in sugar and cinnamon.

#2: Cornmeal Pancakes with HoneyButter

2009-08-10T17:28:00.006-07:00

I just came across this recipe at the beginning of the summer. I love it even more every time we have them! But I also love cornbread too. Recipe is from my mom's ward cookbook.

Cornmeal Pancakes

1 C. Cornmeal
1 C. Boiling Water
1 t. Salt

Combine and cover for 10 minutes so cornmeal can absorb.
Add:
1 C. Milk
2 Beaten Eggs
3 T. Melted Butter

Sift dry ingredients and combine all:

1 t. Baking Soda
1 T. Baking Powder
1/4 C. Sugar
2 1/2 C. Flour

HoneyButter
In a mixer with the whisk attachment mix equal portions of softened butter and honey until light and fluffy.

Pancake #1: Blender Pancakes

2009-08-10T17:08:00.005-07:00

This recipe came from a breakfast class I took at a BOSCH Kitchen store about 5 years ago. We love it and use it all the time. Nice thing is it makes a lot, so you can throw the rest in the freezer for fast school day breakfasts.

Blend ingredients in this order:

2 C. water

2 eggs (or 1 is OK)

2 T. Oil

3 T. Brown Sugar or Honey

1 t. Salt

1 Sliced Apple (optional)

2+ C. Whole Wheat Flour: pour a little extra flour in until the funnel in the middle is about the size of a quarter.

1 Heaping T. Baking Powder

The apple is a great way to sneak fiber into your kid! It does make the batter pretty dense though, and you'll have to cook at a lower temp for longer to get them cooked all the way through. I don't use the apple too often. I prefer fresh fruit on top with cool whip-yum! The funnel thing is really how they showed us in class. You be the judge as to how thick you like the batter.

Hello?

2009-08-07T12:50:00.002-07:00

I've completely neglected this blog all summer. I'm afraid it's not going to get much better either. I'm gonna try for 1 last hurrah. Next week I'm declaring it National Pancake week. Seems fitting with school just about to start. Pancakes are a staple around our house, but we get bored of the same recipe. So watch out for pancake overload, I'm shooting for 5 different recipes. After the pancake frenzy well who knows what's going to happen-see you next week!

I SPY...

2009-06-26T07:19:00.003-07:00

I had a neighbor in Arizona that was given an 'I SPY' baby blanket. I loved it and have wanted to make once since. All the quilt blocks had different pictures of things on them that you could play the 'I SPY' game with. Her quilt was pretty intricate in that the blocks were in all hexagon shapes...I knew I wouldn't even attempt that one but I could do squares.

I was on my friend Jamie's craft blog awhile ago. She's one of those people that can make anything look cute! She posted a picnic blanket she had made from scraps of fabric she had saved from different sewing projects. I had LOTS of scraps from all the grocery cart covers I have made for friends over the years and even had most of them cut into quilt blocks already. I always had the intentions of using them to make an 'I SPY' quilt but always procrastinated thinking I didn't have enough different things yet.

I was inspired. I pulled out all the quilt blocks and started laying them out. I would have to have duplicates of some squares but I had plenty to make a little quilt for picnics. And how fun to have a built in game on a picnic?

I mixed the patters and made strips of boy-ish and girly patterns. I didn't plan on a specific size but happened to make the PERFECT size to use a piece of yellow fabric for the back I have been storing forever. I couldn't have cut it to make it a more perfect fit. I didn't have quilting stands so I improvised there too and just tied it on the floor. I figured it was for picnics so I didn't mind if it had a little...uh...personality.
I saved the extra blocks from this one and am starting to save for the next. I love how it turned out!
And the best part...it ended up costing less than $10 for the batting, thread and embroidery floss. The kids had so much fun playing 'I SPY' on it before it was even finished.

Tubtrugs

2009-06-16T11:28:00.003-07:00

I just discovered these cool little buckets, tubtrugs at the local nursury. I got them thinking they'd be great for my kids to use to pick up the house. They always make a ton of trips and fill their shirts with their crap, I mean toys. Then they don't always finish the job. SO this way there is plenty of bucket space to clean up, and they're lightweight. They'd also be great for laundry, I got one for the garden, food carryall for picnics, whatever.

There is a huge assortment of colors and sizes too. And best of all they are made of partially recycled materials, so we can be GREEN:)

Just thought I'd share this fun little find.

Have a happy day:o)

Umbrella Photo Idea

2009-06-09T14:05:00.002-07:00

Ok, I'm in love with umbrella's in pictures now! We bought this $1 umbrella at a yard sale a couple weeks ago. I just thought it was the cutes little old granny umbrella. So we tooks some pics of cutie pie Krissa today, isn't she so beautiful! Those freckles, those eyelashes, those plumped up little botox lips.
(just kidding about the botox)
Anyway, it's a great way to shade out the sun if it's too bright too.

Roll-up Pancakes by Kara

2009-06-09T13:59:00.003-07:00

{Kara P} made these fabulouso pancakes for breakfast while she's visiting us poor folks in Bellevue. They were so yummy! And a nice change from regular flat pancakes. Try them out tomorrow morning!

Rolled up Pancakes

1 1/2 c. Flour

2 t. Baking Powder

Pinch of Salt

4 eggs

2 Tsp. Vanilla

4 Heaping Tbsp. powdered sugar

1 1/2 C. Milk

Add a bit more water if it's not runny enough to spread around a pan. Spread jam and roll up, sprinkle powdered sugar and enjoy!

Pier 49 Crepe Recreation

2009-05-30T18:47:00.004-07:00

Looks like we're getting lots of recipes, but that's OK with me because we all have at least 1 thing in common-we love delicious FOOD!

Last spring we were in San Fran at Pier 49. I opted out of lunch when I saw the Crepe shack. Oh man was it ever worth it. When I saw those cute guys in the window making crepes bigger than a basketball I knew I had to try one. Do you think there was a reason there were guys doing it? I mean, would I have wanted one just as bad if a girl were there? Probably.

So here it is. I always thought they were hard to make, but I was wrong. All you need is Nutella, some basic ingredients and fruit.

I halved this recipe, which made 4-6 depending on the size.

Crepe Recipe (adapted from BHG cookbook)

2 beaten eggs

1 1/2 c. milk

1 c. all-purpose flour

1 T. cooking oil

I used my nifty Cuisinart Smart Stick to mix it perfect. Heat a skillet up, remove from heat and pour batter (will be thin), roll around to get as close to a circle as possible. Return to heat and flip over. The guys at the shack had these sweet long thin spatulas to manhandle those delicate crepes.

Remove from heat, spread Nutella all over, unless you want a lighter version and just spread half! Allow to melt a bit.

Slice thin banana's and strawberries.

Fold over half, and half again.

Sprinkle generously with powdered sugar.

Add whip cream if you like.

Now close your eyes and imagine you're sitting on a bench in Fisherman's Wharf, 70 degrees, sounds of seagulls and water, maybe a few seals in the background....ahhhhhh the deliciousness!

BBQ Ranch Chicken and Cheddar Pizza Roll em' Ups

2009-05-28T17:31:00.002-07:00

I got this recipe from picky palate. It is so delicious and so easy!

BBQ Ranch Chicken and Cheddar Pizza Roll em' Ups
1 Roll Pillsbury Pizza dough in can (or use other pizza dough of choice)
1/4 Cup prepared ranch dressing
2 Cups prepared shredded BBQ chicken ( I just used precut chicken mixed with my favorite BBQ sauce.)
1/4 Cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 1/2 Cups shredded smoked cheddar cheese
Ranch Dressing for dipping
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Open can of dough and press into rectangle. Spread or drizzle ranch dressing evenly over dough then top with evenly with chicken, cilantro and cheddar cheese. Starting at long end roll dough into a log shape. Using a sharp knife, cut 1 inch pieces and place onto a greased baking sheet. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with a side of ranch dressing for dipping.

Ranch Roasted Red Potatoes

2009-05-12T17:59:00.002-07:00

These are so good and so easy. I got the recipe from Tasty Sensations.
Ranch Roasted Red Potatoes

1 pkg. ranch dressing powder
2 lbs. red potatoes, washed and quartered
1/4 c. olive or vegetable oil.
Toss quartered potatoes and oil in a ziploc bag to coat. Add dressing powder and toss to coat. Place in ungreased baking dish in single layer.Bake at 400 for 40 minutes, or until golden brown.

Garden Boxes

2009-05-12T07:38:00.005-07:00

I'm sold on this book, Square Foot Gardening. Author Mel Bartholomew describes how the old methods of row farming and pulling weeds all summer are out, and his compact, efficient, cost-effective way of gardening is IN!

I bought this book a few years ago and since then have slowly upgraded to these 2 big boxes Josh built a couple weeks ago. I love this method because you are starting with a great soil mix, which is really the key (good soil) to a successful garden. Digging up rocks and trying to till up new ground is too much back-breaking hard work for me.
Mel's book is easy to read/reference. There are lots of pictures and how-to's, diagrams and plant info. The idea is that each square foot gets from 1 up to 16 plants each, depending on size. He also shows how to vine plants to save space. And tips on pest control, watering, and season extension. So read this book, I promise you won't be dissappointed. He makes it look easy, and it can be if you start it out right.

On the left our raspberry starts actually made it through the winter-yay! At the end under the pop up greenhouse is a strawberry patch. The Dharma station (greenhouse) has some great cool weather plants coming up. I'm so excited for my garden this year. So now it's time for your hubby's weekend project of building some garden boxes! Costco is selling a great little kit, if you don't want to DIY!

I think I'm in love...with an apron pattern!

2009-05-05T15:59:00.003-07:00

I've been sewing for over 12 years now. I first learned how to sew by piecing a quilt top. My mother in law was my teacher. I went on making quilts off and on and got a little bored. So I started making jammy bottoms and dresses for my kids. Then came the bags, the 3rd obsession. Now I'm completely hooked on aprons.

Friend {K} asked me to make matching ones for her and her daughter. I searched until I found this Emmeline pattern and fell in love with the picture. I made one, sized it down for a little girl, then made me one. I'm in love with it!

The pattern really is quite easy, although some of her directions are a little jumbled. Overall hardness level I give it a 4 of 10, 10 being hard. I didn't do my neck straps the way she did. Best of all it's reversible, and I reversed the fabric of the bodice and skirt just to switch it up.

So go on now, make yourself a flirty apron! It's fun to wear and makes you feel cute in the kitchen, keeping your clothes clean:)

Time to clean the shower!!!

2009-04-27T08:50:00.006-07:00

COMET BATHROOM CLEANER

I don't know if everyone hates cleaning the bathroom as much as I do but this stuff has made it so it's not as bad. It works GREAT!!!

I was first introduced to it when my Mom came to help when I was a new mom and she cleaned my bathrooms for me...now that's LOVE!!! I was so excited when I noticed the little bumps on the shower floor were totally white! (You know...the ones you can NEVER get clean!) She told me that she didn't even have to scrub and I, of course, didn't believe her.

You REALLY don't even have to scrub! Just spray it on, let it sit for a few minutes and wipe it off! It's strong when you first spray it but you don't have to stick around. I haven't ever used it on my toilets or sinks but I LOVE it on my showers!!!

I still don't love to clean bathrooms but at least it's faster now! Off to clean my bathrooms...UGH!

----------------------

ON THE BOTTLE...
**Great on fiberglass, glazed porcelain, stainless steel, chrome, Formica, plastic and vinyl.
**DO NOT USE on natural marble, stone, brass, or colored grout.

Bug hair clips by Shawna

2009-04-23T10:14:00.004-07:00

I saw these cute little bee clips in Shawna's girls' hair and thought they were so dang cute I had to share them. So perfect for Spring!

Here's the supplies:

-alligator clips

-glue gun

-ribbon (something thin too for antennae)

-jewel embellishments

Shawna likes to cover the entire clip like so.

I accidentally deleted some pics-sorry!

Make the body first by alternating yellow and black and loop it around as big as you want the bee-hind.

Secure that with glue.

Wrap black around the raw edges and try to form a triangle or something resembling a head.

Add anntenae. Knot the end and take a lighter to the raw edge to prevent fraying.

For the wings S. had an irridescent flower she cut 2 petals off of and layered them for the wings. So darling.

You can also make a fast little dragon fly.
After you cover the clip, loop two different lengths of ribbon and glue them in the crook of the clip.
Add a button or jewel to the center and there you have a dragon fly:)

Hawaiian Bread

2009-04-21T07:49:00.010-07:00

I've been meaning to post this since the start of the blog but I'll admit...I've been too lazy to post anything. Hopefully I'll be better.

This is our FAVORITE bread! We usually eat a whole loaf as soon as it comes out of the oven.

Hawaiian Bread

1 (6 oz.) can pineapple juice

1 pkg. dry yeast (about 2 1/4 tsp.)

1/2 cup warm milk

2 eggs

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup melted margarine or butter

1/2 tsp. salt

3 (plus) cups all purpose flour

wheat gluten (optional)

Warm pineapple juice to luke warm and add yeast and let stand 5 minutes.
Mix warmed milk, eggs, sugar, margarine and salt.
Stir in pineapple juice/yeast mixture.
Add flour to "dough stage." You may need a little less or more than 3 cups. (The dough should still be a little sticky but so sticky it sticks on your hands.)
Knead for about 7 minutes and place in oiled bowl. (This is where you'll LOVE having a Kitchenaid!!!)
Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in bulk.
Form (or braid) into two loaves and place in an oiled French bread pan. (***see note at bottom***
Let rise again until doubled.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

***NOTE***

If you don't have a French Bread pan...I had a friend that put a scrunched up a piece of foil down the center of a cookie sheet and then laid another sheet on top to form two French bread loaves.

I use a French Bread loaf pan. If you go out to buy one I HIGHLY suggest you find one that is perforated like this:
My first one was just a solid piece of metal and the middle never seemed to cook evenly with the ends. The ends would be overcooked and the middle wouldn't be quite done.

ENJOY!!!

Make a silhouette in PS Elements: AKA: My Family Photo's

2009-04-18T20:35:00.005-07:00

I've never been a huge fan of having a family photo in my great room for visitors to see. Visitors can see me clearly and if I want to see myself I'll check 1 of the many mirrors I have in my house.

Don't take this wrong: I LOVE seeing YOUR family photo's of YOUR cute family's in YOUR living room. I do! Keep doing it! Unless you like my idea:

Please don't laugh. It may look silly at first, I even thought so, but now I really love the wall. It's personalized, but it's not me smiling sweetly at Me.

The centuries-old silhouette seems to be popping up all over the place now. I even saw framed baby art silhouette style in the latest pottery barn magazine hanging in a nursery. So darling!

It's coming back with all the vintage/retro/shabby chic/decorate-how-ever-the-heck-you-want and call it vintage look. And it's fun to see what you really look like-sideways.

First I got the same size frames at thrift shops and painted them the same.

Then I covered chipboard (latest favorite versitile craft item), with scrapbook paper.

Next comes the silhouette. The thing that will make editing this photo sooo much faster is this:

If you have light hair: wear a light shirt and shoot on a dark background. Dark hair/dark shirt/light background-that's it! You could save hours by first giving the photo a good contrast.

-Open your image and using the magic wand tool drag a bit on the background to select it. The magic wand is awesome because it magically includes in the selection the same color/pixel formations. So you can select a little white and it will include all the white background.

-If magic wandy doesn't select all of it, you may have to use the lasso tool and hand draw around. It does not have to be perfect, just a basic shape of you.

-With the background selected choose: Edit>Fill Selection>Forground color.

Before you do this check the tiles (black and white squares on bottom left) and make sure the top color is what you want for the background.

-Now click: Select>Inverse. Your body shape should now have ants chasing around it.

-Now switch your forground color to the color you want for your body. I used brown rather than black because I have no black in my house.

-Now Edit>Fill Selection>Forground color

When you have the basic 2 colors going on you can go back and use the eraser or clone tool to fix any imperfects. Like your big nose you inherited from your dad you've always been self consious about:)

There you [should]have it. If it's not working out let me know. The hardest part is getting a good contrast between the background and your subject. I used sheets taped up to my kitchen cupboards. If you don't have PS and want something silhouetted (is that a word?) I'd love to play around with it for you:)

Chicken Alfredo Bake

2009-04-14T14:18:00.002-07:00

My friend Christie gave me this recipe and everyone in my family went back for seconds. It is delicious and easy.

Yummy Chicken Alfredo Bake...

Cook 1 12-oz. pkg of pasta of your choice, I use penne, or rotini but any will do......(I like my pasta Al Dente, so I only cook it about 6-8 min)about 1/2 way through cooking add 1 16-oz bag of frozen broccoli or California blend vegetables Meanwhile Brown 2 large boneless, skinless, chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces, after the chicken is browned, add 1 -14 oz can of chicken broth, simmer about 5 min., then add 4 oz (1/2 brick) cubed cream cheese, cook and stir on low until melted, stir in about a cup of grated mozzarella (or more if you like it cheesier).Drain pasta and veggies, add to the chicken mixture, and fold carefully.Spoon it into a 9x13 sprayed cake pan and cover with foil, bake at 350 for about 15 minutes.....take off foil and sprinkle more mozzarella, some freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and some bread crumbs.Bake another 5-10 minutes or until cheese is melted and slightly browned....My kids love this!

The Very Best Most Divine and Scrumptuous Carrot Cake Ever

2009-04-09T10:18:00.003-07:00

My heart breaks for those of you who turn your nose up at vegetables in dessert (you know who you are)! Personally, I never cared much for Carrot Cake until I had to make my own Easter dinner, and found this recipe. It's from Allrecipes. I promise you won't be disappointed. It must be the crushed pineapple that makes it soooo moist. This makes a huge cake, so consider dividing it or make several layers and display on a cute cake pedestal. If you are really brave try making cute little carrots for each slice. Enjoy!

Best Carrot Cake Ever

6 c. grated carrots

1 c. brown sugar

1 c. raisins

4 eggs

1 1/2 c. white sugar

1 c. oil

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 c. crushed pineapple, drained

3 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

4 tsp. cinnamon

1 c. chopped walnuts (optional)

1. In medium bowl combine grated carrots and brown sugar. Let sit for 1 hour, add raisins.

2. Preheat oven 350 degrees, grease and flour 2 10" cake pans.

3. Beat eggs until light. Gradually beat in white sugar, oil and vanilla. Stir in pineapple. Combine flour, baking soda, salt cinnamon, stir into wet mixture until absorbed. Finally stir in the carrot mixture and the nuts. Pour evenly into pans.

4. Bake for 45-50 minutes until toothpick test says done. Cool for 10 minutes, remove from pan. Frost with favorite cream cheese frosting.

Happy Easter!

Resurrection Rolls

2009-04-08T16:08:00.001-07:00

Resurrection Rolls for Easter
Tube of Crescent Rolls (or however many you want to make)
Melted Butter
Large Marshmallows
Cinnamon
Sugar
Directions:*Preheat oven to 350*Give each child a triangle of crescent roll (represents the cloth that Jesus was wrapped in)*Give each child a marshmallow (represents Jesus' body)*Have them dip the marshmallow in melted butter, then roll in cinnamon and sugar (represents the oil and embalming and the spices used to anoint the body)*Wrap the coated marshmallow tightly in the crescent roll-not as you would normally roll a crescent...but bring the sides up and seal the marshmallow inside (This represents the wrapping of Jesus' body after his death*Place in 350 oven for 10-12 min. (The oven represents the tomb. Pretend it takes three days)*When the rolls have cooled slightly, the children can open their rolls (cloth) and discover that Jesus is no longer there. HE IS RISEN!(The marshmallow has melted, and the crescent roll is puffed up, but empty)

Easter Sugar Biscuits

2009-04-08T10:58:00.003-07:00

What's the point of any holiday without sugar cookies!

They aren't really biscuits, they are sugar cookies but puffed up and out so much Maryon dubbed them biscuits! In lieu of frosting, get your kids rounded up and paint your sugar cookies this year. Myr has used colored whipping cream for the paint before, but found a couple other recipes, if you can call them that, for the paint.

1st one:

1 egg yolk

1 tsp. water
food color

This one works well for any warm colors. But when I added purple to the yolk, we ended up with gray paint.

4 T. Caro Syrup

1 t. water

food color

This one worked great, but don't over do the water. It added a little sweetness which you need since there's no frosting.

Sidenote of food color: I had jel colors and Wilton. The jel type consistency of both was hard to completly mix in such a small amount. So I'd go with the trusty liquid drops next time.

The kids love painting them and waiting for them to bake. As for the mess, well it's pretty much sixes. Tons of bowls of color and water color paintbrushes, or frosting all over your counter!

Happy Easter baking!

(Stay tuned for the most DIVINE carrot cake ever tomorrow. Be sure an add carrots and crushed pineapple to your grocery list)

do tell {your dirty little secret!}

2009-04-06T20:54:00.002-07:00

If anyone watched Oprah today you might have laughed your head off like me! If it's on the DVR, don't delete this one! She is saluting mom's everywhere, and mom's are sharing their dirty little secrets about motherhood. What people never told them, and what they've done in the so-called "secret society" of moms. (Moms) peeing in diapers, fake crying, it's all there. So I'll be the first to share some of mine: I have peed in a diaper before, on the road, don't wanna stop for fear the kid will wake, don't have time to. I've lied to my kids to avoid a melt-down. Think about it, you know you have too. Oh, and locking all the doors, putting on a movie so I could catch a nap. That's before they could undo a lock, doesn't work anymore. So lets hear it ladies! Share you dirty little secrets!

Holiday Garland

2009-04-06T16:11:00.003-07:00

Here's a last minute idea for your easter decorating. I have company coming, so I'm feeling like I need to look easter-y. I really don't put in much effort for any holiday decorating besides Thanksgiving and Christmas. I've seen these triangle garlands made from fabric. But this one used scrapbook paper and took way less than 1 hour.

Supplies:

-6-12 contrasting scraps of paper

-zip dry, or glue, or sticky tabs

-scissors

-1 scrap fabric 44'' long, 3" wide, or ribbon and a hole punch

Cut six 6" squares for triangles. Cut to a triangle at 3" center.

Print out Easter in a font you like.

(Here's the hard part)

Roughly cut out each letter and tape onto letter paper. Cut out with small scissors.

Zip dry or glue letters onto triangles.

Iron over strip in half, then in half again.

Center the letters along the inside of the fold where you want them and sew a straight line all the way down.

If you use ribbon just hole punch and weave in and out.

Wa-la! That was fun huh! You could do this for any holiday and it's really super-fast!

Happy Easter.

Olive Oil?

2009-03-31T10:08:00.003-07:00

I brought this up from the basement yesterday and was totally grossed out. Is it mold? Has it gone rancid? What have I grown? Can olive oil get solid chunks? My basement is quite cool. So I stuck it in my lazy susan, which is nice and warm because it's right next to a heater vent, and today the creepies are all gone. The expiration date is still good, so do I use it?

Pit an Avacado

2009-03-26T21:13:00.002-07:00

Hi everyone! Sorry it's been a while.
I know you're probably thinking, everyone knows how to pit and Avacado, duh. I just learned how a couple of years ago. Then one day I was doing it at my moms, and she's almost 60, and she had never seen it.
All you do is slice in half lengthwise.
Then grab a very large knife, and your inner barbarian self, and give it a big whack.
Just twist a little to the left and out it comes!

Even though avocado's are high-calorie, they are a "good" fat to have in your diet. Here's 10 health benefits of avocado's for ya to ponder.

Have a great day!

[RAINBOW CAKE]

2009-03-19T11:29:00.006-07:00

I got this recipe from my friend Brooke. The kids loved it!
(The top and bottom picture are Brooke's, the middle are mine.)

Get creative with this one! We are thinking Pink and Purple stripes with Pink Cherry Frosting for my girlie girl! FUN!

Start with (2) boxes of Betty Crocker White Cake. Substitute the water called for (1 1/4 c.) with Sprite Zero (regular sprite would do). That's it! Don't add anything else. No Eggs. No Oil. NOTHIN'!

Divide batter evenly (about 1 heaping cup full each) between 6 bowls. Stir in food coloring gels, which you can find at Walmart. I am fresh out of local Walmarts so I used the regular stuff, and lots of it. It worked perfectly! There should be a chart on the back of the box to help you make the right colors. Follow it! It makes them perfect!

Now start with RED and pour about 3/4 c. or half of the batter in the bowl into the center of a greased and floured 9" round cake pan. Then pour the ORANGE into the center of the RED and then YELLOW, GREEN, BLUE then PURPLE. The batter will spread. Tap the pan on the counter top to evenly distribute. Be careful not to mix the colors!

In the second pan work backwards. PURPLE, BLUE, GREEN, YELLOW, ORANGE then RED.

PERFECT!

Now bake them at 350 for 22 min or until they pass the toothpick test. Mine took closer to 28 min. Remove from oven. Let cool for 15 min in the pan.

Then carefully run a knife between the cake and pan all the way around the sides. Remove it from the pan and let it cool completely before frosting.

Now, isn't this just BEAUTIFUL?! Nothing like cake that makes you smile while you are eating it!

Mormon Messages

2009-03-17T21:40:00.001-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-x_-TQivCx8

The mormon church has begun a YouTube channel.

Check it out!

Candied Almonds

2009-03-11T21:21:00.005-07:00

I love these little babies! Better than croutons. The key is that you cannot leave them. It's really easy to mess it up!

Candied Almonds:
1/4 c. water
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 c. slivered almonds

Turn oven on to 350 degrees.
Combine above ingredients (except almonds) in small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Add almonds and simmer 2 minutes to thicken and coat. Remove with slotted spoon and place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes, basting with remaining juice.

They are done when the mixture stops bubbling. That means all the liquid has cooked out! They should break apart easily when cooled.

Mine are messy lookin' because there was crushed almonds mixed in with my slivered. They should look nicely golden brown and "slivery"!

Enjoy alone OR on a yummy spinach salad.

Oh yeah, if you're wondering where I got that darling scalloped border, check out Rita. She does freebie downloads for PS and PS Elements-she's awesome!

Watch Oprah Today

2009-03-11T07:15:00.002-07:00

Her show today is on cooking-cheaply! So be sure your dvr is set to record it! I'm hoping that $3.50 dinner is a good one.

Calling all Cookbooks

2009-03-06T12:44:00.003-07:00

My friend Kara asked me the other day what cookbooks I use. Really I am all over the place when it comes to cooking. I like trying new recipes, and only have a handful of staple recipes I always have ingredients for. I get bored with dinner easily.

So my question for you today (for Kara) is: What cookbook do you like the best?

p.s. Has anyone tried the Biggest Loser one?

Cake Pedestal Re-Do

2009-03-04T14:42:00.009-07:00

I found this cake pedestal at the thrift shop and really loved it. I thought it would be a great way to display a birthday cake for 1 person. At first I soaked it in paint thinner, but that didn't work. So I took it to the paint shop and they tried laquer thinner. The paint bubbled up and came right off.

In't it cuuute!

(I know my cake-decorating abilites are pretty sad! It's the cake pedestal that's on display here people!)

Ranch House Crock Pot Pork Chops with Parmesan Mashed Potatoes

2009-03-02T18:20:00.004-07:00

I got this recipe off of Picky-palate.com. I don't even like pork chops and I loved this recipe you have to try it!

Ranch House Crock Pot Pork Chops with Parmesan Mashed Potatoes

6 pork chops, 1/2 inch thick

1 packet dry Ranch Dressing Seasoning

10 oz can Cream of Chicken Soup

4 lbs peeled, cubed potatoes

5 Tablespoons real butter

1 Cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

6 cloves roasted garlic

1- 1 1/2 Cups warm milk

1 Tablespoon salt, or to taste1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper, or to taste
1. Place pork chops, Ranch seasoning and soup into a medium sized crock pot over high heat for 4 hours or low heat for 6 hours.

2. Place potatoes into a large pot of cold water. Place onto stove top over high heat and bring to a boil. Once water is boiling, cook for 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender. Drain and transfer to the work bowl of a stand or electric mixer. Mix on low until potatoes are mashed then add butter, Parmesan, garlic, milk, salt and pepper. Season to taste if needed. For thinner mashed potatoes add more milk, slowly until your desired consistency.

3. Scoop mashed potatoes onto serving plates and top with pork chops and soup gravy from crock pot. Enjoy!

Picture frames: Think outside the box

2009-03-01T20:51:00.006-07:00

I love thrift shops! When I'm in the mood or looking for something, I try and hit them at least once a week. I love them because you never know what you'll find, if you can get past the dust and the smell! So here's some ideas for picture frames. I hate spending money on frames. It's just one of those things, I can be happy with something handed down or recycled. Plus I love unique.

This is an old window from a builder's thrift store. I just cut scrapbook paper that matches the colors in two rooms to tie them all together. One day I might put smaller pictures in each one.

This ones my favorite. It looked like it was a door, and someone already had cut it down and modified it, cutting out the raised panel and adding the old knobs on top. It had a picture of a rooster with a feather, and chicken wire over that! It was really ugly. I've had this cute crocheted last name that my aunt made for my wedding. It's been framed in a much smaller frame so I took it all apart and reframed everything.

I thought I'd just throw these in. They are 50+ year old windows from my Granny's house, where my dad grew up. She replaced all her windows with vinyl in the 90's and these almost went in the trash. Any grandkid who wanted one got one (or two.) It's a pretty easy decoration to take up some space.

See what you can find at your thrift shop!

Bathroom Stone

2009-02-27T08:44:00.001-07:00

My sister told me about this little cleaning product. You know that hard water ring around the inside of your toilet? Well this little product removes that perfectly. I have tried everything to get rid of the stain and nothing worked until this. So far I have only been able to find it at walmart. But I'm sure others carry it to. Happy Cleaning!

I ran out of Karo Syrup!

2009-02-23T21:40:00.002-07:00

( I totally stole this post from my friend Megan's blog...but any of you who know me know that I love me a huge 'ol bowl of caramel popcorn. And one of the main ingredients is Karo Syrup...I'm totally going to try this!)

Ever say that? I have many times and wondered if you can make it from scratch. Yes, you can. Oh, yay! It is super easy and waaaay cheaper than buying it at the store. (You knew I was gonna say that, didn't you?)

Homemade light corn syrup

2 c white sugar
3\4 c water
1\4 t cream of tartar
dash of salt

Combine all ingredients in a large sauce pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 3 minutes. Uncover and cook until it reaches soft ball stage. Stir often. Cool and store in a covered container at room temperature. Will keep for about 2 months. Makes almost 2 cups.

My favorite kitchen toy

2009-02-23T14:49:00.004-07:00

I could just leave the picture and let your mind wander! But I'm not going to.
I got this for Christmas. No, unfortunatly my husband did not pick this out himself. I pick out my own gifts and I've wanted one of these for a while. It was THE best $20 I've spent on myself for Christmas EVER!
I really only bought it for 1 reason. I make a lot of bean soups in the winter, but I like them creamy. It was such a pain to pour half the soup in the blender, then pour it back in, then wash the blender.
This little doosey may not look powerful but it really does pack a punch. Ice and smoothies are not a problem. I think the reason why I like it so much is the clean-up. Most times I just rinse it off, unless it's eggs or something more sticky. You're not washing a blender on top of a mixing bowl either, just blend it right in the container. I have a great Bosch blender and I still use that for some things, but this is getting pulled out at least every other day.
I used it 5 times on Saturday:
-dry milk (out of milk Saturday morning)
-pancake batter
-scrambled eggs
-orange julius
-bean soup for dinner

You gotta get one!

Baby Wipe Holder

2009-02-22T18:20:00.005-07:00

I found this on my friend Sherry's blog and thought it was pretty cute and crafty. Plus no sewing!

Start by hot gluing a piece of batting to the top and bottom of the baby wipe holder.

Glue down the first edge of your fabric.Continue gluing down all the edges,trimming the fabric as you go.

Do the same on the bottom,lining up the fabric pattern.
Glue the ribbon on.

Starting in the back, glue cording around edges.

Add embellishments.

Just that easy!

How I end topstiches

2009-02-20T14:19:00.003-07:00

Not sure what to do with those loose threads after topstitching? Here's what I do.

1)Turn the project to backside.

2) Lightly pull on the string until you see a little loop.

3) Pull on the loop until the two are hanging in back.

4) Like this.

5)Tie the two in a square knot and trim.
Now it'll stay together a bit longer...

What is topstitching?

2009-02-20T14:17:00.001-07:00

It's really simple.

Sewing (or stitching) on TOP of a completed project!

Whew that was tough to explain.

The green stitching along the bugs will stabilize the two fabrics together.

The white will secure the ric-rac to the top.

The white stiching holding the neckstrap together.

You can also topstitch using decorative stitches like a scallop for a little added cuteness.

{do tell} One Thing...

2009-02-18T13:50:00.001-07:00

I want to hear from anyone reading this:

What are you thankful for today??

1-800-GOOG-411

2009-02-17T11:27:00.002-07:00

Did you know that 1-800-GOOG-411 is a FREE information phone number? Let me say it again! FREE information!!! I love that word! (Calling the standard #411 with Verizon, AT&T, Sprint will ding you for anywhere from $1.49-1.79 per call!) Just program this number into your cell phone under information. I saw this on another blog and thought I would share the info.

Magnet Boards-Another Way

2009-02-17T09:48:00.004-07:00

Here's another way to make a magnet board if you don't want to frame it.

I bought a cute sheet of wrapping paper and modge-podged it on there. However, I'm not completely satisfied with the m/p job. I know it shrinks the paper, so I was careful putting it on and smoothed it out as I went but still ended up with bubbles and lines. I'll probably redo it someday when it bothers me enough!

Does anyone know of any other adhesive that would do a better job with this big of a piece of paper? It's nice to cover up the metal, and have something cuter in its place.

I had my husband drill holes beforhand so it could be hung with a ribbon over a cute metal knobby thingy.

Disclaimer: Be careful of the edges, they're obviously sharp. It's probably not good idea to hang it where little hands could grab it.

A few months ago I made giant boards for each of my kids' rooms. I ended up buying some extra sheets of metal just because. I have 3 extra sheets, 24''x30'' if anyone wants one, $12.

Another Solution for Breaking Thread

2009-02-14T20:56:00.004-07:00

Here's a product that I have to use almost always on my thread. It's thread conditioner and all you do is squeeze a line along the height of your bobbin of thread. It then runs through all the parts your thread touches and lubricates a little. It helps tremendously! Under $5 at any fabric store.

Library Bags and Jelly Rolls

2009-02-14T14:34:00.013-07:00

Here are some instuctions on how to make a Library Bookbag. I hope they are clear! I used a jellyroll for this one.

I really love jelly rolls because they can be used for so many different things. Bags, quilts, straps, the possibilities are endless. If you don't know what a jellyroll is you can check them out here. MODA makes some of the most darling, gorgeous fabric lines. Whenever they have a new fabric line coming out, they make jellyrolls and charmpacks. This introduces the whole line, in all the colors they are making the prints from. The strips are cut at 2.5'' by the length of the bolt, usually around 44'', then rolled together and sold as a pack. There can be around 40 strips, depending on how big the line is. That's a lot of fabric for around $30. Charm packs are 5x5 inch squares stacked up. Those are so versatile also.
I've bought jellyrolls before, and sewed all the strips together for the fastest ever baby blanket!

I'm using leftover strips for the neck and waist straps for some kids' aprons. I'll be posting patterns on those soon!

*If you don't want to use a jelly roll, skip past to step #5 , and cut a square of fabric 15x30.

Supply List:
-1 jelly roll, or 1 yard fabric, 1/2 yard for inside if you want that different than outside.
-Rotary cutter, plastic ruler, mat, fabric scissors
-1 yard pellon

1) Choose 8 strips that coordinate nicely, and stack them. Cut those into 3 equal sections, roughy 15 inches.

2) Arrange 16 of those strips in the order you want them. I use darker ones in the middle, because that will be the bottom of the bag which will most likely end up dirty.

3) Now using 1/4 inch seams, sew those together making roughly a 30x15'' rectangle.

4) Now you need to PRESS (not smush around) the seams all to the same direction. I use steam, but that is up to you and a good idea for another post. If you use steam or starch don't smush it around, like you're mashing potato's. It distorts the fabric and it's hard to get that straight line back! I fold over a seam, use my fingernail to flatten it like folding paper, then iron it.
5) Now it's time to square up your rectangle. Make it as big as you can, between 14 and 15 inches. Square up the short ends.

6) Now take the size of your square, and you will need an inside square the same size. I mostly use muslin, because it's cheap fabric, save the cute expensive stuff for the outside!

7) Now sandwich the two layers RST (Right Sides Together). Sew around the outside 1/4 inch seams. Leave an open space of about 6 inches so you can turn it right side out.

8) Here's a little trick to make your corners lay flat and be sqaure.

You need to trim the bulk. I didn't get a picture, just trim off the very corner. It's only going to be about 1/8 inch triangle to lessen bulk. Don't get too close to the corner seam.

8) Now it's time for Pellon. Pellon is fusible interfacing. Fusible interfacing is like a giant sheet of double-stick tape and double stick tape is fabulous! This will bind the two pieces together. It's what you use for applique projects. You don't have to use pellon. It comes in different "weights", and makes things more sturdy. A heavy weight pellon will make a bag sit stright up. All you do is cut it to size, iron on one side, peel off the paper, then iron to the fabric. Be careful that you don't iron it to your board, it makes a sticky mess.

9) Cut the pellon piece 1/2 in smaller than your square. Iron it to one side, pull off the paper.

10)Turn the bag right side out and iron carefully around your edges. It is going to stick together now. When you get to the opening, fold inside 1/4 inch, like your seam allowance and press. Sew this gap together with a scant 1/8 inch seam.
Sorry this pic came out blurry.

11) Now fold the bag up, RST and pin. Sew up sides, it's going to be a bit bulky, backstitch at top.

12) Now it's time for straps. Take 1 strip from the JR, and fold and iron around a 1'' strip of heavy weight pellon like so:

I only used 1 strip, cut in half for the handles. They end up around 21'' long. Sew down center, or wherever will catch all layers. Trim to same size, cutting off selvage. Fold up ends 1 inch, and iron. Pin handles in place, and sew a square to secure. There is a very hand little feature that many newer sewing machines have called the needle down position, or something like that. When you enable it, the needle stays down through all layer, the presser foot comes up and you can twist your project without loosing your needle place. This is so nice to have it was one big reason why I upgraded my machine a few years ago. (sorry this one is blurry too)13) For the last step you are going to make the bottom a rectangle. The picture might better explain than I can! Fold corner into a triangle.

Measure down sides 2'' and mark a line across.

Sew on that line, backstitch for reinforcement.

This is how I make all the bottoms of my bags. You can trim the triangle off or leave it. If you want a bigger base, just sew a bigger triangle.

Valentine Bouquet

2009-02-13T11:54:00.004-07:00

Here's a last minute idea for your love muffin. Maryon brought this cute cookie bouquet to girls nite last night.

(Can I go back to bed now?)

Isn't it darling?

She used a jelly candy underneath the cookie also to hold it up on the Kebob stick.

Love it! Thanks MyR

Hair Flowers Deconstructed

2009-02-11T20:53:00.004-07:00

Hair flowers are so so very easy to make. I bought this one at Kings for 86 cents. If you don't have a Kings to shop at, well you are really missing out! I haven't written up a tutorial complete with pictures yet, and I never took that creative writing class in college, so bear with me!

All you need is:

-glue gun

-silk gerber daisy

-wire cutters

-alligator clip

-grosgrain ribbon

You're wire cutters need to cut flat against a surface. My stem just pulled right out, if yours doesn't just cut right at the base.

Now pull apart each section and throw away any hard plastic parts that bulk it up. Keep them in order.

If the front base is plastic, trim that down too. I lightly ironed the petals down so it will lay flat. I've had them bleed through before, so use a paper towel underneath.

Now reassemble the flower parts, lightly hot gluing each layer back together.

You'll need an alligator clip. I bought a box of 80 at a beauty supply store for about 5 dollars. Hot glue some grosgrain or satin ribbon around the clip. All I had was a bit wider than the clip, but who cares.

Next glue the base of the flower in the crook of the alligator clip and you're finished! Now you can make all kinds of flower clips! Be Creative!

Magnetic Boards

2009-02-11T09:10:00.003-07:00

These are pretty simple to make. The magnetic boards can be found at Roberts and if you watch for them to go on sale, and use their coupon, you can get a good deal. I just found scrapbook paper I liked, (basketball and football for these) and modge podged them onto the board. I just tore the paper and applied the glue underneath and on top. I also added stickers, if you do this modge podge after you have applied these, this will ensure that they will not peel off. You can paint the boards or use multiple different colors of paper.

I found these cute little license plates at a scrapbook store and just added magnets to the back. For the basketballs you can use clear pebbles (I'm not sure what they are called) they are found in the floral section most everywhere. Modge podge a sticker or picture to the back and add a magnet.
This one is missing most all of the cute magnets...

Basic Sewing, Part Deux

2009-02-10T20:26:00.005-07:00

Here are just the basic things you need to accuratly cut fabric for sewing. A rotary mat and ruler, rotary cutter, and some nice sharp fabric sizzors. Oh, and a machine of course, which you've already oiled up.

Now it's time to thread your machine. Again, go to your manuel. If you don't have a manuel or don't want to use it (you must be a man;) then here's an easy thing to remember:

Over to the left

Around a metal (probably round) thingy

Down on the left

Up the middle

Down on the right

Then thread your needle!

That's it!

You should have a full bobbin, wound with the same thread as what you are using. It's the cotton vs. cotton idea.

I've been sewing, mostly piecing quilts for 13 years now. There are a few tricks I learned in quilting classes that can be used across the board, regardless of what you are making.

One of the most useful ones is this:

Keep a little bowl with scrap pieces of fabric less that 2 " sqaure, or whatever size, just small little scraps you won't throw away next to your machine. You are going to use these to begin your sewing everytime you sew. Why? Well you know when you start sewing sometimes and it gets messed up under the project, or the power of the needle takes all your fabric down into the machine with it? Starting with small pieces eliminates ruining your project and getting frustrated. If something is going to go wrong, it will happen on this "tester" piece. You can also check to be sure your tention is right. It is easier on the machine to start sewing on fabric than nothing. I think so anyway.

You are also going to "end" you sewing strip with a scrap piece too. Then you are all set for the next one. This ends up creating a sort of chain. You constantly have fabric under the needle, continuously.

One more thing:

Generally when piecing quilt tops a 1/4 inch seam is standard.

When sewing clothing it's 5/8 ths seam allowance.

Otherwise do what the instructions tell you!

Happy Sewing!

Bag Tutorial Preview

2009-02-10T20:18:00.003-07:00

Just wanted to show some pics of bags I'll be writing up tutorials for you all to make.
They really are basic and simple, if you can cut and sew a straight line!
Enjoy!

The Drawstring Makeup/Travel Bag

The Simple Anyday Bag

The Libary BookBag

Taco Tip

2009-02-10T11:35:00.004-07:00

Taco Tip

When I make either soft shell or hard shell taco's I substitute ground beef for ground turkey. I also put a can of tomato puree in with the meat and taco seasoning. It makes tacos a little more healthy and Brian hates tomatoes but he loves these tacos, and he is a big hamburger eater. (In fact the first time I made it with these two I didn't tell him and he said it was the best taco he had ever eaten)Before I made tacos this way I actually dreaded making them because I didn't really like them. Now I love them and make tacos all the time. Try it today you won't be sorry=)
I got these tips out of the Deceptively Delicious cook book.

BTW-Turkey burger is also great in Sloppy Joes, and Spaghetti!

Pastor Tom's Tortilla Soup

2009-02-10T11:12:00.002-07:00

I stole this off Jeni's blog. I haven't had a chance to make it. But it sure looks yummy.
Pastor Tom's Tortilla Soup
16 ounce can tomatoes
1 medium onion, cut up
2 cloves of garlic
4 TBSP snipped cilantro (I use more cause I love cilantro)
1/2 tsp sugar
8 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 lbs cooked chicken breast cut up
1 can black beans (drained)
1/2 to 3/4 bag frozen sweet white corn
2 or 3 chipotle peppers and 1 to 2 tsp adobo sauce
chipotle peppers in adobo sauce can be found in the international isle of your grocery store, don't skip them, they are what make this soup so good.
Soup Base
In a blender, combine undrained tomatoes, onion, garlic, cilantro and sugar. Blend until nearly smooth. I also added the pepper to this mix and blended them.
Directions
1. Put soup base into a large pot with chicken broth, cooked chicken pieces, black beans, corn and chipotle peppers (if you don't blend them in the soup base).
2. Bring ingredients to a boil, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Put crunched tortilla chips in a bowl, ladle soup over the top. Add cheese, lime wedges, avocados, and sour cream if desired.

CostCo Temple Pictures- the cheap way

2009-02-09T15:27:00.002-07:00

Here is a way to reproduce the gorgeous pictures CostCo had a few months ago of the temples and other religeous prints. My brother in law was doing this for his mom, and showed me how. It's super easy! I only have PS Elements, so I'll teach you that way.

-First go to google images, and find the picture of the temple you want. A word of warning though, there are questionable images mixed in with the temple ones so viewers beware!

-Save the image in your pictures.

-Next open PSE, and open your picture.

-Over on the right you see the Effects menu, and a blue square "Photo Effects." Click that and in the drop down menu press show all.

-You are looking for an apple icon that says "old photo."

-Click on that and click apply.

Wha-La! You have your very own old photo temple image you can enlarge and frame for a fraction of the cost (co) version!

Play around with some of the other effects. You might like another one better. Old paper is a cool one too. If you like the brown tones find the brownish colored apple, and apply that to make it a Sepia Old Photo.

Good Luck!

Sewing, 101

2009-02-08T21:46:00.002-07:00

I'm going to post small/easy sewing projects in the future, so I thought I'd start with some basic sewing instructions. Once you can figure out a few things about your machine, you're on your way.
1st) Keep your manuel handy, you can troublshoot simple problems with it, it is your friend!

2nd) Always keep your machine clean-free of dust bunnies- and oiled. A well-oiled machine will run much better, quieter and reduce future problems and repairs. Look in your manuel for the recommended spots to oil. They will most likely be above the pressor foot, and down in the bobbin area. When you take out the bobbin you'll see the spinning mechanism. These spots need lubrication baby!

3rd) Always use the same kind of thread as the fabric you are sewing on, i.e.} cotton fabric=cotton thread. You won't have the problem of the fabric wearing out before the thread, and vice/versa.

4th) Most important-ALWAYS keep a sharp needle in your machine! Many problems like breaking thread, can be attributed to a dull needle. If things aren't working quite right, change the needle. You'll notice lots of sizes of needles, the sizes refer to how big of a hole the needle is punching. For general cotton mid-weight fabric, an 80/12 needle is sufficient. If you are using denim or upholstery fabic, you'll find denim needles for those heavier projects. There are also extra-sharp needles for machine quilting through all those layers of fabric and batting.

5th) Just get to know your machine. It's like a car, if you do just a bit of preventative maintenance, it will run forever.

To be continued...

Valentine Treats

2009-02-06T10:30:00.002-07:00

I just had to share these valentine treat ideas, they look sooo yummy!

http://littlebirdiesecrets.blogspot.com/2009/02/valentine-treats-for-your-sweets.html

Do you like hostess cupcakes?

2009-02-05T15:54:00.004-07:00

Then your going to love this recipe!

Just make a regular cake mix into cupcakes.Then mix one jar Jet Puffed Marshmallow cream and a stick of butter. When the cupcakes are cooled submerge the tip of of your piping tube with marshmallow mix in it in the middle and squeeze. Then frost the top with chocolate frosting and pipe the little white squiggly marks with white frosting and Wall-LA you have a hostess cupcake. So delicious and so easy!

Valentine photo idea

2009-02-05T08:21:00.003-07:00

Every year we send a photo card to all the cousins for Valentines Day with a stick of flat gum in the envelope for each person. I saw this cute idea and thought I'd try it. Ideally, the letters would be block letters from the craft store painted white. But since I don't have a craft store and needed to get it done soon, I cut the letters out of cardstock. Bridgers E got lost in the background when I changed it to Sepia. The paper is really pink. I decided to throw the doggie in there, to get LOVE. You could have 1 child hold more than one letter, or use the letters differently:

LOVE YOU

LOVE U

LUV

LUV U

LUV US

LOVE US

I LUV U

I LOVE YOU

I (heart) U

Be Creative!

Money Saving Tip

2009-02-04T13:55:00.002-07:00

I know most of the people on here don't live near a smiths but if you have a sister, aunt or anyone that shops there they must know about these coupons. If you go here and here you can upload coupons to your smiths fresh value card, and then they automatically get used when you use your card. I go on there and upload just coupons for things I always buy and then I don't even know my coupon got used until I look at my receipt. It is the best way to use coupons. So if you live near a smiths. Sign up and start enjoying the benefits!

Hot Ham and Cheese Sandwiches

2009-02-02T18:00:00.006-07:00

HOT HAM AND CHEESE SANDWICHES

Using rhoades rolls roll out into a circle (as flat as you can get it). Mix some mayo and mustard, put about 1 heaping teaspoon on your dough circle, spread it out, but not clear to the edge. Put slices of ham and cheese on top. Fold dough over and seal edges. Beat one egg with a teaspoon of water and brush generously on top of sandwich. Bake at 350 for 20-25 min or until sandwiches are golden brown.

These are delicious as a dinner or snack. We had these for dinner tonight and krissa said these are good mom and brady said thanks mom. I love it when I find something the kids will actually eat!