Santa Gift Wrap

Thanks to Pinterest I was able to wrap the gift for Nate's brother's family so that he could take it home on the plane with him. :0)

Tie Wallet Wristlets

I'm posting!! 

I saw this on Pinterest and when I went to the link, it took me to Esty and wanted $22 for one.  No, thank you.  I had just gone through my husbands ties and pulled out all the ones that he hasn't worn in years and packed them in my craft box.  Luck for me, we haven't taken that box to storage yet. :0)

I made my own pattern and I'm very happy with the result.

Here is the one for my mom.  This purple matches her phone perfectly!

This one is my sisters.  I LOVE how it turned out.  Of course, it is the third one I made and the third one is always better. :0)

I have another one all ready to put together that I'm going to put here as a tutorial. :0)  After I get my kids Halloween costumes finished. :0)

Marinara Sauce

For Labor Day I got to spend the day at my Mom's house, using her kitchen to can the jelly from the last post and make and can this marinara sauce.

I do not like red sauce.  Ask anyone at Papa Murphy's Pizza.  I always go for the garlic sauce.  If it has red sauce, I put as little as I can on it.  When I made this the first time, I made it because I had some fresh tomatoes and needed to use them up.  Everything else I always have on hand so in it all went.

Amazing!!!  We ate it on pasta, pizza and used it for a dip.  So good.  I decided there and then that I would can it when I got my tomatoes from my garden this year.  I had to get a little help from my in-laws garden to, I had given away too many tomatoes.

Look at all I came home with.  I still have another batch of jelly I'm going to make and some birthday cake baking to do tonight.  Can't wait to have all this for the winter.

Mint Jalapeno Jelly

Can I say that I'm super excited to try this today!  This is the first time I have made something out of my own garden.

I have never been a fan of hot foods.  Just didn't like that burning sensation in my mouth.  So the first time I was offered Jalapeno Jelly I refused.  Did not sound good at all.  Could not believe that someone would make jelly out of jalapeno's.

Then I caved and tried a bit.  Ended up eating half a jar by myself.

If you have never tried this, you must at least try it once.  On a cracker, with a bit of cream cheese.

The website I got the recipe from had these other idea's to use the jelly with.


1. on toast
2. as a glaze for chicken and pork chops
3. as a condiment for lamb
4. on a cold meat sandwich, especially post-Thanksgiving turkey
5. as a de-glazing sauce
6. on brie cheese baked in a puff pastry crust
7. peanut butter and jelly sandwich
8. on a grilled cheese sandwich
9. on vanilla ice cream
10. on steamed carrots
11. as a dip for won tons
12. as a dip for grilled sausage bites
13. on warm biscuits with breakfast
14. glaze for chicken wings
15. spread on cornbread
16. with cream cheese on a bagel
17. on pancakes
18. on a Dutch Baby (see earlier post)
19. in hot tea
20. put into the center of cupcakes
21. mixed with greek yogurt as a vegetable dip
22. on top of cheesecake
23. as a glaze for shrimp
24. between layers of a chocolate cake
25. and right off the spoon

Now I have a ton of ideas to use mine for.  Good thing I'm making more. :0)

Zucchini Brownies

These are on my list to make again today.  And they will probably be gone before I can take a picture again. :0)

You would not know that these are made with zucchini if I didn't tell you.  They are that amazing!  My children love them, my neighbors love them, I could eat the whole pan and not feel a bit bad about it. ;0)  If you have zucchini that your neighbors want to pawn off on you of you were ding-dong ditched and left a ton of zucchini on your door-step, use it up in these and you will be begging for that zucchini that no one can get rid of. ;0)

Chicken Pillows

We needed to do something with chicken.  I had some biscuits in the fridge and the cream cheese.  I know that this recipe calls for crescent rolls but going with what I had...   they would have been better with the crescent rolls.  We still loved them though.

You can get the recipe here if you don't have it.  We ate it with some rice and loved the sauce.  I had some left over chicken filling stuff that I used the next day on some tortilla's with some cheese, fresh tomatoes from my garden and cooked it on my skillet so that it was crunchy.  So good!

Root Beer Float Cupcakes

I have had this recipe on my to-try list since February.  I was going to make them for my son's birthday.  Well, after getting around to making them finally, I'm glad I didn't make them for his birthday.

They will be on my make again list.  They were amazing!  I will do a few different things to them.  I will wait to put the root beer on the top until after I take the cupcakes out of the pan.  Making them that moist made it hard to get them out without them falling apart.  I will not put frosting on them.  I am a frosting person.  Love it!  But the glaze for these were so amazing that I will just put that on and call it good.

Don't worry.  I only used A&W's root beer in everything it called for.  No schnapps. :0)

Baked S'mores

The name says it all.

The picture says more.

Get the recipe here and make sure that you hide them so that you can eat them all yourself.  Only share with your really good neighbors who need a little pick-me-up.  :0)

Orange Chicken

We had a craving for orange chicken at our house a few weeks ago and didn't have the money or desire to drive to a restaurant and by some.  My husbands best friend Google found us this recipe.

O!M!G!  We will never eat at Panda Express again!

This is not our dinner.  I stole the picture. ;0)  But it was so amazing!  I am getting hungry for this as I type and now know what I will be making for dinner tomorrow.

It was so amazing that we made it for our extended family dinner night that we have once a month.  We liked it with a bit more sauce that we can eat over the rice.  And egg rolls from Costco.  Oh, I'll be back, now I need to run to the store.

Pancakes

Here is the best pancake mix I have ever had.  We have tried a few different ones but this one is a winner.


I got the recipe here.  I double it when I make it.  It leaves a few left over that I freeze for my kids to warm up the next day.  They are gone soon though.  My kids fight over who gets the left overs.  Sometimes I get to them first. :0)

Why do I Need to Blog?

Because we are moving and I really wanted to make a recipe that I just love.  Only to find out that I had packed the recipe.  And the spices.

Good thing for friends that have the spices and then this blog for the recipe.  I need to blog a lot more so that I will have the recipes I love on hand during the move.

4th Crafting

Pink Fig Pattern

 

I bought these patterns a few years ago for my cousin.  I am finally getting around to making some.  I have been hesitant because of the shirring.  It intimidated me a bit. But now that I have done it, so easy and I can't wait to make more!  I will be playing around with the pattern a bit too.  See what else I can come up with. :0)  Here is a link to other PinkFig patterns.

Cheesey Chicken and Rice Bake

I am loving trying all these new recipes.  The thing is, now I have too many to add to my favorite list.  This is one of them.

My kids loved it.  My husband loved it.  My sister loved it.  I love to have it with my home-made refried beans and make a burrito out of it.  YUM!

Pictures to come after lunch. :0)

DVD Coloring Cases

Every Monday I have been trying to make something with the kids.  This last week I made these.  They helped me pick out the paper and fabric for each while I did the cutting.

I made one for myself too. :0) 

I got the cardboard from an old diaper box and the pencils from the $1 store.

I had to share a picture of my baby enjoying her new coloring case.

Frozen Hot Chocolate

I believe this will be my new favorite summer treat.  It made enough for all 5 of us.  It helped that I found out that my one son doesn't like chocolate.  He's 9 and I didn't know this!?!

Check it out and try it!  So good!

Orange Creamsicle Popcorn

For the summer a friend and I are doing a movie a week with our kids.  It was my week so I made this.  Orange Creamsicle Popcorn.

It was okay.  I would have to put it on my not make again list.  But I'm always for trying new things.  I think I just wasn't really in an orange mood.  But I had everything for it so I went with it.  I'll look for something else next time.

Coconut Fruit Dip

I am a coconut fan.  LOVE IT!  So when I had some friends over, I made this.  Yum!

Sprinkler

 Saw something like this and wanted to make one for my kids for the summer.  So I found this and got my hunny involved and helping. :0)

 It was a hit!  But let me warn you.  You don't need that many holes.  We found out the hard way.  And another trip to the hardware store later.

Family Birthday Chart

I saw this on Pinterest and knew that I needed to make one for my Mother-in-law.  With a blended family, we have a ton of birthdays!  35.  I have a really good friend that I have do my vinyl and she found the font and everything and helped me put it together this past weekend.

How cool, huh!  I love it.  I wanted it a bit more neutral in colors so the Diane would want to hang it up.  We got a piece of oak and just stained it instead of painting it.  All in all it was an under $20 project.  Fun!

I had a lot of fun putting it together and I had a lot of help from friends and my hunny. :0)  Thanks!  Hope you like it Diane!

Race For the Cure Tutu's

Our family did the Race for the Cure last week and I wanted to share the tutu's I made for my girls.  My oldest was super happy to wear her's.  The baby... not so much. ;0)

I put together the baby's shirt too.  This is a new family tradition and I can't wait for next year.

Pinterest Overload

I may not look like I have done much lately but... I have.  I just haven't taken pictures to share.  So instead, I'm going to share all the links from Pinterest that I have done.  Ready?  :0)

Baby Wrap

Hair Detangler

Ribbon Flower for Mother's Day.

Cornmeal Waffles  I used my own recipe for chili on this one.  But I did make the seasoning from here.  It is a little spicy for our family so I think I am going to double everything but the chili powder and see if that helps.  Also, we loved the waffles with butter and honey on them too. ;0)

Bacon Ranch Chicken  We had it over pasta and rice.

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Strawberry Poppyseed Salad Dressing  WINNER!!!!!  This was a combination of two different salads.  I did both.  I made this salad with that dressing and just added strawberries.  I haven't tried the dressing that is in this recipe.  Sorry. But the chicken marinade is AMAZING!!!!

Chocolate Dipped Apple Slices

Oatmeal Cream Pie Cookies

Warm Bean Dip

Lemon Blueberry Yogurt Bread

Pepperoni Rolls with homemade Marinara sauce  I've decided I am canning this sauce we loved it so much.

Overnight, No Cook, Refrigerated Oatmeal  Raspberry is good. ;0)

Almond Joy Oatmeal  I liked it with Cream of Wheat also.

Pink Lemonade Poundcake

Pineapple Cupcakes  Make sure you drain the pineapple for the frosting.  Found out the hard way. :0/

Balsamic Chicken and Pasta Salad  We ate this for a dinner and my kids loved it.  Picked out the tomatoes but even ate the peppers.

Avocado Egg Salad Sandwich  Loved it!

Cream Cheese Chicken Chili  We have made this one twice!

And so many different kinds of Green Smoothies I can't even put them all on here.  I have one every morning for breakfast and try and do oatmeal for lunch.  I'm a big fan of changing things up but I have to say that the Banana Oatmeal Smoothie is one of my favorites. ;0)

See.  I have been busy. :0)  I have also been sewing up a storm.  I have made a few more of the Dora dresses for my nieces and have worked on some more baby things.  Little shoes that I keep having to re-make because I mess up, tag blankets, little rompers and some sun-dresses. ;0)  Now if I can get someone to come and do laundry, clean my bathrooms and kitchen, that would be great. :0)

New Skirt

I have gone through my kids clothes this last round of laundry, and took out all the pants that have holes in the knees to either patch or make into shorts.  I had one pair for my daughter and saw this on Pinterest and wanted to see what I could do.

Now, I have to say, I did this without looking at the link from Pinterest.  I just remember seeing something to the effect of making a pair of jeans into a skirt.  I think I would have liked to do it how it is on the site here but...

It is still cute.  It is like a tight little skirt for her which is wonderful because she can't have her legs up and in the air as much as she likes.  She can't climb like a monkey and be immodest while wearing a skirt.  :0)

Teacher Appreciation

This week and next are Teacher Appreciation Week for my kids.  I really wanted to do something for my children's teachers because all 3 of them have such amazing teachers.

Found this here and knew that I had to do it. 

I love these cups!  I have two of my own and don't know what I would do without them.  LOVE THEM!

Flip-Flop Re-Do

I may have wanted to re-make my flip-flops but not because the dog ate them.

Oh well, I get to re-do them because the dog ate them.  Good thing she only at the part I was planning on cutting off.

Here is the Pinterest site I got it from.

I have to say that I love the flower!  I want to make more to put on my purse. :0)

Cinnamon Twist

I had some extra monkey bread dough and saw this on Pinterest and thought I'd give it a try. 

I should have just done cinnamon rolls like I wanted too.  It was doughy and too crunchy on the top.  And not many things are too crunchy for me. :0)

Dora Dress

 

I just love this pattern.  I have made it before here.  We had been in the fabric isle of Wal-Mart when my 2 year-old saw this material and I just couldn't say no.

The ties on the neck and here at the bottom of the pants are one of my favorites.  I'm making another Dora one for my niece that also loves Dora.  :0)

New Pleasure

 My parents gave me a new iron for my birthday.  My favorite part...

This little point here.  So very nice!!!!

Survivor Bracelets

This is another Conference craft.  We have a friend that showed us how to make these and I have looked everywhere for the cording and buckles.  I ended up ordering the buckles on-line and we found the cording at a local store.  Fun huh!  My husband made a new watch band with his and a key chain too.

Yep. Another One

I know that I have made a ton of these but I want it just right.  And really, it's like a purse, I have to change it with my mood. :0)  So here is my other ones I made, but I needed one that didn't have any cuts or unfinished edges.

I like these corners much better than just the tabs.  This way I can get to all the buttons without having to remove my Kindle.

I also didn't like that the pen would rub on my Kindle so I moved the pocket to the outside, behind the Kindle.  I like having the notebook and pen for when I see another book I'd like to get and that way I can write it down to remember.  My memory is so bad.

Laugh if you want but I have made another one too.  This one was a but bulky to be in the pocket I have for it in my purse so I just made an envelope case that I can slid my Kindle in and then it doesn't make my purse so heavy. :0)  I told you, I like to change. :0)

Home-made Hand Soap

This one is a winner.  I had a hard time getting it to thicken.  I ended up adding another little 4oz bar of soap and it still is runny.  But!  It works great!  I love it and just have to remember to be careful when I push the pump. :0)  I will be making this one again and never buying hand soap again.  I will try a different soap though.

Dishwasher Soap

I have to say that this is a fail.  When I was adding up the cost, it was to much for my budget.  It has also gone hard.  I have to use the knife to break it up just to use it.  We have also had to buy more Lemi-Shine to add with it.  I was excited because it had Lemi-Shine in it.  We still have to add some to each wash to get rid of the hard water stains.  Too bad. :0(

Floss Eggs

This was an idea that I saw on Pinterest. :0)  I knew I had to make them for my decorations for Easter.  So for Conference, I got all the stuff together, my sisters and made a mess.

I wish I would have taken a picture of us making them.  They really did make quite the mess but it was so much fun and worth it!  I think I might make a wreathe with these next year.