The Pampered Crafters

Where Have I been?

2012-01-26T07:00:00.001-06:00

I am sorry for the lack of posts this week, with one of us down sick & my schedule crazy busy this week. Things have been a little slow going in the craft department.

This is a sneak peek at what we have been up to at the Hansen House

PINEWOOD DERBY

With Shane's ever changing military schedule, he is on nights this week. Unfortunately this means he gets to see the older kids for only about 15min each day, and that helping Mr. Zander with Pinewood Derby car goes on my to do list. I was nervous at first, I have no idea how to make a block of wood into a car. My son was more nervous than me he said "Mom, are you sure about this, I think we're going to ruin it." I think between me & Mr. Zander working on it while dad was at work, & dad help when he was home, we did a pretty good job.

Meet "The Boomerang" Mr. Zander & dad still need to work on the tires, but it is almost done.

It's Miracle Soup!!

2012-01-25T09:33:00.005-06:00

We are still under the weather over here (the reason of lack of postings)

The other night for Dinner I made this DEVINE Chicken Noodle Soup My kids (including the Hubby) Felt almost instantly better. Its that type of soup. Packed FULL of Flavor!

Because I wasn't feeling any better then the rest of the clan I made a couple easy steps to it. Instead of cutting all the veggies I used frozen veggies and I didn't have any egg noodles or the energy to go to the store to get any so I used Quinoa (keen-wah). It was great! Everyone asked to have it for lunch the next day. My 5 year old told me that this soup is her most favorite ever and that she isn't sick anymore! IT'S A MIRACLE Soup!!!

I also love to freeze the extra broth for another day. Warm it up in a mug and you really do feel better! Thank you to the Chef of this fine Meal!!!

What meal warms you up?

Upcycled Oatmeal Container

2012-01-21T07:00:00.001-06:00

Turn This

Into This

Recycling at it's finest

All you need is an

Empty Oatmeal Container

Scrapbook Paper

Adhesive of some sort

A Label

2 rolls of your finest TP.

I figured it was a pretty self explanatory project so i didn't do step by step photos

Do you have an awesome Upcycling project?

Calling in "Sick" Today

2012-01-20T07:00:00.000-06:00

Growing up our Mom had a way to make our "Sick" days BETTER days. Almost to the point that we would forget that we were sick. She would make the couch up to be the most perfect and comfortable spot in the house (talking loads of blankets and pillows). Have a tray next to it with books, Hot water with lemon and honey in it, and a bowl of soup and crackers, and A tall glass of ice cold sprite, She would also make me my most favorite get well snack Tapioca. Then after she made sure I was comfy she would put in the Get Well Soon Movies...

For some reason Pete's Dragon and Pollyanna made us feel better.

So its my turn to follow Mom's wonderful example. My 3 kiddos are sick today. I have the baby napping upstairs and the girls each have a couch. They are nicely snuggled with their Blankets and pillows. And Pete's Dragon is playing!

What makes you feel Better?

Laundry Room Makeover

2012-01-19T11:23:00.009-06:00

The laundry room in our house is the entrance to our castle, which means that is where everybody drops their stuff before going into the rest of the house. Shoes, backpacks, purses, socks, jackets & everything in between. I just don't like how messy it always seems to look even when things are put away, so i did a little revamping.

Starting with the shoes, I made this counter skirt to hide our basket of shoes (can I just say I love having a utility sink in the laundry room. This is the best when you cloth diaper. It also doubles as a great bathtub for the little ones)

These beauties are a gift from my wonderful hubby. I love the color, the fact that it has a steam option cuts way down on my ironing & I love the storage underneath. The Bins on top say Donate, Toss, & Put Away, I take them down when I am organizing a room or a space.

I also made a curtain for the shelving that was built into the house, I like that the curtains give it a much cleaner look. I also recovered the cedar chest with fabric to match the room.

Of course with my OCD the containers needed to match the room as well, I cut the side to make a template, I printed and laminated it on a sticker sheet so I could adhere it to the laundry soap containers.

Since we make our own laundry soap & fabric softener we will use these containers over and over again.

How to you organize the entry to your castle?

It a BiRtHdAy!

2012-01-18T07:26:00.001-06:00

I have always been the un-tradional on in the family. I refuse to cook the Big Sunday Dinners (its a day of rest people!) I try to find the easiest way to do anything. (Like did you know that instead of cutting all the veggies like carrots, celery, onions you need for a soup base that you can find it pre done in the freezer section of the grocery store! GENIUS!!)

OK lets get back on track! I love Birthdays. I am 38 and I still count down to my day. I even make sure that no one forgets by leaving hints here and there. BUT I am not a fan of having the BIG 1 Birthday party. I know I am weird but here is why.... They don't really now what is going on and they end up getting really fussy and they don't really get to enjoy it! SO what we decided what we would do is have just a nice quiet 1st Birthday party with just us. We have a cake and we do let them go to town with it. But then here is the fun part for them, we give them a box of Tissue and just let them have the best time ever! It ends up being a great time for all!

AND we did however decide that we would have a party for the 5th Birthday! Its just as important for them at 5. They are a "BIG KID" now! They are going to start school soon and they are way more independent (as most of you already know!)

Here is my 5 year old! Happy Birthday Kiddo!!! She decided that she wanted a Tinkerbell Party. SO everything was done kinda woodsie and fairly like. (just so you know I like to make up words too!)

I have been pretty obsessed with making Banners lately (and I have some cute ones that I will post some other time!)

Love the twinkling lights. I even made the tulle and the leaf garland. I was in a very crafty mood for this day. For the tulle one I just cut pieces of tulle and bunched them together to make pom pom like balls and glued them to some Jute twine. Then for the leaf one I bought a container of leaves and also glued them to Jute. Looks pretty cool huh? I also went to the dollar store and got wings, tutus, and fairy wands for the girls. (we had 5 girls!) I know I have a pic of them just could locate a good one to share. All in All they had a blast!

Now for the fairy food. I found everything on a small scale. Anything that said Mini, I bought it and the girls LOVED it! As the "Fairies" were munching on their snacks they watched the New Tinkerbell movie that came out last fall. (Pixie Hollow Games)

She still talks about her BIG day! It was something that she will always remember

What do you do for Birthdays? What are some fun Traditions?

My New Obsession

2012-01-17T12:36:00.007-06:00

OK this might be lame, but my new obsession is printing on 4x6 cards

They are cheap, and I don't have to cut them down to size. I print my recipes on them, make quiet books for my kids out of them, checklist for projects, and anything else I can come up with.

This is a Baptism book I am putting together for our Primary Baptism Preview
I use these photo albums from Wal-mart $1.00

And now you have a small book that can keep your kids quiet and busy.

Great 4x6 Printable's

Here

Something Saturday

2012-01-14T11:17:00.004-06:00

What are you doing this fine Saturday?

I am a little undecided.

~ I could go clean some of the craft room. (you know that dead line I have the end of the month)

~ Could run to the post office and mail a package to my sister. (Which I still may try and do)

~ Could clean the Kitchen. (went on date with hubby last night and I didn't get it done before I left. Thankful for our AWESOME babysitter who attempted to straighten it the best she could with 3 toddlers)

~ OR and this is what I think just may help me start the day.... BUILD a house of Cards with my kiddos!

Fitness Friday: Mason Jar Salad

2012-01-13T13:03:00.003-06:00

If you have been on Pinterest, I'm sure you have see these AWESOME little salads in a jar.

New year & new goals, I am sure in one form or another one of those goals for most of us is to be healthy. This is one of my favorite ways to get a little more veggies in my diet. This pint jar may look small but it could sure hold a lot of salad. We love to shop for produce at Costco and buy the ingredients in bulk. On Saturday's I chop all the veggies, fill my jars, and place them in the refrigerator for a fast easy and healthy lunch.

What are your ideas on how to become more healthy?

Something Crafty

2012-01-12T09:58:00.003-06:00

Before we bought our house we went through 5 others looking for the perfect floor plan. We wanted a open and bright feeling, 4 bedrooms, and at least 2 bathrooms. House #6 was perfect. The second we walked into the house we were sold! It has everything on our list including....

A craft room!

Only it didn't look like this we when bought the house. And my excuse goes like this...

The day we moved in we had the movers put everything in this room with the intentions of me and my 10 month old going through boxes and putting everything gin its proper place. Hahaha! 1 month after we moved in I started feeling really sick and it was all day long. Why? Because I was pregnant with our 2nd daughter. So now I had a 18 month old and a newborn. Now nothing gets done. I want to nap with the girls. Well...16 months after my daughter was born, #3 a bouncing baby boy was born. SO needless to say the Craft Room was permanently put on hold!

UNTIL now! 4 1/2 years in the house and now I can unpack! The Kids are now 5, 3 1/2, and 2. If you remember from an earlier post this month I made a goal to clean it out this month! I have made good progress so far. I can now walk into it with out having to move something for me to get in.

My cousin came over last night and didn't even know that I had another room in the house. I had kept it hidden pretty well. I just may have to recruit her help so I can make my goal!!

I will post a pic of the finished project. (or at least show you my progress!)

Well Read Wednesday: Book Recomendation

2012-01-11T13:34:00.006-06:00

Well were to start with this one, I guess I will start with my love for reading. I am the youngest girl of six children; I have 3 older sisters an older brother and a younger brother. Getting time with mom was not an easy thing at our house. My mom loved to read and when she did have down time she was reading. So I started to ask her about her books and what books she had read that she thought I might like to read. We would check out two copies of a book and I would read one and she would read the other and we would talk about what we were reading.

I loved it! I was hooked, I loved sitting with my mom reading.
Today I have been thinking of my mom a lot, not sure why today of all days I would melt into tears at those thoughts. Maybe it was that the stuffed peppers that I made for dinner last night tasted just like hers. Maybe it is because my son has her eyes and I see her when I look into them. It could be that I my hands look like hers minus the scars of her well lived life. My final guess would be it is because I have chosen adversity as my topic of study this week. My mom helped write the definition of adversity, some adversity was caused by her choices, some was because of the choices of others, and some was just a natural part of her life here on Earth. It brings me to think of our last serious conversation before she passed away. She called me to tell me that "I was not living my life", not the hello how is your day going kind of conversation. I laughed and said, "What are you talking about". She said "you’re not living life, you’re not making mistakes". I replied back, "So you want me to go out and sin?" She was exasperated that I was not getting her meaning and told me that "you’re not getting what I am trying to say". We then moved on to other, lighter subjects. I have often played that conversation in my head over and over again, trying to grasp at what she was trying to tell me.

Mom I finally see your meaning.

Adversity is what makes the weak become strong. You can’t learn and grow to your full potential sitting on the sidelines catching the occasional foul ball. You have to get in and play the game. As a teenager my bishop suggested I read this book, and I pass that suggestion onto you. Life is all about adversity. It is how we tackle the adversity that leads to growth in this life and opportunities in the eternities.

What helps you get through adversity?

New Toy..

2012-01-10T09:00:00.003-06:00

My son has a blood disorder that requires him to have frequent blood transfusions. So we are at the hospital every 3-4 weeks. I have a huge backpack that is filled with toys, snacks, and books (for reading, coloring, writing, you name it!) So when Amazon came out with the Kindle it was instantly put on my "Wish List" It would take a load out of my bag. And let me tell you it has! Yep you read it right....

For Christmas my Hubby got me a Kindle Fire

I love it. I am still learning the in's and out's. I love that not only can I get books but that I can stream movies and games, TV shows, Magazines, Newspapers, WEB, and I am sure there is way more that I don't even know. I even have a directory app so I can input all my contacts. I have a notepad app so I can write all my notes or journal entrys while I am out and about. I am pretty much in love with this new "baby" of mine!

Now I just wish that I could keep it from my kids. Daddy had to put the Angry Birds App on it so they go crazy. (i do use it as a bribe at times)

I also have the Kindle 3G keyboard. A gift from my sister and her hubby for my birthday last year. I love how light weight and small this one is.

Do you have a Kindle? What is your favorite app? Do you have any helpful Tips that you would like to share?

Menu Monday: Snack- Homemade Microwave Popcorn

2012-01-09T18:27:00.010-06:00

I don't know about you, but popcorn is a main staple at our house. Not only do we grind it up as corn meal, but we also use it for homemade popcorn. We tried the old fashion stove top way with some success. But there had to be an easier way without the purchase of yet another kitchen appliance, right? I found out how to make Homemade Microwave Popcorn Here We keep several of them ready to go in our pantry

This is one of my kid's favorite popcorn topping.

Hubby's favorite is my mom's Peanut Butter Popcorn

Peanut Butter Popcorn

2 bags popped popcorn

1/2 Cup Sugar

1/2 Cup Corn Syrup

1/2 Cup Peanut Butter

Pour popcorn to large bowl (I try to remove as many unpopped kernels as I can)

Combine next three ingredients in small saucepan until sugar has dissolved almost a boil. Pour Peanut butter mixture over popcorn and stir until popcorn is evenly coated. This is best served warm, but you can store it in an airtight container.

If you want to see my favorite popcorn topping go here

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Kids Closet Oganization

2012-01-07T17:07:00.010-06:00

Today's post is on organizing the kids closet, I found these AWESOME printables here. On the right you will see a list of folders the Printable daily clothes tag is in the 3rd folder just scroll down to Daily Clothes Bag Tags PDF Or just click the link below

I don't know about you, but I dislike Monday morning chaos.

When I found these I was so happy not only do they have so many colors including the ones I use for our kids (we call the Family Colors). But they also have a space for you to write things for them to remember, like library book, jackets, homework, or just to remind them that you love them. It may seem like a lot of work to do this, but come Monday morning you will be glad you took the extra time.

My other kids Colors

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?3gne68v45ywe9oc

How do you organize your kids closet?

Organizing The Little Things

2012-01-05T07:45:00.006-06:00

I guess since it is the new year I am on an Organizing Kick, and I wanted to share with you some of my Organizing Secrets.

Today I am going so show you my soap boxes ( I love these little things)

You can find these almost anywhere in the trail size section.

My favorites are the Wal-Mart $.97 (the color ones)

and the bigger white ones I found at the BX with a round toothbrush holder included for $.55

Of cours we use the round toothbrush holder to hold pencils (not shown)

I use them for so many little things. Here are some that go in our Church Bag/Pack Mtg Bag.

These other ones hold some smaller school supplies, & card games. My kids love to build card houses, but they either rip the box puting the cards away or lose it. You can put together a little boardom buster house of cards kit.

Just a deck of cards and a soap box.

I also have one in my junk drawer to hold all those little screws, washers, bolts, & nuts

Last but not least my favorite way to use these little soap boxes is to help keep my purse organized. I carry this one in my purse to keep my Iphone/Ipod accesories close at hand ond neatly put away.

I hope you have enjoyed my little rant. I'll get off my "Soap Box" now.

Organizing My Space

2012-01-03T19:15:00.019-06:00

I got this shelf from IKEA almost a year ago and have struggled with how to organize it, I have lost count as to how many times I have rearranged the books. I think I have finally found the solution! My original inspiration came from here I loved how clean it all looked. So here's what I did to organize and clean up my space.

Supplies I used

A Heat Seal Laminator (I bought this ages ago at Office Depot)

Laminating Pouches (Sams Club sells a box of 200 for $20)

Crack N Peel Sticker Sheets (You can use regular scrapbook paper & glue them I just happened to have these)

White Cardstock

Velcro Dots

IKEA Magazine Holders ($1.99 for 5 awesome deal)

Color Printer

First I put together the magazine holders

I printed on the Crack N Peel some awesome free digital scrapbook paper from here but you can also use regular scrapbook paper

I put wrong sides together laminated them and than trimmed close to the edge so I could separate them and only have the design side be laminated

I printed my labels on basic white cardstock, I laminated it so both sides were laminated

Next I put the label sheet on top of a design sheet and cut them into three strips & than continued to cut the rest of the laminated Crack N Peel Sheets

I peeled the back off

And stuck it onto the magazine holder

I filled my magazine holder with like items in this case it was my sons school workbooks
This is functional in itself but I have a need for LABELS
I wanted to be able to change my labels (In case I changed things around a bit) So I added the Velcro dots. I have a hard time lining things up so I put the dots together than I stuck them to the magazine holder.
And now you have a nice, clean, cute & functional way to organize magazines, books & papers

The end result! What do you think?

A Brand New Start

2012-01-02T09:28:00.003-06:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2012!

It's normal for everyone to make a fresh start on New Years Day. Make resolutions for themselves like EAT HEALTHY, LOSE 20 or MORE POUNDS, ORGANIZE, MAKE BETTER RELATIONSHIPS, HAVE A CLEAN HOUSE, STOP YELLING AT KIDS (I'm just throwing that out there), SAVE MONEY. You get the idea! Every Year I try and I set these "Resolutions" knowing that I am NOT going to get passed the 2 nd week into the year.

So this Year I am setting Monthly ATTAINABLE Goals and go from there. I have always been a Journal keeper (since I was 12. I have 17 almost 18 books!) But since our mom passed away I haven't been as faithful to my own. I have written in my kids but have set mine aside. I am going to pick it back up starting NOW!

SO here are my JAN 2012 goals: 1) improve my blogging skills by keeping up with the blog and hopefully gain more readers as we do this. We have some great Ideas and giveaways coming up. We started this almost 3 years ago. Many blogs that have started then have a ton of followers and giveaways and...well you know cause you read them! We are just a small simple thing. We just like to share what we think others might be interested in seeing. Nothing too "Martha" Just something that we were able to accomplish (between us we have 9 kiddos to take care of!) Hopefully we wont let you down. 2) Clean out my craft room. (pics to follow!) 3) lose 8 pounds (that's 2 a week. I can do it right?) I will just start there remember I want to keep this attainable!

What are your GOALS for Jan?

My New Read

2011-12-20T13:45:00.002-06:00

SO this is what I am reading right now. I just started it last night. Have any of you read it? What are your thoughts? What is your favorite book?

Here come Santa Claus

2011-12-17T17:10:00.004-06:00

Adorable!

We have 1 week left for shopping. I have no idea if I am done. I had the problem of buying stuff and putting it in the pile. Now I need to do inventory and see if it is all balanced out. Last year I had a colored tote for each kid and that seemed to work but for some reason I was not on the ball with that this year. Now my stress level is at a high. Will I be able to get my act together and get it done before Santa comes? HELP!

How or what are you doing to keep yourself organized for Christmas? Any tricks up your sleeves you want to share?

Stuffed Cookie

2011-12-10T13:35:00.002-06:00

Stuffed Cookie is having a give away on Face Book! When they get 200 people to like them on FB they are giving away a free box (8 count) of cookies. They are almost half way there. Not only will they have a WINNER but there will be 4 WINNERS!!!! So lets spread the word and "like" away!!

Let the Countdowns begin.

2011-12-01T20:29:00.008-06:00

First of all to start off the day we went to the Festival of Trees . This has been a tradition for me and the kids for the last 4 years. We head over to the kids corner and do a few crafty things then walk over to all the BEAUTIFUL trees. Here are a couple of pics that my 5 year old took. (I think she did a great job!) The Festival is running until the 3rd so head on over with your family and friends. Be prepared to get a DE-LISH Cinnamon Roll. They smell AMAZING! All the proceeds will go to Primary Children's Medical Center So your helping a great cause!

Now we are going to be doing a couple of countdowns for Christmas this year. We are playing around with ones and see what our young family adapts too. We want to keep Christ as our man focus and help the little one know the Real reason for the celebration. So Grandma bought the kids the Chocolate countdown. Which is a perfect little treat!

My 5 year old brought the one below from preschool. Her teacher made each chain with a little act of service on it. CUTE! Today we sang a Christmas song. Some of the others are make cookies and share with another family, Give someone a hug, Help pick up toys, and many more. we are all excited to do this one.

Here is another one that we are going to try. I love all the wonderful ideas that are out there.

How do you countdown to Christmas with your family?

Christmas Cards

2011-11-30T11:22:00.004-06:00

This is our Christmas card this year. I got them from Costco 50 for $14.99! They are all ready to go out first thing tomorrow morning. I have to mail Dec 1st. That is the one thing that I am OCD about during the Holidays!

What is your must thing to do?

Many great Things are Coming soon..

2011-11-18T12:12:00.002-06:00

Getting ready for the holidays and we are getting back on track. Spread the news because we are going to have a fun filled blog up and running better then ever!

What are you doing right now to get ready for Thanksgiving?

The Hundred Dresses Cupcakes

2011-04-27T14:31:00.006-05:00

For our Relief Society Birthday Dinner tonight our theme is "The Hundred Dresses" Based off the book The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes. I was asked to do dessert, I thought cupcakes with dresses on them would be perfect. I have finished 48 out of the 60, How do they look?

Who wants a Cupcake!

2011-03-03T17:24:00.003-06:00

Arent these ADORABLE? Go here to find out how you can make a Onesie Cupcake!!!

Pillowcase Dress

2011-03-03T17:14:00.003-06:00

As today is the 2 year Anniversary of the passing of our mother, I felt like I could be a little crafty today. Not only did I take the kids on a walk in the rain but I came home and made 2 dresses from pillowcases. LOVE them!! I am thinking of making a ton of them for the summer.

This is something that I DON'T do.. so mom would be very proud!

New Menu Board

2011-02-22T08:34:00.003-06:00

Our new menu board (It might be a little overkill but we like it)

The all time favorite question in our house is "what's for dinner?" The kids now love being able to know what's on the menu each day, and Shane loves to change something if he is not in the mood for what we are having.

A Grapevine Christmas Wreath

2010-12-09T21:52:00.004-06:00

One of the dear sisters in our branch invited us over to do a craft night she and her husband provided fresh grapevine's for us to twist, braid, and turn into wreaths than decorate. When I first arrived there and saw the grapevine's and a wreath she had been working on, I thought I don't think I can do this. It looked hard and I am not good at making things round or straight. She soon had us get our vines and taught us what to do and eventually this 14 ft vine became this lovely wreath. I had so much fun, and it was such good company.

My Dream Box

2010-12-01T15:03:00.001-06:00

We are going to be homeschooling our children after our move, and I have been looking into storage options and found this awesome cabinet ("scrapbooking storage") , I have a million and one ideas dancing around in my head of all the things I could organize in this baby. It is kind of pricey, but I can dream, right?

Leftovers make Cupcakes

2010-09-29T11:01:00.003-05:00

I had left over pumpkin from when I made Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies the other day. And left over Apple Juice from the Doughnuts. SO made cupcakes!

Instead of adding the egg and oil that the box asks for I added pumpkin (half can if its the large can and full can if its the smaller) then instead of water (just to add more of a kick) I added the juice. I didn't know how they would turn out so it was a gamble. Then cool and frosted with
cream cheese frosting! They are EXTREMELY moist and do need to be cooked a little longer then on the box so watch them. I preferred them chilled!

(to make the pumpkin cookies just mix spice cake mix, 1 can of pumpkin (the smaller on if using lg just use half of it) the add Chocolate chips. Bake at 350 for 13 mins. EASY and something simple the kiddos can help with!)

Sunday Dinners

2010-09-28T10:34:00.003-05:00

Looks DE-LISH huh? We got a pork pic-nic butt roast over the weekend ($1.48 a pound) and I roasted it for 5 hours at 350. I sprinkled Moms favorite seasoning of all times....OLD BAY and that was it. It reminded me of all those wonderful Sunday Dinners that would bring us all together. And not just our immediate family...everyone could smell our parents cooking and everyone enjoyed it until there were NO leftovers.
One summer we had our family (parents plus 6 kids) and our Moms sister's family (parents plus 6 kids (they were visiting for TX for a couple of weeks)) so meal time at the house was a HUGE ordeal. One morning they made a MASSIVE amount of pancakes and eggs and bacon and toast..you name it if it was a breakfast food it was on the table. Mom was teasing one of the older boys (a Nephew) that the last one form the table had to finish everything! There wasn't room in the fridge for all the leftovers. SO needless to say he was the last and he finished eating everything on the table. It was one thing that mom and him remembered to talk about EVERY TIME they got together. She would always ask if he wanted pancakes! (I think he still turns green if you mention them!)
Great food, Great company and most of all GREAT memories.

Who says a Doughnut has to be Round?

2010-09-20T10:23:00.004-05:00

Mom always told everyone that I NEVER did things by the book. It would get done.. but in my time and the way that I wanted. Mom was also a perfectionist. For example her sewing, She would have to have the PERFECT stitch in place before continuing on. ME on the other hand would keep serging the neck hole til it feel off my shoulders (which it did and in the 80's it was the style. I would just put on a tank top under it!)

I wonder what she would say about the shapes of my yummy Doughnuts that I made. I know what she would say.. "These are delicious. You need to make them every time I visit." Which I would respond.. "uh-huh, Right on top of that Rose" (from the movie Don't Tell Mom the Babysitters Dead...I have said that ever since I saw the movie... its the perfect line!)

These are Apple Cider Spice Doughnuts I found them on the Our Best Bites Site. Mine aren't as cute as theirs but the are pretty darn good. And I agree with them. They do taste better the next day! I love this site they have some de-lish recipes. I am going to try these tonight!

Guess What I did...

2010-09-14T16:00:00.000-05:00

Yep it is so true.. I took ALL 3 of my babies (ages 3, 2, and 11 mo) to the Dentist today. I know you are thinking that I am insane to do this little venture all by my lonesome. But think about it. Which is worse? Making 3 separate apts and having to cancel one of them because someone is moody that day or sick (and yes, that someone is ME!) then is gets put off for who knows when and then the poor child or children have already lost all their teeth because I failed to get them in every 6 months for their cleanings. WHEW! I am already exhausted just thinking about that outcome. But I sucked it up and was the BRAVEST mother I could be and what a sigh of relief... its done! And the best part was that it was so painless.

The Dentist and his staff are amazing. They are all so patient with the kids and really took the time with each of them. After the Dr was finished with each child he went over how I can help them with their flossing and brushing while he was doing that the Techs took turns playing tag with my girls while I was getting tips on how to do my part. Its a real fun office. The girls loved watching Disney movies over head and they each got to pick out a new toothbrush. After the visit we received Report cards and inside were coupons for some yummy treats. (Ice cream cone from Arctic Circle and A free kids meal form Del Taco)

From this experience I hope to keep up on my kids treatments so that thy will have a healthy smile and not be afraid. We are taking baby steps and starting at a young age. Check out Little People's Dental on their site they have Videos on how to brush and floss and also how to prepare your little ones for a positive visit. Also one thing that was very helpful for me was the new patient forms were right there for me to print out. Since I filled out 3.. that saved a lot of time. Call them and make your little ones apt. You wont be disappointed....Your little ones are catered to! And that makes me one happy Mama!

Pillow Pet Giveaway!

2010-05-12T11:58:00.003-05:00

My kids are crazy over these Pillow Pets. When the commercial comes on everyone has to stop and watch it. My oldest (3) is in love with the Unicorn and reminds me every time she sees it. I personally LOVE the Lady Bug and the Bumble Bee. Want to win one! I do . Go Here And find out how.

Life Saver!

2010-04-15T14:52:00.002-05:00

My 3 year old is 95% potty trained (hip hip hooray!) She only is in a pull up or diaper during bedtime...one step at a time people! Anyway we decided to go to the park for lunch today and sure enough she had to go potty! Thank goodness for a genius someone who came up with this and that I had one in our van! You can find this at Babies-R-Us.

It's About Time

2010-04-08T12:43:00.002-05:00

I finally Finished Alex's Bunting for his birthday 1 down 8 to go.

My finished Orange, Lemon, & Grapefruit Marmalade

Let's help Spencer...

2010-04-05T16:00:00.002-05:00

This past March when my 5 month old son was at Primary's getting his 5th blood transfusion, We were sitting next to this brave little boy named Spencer and he was getting one of his treatments. He was Diagnosed with Stage 4 Rhabdomyosarcoma early this year.

Chick-fil-A in South Jordan is hosting "A Day for Spencer" tomorrow April 6th. If you can please join our family and many others to help Spencer. Chick-fil-A (SJ) is donating 10% of the stores daily sales from 11-7. All the donations are going to help with his medical bills.

Giveaway!!!

2010-04-01T19:15:00.002-05:00

Go here to learn of a neat giveaway!!!

Hurry because it ends April 9th!!!

How AWESOME is this?

2010-03-31T10:48:00.003-05:00

This is one of my favorite blogs to read. They have such AWESOME ideas to get your food storage going. The new post for them is amazing....who comes up with this stuff? Its genius!
Check it out!!!

Hoppy Easter!

2010-03-30T14:02:00.000-05:00

Great Giveaway!!

2010-03-19T10:01:00.002-05:00

Go Here for this awesome giveaway!! Wouldn't it be fun to make your own ice cream in 1/2 hour? My kids would be in Heaven if we owned this fabulous device. YUMMMM and think of the frozen yogurt parfaits that I could make. Oh my fingers are crossed!

I will HAVE these!

2010-03-18T13:07:00.002-05:00

Arent they cute shoes? Reebok Has some really fun shoes. They even have the easytone flip-flop. How fun is that? oh and dont forget the Running ones.... Oh the choices I have. I 'll take one of each please. :)

R U Prepared?

2010-03-17T14:23:00.001-05:00

I WANT THIS! Last day to enter for the giveaway!

This Months Read

2010-03-13T15:29:00.002-06:00

So I am reading The Secret by Rhonda Byrne. Feel free to join me in this read. I am only on page 20 but it already has me thinking.
Cant wait to hear what you think of it.

Gimmie Cookie!

2010-03-12T10:09:00.003-06:00

Go here and check out cookie mixes that are now available. My friend Stephanie at Red Riding Hoods Basket has just started selling her cookies in mixes!!!! I am so excited about this, her cookies are the BEST! My hubby would have hers any day over mine...well so would I. They are everything a cookie should be. I will be ordering mine soon. They will also make great gifts!

Check this out

2010-02-28T11:11:00.003-06:00

A friend of mine is finally starting a blog. You need to check it out. Right now its a work in progress (she just posted her first post!) But be patient because I know she has some AWESOME things up her sleeve!
So become a follower of her blog and you wont regret it!!! I heard through the grapevine she will have some giveaways even!!!!

I got our BB this morning!

2010-02-27T11:57:00.002-06:00

This is our first Bountiful Basket

2 Lemons,10 Banana's, 8 Apples, 16 oz. Strawberries, 5 Oranges, 5 pounds Potatoes, 2 pounds Carrots, 1 bunch Broccoli, 1 bunch Swiss Chard, 1 bunch leaf lettuce, 3 bunches Asparagus, and 10 Cucumbers Amazing and all for $15!!!! (there is a $3 charge for first time and $1.50 handling)
I also had the opportunity to volunteer and I think that I will do that EVERY time. Not only do you get your basket first but you get a little extra (2 small items or 1 big item) if there are leftovers after the separating is done. I really enjoyed it. Great people and so much fun.

I am HOOKED!!

Healthy for You and Kids

2010-02-26T10:21:00.002-06:00

I have just recently joined a Co-op called Bountiful Baskets and rumor has it that this week there might be some Swiss Chard in the Veggie basket.

So not ever having Swiss Chard in my life and wanting to introduce new things to my family I went on a search for a recipe that MIGHT be worth trying out. I came across Natural Family Recipes and found this. I am SO looking forward to my BB and hope that the Chard is in it so I can try this for Sunday Dinner!

Here's to the start of Healthy eating.... I will let you know how it all goes!

Olla Bolla's & New Headboard

2010-02-09T18:34:00.002-06:00

The Olla Bolla's

These are a traditional dutch treats made for new years. My mom used to make these around Christmas when I was growing up. I decided to make them each year for my family as one of our new traditions to keep mom close.

Before
I have been asking Shane for a bedroom set for a while, but since we are a mobile family and have to move frequently he didn't want the added weight a bedroom set would bring. So we compromised and made a hanging headboard (Not to mention a money saver too)

After

Well see..

2010-01-14T10:06:00.001-06:00

Look at that I already messed up and didn't do what I wanted to with this blog. I guess I just cant make commitments right now. Sorry!

doTERRA Giveaway..

2010-01-04T17:25:00.004-06:00

Click here for a great Giveaway. My neighbor just brought some over and I am hooked. I have had essentials oils before but that was years ago and I kinda got out of it. WHY I don't know. Now they are back in my life and I am happy. Love the calmness that is in my home right now. (having 3 ..3 and under I need some) Good luck. (well I would be lying if I said I wanted you to win...I hope the luck is good to me!) Before Jan 10th 2010

Putting Up The Cake Pans

2009-12-28T14:37:00.002-06:00

Until I get my life more organized and I have a little more time, I am putting away my cake pans. At least until June when Baby "J" turns one.

New Year..New Goal!

2009-12-23T19:17:00.002-06:00

I recently watched the Julie & Julia movie. I loved it. Only it really made me hungry watching it. I have a gazillion cookbooks and I thought I could do something like that....NOT! All though it sounds like fun. I have 3 kids ranging in age from 3 to 3 months. There is just NOWAY I could put that kind of time into something like that. (Watch the movie to see what I am talking about)

So I have decided to do more of my part in getting this blog a going! (I am not in a crafty mood right now so this is more of a hobby) I will start planning Menus and posting them. It will kinda fun to try new things and share how they turn out. This is a very big challenge for me because I am not a fan of cooking dinner lately. Not only do I have to worry about Breakfast and lunch and don't forget to throw in those snacks in between AND make sure everything is healthy. Then it comes to Dinner... Hubby would like a home cooked meal when he comes home. (thank goodness he is A OK with leftovers)

So for my goal I HOPE to post every Wednesday my week long menu. I am not saying that I am going to fully stick to it because sometimes you just have those rare moments when what you have planned is not what you want that day. I have found that making a menu for my family has really helped with Grocery Shopping. Tuesday night I make the menu and the shopping list for the recipes that are needed. (I have chosen mid week because the ads come out on Tues and sales start wed in my area).

I know this is a work in progress and I will do my best to share somewhat Healthy Meals. And I think to start out I am only going to share My dinner Menu's and will include some of the recipes that I find. Please feel free to leave comments of your menus and suggestions.

Well I need to get planning because the New Year is just around the corner!
Merry Christmas and Happy New year!

Shopping Cart Cover

2009-07-20T15:09:00.002-05:00

For Brooke's b-day I made her a shopping cart cover. I also made a second one for a very dear friend! (Simplicity pattern #4225). I made one for my daughters a couple of years ago and love it I use it all the time. This is a very EASY pattern. I was able to make it during nap time the other day! (kinda funny that I had the same fabric that she used for her diaper bag a couple of post back)

Zucchini Soup

2009-06-06T13:22:00.019-05:00

When we where planning my wedding one of my biggest concerns was, what am I gonna cook everyday? which is also todays biggest dilemma. One of the many things that Mom did with me or for me, was she order me a cooking magazine, that helped so much.
Since it was fall one of the first magazines I received and her and I looked thru and found this really simple, quick and delicious zucchini soup. So she decide we should cook it for dinner. I don't think any of the girls ever got the chance of getting this recipe before, so here it goes. Mom and our little family have enjoyed this recipe ever since then, almost 9 yrs.

Zucchini Recipe:
1/2 lb ground beef, 2 celery ribs, thinly sliced; 1/3 chopped onion, 1 can(28oz)diced tomatoes, undrained; 3 medium zucchinis, cubed; 2 cups water, 1-1/2 tsp Italian seasoning (if like me don't have, just add oregano, basil, into your palm and crush), 1 tsp beef bouillon (additional salt optional), 1/2 tsp sugar (optional if tomatoes too acidy),Pepper to taste, Shredded Parmesan cheese, optional;
I usually just have mozarella-cheddar mix. In a large saucepan, cook beef with celery, onions until meat no longer pink; drain grease. Stir in tomatoes, zucchini, water, italian seasoning, bouillon (salt), sugar and pepper. Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20-25 min or until zucchini is tender. Garnish with cheese as desired and enjoy!

Also I came up with my own version of Cheesy Butter Garlic Bisquits, just follow the recipe on the back of the box of Bisquick and then just add a bit of soften butter, some shredded mix cheese and garlic salt very carefully, because you don't want it too salty. And then also brush the bisquits with butter for a pretty golden color.
.
All you need are this very basic
ingredients:
Bisquick, milk, butter, garlic salt

Diaper Bag

2009-05-11T10:23:00.003-05:00

A Diaper Bag I made For the baby. I used a Amy Butler pattern from her book "Little Stiches, for Litttle Ones". It was really fun to do. I didn't like cutting out the 58 pieces but once I started to put it together I really enjoyed it.

There are two pockets on the sides that you can't see

An inside view

There are 2 pockets on each side of the center divider

Calzone...

2009-05-01T14:20:00.003-05:00

One of my hobbies that I picked up from Mom was baking. We would always try new recipes or at least tear it out of a magazine in hopes that we would try it.
So I thought that I would share with you what my 2 year old daughter and I made for Dinner one night last week. CALZONES!!!
You can use whatever pizza crust recipes that you like. I just used one out of the Betty Crocker Cookbook and because I am trying to start making things that are food storage friendly I ground up some wheat and did the half white flour half whole wheat flour.
Just roll out the dough into small rounds and let the little one go at it with the toppings. My daughter LOVED this part.

Fold over and press with fork around the edges and brush with 1 beaten egg. then bake. About 350 for 20 mins or until nice and golden.

And Presto..... delish!

Strawberry Shortcake

2009-04-21T08:29:00.001-05:00

This was a cake I did for a friends daughter's 1st birthday

Let's make Bunnies....

2009-04-06T14:47:00.004-05:00

maybe about 10 or so years ago. Mom and I were Visiting Teachers together and we saw some bunnies in the store and thought we can do this. Every year since I have made them for the sister's that I visit. Its fun and and so easy..

To make one you will need: 1 dish towel, 2 wash cloths, 4 clear rubber bands (i use the ones that are the small stretchy kind) ribbon to match, and candy of your choice

I start off by making the ears. I roll one wash cloth in a diagonal. The bottom left to the center and the top right to the center as below

Then I unfold the dish towel and place the ears midway leaving the back shorter then the front.

Place a band at the neck try to make it go around twice to make it hold. Then do the same at the base of the ears.

Now for the arms. Rolling the wash cloth for top to bottom meeting in the middle just like for the ears. Only not in the diagonal.

Place the arms just under the neck and secure with a band.

Fold the arms to the center and place a band at the end of the cloth

Then add your embellishments. Ribbon and candy. Great gift!

Baby Blankets, Burp Cloths and Aprons

2009-04-06T11:55:00.004-05:00

We are having a combined baby shower for me and two other women in our branch, between the three of us we are having two boys and two girls. (yes one is having twins) Instead of purchasing Gifts I decided to make them. These are the one's for the girls.

And this is an apron I have been wanting to make for almost a year now. It's finally Finished The pattern is from http://www.sewliberated.com/patterns.html I got the idea from Erin at http://sewflo.blogspot.com/2008/06/emmeline-apron-for-tracy.html Thanks Erin.

Sucker Mania

2009-03-20T15:59:00.002-05:00

When I was little my mom used to make homemade suckers every year at Christmas time. This past Christmas I was asking her if she still had her molds for the suckers, so I could give it a try. She couldn't find her molds, so for Christmas She sent me some new molds, sucker sticks, sucker bags, and a few flavors. Needless to say I had a blast and made about 5-6 dozen suckers in the first week I had the supplies. Thanks Mom