Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Why didn’t you tell me?

Do you ever have those moments where you are in shock with information that you just got and you literally have to say, why didn’t you tell me about that? Well I had a moment like that over the weekend. I said to my BFF how much i hated my dirty, sticky, laundry soap cap….

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and she said, “ I just throw it in the wash with my clothes and it comes out clean”. I sat there and thought Duh that is so simple.

So I thought I would share some of my favorite little tricks and see if anyone else wants to share what they know so we can all learn something and have less “why didn’t you tell me?” moments!!

properly-clean-dryer-lint-trap-200X200I clean my lint trap with the used dryer sheet that just got ran through the last cycle.

DSC03448_1196139983I am obsessed with disinfectant wipes especially in the bathroom and kitchen.

mr-clean-magic-eraserThe magic eraser changed my life when it comes to cleaning bathrooms, especially the shower/tub floors.

p_shaving_101_p03This one might be completely in my head but I read that a large part of what dulls a razor (other than regular use) is the water that sits on it after it is used, especially if you have hard water like me. So while I dry off after a shower i take my towel and dry off the edges of the razor as well. Like I said this could be all in my head but I swear my razor lasts longer.

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To help a blemish heal faster I put a little dab of Neosporin on it. I have no idea if this is even a good idea and I am certainly not a skin expert but I always think if it is supposed to help cuts heal faster and healthier doesn’t this just make sense lol.

 

wlwI blog using Live Writer and if you have never tried it I couldn’t recommend it more!!

What tips/tricks do you have?

**I was not paid, prompted or asked by any of these companies to blog about these tips!    

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Card Swap Party

I am so lucky to have the friends that I have!!!

In honor of one of my best friends in the world visiting me we gathered up some of my other most amazing friends ever and had a craft party/card swap.

We had five of us crafting. We each picked a category and made 25 cards. Then we divided them up so we each left with five of every different design (was that a confusing enough explanation LoL).

It was a great night filled with food, giggles, and crafts. Here is the result of the fun….

IMG_8296 Made by the talented Janna

 

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Made by the talented Natalie

 

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Made by the talented Molly

 

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Made by the talented Brandi

 

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Made by ME!!!

What kind of craft parties do you have?

***I should add that I have other amazing crafty and non-crafty friends that I would have loved to invite all they have to do is let me know they are interested! As for my bloggy friends that can’t make it to my hometown well that is why I post the pics so you can be a part of it lol.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Robin Egg Cookies (yep still using them up :)

First I have to say thank you to all of my loyal readers and followers….I can’t believe anyone would be interested in what I have to say but here you are and I am flattered. I plan to do a giveaway soon in honor of my latest follower goal being reached so come back and see what I come up with {wink}.

I am excited that I finally finished my new cookbook, so I thought it would be a perfect time to share a recipe.

IMG_8287 Remember how I have been trying to get rid of use up these?……

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As yummy as the Whopper Shakes were, it was time to move on.

I found a new blog that I love called Cast Sugar and she had a recipe for Whopper Cookies, and I put my Robin Eggs to good use yet again.

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These were chewy and delicious with that to die for malted milk “whopper” flavor baked right in!

Whopper Cookies

Ingredients:

2 1/4 c. all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 c. butter, room temperature

1 c. sugar

1/2 c. milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/2 c. roughly chopped Whoppers/malted milk balls

Preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in milk and vanilla, then gradually blend in the flour mixture. Do not overmix; stir only until no streaks of flour remain. Stir in the chopped Whoppers/malted milk balls.

Drop into 1-inch balls (Tbsp.-sized balls) on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 12-14 minutes, until lighty browned.Cool on baking sheet for 2-3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Do you have a favorite cookie recipe?

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Attempt One Failed, Do I get to keep the Awards?

Well after all of THAT can you believe it failed miserably? i plan to find another recipe and try again so stay tuned :)

Do you see that not even one sugar crystal ha ha!

But now I am worried that I may no longer deserve these amazing awards?!? lol

It must be blog award season because look what I have been honored with. I am feeling lightheaded with excitement over these three awards from three amazing blogger……

Should be Cleaning  Iloveyourblogaward                      

(I pass this one on to Bobbi, Disney, Allison, Kimberly, and Jill)

The Practical Mom guideHappy_101[1]

(I pass this one on to Ammie, Molly, Aubri, Lisa, and Leslie)

Both of these awards ask for………

Ten things that make me happy:

1. The sound of my hubby and son laughing together

2. Going on adventures with my family (camping, hiking, etc……)

3. Reading

4. Crafting

5. Loyal friends

6. Good food

7. Cookie dough

8. Tight hugs and snuggles from either of my boys :)

9. Family movie night

10. Lazy mornings

 

Ma What's 4 Dinner Picture-1_2

(I pass this one on to Stacie, Stephanie, Jandy, Amber, and Krystle)

This award asks for…………..

Ten honest facts about me:

1. I am so not a morning person

2. I hate falling asleep/napping during the day, I wake up feeling so groggy

3. I only wash my hair every other day  (is that gross?)

4. I loooove a good bargain

5. I am obsessed with the show Gilmore Girls and watch back episodes everyday while I work :)

6. I really hate cleaning our bathrooms (don’t worry I still do it)

7. I am the middle child of three girls and the hubby is the middle child of three boys (meant to be huh? wink wink)

8. I am a big fan of Twilight but I am part of team Edward when I am reading the book and team Jacob if I am watching one of the movies ha ha

9. I love to sing but not in front of people

10. I love video games especially anything Mario related and of course guitar hero (now you know)

What is something honest about you?

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Rock Candy (part one)

With a little inspiration from Fun on a dime and because my family is such a big fan of Glass Candy I decided I have to give rock candy a try!!

Apparently this is quite the touchy recipe and finding the right instructions has proven to be super tricky. I will post the recipe once I know that it works lol.IMG_8247IMG_8251

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My son is so excited and keep checking it like every ten seconds ha ha.

Now we wait and hope that it turns out something like this………   

rock candy Okay remember this is creative “attempts” so I plan to show you the good and the bad, but I am determined to make this work so cross your fingers :)

Monday, April 12, 2010

A feature and A cookbook

I am so excited to tell you that my new friend Andrea at Patchwork Pages is hosting a giveaway to one of my favorite places and doing a feature about me (insert HUGE smile here).  So please go check her out see what she has been up to, spread the word, and enter the giveaway :)

This is what I am currently working on……..I have that “one” cookbook that I shove all of my favorite recipes in……

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and I can never find a thing!!

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I decided to grab a binder and make myself a more functional version. Right now it looks something like this….

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It’s taking me a while to type all of my recipes up and print them out….

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but I think it will be totally worth it and I will have a digital backup of my recipes when I’m done too.

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It’s still a huge work in progress but I really hope it will be easier to use when all is said I done. Oh and I picked paper that I love to look at, the bright colors always make me smile.

Where do you keep your recipes?

Friday, April 09, 2010

Robin Eggs Recycled

If you are like me you are so sick of seeing Easter candy (or at least my scale is sick of it lol). So I have been trying to figure out what to do with a bunch of extra robin eggs (or I will eat them all in one sitting) and my hottie had a fantastic idea…..IMG_8077

IMG_8207You guessed it we made the best milk shakes ever….(i am sure whoppers would be just as yummy)

 IMG_8210We used one cup of robin eggs, one cup of milk, and a bunch of vanilla ice cream (just depends on how thick you like them). I bet some stores have Easter candy super cheap right now. I know I know I just figured out how to get rid of them and now I want more, what can I say??!!!

Seriously the best malted milk shake!!!

Monday, April 05, 2010

An interview and a bracelet

I am feeling unworthy of the bloggy attention I have received lately…and the love keeps coming. I was interviewed by Leslie an amazing and inspiring blogger at {words of me project}. I always leave her blog with my mind stimulated and a smile on my face. In honor of my first interview I wanted to show you what I made this weekend.

My craft inspiration for today’s project actually started a few months ago…..when we went to a swimming pool that had a water slide. In order to go down the slide they gave you a wrist band. I guess I should explain that my son loves jewelry especially bracelets and necklaces (is that a bad sign lol). He was super excited and wore his water slide bracelet with a huge amount of pride. So you can imagine the day it finally fell off (over a month later yuck) how sad he was. I promised to make him and daddy some “boy” bracelets so they could wear them all of the time. This is what I cam up with:

IMG_8146Yep the old school hemp style bracelet, he was soooo excited.

I started with some hemp twine….

IMG_8152  I cut four strands (the length will depend on the size you want)…..

IMG_8141I tied them off to something because they are easier to manage that way….

IMG_8142Then you want to decide what two strands will be your middle pieces and what two are the sides…….IMG_8143The next part is a little complicated to explain but I had these pictures to help, the website I had printed these off  of years ago isn’t around anymore so this is the best I could do……  

IMG_8203If you want to add any beads all you  have to do is slide them on the two middle strands and keep going in the same pattern (don’t worry it twists on its own)

IMG_8148I tied it off with a clasp and we were good to go :)

IMG_8149   I have a feeling I should make a backup so if this one falls off we can avoid drama lol.

Thursday, April 01, 2010

Want to know a secret?

It’s simple really……the secret is in the sauce!! I have to be honest when I first started blogging I thought “this is fun and all but what’s the point if I have no one to share it with?” And then I found SITS and was introduced to an amazing group of bloggers that welcomed me with open arms.

And today at SITS it’s all about me!! So if you are visiting for the first time I am so glad to have my SITSta’s here and if you are a regular friend of mine welcome back. The “about me” blurb to the right pretty much sums me up in a nut shell.  A huge thank you to Tiffany and Heather I am honored to be in their spotlight today!!

Some of my favorite posts

 

Cougar Town Inspired Necklace: Tutorial                                IMG_8014

                  Repurposed Spice RackIMG_6490

 

 

 

 

 

Crisscross Coaster Tutorial                                      IMG_7801

Last but not least….My favorite kids craft!!

 Edible Finger Paint