One Domestic Darling...

Don't let the Pigeon Run This App for the iphone

2012-02-12T17:55:00.000-08:00

I was very fortunate to get a chance to review one of Disney's Publishing apps, Don't let the Pigeon Run This App. They have several titles that are wonderful for young learners at home or even in a classroom setting at school. All Disney Publishing apps are available from the App Store on the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore.

Discription:
Rated as one of the “Best Apps in 2011” by iTunes, this app features the creative work of three-time Caldecott Honoree Mo Willems, who brings the Pigeon to the digital screen with this original, feature-rich, animated app. The app lets users create your own Pigeon stories and is fully animated with hilarious shake-and-play technology and customized voice integration. $6.99

As you all know, I am a teacher. Lately my first grade friends haven't been motivated to write stories. I found the Pigeon app the perfect motivator for them. We did an author study on the Don't let the pigeon author, read several of the books and I put my iphone under the doc Cam and zoomed in. Together the class and I created a story before our journal writing for a week. Each day, a different group of students got to come up and create a story. After creating the story infront of the whole class, we played the story and turned the words on. We used the star pointer and read the story allowed as we watched it come to life. The kids always get so excited and after the story is over they were very eager to get their creative juices flowing in their writing journals. On Friday we used the How to Draw the pigeon part of the app and did a whole class art lesson drawling the pigeon. This week the kids will be coming up with their own pigeon story we are going to publish.

This is a great app and I would be the other Disney apps are amazing as well! Want more information, click the links below and check them out!

For more information, visit http://disneybookapps.com and www.facebook.com/DisneyReads, or follow @DisneyReadson Twitter.

Crafts for kids

2012-01-29T09:18:00.000-08:00

Last night I went to babysit for a family a block over. As I normally do, I brought some crafts. Last night we made socktopus (with out the eyes, because I forgot the felt ggrrr) and fabric wreaths. I do not have step by step instructions for you do to the fact that the kids made these and I do not take photos of anyone I babysit for. I waited til the kids we asleep to take the photo.

For the Wreath:

*You need a gold metal craft ring.
I found mine at Hobby Lobby in the leather section. I do know that Walmart carries them and I'm sure other craft stores do as
well. They come in many sizes
*Fabric 3-4 patterns- about 1/2 a yard each. cut into strips *you will need a lot of strips.

~Cut the fabric into strips that are about 2 in. wide and 4-6 inches tall. (I pre cut these at home)
It juts depends on how fluffy you want your wreath to be. You can see the shorter pieces were used on the wreath on the right
hand side where the longer pieces were used on the wreath to the left in the photo above)

~Next lay out all of your fabric in piles to make it easy to pull from and easy to stick to a pattern.

~Then you take one piece of fabric at a time and tie it to the ring, (we double knotted them) following the pattern. Fabric 1, Fabric 2, Fabric 3, Fabric 1....etc.

~ Make sure to tie them tight and squish them as close together as you can, so your wreath will look full.

~That's it. That's all there is too it.... Take a large piece of fabric and cut it into a long strip and use it to tie a loop around your wreath to hang it if you wish.

The Socktopus:
~To make 1

* 1 knee high sock in super fun colors.(if you wan longer legs, or 1 regular sock if you want short legs)
~I got mine at Target yesterday in the woman's section. They were on sale for $1.50 a pair

* Some fluffy stuffing (you'd use to stuff a plush)

* 2 rubberbands

What to do:

~Ok first tings first, take your sock and turn it inside out.

~next gather together just the toe of the sock (like you would a pony tail) and rubberband it as tight as you can.
*Adult may need to help with this depending on the age of the child.

~ Turn your sock back the correct way and begin filling with the stuffing. Stuff to heel. A*You're making the head.At this time you
can shape the head to be more oval or round.

~ Take you second rubberband and wrap it around the bottom of your head to keep the stuffing in place. Again make sure it's wrapped tightly and a grownup might need to assist.

~ Now you have the leg of the sock left. You are going to cut the leg in half. Then cut each half in half, and do it once more until
you have 8 legs.

~ From here you can cut felt or use buttons for the eyes, attaching them by sewing or hot gluing... we didn't because I forgot the felt pieces at home, BOOO! The kids didn't seem to mind.

~You're done, that's it! We had the BEST Socktopus wars after we were finished. Finally something the kids can toss around the house that won't hurt the house (stay away from the room with the decorative plates though) or each other.

SpermCheck Fertitlity

2012-01-28T08:45:00.000-08:00

I was chosen to receive the SpermCheck Fertitlity product and share some information with you.

So before you're ready to make a baby, wouldn't it be nice to know that your hubby has enough little swimmers to get the job done? I know it is an issue for many couples when trying to conceive. Many times men may not want to go into the doctor to get is sperm count checked and it's understandable. Well there is a product that allows men to check this out in the privacy of their own home, called SpermCheck Fertitlity.

*I was so happy to be able to receive this product in the mail. When we start trying, this will help us to be aware of our chances.

The Facts:

*Each year 11 million couples will try and have a baby, but around 7 million of those couples will have fertitlity issues. Of those 7 million, 50% of the issue has to do with the male and most of them are mainly due to low sperm count.

*SpermCheck Fertitlity is the only FDA approved home check for men, that is as accurate as a lab and it's 98% accurate.

*The process takes about 10 minutes. It will indicate ifsperm count is "Normal" range (above 20 million sperm per milliliter, which is the accepted standard for normal sperm count.

Product Features:

~Like I said before it's:

* It's FDA approved
* 98% accurate
* It can be done in the privacy of your own home.
* It's fast and easy to use

~New info:

* It's retails for $39.99

You can buy this product right now at www.walgreens.com
It will be available in Walgreen stores nationwide in April 2012.
For mor information check out their website here: SpermCheck Fertitlity

If you'd like a chance to win this product here is all you have to do:

Subscribe/Follow to my blog and leave a comment letting me know you have done so.

Extra Entries:

Go to www.spermcheck.com and tell me something you've learned.
Share this giveaway on your blog and leave a comment below telling me you've done so.

*A winner will be picked Feb. 7th.

World's Easiest Banana Bread

2012-01-24T14:56:00.000-08:00

Ok, so Pinterest, you all know how much I love my Pinterest. I found a great recipe for the World's Easiest Banana Bread! I was iffy about it but it turned out great and tastes really good too!

Here's the info:

Ingredients:

1 box of yellow cake mix
2 Eggs
3/4 ripe to over ripe bananas
Pam for Baking (to spray in the loaf pan)
Flour (to sprinkle in the pan after the Pam)
*and any toppings you'd like to add- I added walnuts
Loaf pan- 2 small ones or 1 large *I used 1 large pan because it's what I had in the kitchen*

Directions:

*Set oven to 350
*Mash bananas in a large bowl. I used my stand mixer for this (WAY EASIER)
*Add in all of the other ingredients (including your toppings)
*Spray the loaf pan(s) with with Pam
*Sprinkle flour in the loaf pan(s) - I just dumped some flour in the center of the pan and tilted the pan around until it was lightly covered.

*Pop it in the oven.
*If you are using two smaller loaf pans: 35-40 minutes.
*If you are using 1 large loaf pan (I did): 50 minutes

The loaf: (minus a slice.... quality control)

Here's the piece I sampled:

Babies

2012-01-19T17:10:00.000-08:00

One of my VERY BEST FRIENDS, just announced on facebook that she's pregnant. I am so excited to be welcoming a new little life into the world this July. The sweetest thing I think, is that my friend and her little sweet pea, will share a birth month. YAY!

So as soon as I found out I went a shopping. So far I've gotten her a a subscription to Baby Talk Magazine, that I just told her about. I also got her a few outfits and accessories that I haven't sent her yet I'm going to send her a few things every month until she has her baby and then I'm creating a HUGE basket of goodies that I'm going to ship to her since she lives in another state and I know I would be able to throw or attend a baby shower for her.

I so wish I could throw her a baby shower. I was her Matron of Honor and threw her one of her 2 bridal showers. It was expensive to do on my own, but so worth it since the people in attendance could not make it to her second one (which was out of town). I have so many cute ideas for baby showers..... maybe next time we get a chance to hang out, I'll have a little mini just her and I baby shower. LOL

HAPPY BABY DAY! YAY!

Great deal websites

2012-01-19T15:11:00.000-08:00

Ok so here are 2 of my great deal website you can sign up for. They NEVER flood your email inbox and you can earn cash back or get great products at a great discounted price!

Ebates.com
Get money back on purchases you were going to make anyway! It's an amazing thing. And they are almost always running a promotion for new members where you can get $5 or a free gift card after you make your first purchase.

Groupon:

This website is great discounts for restaurants, goods, getaways, and deal in your area, or areas you'll be traveling too. I have bought a lot of $20 of fare for $10 at restaurants. I've also got some GREAT discounts on fun activities for myself as well as for gifts.

Check them out, they are both free to join and you can delete your account whenever you want!

Happy Anniversary

2012-01-13T08:39:00.000-08:00

Today, at about 4pm will mark the time day and time that my hubby and I said I do. We have been married 5 years, today. HOORAY! We have had a wonderful and crazy 5 years of moving right after we got marriend, to adopting two dogs, to moving out of state and everything inbetween. I am so grateful to have found someone to share my life with. We really do complete each other.

I am please to share with you some photos from our special day. Don't mind the order, I'm just going to upload them in one big bunch.

DIY Binder of Cuteness! (No Sewing)

2012-01-09T14:33:00.000-08:00

Ok so I've been wanting to do this for a while. I saw a binder covered with fabric on a website this Summer and I loved them, but they were SO expensive (I'm talking $45-$50), and I wasn't about to pay that much even though they were SO CUTE. Well a few months ago I decided I wanted to attempt to make my own. So I went out to my local craft store, and Target picked up some fabric and ribbon and some hot glue sticks a binder, and some dividers and they'be been sitting on my bookshelf for months!

Ao today my creativeness FINALLY said, "LET'S MAKE THIS BINDER". Keep in mind here that I didn't have any directions or tutorial to go by. I just kind of made it up as I was going along. Here is what I did step by step to make it earlier today. I hope you really like it!

Items needed:
Binder
2 types of fabric
batting/felt padding
ribbon
Hot Glue
Hot Glue Gun

*Open binder flat and measure and cut felt to match the entire length of the binder and hot glue the edges down.
~It doesn't have to be cut perfectly at all. It won't ever be seen! I used some scraps I had left over from a Snuggle Monster.

*Next measure out your binder fabric by opening up your binder and placing in on top of the fabric. (I was measuring for two that's why you can see the colored fabric. If you just measure for one you'd see the back side of the fabric. Fold the fabric inside the binder so that you can see how far it will cover of the inside (and that it is covering close to the same amount on each side).

Remember to leave a little extra fabric on the top and bottom to fold over and glue. That way you won't see any of the white binder.

*After you have it to where you think you're going to love it, cut out the fabric.

*Next You are going to want to glue the extra fabric you left on the top and bottom of the binder all the way across.
OOPS, I didn't take a photo to go along with this, but you'll see where I did it in the photo that goes with the next step.

* After you've glued the top and bottom, you are going to fold over and glue the sides.
~You can see here where I folded over and glued the top and bottom first.

*Make sure you glue these ends down well so you won't get loose fabric on your binder anywhere.

*Now you'll see the area on either side of the silver bar that is not covered. You can still see the white binder. So you are going to take the second fabric you got and cut a piece about the size of the front cover of the binder (This size will also depend on what size binder you get).

*Fold the two ends into the middle of the fabric and cut down the middle.

*Now you have two pieces. Fold over the edges and glue. I used pins to help keep everything in place while I glued.

*After you glue both pieces, you are not going to glue them into your binder, and now the inside is done.

*Here's what the binder looks like so far.

*Now to decorate. At this point you can do whatever you want. Add buttons, more of fabric 2, ribbons, you name it. The possibilities are endless. Here's what I did.

I decided to use some of the left over fabric 2 and some ribbon I had picked up. I knew I wanted to layer the ribbon over it but wasn't sure where I wanted it to go. So I played around a bit.

Option 1:

Option 2:

Option 3:

UGH, I am never good at choosing, unless it's for something I know I don't want.

I finally chose option.......1.

Now for this all I did was fold and glue the fabric like I had done earlier I glued that down to the binder first and then I cut my ribbon. TO prevent my ribbon from having those frayed edges, I took a lighter to it. It almost melts the edges of the ribbon. That's a little tip-a-roo from me to you! So I glued the ribbon on top of fabric 2.

I had extra ribbon so I then took some and glued it to the spine of the binder as well.

Well there ya have it... the binder is done and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the way it turned out. Not bad from pulling the directions out of no where and just giving it a try!

Final product:

***I'm thinking about selling these from my Staceybug Creations Facebook page for $15-$20.... can't decide on the exact price.

Christmas Cards Book Stage 3

2012-01-06T20:20:00.000-08:00

Stage 3: Decorate

**Please bare in mind that I do not have access to any of my scrapbooking supplies since they are sadly all in storage.

I took some left over sheets of scrapbooking paper I had that look a little Christmasy (from a present I had made for the holidays) and cut them down to the size of the clear sleeves. After that I centered the cards onto the paper and stuck them in. I decided I didn't want to add any embellishments due to the fact that many of the cards already have enough, and I wanted the cards to be the main focus.

(Please excuse the poor lighting in the photo. I don't know why I always decide to work on this in the evenings when there is no natural light shining through and the lights on my fan give everything a yellow glow. )
You can see one of my dogs Sammy in the corner!

If you read my earlier post about the binder clips... I used one of them here! They are the best things ever. I used it to label the side of my binder. I also took some scrap pieces of paper and slid them down the spine. It was NOT the easiest thing to do let me tell you. The big piece was very difficult to get in.

Now by this time I had hardly any paper left so, not wanting to leave the front cover blank, I threw together a little something to temporarily put in the front pocket. I'm going to HUNT for a small piece of cream paper to stick in the center to give the cover a title. Until then it remains blank.

At this point I'd say Christmas Card Book complete, except for the fact that I need to redo the front cover.
Went I can get into storage, I will take the rest of the Christmas Photo Cards I have from years past (that are in order from 2007-2010) and do the same thing with them as I did to these. When that happens I will also use the sticky divider tabs (that I talked about in an earlier post today) to divide the cards up by years.

Hope you enjoyed taking this little crafty adventure with me.

Keeping Things Organized

2012-01-06T11:54:00.000-08:00

Ok, so there is this GREAT website seejanework.com and they have all kinds of great stuff to help you get organized. I wanted to share with you two products that I just received today (yes I ordered them).

The first one is called Clip-on Label Holders.

These little clips come in packages of 4 (black or white) for $10. I LOVE these. They work great on scrapbooking albums and binders that you may have stacked on a shelf. All you do is use the little white labels (or create a colored one of your own-which is what I'm going to do) and slide it on the spin of your binder. I created a label from a piece of paper I cut just to give you an example of what it might look like.

Don't mind the photo quality. I should have taken these photos with better lighting.
These photos show you what it looks like on the spine, from the side and how it clips into your binder.

Next:
I bought these SUPER CUTE and SUPER HANDY Sticky Tab Dividers.

They are so cute an colorful. These little guys come in handy for organizing binders for school, recipes, bills, a presentation... you name it. They just peel off and stick on. I'm in the midst to test them out to see how long they'll stay on without coming off. So far so good. They've been on a little notebook of mine that has been jumbled in my purse, sat on by one of my dogs, shoved in a drawer... don't you worry I'm not going easy on those little tabs.

Here's a photo of how they come when you order them.

Closed:

Open:

Organize your cleaning schedule.

2012-01-06T08:21:00.000-08:00

Ok so, for the new year how many of your goals was to get organized when it comes to cleaning?

Groopdealz has a $6 Clean Mama Printable Cleaning Kit. You print it up and use it. I think I might laminate it after printing so if things need to change it will be a lot easier to make adjustments.

Click Below to check it out!
GROOPDEALZ

Christmas Cards Book Stage 2

2012-01-05T20:18:00.000-08:00

Stage 2: Put the sleeves in the binder.

I ordered this cute little binder to put the sleeves in.

Now I need to go find some cute, and on sale Christmasy paper/stickers for Stage 3...

Christmas Cards Book Stage 1

2012-01-05T16:56:00.001-08:00

So this Craft project is going to come to you in stages. You'll see it just as I am creating it.

I usually toss the regular cards but I always save (at least since I've been married) the photo cards. The bummer about saving them is they just sit in a pile and they never get looked at. So this year I've decided to do something about it. I am going to make a Christmas Card book and have divided sections for each year. I think it will be fun to look back over the years and see how our are friends and family have grown and changed over the years.

Stage 1:

Just get the photo cards in the sleeves so they don't get lost or dusty.

So what do you do with your Christmas Cards after the Holidays?

GroopDealz

2012-01-04T21:33:00.000-08:00

Hey friends,

Ok I'm sure a lot of you know about this site already, but I want to mention it just incase you don't. It's GroopDealz.

This is an AWESOME site where vendors can display their goods at a discounted price for you to pick up! I've gotten so many lovely things from this site, hair bows for some sweet little girls I know, jewelry for myself and for gifts. They have great home decor vendors too!

The vendors can only list their items for a certain number of days, so if you see something you like you need to jump on it and buy one. They are adding new vendors all the time, so check back and buy often!

Here's the link one more time for GroopDealz!

2012 New Years Sale Haul

2012-01-02T17:49:00.000-08:00

First off I'd like to say, HAPPY NEW YEAR! Can you believe it's 2012 already? WOW, time sure does fly when you are an adult. As a kid I remember it always being so slow...

Ok so for the past two days I've been hitting all of the the after Christmas/New Years sales and let me tell you my friends, the pickings are good. Here are a few things I picked up today!

BEST DEAL OF THE DAY:

Online at JC Pennys - if you have little ones, you NEED to buy this outdoor table/chair/umbrella set. My cousin shared this on her FB. It's on MAD sale for $15. After shipping it's only $22.some odd cents. However if you use the 15% off code listed, Y11NOVAP it will be cheaper. I didn't notice the code before I bought, LAME!

Forever 21:

Now, I'm going to be honest and say that I think a lot of the clothing at this store is really cheap and not worth buying. However, if you look you can find some nice items and the prices are right.

Sheer Yellow Sweater $13

These two tops, one is blue, and one is a whitish color were $13

I am a teacher so for $6.00 this cute little apple necklace was a must!

Disney Store:

So I miss the days at the Disney Store when they carried adult clothes (I don't miss the clothes then, but the a lot of what they put out now is CUTE). I walked in there on a whim, before I left the mall. I found this CUTE sweatshirt and it was only $20.... SCORE! I'm thinking it will be SO CUTE on Valentines day!

Victoria's Secret:

There Semi Annual Sale started today. So I walked in there and bought 5 pairs of undies (you don't need to see those right?) and this CUTE pair of Pink sweat pants. They are red though the camera doesn't really show it. I got these bad boys for $10.

I also got this Shimmer Body Powder in Amber Romance. (They had other scents too, I just happen to LOVE this one).

Bath and Body Works:

Ok so I went here a few days ago, but thought I'd save it for my haul post. I really didn't need anything from here, since I'm pretty stocked up on hand soap, but I did find a few goodies. I got a body wash for my hubbie that smells really good (75% off). I got some refills for our car air freshener (50% off) one more foaming hand soap and this hand lotion that smells really good and leaves your hands feeling silky smooth. I couldn't stop touching my hands after I put it on. It has the scent of vanilla bean noel but not super vanilla-y smelling.

Alright my friends, there are some amazing deals out there.... GO GET EM!

Adventures in Babysitting

2011-12-29T12:01:00.000-08:00

So last night I went to babysit for a neighbor and their friend. I had 4 kids ages 3,5,6, and 10), 3 girls and 1 boy. Now, as any good babysitter knows, you bring fun things for the little Monkey's to do. In my case it's usually some sort of craft or cooking/baking project. Usually we make craft projects that the families love and keep and not so much the paper and glue stuff.

However today we did use some paper (scrapbooking paper) and glue Mod Podge). We also used large Chip Board Letters (You can also use wooden ones that are easy to find). Everything needed for this project can be found at any craft store. I just happened to go to Hobby Lobby.

What you will need:
~Scrapbooking paper
~Stickers
~Sand Paper
~Foam Brushes

~Large Chipboard (or Wooden) letters

~Mod Podge
~Tin Foil or Wax Paper

*Ok first things first, line your workspace with the foil or wax paper (to prevent Mod Podge from slipping where you don't want it)

*Put your Chipboard letter down on the Foil.
*Start ripping your scrapbook paper and play around with the layout to see how you want it to look on your letter.
~~(Do not cut/rip it to fit. You want the pieces to hang off the letter and over lap... you'll see why in a bit).
*After you have a pattern lift all our pieces off and smother one section of your letter with the Mod Podge. Don't be afraid to put a lot on and place your first piece of scrapbooking paper down and press firmly.
*Repeat this process over and over until your entire letter is covered.
*Next brake out the stickers and add some if you wish.
*Take more Mod Podge and place a nice even layer over the paper and stickers. (Cover even the parts of the paper that are hanging over the edges) Don't worry it dries clear.
~~At this point your your letter wont look like it's suppose to since your paper pieces are majorly hanging over the edge (just like it's suppose to).
*Wait until the Mod Podge dries. If you get the glossy Mod Podge (It's cheaper than the matte) it will be shiny.
*When it's dry you are going to take you piece of sand paper and sand the edges of your letter. The sand paper acts almost like scissors and will rub off the scrapbook paper.

*That's it. Well that's all we did. You can get some ink pads and then go back and ink the edges or do whatever you want. The possibilities are endless. Just have fun and create.

Here is our finished products from last night (minus mine).

Christmas Gifts for the Kids in My Life

2011-12-28T11:33:00.001-08:00

So because I had A TON of kids (10 that I can remember off the top of my head) to give to this Christmas I decided it would be more fun, and cheaper to make gifts. This year's go to kid gift was what I call a Snuggle Monster. I even made them for my hubby's co-workers. They drew names but I wanted to make sure everyone got a little something from us. I wasn't sure how they would be received but I have to say, kids and adults alike really like them! YAY, SUCCESS, happy dance!

Here is one I just made for my father-in-law's co-worker to give to her grandson!

Want to see more Snuggle Monster goodness? Check out my Staceybug Creations Facebook Page (my acutal website is down):
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150434898656705.359127.127505016704&type=3

The Christmas Rush is Through

2011-12-27T19:17:00.000-08:00

I hope you all had a wonderful Holiday. We had a nice relaxing day of food and gifts. My brother-in-law was flow in from California to spend some time with us!

Christmas at Casa de Rapp with our pups Pudge (yellow lab) and Sam.

Missing Disneyland

2011-12-19T19:25:00.000-08:00

Missing the Happiest Place on Earth.

Photo from pinterest

Giveaway

2011-12-19T10:42:00.001-08:00

Keep your eyes open for a giveaway after the new year! I can't wait to share it with you!

FFFFFFFFFFFF

2011-12-16T13:48:00.000-08:00

So last night I was making Greek Butter Cookies and I kept hearing "fffffffff". I couldn't figure out what it was. Everyone was asleep except Brendon who was upstairs playing a video game and I knew that wasn't it. I'm looking all around and finally I figure out that it IS coming from upstairs. I look up and see this:

Do you see what I see?

Let me zoom in a little closers. Can you see it now?

Ok if you are thinking I am crazy, and don't see anything, don't feel bad because I looked at that exact spot 5 times before I realized that the sound is coming from the little black circle which is actually a nose belonging to this little guy:

SILLY PUDGE

Gingerbread Cheesecake Bites

2011-12-13T13:16:00.000-08:00

Gingerbread Cheesecake Bites
Source: Pinterest

1 30 oz package Pillsbury Gingerbread Cookie Dough (refrigerated section) * I couldn't find it so I used the Betty Crocker mix)
4 oz cream cheese
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Cinnamon (optional)

*Set oven to 350
*Place paper liners in mini muffin pan.
*Roll 2 teaspoons of Gingerbread Dough into balls and place them into a mini muffin pan .
*Make a well or indentation in each ball to fill the cookies. I used my knuckle.

* Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla to create the cream cheese filling.
*Place filling into a piping bag **I used a ziplock bag and snipped an corner off.

*Fill each with a teaspoon or so of cheesecake mixture.**Do not over fill the dough, when the cookie bakes it will rise.

*Bake at 350 degrees for 9 minutes, or until the cookie part comes out with a nearly clean toothpick, they will continue to bake a bit when the pan is out of the oven cooling down.

**option: I sprinkled cinnamon over the tops just as they came out of the oven. YUM!

There ya go! They are really good! Enjoy!

What's on Deck

2011-12-13T13:10:00.000-08:00

Today we're making a Sweet Pepper Cheese Ball and Gingerbread Cheesecake Bites.

YUM! Recipe and photos of the Gingerbread Cheesecake Bites to come soon!

Giveaway for a KILLER Camera bag!

2011-12-07T22:19:00.000-08:00

Ok so you all know that I got a GREAT NIKON SLR Camera for my birthday. Ever since then I've been learning all types of photo tips and tricks. Well one thing I found is I am nervous to take my camera out and about with out lugging the MASSIVE case that it came with, with me. It only has room for my camera base and 2 lenses. Where is my wallet, keys, phone, chapstick, etc. suppose to go. There is no way I'm about to bring my camera bag AND a handbag. I maybe be crazy but I'm not nuts.

So there is this line of camera bags that are SUPER CUTE and super, and holds more than your camera. They are called Jo Totes. Check them out! They have all types of styles and colors. This one is on my Christmas Wish List.

It's Betsy-Chocolate (but I also LOVE the Besty- Mustard too). I just figured the brown bag would go with more. Isn't it cute. It can fit not only my camera goodies but all of the other goodies I need for a day out.

Anyway, over at A Bowl Full of Lemons is giving one of Jo Totes bags away. SCORE! So head over if you want to enter.... but be warned, I want it too!

Ricotta Cheese Cookies

2011-12-06T13:58:00.000-08:00

This much-loved cookie recipe is quick, easy, delicious, and pretty. You can't go wrong! I found this on Pinterest ! I love that website.

Makes about 100 if you scoop them small.

For the cookies:
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
1 (15 ounce) container of ricotta cheese
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 cups all-purpose flour

For the glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
milk (Didn't give an exact amount so just add and mix slowly)
sprinkles

*Preheat oven to 350 F.
*Mix all of the cookie ingredients well until the dough sticks together into a big ball. It will be sticky.

*Drop by teaspoon fulls on an ungreased cookie sheet.

*Bake 10 minutes (*I found that it took quite a bit longer 15-20 min.) or until the bottoms turn golden brown.
Let cool for 1 minute and then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
*Remember they are suppose to be moist so don't freak out if it's soft in the center.

*In a small saucepan slowly stir milk into the powdered sugar until it creates a glaze thin enough to be spread over the cookies. Stir over low heat then spread over cooled cookies. *I didn't heat the milk. I just dumped it in after I pulled it out of the fridge*
*Quickly top with sprinkles.

Tis the Season

2011-12-06T13:57:00.001-08:00

TO BAKE! I've got 4 cookie recipes I'll be sharing with you over the course of the next couple of weeks!

First up will be Ricotta Cheese Cookies! YUM! Stay tuned!

Zero Scale

2011-12-03T07:26:00.000-08:00

Ok my friends, so even though the Holidays are among us, and along with that comes all of the yummy food! With that it can be hard to watch our weight and when we do, some of us can get so stuck on the number on the scale and not on the fact that we are shedding inches and gaining muscle mass (which can be why the numbers on the scale aren't going down and may even go up a bit).

So, I got a chance to review, for free, a scale that makes stepping on the scale fun and motivating. It's called The Zero Scale. This scale has not just helped me not worry about how many pounds I weigh, but motivate me to make smarted choices when it comes to food and exercise. It's super easy to set up. Here's what makes this scale different and AWESOME. You step on the scale and it weighs you (but doesn't let you know your weight (you can find out if you wish). Then each time you step on the scale after that, it tells you how many pounds you've lost or gained since your last weigh in, and how many pounds you've lost total since you were first weighed.

I've been using this scale for a few weeks now and I've lost 8 lbs. and I'm excited to keep going.

Here are some awesome details about this scale you need to know about!

*This scale can have up to 4 different users and a guest mode.
* It has a 1.3" LCD display
*Measures in pounds and kilograms
*Measures up to 397lbs./180kg
*12.5"/12/5" platform
*There is a 10 year warranty.

Check out The Zero Scale here!

The great people at Zero Scale are offering you 15% off your first purchase on their site. Simply enter the code "zero" to received your 15% off!

Review: Game: Crossword Cubes

2011-11-29T14:37:00.000-08:00

Ok, from the makers of My Grocery List and Take Out, I come to you with yet another game from Marina Games that is great for both kids and adults. It's called Crossword Cubes. So this game is a cross between Scrabble, and and Boggle.

You have a cup and letter dice. You role the dice and you build as many words as you can off of each other (like in Scrabble), and once you have finished you add up your score and it's the other players turn. First to 300 points wins. Such a simple game that brings loads of fun and stimulates the mind to REALLY think while having fun, fun, fun! Here's a photo of the words I made when it was my turn!

As a teacher I'd love to have several Crossword Cube games set up in my classroom as May Do activity. It's a GREAT way to help build vocabulary and work on the student's spelling as well! Also this would be a great game to play at home for the same reasons!

I'd say Crossword Cubes is another winner from Marina Games.

Review: My Grocery List- A Matching Game

2011-11-28T12:49:00.000-08:00

I have been lucky enough to review the children's game My Grocery List by Marina Games. This is like memory but more exciting. You get a grocery list card with the name and picture of the items you are shopping for that day. You also get a large shopping basket card. You turn all of the game pieces over that contain the shopping list items. Then you play like normal except, you are not looking for a pair of cards, you are looking to match the card to an item on your list. If you find an item then you get to place it in your basket. This game is great for color recognition, as well as letter and word recognition.

The sweet girls I played this with adored this game, especially since we pretended we were really in the store making comments when it was our turn like, "Oh yay, there is that sack of rice I needed. Now I can make it with the steak I was planning on cooking for dinner tomorrow night". They thought it was a kick. Great for kids ages 3-7 and you can have 2-5 players.

Just in time for the holidays this game would make a great stocking stuffer or a great gift on its own. Here is the contents of the game!

As you may recall I also had the chance to review the game Take Out. This game too was created by Marina Games.

Our First Feature

2011-11-28T07:42:00.000-08:00

HOORAY for us, we've been featured over at Crumbs and Chaos with our BEST EVER CREAM CHEESE COOKIES! YUM! Here's the link if you'd like to check it out along with some other YUMMY looking cookies! It's the perfect blog post if you are hosting or going to be a guest at a Cookie Swap!

Crumbs and Chaos

Thankful Day 26

2011-11-26T20:17:00.000-08:00

Today I'm thankful that all of the Christmas Cards I ordered came in. I have 30. 10 of one typs and 20 of another. I just couldn't decide. I am so thankful they all made it here in one piece and not bent. YAY.

Here's the only problem. I have 30 cards and quite a few more people to send to this year. HHHMMM I may just go get some photo cards and print off a photo of us to put in there.

I will post our Christmas Cards after Christmas or at least closer to Christmas for you all to see.

Thankful Day 25

2011-11-25T18:11:00.000-08:00

Today I'm thankful for Black Friday Shopping.....ONLINE. I didn't have to worry about crowds, parking, people spraying me with pepper spray in order to get what they wanted (yes that actually happened at a Walmart in LA). I got some great gifts for the hubs! About noon or so went out grabbed lunch and went to the Yankee Candle store.... buy 2 get 2 free. AWESOME! I got two Christmas candles and I let my hubby pick 2 he liked too!

Thankful Day 24

2011-11-24T11:22:00.001-08:00

Today I'm thankful, today I am just thankful. I am just blessed.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Thankful Day 22 and Day 23

2011-11-23T12:23:00.000-08:00

Day 22:

Today I am thankful for Greek food. Being Greek we never had a typical Holiday meal. When we were little my mom would ask us what we wanted for Thanksgiving/Christmas/Easter dinner. We would always say "Turkey and Greek food". I love the stuff. This will be my first thanksgiving in 31 years that I haven't had Greek Food for Thanksgiving. Makes my heart sad, so tomorrow I am going to find a Greek restaurant and have Greek food the day before Thanksgiving... not the same but it will have to do.

Day 23:

OK I hit save yesterday instead of publish so you get a twofer today.

Today I am thankful for the funniness that is my Dog Pudge. Today I was watching Youtube on my Apple TV and all of a sudden a radio talent from AZ pops on the screen and starts to sing and Pudge jumps on the bed and starts barking at him! SO FUNNY! So I turned it off and every time Pudge walked passed the TV he'd pause and growl in a low tone. SILLY GUY!

Thankful Day 21

2011-11-21T16:14:00.000-08:00

Today I'm thankful for having things to look forward too. Big things, small things, it doesn't matter.

List of things I'm looking forward to:

*Subbing in my little cousin's classroom tomorrow
*Peppermint Cocoa mix from Williams Sonoma (must get on Saturday)
*Holiday baking
*Wrapping Christmas gifts
*Finishing up Christmas gifts for 8 special little cousins.
*Starbucks Peppermint Mochas
etc.

Thankful Day 20

2011-11-20T19:52:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for my cousins, The C family. They took time out of their trip back home to make a detour to see me! I haven't seen them in a year so I was so excited, and overjoyed to get the chance today. The kids are growing and I got to meet baby J for the first time today. He was so full of smiles and happy to be around new friends. We chatted a bit, played a lot and had some BBQ for dinner.

Today (and everyday) C Family I am thankful for you. Thank you for bringing so much love and joy into my life. I will always remember the special times we share!

Our traditional Greek Girl Photo. Ever since M was a baby, we've taken a photo together, Me, my cousin D, her daughter M, and D's mother. We're missing a member of our photo, but I am thankful we got to take a picture. We have only missed one year of photo taking, when M was 3yrs old.

I bought M a rainbow ribbon to twirl around! She loved it.

I bought S and Baby J each a ball and when it bounces it lights up.

Baby J and his ball! He loved sitting with me and making them light up. Such a sweet happy baby boy!

Baby J and I!

The kids played and ate and got PJs on. Just before they left, I gave each child a Snuggle Monster that I had made (sorry no picture). So happy they like them!

Thank you again C family for making the journey to come see me. I love and miss you guys!

Thankful Day 19

2011-11-19T17:56:00.000-08:00

Today I'm thankful I got to spend some fun time with Sammy at the park today. We walked the creek, and laid in the sun! I am so blessed to have this little furry friend in my life. Happy Birthday (yesterday) Sammy.

Thankful Day 18

2011-11-18T20:21:00.000-08:00

Today I'm thankful for the birthday boy, Sammy. We rescued him from the Monterey County Animal Shelter in 2008 and we are so blessed to have him in our lives. Sammy is the sweetest, most loving and friendly dog you could ask for. Everywhere we take him, Sammy is always making a friend. Sammy is such a great dog, and is always there when you need a little pick me up. Happy Birthday my Sammy Boy, I love you!

Thankful Day 17

2011-11-17T17:44:00.000-08:00

Today I'm thankful for Yankee Candles and the memories they have helped to create. Each candle sent I love hold a special memory for me. There is a candles my mom would burn every year at Christmas and each time a smell it now, it takes me back to Christmas at my parent's house as a child. So today I'm thankful for not only Yankee Candles, but the memories they have helped me hold onto over the years.

Thankful Day 16

2011-11-16T18:39:00.000-08:00

Today I'm thankful for the fact that I get to see my cousin Deme and her family on Sunday. I haven't seen her for about 1 year or so. They live in New Mexico and I've gotten a chance to see them once a year when they'd come to CA to visit Deme's mom. Last year we missed our visit, so I am REALLY thankful we'll get to spend a little time this weekend.

Can wait to see you guys!

Home Depot Christmas Tree Project

2011-11-16T14:51:00.000-08:00

Ok check out thise SUPER COOL Christmas Tree that Home Depot came up with made completely out of string and bulbs. It's so pretty, and clever.

Want to learn how to do it yourself, here's the link

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Balls

2011-11-15T17:20:00.001-08:00

Ok, here is the recipe for Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Balls, yet another find off of Pinterest!

Ingredients.

1 1/2 C pretzels
1/2 C creamy peanut butter
1 Tbsp butter, softened
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/8 tsp salt
3 Tbsp powdered sugar
1 C semi-sweet chocolate chips *(I used milk chocolate)

Directions
~Crush pretzels into small bits -*I put them in a plastic baggie, wrapped it in a towel and crushed it with the back of a measuring cup).
~In a small bowl, combine peanut butter, butter, brown sugar and salt. Stir until all ingredients are completely blended and smooth.
~Add pretzel bits to peanut butter mixture and mix thoroughly.

~Add powdered sugar and, again, mix thoroughly.

~Prepare a chilling tray--a dinner plate covered with waxed paper works well.
~Take about a teaspoon of the peanut butter pretzel mixture and roll it into a ball. I used a spoon to scoop and help me shape the ball (keeping one hand clean). If the peanut butter starts sticking to your fingers, your fingers are too warm. Run your fingers under cold water for a minute to chill them, and begin rolling again.

~Place the peanut butter balls onto the pan. When you have rolled all the balls, place the entire plate into the refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes.
~After the peanut butter balls have chilled, prepare your chocolate. Pour the chocolate chips into a small microwaveable bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds and stir. If needed, microwave for another 10 seconds and stir again. Continue until the chips are completely melted, which means they stir easily into smooth, fluid chocolate with no lumps.
~Place one peanut butter ball into the melted chocolate and gently roll it around with a fork until completely coated. Remove from the bowl with the fork and place back on the waxed paper plate. Repeat for all other balls.
_Once all the peanut butter balls are coated in chocolate, return the plate to the refrigerator and chill another 30 minutes.

~Then enjoy!

Thankful Day 15

2011-11-15T16:52:00.001-08:00

Today I am thankful for being loved by my students past and present (the ones I sub for). I really don't think they know how much they can effect our day. Really, I could be having the best day and have one of them tell me "You're the best teacher ever" and just boost my happy day even further. I could also be having an awful day because of personal reasons or school related ones and I hear "I appreciate you", "I am so glad you're hear today", maybe it's a hug or a sweet little note that can just make the gloomy clouds over my head vanish. So thank you out there to all my students, the ones that are in college now all the way down to the ones I spent time with on Monday. Thank you, I am so thankful for you all!

Since all of my other notes/pictures etc. are packed away with my classroom stuff here are two notes I got yesterday from a very special first grader.

SOUND+SLEEP Adaptive Sound Therapy System Giveaway

2011-11-15T13:26:00.000-08:00

Giveaway

Ever have trouble getting to sleep, maybe you're like me and have recently move and miss the sounds of where you once lived, or you just had a baby and all the middle of the night feedings are making it hard to get in what little sleep you need, or you work long hard days and need something to help you unwind while you fall asleep, well the SOUND+SLEEP Adaptive Sound Therapy System would be GREAT for you. Click the link below to enter to win!

Go over to Natalie's Sentiments and

Thankful Day 14

2011-11-14T16:03:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for my little cousin"-in-law" ( I guess is the correct term) Mia and thankful that I got to be her substitute teacher today, her birthday! I have had Mia and her WONDERFUL parents in my life ever since we moved here to Texas (and I guess before too on Facebook, but in person is so much better) and I am so happy to have them as apart of my family.

Mia is the sweetest little 7 year old I know. I enjoy her smiles, her silliness, her chats with me at recesses and her hugs. Her parents are just as wonderful and I can see why Mia is turning out to be one terrific young lady.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY LITTLE FRIEND MIA. Today (and everyday) I am thankful for you.

Thankful Day 13

2011-11-13T16:47:00.000-08:00

Today I'm thankful for having a job subbing. It's not the job I want, but right now it's as close as I can get to having my own classroom once again. I enjoy working with children so very much and I love that no matter how old they get, no matter what road they take, I've an effect on them, I've touched their lives, I've helped them to become what they will be, and what they are today.

Thankful Day 12

2011-11-12T20:15:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for Christmas photos. We took our photos today. Now since I was not only part of the photo, but also the photographer, we decided to just do the hubs and I, and add photos of the dogs to go along with ours. It worked out great! I'm just trying to figure out how to get the card I've designed to be 6 X 7.5 so that I can get them printed at Costco!

No photo today because our Christmas Cards are going to be a cute surprise.

Take-Out!!!

2011-11-12T16:30:00.000-08:00

Wether you are a teacher or a parent, we know how it can be hard to get our kiddos motivated when it comes to learning. You can't have paper and pencil activities all the time, especially when it comes to math. Sometimes you need to get out of your seat, sit on the floor and play a game, a game that doesn't feel like learning!

I was lucky enough to get a chance to review a great game dealing with addition and subtraction too! The game is called Take-Out!
It's a dice game that is "Fast to learn, and Fun to Play".

Here's how you play.

~Each player starts out with 50 points. Your goal is to not get up to 150
~You roll the red (they are really orange but the directions say red) dice that show the actual numbers on them.
~Then you roll the two white dice.
~Add up the numbers you rolled on the white dice.
~Look at the red dice and remove two dice that add up to the number on the white dice. (Example: If I rolled a total of 8 on the
white dice I need to find to red dice that add up to 8 like a 5 and a 3 or a 6 and a 2).
*You can only take one one combination of numbers (so only one set of numbers that equal your total).

~Then the player continues to roll the white dice and remove that total of red dice until you can no longer remove any red dice or you have used up all your red dice.

~If you have no red dice left YAY for you. Subtract 10 points from the 50 you start with. If you do have red dice left over. You need to add up the red dice and add it to your total.

Then it's the next players turn. You keep going until someone either reaches zero points and wins or someone reaches 150 points and loses.

It's pretty simple to play. I think this game would be GREAT for second graders (7 and 8 year olds). The box does say 8+ though. In second grade we work on adding and subtracting two digit numbers as well as single digit numbers. So this is a perfect game for that.

The game is for 2+ players, however I think that you could very well play against yourself and have fun too! I wouldn't play with more that 3 players however. Kids are engaged when it's their turn but not so much when it isn't their turn. So if you are playing with someone who takes a while to add or subtract the other players can lose interest until it's their turn.

This game is great for adults too! My husband and I enjoyed playing it. Tonight I tested this out with some second graders and they loved it as well as the fourth graders that played after. I would use this game in my classroom. In fact I think I'll buy a few so more students can enjoy the game at the same time!

Want to get Take-Out for your classroom or your kids? Check out the website. You'll find this game as well as plenty of others. Christmas is coming, these would make amazing gifts too! The gift of knowledge and learning...and having fun along the way... priceless.

Starbucks Happiness

2011-11-11T13:09:00.000-08:00

So on my way home today I decided to stop and get the hubs an iced tea from Starbucks and ordered a Tall Peppermint Mocha Frap for myself. Well I get to the window, pay, grab the tea and then grab a MASSIVE Peppermint Mocha Frap. The woman at the window said the guy just decided to make me a big one. So thank you Starbucks man, I appreciate it! YUM!

Thankful Day 11

2011-11-11T12:37:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for the men and women who have served/are serving our country. You are the reason we have what we have and can do what we do. I am so very grateful to you all and everything you have done, are doing and will continue to do in the future!

Thankful Day 10

2011-11-10T14:19:00.001-08:00

Today, I am thankful for my cousins! Growing up we didn't have much of a relationship at all. Living 2 hours and 30 minutes away, our parents never got us together more than once a year. Growing up I wanted nothing more than to have a relationship with them, and it just never happened. Over the past few years my cousins and I reconnected online and over the last year we really started doing things together. It has been amazing. I love them and their kids and really cherished the moments we spent together before I moved out of state. One of my cousin's lives in NM, and I hadn't been able to visit with her as much and waited for the days they'd come out to CA to visit her mom. They would always give me a call so I could come and hang out. Those were special times and I feel so blessed to have been thought of. Even though we're far apart, I do hope and pray that the relationship we have built with each other will continue to grow.

Today, I am thankful for you, Juli, Chrissy, Deme and Benny (and all of your little kiddos as well). Love you guys!

Thankful Day 9

2011-11-09T14:18:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for thoughtful friends and surprises in the mail. Today, with emailing, facebooking, text messaging, it seems like the art of letter writing has been lost. I know we are all busy, and have families, jobs, chores and a pack of wolves on our heels, but it's always nice to take 5 minutes to just sit and write a letter to someone who's been on your mind. It makes you feel good and it makes that special someone feel good too.

I love writing and receiving "snail mail" and here's why:

1. It's feels so great to know that someone in your life took the time to sit down and actually write you a letter, totally focusing on what they want to say to you.

2. I love picking out some cute stationary/card (or making my own) with that person in mind that I want to write to.

3. I get so excited when I open the mail box and I see an envelope in there addressed to me that isn't a bill or junk mail.

4. It makes me feel appreciated and thought of I know someone took time out of their busy life to sit for a few minutes and think about me.

So today I am thankful for Snail Mail and the thoughtful friends who still love to send it to me. Thanks pals!

Here's a card I made to send to a friend when I take the time to sit down and write here a little note tonight!

Reindeer Munchies

2011-11-09T12:41:00.000-08:00

I got a free recipe booklet from Land-o-Lakes Butter and thought it would be super cute to make with/for kids!

Ingredients:
5 cups sweetened corn & oat
honeycomb-shaped cereal
2 cups thin pretzel sticks,
broken in half
1/2 cup LAND O LAKES®
Butter
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter*
1 (11.5-ounce) package (1 1/2 cups)
milk chocolate chips
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup red and green candy-coated
milk chocolate pieces
Ice cream cones, if desire

Preparation time: 25 minutes | Total time: 45 minutes | Yield: 12 cups
Reindeer Munchies
Let the kids measure the ingredients and shake the bags for
a sweet snack. santa and the elves will gobble it up!
Combine cereal and pretzels in large bowl; set aside.
Place butter, peanut butter and chocolate chips in medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH (100%
power) for 45 seconds; stir. Continue microwaving until butter and chocolate are melted (15 to 45 seconds). Stir
until smooth.
Immediately pour chocolate mixture over cereal in bowl; stir until well coated. Spread mixture evenly into single layer
on 2 waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Refrigerate 20 minutes to set.
Break into bite-sized pieces; divide mixture between two large resealable plastic food bags. Pour 1/2 cup powdered
sugar into each bag; seal bags. Shake bags until mixture is well coated. Place 1/2 cup chocolate pieces in each
bag; seal bags. Carefully shake to distribute chocolate pieces.
To serve, spoon mixture into ice cream cones, if desired. Store mixture in resealable plastic food bags or container
with tight-fitting lid in refrigerator up to 4 weeks.
*Substitute almond butter or hazelnut-chocolate spread.
TIP: Add more powdered sugar after storage, if needed.
TIP: For longer storage, freeze in container with tight-fitting lid or resealable plastic freezer bags up to 2 months

mini pumpkin pie croissants

2011-11-08T17:25:00.000-08:00

I split this recipe because I only had one tube of crescent rolls, but here is the full recipe I got from Pinterest.

Yeilds: 32

Ingredients:

2 tubes of refrigerated crescent rolls

Filling:
1/2 block of cream cheese
1 cup of canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
3 T sugar

Dipping:
4 T sugar
1 T pumpkin pie spice

Directions:

Roll out the rolls pull apart and cut each triangle in half length wise.

Mix filling ingredients together until smooth and fluffy.

Place filling on each triangle

Roll em up

Mix together dipping ingredients.
Roll each crescent in the dipping mix.

Place on cookie sheet and bake at 375* for 15-18 minutes.

and that's it. SIMPLE and good. These are not meant to be super sweet.

ENJOY!

2011-11-08T17:20:00.001-08:00

“How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”

Thankful Day 8

2011-11-08T16:21:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for my very dear friend Hetal and her family. They have been such a big part of my life for the past few years. They have almost taken me in and made me a little part of their family. Hetal is a good friend and she will always give you her honest opinion, no matter what. She always helps me to see "the other side of the coin" to make sure I'm making the right choices when I need her advice. She's fun loving, thoughtful, and really one of those friends you always wish you had. Her little son Z, is amazing. He brings, like his mom, so much joy to my life. Just hearing him say my name Sacey (Which has now graduated to Stacey...sniff,sniff) makes my heart smile, so much so, that his mom's ring tone on my phone is him singing happy birthday to me!

Thank you Hetal for your friendship and everything you have done for me. I am thankful for you (and little Z too).

Blog Frog

2011-11-08T16:15:00.000-08:00

If you haven't, go check out Blog Frog! It's a great way to find blogs you may be interested in reading, and to help others find you! There are great communities to join based on your interests! Check it out!

Something Yummy this way comes

2011-11-08T10:49:00.000-08:00

On the recipe roll for today: mini pumpkin pie croissants.

This will be my first time making them (like most things I post) so we shall see how they turn out. Official blog post and recipe to follow. Here's a photo I snagged from Pinterest as a little teaser for you.

Thankful Day 7

2011-11-07T14:00:00.000-08:00

Today, I'm thankful for family. Through thick and thin family is important, family is always there, and family always forgives. I love my family.

Today's seems short and sweet, but family doesn't have to be complicated.

Thankful Day 6

2011-11-06T08:08:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for the cooler weather. It's been all kinds of CRAZY HOT out here, but just recently it's been cooling down and I am OH SO GRATEFUL for that. Where I'm from in California 75 degrees is getting warm..... so this cool weather has allowed me to to feel a little more at home!

Thankful Day 5

2011-11-06T07:47:00.000-08:00

Edit: So I guess I clicked save instead of publish, HA! Ok so here's day 5.

Today I am thank for my dogs. Being here in Texas with no friends and no one to hang out with has been difficult and lonely at times. It is VERY challenging for someone like me to go from constantly hanging out with some amazing people, to then hanging out with just myself. My dogs have made this process easier, by being a constant form of entertainment!

Meet Sam and Pudge (the yellow lab).

Thankful Day 4

2011-11-04T19:55:00.000-07:00

Today I am thankful for little ones. I am so grateful, to have been blessed with the gift to work with children. They enrich my life so much and I learn so much from them each and every day I am lucky enough to spend time with them. I love all the hugs, challenges (some more than others) and heartfelt moments we've shared.So to all the little ones who have ever come into my life, the sweet and the not so sweet ones, thank you, thank you for being you and being such a blessing in my life.

Just a few of the kiddos I'm grateful for:

Thankful Day 3

2011-11-03T13:37:00.000-07:00

Today I am thankful for Brendon's parents for letting us stay with them here in Texas until I can get a full time teaching job. It's been such a relief to know we don't have to stress out about a place to live! Thank you for opening your home to us (and our two pups).

Christmas Shopping

2011-11-03T13:26:00.001-07:00

Ok, so I know we haven't even hit Thanksgiving and Halloween just past, but if you are like me you like to get your Christmas shopping done early. Well, The Crafty Nest Blog is having a giveaway for a super awesome prize that would make a great gift if your loved one has an iphone, by Uncommon. You send Uncommon your image and they create a phone case with that image on it. Want to see an actual one follow the link to see what one actually looks like and to enter for your chance to win, win win!

CLICK ME!

Thankful Day 2

2011-11-02T13:09:00.000-07:00

Nov. 2nd

Today I am thankful for my friend, Amanda M. We met through out job and right as she was hired by my former principal, the boss herself came to find me and told me, we just hired our 4th grade teacher. Her name is Amanda and I think the two of you would get along great! And boy if she wasn't right. We are two snowballs from the same wrapper. She has been an amazing friend. We can act stupid and silly and not worry about embarrassing each other. We can have serious "life talks" and go on random trips and no matter where we are or what we talk about we are ALWAYS laughing at some point. When I moved to Texas this Summer, Amanda decided she wanted to Road Trip it in the car with me as we drove from California. That's a true friend to sit in a car with you for 2 and a half days. She made a VERY HARD experience one thousand times easier.

Thank you Amanda for your continued friendship. I am so thankful and blessed that God has put you in my life.

Thankful

2011-11-01T14:08:00.000-07:00

November is the month where were really sit and think about what we are thankful for. I encourage you to write down, blog, facebook, tweet, one thing you are thankful for everyday.

Nov. 1st:

I am Thankful to have a husband who loves me very much!

Let's Talk Fiber

2011-10-30T13:04:00.000-07:00

EDIT: The WINNER IS KIM R. CONGRAT! I will be contacting you shortly!

Ok, so fiber, it's important to have in our diets. It's apart of healthy living, but it can be hard to get enough fiber. I have been very fortunate enough to have gotten the chance to Review a product called Konsyl Psyllium Fiber. Here's what you need to know:
(taken from Konsyl's site)

We’ve all heard about the digestive and other health benefits of having enough fiber. In fact, only certain soluble fibers, such as the psyllium fiber in Konsyl, have multiple health benefits, because of its gelling action.

Konsyl is the #1 doctor-recommended all natural psyllium fiber supplement. Konsyl Original and Konsyl Easy Mix psyllium fiber products are all natural, gluten-free and contain no sugar or sugar substitutes. They are safe for celiac patients, diabetics and pregnant and nursing mothers.

Dr. Paul Senter, MD of Colon & Rectal Surgery in Fort Worth, Texas says: “Konsyl is the best source of natural bulk fiber on the market today. Konsyl is pure psyllium which allows the highest dietary fiber per dose. My patients prefer Konsyl over many other bulk-forming laxatives because post surgically, Konsyl provides them with the easiest elimination.”

All you have to do is put a spoon full into at least 8oz. beverage mix and that's it. You can't taste it, the powder doesn't sink to the bottom. Seems like a pretty easy way to get that fiber we all need.

image from Konsyl's website:

Want to test it out? Ok then it's Giveaway time.

Here's what you've gotta do. (leave a separate comment for each entry) A winner will be picked on the morning of Nov. 6th.

*Make sure to leave your email address so I have a way of contacting you if you win.

1. Subscribe to my blog.

Entra Entries:

*Go to Konsyl's website and tell me one thing you learned about fiber or the products.
*Share this giveaway on Facebook
*Share this giveaway on Twitter
*Share this giveaway on your blog.

31 Giveaway

2011-10-27T15:00:00.000-07:00

Have you all heard of Thirty one? It's a company that sells products to help you stay organized! I have quite a few products and I LOVE THEM! Over on A Bowl Full Of Lemons they are giving away a gift certificate for Thirty One. I don't know about you but I'd get over to her blog and enter to win.

Here's the link again if you missed it above: ENTER HERE

Good luck!

Best Birthday Present Ever

2011-10-22T18:58:00.000-07:00

So my birthday was on Tuesday, and my hubby, the wonderful guy that he is, got me what I have been wanting for the longest time, an SLR camera! He got me a NIKON D3100! It's so nice and it came with 2 lenses a camera bag, a soft case for one of the lenses, and a memory card! YAY! I've been a picture taking fool!

Here are a couple:

Sammy on the Patio:

Pudge wanted to play with his ball and when I told him no he said....

I also went to a Greek Festival today with the Hubs to celebrate my birthday since it fell on a Tuesday and he had to work. It was so much fun and I had the BEST food at a Greek festival that I've ever had!

Zorba's Plate:

St. Sophia's Church:

And the winner is....

2011-10-21T13:26:00.002-07:00

The winner of the Keri lotion giveaway is.....

JULIE!

Texas Roadhouse Cinnamon Butter

2011-10-18T14:32:00.001-07:00

Found this recipe on pinterest, not sure where it came from. It didn't link back to a website, but it looks so good and is SUPER easy. Must give it a try!

Texas Roadhouse's cinnamon butter.

Ingredients:
2 sticks of butter (room temperature),
1 cup of powdered sugar,
1 cup of honey
2 teaspoons of cinnamon.

Directions
Mix it all together until it’s the consistency you want and it’s ready. Super easy!

Halloween Decor

2011-10-12T20:15:00.000-07:00

Halloween Decor ideas brought to you by Willow House.

Spooky Elegance:

Also, here's a glimps of our new jewelry line!

***Want to be kept in the loop? Click HERE ign up for my newsletter***

Keri Lotion Review and Giveaway

2011-10-11T14:27:00.000-07:00

Keri Lotion is a brand that has been around for 50 years. If that doesn't sell you right away, well then keep right on reading.
The Keri Brand Hydro-Deep Technology absorbes into skin helping to keep you skin moisturized, so it looks and feels its best.
Keri has 5 types of lotion to fit every woman's skin needs:

Origional, Advanced, Shea Butter, Basic Essentials, and Luxurious.

I chose the Basic Essentials to review. Keri Basic Essentials is a lightweight lotion that is made with Vitamin E and Aloe Vera, leaving your skin soft and smooth. This lotion leaves your skin soft and smooth all day long.

I hate lotion that you can feel on your skin log after you've rubbed it in. Keri Basic Essentials is not like that at all. I smooth it over my skin and it instantly disapears leaving my skin feeling cool, smooth, and refreshed. It makes my skin feel so vibrant.

Keri lotion is fairly priced as well ranging in price from $5.99-$7.99 and can be found all over, Walmart, Rite Aid, Drugstore.com as well as other places.

So, there is only one thing left to do... find out which Keri lotion is right for you.
Click HERE, and find out.

For a $2.00 off coupon to try Keri Lotion just CLICK and print.

Want to win a bottle to try? Here's what you've gotta do. (leave a separate comment for each entry). GIVEAWAY CLOSES, Oct. 21st.

* Go to Keri Lotion's Website and tell me which Keri lotion you'd like to try.

*For an extra entry:

~Subscribe to my blog
~Post a link to my giveaway up on your facebook, twitter and/or blog and leave me a comment telling me you did so.

Willow House- Creative uses for our products

2011-10-11T13:57:00.000-07:00

Check out this great use for one of our French Wire Convertible Basket. Such a great idea, especially if your laundry room is small and you're low on space!

Photo from:I Heart Organizing.

Work Space

2011-10-10T22:39:00.000-07:00

from Becky Higgins:

I love this work space:

Happy October

2011-10-10T22:15:00.000-07:00

Time is just flying, and I can't believe it's already October. Today is my mom and sister-in-law's birthday, so HAPPY BIRTHDAY to them. My birthday is coming up on the 18th where I will be turning 29 again for the 3rd time, HA, no I'll be 31 and I'm happy to admit it... why? Because today someone asked me if I was old enough to vote. HOORAY, now I'm guessing this person wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed but still was nice.

I will have a review of Keri Continuous Moisturization Lotion coming soon as well as a giveaway. Excited? I know I am.
Until next time Happy October!

Sassy Water

2011-09-24T15:39:00.000-07:00

~taken from pinterest.com

Now I don't know why it's called Sassy water but it looks pretty so I made it.

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

2 q. of water
1 medium cucumber
2 lemon
1 teaspoon of grated ginger
10 mint leaves.

Directions:

*peel and thinly slice the cucumber
*wash and thinly slice your lemon
*grate 1 teaspoon of ginger
*wash and pick around 10 mint leaves.

*place everything in the water jug

*leave in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.

7up Biscuits

2011-09-24T15:31:00.000-07:00

~taken from Pinterest.com

2 cups Bisquick
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup 7-up
1/4 cup melted butter

Direction:

*Preheat oven to 450.
*Mix sour cream into biscuit mix
*Add 7-Up.

* Melt 1/4 cup butter in a 9 inch square pan.
~Makes a very soft dough and sticky.
*Sprinkle extra Bisquick mix on board or table, and your hands and pat dough out to about the size of the pan and cut 9 biscuits.

*Place cut biscuits in pan, they might not fit perfectly, but just squish.
*Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

SO good and picky husband approved!

That time of year is coming...

2011-09-23T12:30:00.000-07:00

What time of year is that, my Birthday Day of course. You know how several store, you frequent have Birthday clubs you can join and they send you something for your birthday? Well, my most favorite store of all time, Anthropologie sent me a birthday card good for 15% off my next purchase. Now this might not seem like a lot for most stores but for Anthro, you take whatever savings you can get. At any rate, they really make the cutest birthday cards. Last year they sent one out that had a birthday candle necklace attached to the card and look how clever this years is.... they just continue to top themselves.

Thanks for thinking of me....

THE BEST EVER CREAM CHEESE COOKIES

2011-09-22T16:57:00.000-07:00

These would be great with a cup of coffee! YUM!

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter (room temperature) *I only had salted and it didn't make a difference
3 oz. Regular Cream Cheese (room temperature)
1 1/2 Cups Confectioner's Sugar
1/2 Tsp Baking Powder
1 Egg (room temperature)
1/2 Tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
1 3/4 Cups All - Purpose Flour
super fine sugar

Directions:
*Heat your oven to 375 degrees and line your cookie sheets with parchment paper. *I just sprayed my cookie sheet since I didn't have parchment paper.

*Place butter and cream cheese in your mixer bowl and beat for 1 minute.
*Beat in the sugar and baking powder.
*Add the egg and vanilla and 'Beat Until Fluffy.'
*Beat in the flour.

*Chill for 30 minutes for drop/roll cookies, one hour for cut-out cookies.
*Scoop by rounded teaspoon full and dredge drop cookies (roll balled cookies) in superfine sugar.

*Bake for 7-9 minutes.
*Cool for 1 minute on cookie sheet then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Enjoy!

Mickey Mouse Bag

2011-09-16T18:54:00.000-07:00

I decided I wanted to make a Mickey bag, and I found a template for Mickey's head online. Here is my test run bag to make sure everything was going to stick properly. So here it is!

I hand stitched a boarder around each Mickey head, and sewed a button on each and then tied fabric around the handles. Now on to make the real bag.

Groupon

2011-09-15T14:22:00.000-07:00

If you haven't signed up for Groupon do it now. It's totally free and wonderful. Basically, you can either get emails or just go to the site (after signing up) and get great deals, discounts and coupons. Today I got a great one for Red Robins. The deal was this: for $10 you can get a $20 gift card. No need to wait for it in the mail. After you buy it, you can print it up right then and there. If you print it and misplace it, no problem, you can print it again, but remember you can only use it once. If you buy more than one, you'll have two different certificates to print.

Here's the link to sign up:

http://www.groupon.com/r/uu9188920

Jamba Juice Coupons

2011-09-14T09:17:00.000-07:00

Sharing the wealth with you my friends:

Click HERE for link to coupons.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Brittle

2011-09-13T12:33:00.000-07:00

This recipe is very easy and tasted just like brittle and chocolate chip cookies as well!
Adapted from Nestle Tollhouse Cookie Cookbook

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups flour

1 1/4 cups chocolate chips or any other type of chip you see fit (milk, semi sweet, toffe, butterscotch, peanut butter, etc.)
*I used milk chocolate and white chocolate chips -1 c. MCC and 1/4c. WCC*

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line a cookie pan with parchment paper. *I didn't have any so I just greased the cookie pan.*

Mix the butter and vanilla.

Add in the flour, sugar, salt and chocolate chips, and mix it all together until well combined.

The dough may be fairly dry and crumbly, no worries!

Dump the dough onto lined cookie sheet.

Press it into a thin layer using your hands. Mine didn't completely fill the cookie tray, so don't worry if yours doesn't.

The thinner you press it, the crispier it will be and the quicker it will cook, so adjust accordingly.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, check, if edges are lightly brown and center is set, remove from oven.

Allow to cool COMPLETELY. I stuck mine pan in the fridge to speed up the process.

Break up into pieces, I just used a knife and cut in random pieces.

That's it, SO SIMPLE, and SO GOOD!

Apple Dumpling Goodness

2011-09-08T15:05:00.001-07:00

So, Summer is coming to an end and we're coming up on one of my two favorite seasons, Fall. I love the trees changing colors, the weather getting cooler (halleluiah, Texas Summer is NOT FUN, I've come to learn). So, with all the excitement of Fall approaching, I had yet another itch to bake something. This time I've made super yummy, super quick, apple dumplings. You will not believe how easy these are to make... the secret ingredient.... ready for it? MOUNTAIN DEW! I know right, who would have thought...

So here is the recipe, make it, love it!

Ingredients:

*Cinnamon not in picture...oops.

2 whole Granny Smith Apples
2 cans (8 Oz. Cans) Crescent Rolls
2 sticks Butter
1-1/2 cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla
Cinnamon, To Taste
1 can (12 Oz.) Mountain Dew Soda

Peel and core apples.

Cut each apple into 8 slices each.

Roll each apple slice in a crescent roll.

Place in a 9 x 13 buttered pan, if you have a smaller/bigger pan that's fine too.

Melt butter, then add sugar and barely stir.

Add vanilla, and stir.

Pour entire mixture over apples, make sure each little apple goodness, is covered in the mixture.
Pour the secret ingredient, Mountain Dew, around the edges of the pan and in the middle too.

Sprinkle with cinnamon and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

*I had a lot of extra sauce in the pan, after baking, so I used a turkey baster and sucked out the sauce and put it in a little bowl.

*You can service it with ice cream for extra yumminess however this is so good it stand on its own! Use extra sauce to pour over the dumpling and ice cream! YUM!

*recipe from the Goddess of the Kitchen, The Pioner Girl

Jersey Knit Bracelets

2011-09-07T15:24:00.000-07:00

Look how cute these are:

Photo from: Pink Pistachio

I made this one

These bracelets are SUPER easy to make out of old t-shirts..... This would also be cute as a necklace too! Great for kids and adults alike, you can use any jersey knit t-shirt you want!

Want to know how to make them? Just follow the link to Pink Pistachio's blog!

Enter to Win!

2011-09-07T10:10:00.000-07:00

Click here to enter

Momento for the Birthday Boy (or Girl)

2011-09-06T21:55:00.000-07:00

Ok, so my Mother-in-law is throwing a 60th birthday party for her brother-in-law (my hubbie's uncle) on Saturday. There will be about 14 people or so there and a couple of kids. We've gone out and bought decorations, she's ordered the cake and the menu has been decided upon. I don't know my hubbie's Uncle and Aunt all that well but I wanted to do a little something for the party so I made a Birthday Wish Jar.

*Birthday Wish Jar*

Guests write special birthday notes to the birthday boy/girl, and at the end of the party they have a great keepsake to take home and keep to remember their special day.

*Find any old jar with a lid, decorate it to match the theme/colors of the party.
*Cut up some paper for guests to write on
*Come up with a cute way to explain to the guest what they need to do

Here's the one I'm working on for Saturday. I still need to add a few more things but here's the one I made.

Happy Birthday

2011-09-06T14:22:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday to my sweet little cousin. I created this and emailed it to her mom so she could see it on her birthday (while her gift is still in transit).

Blanket Update:

2011-09-01T16:19:00.000-07:00

I'm getting closer!

I'm making a blanket

2011-08-30T20:54:00.000-07:00

Well with my job hunt I've had some time on my hands, which is nice since my Summer was actually SUPER busy. I've finally had a chance to be a little crafty. I've made some firecracker writing pens, some cards, digitally scrapped a few things and now, the big challenge.... I'm making a blanket. Now I have a REALLY old sewing machine packed away somewhere so I've decided to tackle this by hand. Yes that's right, I'm sewing this bad boy by hand.

In the past week, I've cut all the fabric and batting, stitched the batting to the fabric pieces, and have sewn 3 pieces together. Here's the progress so far...

FIRE, FIRE!

2011-08-22T16:50:00.000-07:00

Ok so, the hubbie is in the office working and I was chilling in our room watching some SHAYTARDS and the fire alarm goes off. It was so loud. Brendon and I RUSH to the alarm board to see what was up and that's when we realized it was the fire alarm.

There was no fire. We couldn't figure it out. We searched the house and no fire. So the fire department was canceled and we went back to what we were doing. I was walking back down the hall and I found a puddle of water and at first I thought it was from one of the dogs. It wasn't, the fire detector is dripping. GGRR-eat.

Well I decided to take it upon myself to see why it was dripping. I turned the bathroom faucet on and ran it thinking it might be there. Nothing. I flushed the toilet, nothing. I turned the downstairs air on... nothing. Then I turned the upstairs air on and with in the matter of minutes the drips started to get faster. DING DING, I think we have a winner.

See the dripping:

Sickerdoodle Bars

2011-08-20T14:04:00.000-07:00

Lastest sweet treat I made.

Blackberry Pie Bars

2011-08-11T15:21:00.001-07:00

First time making them and they are YUMMY!!!!! Here's what it looks like and the recipe.

Blackberry Pie Bars
adapted from Rebecca Rather, The Pastry Queen

Crust and Topping

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled

Fruit Filling

4 large eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup flour
pinch salt
zest of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp almond extract
2 (16-oz) packages frozen blackberries, thawed and drained
*I used fresh because I couldn't find frozen.*

To make the crust and topping, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.

Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times to mix. Cut the butter into 1/2-inch cubes, and add to the flour mixture. Process until the butter is evenly distributed but the mixture is still crumbly, 30-60 seconds.

Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the mixture to use as the topping. Press the remaining mixture into the bottom of the pan, and bake 12-15 minutes. Cool for at least 10 minutes.

To make the filling, whisk the eggs in a large bowl, then add the sugar, sour cream, flour, salt, lemon zest, and almond extract. Gently fold in the berries and spoon the mixture over the crust. Sprinkle the remaining flour mixture evenly over the filling, and bake 45 to 55 minutes.

Cool at least 1 hour before cutting into bars, or scoop out of the pan to serve cobbler-style.

~Enjoy

Willow House info!

2011-07-26T17:11:00.000-07:00

Weekly Deals!
Check out the incredible deals we have on some of our Outlet items this week, most are 70% off, if not more! Get them before they are gone!
*All deals are good through Sunday, July 31st at midnight.

Raspberry and Blackberry Butter

2011-07-26T17:05:00.000-07:00

Made some Raspberry and Blackberry Butter today. It turned out really well. Here is a photo of what it looks like. This picture is from Tasty Kitchen which is where I got the recipe from.

It is REALLY easy to make, and is much healthier for you than slathering your toast/english muffin/french toast/bagel with butter and jam!

HOWDY FROM TEXAS

2011-07-22T17:55:00.000-07:00

Welp we've been here in Texas for about a week how. I'm starting to get use to the heat. I've sent out TONS of job applications and started studying for my State Test. BLAH BLAH BLAH! At any rate, I have a REALLY good friend, Amanda, who made the 2.5 day Road Trip. We had a blast (however New Mexico wasn't all that thrilling)and even spent a few days shopping and having fun before she had to go. Here are a few photos from our trip.

Here we go:

Gassing up:

On The Road:

We don't like New Mexico... BORING!

GOODBYE NEW MEXICO

OH A LIGHTENING STORM

YAY, we made it!

Time to sight see:

The Capitol

The Alamo and River Walk

World's Tallest Man

The Zoo

Ok, that seems like enough photos of our little adventure! We're here, we're safe and we're doing our best to keep cool.

Packing

2011-06-28T11:45:00.000-07:00

Packing, oh how I despise you. Really, you give me nothing but an overwhelming desire to just throw things into random boxes and call it a day. I'm doing all the packing myself as I am a teacher and have the summer off, while the hubs doesn't get time off, which I think is adding to my stress level.

I think I need someone to come in and just tell me what to do. "You, pack this here, then pack that over there".

On the plus side I'm getting closer and closer to finishing. HOORAY!

Wish me luck.

It's been a while.

2011-06-24T12:57:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a while. I've been super busy with school. The last few months were a blur it went by so fast. Now it's June and school's out for summer! I should be relaxing but I am spending my days packing, packing, packing for our big move to Texas.

I promise to post more then I have time!

A bowl full of lemons.: Silhouette GIVEAWAY!!!!

2011-04-21T13:32:00.000-07:00

A bowl full of lemons.: Silhouette GIVEAWAY!!!!: "A SILHOUETTE GIVEAWAY!! I was sent a Silhouette Rhinestone Starter kit this month, to try out and giveaway along with a Silhouette SD Mac..."