tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65416643058009021772024-02-07T04:06:58.542-08:00Cook It, Clean It, Make It FunAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02342062118856730551noreply@blogger.comBlogger77125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6541664305800902177.post-87189388905630314552014-08-25T05:31:00.000-07:002014-08-25T05:31:17.865-07:00DIY Herringbone Canvas ArtWoo! It has been SO SO long since my last post. Time to dust off the keyboard and get back at it.<br />
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During my not so brief intermission, I have had a lot of life changes. I went through a divorce, moved to a new home, switched my children's schools, took on a new job, and I am still alive to tell about it!<br />
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As a newly single mom in a newly rented home, I don't exactly have a ton of cash for decorating. Of course, this isn't a problem if you are sufficiently able to start where you are and use what you have. In this case, I had several bottles of acrylic paint, some painter's tape, a can of white spray paint, and a couple of canvases.<br />
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The fuse box in my rental home is located on the dining room wall, and is quite the lovely eyesore. I wanted to cover it without purchasing a large piece of art. Here is what I did in the wee hours of a sleepless night.<br />
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I started out by dragging paint in vertical lines using dry paper towels as paintbrushes. Now, of course if you have brushes, go for it, but I made do with what I had available.<br />
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I personally chose to start with my lighter colors and move gradually darker. Then, I rubbed a thin layer of silver metallic paint over the entire canvas for dimension.</div>
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The next part is probably the most tedious part of the whole process. I started by cutting about 8 billion 3 inch strips of blue painter's tape and affixed them over the acrylics in a herringbone pattern. You are more than welcome to measure these out and make your spacing perfect, but you know what I always say.....perfection ruins a good project.</div>
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Once I had all of my tape in place, I selected a few strips to remove for an added flair. Everything not covered in tape will become white in the next step, so make sure if you remove some pieces, you still are able to maintain the lovely pattern you just so painstakingly created.</div>
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Once I had my tape strips just as I wanted them, I headed outside to spray paint white over the entire surface of the canvas. Please make sure that when you perform this step you are outdoors in a well ventilated area. Spray paint is no joke!</div>
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As soon as I had coated the entire canvas in white spray paint, I peeled away all of my tape strips. You want to do this step while the paint is still fresh and wet. If you wait for it to dry, the tape will peel the paint away with it.</div>
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Voila! A finished work of art. Now to repeat all of those steps for my second canvas. Of course, you can do one, two, or even more of these in the color variation that best suits your decor and style. Right now, my entire home is done in quite random colors. The kitchen has vibrant shades of so many colors that just about anything would fit. Use your best judgement on what colors to select.</div>
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Once I finished, I hung both canvases on my dining room wall. Care to guess which is hiding that big ole mess of a fuse panel??</div>
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I'll give you a hint: It's the one on the left. I think that later I'll probably go back and add some vinyl wording above the canvases or some other pieces just to add to the look, but I am pretty pleased with how this project turned out considering it was a spur of the moment, midnight project. </div>
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How do yours look? I bet you did an awesome job!</div>
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Thank you so much for bearing with me during my extended break. As a reward...here is a picture of my little crazy man when he first woke up this morning. Imagine how fun this was to tame before school!</div>
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Happy crafting, and stay tuned. I'll be posting again soon....promise!</div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6541664305800902177.post-54153066640414380442014-01-02T08:20:00.000-08:002014-01-02T08:20:21.499-08:00Stereo Cabinet RefinishI naturally have a love for all things crafty, but as a mom I also have a love for all things thrifty. I have been wanting desperately to refinish an older piece of furniture. The problem...the only older pieces of furniture I already own are family heirlooms that I wouldn't sand or paint to save my life. I couldn't bear the thought of sanding my grandmother's furniture. If you have looked around for older furniture pieces, you know that people often ask way more than a piece is truly worth just because they can tag it with the word "antique" or "retro." This drives me bonkers, but in a world where re-purposing is trending, what is a girl to do? After a few days of scouring local yard sale pages I finally found an inexpensive piece that I fell in love with.<br />
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Sure, it didn't look like much, but for some reason this piece gave me vision. I was immediately drawn to the geometric design of the cutouts around what used to be the speaker vents. I just knew that I could give this piece a little love and new life. When I picked the piece up, the furniture dealer who had posted the piece gave me a little background story on the cabinet. Apparently the girl who had sold it had been given the piece by her father. He had converted the top areas into a drawer and a cabinet and put the plaid inserts into the speaker vents in the early 80s for her to use the piece as a tv stand and have storage. Her father had told her at the time that she would have to live with the piece forever because of how much work he put into converting it for her. I don't know why she got rid of the piece, but I was happy to carry on her father's "make it do" spirit.<br />
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The first thing you want to do when refinishing any piece of furniture is to go in and remove any hardware you don't want painted and in this case, any fabric panels that need removing and replacing. You will see in later pictures that I left the hardware on the front of the piece attached. While I would like to claim that this was a purposeful design choice, the fact is that the handles are attached with specialized furniture screws I don't have tools for.<br />
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The next step for any refinish project is of course to wipe down any debris from the piece and sand it down. If I were wanting to stain this piece a different shade, I would have needed to sand it down to the bare wood all over. Since I was going to paint over it and distress it, I took the topper down to the bare wood grain, but just gave the rest of the piece a good sanding to remove the shiny finish so that the paint would stick. For this step, you want to use a coarse grain sandpaper or sanding block. If you shop at a certain blue home improvement store, the sandpaper is sorted into strip, smooth, and finish. You want to select a block from the strip section. This is what the top of the cabinet looked like when I got it down to the bare wood.<br />
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Sanding can be a lot of hard work, but the fun part is coming. For the paint color, I selected "Betsy Ross House" by Valspar. I purchase the paint plus primer version in an interior semi-gloss. The color is a very bright turquoise that leans more toward blue. For this project I could have gotten away with a single quart and had some leftover, but I got two quarts just in case I needed to repaint the whole piece or in case I wanted to paint anything else to match later. Better safe than sorry.<br />
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I popped my paint open and went to town, making sure I got down into each little cutout. Design tip: if you are planning to distress a piece and want to do less distressing work, don't saturate your brush with paint in the same way you would to paint say a wall. Using less paint on your brush will allow brush strokes to shine through and automatically give it that worn look. I just painted over the hardware and am actually happy with the way that turned out. If you don't want painted hardware, just remove it or tape over it before you start painting.<br />
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While I waited for the paint to dry so that I could distress the piece, I went ahead and recovered the fabric panels. The fabric on these was TERRIBLE. It was a really awful brown plaid upholstery fabric. Think the most horrible late 70s couch EVER. So what did I do? I replaced it with the most horrible, putrid gold polyester suit fabric that was handed down to me from my great grandmother. I have no idea what drew me to this fabric, but for the project at hand it just felt right. At this point I was sending nervous text messages to my friends asking if it sounded like I was maybe losing my mind for choosing this fabric.<br />
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At any rate, I just popped the staples out to remove the old fabric. Then I place the wood panels on top of the new fabric I selected and cut the fabric leaving enough margin to wrap it to the back of the panels and staple in place.<br />
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Once I had the fabric cut out, I stapled it all into place around the back of the panels making sure to tuck in the corners. For this step you want to take note of how thick your plywood panels are as opposed to how long your staple legs are. I would really hate for someone to do this project and staple wood panels down to their floors. (Not that I did that...ok I did, but the floors are vinyl plank, so the holes closed back up) <br />
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Once I had finished recovering the panels and the paint dried on the cabinet, I went back in with a fine grain sandpaper block to distress it a bit. I don't usually like things to look super distressed, so the picture here is about the most distressed spot on the whole cabinet. For this step you want to use a sanding block with a fine grain that is from the finish section of the sandpaper aisle. Please excuse the little peep of finger in the bottom right corner. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5O3Y2btYL13jIFenHrUkKqlHK9C4OQpUFV7f-ApCalcYROyjFZktRG0EwpL8W6zUcAN5U9QLDb7A9mCLmVmzXpZMRBQtW0ycvXN0uHEevxfXRKRUVNWsHPpIsLHh6TwBC8xa2Sf4t-gK0/s1600/image(7).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5O3Y2btYL13jIFenHrUkKqlHK9C4OQpUFV7f-ApCalcYROyjFZktRG0EwpL8W6zUcAN5U9QLDb7A9mCLmVmzXpZMRBQtW0ycvXN0uHEevxfXRKRUVNWsHPpIsLHh6TwBC8xa2Sf4t-gK0/s320/image(7).jpeg" width="239" /></a></div>
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Once I distressed the cabinet to the desired level, I reinstalled the fabric panels. Then I stepped back to admire my handy work.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqzUf-TyZ9Ug7n-D6HLHtucOcxLgtpsFWhEJLSMu8C9dSOQCTk1rwY9UXvXLp6v6UsoZvPan8yd0strLidraiCGUFBA7ZYJdNW0-IpcK4FrQm5L-Pz-uXO7pAJBkEhCfuRIkNjfqKL13EL/s1600/image(8).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqzUf-TyZ9Ug7n-D6HLHtucOcxLgtpsFWhEJLSMu8C9dSOQCTk1rwY9UXvXLp6v6UsoZvPan8yd0strLidraiCGUFBA7ZYJdNW0-IpcK4FrQm5L-Pz-uXO7pAJBkEhCfuRIkNjfqKL13EL/s320/image(8).jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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At the end of the day, I am SO happy that I chose the fabric that I did. I love the way the putrid gold polyester pops against the Betsy Ross House blue. I can't say for certain, but I think the girl's dad would be happy to see the piece brought back to life to be loved for many more years.<br />
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Here is a before and after shot so that you get the whole effect.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ceM7f56gZTFB0tG1LZxequN35RU3blCPeACV1HLd3mFrLG5hVwdakHoVKHPpRYGp8UNg6Db4KRMNlUzcYp3Ncaax3FNpKj86z8isd6TuO2-N9igMchCNhgGOaPA9yB-9STQonFIC1rWw/s1600/image(9).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ceM7f56gZTFB0tG1LZxequN35RU3blCPeACV1HLd3mFrLG5hVwdakHoVKHPpRYGp8UNg6Db4KRMNlUzcYp3Ncaax3FNpKj86z8isd6TuO2-N9igMchCNhgGOaPA9yB-9STQonFIC1rWw/s320/image(9).jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Have you tried any restoration projects of your own? Comment and let me know about it.<br />
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Happy Crafting<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6541664305800902177.post-72622212353494029692013-10-01T00:00:00.000-07:002013-10-01T00:00:18.106-07:00Quick and Easy to Sew Tie Closure Bib Tutorial.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Sewing thick, absorbent bibs for your baby is actually a lot simpler than you may think. I have made bibs several different ways, but this is the quick and easy way.</div>
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Here's what you'll need:</div>
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Fusible fleece</div>
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Fabric of your choice for the front</div>
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Fabric of your choice for the back</div>
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Double Fold Bias Tape in coordinating color (about a 24 inch length)</div>
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And of course a sewing machine, thread, pins, an iron...basic sewing tools.</div>
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A note on the fabric, the size you need will vary based on what size bib you use as a template, but a 10x10 square should pretty much cover all of your needs.</div>
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Here's what you do:</div>
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Pick out a bib that you already have in the house (or just draw a circle and cut a notch out) and trace it onto the rough side of your fusible fleece. Then cut it out.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisxGheTqVJsFfyw1W5dMyVNEf87U4Mbz-WYqasQu5G6P9bKKeyZUiwbVT7eKec9mhZk9DRhW68fq7WbFhtrRpGklUcDq-el7p_fpSFaPPwz0r3O8gaQgjhWZL31Ih-exUrMz1SSAPuoa3E/s1600/image.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisxGheTqVJsFfyw1W5dMyVNEf87U4Mbz-WYqasQu5G6P9bKKeyZUiwbVT7eKec9mhZk9DRhW68fq7WbFhtrRpGklUcDq-el7p_fpSFaPPwz0r3O8gaQgjhWZL31Ih-exUrMz1SSAPuoa3E/s320/image.jpeg" width="239" /></a></div>
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Set your iron to a setting that does not steam. This is important for the fusible fleece sticking correctly.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsRN5WsgPg_yaFbFXG7RV6_QjLex4L8DC0Xpcjtk-DYravuyHBhgmkiLj_UPkBjNKqy-jtOGZIHduKFVi16jzIIQd9KDzRvKOELM_HeqBJZ8eZTdr90-xfw8P2rab06_Sl5P_4GHwcjT3A/s1600/image_1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsRN5WsgPg_yaFbFXG7RV6_QjLex4L8DC0Xpcjtk-DYravuyHBhgmkiLj_UPkBjNKqy-jtOGZIHduKFVi16jzIIQd9KDzRvKOELM_HeqBJZ8eZTdr90-xfw8P2rab06_Sl5P_4GHwcjT3A/s320/image_1.jpeg" width="239" /></a></div>
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Lay your fleece cutout rough side up, line your front of the bib fabric up on top of it right side up and iron according to fleece directions. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoPRrWMDNoCK1gra317LlISZf_3vLeo-9YSsuFK5aA9_Oly1T3hRZrPTi8wlHwxAvuqpaRLkMYvMzpawELhQ7cY0eAUb6ayqO9QNQa4Xxl9xix0zrfVI03DxwA5gRVlpdv1vX_nqlIAnM5/s1600/image_2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoPRrWMDNoCK1gra317LlISZf_3vLeo-9YSsuFK5aA9_Oly1T3hRZrPTi8wlHwxAvuqpaRLkMYvMzpawELhQ7cY0eAUb6ayqO9QNQa4Xxl9xix0zrfVI03DxwA5gRVlpdv1vX_nqlIAnM5/s320/image_2.jpeg" width="239" /></a></div>
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This is what the back looks like. Basically you just fused the bib to the wrong side of your fabric so that it will act as a lining for your bib.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRYWznnPhMRZdx7-o7Y1ID6ITGzQ_LLGpfXUmXyOYqMDsMB_HtXPlkqw-hCvSOrTz8RYs2CGufgBuHBsppVG07qxcv6ooeua0K1wthFDYNn7J1PUn4nk8OdjjKtg6NhYos4UQcVEmqtDQX/s1600/image_3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRYWznnPhMRZdx7-o7Y1ID6ITGzQ_LLGpfXUmXyOYqMDsMB_HtXPlkqw-hCvSOrTz8RYs2CGufgBuHBsppVG07qxcv6ooeua0K1wthFDYNn7J1PUn4nk8OdjjKtg6NhYos4UQcVEmqtDQX/s320/image_3.jpeg" width="239" /></a></div>
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Cut around the fleece template leaving a 1/4" allowance around all edges for sewing.</div>
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Sew the right side of your front fabric to the right side of your back of the bib fabric square, leaving the neck notch open for turning. We'll close it up later.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg8Tbnr4Zpab153qNZlQZuzBRJq4hK6M1H7ewkhOepKEEIk_S6x_cEsAjk1i4cVE-b1ToSquQif3bNkhE4W1FOS9rGu_D_QV7SPxIk3a-2Ltb9ln1zFapkDh6XK3lrtpBVULovYHlmld0A/s1600/image_8.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg8Tbnr4Zpab153qNZlQZuzBRJq4hK6M1H7ewkhOepKEEIk_S6x_cEsAjk1i4cVE-b1ToSquQif3bNkhE4W1FOS9rGu_D_QV7SPxIk3a-2Ltb9ln1zFapkDh6XK3lrtpBVULovYHlmld0A/s320/image_8.jpeg" width="239" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjGrIM1GB4OSimRIm9R-L8-xccVymXPUNxmNgiIzl24R24koImo70_HKufVmV9ghS3P9fPuBh0npwDksKLZeOCqCqdXra1Nplvu9lHjNhoyvmoq9PBp14nc7JlmaZiKeZlC68igyOSp-yi/s1600/image_6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjGrIM1GB4OSimRIm9R-L8-xccVymXPUNxmNgiIzl24R24koImo70_HKufVmV9ghS3P9fPuBh0npwDksKLZeOCqCqdXra1Nplvu9lHjNhoyvmoq9PBp14nc7JlmaZiKeZlC68igyOSp-yi/s320/image_6.jpeg" width="239" /></a></div>
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It will now look like this.</div>
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Cut off the excess fabric all the way around to make the fabric ends even. Also, make little notches all the way around about every inch to make the curves pretty when you turn it out.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZCkUPCgH_qBDvhGMInNJqgMwameOs9EjZLifF7O5Ywzo0dLW6OsqFfv8RGut070Ss95cg6Zrui_GGafvjH6XB7uzt8cI9qPwnLRohED6LuqdUs6VmIBUytUuxbi1ZvLExZotE5CtP0mp-/s1600/image_9.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZCkUPCgH_qBDvhGMInNJqgMwameOs9EjZLifF7O5Ywzo0dLW6OsqFfv8RGut070Ss95cg6Zrui_GGafvjH6XB7uzt8cI9qPwnLRohED6LuqdUs6VmIBUytUuxbi1ZvLExZotE5CtP0mp-/s320/image_9.jpeg" width="239" /></a></div>
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Turn it right sides out.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgODxqG53s9Mi_stJ1i4LJQtqLKY_ZWgkof1AX8071nOIXEMiiSqS9FXByxhyphenhyphenNYmFqlLtv3GFB1aY4BfMSjKl7U6FRJh5q3TU8Hvl7LtDLnMNQP36KHehUgcXL3wBBgSg2wA_Dqko_g6DVz/s1600/image_10.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgODxqG53s9Mi_stJ1i4LJQtqLKY_ZWgkof1AX8071nOIXEMiiSqS9FXByxhyphenhyphenNYmFqlLtv3GFB1aY4BfMSjKl7U6FRJh5q3TU8Hvl7LtDLnMNQP36KHehUgcXL3wBBgSg2wA_Dqko_g6DVz/s320/image_10.jpeg" width="239" /></a></div>
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Pin your bias tape to the bib neck. You can do this the right way or you can do this the cheater way.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_vAOx2Yk3nxxg9dwepM3GloDPQ4WBxmTTGRG9cgH8cVh0k2gvDJ5MCuidfdhXJmd5zxLmiWY5R_400w1peC4gYNkZmaeKqxLw2FQAqtJUUB_ltF3uJuVIUwEv0lizf-1-BbaJ1uNiE8Dn/s1600/image_13.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_vAOx2Yk3nxxg9dwepM3GloDPQ4WBxmTTGRG9cgH8cVh0k2gvDJ5MCuidfdhXJmd5zxLmiWY5R_400w1peC4gYNkZmaeKqxLw2FQAqtJUUB_ltF3uJuVIUwEv0lizf-1-BbaJ1uNiE8Dn/s320/image_13.jpeg" width="239" /></a></div>
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Sew the bias tape in place, making sure to fold your ends under as shown.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHJlAVzQRxOHTbwsSnL7Ob3-Qe1KnOmWT5SNFuogJimQ1USMo2rJ1uBQ8g7Vy8ck5aB0QaLq8xkqgH0MPJboHHPjmge_g2QVUcS3d5gkAxeOCleXDtpLCjf33fcVDC3VKroTwsto7xzokv/s1600/image_11.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHJlAVzQRxOHTbwsSnL7Ob3-Qe1KnOmWT5SNFuogJimQ1USMo2rJ1uBQ8g7Vy8ck5aB0QaLq8xkqgH0MPJboHHPjmge_g2QVUcS3d5gkAxeOCleXDtpLCjf33fcVDC3VKroTwsto7xzokv/s320/image_11.jpeg" width="239" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDRRoyN6EN6L38tBC0DVnTIcyZZF6_dpdr094Iw7XNqG6EqvxlZl5ywVV2hPL85QXdDEqLZnQqaZ8C9GTWLY2pu0U_B7mbTLrsK94u9N-TksBXIp-TOFRnqOfmejtpGg8fmLYYszaZA6SD/s1600/image_12.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDRRoyN6EN6L38tBC0DVnTIcyZZF6_dpdr094Iw7XNqG6EqvxlZl5ywVV2hPL85QXdDEqLZnQqaZ8C9GTWLY2pu0U_B7mbTLrsK94u9N-TksBXIp-TOFRnqOfmejtpGg8fmLYYszaZA6SD/s320/image_12.jpeg" width="239" /></a></div>
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Trim your strings and you have an adorable bib for your little one! If you used two different fabrics, it is also reversible.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUEJKaIVXyIFbSgouEt3S4JMxncWlPugy9EuAwN2J_y4IcbzPGha52AW8VgiGeMh87SKQASRIOH2UtvSOKbovkt6V10Sola1cNNSx8tokKrZDAwafii_rEaLzsK-nNCYIhWyn9JwTyQqQ5/s1600/image_14.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUEJKaIVXyIFbSgouEt3S4JMxncWlPugy9EuAwN2J_y4IcbzPGha52AW8VgiGeMh87SKQASRIOH2UtvSOKbovkt6V10Sola1cNNSx8tokKrZDAwafii_rEaLzsK-nNCYIhWyn9JwTyQqQ5/s320/image_14.jpeg" width="239" /></a></div>
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Great job! I hope you enjoyed this project as much as I did. Post pics if you make some for your little one.</div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6541664305800902177.post-51105500968095483132013-09-30T12:34:00.002-07:002013-09-30T12:34:55.912-07:00No Spend Month Week 3Wow! We have made it past the halfway mark. We were under budget the first week and over budget the second week. Let's see if we can level it out. This week, I planned for us to be able to use 30% of our $350 month long budget. I figure by the end of this week, we will be running out of some household items. That means we planned to have $105 to spend this week. Because we went $54 over last week due to some refueling, I really want us to come in at $51 or less this week to make up the difference, but even if we just make up some of the slack, it will be ok.<br />
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Day 1: Feeling like I am ready to take on the world. I got sad about overspending last week, but now I am made about overspending last week. I am determined NOT to spend anything over this week. Whatever it takes!<br />
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For breakfast we did cereal. I really did offer to cook, but everyone was starving and didn't want to wait for food.<br />
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Lunch consisted of sandwiches. (Tuna, PBJ, Cheese, whatever everyone wanted)<br />
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I had a business event at supper time, but my fabulous hubby prepared some jambalaya for the family. He is so wonderful.<br />
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Day 2: SSOOO sleepy, but feel like it should be a good week.<br />
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Toast and jelly for breakfast, then just a boring day at the house.<br />
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Fixed some hamburger helper for lunch.<br />
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Monday's are soccer practice, so we ended up doing grilled cheese sandwiches for supper. Mondays are just hard to pull together with soccer going on. Not that anyone really minds eating grilled cheese. <br />
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I had some business related errands to run, then came home to make cute Indian corn snacks for Laney's class. I had popcorn and treat bags already in the house, but I had to pick up Reese's pieces for $4.74 and green crepe paper streamer for $.97. We also had to have another $4.09 gallon of milk. <br />
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Day 3: School picture day! School snack day! Had to get up early and make sure I was on top of things.<br />
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Breakfast was cereal all around, then I had to get the babies dressed and get us all to the school to drop off Laney's class snacks. I was going to run get the oil changed, but by the time we got there it was pouring rain and packed out. No way I was getting babies out in pouring rain to sit in the waiting area for an hour.<br />
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We did "homemade lunchables" for lunch. Cheese and crackers...and a handful of carrots.<br />
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Supper was chili. I know it is still hot here, but I just really needed some fall food. Chili is an easy and yummy solution.<br />
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After supper, I was working on some sewing projects to busy my mind, but Hubby and I were having INSANE caffeine withdrawals. I grabbed us each a soda :( $2.58 total.<br />
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So far this week, we have spent $12.38. Not so bad, considering I had to throw in Laney's class snack and we had a soda meltdown. I'll post a how to for the class snacks later. They turned out super cute.<br />
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Day 4: I'm really pumped about some of my planned sewing projects....AND that we only have a week and a half left of no spend month. It hasn't been as awful as I thought it would be if we can just hang in there.<br />
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For breakfast, I whipped up some cheesy grits. Cheesy grits have to be my favorite.<br />
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For lunch, we had some broccoli and cauliflower in cheese sauce that I have stored in the freezer. My kids actually do love this.<br />
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Mid afternoon I rubbed down a whole chicken with some spices and roasted it. When it cooled I broke it down and shredded it to use for Day 4 supper as well as supper another night.<br />
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Supper was another of my favorites....chicken and yellow rice. Can never go wrong with this at my house. I also made some field peas to go along with it.<br />
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Day 5: My oldest decided it would be a fabulous day to miss the bus, so we were up and scrambling to get her to school on time this morning. Rough way to start the day, but we pulled it together.<br />
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Breakfast was fruit in the car! We really were in a hurry!<br />
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We had to run get some milk from the store, so I picked up other things we needed as well. We ended up with milk, cheese, snacks (you can't have toddlers without cheesy crackers and graham cookies of some sort), pullups, and diapers. If you are a parent, you know how expensive pullups and diapers can get. We ended up spending a total of $39.43, bringing the weekly total to $51.81.<br />
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For lunch we did leftover chicken and yellow rice and peas.<br />
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For supper, we enjoyed a FREE pizza from Domino's. Apparently if they harassed your cell phone several years back, they owe you a free pizza....check it out.<br />
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Day 6: Breakfast was completely skipped today! My little boy, bless his pea picking little heart, flooded half of the house and I spent the majority of the morning cleaning it up. For those that don't know him...this is the third flood we have experienced....it is kind of his MO.<br />
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For lunch we ate some hot dogs and fruit. Nothing fancy, but it gets the job done.<br />
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Hubby had to stop and pick up dog food, so that knocked us back another $18. Hopefully that will be the last thing we have to spend this week. Fingers crossed.<br />
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For supper, hubby put together some jambalaya for he and the kids while I took care of some things for my business.<br />
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Day 7: ARE WE THERE YET?!?!?! I can't believe that we have a week and one day left to go! Today has been the busiest day in the history of the universe. 5k, soccer game, business event, wedding, and a million miles in between. I am exhausted!<br />
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Whipped up breakfast for the family as I dashed out the door to go do my first ever 5k! After the 5k I rushed home to shower and change.<br />
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Made the kids sandwiches for lunch before dashing out the door again for my business event this afternoon. Had a blast, but dipped out early to head to the wedding of a friend around an hour away.<br />
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PHEW! What a LONG week!<br />
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Can't wait to start our fourth and final no spend week.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6541664305800902177.post-29501312570377455122013-09-30T00:00:00.000-07:002013-09-30T00:00:15.714-07:00Indian Corn September Classroom SnackMy oldest daughter's classroom is doing a snack rotation this year. We haven't done that since kindergarten, and I am excited. Classroom snack gives me a chance to get creative for every month of the year. Late September doesn't exactly offer a wealth of inspiration, but I finally settled on Indian Corn.<br />
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As I was preparing the snacks, she came in and said, "Mommy, all of the other moms in my class just buy junk for us and don't even care if we like it or not. I'm glad you make things cute for us." That, to me, makes any amount of effort that went into these totally worth it.<br />
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I knew I wanted to use popcorn for this project, but had trouble deciding how to prepare it. I looked at several popcorn mix and caramel corn recipes. In the end, I decided that if I were a teacher I wouldn't want all that sticky everywhere. I grabbed some Reese's pieces instead. They ended up making the perfect fall colors for this.<br />
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What you'll need:<br />
clear cellophane treat bags (or snack size bags if you feel brave)<br />
green crepe paper streamer<br />
rubber bands (or raffia)<br />
popcorn (you can get 4-5 out of a bag of popcorn)<br />
Reese's pieces (a family size bag worked perfect for 24)<br />
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Pop all of your popcorn and put it all in a gigantic bowl (I hate the butter on the back of the hand dilemma). Open the rest of your supplies up to get them all ready.<br />
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You will also want to measure out lengths of streamer based on how big your bags are. I cut two 24" pieces for each treat bag. I also cut some additional pieces, cutting those into four long skinny pieces to tie off the tops.<br />
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Place two to three heaping handfuls of popcorn into a treat bag, then add a handful of Reese's pieces and shake. Twist tie the bag shut with the tie provided. Pinch the bottom corners together, roll up with the streamers, and secure with rubber band or raffia. I had rubber bands on hand, so I skipped buying raffia. I think it would be super cute though. Bring the streamer ends up together in the top center so that it looks like corn husks. Then secure them with the smaller pieces of streamer you cut. (or raffia if you have it)<br />
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I will admit...the first two of these I made, I was ready to just roll down to the store and buy some junk and not care if they liked it or not. After that I got a better grip on it. </div>
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24 of these babies later, I felt super accomplished and had an adorable September snack for my daughter's class. I also brought some apple juice boxes to go along with these.</div>
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She thanked me not once, but three times when she got home for how awesome these were. I can't wait to plan and deliver next month's snack.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6541664305800902177.post-76120185299820043362013-09-22T07:19:00.002-07:002013-09-22T07:31:12.251-07:00No Spend Month: Week 2This week, our budget is a very generous $87.50. That accounts for 25% of our overall budget of $350 for the month. Keep in mind, this includes gas and groceries. Bills are not included in the no spend. I know that $350 seems like a lot of money, but it goes quick with a family of 5. <br />
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Day 1: It's a beautiful morning. I am still pumped about having $4.09 leftover last week, so I am looking forward to this week for sure.<br />
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I had planned on making these awesome Pioneer Woman French Breakfast Puffs for breakfast, but the kids wanted graham crackers and carrots, so that is what they got. Sometimes I just don't understand these <strike>creatures</strike> children. <br />
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I got a jump start on supper by tossing a <a href="http://cookitcleanitmakeitfun.blogspot.com/2013/05/pot-roast-perfection.html" target="_blank">Perfect Pot Roast</a> into the crock pot before getting the kids dressed for church.<br />
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For lunch we kept it simple by throwing together some awesome grilled cheese sandwiches. My mother in law bought me a grilled cheese press for Christmas. Most people would be upset to receive an appliance, but she knows that I LOVE kitchen gadgets and appliances. I love that she knows me so well.<br />
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Just before supper time, I tossed some rice in to cook and serve with the roast. Mmmmm, the house smelled so good by this point that we were all starving. To make sure we had enough for leftovers, I actually pulled out half of the meal before I served it. You would be amazed at the difference in the amount your family eats based on availability. We have a tendency to keep eating after we get full because we enjoy the taste. By pulling out half, everyone still gets full, but you have food left for the next day.<br />
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Day 2: Morning got off to a pretty good start.<br />
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Breakfast was cheesy grits...these are a favorite across the board.<br />
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I was able to use up some fabric I have had around for a while today by making an apron for myself and cutting pattern pieces for several other projects to work on soon.<br />
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Lunch was the other box of organic mac n cheese that I had picked up for super cheap a couple weeks ago.<br />
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This afternoon, I ran Laney to soccer. I also had to stop and pick up milk. Our first money out for the week. Can you believe it was $4.09 this week?!?! What is it with that number? That means that with tax I spent $4.38 on milk this week already. Unbelievable. <br />
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At supper we had leftover Perfect Pot Roast....which is even more yummy the second day, by the way.<br />
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Sorry my post is sort of short and sweet today....it was kind of a rough day. There's always tomorrow!<br />
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Day 3: Woke up determined to have a better day than Monday, but I didn't really feel well. I got some chores done early on and got to work on a few sewing projects.<br />
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Breakfast was cereal. I had planned on scrambled eggs, but the kiddos had other plans.<br />
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Lunch was PB&J and popcorn. I make our jelly homemade...there is nothing like it. You have to try it if you ever get a chance.<br />
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Supper was bean tostados. This is one of our favorite cheap meals. You just throw flour tortillas into jumbo muffin tins, fill them with refried beans, and bake at 350 until the edges of the tortillas turn golden brown. Then top with whatever you like...cheese, salsa, tomato, lettuce, sour cream, etc.<br />
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After supper, I started work on next week's menu. Oofta, I hope I can get the ingredients we need and stay under budget!<br />
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Day 4: Still didn't feel fabulous when I got up. I had to just suck it up though. I had a ton to do today to prepare for an event for my home based business.<br />
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The kids convinced me to give them cereal for breakfast again today. I'm starting to wonder about my cooking.....<br />
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For lunch I threw together some jambalaya rice. I can't tell you how much they love that stuff.<br />
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I tried to get some more work done on my sewing during nap time. I know you have to be getting curious by now about what I could possibly be spending so much time sewing. You will have to wait to find out.<br />
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For supper I made a chicken and broccoli ring on my favorite piece of stoneware. The kids and I love broccoli, but hubby is not a fan. Overall though, it went over well.<br />
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I am so excited that tomorrow is payday and that I have a personal business event. I need a pick me up. Going on two weeks with no Monster coffee, and the no spending has gotten to me a little this week. Almost at the end of week two, and I am starting to feel like some of my wants are really needs, haha. I NEED fancy coffee creamer, right? Ok, maybe not. At any rate, I am in deep need of some time out of the house and a reminder that this month is going to be worth it.<br />
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Day 5: Getting kind of bogged down, but hoping for a great day.<br />
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Breakfast was scrambled eggs and lunch was sandwiches, nothing exciting to speak of.<br />
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At supper time, I had a business event to attend, but the family had leftover chicken and broccoli ring.<br />
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Day 6: Toast and jelly and out the door to run errands...no time to gather my morning thoughts, haha. <br />
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Bank, grocery store, gas station this morning with the kiddos. We spend $37.42 at the store, then put $41 in the gas tank. That with the $4.09 from earlier in the week would have put us at $82.51 and well under budget, but hubby called and said he found a great deal on gas that he couldn't pass up. He put $59 of gas into his truck, so we are officially $54.01 over budget.<br />
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That would be getting me super down, but my fabulous mother and stepdad bought my my yearly supply of pumpkin spice coffee, so that softens the blow A LOT.<br />
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I had a business event around dinner time, so hubby rounded up any remaining leftovers for the kiddos and himself.<br />
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Day 7: Just kind of coasted through the day. Feeling pretty awful about going over budget, but I know it means we will keep under budget the next week.<br />
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Hey! We made it halfway!!!!<br />
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How are you doing with your no spend month?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6541664305800902177.post-60939864366899399642013-09-15T00:00:00.000-07:002013-09-15T00:00:09.516-07:00No Spend Month....the first week.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Our goal starting this week is for the whole family to spend $70 or less, which is about 20% of our month long budget. Hubby got a $50 allowance for the week. I got the remaining $20. Wish us luck. Here we go!<br />
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Day 1: I woke up this morning with that awesome feeling that comes with every new adventure. That unwarranted pride and false sense of hope. It is just like the first day on an awesome new diet that you just know is going to work. <br />
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For breakfast, we all had leftover cupcakes (I know, mother of the year).<br />
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Lunch and supper consisted of leftover party food. (get ready to hear that a few more times)<br />
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Day 2: Still feeling unwarranted accomplishment. Energized and ready to do this!<br />
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For breakfast, the kids had scrambled eggs and fresh strawberries left from the monster party. Eggs are always an awesome cheap/free option at our house because we own our own chickens. Eggs are always just a chicken coop away.<br />
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I had a cup of coffee and a little fresh fruit.</div>
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I had to run a couple of errands today, but I stayed as close to home as possible to keep my gas consumption down. I had to run to my daughter's school, the pharmacy, and the grocery store. Of course, the grocery store means I had to spend a little of our budget. Luckily all we needed was milk. Unluckily, the milk cost $4, bringing us down to $66 left for the week, $16 left for me. Technically, the milk was $4.28 after tax, but I had change rolling around in my wallet to cover the tax. Is that cheating?<br />
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Side Note: I spoke to my friend in California today....apparently their milk only costs $2...super jealous. I guess California really is where happy cows live.<br />
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For lunch, the kids grabbed some meat, cheese, crackers, and carrots while I had some carrots and celery and a turkey wrap.<br />
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Had to burn a teeny bit more gas bringing the star athlete to soccer practice.<br />
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Supper consisted of leftover croissant sandwiches from the birthday party with veggies, chips, and fruit as sides and cupcakes for dessert.<br />
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Day 3: Still feeling pretty great about our decision to have no spend month. I know this feeling will be traded for misery and panic in a few weeks, but I'm enjoying it now.<br />
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Kids had cereal and fruit for breakfast while I had fruit and...you guessed it...coffee.<br />
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Lunch consisted of leftover croissant sandwiches, chips, and veggies. I think we MIGHT have bought a few too many. Oh well, it is helping out with week one of no spend month.<br />
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Very near being burned at the stake, we had MORE leftover sandwiches for supper. Last time, I promise!<br />
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The only gas I had to burn today was to go to a monthly training meeting for my personal business. Since the gym is on the way home, I went by there so that they wouldn't forget my name.<br />
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Side note: I think I am going to quickly grow frustrated with how fast we burn through a gallon of milk around here...probably going to have to pick up another gallon tomorrow or Thursday.<br />
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Day 4: Found out hubby didn't fill the tank up before we started our adventure. He had to drop $20 into his gas tank. Looks like I'm "winning" for now.<br />
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Kids had toast with homemade jelly for breakfast. I just grabbed a cup of coffee.<br />
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Lunch consisted of a box of organic mac n cheese shaped like bugs. Had it lurking in the back of the pantry. Ironically the organic mac n cheese is cheaper overall and per ounce than the blue box.<br />
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To avoid murder, I prepared chicken tortellini from supplies we had on hand.<br />
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I had to run into town for a business meeting, but had a friend headed the same place. I just met her up the street and we rode together to the meeting as well as to the gym.<br />
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Day 5: Still trying to be as on top of things as possible. It has been kind of a rough day, so it is a little tough to be excited about sticking to the plan.<br />
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Breakfast for the kids was the last of the cereal. I had....wait for it...coffee!<br />
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For lunch, we had cheese and crackers and apple slices.<br />
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Supper consisted of barbeque pork chops, whole kernel corn, and butterbeans...all of which we had stored up in the freezer.<br />
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Hubby had to stop on the way home to pick up more milk, so we took another $4.28 hit and are now down to $41.72 for the week and 321.72 for the month.<br />
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Day 6: Still feeling pretty good about the no spending concept overall, but definitely ready for a weekend.<br />
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Breakfast was cheesy scrambled eggs for everyone.<br />
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Lunch was a box of jambalaya rice we had stored in the pantry. My kids LOVE jambalaya without meat in it, so this was actually a nice treat for them.<br />
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For supper, we had leftover pork chops and veggies from the day before.<br />
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After supper, I had to run a few business related errands....my gas tank is in tears, but I got a lot accomplished.<br />
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Stopped by the store for bread, cereal, dry pinto beans, chicken, and refried beans. Ended up spending $9.34 total. That would have left us with $32.38 for the week, but hubby's group did their employee of the month event today, which set him back a whopping $20. Still, we have 12.38 left!<br />
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Day 7: Feeling tired. Glad it is the weekend for sure.<br />
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Breakfast was cereal. After breakfast, the boys headed to work on vehicles while the girls hit the soccer fields.<br />
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Had to stop at the dollar store for a small pack of pullups. They set us back $8.29, leaving us with a whole entire $4.09 left in our weekly budget!<br />
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Lunch consisted of cheese, crackers, and veggies.<br />
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For supper, we went over to my inlaws for catfish, potato salad, okra, and hushpuppies...mmmm...good food and good company.<br />
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WE SURVIVED OUR FIRST WEEK! <br />
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Not only did we survive, but we had $4.09 left in the budget despite hubby's rule breaking! That gets me all pumped up and ready to go for another week.<br />
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Next week's budget is 25% of the monthly budget, which is $87.50. I considered rolling the $4.09 into the next week, but I think I'll hang onto it in case we need it at the end. I would hate to get the urge to splurge. <br />
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I cant wait to share our next update with you. Hopefully the next time I post, we'll still be on track!<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6541664305800902177.post-60323690126867496932013-09-13T00:00:00.000-07:002013-09-13T00:00:10.006-07:00Monster Party Finale: The Party RecapSo, let's do a recap of the whole party.<br />
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The invitations and decorations were pretty simple. I threw together these invites in Publisher.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqA9tw9sq9_crCg8piBDz_MX5S142uYZPve0KVbeyvwjnIKWyq2x5O-shdZcQCkquG_ZqyRt7-AbdjOo8zGAbINz50HWmcLKqEVdMpTBZ4rdckX20R68glqh15tKqk7KsbRWnnB7uvyf65/s1600/Leah2Silas3BdayInvites2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqA9tw9sq9_crCg8piBDz_MX5S142uYZPve0KVbeyvwjnIKWyq2x5O-shdZcQCkquG_ZqyRt7-AbdjOo8zGAbINz50HWmcLKqEVdMpTBZ4rdckX20R68glqh15tKqk7KsbRWnnB7uvyf65/s320/Leah2Silas3BdayInvites2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Then filled the house with bright colors and monsters galore. <a href="http://cookitcleanitmakeitfun.blogspot.com/2013/09/monster-party-part-3-invitations-and.html" target="_blank"> Find more details here.</a><br />
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<a href="http://cookitcleanitmakeitfun.blogspot.com/2013/09/monster-party-part-3-invitations-and.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLH-956rTfifG2OEIvd7lIvKRwO0h3_AWyNaQOUX0cmNKGcK4wK3B5rFu_SFxzTZRk8WkIiXt_OZHsEmpP3DPXwXqz8iExKfpwSsA-h5UDczjmdsGLl4ZjAZVWt7eXqqtYUEv6DPsKabrb/s320/monsterdecor.jpg" width="247" /></a></div>
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The food was all monster themed. We had monster smiles, monster ears, monster teeth, monster earwax, monster eyes and noses, monster fingers, monster toes, and some pretty adorable cupcakes if I do say so myself. <a href="http://cookitcleanitmakeitfun.blogspot.com/2013/09/monster-party-part-1-food.html" target="_blank">Get more details on the food here.</a><br />
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<a href="http://cookitcleanitmakeitfun.blogspot.com/2013/09/monster-party-part-1-food.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilsry8yl-pOxu2HzTHik-s8kfTkoEhoIHRRRSx9j0upWc20kp2FykoMqP-5d2IJ-MCqo4PCxCdGFnXXcabFz_yzjy8mlg3rUq4854Asv4MwzzlamcqYrTKnwD2d0sgZG7w2-fkRsSLFZpD/s320/monsterfood.jpg" width="247" /></a></div>
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We had two activities for the kids to do. The first was some adorable handprint monsters, the other was a sticker monster kit I picked up. <a href="http://cookitcleanitmakeitfun.blogspot.com/2013/09/monster-party-part-2-fun.html" target="_blank">For details, click here</a>.</div>
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<a href="http://cookitcleanitmakeitfun.blogspot.com/2013/09/monster-party-part-2-fun.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW1WxskqHX2Z7p9-xbGJCgzYKfTuUFRTQ7xJCI4LwHNANI7YLygYBJ5OClN6tKfVqqbOFFIG3PCYtcKT_SMGkJI5ICMpHELC8vZzYH_7VfHVfPxgjTUgzxtpuaWb9u5J-BtXZTtHbFqTQm/s320/photo+%25284%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The favors were playdoh, M&Ms, and bubbles given in these cute bags as well as plushy monsters. You can find the <a href="http://cookitcleanitmakeitfun.blogspot.com/2013/09/monster-party-part-4-favors.html" target="_blank">complete tutorial for all of this here</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://cookitcleanitmakeitfun.blogspot.com/2013/09/monster-party-part-4-favors.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijNsJvA_X0w-Q8AsLGyh5zEgKSQrOPFCSP9IGNi6uJY8IPVuQx-4A0QJC-b7mhiNdru3o4_s86bXc-QjP4dyDJ6TVvesRnpvPFWr6Ajf7Ad-HuuImpH77XZTOvb9TPZM3H2XEdXsfFdUUR/s320/monsterfavors.jpg" width="247" /></a></div>
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I hope you go back and grab every juicy detail of this party so that you can have an awesome monster party for your little monsters. We'll be planning a cowgirl party next....until then, here's a kiss for the road.</div>
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See y'all next time.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6541664305800902177.post-70538774709762374282013-09-12T00:00:00.000-07:002013-09-12T00:00:14.996-07:00Monster Party Part 4: The FavorsParty favors are always my favorite part of a party to put together. I guess I love that other kids are going to get little surprises the day of the party as well as mine. I try to give a variety of different things as favors so that there is something for everyone. Here is what we settled on this year.<br />
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The first thing I did was pick up a handful of these small gift bags for 33 cents a piece. I punched out 1" circles from cardstock using my 1" punch. I can't tell you how many ways that punch has saved my life. After that, I just added a few details with a Sharpie to some and touches of black and red construction paper to others to make these little faces on the bags.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNRLgQ753UzTO3dbUF8bGryl38faFtyBfaMqvH42eVWa5xkEmg9Neiz1pwNvOczQ44aCx9Rs9yezxVeGsYIu5o0sdcRlxtMDtccHch8XqcoGoT4XzUbZ99FUqdjmkaXIQVg1ISD7ohBlPm/s1600/image_4+(3).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNRLgQ753UzTO3dbUF8bGryl38faFtyBfaMqvH42eVWa5xkEmg9Neiz1pwNvOczQ44aCx9Rs9yezxVeGsYIu5o0sdcRlxtMDtccHch8XqcoGoT4XzUbZ99FUqdjmkaXIQVg1ISD7ohBlPm/s320/image_4+(3).jpeg" width="239" /></a></div>
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Now that I had my gift bags read to go, I started work on what would go inside. The first item I added was super simple. I found, on the aisle with the crayons and coloring books, bottles of scented bubbles with awesome little monster like silly faces already on them. They rang in at 97 cents a bottle, so I splurged a little.</div>
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The next item to head into the favor bags was a teeny little pot of play-doh. You can actually pick up party packs of fifteen mini tubs for around 5 dollars in the toy section of your local store.</div>
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Of course, I couldn't just toss in a plain old tub on play-doh....so I went right to work cutting strips of neon paper to fit around the sides of the tubs.<br />
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I used a glue stick to attach the strips of paper to the tubs.</div>
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Then I used a Sharpie marker and some googley eyes to make monster faces on the tubs before tossing them into the bag.</div>
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I always try to include some sort of edible element to the favor bags. You know...a little sugar shot to take home...so that all of the moms roll their eyes and the kids all love me. ;) </div>
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This year, I incorporated my food item and my monster theme in these little cuties.</div>
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The clear little containers came in packs of four with different all different colored lids. The containers were four for $1. I filled them full of M&Ms and used googley eyes to make them into little monsters.</div>
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As I was looking for ideas for monster parties, I found a ton of different posts where Ugly Dolls (yes, that is actually a thing) were given out as monster favors. I loved them, but was NOT about to spend the kind of money it would take to get each child their own plushy. After about ten minutes of pouting, I went up to the bonus room to see what extra supplies I had in storage that could be used to possibly make these little fellas. Just to prove to you how much of an insane crafter I am...I already had yards upon yards of fleece fabric and a large bag of stuffing in my sewing/crafting supplies. My husband gave me a huge eye roll when I marched back into the living room with everything I needed.</div>
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Keep scrolling for the full tutorial on these plushy little guys.</div>
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I have no idea how much these would have cost me had I purchased the fabric and stuffing when I started the project....but for me...these were free....my favorite price. If you are doing these at home, here is what you need:</div>
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Brightly colored fleece fabric</div>
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White fusible fleece (scrap or smallest amount you can get)</div>
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White thread</div>
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Black Thread</div>
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an Iron</div>
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a Sewing Machine</div>
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Needle</div>
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Thread (I used a rainbow multi, but I recommend getting the colors of the fleece)</div>
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Stuffing</div>
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Scissors</div>
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If you are not really handy with a sewing machine...THAT IS OK! These are VERY crudely made on purpose. The whole point is for them to be MONSTERS! Sew crooked, mess up, that is the fun in them.</div>
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Start by making your monster templates. I just freehanded some little guys out. If you are not comfortable with that, there are books with monster templates in them. Cut out your templates from cardstock.</div>
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My templates ended up being around 7" tall.</div>
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The next step is to cut out squares from your fleece. You want to cut double the amount of plushies you want to end up with (fronts and backs). I cut my squares 10" so that I had plenty of wiggle room, but cut whatever amount you feel comfortable with. </div>
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Once you have cut all of your squares, you will want to trace and cut out your fronts. DO NOT cut out the backs. You will see why soon. This means, you want to trace shapes onto half of the fleece squares. I used a Sharpie (sheepish grin), but I would recommend using a fabric marker.</div>
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Then cut out all of your fronts with sharp sewing scissors.</div>
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Next, you want to cut out 1" circles for eyes and any accent pieces, such as teeth from your white fusible fleece. I used a 1" punch from cardstock as a template. Make sure you trace onto the stiff, fusible side, not the fabric face.</div>
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On these I REALLY recommend using a fabric marker rather than a Sharpie. You can see how it rubs off on skin. If you do use a Sharpie, make sure you cut all of the black part off completely. Otherwise it will show through when you iron this on and sew.</div>
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Place your eyes and teeth onto your faces where you want them and iron then on per the fusible fleece instructions.</div>
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Using your sewing machine with white thread, stitch around these pieces to secure them. It took me a few times to decide how I wanted to stitch these. I started out blanket stitching, but ended up using a short and wide zig zag to basically embroider them on.</div>
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Once you have sewn on all of your white pieces, you want to switch to black thread to add the pupils and mouths. Once again, I just used a short and wide zig zag to create an embroidery style stitch. Make the faces different in whatever ways you like. On some of my little fellas I even used one eye and made an "x" for the other.</div>
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Now you want to pin the faces face-down onto the squares you saved for the backs. When you stitch around fabric, it has a tendency to stretch or shift. If we had cut both back and front out, it would have been very difficult to keep the sides lined up perfectly. This way, you can move quickly and easily and just trim the extra when we are ready.</div>
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Stitch all the way around the edges, leaving an opening to turn these right side out. A normal straight stitch will do, but you can do these however you like. Once you have sewn all of these, you will trim the extra fabric off, turn them inside out, and stuff them.</div>
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You can see the little puckers here where I left the holes to turn them. Once you get all of your monsters stuffed, you will use needle and thread to hand stitch the holes up.</div>
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Then just toss them into a basket for a monster adoption station.<br />
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I also printed out little monster adoption certificates for the kids to name their monsters. I think My favorite monster name of the day was Hiffy.<br />
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The favors really ended up being super fun and cute. A huge hit for sure.<br />
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I hope you enjoy making these for the little monsters in your life!<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6541664305800902177.post-69513472674729233992013-09-11T00:00:00.000-07:002013-09-11T00:00:00.992-07:00Monster Party Part 3: The Invitations and DecorationsThe invitations for this monster party were the first place I started. I only did a Facebook event, but it was still important to me for the invitations to be cute. I used publisher to whip up these invites in a matter of no time. The "monster" font I used was AR Darling, which came standard with the newest version of office. The other font was Candara. The monsters were free clipart from Google searching. A few clicks of the mouse later, there ya have it.<br />
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I was really happy with the way these turned out....especially considering I whipped them up in under an hour for free.<br />
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I'm sure that if you have been following along, you caught a glimpse of my food cards on Monday. These were thrown together from a template in Publisher and more of that fantastic free Google search clip art. Just used the AR Darling font to type in the themed food names, and I had precious little food cards to use. Simple as that.<br />
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The first bit of decorating I did was completely on a whim. I used some neon paper that I had originally picked up for another project to convert my china hutch into MONSTERS! Just added some touches of other paper to make faces, and taped these up inside the glass panes. These are so adorable, I have seriously considered leaving them up permanently.<br />
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Of course, I couldn't leave those little dears to fend for themselves. I grabbed a kettle bell and a picture that already sat on top of the hutch, converted them using some paper, and tossed them back on top.<br />
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Once that was complete, I threw some plain paper in frames with paper eyeballs and drew on some smiles for a few added monster touches.<br />
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On a recent shopping trip some vinyl monsters caught my eye. I scored a pack of around 15 of these adorable little guys in the section with the crib bedding sets of all places. I stuck these little guys up on several of our doors. One even made his way into my kitchen window.<br />
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Other than those few touches, our decorating was pretty plain and simple. Brightly colored table cloths, some confetti made from leftover neon paper, and a table runner of brightly colored scrapbook paper. Cute, but extremely easy to throw together.<br />
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I hope you have been enjoying the Monster party so far. Stay tuned for the favors and the party recap! You won't be sorry!<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6541664305800902177.post-5235757368457089982013-09-10T00:00:00.000-07:002013-09-10T00:00:10.633-07:00Monster Party Part 2: The FunEvery party needs some fun activity for the party goers to participate in. When I started planning this Monster party, I actually had a pretty easy time settling on an activity. I am a LOVER of handprint crafts, so handprint monsters were at the top of my list. Bonus?? I already have paint and paper on hand because of how much we craft anyway. Add a handful of googley eyes left over from the party décor and a handful of sharpies...voila! Instant craft!<br />
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When each child came in, we painted his/her hand according to how they wanted their monster to look, then stamped it onto a paper with their name in the corner. We then washed their hands, and left the paper to dry as they moved on to other activities.<br />
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Later in the party, once the paper had dried, we had them come back to add googley eyes and marker faces to their monsters.<br />
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I recommend using fast drying paint, such as acrylic, over more watery paint, such as finger paint, if you are doing this in a party setting. Otherwise, you will just end up with soggy papers by the time the party is over.<br />
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These made great little keepsakes for takeaways...and what kid doesn't love getting messy for a few minutes?<br />
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I also wanted something for the kids to be able to do in the down time....whether it be while other kids made their handprint monsters or while parents were making their plates. I found these great little activity pads in the Walmart aisle with the finger paints and coloring books. It had blank monsters with stickers to make the faces. I tore out the pages individually and cut the face stickers all out into smaller pieces to scatter on the table, then tossed them into pails to set out like this.<br />
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The kids seemed to really enjoy this...and it was SO simple!<br />
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These activities were easy and very nearly free. The activity book was around $3. The other supplies I already had at the house from our daily crafting or leftover from party decorating and favors.<br />
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Love these? Stay tuned the rest of the week for the invitations and decorations, the favors, and the party recap!<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6541664305800902177.post-5026286532114927272013-09-09T00:00:00.000-07:002013-09-09T00:00:10.495-07:00Monster Party Part 1: The FoodAlright, folks! It's birthday party time! I decided this time around to break the party up into sections, then do a recap with linkups. Since Mondays are Meal Plan Mondays, we'll start off with the food.<br />
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I debated and debated over a birthday party theme this year. I picked a theme, fought to fall in love with the theme, decided I couldn't get on board with it, brainstormed, came up with a new theme, and the fun started!<br />
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MONSTERS!!!<br />
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What a perfect theme for my little critters! My little monsters turn 2 & 3 this year, and this was a fun unisex theme that everyone could enjoy.<br />
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Every party (at least at my house) has to have themed food. Here's what I settled on.<br />
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Monster Smiles<br />
Monster Ears (with Earwax)<br />
Monster Teeth<br />
Monster Fingers (with Slime)<br />
Monster Eyes & Noses<br />
Monster Toes<br />
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..and of course, Monster Cupcakes!!<br />
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Smiles were croissant sandwiches. We chose Ham, Turkey, and Cheese since it pleased most of our guests. You could pick whatever fits your crowd the best.<br />
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Ears were Wavy Lays Original chips and earwax was just chip dip.<br />
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Teeth were Nacho Cheese Doritos. What monster wouldn't have cheesy teeth?!?!<br />
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Monster Fingers were baby carrots and celery sticks. The slime was, of course, ranch dip with food coloring.<br />
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The eyes and noses were strawberries, grapes, and pineapples.<br />
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The toes were pigs in pretzel dough blankets.<br />
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The Monster Juice was green Hawaiian Punch and Lemonade. We also had sweet tea for the adults who weren't into drinking monster juice.<br />
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Last but not least, the cupcakes! I baked key lime and orange dreamcicle cupcakes from mixes that were on sale to make the monster insides green and orange. Then I got to work with brightly colored vanilla icing, a star tip, and a grass tip (borrowed from one of our favorite cousins). For the best results on the monster fur, I recommend starting from the outside edges and working your way in toward the center. Once you get your desired fur texture, just top each cupcakes off with one, two, or three eyes to make your monsters complete. These were so fun, and such a great addition to our party.<br />
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This was a pretty low maintenance menu. I just whipped up some sandwiches, threw the pigs in the oven, sliced the strawberry tops, and was ready to go. Everything else was just open and pour. The most complicated thing on the whole menu was the cupcakes...and those were easy peasy as well.<br />
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I can't wait to show you the details for the rest of the party! Stay tuned for the rest of the week! Here's a small sneak peak of the dessert/favor table to show off the cupcakes a little more.<br />
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Enjoy!<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6541664305800902177.post-80261434244297952752013-09-08T18:46:00.001-07:002013-09-08T18:46:36.444-07:00No Spend Month: The Challenge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPDDSL1mNmg8tIw4scx1sB-KlylvUF8ShmOUdxh0Ewpu7_xujqEmxWUYa1VroPTfO1J7iuCWvGsQpNUT39B5zeu28-oGKHBpchfqsdKDOVq1jSfDYhkXChgGfAeX6L0zCPdpXIoRE8ZZNF/s1600/injured_piggy_bank_with_crutches.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPDDSL1mNmg8tIw4scx1sB-KlylvUF8ShmOUdxh0Ewpu7_xujqEmxWUYa1VroPTfO1J7iuCWvGsQpNUT39B5zeu28-oGKHBpchfqsdKDOVq1jSfDYhkXChgGfAeX6L0zCPdpXIoRE8ZZNF/s320/injured_piggy_bank_with_crutches.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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As I write this, my family is preparing to start our very first no spend month. For one entire month we will not purchase any extras whatsoever. That means we will spend money only on bills, gas, and groceries. In addition to cutting back to only those things, we are also going to do our best to cut down on the gas and groceries. Time to send that poor piggy bank to the doctor!<br />
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The bills are obviously the bills. We have tried over the last several months to streamline those as much as possible, but for the most part those will be the same as they are every month. They are excluded from the budget that I am setting up for no spend month.<br />
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We live fairly far from civilization, so a large portion of the gas we burn is completely necessary. Our plan to cut down on that is to carpool, combine trips, and not go on unnecessary trips. We are both starting the month with full tanks as well.<br />
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Groceries are going to take the largest hit. We are going to see just how little we can get by with. Starting this adventure the week after a birthday party was a good idea since we will have party leftovers for at least the first two days of this challenge. My plan is to use items already in our pantry and freezer as much as possible, plan and prepare meals that are inexpensive, and to really find and cut back on grocery items that are wants more than needs. I can tell already that this is going to greatly effect my coffee habit. Coffee will probably be my biggest sacrifice for the month.<br />
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Let's face it...you can't spend absolutely $0 for an entire month. The idea of no spend is to spend $0 on extras and to live on only the necessities.<br />
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I have seen other families out there who burn only $200 for their entire no spend month. Of course, those families are families of three. We are a family of five and this is our very first no spend month, so we are setting our budget a bit higher. Remember, this budget has to cover gas AND groceries for the ENTIRE month. I'm not joking when I say that there are times we spend that in a week. Our budget for our very first no spend month is......$350. <br />
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My plan to stick to it is to go plastic free. We will pull out cash to dole out as the month goes along, but the debit cards are getting locked away for the month. Why? I feel like using a debit card gives a false sense of security. If you walk into a store with a debit card and go over budget, no problem. If you walk into a store with cash and go over budget, you have to put something back. My mother in law uses this genius envelope system that I may eventually have to try out.<br />
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I plan to post weekly updates as the month goes along to let you know how we are doing. Deep breath...here we go!<br />
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Who's with us?!?!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglN-n27G5T1eYcMyBJskCecWXfqPU0W-NGqgYIn0zfcjj-PWswUzxYduyq1ac5Z27hIHfCbyiEKIi2PKsSB5nPyRvk2NDtZ8ufbpscrcPzorabDL1MsnbXofwE77wKBidrz6ElyYgEMV89/s1600/Signature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglN-n27G5T1eYcMyBJskCecWXfqPU0W-NGqgYIn0zfcjj-PWswUzxYduyq1ac5Z27hIHfCbyiEKIi2PKsSB5nPyRvk2NDtZ8ufbpscrcPzorabDL1MsnbXofwE77wKBidrz6ElyYgEMV89/s320/Signature.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6541664305800902177.post-49658194561042313072013-05-14T00:00:00.000-07:002013-05-14T03:44:59.986-07:00Dye Rice for Sensory Tubs and ProjectsThere are a million and one uses for brightly colored rice. Mostly, I just wanted it for my kids to dig in for sensory bins. I have seen other tutorials out there using rubbing alcohol to die the rice, but I really wanted to die the rice using something that if the kids happened to eat it....it would be a little safer than that. After a while, I decided white vinegar should do the trick. After all, it is used to die Easter eggs and it evaporates fairly quickly.<br />
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First things first...grab your supplies<br />
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1 c. uncooked white rice per color (we did 3; I use Zatarain's)<br />
2 Tbsp white distilled vinegar per color<br />
several drops food coloring each color<br />
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one small bowl per color<br />
one sandwich sized bag per color<br />
1 c. measure and 1 Tbsp measure<br />
wax paper<br />
shallow pans for drying<br />
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Ok! Now that you have all of your supplies together, we can get started!<br />
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Measure 1 cup of rice into each sandwich baggie. If Zatarain's rice is available in your area, I recommend using it over other brands. It holds its form much better.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFXysF1t58FIFD4ok0Izui16cTKQRY-kcMcZcICbTMBUpv1q_bh-Glfe1qP4LV_qDeLcy0o6aRtVxblAVSgnyvXaFqubwswpuzMZx_xR91OhG6j3tc9GlDbEo8n0Tg2IEiG8FYrKiPNtQq/s1600/photo(117).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFXysF1t58FIFD4ok0Izui16cTKQRY-kcMcZcICbTMBUpv1q_bh-Glfe1qP4LV_qDeLcy0o6aRtVxblAVSgnyvXaFqubwswpuzMZx_xR91OhG6j3tc9GlDbEo8n0Tg2IEiG8FYrKiPNtQq/s320/photo(117).JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
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Set those aside until we finish mixing our colors. In each small bowl, mix 2 Tbsp white vinegar with food coloring and stir well. The color intensity will depend on how much food coloring you add, so if you like the colors bright, go a little crazy! The color will be much lighter on the rice than in the bowl. We used orange, lime green, and purple.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4jXPWropQmIeKyNlXaTQ8JmKWMLDqpn9lB2wpCmQXUCAeepePyakKPr1FB0i34ki-ku9nBWa5R7o2eIdTVdA4XqJeb_ccDjxNk22QngJSs7602bb2rCK5M0UuimMLf3c04cPDOR3wuo6h/s1600/photo(116).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4jXPWropQmIeKyNlXaTQ8JmKWMLDqpn9lB2wpCmQXUCAeepePyakKPr1FB0i34ki-ku9nBWa5R7o2eIdTVdA4XqJeb_ccDjxNk22QngJSs7602bb2rCK5M0UuimMLf3c04cPDOR3wuo6h/s320/photo(116).JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Now, dump one of these colors into each bag of rice. You want to work these one at a time so that your rice doesn't get mushy.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiohBhzcI80XNu64zc0qHWD7aakkJ9HpGjUEpwmgUgRFsKuD5xBHvsQnx2GhYA8fWplQ8PPZgdT7HOlCb-Y6Wu6irYKPEiKugOdyiB3rUyZcrNpL5yvvLrgxAhDamISrRo6zb1dmDu8ikl6/s1600/photo(115).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiohBhzcI80XNu64zc0qHWD7aakkJ9HpGjUEpwmgUgRFsKuD5xBHvsQnx2GhYA8fWplQ8PPZgdT7HOlCb-Y6Wu6irYKPEiKugOdyiB3rUyZcrNpL5yvvLrgxAhDamISrRo6zb1dmDu8ikl6/s320/photo(115).JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Squeeze the air out of the bag, and seal it. Then just squeeze and mash to your little heart's content until all of the rice is well coated in coloring.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidjy-5nIR8mkUeRRuosPNijjPfgfIOEnuGhyphenhyphenFnqVefc1wJdJJMmT-HtrT7xXPe6vULD22VtWnTtTs0h9o-HW56GSaGK2zLJrlhifI7XwY4RypkTYvij6yOnBbAHmSDDcR7PEG4coMU3zLF/s1600/photo(114).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidjy-5nIR8mkUeRRuosPNijjPfgfIOEnuGhyphenhyphenFnqVefc1wJdJJMmT-HtrT7xXPe6vULD22VtWnTtTs0h9o-HW56GSaGK2zLJrlhifI7XwY4RypkTYvij6yOnBbAHmSDDcR7PEG4coMU3zLF/s320/photo(114).JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
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Or you could get a little help like I did.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7gcj7WJfI-3Rxzb7lGluUNTIW3lcAPRf3vxTZ6pls2S5YwqHF5zFWMTicoKJesuYPYIIPWrhazOrr3zX60cTllXT-sMAqqSSSb9nUu2hd8S78_fIGGM8rzc9EVFLWa1crgKN3mV_0HTxZ/s1600/photo(113).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7gcj7WJfI-3Rxzb7lGluUNTIW3lcAPRf3vxTZ6pls2S5YwqHF5zFWMTicoKJesuYPYIIPWrhazOrr3zX60cTllXT-sMAqqSSSb9nUu2hd8S78_fIGGM8rzc9EVFLWa1crgKN3mV_0HTxZ/s320/photo(113).JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMdmqT4-ig_We9Tnwr7tcQBHZiCRcH4IJWnxGWWx3CkUlTfT1OkQsnGrFPD56bqCsaWAxy0jAjiYOl78VcNebahkstjDN3nJNBoQScm6U5LiljtLv_GgPW-CN7YF0__vWO7mvusLBSc_T1/s1600/photo(112).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMdmqT4-ig_We9Tnwr7tcQBHZiCRcH4IJWnxGWWx3CkUlTfT1OkQsnGrFPD56bqCsaWAxy0jAjiYOl78VcNebahkstjDN3nJNBoQScm6U5LiljtLv_GgPW-CN7YF0__vWO7mvusLBSc_T1/s320/photo(112).JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
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I think she was a little excited.<br />
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Once your rice is fully coated, dump it into a shallow pan lined with wax paper to dry.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnD4ifwTorNcNQmgvWeeIEhyphenhyphenmrA5wBtbTPAQMZ5q_DQEDMiUsrHZ15xg_xV145i2r3tngC-fndAleTqQYxr3uyuouZxLCLbEtQEnlqMKJCtDspjBjqwFVH2kNwZXGIWECoWzHuIGqVYx5V/s1600/photo(111).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnD4ifwTorNcNQmgvWeeIEhyphenhyphenmrA5wBtbTPAQMZ5q_DQEDMiUsrHZ15xg_xV145i2r3tngC-fndAleTqQYxr3uyuouZxLCLbEtQEnlqMKJCtDspjBjqwFVH2kNwZXGIWECoWzHuIGqVYx5V/s320/photo(111).JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Ours took about an hour and a half to dry completely. Of course, I couldn't leave it alone...I kept going over and mushing on it every 20 minutes or so.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXtVTXI5tbdp9d5ld5XN_WH3VrlKp1BwYzNpjUIyT-vnGQDRTDJV5xgTaZ4RBIklWh6n_VG2TpNQxykDl1hv6j1hrEF2pP6ivRAKxuHGfJ3l0LDF4r7-DdfHb_XoX9dPOr7iKk87rTgPzS/s1600/photo(118).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXtVTXI5tbdp9d5ld5XN_WH3VrlKp1BwYzNpjUIyT-vnGQDRTDJV5xgTaZ4RBIklWh6n_VG2TpNQxykDl1hv6j1hrEF2pP6ivRAKxuHGfJ3l0LDF4r7-DdfHb_XoX9dPOr7iKk87rTgPzS/s320/photo(118).JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
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When you are done, you have brightly colored rice to make sensory bins or other projects with. Trust me....you will see projects with this in the future. I am LOVING this!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJGpgOu-pZJqgGb4Oa1Yn2dod_jgQ7iuN8Q_Ghw6MaGLrgW_IrRBW_Gw21p40cEI6LXKtWZldSXFl_YhFxLXKa9rYLmsJckM016QcxRChyGSGnbLhmT3PRsuQVunDSUMTAfpQiPlGYPzQ2/s1600/photo(119).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJGpgOu-pZJqgGb4Oa1Yn2dod_jgQ7iuN8Q_Ghw6MaGLrgW_IrRBW_Gw21p40cEI6LXKtWZldSXFl_YhFxLXKa9rYLmsJckM016QcxRChyGSGnbLhmT3PRsuQVunDSUMTAfpQiPlGYPzQ2/s320/photo(119).JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
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I mixed all of ours up for the project we'll be working on, but store yours however you are going to use it. <br />
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Let me know if you try this with your kids or use another method that you love.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglN-n27G5T1eYcMyBJskCecWXfqPU0W-NGqgYIn0zfcjj-PWswUzxYduyq1ac5Z27hIHfCbyiEKIi2PKsSB5nPyRvk2NDtZ8ufbpscrcPzorabDL1MsnbXofwE77wKBidrz6ElyYgEMV89/s1600/Signature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglN-n27G5T1eYcMyBJskCecWXfqPU0W-NGqgYIn0zfcjj-PWswUzxYduyq1ac5Z27hIHfCbyiEKIi2PKsSB5nPyRvk2NDtZ8ufbpscrcPzorabDL1MsnbXofwE77wKBidrz6ElyYgEMV89/s320/Signature.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<iframe bordercolor="#000000" frameborder="0" height="150" hspace="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adi/N963.148119.BLOGGEREN/B6527721.7;dcadv=3632184;sz=180x150;lid=41000613802463973;pid=182250;usg=AFHzDLsUIV7JE1_86Fa8mlPRBVwg8CX_Gg;adurl=http%253A%252F%252Fwww.samsclub.com%252Fsams%252Fziploc-sandwich-bags-125-ct-4-pk%252F158680.ip%253Fpid%253D_DoubleClick_Affiliates%2526ci_src%253D15781033%2526ci_sku%253D182250;pubid=634989;price=%248.82;title=Ziploc+Sandwich+Bags+-...;merc=Sam%27s+Club;imgsrc=http%3A%2F%2Fs7d2.scene7.com%2Fis%2Fimage%2Fsamsclub%2Fs7product%2F0002570062409_A.jpg;width=85;height=85" vspace="0" width="180"></iframe><iframe bordercolor="#000000" frameborder="0" height="150" hspace="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adi/N7433.148119.BLOGGEREN/B6627533.3901;sz=180x150;ord=[timestamp]?;lid=41000613802463797;pid=24457-1200;usg=AFHzDLuKe4G3JyjWhDCoyTQ-kC3JoHZmZQ;adurl=http%253A%252F%252Fwww.chefscatalog.com%252Fproduct%252F24457-gel-food-color.aspx%253Futm_source%253Dgoogle%2526utm_medium%253Dshopping%2526utm_content%253D24457-1200%2526utm_campaign%253DAteco;pubid=634989;price=%2422.98;title=Gel+Food+Color+-+12-Pi...;merc=CHEFS+Catalog;imgsrc=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.chefscatalog.com%2Fimg%2Fproducts%2F500x500%2F24457_1200_500.jpg;width=85;height=85" vspace="0" width="180"></iframe><iframe bordercolor="#000000" frameborder="0" height="150" hspace="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adi/N7433.148119.BLOGGEREN/B6693770.8770;sz=180x150;ord=[timestamp]?;lid=41000613802464054;pid=1056951;usg=AFHzDLsQnpXLrMwNgWbemGXEPJZFyYx1Sg;adurl=http%253A%252F%252Fwww.surlatable.com%252Fproduct%252FPRO-1056951%252F%253Fmr%253AtrackingCode%253D42DEE051-3D76-E211-8D02-001517384908%2526mr%253AreferralID%253DNA;pubid=634989;price=%2419.95;title=OXO+Stainless+Steel+Me...;merc=Sur+La+Table;imgsrc=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.surlatable.com%2Fimages%2Fcustomers%2Fc1079%2FPRO-1056951%2Fgenerated%2FPRO-1056951_Default_1_430x430.jpg;width=85;height=85" vspace="0" width="180"></iframe><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6541664305800902177.post-19693503503379864432013-05-13T00:00:00.000-07:002013-05-13T00:00:00.895-07:00Pot Roast Perfection<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">I LOVE LOVE LOVE my crock-pot! </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">There...I said it. I mean it<span style="font-size: small;">, too. There is nothing better than doing a little prep wor<span style="font-size: small;">k<span style="font-size: small;"> and tossing things <span style="font-size: small;">into the pot in the morning<span style="font-size: small;"> and then returning home to a delicious smelling house and a crock-pot full of ready-to<span style="font-size: small;">-eat </span>goodness. </span></span></span></span></span></span>Some days, I pull out one of my million crock pot cookbooks. Others I just throw things into a pot and hope for the best. One thing I can always count on being wonderful is a roast. It seems like you can throw just about anything into a crock-pot with a decent roast and come out with an amazing meal. </div>
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For this pot roast you will need the following:</div>
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1 - 3-4 pound beef roast (this was chuck roast on sale for $3.49 per pound)</div>
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5-6 whole carrots</div>
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2-3 stalks celery</div>
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1 envelope onion soup mix</div>
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1 Tbsp Rosemary Herb Mix Seasoning (I had this from Pampered Chef...you could just as easily use a pinch each of rosemary and thyme or whatever herbs you prefer)</div>
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1-2 c beef or chicken broth (I'm easy like that)</div>
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2 Tbsp flour or 1 Tbsp corn starch(optional) </div>
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First things first....bust out the crock pot!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZEL-ZpO3QuVZOFSoMAIuX_chMk12UXJUy3B-RC7EljkU2zUC9yGnrdNq8S3St24IsZDMSM9nxAAxjQti8m94DU5Tk0IZS6kdbsZousHdD3k2BxS-5V6LSTmqVu-1fOrXzpoaNAJKQOKmC/s1600/photo%252888%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZEL-ZpO3QuVZOFSoMAIuX_chMk12UXJUy3B-RC7EljkU2zUC9yGnrdNq8S3St24IsZDMSM9nxAAxjQti8m94DU5Tk0IZS6kdbsZousHdD3k2BxS-5V6LSTmqVu-1fOrXzpoaNAJKQOKmC/s320/photo%252888%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Yours doesn't HAVE to be camouflage like mine, but I am convinced that it makes the food taste better!<br />
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I recommend using crock pot liners...they make life so much easier. You just drop the liner in, cook inside of it, and when you are done you just remove the bag and wipe out the condensation from your crock pot instead of scrubbing.<br />
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Now that your crock-pot is all set up and ready to roll, you will need to start with your veggies. Wash, peel, and cut your carrots.</div>
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Tip...instead of making cute, short little ch ch ch cuts I recommend using long fluid motion to peel. It may not sound as cute, but it makes for less of a mess, less waste, and prettier carrots.<br />
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I just blew your mind with the upside down carrots, right?<br /><br />
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Now if you are like me...when you get your 5 or 6 carrots out, there will be something like this left in your bag of carrots.<br />
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At this point, you have two options.....wash, peel, and eat....or wash, cut, peel and throw in the crock-pot. I LOVE carrots with my roast, so I prepped them for the pot.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyW5uRno0iyP7Xeoj3yspajez6FCpAG8s9hPhIHRPuz_G_YGjlRSNIdUc_8s5RVmRWcuTlyM7xIY7D509D3ovyL8E60dGcHPf9gPUwEcAKWVcTng4z_diSENj_2PXzZW0rYc_fUK1i4P4q/s1600/photo%252884%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyW5uRno0iyP7Xeoj3yspajez6FCpAG8s9hPhIHRPuz_G_YGjlRSNIdUc_8s5RVmRWcuTlyM7xIY7D509D3ovyL8E60dGcHPf9gPUwEcAKWVcTng4z_diSENj_2PXzZW0rYc_fUK1i4P4q/s320/photo%252884%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Make sure you remove the tops and the tippiest little ends of the carrots. Now, I know these are not cut with the most perfect knife cuts in the world. What would a good old fashioned pot roast be without some good rustic cut carrots? Don't let perfectionism spoil this for you...have fun with it!<br />
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Now, you will start prepping your celery. Give it a good wash and begin by removing the very bottom portion.<br />
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It will leave you with a cute little piece that looks like a flower....I'm saving mine for a project, so you'll see this little guy again. If you aren't doing the project though, you can toss this piece.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMmmDqn74hacmbv9TpRgiT7XCc14yKbUsUIEDBGMR1iS6nC1p7VILu1XYOYq6eqi4VVG7ZVCwlOoKl535k2VbAYuFsKpVxXSdUnZJE2_LuMuhyphenhyphen81KtwVTfpkHx9lroDO8TKHKJ55jxOEim/s1600/photo%252881%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMmmDqn74hacmbv9TpRgiT7XCc14yKbUsUIEDBGMR1iS6nC1p7VILu1XYOYq6eqi4VVG7ZVCwlOoKl535k2VbAYuFsKpVxXSdUnZJE2_LuMuhyphenhyphen81KtwVTfpkHx9lroDO8TKHKJ55jxOEim/s320/photo%252881%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Isn't he cute?!?!<br /><br />
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Ok, enough of that! Go ahead and continue cutting up your celery in slices as thick or thin as you like. I cut all of my celery to save some for another recipe.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIzRQIcVz704sQLpzfbT3hEEkTq2WHPYVqGdSC7adnWoum5u_FDRhTIOR96tPIfm72OJgdxOPGJyPlydfFKSDVvOYo5dFTfthr7iNnmXH4iH1j3LxoLYyHeI0oSauZkT263m0VA9xHsQbj/s1600/photo%252880%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIzRQIcVz704sQLpzfbT3hEEkTq2WHPYVqGdSC7adnWoum5u_FDRhTIOR96tPIfm72OJgdxOPGJyPlydfFKSDVvOYo5dFTfthr7iNnmXH4iH1j3LxoLYyHeI0oSauZkT263m0VA9xHsQbj/s320/photo%252880%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Put the portion of celery you plan to save for later into the fridge in a bowl with a lid or saran wrap.<br />
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Now, if you are like me, take a moment to remove the blueberry muffins from the oven....what? You didn't know you had muffins in the oven? It's ok if you don't. We can't all be multi-taskers.<br />
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Toss your carrots and celery into your crock-pot. How did I not get a picture of that?!?! Anyway....<br />
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Now place your meat down directly on top of the vegetables. Mmm...look at that cut of meat...this is gonna be great.<br />
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Sprinkle onto the meat your herb seasoning mix and your onion soup mix.<br />
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Now pour your chicken or beef broth down evenly over all of this. I used about 1 1/2 c. chicken broth.<br />
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Now toss the lid onto the crock-pot and set it to low for 8-10 hours.<br />
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Go ahead at this point and wash the dishes up from everything we just did (muffins included) so that you don't have to do it later....go on...you know you need to. Awe, heck, just throw them into the dishwasher. I won't tell.<br />
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Now go serve the muffins to the children.<br />
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Well...the ones that are awake anyway...<br />
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And enjoy a big cup of morning happy.<br />
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Then go about your day. The roast will start smelling delicious right away, but don't be tempted to lift the lid. Leave that thing alone all day long!<br />
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When the day is done, and you are ready to serve your roast, go ahead and shred the meat with a fork.<br />
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If the gravy is too runny for your taste, you can thicken it up with an easy fix. Remove a little bit of the liquid to a small bowl and add either 2 Tbsp flour or 1 Tbsp corn starch and mix well. Return to the pot and stir in well. This will thicken to a more gravy-like consistency.<br />
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Now just serve over rice or mashed potatoes...whichever you prefer. In a pinch, we have even eaten it as is.<br />
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This pot roast turned out absolutely amazing. The baby was the only one who would let me have her bowl long enough to get a picture...everyone else was too busy scarfing this down! The carrots turned out so tender, the celery melted away in our mouths, and the meat was so tender and juicy. I can't wait to make this again.<br />
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Oh, and, FYI....this makes awesome leftover roast sandwiches!<br />
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I hope your family enjoys this dish as much as mine did. If you try it, let me know!<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6541664305800902177.post-35653281782994824882013-05-10T00:00:00.000-07:002013-05-10T00:00:18.851-07:00Mother's Day Gift for the Cooking MommaI have been oh so blessed to have a family full of cooking women! They have seasoned my life with their knowledge about God, life, family, and food. This mother's day, I wanted to give them kitchen gifts with a personal touch.<br />
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I started by picking up some good quality, inexpensive bamboo cutting boards and utensil sets. I used <a href="http://cookitcleanitmakeitfun.blogspot.com/2013/01/woodburned-wooden-spoons.html" target="_blank">this method from another post of mine</a> to put each lady's initial and decorative flowers on each utensil and their name and flowers onto the cutting boards.<br />
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Ok, and maybe a heart for each, too. After all, we do want them to know we love them. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlkPbXPQUoBkVqlO9kJDMeu0IOdhW3SqGLXRGb9mDwMdin_He7tBNl5Vc1Yww1RBHAOjRzUzMgzGMnuNaS4LcXmiwQprsjlArUoAhufRvpyv2yOvocvKeRkFKHJ_NV_HEWyo8MVX3zC0Ii/s1600/photo(90).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlkPbXPQUoBkVqlO9kJDMeu0IOdhW3SqGLXRGb9mDwMdin_He7tBNl5Vc1Yww1RBHAOjRzUzMgzGMnuNaS4LcXmiwQprsjlArUoAhufRvpyv2yOvocvKeRkFKHJ_NV_HEWyo8MVX3zC0Ii/s320/photo(90).JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
Mimi's cutting board is looking so sweet!<br />
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Here is one of grammy's spoons!<br />
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Next, I grabbed some of the flour sack dish cloths left over from our <a href="http://cookitcleanitmakeitfun.blogspot.com/2013/04/pin-tuck-dish-towels.html" target="_blank">Pin Tuck Dish Towels</a> and got to work putting ruffles on each one. Granny Carol got pink paisley ruffles, Mimi got white ruffles, and Grammy got green ruffles. I am posting a separate tutorial for the ruffled cloths, so stay tuned!<br />
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This is Granny Carol's completed set. If I have a little extra time between now and then, I am going to embroider something cute onto each dish towel.<br />
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We are also throwing in some of these cute little<a href="http://cookitcleanitmakeitfun.blogspot.com/2012/10/baked-bead-suncatcher-project.html" target="_blank"> bead suncatchers</a> that the kids made more of recently.<br />
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We are also wrapping each present in a special wrapping paper we created, but that is another post for another day.<br />
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I think each of these special ladies are really going to love their box of kitchen happies.<br />
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Let me know if you tried any of this for your Mother or another special lady in your life!<br />
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The first thing you want to do is wash and dry the bed skirt to make sure all shrinking is done. Now, separate the bed skirt fabric from the funky liner that goes under the mattress. You will be left with three rectangle pieces (two long, one short). You will need to use the long pieces for this project. Set the short piece aside for another day or throw it in the scrap fabric stack. The edge where it was connected to the liner will look like this.<br />
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You will then need to fold the edge in by two inches and iron a crease. If you feel more confident using pins, pin the fabric in place. It is up to you. Be careful as you are doing this, not to iron on the threads that connected the fabric to the liner. These threads are plastic and will melt....STINKY.<br />
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From here, go ahead and sew a seam down the entire length of the fabric at about 1/4 from the raw edge. This will make a sleeve for the curtain rod to slide through. Repeat these steps until the number of valances you need are completed. <br />
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Now, just throw the curtain rod in and install!<br />
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Not bad for a 5 minute free project, huh? Try it, and let me know how yours turn out!<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6541664305800902177.post-83503942522717157142013-05-07T00:00:00.001-07:002013-05-07T00:00:04.919-07:00Bathroom Step Stool for Under $2For those of you who know me...I have a deep love for PROJECTS! If I can tackle a new project or new hobby, I somehow feel so very accomplished. My most recent hobby is carpentry....very light carpentry of course, but carpentry nonetheless. I was browsing Ana White's website and found a building plan for this adorable little bathroom stepstool and couldn't resist. This is just what I need at my house as I attempt to potty train one child and prepare to start potty training another.<br />
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Here is the link to her plans: <a href="http://ana-white.com/2012/01/plans/bathroom-helper-step">http://ana-white.com/2012/01/plans/bathroom-helper-step</a><br />
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Here is what you will need: (I had everything on hand but the lumber)<br />
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2 1x2 boards @ 8 ft (94 cents a piece at my favorite blue store)<br />
A power drill/screwdriver<br />
1 1/2 inch wood screws<br />
finish or paint of your choice<br />
120 grit sandpaper<br />
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Even if you had to buy your sandpaper and screws, this would still cost you less than $10.<br />
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& if you are cutting your wood yourself...a saw, eye protection, and hearing protection<br />
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I had my boys at my favorite blue store cut my wood for me...they do it for free and it saves SO much time and cleanup.<br />
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Cut List:<br />
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5 @ 17 1/2 inches<br />
2 @ 16 inches<br />
4 @ 11 inches<br />
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Cut these in order for the best results. I had a pretty nice sized scrap piece leftover. You could use it for two additional 11 inch pieces if you wanted to make your stool a little taller, but I'll tell you where to do that as I tell you about the process.<br />
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Here's what you do:<br />
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Start by attaching two 11 inch pieces to the outside of your two 16 inch pieces, forming a rectangle frame. Predrill all holes before attaching, and check for square after this step.<br />
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Attach your first slat to the top of the frame, predrilling holes. There should be no overhang on the sides.<br />
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Next attach the slat on the complete opposite side in the same manner. This will allow you to space the slats evenly between the two outside edges.<br />
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Install the remaining slats, evenly spacing them across your frame. Then turn your work over.<br />
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Attach your remaining two 11 inch pieces as risers for the stool. At this point, if you need for your stool to be higher, you would add an additional two pieces to the bottoms of these. I felt this would be high enough for us.<br />
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Sand your project down and paint or stain as you choose.<br />
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VOILA! You completed a bathroom step stool....and it cost you less than $2 to make!!<br />
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My little man says no to pants much too often! This stool is just the right size for him to get onto the potty or wash his little hands. <br />
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Did you try this? Post a pic or tell me about it!<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6541664305800902177.post-45470530683315119362013-05-06T00:00:00.000-07:002013-05-06T00:00:10.723-07:00Italian Chicken Pasta<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So, no matter how hard I try to be organized and have a plan for dinner....sometimes it just doesn't work out that way. Sometimes I realize at 4:45 that I haven't taken out anything to thaw or even given a thought to what I will prepare. I'm sure that none of you have ever experienced this lack of preparation or planning, right? Well...some pretty great recipes have been born out of these times at our house. These are the times when I just start grabbing things from the pantry and throwing them together haphazardly until they make a dish. This past week, I accidentally came up with a pretty great Italian Chicken Pasta that everyone has been begging for more of. I just had to share it with you!<br />
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Here's what you need:<br />
1 bag Penne pasta<br />
2 cans white chunk chicken<br />
1 15 ounce can crushed tomatoes<br />
1 15 ounce can italian fire roasted tomatoes<br />
1 small can mushroom pieces<br />
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Yes, I know...canned everything! That is what happens when you don't plan ahead.<br />
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Here's what you do.<br />
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Start out by preparing your penne pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside while you <br />Arprepare the sauce. In a large, deep skillet, mix together chicken, tomatoes, Italian tomatoes, and mushrooms. Heat until boiling. Add noodles to skillet and continue cooking until bubbly. Add cheese if desired and serve.<br />
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That was pretty easy, right?!?! Now look at the yummy results!<br />
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I have already added this recipe to my next shopping/menu list. The kids and husband gobbled it up! We had just enough for lunch the next day for the babies and me.<br />
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I hope your family enjoys this as much as we did!<br />
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I LOVE LOVE LOVE these spoons! The one pictured is from this set. They just fit your hand really well.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6541664305800902177.post-10703016607671909012013-05-03T00:00:00.000-07:002013-05-03T07:43:31.642-07:00Bow Drawer to Bow-tiqueFor years, I have stored bows, headbands, head wraps, ponytail holders, and more in the top dresser drawer of my daughter's room. Lately, with two girls, it has gotten to be quite a huge mess to dig through in the mornings. As I was rearranging the girls' room this week, I decided it was finally time to do something about the mess.<br />
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I started by attaching three vertical ribbons to the left side of the dresser, which was a whiteboard. I did this with a staple gun and staples, but your method may vary based on the material you are attaching to.<br />
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All of the bows on the two ribbons to the right are alligator clip bows. The second from the left are barrette closures. The far left are assorted, oddball closures along with snap clips and bobby pins. Hanging from the far left ribbon is a ponytail holder with all of their claw clips clipped around it.<br />
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This is WAY more attractive than the giant mess the drawer was before. I wish I had taken before pictures. It was ROUGH. Look again...I even color sorted each bow style.<br />
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That was great for the bows, but the girls still had a ton of headbands and head wraps to organize. After a few minutes of scratching my head, I headed to the kitchen to grab a paper towel holder.<br />
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Perfection! This worked great for all of their headbands and headwraps. This may be a temporary solution depending on how well it works out, but so far it is amazing.<br />
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Last, but not least....I needed something to do with the 85 million ponytail holders. You have no idea how serious I am...but you are about to. Since I had already robbed the kitchen once, I headed in there again for a finishing touch on the girls' bow-tique. A ROLLING PIN! You can buy a cheap one if you don't have one in the kitchen to spare. This is an antique one that was given to me as a gift. (I have five rolling pins)<br />
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This is probably my favorite solution out of this whole project. It fits perfectly inside the front of the top drawer too! <br />
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This made the bows much easier to see and access. It also protects her headbands from getting all smooshed and broken like they have been getting lately. The best part though....it freed up almost the entire top drawer for swim suits and accessories! Every girl needs a little more storage space.<br />
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Let me know if you use any of these solutions for yourself or your daughter. Keep crafting, and have fun!<br />
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<iframe bordercolor="#000000" frameborder="0" height="150" hspace="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adi/N963.148119.BLOGGEREN/B6527721.7;dcadv=3632184;sz=180x150;lid=41000613802463511;pid=1283417;usg=AFHzDLu8IlzR8b6nt5oXgQ_DB2PaKivfBQ;adurl=http%253A%252F%252Fwww.kohls.com%252Fproduct%252Fprd-1283417%252Fpaula-deen-wooden-rolling-pin.jsp%253Fpfx%253Dpfx_shopcompare%2526cid%253Dshopping3;pubid=634989;price=%2416.79;title=Paula+Deen+Wooden+Roll...;merc=Kohl%27s;imgsrc=http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.kohls.com.edgesuite.net%2Fis%2Fimage%2Fkohls%2F1283417%3Fwid%3D500%26hei%3D500%26op_sharpen%3D1;width=85;height=85" vspace="0" width="180"></iframe><iframe bordercolor="#000000" frameborder="0" height="150" hspace="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adi/N963.148119.BLOGGEREN/B6527721.7;dcadv=3632184;sz=180x150;lid=41000613802463511;pid=429521;usg=AFHzDLuAcDz_dd64xHNIc1lqEdWcGIV1xg;adurl=http%253A%252F%252Fwww.kohls.com%252Fproduct%252Fprd-429521%252Fbrushed-stainless-steel-paper-towel-holder.jsp%253Fpfx%253Dpfx_shopcompare%2526cid%253Dshopping3;pubid=634989;price=%2422.48;title=Brushed+Stainless+Stee...;merc=Kohl%27s;imgsrc=http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.kohls.com.edgesuite.net%2Fis%2Fimage%2Fkohls%2F429521%3Fwid%3D500%26hei%3D500%26op_sharpen%3D1;width=85;height=85" vspace="0" width="180"></iframe><br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6541664305800902177.post-32443158762228099082013-05-02T00:00:00.000-07:002013-05-03T07:18:57.911-07:00T-Shirt Tote Two WaysTwice a year at my house, we go through everything, purge, and donate things we no longer need to charity. Normally this goes off without a hitch. This spring, however, my daughter had a few shirts that she just didn't want to let go of. We went round and round about these shirts. Finally I just decided to leave it alone. She had to go to school sometime, so I decided I would just sneak them out after she had forgotten about them.<br />
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While I was waiting ever so patiently for Laney to forget the shirts, I remembered seeing several things online about using t-shirts to make totes. When she went to sleep Sunday night, I decided to get to work. I sneaked into her room under cover of night, and confiscated the shirts in question, then I made two very cute, very different little bags.<br />
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The first tote took less than five minutes, and is a simple tote for library books and such. The other is a little more purse-like to carry any summer goodies as we are out and about.<br />
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What you will need:<br />
One t-shirt (adult or child)<br />
Sharp Scissors<br />
Sewing machine<br />
coordinating (or not) thread<br />
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Here we go!<br />
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TOTE ONE: Just a simple tote<br />
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Start out by laying out your t-shirt.<br />
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Cut the shirt sleeves off. Then cut to scoop the neck down further.<br />
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Now turn your shirt inside out, and stitch up the bottom hemline to close the bottom of your tote.<br />
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Now turn your completed tote right sides out and fill it with whatever!<br />
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For a more durable bag, you can top stitch the bottom seam while the bag is right side out to have a stronger seam line. You can also zig zag or serge around the handles to reinforce those if you choose. I just kept this one simple. Due to the nature of knit, the fabric will not unravel at the raw edges if you choose to leave them without additional stitching. This is going to be a perfect library book tote for summer reading program!<br />
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TOTE TWO: A purse-like little tote<br />
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Once again, start out by laying out your shirt.<br />
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Cut off the sleeves, but leave the neckline in tact. You will also need to cut the bottom of the shirt off to around a half inch longer than where you would like the bag to stop.<br />
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Save the sleeves, but you can throw out the bottom strip of the shirt or toss it into your scrap stack. (I tossed mine into the scrap stack to use for another adorable project)<br />
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Stitch up the shoulder part of your sleeves to close that end. Fold the hem end of the sleeve in half.<br />
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Turn your shirt inside out, then securely pin your folded sleeves into the shoulder of the tshirt.<br />
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Stitch the sleeves into the shoulder, making sure to stitch below the line of the sleeve hem. Then stitch up the arm holes and bottom of the shirt.<br />
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Turn right side out, tie the sleeves into a cut knot, and fill with goodies!<br />
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At the end of the day, Laney was VERY excited that we had saved her shirts in a way that she could continue to use them....and I was VERY happy to be done with the t-shirt battle of 2013.<br />
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I hope you enjoy this project as much as we did!<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6541664305800902177.post-68828845729489443052013-05-01T00:00:00.000-07:002013-05-03T07:18:57.920-07:00Adorable Retro Kitchen Towels<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Ever since Laney turned 8, I have been starting to pull things together for her hope chest. As I was browsing the craft section in Walmart, I saw these awesome retro dish towels just begging for me to embroider them.<br />
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It didn't take me long to find these cute little iron on templates for hand embroidery. Of course, you could always machine embroider them or use fabric paint or whatever method you choose. I wanted the retro feel of hand embroidery, and fell in love with these retro kitchen designs. These are pattern SR11 "Kitch'n Stitch'n" by Stitcher's Revolution.<br />
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Then, I set out to pick my thread colors. There is a handy color guide inside of the pattern package, but I wanted to match the towels, so I just picked whatever I felt like matched.<br />
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In addition to these supplies, you will need an ironing board, and iron, an embroidery hoop, a few straight pins, and an embroidery needle.<br />
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Once you have picked out which of the designs you would like to use, cut those out. Ironing will transfer everything on the paper, so be careful not to cut out any stray lines.<br />
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Now iron your dish towel to remove any wrinkles and prepare the surface for the transfer. Transfers work best on freshly ironed fabric. (for best results, you need to wash and dry the dish towels before starting this project)<br />
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Pin the iron transfer into place in whatever location you choose.<br />
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Now iron the transfers on. You will need to use a hot iron, but without steam. Iron over the transfer for around 5-10 seconds, moving the iron constantly. When you remove the transfer, you will be left with a dark grey transferred design.<br />
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I'll be honest. At this point, I seriously considered grabbing a permanent fabric marker, tracing these, and leaving it at that. It would be absolutely precious left as is...BUT I really did want a finished embroidered piece.<br />
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It is important to remember not to use your iron's steam feature. If you do, this is what will happen. As if my ironing board cover wasn't dirty enough.<br />
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Once you have your transferred designs, toss one of your towels into an embroidery ring and pull it tight.<br />
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Now begin working on your embroidered piece. I like to do one color at a time for the entire work. On this piece, I chose to use my green and yellow threads. I selected a backstitch for the outline and a satin stitch for the floral designs on the bowls.<br />
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For the Cherries print, I used red for the cherries and words, blue for the circle, and green for leaves and stems. For the Dab'll do ya, I used blue for the measuring spoons and yellow for the words. You can select any colors you like. These didn't turn out perfect, as I am not a fantastic embroiderer, but they turned out with the homespun, vintage feel that I was looking for, so I am SO excited about them.<br />
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I think the Mix it up is my favorite. What about you??<br />
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Have fun crafting!<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6541664305800902177.post-88852060409960901982013-04-30T00:00:00.000-07:002013-05-03T07:43:31.645-07:00Best Bath Toy Solution EVER! My kids LOVE to play in the tub. I, however, don't LOVE cleaning the toys or smelling the ooky mildew and stale water smell. Welcome to Toddler Tuesday. If you struggle with stinky, mildewed bath toys, you will love this.<br />
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Here's what you will need:<br />
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1 bath toy caddy (mine is from Target)<br />
2 pool noodles in your choice of size and color (can be done with one if you only want one color)<br />
One large, scary knife <br />
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I paid a little extra for my toy caddy ($15) just to get a really adorable one, but you can pick one up for really cheap (around $5). The pool noodles are under $2 each.<br />
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Go ahead and install your bath toy caddy to the tub by suction cup or whatever method necessary.<br />
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Now, get your large, scary knife out and begin cutting the pool noodles into rings.<br />
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Once you have cut the amount and color of rings you want, go ahead and rinse them under the faucet and toss them into the toy caddy.<br />
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Now you have floating bath toys that do not mildew or hold stale water. These are super quick and easy to clean up, and the kids LOVE them even more than I thought they would!<br />
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If you try this at your house, let me know how much your kids love it!<br />
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<iframe bordercolor="#000000" frameborder="0" height="150" hspace="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adi/N963.148119.BLOGGEREN/B6527721.7;dcadv=3632184;sz=180x150;lid=41000613802463511;pid=994027;usg=AFHzDLtC6J4jPTjyYSIQyB9dnZ0L8e-Tdg;adurl=http%253A%252F%252Fwww.kohls.com%252Fproduct%252Fprd-994027%252Fboon-bug-pod-bath-toy-scoop-and-storage-unit.jsp%253Fpfx%253Dpfx_shopcompare%2526cid%253Dshopping3;pubid=634989;price=%2434.20;title=Boon+Bug+Pod+Bath+Toy+...;merc=Kohl%27s;imgsrc=http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.kohls.com.edgesuite.net%2Fis%2Fimage%2Fkohls%2F994027_Red%3Fwid%3D500%26hei%3D500%26op_sharpen%3D1;width=85;height=85" vspace="0" width="180"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6541664305800902177.post-26309849183909992792013-04-28T00:00:00.000-07:002013-05-03T07:07:32.320-07:00Softball/Baseball Team Snack: Sugar Cookies with Flood IcingThis year, my oldest decided to give up dance and gymnastics to try softball. We have had a fun year so far. Here's a shot of her hitting her first ever single at her first ever game during her first ever at bat.<br />
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Every game, a different parent is responsible for the team snacks. Most moms bring Capri Suns or juice boxes accompanied by some sort of bagged chip or cookie. I wanted to shoot for something a little bit more personal. I originally intended to make baseball cupcakes. They seemed easy enough...white icing and pipe on some red lines. Laney, however, had a completely different plan. She wanted baseball cookies. The problem....I had no idea how in the world I was going to make baseball cookies. I did some internet research and flipped through a few cookbooks before finally deciding I was up for the challenge. You ready to make your own? Here we go.<br />
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Tools and supplies needed for entire project:<br />
Mixing bowls<br />
Measuring Cups and Spoons<br />
Baking Sheets<br />
Oven (oven mitts are helpful too)<br />
Cooling racks<br />
3 ziploc baggies<br />
a toothpick<br />
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Start with your favorite sugar cookie recipe for cut cookies, not drop cookies. I am going to be honest here and admit that I used a Betty Crocker mix to save time. Prepare the dough and roll it out on a floured surface to around 1/4" thickness. Using a round cookie cutter, cut the desired size cookies. I used my small biscuit cutter. Transfer dough rounds onto a cookie sheet and bake according to mix or recipe directions. Let cool on a rack until completely cooled.<br />
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For the icing, here is what you will need (per batch):<br />
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1 c. confectioner's sugar<br />
1 Tbsp. light karo syrup<br />
1 Tbsp. milk (plus a little extra for flood batch)<br />
One drop of lemon juice <br />
Red food coloring (only for laces batch)<br />
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Mix up your first batch of white icing using 1c. confectioner's sugar, 1 Tbsp karo syrup, and 1 Tbsp milk and one drop of lemon juice. The acidity in the lemon juice cuts the sweetness by just a teeny bit and adds depth to the flavor of the icing. You will not taste lemon when you eat them. You may need to add about a 1/2 Tbsp more milk if the mixture is too thick. Transfer this mixture into a ziploc baggie and snip off the very tip of the bottom corner so that you can use it like a fancy piping bag. Trace around the outside edge of the top of your cookie, making sure to close the circle all the way. Somehow, I didn't end up with a photo of this step.<br />
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While that is drying, mix up a second batch of icing. This time, you will need to add around a tablespoon and a half of milk to the original recipe in order to get the consistency needed. You want it to flow freely without being really runny either. Good rule of thumb is that if you scrape a spoon across the bottom of the mixing bowl, you want the line to fill in within five seconds. Transfer this batch of icing into a new ziploc baggie, snipping the corner as we did before. This time, you can cut a little more of the corner off since this step requires less precision. Pour a generous amount of this icing inside of the ring you drew onto each cookie. After the first one or two, you will get a feel for how much it will take to fill the circle up without going overboard. Once you have poured the icing in, use a tootpick to spread the icing to the edges of your outline and pop any air bubbles that may be present. I did about 8 of these at a time until I finished. The icing starts hardening fairly quickly, so I don't recommend doing too many more than that before smoothing with a toothpick.<br />
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This step will take a little longer to dry, so I worked on the rest of the snack while I was waiting. I'll tell you about that when we finish working on our cookies.<br />
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When the icing has set up from your last step, go ahead and mix up a third and final batch of icing. To the original recipe, you will not add additional milk. You will add red food coloring. (I recommend a gel coloring as opposed to a liquid due to the changes in consistency it will make to your icing. You will see that my icing spread a little more than I would have liked because I used liquid coloring.) Once again, transfer the icing into a plastic bag and snip the corner. This time, you will want to snip only a tiny bit so that you have a finer stream of icing coming out. Carefully draw your lace lines onto each cookie. Moving quickly and confidently works best for this.<br />
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I left my cookies just like this, but if you wanted, you could add the detailed lace lines. I just felt like it was a little too much. Had I used gel coloring rather than liquid, I possibly would have like the result better.<br />
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As you can see, some of my cookies have little drip drips or crooked lines. Never let perfection ruin a good project.<br />
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I made enough of these that each player had three cookies. Once the cookies had completely dried (just under an hour) I stack them three high in red and white cupcake liners for easy transport. In addition to the cookies, I also gave each child a Capri Sun and a baggie of pretzel stick "bats" with a "great game" note attached.<br />
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While my flooding step was setting up, I made and printed the little business card sized notes that said "great game," filled snack sized bags with pretzel sticks, and stapled the notes to the baggies.<br />
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I was very pleased with how everything turned out, and the other parents all had a fit over how cute it all was. I hope your snack day is as much of a success as mine was. <br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6541664305800902177.post-12579214341557580902013-04-26T00:00:00.000-07:002013-05-03T07:18:57.908-07:00Pin Tuck Dish TowelsHi! Welcome to Fabulous Friday! I haven't posted in a while....life has been C.R.A.Z.Y! We have been so busy with softball and family activities that I completely neglected you. I am back in action now. While I was away, we had an opportunity to do some cleaning up and clearing out. That means I got to bring my sewing things back down from the attic. That makes me happy happy happy. The first order of business was to start piecing a quilt my mom and I are working on (HUGE project). Then, I made a dress I had cut the pieces for quite some time ago (see pic at bottom of post). As I was thinking of what to make next, and cleaning the house of course, I ran across the list I made of things I would like to make for Laney's hope chest this year. On the list was a set of pin tuck dish towels. YES! I even had already purchased the necessary flour sack towels. This was such a fun project. Let's get started on yours.<br />
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Here's what you need:<br />
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Flour sack dish towels (pack of 5 for around $5 at Wal Mart)<br />
White Thread<br />
Sewing Machine<br />
Iron<br />
Scissors<br />
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Alright, do you have all of your supplies? Then let's get started!<br />
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The absolute first thing you want to do is to wash and dry the towels. This is to make sure they are done shrinking. Unfortunately, it makes them come out looking like this....<br />
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Don't worry! Most of that will iron right out. Go ahead and iron out as much of the wrinkles as you can. You want to set the iron so that it steams. The trickiest part about this step is getting the edge you will be working with as straight as possible. The flour sack cloth is very pliable, so the edges stretch easily. At any rate, you should come out with an edge looking like this.<br />
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Once you have your straight edge, it is time to begin ironing the crease that will become your first pintuck. Go ahead and fold the edge of the fabric under. I use old country measurements, so I measured halfway down the fattest part of my finger.....but for scientific purposes, let's say 2 1/4 inches.<br />
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Press this crease so that it stays when you move the cloth to the sewing machine. You can pin it if you feel more comfortable that way. I hate pinning fabric. Move your cloth to the sewing machine, and run a stitch the full length of the crease we just made. I wanted a fairly wide pin tuck, so I aligned it to my 3/8 seam allowance marker. If you want thinner pin tucks, feel free to adjust this to 1/4 or whatever you like.<br />
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Once you have done that, you will move back to the ironing board. Open the folded cloth up, and iron the pin tuck down toward the edge we ironed straight earlier.<br />
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Now fold the cloth as we did before to make another pin tuck. This time you will want to use a smaller measurement. In country measure, I used the second joint of my finger. If you are actually measuring, we will call it 1 1/2". Crease, sew, iron, and repeat until desire number of tucks have been made.<br />
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I chose to make three pin tucks. I just liked the look of that and stopped. You should feel absolutely at liberty to make as few or as many pin tucks as you like.<br />
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Once you have finished making the pin tucks, you will need to secure them in their downward facing positions. To do this, you will run a stitch beginning at the top of the top pin tuck and extending to the bottom of the bottom pin tuck.<br />
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Trim your loose thread ends and give your towel a last press with the iron. Tada! You did it!<br />
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Since I was making this for Laney's hope chest, I actually went ahead and tied a stack of three of these up with some yarn to keep them together and give them a little touch of love.<br />
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I am very excited about how these turned out. I think these would be amazing to add a monogram and give as a wedding gift as well. I plan to make another set for sweet little Leah soon.<br />
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As promised, here is the picture of the little dear wearing the dress I made her earlier in the week.<br />
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We were waiting for Laney's softball game to start. <br />
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Well, that's it for now guys and gals! I hope you enjoyed this project as much as I did. If you try it out yourself, you'll have to let me know!<br />
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