Pops and Podge

"Sweet" Friend - Free Printable!

noreply@blogger.com (Claudia) — Fri, 17 May 2013 13:13:00 +0000

Over the past few months, I have noticed what fabulous friends I have! I truly am blessed to know such great people, and to have an amazing support system, especially since I'm living out of state about 800 miles from my family. My friends have listened to my rants and strongly held opinions (and trust me.... I rant about a lot of things.... I'm a very opinionated person), have watched my kids, have given me clothes for my kids when they've bought too much for their own kids (you know who you are.... wink, wink) and have just been plain old awesome.

I have a friend who lives down the street from me (but not for long, boo!) and she has been so wonderful to live by. She is constantly bringing us treats, delicious dinners, and is always having my kids over to play which means I can catch up on laundry or even sneak in a nap here and there. I wanted to do a little something for her to show my appreciation... so I text her hubby to see what her favorite scent from Bath and Body Works was, and he told me it was Sweet Pea. Honestly, who doesn't love that scent?

So, I headed to the mall to not only stock up on my own soaps (they were having their 5 for $20 deal. Can't beat that!) and I bought her some hand lotion, and I also bought a couple of Sweet Pea hand sanitizers to keep on hand. I created this little printable and made several copies to go along with the little sanitizers just for those little occasions when you want to say "Thanks". Too often, I mean to say thank you, or I mean to take treats to someone, and it just doesn't happen because life gets in the way. But having these printables on hand and ready to go will hopefully (fingers crossed, folks) help me to show my appreciation.

I hope you will take a minute to tell someone how much you appreciate them. Even if they don't love the fabulous scent of Sweet Pea, you can always give them a little candy bar, a container of ice cream, some cookies, or even donuts with this printable. There are a few different awesome ways that you could use this printable...

So seriously... take a minute, download it right here for free!! I put it on an 8.5 x 11 inch document because I always go to Kinkos and print it on glossy cardstock.

Enjoy!

Linked up at Whipperberry

Pintrest Granola Bars... Hmmm...

noreply@blogger.com (Claudia) — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 21:35:00 +0000

Pinterest is a fantastic site. If you agree with me, raise your hand. Good. Glad we got that out of the way. :) Hee, hee. It's one of my favorite go-to sites for recipes and DIY projects, and sometimes I get a little pin-happy. I see something that sounds good, so I pin it. However, it gets lost in the couple thousand pins that I currently have (I am in the middle of downsizing). So lately, I've been a little pickier about pinning things. I now actually go to the site it was pinned from and check it out before I pin it, because let's face it... I'm probably not going to do everything I've pinned, so I want to make sure that I'm pinning things that I'll actually do. And in fact, I've done a little bit of Pinterest Purging.... I've been going through and deleting things that I probably won't ever do, or that I've lost interest in. Anyone else do this? If not, you should... it's quite liberating! :)

Moving on... These granola bars were one of my more popular pins. I took one look at the original picture, and they looked delicious! The bars looked absolutely perfect! And I was super excited to make them because they were "healthy", used up some stuff I had in storage, and inexpensive. So, I put the ingredients I didn't have on my shopping list, and went and got them. I set out to make them and followed the directions exactly..... and this was my end result...

Ahhh yes... They looked spectacular! I was so excited to taste them.... and then I picked them up. And they crumbled. Right in my hands. I was devastated! Why? What did I do wrong? These things tasted delicious.... but they fell apart right before my very eyes. I mean, the website I got the recipe from showed that her granola bars held their shape just fine, so why didn't mine? Hmmmm..... after racking my little brain trying to figure out how this could happen.... and the only thing I could think of was I didn't pack them tight enough.

Lesson learned.

What lesson? That not everything on Pinterest turns out the way it's supposed to. {Remember my chocolate bowl disaster?} Or perhaps that maybe I'm terrible at following directions.... hmmm....

:)

But that's not keeping me from trying new things on Pinterest. :)

Want to attempt these granola bars? I think you should! I bet you can follow directions better than I can! Ha!

Ingredients
1/2 c. honey
1/3 c. packed brown sugar
1/4 c. crunchy peanut butter
1/4 c. butter
4 c. quick oats (not rolled oats)
2 c. crispy rice cereal
3 tsp. vanilla

Directions
*In a large bowl, combine the oats and the crispy rice cereal.
*In a medium saucepan, melt together the honey, brown sugar, peanut butter, and butter. Over medium-high heat, bring to a boil then bring the temperature to low and simmer until the sugar disolves. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
*Pour the hot mixture over the oats and cereal and stir until well combined.
*Press well onto a parchement paper lined cookie sheet.
*Now, pay seriously close attention to the next few directions..... Don't follow my example. I'm pretty sure this is where I went wrong....PACK the mixture as closely and as tightly together as humanly possible. Make it about 1/2 - 3/4 inch thick. Let it cool down, and you're ready to enjoy!

**If the mixture doesn't hold well together, you can refrigerate it.... that's what I had to do.... :)

Happy Spring! French Spring Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Christie) — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 07:17:00 +0000

Is anyone else seeing daffodils and tulips popping up, a little peek-a-boo of sunshine in the sky, and maybe the ability to leave your scarf and gloves in the closet. Folks I think Spring has hit! Actually today is officially spring. So in honor of more sunshiny days here in Portland, your fab friend Christie is posting today. Yep, I know you might have forgotten about me, but I am still here. It's been a doozy of a year, a new baby (love her), starting a new conference (a different baby), moved to a new home (projects coming soon to a blog near you) and just all around trying to figure out how to deal with this life. I don't know? We will see if I can actually get my groove back, jury is still out. Now moving on to soup, there is always room for soup.

OMG! This soup is amazing. Not kidding! Do you want to know what the best part is... my husband made it! He came home one day and said, "Honey! I had this soup today at the cafe near my work and it was amazing". He asked them the ingredients and then searched online for a similar recipe, it wasn't quite right so he made it up. Whatever he did...it is soooo good! And it is pretty dang healthy minus the cream part, but it is made with all veggies, so in my book this is healthy.

To make this soup you will need the following:

Yield 10 servings
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 pound leeks, chopped
• 1 onion (yellow), chopped
• 2 quarts water (add ½ quart extra for brown rice)
• 3 potatoes (red), chopped
• 2 large carrots, chopped
• 1 bunch fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1/4 inch pieces
• 1/3 cup uncooked long-grain white rice (substitute brown if desire)
• 4 teaspoons sea salt
• 1/2 pound fresh spinach
• 1 cup heavy cream or ½ pint of half-and-half

Do you have a Vidalia Chopper? If you don't, go right now, run don't walk, run and go get one right now!! They are awesome. They cut most everything except carrots and potatoes. But everythng else! And fast! It cuts your prep work down by at least half the time.

To make the soup:

1. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the leeks (wash well) and onion, and cook until tender.
2. Pour water into the pot. Mix in potatoes, carrots, asparagus, and rice. Season with salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes, until vegetables and rice are tender.
3. Stir spinach and heavy cream into the soup mixture, and continue cooking about 5 minutes before serving.
4. For best results let stand over night. Key ingredients are the leeks & sea salt.

This is by far my favorite soup I have ever had. Who knew that my husband had it in him! He is seriously underestimated most of the time. But just in time for our 5 year anniversary he has made himself noticed. Love and SPRING are in the air. Enjoy!

Happy Spring,
Christie

Oreo Cupcakes

noreply@blogger.com (Claudia) — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 14:35:00 +0000

Well, well, well... another post that has something sweet in it. :) I've got to get all my sweets out of the way because tomorrow, I am starting a Biggest Loser competition. So, I've been getting my sugar fix in preparation for this little competition. (It's been said that I have a little sweet tooth...) I'm even giving up Diet Coke, which is saying A LOT! I am serious about losing this baby weight (and it's baby weight from my 1st and 2nd and 3rd babies that I need to lose!) and about creating healthier lifestyles for my family...

But I thought I would share one last little sweet thing with you... I've posted about these before, but these cupcakes are so yummy that I think they deserve a second post. That, and I really like these pictures a whole lot better than my old pictures. It's amazing how much I've learned about taking photos this past year. I'm not saying that my photography skills are extremely stellar, by any means! But I am saying that I've improved. Just a little bit. :)

So, if you need a good laugh and want to see the old photos, you can see them here.

But, if you want to get straight to baking these divine little things, then by all means, keep reading!!

First: start off with your favorite box of chocolate cake mix.

I used Duncan Hine's Devil's Food Cake because that's what I had on hand. But don't stress too much about what kind of cake mix it is. As long as it turns out somewhat chocolate-y, you are in good shape.

Mix the cake mix according to package directions.

Second: Pour a little batter into your cupcake liners. You don't want to fill the liners up the whole way because you don't want them to overflow once you've put the Oreo cookie in the middle.

Third: place a whole Oreo on top of the batter in each cupcake liner. Yes, a whole Oreo! Yum!

I used Double Stuff Oreo's because that's the only Oreo I will eat. On a little side note... One time my husband came home with a package of just regular Oreo's. I was just heartbroken. I mean, I don't eat them for the cookie part... it's all about the cream! I asked him what in the world prompted him to do such a thing, and his reasoning was you get more Oreo's in the package if they are single stuffed. Pfft. Whatever.

Moving on...

Fourth: Top each liner off with batter until the liner is 2/3 full.

Bake according to the cake mix package directions.

Once the cupcakes have completely cooled,

frost them with your favorite buttercream icing.

I used the Vanilla Buttercream Icing recipe from Brown Eyed Baker.

So delicious.

After I piped the frosting onto the cupcakes, I cut an Oreo in 1/4ths using my butcher knife,

and placed a quarter Oreo on each cupcake.

And when you are finished, you have a masterpiece of a cupcake! What a simple and fun way to present a cupcake, and you'll have everyone fooled into thinking you spent hours just making these!

I had a little batter left over, so I made some mini cupcakes for my girls. I tried practicing my piping skills, and tried to pipe a little rosette onto the cupcake. It's a little harder than it looks... Ok, it's a lot harder than it looks! I think I'll just stick with the swirly things.

Oh, and by the way... Happy Valentine's Day. All you need is love. And a little Oreo cupcake. :)

Happy Baking!
Claudia

{Totally Kool} Printable

noreply@blogger.com (Claudia) — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 14:44:00 +0000

For Christmas, my hubby bought me Photoshop Elements 11. It was 50% off, and I had been wanting it forever, so I told him to just get it and let it be my Christmas. So much for surprises, eh? Funny thing is, I have never used Photoshop.... so learned it has been a huge learning curve for me. But there is so many cool things that you can do with it!

My first project was designing our header, favicon, and button. Let me tell you... I entered into a whole new world. Pixels, cropping, feathering, layering, merging the layers, etc., etc., etc. My mind was spinning the first couple of days, but I started to get the hang of it. And guess what? It's so fun!! I love designing new things and finding new fonts to try out.... aaahhh! I think I'm going crazy!

Valentine's is fast around the corner, and my two little girls are going to a little Valentine's Day party that me and a couple of friends put together on a whim. It's a pretty low-key party, so the actual valentines didn't have to be anything spectacular, but I really wanted to make my own instead of buying them. I've pinned some valentine's ideas here and I had my oldest daughter pick out what valentine she wanted to give to her friends. (My 3 yr old daughter doesn't really care.... so she gets whatever her older sister picked.) And Ava picked to give out Kool-Aid. I've seen some pretty cute printables, but I really wanted to learn how to make my own.

And guess what?

I did! I made my very own valentine, and I am so excited that I want to share it with you!!!

To download it, just click here. It's free. Can it really get better than that? Nope. Don't think so! I hope you enjoy!

Happy Downloading!

Claudia

Marshmallow Brownies

noreply@blogger.com (Claudia) — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 13:58:00 +0000

Wow. Three posts this week? Who are we? Just kidding. Like I said, I feel like I am starting to get in the groove of things so I have a little time to bake here and there. That, and I have a family to feed, so I might as well share the recipes I make, right? I know I could always use some new recipes, so I might as well share them with you!
So, on Sunday there was a little game called the Super Bowl. Ever heard of it? Well, we were invited over to our friends house to watch the game, and of course I offered to bring something. As my friend and I were texting back and forth, I was assigned to bring the dessert because (according to my neighbor) I always make good desserts. Little does she know, I only share the success desserts... you know, the desserts that actually turn out.... not everything I make turns out.... so needless to say, I was just a little nervous to come up with a good dessert. GAME ON! (Ha, ha, ha....).

Saturday night came, and I was half tempted to just run to the store and pick up some rootbeer and ice cream and have rootbeer floats. Can't go wrong with that.... but I didn't want to seem like a slacker, especially since our friends were going to a lot of work to make some yummy food and since she was expecting a delicious dessert...

Soooooooo....

After much deliberation (ok, like 5 minutes....) I decided to make these brownies topped with marshmallows and a chocolate ganache. Come on, a brownie topped with marshmallows and chocolate? It didn't take much convincing for me to make these... And am I ever glad I did! But I have to tell you, I was literally on pins and needles waiting for them to cook (remember how my friend expected a good dessert? What if these didn't turn out? Aack! The suspense was too much to bear!).

But my little heart sang as I cut these up. Why? See for yourself...

I have never, I repeat... NEVER, had a brownie set up like this! It was UH. MAZE. ING!

Just looking at these pictures, I have to wipe the drool off my chin!

When we took these over to my neighbors, I was glad I decided against rootbeer floats. Especially after I saw how much food they had made! Boy was I glad that I put a little work into this dessert.

Yeah, still can't get over how good these are.

Just looking at these pictures makes me want another bite!

Nom, nom!

Enjoy!

Marshmallow Brownies

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

1 cup butter (2 sticks)

1 cup water

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 eggs

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

3 cups tiny marshmallows

Chocolate Drizzle (Make while brownies are baking...)

In a medium saucepan, combine a 12 oz package of semisweet chocolate chips with 1/2 cup whipping cream, and 1/4 cup of butter. Cook and stir on medium-low heat until the chocolate is melted.

*Preheat ovento 350 degrees. Line a 15x10x1-inch baking pan (or the biggest pan you've got) with foil, making sure that the foil extends over the edges of the pan. **On a little side note, my foil just went to the top of the pan, and it was fine. Grease the foil (I just used cooking spray) and set the pan aside. In a large bowl, stir the flour, sugar, and baking soda together. Set aside.

*In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, water, and cocoa powder. Heat over medium heat and bring just to boiling point, stirring constantly. Add to the flour mixture. Beat with mixer on medium until combined. Add the eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla and beat again. (The batter will be pretty thin... don't be alarmed! All is well!) Pour the batter into the baking pan.

*Bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick stuck in the middle comes out clean. Sprinkle with marshmallows right away. Then top with chocolate drizzle. Cool in the pan and use the foil to lift the brownies out of the pan. Cut them into bars and for heavens sake, ENJOY!

{Cinnamon Chex Mix}

noreply@blogger.com (Claudia) — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 13:40:00 +0000

Since having three children, I have discovered that it is virtually impossible to get a decent picture with all three of them co-operating. Anyone else have this problem? My first child loves to pose and pose and pose some more for the camera. I love it, but I am always desperately trying to get just a candid shot of her! My second child is a bundle of energy and really can't sit still for more than a nano second. Really... I'm not joking. Before I got a DSLR (greatest investment of my life!), every single picture I have of her is blurry. And even now, I still get blurry pictures from time to time. Then my third child is only 2 1/2 months old, so she really doesn't know what the heck is going on when it comes time to take pictures.
Last Sunday, all three of my girls were looking just darling in their Sunday outfits, and of course I wanted to capture that moment in time. So I sat all of them on the couch, and Ava (my oldest) insisted on holding Colbie (the youngest) and I was somehow supposed to have a Kodak moment. Yeeeeaaaaahhhhh.... that didn't happen. Instead, here's what I got...

Ahhhhh.... the memories that these pictures will forever hold. As much as I would love to someday have a decent photo of all 3 girls, I really do cherish these pictures because they capture just a small portion of what having 3 little kids is really like.

What makes these kids even crazier is when they are hopped up on some sugar! Yes, I am a terrible, rotten mother, and I feed my kids sugar... sometimes they have marshmallows for breakfast! Oh well... you're only a young mother once, and you're only a kid once. Marshmallows for breakfast once in awhile won't hurt anyone. When I made this Cinnamon Chex Mix, I caught my girls sneaking it a couple of times for breakfast, but who could blame them? This stuff is scrumptious! I loved how it turned out because it had the perfect amount of crunchy and chewy.... that's a hard balance to come by, wouldn't you agree?

I first tasted Cinnamon Chex Mix at our New Year's Eve party. A friend of mine brought it, and I couldn't stop munching. It satisfied my sweet tooth, which is unusual. Not because I don't have a big sweet tooth, but because it seems that only chocolate is the sweet tooth satisfier. :) I promise, you probably already have the ingredients to make this.... so why not give it a try?

Cinnamon Chex Mix

*1 1/4 cups brown sugar

*1 tsp cinnamon

*1/2 cup butter

*1/4 cup corn syrup

*1/2 tsp baking soda

*1 tsp vanilla

*1 box Rice Chex or Corn Chex

Directions:

Pour cereal into a very large mixing bowl and set aside. Combine brown sugar, cinnamon, butter, and corn syrup in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, and stir constantly. Remove from heat and stir in soda and vanilla. Pour over cereal and stir lightly until all pieces are coated. Spread onto a greased cookie sheet with sides (I poured mine into a greased 9x13 baking pan because my cookie sheet wasn't big enough, and I like the depth of the baking pan. The mix doesn't spill over the sides when I mix it while it's baking.)

Bake at 250° for about 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.

Pour onto waxed paper to cool. Once it's cooled, you can break it apart and enjoy the cinnamony goodness that is abundant in this delightful snack!

Ricotta Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Claudia) — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 13:00:00 +0000

Little Colbie is now 10 weeks old. 10 WEEKS! I know every mother says this, but I'm going to say it too... I WANT TIME TO SLOW DOWN! I feel like time is just whizzing by, especially since she is my third child, but, at the same time, I am enjoying watching her grow. She has started to talk and interact a little, and she just couldn't be any darn cuter.

Plus...

She is finally able to fit into her little Michael Jordan outfit that we bought her...

Yeah, how cute is that? We live a couple of miles away from Nike World Headquarters, and while our friend was at the Nike Employee Store, he found this outfit and got it... for 1/2 off the retail price. Schaweet!

Oh, on a little side note... I will always remember the first time I saw Nike World Campus. I had lived here for about a week, and I was driving to Winco when I stopped at a red light (like every good driver should do...). I looked to the left of me and BAM! There it was! Nike World Campus! It is a sight to behold, and it also explains why I kept seeing joggers everywhere. :)

Back to the post...

Miss Colbie is growing like a weed, and I am just loving every minute with her!

And I finally feel like I am getting back into somewhat of a routine since she is sleeping longer at night.

Getting back into a routine, means that I am cooking and baking (and crafting) just a little bit more. Sure, there are nights when we have pb&j or just pull out a freezer meal, but I'm trying to make an effort to have a more consistent dinner routine.

Some easy dinners (at least for me) are Italian dinners, which include ricotta cheese.

But every time I cook an Italian dinner, I end up with extra ricotta cheese.

The leftover isn't enough to make another dinner out of, but it's just too much to throw away...

That's where these Ricotta Cookies are a perfect solution!

They use just a cup of ricotta, enough to finish off what I usually have leftover!

I love the consistency that the ricotta gives these scrumptious cookies...

and I also love that I don't have to waste anything!

Ricotta Cookies

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup ricota cheese
1 tsp. vanilla extract

*Heat oven to 350. Coat baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

*In another bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add egg, ricotta, and vanilla. Continue to cream until well combined.

*Slowly add in flour mixture and beat until blended. Drop by tablespoon onto the baking sheet and bake for 12-14 minutes. Let it cool on the sheet for 3 minutes, remove, and cool completely on a wire rack.

Glaze

2 cups powdered sugar
3 TBSP milk
Optional: Add in some lemon zest or lemon juice for a little zing.

*Beat powdered sugar and milk together until well blended. If the glaze is too thick, add a tiny bit of milk. If the glaze is too runny, add in a little more powdered sugar. Drizzle onto cooled cookies and set aside until the glaze has hardened.

{3} Cake Pop Recipes

noreply@blogger.com (Claudia) — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 14:15:00 +0000

Well, the holidays have come and gone, folks. Yikes. 2013 is just beginning, and I have absolutely no idea how 2012 flew by me in the blink of an eye. Anyone else feel like that? Double yikes. I'm sure that none of you had a busy holiday season {wink, wink}. I'm sure none of you baked or stressed over neighbor gifts, or ran around like a mad woman the day before Christmas grabbing all those last minute little gifts.... I know I didn't do ANY of those things! Ha! Who am I kidding? I was almost a basket case this year. My whole family came up for Christmas (my parents live in Utah and my three brothers live in Boise, Idaho), so I wanted to make things special for them. Oh, did I mention that I have a newborn baby who still didn't have her sleep schedule figured out, so I was up all hours of the night this Christmas? Needless to say, I was not only a basket case, but I was a ZOMBIFIED basket case. :)

Through it all, neighbor gifts were something I really wanted to do this year. I didn't do much last year because I was still getting to know people in my area, and I just didn't get around to it. But throughout 2012, I got to know some neighbors better, and I gained some really good friends. I wanted to make them simple gifts that expressed my gratitude for them and for what they have meant to me this year. Not having family around is difficult, so these neighbors have become my family. The gifts I chose to make them were cake pops. Why? A.) I enjoy baking B.) Cake pops do take some effort and preparation to make. It took me a good 3 days to make all the cake pops! But through all the effort and time it took to make them, I was giving the gift of service. C.) Cake pops are fairly inexpensive to make. I love my neighbors, but we are on a fairly tight budget, so I needed something that wouldn't break the bank for those I loved.

     As I searched through some cake pops recipes, I wanted to stick with a holiday theme... so the first things that came to mind were candy canes and gingerbread! Yum! Who doesn't love candy canes and gingerbread? Well, there are some people who don't enjoy candy canes (ahem, my husband!! What the heck is wrong with him? Just kidding!).... but I decided to make them anyway. So, I made two holiday themed cake pops and I decided to make a chocolate cream cake pop to satisfy the chocolate sweet tooth.
     I love the way they turned out, and I especially love the way they tasted! They were absolutely delicious and I'm so glad they turned out! I loved them so much, I froze some for myself, and my husband and I just ate a few while I typed up this blog post!

     Throughout 2013, I encourage you to bake more for others. If you want to give something, but don't know what, I don't think you could ever go wrong with a homemade loaf of bread, some fresh jam or salsa, or cake pops. Baked gifts show that you put a lot of thought and effort into making something special for someone you love (or like a lot...). I know I want to bake more for others. What a better way to show someone that you've been thinking of them?

Happy Cake Popping!
Claudia

Want to make some? Go here for a detailed tutorial on how to make cake pops, and keep reading for 3 delicious cake pop recipes!

Candy Cane Cake Pops

1 box white cake mix
3/4 cup milk
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Mix all ingredients together. Pour into a 9x13 greased baking pan and bake at 350 for about 26 minutes. Don't overbake this mix, or you'll have some crusty pieces! Remove from the oven and cool completely. Crumble into small pieces in a large bowl.

Add

1 cup (or more..... or less...) of buttercream frosting. You can find an excellent recipe here.
1/2 cup crushed candy canes

** I found it a little difficult to shapes these into perfect balls because of the crushed candy canes. It make take a little more time than usual to make these, but I assure you that it's worth it!

Gingerbread Cookie Cake Pops

1 box spice cake mix (this was a little difficult for me to find. So, I bought a yellow cake mix and added some nutmeg, cinnamon, and allspice to the dry cake mix).
1/4 cup molasses
1 cup milk
3 eggs

Mix all ingredients together. Pour into a 9x13 greased baking pan and bake at 350 for about 26 minutes. Don't overbake this mix, or you'll have some crusty pieces! Remove from the oven and cool completely. Crumble into small pieces in a large bowl.

Add

1 cup buttercream icing mixed with 2 tsp. cinnamon

Chocolate Cream Cake Pops

1 box chocolate cake mix
3 eggs
1 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Mix all ingredients together. Pour into a 9x13 greased baking pan and bake at 350 for about 26 minutes. Don't overbake this mix, or you'll have some crusty pieces! Remove from the oven and cool completely. Crumble into small pieces in a large bowl.

Add

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup - 1 cup of buttercream icing mixed with about 3 TBSP cocoa powder

Staching Through the Snow

noreply@blogger.com (Claudia) — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 20:51:00 +0000

Wow. It's been three whole weeks since we've blogged.... we are just slightly slacking... but with good reason, mind you. Christie just finished planning an event and she was working insanely crazy hours and what about me? Oh yeah... I had a baby three weeks ago.

My sweet little Colbie Anne was born on Nov. 21st. She has just been pure joy and delight since the moment she arrived. She is the best baby ever and her other two sisters just love her!!! So, instead of cooking and crafting, doing laundry and cooking, I've just held this little baby and given her oodles of kisses and lots of cuddle time. :)

Before Colbie was born, I was invited to participate in a handmade ornament swap. The swap was on Dec. 1st, which was after Miss C was born, so I had to get cracking on making my ornaments before she was born. You may remember that I participated in it last year... and made this little beauty. tle Well, my ornaments last year were a little time consuming, so this year, I wanted something easy and inexpensive... and I also wanted something a little fun.

Since mustaches are all the rage right now, I thought it would be fun to make a mustache ornament.

I went to Home Depot and got some paint stirring sticks (you should have seen the face on the employee's face when I asked for 10 paint sticks.... it was priceless!).

I came home and cut each stick into 4 pieces. After I was done cutting all the ornaments, I sanded the edges and then drilled holes in them. The top part of the ornament got 4 holes drilled into it, and the bottom part only got 2 holes drilled...

I added a couple of coates of white paint, then did a coat of glitter paint (you can't see it in the picture. Bummer! But they were glittery!), let everything completely dry, added the black vinyl, and sealed everything in with a lovely little coat of Mod Podge. I then used floral wire to complete the little ornament.

I love how these turned out! What I love even more, was they virtually cost me nothing to make. The paint sticks were free... I already had the black vinyl, Mod Podge, and white paint on hand.... so all I had to buy was the wire and glitter paint... which I used my Michael's coupons on... yes, even though items are only $1.99, I still use a 40% off coupon. I am that cheap, and I'm not ashamed!!

If any of you have made ornaments, I would love to see them!!

Just link up your handmade ornaments below, and have fun browsing other handmade ornaments.

I'm not asking that you follow our blog, or like us on facebook or anything...

(it would be nice, though... just sayin')...

I just want y'all to get some good ideas and have fun!

Easy Book Banner

noreply@blogger.com (Christie) — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 08:04:00 +0000

Guess who is having her baby today? Our very own Claudia! Three years ago, I went in to be induced the day before Thanksgiving just like her. Hopefully she pops her little turkey out way before I did (5:15pm Thanksgiving day, we don't need to do the math there). Good luck Claudia, our prayers are with you that all goes well! Can't wait to meet her!

This was posted a little while ago over at A Glimpse Inside.

I met Allison at the SNAP Conference. We were the two pregnant ladies :) Both having girls, both due first week in June, both have military husbands (mine is a former Marine, her's a deployed Army Soldier).

Love her and love her blog!

A friend of mine asked me to help her out a little with her little girls two year old birthday party. She wanted a book theme. So I offered to make her a banner out of book pages. If you don't like the thought of ripping out book pages out of children's books...then stop reading! This book banner was one of the easier projects I have done lately.

You will need:

-A few books, make sure the colors coordinate or you could just use black and white.

-One package of extra wide double fold bias tape

-A sewing machine or glue gun would work

-A pattern (use shapes in word to make a long triangle), then print on card stock

Pick the pages out you want. Brace yourself and rip or cut the pages out. Trace the triangles using your pattern. Then cut them out.

Then glue or sew the bias tape on the pages. The paper will go right in between the tape. There is something super fun about sewing with paper.

Then hang, like so...

Easy as pie! And cute! Oh, and did I say easy?!

Happy Partying,

Christie

Quiet Book Templates

noreply@blogger.com (Claudia) — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 23:24:00 +0000

Hello out there!! Recently, we have received many requests for templates to our quiet book pages. If you've emailed us, and left us your email address, we've tried to email you back.... I hope we didn't miss anyone, but you never know. Anywho, I thought I would just do a quick post to let you all know that we've created a tab at the top of our blog that will have all the quiet book templates in one place!
Schaweeeet!!
Most of the pages we just made up in our heads, so the templates are hand drawn... but we've received lots of inspiration from other quiet book pages. And yes, we are continuing onward with our quiet book journey. We have a couple of more page scheduled for this year (the designs are still in progress), and we will have about 4 more pages to add next year.
We have loved making our pages, and hope that you will too! If you have any questions or comments, feel free to email us, leave a comment (although, there has been some trouble with this.... we've been receiving a ton of spam comments, so we're trying to fix things), or you can leave us a Facebook message!

So please feel free to click here to get to all the templates and instructions, or look at the top of our page for the Quiet Book Templates tab!!

Happy Quiet Booking!
Claudia

Garlic and Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes

noreply@blogger.com (Claudia) — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Aack! I honestly can't believe it's November already... how about you? It seems that I found out I was pregnant just yesterday, and here I am a mere 23 days away from my due date. Secretly, I'm hoping to have this little girl sometime this week, but you just can't predict these kinds of things. :) This pregnancy has been a crazy busy one. Since I am high risk for preterm labor and pre-eclampsia (thanks to my last little girl...) I've been seen by the doctor every 2 weeks, and have had ultra sounds at every appointment. Sometimes I think it would be nice to go in, listen to the heartbeat, and be out... but every appointment is a 2 hour ordeal for me. However, I have really loved seeing our little girl grow and develop. She truly is a little miracle, and I can't wait to meet her!

Since I'm due so close to Thanksgiving, I desperately need recipes that will be quick and easy for Thanksgiving dinner. I will be in no shape to be getting things ready for this wonderful holiday, so I've passed the cooking responsibility on to my amazing hubster, and I want to make things as easy as possible for him. But even if I was the one cooking, I still love a marvelous and easy recipe. I mean, come on.... who doesn't?

These potatoes are so simple and easy, it's ridiculous. I discovered cooking mashed potatoes in the crock pot a few months ago, and I refuse to make mashed potatoes any other way.

First, you take the crockpot.... I bought this little crockpot for $3 on a Black Friday sale. I absolutely love it! I even added our name in vinyl so no one dares to steal my $3 crockpot! Ha!

Second.... wash, peel, and cube about 5 potatoes. Of course you can do more or less, depending on how much you want to make. For my family, 5 potatoes lasts about 2 meals, so that's plenty for us!

Cover the potatoes with water. Make sure to have the potatoes barely covered. You don't want to add too much water!

Third.... add about a teaspoon and a half of minced garlic. Since I am looking to keep things nice and easy, I always used pre-minced garlic. I love this stuff!

Once the garlic and water are added, cover and cook on high for about 4 hours. Once the potatoes are done cooking, drain the water. Some of the garlic might drain out, but that's ok. :)

Add 1 package (about 8 oz.) of cream cheese and whip those mashed potatoes!!

See how easy that is? I promise, you won't want to cook mashed potatoes any other way!

Plus, these garlic and cream cheese mashed potatoes are sure to be a crowd pleaser... whether it be for

Thanksgiving or just Thursday night dinner. :)

Candy Corn Cake...Happy Halloween!

noreply@blogger.com (Christie) — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 03:39:00 +0000

Hey peeps, Happy Halloween!!! I hope you have not lost hope in Pops and Podge. We are here, just busy! Claudia is about to pop any day now or so she wishes. She actually has another three weeks to go until we welcome baby girl #3 into this world. Can't wait to meet her!

I have been busy with a little baby of my own. A conference I have been working on for over a year is coming to fruition in two weeks from today. And of coarse my sweet little girl Savannah and Boston too! Busy summer turned right into busy fall. Oh time, I wish I had more of you. Anywho, enough about us, let's talk about cake!!

I have made up this little Halloween special, just for you (and for my mom's birthday). It's a 6 inch three layer deal with different colored layers just like a candy corn!

Don't be like me and in a hurry accidentally frost the layers differently than the order of the cakes. Silly me. Don't you love my little boy in the background with his finger in the frosting.

Enjoy! And be safe!
Happy Halloween,
Christie

Rolo Cupcakes

noreply@blogger.com (Claudia) — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 13:59:00 +0000

Fall is in full swing, and I feel as though my baking desire has increased 100 fold. There's just something about baking on a rainy fall day that brings a sense of warmth and security to me. Most of the time, I love the smells that come out of my oven (I've had some disasters now and again), and I feel as if my inner domestic goddess comes out when I've baked something that is pleasing to the palette. Anyone else ever feel like that?
If you want to have that feeling that I'm talking about, then you should probably try making these Rolo cupcakes. I made them for a church event, and got several rave reviews from my friends. I felt like a million bucks, because these cupcakes were so easy to make, but they are so rich and sinful!!

I started by making a delicious chocolate base that was "semi-homemade". You see, the recipe I was originally going to follow was wwwwwaaaaayyyyy too complicatedd for me. Making the batter wasn't too involved, but then it called for a salted caramel frosting, followed by drizzling with a homemade ganache. Although it sounded scrumptious, I really didn't want to put in a lot of time making the salted caramel frosting (it looked somewhat complicated) and I didn't want to make the ganache... So, I stuck with the basics. The batter simply came from a cake mix, and had other ingredients mixed in. I made a simple chocolate buttercream frosting, and drizzled some caramel (from a jar) on top. After making the batter, here's how the rest of the process went down...

I filled the lined cups with the chocolate batter, and then set a frozen Rolo in the middle of the batter. Easy, right?

I baked the cupcakes, let them cool completely...

Added chocolate buttercream frosting (I tried really hard to do the signature swirl from the show "DC Cupcakes", but it didn't work out... hmmmm....), drizzled some melted caramel on top, and then topped it all off with another Rolo.

Ta Da!

Nom, nom, nom!!! So, if you want to seem like a domestic genius, but don't want to spend a lot of time or effort with a recipe, then you should be sure to try this one!

Happy Baking!
Claudia

Cupcake Batter
1 (18.25 ounce) package Devil’s Food Cake mix
1 (5.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs; lightly beaten
1/2 cup warm water
1 teaspoon of vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line (2) 12 cup muffin tins with paper liners or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
3. Mix together the cake and pudding mix, sour cream, oil, beaten eggs, water and vanilla until well combined and smooth.
4. Evenly divide the batter amongst the prepared pans. {I use an ice cream scoop}.
5. Gently push a frozen Rolo into the center of the batter and smooth the surface making sure to cover the candy with batter.
6. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until top is springy to the touch. A small divot may appear in the center of the cupcake, no worries though because you’ll cover that with frosting.
7. Cool cupcakes thoroughly on wire rack.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (approximately 1 lb.)
3-4 tablespoons milk

In large bowl, cream shortening and butter with electric mixer. Add cocoa and vanilla. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. If the icing is too stiff, add a little more milk. If the icing is too runny, add more powdered sugar. It all depends on what consistency you like!

I am a Mormon...

noreply@blogger.com (Christie) — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 00:10:00 +0000

So those of you that follow our little blog here, might already know that Claudia and I are Mormon. This weekend we had the opportunity to listen to General Conference. A time we come together in our faith and listen, be inspired and uplifted, learn and share the words of our church leaders and Prophet. You may have seen this all over Pinterest lately and have been wondering why you keep seeing these words. We have been inspired to share that we are Mormon and we know it, we live it and we love it! Ann Dibb set the stage for a wonderful opportunity to share this proud statement among our members and non-members a like.

Here is the 16x20 pdf and jpeg if you would like to download it. Otherwise just enjoy these words by Ann Dibb.

Happy Sharing,
Christie

REAL Italian Bruscetta!

noreply@blogger.com (Christie) — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 07:15:00 +0000

Were trying to postpone Summer around here and we are soaking up every bit of sunshine still left in the sky! Tomatoes also remind me of summer, even though they are not just past their peak. I still had to break them out and make me some delizio (delicious) bruscetta! One of my favorite classic Italian dishes.
Okay so, I am not saying there is a right way and a wrong way. But to the Italians there might be? For those of you that know me, you may know that I studied abroad in Florence, Italy for a little over 4 months, more than 10 years ago. It still kills me today that people pronounce bruscetta, bru-sh-eta. Just so you know, it is pronouced bru-ske-ta. Just sayin'! Now, when you make it or order it, you will know how to say it right. Today, I am going to teach you the secret to making bruscetta the way the Italians do :)

Ingredients

6 or 7 ripe plum/roma tomatoes (about 1 1/2 lbs)

2-3 cloves garlic, 1-2 minced, 1 whole

4-8 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

6-8 fresh basil leaves, chopped.

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Parmesan cheese (optional)

1 loaf rustic Italian bread or in a pinch French bread

Directions

1 (Time Saver-this step is optional) Prepare the tomatoes first. Parboil the tomatoes for one minute in boiling water that has just been removed from the burner. Drain. Using a sharp small knife, remove the skins of the tomatoes. (If the tomatoes are too hot, you can protect your finger tips by rubbing them with an ice cube between tomatoes.) Once the tomatoes are peeled, cut them in halves or quarters and remove the seeds and juice from their centers. Also cut out and discard the stem area. Why use plum tomatoes instead of regular tomatoes? The skins are much thicker and there are fewer seeds and less juice.
-If you choose not to remove the skins, then just cut up your tomatoes into somewhat smaller pieces. Use your finger to get the seeds out. The less seeds the better.

2 Make sure there is a top rack in place in your oven. Turn on the oven to 450°F to preheat.

3 Chop your garlic (I use pre-chopped garlic, about 2 tsp). Then chop your basil. I chiffonade it. I take 4 or 5 leaves, and roll them up, then make small slices (see picture above). I put some aside for the top, then chop up the rest a little more. While the oven is heating, get a small sauce pan and put about 2-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and 2 cloves of chopped garlic. Cook on medium high heat until golden. The golden brown happens very fast, so watch closely. It can go from brown to burnt in the blink of an eye. Poor over chopped tomatoes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add the chopped basil. And the balsamic vinegar.

4 Slice the loaf in about 1/2 inch thick slices. But can we talk about the bread first? This in my opinion is the key to a good bruscetta. You want a bread that is robust, has some hold to it. French bread can be somewhat soft, so really try to find an Italian rustic bread if you can. And you don't want to get a little baguette. I know they have those bags of precut baguette slices and that would be really easy. But that does not give you or your guests enough to savor. You want a medium size loaf and you can ask the bakery to slice it for you. I did. So after its' sliced, place on cookie sheet and drizzle or coat one side of each slice with olive oil using a pastry brush. Then sprinkle a small amount of kosher salt over the top. You will want to toast them in the top rack in your oven. Toast for 5-6 minutes, until the bread just begins to turn golden brown.

5 When they come out of the oven take a clove of garlic and rub the garlic on the top of each slice. See the garlic clove above, this is after it is rubbed on, it kind of melts into the bread. This is the more traditional method of making bruschetta.

6 Align the bread on a serving platter, olive oil side up. Either place the tomato topping in a bowl separately with a spoon for people to serve themselves over the bread (good for parties), or place some topping on each slice of bread and serve. If you top each slice with the tomatoes, do it right before serving or the bread may get soggy. Top with the remaining basil and parmesan cheese if desired. You could also splash it with a little more balsamic if you choose. Enjoy!

Buon appetito,
Christie

Lace Vase

noreply@blogger.com (Christie) — Sat, 15 Sep 2012 06:20:00 +0000

You never know when you need a good gift for your mom or friend or even for a sick friend.

This is a super easy and very inexpensive gift/project.

To complete this project you will need:

-A tall cylinder like vase (mine was from Ikea)

-1/4 yard of lace (measure your vase and make sure you lace is wide/tall enough to go around)

-painters tape

-spray paint in the color of your preference

-spray adhesive

Cut your lace to fit the around your vase. Mine had a lid so I taped that off.

Spray your adhesive on, just a light coat enough to make the lace adhere to the vase. But not too much so it does not peel off easy.

Spray with your spray paint. I like that mine turned out heavier on top than the bottom. Kind of an ombre affect. Let dry, remove tape, and fill with some lovely flowers!

Enjoy!

Happy crafting,

Christie

Artwork Keepsake Binder

noreply@blogger.com (Claudia) — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 12:30:00 +0000

I don't know about you, but my kids love to color. And when I say love, I mean lllllloooooooovvvvvvvvveeeeee to color! We go through coloring books and markers like there is no tomorrow. But you know what? I'm okay with that! I love that they can sit at our kitchen table and giggle together while creating art. I love to see what colors they choose and how they are trying so hard to stay in the lines.... it's wonderful! However, they literally want me to keep every piece of paper they color on. Does this sound familiar to any of you? After their artwork has been on display for a week or two, I try to sneak most of it into the garbage... and I say most because there are a few pieces that I love to look at over and over again, and I want to keep them.

I'm sure there are tons of wwwaaaayyyy more creative ways to store your kids artwork, but since I'm cheap and don't want to put a lot of time into organizing the art and what not, I decided to simply make a folder for each child....

like this...

The reason I came up with a binder was I didn't want their art to be shoved into a box somewhere... and I'm not really good at scrapbooking, and I wanted a little organization. :) Can you blame me? A binder seemed like the perfect solution for me because it was fast, easy, and inexpensive. I simply added their names to their binder, stuck a few sheet protectors in the binder, and got to work.

You see, each sheet protector holds a years worth of art. I simply write the date the art was created, and maybe a little memo about it, and stick it in the sheet protector. The picture below shows a colorful tarantula spider that my 3 year old diligently worked on for a few days, and the rest of her 2012 artwork is in the same sheet protector. When my girls are older and want to look at the book, they can pull out their art and see how it's progressed from year to year. Isn't that lovely? :) Not only do I keep artwork in these, but I also keep little momentos in here (like Mother's Day cards they have written me, etc.).

So far, only one sheet protector has been used because I started it this year. :) And one of these days, I'll get around to labeling each sheet protector with the year... but at least for now, I have a place to store all those precious memories, and I have the date documented.

We're Still Here, I Promise!

noreply@blogger.com (Claudia) — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 15:18:00 +0000

We have not forgotten about this little blog. I promise.

Can I be honest with you? Blogging is hard during the summer! The weather has been so beautiful up here, that I've tried to take advantage of every sun ray that comes our way... I've been spending tons of time at the park and the fountains, and going on lots of picnics instead of editing photos and typing up blog posts... and it has felt so good!

And to those of you who have requested quiet book page templates... we are working on those, and we haven't forgotten about you! I have every single one of you saved in my email, so that when we get the templates finished, I can let you know!!!

However, I wanted to give you a little peek at my summer and some of the projects I have finished...

and I apologize in advance for the photos. They aren't the greatest, so sue me. :)

I've recovered a few diaper boxes with fabric. I found a great tutorial here. While making these boxes, I learned that it's quicker and prettier to use spray adhesive instead of Mod Podge. Mod Podge made my fabric all wrinkly and took twice as long.... so if you'r in the mood to recover some boxes, for the love of everything.... PLEASE USE SPRAY ADHESIVE! :)

Also, my fabric was see-through, so I taped computer paper to the box before spraying the fabric on...

And now I've got some great storage bins for my girls' room!

I also repainted this lovely little decor that I found at the DI a long, long time ago...

It's been in my girls' bathroom for the past year and a half, and I finally decided that it needed some new color...

And voila! This beauty was born! I absolutely love it!

I have also been making tons of baby stats boards... I made some for my girlies, and I have made a couple for baby gifts... (If you would like to order one, please email me at familyofcash@gmail.com... They make fabulous gifts and only cost $25 plus S&H).

I've also made this recipe board for a cousin of mine who got hitched about a week ago....

I have one as well, and I absolutely love it!!

(Want to order one? Email me, and let me know! These are only $15 plus S&H).

And in between all of my projects, I've had to visit the doctor's every 2 weeks for ultra sounds and

check ups for this pregnancy. My last pregnancy had some complications, so they are keeping a close eye one me...

I've also been surviving on Diet Coke, and my tummy is now big enough I can use it as a drink holder.

Ah, the joys of pregnancy!

To prepare for our little one's arrival, I sewed some burp cloths, but they turned out kind of hideous, so I decided not to post a pic of them. :) But, since they're just going to be used for wiping up spit up and other fun stuff, I'm not really worried about how they look. Tee hee hee...

I have also been doing a couple of custom yarn wreath orders (They're just $20 if you want to order one!). I made this wreath for a friend who recently moved to Utah, and I loved the colors of it!

I've been making my girls some new hair bows...

and I'll be making a lot more hair bows since we found out we are adding a 3rd little girl to our family!

I recently got back from a 2 week vacation in Utah...

While I was there...

My hubs and I attended our 10 year high school reunion... Nate and I went to high school together and even graduated the same year, but never talked to each other until a few years after high school, so it was fun to go to a "high school" event together.

We celebrated this little one's 3rd birthday...

She is one crazy little girl, and we absolutely love her!

And remember that cousin that got hitched? I helped my mom and aunts put together her dessert buffet for her reception, and it turned out beautiful! The photographer even asked if she could get our catering card.... Ha!

And finally, I've been taking care of my Ava who broke her elbow mid-July on the monkey bars.

That totally put a damper on going to the fountains... as well as going to the park and doing anything related to summer.... no beach, no swimming, no swings, no bikes.... yuck!!!!

I'll be honest, it has totally been the pits.

I can't even imagine how Ava has felt!

But we got her cast off a couple of days ago, and we celebrated by going to Wendy's and getting a frosty!

And today, we are headed to the park for a lovely picnic!!

And to top things off,

I am moving in three weeks to a place just down the street, so I've started packing up our apartment!

Yikes!

I hope you have all had a great summer!!

I'm sure you've been just as busy as I have, but now that fall is approaching,

I can't wait to get into the groove of crafting again!

xoxoxox,

Claudia

Quiet Book Page 3--Tie the Laces!

noreply@blogger.com (Christie) — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 23:13:00 +0000

Our little quiet book group has been at it again! This time we created a "Tie the Laces" page. Don't mind me, I tied my laces upside down :)

I have uploaded the pattern here.

For this page you will need the following:
-White and colored embroidery thread, needle
-Shoe laces (short ones work best)
-One sheet of white felt, one of colored (the color you want your shoes)
-One sheet of felt for your background
-1/4 yard of heavy iron on interfacing (iron)
-Glue gun or fabric glue
-Grommets and grommet tool

First trace and cut all your felt out. Before you glue everything on construct your shoes. It helps to layout the pieces first, so you know where everything goes. Iron on the interfacing on the back of the 4 pieces that will have the grommets. You won't see that pictured here, we added this step, because we had trouble with the grommets coming out. The interfacing should help. You can then put the grommets on. Three per side, six per show, twelve total. Then stitch with white thread on the inside of each grommet flap.

Next, stitch the white shoe tip to the smaller shoe piece with the colored thread like below.

Then stitch again with the white thread. All the way around the colored shoes from the top of the flap outer edge to the top of the other flap. You can then glue the white larger shoe shape to the smaller colored shoe shape.

Glue down your letters and the whole shoes.

Then tie the laces!
Do you see Claudia in the back right corner there. She is concentrating really hard on cutting her felt! So pretty :)

Happy crafting,
Christie & Claudia

Super Saturday

noreply@blogger.com (Christie) — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 08:54:00 +0000

This year I have been called to organize Super Saturday!!! This year Super Saturday is on September 15th from 10am to 3pm. Funny that our very own Claudia was over it last year and our good friend Jessica the years before. Hard shoes to fill...they are the crafting super queens! But I am "super" excited to work with our committee and the ladies in our ward in hopes of making all of their crafting dreams come true. For those not familiar, Super Saturday is a day where the ladies in our church (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) come together to craft, talk, and craft some more. It is a day I look forward to all year. Often times I make gifts for friends or family for Christmas. The best part is getting it done all in one day. Oh, and it would not be Super Saturday without soup!

If you are in our ward (Aloha 2nd) please turn in this form and your check to me or Adrianne before August 26th. If you are in the Portland, Oregon area and would like to join our day of fun, please comment/email us and let me know that you are interested and I will coordinate with you from there. We would love to have you!

Here are some of the awesome crafts we came up with...

$10.00 comes in 7 or 9 inch, also white or red!
This wreath is so easy to make and much faster than the yarn wreaths we did last year! The great thing about this white one is that you can exchange with snowflake with a heart for Valentines Day and a Star for 4th of July (you will have to provide). Great versatility!

$10.00 and we will be making these awesome spider webs for the middle!

$3.00 for a set of 4. $0.75 for additional coasters. Lots of design options!

$2.00 for these little cute hearts. Perfect for keeping your hands warm!
Working on more fabric choices with smaller prints.

$4.00 for the foot warmers.
Will have cute fabrics for men or women. Fleece or flannel options. Some sewing machines available. It is recommended you bring your own if you have one.

$5.00 for this adorable nativity scene.
Glitter star included, doesn't glitter make everything better! These make great gifts too!

Love this little Jewelry dish for only $3.00 and we will have multiple patterns available.

Come and make two of these for free!
If you want more, no problem! They are $2.00 each...what a steal!

Our Christmas Countdown Calendar $5.00.
Open the drawer and do an activity or read a scripture. We will have both options available for you to take home.
All in the Christmas spirit!

Two sided Holiday Blocks (not the 4th of July ones)! So many options at $6.00 each.
You can use scrapbook paper or make a stencil with your vinyl.
EEK! or BOO! with GIVE OR NOEL/JOY! with LOVE, note your selection.

For $9.00 make these Superhero or Princess Caps for your kids or grand kids for Christmas! For the boys cuffs and a mask. For the girls a tiara and wand or cuffs and a mask, your choice! We will have some sewing machines available, we recommend you bring your own if you have one :)

If you have any questions, please call or email Christie Blake. My information is on the form. Or comment below!

Happy Crafting,
Christie

Summer Pasta Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Claudia) — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Hello all! TGIF! Woohoo!! If you haven't already voted in our Craft Boutique Survey, please take a few seconds to do so! The poll is off to the right hand side of this little blog, and if you want to see what we're talking about, go here!

Before the weekend comes, I wanted to share a quick and easy dinner... I made it last night, and it was so yummy! I find cooking to be a little difficult in the summer... I live in a 2nd story apartment with no A/C, and I'm 5 months pregnant, so my goal every day is to heat up the house as little as possible, so I keep cooking and baking to an absolute minimum (hence the lack in posting).
*On a little side note... blogging is hard during the summer! Since Oregon doesn't get sunshine for very long, I have been spending every waking moment outside with my girls. We have done tons and tons of playing (and I hope you have too!) and just enjoying the great outdoors, which doesn't leave much time to craft, bake, cook, etc... and to be extremely honest with you, I have no desire to do any of those right now! I just want to spend every day playing in the fountains, or going on picnics, or going to the pool!*
Ok, back to the post... this pasta salad was delicious and was ready in under 30 minutes. Take that Rachel Ray! Ha ha, just kidding. But in all seriousness, I was highly impressed with this salad. My favorite part was eating those delicious avocados! My, my, my, my they were delicious!

All you need is:
Bow tie pasta, cooked and cooled
Bacon, cooked and crumbled (I used a whole package)
Avocado
Zucchini, cooked until crispy tender
Grated Romano cheese
Lemon juice
Olive oil
Basil
Garlic powder

Now, notice I didn't specify how much of each you needed... that's totally up to you and your taste buds! If you like zucchini, add in a little more! Heck, you could even add in some squash too! If you loooooove bacon, add as much as you want! And I love lemon juice, so I added quite a bit more than the average person might. :)

So go ahead, start cooking the pasta and the bacon at the same time. While they are cooking, cut up the zucchini and get it cooking. Once the pasta is done, drain and rinse with cold water. Cut up the avocado and add it to the pasta. Add the zucchini when it's done cooking, and when the bacon is cooked and cooled, crumble it up and add it into the mix. Then add as much lemon juice, olive oil, garlic powder, and basil as you want! Mmmmmm..... Top it off with some Romano cheese and toss that salad up! Yum!

Happy Summer Cooking!
Claudia

Craft Boutique Survey

noreply@blogger.com (Claudia) — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 01:11:00 +0000

Later this year, Christie and I have been asked to participate in a craft boutique. I've never done a craft boutique before, so I'm super excited! Eeeek! The boutique is about a month before my due date, so I want to get started on my crafts early... but I have no clue what to make! I know what I would like to make, but I don't know what people want to BUY. So... I need your opinions! If you were to buy a craft, what would you like to buy? What would catch your eye? Here are some projects that I thought were cute, and would be fun to buy...

"I love you because..." dry erase frame

Christams Yarn Wreath

Christmas Soap Dispensers

Halloween Yarn Wreath (I can also do a fall one)

Glass Etched Dish Soap or Olive Oil Dispenser

Magnetic Recipe Board with Magnets

I have a lot more ideas, but I thought I should keep it fairly simple. :) What do you think? Are these things you would buy? Help me!! I need your input!! Also, on the right side of the blog, you will see a place where you can vote for your favorite craft... so please vote!

Happy Crafting,

Claudia

Happy 4th of July!!...Strawberry Stuffed Cupcakes and a Flag Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Christie) — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 10:00:00 +0000

Happy Independence Day!!! Thank you to my hubby who served our country as a Marine. So happy to have him in my life! To celebrate this day and summer I made a few little treats for a BBQ we went to the other day. The same one Claudia took her delicious Inside out Smores too! MMMMmmm Yummy!

These cupcakes were made with the leftover cake batter from the cake. Because I made the cake in a pie dish I only needed half of the batter. The rest made these cupcake and the strawberry was my husbands idea...well, all I have to say is... genius! They are sooo good. But I am a sucker for anything involving strawberries. The cake and the frosting parts were an extra bonus!

Fill your cupcake tins with any cake batter and stick a frozen strawberry in the middle. Tastes just like strawberry shortcake!

And this well again, super easy..make a cake and some white frosting. Then just cut up your strawberries or any red fruit and put it in rows to make a flag design. Add your blueberries and done:)

Happy 4th,
Christie