Smashed Peas and Carrots

Reverse Color St. Patrick's Day Knot Wreath-TUTORIAL

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 13:38:00 +0000

I finally took down my Valentine decor the other day, well on our front door at least, I still really like looking at all the hearts on my walls and windows :-) I'm sure those will be coming down soon and I have to say I'm a bit surprised that Eloise hasn't ripped more off the wall but for now I think the remaining few will stay put for a few more days at least. So with a bare door staring me in the face, I decided to make a fun and colorful wreath for St. Patricks day, you might remember the clothesline wreath I made a couple years ago here, I still love it's simplicity but thought this year I would go with some bright and fun colors, basically 'think spring'. We could use some color in this blah winter we've been having.

I made a simple knot wreath using grosgrain ribbon, my favorite ribbon to play with. Is it weird that I have a favorite ribbon type/style? Craft nerd alert! I package up all my Etsy shop orders with a pretty chocolate grosgrain ribbon, it's one of my favorite parts of the completed look and one of the first things you see when you open your special package, ahhh love!

Anyways, back to the wreath. Since St. Paddy's day is pretty much green and gold in coloring I thought I would spice this wreath up by reversing the prominent color palette. I think this way it will work well going into the Spring season in case I forget to change out the front door decor by then! Always thinking ahead, lol!

Color Reversed St Patrick's Day Knot Wreath

1 circular foam wreath form

3 rolls of yellow 5/8 inch grosgrain ribbon (7 yards)

1 roll of lime or green 5/8 inch grosgrain ribbon (7 yards each)

pair of scissors or rotary cutter and mat

I love simple projects and this one is just that! Just pick two fun colors of ribbon and in a matter of minutes you will have yourself a lovely wreath to spice up your front door.

Cut your ribbon into 13 inch strips...

Tie each piece of ribbon onto your foam wreath form and double knot it fairly tight so it doesn't slide around too much. Continue this same process until your wreath is full and beautiful.

I used all 4 rolls and just went to town while the kids and I read books one afternoon. It definitely helps to have book holder helpers and page turners otherwise maybe a game of 'eye spy' would do the trick!

If you are wondering how I hung this to my door, I took a 5 inch remnant of ribbon from an empty spool, threaded it through the back of one of the tied ribbon loops near the top center, and tied it into a small loop. Easy peasy lemon squeezy :-)

Then go and hang it on your front door and enjoy the happy colors!!

XOXO,

Katie Evans Photography Giveaway Winners!!

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 15:30:00 +0000

Well, it's about that time...the TWO winners of Katie Evan's super awesome photography ebook, The Key To Taking Pictures Like a Professional Photographer, are...

Since you both have your emails included in your comment, I will send them over to Katie Evans right away and you should get them in your email inbox by Monday at the latest!! Congratulations to you both, I hope you love this book as much as I do!

**Also, for those that didn't win, Katie is still offering a 20% discount off of her ebook to you by using the coupon code, peasandcarrots! This offer ends on Tuesday, so hurry end scoop it up now!

In other news, today is my husband's birthday! He's another year older...and wiser, I think! I Love him!

Okay, I'll talk to you all soon!

Thanks for stopping by :-)

XOXO,

Creamy Crockpot Chicken Alfredo-RECIPE

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 14:37:00 +0000

How about today I share another easy peasy and delicious dinner recipe to add to your dinner menu rotation? My family loves this one a lot, it's a super filling Creamy Chicken Alfredo that you make in your crockpot. Well, the sauce that is. The noodles you boil up on the stove right before you are ready to eat and then you pour that creamy alfredo sauce over top for a hearty meal your whole family will enjoy! Serve it up with some garlic breadsticks and a nice green salad and you are set for the perfect well-balanced meal, nom nom! :-)

Creamy Crockpot Chicken Alfredo

2 large or 4 medium chicken breasts (can be frozen!)

1 can cream of chicken (or mushroom) soup

1/2 cup Italian dressing

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 small can sliced mushrooms, drained

1 8 oz block of cream cheese

1/2 to 1 bag of frozen peas or broccoli

1 lb spaghetti or other noodles

Place chicken breasts in crockpot and add in the cream of chicken soup, Italian dressing, minced garlic, and mushrooms. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours. About 20 minutes before serving, pull chicken out and shred or cut into cubes and return to the crockpot. Add in the block of cream cheese and stir until combined. Boil water and cook your noodles. 5 minutes before noodles are done, mix in frozen peas or broccoli into the boiling water with noodles and stir. Drain noodles (and veggies) and pour alfredo sauce over top...Enjoy!

Grab your chicken breasts...and yes, the can be frozen or refrigerated!...and place them in the bottom of your crockpot. Add in the cream of chicken (or mushroom!) soup, can of drained mushrooms, Italian dressing and minced garlic. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours.

20 minutes before you are ready to eat you are going to do a few things...first, start boiling water for your noodles of choice. Next, pull out the chicken breasts and shred them or cut them into chunks. Place the chicken back in the crockpot and mix into the sauce. Add in a block of cream cheese too, stir until it is nice and combined. Once your water is boiling, add in your noodles and about 5 minutes or so before they are ready pour in a bag of frozen peas or broccoli or any other veggie you'd like. The hot water will cook them and once your noodles are done just drain everything and you are good to go!

Now, either pour all your noodles into one huge bowl and pour the sauce over top and mix everything together or do each person's bowl separately...your choice.

Either way it is delicious! YUM squared!

Enjoy!

XOXO,

Katie Evans Photography Giveaway!

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 13:39:00 +0000

Happy Wednesday everyone! I've got a super duper giveaway I think you are all going to love today, holla!

So let me ask, how many of you have one of those fancy DSLR cameras and just aren't sure how to use it? There are so many buttons and settings on these cameras, right? And lenses...which ones do you have? Which ones do you need? Well, if you feel like you don't know your camera at all or you just want to learn how to use it for all it is worth or hey, maybe you just want to learn how to take those beautiful photographs just like the professionals than you need Katie Evans to the rescue!!

Katie Evans is an amazing photographer who has come out with her very own book called, The Key to Taking Pictures Like a Professional Photographer...sounds good right! Well it is!! If you haven't heard of her yet you need to head over to her blog stat. She not only shares some beautiful photography with all of us over there but she is also super sweet to offer up many, and I mean many, tips on how to take and get great pictures.

{All Photos via Katie Evan Photography}

One of my favorite blog posts is her '5 ways to improve your child photography'...the pictures are stunning and the tips are great (see the photo above!) She also has a great post on how to make those gorgeous black and white photos we all love to look at her and her latest post really called to me, '5 tips to taking beautiful newborn pictures in the hospital'. I'll definitely be re-reading these tips come June!!

So are you interested in taking a peek at this great book?

Inside it she talks about Lighting, Composition and even Editing...

She even talks about lenses and includes pictures of what kind of shot each lens takes. And framing and composition...oh man, there is sooo much good info and so much that I need to continually practice...which is cool cause I have some great subjects named Noah, Penelope and Eloise :-)

Today Katie Evans is so generous to offer up TWO of her ebooks, The Key to Taking Pictures Like a Professional Photographer, to TWO of you!! Told you this was a great giveaway!

To enter:

1. Leave a comment and tell me what kind of camera you own!

That's it!!!! So easy :-)

**Make sure you leave an email address so you can get your book via email!!

Oh, and if you want to go ahead and buy the book, Katie is offering 20% off her ebook to Smashed Peas and Carrots readers if you use the exclusive coupon code, peasandcarrots, at check out! This offer is good only for 1 week!!!

Giveaway ends Saturday, February 25 2012 at 8 am

Good Luck!!

XOXO,

A Weekend Away

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 14:16:00 +0000

Ever since baby #4 wonderfully came into our life my husband and I started talking more and more about doing some weekend aways. Yup, minus children...just the two of us. We've never done that EVER in the last 5 years since we've been on the baby-making path...can you believe it?! I think it has always had to do with not really having any close family around, breastfeeding each child for well over a year, getting pregnant every other year and consequently nauseous and sick as can be for at least the first 4 months of each pregnancy, and then having them so close in age that there was always some milestone we were facing..."oh, you're just getting teeth in? what you want to start jumping out of your crib at night? hey, let's bunk two of the kids in one room! Cool, everyone is throwing up an hour before our date night starts" Good but very busy times.

Anyways, we finally decided that starting in 2012 (and once I started feeling well again!) that we would take one weekend a month and go away...anywhere...just the two of us. We figured the kids all seemed to be in a good place and Noah and Penny are actually old enough to be really good helpers so they could tell anyone visiting exactly where their snacks are and how their bedtime routine goes, etc.

A few weeks ago, we did it. We left for a long weekend with no children. We headed into Chicago since we thought it would be a great beginners trip for us. You know, in case we had to rush back home because someone needed an emergency appendectomy we weren't too far away (seriously, isn't that the way it always seems to go?) Plus there are always a million things we want to do there that never seem fun when you have three little ones. Can you imagine heading to the Museum of Modern Art with my three kids...ummm, no!

Clif made a reservation at a super swanky hotel. Did the hotel have a pool? How would I know, we didn't have our kids!! Our room was filled with modern art and very funky furniture. Definitely glad it was just us or our hotel bill would have dramatically increased with the amount of damage they would have done in there.

Of course it snowed a big scary meteorologist's dream snow right before we left but that wasn't going to stop us, hey we made reservations! Of course Eloise would just happen to come down with the croup two days before we left (really?) but we felt our babysitters (grandma and grandpa) could handle it, and they did. All went very well, hooray!

Clif and I were able to spend lots of time talking, holding hands, and just enjoying being with each other. It was perfect. 'Hey guess what? I can hear you without you needing to yell' oh, it's the little things!

We ate lots of delicious foods...chocolate almond croissants with chai tea for breakfasts...

Grown-up ham and cheese with Gruyere, Aged White Cheddar, and Brie for a lite lunch out.

Eating out without our 3-ring circus might have been my favorite part! I love them all so much, but... :-)

Of course we had to stop at Sweet Mandy B's on the way home to pick the kids up something special just for them. These cupcakes were a hit.

I love this bakery. If you are ever in the Chicago area you.must.go. It is full of those yummy sweets and treats you ate as a kid, the recipes aren't doctored with so everything tastes just like you remember it. I took home a peanut butter rice krispie bar the size of my head...okay, my hand, but it felt like it was that big!

And of course, since we didn't have any children with us, I just had to ask Clif to make one last stop our way home. Yup, home of the blue and yellow and so much more fun to browse when you can actually think clearly :-)

What a great and needed long weekend away.
It made coming home to their smiling faces awesome. And getting back into the swing of things the following Monday not so bad. I suppose all of us parents need that every now and again, right? Not sure why we waited so long to do it.
Do you ever get to do fun things like that with just your significant other and you?
Now the big question is where should we go next?

XOXO,

New Flutter Sleeve Ruffle Peasant Dresses in the Shop

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 14:36:00 +0000

Yup, you read that right! I finally opened up my Etsy shop again about 2 weeks ago and I have a whole stock of new dresses in there! Hooray for second trimester energy and feeling completely back to my old self again! And as many of you know from our Facebook chats, I also just ordered a what feels like a UPS truckload full of fabric bolts that should be arriving today (who's excited for more pretty fabric...me, me, me!) so look for even more dresses and sweet baby gifts hitting the shop in another few weeks.

All these styles are available in sizes 6 months, 12 months, 2T, 3T, 4T, as well as 5 and 6 years of age. PS. You can click on the links below the images to go directly to my shop. Hope you like them!

{Flutter Sleeve Ruffle Peasant Dress in Mod Pink Floral}

I just love the whimsical florals and soft pinks of this dress, super girly girl. Plus it would be perfect for Easter Sunday, don't you think!

{Flutter Sleeve Ruffle Peasant Dress in Mod Green Floral}

I love the bright pops of color and the pretty flowers in this dress. How sweet for St. Patrick's day too (coming up soon!)

{Flutter Sleeve Ruffle Peasant Dress in Mod Pink and Red Leaves}

This sweet number was Eloise's Valentine's Day dress but of course it would be perfect anytime of the year!

{Flutter Sleeve Ruffle Peasant Dress in Pink and Red Dots}

This little number was Penelope's Valentine's Day dress. You all know my love of dressing sisters in coordinating but not overly matchy outfits, right? And if you don't, well, I LOVE it! I think these two dresses did that perfectly! See a picture of my two cuties in their dresses in this post here :-)

{Flutter Sleeve Ruffle Peasant Dress in Green Stipes}

And of course some stripes for the stripes lovers out there. I love the greens, yellows, and blues in this dress, it feels like spring is in the air...which it will be soon, yahoo!

I hope you enjoyed a little Spring Preview from my shop!

Enjoy your weekend and we'll talk soon.

XOXO,

Embroidered Hot & Cold Packs-TUTORIAL

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 14:02:00 +0000

Today I wanted to share my guest post that I did over at Me Sew Crazy for Jessica's New Year's ReSEWLution series last month. One of my sewing resolutions was to use my embroidery skillz more. I started the year off by making these fun Embroidered Hot and Cold Packs!

I just love, love, love embroidery and I think it really adds that special handmade touch to any project you've been working on. Embroidery can give a dress, baby blanket, or even a pillow that perfect final detail that makes it go from just okay to awesome.

I also love embroidery for adding a personal touch to any project, it is perfect for adding in names or sweet little sayings that are meaningful to the recipient as well as the giver!

To warm up my embroidery skills, I decided to make each of my 3 children (plus one for the new babe who's gender is yet to be determined!) their very own hot/cold pack personalized with their names just for them! It's so nice to have something that is your very own when you have multiple siblings, don't you think? I thought these would be perfect for using as cozy hot packs after they have been outside playing in the cold snowy weather, once they rip off their snowsuits and coats they can sit down and warm themselves up with a sweet little pack of warmth made just for them!

Embroidered Hot & Cold Packs

2 pieces of fabric (per pack) measuring 7 x 13 inches

scraps of linen of muslin to fit a shape you wish to embroider

straight pins

coordinating thread and sewing machine

chopstick or other tool for pushing out corners

iron and ironing board

embroidery thread and needle

embroidery hoop

disappearing ink pen

dry rice for filling

**Just an FYI, I filled my hot/cold packs 3/4 of the way full and it took about 5 pounds of rice to fill two packs of this size.

**Heat the packs in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute depending on your microwave, some may need additional time. I like to flip mine halfway through! You can also keep these in the freezer so they are ready and waiting as a boo-boo pack as well.

I cut several pieces of fabric to the measurement of 7 x 13 inches to make a 6 x 12 inch sized hot/cold pack as I thought this was the perfect size hot pack to warm their little bodies on the couch after playing outside. It is also a great size for a hot/cold neck or low back pack for an adult or to act as a tummy soother.

I also used up some scraps of linen and muslin for embroidering, yay for using up scraps!

For a few of my packs I cut out random shapes, a heart, square or rectangle, and then place the linen behind it and pinned it in place. This makes a great canvas for embroidering words or pictures.

Then I sewed around each shape using a 1/4 inch seam allowance to keep it in place.

I used a very small embroidery hoop and made sure the fabric was nice and snug before I grabbed my disappearing ink pen to write out what I wanted to embroider. To write out letters I like to use a fine tipped pen as it is easier to embroider handwriting that isn't smushed together by a thicker-tipped pen!

Once I was done embroidering, I place the two pieces of fabric right sides together and sewed around the edges with a 1/4 inch seam allowance. I left a 2-3 inch opening at one end for turning and filling. Make sure you clip the corners before turning and then push out the corners very carefully with a chopstick or a similar pointy tool.

I bought the inexpensive, generic store-brand rice to fill the packs with although you could also use dried barley or flaxseed as well too. You can even add in a few drops of your favorite essential oils to give the packs a soothing or calming scent. On a side note, make sure to keep your packs dry as the grains will get moldy if wet!

Fill each bag 3/4 full and then sew the opening closed using a ladder stitch or using your sewing machine and sewing the ends closed using a 1/8 inch seam allowance.

When you are done, heat them up in the microwave for 30 seconds-1 minute at a time until they are the perfect temperature to warm up your little ones. Enjoy the coziness this winter!

Thanks for having me today Jess, it was so fun to be here today!

XOXO,

Happy Heart Day to You!

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 18:55:00 +0000

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! I hope you are having a lovely day full of hugs, kisses and lots of love whether you celebrate it or not...everyone deserves those things every day don't you think :-) Our house is decorated with lots of cute hearts...as are our windows, remember this post!

I made a whole tray of dark chocolate-covered strawberries for the man of the house. Did you know most dark chocolate is dairy-free?

I also made a whole bunch of angel food cupcakes with the most amazing raspberry buttercream frosting for the kids (especially for the one in I'm carrying in my belly, ha!)

Penelope has been loving her new Valentine's dress and couldn't wait to wear it to her preschool party.

Eloise even got in on the fun too. Oh, I just love those pigtails...she is growing up so fast!

Clif was so sweet to surprise me with a whole box of See's Chocolates (seriously the best chocolates around) and he even had a dozen beautiful long stem roses sent to the house...what a sweet husband...that really made my day :-)

The kids (with help from daddy?) bought me these pretty tulips. I can't wait until they open up a bit, I just love tulips...hooray that spring will be here soon! There were more but Eloise decided to climb up on the table and pull them out and de-petal them one by one, guess she's not that into flowers.

This morning Noah handed this to our dog. Clif and I thought it was hilarious. It was folded in half and when you open it it had her name, a picture of her and then he even taped a treat to it! Spreading the Valentine's love to all things human or animal I guess. Whoever marries him will be one lucky lady!

Have a super day and we'll talk soon!

XOXO,

Dairy-Free Creme Brûlée-RECIPE

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 14:39:00 +0000

There once was a girl who met a boy and they fell in love. Not only did they love each other so very much but they also loved sharing their love of Creme Brûlée together. Oh, what a decadent and romantic dessert to share. So delicious that crispy burnt sugar topping combined with that smooth velvety custard. They loved it so. Then one day in this new year that boy decided that starting in the month of February he was going to go dairy-free and gluten-free. This wasn't really an issue until that girl realized that smack dab in the middle of the month of February was a certain day known as Valentine's Day.

Whaaat? Yup, that meant no enjoying of any Creme Brûlée for them! That is until that girl spent an afternoon in the kitchen (while that boy played with the kids!) perfecting the most delicious DAIRY-FREE Creme Brûlée. Yes, she did! That boy loved that girl even more that day (and that girl loved that boy even more too for watching the kids!) and they lived happily ever after :-)

Dairy-Free Creme Brûlée (serves 4-6)

1 can coconut milk

5 egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar plus 1 tbsp for each ramekin

2 vanilla beans

In the bowl of an electric mixer whip together the egg yolks and sugar until the egg yolks are light in color. Pour the can of coconut milk into a small saucepan and heat on medium-low. Cut each vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape out the vanilla bean pulp with a knife. Whisk the pulp into the coconut milk. Once the coconut milk is simmering take the pan off the heat and slowly pour a small amount into the egg yolk mixture while mixing, this will help temper the eggs. Then continue to pour in the remaining coconut milk mixture and mix until well combined. Place 4-6 ramekins in a shallow baking dish and fill each with the coconut mixture. Pour hot water into the baking dish so that the water is halfway up the ramekins and place the dish into an oven preheated to 325 degrees. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the custard is set but slightly wiggly in the middle. Let cool. Once cool, sprinkle one tablespoon of sugar over top each custard-filled ramekin and, using a butane torch, heat the sugar until brown and crisp. Serve immediately.

First off, you will need 5 eggs yolks. We are lucky enough to get farm fresh eggs from a good friend that come in a variety of egg sizes and colors. The kids love to see what color eggs we get each time, it's always a fun mystery!

You will need to use one can of coconut milk for this recipe. Use the full-fat milk and not the low-fat or lite variety for best results!

PS. My husband is not a huge coconut eater/lover and he really loved this Creme Brûlée...there is only a very slight taste of coconut in the first bite and then it's just all Creme Brûlée goodness after that. If you increase the vanilla you may find the coconut taste gone altogether.

You will also need 1/2 cup of white granulated sugar as well as a few extra tablespoons for the ramekins in order to make the crisp sugar topping.

I used two vanilla beans, cut in half and scraped the bean pulp out with a knife. If you do not have this ingredient readily available just use a teaspoon or two of vanilla extract instead!

Pour the coconut milk into a small saucepan along with the scraped vanilla bean pulp and heat on medium-low heat until just simmering.

Next place 5 egg yolks into the bowl of an electric mixer along with 1/2 cup of sugar and mix until the egg yolk become lighter in color. Once that happens, grab the just simmering coconut milk and pour just a little in and mix it well. We need to temper the eggs so that they don't scramble when meeting a hot liquid. Once the coconut milk mixes in, continue to add in the rest of the milk until well combined. It may be a bit frothy on the top and you can scrape that off if you'd like. I usually leave it on and scrape it off once in the ramekins.

Place 4-6 ramekins into a shallow baking dish and pour the coconut milk mixture evenly into each one.

Then pour hot water into the baking dish until it is halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Very carefully place the baking dish with ramekins into an oven at 325 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

You will want the custard to be set but upon shaking the ramekins it should jiggle just slightly in the center. Let cool or refrigerate until ready to eat.

Once cooled or you are ready to eat, grab you butane torch. Mine looks like this...pure awesomeness...gotta love a manly kitchen tool :-)

Sprinkle one tablespoon of sugar over top the custard in each ramekin and slowly burn the sugar until it's nice and browned and crisp.

Then grab a spoon and crack that beautiful sugar shell you just made and take a big 'ol bite of the smooth custard and crispy sugar combination that will be dancing around in your mouth.

Oh! Just look at that crunchy sugar top...that velvety custard...pure heaven!

The perfect romantic dessert, no?

And dairy-free!!

Enjoy!

XOXO,

Sodeë Naturals Giveaway-Winnner!

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 19:10:00 +0000

The lucky winner of the Sodeë Naturals Giveaway is....

YAY Kat! Please email me at SmashedPeasandCarrots@gmail.com with your mailing information as well as which scents of the following products you would like to try: Body Butter, Shave Cream, Shampoo and Conditioner Bar, Eczema Cream, Soap.

Hope you are all having a great weekend!

We'll talk soon!

XOXO,

Maple Glazed Salmon-RECIPE

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:12:00 +0000

Looking for a delicious and healthy option for dinner tonight? Why not bake (or grill if the weather near you is nice!) some salmon? We love salmon and try to eat it at least once a week, it is sooo good for you and your brain. All those Omega Fatty Acids. Yup, so good! If you have a great recipe like this one for Maple Glazed Salmon (or even this one for Roasted Salmon with Herbed Yogurt) it tastes awesome even if you are not a fish lover. Know someone like that? I thought so. Well, try this recipe out on them and see if you swayed them to the deep, dark side of fish-eatin'. It just may do it :-)

Maple Glazed Salmon

1 pound of salmon

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp dried minced onion

pinch of salt and pepper

In a small bowl, mix together all of the ingredients above minus the salmon fillets. Place the salmon in a baking dish and pour maple glaze over top. Cover dish with foil and let marinate in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes flipping salmon one time. Place the uncovered baking dish in the oven at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until salmon is opaque throughout and easily flakes with a fork. Enjoy!

**Salmon cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of each fillet. A good rule of thumb is 6 minutes per inch of thickness. Also, do not marinate fish for more than 30 minutes or some marinades may start to cook the fish!!!

Easy ingredients list for this one. Simple dinners rock!

In a small bowl, mix together 1/4 cup of pure maple syrup, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 2 cloves of garlic (minced!), and 1/2 teaspoon of dried minced onion...

Then add a pinch of salt and pepper...

Whisk everything together until all is well combined.

Then place your salmon fillets in a baking dish...

And pour all of your yummy maple glaze over top!

Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes or until the salmon is opaque and flaky.

Enjoy your healthy meal with a nice salad...YUM!

And pour more maple glaze over your salmon if you're feeling up to it...I think you should...it's so good.

One healthy dinner done...yippee!

XOXO,

Sodee Naturals Review and Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:42:00 +0000

Today I'm sharing a great skin and hair care company with you that makes their products with quality all natural ingredients. Sodeë Naturals sent me a whole bunch of their amazing products to try out and as I love natural products I was all over it!

They sent me their a few of their many different products to try out. I love vanilla and coconut smells so I chose the Southern Oak & Vanilla Shave Cream. This stuff is so creamy and really moisturizes the skin while you are shaving. The scent is even great for my husband! I also received the Tropical Breeze Body Butter and whoa! this stuff is great! I have such dry skin in the winter and can go through so much lotion but this body butter is so thick and creamy that a little really goes a long way.

I mean check it out, look at how creamy it is!

Sodeë Naturals really wanted to promote their natural Eczema creams and having a red-headed husband with sensitive fair skin, who of course passed some of those genes onto our children, this was perfect for our family to try.

My husband's skin is ultra-sensitive and a year and a half ago he stained bunk beds he made for Noah and Penny without any gloves (!) his skin has hated him for it ever since and he has had some major problems dealing with his red and irritated hands. The Original Eczema Cream I ordered has lanolin to seal in moisture as well as Tea Tree and Petitgrain Essential Oils to help soothe the skin. It also has Allatonin that acts as a wound healer (think skin irritation!). This cream has worked wonders for him already and we both cannot believe it as we have spent so much money on different creams and lotions over the past year and a half (even those über expensive ones from the dermatologist!) Already his red and swollen fingertips have decreased hugely...he is one happy man.

I was also able to try out Sodeë's Love My Hair Shampoo Bar and Love My Hair Conditioner which I really like! These look and feel like bars of soap and you basically just wet them to lather them up then rub them on your hair and you have serious shampoo happening. They totally work! I love this idea and have actually never used anything like it before. These would be great to have on hand if you travel by plane often as they aren't liquid, I am definitely bringing them with me on my upcoming flights this year. I also tried out the Sea Salt Soap and love the feel of it on my hands and my kids love how much is suds up. It's definitely my new go-to bathroom soap plus it looks pretty in a soap dish!

So would you like to win some of Sodeë Naturals all natural skin and hair products? Sodeë Naturals is giving away one of each of the products I received in the scent of your choice to ONE winner. That is one Eczema Cream, Body Butter, Shave Cream, Soap, Shampoo and Conditioner bar...of your choice!

To enter (one comment per entry please for a total of up to two comments per person!)

1. Head on over to Sodeë Naturals here and tell me what product you would love to try out.

2. "Like" Sodeë Naturals on Facebook here. PS. if you like them on FB you will get a coupon code for a free Shampoo Bar with plus they currently have 14% off orders in the month of February!

**Sodeë Naturals is also giving all of my lovely readers 10% off your order in their store with the exclusive coupon code PEAS...run on over now and stock up!!

Giveaway ends Sunday, February 12 2012 at 8 am

Good Luck!

XOXO,

Heart Doily Valentine's Window-TUTORIAL

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:42:00 +0000

Just one week until Valentine's Day...are you ready? Our house seems to be decorated from top to bottom in hearts and all things pink, white, and red which consequently makes me oh-so-happy. I really like Valentine's Day decor. There is just something so happy and fun about decor full of love and kisses :-)

I made this pretty fabric rose heart a couple of years ago for our front door and I still love getting it out and hanging it up for all our visitors (and me!) to see. White hearts make the perfect winter-y decor come February, so elegant and pretty aren't they? This year the kids helped me put together these easy hanging Heart Doily Valentine's to brighten up our windows. Don't they just make you smile?

If you have little ones in your home they could easily help you make these too. You only need three simple things to fill your windows full of love!

Heart Doily Valentine's Window Hanging

a few packs of paper heart doilies

scotch tape

white thread

I used 3 packs of small sized paper heart doilies from Wilton (bought at JoAnns's) to make three rows of hanging hearts per window. The number you use will depend on the size of your window! The packages I bought came with both red and white doilies, you could always use both although I just preferred the white look for our windows.

I grabbed a roll of scotch tape and some plain white thread to complete the hangings. Just weave the thread through a small hole at the very top and bottom of each heart, you could also use a needle to help with this but it honestly doesn't take much effort at all. Keep the hearts in place on your thread strand by using a small piece of scotch tape to tape the thread to the doily. That's it! I even hung each strand of hearts with scotch tape too...so simple!

I liked the look of the rows of hearts begin slightly off with each other...I think it filled my windows better. More hearts per square inch :-)

So pretty! It makes me enjoy looking out my windows in our drab winter so much more now!

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO,

Pillsbury Ready to Bake! Prize Pack Giveaway-Winner!!

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 02:41:00 +0000

It's that time.

Time to announce the winner of the Pillsbury Ready to Bake! Prize Pack giveaway!!

The winner is #113...

Congratulations Christine! Please email me at SmashedPeasandCarrots@gmail.com with your name, mailing address and telephone number so Pillsbury can get your prize pack to you right away!!

Have a great night everyone!

XOXO,

Get Creative with THE LORAX: Roll A Dice Lorax Game

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:16:00 +0000

Today I am excited to share that I am participating in the "Get Creative with THE LORAX" blog tour in support of the movie DR SEUSS' THE LORAX by Universal Pictures. The movie hits theaters on March 2! I am sure many of you have already seen the trailers already but can I just tell you that I am super excited to take the kids to see this movie as we love seeing animated movies with a great story line and I really adore the book and the wonderful message it shares about taking care of our environment.

The Lorax is the main character in the movie and I just love how they brought him to life and that he is voiced by Danny DeVito, could he play the grumpy Lorax any better? :-) I decided to make a Roll A Dice Lorax Game out of felt so that I could introduce the character to my kids as well as practice their numbers as two of my three children are in preschool.

Roll A Dice games are great for preschool and elementary aged children. How the game works is that each number on the dice represents a specific body part. When the child rolls the dice they count out which number it is and match the number on the dice with the body part from the game sheet. The child will get to place that specific part body on the Lorax's body and their turn then ends. If the child rolls a number that corresponds to a body part that they already added they pass their turn. The winner is the child who completes their Lorax first. This game is great for practicing counting, number recognition and of course taking turns! You may want to make one Lorax for each child playing although that is not necessary.

Roll A Dice Lorax Game

2 x 3 foot piece of foam board

1 yard of grey felt

2 pieces of 8.5 x 11 inch orange felt

1 piece each of 8.5 x 11 inch green, yellow, white and black felt

Hot glue and gun

Felt glue (optional)

Scissors

Straight pins or disappearing ink pen

Permanent marker

The Lorax Body and Body Pieces templates (see below)

Game template (see below)

One dice

For this project you will need various colors of 8.5 x 11 inch felt pieces you can buy at the craft section of most fabric or hobby stores. You will also need a larger 1 yard piece of felt that you will need to cut from the bolt. You can find bolts of felt at JoAnns or similar fabric stores.

To make the felt board that the game pieces will stick to, you will need a 2 x 3 foot piece of foam board (I bought mine at the dollar store). Lay the foam board over top of the 1 yard of felt and cut so that you have about 2 inches of felt on all sides of the board. Cut a square piece of felt 2 x 2 inches from each of the four corners.

Working with one side of foam board at a time, hot glue the felt to the backside of the board about 1.5 inches from the edge (See above left picture). When you get to a corner, fold the felt over into a triangular shape, place hot glue near the corner and fold into place. This will give you nice mitered edges (see above right picture).

Your felt board should look like this from the front!

Next print out the Body Pieces Template by clicking on the image above and printing.

Print out the Body Template by clicking on the image above as well.

Once you have cut out your template pieces, grab the different colors of 8.5 x11 inch felt and either pin or trace the template pieces onto them and cut out with a pair of sharp scissors.

Here is a list for the corresponding felt color and template pieces:

orange = body, nose, two arms, two legs

yellow = eyebrows, mustache

white = two eyes

green = two eye colors

black = two eye pupils (or can just use a permanent marker!)

You should now have the body and all the body pieces of the Lorax cut out. For the eye pieces I hot glued the green onto the white and then took a black permanent marker to draw in the pupil. I used the marker to also make the nostrils of the Lorax's nose!

All the felt pieces should stick nicely to the felt covered foam board. Which works as a wonderful display when playing with multiple children! When you are done playing the game just place all the pieces and the Game sheet in a ziploc bag for later.

Click on the image above to print out the Game Template.

When the Lorax's body is complete it should look like this. Isn't he cute!

I hope you enjoy making this fun, interactive learning game. It is great entertainment for small children!

Click Here if you would like to see the trailer to THE LORAX movie!

If you would like to see more crafty projects from the "Get Creative with THE LORAX" blog tour here is the complete list of participating bloggers:

Feb 1 Today’s Creative Blog Temporary Tattoos

Feb 2 Katydid and Kid Puppet & Puppet Theater using recycled materials

Feb 3 zakka life Truffula Tree Pencils

Feb 6 Smashed Peas & Carrots The Lorax Game [using all the body parts from The Lorax]

Feb 7 WhiMSy love Pom-Pom Pillow with Lorax Mustache

Feb 8 Little Birdie Secrets Garden Planter

Feb 9 Art Projects For Kids Yarn Pom Pom’s on Twigs (Truffula Trees)

Feb 10 Dabbled Stenciled T-Shirt

Feb 13 Prudent Baby “UNLESS” Garden Stones

Feb 14 TonyaStaab.com Lorax-themed Party Table

This post is brought to you by Universal Pictures

XOXO,

Pillsbury Ready to Bake! Prize Pack Giveaway!

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 15:13:00 +0000

**This Giveaway had ended!!! See the winner's name here!

Happy Sunday friends! I know it seems weird that I am posting on Sunday let alone doing a giveaway but I thought you might like this one since it involves cookies and fun cookie goodies :-)

Recently, I was sent a VIP coupon to purchase Pillsbury's Ready to Bake! Valentine Shape Sugar Cookies along with this beautiful prize pack...

Love it! I especially love that cookie spatula. I don't understand why it has always been so hard for me to find a cookie spatula that works well. You know, one just thin enough to get under the cookies and one that doesn't pull a warm cookie into pieces when you slide the cookie off the sheet. Well, the winner of this giveaway will receive this exact prize pack above along with their very own VIP coupon for Pillsbury's Ready to Bake! cookies...yay!

But first let me share my thoughts on Pillsbury's Ready to Bake! Valentine's shape cookies with you :-)

All my kiddies and I did this one day after preschool pick up. I thought this was a great activity to do with them even though I have such varied ages (1, 3, and 5 years old) since finding a group activity for them all to do together can sometimes be a challenge. These cookies come pre-shaped so we didn't even need a knife to cut them apart, just open up the package and then each of my kids could help plop them onto an ungreased cookie sheet...easy peasy!

The Valentine's cookies we chose had pink heart shapes and red Minnie and Mickey Mouse ears in the middle which I liked because then we didn't feel the need to have to frost them as the heart and ears would be hidden...less work (and mess!) for momma! The cookies only take 8 minutes to bake so they are super quick and convenient, they hardly take any time at all to get from the refrigerator to the best part, EATING!

So are you interested in winning this wonderful prize pack from Pillsbury? Remember, it includes one VIP coupon for Pillsbury Ready to Bake! cookies, a cookie spatula, cookie jar and oven mitt.

To enter, Just tell me what is your favorite cookie! in a comment below. That's it!!

I'll pick a winner Monday evening, Feb 6th 2012 so the winner can get their prize pack right away!

Good Luck!

*Disclosure: The VIP coupon, prize pack, information, and giveaway have been provided by Pillsbury through MyBlogSpark.

XOXO,

Cozy Crockpot Minestrone-RECIPE

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:44:00 +0000

There's nothing like eating a warm bowl of soup for dinner along with some good crusty bread. Yup, nothin' like it. Especially when you are sick, like I was last week. Being pregnant and sneezing every other minute of the day is not fun, not fun at all. I somehow felt like I was about to sneeze this little baby right out of me, ouch. Good thing that is medically impossible ;-)

This soup, Cozy Crockpot Minestrone, is nothing but pure awe-some-ness. It's loaded with lots of fresh veggies (even a whole bunch of fresh spinach!), some cannellini beans and even a wee bit of pasta. It's impossible to not feel better after eating a bowl of it. And because you make it right in your trusty crockpot it's also the perfect weeknight meal for those crazy busy days we all have sometimes...all the time?...yeah, pretty much all the time. I got your back.

Cozy Crockpot Minestrone

4 cups chicken broth

1 1/2 cups vegetable juice (like V8)

1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained or 3 medium tomatoes, diced

2 cups fresh spinach

1 cup chopped green onions

1 cup chopped carrots

1 cup chopped celery

1 1/2 cups chopped potatoes

1 can cannellini beans

1 tsp dry parsley

salt and pepper

1/3 cup dry ditalini pasta or other small pasta noodle

Place everything in a crockpot minus the ditalini pasta and stir well to combine. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-6. Add ditalini and stir well. Cover and cook for an additional 20 minutes before serving.

Are you ready to make some warm and cozy minestrone? Then grab these lovely ingredients to get started!

Chop up 1 cup each of carrots, celery, and green onions. Then chop 1 1/2 cups of potatoes and add it all into your crockpot along with 4 cups of chicken broth, a can of diced tomatoes, and 1 1/2 cups of veggie juice.

Drop in two GIANT handfuls of fresh spinach...

And add in 1/2 tsp of dried parsley as well as a few pinches of salt and pepper.

Stir everything together and cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-6 hours. Now go about your day as you normally would, go on. The magic happens when you leave your kitchen :-)

20 minutes before you plan to serve the soup, add in 1/3 cup of dry ditalini pasta and stir well to combine. Cover your crockpot and cook for about 20 minutes.

And now you can dish up a huge bowlful and enjoy it with some of your favorite crusty bread!

Happy weekend-ing to you!

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO,

Valentine's Day Cards 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:28:00 +0000

This past weekend we did the kids' Valentine's cards...Woo hoo for thinking a little bit ahead and getting them done a couple of weeks early! We did similar cards to the ones Noah handed out last year, if you don't remember just click here to see last year's.

Noah wanted to give out chocolate hearts to his classmates so we came up with this idea!

I just hot glued a Dove's foil covered milk chocolate heart above his hand and presto, magic they were done. If you want to write the 'To' and 'From' on the back of the card, make sure you (or your child) do it before you glue the candy on, it makes it so much easier!

Penelope wanted to hand out lollipops so we did Noah's pose from last year. She was so excited because this is what Noah did in his first year of preschool and she always wants to be just like her big brother :-)

Once again, I just took the pictures and uploaded them to Picnik where I added in the text and the hearts. Unfortunately Picnik will be no more in a few months (boo!) I think most of Picnik's features are moving over to Google+ so you need to join up over there to use their free photo editing software. I haven't done it yet, if you have let me know in the comments as I would love to hear your opinions on it!

Have you started thinking about Valentine's Day cards yet? This is all my kids have been talking about lately, oh my. Our house is currently filled with lots of cute little handmade heart cut-outs colored with red and pink markers and lots and lots of tape to hang them up on the walls...man, they go through a lot of tape. Good thing we have a lot of walls.

XOXO,

Head and Shoulders Green Apple Review and VISA Gift Card Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:41:00 +0000

Do you remember when I hosted a giveaway for the New Head & Shoulders Eucalyptus Itchy Scalp Care shampoo and conditioner last year?

Well, I'm here to tell you that if you liked that line you will love their newest line of hair care. This one has one great smelling ingredient...Green Apples!

I was asked to try out the new line of Head & Shoulders Green Apple shampoos and conditioners a while back, and can I just tell you me likey a lot!

First, I love fun, fresh-smelling shampoos so this one is right up my alley because the naturally inspired green apple scent is so yummy.

The scent is not fake-smelling, and it's also not too strong yet it lasts throughout the day. And not that crazy overkill I'm-a-teenager-with-my-scented-Lip Smackers kind of scent but that nice and light ooh, my hair smells fresh and clean kind of scent that you notice randomly throughout the day. Just enough of a scent that you smile at how clean your hair smells.

Now if you are a momma like me, you just might not remember if you even washed your hair any given day so to be able to smell your hair throughout the day and smell something so delicious and light, well, that pretty much makes my day (and high five myself for remembering to get in a quick shower!)

Just like the last set of products I tried from Head & Shoulders, the green apple scented line also gives you virtually flake-free beautiful hair which you know I love with this dry, midwest winter weather we are having right now...only 3 more months of this *crossing my fingers!* I adore a shampoo and conditioner that make getting beautiful hair even easier, don't you?!

Some other great things about Head & Shoulders advanced formula you may be interested in are that it relieves scalp itch, dryness, irritation, and helps prevent those icky flakes we all hate to see while improving your hair and scalp health.

Their shampoos and conditioners are very gentle and are pH balanced so you can use them every single day if you'd like. Do you color or perm your hair? If so, you are in luck because Head & Shoulders products are gentle enough for treated hair, too.

Here is a little from Head & Shoulders themselves:

Head & Shoulders collection of soothing products promises to ease three scalp and dandruff problems: dryness, itchiness, and sensitivity. With 84% of surveyed scalp issue sufferers concerned about these issues, Head & Shoulders has combined the effectiveness of their HydraZinc formula to alleviate these conditions leaving your hair beautifully flake free* *visible flakes, with regular use. Up to 100% flake free.

BlogHer and Head & Shoulders are offering up ONE $50 dollar VISA gift card to one of my lucky readers! To enter for a chance to win this giveaway please tell me in a comment below,

"What scents make you feel beautiful and fresh?"

Rules:

No duplicate comments.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post

b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post

c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post

d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older.

Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.

You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

This sweepstakes runs from 1/30 - 2/28.

The Official Rules are available here.

Be sure to visit the Promotions & Prizes page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggersí reviews and find more chances to win! And visit the Life Well Lived section on BlogHer.com for more great tips on looking your best.

XOXO,

Olive Garden Review and $100 Gift Card Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:29:00 +0000

I was asked earlier this year to be a part of Olive Garden's "Real Food Real People" campaign and jumped at the chance as I love me some Olive Garden. How can anyone resist their soup, salad and breadsticks?

So a couple of weeks ago, some of my girlfriends and I headed out for a Girls' Night Out, and Olive Garden was our dinner destination point for a fresh, delicious Italian-inspired meal.

Now, I don't get to Olive Garden as much as I'd like to these days. The one in my area is a good 20 minute drive, and I'm usually found wrangling three kids. I have to say, every single time I go, I am always so happy with their menu selection. Everything always sounds good, and when I finally do make a selection it always tastes great. I actually don't think I've ever had a meal there I didn't like!

My friends and I visited on a Saturday night, and we only had to wait about 20 minutes for a table with no reservation. Not too bad! Once we were seated, our super friendly waiter offered us a sampling of their house wine for the night (which I of course declined as I am currently with child!) But what a way to start off a girl's night out :-)

Then we literally spent 20 minutes picking out our dinners as there was soooo much to choose from that it was hard to narrow it down to just one dish. Our waiter was so polite and funny, and he did such a great job of taking care of us. Olive Garden always seems to have the best staff and service every time I visit. I also love the comfortable, friendly atmosphere, especially the rolling chairs if you sit at a non-booth table; it makes for an easy out if you need to visit the bathroom during your meal!

Most meals at Olive Garden come with unlimited breadsticks AND unlimited soup or salad, which is my absolute favorite thing about eating there. Oh, how I wish I could just buy a bottle of their salad dressing; that stuff is seriously so good. Their portion sizes are large, and each one of us ended up taking leftovers home; they even offer to give you the breadsticks to take home to boot, which in my opinion is so awesome, as so many restaurants just take the bread away and throw it out.

I think our husbands enjoyed us having a night out, too, as my friend's husband asked her to bring her leftovers home, and mine was begging for my leftovers when I walked in the door! Of course I gave them to him as a thank you for putting our kids to bed while I enjoyed a night with friends, a total win-win.

Also, Olive Garden is coming out with a NEW $12.95 DINNER SPECIAL that I cannot wait to go back and try. It is going to include:

3 Course Italian Dinner for $12.95

1^st course is soup or salad

2^nd course is one of 5 new entrees

3^rd course is one of 5 Dolcini desserts.

If you want to see all the delicious options available in Olive Garden's 3 Course Italian Dinner just visit Olivegarden.com/specials

Would you like to enjoy a night out at your local Olive Garden?

BlogHer and Olive Garden are giving away a $100 Olive Garden gift card to ONE of my lovely readers!

To be entered for a chance to win, just tell me 'who you would take to dinner at Olive Garden and why.'

Rules:

No duplicate comments.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

a)Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post

b)Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post

c)Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post

d)For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older.

Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.

You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

This sweepstakes runs from 1/23/12 - 3/18/12.

Also, visit the Olive Garden page on BlogHer.com to check out the other blogger reviews and more chances to win!

XOXO,

New Years ReSEWLution: Embroidered Hot & Cold Packs

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:29:00 +0000

Today I'm over at Me Sew Crazy guest posting as a part of Jess's January blog series called New Years ReSEWLutions, a series chock full of excellent sewing-related resolutions to get you moving in the new year!

I'm showing you how I made these fun hot/cold packs for my kiddies so they can get toasty warm once they come in from playing out in the cold. It's either these or we gotta start buying stock in chocolate for all the hot chocolate they've been drinking to warm up this winter!

Click here to read all about them!

XOXO,

The Runaround Knit Cowl-FREE PATTERN

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:10:00 +0000

For some reason the first few months of the year seem like the perfect time to knit to me, I don't know why I always feel this way but I do. A couple weeks ago I finished up my new favorite cowl, I'm even wearing it as I type this post! I called it the Runaround Cowl because it has been absolutely perfect to runaround town in while I head to work, run errands, drive the kids to play dates, as well as do all the other random stuff I seem to do every single day. :-)

This cowl is extra awesome because you can wear it TWO ways! You can wrap it around twice to keep your neck warm and cozy or just throw it on as is to spice up any 'ol t-shirt you have on hand. From drab to fab I tell you.

You knit this cowl on two straight sticks and then sew the ends together with a twist to give the cowl a more decorative look. See that twist at the bottom there in the picture above...love it!

The Runaround Knit Cowl

1 skein of Lion Brand Homespun yarn

US Size 15 (10 mm) straight knitting needles

scissors and yarn needle

Gauge does not matter although my finished cowl measures 10 inches wide by 50 inches in length.

Cast on 25 stitches

Row 1: *K1 P1; Repeat from * across. K1

Continue with this pattern until cowl measures 50 inches or your desired length.

Bind off loosely in pattern.

Weave in tails.

Sew short ends together with a yarn needle making sure that you have made one twist in the cowl before sewing ends.

I'm totally loving my new cowl. And the best part is that you can knit it up in only a few hours time. Since the knit pattern is fairly basic you can even get it done while watching a little Downton Abbey (my new favorite show!)

Oooh, and how about a little belly shot! 18 weeks and counting.

What do you think...boy or girl?

XOXO,

Pink Poodle Bows GIVEAWAY

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:59:00 +0000

I've got a great giveaway that you all are going to love today! Pink Poodle Bows is here today to share some of her beautiful children's clothing patterns with you all...hooray!

Alisha is the owner, designer and momma behind Pink Poodle Bows. She creates and designs gorgeous children's clothing all while being a momma to two little girls and being a FULL TIME first grade teacher, okay...my mind is officially blown! The great thing about all her patterns is that she designs them with the beginning sewist in mind meaning that all the instructions are easy to follow, yay for that! And every garment you make from them will look as professional as a store-bought piece because of the detail found in her patterns.

Here's a peek at some of her oh-so-sweet designs:

The Bailey Romper

The Riley Dress

The Eden Dress

The Fleece Aviator Hat

Super sweet designs, right! Pink Poodle Bows has even more designs to choose from in the full collection found here, head on over and browse to your heart's content!

You likey what you see? Let's be honest, how could you not!

Pink Poodle Bows is generously giving away any 3 patterns from her shop!!!

To enter today's giveaway, and you can do so 4 times (one comment per entry please!)

1. Head on over to Pink Poodle Bows and tell me which pattern is your favorite!

2. "Like" Pink Poodle Bows on Facebook HERE.

3. "Like" Smashed Peas and Carrots on Facebook HERE.

4. Be or Become a Follower of Smashed Peas and Carrots!!

Giveaway ends this Saturday January 28, 2011

Good Luck!

XOXO,

Crockpot Hot Chocolate-RECIPE

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 20:29:00 +0000

This past weekend my husband Clif had an actual Saturday off from work so we thought it would be a good idea to spend an hour on Saturday morning bundling up the kids in snowsuits, coats, warm hats, mittens and snow boots to take them all sledding. If you have kids, you know how much work is involved in getting out the door once cold weather hits. Somedays it's just no fun at all but if our agenda is to head to our nearest giant snow-laden hill than we are cool with it. This was our first sledding adventure this winter if you can believe it. We finally had a big snowfall here in Illinois last week and the snow was just perfect for sledding and building snowman.

Before we headed out the door I made my favorite hot chocolate in my crockpot so when we came back from our snowy day out it would be ready and waiting for us to warm up our bellies. I don't know about you but my kids immediately ask for hot chocolate the minute they come in from playing out in the cold. If you have never made hot chocolate in a crockpot you must! It is so nice to come home and have a warm cup of chocolatey goodness just waiting for you after you spent a good 20 minutes getting everyone out of their snow gear...just one less thing to do!

I love this recipe because it makes really creamy hot chocolate and it used 3 types of chocolate so the (pregnant) chocolate lover in me is satisfied. I hope you love it too and make some before your next cold-weather gathering!

Crockpot Hot Chocolate (serves 4-6)

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 tsp vanilla

3 cups milk

1 cup heavy cream

1 tbsp white chocolate chips

1 tbsp semi-sweet chocolate chips

whipped cream

mini chocolate chips for serving

Combine the cocoa powder, sugar, and salt together in your crockpot. I used my mini crockpot to make this! Add in the milk and vanilla and whisk everything together until smooth and well-combined. Cover and cook on low for 2 hours. After 2 hours, add in the heavy cream, white and semi-sweet chocolate chips. Stir until chips are melted. After about 10 minutes, pour into mugs and serve with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkle of mini chocolate chips. Enjoy!

First up, grab 1/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder and add it to your crockpot. I used my little 'mini' crockpot, the one you usually use for warm dips, I find it is just perfect for this recipe.

Then add in 1/3 cup of white granulated sugar.

And a 1/4 teaspoon of salt.

Add the vanilla and pour in 3 cups of milk, any variety will do although the more milk fat the creamier your hot chocolate will be...and more fattening...but hey, this is hot chocolate and it is winter so it's worth it! I personally like to go with 1% as we will be adding in heavy cream a bit later ;-)

Grab your whisk and whisk all that goodness up....Yum! Place the cover back on your crockpot and cook on LOW for about 2 hours. Now, go sledding!

After 2 hours your hot chocolate will look a little like this...frothy on top!

Now go ahead and pour in 1 cup of heavy cream...

And add in your tablespoon each of white and semi-sweet chocolate chips. Who's hips are getting fat just thinking about this?

Stir it all up until those chips are melted. Wait about 10 minutes for the cream to warm up a bit and then ladle it out dude.

I love serving it with whipped cream and mini chocolate chips, my kids love it this way. I think it has to do with the thought of more candy getting into their bellies. Of course whatever your favorite toppings and add-ins you enjoy are perfect too.

Mmm...one for me and one for you.

Enjoy....and stay warm out there!

XOXO,

Smashed Peas and Carrots

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Katie Evans Photography Giveaway Winners!!

Creamy Crockpot Chicken Alfredo-RECIPE

Katie Evans Photography Giveaway!

A Weekend Away

New Flutter Sleeve Ruffle Peasant Dresses in the Shop

Embroidered Hot & Cold Packs-TUTORIAL

Happy Heart Day to You!

Dairy-Free Creme Brûlée-RECIPE

Sodeë Naturals Giveaway-Winnner!

Maple Glazed Salmon-RECIPE

Sodee Naturals Review and Giveaway

Heart Doily Valentine's Window-TUTORIAL

Pillsbury Ready to Bake! Prize Pack Giveaway-Winner!!

Get Creative with THE LORAX: Roll A Dice Lorax Game

Pillsbury Ready to Bake! Prize Pack Giveaway!

Cozy Crockpot Minestrone-RECIPE

Valentine's Day Cards 2012

Head and Shoulders Green Apple Review and VISA Gift Card Giveaway

Olive Garden Review and $100 Gift Card Giveaway

Sponsored Giveaway WINNER--Pink Poodle Bows

New Years ReSEWLution: Embroidered Hot & Cold Packs

The Runaround Knit Cowl-FREE PATTERN

Pink Poodle Bows GIVEAWAY

Crockpot Hot Chocolate-RECIPE