The Three Sweet Peas

Knowledge is POWER

2012-10-27T18:16:00.000-06:00

Wow! It has been a long time! I was going to be posting right when the kiddies went back to school and here we are in October. The END of October I should say. I have been painting, planning, decorating, and creating tons of printables and then I NEVER post anything. Completely out of the habit. I hope that I can get back in the groove.

YW has been extra busy. We planned a ten hour Knowledge project for our entire group and I am finishing it up with a Knowledge lesson. We spent about eight weeks training for a 5K run, learned about fueling our bodies, food labels, healthy recipes, & what is in the Word of Wisdom. It has been a blast. I am finishing up with a lesson on Knowledge tomorrow and by the end of the year the ENTIRE Knowledge section should be passed off.

I created a bookmark that has every scripture in for Knowledge Value Experience #1. I am going to have the girls write a journal page tomorrow in class and have five of our girls give a short talk that will cover Additional Knowledge Value Experience #4. We are finishing every thing up. It has been a blast and if you need any additional details please let me know! Thanks for your continuous support through my dry spell and fingers crossed I won't go this long again!

Here is the poster I created for the Ten hour project kick off!

Knowledge is Power Bookmark

Summer Vacation

2012-07-11T19:30:00.000-06:00

Dear Friends,

Just wanted to let you know that I am on Summer Break. Don't give up on me. I will resume all good things when Summer slows down! Thanks for your patience! I miss you!

Quilt Donation

2012-04-30T12:02:00.000-06:00

This is my son, who received one of our quilts. He nearly lost his life due to a near drowning accident.

Just a quick hello! Just wanted to share that one of our charity quilts went to a grieving family. They recently lost their son. It breaks my heart. We almost lost our son to a drowning accident in the river and I am so thankful he is still with us. Our lives have changed forever because of the damage that was done to his lungs. However, I would NEVER trade having one more day with him, he is with us!

Visit the touching story at Emily Taylor Deisgn

You can read about the charity group here!

Young Women -- Lesson 17: The Purpose of Covenants and Ordinances

2012-04-22T00:32:00.000-06:00

I am in charge of the YW lesson this week. It seems like it has been forever since I posted any lesson help! Here is an adorable printable to go with making and keeping covenants and promises. I think I may be on a roll, two different printables and sayings, shhhhheeesshh, within a day of each other!

Give a bag of DONUT's and attach! "DONUT forget your covenants to achieve CELESTIAL GLORY!"

Donut Promise

Simply the Best -- Gift Idea -- Free Printable

2012-04-21T00:57:00.000-06:00

Isn't this the cutest idea? A darling gift to let that Simply Sweet Person in your life, how much you appreciate them! My dear friend was the brain behind this idea and then I worked my Photoshop magic. She is giving it as a gift for the primary workers in her ward! This would be great as a neighbor, friend, teacher, or as a thank you!

You pick because I am providing the free printable!

Have a Sweet Weekend because you are "Simply" the best! :)

Simple the Best

Messy Hair Monday French Twist Braid

2012-04-16T12:48:00.001-06:00

This French Braid Twist is one of my favorites. I am going to tell you right now that it is a braid/twist that you need to be patient with, and think through each step. Good Luck and I am here to answer any questions. Let's get started!

Peanut's hair is damp and I comb all of the hair back and then in the direction that the hair will be pulled. As you can see the sides are going up and the middle straight back.

Part almost a triangle section at the front of the head.

Split that hair into two sections. From here on out you will need to be twisting the left side on top and the right side on the bottom. One on top of the other.

Twist Two Times. Right on bottom, left on top. My picture is showing the opposite but I promise it is as written.

This is what it will look like with two twists.

You will now begin adding the hair into the twist just like a french braid. Again the key here is to keep the right underneath and the left on top.

Take a section of hair from the right hand side, add it to the hair that is already there and twist the right section underneath to the left and the right section will now be on top at the left hand side. (confusing on know but just try it)
You will now add hair from the left hand side on top and move it to the right hand side but do not twist the hair.
You will repeat the process only twist the two pieces when you move the hair underneath from the right hand side to the left hand side.

This is what your hair will start to look like. Repeat all of the way down

This is what you will end up with an upgraded French braid.

Please Please Please, I confused myself typing the instructions but once you dive in you will find it pretty simple if you know how to do a french braid. If you have any questions please let me know!

NOTE: Just remember right: under left: over and twist once. Repeat.

GOOD LUCK!

TGIFree Friday--Baptism Subway Art--Boy & Girl

2012-04-12T22:59:00.004-06:00

***UPDATE***
If you choose to print the 11x14 please email me at staciegardner@live.com because I need to send you a separate file. I am having quality issues with the one below. The 8x10 should be fine.

In preparation for my buddies baptism I created this subway art! I LOVE how it turned out. My little guy turned eight. It is amazing how fast they grow. He is such an amazing help around our home with his brother and little sister! I love him so much!

I am going to print it out as an 11x14 through Costco. I have included both an 8x10 to print at home as well as an enlargement if you want to develop an 11x14 and frame. This will be going in my buddies room!

8x10 JPEG Art, right click and save as.

8x10 JPEG, right click and save as.

11x14 JPEG for Enlargement, right click and save as.

11x14 JPEG Enlargement, right click and save as.

I have some fun ideas that I will be sharing soon for his baptism but until then ENJOY this subway art and look soon for a little princess one!

Baptism Subway Art

Young Women Activity -- Faith is like a Seed, Herb Garden

2012-04-11T23:47:00.000-06:00

Tonight we had a SUPER fun activity for our Young Women. The theme was Faith & Seeds. If a tiny seed is planted and nourished then it will grow. The girls each planted & labeled their own herb garden in a terra cotta pot. We talked about what the seeds, water, & sun represent; prayers, scripture reading, attending Sunday meetings, etc.. We were going to do weed pulling prior to the planting to show it is hard work but it RAINED. Lucky girls!

My kids even got involved with it and had a ball! Peanut's herb garden!

I created some basic herb tags to wrap around toothpicks to mark what each seed is. They are part of the AVERY 18160 template but you can print out on standard paper.

Herb Labels

If you need some additional herb names I would be happy to change for you.

Green Chili Frittata

2012-04-10T01:00:00.001-06:00

We have a problem in our house with food. It is very difficult to prepare a meal because I am trying to eat healthy and my oldest son, that was involved in the drowning accident, needs to eat approximately 3000 calories a day. Have you ever tried stuffing 3000 calories into a 10 year old and try to maintain a girlie figure?! Let me tell you, it is hard! I have been on the search for recipes that allow me to cut calories for me and add artery clogging fat to his..

This happens to be a great recipe that works for both of us! It is a quick easy dinner or make it for breakfast either way it is delicious! I found the original recipe on Allrecipes and modified it to fit our BiPolar household! I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients

8 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 pinch salt
1 (7 ounce) can diced green chile peppers, drained
1 (16 ounce) container low-fat cottage cheese
1 cup shredded fat free mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
In a blender or food processor, mix the eggs, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the green chile peppers, cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese, and melted butter. Pour into the prepared baking dish.
Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce heat to 325 degrees F, and continue baking for 35 to 40 minutes. Cool slightly, and cut into small squares.

If by chance the original recipe doesn't have enough fat and you need to add gobs of it afterwards to reach your son's 3000 calorie a day diet then add a fat pat of butter to the top and a handful of full fat cheddar cheese, put in the microwave and cook for 30 seconds. Yes, this is my daily life with my son, calorie packing EVERYTHING. The good news, I am learning how to make it work for the ENTIRE family! :)

Messy Hair Monday-Tips for beautiful beach wavy hair after the braid

2012-04-09T12:58:00.000-06:00

Sweet Pea tips for beautiful beach wavy hair!

I do A LOT of braids, twists, & knots. ..And you know sometimes my peanut just likes to have a good old pony tail, with a crown! :) So, I have come to use the day after braids to my advantage to create beautiful wavy locks.

Here are a couple of tips to make your little princess's hair wavy, beautiful, & crown ready.

Leave the braid in overnight. My Peanut is used to having her hairstyles left in overnight.
Carefully remove the hair elastic and slowly ubraid, unknot, etc the hair. If you pull to quickly it can leave knots.
When the braid is removed, do not brush, but carefully finger comb the waves.
If the hair seems to lay or fly away in odd places, carefully mist with a small amount of water and finger comb. The water is an amazing tool, and as long as you don't use to much it will actually lay the hair perfectly.

When I pull the peanut's hair back I do a loose pony so the waves can be seen.

Give it a shot! Your princess will love her crown worthy hair!

Fool Proof Egg Recipe

2012-04-06T11:28:00.001-06:00

Spring Break is in full swing for my family and we are busy! Here is a post from a couple of months ago and since 'tis the season for hard boiled eggs, hopefully this will help! Have a great Easter! XOXO Stacie

This post seems kind of like a no brainer, yet I have never heard of another person, hard boiling eggs with this fool proof method. It creates a perfect hard boiled egg that is easy to peel, doesn't seem to smell, and hardly has any of the discoloration that you get from a normal hard boiled egg.

Here is the 911 on the perfect hard boiled egg!

Fill pan with water, add eggs, cover the pan, & bring to a boil.

Shut off the heat when the eggs begin to boil. Leave the pan on the burner and set timer for twelve minutes. Do not remove the lid during this process.

When timer goes off remove pan and fill with cool water. Peel, EAT, & Enjoy!

Do you have any fool proof methods? How about sharing?

Tatertots & Jello Guest Post, Fabric Scrap Easter Bunny

2012-03-28T01:00:00.004-06:00

Good Beautiful morning my Sweet Peas! Today is a

Tatertots and Jello kind of day. Be sure to stop by and say hi. I will be providing a "HOPPY" little project out of fabric scraps. SURE TO be CUTE!

Young Women and Young Men Youth Combined Activity, Iron Chef

2012-03-22T10:34:00.002-06:00

Have you seen the show, The Iron Chef? Famous chefs, sometimes very strange ingredients, and a time limit to create a pallet of food that ROCKS! Last night in our combined activity we experienced the:

Aspen Hills Iron Chef.

Five Kitchens.
Five Groups of six kids.
Two Leaders per group.
$8.00 to spend at the grocery store.
1.5 hours to shop and prepare for a meal.
The main ingredient, SOUR CREAM.

The result was the FUNNEST, activity I have EVER attended. This is a long standing tradition in our ward that the youth and the leaders absolutely love! I, however, just joined the young women and this was my first experience.

The RECIPES were:

Chocolate Chip Sour Cream Bundt Cake -Winner
Sour Cream Key Lime Pie
Sour Cream Banana Bread
Sour Cream Chip Dip
Sour Cream Fruit Dip

I will share the pictures of the end results but keep in mind they are from the phone.

The WINNER was my group! :) But EVERY recipe was delicious because the entire table lasted maybe two minutes for all of the kids to swarm and tear apart the food, like lions and their prey.

Quick Oatmeal Recipe!

2012-03-20T11:03:00.001-06:00

What did you have for breakfast today? I had oatmeal, I LOVE oatmeal, but I know there are many people who don't appreciate the healthy goodness of a hearty bowl of oats.

This is definitely more like a dessert!

1/2 cup of oats

1/2 tsp cocoa powder

1/2 smashed banana

1/2 tsp brown sugar or honey

Mix, cook, and ENJOY!

Messy Hair Monday Easy French Twist Crown

2012-03-19T12:48:00.000-06:00

It has been a LONG time since I did Messy Hair Monday! I started videoing the hair styles and then I felt like I couldn't go back to pictures but I didn't have anyone to run the video camera so here we are with photos. It worked in the beginning and it will work again.

This is a pretty standard hair style yet I use it as much as a pony tail. It is super fast yet can be made elegant or casual in our case today.

Part hair off to the right and comb smooth.

Section off a little part.

Twist tightly.

Section off again. Add to the underneath of the twist and
twist again.

Repeat all the way around the head.

Twist Tightly and add holder. If hair is extra thick you may
need to put hair pins to hold. Peanut's holds in really well.

Good Luck!

Guest Post at Emily Taylor Design

2012-03-16T01:00:00.001-06:00

It is a Emily Taylor Design kind of day here at The Three Sweet Peas. Stop by for a chair Reupholstery project with some gorgeous fabric! Counter Stools and dining chairs seem to be the theme this week!!

Ikea Ektorp Couch Slip Cover Review & Tip

2012-03-14T11:50:00.000-06:00

There are a lot of these IKEA Ektorp Slip covered couches out in blogging land! In fact so many people have so many opinions about them I ended up PURCHASING one, against my better judgement and my HUSBANDS!

Could all of the review be TRUE? A white couch with a husband, three children, a brown dog, & friends? I mean Almost every person said the same thing, wash, hang to dry and a brand new couch? OK, I took the plunge and this is what I discovered!

Let's start with my first discovery!

This couch has a 100% cotton cover and every dust bunny, every hair, every piece of clothing shows the lint on this couch. I was expecting dirty hand prints not lint.
With that being said, a lint remover worked wonders. After I spent about 30 seconds cleaning it off it looks good as new again.

Next Item of Business!

Washing the SOFA. I read the reviews of pulling the slip covers are a pain, a real workout.. I wanted to know what I had gotten myself into so out came the timer.
I had the entire sofa stripped down to bare bones and in the washer in two minutes! WHAT! Craziness. And after the washing & drying cycle I spent about 3-4 minutes putting everything back together so about 6 minutes total. IT WAS SO EASY!

The washing cycle the BEST tip of the day!

I washed the slip covers in cold water. There are reports that they shrink, they are extremely wrinkly, & DON'T use the dryer, etc. I have the SOLUTION for all of that! This is where the best TIP of the day comes in!
After the covers were washed, shake and place in dryer on low heat. On my dryer it will stop on my desired dampness. Not all dryers have this option, turn the heat as low as it will go and run it for about 15 minutes. The cover should come out damp but not wet.
Shake the cover out and PUT IT ON YOUR COUCH! Yes, put the damp cover on your couch. Straighten and pull as you go, make sure the bottom pleats are folded in nicely.
Put the cushions back on and avoid sitting on the couch for a couple of hours. They will dry wrinkle free and you will have a brand new couch.

My covers did not shrink because of the low temperatures that were used.

Keep the lint roller handy for all of those pesky little pieces of fuz and you will have an amazing experience with your WHITE EKTORP COUCH!

LOVIN it!

Removing Dry Paint from Paint Brushes

2012-03-13T01:00:00.008-06:00

While surfing Pinterest I came upon a handy little tip that saved me about $30.00! While painting my counter stools I let the paint dry hard as a rock, in my nice Purdy brushes! I knew I had to try this little tip or I was off to Home Depot to buy some new brushes! IT WORKED!

Here is the sweet little secret!

Soak the dried paint brushes in vinegar to loosen up the paint a bit. I soaked my a couple of hours because they were DRY!

Bring a pot of vinegar to boil and boil the brushes for about ten minutes. This will vary again depending on the paint in the brushes. I removed them from the stove and let them soak longer.

I used a paint brush comb and started working through the bristles.

I kept at it..

..And the paint slowly started coming out. I re-soaked and started the process again.

And the final product! Three usable brushes! They are stained, but that is OK with me!

The moral of the story, don't let paint dry in your nice brushes but if you do, Vinegar is here to save the day!

Counter Stool Redo -- Before and After

2012-03-12T01:06:00.001-06:00

OK, I have a confession to make. I have this little addiction to shopping for furniture that I can refinish or change. I keep purchasing, and am loving it, but my garage and husband are NOT! I found these black beauties and I KNEW exactly what I wanted to do with them! These counter stools turned out STUNNING! I LOVE THEM! I hope you enjoy this SWEET little tutorial so you can create your own SWEET pair of counter stools!! I feel like Napoleon Dynamite! :)

The Original Bar Stool. Nice Enough, but wait for the finished product. Sand lightly.

Paint with color of choice. I chose turquoise. I painted two heavy coats of the paint.

I used an electric sander to distress with a VERY FINE sand paper. I used a new paper for each stool.

The next part is the unique finish of the stools! I LOVE IT! First and foremost the pictures do not do justice, just know that these are rock star counter stools!

I used my tissue paper mod podge technique here! I took it to a whole new level! FURNITURE! OH YEA! OH, the POSSIBILITIES!

I printed off the graphic I was using and found the center of the paper and center of the stool.

Add mod podge and spread to the area that will contain the tissue paper.

Set tissue paper on top of the mod podge. You will have wrinkles and bumps. Smooth down and know you will get some rips but that is part of the imperfection.

Wipe off any excess mod podge.

You will let the glue set until almost dry.

You will start sanding the paper and the lines of the paper will start to become part of the wood. SOOO COOL!

Sand as heavily or as light as you wish. I did a pretty heavy sanding job on mine. I wanted it to appear like screen printing and aged, all in one.

After you achieve the results you like. I finished the bar stools off with two coats of polyurethane.

And the finished line up!

Sweet Dreams Quilting Charity Group

2012-03-09T11:07:00.000-07:00

Dear Sweet Peas:

Yes, I am still ALIVE! Sometimes I question my sanity but I am still here plugging along! :) I promise I will be sharing some fun things, VERY SOON!

Do you remember this post? My first quilt tops finished for our Sweet Charity Group! Well, we have another quilt delivered to a very deserving little girl. Check out the post here!

I have to say it really makes this worth it! Our family knows the comfort a quilt can bring first hand!

If anyone is interested in participating near or far we would love to have anyone join us! We need lots of help!

I have several REALLY cool projects to share that I have been working on! Until then ENJOY this UPLIFTING STORY!

St. Patrick's Day Free Printable Luck of the Irish

2012-03-02T17:58:00.000-07:00

Just a heart felt thank you to all of those who entered my giveaway. I love all of the support that is out in the blogging world! Here is a little treat to make everyone feel like they WON!

Luck of the Irish!

A Free Printable for St. Patrick's Day, it was created to look like a burlap background with a four leaf clover sewn to it. It is pretty adorable. I hope you enjoy! Have a great WEEKEND!

JPEG 8x10

Luck of the Irish

Free Relief Society Subway Art Printable

2012-03-01T01:00:00.001-07:00

I am reposting this because of the many requests for JPEG files. They are all saved below in 5x7 image sizes that can be printed at any photo processing. This is the original post! Happy Day!

Good Beautiful Sunday Morning! Today is a beautiful day and can't wait to share my Sunday Inspiration. My Friend presented a fabulous idea for the 2012 Relief Society Birthdays in our ward and I LOVED the idea of creating a Subway art piece. ...And here is the Relief Society Declaration in Subway Art.

Print it out as a 5x7 or if you want larger an 8x10 with a border. Laminate it and attach a magnet, you have a VERY inexpensive but AMAZINGLY AWESOME gift for every sister's birthday in your ward. How about something to fill that frame that has just been sitting around? ...And the best part you can choose which color you want! Hope you enjoy!

XOXO

Stacie

Have you become a FOLLOWER yet?

JPEG 5x7 right click and Save As

or download from Scribd!

Subway Relief Society Declaration White
Subway Relief Society Declaration Grey
Subway Relief Society Declaration Gold
Subway Relief Society Declaration Blue
Subway Relief Society Declaration Black

IKEA Pillow Hack

2012-02-29T01:00:00.004-07:00

Good Beautiful Morning Sweet Peas!

If you missed my post at Tatertots and Jello last week here is a recap. An easy way to ACHIEVE expensive looking pillows

I am thrilled to be sharing a fabulous little secret that is sure to save you MONEY! It was by mistake, but, OH those mistakes, are sometimes, OH so GREAT!

So, last week I went to IKEA in search of one of these:

Ektorp Slipcover

and I came upon one of these:

..And I thought WOW for $.99 I can buy NEW pillows for my ENTIRE home, I started with four beautifully rolled $.99 pillows for my Peanut's room! ...And so it went, I came home and EXCITEDLY opened and unrolled my new pillows to... WELL, pillows that were JUST as flat as the ones I was trying to replace!

New IKEA pillow

Peanut's already flat pillow

Oh, the disappointment, my grand idea of buying pillows for my entire house down the tube. Because, lets face it, a beautiful bed begins with the pillows, and how many of us can go buy an ENTIRE bed full of down filled pillows. If we did it would cost $$$'s, UNLESS we take TWO of the $.99 pillows and put them into the same pillow sham.

..And there you have my IKEA hack, two $.99 pillows that look like a $50.00 down pillow. The way the pillows are stuffed are very similar to a down feather pillow minus A LOT of the down but by combining two of them you get a VERY custom looking pillow and bed.

I know this little tip can save you A LOT of money! I know where I am going when I clean out the washer! :) Stop by and say hi, www.thethreesweetpeas.com

2012-02-28T01:00:00.001-07:00

This recipe was given to me by a dear friend. Our husbands went on little vacation together and her mother fixed it while they were staying with her parents. The saddest part of the entire story, is her father came in to eat it and there wasn't anything left! I hope you enjoy as much as they did!

Kneaders French Toast - this recipe is for 3 loaves or 24 slices - hope you enjoy it!

3 loaves Kneaders Chunky Cinnamon Bread

8 eggs

3 cups milk

1 TBS brown sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 TBS vanilla

4 TBS butter

Make sure you use a large cookie sheet that has an edge. Line it with parchment paper (this is key, otherwise it sticks to the pan, caramelies and is impossible to serve) Karen suggested spraying the paper with oil cause some places still stuck to the paper).

Cut each loaf into 8 even slices just before dipping so it doesn't dry out.

Mix all ingredients except butter. dip each slice o f bread in the mixture (in and out of the mixture - don't let it soak).

Don't just pour the mixture over the tip - it doesn't come out the same. If it looks like you might run out of the mixture, just add an egg or two and a little milk, mix again & keep on dipping.

Lay each piece of bread flat on your cookie sheet. You can squish 12 pieces on one large cookie sheet.

Dab each piece of bread with butter

REFRIGERATE OVERNIGHT covered with foil.

Bake uncovered at 350 for 35 minutes or until starting to brown. In a convection overm bake 20-22 min.

Don't forget about the giveaway!

Emily Taylor Design Verona Apron Panel Giveaway

2012-02-24T01:00:00.003-07:00

Have you heard the word on the street? There is this GORGEOUS little fabric collection that was just released called VERONA! Emily Taylor is the talented young lady behind this fabirc for Riley Blake, her inspiration, ITALY!

You can make GORGEOUS little things like Angelina from Ruby Jean did, with her fabric.

She has so kindly offered one of her EVER so POPULAR Apron panels to giveaway to one of my readers. Riley Blakes expects a FAST sell out of these beautiful apron panels because of their versatility. Gifts, embellished, make it your own anyway is going to be adorable!

Here is Emily demonstrating how to finish the apron and embellish it.

How To

How to ENTER the Giveaway:

Become a follower of The Three Sweet Peas if you are already a follower skip to step 2. {Required} {1 Entry}
Leave a comment, this is how I track my entries. No comment no Entry {Required} {1 Entry}
Like Emily Taylor Design on Facebook {Required}
"Like" The Three Sweet Peas on Facebook {1Entry}
"Follow" The Three Sweet Peas on Twitter {1 Entry}

The best of luck! The winner will be announced on Friday, March 2nd.