Worth Pinning

Berry Blast Smoothie

2013-06-13T15:30:00.001-06:00

I've been making smoothies for breakfast most mornings- usually taking a day or two off to switch it up with some egg whites. I've even gone crazy...on say, a Saturday morning...and I'll make an omelet with a side of bacon. I find when I start the day with nothing but goodness, I make it a challenge to figure out the healthiest way to eat for the remainder of the day. This smoothie will get your day stared with a blast of berry and a bunch of other good things like Omega3s, plenty of antioxidants and even good-for-your-digestion probiotics.

At minimum, my smoothies include juice, ground flaxseed, powdered super greens and 3-4 different kinds of fresh fruit. In addition, I'll add fresh cut pineapple, a scoop of chia seeds, handful of baby kale and/or spinach and a scoop of protein powder.

When making smoothies, it is a good idea to have a general idea of the amount of calories you are stuffing into the blender. I know a serving of the super greens and ground flaxseed = about 100 calories. My juice base is approximately 130 calories/cup, so I can add or subtract easily by diluting the juice with water and/or ice. Berries are anywhere from 32-42 calories per half cup. Protein powder can add another 90-130 calories and kale/spinach might add another 50 calories.

The great thing about blending a smoothie is all of the extra nutrients you can "hide" in there! Surprisingly filling, by the time I look up from my desk hungry for lunch- it is way beyond noon.

Afternoon of SUP Yoga

2013-06-11T16:36:00.001-06:00

Stand Up Paddle Boarding is all of the rage lately. You'll see SUPers on the river, on lakes, in ponds and even at the local pool. If you're looking for a fun new summer activity, this is a fun one for all ages. Take it up a notch and try SUP Yoga. SUP Yoga requires a little more balance and a lot more core than your typical studio yoga class, but it is such a blast!

Create a business card using your treats

2013-06-07T14:30:00.000-06:00

It wasn't until after I took photos of these cupcakes that I thought...Hmmmmm...that would make a nice looking business card...should I ever need a business card.

Ice Cream Pie

2013-05-28T15:39:00.002-06:00

With my brother's families around for the Memorial Day Weekend, I knew exactly what I'd made for dessert one night. I used to make this all the time when we all lived at home together- my brothers would ask "Can you please make an ice cream pie?".

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Vegetables for Dessert?

2013-05-21T02:43:00.000-06:00

Have you been playing in the dirt yet? Gardening season can come a little late around here since we still get snow well into May, but we've had a few days of promising weather and more people are tending to their gardens. Today I am going to share how to turn a plain cupcake into an eye-catching display that will make you want to eat your vegetables!
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Miss Me Brownies

2013-05-20T15:17:00.001-06:00

My son asked if I'd make him brownies as he packed for a 3-day camp for school this week. How cool is it that they get to do 2 overnights at a camp where they will rock climb, do ropes courses, canoe, kayak, hike, archery, sit around the campfire, etc.? Of course I'd bake brownies!

Flower Pounding Spring Table Runner

2013-05-09T02:50:00.000-06:00

Did you know you can pound the color of flowers and leaves into fabric to create your own fabric designs? I shared this project on Positively Splendid last month. If you missed it over there, I'm going to show you how to hammer your way to beautiful botanic fabric creations.

Handmade Chocolate Covered Coconut Candy

2013-05-07T12:20:00.000-06:00

When I was a kid and our family received a box of chocolates, we would each claim our favorites...which meant fighting over the two milk chocolate covered caramel squares. We gladly handed over the round chocolate covered coconut candies to my mom and the rest of the box was pretty much a crapshoot, right? In honor of Mother's Day, I decided to make my mom a box of all chocolate covered coconut candies. Mom, if you read this before Sunday- surprise! This heavenly Chocolate Covered Coconut Candy is handmade using only 4 ingredients.
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Sweet Ambs Cookie Decorating Contest Finalist

2013-05-02T08:39:00.000-06:00

Amber of SweetAmbs is hosting a Spring Cookie Contest and my fairy/butterfly cookies were selected as one of the 15 finalists! To see the full blog post on decorating the fairies using the brush embroidery technique, please click here. Thanks, Amber!

When Snow Falls on May Day - Hatchling Cookies

2013-05-01T13:14:00.002-06:00

These poor bunnies and chicks are trying to be Spring hatchlings, but they don't want to leave the shell when it looks like this outside:

Changing the Color of the Front Door

2013-04-26T16:14:00.000-06:00

I haven't changed it yet. The current door color is on the left and I've been playing with other colors. I picked up a dark charcoal gray exterior paint in the fall to paint the door in the spring. I was sure I liked dark charcoal gray- especially near Halloween when I was thinking orange/black/white wreaths. My two favorites are below...
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Buying a home - Start New Buy Fresh

2013-04-23T21:06:00.001-06:00

Are you a homeowner or renter? I thought I'd be a renter for several more years. Home-ownership seemed like a long shot given my single income and modest savings. As a renter, do you wish you could personalize your space? Custom cabinets instead of ugly stock cabinets? Granite counters instead of linoleum? New stainless steel appliances instead of plain white? Are you already a homeowner interested in upgrading to new or newer construction? Energy efficient instead of money sucking? Click here to continue reading.

Major (or Little) League Baseball Cupcakes

2013-04-20T20:23:00.000-06:00

Get ready to hit one out of the park with these assorted baseball cupcakes! The "official" ball was caught at a Rockies/Padres game last summer and is one of my son's prized possessions. With baseball season well under way, learn how to make baseball themed cupcakes to take to your little leaguer's game this season.
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I want to ride my bicycle pillow

2013-04-17T19:09:00.002-06:00

My friend Holly started selling her artwork via Society6. I ordered my favorite drawing in the form of a throw pillow. I love it! For more of Holly's work, go check out her shop on Society6. I think the Starburst in a 20"x20" throw pillow would go perfect with the 16"x16" I Want to Ride My Bicycle pillow:

Holly's website: spence creative or follow her on FB.

Fresh Spring Mantel

2013-04-15T13:05:00.000-06:00

I wasn't really liking the way I had transitioned the Easter mantel to spring. I had swapped the frame with a gold frame around the moss wreath. The gold really drew the eye to the wreath, but I just couldn't wrap my head around the gold. I'm not big on gold. The four bird nests around the wreath made it look a little too Easter-y and I had a couple of candle holders that just didn't belong.

Fairy Cookies

2013-04-12T16:57:00.000-06:00

I took a few extra cookies I had baked the day before Easter and laid them out on the counter to see if I could come up with any non-Easter cookie designs. I could surely decorate the butterflies for spring, but what about the bunnies? Would they have to go to waste? Yeah, right.
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St. Patrick's Day Rainbow Breakfast

2013-04-11T06:00:00.000-06:00

I'm sharing a St. Patrick's Day breakfast sure to put a little extra Spring in your family's steps. This post was originally shared over at Positively Splendid as my first contributor post. St. Patrick's Day is the perfect opportunity to surprise your kids will a rainbow-filled kind of morning. After months of bitter cold temperatures and snow still piled high in our backyard, mid-March rainbows are a much welcomed sight!

Wreath Re-do

2013-04-05T16:05:00.002-06:00

I haven't cared for the red wreath below for quite some time. I bought it on clearance after Christmas one year. Seemed like a grown-up thing to do to buy a wreath. I stuck it on the front door after Christmas as a transition wreath through Valentine's Day. I've really gotten into wreath making in the last several months, but so far all the wreaths are too nice to stick on the exterior door. Since I didn't care much for the red wreath, I decided to tear it apart once I took it down from Valentine's Day.

Tween Girl Room

2013-04-02T15:31:00.000-06:00

It's the tween bedroom reveal! One kid down, one to go. Do you know my kids get along better now that they have their own rooms? Maybe that was given. Let's go way back to the blank room. Blank fitness looking room. When we moved into this house, we moved in as renters and the landlord said I could paint the walls any color I wanted.

Chocolate brown and lime green seemed low-risk...as in...I can move when I get tired of the paint color.

Rather than moving, I ended up buying the house.

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Monster Truck Cake - April Fools!

2013-04-01T02:00:00.000-06:00

My nephew turned 5 over the weekend and had requested a monster truck cake in early February. I wasn't sure if I'd see him the weekend of his birthday since it was Easter weekend, but they made it up to the mountains and I started spinning my wheels over a monster truck. I had the bunny cake planned for Easter, but decided it would be too cutesy for a 5 year old boy.
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Easter Bunny Sugar Cookies

2013-03-30T15:55:00.000-06:00

Here are a few Easter Bunnies ready to deliver. Patience really pays off with these sweet little bunny cheeks.
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Easter Ideas on Worth Pinning

2013-03-27T16:08:00.000-06:00

Are you ready for a Worth Pinning Easter Roundup?

Click each thumbnail to open in a new page.

Mini Egg Cakes

Edible Candy Filled Eggs

Thanks for viewing all of our Easter Projects. For other holidays, click the "holiday" tab at the top of the blog. Pin for later by clicking here!

Bunny Cake for Easter

2013-03-26T10:53:00.001-06:00

I called this the Little Bunny Foo Foo cake this morning and it stuck. The bunny and eggs are made of chocolate cake and the grass base is white cake. I envisioned making this cake larger with 3-4 bunnies, extra egges and a white picket fence around the outside, but two birthdays popped up this week and I needed two cakes. Rather than a large rectangle sheet cake, I baked two square cakes. This is the smaller square with one bunny.
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Easter Brunch for Two

2013-03-23T18:23:00.003-06:00

Here is a fun Easter Brunch for two. Take a look at the scrambled egg and bacon bunnies on the left. We'll get to those and how to make them, but first, here is the menu: Blueberry Bunny Bread, Fresh Fruit Cup, Scrambled Egg & Bacon Bunnies, Orange Juice, Chocolate Covered Marshmallow & Nutella Eggs and French Macarons.

Chocolate Eggs filled with Marshmallow & Nutella

2013-03-23T12:02:00.002-06:00

This may be one of the best things I have ever made. I grew up on chocolate covered marshmallow eggs for Easter and this year I wanted to try my own rendition. I upgraded the Russell Stover's chocolate to Godiva chocolate and added Nutella to the melted marshmallow filling.