Paper Towel Wreath

I saw this cute project made over at Made by Nicole. It was so cute that i just knew that i had to make it. It is a really easy project and perfect for the kiddo's to help out on. 

First i got all the supplies:

• Paper Towels (I used a combo of  2ply Bounty and Viva paper towels)
• Food Coloring
• Little spray bottles (in the travel size items at Wally's)
• Foam wreath (If you sign up to get Michael's e-mails they will e-mail you a 40 or 50% off coupon right away)
• Burlap to wrap your wreath and use with flowers(i got mine at Wally's)
• Newspaper to protect your table or counter while you are happily spraying.

I put at least 6 drops, sometimes more, food coloring in each squirt bottle mixed with a little water to make it dark enough to see when you squirt it out.

Lay your newspapers out and start being creative.....

See how much fun i was having...

And the boy thought it was so cool that he was able to help...

When you are all done and your paper towels are dry fold them in 4's and then trace circles using the top of a mug or glass. Then cut the circles out, you should get 4 circles out of 1 paper towel. 

From here on out you can get as creative as you want. You can mix and match different colored circles or keep all the same colors together. I would staple at least 4 together, you could do more or less depending on if you are adding fabric or burlap circles to the mix.

After you have them stapled together decide what side you want to be the front of the flower and put a dab of hot glue in the center and then give the back a little pinch like this....

I experimented a little and made a couple different flower shapes, i just pinched and folded them into shapes i thought looked like flowers and then stapled and hot glued my heart away, it was actually quite fun:)

Then EMBELLISH and glue to your burlap wrapped wreath...

And the finished product. Do they look like a bunch of Paper Towels to you???Now go make one, you know you want to....

-Jaime

Tin Can Creations

I have been seeing the cutest crafts out there in blogland made with Tin Cans. Here is a idea from Homemade Mamas, tea light holders, so fun. These would be adorable painted like a pumpkin and set out on your porch for Halloween. Go HERE for the instructions.....

And how about this cute craft organizer at Me Making Do. So fun and basically made with stuff you have laying around the house. Go HERE to see how this was made.

Below are some from Brown Paper Packages. These are made from formula cans. They would be great for a teachers gift or a scrapbook room. I love it wrapped in twine! Click HERE for more pics.

Too bad soup season is about over....I'm going to have to start feeding the kids more spaghetti-O's so i can stock up on tin cans!! Hope you all got some good idea's here, i know i did!!

-Jaime

Tasty Tuesday - Honey Dipped Chicken

Tasty Tuesday

This recipe i got from Good Things Utah, i can't remember the chef though. This is a great chicken recipe and the honey makes it so sweet and tasty.

Honey Dipped Chicken

1 egg

¼  cup honey

½ cup bread crumbs

½ cup almond meal (crushed almonds)

3 or 4 chicken breasts

Melted butter ( about ½ a stick)

Beat egg and honey in a small bowl.

Combine almond meal and bread crumbs in bag or pie plate.

Dip chicken in honey mixture then coat well with crumb mixture            .

Arrange in baking dish and drizzle with melted butter.

Bake for  1 hour at 375 degrees until tender.

Marble Magnets

If it's one thing that i hate it's a cluttered fridge. OK i don't hate it that much but some people do try to fit a bit too much on the front of their fridge doors and sorry people but it's not pretty. I try not to clutter my fridge up too much but there are always cute pictures of my friends and family and the all important pre-school art work that manage to make their way on my fridge.

This is how my fridge looked a couple of days ago.....a bit much right?!

But then i remembered about the cute marble magnets that i learned to make years ago. And now my fridge looks like this.....better right?

Now i know that most of you out there have probably made these before and if so then maybe you need to make some more, mother's day is coming up you know. These are a great, quick and thoughtful homemade gift.

Get your supplies - Mod Podge, brush, clear glass marbles(i got mine at Michael's), 1 inch round hole punch, small magnets and some uber cute paper.

Now start making circles. I always get a bit carried away and punch out a million circles and then look at the 8 magnets i bought and then have to pick and choose my favorite. I guess now i have extras for when i pick up some more magnets.

Next just brush a THIN coat of Mod Podge on the back of your circles and stick it right to the marble. Hold it down to get any of the air bubbles out, it dries pretty quickly. Now i have tried to do this with photo's i have punched out and i have a harder time with those. Mine never dry fast and always have air bubbles. If anyone knows the trick to Mod Podge photos feel free to tell me.

And there you have it, some beautiful little works of art! It will make your fridge look so much better i promise!

Oh yeah and i know you were all wondering what that little poster was on my fridge. Yeah that's me rockin' a purple bikini. OK not really but it's my "inspiration" poster. Is it working you ask, well not exactly but i refuse to take it down because someday soon it's going to kick my butt into action, soon i tell you soon.

-Jaime

"Happy" Passed On...

I feel so honored, M.O.T.B gave me this wonderful award!! Happy 101, boy i have had my dose of happiness these last few years and this is a great time to tell you all why and then pass it on.....

So here it goes:

10 things that make ME happy.....

1. My boys...

This has to be #1 because they are my heart and soul. All my boys, the hubster included, are so special to me and i would be nowhere with out them. Although some days i want to grab the first little girl i see and take them on a shopping spree, i am thankful for the boys in my life and i just look forward to taking their future wives and hopefully daughters shopping in the future!

2. Quality time with my husband...

Although it doesn't happen all that often i try to soak up every second of our date nights. I love getting to talk without being interrupted and not having to change diapers for the night:)

3. The Movies...

This kindof goes along with #2 because on our date nights we almost always head for the movie theater. I love a good movie and the ability it has to take you into another world if even just for a couple of hours, it's exhilarating.

4. Nature...

It can be very inspiring. I loved my summers spent working in West Yellowstone more than any summers i can remember. Being charged by a mother moose was one of the most frightening yet awesome experiences of my life. Then about 8 or years later while 4-wheeling we happened upon another mother moose and her two babies, i sat there for about 30 minutes just watching them, it was beautiful.

5. A good hair day...

Really what can make you feel better than when your hair is having a kick A** day. Side note: I have done hair for about 15 years now so i try to make every day a good hair day and when it isn't i take it pretty personal;)

6.Crafting...

I love creating things for my home and to give to others. This is the main reason why i love the blogging world so much, i get so many great ideas from all the talented ladies in blogland.

7. Traveling...

I absolutely love to travel. I love the airport, i love hotels, i love it all. I was the youngest of 4 kids and my parents took me on a lot of fun trips, i would say they spoiled me and gave me the traveling bug. It's just too bad i can't give that bug to the hubster, hopefully someday;)

8. The weekends...

I live for the weekends! Me and the boys can't wait for time with their dad. He is a very hard worker and we love to have time to spend with him whenever we can. I usually have a bunch of errands to run but he carts me and the boys around with little complaints. We also eat out and i love no cooking and dishes. I also love attending our church on Sunday mornings and the fact that my husband loves it as much as i do.

9. My friends...

I always look forward to a girls night out. I have made some great friends here in Kansas and i am very grateful for that. I do however miss my Utah friends like crazy. I hope they know how much i miss them and that they made me who i am today and i am grateful to them for that.

10. Planning, almost anything...it's all in the details...

I am a planner by nature. I love to plan parties. It's a thrill for me to make the perfect party favor or to make the perfect invitation. I go into planning mode and get very OCD about finding the perfect accessories for whatever the occasion.
I really have so much in my life to be HAPPY about and i am glad that i got this opportunity to share it with you. Now go think about what makes YOU HAPPY!

I would like to pass this award on to a couple of my favorite ladies in the blogging world....
-Fingerprints On The Fridge-
I love this blog and all the great decorating idea she comes up with. She always comes up with the most simple yet fabulous ideas. Her style is clean and crisp and i love it.
-Sarah-
One of my best friends since High School and one of the best mom's ever. She juggles it all and does a great job at it. Her kiddo's are adorable and she always has a funny story to share.
-Love, Actually-
I love this blog and all the wonderful idea's for keeping your relationship fresh and new. She always has great downloads and fun, fun, fun ways to spice up that love life.

Thanks again to Mom of Two Boys for making me feel super loved today. I am new here in the blogger world but there are so many great ladies that inspire and encourage me.

-Jaime

My baby is two!

My little guy is 2 years old today. I love this little man. He is wild, he is crazy, and i just can't get enough of his sweet kisses. He is always smiling and loves to be silly. He is Elmo's biggest fan and if he see's a train or an airplane he will let you know. He doesn't say much yet but his voice does not go unheard.

We love him so much and are so glad he came into our lives. Happy Birthday Jakey.

Chocolate Chip Banana Cake

Tasty Tuesday

Today for my Tasty Tuesday recipe i am sharing with you the recipe for Chocolate Chip Banana Cake. I got this recipe from Good Things Utah. I miss that show so much and a few of my favorite recipe's came from watching that show. This recipe came from Aimee Winder of Winder Dairy in Utah.

Chocolate Chip Banana Cake

Ingredients:

1/2 C. butter, softened

1 1/2 C. white sugar

1 C. sour cream

2 large eggs

2-3 very ripe bananas, mashed

2 C. flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp.vanilla

1 1/2 C. chocolate chips

1/2 C. chopped nuts, optional

Mix until smooth the butter, sugar, sour cream and eggs.

Add the mashed bananas and blend.

Mix in the flour, salt, soda,and vanilla.

Add 1 cup of the chocolate chips and all the walnuts if you are adding walnuts.

Pour into a lightly greased 9x13 glass pan.

Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 C. of chocolate chips on top and lightly press down with back of spoon.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Serve with or without frosting.

ENJOY!!

So You Think You Can Decorate

I have had a great time following the competition So You Think You Can Decorate. All the contestants are so talented. My favorite competitors are All Things Thrifty, those ladies come up with some of the coolest things ever!

They are on week 8 right now, i think it's the finals. Check out All Things Thrifty's entry for this week....

If you want to see some spectacular decorating go and browse all the previous weeks of the contest. It really inspires you, although i know they make it look so much easier than it really is.

Click on the icon to head on over....oh and while you're there, don't forget to vote for your favorite.

T.G.I.F.

Sorry guys, this week has been nuts at this house and i have not been managing my time very well. Between cake decorating classes, T-Ball practices, chasing the crazier than ever almost 2yr old, the 5 year old that thinks he can do whatever he wants and then all the house hold duties i have just been a bit on edge this week. I really need to focus on chilling out a little more. I am a major worry wart and a bit of a control freak so a very busy week tends to frazzle me a little. I need to remind myself to just stop, breathe, and let what happens happen.
Do any of you have weeks like that? Are any of you a control freak like me? I may not be posting everyday anymore, i will try but if i don't please know that i still love you all and am hopefully working on a fun project to show you soon. Sorry for my ramblings but it's just been one of those weeks. OK i am now going to take a chill pill and hopefully have a wonderful relaxing weekend, hope you all do the same:)

DIY Freeze Pops

I saw this "cool" idea over at :Under the table and dreaming. I have never even thought about making our own freeze pops. I may have to try it this summer because we have a new trampoline and in case no one knows trampolines tend to attract children. I could probably go broke keeping the kids in Popsicles this summer so maybe I'll try making some lemonade or kool-aid ones. Great idea. For all the How To click HERE.

She also has a great tutorial on how to make holders for the freeze pops so your kids little hands don't get so cold holding them, i know I've heard that complaint more than once at my house.

Adorable huh! For the tutorial click HERE

Movie,Popcorn,Smoothie Nights

One of our favorite family activities is Movie,Popcorn,Smoothie night. Long name but that's really what we call it. We try to do it at least 2 to 3 times a month. We get the smoothie maker out and get the party started.....

This is a picture of the Back To Basics smoothie maker that we have, ours is white but you get the idea. It is really cool because it has a stir stick that helps keep things flowing correctly in the blender, no clogs. It also has a pouring spout, which is great. It is a little tougher to clean, there are a couple of parts that need to be removed to get thoroughly clean.

We use to cut up fruit and put it with a little milk and make our own smoothies but then we came across Yoplait's frozen smoothie mix and we fell in LOVE!! These mixes are great and definitely worth a try.

The Strawberry Banana one is my favorite and the Triple Berry one is the hubsters fav.

Sometimes we make air popped popcorn, sometimes it's microwave it just depends on my mood. The boys love to watch the air popped corn come out of the popper but our popper is a little crazy and unpredictable so it's not unusual to get hit square in the face with a hot piece of popcorn or twenty.

On our next "Move,Popcorn,Smoothie" night we will be watching Astro Boy

Now go pick up some smoothie mix, pick out a great family film and plop you and your fam down on the couches for a fun night together!!

Strawberry French Toast

 Tasty Tuesday

Today i am going to share our favorite breakfast recipe. The credit for this one goes to the hubster. He is the breakfast maker in this house. I am NOT a morning person and he knows this very well so he wholeheartedly took on the role of breakfast maker long ago, bless his little heart!We like french toast and we like strawberry waffles so one morning we decided to mix them together a bit and waalaaa, delish!

 French Toast

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 2/3 cup whole milk
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• 6 slices Texas toast thick bread
• 3 tablespoons butter
• powdered sugar
• butter
• syrup

Directions

1. Mix together the eggs, milk, flour, sugar, vanilla, salt& cinnamon.
2. Heat a large skillet, or griddle.
3. When the skillet is hot, add 1 tablespoon butter.
4. If the butter smokes, your pan is too hot; turn down the heat.
5. Dip each slice of bread into the batter for 30 seconds on each side.
6. Let some of the batter drip off, then put in skillet.
7. Cook each slice 1 1/2-2 minutes per side until each side is golden brown.
8. Add more butter, if necessary, to cook all of the slices.
9. To serve, put on plate, dust with powdered sugar. Serve with butter & hot syrup

Strawberry Syrup

Need:
1 Pint of Strawberries
2C. Sugar
1/4 Teaspoon Lemon (optional)

Take tops off strawberries and cut into quarters.
In food processor or blender, process strawberries
Stir in sugar and lemon, cook over low hear until sugar is dissolved.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.
Strain out seeds
put in the fridge to cool a little while you make the french toast or waffles.
When you take it out of the fridge you will want to skim the film that has developed off the top.

Hope you enjoy! It's great for a fun week night dinner too!

-Jaime

Making Frosting

Yesterday afternoon i did part of my homework for my cake decorating class. I made my 3 batches of frosting that are all varying consistency's. One stiff for roses and such, one medium for boarders and one thin for frosting the cake and for writing on the cake.

I only made a slight mess in the process.....

giving my mixer a work-out

Ooops!

Homework done!

Now for a extra special treat for you all........A super special secrete(OK not really secret) recipe....

Buttercream Frosting Recipe

1c. solid white vegetable shortening (packed)
1/2 tsp. vanilla Wilton flavoring
1/4 tsp. butter Wilton flavoring
1/4 tsp. almond Wilton flavoring
2 Tbs. Water
1 lb. powered sugar (app. 4 cups)
1 Tbs. Wilton meringue powder
A pinch of salt
Cream shortening, flavoring and water. Add dry ingredients and mix on medium speed until all ingredients have been thoroughly mixed. Blend an additional minute or so, until creamy.
Add water by the Tbs. to achieve desired consistency.

I got most of this information from the Wilton Course 1 student manual. I hope it's not illegal to post it on the Internet but it's a yummy recipe so i wanted to share....


-Jaime

Slide Sled

How genius is this idea from: pony tails & fish scales......

Soon enough the weather will get HOT, HOT, HOT and i know i have heard more than once from the boys that they don't want to go down their slide because it's ..."TOO HOT MAMA." I don't blame them, when you have shorts on those slides can be really hot on little legs.

I'm sure we'll be trying this as soon as the weather heats up.

To learn how to make this Slide Sled click HERE.

-Jaime

Wilton Course 1

I started my Wilton cake decorating course 1 class on Tuesday night. I am super excited about this class. I have already learned some great tips, got a great butter cream frosting recipe and been given my first homework assignment. Next week i have to bring a frosted cake to class to decorate. Hopefully i will learn tons of stuff and be able to pass on a few tips to you all. I will keep updating you on my progress, and you will all pretend to care.

Here is all the fun stuff i bought after my first class, like i need one more thing to shop obsessively for:) I did use some 50% off coupons of course.

-Jaime

Make your own sidewalk chalk

I saw this fun post on how to make sidewalk chalk over at Skip To My Lou. It's finally that time of year and my boys have really enjoyed getting outside again. I know boy #2 would love writing all over the patio with this chalk. Click HERE for all the instructions.

Tasty tuesday - Skillet Enchiladas

Tasty Tuesday

I have a lot of great recipes that i have collected over the years and i thought i would start sharing one a week with you. Most of them are extremely simple, i am no chef. I like quick and easy and delicious is a requirement as well.
Tasty Tuesday may be a little dessert heavy. My cook book is about 25% dinners and 75% desserts. Oops, yes i enjoy baking a bit more than cooking but i am working on evening out the cook book, one recipe at a time.
Some of these recipes i have gathered from my childhood, some are from family members and others are Internet finds. Hopefully you try a few and fall in love with at least one!

The first Tasty Tuesday recipe comes from my Mother in law, who is a great cook by the way......

Skillet Enchiladas

What you need:
1lb. Hamburger
1/4 C. Chopped Onions
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 10oz can of enchilada sauce
2Tbs. chopped green chili (fresh or canned)
1/2 C. milk
Shredded cheddar cheese
Flour Tortillas.

1. Brown your meat and your onions together in large skillet. Drain once browned and return to the skillet.
2. Add to your meat the following....1 can cream of chicken soup, 1 10oz can enchilada sauce, 2 Tbs. chopped green chili and 1/2 c. milk.
3. Let simmer for 20 min.
4. Fill 6-8 flour tortillas with shredded cheese, roll up and place seam side down in the skillet on top of your meat mixture.

5. I usually scoop some of the meat mixture on top of the tortillas just to aid in the cheese melting process.

6. Cover and turn heat up just a smidgen so that the cheese will melt faster, usually only takes 5-10 min.

7. Dish it up and enjoy. These pictures were taken with my old camera so they are not the best. Trust me these taste much better than they look.

Thanks Charlotte for the yummy recipe!

-Jaime

Camera Love

I am just coming down off of a great holiday weekend. We had lots of fun as a family coloring and hunting eggs. We enjoyed a wonderful Sunday celebrating the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It was a beautiful weekend here in Kansas and we finally got the "new" trampoline set up. The boys have never been happier and it was hard to find a time when their dad wasn't on the tramp with them too.

I am not sure if i mentioned it but last weekend i got a new love. Her name is Canon Rebel and she is perfection!

I have yet to learn all her bells and whistles but i have learned that she takes wonderful pictures. I am so happy i took that step out of my comfort point and shoot zone and got her. I know i will love her for years to come.

Here are some of my best shots from the last couple of weekends....

The boys at my hubby's work. They LOVE looking at all the big Trucks!

This face is innocent enough right......oh if you only knew, it's a good thing he's cute.

The boy's new go-to spot, the tramp. We all love it truth be told!

I'll be back tomorrow with a new weekly feature: Tasty Tuesday's

-Jaime

Peep cupcakes

How cute are these cupcakes from Home Made Mama's? We have a major weakness in this house for cupcakes so i may just be making these for our dessert on Easter Sunday.

Click HERE for all the details on how to make these adorable cupcakes. They even have a little marshmallow tails, ahhh.

April Fool's Day Fun

Happy April Fool's Day!

I have one vivid memory from my childhood when it comes to April fools day. I remember my mom picking me up from school and telling me that we were going home to get our suitcases and go to Disneyland. Needless to say it was in fact April fools day and we did not end up at Disneyland at the end of the day. If you ask my mom she will deny that this conversation took place but who are you going to believe, my mom or my memory from when i was oh about 7??? I'll let you decide. 

Last year on April fool's day I sent boy #1 to school with his shirt on backwards only to come to find out that it was class picture day, yeah the joke ended up being on me, not so funny but the picture turned out cute anyway.

  This year i am sure boy #1 will want to wear his shirt backwards again. And i am sure that all day he will be saying things like "Mom, look at that huge bear in the backyard!" Yeah he likes any excuse to be silly so this is a fun holiday for him.

 Here is a prank that i plan on playing on him and his little brother at dinner:

 Trick Jello drink

 I found this idea over at Living Locurto and i will be trying it out tonight at dinner, i am excited to see the boys faces when they try to take their first "sip" of the jello drinks. They are both huge jello fans so I'm sure they will be pleasently surprised.

Hope you all have at least one trick up your sleeves for today!!