Turkey Cookies

Today it was my daughters turn to bring a snack and show-n-tell to pre-school. You will remember I made turkey cookies last year for her to take. They were okay, but not as cute as I thought they would be. So we tried a different type of turkey cookie this year...

Cute little booger, ain't he?

Thanksgiving Decor

This isn't a typical Thanksgiving quote, but I love it! I found the charger at Wal-Mart last month for $3. They might be cheaper now that they are starting to clearance the fall stuff to make room for Christmas stuff. But $3 is still a great deal! The white vinyl doesn't quite go, I think a cream or off-white would have been better. But I don't have those colors, so I just used what I did have!

VInyl~ Not JUST for decorating Part 2

Okay, not the best picture, it's kinda fuzzy. And I don't have the prettiest feet either. You remember I showed you here how I used vinyl to cut out decals for bikes?
Now I want to show you how you can look like you spend money on making your toes pretty, when in reality, it's sooooo cheap!
I cut shapes out of vinyl and then put them on my toes! SO cute, huh?

After I put the vinyl on, I add a layer of clear nail polish, to seal it. It looks like I go to the salon weekly to have my toes made up, but I don't! I just do it at home!
Yesterday I cut some bats out of black vinyl. I think I'll go buy some orange nail polish and make my toes a little more Halloweenish!

Outdoor Fall Decorating.

Okay, I am not the best nor the most creative decorator. But I tried my hand at turning the outside of my home into looking a little more fall/Halloween looking.
My flowers pots I have on either side of my garage have died. I thought about planting some fall mums in them, then decided to just fill them with pumpkins and squash. I stuffed some fallen leaves in between the pumpkins and such as well.{that bush in the background will turn a fiery red soon. I LOVE it!}

I have a bench next to my porch that I put a couple of pumpkins and squash on. I think we might stuff some of hubbie's old clothes and make a scarecrow to sit on the bench as well.

I took branches left over from when we trimmed our apples trees in the spring and sprayed painted them black. Then my pre-schooler and I put some spider webs on them and a couple of spiders.{we need to buy more of those spiders, I don't know where they all go!} We then stuffed the branches into our flower pots and added more pumpkins and squash!

I tied some Halloween ribbon I got from Wal-Mart last year when it went on clearance around my lights.

I moved my wood pumpkins I showed you here, onto my porch.{I still think I want to make a third one}.

And here's a picture of my porch. Not the best looking, but I feel like every year I get a little better! And I don't think I'm quite done with the porch yet, maybe add some corn stalks, and such.

VInyl~ Not JUST for crafts!

Before I show you how else you can use vinyl, let me tell you about a great place to buy your vinyl for WAAAAY cheap. SignWareHouse.com . I can get a roll of vinyl, which measure 24" x 10 yds for about $30*{that's including shipping!}. Now, my cricut is only 12" wide. So I use my father-in-laws chopsaw to cut the roll in half. It does it so neatly! Now I have TWO rolls of vinyl that are 12" x 10 yds. FANTASTIC! It is seriously sooo cheap! I have a friend who also has a Cricut and we buy a roll together, cut it in half so it fits our machines and we each get half a roll and pay only $15 each! Great!
*{The price can vary. But it is still so affordable! And no, SignWareHouse did not ask me to write a review on their products. I just wanted to share with you the place of where I get my vinyl from!}
Alright, do you still not have a Cricut, vinyl cutter, silhouette, etc? Can't seem to convince your hubbie to buy you one? Show him this post and he might change his mind!
Hubbies brother was in town a few months ago. I was making some crafts for my family reunion fundraiser. I was making a tile with vinyl on it. Brother-in-law became interested in the stuff. "What else can you put that stuff on?", he asked.
"Absolutely anything!!",was my answer.
That got him thinking.
So, a couple of weeks ago he's back in town. With his dirt bike.
"Can you cut me something to go on my bike?",he asks.
"Of course!", is my answer.
So I sat down at the computer with him and we browsed this site. A totally awesome site where you can download THOUSANDS or FAH~REE fonts, dingbats, anything!
We found a logo on there and decided to give it a try~

We added that Suzuki 'S' to the front fender.
Brother-in-law and hubbie were now excited and wanted to do more!
So we downloaded the Suzuki font and added it to....I think they called this the 'swing arm'? {I don't know much about bikes}.
Here's the before picture~

And the after picture~

And here's the bike after we finished with it~

So, yeah ladies, tell your hubbies that getting a vinyl cutter will not only benefit you or your home decor, but HE can benefit from it's uses as well!
Christmas is just around the corner. I'm just sayin'. A vinyl cutter would make a nice Christmas gift if he needs ideas...

*****UPDATE*****
I DO NOT make any money from this blog. Even though I was able to download the Suzuki font for free, I am assumning that they would prefer it be used for only personal purposes. And not used to make money of any kind from it!

2x6 wood pumpkins

I made these with some scrap 2x6's we had laying around. I had two different heights of wood. I sanded them down, then painted them a bright orange. I then sponged a darker orange over the top of that. The 'stems' were spare blocks of wood cut from a 2x2. I painted them a green then sponged a darker green over the top.
I just nailed the stems to the top of the pumpkins. But wood glue would work just as well!
I used some scrape pieces of fabric to tie around the stems.
I then painted some wooden hearts I had and glued them onto the pumpkins and added a little raffia to the hearts.
I think I might go buy another 2x6 to make a third pumpkin....

Cake Mix Cookies

These are some of the yummiest and easiest cookies to make!

I have a friend who calls them the BEST Chocolate Chip Coookies ever! Make them and decide for yourself!
What's great about this recipe is there are countless different cookies you can make. Play around with different combinations until you find your favorite! My hubbies favorite is Yellow cake mix with semi-sweet chips, or Chocolate Fudge cake mix with white baking chips.My favorite combo is a Chocolate cake mix with either Caramel baking pieces or Peanut Butter baking pieces! This also makes a very easy 'Cookies in a Jar' mix. Just layer the dry ingredients in a glass jar and attach the directions to complete them and, there you go!

~Cake Mix Cookies~

1 cake mix {any kind}Just the cake mix!
1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup coconut{I leave this out because I'm not a coconut fan!}
1/2 cup melted butter
2 eggs
1 cup chocolate chips

Stir together {if you've added coconut this can be a dry mixture, mix with a fork}.
Bake at 350* for about 9-11 minutes, depends on how fast your oven bakes them.Be careful not to over bake. You want them to firm up a little when pressed in the center, but they will still look and feel a little underdone. I'm not sure how to explain it to you. I just know when they are done by the look and feel of them. Just trial and error I guess!
Play around with different cake mixes and baking chips and make the recipe your own!!

Zuchinni Soup

I'm sharing this absolutely delicious recipe with you that I got from my sister-in-law. We still have zuke coming out of our garden, and the weather has been cooler. So I've been in the mood to make soup!
This recipe is great if you have picky eaters because it is all puree'd up. No chunks of anything in it! Your kids{and hubbie} won't even know there is Zucchini in it! You've got to try it out!

Zucchini Soup

1 1/2 pounds zucchini, unpeeled and sliced thin{or shredded} chopped
1 medium onion chopped
1/4 cup Butter
1/4 tsp. Nutmeg
1/8 tsp. Pepper*
1/2 tsp. Salt*
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1 can Chicken Broth
1/2 cup Light Cream or Evaporated Milk

Saute onion and zucchini in butter until limp. Add chicken broth and simmer covered, for 15 minutes. Puree in blender and add cream of chicken soup, nutmeg,salt, pepper and cream. Blend. Heat and serve!
*I add more because I like more seasoning. Just add what tastes good to you!

Countdown to School blocks!

My pre-schooler is so excited for school to start! So I made her a countdown block set to count down the days till school starts! She doesn't start until the second week in September, but we can start the countdown now!

I used three different colored scrapbook paper. I cut them to the size I needed then I mod podged them onto painted blocks,{ the base is a 2x4 that I cut to about 7 1/2 -8 inches} then I used Vinyl for the numbers and lettering . But stickers or die cuts would work as well. Just glue those on.
These are the numbers you'll need~0,0,1,1,2,2,3,4,5,6,7,&8{ make sure the 6 can double as a 9 if it's turned upside down}.
On the first block you use ~0,1,2,3,4,5. On the second block~6{doubles as 9},7,8,0,1,2.
I also have made these for Christmas here and Halloween here.
This has also been linked to a few show-n-tell sites here, here, and here.

More Family reunion fundraiser items!

Alright, here are some more photos of some items I've made and am donating to our family reunion fundraiser~
Lead me, Guide me stackers~

A set of photo blocks with pictures of my grandma and grandpa. Some when they were young, some when they were older~

Holiday countdown blocks~

I added some vinyl lettering to the bucket so it says ' Bucket of Spuds'. We are coming from Idaho, so I thought it would be fun. These Spud candy bars are the best, if you haven't had one, you need to find one!~

Some 12 in. tiles~
{ I got the idea for the one with names on it from here. She sells the kits for these, only I think they are for a different size block of wood, not a 12 in. tile. I just changed it up to fit what I had.}

One of my Grandma's favorite quotes form her favorite author~
{only looking at it now, I realize I added a 't' on nearest that shouldn't be there. Looks like I need to fix that before we leave!}

Be blocks~ I got the idea for these from here. She sells the kits for these,{at least I think she still does}~


This next block has my Grandpa's motto on it. It reads " Anything worth doing, is worth Overdoing."

I thought this would be great for our family~

Family reunion fundraiser items

I've been busy making a few items to donate to our Family reunion fundraiser. This is the first year we are doing a fundraiser, we'll see how it turns out! I think we will be raffling off items, with a few larger items being in a silent auction. All the proceeds will go to help fund future reunions!
So here's a few pictures of just a few items I've made and will donate for the fundraiser!
I'm putting together two packages that contain crochet headbands and hats for little girls/babies, that I bought at The Ribbon Retreat ,{SOOO afordable!} And I made the flower hair clips myself!~

Some Holiday Stackers. { I still need to make a summer one}~

A couple of small Pampered Chef gift sets I put together. { Did you know that Pampered Chef has an outlet store online? LOVE IT!!}~

Primary children's blocks~

I'll post some more pictures of more items later....

Little Pink Chicken {Sweet and Sour Chicken}

I've never been a fan of sweet and sour chicken. Until I found a yummy recipe for it! I found the recipe here. She found the recipe in the "The WorldWide Ward" cookbook. {She also gives the story behind why it's called Little pink chicken} You really should give it a try! This is now a family favorite at our house!

Little Pink Chicken {Sweet and Sour Chicken}

2 large chicken breasts
1/2 tsp garlic salt
cornstarch
1 egg beaten w/ 1 T water
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup vinegar
1/3 cup ketchup
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 tsp salt
2 T soy sauce

Cut chicken in pieces and sprinkle with garlic salt. Let sit 1 hr. Dip in cornstarch, then in beaten egg. Fry in hot oil until brown. Place in casserole dish. Combine sugar, vinegar, ketchup, chicken broth, salt and soy sauce. Microwave for 5 minutes, stirring mixture halfway thru. Pour over chicken and bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes, until the sauce is thickened. Makes 6-8 servings.
I also made some fried rice to serve with this. Tasty!

St. Patty's Day popcorn balls

So today was my little pre-schoolers turn to bring snakc and show-n-tell to school. Since next week is St. Patty's day she and I sat down at the computer to browse around and find a green snack! We found a recipe for colored popcorn here . We made them into popcorn balls. When I picked V. up from pre-school, she said her class loved them!

Give them a try!

Krispy Treat Valentines!

Here is a cute Valentine's Day treat~
Make a batch up Kripsy Treats. Press the mixture into a cookie sheet/ bar pan. Butter your hands so the mixture doesn't stick to your hands. Then sprinkle some pink or red sprinkles on the top.

After they have cooled, take a heart shaped cookie cutter and press into the krispies in the pan.

Now you have some little Kripsy Treat hearts!

I wrapped them individually in cling wrap for each child.

Here's my goofy Valentine getting ready to take these to her friends and cousins!

Valentines Day stackers

If you've been following this blog for awhile, you'll know I love to make stackers! I take a 2x2 piece of wood and cut it to different lengths of wood to stack on each other. Here's my Valentines Day stacker~

Hugs 'n' Kisses Block set

Isn't this a cute, little set? This is a set of four blocks that are painted in pink, white and red, with the same colors in vinyl lettering. They measure just under 10 inches wide and just under 7 inches tall.

Buttermilk Sheet Cake

Alright, here's the other recipe I tried today. It turned out really good! My pre-schooler even ate the cake part, and she usually just eats the frosting! I got this out of a ward cookbook from my home ward. This recipe was submitted by my parents neighbor, Lynette.

Buttermilk Sheet Cake

2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
1/2 shortening
1/2 cup butter or margarine

3 tablespoons cocoa
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda

Set together in large bowl the sugar, flour, and salt. Mix water, shortening, butter, and cocoa in saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour over dry ingredients and mix. Add eggs, buttermilk, vanilla, and baking soda. Mix well. Pour into greased 11x15 inch cookie sheet. Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Frosting~
1/2 cup butter or margarine
4 tablespoons cocoa
6 tablespoons milk

1 lb powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped nut { optional}

Bring butter, cocoa, and milk to a boil. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Add nuts, if desired. Spread over cake while warm.
*I thought something tasted just a little off with the frosting. It was still very good, but I think I'll look for a different recipe for the frosting to try next time.

Whole- Wheat Quick Bread

This is another new recipe I tried today. It was....okay. I liked it, but I don't think it'll be a favorite. But that's just me and my family! Give this a try and see how your family likes it! One thing I did like was how easy this was to make. I make homemade wheat bread all the time that takes ALL afternoon to make. So I did like the quickness of this! And like I said, it wasn't bad. Just not really something I would make alot. I will make it once in awhile though. I got this recipe out of "The Essential Mormon Celebrations" cookbook.

Whole-Wheat Quick Bread

1 egg, beaten
2 cups Buttermilk
3 tablespoons molasses or honey {I used the honey}
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder

In a bowl, combine egg, buttermilk, molasses or honey, and butter. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, and baking power. Stir well; add to first mixture and mix well. Pour into a greased loaf pan. Bake at 400 degrees for about 45-50 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool slightly, then turn out of pan onto a wire rack. Slice while warm. Makes 1 loaf.
*I think the baking time was too long, I baked mine for about 42 minutes and it came out almost too dark on top. So next time I'll definitely shorten the baking time. Also, I had a slice of this while warm with Honey Butter. Soooooo good! You should try that! Here's a recipe for the butter out of the same cookbook~

Beehive Honey Butter

1 cup Honey
1 cup Butter, softened
1 teaspoon Vanilla
Combine honey, softened butter and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer on high speed for about 3 minutes until thickened. Put into jars and refrigerate. Keeps up to 4 weeks in refrigerator.
*I loved this Honey Butter! I want to make corn bread now, and scones, and fry bread and just smear it all with this butter. Very good!

Stuffed Peppers

Okay, I realized that I hadn't shared any recipes for awhile. And one of my New Year's resolutions was to try out more new recipes. So, I've got a couple to share with you! This recipe I made last week. My sister-in-law made these last fall during one of her visits to good ole' Idaho. When I asked for the recipe, she couldn't find it. But she found one similar. So I used that as a basis and changed a few things. So, I don't have a very exact recipe for you to follow. I just kinda did things, but it turned out so good I wanted to share with you anyway! So just use this as a guideline and be creative when you make your own!

Stuffed Peppers

4 Red Bell Peppers,{ you can use green, but the red ones are a little sweeter}
1/2 lb. cooked ground beef
1 cup chopped onions
3 cups cooked rice
1/2 teaspoon salt
mushrooms
an 8 oz. bag of Montery Jack cheese

Cook peppers in boiling water for 3 minutes.
Oh, before you do this, wash and slice the top of your peppers. Scoop out the seeds. You can either leave as a whole pepper, or slice in half length wise, which is what I did. You can get more filling piled on them this way!
When peppers are done cooking, drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

If using fresh mushrooms, cook in a pan in a leetle amount of oil. I have no idea how many mushrooms I used. I just used what I had left in my fridge.
Combine ground beef, rice, mushrooms, onions, salt and about 4-5 oz.of the cheese. Just however much you want!
Spoon into peppers and place peppers in a greased baking dish. Bake uncovered at 375 degrees for about 30 min. Top with some more cheese and put back in oven until cheese melts. Enjoy! If you have picky eaters who don't want to try the peppers, the rice mixture is very good by itself!

"Come what may" quote block

Joseph B. Wirthlin was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Once he told a story of how his mother would always say to him," Joseph, Come what may. And love it."
What an inspiring thought!
So I made a block with that quote on it.

I mod podged some scrapbook paper onto the block. Then printed the quote off my computer and mod podged that on as well.