Friday, November 30, 2012

Advent Calendar, Rolled Paper Christmas Tree, and Burlap Ruffle Tree

Today I'm sharing my favorite Christmas crafts from last year.

Advent Calendar made with paint sticks.



My Rolled Paper Christmas Tree.




I never got around to sharing this next one last year. 

Burlap and Muslin Ruffle Tree.

 I got the idea here

  


Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Mint Muddy Buddies

I love Muddy Buddies. I don't make them very often, because I can eat it all myself. I've seen a lot of variations. I've tried the cake batter Muddy Buddies and love them too. I'm not one to experiment too much in the kitchen. I love to bake, but I like to have a recipe to follow. But when I got the idea to try a Mint Muddy Buddy, I figured it was an easy enough recipe to alter.

To me, mint seems like a Christmas flavor. This would make a super quick neighbor gift. There are only three ingredients.  The only thing I would do different is to make a double batch. With six people in our family it didn't last us very long at all.



Mint Muddy Buddies

Mint Muddy Buddies

Yield: 6
Author:
prep time: 15 Mcook time: total time: 15 M
Muddy Buddies with a mint twist.

ingredients:

  • 1 c. mint chocolate chips
  • 5 c. chex
  • 1 c. powdered sugar

instructions:

How to cook Mint Muddy Buddies

  1. Melt the chocolate in the microwave for 1 -2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds until melted.
  2. Pour chocolate over chex mix and stir well.
  3. Place powdered sugar in a large zip top bag. 
  4. Add chex mixture to bag, zip closed and shake until it's all coated with powdered sugar.
Calories
215.32
Fat (grams)
8.72
Sat. Fat (grams)
5.16
Carbs (grams)
38.02
Fiber (grams)
1.71
Net carbs
36.31
Sugar (grams)
34.91
Protein (grams)
1.22
Sodium (milligrams)
3.59
Cholesterol (grams)
0.00
Nutritional information is automatically generated and is not guaranteed to be correct.
Mint Muddy Buddies, Mint Chex mix
Desserts
American
Created using The Recipes Generator

Monday, November 26, 2012

Terrific Tuesdays #43


I took a little break over Thanksgiving, but I have tons of Christmas crafts, goodies and gift ideas to share. The next two weeks {maybe three} will be full of Christmas posts. Then I'm going to take a few weeks off to enjoy Christmastime with my family.




Some of my favorites this week:
Burlap Candy Cane Wreath by Life on Lakeshore Drive
This is gorgeous!! 
 Felt Christmas Ornaments by The D.I.Y Dreamer
Go see all the other fun color combos she made.
Menu Planner by The Thinking Closet
This looks like a great system. I love that the the ingredients for each recipe are on the back of the card.



and 
Now let's see all the terrific things you've been up to.
Here are my guidelines:
1. Link up any projects, crafts, or recipes you have blogged about recently. You can definitely link up several projects. No shops, or link parties please.
2. Comment, comment, comment.  My vision for this link party is not to link and go. Please comment on two other links.
3. I'd love for you to follow my blog.{This is not required, but I’d love for you to take a minute and check it out.} Also if you're so inclined, you can follow me on facebook and pinterest as well.

4. Display my button somewhere on your blog - in the post, the sidebar, or on a party page.
 

Customizable Family Rules Review and Giveaway


I have seen lists of family rules before, but I'm not good enough with the computer to make my own. So when Andrea from Signs by Andrea contacted me about reviewing her new product Customizable Family Rules Artwork Builder, I jumped on it.  Here's the one I made:


Really cool right?!! And guess what? You all have a chance to win your very own customizable family rules.

This was really easy to do. I love that you can customize it using colors that would go well in your own home. You can customize the rules. There is a list of rules to pick from or you can even add your own.  There are 9 different styles. For example, I used Fontabulous.  It was very user friendly.

Here's mine all framed.



With Christmas coming, we are all trying to think of thoughtful and unique gifts. This would be perfect!
 


Wednesday, November 21, 2012

14 Things to Be Thankful For when your Fridge Dies

Saturday at midnight our fridge stopped working.{At least that's when my husband noticed it.} I could write a whole post complaining about it, but in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I thought I'd take a different approach. I've been trying to think positively about the situation. So here is my list of things I am grateful for even though my fridge isn't working:

1. I'm grateful that this has happened before.  This is actually the third time that this has happened in the last 10 years. But I'm glad that we know what part we need and we don't have to pay for an expensive repairman.

2. I'm grateful that we just have to replace a inexpensive part instead of having to buy a new fridge.

3. The internet - Any time of day or night you can order the part you need from the comfort of your own home.

4. A handy-man husband.

5. An extra freezer. We were able to fit almost all of the food from the freezer into our extra freezer in the garage.

6. Coolers. Luckily we have plenty of coolers at our house. It was just a matter of grabbing some ice.

7. Cold weather. We put the coolers on the front porch we have only needed to add ice once. 

8. A kind husband. Since I was asleep when he noticed the fridge wasn't working, he took care of everything, without waking me up.

9. Speedy delivery. The part should be here by the time you all are reading this. YAY!

10. A clean fridge. My fridge has been in need of cleaning for a long time. Now that it's empty, it was way easier to clean.

11. A vacuum. The bottom panel of the fridge is off and it was super dusty. The vacuum made quick work of cleaning it up.

12. Jam. I had frozen tons of raspberries from our yard in order to make some jam later and do it all at once. I had never gotten around to it. Since there wasn't enough room in our extra freezer, we just let them thaw out and I finally made the jam. Some of it will be given as Christmas gifts too, so there's another thing to cross off the to-do list.

13. My other appliances still work! We really have life so easy, don't we? I think back to the days when people had to hand wash their clothes and then hang them up to dry. I am grateful I don't have to keep a fire burning to cook my food.  We recently got a new dishwasher after ours had been broken for at least 6 months. I'm SO glad for the conveniences of life. 

14. Last, but definitely not least, I'm grateful that Thanksgiving is not at my house this year!

There are many more things I am thankful for. This got me started thinking of some of the things I take for granted, but am truly grateful for. It was good for me to write them down. I'll be making another more extensive list over the next few days.

What are you thankful for this year?



Monday, November 19, 2012

Terrific Tuesdays #42



Some of my favorites this week:
Eggnog Bread by Simply Creating Home
I love eggnog, I bet these are really tasty!

Wool Holiday Trees by Creative Passage
These are so cute!!

Triple Layer Peppermint Bark by Domesticity and Doctrine

Now let's see all the terrific things you've been up to.
Here are my guidelines:
1. Link up any projects, crafts, or recipes you have blogged about recently. You can definitely link up several projects. No shops, or link parties please.
2. Comment, comment, comment.  My vision for this link party is not to link and go. Please comment on two other links.
3. I'd love for you to follow my blog.{This is not required, but I’d love for you to take a minute and check it out.} Also if you're so inclined, you can follow me on facebook and pinterest as well.

4. Display my button somewhere on your blog - in the post, the sidebar, or on a party page.

Friday, November 16, 2012

Lemon Meringue Pie

I absolutely love Lemon Meringue Pie! Mostly I like the lemon pudding part. There is just something about the tangy taste of lemon desserts that I just can't get enough of.


Want to make some for yourself? You're in luck because I have a full tutorial. For more pie recipes, visit my best pies page.

Lemon Meringue Pie


This recipe is my mom's.
I make this pie with a homemade mix. So we'll start by making the mix:

 Mix together 2 1/2 c. presweetened lemonaid, 1 c. plus 2 t. cornstarch, 1 1/4 c. sugar, and 1 t. salt.

For each pie, measure out 1 1/4 c. lemon pie mix, add three egg yolks {Save the whites for the meringue} 1/2 c. water.


Mix together.

Add 2 more cups water and mix well.


Cook in the microwave until thickened. I did this in two minute increments, stirring every two minutes. I didn't keep track, but it took at least 10 minutes. Maybe longer. Then add 2 T. butter and stir until melted.


Pour into a cooked pie shell. You can find my tutorial on pie crust using my Grandma's recipe here.


Now it's time for the meringue.

Start with 3 egg whites and add 1/4 t. cream of tartar and 1/2 t. vanilla. Then mix with an electric mixer. Gradually add 6 T. sugar in and beat until stiff peaks form.


Carefully spread over lemon filling. I always create little peaks using a knife, because that's what my mom did.

Bake at 400 for 8-10 minutes until golden.

Let cool completely, then store in the refrigerator.

lemon meringue pie
Enjoy!

More Pie Recipes


More Lemon Recipes









Lemon Meringue Pie

Lemon Meringue Pie

Servings: 8
Author: Rachel Nielsen
Prep time: 1 HourCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 1 H & 20 M
Sweet and tangy lemon meringue pie!

Ingredients

Lemon Pie Mix
  • 2 1/2 c. pre-sweetened lemonade mix
  • 1 c. plus 2 t. cornstarch
  • 1 1/4 c. sugar
  • 1 t. salt
Lemon Filling
  • 1 1/4 c. lemon pie mix
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 1/2 c. water
  • 2 c. water
  • 2 T. butter
Meringue
  • 3 egg whites
  • 1/4 t. cream of tartar
  • 1/2 t. vanilla
  • 6 T. sugar
Pie Crust
  • 2 1/2 c. flour
  • 1 c. shortening
  • 1/2 t. salt
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1/3 c. ice water
  • 1 T. vinegar

Instructions

Lemon Pie Mix
  1. Mix well. 
  2. Store in an airtight container.
  3. Use withing 6-8 months.
Lemon Filling
  1. Mix together pie mix, egg yolks and 1/2 c. water. Then stir in 2 c. water. 
  2. Cook in the microwave until thickened, stirring every 2 minutes. 
  3. Once thickened add butter and stir until melted. 
  4. Pour into a cooked pie crust.
Meringue
  1. Combine egg whites, cream of tartar and vanilla. 
  2. Mix with a mixer, gradually adding sugar.
  3. Beat until stiff peaks form.
  4. Spread over lemon filling.  Bake at 400 for 8-10 minutes until meringue is golden brown.
Pie Crust
  1. Add flour and salt to a bowl.
  2. Cut in shortening.
  3. Add egg, water and vinegar. 
  4. Knead about 10 times and roll out.
  5. Bake at 425 for 8-10 minutes.
  6. This crust recipe makes 3 crusts. Roll out the extra dough and then roll up between layers of wax paper.
  7. Freeze or refrigerate the extra crusts.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

457.10

Fat (grams)

28.07

Sat. Fat (grams)

11.08

Carbs (grams)

49.68

Fiber (grams)

0.30

Net carbs

49.38

Sugar (grams)

40.83

Protein (grams)

2.44

Sodium (milligrams)

319.82

Cholesterol (grams)

87.88

Nutritional information is automatically generated and is not guaranteed to be correct.

lemon meringue pie, lemon meringue pie recipe
Desserts, Pie, Lemon
American

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Covering a Briefcase with Fabric - a Makeover



 I have been loving the suitcase decor I have been seeing lately. So when I found a few briefcases at a yard sale for only a dollar each, I grabbed them. One I left as is and the other I covered with fabric.

Here's a the best before picture I have: You can see it was a maroon color. I spray painted the handle first.


I don't really have a tutorial on how to do this. I got some fabric mod podge and started painting it on the briefcase in the center. Then I added the fabric and smoothed it on. Then continued working on another section. I used two pieces of fabric, one for the top and one for the bottom of the briefcase. I folded the fabric kind of like you would a present, when I did the sides. I had to make a few cuts for the latches. I make an x and then folded the fabric under.



So here's my "new" briefcase decor. The bottom one is the maroon briefcase covered in fabric. The middle one I just left as is. The top piece is actually a silverware case that I got for a quarter and spray painted to match the handle of the briefcase. I have them placed by the piano and I'm using them to store piano music.


What do you think? Do you like the fabric?

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Chest/Bench Makeover - Stenciling on Fabric


This post has been a LONG time coming. This has been one of those projects that I couldn't get motivated to finish.

Here's what the bench originally looked like:

I got super excited in the spring when the yard sales started. I think I bought four or five pieces of furniture to refinish. I was so excited to get this little chest/bench for only $5.

I got right to work and repainted it to match my Game Cabinet, using leftover paint from when we finished the basement. {yes, I did it on my kitchen table. I use that old vinyl tablecloth for all sorts of projects}

 I added the stenciling.

 Then I thought I'd antique it. Big mistake, it just made it look dirty and while sometimes that is what you're going for, I didn't like how it turned out. {I didn't get a picture of this unfortunate step} Even my husband, who usually just keeps his mouth shut, commented that he liked it better before. So I did another coat of the light green and re-stenciled it.Then I sanded down the edges just a bit, to let some of the white paint show through.


 Then it sat... and sat... and sat.
 
 The problem was that there had been a spill on the cushion that had gotten all nasty and had to be replaced. At first I looked at Joanne's and the foam they have there is $60/yard. And it's not very thick. If you know me at all, you will know that I will not spend that much money. Especially when it's to fix up a $5 bench! So while I was trying to figure out what to do, it sat there... in my front room... for months! Seriously, I bought the thing in May, painted it right away  but it didn't get finished until November 1st. All of my kids had birthdays during this time and their birthday presents got stacked on it. So it's in all the birthday pictures and everything.

I thought about just painting the top and not having a cushion, but the lid was warped. Finally we bought some particle board shelving for $15 {which you can see in the above picture too}, which we used for the game cabinet shelves and also for a new lid. I still was not to keen on the idea of painting the lid, but had almost talked myself into it when we were at Home Depot and they had foam mattress pads there. They were only $20 for a twin sized piece. Still more than I wanted to spend, but WAY better than $60. I measured and drew a line where I needed to cut and used a bread knife to cut it.

Another problem I was having was finding a coordinating fabric. After spending hours at the fabric store, I could only find one bolt of fabric that matched, but I didn't really like it. Then it finally hit me.... Just stencil the fabric to match. Once I had that idea it was a simple matter of grabbing some cream colored duck canvas.


 I stapled the canvas to the lid, then stenciled after it was in place. I knew that I wouldn't get it centered if I stenciled it first. I will not attempt to instruct you on upholstering. This was my first attempt and I'm happy with it, but there are so many others who know what they are doing when it comes to upholstery and I'm not one of them:) I did do a test stencil on a small piece of the fabric. The paint did not go through the fabric at all. I'm sure on a light weight fabric it would, but the duck canvas was perfect for stenciling.

So here it is: the $5 dollar chest that ended up costing me $45 and took WAY too long to complete.
Maybe it was worth the wait, because I'm absolutely loving it. I bought it to store blankets. When we watch movies we can grab a blanket to snuggle up in when it's cold. I had a hard time taking it downstairs, because I really liked how it looked upstairs along the stair railing. Maybe next spring I can find another one to keep upstairs.




What do you think? Have you stenciled fabric before? Try these Easy Stenciled Bags!

You may also like:













Thrift Store "Card Catalog" Dresser Makeover




Monday, November 12, 2012

Terrific Tuesdays #41



Some of my favorites this week:

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Pecan Caramel Glaze by Something Sweet
Doesn't this look so yummy?!

Stamped Tile Coasters by Crafty Journal
These would make a great and inexpensive gift!

Check out these amazing statement stairs by Amy Allender




Now let's see all the terrific things you've been up to.
Here are my guidelines:
1. Link up any projects, crafts, or recipes you have blogged about recently. You can definitely link up several projects. No shops, or link parties please.
2. Comment, comment, comment.  My vision for this link party is not to link and go. Please comment on two other links.
3. I'd love for you to follow my blog.{This is not required, but I’d love for you to take a minute and check it out.} Also if you're so inclined, you can follow me on facebook and pinterest as well.

4. Display my button somewhere on your blog - in the post, the sidebar, or on a party page.



Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Embroidery Thread Book - Tutorial

How do you store your embroidery thread? For years, mine has been jumbled all together in a plastic bag. When I was a kid my mom had this red book type holder that had zip top bags to hold the different thread. I've had it in my mind forever to make one for myself. Finally I did it and it only took about an hour to make and didn't cost me anything, since I had everything on hand. Why do I put these things off for so long?

Here's how mine turned out:


Want to make your own embroidery floss book?

You will need:
2 pieces fabric 8 1/2" X 18 1/2"
1 pieces fabric 2" X 6 1/2"
1 piece thin batting 8 1/2" X 18 1/2"{I used warm and natural type batting}
button
12 ziptop bags


Monday, November 5, 2012

Terrific Tuesday #40



Some of my favorites this week:
Thanksgiving Owl Decor and Activity by Life on Lakeshore Drive
 This is SO dang cute!
Pull Apart Pumpkin Bread by Naptime Creations
This looks delicious! I've not made any fall desserts yet this year. Time to fix that. This will do the trick.
Homemade Gumdrops by Chocolate, Chocolate and more




Here's what I shared this week:
October Book Reviews
and
Jewelry Box Makeover


Now let's see all the terrific things you've been up to.
Here are my guidelines:
1. Link up any projects, crafts, or recipes you have blogged about recently. You can definitely link up several projects. No shops, or link parties please.
2. Comment, comment, comment.  My vision for this link party is not to link and go. Please comment on two other links.
3. I'd love for you to follow my blog.{This is not required, but I’d love for you to take a minute and check it out.} Also if you're so inclined, you can follow me on facebook and pinterest as well.

4. Display my button somewhere on your blog - in the post, the sidebar, or on a party page.