Tuesday Tutorial: Christmas Wreath

I have a confession: I love wreaths! I probably have 3 or 4 at least for each season that I do wreaths. They are my favorite! I especially love Christmas wreaths, but I could do without the pricey price tag. This year I decided that I would make all of my wreaths to avoid breaking the bank, and I am actually very pleased with how they turned out. The one I am showing you today cost a little under $15. When I was shopping at a local craft fair one similarly decorated and the same size was about $40. I was very pleased mine didn't cost that much! :)

Here are the supplies you will need:



Wreath (mine was $3 on sale at Walmart)
Glue Gun
Assorted decorations (the ones I used are listed below):
3 poinsettia clips
1 Merry Christmas Decoration
4 sprigs of colored branches
1 pack of snow flake decorations
1 pack of stocking decorations

First I clipped each poinsettia onto the wreath. Once I had it positioned where I wanted it I glued around the clip to secure it.



Next I glued the Merry Christmas decorations together then attached them to the middle of the wreath as shown below.


I then to the colored branch decorations and played around with them to see where I wanted them positioned. I ended up putting one on each side of the flowers on top and bottom. I wove them into the wreath and then secured again with the glue gun.



Lastly I placed all the little ornaments on the wreath and once I had them placed where I wanted them I secured them down with the glue gun.

The finished product.

If you have any other cheap creative ideas for wreaths please leave a comment. I would love to feature your wreath on here also! :) Have a great day!

Manic Monday: Christmas Decorating

Hello all!

I am sorry it took me so long to get my post up this morning, but I had a dentist appointment so I got deterred. Anyway, I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and I hope none of you got trampled on Black Friday. I had a wonderful weekend and opted out of Black Friday by shopping online. :)

For the date idea tonight I am going to rope my husband into decorating with me. Once again here in Laramie it is super cold so I am going to do a warm dinner and then turn on the Christmas music and let the decorating begin. Some of our decorating is done, so if we have time (ok, lets not lie here, if my HUSBAND has time since this is the last week of school) maybe we will watch a movie. I also plan on making him some homemade hot cocoa so that he can stay awake while studying. Pretty simple idea this week!

Ok, now I have a favor to ask. I want EVERYONE who reads today to leave me their favorite Christmas movie.

Have a great week!

Project Mom Week 2

Happy Black Friday! I hope you all have a great day shopping if you so choose to battle the crowds. I chose to do mine online and only have one person left to shop for! :) If you are still wanting to complete the project for the prize leave at least one comment concerning last weeks post and what you have discovered.This week we will be going over things we don't like.

Wasn't it wonderful to rediscover things about yourself last week? Some of my 15 minute breaks included a bubble bath, reading a book, enjoying an episode of George Lopez. It was so refreshing to take a break and do something I enjoyed!

Along with things we do like it is important to know what we don't. For example I have always loathed folding laundry and onions. There are some things we do not like, such as folding laundry, that have to be done no matter what though so we have to find ways to make doing those things more enjoyable. As for onions, there are some things we don't like that we can choose to avoid or alter. The hard part is not finding ways to deal with these 'unlikeables'.

This week there are 2 lists I want you to make (yes, I know I am big on lists, but that will be explained in week 5). The lists I want you to make are the following:

1. What are 10 things you dislike that are negotiable (i.e. onions)

2. What are 10 things you dislike that are non-negotiable (i.e, folding laundry, paying bills, changing diapers)

The big difference between the two lists is things you can change (I can choose not to put onions in my food) and the other list is things you really can't (you have to pay bills).

Once you have made your lists evaluate them. Why do you dislike the things on your lists? I suggest you journal about it if you have a notebook. Now, make a quick list (in your head even) of a few things you like to do again. Why do you like to do those things you thought of? I personally found that most of the things on my 'like' list were things I had fun doing.

Now compare the lists. On my dislikes list were mainly things that weren't fun. Now, my mom used to tell me "things are what you make them." This always made me roll my eyes, but I am beginning to believe it has some truth to it.

As a Mom I have definitely realized there is a lot I don't like to do. At the same time I am beginning to realize that if I change my attitude some things aren't as bad as I originally believe them to be. I know we can't change everything and that somethings we may never find enjoyable, but I still have the power to choose to be pleasant while doing the these things.

Look at your dislike lists again. What do you have the power to change? I bet once you get to looking at your lists you might be surprised. For example, changing my boys' diapers is not a choice I have, but I can choose to make it fun or make everyone miserable doing it. For example, to make diaper changing fun, I sometimes chase the boys down and tickle them. This makes them happy and more cooperative. It may take longer but everyone comes out smiling.

We are so powerful ladies! We can change the way we see ourselves by changing the way we view our lives. This week I want you to do one thing. At least once a day I want you to take something you don't like and make it fun! Empower yourself by choosing to create your own fun!

Have a great week! PLEASE remember that if you are participating for the prize you NEED to comment with your results!

Come What May and LOVE it! :)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

For today's Wild Card I just want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you are all able to take time today to reflect on all you are thankful for! I have been so blessed this past year and would not even know where to begin. The Lord has truly blessed me with an amazing family that I love so much!

"The secret to having it all is knowing you already do!"

May you have a truly blessed Thanksgiving!

Warm Wednesday

Hello all!

Sorry this post is late, but I totally spaced it! I stayed up too late last night talking and slept in this morning. We hid all day from the cold and it was just a nice relaxing day. Anyway, today I am posting my new favorite cookie recipe. Pumpkin cookies! I absolutely love them! I have tried many recipes and most of them take sooo much time. I wanted a good recipe that didn't take forever so when I found this one I was excited! If you try it out let me know how you liked it, it is my favorite.

Pumpkin cookies
1 small can pumpkin
1 spice cake mix

Blend together and add 1 cup chocolate chips. Bake @ 350 for 8-10 minutes.

They are super amazing and delicious!

Enjoy!

Tutorial Tuesday: Jeans refashioned

Drum roll please. My first refashion tutorial! I am so excited to show you my little project this morning. I have a lot of jeans that have holes here and there and I really didn't want to just throw them away, (I have an emotional attachment to my clothes) so using 3 pairs of old jeans I made 2 skirts and a purse (tutorial to come). They are way cute and I love that I was able to control the length. I always think the jeans skirts I see are too long or WAY too short, so it was nice to be in control.

In order to make the skirt you will need the following:
2 pairs of old jeans ( This will do 1 1/2 skirts)
Scissors
Sewing Machine
Thread
Pins

I started with this:

an old scruddy pair of jeans

I cut up the seam in the middle on both sides like this:


Then, I cut off the jeans straight across at the length I wanted the skirt, this is now the main part of the skirt.


Then I cut the leg (front and back) out of the other pair of jeans. I pinned it together and sewed it like this:


After the front and back pieces of the leg were sewn together I pinned it (inside out) to my skirt piece as shown below.

I then sewed the 2 pieces together using a zig zag stitch. There will be an edge of material on the outside but this is good. It will fray in the dryer which will give it a fringy edge. I think it really adds to the skirt.


Now repeat cutting out the pant leg, front and back, but this time sew it to the back of the skirt like this:


You are finished! Enjoy! I got so many comments about my skirt at church. It is so nice to have a cute jean skirt that I was able to customize. If you try this out, PLEASE POST YOUR RESULTS.

Have a GREAT day!

Manic Mondays

Good morning! :)

This week I am going to redo the blog and come up with a 'schedule'.

Mondays are usually pretty crazy so they will now be Manic Mondays. I think that this is a perfect day to reassess my past week and a great time to set goals for the coming week. Currently I am running my Project Mom on Fridays, but once that is complete I will be dedicating Mondays to 'mom' projects. For the next few weeks though I will be trading Monday and Fridays.

Tuesday is going to be Tutorial Tuesday. My hope is that every Tuesday I will have a simple tutorial for you. My goal is to keep my tutorials simple and easy. I want to do fun projects that don't require a lot of time or a ton of money. This week I will be featuring my jean skirts! :)

Wednesdays will now be Warm Wednesdays. Once a week I like to make a bread or cookies for my family. I love warm baked goods and from now on will be posting a recipe on Wednesday. Most of the time my goal is to make really good food that doesn't require hours in the kitchen. Please feel free to share your own recipes on this day and also if there is something you would like to learn how to make or want a good recipe please let me know!

Thursdays will be my Wild card. I may post a tutorial, recipe, or post an open questions blog. Hopefully, when my blog is more read I will make this a link party. :)

Friday will now be Fabulous Friday. This day will be dedicated inspirational dating. ;) I am married so a lot of them will be geared towards couples, but if you are single you can always tweak them according to your situation. A lot of times Travis and I struggle to find something to do besides the usual going to a movie so this is definitely going to be a thinking-outside-the-box type of experience. Also, it is not always easy to find a babysitter so a lot of the date ideas will be centered around doing crazy fun things at home. Feel free to share your ideas on this day also and please post comments.

Ok, now that that is all laid out here is my creative date (or family activity) for this week:

Board game Olympics:

It is super cold and snowy today where I live so we are going to be hosting an indoor Olympics. You can choose whether or not to have your children participate since it is a Monday (FHE) or you can do it another day. We are going to make it family friendly tonight. :)

A strong athlete can not perform well on an empty stomach so I am making crock pot soup and some breadsticks so that we can 'warm-up' properly.

Next, I have compiled some fun games for us to play. In my list is Candyland, twister, Simon Says, and sock tag. Based on the age of your kids or what you and your husband like you can pick whatever games you like.

Then I created a station for each game. The winner of each station will get a prize (something simple like a piece of candy or something from the dollar store will work). I even have a stool set up for the winner to stand on for the 'award ceremony'.

Since everyone is a winner I have made little goodie bags with hot cocoa and a little treat.

I hope you will enjoy and have a fun evening. If you do this I would love to hear how your Olympics went. :)

Have a GREAT Monday!

Project Mom Commences

I was going to start Project Mom on Monday, but then I realized that 7 weeks from today, exactly, we would be moving, so from here until we move Fridays will be dedicated to Project Mom. If you are interested in participating please leave me a comment. Each person who participates and LEAVES A COMMENT each week with their progress will receive a handcrafted prize. (Please note that if you do not see this the first week you can still join in and receive a prize at the end.) There is always strength in numbers. :) I strongly believe in the MOPS saying "Friends don't let friends mother alone." I hope that as I embark upon this journey, as well as though of you who so choose to participate, that I will become a stronger more knowledgeable person. Here we go.

I found a note book I got on sale and spruced it up a little. It will be my go to notebook and the place where I store all my info from this project. If you are seriously interested in Project Mom I suggest you do something similar. :)



Preface-
This project has become my new baby. I realized the other day how badly I had lost myself. I no longer knew who I was and it bothered me. I really didn't like who I was becoming and hated feeling like my old self was forgotten so I began to create my 'Recovery' program. I picked 7 weeks for the program because that is how long I had until my big move. I felt that it would be a good idea to have myself back when I moved so here we go.

Each week will include advice, sayings, hopefully your comments, and of course little projects that I hope will help each of us get back on track and feel more comfortable in our own skin. Now, this may not always be an easy process, but I feel that it will be worth it. I hope that by taking care of myself I will be better able to take care of my family and friends as well. Who's with me?

Week 1: Rediscovering ME
The first problem I needed to solve was to find out who I was. I was thinking this would be fairly easy, but it wasn't. I kept putting my family and friends into my answers, so I had to try a few times to get my own personal answers. In order to unearth myself I decided to create the following lists:

10 things I enjoyed doing as a kid (feel free to expand more if you feel so inclined)
A Bucket List of @ least 10 things (bucket list= things I want to do before I die)
The 10 things that are most important to me
3 goals: (one weekly, one monthly, and one annual)

Each of these lists helped reveal a special discovery. Each, helped me rediscover a piece of me. After you create these lists hopefully you will begin to have a better idea of who you are.

Aside from the lists this week, there is one other thing I would ask you to do. Take 15 minutes (at least!) EVERY day to do something you enjoy. For example some things on my list are a bubble bath, drink hot cocoa, go to a volleyball game, watch a favorite tv show. Just do something, anything! Good luck and I hope to see some of your findings and or discoveries next week!

Confession

So, I have a confession to make. I totally crashed and burned yesterday.

Yesterday my husband told me that we could have a date night and I was super excited. I decided to do a date night in, make him some of his favorite snacks give him a foot rub and go all out. I got everything planned and decorated only it, well it was a total flop. The kids didn't want to go down, he was super tired, and I just wanted to cry. I felt like the whole day was wasted. I went into blog oblivion and didn't want to post my failed project.

Today I sat stewing about a project I could do and I felt zero motivation. I felt like, after last night's failure, I was out of the ideas of love mood. I began to go to an ugly place and realized that the only thing I needed to change was my attitude, and a lightbulb went on. I had been showing friends, family, neighbors, strangers love but not myself. I had been trying so hard to take care of everyone else that I failed to acknowledge that I needed to be taken care of too. I know you are probably thinking 'well that's not a project,' but in all reality it is. It is probably the most important project we have and probably the one a lost of us don't pay much attention to.

Once I realized that I needed to show myself some love I felt a little better. I talked to a friend about this also and she pointed out that it is not at all selfish to take care of ourselves also. If we don't take care of us then it is a lot harder to be inspired to fulfill and meet others needs.

That being discovered I decided to start a journal and what I like to call Project Mom. I will be posting more details later and from now on will be posting once a week on showing ourselves love.

A big thank you to all my wonderful MOPS friends who cried with me and shared some wonderful moments today. Tomorrow I will be back with the regular post, but now I am off to enjoy a bubble bath and RELAX! May God bless each and everyone of you and may you be able to see those blessings in your life!

Project: Children

Today's project focuses on my children. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be a mother. I love my children very much!

This past week I made a thankful poster listing why I loved Travis (shown below). Ethan, my oldest loved it and kept pointing to it and wanted me to read it to him. This sparked my creativity. I decided I would do a similar project for him and Joshua and post it in their playroom.


Here is what you will need:
Poster board (I believe mine is 11x13)
Markers
Your Child :)

First I traced each child's head and shoulder shape onto the poster board with a black marker. Then, I wrote: _________ is special because... and I listed the letters of their name. For each letter I put in a word. When I was finished I put 'Mom loves you' on the poster somewhere. I then hung them in the playroom. Ethan loves it and points to it and make me read it over and over.


I always feel the need to do big extravagant things to show my love and concern for others, but today my two year old helped me realize that the small things are of great worth too. Sometimes I think I focus so much on the big that I forget to do the little things to show my kids I love them. Thank you Ethan for today's 'life' lesson. I love my boys so much! Have a great day and PLEASE take time to enjoy the little things!

P.S. Leave me some love (aka comments). I would like to know what you think of my projects or if you have tried them out. Also, are there any specific things you would like to learn or see? I would love your input! Thx!

Project: Love

A couple of days ago I was reflecting on some of the things I am most thankful for in my life. One of the first things that came to my mind was my awesome hubby. I love you Trav! That being said I decided to show that love and appreciation this week by tailoring my projects this week to the fact that I love my husband and boys. So, this week most of my projects will be things I am doing to show my family how special they really are to me!

Today's project is a simple but very fun one. There are many different versions, this one is mine. It is called a 'love' jar. Here is what you will need:

Any glass or plastic jar. (I used a Miracle Whip Jar)
Decorative paper to cover the jar
Cardstock for the lettering (I cheated and used my Cricut)
Glue or some sort of adhesive
Spare change

First I cut out the wording: Not you average change jar! with my Cricut.

Next, I glued the paper onto my jar and jar lid and then glued the lettering onto that paper.



Voila! It's done. Now comes the fun part. You can use this jar to show your loved one you love them in many ways. For ours, every time we get a kiss or a hug or whatever.... ;) we put change in the jar (.01= hug, .05= kiss, etc,etc.) . When the jar is full you can take it to a change counting machine and cash it in to pay for a date. Just think what you could do with all that change. For me and my hubby this is kind of a good way to measure and remind us to make sure we get those hugs and kisses in and it is also a reminder of the love we share!

Have a good day!

Sick, Sick, Sick

Good Monday Morning! :)

I have to apologize for my absence last week. I have had sick kids and have been super sick myself so I have not been able to post. I have a dentist appointment this morning but will be back up with the posts again this afternoon! Have a great day!

Let it Snow!

One of my absolute favorite things about Thanksgiving time is that the weather gets cold enough for hot drinks in the morning. I had a really cute craft for today but it snowed so I could not resist posting my favorite hot drink mix: hot chocolate! This is probably similar to some you have seen but this is one I really enjoy making.

Hot Chocolate
1 Tbsp. Cocoa
2 Tbsp. Sugar
2 Tbsp. Water
1 cup Milk
1 stick Cinnamon
1 tsp. Vanilla

In a saucepan I add the cocoa, sugar and water. Stir constantly or you will get clumps of hot chocolate. Once this is mixed well I add the milk and vanilla. Bring to a boil. In the meantime get out your mug and put a cinnamon stick at the bottom. Once the mixture has come to a boil I pour it into the mug over the cinnamon stick. I like to let my hot cocoa sit for 5 minutes so the cinnamon can mix with the hot cocoa. Enjoy! I hope you all have a beautiful day also!

Project 7

Happy soon to be Monday!

Today's project is one of my favorite things to do during the Fall. I have to admit its a little bit of an obsession. :) I LOVE making soups! It is not a craft project, but it is fun to do nonetheless. This past week I had some amazing chili at a Relief Society so I decided I needed to make my own. I have a problem with super spicy food and my husband doesn't like spicy food so I decided to make a milder version. It turned out amazing and was just the right amount of spicy. Here's the recipe:

4 cups water
2 cups beef broth
1 cup bbq sauce
1 pound cooked hamburger
1 can chili beans drained
1 can pinto beans drained
1 can kidney beans drained
1 can diced tomatoes
1 cup frozen corn
2 tbsp. dried onion
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. chili powder

Add all of this to the crock pot, stir and turn on. In about 3 hours (cooked on high) we had some AMAZING chili. I hope you enjoy!

Project 5: Matchbox Countdown

Yesterday at our Relief Society Activity we made these. They are SUPER cute and fun to make. You could do this Countdown for Halloween or Thanksgiving also (or whatever you are counting down to).

The supplies you need are the following:




1 cookie sheet (I suggest you get one at the dollar store so you do not have to use one you cook with)
1 piece of ribbon
24 small match boxes
Christmas letters
numbers from 1-24
1 2x6 inch strip of Holiday appropriate paper
24 2x1 inch strips of Holiday papers
24 21/2 by 4 inch strips of paper bag strips
Magnet strip cut into 24 pieces (self-adhesive)
Crafters Glue (or Elmers)
Glass Bottle with lid (for matches so this MUST be glass)
Hot glue/glue gun OR
Metal punch

To assemble:

1. Empty all of the matches into a glass jar with a lid.

2. With your glue attach one paper bag strip to each match box as shown.




3. Peel off the back of each magnetic strip and attach one to each match box



4. Glue a 2x1 inch strip of paper to the front of each match box. (You can do different shapes, sizes, this was just the quickes/easiest.)



5. Glue each number to to a match box. Depending on the cookie sheet you can do them vertical or horizontal. I did both.

6. Next I glued my Christmas letters to the 2x6 inch strip of paper. Then adhere to the cookie sheet.



7. Now you will need to add the Ribbon to hang the cookie sheet by. You don't have to do this but I think it is nice to hang. You can do this by using a metal punch or using a hot glue gun. I personally would use the metal punch because I don't know how well the glue would hold up.

8. Lastly you can add the candy to the little match boxes. Just slide the box out and put in your favorite little hershey bars or tootsie rolls.

Enjoy! Have a GREAT weekend! I plan on heading out to enjoy a picnic in this nice fall weather! :)

Project 4: Cinnamon Rolls

So, some people may think I am crazy, but I offered to make cinnamon rolls for a Relief Society Activity. The crazy part is I made 6 dozen! I know this is not really a 'craft', but it was definitely a project! :) Below is the recipe and the yummy results!

Cinnamon Rolls
Sherry Robertson (this is from our family cookbook)

Combine: 2 1/4 cups hot water
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1 stick margarine

Add to above:
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup dry potato flakes (potato pearls also work but make sure your water is HOT!)

Add one at a time and mix:
4 cups flour
2 eggs
2 Tbsp. yeast



Mix for approximately 4 minutes with blender or mixer (I use my KitechenAid because this dough is VERY thick!) Add 3-4 more cups of flour, the dough will be a little sticky. Allow to rise 'til doubled, about one hour. Divide the dough in half. Roll out to 1/2 inch thickness. Spread with melted or softened margarine. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar mixture (2Tbsp. cinnamon and 1/2 cup sugar). Roll up, cut into 1 inch (or bigger) slices. Place on a cookie sheet. Allow it to raise for 1 hor. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes (since I live in Laramie <7220> it took almost 20 minutes). Yields 18-24 Large rolls



There is a different frosting recipe, but I am a sucker for cream cheese so I went with my favorite (a little bit adjusted) recipe.


Cream Cheese Frosting
1 stick margarine
1 80z. package cream cheese
1 tsp. vanilla

Blend all ingredients together in a mixer.

So yummy! :)

Project 3: Fall pillows

This idea actually came from a few different ideas. Some of my favorite blogs such as I am Momma Hear Me Roar, and Tatertots and Jello have posted something similar. I thought this was an awesome idea but I had to modify it a little.

I had some really nice couch pillows, but thanks to my darling children the covers were getting a little too worn out. I didn't want to break the bank and spend $10 on each new pillow so I used some old sweaters to make pillow covers. I got mine at Salvation Army for $1 each, but you can use some of your own or whatever suits your fancy. :)

First I turned the sweaters inside out and cut them up the sides and right underneath where the arms attach. (Sorry no pic on this step, I am just learning.)

Next, I pinned my two pieces of fabric together inside out.

I sewed around 3 sides and part of the 4th as shown in the picture. Then, I stuffed my old pillow into the cover. Once I had it fluffed and positioned where I wanted I sewed the gap shut with a hand stitch.


This is the finished project. Super easy! Plus, when it gets ruined or when the seasons change I can easily cut my hand stitch and switch it out. I love projects that I can do in less than 30 minutes (especially since my 10 month old doesn't take long naps =) ).

Crab Alfredo

Normally I do not post twice in one day, but I had to brag! I just made the yummiest crab alfredo ever! I got the recipe from cooks.com and have posted the link below.

http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1855,140166-232207,00.html



I just added crab to mine and used minced garlic instead of powder. I also added a touch of parsley. It was amazing served over fettucine.

I have the pickiest 2 year old and he rarely eats anything. He wolfed this down and was asking for more. This made me very happy! The proof is in the picture below. Sooo yummy and soo easy to make! ENJOY!

Thanksgiving Countdown!

Hello all!

I am going to do a series of project posts that will countdown to Thanksgiving. Seeing how I missed yesterday I will post 2 today. These projects are simple and easy and are meant to be done without a lot of work. Here we go!

25 days til Thanksgiving

Project 1: Thankful Tree


I have seen several versions of this and this is my take on it. I got a glass vase at the Dollar store along with some river rocks. I found a dead tree branch that looked like a tree and placed it in the vase and filled it with rocks.

I found a leaf template online and printed it off and cut them out. I paper hole punched the bottom of each leaf so I could tie the yarn on them to hang them from the tree.

Every day my family and I write down one thing we are thankful for (until Thanksgiving) and we write it on our leaf and attach it to the tree.

Super easy and fun! The picture is what ours looks like so far.


Project 2: Thanksgiving Pumpkin

My son got this pumpkin Trick or Treating and it was too cute to throw away so I decided to recycle it. I like to create projects without having to buy a lot of stuff so I came up with this.


I free-handed the body and leaves out of card stock and then cut them out. I glued the body and feathers to shishkabob sticks that I had cut off. Since they are pointy on one end they worked really well.

After the glue had dried I used a hammer to tap in the sticks in the positions I wanted them. I made 7 feathers to go with my saying, but you can use however many you want! :)

I free-handed the lettering and wrote the saying, "Thankful seven days a week" onto the pumpkin with a permanent marker. I was really pleased with the final project. It is so cute and my son loves it! :)