Christmas gifts

Footie Jammies

I don't know if your kids pj's started to look like this???? 

I have two boys and we are going through pjs so fast. The boys of the footie jammies are fine but the feet are full of holes. My kids live for footie Jammies because they hate to have cold feet. Well on out tight budget I decided to fix the jammies!

I had an old pair of jeans that I need to throw way so I grabbed those and went to work....

 My boys were so excited to have no holes. My oldest even brought out the rest of his pjs for me to fix. It only took me 15 minutes to do. (Which is great time since I really have never sewed)

I hope this help someone out there with a tight wallet!

Homemade laundry detergent close to a penny per load!

So this is supposedly a penny a load when all is said and done.. It sure makes a lot and you hardly need any. It smells super yummy too my whole house smells great when I use it. 

All of this can be Boughy at Walmart for around 23 bucks. It makes like 3/4 of a 5 gallon bucket. Put all ingredients in the 5 gallon bucket OR if you can it mix it in a storage been it makes mixing it all really easy. I used the small side of a cheese grater to shred up the fels naptha ....or if you have a good enough food processor cut it into chunks and throw it in there. I like the shreds better but its a bit time consuming. Mix all together and enjoy! I use the plastic containers from the purex crystals to store it plus the lid is a great size for measuring for each load. You only need to fill the lid about 3/4 full. Let me know what you guys think!

1 (4lb 12 oz) box of borax

1 (3 pounds 7 ounces) box of Arm and Hammer super washing soda

1 (3 lb) container of oxy clean

4 bars of Fels naptha soap

1 (4 lb) box of Arm and Hammer baking soda

2 (55 oz) containers of purex crystals....I like lavender scent best!

Sour Cherry Pie

My neighbor had a tree full of sour cherries. I had a chance to go over and pick a bunch! My kids were so excited to eat them but found out that they were "grossly" sour. Ha it was a hoot! I was planning on making a pie from point one.
My mom has a pie crust that she has used it always but I wanted to try something different and I am so glad I did it was amazing! My neighbor gave me her pie filling recipe it was amazing (I may add 1/4 more sugar cause my boys still thought it was too sour)
To make it pretty I took cookie cutters and made the stars to make it pretty! My boys loved helping me with that part!   ~~~ Enjoy!

Filling:

4cups pitted sour cherries
1 cup sugar
5 Tbsp tapioca 
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4  tsp almond extract
1/4 tsp vanilla 
1 pinch salt
2 Tbsp butter diced up


Pie Crust:

This is where I found the pie crust recipce it was amazing and super easy!   http://www.danamadeit.com/2011/12/day-3-never-fail-pie-crust.html

Never Fail Pie Crust

(makes 4 single crusts)

4 cups flour
1 Tbl sugar
1 Tbl salt
1 3/4 cup vegetable shortening (non trans fat, such as Crisco or other). You can substitute butter or a mixture of both. Shortening makes the crust a bit more flaky and is easier to work with.

1 Tbl vinegar
1 egg
1/2 cup water

Mix flour, sugar, and salt. Cut-in the shortening with a fork or cutting tool (or you could give it a whirl in your food processor for a bit).

In a separate bowl mix vinegar, egg, and water. Add it to the flour mixture, stirring with a fork until moistened. Use your hands to mold into 4 equal balls. The dough may be frozen and thawed for future use.

When ready to bake a pie, flour your surface and roll the crust starting from the middle and moving out, till it’s about 2 inches larger than the size of your pie dish. Remember when working with pastries to handle it as little as possible so the gluten doesn’t become overworked and tough.

Gently roll your dough into a loose log or around your rolling pin (this is the easiest way I’ve found to transfer it into the pie pan). Lay it in the pan, unroll the crust, and gently fit it in-place–don’t pull or tug on the crust. Use a knife to trim the uneven edges, leaving about a 1-inch overhang. Tuck the overhang under on the edge of your pan. Then use your fingers to pinch the edges for a decorative finish.
And you have a beautiful pie shell ready to bake!

Weighted Sensory blankets

When Noah was a baby there was NO getting him to sleep without a very very tight swaddle. In fact we swaddled him all the way past 1 year to get him to sleep. Once we started therapy for his autism spectrum disorder they told us that was common for kids with autism and that he  would benefit from a wieghted blanket. My mom bought the stuff for me to make his weighted blanket over a year ago and I just haven't gotten around to it. Well here we are he is 2 and a half and we are back to him never being able to get himself calmed enough to sleep. He rocks and rocks and rocks. So I figured I would buckle down and get it done . I brought the stuff to make Livy one too.

It was very simple.  About 1.25 yards of fabric for each side....plus a 5 yard by 2 inch strip for binding, and however many pounds of plastic pellets you desire. Do not use beans....they aren't washable and once they get damp they will get moldy. You can by a brand called poly pellets.....but I found the cheapest surprisingly was a generic brand at Michaels for doll making. It cost me 30$ for livy's verses 70 for Noah's when we bought the brand name kind. It took me about 3 hours per blanket. 

You sew three sides together around the edges.   Then sew vetical columns in between those. Then put the poly pellets in each column and sew across.   And repeat. I did a 1/4  cup of pellets in each 4x4 square ....the finished blankets are about 7.5 pounds.... They should be about 10-15% of your child's weight. I went a little heavier so they could use them longer. They are by no means professional looking but so far the kids LOVE them and are already dragging them all around the house. We will see if it helps tonight at bedtime!

I know one thing for sure.. IMA sew me one I love them myself its very comforting to have on!

A little princess fun

Just had some fun today with a simple inside out braid.

Bachelorette Party

I had the chance to throw my girlfriend a bachelorette party! I had a blast. I kept it simple for a couple of reasons on budget and number of people that came. 

Here is the invite that I sent out... It turned out so cute!

 

Yes we went pole dancing and it was a blast. I loved it if the bride and friend are up for it go! you will love it... I did and I was the fat girl in the back laughing at myself :)

At the park we had some food and games and advice

 ADVICE: First off I had everyone write a couple words of advice and had them pose with a fun prop. This was cheap and so fun to look back and see in years to come :)

 FOOD: I had a whole bunch of food, sadly people who said they were coming didn't show so I had a ton of extra food... 

these are two different sandwichs. 1st is a pinwheel tortialla with ham or turkey 2nd is a tuna roll. I think I enjoyed the pinwheels the best. These are both so easy to make. 

 Fruit bobs just used pineapple, watermelon, strawberries and bananas. I stuck the bobs in a cut out of a watermelon. 

 Cake Pops. My husband and I did the drizzles together :) if you would like to learn how to make these go to. http://www.outsideofthebluebox.blogspot.com/2012/12/cake-balls.html

 Last but now least is lemonaide I used my mason jars, cut out paper over the lids to make it look pretty. I added 3 different fruits, blackberries, blueberries, and strawberries. 

 GAMES: We played two different games it was quiet fun! Here is where I found the games at  http://www.weddingfavorsunlimited.com/Free_Bridal_Shower_Games.html

It was a super fun party!!!!! Hope this helps you with some of your ideas.

Parmesan Cheese Lid

Great Idea!!!!

I went to my sisters today and saw this. Take your parmesan cheese lid and twist on a mason jar. Now you have a lid you can use for anything. Oh the things I could use this for. Looks like we will be using a lot more parmesan cheese so we can get more lids :)

I think I would use it for:

-Sugar

-Coco

-Spices

-Rice

-Oatmeal 

Any more ideas please share :)

What a Slacker!!!!!

I have been a slacker I have made a couple new things but I never blogged about them... grrrrr sorry about that.... But great news I got a sewing machine for my birthday!!!!! 

Look at this beast:) Stephy gave it to me as a birthday present What an amazing FRIEND!!!!

I am excited to get started on a project!

Creamy White Chicken Lasagna Roll Ups

Theses at are so good! and soo easy

And my family LOVED them.... I was so happy with them but I wish I would have used more sauce.... We will be making these again soon.....

Creamy White Chicken Lasagna Roll Ups

Ingredients

9 lasagna noodles
2 cups boneless, skinless chicken breast, cooked and shredded*
8 oz. shredded Mozzarella cheese, divided (2 cups)
1 oz. finely shredded Parmesan cheese (1/4 cup)
1 oz. finely shredded Romano cheese (1/4 cup) 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 (8 oz) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 cup milk
1 1/2 tsp dried basil 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare lasagna noodles according to the directions listed on package, drain pasta and align noodles in a single layer on a large sheet of wax paper.

In a mixing bowl toss together shredded chicken, 1 cup Mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, Romano cheese and 3 Tbsp fresh parsley, set aside.

In a separate mixing bowl using an electric hand mixer set on low speed, blend cream cheese until smooth, then mix in milk, dried basil, garlic powder, onion powder and season with salt and pepper to taste (I hardly used any salt and 1/2 tsp pepper). Pour half of the cream cheese mixture into the chicken mixture and toss to evenly coat, reserve remaining cream cheese mixture. Spread 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture into an even layer along the length of each cooked lasagna noodle then roll noodles to opposite end.

Spread 1/4 cup of the remaining cream cheese mixture along the bottom of a 9 x 9-inch dish or along 2/3 of a 13 x 9-inch dish (I tried fitting it into an 8 x 8 and it just wasn't going to happen so a 9 x 9 should work. I don't own a 9 x 9 so I had to compromise and use a 13 x 9 and just use 2/3 of the dish). Align pasta snugly and side by side in baking dish - 3 rows of 3. Cover each lasagna roll evenly with remaining cream cheese mixture, being sure to cover tops of pasta entirely so they don't dry while baking. Sprinkle tops evenly with remaining 1 cup Mozzarella cheese. Bake in preheated oven 25 - 30 minutes until heated through and cheese has melted. Sprinkle top evenly with remaining 1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley. Serve warm.

Big thanks to: http://www.cookingclassy.com/2012/12/creamy-white-chicken-lasagna-roll-ups/

Sweetheart Cake

In our little town we have a valentines dance! Its always a blast, at the dance they have a cake walk. I volunteered to make a cake. The day of the dance I became ill and couldn't even get out of bed. My sweet amazing husband told me not to worry about the cake he had it covered... My husband did everything!!!! 

He decided he wanted to make a sweetheart box with the hearts coming out of the box... Amazing he thought of it all on his own! I know its no cake boss but I love it! 

So what we (I am just going to say we) did was made a chocolate cake and let it cool all the way. Next we made the fondant. Super easy, marshmallows, powered sugar and cisco. Then we rolled out the fondant into two different areas one for white and one for pink/red. Just used red food coloring and work it in. Then cover the cake with lots of frosting :) Lay the white fondant over it,  cut out the heart from the pink. Make the little details. Now for the box flap to keep it open we used gram crackers.... covered them with frosting and fondant.  Then stuff with candy hearts and all done :) It was really cute and I just took a bunch of pictures cause I am so proud of my husband :)

Happy Valentines Day!!!!

Valentines Wreath Part 2

I finished my wreath this took me forever but I LOVE it!!!! As stephy said I used crate paper. I did all different sizes and shapes (more because I couldn't get them to all look alike). I have had a ton of people comment on how cute it is!

I am going to cover what you need again

-Crate Paper

-Styrofoam board

-Box Cutter Knife

-Glue Gun (Lots Of It)

-Beads/Pearls (something for a feeler)

-Ribbon (to tie on door)

-Fist measure your board to your door make sure your board isn't going to be to big for your door. Then measure to get a nice square and cut, then measure your middle square. I wanted my square in the middle to be larger then thought. 

-Next I put on a chick-flick movie and started to make my roses. I would just make one at a time and put them in my bowl. So many roses! This is what took my forever!!! I am sorry I don't have pictures to teach you how to make the roses :( they are really easy once you get going! 

-After I got most of my roses made I started glueing them on the board. (thank goodness for stephy, she came and helped me) I just put the hot glue on the board and put the roses on. Make sure you put the roses right next to each other or your going to have the board showing throught and your going to have to make fillers. It just easier to push them close together. 

-Next glue your pearls/beads on. I glued some random beads through out roses to fill in and to give it a little something something :)

-Tie your ribbon and and your are done... :) 

I Hope you enjoy this as much as I do!!!! Happy Valentines Day! 

A huge thanks to: http://thriftydecorating-nikkiw.blogspot.com/2011/01/valentine-rose-wreath-tutorial.html This is where we found this cute wreath and made it our own!!! 

Valentine wreath

C found us a good idea for a valentine wreath on pinterest using Styrofoam board and tissue to make little flowers.  I got some crate paper and napkins to try at the dollar store....C chose the crate paper and I thought id try the napkins. An easy 3 dollar wreath .....but soooooooo time consuming! It took me 4 nights in a row doing it an hour plus each night.....im happy with it but it took forever!

Homemade Grape Juice

Yes this is Grape Juice! Amazing right?!? My mother-in-law made this all the time when my husband was growing up. He told me he always looked forward to drinking it at Sunday Dinner... 

I kinda came upon a ton of grapes for free. Yes in the middle of January in Utah. Lucky right???? 

This was so so easy I could have done a billion bottles if I would have more then one water bath....

Now a little something for you to know, this makes grape juice concentrate, so its not 100% juice because of the sugar. 

First, make sure you wash and sterilize your quart jars in a water bath canner for 10 min. Then add 1 cup grapes (washed and stems removed), and 1 cup sugar (also if your don't want as much sugar you can do 1/2 cup of sugar). Fill the jars with boiling water, leaving 1/2" headspace. Wipe jar tops with a clean damp cloth, apply clean lids and rings, and screw on fairly tightly.

Process for 30 minutes. That's it! Super quick and easy. Make sure to check your elevation for the exact  processing time...

Cheese Cake (no bake)

I am not a huge fan of cheese cake but my little sister got my mom a pan for christmas and I was just dyeing to try it out... I found this no bake recipe and was all for it. When I read there was sour cream in it I was a little offish but pushed through and still tried it... Amazing I loved it!!! It was very very easy. I just used some frozen strawberries and added sugar it wasn't the best but still was amazing!!!

No Bake Cheesecake Recipe

Ingredients

2 packages, or blocks, 8 oz each, cream cheese, at room temp
1 – 8 oz tub cool whip, at room temp
1 cup sour cream
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups fresh chopped strawberries
1 – 2 tablespoons strawberry preserves (optional)
1 graham cracker crust (recipe follows) or use pre-made

Graham cracker crust ingredients

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs or about 1 1/3 packages graham crackers
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar

1. Place graham crackers in food processor and turn on until crumbs are very fine. Add butter and sugar and pulse until well combined. Press in a 8 inch spring form pan or 9 inch pie plate.

2. Combine all ingredients for cheesecake, except strawberries, in a large bowl and mix with hand mixer. Mix until well combined and smooth.

A couple notes: Make sure your cream cheese is room temp or it will be lumpy. If you are going to make your own crust, I doubled it because its my husbands favorite part. Also crumbly your graham crackers to dust, If you do you will have to use more butter...

Huge Thank you too: http://blogs.babble.com/family-kitchen/2011/03/14/the-easiest-no-bake-strawberry-cheesecake/