The Sisterhood Award and A Craft Challenge

Look what I received! The Sisterhood Award. Yeah!!!! This award was given to me by my blog buddy Heidi at Blue Eyed Blessings and also by a recent blog buddy Katie at Katie's Nesting Spot. Thank you guys so much! I appreciate the award and your kind words about my blog. I'm happy to be a fellow sista and to have my blog seen as one that demonstrates great attitude and gratitude , which is what this award is about! You've gotta get on over to visit Heidi and Katie. Both of them inspire me with their crafty creations, ideas and organization. You don't want to miss their blogs!

Now, I'm supposed to pass this award along to 10 other bloggers who show great attitude and gratitude as well and I will. But, unfortunately, I have to get in mommy mode right now. So, I'll give those awards out on Monday. But, before I go, I want to tell you about something else.

It's a craft challenge from Heidi at Blue Eyed Blessings!!

You can find out all you need to know about her craft challenge ending March 5th and see some of her super cute ideas by clicking here. I'll give you a hint. If you have a scalloped punch, you'll want to get it out and start punchin.' I think she also mentioned something about a give away for this challenge. We like those!! Go on over and check it out!

Makin' Cookies...... Our Favorite Sugar Cookies!

If you're a frequent visitor to my blog, you might remember my post a few days ago where I was showing off my new apron, which I was wearing while Laci and I made sugar cookies. Well, today I thought I'd share that awesome recipe as well as Laci making them.

She was awarded a "Way To Go" coupon good for making cookies with me, as well as picking out which cookies to make.Laci got this for having such good behavior during and after church. (Trent received one for picking out a game to play with me.)Sugar Cookies were the winner! Laci helped mix all the ingredients in the Kitchen Aid, which she really likes to operate. She also rolled the balls of dough in sugar and then flattened them with a cup. We definitely could not forget to put sprinkles on some of them either. Laci wouldn't let me forget. She's quite the little baker!





This is her coupon. It's from a Make-A-Wish coupon booklet I bought from one of Trent's fundraisers at school. I've made my own coupons for them before, but this booklet makes it so easy for me to browse through and choose from . There are a lot of them, too. Ones that I wouldn't have ever thought of. I am really liking it! So are the kids! They like this bit of incentive! It's fun to recognize their good behavior or deeds with one of these, especially when they are not expecting it.




Back to the sugar cookies. This is hands down my favorite sugar cookie! I've tried other ones to see if they would out do this one on taste and none of them do. My husband got this recipe from a lady at church while he was on his mission for our church. He remembers it was the Ward Mission Leader's wife in his ward in Mancus, CO. He said he asked for this recipe after eating them because they were sooo good! She gave him some other cookie recipes too and we like all of them. She must have been a good cook! Whewww! I'm glad he asked for this recipe so his future family, at the time, could enjoy them. They are light, buttery, delicious and delicate!

Sugar Cookies
1 c. butter, softened
1 c. sugar
1 c. oil
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. powdered sugar
4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 tsp. salt

Mix together first 5 ingredients. In another bowl, mix dry ingredients together. Add dry ingredients to wet. Mix well until it makes a big, light yellow ball. You can refrigerate dough a few hours, overnight or not at all. (Refrigerate covered dough overnight if you want to make cut-outs. ) Otherwise, just roll a walnut size ball of dough in sugar,place on an ungreased cookie sheet and flatten slightly with a sugared glass. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. Watch carefully to keep them from getting brown. ** This makes a ton of cookies. I've never payed attention to how many, but it's a lot.

Works For Me Wednesday- Picture Album Purse Organization

It's Works For Me Wednesday time. Now hosted by We Are That Family. Her first time to host it. Yea!!!

I want to share this little bit of organization that works for me. It is what I call "picture album purse organization." (Like that name?) However, it's not my idea. I saw this in Weight Watchers' magazine a while back and thought it would be great for me. Basically, you just use a mini size photo album(you can get them at Dollar Tree) and designate certain pockets in them for things like receipts, business cards, coupons, lists, etc. All the things that seem to get tossed in your purse and create clutter. Well, that's what happens to my purse anyway, so this is great for me. I'm using a cute little embellished photo album that one of the young women from church gave me for Christmas. She monogrammed it just for me. How cute!

I have quite a few pockets set aside for receipts. You could also put tabs on the pages, but I thought they would get torn off going in and out of my purse.

I have another section for coupons.

A section for business cards and one for lists. I try to sort through it at the end of the week, but you know, that doesn't always happen.:) Cater it to your own needs. It helps me control the clutter because I can't fit EVERYTHING in my wallet.

My New Apron

Today I wanted to share some pictures of my fabulous new apron with you. I received a package in the mail a few days ago from Hatchick and opened it up to find this! I was thrilled to get it. I was one of the first three to comment on her Craft It Forward post, which meant she would make and send me a craft item. She did a great job! I love it. It is made with two of my favorite colors as well, pink and brown! I like that it has a pocket running along the top, too. Thanks so much! I'm sure it will get a lot of use. Be sure to stop by her blog to see her fun posts. Oh, you have to check out her new red hat , which I'm sure she will totally rock out! Thanks again!



That's me wearing my new apron and little Laci making silly faces for the camera.
( The picture is kinda dark. Sorry! )Laci and I had just finished up with our favorite sugar cookies. Look for that recipe to come soon. By the way, the apron got the approval of the "tiny baker,"Laci. I think she wants her own.

I'm The Winner!!!........ and A Few Of My Favorite Things

WOO! HOO! I had a message from Jamie at Caddywumpus(don't you love that name) that I had won the pink rose ring from Royal Princess that she was giving away! That ROCKS! She totally made my day! Thank you Jamie! I can't wait to check it out up close and personal. Be sure to check out her fun blog!!!


I thought I'd also participate in Friend Makin' Mondays over at All That Is Good and share 10 of my favorite things. Sounded fun to me! So here is my list in no particular order:

1. COOKBOOKS- I have quite a collection. From Emerrill to the cookbooks put together by local schools. Love them all. What's crazy, I still like to look at them even if I'm not making one of the recipes!

2.COSTCO FROZEN YOGURT- Oh yes! Vanilla and Chocolate swirl goodness! Here's a BIG picture to make your mouth water!


3. ANNE OF GREEN GABLES- One of my all time favorite movies. I love Anne with an E! Maybe it's because she is a red head too. I dunno. I just love the charm of this movie.

4.BLOGGING- It has become one of my favorite things in the past few months. I really enjoy sharing ideas and thought and getting to know other fun moms through their blogs.

5.COCONUT LIME VERBENA(Body Butter and Soap from Bath & Body Works)- I just love the smell of coconut period. Like to eat it too. Anyway, I always go for this scent and try to stock up when it's on sale. The body butter is great, too!

6. MAGAZINES- Love my magazines. I don't buy very many of them, though. When my mom or sister come for a visit they hook me up with everything from Family Fun to People to Southern Lady. Those stacks of magazines keep me busy for awhile.

7.TARGET DOLLAR SPOT- A favorite for a while. I pick up everything from little activity books to a 3 pack of picture frames that I can embellish. I've found lots of fun finds in the dollar spot.

8.SHOES- Particularly good sandals and flip flops. Living in sweet home Alabama, that's what I wear most of the time. I've really come to like the Yellow Box brand. They are comfy and stylish. If we're going on a trip, without fail, my husband always accounts for an extra bag for my shoes. He's kidding of course. I'm usually able to fit them all in my big suitcase!

9. FUJI APPLES and ASIAN PEARS- This has become my favorite snack. Red Delicious and Granny Smith have got nothin' on Fuji. I love the sweet taste of these. Also a new favorite is the Asian Pear. They are so sweet, juicy and flavorful. Our neighbors and sweet friends, that have since moved, grew these and they were the best. Much better than the store. Give them a try!

This is an Asian Pear.

10. The best for last...MY SWEET LITTLE FAMILY!- My husband and three kids are my most favorite things! They make my life crazy, fun, comfortable, exciting, and much much more! They are my favorites because they are forever!

A Give Away and A Crafty Decision

First up today, I want to tell you about an awesome give away from Jaime over at Caddywumpus. She is giving away a very nice pink rose ring from Royal Princess. It is a great ring! Go by her blog and check it out.(I tried to upload the picture of the ring, but couldn't get it to work) Be sure to look around her fun blog while you're there. You can enter her give away just by commenting. Don't miss it!



I also wanted some of your opinions on a crafty decision I need to make. You see, my birthday is coming up in March and I told my husband I would really like to get a Cuttlebug die-cut machine. I have a few friends that have them and they really like theirs. But Stampin' Up offers the Big Shot die-cut machine and it seems really good too. It is more expensive than the Cuttlebug, but I'm not sure exactly what extra things it can do. I know from looking at the SUcatalog, that it has some super cute dies to make little purses and all sorts of things. More research is needed, I guess! I just don't know if I should fork out the extra money or if theCuttlebug would suffice. If you have either one of these machines, please leave me a comment and let me know what you like or don't like about them. It's really not a grand decision, I know, it's just crafty stuff, but to this crafter, it's important that I get the most for my money and spend it well. Thanks for your help!

CUTTLEBUG

BIG SHOT

Works For Me Wednesday- Easy Whipping Cream Biscuits

Being a southern girl, I like a good biscuit. Being a busy mom and wife, I like that biscuit to be simple to make as well. So for Works for me Wednesday at Rocks in my Dryer, I'm sharing this easy Whipping Cream Biscuit recipe that works for me. My sweet friend and partner in crafting, Tammy,(Miss you! She moved in August)gave me this recipe a few years ago and I have been using it since. It's a great recipe for a made- from- scratch biscuit that is so simple. Really! You gotta try it. I try to plan out my menu so if I know I'm going to make biscuits , I'll have the two, that's right, two ingredients on hand.




I thought I'd also share my favorite way to eat a biscuit. That's with good ole Sorghum syrup. As far as I know, this is a southern thing. I've only seen sorghum in the south. I remember eating this at my papa and nanny's house all the time. Oh it's so good and comforting! Sorghum is similar to molasses, but lighter in color and a bit of a different taste. It's made from a different plant, as well. I've done my research. I was curious. Anyway, it is very good to me. However, my biscuits and syrup aren't Weight Watcher friendly, so I have to limit myself to one biscuit and a bit of syrup and then put it away! Try this combination sometime and see if you like it. Just an FYI, Cracker Barrel will bring out a little bowl of sorghum syrup if you request it with your biscuits there.

Whipping Cream Biscuits
2 cups self-rising flour
1 cup whipping cream

Combine ingredients, stirring with a fork until blended. (Dough will be stiff)Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead 10 to 12 times. Roll dough to 1/2 inch thickness; cut with a 2 inch biscuit cutter. Bake at 45o for 10 to 12 minutes. Yield: 1 dozen ( I've never gotten 12. I usually get 9 or 10 biscuits)

Feel Better Basket

Today I thought I'd share a quick idea for a "feel better basket." Recently, a friend of mine had not been feeling very well so I decided to put together this little basket for her to let her know I was thinking about her and hopefully lift her spirits. This is just a simple pink, wire basket that I tied moss colored ribbon up the front of. I added some rose tissue paper and filled it with some goodies. It has chicken noodle soup, a jumbo word search book, a hot cocoa cone, a chocolate bar, and peppermints. All the things that make me a bit more comfortable when I'm sick. Okay, maybe not the word search. I only do those when I'm sick and layin' around, but the other things are a plus when I'm sick.

I'm a gifter. I love to give little gifts, so I was happy to put this simple basket together and drop it by her house. Hopefully, it had a feel better effect!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hope you have a great weekend and a Happy Valentine's Day!

For A "Whopper" Of A Good Teacher

This is the little gift Laci will be taking to her teacher tomorrow. I found this container at Hobby Lobby and then we filled it with Strawberry Milkshake Whoppers(mmmm!these are so yummy), stamped and punched out a tag, and tied on some ribbon. It's perfect and different for a "Whopper" of a good teacher.
Trent will be taking homemade chocolate hearts packaged in red and white candy boxes tied with tuile to his teachers. (Don't have a picture of those yet)I hope they will all like their valentine!

Vintage Valentines

Remember the valentines from when you were a kid? I do and I loved them. In my opinion, they were so much cuter and clever than the ones today. Last night I got out my husband's scrapbook from his childhood(I'm so glad his mom kept this so I can go back and look at his memories) and found these vintage valentines. These bring back memories. I actually remember some of these. I showed them to the kids and they thought they were "cool." They did recognize some of the characters on a couple of them like The Flash, Super Girl and Strawberry Shortcake. I especially love the clever little sayings on some of these like,"Let-tuce be valentines, Don't leaf me." It has 2 heads of lettuce on the card. That cracks me up!



These are two of my favorites from the ones in his scrapbook. The Strawberry Shortcake one says,"I like you a bushel and a peck." The other says,"I'll be yours if you'll be mine."
Of course, Will did have to tease me about remembering the little girls that gave him the valentines. That's okay, it was only second grade. Ha! Ha!



I also found these cute vintage valentine cupcake picks at Hobby Lobby. Aren't they sweet?!

Valentine Rice Krispy Pops

I have a few more Valentine goodies and gifts to share with you this week and then I'm done. Promise! We have had a good time making, eating and giving away our goodies.

This weekend we made Valentine Rice Krispy Pops. I've had this recipe for a long time, but I don't remember where I got it. I'm guessing a magazine, but I'm not sure. These are so cute. It takes a regular Rice Krispy treat to the next level. They are very good for bake sales. They catch the attention of the kiddos and are usually one of the first things to go. These treats would also be great for a classroom treat at a child's party.

For our Rice Krispy pops, we dipped them in vanilla almond bark and sprinkled on some valentine sprinkles. We also tied ribbon on the sticks for a little more"cute."

Laci's ready to dig in!

Rice Krispy Pops
3 Tbsp. margarine or butter
1 (10 oz.) pkg. regular marshmallows or 4 c. minis
6 to 7 c. Rice Krispies cereal
12 wooden popsicle sticks(I used wooden dowels meant for cake decorating that I cut in half.)
1 1/2 c. semisweet or white chocolate( I used almond bark)
candy sprinkles

In a large sauce pan, melt margarine over low heat. Add marshmallows, stirring constantly until melted. Remove from heat and stir in cereal until it is well coated. Let mixture cool until it's warm, but comfortable to handle with your fingers. Lightly butter your hands, then shape the treats into 12 balls. Push a popsicle stick into each one. Set aside. Melt chocolate or almond bark. Dip treats into melted chocolate and sprinkle on candy sprinkles. Set treats on wax paper lined tray. Once chocolate had hardened, wrap treats in plastic and tie with ribbon or store in covered container.

We LOVE Family Night

We were spreading the love for our family night this week. We talked about different people we love, how to show and express our love and Christ's love for us. We also made it a point to talk about how we should show our love and appreciation for others not just on Valentine's day, but often. After that, all of us decorated purple and pink foam hearts with stickers, markers and ribbon. Trent was thrilled that I had some "boy" stickers like bikes, skate boards and space shuttles. The kids' hearts were very original and cute, but my favorite was my husband's. It was for me and it said..(get this)"My heart burns for you,"complete with flames on one side of the heart. LOL! Awwww. How sweet! Later on, I strung the hearts with some beads to make a Valentine garland which is hanging in our kitchen. Laci also mixed up some scrumptious brownies that we cut into heart shapes with a heart cookie cutter and spruced up with sprinkles, M&M's and powdered sugar hearts. A sweet ending to a fun family night!

This is what Ivy thought of the whole heart thing. She did watch everyone else decorate their hearts. She was ready for the treats!

Valentine Candy Bouquet

A special Valentine delivery! A candy bouquet!

I really like how this treat/gift turned out. I started experimenting with my Valentine candy and this is what I came up with. Love using the candy as decoration and filler now! Looooove it! I used candy with the Conversation Heart Cuties I made as well. You can see those here.

This bouquet is especially sweet with Pixy Stix flowers and M&M soil. Yep! I think this would have to be my favorite kind of bouquet. The kind I can eat! Hopefully the girls from church that I visit will feel the same way. This will be their special Valentine delivery!




To make the Pixy Stix flowers, I punched out scalloped circles with my scallop punch and circles with my circle punch. Then I stamped on the circles and adhered those to the scallops. I adhered the scallops to the candy with glue dots. Just arrange those in an M&M filled votive cup and there you have it!

Works For Me Wednesday- Chocolate Surprise Sundae Cups

It's time for Works For Me Wednesday over at Rocks In My Dryer, so I'm sharing these cute and delish chocolate sundae cups that definitely "work for me"! That's right, they're chocolate. These cuties work for me because they are different than your normal sundae cup, are simple to make, and they add that special little touch. You can also store them in the freezer until you want to use them. Love that! Just pull one out when you're ready to use it. They are perfect for a Valentine treat for your sweetie or for your next party! Here I've made sundaes with all the fixins, but they would work just as well for mousse, pudding or just to hold candies. Have fun with it! I've gotten rave reviews from my husband and my kids with these! Be sure to get the recipe below.

YUM!!!

This is what the sundae cups will look like once they are chilled in the fridge.

Chocolate Surprise Sundae Cups
1 c. semisweet chocolate morsels
1 Tbsp. vegetable shortening
Foil cupcake liners

1. Set out eight foil cupcake liners. Place chocolate morsels and shortening in a small microwave -safe bowl. Microwave about 1 minute, stopping to stir at 30 seconds. Stir until smooth.
2. Spoon 1 Tbsp. chocolate into a liner. With the back of a small spoon, coat bottom and sides with chocolate to form an even layer about 1/8" thick. Repeat with remaining chocolate and liners.
3. Refrigerate 15 minutes or until firm. Gently peel off foil liners, being careful not to handle the chocolate too much. Discard liners. Refrigerate chocolate cups until ready to use or wrap individually in plastic and freeze.

I HEART You!

Today I want to share a little Valentine gift that I put together. This gift is all about the HEART.

It came together fast and easy with a couple heart tins from the Dollar Tree, some bags of chocolate heart candy and white tuile( I also found this at the Dollar Tree on a small spool. Didn't know they had it. Cool!). I just filled up the tins with the chocolate hearts, cut out a heart to fit underneath the top lid and embellished it a bit, and then tied the tuile around the tins. A simple, cute gift for a teacher, friend, or special someone. You could do a lot with these tins. They are so versatile. You could mod podge them with some cute paper, make your own chocolates to fill them with, decorate the lids and so on. Get creative! Visit throughout the week for more Valentine ideas.

Craft It Forward

With the month of February here, it's a great time to show some love! I am gonna do that by crafting it forward. (I'll explain in a bit). This is a giveaway I saw on Craft Addict and then again on Hat Chick. I was the 3rd commenter on Hat Chick(a recent blogger friend), so that means I get a handmade item from her. Awesome! Both of these ladies have fun blogs!

How am I crafting it forward? For the first 3 commenters for this post, I will send you a handmade craft from me! Then you agree to post about this on your blog and show the love as well by linking back to me and crafting it forward yourself to the first 3 commenters on YOUR post. You have 30 days to make and send your item and you can set your own price.Also, don't forget to blog about the item you receive. Sounds fun, right! (If you are one of the first 3, I'll need you're email to get in touch with you) If you're not one of the first 3 to comment, you can still craft it forward yourself.

I'm not sure what you're craft item will be. It will just have to be a surprise! I will have a fun time making it for you! Bring on the comments! This post will only be left up for today!

Also, come back and visit this week and next for some fun Valentine treat and gift ideas!