Hello Again

I haven't posted in forever..... things have been very busy for me.

I switched teaching jobs last spring and because of this, I had very little time to craft and blog about it.

Once things slowed down a little, I really didn't have any inspiration or ideas about stuff to create. Also since I'm living with my parents, I don't have tons of space.

However, about a week ago Riley proposed!!!! We have set a date for June 2013, which gives us a year and a half to plan. I plan to do lots of DIY projects for our wedding. I probably won't be back into posting as often as I once did, but I do plan to post wedding projects.

:)

Thanksgiving Cake Pops

My 4th of July Cake Pops went over well so I decided to make some pumpkin ones to take to Riley's family's Thanksgiving.

I was a little rushed and had some issues with melting the chocolate, so they aren't perfect by any means.

I used green Mike & Ike's for the pumpkin stem.

4th of July Cake Pops

I tried my hand at making cake pops for the 4th of July.

I used a red velvet cake mix and baked it according to directions.

When the cake was cooled, I crumbled it up and added cream cheese frosting.

After rolling the mixture into 1 inch balls, I stuck them on lollipop sticks and dipped in white chocolate almond bark.

Finally, I added some sprinkles before the chocolate dried.

They were a little time consuming because it was my first time, but they were very tasty.

Tasty Tuesday #10: Fruit Dip

I know there are tons of different fruit dip recipes out there.  This recipe is easy and compliments many different fruits.

Fruit Dip

Ingredients:

1 jar marshmallow fluff

1 package cream cheese

1 container cool whip

1 package cheesecake pudding mix

Directions:

Using a mixer on low-medium speed, combine all ingredients.  Mix well and refrigerate.

Tasty Tuesday #9: Mini Brownie Bites

My Godmother, Charlie, makes these delightful little treats. 

 Hers are much cuter than mine, but they taste just as good. :)

Here's how to make your own:

Mix brownies as directed on the box.  I spooned by brownie batter into a quart size Ziploc bag and cut off one of the corners.

This is a super easy way to fill up the mini cupcake pan without making a huge mess.



Some of mine are too full, but you should fill them about 3/4 of the way full.  Put them in the oven to bake for 10 minutes.  (Use temperature as directed on the box.)



As soon as they are done, press the center down with a mini tart shaper.  I didn't have a mini tart shaper, so I used a mini spatula to wiggle around to create a little hole.

Then, I filled them with cream cheese frosting.  I just use the kind from the can, cause I am lazy like that.  If you don't have professional piping supplies, you can just put frosting in a Ziploc and cut a corner off.  That's what I did and it worked for me.



Tasty Tuesday #8: Creamed Corn

I've never made creamed corn. Ever. I'll admit it, I never actually knew what was in cream corn. I googled a few recipes, combined them, and created my own. It was really easy and yummy!

Creamed Corn

Ingredients:

2 cans of corn (drained)

3 Tbsp stick butter

3 Tbsp flour

3 Tbsp sugar

2 cups milk

salt and pepper (to taste)

2-3 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Melt butter in saucepan, add flour. Pour in milk and blend with a whisk. Stir in sugar, salt and pepper, corn, and Parmesan cheese. Let simmer until it reaches desired thickness (usually about 20 minutes).

Coupon & Store Card Organization

I'm that girl in line ahead of you at the store. You know, the girl in front of you fumbling in her purse digging for coupons, store credit cards, punch cards, and gift cards. And, of course you always get stuck behind me. Don't you hate people like me? Cause I sure do!

In the past I have toyed with and tried several different solutions.

I have tried a paper envelope with coupons. It ends up trashed and I still have to dig around in my wallet for the store credit cards and punch cards.

I have tried those little expanding plastic coupon organizers. They are too bulky and I don't have that many coupons. Most of my coupons go with using my store credit cards. Which again, I still have to dig for in my wallet.

I even tried this little thing from Target, but it was extremely difficult to get things out of it.

My wallet usually doesn't close because it is full off crap, mostly my gillions of store credit cards. I refuse to get rid of them because they help my credit and I get coupons and points for having them.

Here is my solution:

I bought this business card file at Dollar Tree for $1.00! The slots are the perfect size for coupons and store credit cards. And better yet, now I can keep each store's stuff together.

Inside the front cover is a large pocket which is great for larger coupons.

I have my Old Navy credit card along with a reward card. They are together, and make for a easy shopping trip.

Victoria's Secrets coupons and credit card.

Target credit card on the left and Maurice's credit card and punch card on the right.

Staples rebate card and points card on the left and Finish Line points card on the right.

Food gift cards, coupons, and punch cards.

Other reward cards...

AND, now my wallet closes. My major credit cards, debit card, and driver's license are now the only cards in my wallet. I love it because they are the ones I use most and I don't have to dig through all my store credit cards.

I replaced the little front cover with a piece of scrapbook paper. Now it matches my purse!

It makes shopping even more enjoyable.

I can go into a store and all the coupons/punch cards/points cards/credit cards are all in one place :)



Tasty Tuesday #7: Cheesy Potatoes w/ A Kick

These aren't the same 'ol boring cheesy potatoes. These easy, crock pot potatoes have rotel in them, which gives them an added kick.

Cheesy Rotel Potatoes

Ingredients:

5-6 medium potatoes (peeled and sliced)

1 can condensed cream of chicken soup

1 can rotel

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

salt and pepper (to taste)

Directions:

Place all ingredients in crock pot on low for 7-8 hours.

(For a quicker dish, you can cook potatoes in the microwave with some water, drain water, and add all ingredients into crock pot. By precooking the potatoes, you can cut down the time and cook about 1 hour on high, stirring occasionally.)

Scrappy Saturday #12

Another Saturday, another scrapbook layout.

This layout is from my fall 2008 semester in college.

The photos are of me and two friends at a night out on the town.

Fruit Bouquet

A teacher that I work with got engaged last month. To congratulate her, we had a little party on our floor. I make this fuit bouquet. It was my first attempt, but I was happy with how it turned out.

Here is how I made it:

I started with a bunch of fruit. I used pineapple, cantaloupe, blueberries, grapes, strawberries, oranges, and apples. First thing I did was wash everything and start slicing.

To hold the bouquet I used floral foam and a ceramic pot.



I cut the foam and shoved in into the pot. It doesn't have to look nice cause I covered it up with fresh parsley.



Using wooden skewers, I started sticking fruit on.

Then I started sticking the skewers into the pot.

It needed some shorter ones too, so I cut some of the skewers down and continued.



I just kept adding fruit until it was full and looked good.

Weekly Clothes Organization

I'm the girl that tries on 14 different outfits in the morning before deciding what to wear. I pride myself on being early to work, so my 13 rejected outfits normally end up on my bed and don't get hung back up until evening.

I also have tons of jewelry, but don't think about it until I'm halfway to work.

My solution to save time and look cuter was this over the door hanger that hangs in my bedroom.

On Sunday afternoon I pick out my outfits for the week. Each hanger contains my clothes for each day of the week. There are also smaller hooks below the larger hooks, where I hang the jewelry that I will wear that day.

Now you may have noticed that there are 6 hooks. Well, the first 5 are for Monday-Friday. On the 6th hanger, hangs my bikini. Weekends are my weakness and I tend to do zero working out and lots of eating. Seeing that bikini at the end of the week helps me to stay focused on my fitness/weight loss goals.

Tasty Tuesday #6: BBQ Meatloaf

I hate condiments. Seriously, I don't like hardy ANY condiments. I don't like ketchup, mustard, mayo, salad dressing, syrup, sour cream, cream cheese... basically anything "extra" is a no for me. When I lived by myself, the door of my fridge had nothing in it. Apparently that is were normal people keep their condiments, but mine was always empty.

However, I do like BBQ sauce. I don't typically eat meatloaf because everybody makes it with ketchup. I found a recipe for BBQ meatloaf and feel in love. I tweaked it a little and this is what I came up with...

BBQ Meatloaf

Ingredients:

2 lbs ground beef

1 pkg chicken Stove Top stuffing

1 cup water

2 eggs beaten

1 pkg dry ranch dressing

1/2 cup BBQ sauce

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix all ingredients by hand except 1/4 cup BBQ sauce. Put mixture in a loaf pan and top with remaining BBQ sauce. Bake 1 hour or until cooked throughout.

Personalized Etched Dish

One of my friends is getting married next month. 

 I decided to personalize her gift a little by etching her new last name into 2 Pyrex dishes.

I simply used my Cricut to cut out the last name in contact paper. 

 I used etching creme as directed on the bottle. 

It's a simple way to make any gift a little more personal :)



Scrappy Saturday #11

This layout is from the bf's homecoming dance.  I had already graduated from high school and was attending college.  The bf was still in high school as well as my little sis.

We all went to the dance together :)



Vinyl Pedi

I use vinyl on practically everything, so I thought why not on myself too.

I gave myself a pedicure and added a little vinyl flower.  It was really simple, but totally cute :)

I started with Chip Skip and then added 2 coats of OPI "The Thrill of Brazil."

As my polish dried, I cut out 2 little flowers out of white vinyl using my Cricut.

I stuck them on the inner corner of my big toes and added a little black dot in the middle.



Scrappy Saturday #10

Today's Scrappy Saturday is featuring another layout from my brother's wedding.

These pictures were taken as we were getting ready for the big day.

In the photos are my sister, my mom, my best friend from college, and myself.