Wednesday, March 31, 2010

I love Disney Movie Rewards

Anyone heard of Disney Movie Rewards? I had, but paid absolutely no attention to what it was.....until today. You know those annoying papers that fly out all over the floor when you buy a new Disney movie? Well turns out they are actually very necessary! So I went through all of our movies and found 23! I know in the past we have thrown a lot away :(

You are only allowed 10 codes a day so I punched them in and got 1100 points with 13 more codes to put in! So with my 1100 points I redeemed some of them to get these...




So go now and gather up those pesky papers and get some cute stuff!



Tuesday, March 30, 2010

A sweet tweet for friends & teachers

I needed to make something for the ladies I visit teach so I whipped up some of these.
They would also be so cute for teacher or friend gifts!




Just get some zip up sandwich baggies, some Easter candies and raffia and your ready to go.
I made my topper in Photoshop, but if you don't have Photoshop just use some scrapbook paper and some embellishments. I added in the raffia to make it look like a birds nest with the Dove chocolate eggs! And then stapled on the topper....so easy. So if you have some candy lying around (who doesn't) these would be a cinch!

Happy crafting!

Who wants to party?

I am so curious to know what you all think of my new header! Diggin it? Hating it? Wish I would go back to the old header?

Please let me know what you think! Be honest, you won't hurt my feelings....ok maybe a little...lol!

Also, I'm positive many of you know what a linky party is right? I would LOVE to try out my first party, but I'm scared that I would get like 2 links and be totally bummed out. Would you all help me out and join a party?

Please leave a comment because I would love to hear what you think!



Monday, March 29, 2010

chchchchanges :)

Please ignore the psycho changes you may see tonight on this blog header.
I'm trying a few things to see if I wanna change it!

Thanks!



On the Menu Monday....Easter Sunday Dinner

Orange Glazed Ham


Ingredients
  • 1 (14 to 16-pound) fully cooked, spiral-cut smoked ham on the bone
  • 6 garlic cloves
  • 8 1/2 ounces orange marmalade
  • 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
  • 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1 orange, zested
  • 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the ham in a heavy roasting pan.
Mince the garlic in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add the marmalade, mustard, brown sugar, orange zest, and orange juice and process until smooth. Pour the glaze over the ham and bake for 1 hour, until the ham is fully heated and the glaze is well browned. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients
  • 3 pounds small red or white potatoes
  • 1/4 cup good olive oil
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic (6 cloves)
  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Cut the potatoes in half or quarters and place in a bowl with the olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic; toss until the potatoes are well coated. Transfer the potatoes to a sheet pan and spread out into 1 layer. Roast in the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until browned and crisp. Flip twice with a spatula during cooking in order to ensure even browning.
Remove the potatoes from the oven, toss with parsley, season to taste, and serve hot.

Roasted Asparagus

Toss 2 pounds trimmed asparagus, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and salt and pepper on a baking sheet. Roast at 450 degrees F until lightly browned, 15 minutes. Mix 1/3 cup toasted pine nuts, 1/2 cup chopped parsley, the grated zest of 1 lemon, and salt and pepper. Sprinkle over the asparagus.

Lemon Curd Trifle with Fresh Berries

Ingredients
  • 6 large egg yolks
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 4 lemons, zested and juiced
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut in chunks
  • 1 pint fresh strawberries, stemmed and halved lengthwise
  • 1 pint fresh blueberries
  • 1 pint fresh blackberries
  • 2 cups sweetened whipped cream
  • 1 prepared lemon pound cake, sliced
  • 1/4 cup Lemoncello or Grand Marnier liqueur (optional)
  • Fresh mint leaves, for garnish

Directions

To make the lemon curd: Bring a pot of water to a simmer over medium-low heat. Combine the egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice, and zest in a metal or glass heat-resistant bowl and whisk until smooth. Set the bowl over the simmering water, without letting the bottom touch, and continue to whisk. Keep working-out that arm and whisk it vigorously for a good 10 minutes, until the curd has doubled in volume and is very thick and yellow. Don't let it boil. Remove the bowl from heat and whisk in the butter, a couple of chunks at a time, until melted. Refrigerate until the custard is cold and firm.
To build the trifle: put the berries in a mixing bowl and toss them together so they are evenly distributed. Fold the whipped cream into the chilled lemon curd to lighten it up into a mousse. Line a glass trifle bowl with pieces of pound cake to fit. Drizzle or brush the cake with the Lemoncello, spoon a layer of the lemon curd over the cake, and then a layer of mixed berries. Repeat the layers until the ingredients are used up, the last layer looks best if it's the berries. Chill before serving. Garnish with fresh mint.
Images courtesy of Food Network and one from me :) Bet you can't tell which one!

Eggcelent ideas! (sorry I just had to)


Here are some other great ideas, other than sticking them in dye, to spice up your Easter eggs!



Paper punch outs of butterflies or flower are super easy to do!



This bird is just cut out of a magazine along with other images and decoupaged onto the egg.

Cut out any images from decorative scrapbook paper and decoupage on.
So cute!


You know when you buy a big scrapbook paper pack and at the front are cutouts? That's what was used here and I love it!



Pearlized eggs are super easy just by buying a couple of different pearlized acrylic paints and sponging them onto the egg. So pretty.


These cool eggs are made by soaking embroidery floss or sewing thread in liquid starch. Soak each thread separately and when pulling out of the water, run the thread through your finger and thumb to remove any excess water. Then place them over a small balloon and let dry. When dry pop the balloon.

These are my absolute favorite. They are just hand painted and AdOrAbLE!

Hopefully these help with your decorating ideas!


FYI: I will be doing On the Menu Monday a little bit later!

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Twine and Speckled Eggs!

I decide to revamp some ugly plastic Easter eggs into these...





I used some cream colored paint, I did have to do about three coats so it covered the plastic. Once that was dry I took a dry toothbrush and dipped it into my Midnight Blue paint and speckled away! Then I glued the twine to the bottom half of the egg. SOOOOO EASY!
I do have to make a ton more today to try and fill up these! Be sure to check back tomorrow for some more fun egg ideas!

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

April Fool's....I dread this day!

I HATE April Fool's Day. Mainly for the fact that I grew up with three brothers. And to them, once a week was April Fool's. They did it all. Toothpaste in place of the Oreo center, plastic wrap on the toilet seat, bugs in the bed....you name it, they most likely did it. And even though three out of the four of us kids are out of the house and married, the pranks still keep coming. I have nightmares....seriously! Once my little brother pretended that he had cut off his finger. I mean this was TOO real. My other brother was frantic and was about to call 911 until Jake shouted "April Fool's". It's wrong, just wrong.

So with that being said.....here are some great pranks to play on the most stressful, unfunny, almost to the point of crying, day of the year!



This yummy looking Chicken Pot Pie is actually pudding with Starburst thrown in as the veggies!



Butter-cream frosting spaghetti, chocolate malt balls for the meatballs and strawberry sauce!




These are meatloaf cupcakes with mashed potato frosting.....so CUTE!


Angel food cake with frosting in the middle looks an awful lot like grilled cheese!

Head on over here for the recipes for these fun dishes.

Here are some other fun April's Fool's Day pranks!!!
- Set the alarm clock for your spouse or kids for 2:00 a.m

- Put salt on the families toothbrushes!

- Put a rubber band around the spray nozzel on the sink.

- Add food coloring to the liquid soap in the bathroom

- Sneak into the victims car and move the mirrors, turn on the blinker, wipers, hazards etc...

- Glue the loose end of the toilet paper roll to the roll so the person can't find it!

- While your kids are sound, sound asleep....carry them into different beds!

- Put Orajel on your hubby's toothbrush :)

- Coat a bar of soap with clear nail polish. They will go CRAZY trying to get a lather.

- Put a small piece of plastic wrap over things. Shampoo bottle, ketchup...anything.

So much fun! NOT! :)

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

On the Menu Monday, but it's Tuesday!


Slow Cooked Roast



This is the absolute EASIEST, yummiest, thing you can make!
All I do it place a roast in my crock pot and sprinkle two packets of brown gravy dry mix over the top. Add in two cups of cold water and cover. Cook on high for 6 hours!

The smell that fills your house is......lets just say they should make a Scentsy scent out of it! :)
With this I make mashed potatoes and use the gravy left over from the roast. I do add a little more water and a tiny bit of flour right in the crock pot after I've removed the roast.

The next day or two we have the leftovers on sub rolls and I make homemade fries. Peel about six medium potatoes and slice them into fries. Lay them on some paper towels to try and remove as much water as you can. Next lay them out on a cookie sheet and sprinkle 2 tbs olive oil. Mix so they are all coated. Next sprinkle a dry packet of Good Seasonings Zesty Italian mix over the top. Place in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes. Turn the fries and place back in the oven and raise the heat to 450 degrees for 7-10 minutes! Yummy!



Monday, March 22, 2010

Three year old + Target - the $30 toy he wanted and wasn't getting = ZERO FUN!

I know, I know.

On the Menu Monday is going to be On the Menu Tuesday this week.

I've gotta get rid of my pounding headache.

Maybe it's from the 20 minute, ultra HIGH volume tantrum my three year old threw at Target this afternoon? Bet your glad you weren't there! I wish I hadn't been.......Fun times. Fun times.
Can't wait to try it again tomorrow.


Saturday, March 20, 2010

Holy of a Deal!

Yes, Yes....ANOTHER movie! Sally, this is for you!
So if you aren't part of Disney's Movie Rewards head on over here and register or log in for an amazing deal....ready?
Enter code 786936294507 in the orange box on the ride side of the page to print your $10 off the Toy Story blue ray combo pack!
Then enter code 786936294521 for the $10 off Toy Story 2!

The best place to get these movies will be Toys R Us for $16.99 a movie.

DEAL SCENARIO:
Toy Story = $16.99
Toy Story 2 = $16.99
Total = $33.98
Use your two $10 off coupons total becomes $13.98!
And get this...each dvd pack comes with a movie ticket worth 8.50 to see Toy Story 3 in June!!!!
Holy Awesome!





Friday, March 19, 2010

Korker hair bow tutorial!

I am pretty awful at tutorials. I always forget to take the pictures during the project....so I am quite pleased with this tutorial on korker hair bows. I'm sure most everyone knows how to go about
this, but for those of you who where wondering, this is for you!

And to start off....I don't have a picture of the items you'll need. Go me! Way to start off this tutorial. :) So you will need:

ribbon (mine was 3/8" grosgrain)
dowels
clothes pins
bow wire
glue gun
Any type of hair clip - alligator, french




Pin the ribbon to the top of the dowel and wrap it around to the bottom.



Now place your finish dowels onto a cookie sheet and place in a preheated 245 degree oven or 25-30 minutes. Once done let them cool.





Lay them out and tie the bow wire in the middle. Knot it a couple of times.



Then take another coordinating ribbon (make sure its thicker that the ribbon you used on the korkers) and tie a knot in the middle, but not too tight!



Glue the knot to the front of the bow.



Glue your clip down on the back of the bow and overlap the end pieces over the clip. You will need to eyeball it and trim the ends. Also, if you use a french clip make sure you take out the center boingy :) piece before gluing the ribbon down!




Tah Dah! I kept the ribbons longer on this bow, because my daughter has long hair and it look really cute in a pony with the ribbons hanging down. To make the poofier looking bows, I cut the ribbons in quarters once they come out of the oven and I used about 4 dowels of ribbon. Hope this all makes sense!
Now go out and get you some ribbon and have fun making cute bows!


Thursday, March 18, 2010

$5.00 off New Moon!

This is the month for movies...I tell ya! For all you Twihards out there....
to make Saturday even MORE exciting, head on over here for a $5.00 off coupon for




Wednesday, March 17, 2010

It's St. Patrick's Day....I forgot!

If you just woke up this morning and realized it's St. Patrick's Day and you have dittaly (is that even a word?) planned for the kiddos....don't fret. There are super simple things for you to do to get to hear those words, "You are the coolest mom ever!" today. Not that my kids say that to me. Maybe on a every three months plan. Hey, I'll take it.


You can print off some rainbows and write clues on the back of them and have them search
for their pot of gold once they get home from school.



For dinner we are having chicken wraps using spinach tortillas! Thanks to Sally for mentioning spinach noodles at the bus stop today! I never would have thunk it :)
Also green salad and grapes and for a drink some lime sherbet with 7 up poured on top....yum!



or get some of these and hide them around the house and have them go on a
St. Patrick's Day gold rolo hunt to see how many of them they can find.

Don't forget to check out my label under St. Patrick's Day for other ideas!

Happy Pinching Day!

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Princess and the Frog

I don't know about your kids, but mine have been on a countdown for this...



And because I really like you (fellow reader of this post right at the moment) I am sharing this info with you.... go here for a $10.00 off....yes $10.00 coupon. This is for the blue ray combo pack! Which is on sale at Target for $19.99!
Blue Rays do come with a regular DVD as well.....BONUS!


Burlap Bunny

*Ahhhhhhhhh! Thanks so much Kari for featuring me on your blog! I'm so excited!
Visit her over here at Ucreate!*


OH HAPPY DAY! My hubby brought home his"work" camera so I could get pics of some of the projects I've been working on...so here goes project number 1

Burlap Bunny




I had SOOO much burlap left over from the sale at Hobby Lobby so this is what I figured I could do with it. And I love the way it turned out! Would you like to know how I did it? Sorry there's no tutorial....I didn't have a working camera :(

First I cut a square of burlap the size I wanted my bunny. Then I filled a plastic bag with rice and placed it in the middle. Next I gather the burlap around the rice bag and tied it with the ribbon and jute. So with all the access burlap on top I carefully cute the middle portion out and trimmed the rest to look like ears. I just love the way they kinda flop! Next came the painting. I did the simple face by hand and filled in the ears with the pink. It is kind of hard to paint on burlap. You will have to go over it until it looks great for you. After the paint was dry I used my makeup brush and put blush on the cheeks and my last step was burning the edges of the ears. That was a bit scary....make sure you are paying close, close attention so your bunny doesn't go up in flames! :) I plan on making a couple more to put around the house.

I got a yard of burlap at Hobby Lobby for $1.99 and used very little for this bunny. If you already have paint, some cute ribbon and rice...this is SOOOO inexpensive!

Happy Burlaping! :)

Linking up here!