Merry Christmas!

I hope you all enjoy your Christmas and that it is full of love & family. Ours is jam packed with family time and food and I don’t think I’d have it any other way! Happy Holidays from ours to yours!

Mason Jar Cocoa

I love good mason jars and I also love some good hot chocolate. When you put them together it equals awesome. I searched for some recipes for homemade hot chocolate mix and decided to make up my own. This hot chocolate recipe is good and rich. I tried it with milk and water. Both were fine but I think I prefer with water. I also used freezer paper and wrapped a couple candy canes and then crushed it with a glass cup. I layered the cocoa mix, marshmallows, crushed candy cane and a little more marshmallows. Tied it all up with some bakers twine and delivered it to friends & teachers. This is the perfect last minute neighbor, teacher, or friend gift because it whips up fast & simple. AND is cute.

Hot Cocoa Mix

{About 20 Servings}

-3 cups non-fat dry milk

-2 cups powdered sugar

-1 1/2 cups cocoa powder

-3/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

-3/4 cups white chocolate chips

-1/4 tsp salt

*Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl with a whisk and gradually add the mixture into your blender or food processor. grind it all up until the chocolate is powder-like. (I had to do pretty small batches because our blender is on it’s last leg FYI). We used about a half cup to 3/4 cup powder to 1 cup boiling milk or water.

Enjoy!

Winner!

And we have a winner!! I'm so so excited too because it's one of my very best friends. So, thank you Rafflecopter for picking... BRITTANY FISH! Woo Woo I'm excited to see what you pick out :) And a big thank you to Mrs. Smith's for providing this lovely giveaway.

Ribbon Wreath Frame

This week has been INsane. As I've been trying to get ready for the Holly Jolly Boutique and then every. single. child. decided to get sick. Miss B had the flu, Miss R an awful cough and Miss E can't breath since she's so congested. Why do I love winter again?? The weather is fantastic but the sickness, not so much. Anyways, I thought I'd share one of my favorite quick projects I made last year. Love cheap easy projects you can make in minutes. I started out with a dollar store frame. Then, cut some scrapbook paper to fit inside. I made a ribbon wreath wreath ( I was too lazy to make a tutorial for it but here is a wonderful one.) Hot glued the wreath onto the scrapbook paper along with some little foam "berries" that had fallen off my fall wreath. Finally, I added a tiny scrap of burlap and included some rub on letters for the peace. Voila! A cute, free(ish) holiday decoration!

Mrs Smith's Pies & $50 William-Sonoma GC Giveaway!!! Mrs Smith's Pies & $50 William-Sonoma GC Giveaway!!!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Mrs. Smith's for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I had the opportunity to try some of Mrs. Smith's Signature Deep Dish pies this weekend and it was perfect timing with Thanksgiving. They have new deep dish pies that are made with real butter and taste just like homemade. My favorite part was they come with ways to customize your pies. The cherry comes with a butter fudge sauce, the apple with caramel, pumpkin with a cream cheese frosting and I couldn’t find the peach pie to save my life! But out of the 3 I tried, I think I liked the Apple with caramel sauce best. I may or may not be eating a slice of leftover apple drenched in caramel sauce for breakfast. Don't. Judge. Although the cherry with chocolate fudge sauce was delicious too. I’m not a huge pumpkin pie fan but I’m sure my husband will love it. The crust is flaky and honestly tastes like it’s homemade. Yum. I am so excited, Mrs. Smith’s Pies is generous enough to be giving away a $50 William Sonoma gift card AND a coupon for a free pie to one of my lovely readers!! Woo Woo. Just in time for Christmas. I honestly wanted to keep it for myself and/or enter my own giveaway. I LOVE William-Sonoma. They have such wonderful products. All you have to do to win the giftcard is tell me which pie you would try with your FREE coupon & what you would get with your giftcard! Simple as that. For extra entries you can follow Mrs. Smith's on Facebook & Pinterest Easy Peasy. Use the Rafflecopter widget below :)



Enter Giveaway HERE using the rafflecopter widget or on our Facebook Page!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

DIY Pallet Stage

Ok so now that the polls have closed I guess I am allowed to announce which project was mine for SYTYC! Mine was the DIY Reading Nook/Pallet Stage. Ha! Most of you guessed right. I guess I have a pretty distinct style and/or prose. I'm so excited to be in the competition and think it will be so fun to have a challenge for me to work on! This blog and the crafting has been such a fun outlet for me. Here is the post, just in case you missed it. AND come back later on for a super fun giveaway!

Hey SYTYC fans! I have been following all the crafty competitions in the past and have loved watching all of the  cool projects that come out of it! I have been wanting to make a stage for my girls for a long time now and this audition was the perfect opportunity to get it done. I always get these ideas and my husband thinks I’m crazy, but once they’re done he realizes I’m a genius ;) My girls LOVE to dance and sing for anyone who will listen to them. Our coffee table, couches, kitchen table, chairs, beds, etc have all become their stage to perform on. So, I thought this would be the perfect addition to their room. And I think it was a hit! They are completely obsessed. As I type this they are choreographing the perfect show for us :) I also decided it could double as a little reading nook. Bonus!  We created this out of an old pallet, some molding and a whole bunch of tulle. I hope you all love it as much as we do!

*Edited to Add: We took one of my husbands old pallets and filled in the gaps with pieces of cull wood from Home Depot (which kept this project c.h.e.a.p.) Then sanded the whole thing, painted with watered down white paint. We then used wood glue to attach the molding to the pallet for a more finished look (I started this project the day it was due..haha since I'm the worlds best procrastinator, so I didn't have time to fill the gaps in the molding but I would suggest that :) ) We used command strips on the ceiling to hold a tension rod HA My husband was dying and my "jerry rigging" (is that a real phrase??) BUT it has held up so far to my girls pulling and playing on it. If you figure out a better way to put up the curtains, please share :) My girls are still obsessed and love giving us shows on their new "shtage"!

{Black} Friday Faves

Hey everyone!! Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving full of family and food. I for one ate way too much and enjoyed spending some down time with the family. We decided 10 min til 8 to go out black friday shopping to try and find a trampoline for the kiddos. We walked right into Wal-Mart, found the tramp line (in the dairy…random) and got out by 8:25! It was amazing and not at all what I thought our Black Friday experience would be. I was happily surprised. Now, time for all of my favorite sales that are going on. (some of which I am an affiliate for FYI)

1. Silhouette Cameo. I am not an affiliate for Silhouette but have been wanting one for a long time! There are a lot of sales going on right now for them and I ordered mine last night!! Can’t wait to get it!

2. Mabel's Labels

Shop and be merry! Beginning Monday, November 26th through Tuesday, November 27th at 5:00pm, Mabel's Labels is ringing in the holiday season by offering 40% off Skinny Minis, The Basic Kit, Shoe Labels, and Preschool Labels. Mabel's Labels products make perfect stocking stuffers, party favours and personalized add-ons to other gifts. Discounts cannot be combined with other offers, coupons or promotions or with purchases made through fundraisers. Hurry - before this offer ends! Happy Shopping

3. ModCloth 'Tis The Season Sale

It is time for the ModCloth 'Tis The Season Sale today through 11/25 with huge savings! The ModCloth 'Tis The Season Sale is an amazing sale including 100s of brand new stunning styles at 50% off! Now is the time to stock up on great styles for the holidays!

4. Madewell
I LoVe Madewell clothes. If I had a million dollars just to spend on my wardrobe, you better believe they would all be from Madewell. And this weekend they are doing EXTRA 30% off!

5. You know I love Very Jane. They have great deals every day! Perfect for saving while buying all those Christmas gifts :)

**Do you guys have any good deals I need to be aware of!? I’d love any suggestions..**

HAPPY SHOPPING EVERYONE!

12 Days of Giving with Walmart

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walmart for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Walmart is doing an amazing giveaway this year, the 12 Days of Giving. They are giving away a total of $1.5 million in grants to local non-profit organizations that will help out their communities. Such a great cause! I jumped at the chance to nominate a local organization around here and think you should too! I chose to nominate the Child Crisis Center in Mesa, AZ. It takes in children that desperately need love and support who are not getting it from home. They provide these children with a a stable loving environment in which they can heal and grow. I personally, thank heavens, have never experienced domestic violence or child abuse. But, I have been deeply impacted by the stories of people around me. I went on a walk for domestic violence as a teenager and have ever since had a special place in my heart for victims of abuse. It's horrific and devastating and am so grateful for organizations like the Child Crisis Center. My sister volunteered for them and had some amazing and sad stories to tell. Nominating your local non-profit organization to recieve these grants is easy peasy and takes only a couple minutes! All you need is the Name of the nonproft, the contact info, and a website. You can also provide a picture if you'd like. You can go nominate a local organization any time between Nov. 1 and Nov. 18 so only a couple more days!! I would love it if you nominate someone and if you do, please leave a comment letting me know who you nominated. I love to hear of all the good work that's going on out there!

 

Burlap & Fabric Pumpkins

I helped out with a craft night for our church and thought some fabric pumpkins would be a cheap easy project for a large group of women. Once I started making some to display though, I couldn’t stop! They are so cute and SO easy and fast. I kept looking around for more embellishments & scrap fabrics to make more. So fun! Here’s the simple little tutorial how to make some of your own. Also you can download the Fall subway art here for free!



1. Cut out a circle. Any size. Any Fabric.  2. Double up your thread and sew a basic stitch around your circle. Pull pretty tight, fill with stuffing, beans, or rice. (I used poly-fil). Stitch it closed. 3. Hot glue a small stick in the hole and embellish the top. I used a variety of curly wire, twine, lace, & ric-rac. The possibilities are endless. 4. Make up a whole bunch and display!

SYTYC

Season 14 auditions are up on the So You Think You're Crafty blog and one of them is mine! Go check them out and vote for your favorite! :) I'm curious to see if you can guess which one is mine??

Friday Faves {no. 21}

Hey Hey everyone. I drank a large coke with dinner and I don’t think I’m going to be bed anytime soon. If this post seems a little off it may be because I am a little too awake at the moment.

1. Please tell me you’ve been listening to Taylor Swift’s CD constantly too? I’m obsessed. P.S. I used my swagbucks to buy it. Love free stuff and love this cd.

2. I just got this new app called Shop Kicks and it’s kind of cool. You get “kicks” for walking into stores/ scanning things. Then you use those kicks to buy gift cards. Plus you can get special coupons and deals too. Maybe I love it because they give you kicks for going to Target. And maybe I go to Target every day of my life. Don’t judge.

3. I also just got the “Talking Ginger” app for my girls and they think it’s the funniest thing ever. We have been playing for over a week and we still think it’s hilarious.

4. I love these yarn wrapped trees. I’m helping out with a church Christmas dinner and I think these would make for some fun centerpieces.

5. Could you just die over these shoes?? I could buy every single pair for my girls and be a happy camper. Anyone want to donate to the “My girls need cute shoes fund?” Brynlee would truly appreciate it ;)

Uncle Dave’s Pasta Recipe

This is our dinner plan for tonight and we haven't had it in awhile so I'm excited to make it. This is one of our family favorites. It’s easy and delicious and we lovingly call it Uncle Dave’s pasta. My Uncle Dave was one of the most amazing men I knew. So strong, loving, kind, happy and spread joy to all those around him. He passed away years ago but he still has an impact on my life and I think of him often. Through finding his cancer he made it possible for our entire family to find a mutated gene that about half of my family have. We all have been able to be proactive in fighting against getting the same cancer. I’m so grateful to him and the amazing example he was and is. And also so grateful for the knowledge that we will be able to be with him again.

Ok, now on to the the recipe. I’m not sure if this is his original recipe but through the grapevine this is how we make it around here.


Uncle Dave’s Pasta
-1 handful of cilantro (chopped)
-1/2 onion diced
-some minced garlic (ha I’m the worst at measuring. Maybe a TBl or two?)
-1 can diced tomatoes (I like petite, and so do my kids)
-1 box bow tie pasta
-1 jar of alfredo (I like Classico 4 cheese I believe. But any will be good!).

Chop up your cilantro.


Saute your onion in a little butter with your garlic. Once your onions are pretty translucent, throw in your tomatoes to warm them up.


Then, add in your cilantro…


While you are cooking the onions, boil your pasta. Once they are cooked dump in your jar of alfredo and mix to warm. Combine your pasta with the tomato/onion/cilantro mixture.


Serve with a French baguette and some salad and enjoy your 20 minute meal!!

Meal Plan Monday

Hey everyone, happy Monday! I am hoping if I actually plan out my meals and record them I will follow through and start making dinner more often. I feel like the last two weeks have been full of Hot n Ready’s and Chipotle. I’ve been craving salad and home cooked meals and the thought of fast food makes me cringe. Time to get back on track with meal planning.
Monday: Taco Soup
Find the recipe here. Yu umm.


Tuesday: Uncle Daves Pasta 

Wednesday: Sweet Pork Salads

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: Haystacks

Saturday: Out (Date Night :) )

Friday Faves {no. 20}

1. One of my favorite things this week is raiding my children’s candy buckets. Don’t judge me. But I just remembered today how much I l.o.v.e Milky Way candy bars frozen. DElish. My Mom used to have a stash of these in our freezer and I thought she was odd (no offense Madre) I hate frozen/cold chocolate but for some reason Milky Ways are fantastic frozen. Just try it.

2. K I know I mentioned Nashville last week but seriously these girls are amazing. Go listen to them…too cute! Dying over this cover they did.
3. I think this is such a great idea! Minus the alcohol. (We don’t drink around here) But YuM! Caramel & Apple are one of my all time favorite combos.
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4. I love beautiful wrapping
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5. I just heard about Discountdland.com. If it’s legit I think it is fantastic.

Halloween 2012

Hope ya’ll had a fantastic Halloween!! We did. It was crazy busy and I’m not going to lie, by the time it was actually Halloween I was kind of burnt out. But the girls loved trick or treating, until Brynlee got traumatized by a skeleton with a motion sensor. Here are our super cool Halloween decorations this year (as you can see I’m kind of a party pooper when it comes to this holiday…) Bring on November!!

Find out how I made this witch silhouette here.

I made this banner 2 years ago and still love it! I believe I got the idea/printable letters from The Crafting Chicks.

Brynlee decided last year she wanted to be Cruella de ville for Halloween and has been excited ever since to dress up! For some reason Brynlee always loves the villain in all of the Disney movies but Cruella is her favorite of them all. She is hilarious and has the perfect feisty attitude to go with her costume. My talented mother-in-law made the adorable costume. The wig was a little skewed in all these pictures…Of course I didn’t notice that until 2 seconds ago…And since I’m a slacker mom I just bought the Dalmatian jammies from Gap. And now that all of the Halloween madness has died down I hope to catch up on life again.

Oh! And here is my version of Classy Clutter’s Halloween Wreath :)