Gift Exchange Gift Idea

Need a quick gift exchange idea? 

This is always a fun one!

Everyone loves slippers, adults and children! Crazy slippers like these monster feet, cartoon slippers, fuzzy warm slippers, animal slippers, or plain suede slippers. Whatever you want! 

Find some fun slippers, slip a few candy bars inside and VOILA, it's done! One down, 10 more to go! 

Happy Gift Exchanging!

Disneyland Coupon Books

Okay people, seriously I had a stroke of BRILLIANCE! I'm not one to boast, but this RARELY happens!

Maybe someone else has come up with this idea, but I haven't heard of it, so in my mind, I STARTED IT!!! WHOO HOO!

Let's get real. Disneyland is pricey to say the LEAST! We have been planning and saving for our Disney trip for over 8 months now. Money isn't too tight, but come on, if anyone wants to retire before the age of 80, money should always be tight. 

Anyway, we have been planning and using this Disneyland trip as an incentive for school, chores, tattle tailing, homework etc.

(oh no, what am I going to do when we don't have this trip to hold over my kids heads and make them behave.................. um.......... I'll cross that bridge after the trip.)

The kids have also been saving up their money and putting it into our "Disneyland Jar." All and any spare cash or coins go into that jar. It has honestly been the BEST THING EVER!! As a parent, you try to teach your kids that they need to EARN things, not always expect a handout. Well, my husband and I decided to tell them they need to earn their ticket into Disneyland. The kids have LOVED having a goal to put their money towards. This is definitely a family earned trip! 

As Christmas quickly approaches, (I had a minor heart attack the other day when someone posted on Facebook that it was 66 days away and I have NOTHING READY YET!) I decided to get my butt in gear and start on some projects that I wanted to make for Christmas. This is one of them.

Like I said before, Disneyland is EEXXXPPPEEENNNSSIIVVEEEE!!!! On top of it we are going to Disneyland a few weeks after Christmas. So, with presents in mind, I decided to make a few of the kids' Christmas presents, DISNEYLAND PRESENTS! That way, I don't have to take out a second mortgage on our house for one dang trip! (just kidding, but for real though)

I came up with.. drum roll please.............

DISNEYLAND COUPON BOOKS!

I will wrap up 1-2 coupons in a box and the kids will open them up for Christmas! GENIUS!

They will then have a little coupon book of Disneyland delicacies. 

A churro, a toy under $20 of their choosing, a sticker for their trunk (Yes we collect stickers and put it on our dress up box/trunk), a drink, a dole whip, and more. 

This is a fun gift for kids even if it's not for Christmas!

 They could do chores to earn a coupon around the house before your trip? Good grades for coupons? Read "this many" books for a coupon?? I'm just rambling and spouting out options.

Anyway, make it, take it and LOVE IT!

On a blank document on my GoogleDocs I 'inserted a table.' (4 down and 3 across)

I added the images into each box and simply printed them out on a piece of card stock paper.

I tried to save you a little time by putting the images I saved toward the end of this post! 

You can use them or find your own. 

I printed, cut them out, and I punched holes into the same corner of each picture. I stuck a ring through them all and... PRESTO! Quick and easy coupon book!

Here are a few of the images I saved for the coupon book so you don't have to go around searching for them. Just trying to save you time. Your coupon book can be as big or as small as you want it! These are just the things I remember getting or wanting in the park, you probably have different traditions or memories than we do. That's the fun thing about this, make it unique to your family! Enjoy!

I found this image on Google but, click here to see the blog where this pic comes from

I found all of these pictures on Google Images. 

Enjoy your coupon book!

Locker Mirror Makeover

Check out this simple Locker Mirror Makeover I threw together for our favorite babysitter! 

I asked her if she had a locker mirror and she said she didn't. Say,"WHAT?!" 

So I bought a plain magnetic mirror and dazzled it up a bit!

Using only silver/gold 'Sharpies' and stickers for her name, this is unique to her. No one else will have a mirror like this! 

I love personalized locker equipment! It makes your locker, YOURS!

St. Patrick's Day Paper Banner

Lately, I've really gotten into making banners to add a little bit of color to my giant Fence Post World Map! It is a big focal point in my living room and I like to add a little splash of holiday fun to it. Well, ladies and gents, I give you... The St. Patrick's Day Paper Banner! I don't know if many people sew paper together, but I do all the time! It is the easiest thing ever! Just cut your banner papers and sew them together! I made this in 20 minutes. Boom! (Mic drop!)

Simply choose the shape you want for your banner! Trace the shape on the back of each scrapbook paper and cut, cut, cut! When finished cutting, arrange your banner papers the way you want it to show. Stack them in order then go sew!

(If you don't have a sewing machine - never fear! Simply hole punch the corders of the papers and thread some string through!!)

*Pull out about 6-12 inches of thread before you start sewing, so you have something to attach your banner with.

Add your papers in order into the sewing machine and go to town! 

*When finished with all of your papers pull out another 6-12 inches of thread before you cut the thread!

Tie knots along the thread lengths you added to the beginning and end of the banner. 

(Tying the bobbin thread and the spool thread together makes it a little bit stronger.)

The banner is darling plain but I added the word "Lucky" to fit the St. Patrick's Day holiday.

OPTIONAL "LUCKY" WORDS

I typed up "Lucky" on a google docs and printed it out. I cut around the letters leaving a little bit of a white border so the letters stuck out more. Then I glued them onto the banner with a glue stick I found in my kid's crayons! 

The "U" in 'Lucky' was "lost" in the black and white paper; so I made a four leaf clover out of some scraps left over from the banner paper. The clover helped to make the "U" stand out more. Totally not planned but it turned out cute!

I love how my living room decor turned out! Simple, yet festive.

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Want to make the cute Four Leaf Clover's on my table?

Click HERE! 

They're made from cereal boxes! Yes, I made them 4 years ago, and yes, I still love them!!

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Want to make the Giant Fence Post Wall Map?

Click HERE!

I get more compliments on that than just about anything else in my house! 

Totally worth the 1 day of work!

Bean Salsa

I have been living on this for the past 2 weeks. This is my "go to" when I'm hungry and don't know what to make. Breakfast, lunch or dinner this salsa is great on just about anything. No, not ice cream, my little angel children would probably sass me and say, "Even on ice cream MOM?! You said everything!" No this would not taste good on ice cream.

You can put this on grilled chicken, hamburger patties, scrambled eggs, nachos, tacos, salads, or eat it plain with tortilla chips. Whip up a big bowl and eat on it for a couple days! It has lots of fiber and great flavors that keep you coming back. 

My sister called me a week ago and was in a panic because she was asked to take a salad to a BBQ at a friends house and had no lettuce on hand. I just happened to be whipping up my second batch of this when she called. I asked her if she had the ingredients for this bean salsa and a bag of tortilla chips? She did! She subbed a couple of ingredients but the result was still the same. DELICIOUS! She said her friends all ranted and raved about her bean salsa. 

So this is your wake up call to make some for your family, your friends or just you!

Bean Salsa 

Substitutions are ok!

1 can Black Beans - drained and rinsed

1 can Kidney beans - drained and rinsed

1 can Black Eyed Peas - drained and rinsed

1 can Corn - not creamed - drained and rinsed

1/2 (Red, Yellow, Orange or Green) Bell Pepper - diced

2-3 Roma Tomatoes - diced (If you don't have any tomatoes use a can of diced tomatoes!)

1 c. Dehydrated Onions - or fresh if you prefer 

(The dehydrated onions soak up the olive oil and vinegar making it a thicker salsa and not so soupy)

1/4 bunch of cilantro - chopped finely

1 c. Olive Oil

1/3 c. Vinegar (I've used apple cider and white and both are great!)

2 T. Lime Juice - bottled or fresh

Salt to taste

* You can add cut up avocado and it stays pretty well in the salsa because of the vinegar and lime juice. 

Place rinsed beans and corn in a medium/large bowl. Add bell pepper, tomatoes and dehydrated onion. Add cilantro, olive oil, vinegar, lime juice and salt. Stir to combine all ingredients. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

SUBSTITUTIONS

Some people don't always have black eyed peas on hand so I have used:

Garbanzo Beans/Chick Peas, 

Great white northern beans

Pinto Beans

If you don't have a bell pepper, don't worry! Don't put one in. If you LOVE peppers and have a ton of them, cut up 2! 

Make this your own! Satisfy your cravings and use what you love!

Need more Salsa Ideas? Click HERE!

The Holy Ghost and the Liahona - F.H.E.

I recently found this article from an old "Friend" magazine, and gave it as our Family Home Evening lesson. It was PERFECT for my young kids, but could be discussed at older levels as well. We made our Liahona and talked about the scriptures and questions inside it. 

This was a super simple and darling lesson our little family enjoyed! 

I hope your family will feel the spirit as you give this lesson. Let the Spirit guide as you discuss the importance of the Holy Ghost, and how it guides us like the Liahona guided Lehi's family. 

Happy Family Home Evening!

Click HERE to get the Friend Article

Click HERE for the Liahona activity picture

Here's a suggestion! 

Have a Golden treat after the lesson!

or

You could mold the balls into what you think the Liahona would have looked like!

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

We were going around the dining room table last night asking each other questions over dinner. My husband asked us all what our favorite treat/dessert was. The kids rattled off brownies, and doughnuts, then I said my most FAVORITE treat, is COOKIES! 

I know, I'm weird. Most people want cheese cake, ice cream, ice cream cheesecake, and while all those are SCRUMPTIOUS, I am a classic cookie girl. I love a glass of ice cold milk with warm cookies. Give me ANY cookie WITHOUT FRUIT like Raisins and I am one happy girl. 

Don't get me wrong, I love dried fruit on it's own, but it DOES NOT belong in a cookie, don't taint perfection.

So then, after dinner and dishes were done, I had MAJOR cookie brain, and I had to make some! I have never found the "perfect" chocolate chip cookie recipe I could claim as "THE BEST." So I looked up a new one and thought I would give it a try, who knew this lady named Betty Crocker would have the best one!? ( Ha ha.) I based my recipe on hers with two minor tweaks that truly make these PERFECT!

Brooklyn and Betty's PERFECT Chocolate Chip Cookies

3/4 c. Granulated Sugar

3/4 c. Packed Brown Sugar

1/2 c. Butter softened

1/2 c. Oil    (I use Olive Oil)

1 tsp. Vanilla

1 egg

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2 1/4 c. Flour  (If you live in a hight altitude place like me, add an extra 1 T. flour)

1 tsp. Baking Soda

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/2 bag of Chocolate Chips (about 1 c.)

Optional - 1/2 c. Chopped Nuts

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Preheat oven to 350

Mix sugars, butter, oil, vanilla and egg in a large bowl.

Add and mix flour, baking soda and salt. (Dough will be stiff)

Fold in Chocolate chips and nuts

Place on a parchment paper lined or a greased cookie sheet. 

Place by rounds 2 inches apart.

Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden edges start to appear. 

Take out of the oven and cool for a couple minutes on the pans -  then use a spatula and place them on a cooling rack.

DEVOUR with a cold glass of milk! DELISH!

Need more Cookie Ideas?

Click HERE!

Italian Bottle Candle

Ever since I was a little girl, I have ALWAYS wanted a bottle candle while eating Italian food just like "Lady and the Tramp!"

Well, I FINALLY MADE ONE! (Only 20 some years later.) My kids were thrilled and thought it was super cool! They can't wait to use it for Halloween as well for our witches table. Once we drink some more sparkling cider I will make more bottle candles, but for now, one is awesome!

It was super easy to make and took me literally 20 minutes, only because I had to wait for my tea candles to melt. It would have taken 5 minutes otherwise.

Make one or two for Valentines Day!

First things first... LAY SOME FOIL ON YOUR COUNTER!

This is a bit messy and you don't want to clean wax off your counter!

I crafted on a paper towel and some of the candle wax went on my counters, so I had a few minutes of scraping it off with my spatula. Learn from my mistakes, craft on FOIL! 

Put your candles and bottle on the foil you laid out.

The narrow opening of the bottle wouldn't allow my taper candle to fit, so I took a sharp knife and shaved off the bottom sides. 

(I went up a little far, you don't have to shave your candle up as much as I did.)

(I didn't know the candle was white underneath! I thought I was safe!)

I took some little tea candles and let them burn so the wax was melted.

I then poured the melted wax on the candle and bottle.

To hide the white candle I shaved down to, I took a match and simply melted the green taper candle up and around to make the white look less harsh.

PRESTO! BOTTLE CANDLE!

Easy clean up, throw the foil away!

I can't wait to build up the wax on the bottle over time! It will be SO FUN!