Love Floats

It's been so cold here the last couple of weeks that we haven't been very motivated to craft.  The only thing I've been motivated to do is drop off my kid at school and crawl back under the covers to watch episodes of Psych!  Just kidding, while Candace sorts toys in her bonus room I've been catching up on all my touch up painting.  Sounds thrilling huh.  Definitely not blog worthy stuff.

I've seen this idea around for a while where you can use Cherry 7UP instead of root beer for a float.  I thought it looked so cute that I did it for my church Activity Day Girls last week. They looked great but Cherry 7Up left me wanting....it just wasn't strong enough to balance out the vanilla ice cream.  So since we are busy preparing Science Project experiments in our house- we thought we would try an experiment of our own.  My daughter was all too happy to be the judge!

We tried Shasta Raspberry Creme Soda 

                                                           

and Barq's Red Creme Soda.

                                                   
Both are pretty tasty but I think the Raspberry Creme might be a tad better.
They were so easy to make for my girls~I pre-scooped the ice cream and stored them in the freezer until ready to go.  Add a couple of cute Valentine straws and who can resist?

Now if you really want something tasty you'll have to try these Italian Creme Sodas~
Head over to Butter With A Side Of Bread for an easy and delicious recipe for homemade Italian Sodas.  Yum!
                                         

Beef Empanadas

My Hubby's birthday is New Year's Eve and this year his only request was that I make him empanadas.
He served as a missionary in Chile and he actually tried to make empanadas for me
on one of our first dates.
They were miserable and I barely choked them down, wishing I had a huge napkin
to hide everything in while I also tried to convinced him I was "The One".

It's been a long time since then and I finally got a real authentic recipe from our neighbor who was a missionary in Argentina.  They are delicious and our whole family pitched in to put them together!

Beef Empanadas
Dough:
8 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (3/4 cup) vegetable shortening, melted
4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) vegetable oil
1 1/3 cup milk
1 1/3 cup water

Filling:
2 cups chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 lbs extra lean ground beef
6 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1 can olives, drained and sliced, black or green
1/2 cup raisins
Salt to taste

Prepare Dough:
Combine flour, salt, shortening and vegetable oil in large mixing bowl; stir to blend.  Heat milk in microwave until small bubbles appear around edges (about 4 min).  Add flour to mixture along with warm water.  Stir to form soft dough.  Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth (about 3 min).  Cover with plastic wrap and let rest 20 minutes.
Prepare Filling:
Saute onion in the oil in large skillet until tender and translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic at the end.  Set aside onions.  Crumble beef into skillet, saute, stirring until browned.  Stir in chili powder and cumin.  Stir in olives, raisins, onions, and chopped eggs.

Form dough into 4 12" long rolls.  Slice each roll into 10 equal pieces and roll each piece into a 5 inch round.
Put about 3-4 tablespoons of the filling in the center of each round.  Moisten the edges and fold in half.  Press edges firmly together and twist along the edge to secure.  Each empanada should be very plump with filling.  Place on a greased cookie sheet until you are finished.

To bake: Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 15 minutes.
To fry: Heat oil till bubbles from immediately when a tiny piece of dough is dropped in oil.  Fry on each side until golden brown.  Drain on a paper towel lined plate.

Serve hot with salsa and sour cream.  We actually did a mixture of half sour cream half Chili Verde salsa for a dipping sauce and it was great!  I fried mine and they cooked so quick and were so good!  My daughter even ate them and that's a miracle in itself!  At 9 years old she has refused to eat anything besides chicken till this year~when finally the enticing smell of bacon cooking made her broader her horizon's as far as protein goes....

This makes a huge batch~for us 3 it means we've been eating empanadas every day this week.  We also made a few with just a cube of pepper jack cheese in them~which is great if you aren't brave enough to eat raisins, egg and green olive in the same bite!

I finished taking down all my Christmas decorations today.  Our kids only got 1 1/2 weeks off from school and it disappeared so fast!  We decided to put our blogging aside and enjoy them to the fullest.
I am happy that I get to put up Valentine stuff soon.  How long do you wait till you put up Valentines?

Pumpkin Fluff

I just had to share this yummy recipe that my wonderful friend brought
over to me!  Thank you Stephanie!!!
It was so good and light~plus it's perfect to keep on hand during the holidays!
It's Pumpkin Fluff and I swear you're going to love it!

PUMPKIN FLUFF
1 15 oz. can of pumpkin
1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice
1 small package of instant vanilla pudding.
1 8 oz container of Cool Whip

Mix together the pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice and instant vanilla pudding.  Fold in Cool Whip till thoroughly combined. Serve with Anna's Ginger Thins. They are a perfect little cookie in a cute flower shape, perfect for dipping.  You can find them in your local grocery store or in bulk at Costco.

Candace and I are working on some cute Santa's tomorrow that hopefully we'll finish quick to share with you.  I got them all cut out right before my dear old scroll saw gave up the ghost today and I've never been more thankful for Home Depot's Protection plan.  They issued me a gift card through my email and I was able to go pick up a new one this afternoon.  I'm thinking it was the best money I've spent!

Upside Down Pumpkin Pie

I tried this tasty pumpkin recipe at a Christmas dinner several years ago.  It was so good that I begged my friend Julie to write it down and give it to me.  The toasted pecan topping and pumpkin are delicious together.  The best part is, Upside Down Pumpkin Pie is so easy to make.  You just mix a few ingredients with your can of pumpkin, and throw cake mix, pecans and melted butter on.  Simple and a great dish to add to your Thanksgiving feast!

Upside Down Pumpkin Pie

1 (20 oz.) can pumpkin
1 1/4 c. sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1 box yellow cake mix (Duncan Hines is the best)
1 (12 oz. can evaporated milk
3 eggs well beaten
1 c. pecan coarsely chopped
1 c. melted butter

Combine all ingredients, except cake mix, pecans, and melted butter.  Mix well and pour into greased 9x13 pan.  Sprinkle dry cake mix evenly over pumpkin mixture.  Top with pecan and drizzle melted butter over all.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.  Cool and serve with whipped cream.

Here are few of my other favorite pumpkin desserts.  They come from Mel's Kitchen Cafe..I love her blog!

Pumpkin Bars

Pumpkin Roll

And our favorite, the traditional pumpkin pie with our mom's pie crust.  So good!  I'm heading out to start my crust!  Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Banana Crunch Muffins

I stumbled upon a great banana muffin recipe a couple of years ago that is so good and I want to pass it along to you!

The recipe comes from Ina Garten, you can find her banana crunch muffin recipe at Food Network.   I  like how she adds coconut, walnuts, and granola to the mix, the smell in the house is wonderful as they bake. This recipe is a keeper and a great way to use up all of the ripe bananas I seem to always have.

We will be back soon, it has been a crazy week in both of our homes! :)



Halloween Owl Wreath and More!

We are busy getting ready for Halloween around here. We are tackling the costumes, cookies, school parties, and hanging the last few spooky decorations.  I found a fun owl at Cost Plus earlier in the season with the intentions to hang it on a wreath of some kind.  Sadly it is the day before Halloween and I am finally get around to making it.  I gotta have something fun on my door for the trick or treaters!

I was going to try the "socks on a wreath" again, but they didn't fit around the flat foam wreath without warping the houndstooth.  Instead, I opted for houndstooth fabric, first gluing the fabric to the front of the foam wreath.  Next I pinned and pleated the outside edges and cut the center out leaving enough to pull and pin on the inside.  The fabric didn't quite make it around the inside center, so I cut a long strip of the houndstooth fabric and glued along the bad edge.  I love that I can change the wreath for different seasons.  I just have to figure out something for Fall?  Any ideas?

Last night I made several batches of owl cookies for class parties. I stole the owl cookie idea from Kneader's Restaurant and Bakery.  I love their cookies and if I could I would just buy the cookies from Kneader's, but when I need about a hundred it is not very cost effective.  So, I borrowed their idea of backward chocolate chips for eyes and candy corn for noses, and ordered this owl cookie cutter. ( It's only a $1.55 on Amazon! )

*I don't profess to be a cookie artist...actually mine are kinda ugly...but they taste good and my kids think they are fun! Nicole got a good chuckle out of my cookie decorating skills.... 

I have a great soft sugar cookie recipe.  I have tried others - but keep coming back to this tasty recipe.  They are really good with homemade cream cheese frosting.

Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

3 1/4 c. Flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. butter
1 c. sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. sour cream

Sift flour, soda, salt, and set aside.  Mix butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla.  Add sour cream and 1/2 of flour mixture and mix.  Then add remaining flour and finish mixing.  Divine in half and roll out.  Cut out cookies and bake on ungreased sheet for 8-10 minutes at 375 degrees.  Do not over bake them! The edges should just barely be golden and the cookies should look firm.

Frost with cream cheese frosting, I like to use Glorious Treats' Cream Cheese frosting, it is a winner!

And last, a silly handout for my son's class.  My boys love whistle lips, they will entertain them for hours.  Thankfully for my ears - they are not too loud. We touched off the Frankenstein with a pixie stick for bolts. 

I am officially tired and it is only the beginning of the Holidays!  Nicole is whipping up another awesome costume for her daughter, she will be back soon to share!

I hope all of you have a "Franken-tastic" Halloween and be safe out there! :)  

(Our thoughts and prayers go out to all of those affected by the hurricane, we wish you safety and a quick recovery!)

Halloween Caramel Corn

Here's a super easy Halloween Caramel Corn Recipe you'll want to add to your recipe file!

Even better~it's made completely in the microwave!

This week we had our Halloween Activity with my Sunday School Girls

and my Teaching partner Jill shared the most wonderful Caramel Corn Recipe that was "To Die For"!

Not only was it really easy to make, it tasted really good!

Jill has sooooo many brilliant ideas~I love working with her and learning from her too!

Here's the recipe:

Microwave Caramel Corn

8 quarts of air popped popcorn (1 1/2 cups unpopped)approximately

1 Cup Butter

2 Cups Sugar

3/4 Cup Powdered Whey

1/2 cup Karo Syrup

1/4 Cup Water

1/2 Tsp Baking Soda

Melt the butter first in a large bowl.  Mix in butter, sugar, whey, Karo syrup and water with a whisk to thoroughly mixed. Cook for 4 minutes on high heat in the microwave. Make sure that it doesn't boil over.

Remove from microwave and add 1/2 tsp of Baking Soda. 

You can also add a few drops of food coloring if desired.

Add popcorn and caramel mixture together in a large brown paper bag, 

making sure to coat everything evenly.  Fold over top and cook for 2 more minutes on high.

When done spread it out onto a clean counter top or cookie sheets to cool.

Now when I say Whey Powder~this is what I'm talking about.

I searched 3 different stores until I figured it out that this is what it was. 

                        

You should have seen the perplexed look on my hubby's face when he saw this on the counter

with my popcorn making supplies.:)

This Popcorn is going to "Pump You Up!"

                                     

Just kidding~can't help referring to the good old SNL days!

We added in some yummy Caramel Apple flavored candy corns which believe it or not, 

are actually good tasting!

We also had our girls make these cute Witch Broom Party Favor Bags which I know you've probably seen all over Pinterest because they are so darn cute!

They were really easy to put together so make sure to find the full directions for them over with Martha:~ Martha Stewart Witch Broom Party Favors  

Make sure to add a cute tag and you are good to go!

They were so tasty I now have a demanding child insisting on making one for each of her classmates for Halloween!  Sure....I'll somehow fit that in with making her costume and putting together the party for her class in the next 3 days......May the costume making odds be ever in my favor!

Goose Creek Candle Giveaway and Applesauce Cookies

It's no shocker that we are drawn to scented candles that remind us of food.  We love food, especially baked goodies in the fall. Anything that makes our home smell like we have been baking for hours is a winner in our book! The smell of baked treats without the temptation of calories!

We were lucky enough to be sent a yummy scented candle by Goose Creek Candle Company.  The scent is Apples & Spice, could it be any more perfect for the Fall season?  The candle smells great and lasts for hours, and is not too over-powering.  We also love the look of the container, so sleek and pretty!

I don't know if you have ever heard of Goose Creek Candles, but we love the story behind them.
They are a family owned business and all of their products are poured in the USA with a 100% satisfaction guarantee. Go check out their story when you have a chance.

Goose Creek Candle has kindly offered to share a candle with you!

*Just leave us a comment and let us know what scent is your favorite.  That's it!
Are you a food scent lover like us?

*We also have a discount coupon just for you just in time to stock up for the holiday season!
Just enter COUPON CODE 1050 and enjoy 25% off your entire purchase of Goose Creek Candles
for the whole month of October!

While you are waiting for your candles to arrive, enjoy this yummy recipe that smells and tastes just like Fall!  The recipe is from our good friend Stephanie and her mom.  They are both fabulous cooks.  They call them "devil cookies" because you can't stop eating them!

Applesauce Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 C. shortening
2 C. sugar
2 eggs
4 1/4 C. flour 
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. allspice

Beat first three ingredients together.  Combine remaining ingredients.
Mix 2 teaspoons of baking soda into 2 Cups applesauce
Alternate dry ingredients and applesauce until mixed. 
The mixture will be quite sticky.  Add chocolate chips. (12.oz bag)
Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

We have some fun news to share!
We are thrilled to be featured in a photo gallery at  People.Com - Moms and Babies. We are sharing our favorite Halloween ideas.  Come on over and take a peek!  Yup, this is a pinch me moment!

Banana Cake & Knock-Off Decor Feature

I tried a fantastic banana cake recipe that I found on Pinterest.  The recipe comes from

Butter Yum and it is called "To Die For Banana Cake" with Vanilla Bean Frosting.  The "to die for" and "vanilla bean" quickly caught my attention, it must be pretty good with a name like that.

The frosting calls for Vanilla Bean Paste, which I had never heard of.  After a quick Internet search, I found that Williams-Sonoma carries a great Vanilla Bean Paste from Nielsen-Massey.  Nicole and I had thoughts of making it ourselves (which you can) but after buying all the ingredients and waiting...it's much easier to buy it from the store.  It adds a distinct vanilla flavor and I love the pretty brown flecks in the frosting. 

So, if you have some extra ripe bananas hanging around in your kitchen, go ahead and try this recipe.  You will not be disappointed.

(Williams-Sonoma)

Nielsen-Massey Vanilla Bean Paste

A HUGE thanks to Beckie from Knock Off Decor

 for featuring the Burlap Message Board!

Head on over and take a peak through Knock Off Decor, you will find tons of great "knock-off" inspiration!

Have a great day! :)

Chocolate Cherry Cake

I've been moping around the house this morning
gorging on Chocolate Cherry Cake~a recipe our Mom shared with us this last week.
I'm not quite sure what to do with all this quiet.
I am soooo one of those moms that cries each year when they
drop their kids off at the first day of school.
Today was no exception.
Out of the last 37 days we have either had family here visiting in town or we've been out of town
visiting family, with a total of 3 days out of 37 in which I was home by myself and my own family.

My Mom and I got quite accomplished at running what felt like a soup kitchen when you have that many mouths to feed and I instantly fell for her Chocolate Cherry Cake recipe that she found from a church dinner.

CHOCOLATE CHERRY CAKE
1 box devils food cake mix
1 21 oz. can cherry pie filling
1 tsp. almond extract
2 eggs

FROSTING
1 cup white sugar
5 Tbls. butter
1/3 cup milk
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Heat oven to 350*.  Grease 9x13 pan.
In large bowl combine: cake mix, pie filling, 2 eggs and almond extract.  Mix with wooden spoon by hand.  Mix until well blended.  Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Cool.

Frosting:
In a small saucepan, combine sugar, butter and milk.  Bring to a boil and stir constantly for 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips until smooth.  Immediately pour over partially cooled cake.

It's quite moist and pretty yummy!
Only a few more hours till school is out and my sweet girl is home!:)
What do you guys do on the first day of school?

Sweet Bacon Wrapped Chicken

Okay, you're probably wondering when are we going 

to start crafting again?

Well this week my in-laws are in town

and Candace has a house full of sick kids....what's with summer colds?

So with family comes yummy food

and I tried a new recipe last night that I just had to share!

Paula Deen's Sweet Bacon Wrapped Chicken!

It's was seriously good and easy to make!

I did alter a few things, I partially pre-cooked the bacon.

This helped burn off a lot of the grease

so that when we grilled them they didn't make a huge mess on the grill.

I also salted, peppered and shook a bit of onion & garlic powder

on the chicken before I wrapped them in the bacon.

I was worried that the chili powder would be too hot 

but it isn't, in fact next time I think I might add an extra Tablespoon.

Of course anything Paula Deen makes is wonderful...

remember her yummy

  Not Yo' Momma's Banana pudding dessert 

our brother told us about!?!

So much for the weight I lost getting ready for summer!

What good stuff have you guys been cooking?

Fruit & Nut Granola

We are back with another recipe!  It's hard to do lots of crafts this summer with the kids home, but we always have to eat, right?  :)

Our brother is undergoing surgical school training and recently shared with us his experiences with

the colon and rectal segment of his training.  Our brother is a fantastic story teller who also likes to pull out his study books to share pictures of today's diseases....yikes, I know this is TMI, but it scared the "poo" out of us...literally.

He said that in today's society we are eating way too much processed foods and it is creating many diseases of the intestines that we didn't see 40 or 50 years ago or more frighteningly even 20 years ago.  Our brother said that it is essential to add whole grain fiber to our diets to avoid many of these problems and whole oats are one of the best choices. 


Our first solution~a yummy granola recipe our Mom made that is chocked full of fiber and whole oats.  It's our Aunt Susan's recipe and it is so good! The flavors of the honey, butter, and vanilla make eating oats easy.  You can add whatever favorite nuts, or dried fruit that you like. 

Fruit & Nut Granola

4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1/2 cup chopped almonds

1/2 cup cashews or pistachios

1/4 cup hulled green pumpkin seeds

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons butter

1/3 cup honey

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup dried blueberries or other dried fruit

(optional-add a couple tablespoons of flax seed)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In a large bowl stir together oats, almonds, cashews, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, cinnamon, and salt.  In a small bowl melt butter with honey and stir to combine.  Add vanilla and pour butter mixture over oat mixture and stir until well combined.

On a large baking sheet, spread the granola evenly in a thin layer.  Bake, stirring once with a spatula halfway through, until golden brown and crisp, about 20 minutes.  Do not overcook; the granola will crisp more when cooled.  Cool the granola on the pan on top of the stove and then stir in dried fruit.  Granola is best if kept in an airtight container at room temperature. 

Yum!

This would be so great added to your favorite yogurt!  

Now go on out and eat some fiber! :)

Sweet & Salty Patriotic Popcorn

I have a fun 4th of July popcorn recipe to share with you that comes from my Sister In-Law, Richelle.

Every Fourth of July, we look forward to her colorful sweet and salty popcorn she makes for our family firework show.

I really like it because it's simple to make, and not too sweet.  I don't know about you, but I love gooey sweet popcorn, but after I eat several handfuls I feel sick...like I just ate a cube of butter and a pound of sugar! This popcorn is just right.

What I also like about this popcorn is that (most) kids with allergies can eat it too.  Several of our cousins suffer from food allergies, and often get left out of all the fun treats we eat around the holidays.

The ingredients are:

1/2 cup popcorn (gourmet works best, I like Orville Redenbacher)

2 TB oil

3 TB sugar

salt to taste 

(You can add food coloring if you want a burst of color.)

We use a popcorn popper similar to the picture above. 

Add the oil, sugar, unpopped popcorn, and food coloring to the base.  Place the lid over the base, turn it on, and wait for it to pop.  When you hear the popcorn popping start to slow, flip it over, unplug it, and remove the bowl of popcorn.  Add salt to taste while warm.

For the red, white and blue popcorn- pop white first, add red coloring to second batch and wipe clean, add blue coloring to last batch.

**This popcorn popper recommends ONLY using oil while popping, so if you are worried about adding sugar and food coloring, try this recipe in pan with a lid over the stove instead**

We found that if you use a wet rag, you can *carefully* clean the sugar off of the hot surface before it carmelizes onto the bottom of the pan. The sugar and food coloring does discolor the surface.

Like all my warnings?

I just don't want you to be mad at me when you ruin the bottom of your popcorn popper! :)

As always, be careful when you are cooking or handling hot pans and oil! Yes, I have "safety issues."

 

 A fun and festive popcorn treat for the Fourth of July that you can make in minutes!  Enjoy!

Rhubarb Dessert

Growing up out in rural Washington, we had a pretty

big yard which also meant we had a pretty big garden.

Our folks always had 4 large rhubarb plants

and a never ending supply of rhubarb for making cobbler,

one of our Dad's all time favorite treats.

Even though we all complained about having our rows to weed

in the garden, it has been quite funny to see most of us kids grow up to be avid gardeners.

My parents are still stunned at this.:)

I, out of probably all my siblings am probably the most sappy and sentimental

so I of course have to have at least 2 big rhubarb plants in my garden to remind me of my childhood.

Problem is my hubby doesn't like rhubarb and neither does my daughter.

Last week there was a recipe attached to our church newsletter that I just had to try

and hey it was all about rhubarb!

Even better~this is by far one of the tastiest desserts I've ever made.

I have no idea who contributed the recipe but it is quite delicious!

Rhubarb Dessert

6 cups chopped rhubarb

1 cup sugar

1 3 oz package strawberry jello

1 cup water

1 white cake mix

1/2 cup margarine or butter

Put rhubarb into a 9 x 13 pan.

Sprinkle sugar on top.

Sprinkle jello powder over top.

Add water carefully over jello powder.

Sprinkle cake mix over top.

Melt margarine or butter and drizzle over top.

Do NOT mix.

Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour.

Because there are only 3 of us in our family I always have more than we can consume

so I usually split the recipe into 2 disposable 8x8" square pans.

That way we can keep one and I can run the other over to my parents.

Boy was my Dad in heaven tonight!

Tomorrow I'm building another raised garden bed to put in an awkward spot

in my yard that I'm amazed I didn't think of doing before.

I have proclaimed this year to be "The Year of My Garden".

I have spent more time outside lately than in and it has been wonderful!:)

A New Year's....

I make at least one goal each year

and I usually don't do very well with it.

The last couple of years I didn't even bother.

Sound familiar?

This year I do have one goal I'm gonna totally follow through with.

I'm going to get healthy, no, not just lose some weight,

which would of course would be the added bonus,

but I want to feel good~most of the time.:)

Plus I have the dreaded high school reunion this summer.....

Enough said.
Right now we are obsessed with Smoothies!

Right before Thanksgiving I found out I have an ulcer.

Imagine that, after my crazy life during boutique season.  Shocking.

Doc said I needed to go on a 2 week no fat, no sugar, no white carb diet.

I thought I was going to die, not just from the ulcer but from

the lack of sugar, and I had to quit Dr. Pepper.

Surprisingly it wasn't that bad and I actually have felt

the best I have felt in a really long time.

I usually get really sick the  first part of December

when my body finally crashes.

I haven't gotten sick yet this year.

I was surprised when I did eat sugar again how sick I felt, immediately.

Of course for most of us it's totally ridiculous to be that strict but

we wanted to tell you guys about 2 sites that are inspiring us to get healthy.

The Green Smoothie Girl

Our sister-in-law from Texas has our whole family hooked.

Even our Mom who struggles with diabetes is doing amazing with it!

Mary Ann's Cupboards

This lady is a local and my Mom and I have gone

to several of her classes, she is simply brilliant!

Her class on sprouts was amazing and we rushed right down and

got all of our sprouting necessities.

My daughter loves sprouts, begs me to grow them

and she gobbles them up!

Mary Ann also has classes on just about everything,

organizing your house to cooking from your car and food storage.

She is seriously hero-worthy!

To help us on our adventure with shakes
Candace picked up this cool gadget which was
on special today down at Costco.

It's the Magic Bullet!

It comes with 8 little easy to snap on cups that are single serving size.

They snap right into the base, and it's easy enough for little hands to do.

Add some fresh fruit, orange juice, ice and

you've got a smoothie that your kids will love!

Another recipe we love is to add vanilla Greek yogurt,

 cottage cheese, some frozen berries, banana and a little milk and ice cubes. 

 It's so creamy and good you won't want to share!

So far I've lost 20 lbs.

Nope I'm not doing a nasty before and after photo

although my daughter has done up a lovely one of me on the fat booth app....

So what are some of your New Year Goals?

How are you going to accomplish them!

Tell us, we need all the inspiration we can get!:)

Now....back to crafting!