Valentine's Day Bunny Book Mark

There are SO many cute things to make with your kids for Valentine's Day... sweet, homemade things that family and friends can cherish, especially those you don't get to visit very often. Last year my kids and I cut out their handprints and attatched the ribbon to the hands that was the length of their arms- you've seen it, for the hug that wraps around you. Super fun! This year, I wanted something simple that everyone could use, but easy enough to not stress over making it: book marks! I thought of this when I came across the phrase: "Some Bunny Loves You".

There is a story behind why these simple words touched my heart... I will share it with you. Last May, my dear cousin passed away unexpectedly. We grew up together (literally, our land touched... I could see his window from mine) and were the same age. When we were young, he was always having this run-in with bunnies. He once caught a baby bunny for his mom- precious! He had several dreams about bunnies that he shared with us, and he even swore he saw the Easter bunny. After he died, all of us kept spotting bunnies, even some that would come right up to us. Our family stretches from FL to MI, and I know bunnies are everywhere, but it was still pretty awesome of God to give all of us this comfort. I remember one downpouring rain day, a week after he passed, I was washing the dishes and staring out the window. Out of no where, two bunnies came bounding out and were jumping around eachother, over and under and in crazy circles like they were playing an extreme game of tag- and all this in the pouring rain! They played for several minutes and I stood there watching, eyes pouring with the rain. I miss him so, but I thank God that I know where my cousin is, in heaven with God. He is happier now than he could ever be, completely at peace and safe. Thank you, Jesus!

When I thought of Valentine's Day, I thought of how much my family and I loved my cousin, and how much he loved and what an encouragement he was to others around him. I wanted these book marks to carry on his legacy and remind my family and friends (and maybe even a random stranger) that "Some Bunny Loves You!" Because they do.

 

And here is my beautiful daughter holding one of our completed book marks!

My kids are 3 and 5... I had them sign their names on the back too :)

Soccer snack!

Yes, yes, its been forever since I have posted! Been a little busy homeschooling my son on the week days (love it!). The weekends are packed with my sons soccer and my daughters ballet and church- whew! However, when I remembered that I was the mom to bring snacks to soccer practice tomorrow, I searched pinterest for something super cute and fun (and not too time consuming). I found nothing that was just right, so before I fell asleep last night, this idea popped into my head (thanks God! Just in time!). I used graham crackers, green frosting, teddy grahams and white chocolate covered raisins for the balls. Thought they turned out pretty cute, and I think the kids will love them! And now, I can go to sleep peacefully.

Thanksgiving tree

Thanksgiving is just around the corner! This Thanksgiving tree is a tradition that I have done with my kids since they were little. Franky, it is something I have started doing myself every day with journals I have sitting open around the house... Thanking God for everything, even the seemingly small things (got this inspiration from the book 1000 Gifts by Anne Voskamp... if you are looking for a change in your perspective or want to be more thankful in general I would encourage you to check this book out. I think everyone can use an extra dose of thankfulness). I love listening to the things my children are thankful for, and its so fun to look back at the past year and see what they said. Last year, when my daughter was 2, the first thing she was thankful for was Bass Pro- HaHa! My husband loved that one! If there is anything I want to stick with my kiddos when they leave the nest, I want it to be love for God and others and a thankful heart. The Bible is filled with verses on thanksgiving, but one of my personal favorites is 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 " Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." Happy Thanksgiving... Lets make it more than just in November :)

Crock pot chicken tacos

With trick or treating and all the holiday festivities this week, I found myself migrating back to the crock pot. Love it because you can make healthy meals and save yourself loads of time by using it. One of my personal favorites is chicken tacos. Heres how I make them, nice and simple yet extremely tasty. Enjoy!

For a family of four, you will need two frozen chicken breasts, salsa, a can of chopped green chilies (smaller can if you can't take the heat) and about a tablespoon of garlic.

Pour it all over the chicken breast and put the crockpot on low for 7 hours.

At the end of the 7 hours, shred the chicken and add as much mexican seasoning as you would like. My husband makes the most delicious of mexican seasoning that I use every week. Maybe I can coax him to put up a video of how to make it and I can post the link on here later! SO, mix it all together, them heap some on a tortilla and enjoy! I added a huge can of beans this time to bulk it up since we had friends drop by, so we fed 6 instead with some left over. I love to top mine with fresh green onions. Avacados and tomatoes are yummy on it as well, or some cheddar cheese and sour cream... but to be honest, it is satisfying without any of the extra trimmings. Hope you agree!

Caramel apple pie

What is better than the smell of a fresh apple pie wafting from your oven? Well, eating it, for one... And upgrading it to a caramel apple pie! I actually never liked any of the apple pies I have tried over the years until I started experimenting and making my own. Here is my own recipe... The one I feel certain that I could finish the entire pie by myself. Luckily, my family loves it too, especially my five year old son. He eats it with such enthusiasm it makes me grin to watch him. Enough about it, here are the pictures and the recipe:

Crust is simple perfection: 2 sticks of butter, 2 cups of flour, 1/2 cup of sugar. Bake for 10-15 min at 350. I seriously use this crust for every dessert I need that requires crust. The apples I used this time were macintosh (honeycrisp are good to use as well)... you can cut those up while the pie crust is baking. The stuff in the pan under the apples is the rue I made with butter and flour. Just add until you get the consistency you would like when you eat your apple pie :)

This time I did not make caramel from condensed milk (you can do that in the crockpot by pouring the c.milk into a mason jar and covering it with water on high until the color changes... pretty neat!), just used this Smuckers caramel since I had it in my fridge already. I mixed this in with the rue, then added all these spices: cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and ginger (don't forget to add sugar, as I forgot to put it in the picture lol but your pie WILL need it). I mixed all this in the pan with the apple slices until they were all coated nicely. I had my kids taste test to make sure they liked the seasoning, of course :) I don't use measurements for the seasoning, we just TASTE, TASTE, TASTE! Sound familiar to anyone?

Pour it all in the pie crust and place your decorations of leaves (I just cut them out with a knife) on top, then bake for an extra 15-20 minutes, whatever the crust allows. You could always do something besides leaves too... I was just in that fallish mood :)

Finished and ready to devour! With a steaming cup of coffee, I'll take it for breakfast any day! Enjoy!

Diy edible arrangement

Want to bring something beautiful, healthy and inexpensive to the next baby shower or party you go to? Enter the diy edible arrangement!
All I did was get a pretty vase, put some styrofoam inside, buy the skewers, fruit and flower cookie cutters (found at Bed Bath and Beyond) and started working. You can use pretty much any fruit that works with the cookie cutters or others you think would be pretty (or are in season). I made the centers of these flowers with grapes and tooth picks, but I have made others with a melon baller and cantaloupe. That one looked pretty too! Get creative :) The best part about this blog is that it is a gift made by your own loving hands (not to mention you can eat the scraps while you work lol). Enjoy!

How to Make a Flying Unicorn Costume

SO, the kids Halloween Party was supposed to be today, but my friend who I am co-partying with... her daughter came down with a fever and then the flu. Poor girl! Of course we decided to reschedule the party. Unfortunatly, it won't be until November, so you will have to contain your excitement over seeing the party awesomeness.

To make things a little more bearable, here is a picture of my daughter's halloween costume I made. All she has been asking to be for months is a unicorn. I was not planning on making it because I do NOT sew... at all. Seriously, the stitching looks awful and I pricked my finger more than a few times, but I have to admit it looks cute from this far back!

I had left over tulle from the rainbow tutu I made for her last year (maybe I will post a picture and tutorial of that later, it's a no-sew one, of course) so it worked perfectly! Picked up the wings at a dollar store and just scrunched up the left over scraps of tulle and hot glued it to the wings. For the mane I just cut the tulle and folded it and sewed it onto her hoodie. I sewed a tail on her pants too and added a ribbon with some sparkly flowers to it, only you can't see it in the picture. It only took me one night to make, not to mention it was cheap because I already had everything in the house. For the horn I cut up an old tea party hat that had long since broken, then I wrapped ribbon around it and sewed it together and then onto the top of the hoodie.
 Easy peasy :)