Rocky Road Popcorn

I just wanted to share this recipe with all of you. I've taken it to the church Christmas Party and served it at our Polar Express movie party in our theater room. And it was a hit!!! After some fine tuning I think we've got it where we really like it. I don't put the almonds in mine because I am allergic to nuts so I just call it Triple Chocolate Popcorn for me. If you need a higher resolution copy let me know. And you might take some copies of the recipe with you to hand out because you just might get asked...


fonts: American Typewriter and CK Becky - I made the popcorn elements and the background paper too.

Have a Merry Christmas!

Not another Healthy recipe that is for sure...

I wanted to share this yummy recipe I tried the other night.  It is not for you health conscious people out there.  Do not get me wrong, I eat healthy most of the time, but every now and again you need to throw a fattening meal in there; just to remember what they taste like.

Chicken Chimichangas

with Cheese Sauce

1 Pound of cooked shredded chicken

1 8oz package Monterey Jack Cheese

1  80z Package of Cream Cheese(softened)

1 package Taco Seasoning

Mix the following together in a bowl, and then place a heaping spoonful inside the tortillas and roll up.  You will need 8 flour tortillas.  Then add enough vegetable oil to the bottom of a frying pan to cover the chimi's halfway.  Cook on both sides until golden brown.

Meanwhile mix the following in a blender:

1 Can Cream of Chicken soup

1 Can fiesta nacho cheese soup

1 can diced green chilies

2 T. fresh lime juice

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped

Once mixed, pour into a saucepan, and heat.  Serve over the browned chimis, and top with sour cream and green onion.(optional)

My husband loved these, and said they were better then any that he has eaten at any Mexican restaurant. Enjoy!

FHE Chart Ideas

I've been working on a few crafts for Christmas gifts that I can't post yet, but here is one I have done for our family. I realize my family is not this big yet, so for now we will just double up our pictures. I have little tiles that I will put our pictures on and hang from the knobs with ribbon. Then we will just rotate them each week. This idea can also be used for a chore chart! and it would make a great Christmas gift.
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Fun (and Frugal!) Idea for Making an Advent Calendar

I know it's already December 3rd, but I couldn't resist this delightful idea, and wanted to share it with ya'll.

It's from Chris at Just a Girl. She guest-posted the instructions on another blog here.

She used matchboxes, spray-painting the inside piece and covering the outside, so it can be used year after year.

 

Each box has an idea for something fun and Christmas-y for the family to do together. (I'm thinking to borrow some ideas from past December Friend magazines for ours!)

Speaking of Angels...

I recieved an email today from a woman named Marika. She shared a song with me that she worte about Angels; specifically children who are angels. It talks about what they would be doing if they were angels on Christmas night. I thought this was a cute addition to our blog.

Thank you Marika!!
It is beautiful.

Angels - in real life

Attention digital scrapbookers - free digital kit downloads from Summertime Designs. I love her work. But first check this out:

First you have to take a minute and read about this little angel:
Baby Bree

Then you have to read about the Angel in Charge of This Effort.

And then you HAVE to read about all the other amazing Angels that came to their rescue.

Being a cancer survivor myself (December 7th will mark 2 years in remission for me) I can attest to the fact that it's the little things that make all the difference in the world. The Angel/Person that listens to the Spirit and just drops by to say 'hi' who has no idea how lonely you are. The person that praises you for your courage to go bald in public. The person that mows your lawn so your husband can play with the kids and you can nap. The person that brings two take and bake pizza's over 'just because'. The person who invites you over to a scrapbook night so you can get out for a change. The person that drives you to your next doctors appointment. Cancer/Chemo/Radiation/Medicine take so much out of you as you live only moment by moment. I can't imagine being a 7 month old with cancer and or being the parent who works tirelessly to save your life. But I can tell you, Angels do exist. I have seen them and every little tiny bit helps.

I am releasing a kit, a pre-made album of sorts, this week at Cottage Arts that is designed for cancer patients and their families to record their story. All you have to do is add your photos and text. There are three pages of Word Art and two BONUS card designs and 26 pages as well as a full cover design should you choose to print it at Shutterfly. Although I must say it's just so cute (hey, I put the album together - I did not design the papers) that anyone could use it. You don't have to use all of the word art the way I did. That's why we left it separate. It would make an awesome Christmas Gift for ANYONE! And guess what, I also made 6 instructional videos just for this album. So anyone who uses Photoshop Elements or Photoshop can use it. I will post the link as soon as it is up - we are hoping Wednesday. And if you want to, feel free to post info on your personal blogs about this digital scrapbooking kit. I also want you to know this, Michelle, owner of CottageArts, has a mother who has undergone treatment for breast cancer. She just retired in May from nursing. And the day I sent the first page designs to Michelle, she told me they'd been at the hospital all day with her mom and the cancer has spread to her bones. She arrived at the Mayo Clinic yesterday for testing and will start a new treatment plan tomorrow. One in three people will have cancer in their lifetime. So let's be each others angels, especially this time of the year, whether you buy this kit, help Summer's friend, pray specifically for another person, and/or do something nice for someone else. Believe me your prayers can be felt. And so will your kindness!

A fun little paper craft...

In January of 2008 I switched from paper scrapbooking to digital scrapbooking. When I told people, the first sentence out of their mouth was; "What are you going to do with all that scrapbook stuff?" Well here is an example of what I will do with all that stuff. I had so much fun making this, and I created it in just a few hours.

I hung it in my kitchen window to adorn it during the holiday season. It says believe, and I think it is a wonderful word to ponder over this time of year. The night we put up our Christmas tree, I am going to talk to the kids about this word and let it be our theme for Christmas this year.

I specifically want the children to believe that a baby was born in a manger, and that he lived and died for us. We will talk about this as they unwrap their own Nativity that I had my mom buy them for Christmas. It is so cute. I wanted them to have a Nativity of their own that they could drop, pick up, and play with. After they unwrap the Nativity, I am going to let them tell us the story of the Savior's birth using the Nativity figures.

Christmas is such a magical time of year.... I BELIEVE that we can all choose to make it a memorable one as we focus on what the true meaning really is. I want my children to BELIEVE more in magic of the season, and the true reason for the season. Don't get me wrong, I still want my kids to BELIEVE in that man with the beard who comes down the chimney. I am not ready to give that up yet, but I hope to put less emphasis on that this year.

My Holiday goals are to:

1. Make the Holidays relaxing and joyful as we share them with our family.
2. Create meaningful traditions, that put more emphasis on the Savior's birth.
3. Make sure my children understand why we celebrate Christmas.

What are your Holiday expectations?

Thankful Tree

You might remember seeing this in a previous post...

Tonight it's going to become this...
This is our Thankful Tree. For a family home evening last year, the kids helped me cut out those leaves (I saved them) and we wrote what we were thankful for. This year I'm going to switch it up a bit. This will be our family home evening activity for tonight, but we are going to keep adding leaves to it each night. We will end it around the table during Thanksgiving dinner. This little tree of ours is going to end up having a ton of leaves and I will probably be searching high and low for more branches to add, but it will be festive and fun. I might make the leaves a little cuter this year and make them different shapes and add some pretty ribbon to it...we'll see what I can get accomplished in the next couple of hours before FHE and how many helping hands I have! :)

Fun Gift Idea For Christmas

My son experienced playdough for the first time about a month ago in his little Nursery class at Church. A few weeks ago I decided to make some. I googled and found this great recipe! In the comments people were saying it only lasts for a week or so, then it becomes too sticky, but I have had mine for a month now and it is still in perfect shape, just follow the directions carefully and it will work.


A couple months ago I went to a craft fair and they had some cute little kid aprons with lots of pockets for cooking tools. I made one tonight using the leg of an old pair of jeans I had that had a hole in the knee. Not the greatest apron, I was kinda' winging it..I need a pattern before I make any more, but it works! And my son will keep his clothes clean! I love recycling!

Then I found this cute little baking set in the dollar bins at Target..it was $2.50, but sooo cute and the kids thought it was great. It comes with a rolling pin, spoon, a bunch of cookie cutters that are perfect for little kids -and wire whisk (which doesn't work too well for play dough, but the rest of it does!) My son and his little friends have had fun playing with it.

Easy Belts for Kids!

I love getting hand-me-downs for our son. Since clothes can be costly (especially on a student budget) we greatly appreciate, have, and continue to receive them from a few different neighbors (thank you), then we use and pass them on to someone else! At this age they grow out of clothes so quick that the clothes are usually still in great shape. Since he is between sizes right now, all of his pants are a little bit too big, but I don't want to buy any either because he already has so many. I have been looking everywhere for a belt that would fit my little guy (18 months) and finally decided to make some. Even if I had found ANY, they probably would have cost $8-$10. These were VERY inexpensive ($2 I think) and SO quick to make. Hooray! Now we can keep the pants up!

I found the belt loops at Jo-Anns. The buckles were in the 'make your own purse' section, but they were the smallest I could find in the store and a perfect size for a little guy, or gal! I used a crop-a-dile for setting the eyelets in the belt for the buckle holes. The other buckles are in the buckle section. Hope you can use this idea!

Free Photo Book!

Did any of you watch Oprah yesterday? I happened to turn Oprah on at the right time when she announced a great giveaway for all viewers. Snapfish is giving away a free photo book to everyone! Click here and create your free book! It must be uploaded by midnight Sunday. I have made several digital photo books before, but I have always used My Publisher (which I have loved) and out of curiosity, I have wanted to try other digital photo book companies to see different layouts and styles. Now we all can, FOR FREE!

Perspective

I just spent the last 2 hours researching the candidates and issues to solidify my opinions before I go stand in line to vote tomorrow. My research was quite depressing. Taxes, education, healthcare, the economy. All these words put a pit in my stomach. I was reminded why I avoid thinking too much about politics, but I know it is important to be informed and exercise our agency by voting.

After wallowing in my misery, I watched the slide show previously posted about Christ and His life. My perspective immediately changed as I was reminded of our Savior and the Plan of Happiness. I know our prayers are answered by a loving Heavenly Father. We are watched over and loved. What a comfort that is during these stressful times. What really matters is that we love one another and ease one another's burdens, just as the Savior did. I'm grateful for the Eternal Perspective the gospel of Jesus Christ give us. May we do those things daily that remind us to keep an eternal perspective!

Why Do We Care About Proposition 8?

My sister in California has been actively involved in promoting Proposition 8 over the past few months. She and her husband have gone door to door and made phone calls informing California residents about the importance of voting YES and the impact on society if it does not pass. This last weekend, she (and many members of her ward) held picket signs at a busy intersection to spread the word and create a buzz. Not all motorists were enthused with her position, but overall, the response was positive.

I came across this blog that mirrors my opinion completely. Please click here to read this author's insight about Proposition 8.

Cut the Crazy

I posted this on my blog, but I really felt like I wanted you all to see it. Things are changing, and I think it is so important we keep our perspective, what a wonderful way this is to do it.
My friend Debbie is starting her class at Big Picture Scrapbooking today. I am so excited for her and Georgana! I wish I was able to take this class, these ladies are amazing and this concept is amazing. If you can, go take the class. It's on line and it costs $30 and I'm sure it will be wonderful. Debbie also started a new blog, wow, I love it! Make sure you read the post about "Unplug the Christmas Machine" it really makes you think.
I think this Christmas is going to be different for a lot of people (you know that economy thing),but I think that makes this concept that much more important. I think we may all be realizing this very important concept; "He puzzled and puzzled till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas... perhaps... means a little bit more!" Here's wishing you all a delightful upcoming Christmas season! Enjoy the things that are most important to you.

Who wants five bucks?

Each year, the day after Halloween my children are offered $5 in exchange for their Halloween candy. I allow them to pick 10 pieces, and then they sell it to me for $5.

It is actually a win-win situation for them. You see, they get to pick a treat from our "task treats basket" each day after school. IF... and only IF... they've completed the seven tasks on their task chart before heading off to school.

Getting dressed
Putting PJ's away
Saying prayers
Eating breakfast
Making bed
Brushing teeth
Having hair done

If tasks are accomplished they get a really awesome sweet treat to go along with their Healthy after school snack. They always get the Healthy snack, regardless of what they have accomplished.

This year, their leftover Halloween candy will be used to fill up the "task treats bucket." So, they are actually getting to eat it. However, it is on my terms instead of theirs, which would be eat until they get SICK and/or my dentist bill is outrageous.