Thank you so much for taking the time to visit my blog! Please look around and see what my blog has to offer, from party inspiration, DIY craft tutorials, yummy treat ideas, and so much more! And make sure to pin on Pinterest! If you click on the Free Printables tab on the top of this page, you will find all of my posts with free printables. Also, if you would like to stay up-to-date with all of my new posts, subscribe by email (enter it on the right margin of this page) or like my Facebook page HERE. Have a blessed day!

Sunday, July 17, 2011

My Newest Addiction

I have a new addiction... Can you guess what it is?  I'll give you a hint.  It involves going to Joann Craft Store, adding more supplies to my craft room, and browsing online for projects and new patterns.  

Did you guess what it is?  Thanks to my friend Laura, I can now sew!!!  I have always wanted to do it, and my wonderful husband bought me a sewing machine a few years ago.  However, after sewing one scary-looking pair of shorts and a very stiff neck, I put the sewing machine away in a box and it had not seen daylight in years.  Until a few days ago when my dear friend Laura came over and taught me to make a pillowcase dress for Skylar.  She brought over a simple pattern, and after a few hours, I created this:


And then since the sewing machine was already out, I made this cute zippered pouch using fabric scraps I already had from prior projects and a zipper I bought from Joann for a little over $1:


And here you can see the different pattern that lines the inside of the pouch:


Isn't it cute?  You can make one for yourself using this awesome tutorial from Make It and Love It.  I love all of her ideas and tutorials!  

I hope to share more of my creations with you in the future!

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Peanut Butter Chocolate Jumble Bars


On my to-do list for this summer is to clean out my pantry (actually, cleaning the pantry was on my to-do list this past spring, and I just never got to it!)  Since I am a coupon user and like to shop on a budget, I usually stock up on certain items when things go on sale.  That works great for my family, but sometimes I get a huge stockpile in my pantry and if I'm not careful, certain things expire that I've never used.  So I try to go through my pantry in search of items close to expiration and put them on my counter so I know to use them soon.

To help me clean my pantry, I want to try to look up different recipes that will let me use as many of my soon-to-be expired items.  Plus I wanted to practice with my photography, so I thought I could combine both missions and share with my blog readers some yummy recipes and how my creation turned out!

This first recipe I found was perfect since I love the mixture of peanut butter and chocolate!  The items from my pantry and fridge that were expired or close to expiring:

1 Pouch Betty Crocker® Peanut Butter Cookie Mix 
Quick-Cooking Oats
Whipping Cream

Here is the full recipe courtesy of Betty Crocker.  Enjoy!

1 pouch Betty Crocker® peanut butter cookie mix
1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened 
1 egg

1 cup quick-cooking oats 
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup whipping cream 
1/2 cup honey roasted peanuts

Step 1:  
Make cookie dough by blending cookie mix, butter, egg and oats until soft dough forms. Reserve 1-cup cookie mixture for topping. Press remaining dough in bottom of ungreased 9-inch square pan.

Step 2:  
Microwave chocolate chips uncovered on High 1 to 2 minutes or until melted. Stir in whipping cream until blended. Spread chocolate mixture evenly over crust. Top with reserved cookie mixture. Sprinkle with peanuts.

Step 3:  
Bake at 375°F 25 to 30 minutes or until light golden brown and center is soft. Cool completely, about 1 hour.