Never a dull moment.....

So, this morning, I walk out to the garage and what do I find????? Bessie (our carpet cleaning machine) was laying on her side in the driveway. It was such a sad scene, there she was all laid out and bleeding (leaking her special upholstery cleaning fluid which was flowing down into the street). WHAT? What in the world happened? My son had just left for school so I gave him a call to see what he knew about the situation. He told me that he didn't see Bessie but on his way to school he had people pointing and honking at him. When he got out of his truck he realized that he was dragging our big orange extension cord.Hmmmmm............................. My inner Inspector Clouseau began to put the puzzle pieces together.

Somehow, someway the extension cord that was plugged into Bessie became stuck/tangled/tied to Chances truck and she was dragged down the street until finally she couldn't hold on any longer.

SO SAD! Poor Bess! We'll miss you!

What do you see?????

Old beat up skateboards? Hmmmmm...................... that's not what I see.

Just wait, I have something really fun planned!

Creativity OD?

It seems like there is always a need for tissue rolls and paper towel rolls so I have a drawer FULL of these things just waiting for a brain storm (or for a teacher to send an email asking parents for any extra empty rolls).

I am forever fighting with extension cords. I usually use electrical tape to hold them together but then they get sticky. If I used rubber bands somehow someway the bands find their way onto the roller of my vacuum (oh what a nasty smell that is).

Literally I had the two sitting next to eachother on the table and I had an Oprah Ah-Ha moment!

Cool right!

Another quick little idea.....

Memory book pockets and gifts card holders!

Prosciutto!

We LOVE prosciutto. Its a little expensive but once in a while we have to splurge. Prosciutto always reminds me of my darling Swiss Grandmother however my Mom insists that Grandma never used prosciutto. Hmmmmmm........... well anyway it still reminds me of her so its all good right? I found this recipe at BHG and the kids just love it and its super easy to whip up. Give it a try! *I use both leeks and onions (1 small onion and 2 small leeks). I also use a little less garlic than what is called for.

Better Homes and Gardens 2011

Prosciutto, Spinach and Pasta Casserole 2-2/3 cups dried bow ties, penne, or ziti (8 ounces) 2 medium onions, cut into thin wedges, or 5 medium leeks, sliced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 tablespoon butter or margarine 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon anise seeds, crushed 1-3/4 cups milk 1-1/2 cups chicken broth 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained 2 ounces prosciutto, cut into thin bite-size strips 1 medium tomato, seeded and chopped 1. Cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain; rinse pasta with cold water. Drain again. 2. In a large saucepan cook onion and garlic, covered, in hot butter about 5 minutes or until onion is tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in flour and anise seeds. Add the milk and chicken broth all at once. Cook and stir until slightly thickened and bubbly. Stir in Parmesan cheese. Stir in the cooked pasta, spinach, and prosciutto. Spoon the mixture into a 2-quart casserole. 3. Bake, covered, in a 350°F oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until heated through. Let stand about 5 minutes. To serve, stir gently and top with chopped tomato. 4. Makes 6 servings

8 x 8 photo book from Mamapedia

Another super great deal on one of my favorite gifts........

Only $12 SHIPPED!

http://deals.mamapedia.com/

Groupon Strikes AGAIN........

$39 for passes to Seven Peaks, Trafalga Family Fun Center, Orem Owlz and Flash games. Yay! My kids are gonna LOVE me this summer! http://www.groupon.com/r/uu19598159

UDOT makes history with American Fork bridge move - ksl.com

UDOT makes history with American Fork bridge move - ksl.com

PROM 2011

Oh my goodness, what a clown. He has to hamm it up for every picture. What would I do without him?

(Not the best pics, but I have to be happy with what is sent to my phone.)

Aloha Japan!

Help for Japan

While driving my son to school this morning I was thinking about Japan. We have been worried sick about our family over there. Finally we got the news that they will be flying to the US on Wednesday. Yay! Then my thought went to "What can I do for the people who have to stay there?"

Along comes Rebecca and her darling blog Clumsy Mumsy In Stilettos. Rebecca has a link to an organization that actually donates 100% of the proceeds to the victims in Japan. These shirts sell for $20 each. They are available in local stores however they are selling out like mad. You can buy them online for a small shipping fee. I have included the link where you can order your shirt below.

Lets all do what we can.

Thanks Rebecca!

http://www.rebeccalk.com/

http://shop.fittedhawaii.com/

CHALLENGE!

Building my

House Of Order

Behold, mine house is a house of order, saith the Lord God, and

not a house of confusion.

D & C 132:8

Ok, I'm ashamed to confess that this idea has been stuck in an old dusty corner

of my crazy little mind for about 2 years now.

I listened to a gentleman in church give a wonderful lesson about creating A House of Order and how it will have an impact on every aspect of my life including raising responsible, loving, productive ambitious, and confident children.

I cant sit on this any longer. Its time for me to take action.

I will start this challenge on April 1st. so, over the next couple of days I am going to draw up a very specific yet realistic plan to begin work on My House of Order.

If you have any ideas or want to participate give me a yell!

Great Deal Folks!

Golf Lessons at River Oaks Golf Camp West Jordan

($18 - $30)

http://www.groupon.com/salt-lake-city/

New Fave!

Sandbox Threads

Where have you been my whole life?

I absolutely adore this site!

Go, run, check it out now!!!!!

http://www.sandboxthreads.com/toddler-clothes/new.html

2nd day of spring

Around here the first sign of spring appears on the willow trees.

They are always the first to show some green.

While taking Isaac to school today I came across three willow trees that were just screaming

"Spring Is Here!"

So me being well.... me, I had to stop and take a few pictures.

THEN....

upon arriving home I realized what I had done.

This morning was a little rushed and if we don't leave the house at a certain time we get caught in traffic so I jumped in the car while still in my pj's.... My RED pj's and screaming pink Oobies!

There I am out of my car taking pictures dressed like this.......

I could just die. FYI: Challenge day 2...... done.

Make your own VANILLA EXTRACT!

Gosh, who knew......

This is so fun and cant wait to try it.

I love this idea and what a darling little gift this would be!

Go check out Susan's blog and get the magic recipe.

Thanks Susan! http://cookhappywithsusan.blogspot.com/2011/03/how-to-make-vanilla-extract.html?showComment=1300754081801#c4496771880862763367

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_make_vanilla_extract/

*Quick tip..... did you know you can purchase vanilla beans online? So convenient right! I love it when I can press a couple buttons and almost magically the products I want show up at my door. Very cool.

Here are a few sites that sell vanilla beans:

http://www.topvanilla.com/

http://vanillafromtahiti.stores.yahoo.net/

http://www.beanilla.com/

Groupon!

The Daily Deal for Salt Lake City Monday, March 21, 2011

$10 for $20 Worth of Laser Tag and Mini Golf at Laser Assault in Provo

http://www.groupon.com/

This is a perfect day activity for kids going to PROM!

(you know, the whole day-date thing that kids do these days.)

Challenge....

I just joined Christina's challenge to post every day for the next 30 days.

~I LOVE this idea~

Thanks Christina!

http://creativetizzy.blogspot.com/

'Nature Dyed" Easter Eggs

Using veggies to dye Easter eggs

Its way too fun and sooooo easy! We used beets, yellow onion, red cabbage and turmeric.

Nature Dyed Easter Eggs - Free Slideshow Creator

The top two eggs were done using yellow onion skins. We simply peeled the onions, placed the skins in a sauce pan with water and then added the eggs. We boiled them for about 10 minutes then removed them from the heat. They have a beautiful marbled look.

The next two were done with turmeric. We added about 1 Tablespoon turmeric to a small sauce pan of water then added the eggs. I let them boil for abut 10 minutes and they came out a beautiful mustard color. (If you leave the eggs in longer you will get a darker color.)

The next 2 blue eggs were made using red cabbage. Same process as the others and again you can alter the shade of blue by the amount of time you allow the egg to soak.

Finally, the last two greenish-taupe looking eggs.......... BEETS! Yes, beets produced the most beautiful color EVER!

(I think there may be a science lesson in all this somewhere;))

Vegetable Dyed Easter Eggs

Its no secret I love this time of year. I cant wait to start planting, playing with pastels and decorating for Easter. Coloring eggs is always a fun tradition but of course in true dough-style I like to be a little different.

I've decided to dye eggs naturally this year and the first color on my list is blue (my favorite).

(sorry for the small pics, I cant find my camera charger so I have to use my darn phone)

I bought a head of red cabbage, cut it up a bit and set it to boil for about an hour. I removed the cabbage pieces added a little of salt and vinegar and then added the eggs. I wanted the colors and design to be varied so I removed a couple of eggs after letting them soak for only a few minutes then to achieve a deep dark color I allowed the eggs to soak for several hours.

I also wanted a speckled effect so I just simply sprinkled sea salt over the soaking eggs.

I LOVE the way they look and so fun to do!

Give it a try.............

Next color........ Yellow!

Leprechaun Trap

We are going to try it again.....

Last year that darn little leprechaun escaped! We are determined to catch him so we have set another trap this year.

Lets see how things go........

Happy St. Patricks Day!

Good Morning and

HAPPY ST. PATRICKS DAY

Everyone!

I braved the elements last night and was able to pick up a nice corned beef roast, cabbage and potatoes. Don't panic if you weren't able to shop last night, because you still have a little time.

I'm going down right now to get mine going in the slow cooker. The house is going to smell AMAZING!

I have my super cute, fire fightin' brother coming over to join us for dinner tonight.

Cant wait!

Of course............

Its that time of year for Corned Beef and Cabbage

3 pounds corned beef brisket 5 medium potatoes, washed, unpeeled (optional), sliced into 1 inch chunks 1 large onion - cut into wedges 1 head of cabbage - cut into wedges 4 cups apple juice 1 cup brown sugar 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard Place meat in a slow cooker. Sprinkle with the seasoning packet that came packaged with the corned beef. Combine apple juice, brown sugar, and mustard in a medium bowl. Pour over meat in slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 6 to 6 1/2 hours or on low for 10 to 12 hours. About 2 hours minutes prior to serving dinner add potatoes to slow cooker. I prefer my cabbage to be slightly crunchy rather than cooked to mush so I put the cabbage on top of the meat and potatoes in the cooker about 20 minutes before serving. Remove the meat and vegetables from the slow cooker. Thinly slice the meat across the grain and serve with the vegetables.

I know, I'm slow

I've been 'Biebifide"

The Blog Guidebook

Yet another fun Blogger Babe!

Leftovers

Confession.....

We don't do well with leftovers here however........

NOTHING is as good as tender roast beef on a homemade roll the next day.

Seriously.

Moms Lemon Bars....

The WHOLE family loves when Grandma brings her famous lemon bars to the party.

Nobody can make them like her. We have all tried but they are never the same.

I found a Lemon-Lime Bars recipe from BHG and I just had to try it. Maybe, just maybe, I can make these work..............

YUMMY!

Try 'em!

The recipe is in the Dish file......

My New Bloggin' Babe Friend

Maggy!

This girl is amazing.

Shes been through so much and shes tough as nails - my kind of gal..........

http://fireworkssparklerainbow.blogspot.com/

Maggy has inspired me to start a new section in my blog. I started a gratitude journal years ago and its a huge part of my life so I'm not sure why I haven't included it sooner.

Stay tuned, Gratitude Journal coming soon........

(Thanks for the inspiration Maggy)

Garnish on GroopDealz

I love GARNISH!

http://www.groopdealz.com

Today'z Deal: $15 for $25 to Spend on Packaging for Any Occasion from Garnish Value:$25 Discount:40 % You Save:$10

Bunnies always welcome

Easter wreath

Welcome Spring in with a

Grassy Easter Wreath

So when I started on the Easter wreath I had a little change of heart. My plan was to cover a round form with feathers then place small amounts of grass here and there for the eggs to lay in. When I opened the grass I knew then that I wanted to cover the whole wreath in this super cute shabby looking grass. Then I decided I didn't want a round wreath. I wanted it to be square (or rectangle, as Isaac pointed out). I pulled out an old picture frame and plugged in the glue gun. This is what happened............

Banana Bread

We LOVE banana bread

I've posted this yummy recipe compliments of lunchboxers in our 'dish' file.

Check it out and give it a try.

Two tips:

Conventionally grown bananas are loaded with pesticides, so buy organic whenever possible. Also, bananas may be peeled and frozen in zip lock bags so you can save extras until you have enough to make a full recipe.

What do you see??????

I see an Easter wreath!

Fun Find

Timeless Settings.... A new Fave.

I love this place! I found so many fun items I cant wait for them to arrive.

Dragonfly magnets for magnetic memory boards

Fleur de Lis and Crown pushpins. Soooo CUTE.

No idea what I'm going to do with these keys, but I am sure I'll come up with something.

I've been looking for towel hooks for my bathroom... Uhm yes, these will do nicely.

Check out this wire dress form memory board.

So dang darling.

Oh my goodness I LOVE IT! This is a must-have.

Thanks Timeless!

http://www.timeless-settings.com/