Fleece Scarves

This year, I love wearing scarves.  Using fleece for a few scarves sounded very warm for the winter.  I looked for a few ideas and I found this spiral scarf on Pinterest.  I love it!  It was so easy to make.  

Here is another easy scarf to make.  I made this one for our Angel Tree at Church.

Fabric Covered Box

This weekend I put a box shelf in my youngest daughter's room.  I bought the shelf at Target but I did not purchase the fabric box to fit.  I wanted the fabric to be removable so I could wash it when needed.  The box is a waffle box with the top flaps removed.  My friend, Jackie, made a fabric covered milk crate using this tutorial.  In this tutorial, it gives directions on how to customize the cover to fit other sizes of boxes.  With three sick children, I decided I did not have the time to do all the measuring so I place the box on the fabric and cut around the box.  I sewed a few seems, added a square for the bottom, added pink for the handle, and finished.  I have a feeling that I will be making a few more of these for all of our new Christmas things.  

Superman!!!

A while ago, I made a Batman cape for my son. He mentioned that he would also like a Superman Cape. For Christmas, this is his homemade gift.

Snowman Milk Jugs

Have an empty milk jug? If you remember back in October, we made glowing Pumpkins from empty milk jugs. I saved a few more so we could make snowmen. I gave my 2 older children construction paper, glue, scissors, and an empty milk jug. They had fun creating their snowmen. The one with the hat is mine. The one is the middle is by my 4 year old daughter. The one on the right is my son's. His snowman's future is so bright it is wearing shades...Yes, the orange stripe on the eyes are sunglasses just so you know.

When we finished, I cut a hole in the back of each snowman and added a strand of white Christmas lights.

Nativity Story using M&Ms

Remember the Reason for the Season?

Two of my three children attend Parent's Day Out one day a week at a local church where we Iive. I wanted to find something to give their teachers. I found this on the internet and pinned it to use. With so much focus on Santa and presents, I wanted to bring back a little reminder of the true meaning of Christmas. My 4 year old's teacher loved this so much that she went and made copies of it to give to each of the children in the class. She told me that in the kids' treat bags were M&Ms and this would be the perfect addition to their goodie bags.

A, B, C, D

My youngest loves playing with Letters! She will find a little B and scream, "B!" She will also write her letter "A". For an almost 2 year old, she is pretty close at writing an A. For Christmas, her homemade gift is the Alphabet with extra 'L.' Do you see why I included an extra L?

To make this, I used some of my leftover material. I printed letters using Word and a font that I liked (I do not remember which one). I traced the letter backward on the fabric, added quilt batting (2 layers), and sewed along my line.

Addition Facts Wraps

My son is working on learning his addition facts.

We needed other ways to practice our 7s and 8s. He was getting frustrated. I thought about going out to buy something, but decided I could make something instead. Okay, what do I have on hand? Cardboard. I took the easy route and used the flaps off a diaper box. I thought about painting them or covering them in paper....Nah, to much work. I just used the brown side. At the top is the number we are adding to the numbers on the side. The answers are down the other side. I hot glued a string to the back and cut slits in the cardboard by each number. On the back I have drawn lines to make this self checking. (Shh...Don't tell him that yet).

He has been enjoying these so I may make subtraction ones also so he can practice subtracting. I may also make match capital and lower case letters for my 4 yr old. Oh, I could do rhyming words for my 4yr old also....oh, the possibilities.

Easy Delicious Chicken Enchiladas

I found this easy chicken enchiladas recipe on Pinterest. It was delicious! I had to stop myself from eating all of it. I mean I either had to save some for my husband or make him something else. Right? This will be a meal that we have again and again. Enjoy!

Chicken enchiladas (sour cream sauce)

10 soft taco shells

2 cups cooked, shredded chicken

2 cups shredded Monterey Jack Cheese

3 Tbsp butter

3 Tbsp flour

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup sour cream

1 (4 oz) can diced green chilies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 3 pan

Mix chicken and 1 cup cheese. Roll up in tortillas and place in pan

In a sauce pan, melt butter, stir in flour and cook 1 minute. Add broth and whisk until smooth. Heat over medium heat until think and bubbly

Stir in sour cream and chilies. Do not bring to boil, you don’t want curdled sour cream.

Pour over enchiladas and top with remaining cheese

Bake 22 minutes and then under high broil for 3 min to brown the cheese

Felt Christmas Tree

We put up and decorated our Christmas Tree the day after Thanksgiving, also known as Black Friday. We are not Black Friday shoppers.

This year, I let all 3 of my kids help decorate the tree. I have an almost 7 year old, a 4 1/2 year old, and a 1 1/2 year old. Each year, I buy an ornament for each of my children. These ornaments are specific for each child. The ornaments are memories of what the kids have loved for the year. My oldest is into Super Heroes, so Batman for him. My middle is all about Princess, so Rapunzel for her. For my youngest, her first word (besides mama & dada) was tractor. Of course it is pronounced 'ractor.' Her other favorite word and thing to look for is combine.

After getting the new and older ornaments, we began. We tried to help the youngest hang the ornaments on the tree. She did not want anything to do with hanging the ornaments on the tree. No, instead she would pick one up, look at it, and then throw it. (And she has quite the arm for a 1 1/2 year old.) When she started to pull them off the tree to throw them, we stopped decorating until she took a nap. After nap time she no longer pulled off the ornaments. She has learned which ones have buttons to turn on for more fun.

Since they had so much fun decorating the tree, I made a felt one so they can decorate and un-decorate the tree as much as they want. I used felt to make the tree and ornaments.

Princess Finger Puppets

I have been working on a Homemade Christmas. For my 4 yr old daughter, I made these princess finger puppets. Of course, I also made a bag would to need to carry these 5 Princesses. These were super east to make! I found the idea and tutorial over at Made it on Monday.
Now, shhh...Don't tell her what she is getting from me!

Bench and Shoe Storage

With trying to finish up the new room for my youngest and the Holidays, I did not get this posted.

Here is another power tool project. We took the top hutch thing off of our computer desk. My hubby was going to cut it up and throw it away, but then he left for some military school and it did not end up in the trash.

So, my plan was to re-purpose it into a shoe bench...You know, a bench where you can sit and put on/take off shoes. It would also store these shoes. I used a rubber mallet to take off the back. Then I pulled out the circular saw. I cut the sides to make it shorter. I added a piece of wood to the bottom.

While working on these I changed my mind and thought I would like it better as a toy bin in my youngest daughter's new room. It ended up being a little long for her room so, back to the shoe bench.

A little primer, some paint and...

Now, I need to cover some boxes to store the shoes!

Easy Braided Fleece Blanket

How many of you have a tied 2 sided fleece blanket? Are those knots comfy to sleep on? Probably not. My son found this eagle fleece material that he loved. I was not going to get it because he has so many blankets. I did go back later to buy it. I found this tutorial or this one over on Pinterest and wanted to try it. It only takes the 1 piece of fleece! This braided fleece blanket was super easy! I used a paper clip.

Chicken Tetrazzinni

Chicken Tetrazzini (Freezer Meal)

(serves 4-6)

2 cups spaghetti, cooked and drained

2 cups chicken, cooked and diced

1 can cream soup

½ cup onion, chopped

¼ cup green pepper (or any color you pick)

1 cups chicken broth

1 ½ cup Cheddar cheese, grated

Sauté onions and peppers in a little oil. Mix with the rest of the ingredients Cook and put in freezer bag and freeze flat.

When ready to use, thaw and place in 9x13 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes until heated through. (You may sprinkle additional cheese.)

**This recipe may be doubled and split it into 3 freezer bags **

Barbecued Chicken (Freezer & Crockpot Meal)

Lately, I have been asked for a few of my recipes. Here is one of my favorite because I freeze it, thaw it, and then cook it in the crockpot. Enjoy...

Barbecued Chicken for Buns (Crockpot & freezer meal)

6 cubed boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

2 cups chopped celery

1 cup chopped onions

1 cup chopped green bell peppers

4 tablespoons butter

2 cups ketchup

2 cups water

2 tablespoons brown sugar

¼ cup white vinegar

2 teaspoons dry mustard

1 teaspoon salt

24 sandwich buns

In large bowl, stir together all the ingredients excepts for the sandwich buns. Pour into a labeled 1 gallon bag and freeze. Slip the buns into 2 more 1 gallon freezer bags and attach to the chicken bag.

To serve, thaw the barbecued chicken and the rolls. Pour the chicken into a slow cooker, cover, and cook on low for about 6 to 8 hours. Stir the chicken until it shreds. Pile the shredded chicken in the rolls and serve.

NOTE: This may be frozen as two or three entrees instead of one large one.

Serves 16 to 20

Book Shelf on Dresser

We recently added a bedroom to our house for our youngest. She is so happy to have her own night-night. Her bedroom is a little smaller than the other kids' bedrooms, so I need to be a little creative with her furniture. I did not want to put a book case in the room to take up space. I pinned this idea and decided I could make something similar.

I found some small wooden boxes at Joann Fabrics to use. I dug out the circular saw to cut them in half. Then I painted them with White Krylon Primer and Paint. To attach each half to the dresser I used Liquid Nail. I am planning on adding some to the other side of the dresser also.

My youngest was so excited to have her books in her room. She immediately went and pulled all her books off the shelves looking for her Dora and Elmo book.

Linked to Fix It Up Friday

Trick or Treat!

Getting ready for Halloween is fun! Making costumes, carving pumpkins, making fall comfy food...YUM!

My oldest child at 8 months old. He is now 6 1/2 years old.

I again have been working on cleaning out things outgrown by my children. I found their 1st Halloween shirt. I could not part with it. I did not want to pass it on. I must turn it into something that I can keep...hmmm.....

I know! I will turn it into a bag for the Halloween goodies. I cut the sleeves off and used them to make the strap. I also used my left over material from this skirt to make another goodie bag.

Yes, I have 3 kids. I know I only made two bags. My son already has a neat Treat Bag.

Glow in the Dark Pumpkins

Need an easy decorated pumpkin? Have empty milk jugs?

I gave my 3 kids empty milk jugs and permanent markers. I told the older to draw a pumpkin face. (The youngest just colored her pumpkin.) They asked if they could draw one on each side. Sure, Why not? To light their pumpkins when they finished, I gave them glow bracelets to place inside. They even picked the glow color. The kids loved this simple easy project.

Linked to

Power Tools - Fun to use

A friend of mine was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. Plans were being made to give her bedroom a makeover. The one in charge of the makeover wanted to add a headboard to the existing bed. I found a country style king size headboard at an estate sale. Then we find out they have a queen size bed. Hmm...We were determined to turn it into something that matched her other furniture. After phone call (and a little miss cut), we were informed that this light wood, country style was not something our friend liked. So, we decided to go see if we could find or make something else.

We ended up at Lowe's. We found this pine board and added the trim and stars. We used a dark stain to match the other furniture.

What is going to happen to the king size headboard we started with? I'm working on turning it into a big girl bed for my youngest...stay tuned...

Linked to -

Magnetic Days of the Week and Months

As crazy as it may seem, it has been decided that we will be homeschooling our 1st grader. While I am teaching my son, I wanted some learning activities for my 4 yr old (and eventually my 1 yr old). I made a Days of the week and Month magnet activity to help my kids learn and recognize these words.

To make this, I used an old cookie sheet that painted with chalkboard paint (so it has many uses). For the days and months, I cut old business card magnets in half and used sticky labels with the days and months. I also included numbers with the left over magnets.

This will also be a travel 'game.'

H is for Hannah

Simple skirts...

Leftover fabric? Make a headband!

I pinned this idea on Pinterest. I made one for Daphne's dress. I loved how easy they were to make so I whipped up a few more from left over fabric. As a bonus, they are double sided to be able to wear more often! Which is wonderful news to me as they actually stay on my head without sliding!

Here is the direct link for the headbands... http://www.happytogethercreates.com/2011/07/double-sided-fabric-headband-pattern.html

Annie for Halloween

I am not sure why my girl looks so sad. Maybe it is because this Annie dress is not for her. I made this for a friend's daughter for Halloween.

Making this dress reminded me of an Annie doll my mom made for me when I was about the same age as my daughter pictured. My mom still has the pattern for this Annie doll! I am planning on having a homemade Christmas (not everything will be homemade though). My mom gave me this pattern (plus a few others) so I can make a huge doll for my girls! I am planning on making them princess dolls and making a matching princess dress for my daughter. Wish me luck!

A Dress for Daphne

Scooby-Doo, Where are you? ...

On a side note...see her light purple headband...these are the new headbands that I love! I will be sharing on those later this week (hopefully).

Scared-y Cat

So I let my 4 yr old pick out material for Halloween. She wanted a long dress with a tie in the back . I was hoping that I would be able to get by with making just a skirt...She was set on having a dress...So, this is what I made...

Check out his 6 pack

My son told me what he wanted to be for Halloween. Really? Halloween already?

He then also told me how to make the shorts...

Any guesses ... Who does my son want to be this year?

A Circle Skirt

My 4 yr old daughter loves to twirl her dresses. She asked for a super-twirly skirt. I found this easy tutorial over at MADE. This circle skirt was just as easy to make as a simple gathered skirt.

She loves how it moves!

This is being linked to

Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

Lately, I've had a lot of ripe bananas. I usually make banana bread or banana muffins but I'm a little tired of always making the same thing. So, my first attempt was a recipe for healthy banana bars (like granola). They were a big fail. Then, I came across a recipe on allrecipes.com for Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies. So I gave them a try. I love them! Even my kids love them! They are super soft and probably my new favorite cookie. Want to try them? Here is the recipe

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup white sugar

2/3 cup butter, softened

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup mashed bananas

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Mix flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda together, and set aside. Cream the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Mix in the mashed bananas. Add the flour mixture, and stir until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Drop by spoonfuls on cookie sheets. Bake in preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Easy leggings

During my latest cleaning spree, I came across an old maternity tank top of mine. Hmmm...comfy knit material...what do I use you for? Ah, longer leggings for my youngest daughter. I grabbed a pair of legging that fit great around her waist, but are a little to short for her, to use as a pattern. These will be great to wear with or without a skirt and being black I can match to just about everything in her closet (which she will be getting her own closet in about a month!)

BOO! and Skirt too!

Of course, I made a skirt to match for my little Boo!

BOO! My little Ghost Shirt

BOO! Did my 3 little ghosts scare you? I saw this idea over at Nothing But Country and thought it would be cute for my youngest.

Super Cuteness!

Then I realized that I would love a shirt with the prints of my 3 kids. (And if I loved it, wouldn't Nana and Grandma love one too?) Only one of three would let me paint their foot...guesses to which one?? Instead of painting their feet, I traced feet on paper and made stencils. It was actually easier (and less of a clean up) to make the stencil. I even made shirts for Nana and Grandma.

So, surprise Nana!