Easter Egg Wreath

The Easter Egg Wreath which adorns our front door. 🙂

A couple of weeks ago I saw this idea for an Easter wreath which wrapped plastic Easter eggs in yarn.  It’s been on my to do list ever since Valentine’s Day ended.  (I thought it was time for the Valentine’s Day Wreath to get packed away.)  I love how the Easter wreath  turned out but it did take forever!  Next time I’ll wrap the yarn while hanging out with friends.  🙂 

I used about 2 1/2 dozen large plastic eggs and about 2 dozen small eggs. It did take about 4 skeins of yarn.

I used a glue gun to attach the yarn to the egg in the beginning and then wrapped haphazardly.  (I tried wrapping one nice and neat but it didn’t turn out too great.)  Instead of yarn or ribbon I used an old leather purse strap that I had been saving to hang the wreath.  Overall I like the wreath fairly well.  The colors are definitely me.  Reminiscent of my college and seminary dorm room I think.  🙂 It is a great way to use up yarn if you have too much in your stash.  😉

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Menu Plan March 28- April 3

 

Monday:

• Breakfast: Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins, Eggs, Fruit
• Lunch: Creamy Veggie Chicken Soup, Herb Bread, Veggie Sticks
• Dinner: Small Group-take fruit salad. 🙂
• Make Bread.

Tuesday:

• Breakfast: Ham and Broccoli Quiche, Muffins
• Lunch: Leftover Soup and Egg Salad
• Dinner: Manicotti, Bread, Salad 
• To Do: Hard Boil Eggs, thaw meat.

Wednesday:

• Breakfast: Coco Wheats, Smoothies
• Lunch: Stir Fry
• Dinner: Pork Chops Perfect, Sweet Potatoes, Leeks-yes we are going to try Leeks this week!  Brandon can’t wait! 😉 
• To Do: Thaw Meat

Thursday:

• Breakfast: Apple French Toast Strata
• Lunch: Salad
• Dinner: Roast Chicken, Broccoli, Loaded Potatoes
• To Do: Make Granola Bars

Friday:

• Breakfast: Yogurt with Homemade Granola, Fruit
• Lunch: Salad
• Dinner: Lasagna, Sesame Garlic Italian Bread, Salad
• To Do: soak beans

Saturday:

• Breakfast: Biscuits and sausage
• Lunch: HOppin’ Johns and Buttermilk Cornbread
• Dinner: Leftovers
• To Do: make Bread

Sunday:

• Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs, Toast, Fruit
• Lunch: Chicken Sandwiches
• Dinner: Crockpot Beef Enchiladas

Ants Be Gone!

Grab some borax, brown sugar, hot water and paper towels. The ant war has begun!

Probably the only thing I dislike about springtime is the unwanted ants who think my home is such a great place to live.  A couple of years ago I came across an easy, cheap way to get rid of them without the chemical fumes.  (I’m super sensitive to ant killers.)  Try it yourself and in 2 days I am sure they will all be gone!  (If you aren’t familiar with Borax it is a laundry booster and can usually be found on the bottom or top shelf at the store. 

• Boil 1 cup of water.  Dissolve 1 T. borax and 1/2 c. brown sugar. 
• Fold a couple of paper towels and using tongs dip it into the solution. 
• Place in shallow dishes wherever you have seen ants.   The ants will take the poison back to their friends and share.  🙂
• Make sure to remove the dishes while young children are present.  (I keep it out at night while we are sleeping two nights in a row and the ants are gone!) 

Their end is in sight.

Homemade Hamburger Helper

A great healthy nutritional alternative to hamburger helper.

My sweet husband loves hamburger helper.  I however don’t love the cost or the nutrition it lacks.  Instead we make this delicious homemade version for a fraction of the price.  It is sure to be a hit at your house as well!  Makes 2 hearty servings.

• Saute: 1/4 pound of ground beef with 1/4 c. onion, 1/4 c. green pepper and 1/2 t. minced garlic.  When meat is no longer pink add in:
• 2 c. V8 or tomato juice, 1 c. elbow noodles, 1 t. Worcestershire sauce (soy works also), 3/4 t. salt, and a dash of pepper.  Bring to a boil.  Simmer for 20 minutes for regular macaroni or 12 minutes for small macaroni.  Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and enjoy!

Homemade Frozen Coffee Drink

Yummy

Do you love Frappes and Frappucinos?  Try this simple and delicious knock off recipe.  It tastes great for a small fraction of the price.

In a blender combine:

• 1 3/4 c. ice
• 3/4 c. strong coffee
• 1 1/4 c. skim milk
• 3 T. sugar or more depending on your preference. 
• blend together and enjoy!   Add whipped cream and a drizzle of caramel to really achieve the coffee house feeling. 🙂

Purex Review and Giveaway

 

As a Purex Insider I was sent a sample of the new Purex Complete Cystals Softener.  When I first opened the bottle I was pleasantly surprised at the scent.  Unlike most fabric softeners which seem to overwhelm you with their scent this one smelled pretty good.  I found it really interesting that instead of being a liquid it was crystals.  How neat!  You do not put the crystals in the fabric softener compartment instead you simply add them in with the clothing.  I used the softener for all of our laundry for a week (except the diapers) and found that we loved the smell.  Most importantly it didn’t give Eli or I a rash.  (We both have sensitive skin.)

If you would like to win a coupon for a free bottle please leave a comment below. Entires close Tuesday March 22 at midnight. 🙂

Eli learns “oh” and plays outside

My new favorite face of Eli.

He's so proud of himself.

Playing outside but not feeling too great. He's had a cold for a week.

There he goes.

Eli loves "mowing" the backyard. If he pushes hard enough it blows bubbles too!

We are so thankful to see the end of Eli’s cold in sight.  This past week he learned to say “oh” which is just the cutest thing ever.  We are also extremely thankful for our nice fenced in backyard which allows Elijah to run and play.  Looking forward to many more pretty days to play outside.

IceCube Painting Fun

The night before you wish to paint fill a couple of ice cube slots with water. Add a drop of food coloring or a mix to reach desired color. Insert Q-Tips. Freeze overnight.

Gather construction paper, cardstock or the ultimate cheap paper-a paper grocery bag. 🙂 I cut apart the grocery bag and this worked great! (I don't think I would use regular paper though it is too thin.)

Hmm this is fun.

Taking a break enjoying the day.

We loved this craft. What a fun thing to do on my birthday! 🙂 We froze the popsicles again when we finished. I"m sure we will be pulling these out often. 🙂

Oh and in case you were wondering Eli did eventually try to eat the ice-cube paint.  🙂  The great thing about this paint is that is completely edible and nontoxic-perfect for a toddler who still enjoys eating things from time to time.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Perfect for breakfast or a snack for everyone.

We have been making these muffins for years.  They are wonderful!  I recently gave one to Eli and he loved it.  To make:

• Ingredients:
• 1/2 c. of coconut oil or butter
• 3/4 c. sucanat or sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 c. whole wheat pastry flour (any kind of flour will do-these are great with ww pastry flour)
• 1 t. baking soda
• 1/2 t. salt
• 3 ripe bananas
• 1 t. vanilla extract
• 1/2 c. mini chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugar together.  Add eggs and beat well.  Add flour, salt, and soda-mix well.  Add in bananas, extract and chocolate chips.  Bake at 400 for about 18 minutes depending on your oven.  Yields one dozen large muffins (fill muffin pans 3/4 of the way) or 1 1/2 dozen small muffins.  Enjoy!

Related Posts: Pumpkin Chip Muffins and Apple Cranberry Muffins

Homemade Play-Dough Fun

 

What in the world is this?

I finally broke down and brought out the Play-doh.  🙂  Actually I made it.  Can you tell by the pictures that it was quite a hit?  Elijah had a blast playing with it. 

Can I touch it?

At first he didn’t know what to think of it.  He thought about eating it but I think the amount of salt in the recipe definitely deterred him.  😉 

This is great stuff.

To Make Your Homemade Playdough:

• 1 packet of koolaid (store brand of course)
• 1 c. regular flour
• 1/2 c. salt
• 1 c. boiling water
• 1 1/2 T. oil
• Mix flour, salt, and oil together.  Add boiling water and knead until it cools.  I like to keep this in the refrigerator rather than add alum to it. 

My favorite picture-what an Eli face.