Craft Time

Over the last few weeks I've done a couple of crafts with the kids that I found on Pinterest (seriously, if you are not on this site, you are missing out!)  Both these activities have been pinned onto my 'Pinned it, Tried it' board (if you're not following me yet, just click the link on the top right of my blog to follow me on Pinterest!)

The first thing I did was make heart shaped crayons with Jaidan.  This was a trial run, to see how well it worked and how they turned out.  We'll be doing some more for Jaidan to use as Valentine's this year at school.

We had a zip lock baggy with old broken crayons in it that we used (I gave Riley and Aislinn each an old wipes container and put brand new crayons in each container for them, this way they each had their own crayon's and there was no more fighting over crayons!).  First we had to cut up all the old crayons, this was very time consuming...I also should have probably used my wooden or plastic cutting board, not my porous poly cutting boards (lesson learned!)

Once we had enough cut up, we had to fill the trays.  I bought some silicone heart shaped trays at Target in their dollar bins for $3.

Then, we popped them in the oven.  The pin said 230* for 15 mins, but I had to leave them in for 30 mins.

I did stir them with a toothpick at the 15 min mark.  I stirred them again with the toothpick when I took them out.  I put them on a rack to cool (I used my slow cooker's rack).

Normally, I link back to the blog post I followed with my pin.  But in this instance I also used google and read I think 2 different blog posts, their comments, and a forum's post with comments.  So, I kind of read what a bunch other people did and what did or didn't work for them and came up with my own method.  You can find the original pin I used tho on my pinterest board.

Next up, I decided to try the soap cloud with Riley!  Jaidan came in and watched while it was in the microwave.  I had never done this before and was able to get a 3 pack of Ivory soap for $.25, so I decided to do this....Ok, I bought the soap with the intent to do this project LOL.

It's very important that you use Ivory soap, I can't tell you why, but that is what the blog said (supposedly you get a burned mess with other brands)

This is so easy to do.  You just put the soap on some wax, or parchment paper (NOT foil, seriously folks, we don't want any fires!), turn on the microwave and watch it grow!  I set my timer for 4 mins, but we took it out at 2 mins.  It had really slowed down with the growing (couldn't even tell if it was moving anymore), so we did a big huge count down together for the last 10 seconds and took it out at the 2 min mark.

Riley thought it was super cool.....until it came out of the microwave, then he didn't want to hold it LOL.

If you want to see the original blog post you can do so here.  We still have our 'cloud' so I am thinking about letting the kids make colored soaps like she did in her blog post.

Have you done any Crafty fun things lately?

Crock Pot Chicken Tacos

Ok, so I got this great recipe off of Pinterest last year at some point.  It is SO easy, only 3 ingredients!  Plus, it's a dump and go recipe!  Those are some of my favorites.  We have made these several times.  I got the original recipe from here.

Ingredients:

• 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (can be frozen)
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 1 16oz jar Salsa (we usually use pace picante, I have used both medium and mild)

Directions:

1.  Place chicken in crock pot, sprinkle packet of taco seasoning over the chicken, dump the salsa on top.

2.  Cook on low for 4-6 hours.

3.  Remove chicken from crock pot and shred. (At this point you can serve it if you want to, but I like to put it back in the pot)

4.  Stir and cook a few minutes longer, so the chicken can absorb some of the sauce.

5.  Serve and enjoy.

You can add whatever you want to your tacos.  We used sour cream, onions (hubby), black olives, tomatoes, lettuce, and cheese.

Chicken Stew (crockpot)

We had Chicken Stew made in the slow cooker last night.  It was my 2nd time making this recipe that I found on Pinterest.  I wanted a really good stew, so I went looking for one.  I found this one, and then I tweaked it to fit what I wanted.  Austin claimed to 'not like it' last night when he sat down to eat....yet when offered with the prospect of having the 1 and only chocolate yogurt, he was able to down it without any issues.

Here is the original recipe that I got found on Pinterest....http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=7854  But I am going to post my ingredients and how I cooked it here in my blog.  The original recipe calls for mushrooms, but even tho I am a mushroom lover, I left it out of this recipe because I just don't see mushrooms as part of a stew.

The really great thing about this recipe is this is a dump and go!  Just dump it all in the crockpot, then let it cook, no extra steps.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs chicken (skinless and boneless) 
• 2 cups carrots, chopped
• 4 cups potatoes, chopped
• 1 cup celery, chopped **
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1tsp basil
• 1 tsp marjoram
• 1 tsp thyme
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 cans cream of chicken soup
• 1 tsp lemon juice

Directions:

1.  Cut up the chicken, potatoes, carrots, celery and onion and dump it in the crock pot.

** I didn't have any celery in the house, so I left it out this time.

2.  Sprinkle on all the spices.

Spicy!

3.  Add the lemon juice, chicken broth, and cream of chicken soup.

4.  Cook on high for 4 hours, or on low all day.

5.  I use some cornstarch to thicken the sauce up a bit, this is really optional, but I prefer the sauce a bit thicker in a stew.  I just do it a little bit before serving, so it has time to thicken up, then I serve it.

Enjoy ~

Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches (Crockpot)

I found this recipe on Pinterest, I loved the fact that it was only 3 ingredients, and it was made in the slow cooker, bonus was being able to throw the chicken in frozen (because hey, sometimes I forget to defrost it over night!)

Every time I talk about having it for dinner, people ask about it and I type out the recipe.  I know it's a quick and easy recipe, but I figured I would share it here (and then I can just post the link!)

I didn't get any pictures last night when I made it, since I am still looking for the battery charger for my phone.

Here is the original post that I got it from on Pinterest (my pin linked back to this) http://myfindsonline.com/2012/03/20/crockpot-buffalo-chicken/

If you follow me on Pinterest I have this pinned on both my 'slow cooker' board and my 'pinned it tried it' board.  If you are not a follower, then click 'Follow me on Pinterest' in the top right of my blog!  What are you waiting for?

Now, onto the recipe!!

Ingredients:

3-5lbs of boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 packet ranch dressing
1 12oz bottle franks Red Hot Buffalo Sauce


Directions:

Place chicken on crockpot (can be frozen).  Pour bottle of Franks over the chicken.  Sprinkle ranch dressing packet over the top.  Place the lid on it and cook for 4-6 hours on low.

When it's done cooking, remove the chicken and shred it (I use 2 forks).  Caution, the chicken will be VERY tender and will fall apart on you when you try to remove it!  Once it is all shredded put back in the crockpot and mix it all together.  Let it cook a bit longer to soak up some of the yummy juices.

Serve on a bun or a roll.  We usually add Provolone or swiss cheese to it.  For a side we usually have chips, or a side salad.

See how quick and easy that was?!  And it tastes amazing too!!!

Enjoy~

Pinterest for the Home 2

Yep, my next post about Pinterest for the home.  I realized after I had posted the other one I had left something out, and then I just ordered some more stuff for the home this week too.

Let's start with what I left out of the last post.  I had pinned a while back an idea to use a hook, such as a command hook on the wall opposite of the shower head, then you hang your shower caddy on it so it's not under the shower head in the water and your way.  We have a HUGE shower now LOL but 2 of the walls are glass.  So on the tiled wall is where I hung the hook for our shower caddy.  It's all the way at the end of the shower wall, across from the shower door, and completely out of the water!  I will take a picture and post it later, right now I need to find the charger for my camera battery so I can charge the battery.

Next is something for my pantry.  The pantry I have now is about half the size of my old one....and my old one was FULL before!  We have quite a bit less storage space here.  In California we had closet's and cabinet's every where.  I really like'd the idea of rotating can holders (I had several different kids pinned on Pinterest LOL).  I like that I can put my newer cans on top and take the older cans from the bottom and it rotates it all for me.  With my old pantry I would have to rearrange my cans whenever I bought new stuff so that I took the older ones first, it was a lot of extra work.

I went to www.pantrymaid.com and bought a ton of rotating can holders.  I got them in various sizes for all the different kinds of cans that I have.  I can't wait for them to get here so I can put them to use.  The great thing about these is that down the road I can use them on my shelves that I am putting in my garage too!  Once they come in and I have a chance to get everything re-done in my pantry I will post picture!  I can't wait to see them!

Pinterest for the Home

Well, now that we are home owners *does a little happy dance* I can put some of the things I have pinned on Pinterest into use.  This makes me a very happy woman.....my husband on the other hand, does the eye roll when ever I start talking about this neat idea I found on Pinterest LOL.

The first idea I did, I didn't actually get from Pinterest, but I'm gonna share it anyways 8).  I bought a bunch of contact paper (we had to buy 4 24' rolls!!) and we put contact paper down on all the cabinet shelves in the kitchen.  Man that was a lot more work than I thought it would be!

I got this fabulous idea from Pinterest to get peel and stick tiles and place them underneath the kitchen sinks.  I bought a case of the tile and am planning to put the tile down this week....not just under my kitchen sink, but all 4 bathroom sinks too!  I just need to get an exacto knife so I can easily cut the tiles that need to be cut.  I am all about quick and easy clean up and protecting the wood!

Next, I saw on Pinterest this great idea to use a spice rack for nail polish!  Since I have less counter space in my bathroom now this is a fabulous idea!  My old bathroom actually had a separate vanity area.  I had looked around in the stores some and not seen anything I liked.  Today another friend had pinned this same idea and I decided to follow the link (usually it goes to a blog post) but I got lucky and it went to Amazon!!  Needless to say, I ordered one LOL, it should be here on Tuesday!

Now I ordered it in silver (nickel satin finish) because that would go with my bathroom.  That one was a tiny bit more, but I didn't mind.

The one it direct linked to had a black finish and is about $6 cheaper, so I will share that one too if you are interested.

I can't wait for it to get in!  Once I have it up and all my nail polish in it I will share a picture!

Now I just need to decide what kind of wreath I want to make for my front door for the fall.....do I want a fall one and a Halloween one?  Or just Halloween?....hmmm, decisions, decisions LOL.

Pinned it, tried it, results!

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I was going to try some pinterest projects.  Here are the results of some of those projects!

First I did the Homemade Finger Paints.  This was pretty easy to do.  I used some empty baby food jars to store it in and then I used Wilton Cake Decorating Icing Colors to tint them.  I don't normally have food coloring on hand, but I have tons of the icing colors for my cakes.

Mixture after I put it in the jars, before I colored it all.  You can find the Wilton Icing Colors at Walmart, Michaels, and I am sure other places too.

All done!  Blue, purple, yellow, red, pink, and green.

I did paint a bit with the green, and then went and washed my hands.  It all came out easily.  I have yet to try it tho, with a kid playing in it forever and then washing it out lol.


Next I tried making the Mind Jar for Austin.  I followed the pin, and she had a great description, but she also linked back in her blog to where she first got it from.  The other lady did it slightly different (added extra glitter).  So I kind of did a little bit of both to make mine.

I used a mason jar that I bought at Michaels.  I know they seal air tight and I didn't want to take any chances!  I used just over 1.5 cups of warm water.  I added 2 tablespoons of orange glitter glue (Austin picked it out himself!).  Like she said, it did take a bit for the glue to melt, so I also stuck it in the microwave for 60 seconds.  This kept the water warm, since the glass stayed warm.  I added a touch of the wilton icing color in orange to the water, to make the water orange.  Then I added some orange glitter to it.  Note....add the glitter last, it settles on the top of the water (I learned this the hard way haha, I was still melting glue when I added the glitter!).

Here it is before you shake it up.  You can see the glitter glue part settled on the bottom (it doesn't completely melt away) .  If you look at the top you can see the extra glitter I added floating around lol.

Here it is all shook up.  I really like how it turned out, and Austin liked it too.  Hopefully it will help him some with his temper!


This next project was soooo easy.  I made the bookmarks with the paint samples.  I picked a few up at Walmart, Austin was with me so he picked out his 2, and I picked out 2 for Jaidan.  They were out of pink, so I had to get her other colors.  I bought some ribbon for $.97 (which will last me quite a while).  I bought 2 punches at walmart, but they kinda stunk, their selection wasn't very good.  When I went to Michaels they had a much better selection and I picked out 2 different ones.  They were all $.97, or $.99.  So super cheap, and re-usable not only for this, but other projects too.

All you do is use the punches to cut out the design on one side, use a hole punch on the top for the ribbon, then tie the ribbon through, super easy!.

Finished bookmarks with the supplies.  Music notes for Austin, hearts for Jaidan.  No more corner's being turned down by kids (yes Jaidan, I am looking at you!).


Well there you have it, results for things I pinned on pinterest and tried.  I do have a few other projects I am working on.  I will post those results when I am done with them.

Pinterest Projects

I have a couple of different projects that I found on Pintrest that I am going to be doing for, and with the kids!  I'm so excited for some of these!

I already posted about the Homemade Finger Paints.  I actually already made those.  I will do a post about them and post pics, hopefully this weekend.  I can't upload any pics from my camera until I get the new computer.

I am also going to be doing the Recycled Newspaper Beads that I posted about earlier too.  Jaidan and I are going to work on that.  We are going to make her hanging beads for her bedroom door.  I got the paint today for them.  She is going to be doing bright pink and bright purple on black string.

Next is Modge Podge!  I'm going to need it for Jaidan's bead's.  I found a DIY on Pintrest that I am going to do to save some money!  As we all know, I am all about saving money!

I'll be making some cheap and super easy bookmarks for Austin and Jaidan! These are so easy and inexpensive that I'll be able to make them whenever I need to, as often as I need to for them.  No more folding the book corner to save their places (Jaidan, I'm talk to you!).

I'll also be making a Mind Jar for Austin!  I'm really excited to make this and have Austin try using it.  He knows what it is, and why we are making it, and he's willing to try it.  He picked out the glitter (you can tell by the BRIGHT Orange lol).  Hopefully this will work to calm him down when he's upset...it's worth a try, right?

I'll do posts and put up pictures for all these things as we do them so you can see them all too!