Homemade Peanutbuttery Dog Treats

When my sister and I were kids we begged for a dog.

We wanted one so very much.

Sadly, my mom was not a dog person.  Not even a little bit.

Then, one glorious day, my dad came home with the news that a doctor he worked with at the hospital had a litter of puppies that needed homes- and my mom caved.

I remember the excitement of picking out a puppy- the family had already named them all after characters from Popeye.  Olive Oyl, Sweet Pea, Brutus, Popeye...we took the quiet and calm little guy  they'd named Popeye home with us that day and he was a loyal friend to our family for the next 15 years.

This was a dog who eagerly anticipated his very own pancake every Saturday morning.

An Ode To An Organized Spice Cabinet

I've been plagued- like most people I know- by an unorganized spice collection.

Spices are so awkward to work with- different size bottles, bags, pouches, shakers...it's just this ridiculous puzzle in the cabinet.  The only other thing I can think of that's such a pain to keep neat is board games!  

I was fed up.  So beyond fed up.

I Pinterested my little heart out looking for the solution.  

I considered those magnetic boards some people have made but seriously...my spice collection is on the large side.  I didn't want to give up that much wall space to something like that, as cute as they were.

I LOVED the idea of using a typesetter's drawer- but I gave up trying to find one that had evenly spaced slots for spice containers.  It would have driven me batty to have differently sized openings.  Cause I'm crazy like that.  :-)

I needed a way to keep things straight in that cabinet- it was way past time.

Last summer I found myself in The Container Store with my lovely sister-in-law and knew it was time to take action.  I didn't really have a plan at the moment...but I was definitely in the right place, right?

Super Easy Super Awesome Slumber Party Invitations

Ohmygosh.

Where have I been?

I never go this long without writing.

Honestly?

Popcorn.  Lots and lots of popcorn.

I am incredibly thankful for how my Etsy shop has taken off, but between popcorn and kids I've just been ridiculously busy.

Did I mention we've had 8 snow days in the past two weeks?  Yup.  Popcorn and kids simultaneously.

I'm a mommy/homemaker/popcorn making rockstar lately...

Patriotic Wreath: Probably My Favorite Craft In the History of Ever

The military changes you.
At least it did me.

I don't come from a military family, and I don't suppose we were hugely patriotic- at least no more so than your average American out there.

I played a small role, I was never even deployed.
But I was part of something bigger than me.
I was part of a family.
I was part of America itself and the amazing group of men and women who protect Her.
It changes you.  It just does.

I don't look at flags the same way anymore.  It's not just an object.  It's such a graceful, stunning symbol of our nation.  It honestly makes my heart swell a little when I see the flag flying.  There's something about the red, white, and blue that inspires pride and reminds me what I was a part of.

I found this tutorial on Pinterest a few years ago for making a patriotic wreath and absolutely fell in love.

Like in love.

(Delicious) St. Patrick's Day Treats

My daughter was an almost-St-Patrick's-Day baby.

Via Our Best Bites

Though she doesn't share her birthday with a holiday that REALLY overshadows her special day, it does mean that her classroom birthday celebrations tend to pull double duty.

A couple of years ago, when she was in Kindergarten, her teacher asked me if I wouldn't mind making the cupcakes green and running with the St. Patrick's Day theme.

I think it was my favorite birthday celebration yet- and those homemade cupcakes were way more yummy than the store-bought Justin Bieber cupcakes she had me buy last year...

DIY No-Sew Sleeping Bags for Daughter and Doll

The only materials you need!

Layering the pieces of material, I cut them down to size
after layering and safety pinning together.

This year my daughter begged for an American Girl doll for Christmas. I understand this desire wholeheartedly, as I made the same request of my mom when when I was my daughter's age- back when there were only the three original girls- Samantha, Molly, and Kirsten.

Oh boy, did I want one of them!

However they were over $100 and there was no way I was going to get one.

Well, they're still over $100. And my daughter isn't going to get one either.

It's not necessarily the price...it's that the price is for a DOLL. OMG. lol I'm not judging any of you that have broken down and purchased one, because I've found myself at the website thisclose to ordering one several times.

I just can't make myself do it.

So I recently found myself at Target buying an Our Generation doll. A quarter of the cost, same size, and just as cute. She'll survive- and absolutely adore the doll I'm sure.

Christmas Fun and Kid-Friendly Gingerbread

Personally I love a spicy, molasses-filled gingerbread cookie.  Delicious and perfect for decorating at Christmas-time!

Click to see the recipe at Allrecipes.com!

Unfortunately, my daughter's palate is a little different than mine.  If I were to make up a batch of "real" gingerbread cookies, I'd get a wrinkled nose and they would all go to waste.  Fortunately, I discovered an awesome KID FRIENDLY gingerbread recipe!  They still have ginger and cinnamon, so I'm happy.  This recipe has butterscotch pudding mix fill in for the molasses, though.  The color is there, the touch of spice is there- they're just missing that very distinctive molasses flavor that might turn some kids off.

I made these cookies for my daughter's class to decorate last year and didn't get a single complaint, so this has definitely become my go-to recipe for gingerbread when kids are involved!

Does This Count As Being Famous?

Allrecipes.com has launched a magazine of it's own.  It's still a fledgling publication and only out bi-monthly at this point, but the two issues they've published have been great.

I may be biased, but I think the second issue was even better than the first.  

Why?

Well, pick one up on the newsstand November 12th (then like it so much you get your own subscription!) and turn to page 70.

See that wreath?

Pumpkin, Pumpkin, Everywhere...

It's the time of year when pumpkin-flavored everything is everywhere, and my house is no exception.  It's one of my favorite flavors any time of year, but I really embrace it in the Fall.  I've been cooking with it, baking with it, playing with it :-)  

Lotsa pumpkin.

My daughter has been begging to carve a pumpkin for weeks now...I finally caved a few days ago, knowing full well that even now there's little chance a carved pumpkin will survive until Halloween.  lol sometimes I have to make myself push logic aside for the sake of having a little fun with my daughter, though.  Life will go on if her pumpkin rots before Halloween arrives- or we'll just have to carve another ;-)

In Which I Put My Nerdiness On Full Display

As a kid I think there were two reasons I watched Star Trek: to spend time with my sci-fi loving dad and because I was in love with Wil Wheaton.

As a grown up?  Well, I've become the sci-fi lover myself...and I'm still a little in love with Wil Wheaton. ;-)

I was a nerd before being a nerd was trendy, and I'm cool with that at this point in my life.

 This Halloween is going to be amazing.  Why?  Because my son is going as Captain Kirk.  Yep.  My 2 year-old is going to dress as a Star Trek character before he's old enough to tell me "no."  My daughter?  Heehee...Superman.  Errr...Supergirl, I suppose that would be.

Ignore the crooked emblem, I was short on time
and lacking safety pins :-)

In the past she's been fairy princesses, Disney princesses...lots of princesses.  This year I wanted to do something different, and I figured out that as long as her costume included a big, fluffy tutu she didn't really care what she went as :-)

How to Clean Your Home for Next to Nothing

A little over two years ago, I became a stay at home mom.  The name really belies the job requirements, as I am really running all over the place most days, but I digress.

As we transitioned from two incomes to one, I really dove right in to the world of being cheap.

Cheap as in frugal that is :-)

I learned couponing!  Oooh, that's a post for another day, but I love my coupons.

Not in a crazy couponer way...but in a saving-tons-of-money-on-things-I-would-buy-anyway kind of way.

I searched the internet for things to do in our community that were free or low cost as a family.

I planted a garden.

On top of all of that, I started researching ways to clean my home and laundry without spending money on cleaners and detergents.  I haven't looked back!

For over two years now I've made my own laundry detergent, fabric softener, static-reducing dryer balls, glass cleaner, stain remover, shower cleaner, wood polish, carpet steamer solution, and floor cleaner.

Something Out of Nothing: Remodeling My Stairs

Our stairs were ugly.

Well, not just the stairs, pretty much the whole house, to be honest.  My husband purchased this home 2 years before I moved in with him, so I was lucky enough to never have to deal with it's full-blown awfulness, but I still got stuck with the carpet and ugly paint colors.  

The woman who lived here before us really REALLY liked dark blue.

The countertops were dark blue.

The linoleum in the kitchen was a dark blue pattern.

The carpet throughout the entire house was dark blue.

Ugh.

Scattered Thoughts and Christmas Craziness

I've been busy.  Really busy.  My house is a disaster, and now that I think I'm done with holiday crafts and baking it's time to get caught up on housework…but before I do that, I have to share with you what I've been up to!

First, the treats- this month, our Allrecipes Allstars partners were Nestle and Ladies Home Journal.  We were asked to participate by baking for the World's Biggest Cookie Swap.  The World's Biggest Cookie Swap is pretty neat- two cool reasons to enter the World's Biggest Cookie Swap on Pinterest. 1) For every board created, $1 goes to Cookies for Kids Cancer.  2) You and a friend might win an all expense paid trip to NYC to have lunch with Ina Garten! Get started here: http://bit.ly/AllrecipesWBCS

I Love This Wreath!

No joke.  This wreath is stunning.
It's a festive statement for my front door and gets compliments from everyone who sees it.  I'm absolutely in love!

Painted Sidewalks and The Perfect Biscuit

I turned 30 a little under a week ago, which I find neither good nor bad, just...weird.

Weird that I am living squarely in adulthood.

You would think that after getting married and having a couple of kids I would have felt like a grown-up long ago...but I don't feel old.  Time just flies by so quickly nowadays...it's so strange to say goodbye to my 20's, you know?  I don't know maybe you do, maybe you don't, maybe you're like my (older) husband and laughing at me as I contemplate all of this, but anyway...lol somewhere along the line I completely lost control of this paragraph.

My point (yes, I did have one) is that as I get older I've started paying more attention to what's important in life...