tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87226623656902729022024-03-04T21:49:30.542-08:00PinnovationsTaking the world on. One pin at a time.Kayceehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05327923782821452505noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722662365690272902.post-8521841595047375702013-09-18T11:23:00.000-07:002013-09-18T11:33:12.777-07:00Kid-friendly turkey chili... Kind of.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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I took a pound of ground beef out to thaw on Saturday. Given our refrigerator's imitation of an arctic winter I knew it would be mostly thawed by the time I needed to cook it Monday evening. Sunday night while prepping for the next day I went through my pins to see if there were any crock pot ideas involving ground beef. I came across <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/287174913712472763/">this pin </a>and after going through my mental cabinet inventory list thought, "I've got all of these ingredients. This looks like it will work." I didn't have the ground turkey (I used it last week) but ground beef would work.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSSsxHk8RFWJPpSCNZYDo4aHLP17498qFTgLa9pvF76H4wQFrLd7qt3v6L-ZzI7cz3pX8BbYh7VWmppEPl-1aBpn5ke1xS9dcxO-AY8NRJn4TuERiYIRUCkuyvKY_hIJkB3CPtk7uEbss/s1600/crock-pot-kid-friendly-turkey-chili.jpg" imageanchor="1" sizcache06714513638150403="4 18 221" sizset="false" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" class="pinnable" height="320" jquery1820825971614222247="6" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSSsxHk8RFWJPpSCNZYDo4aHLP17498qFTgLa9pvF76H4wQFrLd7qt3v6L-ZzI7cz3pX8BbYh7VWmppEPl-1aBpn5ke1xS9dcxO-AY8NRJn4TuERiYIRUCkuyvKY_hIJkB3CPtk7uEbss/s320/crock-pot-kid-friendly-turkey-chili.jpg" width="219" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The original masterpiece</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmbVPW_vqjQX-Ugwx5cA3AGc__RgQrEM0UX5dkxbEuQh_0v9z4Ld8MsN6baAn6p3R2CgQLLtHVvByNq0Z16z6antCv1Hv0RxVwrpjSS_dpWthuj6Q97J5-isIP6Vqfnz1Yu8zewfvWL1Jh/s1600/bruised.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ecx9-lNmwV1v3IIv8hps-_jXSUMzIMxasLmlq5ELPgCQJedE9cIZWerXRPxXF6ddXjIFxgGysgEoLGcSpn1NQXeFvF5HaPBUa5t_Emjpnkkd1aWvi3fIIkKgFbzGU8JRm2Lhj2mrRVMU/s1600/048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ecx9-lNmwV1v3IIv8hps-_jXSUMzIMxasLmlq5ELPgCQJedE9cIZWerXRPxXF6ddXjIFxgGysgEoLGcSpn1NQXeFvF5HaPBUa5t_Emjpnkkd1aWvi3fIIkKgFbzGU8JRm2Lhj2mrRVMU/s400/048.JPG" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My crayon attempt. Mine never turn out as nice as the originals...</td></tr>
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Monday was a rough day. While prepping everything for the meal I pumped (as is usual when I first wake up) which ended in a fiasco that made me quit pumping at 45 minutes versus my usual 1.25hr. As I was prepping I realized I didn't have everything I thought I had (curse you <a href="http://pinnovations.blogspot.com/2013/09/beef-taco-pot.html">Beef Taco Pasta</a> using all of my Rotel tomatoes!) Then as we were getting ready, Atticus decided to try his hand at gymnastics without warning us and flipped out of Justin's arms onto the floor. He cried. Justin cried. I consoled both for 30 minutes. I decided to stay home from work. Mondays suck. But hey, the food was in the crock pot so when Justin went to classes Atticus and I stayed home to take a three hour nap. It helped. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmbVPW_vqjQX-Ugwx5cA3AGc__RgQrEM0UX5dkxbEuQh_0v9z4Ld8MsN6baAn6p3R2CgQLLtHVvByNq0Z16z6antCv1Hv0RxVwrpjSS_dpWthuj6Q97J5-isIP6Vqfnz1Yu8zewfvWL1Jh/s1600/bruised.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmbVPW_vqjQX-Ugwx5cA3AGc__RgQrEM0UX5dkxbEuQh_0v9z4Ld8MsN6baAn6p3R2CgQLLtHVvByNq0Z16z6antCv1Hv0RxVwrpjSS_dpWthuj6Q97J5-isIP6Vqfnz1Yu8zewfvWL1Jh/s400/bruised.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Handling it like a champ!<br />
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In the end my recipe was pretty different. I think I will have to attempt this one again. The problem was partly that I didn't have the right stuff, but it was also that the seasoning was pretty bland. Justin has been giving me input on recipes I try and he liked this (he even commented on how he liked getting "the bursts of corn"), but I think I'd need to up the seasoning. Here's how I did it. <br />
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<li><strike>1.3 lbs 99% lean ground turkey</strike> <span style="color: red;">1lb 93% lean ground beef</span>
<li>1 teaspoon oil
<li>1 medium onion, minced
<li>1 red bell pepper, diced fine
<li>1 garlic clove, minced
<li>1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels
<li><strike>10 oz can Rotel Mild Tomatoes
</strike><span style="color: red;">14oz crushed tomatoes and 4oz diced green chilies</span>
<li><strike>8 oz small can plain tomato sauce</strike>
<li>1/4 cup low sodium <strike>chicken</strike> broth <span style="color: red;">I used beef broth; using chicken broth with beef tastes odd</span>
<li><strike>1 teaspoon cumin </strike> <span style="color: red;">2t of my <a href="http://www.lifewithlovebugs.com/homemade-taco-seasoning/">homemade taco seasoning</a> </span><strike>
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<li><strike>1/2 teaspoon chili powder
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<li><strike>1/2 teaspoon paprika</strike>
<li>1/2 teaspoon kosher salt</li>
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Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the <strike>turkey</strike> <span style="color: red;">beef</span>, season with salt and
cook, breaking up with a spoon until <strike>turkey</strike> <span style="color: red;">beef</span> browns and is no longer pink; place
into the slow cooker. Add the oil to the skillet and sauté the onion, garlic and
bell pepper over medium heat for about 4 to 5 minutes. Spoon over <strike>turkey</strike> <span style="color: red;">beef</span> into
the slow cooker and stir in corn and tomatoes, <strike>tomato sauce, cumin, chili
powder, paprika</strike> <span style="color: red;">chilies, taco seasoning,</span> and salt, mix until well blended. Pour <strike>chicken</strike> <span style="color: red;">beef </span>broth into the
crock pot and add the bay leaf. Cover and cook on <strike>HIGH 4 hours or</strike> LOW 6 hours. Serve with desired toppings.- After realizing it wasn't as flavorful as I'd hoped I added some diced olives and a spoonful of plain greek yogurt (I use it instead of sour cream these days). It helped, but still lacked. Will I make it again? Probably, but I'll definitely amp up the seasoning a bit. I was disappointed.
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Megan Bushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825327043037800670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722662365690272902.post-22639670556632715162013-09-10T20:39:00.001-07:002013-09-10T20:40:48.234-07:00Italian WonderpotI'm continuing my Budget Bytes kick with another pin. Specifically, this one <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/287174913712416620/">here</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Italian Wonderpot - Budget Bytes" height="300" src="http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/83/c1/f7/83c1f715043fbd94bf7b953b2de1f484.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Italian Wonderpot</td></tr>
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It's a spin on a Martha Stewart creation, according to the genius behind Budget Bytes. I followed the recipe pretty closely but switched things up a bit, as I am wont to do. It turned out pretty good, but I think I will make a few adjustments in the future. Specifically, I'm not sure that I will use whole grain pasta. It was a bit filling and now my tummy is rumbling a bit. In addition, I think I might add some mushrooms to the mix. I love mushrooms. Either way, without even asking Justin has deemed this a repeat (I usually have to pry it out of him) and since it only took 35 minutes from start to finish, I agree. This is the recipe and how I did it:</div>
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Ingredients</div>
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<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients" style="background-position: 0px 50%; border: 0px; font-family: inherit !important; line-height: inherit; list-style: disc inside; margin-bottom: 1px !important; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">4 cups vegetable broth</li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients" style="background-position: 0px 50%; border: 0px; font-family: inherit !important; line-height: inherit; list-style: disc inside; margin-bottom: 1px !important; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">2 Tbsp olive oil</li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients" style="background-position: 0px 50%; border: 0px; font-family: inherit !important; line-height: inherit; list-style: disc inside; margin-bottom: 1px !important; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">12 oz. <span style="color: red;">whole wheat </span>fettuccine</li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients" style="background-position: 0px 50%; border: 0px; font-family: inherit !important; line-height: inherit; list-style: disc inside; margin-bottom: 1px !important; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">8 oz. frozen chopped spinach</li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients" style="background-position: 0px 50%; border: 0px; font-family: inherit !important; line-height: inherit; list-style: disc inside; margin-bottom: 1px !important; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes</li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients" style="background-position: 0px 50%; border: 0px; font-family: inherit !important; line-height: inherit; list-style: disc inside; margin-bottom: 1px !important; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">1 medium onion</li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients" style="background-position: 0px 50%; border: 0px; font-family: inherit !important; line-height: inherit; list-style: disc inside; margin-bottom: 1px !important; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">4 cloves garlic</li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients" style="background-position: 0px 50%; border: 0px; font-family: inherit !important; line-height: inherit; list-style: disc inside; margin-bottom: 1px !important; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strike>½ Tbsp dried basil </strike> I used 1.5T of homemade Italian seasoning, the recipe for which is<a href="http://www.simplehealthytasty.com/2011/04/homemade-italian-seasoning-mix.html?m=1"> here</a>.</li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients" style="background-position: 0px 50%; border: 0px; font-family: inherit !important; line-height: inherit; list-style: disc inside; margin-bottom: 1px !important; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strike>½ Tbsp dried oregano</strike></li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients" style="background-position: 0px 50%; border: 0px; font-family: inherit !important; line-height: inherit; list-style: disc inside; margin-bottom: 1px !important; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">¼ tsp red pepper flakes</li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients" style="background-position: 0px 50%; border: 0px; font-family: inherit !important; line-height: inherit; list-style: disc inside; margin-bottom: 1px !important; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">freshly cracked pepper to taste</li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients" style="background-position: 0px 50%; border: 0px; font-family: inherit !important; line-height: inherit; list-style: disc inside; margin-bottom: 1px !important; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">2 oz. feta cheese</li>
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<div class="ERSInstructionsHeader ERSHeading" style="border: 0px; clear: both; font-size: 18px; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 20px !important; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Instructions</div>
<ol style="border: 0px; font-size: 0.875rem; line-height: inherit; list-style-position: inside; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<li class="instruction" itemprop="recipeInstructions" style="background-position: 0px 50%; border: 0px; line-height: 20px; list-style: decimal outside; margin-bottom: 15px !important; margin-left: 30px !important; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Add four cups of vegetable broth to a large pot. Break the fettuccine in half to make stirring easier later, and then add it to the pot. Also add the canned tomatoes (undrained), olive oil, frozen spinach, onion (<strike>thinly sliced</strike><span style="color: red;"> chopped</span>), garlic (thinly sliced),<strike> basil, oregano,</strike> <span style="color: red;">Italian seasoning</span>, red pepper, and some freshly cracked black pepper.</li>
<li class="instruction" itemprop="recipeInstructions" style="background-position: 0px 50%; border: 0px; line-height: 20px; list-style: decimal outside; margin-bottom: 15px !important; margin-left: 30px !important; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Make sure the ingredients are submerged under the liquid, place a lid on top of the pot, and then turn the heat on to high. Allow the pot to come up to a full, rolling boil over high heat then remove the lid and turn the heat down to medium.</li>
<li class="instruction" itemprop="recipeInstructions" style="background-position: 0px 50%; border: 0px; line-height: 20px; list-style: decimal outside; margin-bottom: 15px !important; margin-left: 30px !important; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Allow the pot to continue to boil over medium heat, without a lid, for 10-15 minutes, or until the pasta is cooked and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Stir the pot every few minutes as it cooks to prevent the pasta from sticking to the bottom, but avoid over stirring which can cause the pasta to become sticky and mushy. The pot must be boiling the entire time.</li>
<li class="instruction" itemprop="recipeInstructions" style="background-position: 0px 50%; border: 0px; line-height: 20px; list-style: decimal outside; margin-bottom: 15px !important; margin-left: 30px !important; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">After the pasta is cooked, crumble the feta cheese over top and serve.</li>
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My photo is less-than-desirable and unfortunately I didn't get a good picture of my sous chef since he was busy gumming a apple wheel to bits that later ended up stuck to his onesie. Apparently even blogspot finds the picture so unappetizing it wouldn't upload it. </div>
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In order to get more protein I sliced up some chicken breasts, threw them in some Italian seasoned breadcrumbs (and just hat- no egg wash or anything to make it stick) and sauteed them in olive oil until they browned. Justin said they were fancy chicken nuggets, but I'm not sure if that's a compliment or not...</div>
Megan Bushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825327043037800670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722662365690272902.post-54134653183428652682013-09-09T20:10:00.001-07:002013-09-10T20:40:34.634-07:00Beef Taco PotI have a confession to make. Since Atticus was born in February our dinners at home have mainly consisted of Velveeta Cheesy Skillets and Hamburger Helpers. At first it was because I needed quick food options I could prepare with a newborn. Then it just turned into laziness. I mean, it was done in 30 minutes! When I get home from work the last thing I want to do is cook for an hour. That's just masochistic. Once Atticus was more independent and fine sitting in his high chair while I cooked I decided to bite the bullet and start cooking from scratch. It's healthier, tastier, and more budget friendly- all of which are things I need more of in my life. But a lot of the recipes weren't quicker. Tasty? Yes. Healthy? Yes. Inexpensive? Yes. But not faster. I pinned this little number thinking it would be another 45min-1hr production. <a href="http://www.budgetbytes.com/about/">The blogger</a> who created it is one of my favorites; she does inexpensive and healthy-ish. Plus she's a New Orleans blogger who likes spice! The recipes of hers that I have tried have been quite delicious but have taken varying amounts of time to prepare. But even with frozen meat (I forgot to take it out to thaw last night) this only took 30 minutes!<br />
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Here is the original <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/287174913712416621/">pin</a>: </div>
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<tr><td><img alt="Beef Taco Pasta - Budget Bytes" height="300" src="http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/3c/f9/af/3cf9af253f79bbedf308412efe8be073.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Nice enough picture<br />
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Here's my picture:</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyab_3jtNbULnF8nNu6IPuaMhrx-QaWSbEnU3enZQzNk7I5rtdLrWDueUb-xi1beHALhkP_NkzwchLo8oYB-xHHUlYSh420dbWh0st23zFf7vj2MjI7eoxrUIi2bbcA3xu4-3VXrn-_k3M/s1600/IMG_1739%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyab_3jtNbULnF8nNu6IPuaMhrx-QaWSbEnU3enZQzNk7I5rtdLrWDueUb-xi1beHALhkP_NkzwchLo8oYB-xHHUlYSh420dbWh0st23zFf7vj2MjI7eoxrUIi2bbcA3xu4-3VXrn-_k3M/s400/IMG_1739%5B1%5D.JPG" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I never said it would be pretty.<br />
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It was pretty simple and straightforward. I made a few adjustments because of what I had on hand and needing to get rid of things in my fridge, but it was quite tasty. Here's the recipe and my adjustments.<br />
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Ingredients</div>
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<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients" style="background-position: 0px 50%; border: 0px; font-family: inherit !important; line-height: inherit; list-style: disc inside; margin-bottom: 1px !important; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">1 Tbsp olive oil </li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients" style="background-position: 0px 50%; border: 0px; font-family: inherit !important; line-height: inherit; list-style: disc inside; margin-bottom: 1px !important; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">1 small onion </li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients" style="background-position: 0px 50%; border: 0px; font-family: inherit !important; line-height: inherit; list-style: disc inside; margin-bottom: 1px !important; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strike>1 </strike> <span style="color: red;">2</span> clove garlic </li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients" style="background-position: 0px 50%; border: 0px; font-family: inherit !important; line-height: inherit; list-style: disc inside; margin-bottom: 1px !important; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strike>¾</strike> <span style="color: red;">1</span> lb. lean ground beef </li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients" style="background-position: 0px 50%; border: 0px; font-family: inherit !important; line-height: inherit; list-style: disc inside; margin-bottom: 1px !important; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strike>1 Tbsp chili powder </strike></li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients" style="background-position: 0px 50%; border: 0px; font-family: inherit !important; line-height: inherit; list-style: disc inside; margin-bottom: 1px !important; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strike>½ tsp ground cumin </strike> <span style="color: red;">I used 1.5 T of my homemade taco seasoning; here's <a href="http://www.lifewithlovebugs.com/homemade-taco-seasoning/">the recipe</a></span></li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients" style="background-position: 0px 50%; border: 0px; font-family: inherit !important; line-height: inherit; list-style: disc inside; margin-bottom: 1px !important; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strike>½ tsp dried oregano </strike></li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients" style="background-position: 0px 50%; border: 0px; font-family: inherit !important; line-height: inherit; list-style: disc inside; margin-bottom: 1px !important; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strike>⅛ tsp cayenne pepper (optional) </strike></li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients" style="background-position: 0px 50%; border: 0px; font-family: inherit !important; line-height: inherit; list-style: disc inside; margin-bottom: 1px !important; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strike>1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes </strike> <span style="color: red;">I used 2 10-oz cans of medium Rotel tomatoes with chilies</span></li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients" style="background-position: 0px 50%; border: 0px; font-family: inherit !important; line-height: inherit; list-style: disc inside; margin-bottom: 1px !important; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strike>1 (4 oz.) can diced green chiles</strike> </li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients" style="background-position: 0px 50%; border: 0px; font-family: inherit !important; line-height: inherit; list-style: disc inside; margin-bottom: 1px !important; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">2 cups beef broth*</li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients" style="background-position: 0px 50%; border: 0px; font-family: inherit !important; line-height: inherit; list-style: disc inside; margin-bottom: 1px !important; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">8 oz. wide egg noodles </li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients" style="background-position: 0px 50%; border: 0px; font-family: inherit !important; line-height: inherit; list-style: disc inside; margin-bottom: 1px !important; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">1 (2.25 oz.) can <strike>sliced</strike> <span style="color: red;">chopped </span>black olives </li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients" style="background-position: 0px 50%; border: 0px; font-family: inherit !important; line-height: inherit; list-style: disc inside; margin-bottom: 1px !important; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">1 cup shredded cheddar cheese</li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients" style="background-position: 0px 50%; border: 0px; font-family: inherit !important; line-height: inherit; list-style: disc inside; margin-bottom: 1px !important; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">2-3 green onions, sliced</li>
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Instructions</div>
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<li class="instruction" itemprop="recipeInstructions" style="background-position: 0px 50%; border: 0px; line-height: 20px; list-style: decimal outside; margin-bottom: 15px !important; margin-left: 30px !important; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Cook both in a large pot with the olive oil over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, or until they begin to soften. Add the ground beef and continue to cook until the beef is fully browned.</li>
<li class="instruction" itemprop="recipeInstructions" style="background-position: 0px 50%; border: 0px; line-height: 20px; list-style: decimal outside; margin-bottom: 15px !important; margin-left: 30px !important; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Add the <strike>chili powder, cumin, oregano, diced tomatoes, and diced green chiles</strike> <span style="color: red;">taco seasoning and Rotel tomatoes</span> (do not drain the tomatoes and chiles). Stir to combine with the beef.</li>
<li class="instruction" itemprop="recipeInstructions" style="background-position: 0px 50%; border: 0px; line-height: 20px; list-style: decimal outside; margin-bottom: 15px !important; margin-left: 30px !important; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Add the noodles and beef broth. Stir to combine and push the noodles down until they are mostly submerged under the broth. Place a lid on the pot and allow it to come up to a simmer. When it begins to simmer heavily, turn the heat down slightly (just above low) and allow it to continue simmering for 10 minutes. Stir every few minutes to keep the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pot.</li>
<li class="instruction" itemprop="recipeInstructions" style="background-position: 0px 50%; border: 0px; line-height: 20px; list-style: decimal outside; margin-bottom: 15px !important; margin-left: 30px !important; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">After about ten minutes the pasta should be fully cooked and most of the broth absorbed. If it is still slightly watery, let it continue to cook for a minute or two without the lid. Taste the pasta and if it is not spicy enough for you, add the cayenne pepper.</li>
<li class="instruction" itemprop="recipeInstructions" style="background-position: 0px 50%; border: 0px; line-height: 20px; list-style: decimal outside; margin-bottom: 15px !important; margin-left: 30px !important; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Drain the can of black olives and stir them into the pasta. Add the cheese and stir it in until it is fully melted. Slice the green onions, sprinkle over top, and serve.</li>
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Notes</div>
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*<span style="color: blue;">I use Better Than Bouillon soup base to make my broth rather than using canned or boxed broths. It is much less expensive.<br />*Instead of using separate cans of diced tomatoes and diced green chiles, you can use one can of Rotel or a similar diced tomato & green chile product.<br />*Instead of using individual spices, you can use one packet of taco seasoning.</span></div>
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I obviously took her notes to heart.<br />
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In the future I'm thinking to cut out some of the meat and add a can of black beans instead. But overall, this was a definite repeat.<br />
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And to make up for my ugly earlier picture here's a picture of my handsome little sous chef. I'm thinking to turn into a calendar. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq83B_GtlgWFpScI5JDUD_3w6XPiCS5fqmoSFOanmBVMCQ9cV-mrMizDdNojo3NXX0qp2E2kNq43ptjdOPdqXXhUbDN7oRJ-42YkyVo1LMOz4izLnI5oSOChwFygO15TUJnz2uV-KlwIZA/s1600/IMG_1737%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: 13px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq83B_GtlgWFpScI5JDUD_3w6XPiCS5fqmoSFOanmBVMCQ9cV-mrMizDdNojo3NXX0qp2E2kNq43ptjdOPdqXXhUbDN7oRJ-42YkyVo1LMOz4izLnI5oSOChwFygO15TUJnz2uV-KlwIZA/s400/IMG_1737%5B1%5D.JPG" width="302" /></a></div>
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Megan Bushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825327043037800670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722662365690272902.post-69987728165889197942013-09-07T20:36:00.001-07:002013-09-10T20:41:01.578-07:00Dream Machine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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About a year ago an aunt gave my mom a lot of things that had been sitting in her storage unit. Because we were still living with my parents my brothers got the furniture and most appliances. I kept a few neat decor pieces and an ice cream maker. I would say I got the better end of the deal. We didn't use the ice cream maker much until a few weeks ago when organizing cabinets and chucking things I didn't use (who needs two fondue pots??). I was about to chuck it but decided, "let me try it first to see if it's worth keeping." Boy howdy, is it worth it! We started off with a Giada DeLaurentiis recipe for <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/chocolate-hazelnut-gelato-recipe/index.html">Chocolate-Hazelnut gelato</a>. DELICIOUS! Next we tried a rocky road recipe. It was okay, but I need to tweek the recipe a bit. Last weekend we went to Houston and wanted to bring our dream machine with us. Because my sister-in-law is lactose intolerant we thought we'd try our hand at a <a href="http://mrsschwartzkitchen.blogspot.com/2012/07/raspberry-lemonade-sorbet.html">raspberry lemonade</a> sorbet recipe I'd seen on Pinterest. It was a bust. My in-law's freezer does not get cold enough and it just tasted not quite how I'd like. But at a trip to Sam's this week they had raspberries on sale so I bought a pint, a bag of lemons and set out to find a recipe that would work.<br />
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<a href="http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/01/20/2d/01202d9961f2918bfa91980752b7b4e9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Lemon Raspberry Sorbet | The Frozen Fix: SO TASTY! I nixed the vodka and used 1c water 1.5c raspberry lemonade" border="0" src="http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/01/20/2d/01202d9961f2918bfa91980752b7b4e9.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;"><a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/287174913712494320/">Enter Lemon Raspberry Sherbet from Frozen Fixes</a></span></div>
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Any recipe that calls for lemon zest is all right with me. I love using it and my beautiful little juicer. They make me feel like a serious chef. So the fact that I got to use both tools made my heart happy. While this didn't have a very strong raspberry taste like the previous recipe did. I tried to add a bit of raspberry flavoring my subbing some of the water for the Real Lemonade Raspberry Lemonade. I tell you, I could have eaten it all straight out of the ice cream maker. Shoot, we all had a taste- Justin, Atticus, and myself. Well, Atticus licked the spatula I used to transfer everything. He is my son- he loves lemons.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyx8PMSgoRNFsZlhXesuJcPcRZifzKtTcqYqTiwJuNf_FXwK0uF_E6ESH6EixKp_juZjQpIZ6qhX3JiI988odkYm-4WB-zqTOktVaxWwWe2AkRCVXIZvYXXDBICpKKlq328hBqKiFMo31r/s1600/IMG_1717.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyx8PMSgoRNFsZlhXesuJcPcRZifzKtTcqYqTiwJuNf_FXwK0uF_E6ESH6EixKp_juZjQpIZ6qhX3JiI988odkYm-4WB-zqTOktVaxWwWe2AkRCVXIZvYXXDBICpKKlq328hBqKiFMo31r/s320/IMG_1717.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The basics- lemon juice, lemon zest, and raspberries. The bottle warmer and bottle drying rack were not involved. They just wanted to be part of the picture. </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1yXA1XnMaiBrEM4AC863ffFXhQnenswqFN86_EBhwcl7r06ozHbjZTufYHC92XM-GtnFF0NL0jakgpKQy0uWMFjj-wjjoJMi05zZhyphenhyphenNukjubDlCxRTrySK553pdUn_lJZ1rrZN3lx6nAo/s1600/IMG_1718.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1yXA1XnMaiBrEM4AC863ffFXhQnenswqFN86_EBhwcl7r06ozHbjZTufYHC92XM-GtnFF0NL0jakgpKQy0uWMFjj-wjjoJMi05zZhyphenhyphenNukjubDlCxRTrySK553pdUn_lJZ1rrZN3lx6nAo/s320/IMG_1718.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc3pe6eHzg4nAUslcBAixS2AXBGByMaM3wycUiBNTS4uSBooiOBt5LpZE7Y2klnPNNTk0PzWUPJhMzHLjXGg_DXpyOuJzzcrM-PFc_AXBkfSREeOb4uvQVf4CZQe6JDjd2xrS0W6vF0cHs/s1600/IMG_1720.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc3pe6eHzg4nAUslcBAixS2AXBGByMaM3wycUiBNTS4uSBooiOBt5LpZE7Y2klnPNNTk0PzWUPJhMzHLjXGg_DXpyOuJzzcrM-PFc_AXBkfSREeOb4uvQVf4CZQe6JDjd2xrS0W6vF0cHs/s320/IMG_1720.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My sous chef approved </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIKYrupL9g6BT1A5qM2r_fCaOkxZEN0er-rdqqhtUELBw6oS2jnBk8-EDC3yqKClYjTcqkHwV6sSsmSCWlBEZfe9gzIVeLq2MIaz92Urw1ni8xRaLF8YjMD-7BaoA85upeh0k7cFu4zjM2/s1600/IMG_1722.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIKYrupL9g6BT1A5qM2r_fCaOkxZEN0er-rdqqhtUELBw6oS2jnBk8-EDC3yqKClYjTcqkHwV6sSsmSCWlBEZfe9gzIVeLq2MIaz92Urw1ni8xRaLF8YjMD-7BaoA85upeh0k7cFu4zjM2/s320/IMG_1722.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">super tasty.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKtkpCwTsWr8n3hNE0eSP60UeN8B67MGHmKX8T5ZmGxS9HzpvYgd-cJRIBGWKFFvvlVo8H0j8Z0x2M32aBH-nKRfe_Xq_7BNuTYvzGMwGtVro47C7LPf_XUeHMfsvsVwv3aRmrZxUpHCn-/s1600/IMG_1723.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKtkpCwTsWr8n3hNE0eSP60UeN8B67MGHmKX8T5ZmGxS9HzpvYgd-cJRIBGWKFFvvlVo8H0j8Z0x2M32aBH-nKRfe_Xq_7BNuTYvzGMwGtVro47C7LPf_XUeHMfsvsVwv3aRmrZxUpHCn-/s320/IMG_1723.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It almost didn't make it to the container; I just wanted to eat all of it.<br />
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Here's the modified recipe:<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: start;">4 large lemons (or enough to yield 1 cup of lemon juice)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: start;"><strike>2 1/2 cups water </strike> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: start;"><span style="color: red;">1c water 1.5c raspberry lemonade</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: start;">1 cup sugar</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: start;">1 cup fresh raspberries</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: start;"><strike>OPTIONAL: 2 tablespoons vodka (for smoother texture) </strike> </span><span style="color: red;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: start;"><-- Not needed- these people just like vodka.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: start;">Zest two lemons. Squeeze all four lemons to yield 1 cup of juice. Strain the lemon juice through a sieve to remove the seeds and pulp. In a medium saucepan, heat water, sugar, and lemon zest until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and add in the lemon juice. Chill in the refrigerator or with an ice bath. If desired, stir in vodka. Pour the mixture into the ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's directions. Just as you are reaching the desired consistency, pour in the raspberries and churn for another minute or two until they are fully mixed in.-</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: start;"><span style="color: red;"> I actually churned it for about 10 more minutes; the raspberries broke up and got a bit better interspersed throughout the sherbet.</span></span></td></tr>
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<br />Megan Bushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825327043037800670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722662365690272902.post-22809998935931909162012-12-20T08:03:00.001-08:002012-12-20T08:03:05.610-08:00Pumpkin BreadThe office had its annual Christmas party yesterday. In typical fashion, my boss paid me to bring something on his behalf. I brought a vegetable tray. But on my behalf I wanted to bring something sweet since not many people signed up for desserts. While unpacking in our new place I noticed a bread pan which made me think of this <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/287174913708632144/">pin</a>: pumpkin bread with browned butter glaze. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA7D3qG5KVUoOh7hBT_6-4zycrPLMmdGNs0_agbAICgBOadoVsVu_2UH-3ZP3x5FnDoVefjF1ZOPAZs6Io5S6Y6uO6aaoXtrrP7SNE8S9RJuRrhsupHN4Z8QEBYwtkRLq2Fb-2C8SEdWDb/s1600/pumpkin+bread.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" eea="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA7D3qG5KVUoOh7hBT_6-4zycrPLMmdGNs0_agbAICgBOadoVsVu_2UH-3ZP3x5FnDoVefjF1ZOPAZs6Io5S6Y6uO6aaoXtrrP7SNE8S9RJuRrhsupHN4Z8QEBYwtkRLq2Fb-2C8SEdWDb/s320/pumpkin+bread.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Delicious- amiright?!</td></tr>
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The recipe was pretty straight forward, but I still enlisted Justin since I have bad luck when I try to bake on my own. It turns out I needed him by my side the entire time...</div>
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The first problem (and I think main problem) arose when, after scrubbing the bread pan) I noticed a good amount of rust. I felt uncomfortable baking in it and since it was pretty cheap, I threw it away. So what to do next? Well, since the recipe was enough for two loaves, I simply decided to put it all in one 9X13" Pyrex. I heated the oven while I made the batter and then set the timer to 5 minutes less than the recommended time in the recipe. Next mistake.</div>
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As I was in the kitchen cleaning up dishes and trying to get everything else situated in the new place I began smelling the delicious scent of pumpkin bread. I love pumpkin. I honestly can't think of a pumpkin flavored food I don't love. I mean, have you tried Jamba Juice's Pumpkin Smash? You need to! Anyway.... Back to cleaning dishes...</div>
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The smell was delicious and in my mind I kept thinking, "I should check it" but thought, "It's only been baking half an hour and it's supposed to bake a full hour." about 15 minutes later the smell changed to one I am all too familiar with- burning. Sure enough, I opened the oven and it distinctly smelled like burning. I took out the pan and tested it. While the very tip of my testing knife had parts stuck to it, I could see that the sides and bottom of the pan were black. So I turned the oven off and let the bread/cake creation cool. My heart was sad. </div>
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The browned butter glaze made up for my disappointment though. THIS. STUFF. ROCKED. In all honesty, I think this will be my permanent recipe for pretty much anything needing a frosting that isn't super sweet already.</div>
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I browned the butter for about 10 minutes- wait until the butter is foamy on top but there are little brown bits at the bottom- this stuff is like gold. Next I mixed it with the 2 c of powdered sugar and eventually 4 T of powdered sugar to get the stuff dreams are made of. I am not kidding. And I don't normally think much of frosting. I mean yes, I'll eat it out of the can directly from the store like any other normal person, but I don't think a frosting has ever changed my life like this. It tasted kind of like toffee and was sweet but not overpoweringly sweet. It... Yeah, I can't describe, you just need to try it. </div>
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The verdict: try it, but with a bread pan and in an oven you're already familiar with (this was my first time baking in this oven). The bread itself had a very good flavor and I'm sure it would be good on its own. But boy did that frosting make up for it being burnt. </div>
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Here's the lone picture. The lighting wasn't great and I had to use my phone because my regular camera is still packed up in a box somewhere upstairs.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghi_zA3XlAkEgWewUrqVfSyF7hgFS0_yufcCgidy_20Oo3Rz5tutEMtWDioaBWXOeMJYSEa_Pr3fYcjCxG29Tbaa_Z-QgvshpBRL-jnyua2guzypapwCYoutGSMNtczu1_790NDThUsje4/s1600/755.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" eea="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghi_zA3XlAkEgWewUrqVfSyF7hgFS0_yufcCgidy_20Oo3Rz5tutEMtWDioaBWXOeMJYSEa_Pr3fYcjCxG29Tbaa_Z-QgvshpBRL-jnyua2guzypapwCYoutGSMNtczu1_790NDThUsje4/s320/755.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My sadder version. </td></tr>
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Megan Bushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825327043037800670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722662365690272902.post-2940538587496994482012-06-15T12:16:00.003-07:002012-06-15T12:19:59.351-07:00I *heart* (fill in the blank)Justin and I have had something of an a-typical relationship. We met as missionaries. Yes, we made out during district meetings and yes we got engaged before we got home. Okay, that last sentance was a lie, BUT we did meet as missionaries in what was the best mission in the world- the Belgium Brussels/Netherlands mission. The French side where we served has since been absorbed into the Paris, France mission and the Flemish part of Belgium and the Netherlands are their own mission. It works. We were essentially two missions under one mission president. But it makes me sad that the mission office and mission home in Brussels have been sold. Ugh.... Pain in the heart.... Anyway! We've also been able to travel to a few different places so after seeing this <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/287174913708538882/">pin</a>, <br />
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<img alt="Pinned Image" id="pinCloseupImage" src="http://media-cache-ec9.pinterest.com/upload/287174913708538882_hNr7ceyS_c.jpg" /></div>
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I decided to make something to reflect it. I know it will be added to, but I like it right now. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWNAveQ_jviAqTauyATbKtBqmZ31Z2zZwDThAj15aL1KQ45F138LXgxxWxxIgOYO7TUeJ4nJ5rHNfbO9Yypc_rbT7HrKauTMYxhKEUMPO4jVY5Wol48fwe6wyY5BfHOrT2vPh-3de8wxnL/s1600/048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" pca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWNAveQ_jviAqTauyATbKtBqmZ31Z2zZwDThAj15aL1KQ45F138LXgxxWxxIgOYO7TUeJ4nJ5rHNfbO9Yypc_rbT7HrKauTMYxhKEUMPO4jVY5Wol48fwe6wyY5BfHOrT2vPh-3de8wxnL/s320/048.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPUWlscgJqCbj8MUi_ZPws2KfEEz1wMYvlhcM9KfpWbIb0g-8CX4e42Qhj1yijU0jKalkXh7dLocNPfsOIn4TaX_wHhDbQj15IVBZuDJcA9X1hiBDB_-DqdIpvGmdob3llhUt82rOmWq4s/s1600/005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" pca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPUWlscgJqCbj8MUi_ZPws2KfEEz1wMYvlhcM9KfpWbIb0g-8CX4e42Qhj1yijU0jKalkXh7dLocNPfsOIn4TaX_wHhDbQj15IVBZuDJcA9X1hiBDB_-DqdIpvGmdob3llhUt82rOmWq4s/s320/005.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I cut out the map, glued it to cardstock I had on hand to make it stiffer, and the cut that out as well.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRH5It3NOiVSi7sxHzTqap_7vfIO4-Ps6RCULyAhCcl0sFNqHuDNDxKicHrpgOIdETEx2YlCEzMGk9kZnKstncESrlymvCWj_I1D1xEDmRT19UA-Kus9gWFvrbYKrPHx5GJDw-ZmRXnfvY/s1600/006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYJoxxWUp1hvg61BizGX48Mxt7IYqvCShbgpotxsppOZtTFByIySxQoz7yGC5TpPbQHy9KmWd9RG34_6zMFABi-b1oHC9KY9Zv9Ja_fXAxlnG3UXhCecEVcyT1t3GUGu4AORfDP1BDr4gq/s1600/007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" pca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYJoxxWUp1hvg61BizGX48Mxt7IYqvCShbgpotxsppOZtTFByIySxQoz7yGC5TpPbQHy9KmWd9RG34_6zMFABi-b1oHC9KY9Zv9Ja_fXAxlnG3UXhCecEVcyT1t3GUGu4AORfDP1BDr4gq/s320/007.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I added a grid so that my OCD tendencies wouldn't tingle too much when I saw it and things weren't perfectly centered. In each cross section, I put a black dot using a permanent marker so it would seep through to the other side.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRH5It3NOiVSi7sxHzTqap_7vfIO4-Ps6RCULyAhCcl0sFNqHuDNDxKicHrpgOIdETEx2YlCEzMGk9kZnKstncESrlymvCWj_I1D1xEDmRT19UA-Kus9gWFvrbYKrPHx5GJDw-ZmRXnfvY/s1600/006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" pca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRH5It3NOiVSi7sxHzTqap_7vfIO4-Ps6RCULyAhCcl0sFNqHuDNDxKicHrpgOIdETEx2YlCEzMGk9kZnKstncESrlymvCWj_I1D1xEDmRT19UA-Kus9gWFvrbYKrPHx5GJDw-ZmRXnfvY/s320/006.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glue to the hearts onto the dots and frame.</td></tr>
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What I did was get a cheap US Atlas from the thrift store ($2.50) and a cheap map of Belgium online ($3). I had this frame already lying around the house but I think I got it for $1 from another thrift store. I had a large heart hole punch and used it to cut out the specific areas we loved (our honeymoon in Cancun being conspicuously omitted becase it was a hellish nightmare for both of us, even if it was beautiful scenery.)<br />
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If you enjoy travel and maps, I recommend it. I love this little makeshift piece.Megan Bushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825327043037800670noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722662365690272902.post-36172259255276844622012-06-15T11:59:00.003-07:002012-06-15T12:19:35.927-07:00Tie DisplayThis was actually one of Justin's Christmas gifts. To say the man has a lot of ties is, to put it politely, a gross understatement. I honestly think he has around 100. I wish I had kept the pin, but I deleted it in The Great Purge and have now decided to write about it. But here is the <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/stevenandchris/2011/09/diy-shadow-box-art.html">link</a> to the inspiration. <br />
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<a href="http://www.cbc.ca/stevenandchris/images/IMG_2245.JPG"><img alt="IMG_2245.JPG" class="mt-image-none" height="213" src="http://www.cbc.ca/stevenandchris/assets_c/2011/09/IMG_2245-thumb-600x400-125070.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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When I saw it, I knew it was a great idea and way to get rid of Justin's ugly ties that he never wears. While he was out one week for a conference I decided to clean out our closet. And yes I specifically targeted his side. I mean, there were items I had never seen him wear in the 4 years since we'd been home from our missions! <br />
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I went through the pile of ties, keeping the ones that I liked and that I could remember seeing him wear. The ones I decided not to keep were arranged to fit in the shadow boxes I had found on sale at Michael's for $5/each. I had three graphic ones in one and the rest were rolled up and hot glued to a poster board, to match the other shadow box. How did they all fit, you may ask? Well, this is the secret I've kept to myself until now. I cut them. I cut them to be about 8" and then rolled them up. It made them thinner so that I could close the shadow box. Here is the end result:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFBgrOo02vPVvN5UOQzfJgZUv9-6foJtRZV91iwYL8fd9p5m-Chu2FcwnC_JIEJUD3ozzDvq23g0fKp3K9Xi0ifjXjbn3LLaRJw6z-Igkrvj-nT52aOe7OhHA9nSegTa8jHRBdDbFithvN/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" pca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFBgrOo02vPVvN5UOQzfJgZUv9-6foJtRZV91iwYL8fd9p5m-Chu2FcwnC_JIEJUD3ozzDvq23g0fKp3K9Xi0ifjXjbn3LLaRJw6z-Igkrvj-nT52aOe7OhHA9nSegTa8jHRBdDbFithvN/s320/004.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Do I think it's a good idea? HECK YES?! Although Justin's sad that he can't wear those ties, he likes seeing them. This way, everyone wins. And considering it only cost me $10, I think it's a great gift. </div>Megan Bushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825327043037800670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722662365690272902.post-40108527057561696882012-06-15T11:41:00.001-07:002012-06-15T11:41:23.083-07:00Baked Ranch ChickenAlthough I haven't posted anything recently, I've been working a lot on pins I have; whittling my amount down to a more realistic size. Okay, it's hardly realistic. But I feel better having less pins. It doesn't make me look like quite the pin-obsessed person I've been this past year. That being said, I now how pictures to go with several pins I've done, so here it goes with pins #1, Baked Ranch Chicken.<br />
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I told Justin to take out some chicken to thaw since it was my night to cook dinner. Because our microwave is currently dead with no hopes of resuccitation or a resurrection, and we didn't have fresh parmesan cheese, we had to improvise. Here's the recipe and <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/287174913709561949/">pin</a>:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Pinned Image" id="pinCloseupImage" src="http://media-cache-ec6.pinterest.com/upload/275423333431008317_8FH4h3qo_c.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looks are incredibly deceiving</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
6-8 Chicken breasts<br />1 cup Corn Flakes<br />1 cup Shredded Parmesan<br />1 cube butter (melted)<br />1 packet of Ranch Dressing Mix</div>
Preheat oven to 350. Mix together Corn Flakes, Parmesan and Ranch packet. Cut the chicken in half, dip the chicken in the melted butter then in the corn flake mixture and place into baking dish. Pour the remaining butter on top and bake for 45-50 minutes uncovered. Enjoy!!!<br />
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So here's what we did and how it turned out<br />
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3 large chicken breasts. Ours didn't thaw in time and since we didn't have a functioning microwave I simply ran them under lukewarm water and cut them into smaller pieces.<br />
1 c Corn Flakes. I used two and I'm glad I did because there wasn't enough coating mix for the chicken we had.<br />
1 c shredded Parmesan. We used the stuff from the green can. We wanted to go classy.<br />
1 cube butter (melted). How much is one cube of butter?! We melted a stick in the oven and towards the end (because that wasn't enough) we added some olive oil.<br />
1 packet of ranch dressing mix. We don't use the packet but we have it in a Sam's issued box. I used the equivalent amount.<br />
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Here is what it turned out like:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHzeEapHID7psyiSsPUxeswHzeAb4sPTQ8QSk99mqC1RkVQPjEqwQuxH1X7_84fGgJyMuR6vjzcUqFkhYVZ37rxLFoIdAi0B4KSYcu0L-QPhkBsv8AHglvKBphrcjsdlg1srq1ZSkZRRkm/s1600/021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" pca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHzeEapHID7psyiSsPUxeswHzeAb4sPTQ8QSk99mqC1RkVQPjEqwQuxH1X7_84fGgJyMuR6vjzcUqFkhYVZ37rxLFoIdAi0B4KSYcu0L-QPhkBsv8AHglvKBphrcjsdlg1srq1ZSkZRRkm/s320/021.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There's the reality</td></tr>
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It was incredibly salty and greasy. I would have used less butter or omitted it completely and just not dried off the chicken breasts before I dredged them in the coating mixture. Because we cut the pieces smaller it only took 30 minutes to bake, but... Yeah... I'm not sure I want to make this again. If I do, I'd definitely switch a few things.<br />
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My recommendation? Skip it. Or if you want crispy baked chicken, use the corn flakes and dredge your chicken in a milk/egg mixture.<br />
<br />Megan Bushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825327043037800670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722662365690272902.post-88735196881185128422012-06-11T19:50:00.001-07:002012-06-11T19:50:07.439-07:00Cinnamon Breakfast BitesI agreed to bring treats to celebrate a co-worker's birthday. Normally I wouldn't think twice and bring the standard sopapilla cheesecake, but since I'm on the Wellness Committee and we had a health screening coming up, I couldn't justify the copious amounts of butter and sugar. (Well there's that and the fact that I didn't have crescent rolls in the fridge...but we're going with the "I actually wanted to be healthy" for the purposes of this post.)<br />
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So, I went searching on Pinterest for a pin that I could modify to include beans instead of butter/shortening. I remembered this gem:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ohmysugarhigh.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Cinnamon-Breakfast-Bites-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" fba="true" height="239" src="http://ohmysugarhigh.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Cinnamon-Breakfast-Bites-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/203365739393831118/">http://pinterest.com/pin/203365739393831118/</a></td></tr>
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...and got going. The recipe is below for your betterment. Yeah, I was thinking of you when I did this. :)<br />
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<strong>Ingredients</strong><br />
1-1/4 cups flour (I used a mixture of whole wheat and bean flour)<br />
1 cup crisp rice cereal, coarsely crushed<br />
2 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup sugar, divided<br />
3 teaspoons baking powder<br />
1/2 teaspoon salt<br />
1/2 teaspoon Butter Buds (this is the “secret” ingredient that makes them so delicious)<br />
1/4 cup mashed great northern beans<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisOtPIzBh-cSjaThSxTQG_dLcRGd7Ewvu93Cy5lkUKBgscD20fvJErAqkQ0fvzbC1qTnLaoPJ5rosfHnZzHOLvnGoQ17rtscY7YMOWHmy4qk08Sh6-jvSvL0xo_WmVngYvrO7X-EkxmeI/s1600/Photo806.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" qba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisOtPIzBh-cSjaThSxTQG_dLcRGd7Ewvu93Cy5lkUKBgscD20fvJErAqkQ0fvzbC1qTnLaoPJ5rosfHnZzHOLvnGoQ17rtscY7YMOWHmy4qk08Sh6-jvSvL0xo_WmVngYvrO7X-EkxmeI/s320/Photo806.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I used a food processor to get them completely smooth.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
1/2 cup skim milk<br />
1-1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon<br />
2-3 tablespoons of butter, melted<br />
<br />
<strong>Directions</strong><br />
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1. Mix flour, crushed cereal, 2 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, salt and Butter Buds in large bowl. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq9KSqmjHTVhSkZXVio9xEJw3nmG5G-sOIfsqZf38_-VTosDw_Hzp5KCwX41cSoteX8JUKiuGW5GDmY07-VpsXU9d2LrGpwjOgYGvzumqvbU0mCYWhpQxDnq8Nlthmg24JcN-fzz2Yqd4/s1600/Photo805.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" qba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq9KSqmjHTVhSkZXVio9xEJw3nmG5G-sOIfsqZf38_-VTosDw_Hzp5KCwX41cSoteX8JUKiuGW5GDmY07-VpsXU9d2LrGpwjOgYGvzumqvbU0mCYWhpQxDnq8Nlthmg24JcN-fzz2Yqd4/s320/Photo805.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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2. Cut in beans with pastry blender or fork until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. <br />
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3. Add milk and stir just until moistened. (More mixing making them gummy and dense. Less mixing is light and fluffy!)<br />
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4. Roll dough into approximately 2-1/2 dozen 1 inch balls. <br />
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5. Mix cinnamon and remaining sugar in a small bowl. Drop balls into melted butter and roll in cinnamon sugar mixture.<br />
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6. Place balls into a greased or nonstick mini muffin pan. <br />
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7. Bake at 425 degrees for 15-18 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool for a few minutes in pan on wire rack before removing.<br />
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Makes approx. 2-1/2 dozen bites and gives you protein and whole grains in a tasty breakfast snack!Kayceehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05327923782821452505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722662365690272902.post-69082063419505184782012-04-24T18:03:00.000-07:002012-04-24T18:09:57.700-07:00May the odds be ever in your favorYesterday when I came home from work I found my brothers in their new favorite location - family room in front of the TV watching "Heroes". I told them that they should go away and read some books or play a game or something. Gav said he wanted to make a shirt for <em>The Hunger Games</em> premier and since I had this <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/203365739393098527/" target="_blank">pin</a>, I knew we could do it!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong>The pinsipration:</strong></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq7V9n_tD8RIJRWTxaShKK4M8xNnfO-xErKfb6C5r1315bWAW0KRq-Ks07p4jUVeUhmUA8qoiDD6NpEPIXWX7vCFGq3NXSInRSN-vE1wvM3A2sQbxlblBxWoe-2awVK_TFpMjPKJjeQM-O/s1600/IMG_2830.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><strong><img border="0" height="213" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq7V9n_tD8RIJRWTxaShKK4M8xNnfO-xErKfb6C5r1315bWAW0KRq-Ks07p4jUVeUhmUA8qoiDD6NpEPIXWX7vCFGq3NXSInRSN-vE1wvM3A2sQbxlblBxWoe-2awVK_TFpMjPKJjeQM-O/s320/IMG_2830.jpg" width="320" /></strong></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><a href="http://kojo-designs.com/2010/11/gifts-for-guys-guest-craftiness-is-not-optional/" target="_blank">http://kojo-designs.com/2010/11/gifts-for-guys-guest-craftiness-is-not-optional/</a></strong></td></tr>
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<br />PINNOVATION</h2>
<div style="text-align: center;">
(Prepare for mind blowing awesomeness...)</div>
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We found images online to create our own designs. Gav wanted to stick with a theme - mockingjay and Peeta. <br />
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<a href="http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2010/355/1/a/mockingjay_by_the_apiphobic_artist-d35e4xd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="320" src="http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2010/355/1/a/mockingjay_by_the_apiphobic_artist-d35e4xd.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Burke decided to be a little clever...<br />
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<a href="http://www.shirtofun.com/image/cache/data/Team-Jacob_rect-500x500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="320" src="http://www.shirtofun.com/image/cache/data/Team-Jacob_rect-500x500.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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(He wasn't confused...but I bet you are!)<br />
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I had to adjust the pictures so they didn't use too much ink when we printed since we were running low. I changed it to a grayscale print and used draft mode. (For our designs, click on the links below.)<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BwhZE0l7CIhWdGNvRXRUYmtxaVk" target="_blank">Mockingjay design</a> <a href="https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BwhZE0l7CIhWYldyempSdm9XbDg" target="_blank">Team Jacob design</a></div>
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Then we got to tracing on wax paper. Yes I said wax paper. My tired brain didn't think to actually read the post before starting. I got to thinking while tracing and realized that I was doing something wrong. I went back to the post and realized I should have been using FREEZER PAPER. We got ready to head to Wally World, but Mom came in with a delicious dinner - stuffed peppers (she used quinoa!). So we ate our tasty dinner and then made the excursion to the store to get the magical freezer paper, paint, shirt, ink cartridges (they still ran out) and an extra X-Acto knife. On a side note - who knew that having a 14-year-old boy pick gold paint could be such a time-consuming process? <br />
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So we returned home triumphant and began again with the tracing the images, but this time on the magical freezer paper (paper side, not the shiny side). <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBTQWnEjh6W0yrGGDiddgB-i0xMo1Z8ElBo2wIxXNRK4fxbClo_ppsCICphxYp5X-sosfp7sdqXBYNx5Irvq5eYCDat-lgOMCKo5fKSvgXvpcgkfAw2fnlVedd7B3JqFr9UXXCWrxsrXU/s1600/cut.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBTQWnEjh6W0yrGGDiddgB-i0xMo1Z8ElBo2wIxXNRK4fxbClo_ppsCICphxYp5X-sosfp7sdqXBYNx5Irvq5eYCDat-lgOMCKo5fKSvgXvpcgkfAw2fnlVedd7B3JqFr9UXXCWrxsrXU/s320/cut.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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We cut out the stencils using x-acto knives or scissors. (You have to cut out the part that you want to be on the shirt and leave the outline.) <br />
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Then we ironed the freezer paper stencil to the shirt (paper side up or you'll make a mess with the iron).<br />
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We painted on the shirts with small sponge brushes using a mixture of 2 parts normal acrylic paint mixed with 1 part fabric medium (available at a craft store - Michael's or JoAnn).<br />
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We figured out that the best way to avoid the paint getting under the edges of the stencil was to paint away from the edge. <br />
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We let the shirts dry (the boys may have pulled out my hair dryer to speed the process along) and then applied a second coat of paint mixture. <br />
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When the second coat was dried, then the fun began! We peeled away the magical freezer paper to find that the paint didn't seep through the edges except in one place!!! Like I said - that stuff is magical!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYgO9aQ8Bv6hlxisDDKeZAJT4TaeAe1yDKXKcxEiRLoJM9_3ggypMcysjdhyphenhyphenkuLwSi7DYqgjdI3HiMmWEb-0B7g9COWpwTaIUHB_mPcaX1fGZb2CwocBnO6VIHE2IuCveVYCIedoktZv8/s1600/peel-excited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYgO9aQ8Bv6hlxisDDKeZAJT4TaeAe1yDKXKcxEiRLoJM9_3ggypMcysjdhyphenhyphenkuLwSi7DYqgjdI3HiMmWEb-0B7g9COWpwTaIUHB_mPcaX1fGZb2CwocBnO6VIHE2IuCveVYCIedoktZv8/s320/peel-excited.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gavin was excited while we peeled away the stencil...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ZCc4tG8PjRBOgu1Ojb624ntn1bpq1Zo1usBdMeKrnLm0a08wz-Pa0WE_saXtUj0YNEc8s8dymfDqQ9qiKdznpsB200Ug2RgNKk0bHflY-fRRQ3vHhLCruWAkxH18OFuUbaIb8F-q4mI/s1600/peel2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ZCc4tG8PjRBOgu1Ojb624ntn1bpq1Zo1usBdMeKrnLm0a08wz-Pa0WE_saXtUj0YNEc8s8dymfDqQ9qiKdznpsB200Ug2RgNKk0bHflY-fRRQ3vHhLCruWAkxH18OFuUbaIb8F-q4mI/s320/peel2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Then we repeated all of these steps with the other part of the design to create these wonderful specimens. <br />
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Yeah, I know you're jealous! (My brothers are adorable, right?)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggRDirKOCm6eXpMEtfAAe1OAY1xQoJ7RS2wsZ_EnYEK0ySZl7UYl9qOD7lQgZDpzGPdm-cAArg8J06W_Yy2HSaVJcoreoGfQHd7Il4yVpBsznOvIvGSVVFb5_LC7mZ-eX6G-p8Amxywzs/s1600/SDC11202.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggRDirKOCm6eXpMEtfAAe1OAY1xQoJ7RS2wsZ_EnYEK0ySZl7UYl9qOD7lQgZDpzGPdm-cAArg8J06W_Yy2HSaVJcoreoGfQHd7Il4yVpBsznOvIvGSVVFb5_LC7mZ-eX6G-p8Amxywzs/s320/SDC11202.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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And "may the odds be ever in your favor"!</div>Kayceehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05327923782821452505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722662365690272902.post-54027951617710439782012-03-02T11:20:00.000-08:002012-03-02T11:20:46.509-08:00No-no NailsI should have known it would turn out like this... I didn't even start wearing makeup until college... So why did I do it?! What am I talking about? Decorative fingernail painting. Such. A. Fail. We've seen them all over Pinterest. Nails that look like watermelons. Stripey nails. Nails with printed images/patterns transfered with alcohol. But the fact of the matter is, you have to be freaking Picasso to carry this off. Let me explain myself and where *I think* I went wrong.. Besides in my choice to do this. <br />
I saw a really cute design using tape and multiple layers of colors on fingernails. You paint one layer, dry, tape it, paint over that layer, remove the tape ASAP, dry, and repeat. Simple enough, right? WRONG! Here is my failure in its epic glory. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8QhxIc3leZfhqheFOqX7DtlX7OcX4C5spDwUooXx6M6rcG3say6rj_mQY_eCV_4oNhFo-IM0B1QkuMe33B6z37KSlNAh9YvulhSBBP42SUlgbBSQVcQYibOvVC-pIx-dD7eMKgTaTg7zp/s1600/002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8QhxIc3leZfhqheFOqX7DtlX7OcX4C5spDwUooXx6M6rcG3say6rj_mQY_eCV_4oNhFo-IM0B1QkuMe33B6z37KSlNAh9YvulhSBBP42SUlgbBSQVcQYibOvVC-pIx-dD7eMKgTaTg7zp/s320/002.JPG" uda="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mardi Gras was coming up and I wanted to be festive. So I used my purple, green and gold polishes.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBUDMgTrosAIwSrd4FU7i3chROJOPoYwZHjfhC9W4Ucra-ai8evxMJnxYjxhBlXQtRI1cAii2k6B8zVAKAVbqNHrAaPyeCXdUZwgNd9o6Cmo9w0vJE1zEq3poW3UrDT3xQV6bvKVcK0qo6/s1600/005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBUDMgTrosAIwSrd4FU7i3chROJOPoYwZHjfhC9W4Ucra-ai8evxMJnxYjxhBlXQtRI1cAii2k6B8zVAKAVbqNHrAaPyeCXdUZwgNd9o6Cmo9w0vJE1zEq3poW3UrDT3xQV6bvKVcK0qo6/s320/005.JPG" uda="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I prepped myself by cutting some scotch tape into really thin strips using my X-acto knife.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsu9h7SFUZNTq723osxbtKwi9KTBw9q5PcUYvENkczsLGmsNoByi-Qd_41oBxdpRf-pOXdtAa0MFt7eQm4nirIxlWqlBLt49Ybe_m-3Ct5B61j4c7-l9WJW6AGplbtZ9tZiRA3ycHgZQcq/s1600/007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsu9h7SFUZNTq723osxbtKwi9KTBw9q5PcUYvENkczsLGmsNoByi-Qd_41oBxdpRf-pOXdtAa0MFt7eQm4nirIxlWqlBLt49Ybe_m-3Ct5B61j4c7-l9WJW6AGplbtZ9tZiRA3ycHgZQcq/s320/007.JPG" uda="true" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I painted the base color green. Let it dry, and then put the tape on.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4uyH2ev8Ats6_9boXlsc4QqozINaOy3aCmX8f81fOUpymQmLapZXKR7TWt3rXRRmeN9wtHK_VLez-Lx5G5su9Ho5aFT-b7vw8h2u7z-wjA7VZ8HhyJT2-z5n1kXDWwKlg0q2PpEH8yfqr/s1600/008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4uyH2ev8Ats6_9boXlsc4QqozINaOy3aCmX8f81fOUpymQmLapZXKR7TWt3rXRRmeN9wtHK_VLez-Lx5G5su9Ho5aFT-b7vw8h2u7z-wjA7VZ8HhyJT2-z5n1kXDWwKlg0q2PpEH8yfqr/s320/008.JPG" uda="true" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Next I put the gold/glittery paint on and took the tape off. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ALvtZh9Zc8qCTerpZs4NPD_sCFYZm7Ed5QcV65VXyQ8Sk-nHMld-eZvCBDHlCCYTafZNF3hjW7JIN2EoopiBzllWlMTO09UwhShc7GKT-X4tVW5qfZof1fXRiUAgyGj7iuhoqHxoi2nu/s1600/009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ALvtZh9Zc8qCTerpZs4NPD_sCFYZm7Ed5QcV65VXyQ8Sk-nHMld-eZvCBDHlCCYTafZNF3hjW7JIN2EoopiBzllWlMTO09UwhShc7GKT-X4tVW5qfZof1fXRiUAgyGj7iuhoqHxoi2nu/s320/009.JPG" uda="true" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After letting that dry I put tape when I originally had it, and then in a few more spots. Then I painted my fingernail purple and took the tape off.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2t3ZQJzxaI2XLrxnlU4cihty039F7ta0WRnDNGYHrQBaM-GzwU42dDxc75HIvSmwa7r1M_O_yCc_KuFXgTL9AB1Ow7O5jYWgXpIamwn40yIvLlfL8W85igcBWEVQ8U40m0_SwQ8vQ48V5/s1600/012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2t3ZQJzxaI2XLrxnlU4cihty039F7ta0WRnDNGYHrQBaM-GzwU42dDxc75HIvSmwa7r1M_O_yCc_KuFXgTL9AB1Ow7O5jYWgXpIamwn40yIvLlfL8W85igcBWEVQ8U40m0_SwQ8vQ48V5/s320/012.JPG" uda="true" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was the end result. A mighty failure. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWM7nYjSPjGYOU1uO3M59EWCtMBNQGXpb4EO8i99BW8DAqBYCcgUOQgfjHRk4MKc970FLpwvwHrzzYvuWKkd3bkhNLIpksCAfqM55wziiU0ShvhohqZhG76iTnyMdha350cmmztnVMnujs/s1600/014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWM7nYjSPjGYOU1uO3M59EWCtMBNQGXpb4EO8i99BW8DAqBYCcgUOQgfjHRk4MKc970FLpwvwHrzzYvuWKkd3bkhNLIpksCAfqM55wziiU0ShvhohqZhG76iTnyMdha350cmmztnVMnujs/s320/014.JPG" uda="true" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Because I didn't want to be defeated I grabbed one of my tiny paint brushes and tried my technique again.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXB6EvS_HHPO3QeA4x3W3bXAxa_QoMQaarWsn0j5vQvENnwu6pkXO-Sw8jTe8J5XpiSFGzlOYWiv165p-vhqW6ZJJLKlKLifDQBVaBcrYvBCxMNzz5fw0xxcHYiMhyJjYfo-DzZFqxLC60/s1600/015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXB6EvS_HHPO3QeA4x3W3bXAxa_QoMQaarWsn0j5vQvENnwu6pkXO-Sw8jTe8J5XpiSFGzlOYWiv165p-vhqW6ZJJLKlKLifDQBVaBcrYvBCxMNzz5fw0xxcHYiMhyJjYfo-DzZFqxLC60/s320/015.JPG" uda="true" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not so bad.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>In the end, I don't think I would recommend this. Unless, as I said before, you're Picasso or a genius. I am neither. I deleted the pin in frustration so I don't have a pin to go with it. But in consolation, here's a clip of the 610 Stompers when they were in Orpheus. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzYE0dD7rKWJ8q5qR3GdEZYIJ5jb9g628czI95A8rmeI70mtc1wMFKa6GMOSuv-E3XTLogLRu6U93EaNZ_DIQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Sorry the film isn't too great. Several people told Justin that he needs to join the 610 Stompers. I whole heartedly agree. I think he would fit right in.. Except for the facial hair thing. The poor man couldn't grow a mustache or beard if his life depended on it. Which is fine with me.Megan Bushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825327043037800670noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722662365690272902.post-49173914184948909882012-02-17T10:51:00.000-08:002012-02-17T10:51:27.368-08:00For a Girl's BFFI'm not an especially girly girl. While I like doing crafty things and cooking, and I try to look nice, the fact of the matter is that I didn't start wearing makeup until I was almost 24. And doing hair? hahahaha, I'm lucky if I can use a curling iron wihtout burning myself. It's only fitting then, that my BFF (not my husband) is also not a girly girl. In fact, she's even less-so than I am. She's very athletic and quite the tomboy. I saw that out od admiration, not to make her look weird or anything. She knows it and embraces it. Which is part of the reason why I love her so much. We were "next door neighbors" in the dorms so when I discovered my 1st semester roommate NEVER showered, I would often go next door and hang out with her. It was a haven for me. Through the college years we never got to live together, but we would hang out regularly and I always admired her. She was smart, awesome, quirky (in a good way) and knew she was her own woman. Yeah, I'm gushing. I can't help it. <br />
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Fast forward a few years and it's her birthday and I now have Pinterest in my life. When I saw this pin I got uber excited. KitKat (as I call her) is quite the baseball/softball fan. So I knew I wanted to make this for her birthday gift.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Pinned Image" id="pinCloseupImage" src="http://media-cdn.pinterest.com/upload/287174913708622777_SMYzagAM_c.jpg" /> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Because I am clumsy and not very familiar with baseballs (as Kaycee will attest from our little league days) I just bought the cheapest one I could find (since I would be taking it apart essentially). Bad idea. The ball ended up being a weird plasticy/foamy material. Other than that, I think this craft is pretty good. Here's what I did: </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOcj0cWfwKQRVidBtV_QtO-EZPuxlys_jwkMxWpHtWJpt-Qo1l5px3Oei9KtOzkhrufyXbCOIzXU4rGLphbPpgs0uGE3Oz3mkP5fQEstobq45hXshfzPRT992HD7UwkWfxf5UyALECkvF6/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOcj0cWfwKQRVidBtV_QtO-EZPuxlys_jwkMxWpHtWJpt-Qo1l5px3Oei9KtOzkhrufyXbCOIzXU4rGLphbPpgs0uGE3Oz3mkP5fQEstobq45hXshfzPRT992HD7UwkWfxf5UyALECkvF6/s320/004.JPG" width="239" yda="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was stuck at church while J had a meeting so I got out my ball and X-acto knife. It worked like a charm.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2thKgJTu5BAIIwnYVKCLpnFh_QRngRpE-VEOTjNasslSmtKDF9VS5vNTqFY5ltTp1VOtTc0X2kkf5O7_jc4ECkKswQgGPlNrJAm6Xs2n3N7l_9thZxOfA7Yw1jo2cfwJQHNC66GvoTozw/s1600/005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2thKgJTu5BAIIwnYVKCLpnFh_QRngRpE-VEOTjNasslSmtKDF9VS5vNTqFY5ltTp1VOtTc0X2kkf5O7_jc4ECkKswQgGPlNrJAm6Xs2n3N7l_9thZxOfA7Yw1jo2cfwJQHNC66GvoTozw/s320/005.JPG" width="239" yda="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Within about 3 minutes I had the ball cut apart appropriately.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhtvLhk9IRzLTwKsaFYd81R8uSKqkZMnUJ-Mc_j-5WZUecQKaiXSH1L4UQSPS7DztnWZNIs2na8nRusEkQw4kxFRKz44wMgwN71IwF12eKRL0LIeaPyttrAdx4W07ojlS7kQXX5gcoU4nz/s1600/006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhtvLhk9IRzLTwKsaFYd81R8uSKqkZMnUJ-Mc_j-5WZUecQKaiXSH1L4UQSPS7DztnWZNIs2na8nRusEkQw4kxFRKz44wMgwN71IwF12eKRL0LIeaPyttrAdx4W07ojlS7kQXX5gcoU4nz/s320/006.JPG" width="239" yda="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I cut the form apart and measured it around my wrist and then cut it to size. I think I cut it too large because it's loose on my wrist and KitKat's thinner than I am. But essentially I loosened the knots and cut off some of the white so that it would be tied.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha_ts4qDye8an_JaQ4cpb6T2IcNkTTfY8ADpS9HMPp5QG4MBxDh7X4RzgMmx76crut1X6vIdAvjWpTHaSRFsvYbrjJKdXCm8-tYGUaMGDABfUb6KUFGGCec6H9jvWA-vzBrbfkSP0KMj9q/s1600/008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha_ts4qDye8an_JaQ4cpb6T2IcNkTTfY8ADpS9HMPp5QG4MBxDh7X4RzgMmx76crut1X6vIdAvjWpTHaSRFsvYbrjJKdXCm8-tYGUaMGDABfUb6KUFGGCec6H9jvWA-vzBrbfkSP0KMj9q/s320/008.JPG" width="239" yda="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And yeah, it's a bit too loose. I think I may either cut it smaller and/or go get a better, LEATHER baseball so that it looks nicer. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;">So is<a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/287174913708622777/"> this pin</a> worth it? Heck yeah! I think it's awesome! And for the cost of a baseball? Why not do it for the baseball/softball lover in your life? Oh, and even though she probably doesn't read this: Happy Birthday KitKat!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Megan Bushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825327043037800670noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722662365690272902.post-81876652498510538792012-02-14T11:53:00.000-08:002012-02-14T11:53:36.969-08:00Happy Valentine's DayI've recently picked up a new favorite hobby. While I love crocheting, it has now been paired with embroidery. I'm not talking cross-stitch. That's boring. I'm talking "Make it look like whatever you want" embroidery. My favorite website for all-things embroidery is <a href="http://wendigratz.blogspot.com/">Shiny Happy World with Wendi Gratz</a>. That woman knows her stuff and is an EXCELLENT teacher. I've been learning stitches and how to do all kinds of things and decided I wanted to make something for my husband. But what do you make a guy? More importantly, what can you make him that is embroidered and not lame? <br />
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Well, one of the things I love about Wendi is that she creates the templates of what she embroiders and transfers them to fabric in a variety of ways. Most commonly I use the heat transfer pencil method. I draw what I want, flip the plain white paper over and follow the outline on the back. Next you iron the paper onto whatever fabric you want to use. Lastly, you go to town with your needle and thread. Here's what I did. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGICyBN48NgxB-VCVg7SY9eX-CVI1Cd2pR7_CQtEDNlpXklYbdYOmBEyo_iYEboNcJdYiHxNihmGd6ZGBs5BSXpHJjBvVm2Lhp8Btyp-x2-K5AehwYxOYkWmukthQbWv-_7MQEnCm9x1MF/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGICyBN48NgxB-VCVg7SY9eX-CVI1Cd2pR7_CQtEDNlpXklYbdYOmBEyo_iYEboNcJdYiHxNihmGd6ZGBs5BSXpHJjBvVm2Lhp8Btyp-x2-K5AehwYxOYkWmukthQbWv-_7MQEnCm9x1MF/s320/001.JPG" width="320" yda="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can kind of see the marks left from the heat transfer pencil- it's pink.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiUtHa2eMrnSbyqsbh7pldTLbsFFoSYzHMyEEk8B3rVnGmV7LI3QMJUUoE52ox8cz2KePjum2NRHOME-IwTkna4_YTpd_wzmszn0U2i_KK3wOSjcvy8NIeMTKpp1V0wVkGexKMdPnXhR4_/s1600/009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiUtHa2eMrnSbyqsbh7pldTLbsFFoSYzHMyEEk8B3rVnGmV7LI3QMJUUoE52ox8cz2KePjum2NRHOME-IwTkna4_YTpd_wzmszn0U2i_KK3wOSjcvy8NIeMTKpp1V0wVkGexKMdPnXhR4_/s320/009.JPG" width="320" yda="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The almost finished product. I used several different stitches which I love. The one I used on the clouds and sun is my favorite.</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBMRt4Ax5mFcZvatLGa8Q5f-jvmIzAES-_MLi1zxQ-PRR8iwBID_09dodaW9aQg0_qt93T41TrZxDVtJWuRiijABx_ZsitEk0SfWF09zqJ6LFA85GBty2V11h7qgwSHBUc-DLXzX5XHWZ5/s1600/006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBMRt4Ax5mFcZvatLGa8Q5f-jvmIzAES-_MLi1zxQ-PRR8iwBID_09dodaW9aQg0_qt93T41TrZxDVtJWuRiijABx_ZsitEk0SfWF09zqJ6LFA85GBty2V11h7qgwSHBUc-DLXzX5XHWZ5/s320/006.JPG" width="320" yda="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Framed. For the record, what it says (in French) is "I love your butt, Valentine". Yes, we're classy. But luckily we both speak French fluently so we can mask it from most people.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj47xJlQovlbCbwag4dXHjME-YNpZD8Aashcbz1m2AWPEC7Qisl0NyV1eTweadl9KlL4tJjFIl-ATT62Hs6E7MUNToaQEwqLw3_2l6wtwO_aztaquHxpvsDwloWvxMvbkKqZV9qFCwKPidi/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj47xJlQovlbCbwag4dXHjME-YNpZD8Aashcbz1m2AWPEC7Qisl0NyV1eTweadl9KlL4tJjFIl-ATT62Hs6E7MUNToaQEwqLw3_2l6wtwO_aztaquHxpvsDwloWvxMvbkKqZV9qFCwKPidi/s320/004.JPG" width="320" yda="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's a sneak peek of my St. Patrick's day creation...</td></tr>
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This was inspired by a video <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/287174913708920155/">pin</a> that I have. If you want to pick up a fun new hobby, I recommend embroidery. And if you're brand new, I recommend watching all of Wendi's tutorials. She makes it easy peasy to pick up.Megan Bushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825327043037800670noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722662365690272902.post-59119581978508935752012-02-13T09:15:00.000-08:002012-02-13T09:18:20.201-08:00Disappointment in a cookieThe other night we were watching one of our favorite shows: The Best Thing I Ever Ate. One of the commentators showed a cookie from a NYC bakery. It was massive ( about the size of an uncooked hamburger patty) and was a chocolate cookie with chocolate chunks. I was debating making something for the Primary kids for Sunday and thought this looked like the perfect idea. So I searched the web and pulled up this recipe that looked pretty legit. And tasty. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Pinned Image" height="228" id="pinCloseupImage" src="http://media-cdn.pinterest.com/upload/287174913708901113_rXYruqzG_c.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cookie shown on blog. Mine did not look like this. </td></tr>
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Saturday night after a long day I decided to get started on my cookies. Because of the issue when I made the granola I decided to put my laptop on the counter with me and follow the instructions to a tee. The end result? Quite disappointing. I was tasting the batter as I went and it tasted great. Very chocolatey but not too sweet, and since the original blogger said the dough is very very thick I thought the consistency was correct. If it was, shame on the blogger! The cookies lost much of their flavor in the baking process and were incredibly dry. One of the kids only ate half of his cookie before throwing it away. Luckily my SIL had some cookies she had made and given to me to use. They were amazing (as most treats she bakes are). <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrKfLhrwflhYj4Mp5s6l5w-7saN4_NEX-rMGWbk7DdQZ-V4fuYGZmWg7rzXGDtINoPe8CB_htFhxEusdYYRO0WTtk6riPeBPQzcoqNMwoSi_07mi4RvBNsf5TspjBiPrREebnd8Us-3zWe/s1600/043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrKfLhrwflhYj4Mp5s6l5w-7saN4_NEX-rMGWbk7DdQZ-V4fuYGZmWg7rzXGDtINoPe8CB_htFhxEusdYYRO0WTtk6riPeBPQzcoqNMwoSi_07mi4RvBNsf5TspjBiPrREebnd8Us-3zWe/s320/043.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before going in the oven</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKh7e103MrFdhIuSLqAbXr3diJGm9x3NCAj0v2wIymK04KijiqSOvetdalRQGvgyXIvXGnTXCP9bb1X0i9Pt09j79C_nSpcbf1voDgjZ194UCtXiVmBLMja2AksVT59y3CDXT0Viovxiwy/s1600/045.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKh7e103MrFdhIuSLqAbXr3diJGm9x3NCAj0v2wIymK04KijiqSOvetdalRQGvgyXIvXGnTXCP9bb1X0i9Pt09j79C_nSpcbf1voDgjZ194UCtXiVmBLMja2AksVT59y3CDXT0Viovxiwy/s320/045.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After baking and while cooling. I took one while cooling to see if I would get the same "melted chocolate chip and awesomeness" picture.. Yeah... It didn't really happen.</td></tr>
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</div>Disappointment, thy name is double chocolate cookie. I actually (accidentally) deleted the pin because I was frustrated with it and upset about being so betrayed by chocolate.Megan Bushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825327043037800670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722662365690272902.post-45924836792864718002012-02-10T10:15:00.000-08:002012-02-13T09:18:39.623-08:00GranolaI have a love/hate relationship with granola. I love it because it tastes great and makes me feel like I'm eating well. But then I look at the ingredient list and the nutritional information and I am disappointed. Recently I've been trying to eat healthfully and my dear, sweet, husband is slowly catching on to the idea. He has also decided he would switch from his regular Berry Colossal Crunch (the poor man's version of fruity Captain Crunch) for granola. Yesterday I was out of my regular cereal and he suggested his granola. IT. WAS. AMAZING. It had been a few years since I had granola and even then I think it was on my mision and muesli (similar, but no added sweeteners/fats). Curse you granola, for tasting so good! <br />
After work J and I had some time to kill uptown because he had a meeting down here at 6:30 and I wasn't in the mood to pick him up from work, drive up to Metairie and then turn right araound to drop him off. So we decided to go on our regular date of choice: to the grocery store. We're weird. But whatever. The grocery store is romantic. We went to Whole Foods and browsed around for a good bit until I decided "Hey! I pinned a recipe for granola this morning! We should make some!" So while J rolled his eyes as he usually does when I bring up Pinterest, I pulled up the pin and got the ingredients. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Pinned Image" height="320" id="pinCloseupImage" src="http://media-cdn.pinterest.com/upload/287174913708894818_7Kwttf2Q_c.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="213" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mine definitely turned out darker than this. But not too different otherwise.</td></tr>
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When I got home after his meeting I quickly got started on the granola. The only problem was that I read it on my phone instead of my computer and mixed up the steps. Instead of mixing a few ingredients separately, I mixed everything together at once. This didn't effect the taste, but it made it so that only a few things were in clumps as opposed to most things. Also, I followed the baking time which was off. We should have stopped after 30 minutes but cooked it the entire 40. Not that the granola was <em>burnt, </em>per se, but it did has a distinctly "cooked too long" taste. But this morning when I poured my milk over it, it tasted a-okay to me. <br />
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So here's the <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/287174913708894818/">pin</a>. I would recommend it. But like I said, follow the instructions better than I did and don't cook it for as long. 30 minutes is the longest you'll want to cook it.Megan Bushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825327043037800670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722662365690272902.post-12237475000558771412012-02-04T19:17:00.000-08:002012-02-04T19:20:07.871-08:00Baby Girl's BirthdayA good friend of mine has an adorable baby girl who turned the big 1 today. I love this girl! I rarely refer to her by her name, in fact, even though I have nieces younger than her, I call her "baby girl". ANYWHO! I wanted to make something for Baby Girl's birthday that would be useful and precious like she is. I saw a few pins and thought I'd share them with you.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi0KSG9YwfEgyQ5T_soxS_KPxouK7F28LHN2xjFhHV3MzLek6GQvmpcH6qpGGjW3sRI_fgTt3D4pu_pIAQa_YHccgmEj2PKdmm-UdNrLh9jo2dDtopR-7iaVpHOCdQ-vIrSaQegtj4aEm3/s1600/clipper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi0KSG9YwfEgyQ5T_soxS_KPxouK7F28LHN2xjFhHV3MzLek6GQvmpcH6qpGGjW3sRI_fgTt3D4pu_pIAQa_YHccgmEj2PKdmm-UdNrLh9jo2dDtopR-7iaVpHOCdQ-vIrSaQegtj4aEm3/s320/clipper.jpg" width="293" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-size: medium; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br />
</div><div style="font-size: medium; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Here's the first one: a clip holder with some appliqued pieces to make a scene of a cute owl. </div></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgocitDybwb5BUJTUjcS3RazoQ14q6ZolQ8BrkN4b4gHGcFR43TBZSq8VOATA57ilcIlskmlqXupMK7ty7LPyKmNfmqQDFjfyMNrTetZAIkl-qdz1Khxue49ztbWZsV6n2S-tzf4RVNhIi2/s1600/clippers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgocitDybwb5BUJTUjcS3RazoQ14q6ZolQ8BrkN4b4gHGcFR43TBZSq8VOATA57ilcIlskmlqXupMK7ty7LPyKmNfmqQDFjfyMNrTetZAIkl-qdz1Khxue49ztbWZsV6n2S-tzf4RVNhIi2/s320/clippers.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Next, here are the clips: a variety of felt pieces</span> </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0LbhdAKFI8ypqL63P914fn8W8hQlX21zSKrAhqxiCvktSKX4RN-W5Jmo1huCxZ5jPyhrQmI63wjEGPbAdDgfpXzoYeQzuryFZyZqImA_Kr3-mORUQuK4DCNQA-6e67-HfxpNtxUrJX_72/s1600/030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0LbhdAKFI8ypqL63P914fn8W8hQlX21zSKrAhqxiCvktSKX4RN-W5Jmo1huCxZ5jPyhrQmI63wjEGPbAdDgfpXzoYeQzuryFZyZqImA_Kr3-mORUQuK4DCNQA-6e67-HfxpNtxUrJX_72/s320/030.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's my bird with scenic background. She's saying "hey girlfriend"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3BMHc8v2NNjrRXhRNVp94JMnEFd6yrYCOd1mx0RuXxuIvGp_Vx3aTJOps4VBLi1z0co1FlC4AQkaSfVWSR4l_Mcot-6vgJupiHmCwvXFtPr9YDH5M4YHvRGyiXRywoIFny6odbjFdHMWk/s1600/020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3BMHc8v2NNjrRXhRNVp94JMnEFd6yrYCOd1mx0RuXxuIvGp_Vx3aTJOps4VBLi1z0co1FlC4AQkaSfVWSR4l_Mcot-6vgJupiHmCwvXFtPr9YDH5M4YHvRGyiXRywoIFny6odbjFdHMWk/s320/020.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I started by taking a simple 8.5"X11" sheet of felt and cutting it in half</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgknYOLOHpO1nZLtcJVKInX0TwQUUJBBhoFFtD3H2lsrIgrjAXdrFtScdWqibxJVrwpLVoFUyGgjwOD5ekZWZDNnOf0HweoKDw9O9Ar9reOzM7odrdbRrHTdDSj5DhCKyDklrNp1pjg8Ec2/s1600/021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgknYOLOHpO1nZLtcJVKInX0TwQUUJBBhoFFtD3H2lsrIgrjAXdrFtScdWqibxJVrwpLVoFUyGgjwOD5ekZWZDNnOf0HweoKDw9O9Ar9reOzM7odrdbRrHTdDSj5DhCKyDklrNp1pjg8Ec2/s320/021.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Next, I free handed and cut out a few pieces for what I wanted</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmcyCKM35wW2ZYWeDsywB045BhQ0QjjXljgBryTFWa0ysFuyS1daZ0SHZKeEpMJ6SGlzaZxsMWms2ZR6D9iq0-qxu9hyphenhyphen95ry_kY7b_bg3QrkkaEpcUYZniLRTiLRDAeNUEjfWdIuo74nDB/s1600/028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmcyCKM35wW2ZYWeDsywB045BhQ0QjjXljgBryTFWa0ysFuyS1daZ0SHZKeEpMJ6SGlzaZxsMWms2ZR6D9iq0-qxu9hyphenhyphen95ry_kY7b_bg3QrkkaEpcUYZniLRTiLRDAeNUEjfWdIuo74nDB/s320/028.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adding the top strap</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMBjKZ19WE6Vb9_6qbjXPclVfy69yrpQEq2zq5xiKbRqyS1VQN03JsJwZazcfrImT_29pAstvs7K2jF3MRJ8v_4JHBbkLRwRdwn4ntrQ9lyGV59aI2AXP30Cv99GO06Tf2T6Ha0jH1TMsa/s1600/031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMBjKZ19WE6Vb9_6qbjXPclVfy69yrpQEq2zq5xiKbRqyS1VQN03JsJwZazcfrImT_29pAstvs7K2jF3MRJ8v_4JHBbkLRwRdwn4ntrQ9lyGV59aI2AXP30Cv99GO06Tf2T6Ha0jH1TMsa/s320/031.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The finished product. It only cost be the price of the felt since I had everything else on hand. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj10XaOh57-1F5TSViUMusd_Es5C21KRw1jTEdcygo6AzACbSc891t4_ZFxIQWZbrHR75VGwQNC-uTknJkzr629lldAlyLPZpFGorZ3e2nSovwnoxBrm9K0Yx9FSe-mr4IIebP5I1eby8JW/s1600/032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj10XaOh57-1F5TSViUMusd_Es5C21KRw1jTEdcygo6AzACbSc891t4_ZFxIQWZbrHR75VGwQNC-uTknJkzr629lldAlyLPZpFGorZ3e2nSovwnoxBrm9K0Yx9FSe-mr4IIebP5I1eby8JW/s320/032.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Closer up view</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheYfsUsO50f4ejuH7Z5i-46N-RJlro3QG2aoJhq6huwQ9CYTN8IvHROXkXU3hWvkz-c88hdg8Xm9OdJniG3qDAJf2U7MWeDkCq9vRLAaTTTeOfyJyHwyzF9LoQj9iI0PxfXDV63hIAthoI/s1600/023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheYfsUsO50f4ejuH7Z5i-46N-RJlro3QG2aoJhq6huwQ9CYTN8IvHROXkXU3hWvkz-c88hdg8Xm9OdJniG3qDAJf2U7MWeDkCq9vRLAaTTTeOfyJyHwyzF9LoQj9iI0PxfXDV63hIAthoI/s320/023.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The almost finished product of one of the hair clips</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf1N3No3MRzX-5xrSQOkvBJL5J7_3BzId5cgP-TDETY3oN00Ip-mpkmQzD05d7ZuAgI3azA9_SHK6nAh_qwqkSLtScG4auMbipA_Vgu6wNzpfKORi4nIorZbJdesx-Dy6FTkhgCVOhK7xs/s1600/033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf1N3No3MRzX-5xrSQOkvBJL5J7_3BzId5cgP-TDETY3oN00Ip-mpkmQzD05d7ZuAgI3azA9_SHK6nAh_qwqkSLtScG4auMbipA_Vgu6wNzpfKORi4nIorZbJdesx-Dy6FTkhgCVOhK7xs/s320/033.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I found the best way to use the alligator clips was to cover them. So I cut a little piece out that would wrap around it.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cut a little slit for the clip to slide through</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hot glue it and glue the rest of the felt and clip together.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everything combined</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdZTSoUr6APIURIPSuKAW0ZD61ZinI3HFKfxb8DEk13e-BD00B-qj7udSefiQccmaGJTKefD63lPow4nKyusGZef3aCz7l4CQrOQr6R0PTXRX4hrTf0Dir4mSRl468thcZM6-xrsNgyDYO/s1600/039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdZTSoUr6APIURIPSuKAW0ZD61ZinI3HFKfxb8DEk13e-BD00B-qj7udSefiQccmaGJTKefD63lPow4nKyusGZef3aCz7l4CQrOQr6R0PTXRX4hrTf0Dir4mSRl468thcZM6-xrsNgyDYO/s320/039.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Here are mine: mostly felt, but some made up of fake flowers and silky flowers all on alligator clips. The grey one ended up being my favorite. It's three circles stacked on top of each other with a single black bead in the middle. </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>I wish I had had some closer up versions but oh well. I'm making some more for my biological niece and they're pretty cute as well. Oh! Also, I made a simple white headband that any of the clips can go on interchangeably. I honestly loved these two crafts. I like how different you can make every aspect these. Different colors, different designs.. I'm toying around with future ideas. We'll see how it goes. As for the pins, I highly recommend them. The first <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/287174913708565271/">pin</a> does NOT have a tutorial. It's a product from etsy. The second <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/287174913708686096/">pin</a> does and she's great.Megan Bushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825327043037800670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722662365690272902.post-22387427013064951272012-02-02T06:52:00.000-08:002012-02-02T09:59:58.252-08:0052 Things I Love About...Valentine's Day has gotten me in a very crafty mood. I've made two things for my Valentine and plan on making some lovey-themed items for our abode. One of the gifts I made is based off of the pin I'm sure everyone has seen where you take a deck of cards and list 52 things you love about the person. This is my attempt.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUCRh7eRXLcSYSNIzyWDl8oEKz-wYWvm7v5vAsj9SxngpIqOGF6kIcml5CjgVEVkYQgvYonS8EH_Kta_aOufhoAEcwVmRovwOsZH0XiyPxRA1-20sJIxxHDr59Mex3HTLqyv_JprgEtYgZ/s1600/027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUCRh7eRXLcSYSNIzyWDl8oEKz-wYWvm7v5vAsj9SxngpIqOGF6kIcml5CjgVEVkYQgvYonS8EH_Kta_aOufhoAEcwVmRovwOsZH0XiyPxRA1-20sJIxxHDr59Mex3HTLqyv_JprgEtYgZ/s320/027.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I punched holes in all of the cards</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuvR2VU3CPZRTk4-WPjn_AfcHIbJXcYukD1aoNkm0RRvEPvaJWvl59j6Xzz9MR554ET4lcODp8xuphX4C_REdTIpJRm-EX-aPJ82QlpeIBB8m6sW9EAutgWskUEyUA69mkB47HUDZHalQa/s1600/028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuvR2VU3CPZRTk4-WPjn_AfcHIbJXcYukD1aoNkm0RRvEPvaJWvl59j6Xzz9MR554ET4lcODp8xuphX4C_REdTIpJRm-EX-aPJ82QlpeIBB8m6sW9EAutgWskUEyUA69mkB47HUDZHalQa/s320/028.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Using my favorite new paper punch (a huge heart shape) I cut out the appropriate number of hearts using a thick cream colored cardstock</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYoa1CApOUSANuodVuxA4dVsM2jP2nNXip5eXe8R1hwzWM9uPjvuEq6e7eaDLlYAVkwuYx3fZ47_aZb8gcR_FrISGKk5Kx2IubU0RpqCPRSpz55aOtF-vaenkl5-00jZIriNt4KjpXtxIv/s1600/029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYoa1CApOUSANuodVuxA4dVsM2jP2nNXip5eXe8R1hwzWM9uPjvuEq6e7eaDLlYAVkwuYx3fZ47_aZb8gcR_FrISGKk5Kx2IubU0RpqCPRSpz55aOtF-vaenkl5-00jZIriNt4KjpXtxIv/s320/029.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glue cardstock to cards</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq5PRNmx3tFidPkidV4OCw5AAJBLdQ9znUqdMq-fB8q9MZldNIA9QoGJ9O1UyXOu2d4oDznRImBfcHpwobHoY3aDWD1bcLptAdbb2jrTPtOHj1dF0j6UqcaBr2bLzT2z5RfSKMjGToRnXA/s1600/030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq5PRNmx3tFidPkidV4OCw5AAJBLdQ9znUqdMq-fB8q9MZldNIA9QoGJ9O1UyXOu2d4oDznRImBfcHpwobHoY3aDWD1bcLptAdbb2jrTPtOHj1dF0j6UqcaBr2bLzT2z5RfSKMjGToRnXA/s320/030.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Because the hearts were pretty large I rotated their positions and such. Some covered holes, some didn't.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKu3fB1QJm6qRP8g8WfS0XO983ZAPxaiqc_oDGI9kn1rYX6S5OlWYNIDrTaowskTwYFNKc5K38aGhRK273xhgeQEcLW-A46mSNUjuFLjEr-OEr6bykc6zd7Mj7hNWNGtx24Lomk7UIxO9o/s1600/007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKu3fB1QJm6qRP8g8WfS0XO983ZAPxaiqc_oDGI9kn1rYX6S5OlWYNIDrTaowskTwYFNKc5K38aGhRK273xhgeQEcLW-A46mSNUjuFLjEr-OEr6bykc6zd7Mj7hNWNGtx24Lomk7UIxO9o/s320/007.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I cleaned up the ones that covered holes so that my three rings could go through easily</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPCJB07RUnGcmz2i831oMyo3ALOsqJUKzK6UVm4uV647BGxsdMYRkKphsZvMZJoLu4kcQjJxh1xwG3ZskzOTILxnJtxDrY8NqYL9Uw-iGb4q5KcGvo7-xcx8-luP5oxt6Hz7sl0W5BO3i4/s1600/008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPCJB07RUnGcmz2i831oMyo3ALOsqJUKzK6UVm4uV647BGxsdMYRkKphsZvMZJoLu4kcQjJxh1xwG3ZskzOTILxnJtxDrY8NqYL9Uw-iGb4q5KcGvo7-xcx8-luP5oxt6Hz7sl0W5BO3i4/s320/008.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arrange them however you choose. I chose to alternate red and black, but you could easily go by suites or numbers or what have you.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3dPgOPd8DVmKxknGKdAHYuX-Ys7K3vlhyphenhyphenL-n9VNa-5RhPala_ToaliX_NX2jSZyRq-My3LaEOllRcFYFoIZHUO5bwoLpOjGyt4C7zyoBNg-iJGIJ5jMzN-Ah8pfWj5pdT14Hb9f-oGQvv/s1600/009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3dPgOPd8DVmKxknGKdAHYuX-Ys7K3vlhyphenhyphenL-n9VNa-5RhPala_ToaliX_NX2jSZyRq-My3LaEOllRcFYFoIZHUO5bwoLpOjGyt4C7zyoBNg-iJGIJ5jMzN-Ah8pfWj5pdT14Hb9f-oGQvv/s320/009.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I free-handed a shape to use on the cover card which was also one of the spare joker cards. I traced the number and used my stamps for the letters. I never said I was good at stamping. But at the same time, I kind of ike the funky look of this.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV6pteSrw_j8kLPlbQYTb9Zo5Sr0HqNujkEmVVBD92IsjQf__hwcpsPgFVz8ObCOYzbKpksBFzrgX1SaQ9Wf2DFNvt6ShoI1ruOekfy1SYeekyJGWiCHY4xEVfm5AmuMBM-nGj1xD8JD78/s1600/010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV6pteSrw_j8kLPlbQYTb9Zo5Sr0HqNujkEmVVBD92IsjQf__hwcpsPgFVz8ObCOYzbKpksBFzrgX1SaQ9Wf2DFNvt6ShoI1ruOekfy1SYeekyJGWiCHY4xEVfm5AmuMBM-nGj1xD8JD78/s320/010.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Added my little tag to the back. Oh, and S'ghettis is Justin's nickname from me. Nothing weird. I just used to say "Ready sghettis?" a lot and it morphed into his nickname.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvFwT7-mKT0y-x3bXidgEomATzX8m_Sz0L8oupi4numPcl0tjc6rw3jyVJBs_-S5wjUsM5bPTl5o3vP3QafLM7lVl9k4tmbnIlfgnsB1yCdWnSlo_E0kjl04Lyemtc_rW8Q4MF9pGN2wKB/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvFwT7-mKT0y-x3bXidgEomATzX8m_Sz0L8oupi4numPcl0tjc6rw3jyVJBs_-S5wjUsM5bPTl5o3vP3QafLM7lVl9k4tmbnIlfgnsB1yCdWnSlo_E0kjl04Lyemtc_rW8Q4MF9pGN2wKB/s320/001.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finally, after adding the rings and such, I began added the reasons why I love him. As wrong as it sounds, this was the hardest part... There are only so many ways you can say "I love your butt." </td></tr>
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And there you have it. It's a little time consuming, but once you get started it goes by pretty quickly and it's a personal and fun gift that I think would work well for anyone at any time. Who doesn't like knowing they are loved and why people love them? One recommendation I would make is to buy a large deck of cards. Not that this deck was an issue, but if you don't want to worry about the positions of the hearts and having to go back and hole punch again, just buy a bigger deck. I recommend it since the only thing I had to buy was the deck of cards ($1). Here is the <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/287174913708539074/">pin</a> I was going off of.Megan Bushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825327043037800670noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722662365690272902.post-32428778752830858472012-01-19T08:07:00.000-08:002012-01-19T08:09:12.570-08:00Spinach and Orzo (sort of) Soup<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The weather here in New Orleans has been a tad ridiculous recently. Off and on between being in the 40s/upper 30s, to the mid 70s. It's really quite annoying. Yesterday was a chilly one and because it was also a crappy day spent in a doctor's office and then driving around campus for 45 minutes trying to find a parking spot, I really wanted some soup. For me, after my Grandma Ruth's grits, fried egg and toast breakfast, my next favorite comfort food is soup. So yesterday I decided to branch out and make something other than my standard potato-leek or chicken noodle soup and make something else. I saw this while looking through my soup board on Pinterest and thought, "That sounds light and yummy." And Justin even said it looked good. So away we went to the grocery store.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSBRNFo4RslgRQGqjsgU8hQvMnD9nDNOQz3MyjRKZnabLj_2wjUaqjfHF5ZP_TIZoGJsx5zFWiNKyIdqqgUNNaA2xnFg-SLu5q9ZeTSL9OnjBeBVuTCczVP1qK2QTVnF6Xoeo56XV97ATb/s1600/STOSoup.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" nfa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSBRNFo4RslgRQGqjsgU8hQvMnD9nDNOQz3MyjRKZnabLj_2wjUaqjfHF5ZP_TIZoGJsx5zFWiNKyIdqqgUNNaA2xnFg-SLu5q9ZeTSL9OnjBeBVuTCczVP1qK2QTVnF6Xoeo56XV97ATb/s320/STOSoup.bmp" width="222" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spinach, tomato orzo soup</td></tr>
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I followed the recipe (almost) to the tee and to be honest. It's INCREDIBLY bland. Justin had about half a cup. The only variations I had were that I upped the amount of garlic to 4 cloves (because I LOVE garlic), I added mushrooms (because I've been wanting some for a while), and because the orzo was pricier. I used a radiatori pasta which was a little bit bigger. I've never been so disappointed with a soup and now I'm stuck with a gallon of it. My only consolation is that I at least bought some leeks and potatoes to go to my favorite standby.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuOxqhO1t-KdWNmFj4rww0JSo7OLZAy9yWWH_Pk4Ru-PRvv3aiM8asR3HzOjflq5Jycp2_sDiY02i9upi78oZfr4NAirCNqNQttsSnq5_QysRh-1WbZjQgWcaH_Th7RX0LKa3LuUSLLfmI/s1600/003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" nfa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuOxqhO1t-KdWNmFj4rww0JSo7OLZAy9yWWH_Pk4Ru-PRvv3aiM8asR3HzOjflq5Jycp2_sDiY02i9upi78oZfr4NAirCNqNQttsSnq5_QysRh-1WbZjQgWcaH_Th7RX0LKa3LuUSLLfmI/s320/003.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My onion, 4 cloves of garlic, and mushrooms</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7msr4xF-wc23W81YTvaLyANWn37TChLh9MvrBTFH_Na-3cMbSp5TE-4GVNpA4CrP2mDw173-Zp5t4EgesIseGu2LYktZmy3XR9LqwmJGB3WBhzS9r80vlf1OHs0lMFcctyKODCIsguTwS/s1600/007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" nfa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7msr4xF-wc23W81YTvaLyANWn37TChLh9MvrBTFH_Na-3cMbSp5TE-4GVNpA4CrP2mDw173-Zp5t4EgesIseGu2LYktZmy3XR9LqwmJGB3WBhzS9r80vlf1OHs0lMFcctyKODCIsguTwS/s320/007.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">chicken stock (it was on sale at Whole Foods for cheaper than generic at Rouses), tomatoes, spinach</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9JVED70E7-nQnW_4SHkL7hidZR5tln0HrPIgYJAT6n0h4XpBxTnifG7LxdvBL9QhZxqulZ83Fov4INgDsbsiPvDWRxcvet0cQK4oW_kPTEJUrKxZmGIUaxZsizPjwbnnfg1nPrsjy7fRB/s1600/009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" nfa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9JVED70E7-nQnW_4SHkL7hidZR5tln0HrPIgYJAT6n0h4XpBxTnifG7LxdvBL9QhZxqulZ83Fov4INgDsbsiPvDWRxcvet0cQK4oW_kPTEJUrKxZmGIUaxZsizPjwbnnfg1nPrsjy7fRB/s320/009.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My seasonings<br />
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I didn't get a picture of the final product because I was cooking a few things last night and forgot to. Sorry. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;">So NO I would NOT recommend making the soup pictured in <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/287174913708641900/">this pin</a>. While it was easy to put together, it didn't taste like anything spectacular.</div>Megan Bushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825327043037800670noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722662365690272902.post-31489624169888017452012-01-17T10:25:00.000-08:002012-01-18T13:25:59.339-08:00Gospel ABCsI was called to lead the children 12 and under at my church last August. Since then I've been getting a hold of things and trying to switch some things around. The kids 18 months to 3 attend what they call the nursery. There they sing, have a short lesson (5 minutes about), and play. Because we had some new cabinets installed (after asking for them for a year), I feel like sprucing the place up. They have posters of typical kid songs like Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, but I wanted to add some things that were more churchy. In comes this pin I saw om Pinterest. It's for a quiet book for little kids, but I wanted to make it bigger and switch up a few things. So what I did was copy their list of A-Z, then rewrite them to fit an entire page (they were filling up at about 1/4 of a page and since the room is pretty big, I wanted it bigger. Plus I wanted a different font). Also, instead of making the type white and the background different colors, I decided to simply do an outline and then color the wording. I like coloring and it gave me an excuse. The next thing I did was raid my gospel art kit which has pictures relating to different scripture stories and such. They would be easier than finding and printing 26 different pictures. And here is the end result..<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6i-prOWQk974jdBNEUIN1ZsWwLO9TLlNs9D1TTq96zu6J0l-VaxZitBz-gLlmHKuPv39KrYTRWa6zLUjPYrRDOVfBeqPANUgHYGngRI5v6viLGlSa7FiqRt12GQtNKmWsdrtvbszcUQ8E/s1600/012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" kba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6i-prOWQk974jdBNEUIN1ZsWwLO9TLlNs9D1TTq96zu6J0l-VaxZitBz-gLlmHKuPv39KrYTRWa6zLUjPYrRDOVfBeqPANUgHYGngRI5v6viLGlSa7FiqRt12GQtNKmWsdrtvbszcUQ8E/s320/012.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I came up with outlines for my lettering. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqCP4ZVjjlXAijl47-eRLeZBKXZs7EDu-kfyvo0-cIO3cdU-RHs5ZHVuRIMDPSNguaX5gKkGL0TuM2YXhLf-awsllPil0Vqptobh0FJStQbrDtWQgI6WUVo7h1hcisA6TVXkj-oEFRYCAx/s1600/013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" kba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqCP4ZVjjlXAijl47-eRLeZBKXZs7EDu-kfyvo0-cIO3cdU-RHs5ZHVuRIMDPSNguaX5gKkGL0TuM2YXhLf-awsllPil0Vqptobh0FJStQbrDtWQgI6WUVo7h1hcisA6TVXkj-oEFRYCAx/s320/013.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I enjoy coloring so I did a second outline in marker and colored the pages in with colored pencils.</td></tr>
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More after the jump!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjihVupJg8nEcPcb9-J9Rn5MfNQG_UhlQPmRTipUYuPKWVvnhAGJj2qTo6O5oMPcP8-qIfb4rMjT4kFTBPzlzTabjLfMKLTIVpDvQ4MONC7pyESUfo-V2q4TpTnQPOYF2kMkig0ibuUwtq1/s1600/026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" kba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjihVupJg8nEcPcb9-J9Rn5MfNQG_UhlQPmRTipUYuPKWVvnhAGJj2qTo6O5oMPcP8-qIfb4rMjT4kFTBPzlzTabjLfMKLTIVpDvQ4MONC7pyESUfo-V2q4TpTnQPOYF2kMkig0ibuUwtq1/s320/026.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">To add some cohesion I took 9 posted boards and taped them together. Next. I added solid colored paper to give it a little bit of a background.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPS9tiBw1cGs0q2i6DNFRxVkuIWDpFO3ymmaNIFq1R3r9le7a0s9T5Pr4t0_AwIpqJ6ZKldCTzXhKPxhKlpA6BtxdJAbvJ_s5mRUjS7VxDMSlk5uS1sxtxQpaTMBb4JCY49UkcjuDuepDj/s1600/027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" kba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPS9tiBw1cGs0q2i6DNFRxVkuIWDpFO3ymmaNIFq1R3r9le7a0s9T5Pr4t0_AwIpqJ6ZKldCTzXhKPxhKlpA6BtxdJAbvJ_s5mRUjS7VxDMSlk5uS1sxtxQpaTMBb4JCY49UkcjuDuepDj/s320/027.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I staggered the rows and added both church pictures from the church art box (the blue one- we got one as a wedding gift), as well as old coloring pages from from old copies of The Friend. This was the almost finished product. I later added the remaining colored pictures.</td></tr>
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Justin and I covered all of the edges with clear packing tape to keep it up there. This past Saturday we were at church for an AMAZING conference with <a href="http://lds.org/friend/2007/07/special-witness?lang=eng&query=*+%28name%3a%22David+A.+Bednar%22%29">an apostle of the Lord</a> and I went to check in on my art. IT. WAS. MISSING! Luckily I knew the woman who had been in there with her kids and I asked what happened. Apparently it fell down and she and her sister moved it so that the kids wouldn't trample it. My 6+ hours were lying on the ground in the other room with several pages crumpled from the fall. So now I'm left wondering.. Should I fix it and put it up again? Does anyone have any ideas on how to keep it up on the wall? My heart is a little broken and I'd appreciate any tips. <br />
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Oh, and here's <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/287174913708543417/">the original pin</a>. Like I said, a bit different from the original and it was super cute. The pictures do not do it justice. I think if I do do it again I will tape the posters up individually and not all together.Megan Bushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825327043037800670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722662365690272902.post-86337930647824121602012-01-17T10:12:00.000-08:002012-01-18T13:26:27.254-08:00The Padded ChairI inherited a piece of history. It's a rolling chair. It's about 25 years old and used to be my dad's. I can remember it since it sat at his desk which was right outside of my bedroom until I was almost 12. It still functions pretty well except for one thing... The padding. To say it is sparse is being polite. I'll just say this- the plastic trim going around it sticks up more than the padding. This poor chaise has seen better days. I've been meaning to recover it but have been putting it off for a while. But recently I also got the spark to redo a desk and hutch that sit in my room and thought this would be perfect- to recover the chair to accompany the desk. The desk combo is not yet finished. It should be done by this weekend, but we'll see. However, this chair redo was quick and pretty easy. I did it while sitting on the ground watching TV with my husband and nephew. All in all, it took about 30 minutes. The biggest obstacle was actually getting material for it. At first I bought a pattern I loved. But realized it was not sturdy enough. Then I went to the home decor fabrics. But forgot the measurements of the chair and didn't get enough. So finally, with measurements in hand, I went to the fabric store and purchased enough of a fabric I loved! It cost me $9 for a yard. And here's the result:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwiyAevSyOAUIy143wpF54ZlBaAAnP43D-7Lz50JHzES6fozz-6EzZXYUj6ns7Bttsj8O3BN7p5neEyObPKYFTu_tLpLz8tsIf5J63_0fU25O8lmVbNQ2JwzXloUnAh25MO-tKQeYiVJqA/s1600/045.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" kba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwiyAevSyOAUIy143wpF54ZlBaAAnP43D-7Lz50JHzES6fozz-6EzZXYUj6ns7Bttsj8O3BN7p5neEyObPKYFTu_tLpLz8tsIf5J63_0fU25O8lmVbNQ2JwzXloUnAh25MO-tKQeYiVJqA/s320/045.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The original chair</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNKO-d9c5mp1HBTdVGBo9OWeETkaCMXU4Xt0oE1Mx7YDXzcSizAnIa9ZpfC1-rmbGlFjsTRMo6SRKavD5vRiE-49D8m9RnVuWT70nKXiF34QWSCLySFXCaBeGIcoSBGHzEqpZdAQSp8C5K/s1600/047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" kba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNKO-d9c5mp1HBTdVGBo9OWeETkaCMXU4Xt0oE1Mx7YDXzcSizAnIa9ZpfC1-rmbGlFjsTRMo6SRKavD5vRiE-49D8m9RnVuWT70nKXiF34QWSCLySFXCaBeGIcoSBGHzEqpZdAQSp8C5K/s320/047.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unscrew the pads from the base</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsPSMJBb00L0mav9hDh_GZLqoy_pQ0LNuxKPDkl-4p8y8HPB2lOirhoEv-3EjoNzFJ5VIpnVh9IZl3FzZ2XIUTbT4z3xrHz0o1LkgmdMq01wvrWnYvgRpbkcP66jKQ2_aO8Zjf2GVjai3E/s1600/052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" kba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsPSMJBb00L0mav9hDh_GZLqoy_pQ0LNuxKPDkl-4p8y8HPB2lOirhoEv-3EjoNzFJ5VIpnVh9IZl3FzZ2XIUTbT4z3xrHz0o1LkgmdMq01wvrWnYvgRpbkcP66jKQ2_aO8Zjf2GVjai3E/s320/052.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lay your fabric, printed side down and place your foam piece. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEGzbuXDMfKaPbO6-PVAvQW1w4F7uFetlscCuJL6zTRvw3-LjU2M4EJ70zuBHhnniwmY_DZQZjPD0Bf-P2dOwD5XGKh_3UbYUWwBRPUwcMp0nVfucEiG9hw8pbVAh_nNqQJ5QmJeW1uGHg/s1600/053.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" kba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEGzbuXDMfKaPbO6-PVAvQW1w4F7uFetlscCuJL6zTRvw3-LjU2M4EJ70zuBHhnniwmY_DZQZjPD0Bf-P2dOwD5XGKh_3UbYUWwBRPUwcMp0nVfucEiG9hw8pbVAh_nNqQJ5QmJeW1uGHg/s320/053.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Next, place your pad, face down, on top of the foam. For my second part, to support the back, I had to trim the foam about 2".</td></tr>
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More after the jump!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_lqa94MrvenH7Cff6ZB5XbENLOGVyKcPuZS1jj5u91rN3k9yMyrEhPJED9nnqLkfKTg8aDQIoOq6Jt6X1azVT0kp0qlXKwUI77-1MBrNyjFnfLeF_6PQjJNs_2U5PcGAjYsZQwITtz0KO/s1600/054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" kba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_lqa94MrvenH7Cff6ZB5XbENLOGVyKcPuZS1jj5u91rN3k9yMyrEhPJED9nnqLkfKTg8aDQIoOq6Jt6X1azVT0kp0qlXKwUI77-1MBrNyjFnfLeF_6PQjJNs_2U5PcGAjYsZQwITtz0KO/s320/054.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fill in the edges with batting.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi55P6IdMCeTdiJTsq_pCLKOzn3CeiYn5ssJGTnCFWp3naHe3GtJ2yyB2w0iUw-S9Uw80Goh09KbNrCGz1_DgaowsyOKUpWsL28bCvFhZeO3dzphE06CLWFDfB9WEXTQt9an5PbMBo0i0GC/s1600/059.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" kba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi55P6IdMCeTdiJTsq_pCLKOzn3CeiYn5ssJGTnCFWp3naHe3GtJ2yyB2w0iUw-S9Uw80Goh09KbNrCGz1_DgaowsyOKUpWsL28bCvFhZeO3dzphE06CLWFDfB9WEXTQt9an5PbMBo0i0GC/s320/059.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Next, pull the edges back as tautly as you can and staple them to the hard back. I used a staple gun and the staples didn't go all the way down so I had to use a hammer to pound them in all the way.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh783SxfTwoEpOgQp6KFhvBllzkzHhjSYgUkg_39PbwjTw0s_yEHWddZ37nhJjtODEdP_NUcBy5inFXhKZZLfT5p9icfVMfi8H8i_V1gIvpBjl5Jbzr6GUjLWBMiuM5xKYZ-L4UdsnXVpUi/s1600/058.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" kba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh783SxfTwoEpOgQp6KFhvBllzkzHhjSYgUkg_39PbwjTw0s_yEHWddZ37nhJjtODEdP_NUcBy5inFXhKZZLfT5p9icfVMfi8H8i_V1gIvpBjl5Jbzr6GUjLWBMiuM5xKYZ-L4UdsnXVpUi/s320/058.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vincent helped with the nails. Not really. But he was really excited about the project.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggtvExUF60To15BnDmxdGbyjHd8A1DsLHZYcsbxwDZOkdCeZpzCKSdrilzPW84wdZLsRpli0fs9AYHxSNbhepYzTjhyphenhyphenIN31v_YGwhsyJwB5zoOJWyX932wvENBuF1zSK7HaG9jjV3AKbzV/s1600/060.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" kba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggtvExUF60To15BnDmxdGbyjHd8A1DsLHZYcsbxwDZOkdCeZpzCKSdrilzPW84wdZLsRpli0fs9AYHxSNbhepYzTjhyphenhyphenIN31v_YGwhsyJwB5zoOJWyX932wvENBuF1zSK7HaG9jjV3AKbzV/s320/060.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The finished project. Make sure you either leave space to see where the screws go or else you will have to dig them out with an exacto knife of cutting scissors. I had to do it with the bottom part and decided to trim the top so it wouldn't be as difficult.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp2n_ycvsrx5LcPsqbzcRJpf04p9z_XI-B2TMuNUR9GvVCQCM_60pI9aUZY9wGSkN35VYUP_THlUPbEf2TvkKLdpmo7LT6JSq8uiL5vsRmx8dj1pVvIG9LPVeaVu9jJwMoO7lwkFZfu5e6/s1600/057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" kba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp2n_ycvsrx5LcPsqbzcRJpf04p9z_XI-B2TMuNUR9GvVCQCM_60pI9aUZY9wGSkN35VYUP_THlUPbEf2TvkKLdpmo7LT6JSq8uiL5vsRmx8dj1pVvIG9LPVeaVu9jJwMoO7lwkFZfu5e6/s320/057.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quiqui was intrigued. But didn't care much for the noise.</td></tr>
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In total this project cost about $ 17. This is for the yard of fabric I bought, the foam pieces, and the staples. My dad already had the staple gun and I already had the batting.<br />
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Oh, and I kind of followed <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/287174913708537296/">this pin</a>.Megan Bushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825327043037800670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722662365690272902.post-76249678549103476002012-01-16T18:23:00.000-08:002012-01-18T13:22:27.095-08:0030 by 30Kaycee here:<br />
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Well 2012 has arrived. I knew this year would come...the year I turn 30. I know it's just a number, but it has me thinking. I'm going to be 30 in 221 days, no matter what, so why not meet that day with a pocket full of confidence? I don't want to do "Extreme Makeover: Kaycee Edition", but I do want to accomplish a few things.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
The <b>PINSPIRATION</b>:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSURdcJ7TGVB0mR_tqXxr_E8mA64Dyf1ogXE48ypCzp-ICjnr4ETGz2HsEsrnQ7bIBBU761Iew0-9QBXUIasHxtZLS1oIfkNA1AqhH8nFQX1-zxQJLcCwH6MAUHP1EY0OLc4PCLsShvuI/s1600/30by30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" kba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSURdcJ7TGVB0mR_tqXxr_E8mA64Dyf1ogXE48ypCzp-ICjnr4ETGz2HsEsrnQ7bIBBU761Iew0-9QBXUIasHxtZLS1oIfkNA1AqhH8nFQX1-zxQJLcCwH6MAUHP1EY0OLc4PCLsShvuI/s1600/30by30.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/203365739393038356/">http://pinterest.com/pin/203365739393038356/</a></td></tr>
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<b></b><br />
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The<b> PRODUCT:</b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVJ2wTFOU8ScHtkrI5nC7Pt7bLndmOO_VlfLpPMCfRwEUIdnQpE2HNyeABU5_7H1K6p9aGIND16xIn6cQYpiUdcHTmc3RHAn3-bj__Z5OLeV_f4A-FwZ8nrapNutm_04uW2uYg9UR2GnI/s400/kaycee30by30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="247" kba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVJ2wTFOU8ScHtkrI5nC7Pt7bLndmOO_VlfLpPMCfRwEUIdnQpE2HNyeABU5_7H1K6p9aGIND16xIn6cQYpiUdcHTmc3RHAn3-bj__Z5OLeV_f4A-FwZ8nrapNutm_04uW2uYg9UR2GnI/s320/kaycee30by30.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://kayceerenee.blogspot.com/2012/01/30-by-30.html">http://kayceerenee.blogspot.com/2012/01/30-by-30.html</a> </td></tr>
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More after the jump!<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<ol><div style="text-align: left;">
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<li>Read the Book of Mormon (again).<br />
</li>
<li>Go down 2 sizes.</li>
<li>Visit a friend in another state. </li>
<li>Create (and not touch) an emergency fund.</li>
<li>Make a list of things I want to accomplish in my 30s (40 by 40?). </li>
<li>Finish the New Testament.</li>
<li>Complete a 5K.</li>
<li>Delete MySpace and Xanga (transfer info to Facebook?).</li>
<li>Create a budget and live by it. </li>
<li>Buy a camera. </li>
<li>Perform ordinances in the Mesa, Oklahoma City and San Antonio temples.</li>
<li>Be a vegetarian for a week.</li>
<li>Learn "Single Ladies", "Shuffle" and "Thriller" dances.</li>
<li>Pay off consumer debt.</li>
<li>Get a passport.</li>
<li>Make dinner and bring lunch 3 times/week.</li>
<li>Trace family tree back 2 more generations on Mom's side.</li>
<li>Read 12 books for fun (Here's the list so far: <i>A Lucky Child, The Darcy Connection, Goodnight Maman</i>). 3/12 = 25%</li>
<li>Read the Conference Ensign before Conference.</li>
<li>Mail a card to someone every month.</li>
<li>Post to Pinnovations blog at least 30 times.</li>
<li>(Re)Memorize all the Seminary Scripture Mastery scriptures.</li>
<li>Go to 2 Mid-Singles activities.</li>
<li>Decide what I want to be when I "grow up". </li>
<li>Memorize the Family Proclamation.</li>
<li>Take the Jeopardy audition test. </li>
<li>Memorize 1 quote from each of the members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. </li>
<li>Memorize a piano piece.</li>
<li>Scan my old photos. </li>
<li>Readers’ choice! Leave a comment with a goal for me to accomplish - something exciting, attainable and awesome.</li>
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</ol>
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I didn't go about making my list all willy nilly. I actually came up with categories - Spiritual, Social, Financial, Physical and Personal - and tried to to divide my goals evenly. I don't think I completely succeeded in that regard, but at least I have a few goals in each category. (See if you can figure out which item goes in which category.)</div>
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Check out the <a href="http://kayceerenee.blogspot.com/2012/01/30-by-30.html" target="_blank">original post</a> for links to more information on some of the goals. I'm going to post about how I accomplish the goal and then update the original post on my personal blog, so if you're interested in keeping me accountable, click on the link above.</div>
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Kaycee...out.</div>Kayceehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05327923782821452505noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722662365690272902.post-63188955128606748272012-01-03T14:25:00.000-08:002012-01-18T13:26:39.883-08:00Fancy wrapping jobI apologize for the barrage of posts- I was sick all last week and feel the need to post a lot to make up for it. <br />
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Pretty Handy Girl has to be one of my favorite blogs to follow. That along with Skinny Taste and Jane Austen's World. But Pretty Handy Girl wins hands down. When I saw the following gift wrap she came up with I think my jaw may have honestly dropped onto my keyboard (because the only time I check blogs is while I'm at work). I was inspired. I knew I would be keeping my gift wrapping simple this Christmas because I liked the rustic look of brown paper packages tied up with string. That plus brown wrapping paper is a dollar for a huge roll at the dollar store versus $5 regular wrapping paper. So I started thinking. And this is what I came up with using my cheap paper and some scraps of scrapbook paper I had lying around.<br />
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In all honesty, the possibilities are endless which is what I loved. I didn't get a picture of Josh's wrapped gift- it was a star-- but here's part of the finished product of his gift- blocks painted to make 6 different puzzles. LOTS of fun inspired by this <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/287174913708564432/">pin</a>. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc8mvwLd9LUavEU_PaUwmAMC7bxgqcUq8UltgGAmvAypfhFIEdPIfivREzFcidsDn6tiZrSFrpSiLkwd-uscO7j0SjiFhL6MhYv9Mgz4CbtLPsNhC2_TquJyMleqBXHvGAu6ulriLupaiR/s1600/023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" rea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc8mvwLd9LUavEU_PaUwmAMC7bxgqcUq8UltgGAmvAypfhFIEdPIfivREzFcidsDn6tiZrSFrpSiLkwd-uscO7j0SjiFhL6MhYv9Mgz4CbtLPsNhC2_TquJyMleqBXHvGAu6ulriLupaiR/s320/023.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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As for Pretty Handy Girl's pin? Definitely worth it because it was pretty much free (I already had the brown paper, and my scraps were scraps). Here's the <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/287174913708740056/">pin</a> that inspired my wrapping. </div>Megan Bushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825327043037800670noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722662365690272902.post-18306634866390010822012-01-03T13:55:00.000-08:002012-01-18T13:20:36.537-08:00T-shirt fun<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
A few months ago I saw this pin </div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/65212485@N03/6125291383/" title="IMG_2237 by Jessica M Jackson, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2237" height="298" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6194/6125291383_8c141f3fe9_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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and knew I wanted to try it. But being the person I am (who hates patterns and being too copy-cattish, I wanted to make my own design). </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGJ3GlxBzK9kyv9qUOOQQsJbN-vgqWGzsm8MM6CPXzZM5F_669NzpubpNBXm0kmxJPTu_S-0sWj_LI-ivEkftmxWN_ccKVrgPyMb5mboxq_oroAV_GjfMPUEkydpQJSouUiLF0eGmuiYXS/s1600/005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" rea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGJ3GlxBzK9kyv9qUOOQQsJbN-vgqWGzsm8MM6CPXzZM5F_669NzpubpNBXm0kmxJPTu_S-0sWj_LI-ivEkftmxWN_ccKVrgPyMb5mboxq_oroAV_GjfMPUEkydpQJSouUiLF0eGmuiYXS/s400/005.JPG" width="296" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I bought a plain white t-shirt and used a pack of fabric markers I had.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo475HTx91pGE6XGBc_ehO5nBXrO_0cWPHCosTm4z9hvn0bXHGOKd7qs2TNMq1yNz9XvUM1zEvkhMICIgkhGln3rSa7oZWQnZCt8UZRmYfgL49zhazZS8tlDW79Txq2Z8bm1yLu7QAnKPW/s1600/007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" rea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo475HTx91pGE6XGBc_ehO5nBXrO_0cWPHCosTm4z9hvn0bXHGOKd7qs2TNMq1yNz9XvUM1zEvkhMICIgkhGln3rSa7oZWQnZCt8UZRmYfgL49zhazZS8tlDW79Txq2Z8bm1yLu7QAnKPW/s400/007.JPG" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A sign leading to New Orleans and GG's house (that's what they call my mom)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJoZsDMzwbqsJOTobAlN-WgxanNu9jwxw9WlNpAMYEz63NnSmtpOncm_WJkgu5vDBEriRB87AtaobKYWRvGvAnWQjifsFrtvbsu26nKVRDOtbefkN77t3UdRkuhO3SIxukLJ1L26i1k80s/s1600/008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" rea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJoZsDMzwbqsJOTobAlN-WgxanNu9jwxw9WlNpAMYEz63NnSmtpOncm_WJkgu5vDBEriRB87AtaobKYWRvGvAnWQjifsFrtvbsu26nKVRDOtbefkN77t3UdRkuhO3SIxukLJ1L26i1k80s/s640/008.JPG" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The finished product included a zoo, a pet shop, a store, a park, a hospital, a firehouse, a school, and a church along with signs to their grandma in Utah and GG in NOLA. </td></tr>
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For Christmas I made this for my brother Brian who has two awesome boys. Since he's an early-morning seminary teacher and amateur runner I thought this would be a neat way for him to relax and still get in time with the boys so I added some fancy toy Porches from the dollar store in his gift. He was a bit confused by a plain white t-shirt and two toy cars until I told him to check out the back. He liked it a good bit. <br />
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I think the shirt is a GREAT project. I bought my fabric markers with a 40% off coupon so they were only around $5 and the shirt cost $3 on sale. Add the two toy cars and the entire gift was only $10. Oh, and note to the wise, MAKE SURE YOU USE SOMETHING BETWEEN THE T-SHIRT LAYERS! I didn't at first and had some weird markings on the front. <br />
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Here's the <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/287174913708641889/">pin</a>. I highly recommend it for a cute, unique, and inexpensive gift for guys with little ones.Megan Bushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825327043037800670noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722662365690272902.post-51222374252833649252011-12-30T11:45:00.000-08:002012-01-18T13:20:41.649-08:00Better AfterKaycee here...<br />
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<a href="http://betterafter.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Better After</a> is one of my favorite blogs. The things people can do always amazes me and boy do they do some things. What kind of things? As the title suggests, the originals are "better after", such as an <a href="http://betterafter.blogspot.com/2011/08/rock-bye-bye.html" target="_blank">old crib as a hanging jewelry box</a> or <a href="http://betterafter.blogspot.com/2011/12/boarded-up.html" target="_blank">old doors for a headboard</a>? Yeah...mind blown.<br />
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Anywho...they're giving away a Cameo and I want to win, so I'm posting here. Check out it out:<br />
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<a href="http://betterafter.blogspot.com/2011/12/cameo-giveaway.html" target="_blank">Better After Cameo Sweepstakes</a>Kayceehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05327923782821452505noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722662365690272902.post-31907447547869319072011-12-21T07:53:00.000-08:002011-12-21T07:53:01.245-08:002012 Family Guide to Groceries under $ 250 a monthKaycee here:<br />
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I'm posting this link to gain access to this e-book. I want to compare it to my awesome Mom who has been doing this for years. I'll update the post with a review of the book when I get a chance to check it out. <br />
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The "pinspiration":</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.budget101.com/freebies/142791-2012-guide-groceries-under-250-month.html" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Visit Budget101.com" border="0" height="242" src="http://www.budget101.com/hotlink/cover.jpg" width="175" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/245868460876438578/">http://pinterest.com/pin/245868460876438578/</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Kayceehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05327923782821452505noreply@blogger.com1