Oreo Truffles

These are so good, I could seriously eat the whole plate of em...by myself! They are simple to make too so watch out.

Ingredients:

1 package of Oreo's, crushed 

8 oz package of cream cheese, softened

4 squares of white almond bark OR 1 lb of white baking chocolate

Directions:

1- Crush oreos, I put mine in the blender.

2- Mix oroes and cream cheese. (I find it easiest to mix with my hands)

3- Roll mixture into bite size balls and let chill for 15 min.

4- Melt chocolate according to package directions and dip chilled oreo balls into melted chocolate. 

5-Drizzle chocolate over top or sprinkle with crushed oreo.

6.- Let chill again until chocolate is firm, enjoy!

Button Bows

How cute are these button bows?  One of my friends had an idea to sew some of her favorite buttons to an elastic and then use it for a baby headband...I just had to copy. 

My mom glued some bright mini buttons to a clip and I love the way it turned out...I am just waiting for my little girl to get more hair.

Child's Chef Hat and Apron Tutorial

I made my little guy his very own apron and chef hat and he's LOVED it! 

I let him make macaroni and cheese all by himself.  (All I did was drain the water, he did everything else!)  He is such a good little cook, I've really enjoyed watching him.

Anyways, on to the tutorial!

This is a fun inexpensive and fairly easy project.

You will need:

Sewing Machine

1 Twin Flat Sheet (Sold at Wal-mart for $5) 

Scissors

White thread

Patterns

I used the free chef hat pattern from "You Can Make This"

I free handed the apron...although you can find a free pattern at "Michael Miller Fabrics"

Here is what I did:

1- I gathered all my materials

I ended up getting a Twin size white flat sheet from Wal-mart to make the Chef hats and aprons because it was less expensive then buying fabric...I am glad I did because it ended up making the project super easy and cut back on a lot of sewing. 

2- I cut the edges off the sheet (I saved the edges and used them for ties)

3- Fold  the sheet (now just a big piece of fabric) in half  and cut out aprons (Each apron has front and back-2 pieces)

4- Cut out hat top (Just 1 piece each)

Here is a picture to help make things clearer:

  5- Follow directions with hat pattern to sew Hat headband and top together.

6- Sew pocket on front side of apron, sew straps to apron, then put front and back sides of apron together (pocket on the inside and straps tucked in and out of the way) and sew together leaving a small opening to turn apron right side out.

7- Inside apron out and iron, then sew along edge (just like you would with a receiving blanket)

8- Have fun watching your kiddos show off their new outfits and help you cook!

 If you have any questions leave me a comment, I know I didn't explain things super well...I wish I had more photos of the process.  

Tulips

How can something so beautiful not bring a smile to your face?  Hope you are enjoying the beauty of SPRING...it's here!

Being a mom IS hard work!

Have you seen the attack on family and more specifically on stay-at-home mothers?  It's all over right now especially in the political campaigns.  To all you moms out there I say...keep up your hard work!

I have an amazing mother and to say she has never worked a day in her life would be very very wrong.  In fact my mother is one of the hardest working people that I know.  She is a wife, the mother to 10 children, a grandmother to 4, a song writer, an author, and plays many other roles.  Growing up she was always there for me and she continues to be.  She plays many roles in my life: mother, teacher, nurse, cook, chauffeur, cleaner, organizer, coach, artist, singer, entertainer, counselor, referee, clown, and most important friend.  Thank-you mom for all of your hard work, I didn't realize how much you did for me until I had children of my own!

Here is a picture of my family.  Heather and I are the oldest children of the 10.  My amazing mother is in the middle.

With that said, I'm so glad for the opportunity I have to be a mom!  It is hard work but I know it's the most IMPORTANT work I will ever do.  It's a 24 hour job, and I even work holidays! ; ) I hope that I can learn to balance everything and do as well as my mother does.  

Currently I work outside of the home 3 Fridays a month as a dental hygienist.  I always joke that those 3 Fridays a month are my days off since that is the time I am working and actually receiving visible and immediate compensation.  Even though my work as a mother is not rewarded with a paycheck, the compensation that I receive is even greater!  It's impossible to put a price tag on the memories and precious moments I have experienced with my family.

Here is a picture of my family!

Here is a picture of Heather's family!

Chicken Fiesta Salad, Soft Tacos and Quesadilla

We love Mexican food but we don't all like the same dish so often times I make the preparations and then we each make our favorite dish.   I love the salad, my husband loves the tacos and the kids love the quesadillas and they are all made with a few simple ingredients!

Ingredients:

Chicken, grilled and shredded

Lettuce

Cheese

Corn 

Tortillas

All with sides of sour cream and salsa

*We really enjoy the uncooked tortillas! If you don't know what I am talking about ask your local grocery store.  You heat them up over the stove...they are so good!

This fiesta salad is supper yummy!  I prepare the salad and then top it with shredded chicken, corn, cheese and tortilla strips. (I make my tortilla strips from a tortilla, you can also buy them)

The taco is loaded with shredded chicken with some cheese and salad.

This quesadilla is really good too, its loaded with shredded chicken and cheese. 

Easy Shepherd's Pie

I love comfort foods, this is one of my favorites.  I use the leftover mashed potatoes from Sunday dinner to make this yummy dish, it makes it so easy!

Ingredients:

Leftover mashed potatoes OR 4 large potatoes mashed

1 1/2 lb. ground beef

1 onion, diced

1 can green beans

1 can tomato sauce OR Cream of Mushroom soup (I prefer the tomato sauce)

2 C cheese

Directions:

1- If you don't have leftover mashed potatoes you are going to want to prepare some.

2- Brown ground beef and chopped onion in skillet, rinse and drain.  

3- Add beef and onion mixture to bottom of 9 X 13 pan. Add beans, then potatoes, then top with cheese. 

4- Bake at 400 degrees for 20 min.

Enjoy!

  

Fruit Tag Printables

I originally saw this idea on pintrest but was unable to find printables so I made my own.  These tags are perfect for giving in a gift basket or individually.

I took this basket all wrapped up in cellophane to my husband at work for Valentines day. You could use these tags for a "just because" surprise too or for Father's day!

Here is what was in it:

Here's a closer look:

Here are the tags:

You can also download these with multiple images on one sheet or just one image  on one sheet.  I also posted them individually so you can size them to preference and print just the ones you want to use.

Enjoy!

A Few of My Favorite Quotes

I just wanted to share a few of my favorite quotes from this past session of General Conference.