{ Homemade Microwave Popcorn }

Something so simple, yet until today I kept thinking that if I wanted to enjoy some quick popcorn without having to stand over the stove, I would have to buy a box of the popcorn bags, which is not a problem, I used to do that all the time, but honestly when you actually go back and look at all the additives and chemicals added to them, they don't sound as appealing.

Anyway, I was talking to a nutritionist friend of mine and she brought up the homemade microwave popcorn and how simple it is to make it.

I honestly thought she was just messing with me, you know, since I delve into all these homemade things, kind of like a "why don't you just make it yourself?"  *wink wink nudge nudge*

Thing is, she was serious and now that I've tried it, I'm shocked at not only how simple it is, but how much healthier it is for the family.

Let me show you just how easy these are.

All you need are brown paper lunch bags, popcorn kernels and tape.

Place a 1/4 cup of popcorn kernels in each bag.  You can add toppings after it's done, but I tried garlic, salt and some with sugar mixed in with the kernels and it turned out great :)

Take a small piece of tape and fold over the top of the bag, tape it in place.

Fold the bottom part up about halfway.....

Then fold down the top part over it, you will have it folded in thirds, the same as the store bought bags.

I made some quick labels in photoshop, printed them all out on a sheet of paper, cut them out and used some double sided tape to attach them to the bags.

Added a bit of twine just for decoration and VOILA!

I will no longer be buying the store bought kind.  Besides, I am thinking these would make pretty cute gifts with different kinds of labels, and flavors.

Yummy popcorn!

You should have seen the kids faces.  They think I'm Super Woman which is pretty funny considering how easy these are to throw together :)

Go on, you know you want to give them a try :)

Now, I'm going to go look through my new cookbook from Homestead Blessings...that's right, I got it in the mail yesterday afternoon and I think I'll be trying every single recipe in there.

You can get your very own by following this link, and for a limited time, they will personally autograph your book for you :)

Have a Blessed night everyone :)

{ Handmade Christmas - #2 }

So you love mason jars just as much as I do.

You have tons, you've either bought or collected, or reused, and you're wondering what to do with them.

I have another great idea for an inexpensive and yet adorable Christmas gift, that just like my previous one with the Personalized Candles, opens up a whole world of possibilities.

This one comes from Arrow and Apple.

First here's some homemade Mod Podge.  So easy. 

Mod Podge

A jar

Elmers Glue

Water

Empty the glue bottle into the jar, add water.  It has to be a 50% glue, 50% water solution.  Close the lid tight and shake really well.  That's it :)

Bookpage Jars

Credit:  Arrow & Apple

Jars
Mod Podge
Old book pages, newspaper, anything paper

Step 1 - Rinse out your jars and remove labels. A good way to get labels off is to first fill the jars with hot water, let them soak a few minutes, and while the hot water is in the jar, just peel the label off. Brilliant.

Step 2 - Pick out your pages and glue them with mod-podge onto the jars.

Step 3 - Let your jars dry on wax paper for a few hours.

Step 4 - Do extra decorating if you like - tie ribbon or string around for a little more color!

Step 5 - Put candles in and you're done.

OR pop in a flower :)

I think there are so many ways to do this. I'm thinking for someone who loves cooking, maybe an old recipe?

For someone who loves music, print out some music sheets and use those?

Photos, pictures, text. You name it :)

I think that's another Christmas gift figured out for me.

Handmade Christmas

My mind has been reeling with tons of projects, ideas, links, bookmarks and so many things that I don't quite know which way to turn.

Do you ever find yourself surrounded by a ton of things you want to try and make and just an overwhelming feeling of not knowing where to start?

I decided that I really needed to get down to business and start figuring out what I'm doing for Christmas gifts.  Truth is, and I know many of you will concur, things are too expensive nowadays and there is just not enough money to go all out.

So even though I did do some homemade gifts last year, I plan on upping the ante, and really coming up with wonderful gifts for family and friends.

I'm about to show you a super easy gift, using the simplest of items, that will make your jaw drop. I won't even mention the possibilities that can come out of this project because I'm so excited at what I could make, I'm already making lists and jotting down ideas.

Back in the beginning of the year, I was doing my usual blog hopping when I came across a craft that stopped me dead in my tracks. A Girl in Paradise had put up a tutorial on how to transfer ink to a candle. HELLO!

Of course I immediately bookmarked it and then as with all the other thousands of bookmarks I have going, I forgot about it until I started thinking about Christmas last week, and found it again.

I was out running errands earlier and remembered to buy two simple white candles, just to give it a try, see if the project indeed works before I really can count on it as gifts.

Not only does it work, but OH.MY.GOSH!

Let me show you what I did, for the original tutorial go on over to A Girl in Paradise :)


Personalized Candles

Tissue paper
printer paper
wax paper
markers
tape
heat gun or hairdryer (it's what I used because I don't own a heat gun)

You're going to start by cutting out a piece of tissue paper about the same size as your candle...then you place it on top of some printer paper so that the marker doesn't bleed through.

Write or draw whatever you wish on it.  I just kept it extremely simple and used "Trust the Lord with all your Heart."   Best part about this is that you can have your kids draw something for the grandparents, or write a note or whatever you wish.  Be creative.

When you're done, pull the tissue paper away from the printer paper.  Cut away as much of the tissue paper as possible.  Place it on the candle.

Now my tissue paper was all wrinkled, it's what I had on hand and I didn't want to have to run back out to buy more....trust me, it still works, just smooth it out as much as you can before you write or draw on it, and when you place it on the candle just stretch it nicely.

Then cut out a piece of wax paper bigger than your candle.  You need it to go all the way around and give you some extra to hold on to for the next step.  Smooth it out nicely, and pull it tight over the tissue paper.

Grab your heat gun or hair dryer, turn it on and use a back and forth motion over the design, about 30 to 40 seconds is what she suggests.  It will get pretty hot on your fingers so be careful, I just kept moving it and actually turned the hair dryer off for a second or two to cool down then back again.

After that time, gently pull away the wax paper and your design should be transferred to the candle, the tissue paper pretty much disappears. 

Perfect! I was so shocked that it worked and so excited.

I immediately followed the rest of the directions to transfer a photo onto the candle. Now listen, I was scared I was going to get my paper all jammed in the printer, but it actually worked.

I cut out tissue paper to fit on a sheet of printer paper, smoothed it out and put a little tape on all sides to hold it in place. Then I fed it into my printer and also crossed my fingers. LOL

It worked PERFECTLY.

Just follow the rest of the directions for the transfer.

By the way, see on the left side how my wax paper is a little wrinkled...I did pull it tighter before I started the hair dryer. :)

I don't know about you, but I think there are going to be a lot of these candles floating around my house...I'm thinking a different theme for each room, different sayings, pictures etc. And Christmas time......a snowman, Santa? Oh yeah!

I'm heading out to buy more candles tomorrow.

Hope it gave you all an idea for a perfect Christmas gift this year :)

Let it Snow!

Oh the weather outside is frightful,
But the fire is so delightful,
And since we've no place to go,
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

One of the things we most miss about Idaho, is the snow, especially during the holidays.

To me Christmas isn't Christmas without a blanket of white snow outside, but when that isn't possible, you make do.

My kids and I have started making our own snowstorm and though we're nowhere near completed yet, I wanted to share it with you, maybe inspire you to sit down with your little ones and make yourself some........just imagine the possibilities throughout the year......I'm thinking fall leaves in the Autumn, pink and red hearts for Valentine's Day, colorful eggs for Easter, flowers and bugs for Spring. Ooohhh I can't wait.

Anyway, all you need is either Dental Floss or Fishing Line which is what I used, reinforcement labels or circular dot white labels.

All you do is attach the fishing line or dental floss to one side of the adhesive label

Then place a second label over the top of the first one, creating a sandwich with the fishing line between the two labels.

Then just randomly place the other labels along the fishing line. Ta-Da!

Once it's completed hang them in front of your windows using tape affixed to the tops of the window frames.

Like I said above, ours is nowhere near done, there's only 5 strands so far, once they're all up, I'll take another picture and come back and show you, and in the meantime, if you decide to make yourself a snowstorm, don't forget to come back and let me know so I can see it.

Cooking and Crafting!

Image credit: bonnetgirls.com
Ahhh the joyous scent of gingerbread cookies and chocolate all in one afternoon really is too much for the senses isn't it??? Actually, not really for us. See I had decided that the kids and I would bake yesterday afternoon, we would sit on the kitchen table and whip up something Christmasy and laugh and joke and have fun............problem is, it didn't quite go that way.

The kids couldn't decide what they wanted to do, one wanted to do Christmas Chocolate Trees and the other was determined to do the Gingerbread cookies, and of course I'm caught in the middle, I can't exactly take one over the other right???

So it becomes an easy decision, at least for me and my sweet tooth who was jumping for joy at this moment....Well, you make both of course!

The ingredients came out, the icing, the paintbrushes and the color pallettes, the baking pans and the gumdrops and everything else we would need. No amount of work is too much when you see their faces, their laughs and their giggles and the excitement, boy you would think they have never set foot in a kitchen.

Curt came home in the middle of all this and was only too happy to jump right in and decorate some gingerbread cookies too and the funny thing??? He's actually better at it than any of us LOL
He made the 2 in the bottom right corner, the boy and the girl, how adorable are those???


Here's the christmas cakes, the kids each got their own and decorated it whichever way they wanted, it turned out that they didn't really care about color or sprinkles, the only questions we heard over and over was "can we eat now?", "are they ready?", "can I try it to make sure it's good?".


The earlier part of the day I had spent sewing, let me tell you something, you don't really realize how much you miss your sewing machine until you sit down, hit the pedal and see the beautiful stitches coming out, then suddenly your mind is overwhelmed with ideas and thoughts and the next project that you can't wait to get going on. My fingers literally ITCH to start another one.

I'm working on Jasmine's doll for Christmas, I don't really know exactly what it will look like it's one of those "plan as you go" projects and it's pretty fun............while I was working on hers, I was also working on Nicholas' little Blue's Clues doll and I have to tell you, it turned out darn cute. It's not a traditional one of course, it's homemade and it has hand sewn spots and mouth and eyes etc.....it took me about an hour from start to finish so it's not bad at all.

I also finished sewing and stuffing the Snowmen Ornaments, I am going to leave the twig arms out though because for the life of me I can NOT find twigs around here......seriously, what is going on??? Who took all the twigs at Luke AFB??? LOL

Here's the pile waiting to be finished and embroidered and then all that's left is to finally hang them on the tree.

I was looking through some of my favorite crafty blogs out there and one of the ladies had posted this photo. This is near where she lives and is a place that she goes to with her family for picnics and to enjoy the scenery. How I wish I had this view everyday of my life, it's so serene and just beautiful, truly reminding of how amazing our Lord is.

I can just imagine waking up every morning and sipping my coffee while looking out at this spectacular sight. Pure joy!!!

I snapped this picture of Lola and Nicholas, he's watching tv and she's just sitting there on the arm of the couch, I just love catching the pugs doing what they do best.........being cute as all heck.


Well my sewing machine is calling me and I just recently got reacquainted so I can't ignore her can I?

Before I leave though, can I ask my usual readers, you know the ones that comment frequently.....can you please email me at bourlandcs@msn.com with your addresses???
Barb, Elizabeth, Sherry and Eden, I already have your cards on the way though, so no need to resend your addy's :)

Sewing Curtains for the Living Room
Working on Jasmine's Rag Doll
Finishing the Snowmen Ornaments
Mailing out Christmas Cards



Mr St. Nick - 1pm on Lifetime
Under the Mistletoe - 3pm on Lifetime
Private Practice - 8pm on ABC
Comfort and Joy - *Christmas Movie* at 10pm on Lifetime (I'll be recording this one to watch the next morning)



For lunch we're having Grilled Cheese and Tomato sandwiches, chips and Iced Tea.

Dinner is Chicken Spaghetti from the Pioneer Woman Cooks....I'm so excited to try this one I just can't wait.

Jar Mix Recipes, Snowman progress and this and that!

Boy I've been busy and you wouldn't think it seeing that I'm finally down with a cold....you know the one that has been circling around like a predator, just waiting to attack??? I was pretty good at evading it but I don't know what happened......guess I let my guard down for a minute cause it pounced on me like an orangutan on a banana!

So I'm here, not feeling wonderful, but not dying either, just here, still crafting and cooking of course. If I don't go 100 miles a minute then I don't feel right!

Anyway, a couple of you asked for the recipes for the Jar Mixes I'm making, so here you go, pull out the pencils and paper or just copy the whole thing to a text file or whatever you're doing....get ready to do it.

Minty Holiday Candy Cookies

3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 packed brown sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup holiday-colored candy-coated chocolate pieces
1/3 cup chopped peppermint candy

Layer ingredients in 1-quart food storage jar with tight-fitting lid in following order; granulated sugar; brown sugar; combined flour, baking powder and baking soda and salt; chocolate pieces; and peppermint candy.

Seal jar. Cover lid with fabric circle, if desired. Attach gift tag and fabric to jar with raffia or ribbon.

Cranberry & White Chocolate Scones

1 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup white chocolate chips

Layer ingredients in 1-quart food storage jar with tight-fitting lid in following order: combine flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg; whole wheat flour; and sugar. Place cranberries and chocolate chips in plastic bag; seal bag. Add bag to jar.

Seal jar. Cover lid with fabric circle, if desired. Attach gift tag and fabric to jar with raffia or ribbon.




Now these are the drink mixes, the jars in the picture above are small 8.oz ones.

FLAVORED COCOA MIX IN A PINT JAR

Flavors: Amaretto, Hazelnut, Vanilla, Irish Creme

Ingredients for Jar

Mix the following 3 ingredients in a small bowl:

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons flavored powdered coffee creamer
1/2 cup dry milk

1/2 cup chocolate flavored drink mix (like Quik)

(flavored coffee creamer is available in several flavors including the ones listed above)

Place Ingredients in Jar in This Order:

Place half the milk mixture into jar.
Place half the chocolate drink mix into the jar next.
Add the remaining milk mixture.
Add the remaining chocolate drink mix.
Decorate the jar.
Attach recipe below to jar. Name cocoa by the flavor you chose.

______ Cocoa

1. Empty cocoa mix into a large mixing bowl.


2. Blend very well with a whisk.


3. Place mix back into jar or a container of your choice.


4. Place 2 tablespoons mix into a cup. Add 1 cup boiling water and stir until completely dissolved.


5. Top with whipped cream if desired.

CREAMY CAPPUCCINO MIX IN A PINT JAR

Flavors: Amaretto, Hazelnut, Vanilla, Mocha Almond and Irish Creme

Ingredients for Jar

Mix the following 3 ingredients in a medium bowl:

1/3 cup dry milk
2/3 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar ( regular white sugar, not powdered)
2/3 cup flavored powdered coffee creamer

1/3 cup instant coffee

Place Ingredients in Jar in This Order:

Place half the milk mixture into the jar first.
Place coffee into the jar next, spreading evenly.
Add remaining milk mixture.
Decorate jar.
Attach recipe below to jar. Name coffee by the flavor you chose.

Creamy ______ Cappuccino

1. Empty coffee mix into a large mixing bowl.


2. Blend very well with a whisk.


3. Place mix back into jar or a container of your choice.


4. Place 2 tablespoons mix into a cup. Add one cup of boiling water and stir until mixture is completely dissolved.


5. Top with whipped cream if desired.

There ya go, those are the ones I'm making this Christmas. The ones in the jars above are actually Gingerbread Cocoa Mix. It's YUMMY! Just follow the directions for the Flavored Cocoa above and use Gingerbread Powdered Coffee Creamer.

Now yesterday Curt took the kids to a birthday party and since I wasn't up to going I stayed home, of course that meant I would throw myself into cooking and crafting seeing as I had a quiet house and didn't have to worry about kids taking supplies or touching everything around me.
Tell me that is not the cutest thing you've ever seen???? I'm in love with these snowmen and can't wait to get them all done. Oh and BTW Barb, if you have twigs, send them my way LOL
I can't for the life of me find twigs in my yard, is there a Twig Thief lurking the neighborhoods???

Anyway, as soon as I finish this one I'll post the pictures so you can all see what it looks like. Here are the directions too, they're SO easy to make.....just click on the image to see it bigger:


Now while Curt and the kids were gone I looked over to the counter and saw two beautiful Butternut Squashes, just sitting there all cute, one was actually leaning up against the other, not sure if it was tired or just sad knowing what thought flashed across my mind. Butternut Squash Puree! OH YEAH.......Head on over to my Food Blog to see the recipe.

And while they were cooking I realized that I couldn't just sit there and do nothing, I mean, that's not normal for me I actually get the hives if I sit on the couch and pretend to be relaxed.....so in order to stop my body from breaking out I looked over to the other counter. I tell you I never realized that looking over at counters could be so interesting or productive LOL

I saw an empty small koolaid plastic canister that I had saved for.....well......for whatever I wanted to do....just as quickly my mind said "Hey, you need a pencil holder for the gazillion pens and pencils around the house AND you have scraps of fabric that would look OH.SO.PRETTY". I jumped off the couch, grabbed my glue gun and set to work, just wait until you see how cute it turns out.

Here's step by step of what I did, Jasmine and Nicholas both want one for their own bedrooms now....to hold their crayons you know?

Take empty plastic canister and make sure you've washed, obviously.....the canister, I meant washed the canister, not YOU. Pick out a fabric you want to use, don't worry that it's too long, we'll cut off the excess at the end.

Using a glue gun, start glueing the fabric around, starting at the top and making sure you're right up against the edge, continue glueing all the way around.

At this point I cut off the excess fabric leaving just enough to go over the other fabric already glued, I did however make a little fold so it looks neater.

At this point you can also cut off the excess fabric on the bottom.

Grab some scraps of cotton lace you have laying around, or ribbon or whatever you want......you could even do raffia like I'm doing for Nicholas one, cause you know, he's a boy and I doubt he would want lace. Actually he probably wouldn't care, but Curt wouldn't be too thrilled! *snicker*

TADA! In a minute I had this adorable pencil holder, is that not the cutest thing you've seen in a while? (probably not, I'm sure you've seen something else cute) Now my mind is in overdrive and I'll probably do this on a ton of empty canisters etc, for the bathroom, for the craft area, for the office area, in the kitchen.......possibilities are endless! You can even find fabric to match the bathroom decor or the kitchen or whatever.....see what I mean??? I'm just babbling on about it, maybe I should write it all down, I'm bound to forget it here in OH, 10 seconds? LOL


So that's what's been going on here, I'm leaving you, for now, so that I can take my cold medicine and start working on my snowmen. I have errands to run too and I really don't feel like going anywhere but what can you do???

God Bless everyone,