Author Archive

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Sea Salt Cookies

Tuesday, May 22nd, 2012

If you have been a reader to this blog for awhile, you know that there is nothing I love more than sweet and salty combined together. If you put the words chocolate and sea salt in a recipe together, you can guarantee that I will love and worship the recipe.

For Father’s Day, I wanted to make a fun new treat for the dad’s in my life and knew that these Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Sea Salt cookies would make an incredible treat. These offer the perfect balance in flavors. There is a lot of heartiness from the old-fashioned oatmeal in these, sweetness from tiny bits of mini chocolate chips sprinkled throughout and then a modest sprinkling of salt on the top of each of these cookies, brings all the flavors to a delicious sweet & salty finish.

I will admit that I am no pro when it comes to cookie making. I have found the two key things needed for me to succeed with cookies though is to always line my cookie sheets with parchment paper and to use a cookie scoop to get cookies that cook evenly and that are uniform.

I am always rushed when it comes to activities surrounding the holidays so I went ahead and baked these up this week for Father’s Day and placed them in my freezer for the big day. Simply follow the instructions and bake these cookies and allow them to cool completely on a cooling rack. Layer them in a freezer-safe container between sheets of waxed paper, and place them in the freezer until the night before.

If you are looking for other sweet & salty delights, be sure to give my Dark Chocolate & Sea Salt Brownies a whirl or sip on my Starbucks knock-off Salted Caramel Mocha for a midday treat.  They are just as delightful and a whole lot more sinful!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Sea Salt Cookies
Author: Adapted from Weelicious.com
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 3 dozen
A little bit sweet, a little bit salty, and perfectly chewy. These cookies are foolproof and a hit wherever we go!
Ingredients
  • 1 Cup Unsalted Butter, softened
  • 1 Cup Brown Sugar
  • 1/2 Cup Sugar
  • 2 Large Eggs
  • 2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 1 1/2 Cup All Purpose Flour
  • 1 Tsp Baking Soda
  • 1/2 Tsp Salt
  • 3 Cups Old Fashioned Oats
  • 2 Cups Semisweet Mini Chocolate Chips
  • Sea Salt Flakes or Kosher Salt (for sprinkling on top)
Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Using a standing or hand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until creamy and fluffy.
  3. Add the eggs, one at a time, and vanilla until thoroughly combined.
  4. Stir the flour, baking soda and salt in a separate mixing bowl.
  5. Slowly add the flour to the butter/sugar mixture until combined.
  6. Stir in oats and chocolate chips mixing well until combined.
  7. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto parchment lined cookie sheet.
  8. Press down each cookie and top with a few flakes of sea salt.
  9. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.
  10. Cool and serve.

Recipe adapted from Weelicious.

Looking for a fun way to package these for Father’s Day? I have you covered! Visit my next blog post on how to create your own DIY Chalkboard Conversation Bubble Cookie Jars today!

What is your favorite cookie?


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An Apron Full of Giveaways 05.22.12

Tuesday, May 22nd, 2012

Dot’s Diner, $82

Welcome to our Apron Full of Giveaways! I hope everyone is having a great week this week! As we do each week, here is our round-up of giveaways for our readers. We hope that this is beneficial to you and your family! Please let us know if you guys win anything- I love to hear the success stories!

Below are the contest links-if you are hosting a contest please link it up below. Sorry, we aren’t giving away the aprons just showcasing them! Please put your site name and then what type of contest you are hosting. For example, “MomAdvice (Kid’s Movies).”

Please let me know if you have any questions and good luck to each of you!

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Great Gifts to Give Teachers From Goodwill

Friday, May 18th, 2012

The end of the school year is upon us and if you missed showering your teacher with gifts for Teacher Appreciation Week, I have some fun gift options for a final thank you for all the hard work your teacher has put in this year.

You may not think of Goodwill as a spot for accessorizing your teacher gifts, but I am showing you how to dress up thrift store items to create beautiful gifts for your teachers.

What is one gift you love to create with thrifty supplies for your teachers?

We would love to hear your ideas!

 

Frame a Fun Printable

Frame a fun free printable for your teacher.

I love to hunt for these inexpensive frames and then give them a fresh new look with a coat of spray paint.

I made these, “Raise Your Hand if You Mustache a Question,” printables for our teachers for the holidays and they loved them with spray painted red frames.

They coordinate perfectly with a white mug adorned with a painted mustache.

 

I also really love this fabulous printable and clipboard from eighteen25 that reminds the class to listen to their teachers.

What teacher would not love that?

Create a Pretty Pin

This year I have become obsessed with making cute pins and have found a way to incorporate these pins on everything from bags to belts to jewelry.

Teachers will love these fun accessories and it is an easy way to say thank you without spending a lot.

Pins can be created from recycled t-shirts

or you can create elegant roses from a felted sweater

or use fabric from a cute shirt you can snag on their sale rack.

 

Bake a Treat

One gift that I think says I truly appreciate you is spending time in the kitchen baking something special for someone you love.

Find cute tins, plates, or even give them right in the baking pans.

The best part about packaging these delicious treats with thrifty packaging is that you don’t have to worry about getting your dishes returned back to you.

I highly recommend these Dark Chocolate & Sea Salt Brownies for a treat that will knock your teacher’s socks off!

Just be prepared to have to share the recipe once they have tried them.

 

 

Give a Gift of Pampering

If there is one thing that you can find at Goodwill, it is a plethora of mason jars that can be used for all of your craft projects.

Consider giving your teacher a gift to pamper herself and packaging it in a mason jar and attach a spoon.

Mix up some easy bath salts or a hand scrub that she can use to treat herself.

 

Teacher School Supplies Cake :: MomAdvice.com

 

 

Give Them Something They Can Use

This year I decided to give our teachers a fun teacher supplies cake that I made with school materials I knew they might be missing in their classrooms.

Check the office supplies at your local thrift to see if you can find items you can weave into a school supplies cake for your teacher.

You will often find great folders, binders, and new office supplies that could easily create tiers for a cute school supplies cake to replenish their supplies for next year.

Simply configure your supplies and stack them on top of each other, securing with a little packing tape to hold everything together.

Half of the fun in this craft is in the creating of your cake.

Adorn it with a little ribbon and a picture of your child with a thoughtful message of thanks.

 

What is one gift you love to create with Goodwill supplies for your teachers?

We would love to hear your ideas!

This post contains affiliate links

 

Don’t miss these other great ideas from MomAdvice.com:

 

Teacher Gift Ideas

 

Oreo Biscotti Gifts

 

Mojito Bath Salts

 

Quick & Easy DIY Mother's Day gift ideas

Quick & Easy Mother’s Day Gift Ideas

 

3 Ways to Take the Hassle our of School Lunches

3 Ways to Take the Hassle Out of Packing School Lunch

 

 

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Amy’s Notebook 05.16.12

Wednesday, May 16th, 2012

Welcome to my little notebook of ideas to help improve your life. This is a collection of gathered links to DIY crafts, food projects, and thrifty ways to spruce up your home. Nothing brings me more joy then to highlight other fabulous bloggers. I hope you will enjoy this weekly does of loveliness with beautiful links that are individually handpicked just for you!

 

I am dying to stencil a table after seeing this tutorial (@ Domestic Imperfection)

I love this idea for throwing a neighborhood popcorn & movie party (@ The Crafting Chicks)

I love this font decorated paper lantern (@ The Swell Life)

My daughter would flip for these high heeled cupcakes (@ How Does She?)

I love this upcycled maxi dress turned into a maxi skirt (@ make it and love it)

These washi tape gift tags are adorable (@ NoBiggie)

These graduate silhouettes would be great for making a graduation gift (@ Just Something I Made)

I am in love with these burlap bags for dressing up a mason jar (@ Two Shades of Pink)

I am madly in love with this chevron wall (@ Design Sponge)

These Avengers bookmarks would be a cute craft to do with my son (@ Crafts by Amanda)

I want to make some of these utility cord bangles (@ Blog A La Cart)

I want to make a succulent terrarium (@ Thrifty Decor Chick)

These lemon mint juleps look refreshing! (@ shutterbean)

Love the links? Follow me on Pinterest and get more ideas for DIY food, craft, & home projects for a small budget.

It’s Another 100 Days of Summer Pinterest Board!!!

Tuesday, May 15th, 2012

I had the best time last summer creating our very first 100 days of summer activities board for our family to do and share with you. We had over 6,000 followers to that board and heard from many of you that the board inspired you to tackle fun projects with your kids.

Since that time I have been getting emails and comments requesting that we do another 100 days of summer list with you again! How could we turn away your cries of longing for cool stuff to do with your kids, sweet treats to share with them, and great craftiness on a dime?

I am so excited to share with you the 100 days of summer (’12) edition where you can get another amazing round-up of 100 ideas to inspire your summer bucket list. As I was gathering these ideas, I began to get more and more excited about the summer ahead and what we could do together.

This list has everything from making homemade butterbeer drinks for those Harry Potter enthusiasts, to making homemade shrinky dinks, to getting back to the basics with great dinner discussions with great family conversation starters.

There is something for everyone on here- boys and girls of all ages and craft levels. The best part is that they are ALL budget-friendly and will cost you very little in supplies.

I am looking forward to tackling our own summer list and will be documenting our projects through mobile pictures.You can catch me on Instagram, fellow iPhone and Droid users, where I am documenting our summer.  Just search for the username momadvice. Just as a side note, I try to always answer all the comments on my pictures if I can. If you have questions about projects we are doing or just want to say hello, I will do my best to respond! 

I still will be sharing our apron full of giveaways and our notebook of inspiration each week. I will also have fresh content through my freelance writing jobs with Snackpicks, Kenmore, Goodwill, Glad, & Walmart that will keep our site fully loaded with great ideas for your summer. Best of all, a weekly meal planner will be available to you to help you plan your summer menus.

On Tuesdays though, I will be sharing what we are working on from our summer list through mobile pictures and quick notes on what fun activities we are doing at our house. I am hoping it will be an inspiration to you to get out and enjoy the summer with your children. I can’t say we will tackle a hundred activities, but I will be awfully proud if we do one cool activity a week.

I hope you will enjoy our laid-back inspiration this summer!  I want to enjoy every moment I have with these two kids- my time with them is so fleeting and precious to me. I plan to soak up every moment with them that I can.

Cheers to an amazing summer with your families!

If you’d like, you can follow all of my Pinterest Boards here!

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An Apron Full of Giveaways 05.15.12

Tuesday, May 15th, 2012
lover dovers clothing, $28.50

Welcome to our Apron Full of Giveaways! I hope everyone is having a great week this week! As we do each week, here is our round-up of giveaways for our readers. We hope that this is beneficial to you and your family! Please let us know if you guys win anything- I love to hear the success stories!

Below are the contest links-if you are hosting a contest please link it up below. Sorry, we aren’t giving away the aprons just showcasing them! Please put your site name and then what type of contest you are hosting. For example, “MomAdvice (Kid’s Movies).”

Please let me know if you have any questions and good luck to each of you!

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Easy Cake Batter Ice Cream

Monday, May 14th, 2012


Last summer I got an ice cream maker for $20 at our local ALDI store. I was excited to try making homemade ice cream, but wasn’t willing to make an investment into my dream Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker until I figured out if ice cream making was something we would actually enjoy doing together. I am happy to say our little $20 purchase paid for itself over and over again since we enjoyed several fun varieties of ice cream.

Last week we had a new reason to break out our ice cream maker. We finally turned in the manuscript for, “The Good Life for Less,” to my Editor. My day has felt so divided between all of my client’s projects, my children and all of their school projects/activities, the book, and the blog. We all agreed that a party would be in order for this momentous family occasion. It is bringing a small fraction of my day back to me.

This cake batter ice cream is, by far, my favorite recipe for ice cream. There is no cooking of ingredients required, I usually have all of the ingredients on hand in my refrigerator, and the cake mix can be your own favorite variety or a cake mix that you need to use up in your cupboard. It is so rich and creamy and tastes just like your favorite ice cream shop, without the hefty price tag!

Top this ice cream with a few of your favorite sprinkles and find a reason to celebrate something in your family. Perhaps, it is the beginning of summer, a great report card, or just celebrating how awesome and amazing your child is. Party hats are optional, but sprinkles are not!

Easy Cake Batter Ice Cream
Recipe Type: Dessert
Author: Amy Allen Clark
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 25 mins
Total time: 30 mins
Serves: 5
Choose any variety of cake mix or even a brownie mix to add to this deliciously rich ice cream. Top with your favorite toppings for a fun sundae party at home!
Ingredients
  • 1 cup skim milk, well chilled
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 cups heavy cream, well chilled
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 2/3 cup cake mix (you can use any variety of cake mix or brownie mix)
Instructions
  1. Place freezer bowl of ice cream maker into the freezer. Chill the freezer bowl for a minimum of 24 hours.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk the milk and granulated sugar until the sugar is dissolved.
  3. Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla.
  4. Whisk in cake mix, making sure there are no lumps.
  5. Pour mixture into the freezer bowl and let mix until it has thickened (about 25-30 minutes). Remove ice cream from freezer bowl and place into a separate freezer-safe container.
  6. Place freezer bowl and the ice cream into the freezer to further harden (at least three hours).
  7. Serve with your favorite sundae toppings.

 

 

Here are a few pictures of our Manuscript Done, Party for Four….

My hubby ran to the grocery store and picked up some party hats for us. My best friend contributed a bottle of bubbly grape juice for our little party. For our celebration dinner, I made my favorite Chicken Lo Mein, baked brown rice, steamed edamame, and this delicious ice cream. We finished our party, as all good parties should, with a little karaoke on our Craigslist-purchased Xbox. It was the perfect party with the perfect people!

You can always follow our family through Instagram! It is a fun little photo app for your iPhone or Droid. I am momadvice and would love to be friends with you on there!

 

Have you made homemade ice cream before? Have any recipes, techniques, or tools you use to make your family’s favorite summer treat?

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Creative Mother’s Day Gifts on a Budget

Tuesday, May 8th, 2012

Mother’s Day is just around the corner and it’s time to honor our moms! Each year we try to do something special for my mom and mother-in-law. I have found that often the simplest of gifts are the most treasured, especially if they are hand delivered by my children.

Today I am over at the Kenmore blog sharing a few of my favorite Mother’s Day gifts that are not only creative gifts to create, but they are also very easy on the wallet. Head on over there to get the scoop on my top gifts to give.

Enough about the giving though, let’s talk about the receiving. After all, it is your day too! What is your dream Mother’s Day gift this year?

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An Apron Full of Giveaways 05.08.12

Tuesday, May 8th, 2012
Dot’s Diner, $66

Welcome to our Apron Full of Giveaways! I hope everyone is having a great week this week! As we do each week, here is our round-up of giveaways for our readers. We hope that this is beneficial to you and your family! Please let us know if you guys win anything- I love to hear the success stories!

Below are the contest links-if you are hosting a contest please link it up below. Sorry, we aren’t giving away the aprons just showcasing them! Please put your site name and then what type of contest you are hosting. For example, “MomAdvice (Kid’s Movies).”

Please let me know if you have any questions and good luck to each of you!

Pin It

Amy’s Notebook 05.02.12

Wednesday, May 2nd, 2012

Welcome to my little notebook of ideas to help improve your life. This is a collection of gathered links to DIY crafts, food projects, and thrifty ways to spruce up your home. Nothing brings me more joy then to highlight other fabulous bloggers. I hope you will enjoy this weekly does of loveliness with beautiful links that are individually handpicked just for you!

 

This file cabinet turned garage storage is simply genius (@ trash to treasure)

This birth announcement pillow is such an amazing baby gift (@ infarrantly creative)

I am madly in love with this handmade doily lamp @ EmmmyLizzzy)

These lace glitter crowns are absolutely precious (@ tatertots & jello)

This key lime tart looks heavenly! (@ Two Peas & Their Pod)

This little chalkboard tray made from a baking sheet is absolutely adorable! (@ Prudent Baby)

This frozen mango margarita looks like a fun Cinco De Mayo treat (@ Confections of a Foodie Bride)

I love this things to do printable (@ A Pair of Pears)

I love these margarita push pops for Cinco De Mayo (@ Atlas Designs)

I love this idea for filing your fabric for fabric storage (@ Sew Many Ways…)

This child’s table & chairs makeover is adorable (@ lolly jane boutique)

I love these tips for how to view Instagram photos on the web (@ apartment therapy)