Amy’s Notebook 10.03.12

October 3rd, 2012
Source: Wee Society

 

These paper bag costumes are too cute and a frugal way to dress up for the holiday (@wee society)

These black widow spider snacks would be a fun & easy Halloween treat to create (@ Mom on Time Out)

I want to make some of these adorable boot socks for myself this winter (@ infarrantly creative)

Source: I Heart Organizing

I want to create my own Instadesk with my Instagram photos (@ I Heart Organizing)

I love these DIY ombre tights for a fun nod to this trend (@ M&J Blog)

These witch’s hat cookies are also an easy assembly Halloween cookie to create (gingersnap crafts)

I love this tutorial for how to paint a bike (@ A Beautiful Mess)

I can’t wait to print out this handmade holiday organizer (@ giver’s log)

Source: The Purl Bee

I want to knit some of these adorable knitted candy corn hats (@ The Purl Bee)

I am bookmarking these twenty tips for making the perfect smoothie (@ The Kitchn)

I love these adorable chocolate icebox cupcakes (@ Two Peas & Their Pod)

I love the look of these DIY spray painted countertops (@ Southern Hospitality)

I am going to have to try making this microwave popcorn without the bag (@ One Good Thing)

I hope you enjoyed this 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. Follow me on Pinterest for daily inspiration!

Painted Milk Allergy Mugs

October 2nd, 2012

In our family each family member seems to need to drink a different variety of milk. I wanted to create these painted milk allergy mugs for our family and wanted to show you this easy fifteen minute craft that might help your own family with the dinner hour.

Without going into an annoying list of all of our health issues these days, we have all had to make some dietary changes for our health and that means three varieties of milk in our fridge. I recently snapped a picture on Instagram (find me on there under momadvice!) and commented that our family doesn’t need an additional fridge in our garage for beer, but one just for all of our milk. It is a game of milk tetris in this fridge. I knew we weren’t alone, but it surprised me just how many friends commented that their fridge looked just like ours.

Pouring three varieties of milk each dinner hour can get confusing. One mix up could really ruin someone’s day… literally.  Since one of us would rather not spend the afternoon in belly pain if they grab a cup of whole milk instead of their almond milk, I thought it was time to make labeled cups for each of us. I had been dying to try out Martha Stewart’s new line of paints at Michael’s so I headed over there to grab the supplies and found some inexpensive glasses at a local discount store to complete the supplies for this project.

How to Stencil Your Glassware

1. Clean your glasses with soap and water, then rub with rubbing alcohol to remove any remaining residue on the glass.

2. Apply the reusable adhesive stenciled letters for your milk labels. If you have a shorter cup, feel free to substitute words like, “almond” or “coconut” with the word “nut,” to save on space.

3. Pour a small amount of paint on a disposable plate. Using your brush, apply a thin layer of paint, doing your best to stay within the stencil. If needed, apply a second coat.

4. While your paint is still wet, carefully peel off stencil.

5. Allow the paint to dry for one hour and then place the glasses on a cookie sheet.  Set the glasses in a cool oven.  Set oven to 350°F and bake for 30 minutes.  Glass must heat gradually with the oven to avoid breakage.  Do NOT place glass in a hot oven.  After 30 minutes, turn the oven off.  Allow glass to cool completely in oven.  Wait 72 hours before using.

6. Clean all stencils, rushes, and tools immediately after using them, before the paint has dried. You can use a stencil cleaner to clean. Let dry. Attach backing to stencils and then store for another use.

It’s that easy, friends! I hope it helps another family struggling to keep track of the milk cups! Of course, I can’t wait to do some other fun projects with these stencils! Have a great day!

Pin It

An Apron Full of Giveaways 10.02.12

October 2nd, 2012

oktak, $42

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!

Amy’s Notebook 09.26.12

September 26th, 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 idea for paint organization in your craft supplies is simply genius! (@ Mad in Crafts)

This cloth napkin storage container is absolutely adorable! (I Am Momma Hear Me Roar)

These jack o’ lantern shade covers are such a cute way to decorate for Halloween (@ Easier Than I Thought)

I love this idea for creating a paint references chart (@ i heart organizing)

I absolutely love these ideas for fall decorating (@ eighteen25)

I love these tips for creating a vignette in your home (@ Home Stores A2Z)

These healthy whole grain freezer waffles look so good (@ Mary Jolley)

I am madly in love with this house and ideas for decorating with kids (@ Design Mom)

I adore this beautifully decorated fall mantle (@ The Lettered Cottage)

I love these monster cookies with a real monster spin (@ The Idea Room)

This Dollar Store Halloween village is such a cute way to decorate for the holiday (@ The 36th Avenue)

My kids would flip for these JELL-O jack o’lanterns (@ zakka life)

This pumpkin garland is too cute for words (@ tatertots & jello)

I am madly in love with these vintage camera bookends (@ Smile and Wave)

 

 

Spaghetti Cupcakes

September 25th, 2012

Tired of the same old weeknight food routines?  I have the perfect kid-friendly and fun recipe that your kids will absolutely love and so will you. Today I am sharing a recipe for Spaghetti Cupcakes that will put those taco and potato bars to shame. This dinner idea is one the whole family will love and can be ready in about fifteen minutes.

Gather up all of your favorite spaghetti toppings to top each of your noodle cupcakes. For my cupcake toppers I have shredded carrots, baby peas, ricotta cheese, turkey meatballs, and Ragu Old World Style tomato sauce.

Cook your pasta as directed on the package and drain the pasta in a colander. Do not rinse your pasta because it will help the pasta hold its shape better in the cupcake liner.

Twist your pasta noodles around a fork until you have a good forkful of noodles. Gently place the noodles in a foil-lined cupcake liner. I would say that three to four of these spaghetti cupcakes would feed one person once it has been topped with its toppings.

Top each spaghetti cupcake with Ragu sauce. Once it has been topped on these cupcakes, it will ooze into the crevices of the noodles with ease. Repeat this step on each of your cupcakes.

Top each cupcake with your favorite toppings and finish each cupcake with a turkey meatball. This is a fun food activity to let your kids do and is also a creative way to get your kids to eat their vegetables.

I can’t take the credit for the fun food that was featured today. These Spaghetti Cupcakes are featured on a great site that offers inspirational ideas for meals to share with your family.

You can visit the Meal Inspirations site to find loads of great ideas for meals, demos on how to create the recipes, and even print out coupons for your favorite products. For example, this week you can grab a coupon for $1 off of Hellman’s mayonnaise!

I hope you love these fun Spaghetti Cupcakes and I hope you can take a moment to head over to the Meal Inspirations site to get even more great ideas to enjoy around the dinner table with your family!

If you love this idea, I am betting you will love my Mac & Cheese Bites too! Happy cooking, friends!

Spaghetti Cupcakes
Recipe Type: Main
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 10 mins
Total time: 15 mins
Serves: 4
Spaghetti cupcakes are a fun way to get your kids to eat their veggies and to be master of their own creations. I guarantee your kids will love this one!
Ingredients
  • Ragu® Old World Style® Spaghetti, cooked and drained
  • Ragu® Pasta Sauce, heated
  • Whole kernel corn, drained
  • Green peas
  • Shredded carrots
  • Part-skim ricotta cheese
  • Grated Parmesan cheese
  • Frozen fully-cooked low fat cocktail-size meatballs, heated
  • Foil cupcake liners
Instructions
  1. Arrange sturdy foiled cupcake liners on serving plates.
  2. Fill each with fork-twirled hot spaghetti and top with heated Ragú® Pasta Sauce. For best results, do not rinse the pasta after draining.
  3. Decorate with your kid’s favorites like corn, peas, shredded carrots, part-skim ricotta cheese, grated parmesan, or hot cooked mini meatballs.


 This is a sponsored post as a part of my role in the Walmart Moms program. I am a part of the Walmart Moms program, and Walmart has provided me with compensation for these posts. My participation is voluntary and opinions are always my own.

 

 

Pin It

An Apron Full of Giveaways 09.25.12

September 25th, 2012
Able And Free, $31

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

Painted Address Pumpkin Topiary

September 25th, 2012

One of my favorite things about Fall is the fun crafts that I get to do with all of those beautiful Fall pumpkins! Today I wanted to showcase an easy painted address pumpkin topiary that you an create with just a few supplies from your local Walmart store. This painted address pumpkin topiary would the be the perfect way to dress up your porch, porch step, or a little corner in your room.

Craft Supplies Needed

2- 75 inch pumpkins (any color)- $4.87 each

8″ pumpkins (how ever many you need to complete you house number)- $4.87 each

Black Plaid FolkArt acrylic paint (I chose the shiny variety)- $1.77

4″ Plaid letter stencils ($3.77)

Stencil Brushes ($5.47)

Clear tape (in supplies)

Hot glue gun & glue sticks (in supplies)

8″ pot (I found mine in the clearance section of the store for $11.96)

1. Begin by twisting off the stems on all of the pumpkins that will be going on the bottom of your topiary. You will want to leave your top pumpkin (the 75″ one) with the stem intact. All the other stems can come off.

2. Center your stencil on your pumpkin and attach it with clear tape. Make sure when positioning your numbers that when you stack the pumpkins, you will be able to see the number clearly in the center. You will especially want to do this for your bottom pumpkin since it will be wedged in your pot.

3. Trace your number with a pencil. Remove your stencil.

4. Pour your acrylic paint in a disposable cup or bowl. Using a small paintbrush, carefully paint your number on your pumpkin. If you make an error, use a cloth or a damp Q-tip to remove any painting errors. Set your pumpkin aside, and repeat the process on each of the other pumpkins until you have stenciled your address number.

5. Wedge your 75″ pumpkin into the pot. This should be a tight fit so you will not need to glue or attach your pumpkin into the base. Stack your next pumpkin and carefully hot glue in each spot where the pumpkins are joined together. Hold the pumpkins together to secure for a minute or two. Repeat this process until you reach the top of your pumpkin stack!

Stand back and behold your pumpkin glory! Isn’t this just the cutest thing ever? I know all of my neighbors are going to be so jealous!

I hope they are half as impressed as my cat.

Seriously.

Looking for more Fall crafts? Be sure to check out my round-up of the Best Fall Crafts on MomAdvice. I hope you will find it inspiring, friends!

 

Pin It

Slow Cooker Stuffed Green Pepper Soup

September 24th, 2012

Slow Cooker Stuffed Green Pepper Soup from MomAdvice.com

 

When I was a child, one of my absolute favorite foods was stuffed green peppers.

Stuffed green pepper soup is the next best thing to stuffed green peppers and offers all the flavors you love in a stuffed pepper, but in a rich tomato broth.

Once you make a batch of this stuffed green pepper soup in your slow cooker, you will want to make it and eat it over and over again.

I wanted to create this soup for my slow cooker and fill it with my favorite stuffed green pepper ingredients- diced tomatoes, garlic, lean ground beef, and a hearty addition of brown rice.

I prefer a combination of broths in this (beef and chicken broth) because it helps lighten this hearty soup.  

I also wanted this soup to cook itself since we have busy days with extracurricular activities in the evenings.

This soup is a one pot wonder and can be served with a loaf of crusty bread for a busy weeknight.

The leftovers offer a filling and satisfying lunch as well!

I hope you will love this soup as much as I do! It will be a recipe repeat for me and is a great soup to be doubled and shared with friends!

 

Slow Cooker Stuffed Green Pepper Soup
 
Author: Amy Allen Clark
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 8
Everything you love about a stuffed pepper in an easy slow cooker soup!
Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 pound lean ground beef or sirloin
  • 3 green peppers, diced
  • 4 cups beef broth
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 28 ounce can petite diced tomatoes
  • 3- 8 ounce cans tomato sauce
  • 1 cup brown rice (NOT INSTANT)- HIGHLY recommend Uncle Ben’s Brown Rice for this recipe.
  • 3 teaspoons basil
  • 3 teaspoons oregano
  • Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. In a skillet, add your olive oil and saute your garlic for one minute.
  2. Add your ground beef to the skillet and season well with pepper and salt.
  3. Once cooked, drain your ground beef & garlic mixture, and add this to your slow cooker.
  4. Next add your diced green peppers, beef broth, chicken broth, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, seasoning, and brown rice. Give it all a stir.
  5. Set your slow cooker to LOW for 4-6 hours.
  6. Serve with crusty bread.
  7. Side note- if your slow cooker sets itself to WARM after it is done cooking, you only need to cook this for four hours. If your slow cooker does not set itself to WARM, it will need to cook for six hours.
 

Slow Cooker Stuffed Pepper Soup from MomAdvice.com

Love your slow cooker as much as I do? Be sure to check out these easy and delicious recipes:

 

Overnight Slow Cooker Apple Cinnamon Steel Cut Oatmeal from MomAdvice.com

Overnight Slow Cooker Apple Cinnamon Steel Cut Oatmeal

 

 

Gluten Free Carnitas in the Slow Cooker from MomAdvice.com

Gluten Free Carnitas

 

 

21_Easy_Slow_Cooker_Meals

21 Easy Slow Cooked Meal Ideas

 

 

Slow Cooker Recipes for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Slow Cooker Recipes for Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

 

 

Pin It

Amy’s Notebook 09.19.12

September 19th, 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 adore this creative display for a doughnut party (@ How Does She?)

I want to try making one of these DIY Anthro inspired mugs (@ Morena’s Corner)

I love these washi tape file labels (@ i heart organizing)

I love these simple triangle print napkins (@ Terra Savvy)

This ruffled belly band would have been so handy when I was expecting (@ see kate sew)

I want to try these salted caramel apple bars (@ Two Peas & Their Pod)

These are great tips on how to oil and clean your sewing machine (@ make it & love it)

I adore this cute chore board to keep the family organized (@ The Daily Five)

These pumpkin blossom cookies look like a delicious fall treat (@ Inspired by Charm)

I am going to have to bookmark these tips for the perfect pie crust (@ Completely Delicious)

An Apron Full of Giveaways 09.18.12

September 18th, 2012

Sew Mamma Sew, $52

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