DIY: Two Ingredient Play Dough

The other day, one of my followers on Tumblr "mentioned" me in a post about DIY play doughs (I love it when people tag me in that kind of stuff!) and I got so excited that I didn't know where to start. So I started at the beginning! Pokey and I made a trip to the grocery store for some corn starch and some cheap hair conditioner and then set about to make "the softest play dough". 

2:1, corn starch:hair conditioner, was called for in the original recipe but since different kinds of conditioner are different consistencies, you might have to tweak it a little and I ended up using a little more corn starch with Burt’s Bees conditioner. I used my Kitchenaid ‘cause I’m super lazy but I could’ve used a spoon or my hands, though it was pretty sticky and goopy until I got the consistency right and I hate having stuff stuck all over my hands. When I finally got it right--almost, it was a bit crumbly but hardly noticeable, I could've put in a little more conditioner--I took it all out of the mixing bowl and separated it out onto six paper plates and added food coloring to each—I just poked a hole into the top of them and dropped a few drops of color into the holes. Then I mixed them up with my hands, which is why my hands look like this now! 

I really love this play dough, in particular, because my son absolutely adores play dough but it's so dang expensive to buy it! This dough only cost about $2.25 to make twice what is pictured above so both mama and kiddo are happy!

We're super excited to try more of the play dough recipes! Maybe we'll make peanut butter play dough (that he can eat later!) or maybe we'll do some mummy crafts!

DIY: Glittery Leaf Garland

It's finally autumn which means it's finally almost winter, my favorite time of the year. To celebrate, I took on a DIY project that took me way longer to get done than I thought it would. But it was super easy and super cheap and anyone can do it! 

All you need is:

• Artificial leaves
• PVA glue (e.g. Elmer's)
• Glitter in autumnal colors 
• Ribbon
• Hole punch
• Paintbrush 

I got my leaves from Dollar Tree and I used about a bag and a half ($1.00/bag), hole punch from Dollar Tree and I don't recommend getting it from there, it broke a couple of leaves in ($1.00), Elmer's Glue came from Target ($0.99), glitter came from Hobby Lobby and I used two packaged ($1.50/package), ribbon from Hobby Lobby and I used two ($1.99/roll), and the paintbrush was one that I confiscated from my son's arts & crafts supplies but I'm pretty sure it came from Target in a package of five or six for a few bucks. Bringing my grand total to only about $11.00 + tax. (Not including the brush 'cause I already had that.)

All you have to do is brush the glue onto the leaves, sprinkle the glitter on, shake off the excess, and then set aside to dry. Also, you should be warned that the bottoms of your leaves are probably going to get gluey so I used aluminum foil to set my drying leaves on, so they didn't stick to my table or something. 

After your leaves have dried, punch holes into the bottoms of them, then, with the ribbon, just tie the leaves to whatever your want--a longer piece of ribbon, a string of twinkle lights, the ceiling, anything. I tied them to some string (seen in the photo above) and then strung them up with a string of twinkle lights.

It was only supposed to take an hour or so but it ended up taking me three days because I'm so stinkin' lazy and procrastination is my forte. However, I'm glad I didn't give up and that I finally finished it because I'm so in love with these leaves and I can't wait until night falls so I can see them in action! I hope that some of you take a stab at this, I wanna see what you can do with them!

DIY: Gifts for Kids

Instead of spending a bunch of money on toys and junk for my kid and my friends' kids this year, I'm going to try something new: I'm going to make fun stuff for them! Doughs and slimes and masks, oh my! I'm super excited, not only to see how the kids feel about their fun ooey-gooeys but I'm also pretty darned excited to make them! {I don't need a life, you need a life. Shut up.}

Doughs:

• cornstarch & baking soda play dough
• candy play dough
• softest play dough
• moon dough
• moldable sand
• ice cream play dough
• glitter play dough
• blueberry foam dough
• jelly play dough

Slimes & the like:

• glitter slime
• glow in the dark slime
• rainbow slime
• make-time-for-slime
• edible slime
• flubber
• floam
• oobleck
• sludge

Paints:

• sand paint
• bath tub paint
• glitter chalk paint
• erupting chalk paint
• snow paint
• finger paint
• sparkle paints
• spray paints
• rainbow flour paint
• erupting water color paints

Toys and other fun stuff:

• cardboard tube car garage
• comfy corner
• rainbow rice
• sky blocks
• bouncing bubbles
• firefly night light
• bouncy balls
• animal storage lids
• spoon friends
• super hero masks
• animal masks
• sidewalk chalk popsicles

DIY: Swiffer WetJet Solution

**Note: To get the cap off of the container, boil some water and put the container into the boiling water, just far enough to submerge the cap. Hold it there, in the boiling water for about a minute. Take it out and it'll twist off. (Cover it with a towel before you grab it 'cause that sucker will be hot.)

I've refilled my Swiffer WetJet with this solution a couple of times and it does actually work! I prefer to refill mine with a Mr. Clean + water mixture because I feel like it works better and I have nothing against chemicals but, for those of you that like to live green, this is definitely for you!

DIY: Kid Table Revamp

This table has gone through many identities, I wouldn't blame it if it came to life and confessed a need to see a shrink. I bought it for Pokey for his 5th birthday last year, December '13, and it only lasted a few months before he'd ripped up the top. Instead of throwing it in the garbage--it was a perfectly good table, still!--my mom just took off the top, took off the Mickey Mouse plastic and the slight padding that was under it, and recovered it. Voilà! New table! 

Supplies:

• The table
• Something to cover the table with--the first time (bottom left photo), we used a cute shower curtain; every time since then, I've used fabric for the cute part and then I put a clear shower curtain over that, to protect from spills and for easy clean-up.
• Scissors
• Screw driver
• Marker (optional)

How To:

1. Flip your table over so it's laying on the top.

2. Find the brackets that keep the top of the table onto the frame and unscrew them. Mine had three brackets on each side.

3. Take the top off of the frame and, if your kid(s) is (are) anything like mine, you'll have to wash the frame 'cause hello sticky!

4. Once you have the top separated from the frame, spread our your fabric or shower curtain or whatever you're using. Lay the top of the table onto the whatever-you're-using and figure out where to cut so that it's big enough to be wrapped around the bottom of the table-top. This is where I used the Sharpie marker but I suppose you don't have to mark it if you don't want to, you could just cut the fabric while the top is on there and use the table top as your guide.

5. Cut the fabric.

6. This is where it gets kind of tricky and en extra set of hands would be helpful. Pull the fabric up over the table-top so you can put the frame back into place. Like this:

7. Then you can screw the frame back to the top, right through the fabric. That will hold the fabric in place 5ever. But be sure to pull the fabric tight before you start screwing or you'll have a loose, lumpy mess on top when you're done and who wants that? No one, that's who.

8. You'll probably have a lot of extra fabric when you're done, hanging down and being gross, so you can just cut that off.

9. There ya go! Like a brand new table!

Eventually, I want to repaint the frame a more neutral color but that costs money that I don't have right now so it'll have to wait. There are a lot of things I want to paint, actually, but money. Darn.

Make-Your-Own: Shamrock Shake

Back in March, I was really obsessed with the Shamrock Shakes from McDonald's but there was no way I could afford buying one (or two or five) every day so I took to the internet!  As it turns out, you can make your own and it's really easy!  This way, I can have my beloved Shamrock Shakes all year 'round AND I don't have to sell everything I own to afford them!

• 3 C. vanilla ice cream
• 1-3/4 C. milk
• 1 tsp mint or peppermint extract
• green food coloring

1. Blend.
2. Top with whipped cream and a cherry.
3. Consume!

Meal Planning

I was once asked for a post on meal planning so here it is!  But you need to be warned that I didn't plan this month because I was going through a personal crisis up until about two days before I made the original post so everything you're about to see is a fake month that I just threw together for this post, lol.  {This is not what an average month looks like--we eat a lot more pizza, sandwiches and Hamburger Helper and I always have way more Crock Pot meals! I absolutely love Crock Pot meals and you can find a few posts with recipes here, here, and here.}

I go grocery shopping on the 5th of every month so, on the 4th, I sit down with my notebook, my recipe box, and my computer and I plan out dinners and weekly deserts for four weeks--I only allow myself one desert a week. If I don't set some sort of boundary, I'll bake way too much and so much will be thrown away.

After I have those four weeks planned out, I write out what will be needed for each one. Partially because it'll help me make my grocery list and partially so I'm prepared when it comes time to cook. {And another "partially" to account for my obsession with lists.}

Then, I start on the grocery lists for every week, working down the meal list, until I have everything I'll need for each meal. After that is the basic needs (breakfast stuff, milk, juice, bread, eggs, etc.), anything I'll eat while Logan is at school, and the extras. A lot of my meals and almost all of our extras depend heavily on the coupons I have at the time. {The stars next to some of the things on the list mean that those are things I have coupons for. My coupons come from the Sunday paper, coupons.com and my local grocery store has a digital coupon program where I can go on their site, select the coupons I want, and they're added to a card that I swipe at checkout.}

After that, I'm basically done. I print and/or gather my coupons and I paperclip them to the grocery list and then I put that, the meal list for each particular week, and whatever recipes I may need into each week's own folder.

And each folder gets put into my folder holder on the counter next to my microwave:

Each week, I'm ready and prepared! I just grab the week's corresponding folder and I go to the grocery store! Then that folder sits on my counter all week and goes back into its place in the folder holder at the end of the week, to be used again next month! Easy peasy!

Slow Cooker Meals, #3

FOR ALL RECIPES: Combine all ingredients in a freezer bag, freeze, remove from freezer and put into refrigerator to thaw the night before you want to make each one. Then, when you're ready to start cooking, simply dump the bag into your slow cooker and cook for the amount of time indicated. If there are instructions for preparation, follow those before adding to bag and freezing.


Savory Pepper Steak

• 1½ lbs round steak, cut into ½ in strips
• ¼ cup flour
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• 1 small onion, diced
• 4-5 garlic cloves
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1 (16 oz) can Italian style tomatoes
• 1 tbsp beef bouillon
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp steak seasoning
• 1 tbsp steak sauce

1. Toss steak in salt, pepper, and flour and add to the freezer bag.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the rest of the ingredients. Add to bag.
3. Cook on LOW for 8 hours or on HIGH for 6 hours.

Teriyaki Pork Chops

• 4 pork chops, about 1 in thick
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• ⅓ cup chicken broth
• salt & pepper to taste

1. Sprinkle salt and pepper on pork chops. Add to bag.
2. In a small bowl, mix garlic, brown sugar, soy sauce, and chicken broth together. Add to bag.
3. Cook on LOW for 6-7 hours or on HIGH for 4-5 hours.

BBQ Cranberry Chicken

• 2 lbs boneless chicken breast
• ¼ cup dried minced onion
• 1 (16 oz) can whole cranberry sauce
• 1 cup BBQ sauce (I use Sweet Baby Rays)

1. Cook on LOW for 6-7 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours.

Honey Bourbon Chicken

• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• salt & pepper
• ½ cup diced onion
• 1 cup honey
• ½ cup soy sauce
• ¼ cup ketchup
• 1 tbsp canola oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
• 1-2 tbsp cornstarch
• sesame seeds (optional)
• ¼ cup Bourbon (optional - I usually make it without)

1. Salt and pepper chicken. Add to bag.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together honey, soy sauce, ketchup, oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, onion, bourbon (if you're using it). Add to bag.
3. Cook on LOW for 3-4 hours.
4. Remove chicken and cut into strips.
5. Combine 1 Tbsp cornstarch with 1 Tbsp water. Pour into slow cooker and mix. If the sauce doesn't thicken, add another Tbsp of each.
6. Replace chicken and stir.
7. The original recipe didn't call for more cook time but I cooked it for another half hour or so and then I served it over rice, sprinkled with sesame seeds.

Taco Soup

• 1 lb browned beef (or turkey or whatever you like in your tacos)
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 1 can corn, drained
• 1 can refried beans 
• 1 can chili beans
• 1 can stewed tomatos
• 1 can diced tomatoes (I get the one with that's "chili ready")
• 1 onion, chopped (I just used the minced onion in a jar, in the spices section at the store)
• 1 pkg dry ranch dressing
• 1 tbsp chili powder

1. Combine all but the taco seasoning, ranch dressing, and chili powder in the freezer bag.
2. When you pour the content of the freezer bag into the slow cooker, add the taco seasoning, ranch dressing, and chili powder, as well. Stir it all together.
3. Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or on HIGH for 4-6 hours.
4. Serve with grated cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips.

Slow Cooker Meals, #2

FOR ALL RECIPES: Combine all ingredients in a freezer bag, freeze, remove from freezer and put into refrigerator to thaw the night before you want to make each one. Then, when you're ready to start cooking, simply dump the bag into your slow cooker and cook for the amount of time indicated. If there are instructions for preparation, follow those before adding to bag and freezing.


Cheesy Chicken, Potato, & Broccoli

• 2-4 chicken breasts
• 1 large green pepper, chopped
• 2 cups broccoli, chopped
• 1 lb. red potatoes, sliced thin
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
• ¼lb. (4 oz.) VELVEETA®, cut into ½-inch cubes
• 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• ¼ cup chopped parsley

1. Put everything except the cheese into the bag and freeze.
2. Cook on LOW, 6 hours.
3. Add cheese, cook on HIGH, 5 minutes.
4. Stir in cheese. 

Honey, Garlic Chicken

• 2-4 Chicken Breasts
• 3 Garlic Cloves, smashed and chopped
• 1 Teaspoon Dried Basil
• ½ cup Soy Sauce
• ½ cup Ketchup
• ⅓ cup Honey
• 2 cups carrots (or choice of veggie)

1. Cook on HIGH, 3-4 hours.

Beef Stroganoff

• 2 pounds of cubed beef stew meat or 4 cups of cooked ground beef
• 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 T Worcestershire sauce
• ½ c water
• 1 c. sour cream
• 2T minced garlic
• packet of onion soup mix
• chopped mushrooms (optional)
• egg noodles (to serve over the day you cook)

1. Cook meat, let it cool.
2. Add all ingredients [except noodles] to bag and freeze.
3. Cook on LOW, 4-6 hours.
4. Serve over noodles.

Nacho Chicken

• 2-4 chicken breast
• 1 can Rotel
• 1 package taco seasoning

1. Cook on LOW, 8-10 hours.
2. Spread Nacho Chicken over tortilla chips, and top with your choice of toppings including shredded cheese, green onions, black olives, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream and salsa.

Pulled Pork

• 4-5 lbs Pork Butt/Shoulder
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
• 1-2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 4 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 large onion – sliced thin
• BBQ Sauce

1. Combine all ingredients [expect onion] in a bowl, rub onto pork.
2. Place onions and pork into a bag and freeze.
3. Cook on LOW, 8-10 hours.
4. Shred pork, add BBQ sauce. [Optional, you don't need BBQ sauce if you don't want it but if you do add it, cook on LOW an additional 30-45 minutes.]

Slow Cooker Meals, #1

{Image credit}

FOR ALL RECIPES: Combine all ingredients in a freezer bag, freeze, remove from freezer and put into refrigerator to thaw the night before you want to make each one. Then, when you're ready to start cooking, simply dump the bag into your slow cooker and cook for the amount of time indicated. If there are instructions for preparation, follow those before adding to bag and freezing.

Chicken Broccoli Alfredo

• 4-6 chicken breasts
• 1 (16 oz) bag of frozen broccoli florets
• 2 (16 oz) jars of Alfredo sauce (I use light)
• 1 large green pepper, chopped
• 1 (4 oz) can of sliced mushrooms, drained

1. Cook on LOW for 4-6 hours or on HIGH for 3-4.

Maple Dijon Glazed Chicken

• 4-6 chicken breasts
• 1 cup Dijon mustard
• ½ cup maple syrup
• 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
• Salt & Pepper (optional)

1. Cook on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 4 hours.

Chicken Teryaki

• Large bag of baby carrots
• Red Onion sliced into large chunks
• 2 Large cans of pineapple (un-drained)
• 4 Garlic cloves
• 4-6 Chicken Breasts
• 1 Cup Teriyaki Sauce

1. Cook on LOW for 6-7 hours or on HIGH for 4-6 hours.
2. Serve over rice.

Orange Chicken

• 2 cups carrots
• 2 cups bell pepper
• 1 lb chicken breast
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• 8 oz orange juice concentrate

1. Cook on LOW, 4-6 hours.
2. Serve over rice.

BBQ Spareribs

• 2lbs of pork ribs
• 1½ cups ketchup
• 1½ Tbsp seasoned salt
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup white vinegar

1. Put ribs into the bag.
2. Mix remaining ingredients together in a separate bowl and pour over ribs. Freeze.
3. Cook on HIGH, 3-4 hours or LOW, 6-7 hours.