Paparazzi Jewelry Sale!

I am going for it!  I have two displays set up and lots of headbands and hair flowers and rings and bracelets. I am going to drop them off at my kid's teacher's lounge tomorrow and see what happens.  Should be interesting!  If anybody is interested in this paparazzi craze, check it out here! paparazzijewelry.com

Guest Post: Easy Printer Crafts for Kids by Tina

Easy Printer Crafts for Kids Are you trying to cut back on spending money on toys and entertainment? Are your kids bored of playing with what they have now? Or do you just encourage them to do something other than watching TV and playing video games? Have you ever considered using your computer to keep your children busy? Not just by playing games and watching videos online, but when you combine the use of your printer, you can find endless activities to do with your kids.

  3D Paper Crafts


3D Crafts are easier than ever. Nowadays, there are so many printables online with folding guides drawn on to help you know exactly where to make your creases. Just look up 3D paper crafts and you’ll find a plethora of free templates. If your kids are on the younger side, you can find 3D alphabet paper characters making it a fun and educational activity to do together. Parents, just help them with the cutting, folding, and gluing, and they’ll have something fun to play with afterwards. Print the template on cardstock to give some strength and sturdiness to your paper figures. This will help them be able to play a bit more roughly than if it were printed on regular paper. 3D crafts are perfect for the older ones to stimulate their mind as they go on and try to figure out how to assemble each character that can range from action figures to princesses. If they don’t “play” with toys anymore, then they could go ahead and decorate their room with the 3D figures. Paper Masks & Headbands



If you want to encourage your children to use their imagination more during their playtime, how about making paper masks and headbands according to their favorite character. First, try making a family activity out of picking out the masks, printing them, and decorating them. If you’re making a lot of masks, try making it a contest and pick out the best ones in the end. Then cut out the decorated mask or headband template, assemble using a popsicle stick at the bottom of the mask or string to go around the head, and let your kids go out and pretend to be their own character. This makes for a great rainy day or party activity. Puzzles Another way to get everyone’s creative juices flowing is to print out a puzzle template. You can find blank puzzle patterns or coloring page puzzles for free online. Regardless of which one you choose, just color them in or embellish them with sequins and glitter, cut them out, mix them up, and try to put them together. If you want to try to make your puzzle pieces last, think about printing the puzzle on cardstock. You could even laminate the page before you cut out the pieces. This is a great way to have new puzzles all the time without spending a lot of money on buying new ones at the store. Plus, it’s a 2-in-1 activity which could help occupy a lot of your child’s time.

  Themed Activity Book Instead of buying activity books, try making one yourself. You can tailor it to your kids age and by what kind of characters or theme they want. For instance, if your child loves superheroes, you could compile various superhero printables like word searches, connect-the-dots pages, coloring pages, mazes, etc. based on their age, and staple them together like a book. If they complete the whole book, then you don’t have to worry about adding it to your grocery list, you just have to print out another book.
  Paper Dolls & Finger Puppets This might bring back bits of nostalgia, but paper dolls are still around. Once more, just search for paper dolls online and you’ll get a result of thousands of dolls. Some are already colored, but you can find paper doll templates that are blank allowing you and your child to decorate them. If paper dolls aren’t as appealing, how about making finger puppets? There are a lot of different themed finger puppets on the Internet. All you have to do is color them in, cut them out, and cut finger holes or attach a paper ring/popsicle stick on it so you can hold the puppets. You can put on a show for the whole family. If it becomes a regular family activity, try making a finger puppet theatre to pull “the show” together. This post was brought to you by Tina, a major contributor for 4Inkjets.com, the leading provider of discounted ink cartridges. On her free time she likes to read, do scrapbooking projects, and go outside with her dachshund.

Jewelry Display Peg Board

To put as little time as I can into my little Paparazzi accessories start up, I am going to make one of these little jewelry displays.  I even survived taking the four kids to Lowes.  That's a good thing!  These are pretty great cases and easy to do.  Here is the link.  Paparazzi consultant 12326

Paparazzi Accessories

First off, I am not a salesperson!  Second, I saw this FIVE DOLLAR jewelry and just knew I had to jump on it and bring it to Iowa.  There are only three consultants in a fifty mile radius. Nobody has heard of it out here!  If I didn't know about five dollar jewelry, then I would want someone to tell me about five dollar jewelry!  

I am trying it out at my kid's school and setting it up in the teacher's lounge for a few days to see how it goes. I figure if I hate it,I can earn my money back and be done.  So, we'll see what happens!

Some of my personal favorites:

Gratitude

My dear friend, Laurie had a stillborn baby 18 months ago.  She has been through the ringer with emotions and difficulties.  She had to speak in a church meeting yesterday about gratitude and wrote the most beautiful talk about how she is grateful for Eleanor and what they went through.  You would be so lucky to read this talk and learn some beautiful messages.  Here is the talk!

Guest Post: Easy to Make Travel Games by Tina

Travel Bingo  

Easy to Make Travel Games Traveling can be hard enough as it is, but add in a couple kids and a 12 hour drive to the mix, you’ll definitely need a few activities to keep the children from killing each other, bothering you the entire time, or being faced with a wall of boredom. Prepare yourself by printing and gathering some easy travel activities beforehand. All you need is a working computer, some time to search for printables on Google or Bing, and a printer with fully loaded ink cartridges. Either way, you don’t need a long road trip planned to play these games, you can use these games for a 3 hour plane ride or even a short car ride. Just have them handy in your bag to keep your kids constantly busy and entertained for any occasion. 
Tic Tac Toe & Lines and Dots

The classic old game of Tic Tac Toe and Lines and Dots. Yes, you could just have blank sheets of paper ready to have your kids draw new grids and dots every game, but it might motivate them a little more to actually play the game if you printed out the grids and assembled them in a book or packet. You could even make a laminated version of the grids and equip your kids with some dry erase markers so they can keep reusing the board. No time or resources to do the laminating process? Then you can just simply slip the game board inside a plastic zipper bag to perform the same function as a laminated card.

  Travel Scavenger Hunt & Trav





The idea for both games is the same. Find what’s on the list or board and cross it off. The scavenger hunt list is pretty self-explainable as far as hunting for the items on the checklist and checking off what has been seen. You play the bingo games by marking off what you see on the game board until you get ‘BINGO!’ So, if you see a plane pass by then the space with the airplane on it should be marked off. Keep going until someone wins. If you’re visiting a specific location, you can find tailored bingo games to that destination online. For example, if you were heading to Utah, get a bingo card made for the monuments of Utah. It’s a good idea to make the bingo boards reusable by laminating or sticking them in plastic bags. That way after someone wins; they could keep on playing new rounds. Just don’t forget to keep the dry erase markers
handy.
  Classic Game Booklet

t

Put together a game booklet filled with all the classic games such as crossword puzzles, word searches, mazes, sudoku pages, word scrambles, etc. All you have to do is take a little bit of time to look for them online, but the possibilities are endless! And since you can customize exactly what goes in, you can tailor the books based on your child’s age. This is great if you have multiple children since everyone will have different
levels of ability.

  Mad Libs

Do you remember filling in these things with random and funny words? This is a great activity for your kids to really dig through their vocabulary and grammar knowledge. If you search for them on the Internet, there are a bunch of websites that have free Mad Libs templates. Gather these up and make a booklet or go ahead and make them reusable too. Name Brand Car Search

Another car game to make is a car brand search game. The goal is to try to cross off as many different brands of cars as you can that you pass on the road. Make enough printables for everyone in the car and make it a contest to see who notices the most number of different cars. It’s also great to put in a plastic sleeve and start a new game every time you get in the car. Hidden Picture Printables or Find the Difference Print Outs

 Hidden Picture and Find the Difference Print Outs are fun to have and will keep your kids entertained for a while. For the hidden picture prints, they should try to find the hidden pictures. Once they find each hidden item, color it in. After all the pictures are found, they can go ahead and color in the rest of the picture. When playing find the difference, circle the differences in each photo then color in. Don’t forget to have crayons or markers on hand.

  License Plate Game Another fun game to print out for a car ride is a license plate guide with all 50 states. As you’re driving along, check out all the license plates on the cars that pass by, and when you see a state, cross it off your list. See if you can get all 50 states. I have a feeling Alaska and Hawaii would be the rarest, at least if you live in the contiguous 48. Put these in a plastic sleeve and organize them along with your other printouts in a binder. You could store the binder in the car and have the kids pull it out anytime they’re bored. The plastic sleeves allow the activities to be reusable, again, with a dry erase marker. If you go with the binder idea, buy a pencil pouch that goes along in a binder too and store your markers in there. Make an entire book with all the games inside or ask your kids to pick out which ones they like best and put together the favorites. Try to make reusable game boards whenever possible to minimize paper waste and using up all your printer ink. Who says you need to go out and buy more games and books when you can easily make them at home with your printer saving you money and the time of going out to the store. This post was brought to you by Tina, a major contributor for 123 Inkjets, the leading discount retailer of printer ink online. On her free time she likes to scrapbook, go outside with her dachshund, and read.

Fab Kids Free Outfit

I am not writing this to get extra money or points or whatever, but I have to let you know that I signed up for this site a few weeks ago and just got an email for my first outfit free!!  So, I got the cutest little dress and tights for my daughter for $7.95 shipping. Can't beat that! If you sign up, you should get something similar in a few weeks!

Click here to sign up!

Hearty Bacon Potato Chowder

This soup is so warm and comforting and easy on top of that!  I remember the first time I ate it. My mom made it for a Christmas Eve get together with our extended family.  It was so filling but I was wishing it weren't so I could have more.  It really is that great.  And perfect with some warm bread.  My favorite rolls are here and my favorite whole wheat bread is here.

I made this for a soup night last night where we got together and brought a bunch of different soups to try.  It was so yummy!  Perfect for cold areas! Or not cold.  

Hearty Bacon Potato Chowder

8 slices bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces

2 c (6 med) cubed 1/2" new red potatoes

1 c. (2 med) chopped onions

1 c. sour cream

1 1/4 c. milk

can of cream of chicken soup

8 ounce can kernel corn, drained

1/4 t. pepper

1/4 t. thyme leaves

In 3 qt. saucepan cook bacon over med heat for 5 min; add potatoes and onions.  Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender (15 to 20 min).  Add remaining ingredients.  Continued cooking and stirring occasionally until heated through. (10 to 12 min)

Guest Post: Making T-Shirts at Home by Tina

Making T-Shirts at Home

It's raining, the kids are home from school, and there seems to be nothing to do. How can you get them out of that slump and away from the video games? You've been through coloring books, board games, and their favorite stories, but have you tried making t-shirts at home yet? Read on to find out how.

 First, you'll need to head to the store and buy some plain t-shirts. A lot of craft stores sell them, but you could also find them at a local bargain center, or use one you may already have at home. Just make sure to have at least one for each child and yourself, although you'll probably want to have a few extras in case you make a mistake. They generally aren't expensive, so you don't have to break the bank to buy them.

 While you're at the craft store, check to see if they have any iron-on transfer kits that are specifically geared toward children. If you plan in advance, you can stock up on these from a website so that you have them saved away for gloomy days. Plus, you may be able to find great discounts and deals online. These packages also make great, unique presents for your kids to give to their friends at birthday parties, so think about purchasing a few extra. You may also be able to find some templates online and then simply transfer them to iron-on paper.

 Now using an art or photo program on your computer let your children start “designing” their t-shirt. You can give them free reign to create whatever they want, or you could streamline the project a little bit and make a design for them. If you're going on a big family vacation, for instance, the shirts could say "Smith Family Trip 2012" or something similar. The design possibilities are endless. Perhaps your older children are forming a softball team with their friends then they could make team shirts. You could even invite the whole team over for a fun day of artwork.

 As with any art kit, each set is going to have its own unique rules. However, as a general rule of thumb, you will need a printer and transfer paper. Be sure to purchase transfer paper that is specifically made for your type of printer, whether it’s an inkjet or laser printer. Just follow the directions on your art pack, and you'll be printing out the designs and then ironing them on to the t-shirts. Most importantly, make sure that you are inserting the paper the right way.

Additionally, it's always a good idea to do a test first. That's the reason why it was suggested that you buy a few extra t-shirts. Do a test on one of the extra shirts. If it comes out fine, then there is no need to do it over again. However, if it looks a little funny, you'll still have that design on the computer to edit (make sure to save it!). Always exercise caution when engaging in these types of crafts.

To successfully complete the kit, your iron will need to be very hot. To avoid serious burns, you may want to take hold of the iron and do it for your children. If your children are a bit older, then you may want to allow them to help you hold the iron if you're comfortable. Teenagers can most likely take care of this on their own and doing so will let them get some practice in ironing too! This post was brought to you by Tina, a major contributor for 123Inkjets, a leading provider of all things related to printer ink. On her free time she likes to go outside with her dachshund, scrapbook, and read.

HAIR BOW WINNER!

The hair bow winner is keshakeke!  So, thank you for all you sweet people who entered my first giveaway. Hope to see you at future giveaways!  And don't forget to enter this one at Mandy's Recipe Box. Ends Tuesday!=)

My mom's biscuits

I have been in a family recipe mood recently. Maybe it's holidays approaching and we are four states away from any family.  Maybe it's me getting sentimental in my old age.  Maybe it's the freezing cold that makes me want to bake all day.  Whatever it is, I like it!

Great story behind these biscuits.  My mom used to make homemade biscuits all the time but they always turned out hard.  My dad would fondly call them "hockey pucks".  This is obviously before the age of pinterest, cooking blogs,etc for the best recipes around.  Her friend, Cheryl??, gave her this recipe and we were all sold.  She always made it with her infamous macaroni and cheese (recipe to come eventually).  Yes, two breads in a meal, so what?!  These are just great biscuits and easy to make.  If you have the time, roll them out and cut them with a biscuit cutter or glass.  I did not have the time. Instead I had a fussy and super cute baby who was not caring about pretty cut out biscuits!  So, I made drop biscuits and they work as well.  Thanks to my mom for teaching me some great cooking!

3 c. flour

¼ c. sugar

4 t. baking pwder

½ t. cream of tartar

¾ t. salt

½ c. butter

1 egg

Milk

Combine dry.  Add egg.  Cut in butter. Add milk till texture is not wet but not dry.  Get that?  Cut out with biscuit cutter or drop onto cookie sheet.  375 for 12-15 min.  Makes 12, give or take.

Don't forget to enter my hair bow giveaway at  Mandy's Recipe Box until Tues the 13th.

And don't forget to enter my giveaway until Friday 9th here!

My Giveaway at Mandy's Recipe Box

I love Mandy's Recipe Box.   Her motto is "Where a balanced diet is a dessert in each hand." Yes!   Cute blog. Great recipes.  Lotsa fun.  She is running a giveaway for my etsy shop until Tues the 13th.  Go check it out for a chance to win something from my etsy shop!=)

And don't forget to enter my giveaway until Friday 9th here!

Ode to Dad: Best Spaghetti you will ever have!

This recipe deserves a pretty picture. I even tried to twirl the pasta so it would look lovely.  Good enough, I say! This could be a completely awful picture but that wouldn't change the fact that this is the most delicious spaghetti sauce in life!  And brought to you by my super awesome dad who created the recipe by tinkering around with it.  Now this must be eaten with my mom's amazing meatballs, which I am incapable of making.  When she tells me how to make them, it sounds so simple. I try to make them and they fall apart.  

Disclaimer: This is a work of love, so it takes a bit of time, but it is totally worth it!

We got some garden fresh roma tomatoes from our neighbors and that made this even better!

1) Blanche 16 roma tomatoes.  To blanche, you boil the water, put the tomatoes in and cook until the skin is about to fall off.  Then shock them by putting them into cold water.  Peel the skins off.

2) Chop the tomatoes up.  They are pretty fall aparty, but that's ok!

3) Put a tablespoon of oil in a pot.  Put the tomatoes in.  Add 1/2 a chopped onion and 4 cloves garlic or more, if you like!  This recipe is one you can mess with and still make it awesome.

4) Add some tomato paste to thicken it up a bit and a large can of Italian type tomatoes.  Add seasonings: Italian seasoning, garlic salt, rosemary, parsley, thyme, to taste.  Just add what you like.

5) Simmer for a long time, like an hour in a half. The longer you simmer, the better it will be!

6) Add the super awesome meatballs that I will someday perfect and share or some browned meat or sausage or whatever you like.

7)  Add chopped olive and mushrooms.

8)  Eat and love and make again!

Love my dad!!

Happy Birthday to Me?? And my first ever giveaway!!

Disclaimer: My husband took me out to a delicious and fancy dinner last week because that is all I wanted for my birthday.  He also got the babysitter. Score!

It's my bday. The big 3-2, or as my 7 year old likes to remind me, the big 3-3, "because zero counts as a year too, mom." You know, like a baby should be 1 when it is born because it counts for the first year. Makes sense? Well, fine. But it's my birthday and I'll blab if I want to.=)

Anyhow, I have come to the conclusion that mom birthdays are just not fun.  For example: my ideal birthday would be waking up whenever I wanted, having breakfast in bed (calories don't count!), getting into an overflowing bubble bath in my dream jetted tub (dreams!), going shopping without a budget, and eating out at a fancy shmancy restaurant, returning home to a sparkling clean house, clean kids, and a smorgasbord of delicious yummies and my favorite show.  

Birthday reality??: woke up at 640 with super cute 7 month (already?!) baby boy, kids to school, forgot one's lunch, shower, dress, kids dressed, refereed fights, threatened to not go to Target, took lunch to school, went back home because forgot preschoolers jacket and backpack.  Went to taco bell. Well, first got a dr. pepper from Arbies because Taco Bell only has Pepsi.  It's my birthday and I'll pepper if I want to. Ate Taco Bell (decent, went to store to get baby a stroller since one I bought the other day didn't have front wheels (what?!), took preschooler to school, fed baby, got 3 year old to nap (well, lay in bed and kicking wall) and cleaned up.  I may or may not have had another dr. pepper.....

So, in the midst of all this, my super awesome friend Laurie calls and I realize why I don't like my birthday!!  Because my dream birthday does not match my reality birthday.  And I thought, even if it were  a weekend birthday, I would still be doing stuff.  I have come to this conclusion....

Mom birthdays can be happy birthdays too!  I got to do lots of things I liked to do (dr pepper, shower, store) and some things I don't like to do (referee, clean bums, cleaning).  But really it is up to me to decide my fate! My birthday can be great because I make it great or it can be lame because I make it lame! It is nobody else's job to make my birthday awesome.  Even if I didn't have a bunch of totally awesome friends and family who said Happy birthday to me on facebook or texted me or called, I could still make the anniversary of my birth pretty fab!  And there is nothing like my kids saying Happy birthday to me because they just think I am so great and they love birthdays.  Also, my night will end with a Ghiradelli Brownie and whitey's ice cream Modern Family lazy time, because it is my birthday and I will eat unhealthy junk if I want to!  And there ya go.  If this makes any sense? I had to get it off of my chest.  So, next year when I am the big 3-3, technically the big 3-4, I can come back and read this to remind myself!!

Giveaway: 

I am not a "like this page for free stuff" type of person.  If you want to follow me or like me or whatever, then do, but if not, I promise I won't be offended!=)  Really, I just want to get word out about my etsy shop for people who like cute hair bows and accessories.  If you win, you get to pick one thing you like from my shop.  So, to enter, leave me a comment and let me know which hair doodad you like best from my shop...KathrynAnnBoutique.  Named after my two grandmas!  If you want another entry, let other people know about the giveaway and leave me a separate comment.  Will run giveaway till November 10th.

Deeeelicious Pie Crust

I was spoiled as a child because my mom made everything and I mean everything, homemade.  Store bought rolls were a bad word in our house.  Refrigerated cookie dough? What was that?!  Meals from a box. No! So, the thought of buying store pie crust doesn't go through my head.  Maybe this is why I have only made pie crust twice in my life. I love my mom's but couldn't find the recipe, so I went to my go to blog Mel's Kitchen Cafe. I know her recipes are the best. They always are!  And I like that she blogs for herself not for other people.  So, trust me when I say that this pie crust is:

flaky

crispy

non soggy

delicious

buttery

goodness

aka

heaven in a pie plate

Here is the recipe, but she also has a tutorial on her blog.

*Makes 2 pie crusts (for 2 single crust pies or 1 double crust pie)
1 cup (2 sticks) very cold butter (I cut my butter into about 16 small pieces, put them on a plate and place the
plate in the freezer for about 15 minutes before using in the recipe)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup ice water, plus an additional tablespoon or two if needed
For the pie crust:
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Mix to blend. Scatter the butter pieces across the flour mixture
and using a pastry cutter or two knives, work the butter into the flour until the pieces of butter are pea-sized and
the mixture is coarse and crumbly. Throughout this process, the butter should stay very cold and firm. If you
notice the butter is softening too much, refrigerate the mixture for about 10 minutes before continuing, although
this shouldn’t be a problem if you work quickly. Drizzle the cold water over the flour/butter mixture, and with a
fork, toss the flour and water lightly to combine. The dough should start to pull together in a floury mass of
dough. Add a tablespoon of cold water additionally at a time if the dough is too dry. The dough should not
resemble a sugar cookie dough – in fact, it may still be a bit crumbly when you start to roll it out, but it will come
together as you roll.

Best Pumpkin Pie...no lie!!!

This is not a joke, nor a lie! This pumpkin pie, in fact, won a Canadian Food Network contest. I can see why. It is creamy.  It is delectable.  It is perfectly pumpkiny.  Your taste buds will thank you.  Your five year old son will ask if he can eat it for breakfast.  Your seven year old will eat it in 30 seconds flat.  So, you're welcome!  

This is the first time I made pumpkin pie. My next pumpkin pie will be with real pumpkin.  Ohhh, fancy.  I plan on doing that when baby boy is bigger so he can enjoy it and not be grumpy at me.  Because who can be grumpy when there is pumpkin pie acookin'!

I got the recipe from the Hungry Hollow

The crust will be shared tomorrow.  That is also perfection.

No, I did not whip any cream.  I know. I know.

NOTE:  This recipe makes TWO pumpkin pies!!!

Best Pumpkin Pie!

2 cups brown sugar
1 t. salt
2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. ginger
1/4 t. coves
1/2 t. nutmeg
4 whole eggs
3 1/4 c. canned pumpkin
1 c. evaporated milk
1 c. heavy cream or whole milk
pie crust

Preheat oven:
For pies: 450 for 20 minutes, then bake at 350 for 25 minutes.
For tarts: 375 for 30 minutes

Mix everything together.  (Minus the crust, of course!) Make sure there aren't any lumps.  Spread into crusts.  Place pies on the bottom shelf of oven.  Mine was a little full, so I put a cookie sheet under it. (I may or may not have set off the smoke detector.)

Lightened up Pumpkin Cream Cheese Swirl Bars

Hello Readers and Pumpkin Lovers!

   These are so delcious.  These are so light. These are so heavenly. And pumpkin. What more could you ask for?  They are much healthier than my other version. The other version is also heavenly, but not putting two cups into a recipe makes me feel better about things. You will love these. They are so easy and fast.  My seven year old did most of the assembling. Never did I think three years ago when I had a 4 year old, 1 year old and newborn that I would have such great helpers, but I do!  Mothers of lots of young children, take heart!  You will someday have great helpers, if you don't already!  It will be awesome.  So, jump into the kitchen with your kids. Some of my best memories are making food with my kids.  I got this recipe from Cookies and Cups. If you don't know her, get to know her!

Lightened up Pumpkin Cream Cheese Swirl Bars

8 ounce block of 1/3 less fat cream cheese

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1 Tablespoon water

16 ounce package angel food cake mix

15 ounce can pumpkin

3/4 cup water

1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375.  Spray 9 by 13 pan.  Combine cream cheese, sugar and water.  Set aside.  Mix the remaining ingredients.  Pour pumpkin mixture into pan.  Drop dollops of cream cheese on top.  Swirl through with a knife.  Bake 25-30 minutes.  Will make about 24 squares.  

Also, I made a new hair bow last night that I just loved. If you love it too, go check out my etsy shop and get it! Don't worry, I can make more.=)

Some giveaway, Some flowers, some jewelry, some fall

First of all, I know this post is funky looking!  But I didn't want a huge trail of photos, so this is as good as it's going to get!  My sweet sister in law said her Canadian grandmother asked why Belles Bazaar hadn't posted anything new in so long. She told her, "She has four kids!"  But it did get me motivated to write something new.

My 3 youngest and I went on a walk yesterday and I am just amazed at the beauty! I have never experienced a real Fall since I grew up in Las Vegas.  I hope I will always appreciate it and not get used to it!

Also, I made some other hair flowers. It is fun.  They are available in my etsy shop.  Button is on the right side.

Third, my dear friend from college who inspired me with her creativity to get creative....is having a giveaway on her blog! And it would just be wrong to not promote her talent. So, go to A Little Bit of Craft and leave a comment for a chance to win some beautiful jewelry!

I will be doing my own giveaway soon!=)

I have officially opened my etsy shop.  Would love any feedback you have to offer, good or bad!  We'll see how this goes!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/BellsPlace

Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

A Word on Blogging:

1)  I love my cute little family blog.  I love that I have kept it up for six years and I have a family journal. I love that I have captured real life, not just the good times.  

2) I love this little hobby blog.  It is not my career. I love pretty blogs that are just amazing and the houses are gorgeous and the dishes are perfect and the children are clean.  This, however, is not my goal for my blog. I am not trying to get a cookbook deal. I am not trying to save the world one craft at a time.  I am really just trying to share recipes, crafts and my interests in real time.  So, that might mean that my pictures are pretty lame o most of the time.  Or that might mean that in the background of my pictures are untidy.  I am ok  with that.  I want people to feel comfortable here and not like they can't make this or that because it looks so super awesome. I am not putting down beautiful blogs. Seriously, I love them!! I secretly wish my house was decorated amazing.  Right now though, this blog is a hobby and my kids are my passion.  And I am a-ok with that!

That being said: Here is the most delicious Pumpkin Spice Pancake recipe I have ever had! Ever!! I have tried many and they haven't always been memorable.  This one is!!

1 egg, Separate whites and yolks

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1/8 cup oil

3/4 cup pumpkin

1 1/2 cups flour

1/4 cup and 2 T sugar

3/4 t. soda

1/2 t. salt

1 t. cinnamon

3/4 t.  nutmeg

1/2 t. cloves

Mix egg yolks, milk, oil and pumpkin. Mix together flour, sugar, soda, salt and spices.  Add wet to dry ingredients and barely mix.  Beat egg white till stiff and fold into other ingredients.  Pour batter and cook!  

Better Pictures of Hair Flowers I made

I know I have been going hair flower crazy recently. But I do have tons of awesome recipes on retainer.  Also, the best pumpkin pancakes I have ever tasted. Plus, 2 guest posts from a cute blog who has been waiting two months for me to get back into the swing of things!  

Any favorite hair flowers you see here?  I would love to know opinions.