Apple Ice Creams with Brandy Caramel

This bit of Fall deliciousness can be found at timeforalittlesomething.com.

Root Beer Float Cake

Excuse me a second while I wipe up the drool from my keyboard..... ok, that's better.

Brown Eyed Baker has this amazing recipe here.

No Heat Curls

This is a huge craze among the women of reddit.com. Here's the tutorial from MaryJanes & Galoshes. I tried out this method and here's my hair after taking it out.

I was excited. Curls don't typically stay well in my hair. Just thinking about it flashes me back to high school prom and 2 stylists trying to get curls to stay while cursing under their breath at my hair. Obviously it needed taming in order to make it pretty. I brushed it as the tutorial showed, and it frizzed the shit out on me! I will not be showing a photo of that. I think the reason for the fail was that I made the curls too tight, and didn't use the right kind of brush. At least, I hope so. I will be trying this again. All the photo's that were posted of women trying this gives me hope that I can have cool retro curls. Maybe it just takes a little practice.

If you try this, let me know how it went in the comments!

Pumpkin Cookies With Carmel Frosting

Oh, it's that time of year again. Time for all things PUMPKIN!

Full recipe on Let's Dish!

7 Home Remedies for Kids

How Does She had a post about home remedies to help our kids when they're not at their best. Most of us have heard of the B.R.A.T. diet, but there's so much more to this. Head on over and read the full list. Maybe bookmark it for future reference.

Make a Jellyfish

Bhoomplay's Blog has a pretty cool little tutorial on how to make a jellyfish in a bottle. Ok, it's a plastic bag, but it looks really cool.

Check out how to make this here. There's even a cute video showing kids playing with them. As soon as I can find someplace that has clear plastic bags, we're going to try this out. All my plastic bags are white or brown. I don't think it would have the same effect.

Make Pumpkin Ice Cream

I have to confess something. I love ALL things pumpkin. I love the color of pumpkin, Halloween, jack-o-lanterns, pumpkin seeds, and any food that includes pumpkin. Needless to say my taste buds started going as soon as I saw this.

Best part? It has a little liquor in it! Well, the recipe offers what you can add. See the recipe and more yummy pumpkin photos by David Leebovitz here.

Rainbow Ice Cream Cake Bites

Yeah, you just read that. In case you don't believe it, here's the photo evidence.

My first thought was 'how in the world...?' followed up by 'that must be a ton of work!' Honestly, it's not much more than making regular cake balls/bites. Check out how to make these at Sugar Swings!

Chocolate Covered Jelly Beans

1 Fine Cookie shows us how to make Jelly Bellies even more delicious with chocolate.

See how and her combination recipes here.  I think I'll be picking up some Jelly Bellies this week. yum!

12 Cute Ways to Decorate a Cake

Check out these 12 Cute Ways to Decorate a Cake from Food on Shine. Very simple with a big impact.

yummy!

Hula Hoop Making

Hillbilly Jillies: Hula Hoop Making = Hours of Fun

Check out this clever tutorial on how to make a custom hula hoop for you kids. I bet you could put some small beads or marbles in it and get the swirly sound that some of them have. Fun!

Kids Birthday Morning Surprise

Craftymoods.com: Kids PRICELESS Morning Birthday Surprise!

I can't wait to do this for oldest daughters birthday at the end of the month!

"Chocolate Frog" Jelly Shots

Jelly Shot Test Kitchen: "Chocolate Frog" Jelly Shots

Yes please! I'll take several.

Free Android App

I love Plants vs. Zombies! Today only Amazon is giving the game away for free. It's typically $2.99. If you have an Android phone, I highly recommend getting this app. Go HERE for the Amazon appstore and get the game.

Flower Petal "Stained Glass"

This is a beautiful idea for decorating a window or door. Just use flower petals and leaves arranged on contact paper!

Wonderful, right? I can't wait to try it. I have a sliding glass door that could use some color.

Tonkatsu

I made this for dinner tonight and it was a huge success! My picky husband and daughter both ate it up.  Unfortunately we all dug in before I could take a picture, but here's what it looks like.

The recipe is from The Culinary Chronicles. I didn't make the sauce this time, and I made it with some cheesy rice. Next time I'll try the sauce too.

Tonkatsu:
4 Pieces Pork Loin, ½ inch thin1 Cup Panko Bread Crumbs
½ Cup Flour
2 Eggs
2 Tablespoons Milk
¼ Cup Vegetable Oil
Salt and Pepper

"Place breadcrumbs in a shallow dish and place the flour in another. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. Season the pork with salt and pepper. Working in batches, dredge a few pieces of the pork in the flour, then the egg mixture, and finally the breadcrumbs to coat, shaking off the excess between each step.  Repeat with the remaining pork.

In a large skillet, heat the oil to medium high heat.  Slide in pork and fry until golden brown, approximately 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove from pan and drain the cutlets on paper towels. Repeat with remaining pork."

My pork was more like 3/4" thick and I cooked them about 5-6 minutes on each side. They were nice & juicy. 

Popsicle Brownies

That's right. Brownies, on sticks, with sprinkles. Crazy Domestic has the details here, but it's pretty self explanatory based on pictures.

Promote Yourself

Do you have a blog, etsy shop, or website you want to promote? Starting today I'm going to have a post once a week for self promotion. Just Like me on Facebook or use Google Connect to follow me, then post a comment here with your name and link. I'll start a list in the post for easy access. If I get enough participation and additional followers, I will have a permanent blog roll for my followers.

Let's promote and support each other!

Shrinky Dink Rings

I saw this fantastic tutorial on how to make rings out of Shrinky Dinks and I can't wait to try it out. I have an allergy to nickel so I have to be careful of my jewelry. This will be great for something cheap and original. On top of that, what a great way to have a one of a kind art piece from the kids?

See the how to at Planet June!

Candy BBQ

Ever want to have a BBQ, but were craving candy? Yeah, me neither. But if you want to gain 100 pounds and don't mind getting diabetes, I say try this out.

Warning, the video has a bit of vulgar language!

PS- Debbie, if you're reading this. I selected this just for your kids. hahahaha!

My Bad

Hi everyone!
Sorry I haven't posted in a while. Between nice weather and a terror for a two year old, I was having trouble getting some time to post. But I'm going to be making a better effort now!

Happy Mother's Day!

Kid Friendly Mother's Day Brooch

Simple, adorable, and not the typical gift. All the makings of a perfect mothers day gift.

See how to make these at LaughPaintCreate!

Pumpkin Pasties

Here's another recipe for my Harry Potter friends. This may be the one Harry Potter treat I've wanted to try most. The recipe is from The Geeky Chef.

Homemade Parmesan Potato Chips

These look like something you'd get at cool, trendy restaurant. I can't wait to try them. The recipe is at Picky-Palate.com. Think they would be good with a pinch of garlic? I'm nuts for garlic. I really could eat it on everything.

eBook: 31 Days To Clean

Author Sarah Mae, recently released an ebook, 31 Days to Clean: Having a Martha House the Mary Way. You can get it for free today if you post on Facebook or blog about it yourself. Check out 31daystoclean.com for more info on the book. Or go to this blog for more info on getting it for free. I can't wait to read it. I'm always struggling to figure out how to keep the house tidy with 2 crazy kids running around all day.

Genius!

I love me a good cupcake. The problem? They don't transport well individually. I found a solution.

Cup-A-Cake is a cupcake holder that keeps your yummies in perfect condition. At $2.99 each, it's not a bad price either. They have lots of colors. There's a page to look for local retailers.

Clever Kid Dinner

Spaghetti Hair Sausage. Cut sausages into slices and put spaghetti crossed. Cook them in salty boiling water until they are tender. That's it. Really. And you get this

heck, I'd enjoy eating that! 

Frozen Butterbeer

This one's for my Harry Potter friends! I've always wanted to try a butterbeer. how amazing would this be on a hot summer day.... *sigh*

Frozen Butterbeer
Ingredients: 
For the butterbeer:
1 1/2 cups cream soda
6 tablespoons butterscotch schnapps
2 cups ice
For the foamy topping:
6 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon butterscotch schnapps

Directions:
Combine cream soda, schnapps and ice in a blender. Blend until slushy. Pour into a glass or mug. In a small bowl, combine heavy cream and schnapps. Using an electric mixer, whisk together until almost whipped. You want the cream mixture to be slightly loose, not as firm as whipped cream. Top the butterbeer with the foamy topping and serve immediately.

Serves 2

Recipe by Cooks Like a Champion!

Spring Decorations

Pom-Pom Branches by The Crafts Dept.

Butterfly Mobile by Twig and Toadstool

Coffee Filter Butterflies by My Kids Make

Wallpaper Decals by Apartment Therapy

How To Make Butter

I can't wait to try this out. Maybe we'll have fresh butter when we have our family over for dinner next week!

See how with a photo tutorial at Omnomicon.

Skittles Vodka

I just have no words of how genius this is!
You can use each Skittles flavor and infuse vodka with each flavor. Add that to some Jell-O shots and I think I might be in heaven. See how at owned.lv.

Cheesy Pepperoni Pizza Bread

I think I can handle this one. And my oldest might actually eat it! See how to make this at Picky Palate. It's my new favorite recipe site.

Jewelry Deal

I have an awesome deal to share. Darcus Tori sometimes sends out emails with promos for their jewelry. I happened to have gotten one today and want to share the deal. I've bought from them before and I was very satisfied. Any of these items you can get for only the price of shipping! Just use code 0801. I believe you can order up to 3 of the items free. Make sure you sign up with them to receive their emails so you get their offers.

Simulated Pink Diamond

Lavender Alexandrite

Heart Simulated Amethyst

Sterling Silver Cross

Prayer Box Locket

Enjoy!
(disclaimer: I was not compensated for this in any way)

Italian Egg Drop Soup

From Cooking With Sugar

• 1 48 oz container of chicken stock
• 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
• ½ onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 large eggs
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
• 1 (9oz bag) of fresh spinach chopped or 1 (10oz box) of frozen chopped spinach
• 2 tablespoon fresh or dried parsley chopped
• 1/2 cup of pastina pasta (the little stars)
• Salt and black pepper

In a stockpot, heat the olive oil and add the garlic and the onion. Season with salt and pepper and sauté on medium high heat until onions are transparent (but not brown) about 2 minutes. Then add the chicken stock and bring to a light boil. Add the spinach and the parsley and turn down the heat slightly and cook for about 5 minutes while you make the egg mixture. In a bowl, combine the eggs and the cheese, and mix well with a fork until blended.

Turn up the heat on the stockpot and when the stock comes to a boil, add the pastina and give it a good mix so it doesn’t stick together. Cook for about 2 minutes and then whisk in the egg mixture with a fork and reduce heat immediately to low. Continue whisking lightly for a minute or two until eggs set. Remove from heat and let the pot sit for a minute or two. Then season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve topped with some extra grated cheese.

Window Stars

A little something to spruce up a blah window!

See how to make these over at Mom's Crafty Space.

PEEP Specimens

Look what I made! PEEP specimens for our wall. It needed something cheery.

Find a simple frame and remove the glass. I used a green piece of foam, just because it was the right color. You can use construction paper or copy paper too. For the bunnies, take a sharp pair of scissors and cut the back half off. Feel free to eat the butts. For the chicks, I cut about two thirds off the bottom layer, but only a thin amount. I didn't cut any of the tail underside since they stick up.

They stuck pretty decent on their own, but I put a line of Elmer's Glue in between to make sure they stuck. Let the whole thing sit for about an hour before hanging.

My original plan was for all of them to be bunnies, but I went to 3 stores and couldn't find them in pink. So chicks it is. Now that it's done, I thought it might be funny if one of them had their head bitten off. I may make this change later.

What do you think?

Yarn Eggs

These are so bright and cheery. And my 2 year old can help make these (if she doesn't steal the balloons first).

See the how to on Disney Family Fun.

Cadbury Deviled Eggs

So fun! Let's see grandma's deviled eggs compete with these! The how to at Serious Eats.

Bunny Crepes

I've never tried crepes, but I think this may convince me to try this out. It looks delicious and so cute.

See the recipe at Parenting.com.

Paint Chip Garland

I foresee a trip to Home Depot in my near future!

It's so easy and cute. They almost look like the little plastic eggs with the line in the middle. See the step by step at Modern Parents Messy Kids.

Egg Decorating!

Crafts By Amanda has 7 cool ways to decorate eggs. Marbled Eggs, Speckled Eggs, Drip Eggs, Rubber Band Eggs, Colorful Chinese Tea Eggs, Stenciled Eggs, & Tie Dye Eggs. Here's a couple photos of her creations:

Gorgeous! I also found a great How To on Disney Family Fun on making leaf print eggs.

It's so easy to do! I wonder how well it'd work with feathers.

Homemade Cadbury Creme Eggs

One of my favorite Easter treats! You can learn to make your own at Instructables!

Geeky Family

I'm sure you've all seen those cutesy family vinyl car clings. They show each family member, usually attired with their profession or hobby. Cute, but not for me. If I'm going to have a set. I want them geeky. I found Kelly Kreations on Etsy. Her items fit the bill exactly!

And my favorite:

Add bows to the mushrooms and it's perfect!!!