Letter Bottles With a Hot Glue Gun

Simpe DIY craft:

Take any old jar that you like and write anything you want with a hot glue gun.

Then paint it any color you'd like!

Voila!

Wisdom of the great Maya Angelou

You alone are enough..

Crustless turkey and spinach quiche

Plenty satisfying and easy on the waistline, this crustless turkey and spinach quiche is a perfect brunch recipe to share with your girlfriends. The filling features a combination of bite-sized bits of smoked turkey ham, onions, leafy baby spinach, and shredded cheddar and Swiss cheeses.

8 servings (serving size: 1 wedge)

Ingredients:

Cooking spray
3/4 cup (4 ounces) cubed smoked turkey ham (such as Jennie-0)
1/2 cup chopped onion $
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese, divided
1 cup fresh baby spinach leaves $
1 cup fat-free cottage cheese $
1/2 cup evaporated fat-free milk
1/4 cup (1 ounce) shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese $
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (about 2 1/4 ounces)
1 teaspoon baking powder

 
Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add ham, onion, and pepper to pan; sauté 4 minutes or until ham is lightly browned.
3. Sprinkle 1/4 cup shredded Swiss cheese in a 9-inch pie plate coated with cooking spray. Top with ham mixture.
4. Combine remaining 1/2 cup Swiss cheese, spinach, and next 5 ingredients (through egg whites) in a large bowl; stir with a whisk.
5. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and baking powder in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add flour mixture to egg mixture, stirring with a whisk until blended. Pour egg mixture over ham mixture. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in center of quiche comes out clean.

Pasta with Kale in Lemon cashew sauce.

SERVINGS: 6.  PREP TIME: 10 MIN. COOK TIME: 20 MIN.  TOTAL TIME: 30 MIN

INGREDIENTS:
½ cup Raw Cashews, soaked*
3 cups Vegetable Broth
Juice of 2 Lemons, about ½ cup
1 tsp Dried Basil
3 Tbsp Cornstarch
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Box Whole Wheat Pasta, i used penne
1 cup Diced Onion
3 Large Cloves Garlic, minced
1 cup sliced Baby Carrots
About 5 Cups of Kale, stems removed and torn into small pieces
Salt & Pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:
*Cashew soaking: To quick soak, put the cashews in a microwave-safe bowl and cover with water. Microwave for 2 minutes; set aside to cool.

For the sauce: In a high-speed blender or food processor, combine broth, lemon juice, basil, cornstarch, and 1 Tablespoon olive oil. Drain the cashews, discarding water and add cashews to blender. Blend on high, until creamy; set aside.

Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Cook pasta according to directions on package, reserving about 2 cups of the water.

In another large pan with some additional olive oil as needed, saute onions on medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add carrots; cook and stir for another minute; add sauce. At this point, if the sauce is too thick, stir in some of the reserved pasta water, as needed. Add the kale and stir to cover with the sauce. Allow the kale to cook for about 5 minutes, until it has wilted a little, but is still bright green.

Add the cooked and drained pasta, and then add to the pan and stir to combine; season with salt and pepper to taste.

DIY wall mounted folding table

I absolutely love this, not only is it adorable but so helpful!

We are going to show how easy it is to create a handmade folding table which can be mounted on a wall.

You will need:

1 × 6 lumber, 14 linear feet
1 piece of 38 1/2-inch 1 x 2
40 x 16-inch piece of sanded plywood
1/2-inch square dowel rod approximately 14 inches in length
Light-duty #3 double-loop chain approximately 4 feet in length
Box of 1 1/2-inch coarse thread wood screws
Eyehooks and 1/8-inch S-hooks (same size as chain)
Continuous (piano) hinge 36 inches long
High-quality wood glue
Decorative latch
Hanging mounts
Level or T-square
Sandpaper
Marker
Power saw
Wood filler
Exterior stain or paint

 

The wood can be cut to size at your local Home Depot store or you can do it yourself with a power saw, carefully measuring and cutting each piece to fit.

Step 1
Assemble the sides, top and bottom pieces to make the frame. Ensure they are accurately put together using a level or T-square.

Carefully apply wood glue on both sides of where the pieces will meet before joining. Then, fasten together with wood screws, making sure to quickly take off any excess wood glue that is visible.

Step 2
Next, place the back top, middle, and shelf pieces, making sure all are flush and square.

Install and fasten them to the frame using the same steps and materials used in Step 2.

Step 3
Center and then attach continuous hinge onto the front plywood piece with the screws provided from the hinge.

Make sure the other side of the hinge is fastened to the bottom portion of the bottom piece of the buffet. Test the hinge to make sure the front piece closes and opens properly.

Step 4
Next, attach eyehooks and S-hooks a few inches from the inside edge of the front piece and on the inside sides of the buffet frame.

Install your chain onto the S-hook, making sure it is secure. Having extra chain at this step is fine, as you can cut and change the length if it is too long.

At this stage, test all parts to ensure the front piece works efficiently.

Step 5
Inspect where you’ll be putting the two square dowel rod bottom stops, ensuring they will stop at 90 degrees when the front piece is folded down. Before fastening them to the front, make sure they will be placed a few inches from the edges of the front piece.

These bottom stops are important; they will help the front piece support weight from whatever is being placed on it once it is opened for use.

Then inspect all areas of the buffet, sand down rough areas and be sure to fill any screw holes or gaps with wood filler.

Any remaining wood glue can be sanded, leaving you with a smooth professional-like finish.

Step 6
Apply paint or stain of your choice to all wood surfaces.

You may choose to take off the metal hinges and eyebolts at this step, or mask off to ensure the metal pieces are unaffected. Make sure whichever stain or paint you decide to use is exterior grade and has a durable finish once it is dry.

Most stains will need a top clear coat of exterior polyurethane or similar clear coat. If you choose to paint the wood surfaces, a primer is recommended to ensure a professional and even-looking finish for the final top coat.

Step 7
After your paint or stain is dry, apply the top latch and back mounting clips to ensure the buffet is secure and will stay in place.

The type of screw or mounting system you will need depends on the wall surface where you’re placing the buffet. Always refer to the mounting system instructions to determine if it will work.

Step 8
Mount the assembled and completed buffet cabinet, checking it with a level after installation to make sure that it will be fully functional and safe.

Original post: http://ext.homedepot.com/community/blog/diy-outdoor-buffet-cabinet

Edible teacup cookies

How cute are these little edible teacup cookies!

They look like real teacups and saucers, are easy to make, and require no baking!

They can be used as desserts during parties or tea parties with friends.

To make these cute cookies, you’ll need:

Vanilla sandwich cookie wafers
Reese’s Miniature Peanut Butter Cups
Ice cream sugar cones
Circle pretzels (found in Chex Mix Sweet ‘n Salty Honey Nut mix)
Chocolate frosting (chocolate pudding, chocolate ganache, etc.)
Chocolate or vanilla candy melts
First, cut the sugar cones to one and half inches. Dip the bottom in warm water for 20s to avoid breaking them then cut where the wet and dry areas meet with a serrated knife

Create two handle points by cutting a small piece of the circle pretzels.

Melt 2 ounces of chocolate or vanilla candy melts in a zip-top bag in the microwave then cut the corner of the bag and dab a little candy melt in the center of the cookie wafers.

Place unwrapped Reese’s Miniature Peanut Butter Cups on top of the candy melt on the cookie wafers.

Fix the ice cream cones on top of the Reese’s cups.

Add more  candy melt inside the cones, where the edge meets the Reese’s cup.

Pipe frosting, pudding or ganache inside the ice cream cones.

Add a dab of candy melt to the cut off edges of the circle pretzels and attach them to the sides of the ice cream cones. You may need to hold them in place for a few seconds until the candy melt holds firmly and stays in place.

 

Source was Pinterest.  Not sure who really did this, but whoever it was, YOU are genius! 

Breakfast casserole, simple and delicious!

This breakfast casserole is made about every other month, we all really enjoy it!

Breakfast Casserole
6 eggs
about 3/4 cup milk
4 large sausage links (or about 1/2 lb ground sausage)
2 russet potatoes
about 1 teaspoon salt
about 3/4 teaspoon pepper
about 1/2 teaspoon paprika
cheese (if desired)
1. Peel, chop and boil your potatoes until just soft. Not quite to the point you'd make mashed potatoes with.

2. Cook your sausage fully. Any meat would work! (Or what we do now is no meat at all!!)

3. Chop up your potatoes and sausage into bite sized pieces. I did the first three steps the night before.

4. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Crack and mix your eggs, milk, and seasonings. Then add your potatoes and sausage. Stir till combined and pour into a 9x9 baking pan.

5. Depending on your oven, cook for 30-45 minutes until cooked through. Mine took about 40 minutes. If desired, melt cheese on top (I didn't, but after eating it-cheese would have upped the awesomeness in my opinion).

6. Serve and enjoy!

DIY cheese crackers (simple)

Cheese crackers DIY (do it yourself)

Ingredients
1½ cups (6 oz) grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and cut into pieces
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon milk

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350.
Put everything except the milk in a food processor. Pulse the processor, 5 seconds at a time, for about 5 or 6 times, until the dough is in coarse crumbs.
Add the milk and process until the dough gathers together in a ball.
Roll the dough out on a floured board with a rolling pin that has been floured until it is about 1/8 inch thick.
Cut the dough into 1-inch squares with a sharp knife or pizza cutter. You can put a bit of flour on the blade of the knife to keep it from sticking.Use the flat end of a wooden skewer to poke a hole in the center of each cracker.
Place the crackers at least ¼ inch apart on parchment paper on a baking sheet.
Bake for 12 - 15 minutes until the edges are just starting to brown.
Put the baking sheet on a rack and let the crackers cool completely.
Eat! Or store in a covered container to eat within a day or two.

Hula hoop hideout

I absolutely adore this! Cute, right?

Supplies:

Hula Hoop (Mine are from Dollar Tree for $1 each)
Safety Pins
Twine or Rope
Tulle and/or Ribbon (Mine is from Jo-Anns Dollar bin)
Sheets
Scissors
Cushions and Blankets
How To:

Pin the top edge of the sheet to the hula hoop by folding the sheet over and pinning it to itself. (see pic below)
Use twine to create a hanger to tie your hideout to the tree with. I used two long pieces of twine and tied each piece to opposite sides of the hula hoop. The two pieces then criss-crossed over each other. I tied the two together where they criss-crossed with another piece of twine. Later I used that piece to actually tie the hoop into the tree.
Tie on tulle and ribbons or any other embellishments you have. (see pic below)
Hang the hideout from a tree branch.
Add blankets and cushions underneath your fort so you can be nice and comfy.
Take a little nap or eat a snack inside your new hideout.
I hope you enjoyed this post!
Thanks Alannageorge!

We found so many ideas on the hula hoop hideout, here are a few other photos!

I adore the hula hoop hideout in the room! Would be great for a reading nook or kid's corner!!

Home school outside

Today we decided to do our schooling outside, so enjoyable!
First I baked a coffee cake, then we headed out.

The kids were thrilled to be sitting outside, it was a beautiful, semi windy day. As you can see in the pictures, it was wonderful!

So very thankful for this day spent with my 4 little treasures! It is days like this that warm my heart, such a simple day but such a wonderful day.

Matthew 6:21- Where your treasure is there will your heart be also.