Christmas Notebooks

Christmas is only weeks away and I know if I don’t get organized now it will sneak up on me and I wont be prepared. I know that I probably should have already started planning but I haven’t done a thing except put up the decorations. After getting things together I realized I had all these little notes everywhere and hadn’t started using my planner yet. I decided that I needed a place to write notes and a folder to save some coupons and other stuff. That’s when I made these Christmas notebooks.

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I wasn’t thinking and didn’t take pictures from the beginning but I started out with a pocket sized composition notebook, a small notebook and a plain manila folder. Then, I piled up all of my Christmas paper and picked out a few matching pages to make the covers.

I had these great Christmas tree graphics and the Christmas Memories text also we stayed in park model home on the eve of Christmas night which having motorhome insurance alberta for secure stay and those memories look perfect on both notebooks making them a matching set.

On the inside cover of the spiral notebook I attached a ho ho ho text strip and on the first page a 25 day calendar to count down the days till Christmas.

Finally, I used this great tutorial to make the folder and added some more great embellishments that I had to give it a little zip.

I may not be ready for Christmas just yet but this will definitely help keep things together!

Thanks so much for visiting Krafty Cards etc. today.…

Taco Nacho’s

I have the perfect appetizer recipe for you today. If you like nacho’s and tacos then you’re gonna LOVE Taco Nacho’s! They are so delicious and easy to make, you will want them all the time. They are the perfect football Sunday snack or will be great for your holiday parties.

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To make this great snack you will need the following.

  • 1 lb hamburger meat
  • 1 packet taco seasoning
  • Taco sauce
  • Fiesta blend shredded cheese
  • Tortilla chips
  • Lettuce
  • Tomato
  • Jalapenos
  • Sour cream
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First cook the meat as you normally would for tacos, drain the fat and add the seasoning. While keeping the meat warm, dice the lettuce & tomato then slice the peppers. Arrange a layer of tortilla chips in the bottom of the pan or skillet.

Put almost half the meat on top of the chips. Pour some taco sauce in a ring around the meat, add some sliced jalapeno and sprinkle the shredded cheese.

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Put another layer of chips on top of the meat and repeat the process.

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Put under the broiler until the cheese has melted and is bubbling. That’s it!

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Serve with the diced lettuce & tomato and some sour cream.   I would have put these on top after it came out of the oven but some people don’t like them and I was out voted.

Taco Nacho’s

Ingredients

  • 1 lb hamburger meat
  • 1 packet taco seasoning
  • Taco sauce
  • Fiesta blend shredded cheese
  • Tortilla chips
  • Lettuce
  • Tomato
  • Jalapenos
  • Sour cream

Instructions

  1. Brown the meat and drain the fat.
  2. Add the taco seasoning.
  3. Keeping the meat warm while you dice the lettuce & tomato and then slice the peppers.
  4. Arrange a layer of tortilla chips in the bottom of the pan or skillet.
  5. Put almost half the meat on top of the chips.
  6. Pour some taco sauce in a ring around the meat, add some sliced jalapeno and sprinkle the shredded cheese.
  7. Put another layer of chips on top of the meat and repeat the process.
  8. Put under the broiler until the cheese has melted and is bubbling.
  9. Serve with the diced lettuce,& tomato and some sour cream.

DIY FALL Wood Pumpkins

I’ve seen so many pumpkins made from scrap pieces of wood that I had to make my own.

Fall Pumpkins 1

I started out with four pieces scrap wood and some pumpkin orange paint.

Fall Pumpkins

After each was painted and dry I cut the F-A-L-L letters with my Silhouette from dark brown textured cardstock. I gave the fronts a thick coat of Mod Podge and placed the letters in the center. After that dried and the letters were glued in place I gave it another thick coat of Mod Podge to seal it all together.

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While that was drying I went out back to search for a nice solid stick to cut for the stems. I attached the stems with my hot glue gun and tied a piece of Hemp rope into a bow.

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We don’t have a mantel but I found the perfect place for them in our living room.

I discovered that my bookshelf in the corner makes the perfect display area and I can’t wait to decorate it for Christmas.

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I added some leaves behind them and a couple of cute pumpkins I found at Rite-Aid. Don’t you just love the Happy Harvest Owl?

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PicMonkey Collage

Thanks for stopping by and visiting with me today, I would love for you to follow along……

Friday Favorites – I Love the 80’s

I am totally dating myself by writing this post but I can’t resist! Lately we’ve been watching a lot of MeTV. I don’t know if this is a nation wide channel or if its just in our area but I love it and can’t get enough!!! They show all the old shows I used to watch like Welcome Back Kotter, Gilligan’s Island, Cheers, Make Room for Daddy, The Rockford Files, plus a few others that I’ve listed below. Watching all these classic shows has made me a little nostalgic so I thought I would run a little series about why I love the 80’s…starting with my favorite TV shows.

Where else would I start than with Robin Williams {RIP}. I remember when he first showed up on Happy Days and froze The Fonz. Mork & Mindy became one of my favorite shows. I even had a Mork & Mindy lunch box that I ended up using to store my crayons in. Then my daughter used it for her crayons and we just threw it away a few years ago.

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The next show on my list is The Sonny & Cher Show! Every week I would ask my mom…”do you think they will cut her in half this week Mom?” I loved when they would do magic tricks and I would get up and dance and sing with Cher. OMG is this too much info lol…

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Some of these shows are actually from the 70s but they are all from my childhood! Another one of my faves is Chips! This is on every night at 6 on MeTV. If I get home early enough I try to remember to turn it on while I’m fixing dinner.

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…and what little girl did not want to be this Wonder Woman?! I know I did.

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…Just the good old boys, never meaning no harm, Beats all you never saw, been in trouble with the law, Since the day they was born…

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I actually go to give Bo Duke a hug a couple years ago at a Rochester Car Show. Best Day Ever!!!

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Then there was these crazy guys, The Banana Splits.

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Does anyone remember BJ McKay and his cute little monkey? This was definitely a must see, he was so dreamy you had to love him! I mean BJ not Bear (the monkey).

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Land of the Lost was on Saturday afternoon when the cartoons were over. Yes for you youngsters, cartoons were only on Saturday mornings. There was no Cartoon Channel or Nickelodeon. We had  13 channels and no remote. I’ve caught this on MeTV recently and I think I like the memory of watching it with my daddy more than I actually like the show itself.

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I also used to watch the Odd Couple with my dad, especially in the summer because it was on so late. We would play gin rummy and watch the Odd Couple but when the Honeymooners came on it was time for me to go to bed. This is on MeTV Friday nights at 10 and I try to catch it when ever we’re home.

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Charlies Angels is another awesome show I used to watch every week. Then the next day me and my friends would re-enact the entire episode, I was always Kelly and we would make my dad be Bosley. Can you tell I was a bit of a Daddy’s girl? Love you pops!!

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I could go on for hours but the last show I will share with you is Knight Rider. Love the Hoff and Kitt! There was never an argument to watch this show because Dad liked it too so he would always let me watch it.

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Some other favorites are The Cosby Show, Family Ties, Alice, Who’s the Boss, Growing Pains and You Can’t Do That On Television…once there was a Nickelodeon and the list goes on and on and on… What were some of your favorite TV shows when you were growing up?…

10 Websites to Help You Become an Extreme Couponer

Do you want to be an Extreme Couponer like on TLC’s popular show Extreme Couponing? I would love to be able to shop like that and get so many things for free. I’ve tried a few times to go extreme but the stores in my area have strict coupon policies which makes it really tough.

Extreme-Couponing

Even though I’m not an extreme couponer I still love to coupon! Each week I buy 3-5 Sunday newspapers, depending on how the coupon inserts match things we use. Then I check the coupon match-ups on some of the site I’m going to share with you in just a minute. I do get some free stuff like toothbrushes and toothpaste and soaps which really helps out a lot!

After visiting some or all of these sites you’re going to want to get started right away. I really don’t want to play favorites but Ruth at Saving Well, Spending Less has an amazing 8 step tutorial that will have you stockpiling in no time. Plus I love her sister site Living Well, Spending Less!

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Saving Well, Spending Less also has coupon match-ups, money saving tips and hot deals

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The Coupon Divas has match-ups for over 25 stores including The Dollar and Wegmans (a grocery store in the North East)

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I LOVE Coupons For Your Family because they have awesome match-ups for Tops which is the only grocery store besides a WalMart Super Center for 20 miles.

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The Money Saving Mom has some fantastic money management and blogging posts. Of course there are coupon match-ups for some national stores.

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Saving My Family Money is a great site! There are match-ups, bargains & deals, free stuff and tips for frugal living. It’s definitely worth checking out.

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The Coupon Girlz have tons of match-ups including Office Max, Toys R Us, Kmart & Staples plus a special Black Friday match-up, restaurant coupons and Amazon deals.

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Southern Savers is a great couponing resource! There is a fantastic Couponing 101 tutorial, lots of frugal living tips and online deals. And oh yeah, did I mention there’s some coupon match-ups.

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The Penny Pinchin’ Mom is another awesome resource. You will find a coupon database, budget help, money saving tips and so much more. If you have kids going back to school this month there is a whole bunch of stuff for you like weekly price comparisons and Tax free shopping dates.

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A Thrifty Mom has loads of match-ups and a great couponing 101 tutorial.

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Cuckoo for Coupon Deals is a fun site with match-ups for 30 stores. There’s also giveaways, freebies, online deals, so much more.

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Well there you have it. Once you’ve gone through a tutorial or two you will be well on your way to becoming an extreme couponer! I would suggest concentrating one or two sites that you really like and provide you with the information you want and match-ups for your local store.

Thanks so much for stopping by and visiting with me today!…

Back to School Crafts

Even though my daughter graduated a few years ago I still love back to school time. I have an undeniable obsession with pens, paper, notebooks…let’s just say school supplies in general…but since I’m an adult now, I like to call them office supplies.

Today, I’ve rounded up 10 of the coolest Back to School Crafts I could find floating around Pinterest. Be sure to stop over and check out the other great ideas I pinned.

Back to School Crafts Round up

I love this krafty Back to School Notebook Makeover from Chrissy over at The Taylor House

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Anyone can use this Daily Reading Log from Rebecca at Simple as That

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I so want to make these Back to School Mason Jars from Linda at Mason Jar Love

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Laura at Mrs. Ado’s First Grade Spies made these cool Duct Tape Pen Holders

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I wish I had a locker at work so I could make it look as cool as these do!

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Love, love, LOVE this Back to School Teacher Gift Set from You’ve Been Framed

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The girls over at Bee in our Bonnet have created these cute little First Day Survival Kits and there is the sweetest twas the night before school poem you have to check out.

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You’ll love these “Going Places” Back to School Party with Free Printables. I absolutely love the eraser name card holder.

Back to School Party Decorations

Another great A Back to School Party from Randi over at Dukes & Duchesses 

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And, 12 Free Back To School Printables from Jamielyn at I Heart Nap Time

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Thanks so much for stopping by and visiting with me today!…

Recipe Organization

Welcome to the A to Z Blogging Challenge. Today is the letter R and…R is for Recipe Organization.

Hi everyone, I hope you all had a wonderful Easter Sunday. We sure did! The weather was beautiful and the food was delicious. I took the weekend off from blogging to spend time with my family and get some other things done around the house. Even though it put me behind in the A to Z Challenge it was a much needed stress free break before heading off to work this morning to the end of month madness that will be waiting for me.

Recipe Organization

I also had some time to finish up this awesome recipe organization project I keep putting off. If you’re like me you have a big folder of recipes you’ve collected from magazines, friends and the internet. I wanted an easy, neat and of course pretty way to keep these together and organized by category. After giving it lots and lots of thought, this is what I came up with.

I gathered my supplies including manila folders, double-sided tape, glue stick, bone folder, paper trimmer, scissors, patterned and solid paper and tape.

Recipe Organization 1

The first step is to glue the patterned paper to the front of the folder. Trim the top and side but leave about an inch or so at the bottom to fold over to the back of the folder.

Next, using the double-sided tape, cover the back of the folder with the solid cardstock. Don’t go all the way to the end, leave about half an inch of the patterned paper showing then tape the edge from one end to the other.

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The next step is to adhere the solid cardstock to the front flap using scraps from the back.

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After deciding on the categories I wanted to use I made these great tabs using my Silhouette!

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All I had left to do was sort my recipes and fill up those folders. The categories I used are:

  • Appetizers
  • Baking – Cakes & Cupcakes
  • Baking – Cookies
  • Baking – Pies
  • Baking – Snacks
  • Bread
  • Breakfast
  • Main Dishes – Beef
  • Main Dishes – Casseroles
  • Main Dishes – Chicken
  • Main Dishes – Pasta
  • Main Dishes – Pork
  • Side Dishes
  • Soups & Salads
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Thanks for stopping by today, I would love to hear how you organize your recipes…

DIY Lightbox

The lighting in my house is terrible and unless I get lucky and have a bright and sunny Sunday afternoon it can be pretty hard to get a good picture. I’ve tried lots of different tricks but they never seem to work just right. Then I found this amazing DIY Lightbox post from Sandra @ Simple is Pretty and I knew I had to make one.

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I was super excited to get started so I headed right to Lowe’s to get some supplies. Sandra used two 60 watt clip on lamps on each side of her lightbox, I could only find these 40 watt lamps at Lowe’s and instead of waiting I just scooped them up. Since this purchase I found the perfect 60 watt lamps at Walmart but I’m going to give these a try first and if they don’t work the way I want then I’ll go buy the one’s at Walmart.

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I changed a couple of other things and I don’t think it was for the better! If you are thinking about making a lightbox for yourself, I suggest sticking to Sandra’s directions and it will turn out perfect. My biggest regret is that I didn’t leave the 2 inch border on the front of the box! This would’ve made the frame so much stronger and kept it from bending like it did on the top and the sides. If this ends up giving me a problem I will just start over with a new box.

DIY Lightbox

I still have to figure out the background and how to set up my props but hopefully you will start noticing a difference in my pictures. I would love to hear your suggestions on what to use in the background or see how you made your lightbox…leave a comment and let me know what you think.

Thanks for stopping by and visiting with me today!…

Strawberry Cream Cheese Cake Balls

Last week I brought some strawberry cream cheese cake balls to work for everyone to enjoy. They were a big hit and I probably should have brought 2 boxes but I will remember that for next time.

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I’ve discovered that cake balls are a great thing to bring as a dish to pass at a party or a sweet treat for someone special. They are just the right size to pop in your mouth and then grab one to go which makes them the perfect bite sized treats.

To make your own strawberry cream cheese cake balls you will need…

Ingredients
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I also suggest having some wax paper and you will need a double boiler to melt the chocolate.  I don’t have an official double boiler so I use a glass bowl with a pan. Either way you will get the same result…melted chocolate…so my theory is why spend extra money when you already have everything you need right in your cupboard.

Double Boiler

These are super easy to make and all you need to do is…

Directions

If the chocolate isn’t hardening fast enough put them in the refrigerator for about 10-15 minutes.

I found these cute Valentine’s candy boxes at Jo-Ann’s and they were the perfect size for two layers of 12. I love the window on top! It lets you keep them covered but still see what’s inside which was great at work.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Cakeballs 2

Thanks for stopping by and visiting with me today!…