Never too old for an Easter basket

My sweet husband is going to be out of town working this weekend and won't be home for Easter. This necessitated rearranging some plans, including giving his Easter basket early. I firmly believe that my good, hard working husband needs to be shown how much I appreciate him. One of the little ways that I do this is by taking the time to make him something special.
So here is Jason's 2013 (early) Easter basket:

 

 

I added some of his favorite things: eclipse chewing gum, Butter finger eggs, beef jerky, cheese dipping snacks, Reese's Eggs, different kinds of snack crackers, bread sticks, Jolly Ranchers, suckers, a new Iphone case, Iphone screen protectors, playing cards, and a little stick anywhere basketball hoop. Oh, and a rubber duck dressed as a super hero. Since he spends so much time on the road, I wanted him to have lots of snacks in his basket so he knows that I support him while he supports our family. It doesn't cost a fortune to make your husband a basket for Easter. Go for it! The big kid in him will appreciate your effort. :)

Sweet baby Gracie Marie

I realized that I have few pics of my sweet little baby on my blog! Her pictures cover my facebook but not here. Prepare for cuteness overload!

Gracie Marie Bradley was born in late Spring 2010. She was so tiny and so needy. She had a rough start to life. She was born so small and had to be taken from her mom. She was the only survivor of her litter and nearly died from hypoglycemia herself. My sister saved her from the breeder but didn't have the time to spend with her that Gracie needed. So I adopted her in August 2010.
She saved me more than I saved her. She is my sweet baby and I love her so much!



 



 



Spaghetti Squash

I have mentioned spaghetti squash to several people and have been surprised when they either hadn't heard about it or had no idea how to prepare it. It is a fabulous, lower carb alternative to pasta. Here is how to prepare it:

You will need
1 spaghetti squash
olive oil
salt
pepper

Using a large, very sharp knife, cut the squash in half and use a spoon to remove all the seeds. Rub the inside with olive oil and season with sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Place cut side up on a baking sheet and bake at 375 for about 40 minutes. Keep an eye on it and pull it before it burns. You will know when it is done when it pulls away from the skin easily. It should look like this:

Let it cool for a few minutes and then use a fork to scrape the inside of the squash out. See how easy it is to do?

You can use this in place of pasta with most any sauce. Be sure and drain the liquid off. Otherwise your dish will be watery. I will often lay it out on a flour sack cloth towel to absorb some of the moisture.
It is also delicious when tossed with just olive oil and herbs and garlic.

Give spaghetti squash a try instead of carb loaded pasta!

Saint Patrick's Day Decor #3

Remember those apothecary jars that I made? If not, check it out here.

I can use these for every season and holiday by simply changing the contents.
This is how they look for Saint Patrick's Day:

 

 

Here is a closer look at the contents of the jars:

 



I filled the first jar with cheap, shiny, shamrock garland that I picked up at the Dollar Tree for $1.
The second jar is filled with white shredded paper and then I used a circle punch to make some circles on a green and white polka dot card stock. I pushed these down and to the side of the jar for just a little green color. Cost: free with scraps I already had lying around.
The third jar is filled with green glass gems that I also found at the Dollar Tree. I used 3 bags so this filler cost $3 but will get reused for something at Easter and Christmas. :)
Total cost for fillers for 3 jars: $4.  What an inexpensive, fun way to decorate for March!

Saint Patrick's Day Decor #2

I think there should be a banner for every holiday in our home. I don't have a mantle, but I do have a shelf above the doorway between the living room and kitchen. It makes a perfect place to hang holiday banners.

 

I kept this banner really simple. I cut white card stock on my Silhouette Cameo. I then used the same shape but reduced the size to cut this pretty green polka dot from patterned paper. I cut the letters on black card stock using the Harrington font in Silhouette Studio. Then I glued it all together. I used a glue stick for the two banner shapes. I found a glue pen is easiest for the letters. I used a single hole punch to punch holes on each side of the banner piece and then strung a ribbon to hang the banner. Easy, simple way to bring festive to your home!

Saint Patrick's Day Decor #1

I want to share some ways that I am decorating our home for Saint Patrick's Day.  Today is Day 1 and combines a family activity with some easy decorating.

This is the inside of the door going to our garage. This is the door we go out most often and so I chose this location for our activity. I made a simple sign and then used my Silhouette to cut out four leaf clovers on green card stock.

The idea is that the family comes together and talks about their blessings. Then you write a blessing on each clover and sticky tack it to the door.
We used a gold Sharpie to write one word blessings such as family, love, faith, home, etc...
This would probably be MUCH MORE fun with kids instead of a grumpy husband who thinks it is silly. But still, it did get us thinking about our blessings, which was the main point of the activity :)

DIY Apothecary Jars for Cheap

I have been wanting some apothecary jars, but even on sale they are a bit more than what I want to spend. So tonight I made a couple from glass jars and candle sticks. It is a really easy project!
First, find some glass jars that you like.
I found this one on sale for 50% off regular price at Hobby Lobby. It was only $5!

I then found this little open top jar at the Dollar Tree for, wait for it, $1  :)

 

 



I found matching candlesticks on sale, 50% off regular price, at Hobby Lobby for $3.50 each.

 

I used E6000 glue that I already had at home to glue the jars to the candlesticks. Just spread a thin bead of glue to the top of the candlestick and then set the jar on top, making sure the jar is centered. Then leave it alone to set overnight and VOILA:

 



I spent a total of $13 to make two apothecary jars!

Tomorrow I will post some ideas on how to decorate with them!