{Reindeer} Pillow

A couple years ago, I made these Pillows for the girls to put on their beds during the month of December. We used their foot & hand prints to make a Reindeer face.

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Elf Kit

This is the best tool you could have on Christmas morning. Our Elf Kit has been a life saver for a few years now. Before I put this all together I got my exercise going back & forth for tools.


I placed this list just inside the lid.


All the "tools" (great finds at the Dollar store) to put inside the paint can.


{I dressed up the paint can (found at Home Depot or Lowe's) by mod podging some fabric on the bottom, labeling with vinyl, adding a knob to top lid & some ribbon on the handle}


Hope this comes in handy for your Christmas morning.

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Please {Santa} . . .

I made a Christmas version of this Door Hanger.

I got these cute keys and this came to mind. Great for the front door.

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Our {Crepe} Restaurant

What a journey our family has been through in the last 4 months.

My husband was let go with a local builder before summer hit. Thru the summer we saved as much money as we could, but didn't have a plan of how the bills were going to get paid this coming winter. We've been selling crepes at the downtown Farmer's Market (on Saturdays) & have had such great success. People wanted to know where they could get them during the week. That made think. . .

We looked in different areas of our town & found a place in the same complex as the Edwards 21 Theaters. The deal was too good to pass up & then we knew our prayers had been answered. This is how The Creperie came to be. We had a very small budget & we had to do 80% of the work ourselves(ceiling/walls/flooring/signage/cabinetry). We were blessed to find many things on CraigsList for a great deal and even got some free stuff.

Below are some pictures to showcase our hard work!


The "before" shell of a room.


Family on the scissor lift to paint the ceiling.


Me "fauxing" the walls.


The ceiling, walls and new stain on the concrete flooring DONE!


The back brick wall with a "faux stucco" face. [I really had a challenge with the brick wallpaper so I had to do this "faux stucco". I put up 1/4" wood on the wall then used joint compound to cover it then faux painted it-it was a happy accident.]


Pricing boards [doors & molding from a second hand store & made them chalkboard-MS formula]


CraigsList wall tables-before & after


The END result.

I'm grateful for this humbling experience. I know this will be a legacy for our children.

If you're in the Boise area please stop by & say "hi".

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Christmas {2010} Gift for Teachers

This year I needed to do something simple for the kid's teachers as a Christmas Gift.


I took the large candy bars & wrapped them with paper. Then added a sparkly foam letter then tied it off with fabric.

This is our years edition of Homemade Fudge!

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Last-Minute Teacher Gifts?

Oh no! Tomorrow is the last day of school before Christmas break and my children's teachers' Christmas gifts are still somewhere between "shipped" and my doorstep. Time is running out, and I need to figure out a back-up plan. Fast! If any of you are in the same boat, I found a couple of links that gave me some great ideas. (Now I just need to decide which one I want to do and do it! "Tick-Tock-Tick...")

Ideas from the Dollar Stretcher
Ideas from FlyLady.net
Ideas via SassySites blog

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Family Service Project Report

On Monday evening, we took our family to the Boise Rescue Mission warehouse to attend the "Toy Sorting Party". It was a blast! We went with some good friends of ours too, which made it even more enjoyable!

We actually ended up sorting food and decorating placemats and boxes (of food) for the homeless (instead of toys). Our husbands even got to take our boys with them and run a huge load of stuff over to one of the homeless shelters in [our friend's] truck.

The evening was a success! I DO recommend this service for families. It is a very family-friendly activity. We will definately be continuing this tradition in the years to come! My kids are now asking what else they can do to serve others. So we decided as a family, that we would take these last "12 Days of Christmas" and do a family service every day until Christmas. This is awesome!!

Click HERE for volunteering info in my area.

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Chocolate Mint Christmas Cookies

My friend, Lexi brought me over some "to-die-for" Christmas cookies last year, a recipe that she found HERE. They are now a Christmas "staple" at my house. You use chocolate chips (melted) in the dough, and Andes mints for the "icing".

I made a double batch of these last week and stuck them in the freezer. I have plans for them that I will share later.

These cookies are seriously sinful, but oh so heavenly!! Click HERE for the recipe.

Did you know that Andes also makes these baking chips?

The red peppermint ones are usually only around during the holidays, but the green ones (which are my fave) you can find all year long. I get them at Walmart.


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Cute Christmas Poem from Hymns

I love this poem! I can't even remember where I got it, but it was several years ago. I have given it to friends or gals I visit-teach in the past, attached to a little music-themed tree ornament.

Click HERE to print this poem. Enjoy!!


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{Where} is Heather??

Wanna know where Heather is right now?? She is with her husband, opening the doors to their brand new, amazing restaurant called The Creperie in Boise!! How exciting is that?

They plan to serve Savory Crepes, like Parisian, Thai Chicken, Mediteranean, Faux Vegan, and Le Cochon (cheddar cheese & bacon) as well as Sweet Crepes, like Le Arentine (dulce de Leche & powdered sugar), Nutella, Deux Fruits (strawberry, banana, brown sugar) and many, many more. To see the full menu you can go to their website.

I will let Heather share more, about her new restaurant, with you later. Just wait till you see pics of the place... WOW! It's definately been "Heatherised". I can hardly wait to sink my teeth into one (or all )of Heather's husband's amazing crepes!! YUMMMM!!

You LOCALS are in for a TREAT!!

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Christmas Gift Idea for Child-Rearing Parents

There have been many readers of ours, friends, and family of mine (locally and outa-town) that wish so badly to attend the "Positive Parenting" class here in the Boise, ID area. This class is a 10-week (per semester) Adult Education class, offered by the LDS Church Educational System (CES) through BYUi. It is taught by Sister Carleen Tanner, who has raised 10 awesome children. She has spoken at Education Week for years and has been teaching this parenting class for about 20 years now. I love the class so much that I can't stop going! (I've taken the classes all the way through about 4 times in the last 9 years.) It keeps my "bucket" full, and gives me new ideas and inspiration each time. (I know Heather goes every few years as well.)

*NOTE: Each "semester" (starting in Sept. and Jan.) is a 2-hour class/once a week, for 10 weeks. So there are roughly 20 different topics that Sis. Tanner covers per year.

If you are one of those moms that really wishes you could take this class, or know someone else that does, then you are in luck!! Sister Tanner has about 10 different CD's that you can purchase from her directly. They are $10 each, and so worth it! I have 5 of her CD's, and I love to listen to them while cleaning or driving. She does not market her CD's or sell them in stores. But because of the demand for recordings of her classes, she is willing to sell and ship them to those interested.


If you would like to find out more about Carleen Tanner's CD's you can email her directly at CarleenTanner AT gmail DOT com.
These would make great gifts!!

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Service GIFT

Since life is crazy right now I want this season to be one that we get back to the main reasons of Christmas.

We are going to add a twist to the tradition we do with picking family names for a gift. Instead of doing a "gift=present"(we ususally set a $ limit of what we would spend for each other), we are going to do a gift but in the form of SERVICE. All month long.

After we pick our names, we will all write down any thoughts {about the person, ideas on how to serve this person, about this Christmas season & what we each hope to learn}. During the month, I'm going to encourage the family to write down experiences {moments, feelings} Then at the end of the month they could put them in photo book holder (walmart for $1.00).

I really believe you love those you serve. I hope this is your season also.

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{Count Your Blessings} Binder

As promised I am sharing the idea I am doing with the paper squares from this post.


When we really look at what we are thankful for, the blessings are more apparent in our lives.


I opened the Blessing Box- it was loaded with blessings. (I love to see all the different handwritings & colors of paper)


Tape all the paper squares randomly on a plain piece of cardstock. (I used the front & back of each sheet to save space).


Front sheet- a space for our family photo & title.


Put all finished pages in sheet protectors & place in a binder.

After looking at all the 12 pages of hand written love, I'm going to keep this in our living room all year long. I want to have a reminder of how blessed we are (with the hard times I've had lately I will make use of this).

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Do You Have Room for the Savior?

My sister sent me the link to this beautiful Christmas video by Shawna Edwards. She also sent me the link to Shawna's website where she shares her beautiful music. What a treat!! You can enjoy this video and the rest Shawna's wonderful music and videos on her site. Thank you Shawna, for sharing your amazing talents with us!!

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Sticker TIP

I'm so glad I figured this Sticker TIP out before more frustration came. . . I know companies have to put bar code stickers where is it convenient for them but it is so inconvenient for the customer.

Usually I have to run it under hot water and then use Goo Gone to get it off. And even then it still leaves a somewhat sticky residue.
So this time I tried my blowdryer (craft heat gun would work as well) while I slowly pulled the barcode sticker off-

WOW it worked.

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Turkey & Pie

I know this comes after Thanksgiving but I just had to share these Fabulous recipes. {Sorry the pics aren't that great- I had to hurry and take them before they got eaten!}

This years Turkey was the best one I've ever had. It was tender & juicy. I usually like eating the dark meat because it is more tender & moist than the white meat. This year is the changing point. I was inspired by Martha Stewart & Alton Brown but I found one here. I will not cook another turkey any other way but this one. You put it in a BRINE for 24 hours before cooking it.


Brine Recipe I did:
1 gallon chicken broth + 1 jug beef broth
1 1/2 cup Kosher salt
1 Tablesppon dried Rosemary
1 Tablespoon dried thyme
2 Tablespoons peppersorns
Put all this in a pot to boil then let cool.
Put turkey in a large bucket [sprig of basil -in cavity]. Then pour the brine over the Turkey. Fill the rest of the bucket up with ice water until the turkey is totally covered. Put it in the frig for 24 hours before cooking. Discard brine after use. My turkey was a 24 lb. & I cooked it for 3 1/2 hours at 350.
FYI: There will be a little discolorization because of the Brine.
{I think the next time I try it, I might add a few more seasonings for extra flavor}


Chiffon Pumkin Pie Recipe ( handed down from my Grandma):
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup water
3 egg yolks (keep whites)
3/4 cup canned/cooked pumpkin

Put all ingredients in a double boiler on med-high heat. Stir often for about 10 mins. Let cool. In a seperate bowl beat the egg whites until stiff then mix in 1/4 cup sugar. Fold in the egg whites to pumpkin mixture. Pour into a baked pie crust. Put in frig to set. Best tasting if made the day before needing it.

Because I've grown up on this on yummy pie, I can't eat other baked pumpkin pies. This is one tradition I love!

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