Simple St. Patrick's Day Centerpiece

Guest post from Doris!

These Balloon centerpieces ended up being really bright, fun and showy.

Balloons are an inexpensive way to go (unless you use helium).

We just attached 4 balloons together with a twisty tie and nestled a balloon weight in the middle.

Gotta have "GOLD" candy for St. Patrick's!!

Young Women Values Print

I am so excited to share with you my Young Women Values print!  It is designed to be a 4X6 print.  Perfect to use for birthday gifts, birthday cards, girls camp, new beginnings, activity day girls heading into Young Women's... the possibilities are endless!

 How cute would that be in a girls room?  The two prints below are designed to work in these IKEA picture frames, or any frame they cuts a little of the edge off and needs a border!

Black Border 4x6

White Border 4X6

I used these free papers to create this project, and this one for the gold.

Most Requested Recipe: Chocolate Chip Cookies

Is there anything better than a yummy chocolate chip cookies?  This is the recipe I receive the most requested for.  I don't know if that is because I make them so much, or because they are simply delicious!

Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 Cup butter shortening
1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. salt

1/4 cup milk

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla
3 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 cups milk chocolate chips

Mix shortening, sugars, and eggs.  Add the rest of the ingredients.  Make cookie dough into balls and place on cookie sheet.  Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

Tips and Tricks

*The dough is amazing.  Eat it up!

*Using your hands to roll the dough into balls gives them a smoother, more plump look.

*Let your cookies sit on the cookies sheet for 2 minutes after you get them out of the oven, then quickly remove them to a baking sheet.
*if your cookies are going flat, use Lehi Roller Mills Flour.  (I get mine at Costco!) and try using fresh baking soda!
*I take my cookies out of the oven when they are getting just a touch of brown on the top.  Super soft and yummy!

*To take your cookies from yummy to AMAZING, try dipping half the cookie in melted chocolate almond bark, and then drizzle with melted white chocolate. 

Honey Mustard Chicken- A Family Favorite!

This recipe has been in my family for 20+ years.  A neighbor in Pocatello, Idaho gave it to us!  This is my families FAVORITE chicken recipe!  I love to serve it with baked potatoes, or cheesey/funeral potatoes and drizzle the leftover honey mustard on the top!  YUM!!  In fact I usually double the sauce because we love it so much!

Honey Mustard Chicken
Jolene Jenkins

1 pound chicken tenders
¼ cup butter
½ cup honey
¼ cup mustard
Sprinkle with Garlic Salt (be generous!) 

Melt butter.  Stir in remaining ingredients except the chicken.  Brown chicken first if desired.  Put chicken in a pan in a single layer.  Pour sauce over chicken and bake uncovered at 375 degrees for one hour.  Turn chicken halfway through cooking time.  (If you brown the chicken it won't take as long to bake)  

Music Themed Centerpiece

Guest post from Doris!

There are many reasons you would want to celebrate music.

These Fan Flowers made out of copies of music added just the right touch. 

There are many tutorials for these found on pinterest.

Using three different sizes, they were glued to a painted wood skewer and set in a cup of Plaster of Paris.

(Black Crimp paper was added to the cups after the picture was taken)

Copies of music served as place mats and strips of music with a big black note as napkin rings.

Unique Class Valentines

If your looking for something a little more unique to have your kids give to their classmates, here are 3 ideas!  If you want to go with store bought kind... no stress!  It really doesn't matter!!  Kids don't care!  :)

I found the slinkys at the Dollar Tree, and the treat bags at Walmart.

Added this cute topper...

All done!

Found these cute airplanes at Hobby Lobby

added a quick tag

Done.

Found these stamps at Hobby Lobby, treat bags at Walmart...

added a topper...

Done!
-
Ready for Valentine class parties!!

Teacher Valentine

Need a Valentine for the teachers in your kids lives?

Click on the image.  When it is big, right click and save it to your computer.  Print.  I put mine in a little treat bag found at Walmart, where I also bought the chap-stick as well.  I folded the image in half, and placed it over the top of the bag, then stapled it on the sides!  Or you could just simply cut the bottom half off of the image and tie it to the chap-stick!

Natalia's Cookie Dough Brownies

10 years ago today, my sister became one of Heaven's most amazing angels.  So it seems only fitting that I would share one of her favorite recipes today.

Cookie Dough Brownies
Natalia Christiansen 

Brownie Layer (or cheat and use a box brownie mix!)

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 and 1/4 cups flour

1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup walnuts (optional)

In a microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate chps.  Cool slightly.  In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Mix well.  Stir in melted chocolate.  Combine flour and baking soda; add to batter.  Stir in walnuts.  Spread into a greased 9X13 pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 16-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Cool.

Cookie Dough Layer
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar

3 TBSP milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup flour

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars.  Beat in milk and vanilla.  Gradually add flour.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Drop by tablespoonfuls over cooled brownies.  Carefully spread over the top.  Cut into squares. Store in the fridge.  

Super Bowl Party

My parents had us over for a super fun Pre-Super Bowl themed Family Home Evening.  The food was so fun, and so delicious I just had to share!

The tables were so cute!!!  My mom made theses place mats using brown and white construction paper!  Easy, yet so cute!  She found the fun cups and centerpieces at Zurchers, and the table cloth at her local grocery store Dicks!  

My sister-in-law Heather made this super cool stadium style relish/chip tray!  She saw some ideas on Pinterest and then made it her own!

My Mom made these super cute football chocolate covered strawberries, using a melted Hershey Bar, and melted white chocolate.

and these super cute deviled eggs!  Just add the football stitches with green onions!

A "pig skinned" football!  I made a regular cheese ball, and then rolled it in bits of bacon and then shaped it like a football.  I used a knife to cute the football lines.  So easy.

Cheese Ball

Doris Garner's Recipe

16 ounces cream cheese

1 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 cup minced green onions

1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup mayonnaise

*I like to add a little fresh garlic, or garlic salt!

Place cheeses in small mixer bowl; let stand at room temperature until softened.  Add onion and Worcestershire sauce; blend on low speed.  Beat on medium speed until fluffy, scraping side and bottom of bowl.  Cover and chill.  Shape mixture into one large ball or many small ones.  Roll in chopped nuts or crushed cracker crumbs, or parsley.  Serve with crackers.

I have these fun football cookie cutters found in this set here (anyone local is welcome to borrow them!) 

These helmets look harder then they are.  Simply frost the helmet part.  Then using white frosting, put into a Ziplock bag, cut a small corner off and use it to make the face mask and ear hole. No fancy frosting tips used here...

I used the same Ziploc baggies to frost the lines on the footballs too.  No they are professional, but I'm here to be real, not a pro.

Sugar Cookies

Carolyn Reese

2 cups sugar

1 cup shortening

1 cup milk

2 eggs

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cream of tarter

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp vanilla

5 to 7 cups of flour (I usually do 6)

Mix ingredients together in order given.  Dough will be stiff.  Roll out about 1/2 inch think and cut with cookie cutters.  Bake at 350 for 9 minutes.

Butter Cream Frosting

Natalia Garner

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup butter

Pinch of Salt

5 Tbsp of milk

1 tsp vanilla

5 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup Karo corn syrup

Cream together shortening and butter.  Add pinch of salt and vanilla.  Gradually add powdered sugar and milk.  Blend well.  And corn syrup last, beating an additional 3-4 minutes.

Love One Another- 14 Day Challenge

LDS.org put up a great article!  They had the fabulous idea to start February with a 14 day Love One Another challenge.  Of course it ends on Valentines Day.  How perfect right?  I'm so excited to have this hanging in my home, and having my family work on one simple challenge to simply LOVE.  

13X19

Want one of your own?  Click on the image.  When is shows up BIG, right click and save it to your computer.  Take it in to a local copy store and have it printed 13X19 for $1-$2.  I wanted this BIG!

Or if you prefer, here is an 8 1/2 X 11.  You can print off at home, or at your favorite copy store.  Would be so cute in a frame!

#loveoneanother

Valentines Day Prints

I am so excited to share with you my new Valentines Day Printables!  I hope you LOVE them as much as I do!

8 X 10

 8 X 10

 8 X 10

These  are some oldies, but I still love them and use them for my Valentines decor!

4X6

5X7

4X6