Safe E-mail for Kids!

KidsEmail.org is a safe email service for kids and families. Your kids can now have a safe email account while allowing parents to be aware of any correspondence their children send and receive. You supervise your children when they go outside to play. Do you know who is contacting your child inside of your home? Let us help you keep your kids safe online! Safe Email for Kids? We've got you covered! Get a Free 60 Day Trial Now! This is for US Family Guide users ONLY! @kidsemail Use promo code: US Family when registering. www.kidsemail.org

 

 

Kelly Kits

Kelly Kits encourage art play using a wide variety of creative tools & materials beyond what coloring books can offer and are the perfect holiday gift for your creative kiddo! For 72 hours only Kelly Kits is having a site wide sale where all products are 10% off! Get your favorite little artist a years worth of art kits or a special gift pack with 5 activities that explore the five discipline of art: Drawing, Painting, Print Making, Collage & Sculpting! 

http://www.kellykits.com/holiday-specials/




Ciao for now!
Kris

Our Pippa Middleton Inspired Tree

So.......I have been a busy little bee making a slew of ornaments inspired by my new book Celebrate by Pippa Middleton. We now have the cutest traditional looking tree. I cannot wait to see what the books offers up for all of the other holidays.

I made the Peg angels/fairies on page 123

I used paper doilies, tulle and gold cupcake liners for my dresses.

I also made the paper birds also on page 123.

Just a little hint...when cutting your birds out, remember to reverse the pattern so that you have colored paper on both sides of the bird. I realized this after I had cut out enough paper to make about 50 birds.

We made glitter pinecones, assorted gingerbread cookies, and dried apples and oranges.

I have to say that this tree is very festive and reminds me of a good old fashioned Christmas......and I feel a bit of accomplishment seeing as how I actually made all of the ornaments. (I know the lights are a bit funky in the picture but you get the idea)

Ciao for now! MERRY CHRISTMAS

Kris

Homemade Kahula

Homemade Kahlua

2 - 1.75 liter bottles Cruzan dark rum from St. Croix (I like this one because it is dark and has a wonderful flavor but is not a spiced rum)

6 - cups of sugar

3 - cups instant coffee (I used Nescafé dark roast)

3 - cups brown sugar

1.5 ounces pure vanilla

8 - cups water

Start by combining both bottles of Cruzan rum and 2 cups of instant coffee in a large pot or bowl.
Stir. Cover and let sit for three days in cool dark place.

After three days you are ready for step two.

Place 6 cups of water in a pot on medium heat. Do not let the water boil.

Place 6 cups of plain white sugar in a large pot. Place on stove top at medium heat. (Depending on your stove, you may need to increase or reduce the heat. I have a glass top so I needed my heat on high.) Stir sugar constantly until it is completely melted. (With my stove, it took me about 20 minutes.) You will have a nice honey brown syrup.
Remove from heat. SLOWLY add the hot water a cup at a time. Be careful not to splash. (HOT SUGAR makes nasty burns.) This will make a sizzling sound and the sugar will bubble and steam. (I wore oven mitts because it was HOT) Continue to add until all of the water is mixed with the sugar.

In he same pot that you had the water in, place 3 cups of brown sugar, 1 cup of instant coffee and 2 cups of water. Heat until the sugar is dissolved.

Add the brown sugar water to the rum mixture.

Add the vanilla.

Viola! You have Kahlua!

I bought some really pretty bottles at Hobby Lobby and bottled mine for gifts.

Enjoy!

Ciao for now!

Kris

Best Husband Ever!

My husband flies into London every 28 days. I love entertaining and I'm always looking for a reason to have a party.

Well.......he arrived home last night and gave me my London prize!

I love this book. I have already dedicated one of my Christmas trees to Pippa! Pictures coming soon!

Ciao for now!

Kris

Soda Stream Soda Maker Giveaway!!

Soda Stream Soda Maker Giveaway!! 11/26-12/10

Welcome to the Soda Stream Giveaway hosted by Survival Guide by The Working Mom, Giveaway Overload and Shoes, Fashion Fitness!

With the holiday season upon us, wouldn't it be a fun family event to make your own soda?  Or maybe a family taste test with all the variety of flavors it has to offer?  Whatever you choose, I guarantee it will be fun and a great conversation starter!

It also makes a very unique gift, especially for that certain person who is always difficult to buy for.  I am sure they would love it!  Check out the full review on using the Soda Stream soda maker. 

Well, you are in luck!  A group of fabulous bloggers (make sure to check them out!) has gotten together to bring you a Soda Stream giveaway just in time for Christmas!  That is right, one lucky winner will receive:

Fountain Jet Soda Lover's Start-Up Kit  ($99.95)  

It includes:

-          Fountain Jet – winner’s choice of color (black/silver, red/silver or white)

-          1 carbonating bottle, reusable for up to 3 years

-          Reusable carbonator to fizz up to 60L of soda

-          Variety 6-pack of popular sample-size flavors

-          3 full-sized flavors of the winner’s choice 

Giveaway Details:

-          Giveaway runs from November 26th 2012 to December 10th 2012

-          US residents only

-          Must be 18+ years of age

-          Use the Rafflecopter form below to enter<a Rafflecopter giveaway

Facing The Giants

This movie is amazing. If only we had this kind of faith in our schools and our country. All things are possible through HIM. http://pinterest.com/pin/31806741088857606/

Blogger Party

Malibu San Antonio has everything you need to celebrate birthdays, have a party, corporate parties, events and team building, and for family gatherings. It's the perfect place for friends and families to get together and cut loose with fun, games, and great food. With Bumper Boats, Go Karts, Arcade, Miniature Golf, Batting Cages, and so much more, there's every way to play at Malibu San Antonio!

Coupon: Check out the Malibu Grand Prix online coupon!
http://www.sanantoniokidsguide.com/coupon.php?regionid=460&bid=10764&dealid=925

HEY YA'LL...LOOK WHAT I FOUND

OK so I know I haven't blogged in a while but OMG I just put my kids back in public school :-(  so ...... i have finally settled into my loneliness. :-)

So this is what I found today...............

 

 

 

Costa Rica

Sitting in Costa Rica with great friends and great drinks! Can't wait to search Pinterest for all of the fun things I can do with the amazing shells I found!

NEED HELP WITH THE MESS

OK so we bought a foreclosure in 2010. LOTS of room. I got my own craft room......YEEEEEES! But........it is square, three windows an d that is IT! I painted, hung awesome curtains but I still need cabinets, desks, drawers, ORGANIZATION!!!!! Anyone out there willing to help me. HGTV, DIY, TLC. I have a budget for "My Room" but I really need help! I want something organized where I can find EVERYTHING!

ciao for now

Kris --- help!

Waiting for School To Start

I LOVE my kiddos but I can't wait for school to start. We have been so busy this summer that I have neglected all of my Estate Sale finds, craft ideas and up-cycling projects. I literally have JUNK everywhere! I am looking forward to  August 27th when the kiddos go back to school and I can get back to work on my "Oh so many projects!" and share them with YOU!

Stay tuned..........I have things broken down and ready to sand and paint. I will create something AWESOME!

ciao for now

Kris

Texas Roadhouse Rolls

OK So My Friend Amy found this recipe on Pinterest for Texas Roadhouse Rolls. She tried it and it didn't work out so well for her so I decided to try it myself and share the results with you. Here this is the post, http://pinterest.com/pin/280912095477943946/

My friend said that hers turned out more like biscuits so my immediate thought was they didn't rise long enough. Here are my results:

I followed the recipe as directed and ended up with this:

After the initial rising, I spread the dough out onto a floured piece of foil then folded it over and transferred it to the baking sheet. I then pressed it evenly to fill the sheet. I cut the dough into squares using a pizza cutter, sprayed them with olive oil, covered and let it rise.

It ROSE!

I brushed it with melted butter an placed it in the oven. Unfortunately I do not have a convection oven, however, the rolls turned out great. They were yeasty, buttery, hot and good!

This was a great recipe. Follow it. don't skip steps. YUM!

cio for now - Kris

Red River New Mexico

Sorry guys but this is the best place ever if you live in Texas! http://www.redriverskiarea.com/

You are within driving distance and they always have snow. We like this spot because it is kid friendly, laid back and not the resort style ski area.

kudos to Sarah Dorrance

ciao for now
Kris

Terrarium in A Light Globe

OK So I told you I saw this creative way to make a terrarium using glass bowls. Well this is what I found on Pinterest. http://pinterest.com/pin/216876538275040190/

So I posted my wonderful treasures that I found while out at the sales this weekend. One of my treasures was this clear globe fixture that goes over a light. When I saw it, I remembered the pin above on Pinterest. The one they are using appears to be a bowl as it does not have the lip that the one I found has. Anywhoo........I purchased mine for $1.

I went to one of my favorite stores today............The Home Depot............and I found these baby succulents. I don't know about you but these things look really weird and almost prehistoric like. I purchased three of them for about $5. I wanted my bowl to lay on it's side like the one in the pin but it is completely round. I figured if I shifted the weight of the soil, plants and rocks, the bowl would stay in place on it's side. Well guess what????? It DID.

My plants are tiny but with lots of TLC I think they will grow to be nice succulents. And the bowl looks great in my purple bathroom.......Yes I said Purple.

ciao for now

Kris

I NEED PINSPIRATION!

Thanks to my friend Shawnna from http://shawnnapoor.blogspot.com/ I am now addicted to another amazing site. Estatesales.net

If you have not yet discovered this site, go there NOW! I found some great deals on things that I know I can turn into something amazing. This is what I found:

Old wooden desk. It appeared to be used as a sewing table and has been over painted a deep green. But for $35 I figured I would be able to sand it and make it into something great.

Chest. It has been painted yellow but it is wooden with metal hardware (which has also been painted yellow). It is ARMY green on the inside so I think it may an old ARMY trunk. But for $25 I had to buy it. This too will be sanded. I think I can line the inside with fabric. Not sure about the outside yet. I am sure Pinterest will get my get my creative juices flowing.

Old Coleman Lantern Box. I came across this old red box with a handle. When I opened it, It had an old Coleman Lantern inside. I really didn't want the lantern. I just wanted the box. Luckily the lady next to me said she wanted the lantern and not the box so we split it. $4. I think it will make a great birdhouse.

Bowling Ball. I came across an old black bowling ball and I thought I remembered seeing something on Pinterest about decorating bowling balls as garden art. I remember thinking to myself "Where am I going to find a bowling Ball?" Well guess what???? I Found one and for $1.

Old Stool. I saw this little stool and thought for $10 it was cute............or could be. It needs to be sanded and I think I will try to put a cushion on the top. I may be able to use it in my bathroom as a make-up chair or in my closet as a place to sit down while I put on my shoes.

Dome Light Cover. I saw these cute terrariums on Pinterest. So when I found this dome for $1 I had to get it and make one for the guest bath. So that will be project number one. (since it is the easiest).

So there you have it. This should keep me busy for a few days. Any ideas???? Pass em my way. Don't forget to check out Estatesales.net. You can find some awesome stuff close to home.

ciao for now
Kris

Ser Gioveto - Toscana Red Wine

OMG is all I have to say. If you love red wine, wether it be Cabernet, Merlot, Pinot Nior, etc.....you will love this wine. It is a blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet and Merlot grapes which hails from Castellina in Chianti Italy. This wine is aged in oak barrels for a period of 9-14 months. This wine has a berry beginning but finishes with a bold spice that is almost tobacco like. Don't think about your father's pipe....well maybe if he is smoking a dark cherry blend tobacco. It smells so sweet.
http://www.roccadellemacie.com/en/vini-rossi.php

Anyway.....this wine retails for $49 a bottle, however if you have a Gabriels http://www.gabrielsonline.com/ you can fine this wine on sale occassionally on ther "2 fer" isle. You get two bottles for $47. This is a deal NOT to be missed people.

I love to try new wine. Gabriels allows us to try some "good" "hoity-toity" wines for a reasonable price.

Enjoy with a good steak, fajitas, burgers or just hangong out with the girls.

Enjoy!

ps: I did not see this on Pinterst but after this post it will be there so pass it on folks.

xoxo
Kris

AS YOU CAN SEE.....IT IS EMPTY!

Happy Father's Day!!!!!

So i was looking for something unique and fun to give to my husband this year. I also wanted to get the kids more involved. I found this cute idea on none other than Pinterest. http://pinterest.com/pin/263671753154244858/ You can download and print the Graphics from the site.
I have tons of scrap booking supplies so I picked paper, boarders and stickers that coordinated with the graphics.

I used an 8x10 frame purchased for $6 from Hobby Lobby and two pieces of black poster board from the Dollar Tree ($2). Using Pinking shears, I cut the poster board in half and around the edges. The next part was the fun part. Asking two five year olds why they love Daddy was funny. They came up with some pretty weird things. My nine year old spit out a poem so I had to wring him in and get him to tone it down. I didn't have THAT much space!

Using chalk, I wrote their responses on the black poster board. We were ready to go. With camera in hand we went out front and began to take pictures. It was so easy.
I printed the pictures here at home and began to piece the frame together. Viola!

If only I had noticed the plastic pool in the background before the kids changed back into their play clothes! Oh well live and learn right! But Daddy Loved it and that is what counts.....plus he didn't notice the pool. HEE HEE

Pink Lemonade

OK So My husband and me were watching Bride's Maids and he asked me "how do they make Pink Lemonade?" I wasn't quite sure. Are there really pink lemons??? No Way! So I decided to find out and let all of you out there that do not know how they make Pink Lemonade PINK!

According to Wikipedia, -(Pink lemonade may be colored with the juices of raspberries, cherries,  red grapefruit, grapes, cranberries, strawberries, grenadine or artificial food dye. Though pink-fleshed, the ornamental Eureka lemon is not used as its juice is clear and typically too sour to drink.

The New York Times credited Henry E. "Sanchez" Allott as the inventor of pink lemonade in his        obituary: At 15 he ran away with a circus and worked in a lemonade concession. One day while mixing a tub of the orthodox yellow kind he dropped some red cinnamon candies in by mistake. The resulting rose-tinted mixture sold so surprisingly well that he continued to dispense his chance discovery.^[7]

Another theory, as recorded by historian Joe Nickell, in his book Secrets of the Sideshows, is that it was Pete Conklin who first invented the drink in 1857 when he used water dyed pink from a horse rider's red tights to make his lemonade.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemonade

I Don't know about you guys but Pink Lemonade made from water dyed from a horse rider's red tights is pretty gross! Could it even taste like lemonade?

SO there you have it Mr. Bill. No Pink Lemons here just plain ole' fruit juice or your rival Food Dye! I think I may try the cinnamon candies in a homemade lemonade to see what that taste like. Stay tuned.....I will not be using horse rider's tights or any other article of clothing for that matter. I think it would take more than lemons to cover that up.

Ciao - Kris

These Guys are AMAZING!!!!

OK so we purchased a foreclosure in 2009. I t is a great house but needed some updating and cosmetic changes. Luckily w have a friend in the business.  The Cabinet Shop New Braunfels http://www.thecabinetshopnb.com/ We had acquired this awkward fireplace in our living room tha literally just protruded out of the center of the wall. "What the H@*! am I suppose to do with this?

We had to put the TV in the corner. UGH! SO in comes Adam Henshaw with a vision that no man can resist! He completely redesigned the wall that housed the fireplace. Not ripping anything out just covering up and in the process improving. Now look at this!

I took this from the kitchen because that was the only way to get it all in! This is amazing. He built in the tv and helped us wire the surround sound speakers. My husband is in Heaven. Now I just need to get the tile done around what is left of the protruding eye sore fireplace and it will be complete.

Adam also did a wonderful job replacing our front door. We were left with the original construction door from 2001. You can see it in the background. He made us a mahogany double door. Just look...

As you can see some of the walls have also been painted. Adam's wife Amy is an amazing decorator and can really see color. I recommend using them if you ever need cabinets, doors, custom furniture, etc/

Ciao- Kris

Mountain Dew Glow Sticks

OK I saw this post on Pinterest http://pinterest.com/pin/82542605640850292/ and I thought to myself "WOW Mountain Dew will glow if you add baking soda and peroxide!" What is in this stuff??? I personally do not drink it nor do I allow my kids to. I thought man if this really works, no one should drink this. So I decided to give it a try. I measured out exactly 1/4 of the bottle of Mountain Dew. Since I used a 20 ounce bottle I used 5 ounces. I added the "tiny bit" of baking soda (very vague) and then the three cap fulls of peroxide. We went into the bathroom, closed the door and my son shook it up. NOTHING! I was a little disappointed but also relieved at the same time. So this didn't work for us. Let me know if you have a solution that will work. I would love to try it.

Rockin' Redneck Wine Glasses

Yes I said it. ROCKIN' REDNECK. Hey Rednecks deserve to have classy things too. I think we all have a little redneck in us somewhere.  I came across these glasses on my favorite site EVER...........Pinterest. http://www.thecraftybug.com/?p=121  I loved them but was wondering if I could "dress" them up a bit. I knew that it would be hard using the Ball glasses because of the writing on them and I remembered that the Wal-Mart brand Mainstays didn't have any design at all. I purchased a case of pint jars for about $8. I purchased a case of candlestick holders for $12 at the Dollar Tree. I decided to head to Hobby Lobby. I took one of the glasses in with me to try out various ideas. I ended up in the Jewelry Making section. I found these great pendants that fit perfectly. I decided that I could to add some beads to the the hole in the top of the candle holder to match the pendants I found for the glasses. The pendants were about $1-$4 a piece and the bags of beads $.99 each.

The instructions said to use a glass glue called E6000. Some of the other Blogs used silicone but glass glue sounded good to me. I started with clean dried glass. I began by laying out the pendants that I had found at Hobby Lobby. I decided to do two of each glass. I spread the E600 glue on the back of the pendants. NOT TOO MUCH! I then placed them in the center of one of the sides of the jars. I laid the jars down so that the pendant did not slip off while the glue was drying.

Now on to the sticks. I used sand paper and roughed up the top of the candlesticks. I picked out mini colored beads that matched the pendants on two sets of glasses and poured them into the base of the candle stick. When the jars were dry, I spread a generous line of E6000 glue onto the rim of the candlesticks. Do not spread so much that it drips. Just a thick line all around the top. I then placed the Jars on the top of the candlesticks and pressed firmly. I looked down into the bottom of the jars to make sure they were centered. I then filled the jars with water and let them sit over night. This weighs down the jars so they will not slip during the drying process.

The next morning......Viola!

For these Glasses I used pieces of glass used for mosaics. I formed them into a cross. Love em!

I think these are my favorite. I used bronze pieces used for bracelets. I glued owls onto the pieces and then added crystals for the eyes. I still thought they needed something so I added bronze jewelry wire and wrapped it around the glass to give them an extra HOO HOO.

Use your imagination. Dress it up a bit. Just because it says "redneck" doesn't mean it still can't be classy or cool.

Enjoy!

Kris

Gardeners Hand Scrub

I love to garden (even though my garden this year doesn't seem to be doing so well). One day while perusing through Pinterest I came across this delightful looking item called Gardener's Hand Scrub. So I pinned it! http://pinterest.com/pin/151785449911599409/ I used a pomegranate dish soap and it turned out amazing. I gave a jar each to two of my friends that also have gardens. I will do this again. This is super easy, makes a great gift and something that the kids can do too. Next time I will try different "flavors"!

NASTY NASTY GROUT

OK so those of you who know me know that we purchased a foreclosure in 2009. Well along with that came 10 years of grout stains. I tried the Shark, the Monster and all kinds of cleaners. I finally found something that worked and guess what???? It came from the Dollar Tree! That's right $1. I tried the Pinterest posts but most required the use of bleach and that is just too fumy for me. So while browsing through the Dollar Tree one Day I found a product called LA's Totally Awesome Tile Grout Cleaner.

Our Grout was so gross that a simple spray would not work alone so I decided to use the Dollar Tree Quick Eraser along with the cleaner. Guess what????? It worked. I only have about 900 sqft of tile but the grout made me sick to look at. Who knows what was under there????? YUK! Clean your tile people...it can be done cheap. I Love Dollar Tree. The image is of the same tiles, however the lighting was different as you can see but you CAN see the grout.

What's For Dinner

OK SO I didn't think I would make two posts in one day but here I am. I found this great recipe for Island Chicken on...Yeup you guessed it Pinterest. http://pinterest.com/pin/280912095477670517/
It looked so yummy I wanted to lick my iPad. I followed the directions for the marinade except instead of soy sauce I added Organic Tamari. It tastes like soy sauce but is soooo much better.

I had to taste it before I added the chicken just to see what it was like. I have to say it was a little bland for my taste. When I think of "Island Food" I think of flavor and spice! So I decided to tweak this as bit. I was on a mission for Island Flavor. For starters, I added another clove of garlic....I LOVE GARLIC! I was looking for some spice but really didn't want to go the cayenne pepper route. I decided to use Sriacha Hot Chili Sauce. I added a tablespoon for some heat (I would like more but the kids were eating too so I had to tone it down. I felt that it also needed something sweet so that is where the honey comes in. I added a tablespoon of honey and taste tested again. YUM!

After marinating for a couple of hours......on the grill it went. I have to say it turned out pretty darn good! I served it with grilled asparagus, marzano tomatoes with Gorgonzola cheese with a balsamic drizzle and of course a nice glass of pinot grigio white wine.

I recommend this recipe but taste the marinade first and tweak to your taste. Bon Appetite!

Teacher Gifts

So school ended last week and we are all really excited that summer is finally here. The twins graduated from pre-school and I was looking for something unique to give to their teachers. So what did I do? Why I went to Pinterest of course. I found these great planter gifts that were decorated with chalkboard paint and had a ruler painted around the rim.  http://pinterest.com/pin/276901077059310316/ "What a great idea!" I said. So off to Home Depot I went. I spent $5.00 for two pots about 6 inches in diameter, $5.00 for a can of Rust-Oleum Chalkboard Paint and $4 for two begonia plants. I already had soil and thanks to my love of crafts, I had plenty of acrylic paint for the ruler.

I was surprised that the chalkboard paint dried so quickly. I am talking seconds. It was hot outside so maybe that had something to do with it but I was extremely happy because I could start my project right away. I am very impatient and I hate to wait! I then painted the top ring of the pot yellow (I did have to wait for this to dry). I wrapped a measuring tape around the top of the pot exposing enough of the top to make markings for the ruler. I used a permanent marker instead of paint. Much easier, quicker and less mess. You will find that if you are trying to make the ruler EXACTLY like a ruler it will not work as the circumference is not exactly even. So I improvised and when I got closer to the end, I made my marks a little wider and I just turned the pot so that those marks were in the back.

I wrote "Thank you for helping me grow" on the pot with yellow chalk and Viola! I went a little further and glued a gift card to a pencil and stuck it in the pot but the pot alone is a great gift and easy to do. I would definitely recommend this project.


This is my finished product

Happy Pinning....Kris

A Whole New World

OK So I'm new to blogging so this may start out really slow but I will try to post as much as I can. If you haven't discovered Pinterest....shame on you. This is the most amazing site and I love that the world can share crafts, recipes, ideas, helps and websites with each other. Wouldnt it be nice if we could all get along like this in "the real world"? Cook, Craft and Be Merry I say! Stay tuned. I will be posting some things I have tried really soon. Happy Pinning!