{free printable} Potty Training Chart & Prize Tag

 I know it's a controversial topic-- do I reward my child with prizes/food/candy for going to the bathroom or not?  Well... this mom is desperate and will try anything!  Plus, this article at babycenter made me feel a bit better about the idea of the reward system.  We've tried potty training numerous times and numerous times have realized we were not ready yet.  Now at 3 years and 4 months I feel as though I can rationalize on some small level with my child about using the potty.  SO... we're in full training mode.  I'm hoping the potty prize bag and chart will motivate and encourage my little one (or little ones-- if my almost 2 year old potty trains at the same time I wouldn't mine).  I'm hoping to use the "3 day lock-down method".  The idea is to hunker down in our house for a few days and drink lots of water/juice. 

Once we've got this thing down I thought a little long term reward might help keep the momentum going.  If my little one is accident free for nine days we plan to reward him with some Coldstone yumminess or miniature golfing or whatever his little heart desires (within reason)!  Plus, he gets to put nifty dinosaur stickers on each day he stays clean in his cool undies.

I have a feeling this momma is going to spend a lot of time in the bathroom.  Wish me luck!

Please do share any cool potty training tricks you've got--I'm willing to give anything a try. :)

{free printable & project share} Homemade Sugar Body Scrub

I know I always appreciate  homemade gifts, especially on Mother's Day, so this  year I decided to do baskets for the moms with multiple homemade goodies.  Sorry I'm posting this after the fact, but just in case my mother and mother-in-law check this blog I didn't want to ruin the surprise.  Anyway, this lavender sugar scrub is just one of the things debuting in the basket and it took less than 1 minute to pull together.  Now that's my type of craft!

Ingredients Needed:

•  Sugar (I used granulated white sugar, but I suppose brown could work too)
• Oil (I used almond oil, but any oil that is smell-less would work-- such as olive oil)
• Essential Oil Drops
• Glass Jar

First fill your jar with the sugar, but leave enough room for the oil.  I used just enough oil that when it was mixed together it was a sloshy, but not too oily (does that make sense?).  It's not a science-- just pour the oil in a little at a time until you're satisfied with the dampness of the sugar mixture.

 Now, add between 5-10 drops of essential oil.  I used lavender, but contemplated using peppermint, orange, vanilla....etc.  I bought this lavender essential oil at Hobby Lobby and it was the most costly part of this project.  BUT, it should last me a while because you don't need much.

Next, tie it up with a pretty ribbon, a wooden stick and my free printable.  I would also encourage you to Mod Podge the printable label onto your glass jar so when it gets wet it doesn't sog up and fall off.

 I've created an assortment of four body scrub labels for you.  These body scrubs are super fast to put together-- the perfect last minute gift for just about anyone.

{free printable} Bachelorette Premiere Party Season 2012

Remember the printables I did for Ashley's season?  Well, I've had more requests for Emily's season. I threw these together last night and when I say thrown them together they were done in a matter a minutes so I apologize if you find mistakes or spelling errors. With that said, the printable set includes:

• Emily Maynard's photo adorned with a scalloped frilly edge
• 25 Informational Bio Cards for the Bachelors
• Bachelorette Bingo Cards with Statement/Action Cut-outs (you could also have the ladies fill in their own cards if you don't like the generic cut-outs I've made available)
• 4 inch Folding Treat Bags (created with the purpose to use on cellophane bags as favor tags)
• "Will she get a SECOND chance at love?" Banner
• Frilly second love quote adornment for the table/cake/door...etc.

So there you have it!  Hope you enjoy your fun season premiere get-togethers.  I just may get around to actually throwing a party myself this time around.

{food share} Flower Bundt Cinnamon Rolls

I can't take credit for this fun food presentation idea-- it was solely MY HUSBAND'S idea!  Believe it or not, my husband LOVES to help me come up with fun and unique ways to serve food.  It was sweet, really.  He came to me after I had made the cinnamon roll dough and with excitement in his voice he exclaimed, "you should let some cinnamon rolls rise in the mini-bundt pan and then when they cook they'll take on the flower shape.  It'll be soooo cute!"

Such a cute idea-- thanks honey!  The only thing I dislike about this is that the frosting covers it all up!
Looking for a delicious cinnamon roll recipe to go along with this?  Take a look at this recipe from one of my previous posts HERE.

{free printable} Room Service for Mom

Being a mom is seriously the hardest job I've ever had, so when Mother's day comes around I use that day to rejuvenate.  Today you'll find my "Room Service for Mom" Mother's Day printables at Whatever Dee Dee Wants.  Head on over for the full post.

Included in this printable set:

• Room Service for Mom Door Knob Hanger (to be filled out by mom and left on the door)
• "I love my mom because..." Questionnaire (to be filled out/colored in by the kids)
• 5x7 inch mother's day note card

 To all those mom's out there... hope you have a relaxing Mother's day-- as you deserve it!

{recipe} Creamy Pesto Pasta w/ Toasted Breadcrumbs

There are a few things we miss about Utah since moving to New Mexico.  One of those things is the Corner Bakery and their creamy pesto cavatappi dish.  Every time we return to Utah we make multiple trips to get our fix, but this recipe suffices our cravings while we're away and it's super quick to make.  Every so often I'll serve this dish with parmesan crusted chicken or a crusty piece of bread to soak up the delicious sauce, but without all of that, when we're in a hurry, this dish comes together in 10 minutes.

Of course you could make your own pesto and alfredo sauce, which I've done, but what makes this dish speedy are the pre-made store bought sauces.  And, I feel the flavor is just as good.

 The toasted breadcrumbs make the dish, in my opinion.  I love the mixed texture of the creamy sauce and crunchy crumbs.  Hope you enjoy my take on the Corner Bakery dish-- we sure do.

Creamy Pesto Sauce Directions (serves 4-6): While the noodles are boiling, place one container of Buitoni alfredo sauce with 4-5 tablespoons of pesto in a sauce pan over low to medium heat, stir often to make sure it doesn't scorch on the bottom.  After the noodles are cooked and drained add the sauce and mix until pasta is evenly coated.  Next, top with toasted breadcrumbs and serve immediately.  Oh and don't forget to salt to taste.  Every pesto sauce has a different level of sodium so I usually wait until the end to salt.

Toasted Breadcrumbs Directions: Melt two tablespoons of butter over medium heat in a small saute' pan.  Add 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup grated fresh parmesan cheese, and 1 teaspoon of Italian seasonings.  Stir to incorporate and continue stirring until the crumbs brown up.  Once they brown, take them off the heat and serve on top of the pasta immediately.  mmmm... delish!

{craft share & recipe} Easter Cookies

I must admit-- icing cookies intimidates me!  I always look at those edible creation cookies and 'ooh' and 'ahh' over them and wish I could create something remotely similar.  Not to say mine even compare to the professionals cookies, but they really weren't too terribly difficult.

I wasn't feeling overly confident about icing a face on the bunnies so I decided to play it safe with some fluffy bunny tails made out of mini-marshmallows.

I'd say it's not bad for my first attempt at icing cookies this way!

Royal Icing (Piping Border Frosting)

2 Egg Whites, beaten

1/4 Teaspoon Cream of Tartar

3 Cups Confectioner Sugar

Directions:  Sift together the sugar and cream of tartar.  Next add the egg whites and beat with electric mixer until it stiffens up and holds it shape.  Then, I divide the frosting into different bowls and add the coloring needed for each cookie.  Keep in mind that piping the borders on the cookies don't take a whole lot of frosting.  

Royal Icing (Flooding Inside Frosting)

Using the left over piping border frosting I then added just enough lemon juice to make the frosting a bit more runny.  I believe I added somewhere around 1-2 Tablespoons.  Then, you just plop a good amount in the center of the border frosting and slowly spread it to the edges.  It will dry smooth and flat, but it does take around 20-30 minutes so resist the urge to touch.