Restore a Bean Bag to its Original Shape with this Easy Trick

Sometimes I have an idea so brilliant I wonder if it will be my last one. 🙂

Do you have any bean bags in the house? Ones that are flat and really only good for sliding down the stairs?

Would you like them to look as fluffy and feel as soft as they did when you first bought them?

I did and I do!

But what to do about it? Well, I had another problem. You see, I live in an area that doesn’t have recycling cans on the curbs. In fact, if I want to recycle, I have to drive AT LEAST 8 miles. Then I wonder, does my carbon print from driving 8 miles there and 8 miles back erase all my good intentions of recycling. So I end up with a large stash of plastic sacks from the grocery store.

So guess what I did? Yep. I fixed two problems in one afternoon. I took the old shopping bags, separated them out so they were fluffy and I stuffed them inside that pancake lookin’ bean bag!

It worked wonderful. The bag has more shape, but it is still soft enough to plop on. My bags are out of the pantry and out of sight. And for a while, my two problems are solved.

There’s still room in that bean bag so I’m thinking I have a few more trips to the store before the recycling problem becomes a problem again. Yeah!

Fluffy Cinnamon Muffins

 

I had a bit of help making these muffins. In fact, Rub broke his first egg today. Five years old and he broke a perfect egg. I’m so proud!

He also learned how to measure a level teaspoon and how to work the hand mixer. (Turn it on AFTER you put it down in the stuff you want to mix up.)

What you’ll need:

 

1 1/2 cups wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons sugar

1 1/4 cups milk

1 egg

3 tablespoons oil

1 teaspoon cinnamon

 

What you do:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a medium sized mixing bowl. Pour mixture into prepared muffin pan. (I sprayed the pan. Haven’t tried this with muffin cups yet, let me know if you do and how they turn out.) Bake for 16-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

We had them with butter and strawberry jam. I wanted to serve them with maple and blueberry syrup, like pancakes; but then we were eating other things that I didn’t want the syrup to blend into. You could do it though, it would be yummy!  

Tricky Little Artichoke

 

 

I had to blog about these bad boys. I’ll tell you why, my kids beg – B.E.G. – me to buy artichokes. Rub especially. He sees them in the midst of the broccoli and carrots and turns to me with pleading, large, sky-blue eyes. I give in maybe once every three months when they are full priced. When they come on sale – we go bonkers.

There are plenty of people who have never tried an artichoke. My husband was one of them. The first time I brought one home he looked at me with stormy green eyes and told me I was crazy if I thought HE was going to eat a weed. “Suit yourself.” More for me. Right? Right. As I dipped the petals in melted butter and made little ‘yummy’ noises. My kids and my husband wanted to know what was so good. I allowed them a small taste each, but pretty much hoarded the rest. That was all it took. The next time I had to buy enough artichokes to feed the whole family.

Here’s what you do:

Prepare the artichoke by cutting the stem to about 1 inch and cutting off the top of the flower. You can also use kitchen sheers to trim each petal. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t.

Bring a large stock pot of water to a boil. You can add a pinch of salt if you like. I don’t like. I don’t think they need it, but you might light it. Put the artichokes in the boiling water up-side-down. Reduce heat to medium-low and boil for 20-30 minutes depending on the size of your artichoke. If I can insert a fork into the stem easily I know they are done. Drain the water and allow artichokes to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.

While you’re waiting, melt a half a cube of butter in the microwave. You can add garlic. I do like to do this on occasion. But for the most part we just use plain butter.

To eat the artichoke. Peal off the first layer of petals and just get rid of them. There isn’t enough ‘meat’ on those petals to really get a good taste and if you don’t like the first few bites you’re not going to keep eating. Now, peal off a petal, dip the base of the petal in the butter and, using your teeth, scrape the meat off the petal. (The meat is the light colored part at the bottom.) Put the petal in a discard bowl. (I always have a huge one in the middle of the table.) Pull off the next petal and repeat until you get to the heart.

That’s the purplish part in the center. You scrape off all the purple stuff and the hairy looking stuff. Trim off the dark green and all your left with is meat.  This is the best part. Dip in in the butter and prepare to make yummy sounds.

Really for something so easy to make the reward is huge.

Hosting a Fantastic Book Group

I belong to a book group. Have I mentioned that before? I may have. We are a small group of 8-11 women who take turns hosting in our homes and choosing books. I specifically requested this month because the writers’ conference, LDS Storymakers falls in May and my dear, sweet ROCK STAR, friend, Kimberley Griffiths Little was coming into town. Her new book, Circle of Secrets, is amazing and I couldn’t wait to share it with the ladies in the group.

The night turned out wonderful. Kimberley was so fun. She has such a love and interest in the South it’s practically contagious. (Don’t worry, I wont be dropping my WIP to start a new story on the swamp land. I am, however, eagerly anticipating HER next story.)

In my mind, no book club is complete without treats. So of course I put together a Circle of Secrets cupcake display. I also made fudge pops, peanut butter popcorn, and gram cracker cookies. For a drink I served bottled water. All of this was done in the blue to match the blue bottle tree in her book! I added a couple other fun touches like the blue bottle draped with a charm bracelet. To find out how it all works together, you’ll have to read the book. No spoilers here.

Teacher Appreciation Door Decorating Ideas

This week was Teacher Appreciation Week at our elementary school. To show our appreciation the PTA asked moms to decorate the teachers’ doors. There were so many wonderful and creative doors I had to share some of the great ideas. They are not all my ideas, but they are all cute. I missed a few because the teachers had their doors closed for testing when I was snapping photos. However, this should give you a variety of good ideas.


All Star Teacher

Good Better Best Mrs. Lopez never lets us rest until our good is better and our better’s best!

We’re you’re #1 fans.

I don’t know if you can see it in the photo, but the flags are made with #2 pencils.

I loved this one because the numbers on the sidelines are done in chalk – so cute.

 

Chocolate Drizzle Popcorn

I did a demo on The Daily Dish (chn 30) last week. Here’s the clip to making Chocolate Drizzle Popcorn

Chocolate Drizzle

(pg 92)

Serves 4

8 cups popped popcorn

½ cup packed brown sugar

4 Tbsp. butter

2 Tbsp. light corn syrup

¼ tsp. baking soda

1/3 cup white chocolate chips

Place popped popcorn in a large mixing bowl. In a medium sauce pan melt brown sugar, butter and corn syrup together over medium heat. Remove from heat and add baking soda. Pour over popcorn and stir until coated well. Spread out on a cookie sheet and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes. 

Put chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and microwave at half power for one minute. Stir chips and cook again at half power for thirty seconds – stir. Continue cooking at half power for thirty second intervals until chips are melted through and runny. Drizzle white chocolate over cooled popcorn. Put cookie sheet in the fridge until chocolate sets. Can be stored at room temperature in an air-tight container.

Making New Year’s Resolutions

 

You’re never too young nor too old to make a New Year’s resolution. Even the youngest child can set a goal to brush their teeth every morning or pick up their toys before bed. Making resolutions together as a family is a good way for parents to exemplify the benefits of setting and reaching a goal.

 

Family Tradition

 

When making and keeping resolutions becomes part of your family’s traditions, children grow accustomed to reflecting on their past and looking for areas of improvement. Spend some time between Christmas and New Year’s Day discussing with your child what she has accomplished over the year. Perhaps she worked to improve her math grade or increase her reading comprehension. Praise her for her progress. If she started strong and then fizzled out around March, you can also talk about why she stopped working or progressing in that area. It’s possible she progressed as far as she was capable. In that case, she should be encouraged to call her efforts a success. If the goal was too broad or too advanced for her age, set it aside until she is older and pick something more appropriate this year.

 

Share Your Goals

 

Once every member of the family has chosen a goal, have a family meeting where you reveal your resolution. This is a good time to record them in a journal, on a bulletin board or place them in a special box. Have each child write their own resolution or draw a picture of their goal. Both sharing their goals and writing them down help to solidify the decision and make it real. Parents should share their goals as well.

 

Sticking to It

 

Some adults are motivated by checking items off their to-do list and kids are no different. Adding the New Year’s resolution to a child’s daily chore chart will help them remember it every day and allow them to feel a sense of accomplishment as they complete the task. You can also hold monthly meetings where family members review their goals. If you are already holding weekly family night, simply add five minutes to the beginning or end of the evening to review progress, redirect if necessary, and provide encouragement and praise. Randomly look for times when you can reward your children, and yourself, for your efforts. Focusing on the positive and using failure as a springboard for improvement and reevaluation, will improve your child’s self esteem and provide them with a model they can follow throughout their life.