Use Your Noodle!

Just thought I would share a couple ideas with you all, of how I use my old pool noodles!

(After all, they ARE pretty amazing!)



At first, I saw (on Pinterest probably), a couple noodle recycling ideas, and thought "hmmm...cool.". Then I started to think of other ideas on my own. Here are my top three favorites so far:



A NOGGIN SAVER:

If you are like me, and you have a wooden perimeter on your changing table, and your little one is getting older (and taller), and likes to  sit up, then fall back... you've probably wiped a lot of tears, from the countless head bumps. As you can see here, a simple cut pool noodle, can make a simple diaper change, much less hazardous.

A DOOR-STOP:

A simple cut length of pool noodle, slid onto a door, can keep a toddler from getting stuck in or out of a room, and most importantly saves their little FINGERS, from accidently getting slammed in the door.

And now for my favorite new use...

 

THE ARTIFICIAL TREE TRUNK!

Please ignore the fact that my cords are still showing, my tree skirt isn't on yet, and that the previously mentioned toddler, has completely rearranged the ornaments and lights.

Now, I have also used pool noodles to make Halloween costumes, bath toys, and other various things.

So now I will ask you,

 

HOW DO YOU USE

YOUR NOODLE?

The Best Ice Cream Cake You've EVER Had!

(I know it looks delicious, but you're going to break your monitor if you don't put that spoon down!)

Okay. So when I heard my parents were coming to town in March, I knew we would be celebrating our March birthdays (my husband's, my dad's, and mine), which absolutely and ALWAYS includes an ice cream cake. Now I'm not sure how many of you have bought one of those premade ice cream cakes from the store, but just a small one at our local grocery store was $24.99! Not so great for people on a tight budget, so I set out to make my own!

I remembered some delicious ice cream cake that a good friend of mine (Emily Gordon) makes to feed a crowd, so I started there, and called her to get her perfect concoction (on a smaller scale, of course).

I then set out to find more tips and ideas online, and here is what I ended up with:

1: Look at all your pans, tupperware, bowls, etc, and find what shape will work best for you and your cake ideas (and make sure it's going to fit into your freezer!). For me, it was my large pot. I wanted my cake to be a perfect circle, flat on top and bottom.

2: Next spray the inside of your container with cooking spray, and line with plastic wrap.

3: After letting a half gallon of your favorite flavor of ice cream (for us 3, it's chocolate chip mint), sit out for a good while, you will scoop it ALL out into the container, and press it down evenly, and smooth the top with a rubber spatula (or whatever works for you), and place it in the freezer.

4: Chop, crush, or smash a pack of original oreos (my Pampered Chef chopper worked best for me, and I probably could have chopped just a little more than 2 rows of the pack, since I had left overs), and evenly disperse the majority of them (about 3/4) over the bottom layer, and gently press them into the top of the ice cream, and put back into the freezer.

5: Heat up a 16 oz jar of hot fudge, and pour the entire jar, evenly over the crushed oreos, and place back in freezer for about 4 hours  or longer.

6: Next you need to thaw a small container of whipped cream (the 8 oz tub), and let about a 1/4 gallon (that's half of a half gallon, just to be clear ;)) of regular vanilla ice cream, sit out for a bit and get really soft, then blend them together, well, with your mixers.

7: Smooth this evenly over the fudge layer, and smooth the top with your spatula (as this will be the top of your finished cake), and freeze for a minimum of a 5 hours.

8: When ready to serve, pull it out of the freezer, and turn it upside down on a piece of tin foil. (This part my mother helped me with, because it was easier with 4 hands). Lift the container a few inches from the foil, and start pulling down on the loose edges of the plastic wrap, until it slides out.

9: Peel off the plastic wrap. Then, have what you want to serve it on ready, and place it on top, and carefully flip it over, so that the white top layer, is now back on top.

10: Now spread the rest of your oreo crumbles on the top (or don't, and use icing or other decorating supplies), and there you have it!

The Best Ice Cream Cake

you've ever had, in

10 EASY STEPS!

In the end, I spent about $13 total, and got at least twice as much ice cream cake, than if I'd bought a small one, pre-made, from the store.


What you'll need:

- Large container
- cooking spray  (or just any oil)
- plastic wrap
- foil (or cookie sheet could do the same probably)
- mixer (or whisk)
- hand chopper (or some means of  finely chopping oreos)

+ half gallon of your flavor of choice, ice cream
+ 1/4 gallon of regular vanilla ice cream
+ 8 oz tub of cool whip
+ 1 package original oreos
+ 16 oz jar of hot fudge

Love noting

Here's a quicky!

A message board, just for love notes!



While this is not quite as cute as the one I was inspired by on pinterest, it was what I had on hand, and it works for now.

Just take any frame you've got lying around, some cute scrap cloth or scrapbook paper, and put the start of a sentence or thought you want (I've thought of doing this also for scripture verses!), either by printing, or using scrapbook supplies, stickers, or just a sharpie

(which is what I did, since my printer is not hooked up, and I'm not thrilled with the outcome, but it gives you the idea...)

Then frame it, and finish your thought/sentence however you please on the glass with a dry erase marker. Change it whenever you feel, or wait and see if your beloved responds!

I also made a holder for the dry erase marker, (to keep it handy and in plain sight, so as to make it as easy as possible for my hubby to reply with his own words of undying affection), by making a simple pocket out of a wide ribbon (doubled back on itself, and hot glued at the edges), and then hot glued it to the frame, and embellished it all with some cheapy fake flowers.

Now hanging near the sink in our master bath.

Like I said, not as cute as it could be, but

not bad for a 10 minute craft!

trash to treasure

Yep! All this was going to go to Goodwill or the junkyard. Then I started feeling crafty, which hasn't been happening much as of late. I don't know what's wrong with me...

ANYWAY!

This is actually a project from last fall, and I realized it was worthy (at least in my eyes) of a post. I do not have the funds to go out and purchase any large art for those large spaces that need something... you know... LARGE.

So, one day as I was purging my home of things that will never be used or worn again, I noticed some things going along with the color scheme I am shooting for now in my LIVING ROOM, and thought

hmmm... what can I do...



After the smoke cleared and some mental WD-40, I came up with this!

All it took was:

4 wood dowels that I inserted into a couple slits I cut into the finished edge of 4 stained placemats,

and then I careful chose my 4-letter word, (LOVE, our initials, HOPE, HOME!)

and which articles of ruined or shrunken clothing I would use for each letter, (which ended up consisting of 2 old sweaters, some old work jeans, and a snagged scarf)

and then a little cutting,

and then a little hot gluing, and

VOILA!

My new large wall art, that didn't cost me a penny, and accomplished the comfy feeling I was going for. 

"Monkey with a sweet tooth!"

So I've been making a lot of cookies recently, and after reading endless recipes, I've concocted my own, delicious recipe, for soft, chocolate-chip-banana cookies, that are fit for any...

          Monkey With a Sweet Tooth!

Ingredients:
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 cup butter (softened)
1 (3.4 oz) package instant banana cream pudding mix
2 eggs
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet mini chocolate chips

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

-Sift together the flour and baking soda, and set aside.

-In a medium bowl, blend together the brown sugar, white sugar, and softened butter.

-Beat in the instant pudding mix until well blended.

-Add the eggs and vanilla next.

-Blend in the flour mixture.

-Stir in the chocolate chips.

Spoon rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets, or baking stone, and bake for 10-12 minutes. Edges (and almost all of surface) will turn golden brown.

*Yields: 4 dozen (depending on your "spoon")

                                   ENJOY!

A day in the life of my brain...

This one is for all those people who have ever poured their heart out to me, only to get the response,
                         

"Oh! Were you talking to ME??"

Sadly, that is a large portion of you, and I apologize. Today I invite you to not be a fly on my wall, but a fly on the wall of my brain, if you will. Maybe if you follow my wandering brain through a fictional day (possibly based on a true story), you will gain some understanding, or at least insite, to the workings of my mind, and the never-ending mess that is my home. Note: Do not feel bad, at all, if you do not make it all the way through to the end. Even I had a hard time making it! In all honesty, this one was probably more of a quest for me, to figure out how on earth I can go for so long without accomplishing so little. :)

     Let's begin mid morning on a day that I've decided to clean the bathrooms, and I begin with the toilet in the main bathroom, and realize the toilet bowl cleaner is in the master bath. As I head that way, I notice how cold my feet are...

...and decide to get my slippers on my way through the bedroom, but then I can only find one slipper, so I start hunting for it's mate. While looking under the bed, I see...

... a shoe box that I can't think of what I would have put inside, and pull it out and start rummaging through the odds and ends, when I come across some pictures from my college days, and see...

... an old friend that I just can not remember the name of! I then start a 30 minute search for my yearbooks, which ends with my discovery that I have them boxed up in storage, so I mozy on over to the computer and get online with good intentions to find the name of this friendly face, when I see that...

... one of my facebook friends has posted new pictures of her kids, and suddenly realize I need to upload some of mine that I took the other day! So, I go to get my camera out of my purse, which I soon realize I left in the car. On my way to the car I see the mail lady leaving and realize...

... I forgot to send off our most recent netflix movie and think "we need to get dressed and run out to get it mailed off in time!". So I run in and drop my camera on the table and go get dressed, but all the while my children are asking to eat, and I realize it's already lunch time, and go to fix lunch. After lunch,

... I lay the kids down for naps with high hopes of spending some time in The Word, working out, and taking a nice long shower. I hunker down with my Bible, and the next thing you know my son is waking me up to tell me he had a good nap, and wants to snuggle. Soon his little sister is awake and also wants some Mommy snuggles before getting down to play. Finally, when they've both had their fill of snuggles, I go to plan supper, and see that...

... I forgot I needed to go to the grocery store to grab a couple of the ingredients and then remember about the Netflix movie too, and go to get the kids dressed to run the errands. After an unorganized trip to the grocery store, I can't wait to get home as the kids' whines and cries seem to be piercing my ear drums as they bounce off the insides of our car and I calm them with promises to play outside for a while when we get home. We get home and I reach over to get my purse to go inside, and see the Netflix lying on the seat beside me, but I've already taken too long to get the kids out, and the noise levels are already on the rise. Kicking myself, I get out, and unload the kids and groceries. I put the groceries away and we spend some time outdoors, until it's time to go in and start supper. While making supper I...

... have to run to respond to a loud crash followed by screaming. After assessing the situation and concluding it wasn't an emergency, I smell something. A dirty diaper. I quickly scoop up the adorable little culprit and take care of the stinky situation, only to smell something else...

... Supper burning! I run to salvage what is still edible, and serve it up to my unsuspecting family, with hopes they don't notice. Next is baths and bed. When the house is calm and the kids are tucked in, I go to use the bathroom. Here are my closing thoughts to the day...

 "Wow. This toilet sure is dirty. I need to clean the bathrooms tomorrow...

    ... My feet are FREEZING! I sure wish I knew where my slippers got to???...

... I can't wait to crawl into bed.... ugh, the bed... I have to clean all that stuff off the bed that I was digging through before I can even get into the bed...

                    ... What was that girl's name again? Oh yah, I never found out.... I'll look it up tomorrow after I post those new pictures of the kids. I love that one I took of them with their Publix balloons...

         ... Speaking of Publix, I totally forgot to get diapers and dog food while I was there... I'll have to run out again tomorrow. Oh! and mail the Netflix too!! grrr...

... I hope my new pan washes up after burning dinner. I'll just soak over night and wash it tomorrow...

MAN! I didn't accomplish ANYTHING today! Oh well... there's always tomorrow..."

I Need Therapy!

Before you all skip to the bottom and start cracking jokes about the seemingly obvious nature of the title, read on.

Now, I will admit it, I am a terrible housekeeper.
I know, I shouldn't have any problem keeping up with the housework, because I'm a stay-at-home-mom, but this is my one biggest down-fall.
   My husband will attest to this.
I may get completely caught up, once every other month, but if I let one thing get behind, I wave the white flag and stare into the growing chaos as if it's my first day on the job. Cleaning and keeping the house as "neat as a pin" (whatever that means), is not my forte.

This is quite painful for me during the winter months, and here is why.

    I need
    DIRT.

I will explain. I need to be outside, working. I will weed, rake, plant, burn, prune, cut, and water until every part of my body hurts. This, my friends, is my happy place.

I literally have to drag myself, KICKING AND SCREAMING, to do dishes, laundry, floors, toilets, etc.
No matter how rewarding it is to get it all done, I still have a difficult time getting myself to do it.

Getting dirt under my fingernails is therapy for me.

Now for those of you who don't know, I currently live in an apartment. I said...

I

live

in

an

APARTMENT.

Let me rephrase that...
I do not have even a single square foot of earth that is my own to do what I please with. Therefore, I am handcuffed. All I can do is buy as much dirt and pots and planters that I can possibly fit onto my front and back porches, which are small, to say the least.

I will make mention here, that this is very high on my list of reasons, for why I need to find a house. Possibly top 3.

Today, however, I found jobs for myself. I didn't realize how desperate I was for some "therapy", until I found myself with an old plastic kitchen utensil in hand (because all gardening tools are in storage), scraping and scooping old, wet, stinky, mildewy and compacted leaves, out from under "our" section of the fence running behind our building, which by the way, has been our cocker spaniel's favorite spot for bladder relief, through the winter. Don't worry, the untensil has now been retired from it's former kitchen duties.

Here is our poor pooch, looking lost as he wandered out to relieve himself, and couldn't find the usual rotting leaves.

I then removed all the little gifts from our grassy areas, that all the resident doggies have left us throughout the last few months. I will refrain myself from being descriptive here, and just let you know that we must be very, very, VERY, loved to have received SO MANY "gifts". Yet another reason I need a house.

So tomorrow, you will probably find me outside again, washing windows, sweeping the porches and walkways, prepping my flower pots and who knows, I may even be asking the property manager if I may plant flowers around our entrance signs, free of charge!

Desperate times call for desperate measures, and this woman is in need of therapy!