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Garden Ranch Cheese Ball is an easy cream cheese ball loaded with fresh cheese, seasonings & packed with chips. Great for parties- mmm!

Chips are pretty tasty which prompted me to do what I love to do- make them into a recipe to share. We have community Days coming up this weekend. That means big gathering & I, as the chief’s wife- need to bring some food. I’m not one to bring new recipes that I have not tried before- so I did a little trial before hand to be sure it was “share worthy”. I created this Garden Ranch Cheese Ball & I have to say- I’m pretty impressed with myself. I had never made a cheese ball before so I sort of added & created on the fly.

Garden Ranch Cheese Ball

I really enjoyed taking a little bit of the cheese ball & adding it to another Garden Ranch chip. Oh so tasty.

You can just see all the seasonings & flavors in there. Plus this was SO SIMPLE. I can’t figure out why this was my first one. It won’t be my last.

We will be making this for every football party this year for sure.

Print Recipe

Garden Ranch Cheese Ball

Ingredients

4 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup shredded mozarella cheese
1/2 tbsp garlic powder
sprinkle of salt
1 tsp dried minced onions
1 tsp tequila lime seasoning
1/4 cup crunched ranch tortilla or potato chips
1/2 cup crunched ranch tortilla or potato chips for coating

Instructions

Add all ingredients except last 1/2 cup of crunched chips to mixer bowl & combine with whip attachment until all ingredients are well combined.
Scrape together with spatula & then pull it all into your hands & shape in to a ball.
Drop in bowl of remaining crunched up chips & roll around. Grab chips into your hand & press into ball to give it a good even coating.
Chill in refrigerator at least 2 hours before serving.

You really have to give this a try. We are big on the snack “football” foods in this house. My late mother-in-law was the queen of party food. I have to carry on that fun for the hubs & this is just one recipe to help do that. I think she would love it & would be so proud of me for creating something so good yet easy to make.

If you love this – you don’t want to miss our latest book!

If you make this recipe- please leave a link or tag me on Instagram @KleinworthCo

Use this to make these biscuits – Italian Garlic Butter

Easy Garlic Toast

Don’t miss these great ideas from these bloggers….
Cooking Classy – Lasagna Roll Ups
Diethood – Chicken-Broccoli Shells and Cheese

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Gluten Free Chocolate Strawberry Gooey Bars

*This post is sponsored by Pillsbury & Linqia. All thoughts & opinions are my own.

I love Yummy Bar Recipes! I don’t know about you but it seems like everyone I talk to has an issue with gluten. It’s more & more prevalent & there are more & more products on the market that are gluten free. I know that while I don’t always cook gluten free- when I do, we all feel better around here. So I have been doing my best to be more conscious about what our foods have in them – which is part of why I have been so focused on making the kids breakfast for so long now.

But lately I have been really wanting to make more desserts that are gluten free in hopes that the hubs will want to eat more of what I make instead of having to pass on all the goodies. So this time I made Gluten Free Chocolate Strawberry Gooey Bars. Oh they turned out so tasty & you would never know they are gluten free. Just goes to show you that gluten free doesn’t mean flavor free or no dessert.

Gluten Free Chocolate Strawberry Gooey Bars

Did you know that Pillsbury now has it’s first-ever gluten free cookie dough, pizza dough & pastry/pie dough?? I was pretty stoked to find that out & even more thrilled to try it out. I know that many moms don’t have time to make cookies & other treas from scratch & often buy the ready made doughs & crusts. Before now that meant that those with a gluten intolerance couldn’t eat them. Now they can. So many people now are looking for gluten free solutions for their families & Pillsbury has made eating gluten free easy convenient & delicious. These are all found in the refrigerated aisle of your store. These are so quick & easy to use – virtually no prep time at all.

So to celebrate these new gluten free products from Pillsbury I’m giving away a premium baking set.

Click on this image for more Pillsbury Info

Today I wanted to share my gluten free recipe using this Pillsbury Cookie Dough

Click on Image for more info on this cookie dough.

Print Recipe

Gluten Free Chocolate Strawberry Gooey Bars

Ingredients

1- 14.3 oz container of Gluten Free Pillsbury Cookie Dough
1 cup strawberry preserves (I used the strawberry version of my raspberry marmalade
1/2 cup coconut
1/4 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup mini marshmallows

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350.
Spray glass 9x13 pan with cooking spray
Add cookie dough to pan & press around to flatten & cover bottom
Add preserves & spread out in thin even layer
add coconut, then chocolate chips (both), then marshmallows
Bake 25-30 minutes until brown on bottom.
If it's not quite toasted enough on top- broil for a couple minutes.
Store in air tight container for 2 days in refrigerator.

The homemade preserves are gluten free, coconut, chocolate chips & marshmallows are all naturally gluten free as well. Yippee!!

Excited to start baking, but need a few recipes to get going??

Check out the Pillsbury Gluten Free Dough site for delicious & easy recipes to make with all three varieties of gluten free dough.

Over the next couple weeks I will be sharing more gluten free recipes using the new Pillsbury doughs.

TO ENTER: Visit Pillsbury for gluten free recipe inspiration.

Then come back & leave a comment below or on one of my upcoming Pillsbury posts to be entered to win.

Just answer the question: What exciting possibilities will Pillsbury Gluten Free Dough bring to your life?

We want to hear your stories & recipe ideas!!

Plus you will have 2 more chances to enter to win that AWESOME premium baking set.

Good Luck!

Be sure to check out my guest post today over at Baby Bump Bundle Blog.

Don’t forget to come back & join me on Mondays for Project 52

To see where I am linking today- visit HERE

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Buttercream Frosting Recipe

So I finally have pictures to show you of the munchkin’s birthday cake. I kept it low key because I really didn’t have an excuse to go over the top like we did last year. I mean I had all sorts of help when we did the pink ombre cake. Plus I had company to help eat it. This year no company for the party- so I kept this to a simple 2-layer 8″ round cake. A lot more manageable than what we have done in the past which was great because I really didn’t have the time, resources or desire to make this into a huge deal. Sometimes less is more and lately I have been going to that more & more.

Once I decided on the colors I knew what I would do for the cake. All the party decorations that I shared with you last week were all centered around the idea for the cake. I wanted it all to scream summer birthday party & I just love the tones in it all. Reminds me of rainbow sherbet. The blending of colors is so simple (a huge plus in my book) but still gives that girly feel- perfect for a girls birthday cake.

I used my FAVORITE Buttercream Frosting Recipe because it is just the perfect amount of sweet- without being over the top. I love it because it forms the perfect crust layer on the top while being ever so perfectly creamy on the inside. I love that it’s made with butter- no shortening. I used to make a meringue frosting that used margarine & shortening- both left a greasy film not only on my utensils & decorating supplies that was hard to get off- but also in my mouth. While the flavor was great- the fact that their was margarine & shortening in it always bothered me. So I LOVE this recipe for it’s lack of those two ingredients.

Print Recipe

Buttercream Frosting Recipe

Ingredients

2 sticks salted butter - softened the salted helps cut the sweetness
8 cups 1- 2lb bag confectioners sugar (no sifting)
2 tsp vanilla extract if making pure white frosting- use the clear imitation vanilla to keep your frosting from turning off white
1/3 - 1/2 cup milk depending on how thick you want the frosting & how warm your room is

Instructions

Cream softened butter in stand mixer with whip attachment until smooth.
Blend in vanilla.
Add 1/2 the confectioners sugar & most of the milk - stir slowly until moist- then whip until well combined.
Add remaining confectioners sugar & milk.
Beat on med-high about 3-4 minutes scraping sides of the bowl occasionally.
Texture will become very smooth.
Use immediately or store in airtight container for up to 2 weeks in refrigerator or 3 months in freezer.

I used one batch to fill, crumb coat, frost & decorate this 2-layer, 8″ round cake. I still have a little left in the fridge which would have been plenty for piping around the bottom or any other decorating if I had chosen to do so. This recipe is easily cut in half or doubled depending on your project.

This is so yummy. Seriously- it’s this frosting with my mom’s cake that makes me just swoon. I could have eaten this entire 8″ cake BY MYSELF. I don’t like to share cake. Don’t judge- I may have done it before- with a larger cake. (on my wedding day) Cake is my #1 weakness – especially this one.

Don’t miss my guest post tomorrow over at Baby Bump Bundle– I’m sharing my Cream Watermelon Lime Chiller.

Don’t forget to come back & join me on Mondays for Project 52

To see where I am linking today- visit HERE

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Easy Candy Recipe ~ Old Fashioned Party Favors

It’s Friday & I’m wrapping up some of the final details for the munchkin’s birthday celebration. One of the things I usually struggle with is party favors. I never know what to do. I finally decided to make Old Fashioned hard candy & put them in these adorable gift boxes that my client offers in her store. You can find them HERE. I have been meaning to make hard candy for FOREVER & I finally had a reason to push me to just do it. You know- it was super easy & I will be doing it again in various different flavors.

This Easy Candy Recipe is perfect for party favors.

Easy Candy Recipe, old fashioned candy recipe, party favors

The kids are loving it & asking when I will make more.

Fortunately I can do that as often as I like because it took hardly any time at all.

Print Recipe

Easy Candy Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
2/3 cup white corn syrup
3 drops food color of desired color
1 tsp candy flavoring of your choice
1/4 cup confectioners sugar

Instructions

Coat baking sheet or jelly roll pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
Combine water, granulated sugar & corn syrup in 2qt saucepan.
Bring to a boil stirring constantly.
Continue to boil until you reach 300 degrees- hard crack temp.
Remove from heat & quickly add in your food coloring & candy flavor. Stir.
Immediately pour into your prepared pan. Sprinkle with any decorations desired at this time.
Cool in refrigerator 30-60 minutes to harden.
Remove from refrigerator & press a fork into the candy to crack into pieces. (some of the thicker parts may need a little tap with a hammer)
Transfer to a bowl & add confectioners sugar. Toss to coat (this keeps it from sticking to itself)
Store in an airtight container.

You have to give this a try. I think I will be seeking out a whole variety of candy flavors now.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Don’t forget to come back & join me on Mondays for Project 52

To see where I am linking today- visit HERE

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Sorbet Party Printables

It’s August 1st!!! WOW- how the summer has flown by! We are inching closer to the munchkin’s birthday. So far I have shared with you the banner & piñata I made for her in sorbet colors. I am SO LOVING this color group for her birthday. I think it just screams AUGUST!! I created a whole bunch of decorations for her celebration & I thought I would also offer them to you all as a free printable set. Free Printable Checklist Templates

Sorbet Party Printables

I just love printables in general & it’s just so much fun pushing that creativity to make some of my own from time to time. Yes there are times when I don’t have the time & I just want a quick download. Thank goodness there are lots of other really creative people out there that offer free printables when I need them. For those of you that want & need that quick download- today is your lucky day. I have them all here & ready for printing.

There is this banner- I think I will be using this on her cake.

It was way too hot to do cupcakes-

so a scoop of the Double Berry Cheesecake Frozen Yogurt in a cupcake liner worked well in the cupcake wrappers & then decorated with the cupcake toppers.

I love straw flags- they really make it more fun.

Tag decorations- you could put these on just about anything.

And then the Thank You cards. I actually did these in 2 sheets of different patterns. Thank You’s are so important.

So here you can see all the printables available in this set. Download HERE.

Enjoy & make your next party happy!!

Don’t forget to come back & join me on Mondays for Project 52

To see where I am linking today- visit HERE

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Ruffle Piñata Tutorial

By Kleinworth & Co 3 Comments

As I mentioned yesterday- I’m in birthday mode. I wanted to do a couple things I had not done before but have been on my to-do list for YEARS!!! Yesterday I shared the birthday banner. That was fun & I can pull it out for both of the girls every year if I so choose. Then I decided to put my creativity to the test & make a piñata. I decided that instead of the typical fringed style I wanted this one to be super girly- so I went with ruffles.

Ruffle Piñata

It was much simpler than I thought it would be- which was great. If you know me then you know that when projects start getting too complicated or have too many steps- I say forget it & move on. I have issues with instant gratification I suppose 🙂 I like my time & when something takes too much of it I lose interest- quickly. So this wasn’t too bad. Especially because I broke it in to 2 afternoons.

It came out so cute – the girls don’t even want to bust it apart.

So here you start with 6 cardboard triangles- it will be diamond shaped but because I did ruffles- you can’t see that. I might do one with the traditional fringe & then you would see the shape better. Use painters tape so it comes apart easily when it’s hit with the bat. So then you have 2 pyramids. Take your ribbon & tie a knot in the end leaving your loop. Poke through the hole at the top of one pyramid so you will be able to hang it.

Cut your flap for your candy filling. Tape the pyramids together to make your diamond. Then cut strips of colored tissue paper. Working in strips, starting at the bottom of the piñata, paint on Mod Podge & then lay your strip of tissue over & pulling & pinching to ruffle it around the cardboard. Keep working up the sides making sure you are letting the un-glued part overlap the previous glued part. Go ahead & glue over your cut flap & then once dry- you can slice through the tissue to allow it to open. When I got to the top I decided to make tissue flowers so I just crumpled them to the center & tied with some curling ribbon to hold. Glued them on- one on each side. I decided to add some more curling ribbon in metallic & in coordinating pink to the bottom by just tying it around the bottom point.

I didn’t have orange tissue paper on hand to keep with the true yellow, pink & orange sorbet colors of the party decorations. So I just used 2 different shades of pink. I did all of this with things I had on hand here at the house. I broke it all down by doing the construction on the first afternoon- total time maybe 30 minutes. Then the next afternoon I worked for maybe 1-2 hours (including photos) adding on the tissue paper.

Supplies:

Cardboard
Scissors
Painters tape
Mod Podge
Tissue paper
Curling ribbon
Satin ribbon

TOTAL COST: $0.00

I was so happy to make something for the party that didn’t cost me anything but my time. Yes I purchased all these things at an earlier time but I had them on hand as leftovers from other birthday decorating & my regular craft supplies. No additional birthday cost which is more money I can spend on gifts for her. YAY!!

Now that I have done it- I will probably be making more for future birthdays.

So simple.

Don’t forget to come back & join me on Mondays for Project 52

To see where I am linking today- visit HERE

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Sorbet Birthday Banner

The munchkin’s birthday is less than a week away. I have been going crazy getting everything prepared & planned. I don’t know why but it seems that we seem to always do more for her birthday than for the others when it comes to planning. Maybe because it’s summer & the others are right before & after the holidays & we are just completely wrapped up in all that stuff during that time. But for whatever the reason- August brings on a big deal for the the little one. Usually my mom comes & we make the cake & I have lots of help with all this. No this year- I will REALLY MISS having her here as I totally suck at making cakes. I love having a professional cake decorator here to help me through it. But her health is SO MUCH MORE IMPORTANT right now so I will be chugging through on my own. I decided to start off easy this time & make a

Sorbet Birthday Banner

I decided that since the munchkin loves pink & orange- we would go with a Sorbet colored theme.

It’s happy & summer like too

Please forgive me for not getting this thing hung evenly. The wasps were bothering me & I was trying to work fast & get out of there.

The girls helped me with this. Using a template we cut out the canvas. Then used another template to make the chevron marks & paint them in with yellow, pink & orange. Then I used my stencils from my Plaid Summer Kids campaign & stencil in the letters with some metallic silver paint. After they were dry I used some hot glue (the fabric glue just wasn’t holding tightly) & attached the lace to the tops of the banner pieces. I felt it was sort of incomplete still so I then glued on some little pink bows on the tops of each piece. I think that was just enough embellishment for my taste.

I love the ragged edge on these.

So there you have it. Simple little birthday banner for my not so little girl.

Don’t forget to come back & join me on Mondays for Project 52

To see where I am linking today- visit HERE

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My Circus My Monkeys Printable ~ Project 52 Week 30

Hi there!!! Welcome to Project 52!

Usually I spend my free time in the kitchen or making different projects. That is pretty apparent around here. Most of the time it’s something for the house or something for the kids. Once in a while the hubs puts in a request for something. Not a lot of the time I actually get around to doing it. But this past weekend he was super busy with work & all sorts of other things. This gave me the time to work on his special request.

Free Printable Checklist Templates

You see- a little while back I saw THIS PIN on Pinterest which lead me to THIS Etsy shop for this print. It reads “Not my Circus, Not my Monkeys”. Apparently it’s a Polish Proverb that means “Not My Problem”. When I first showed it to the hubs he laughed. Then he said he wanted one that said “My Circus My Monkeys” because in his line of work- EVERYTHING IS HIS PROBLEM. So I spent some time in Photoshop & created this free printable.

So there you go. I printed it, framed it & now it’s hanging in his office.

Everyone laughs & completely understands why it’s there.

Of course I made it available for you all too.

If you are the kind of person where EVERYTHING is your problem too- this is for you.

Maybe you are a mom- and everything defaults to your problem… print it!!

Download here

What did you do this past week???

The P52 Details

* Post 1 photo or as many as you like each week on Mondays.

* The button or text link should be present in your post- but not absolutely necessary.

* Please visit some other blogs & leave some love & encouragement.

* Submit the URL of your blog post – not your home page.

Project 52

Grab the button HERE

To see where I am linking today- visit HERE

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Double Berry Cheesecake Frozen Yogurt

Rocky Road Pudding Jars

I warned you that I would be on a frozen dessert recipe kick this week. I have been in full frozen yogurt mode around here & boy is the family happy about that. I swear if I had to pick a job aside from photography- I would want to work in creating ice cream/frozen yogurt flavors. It’s so fun to think of what would taste good all mixed together into one little cup of happy. 100% delicious, you really can’t go wrong with this one. It’s cheesecake heaven that includes a cool down.

This time I made Double Berry Cheesecake Frozen Yogurt

It came out so good that I think I will be making it again for the munchkin’s birthday. I made this Strawberry Frozen Yogurt last year to go along with her Pink Ombre Cake. I was really fortunate last year (& in many years past) that my mom was able to be with us & help me make her cake. That is not the case this year due to her chemo- so I have had to resolve myself to the fact that her cake this year will not come close to as spectacular as the Ombre Cake. But at least the side to the cake is tasty. That’s always good.

Topping with some frozen berries made it all the yummier (is that even a word?)

Can you tell I am just loving these little pails from the $1 bin at Target.

I’m just loving having a Target close to us now. Didn’t get there too often when it was 70 miles from us. Now a totally different deal.

Print Recipe

Double Berry Cheesecake Frozen Yogurt

Ingredients

1- 32 oz container strawberry yogurt
1- 8 oz pkg cream cheese - softened
2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1- 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup raspberry marmalade
crunched graham crackers for topping

Instructions

In mixer bowl, whip cream cheese until soft & fluffy.
Add in yogurt, sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice, vanilla.
Beat until well combined - scrape down bowl as needed.
Add to ice cream maker & churn 20 minutes.
Transfer to airtight container & fold in raspberry marmalade leaving ribbons of it through the mixture.
Add crunched graham crackers- fold in just a little.
Freeze approx 4-6 hours before serving.
Top with additional graham crackers & frozen berries if desired.

Looking for more great dessert recipes?

Potato Chip Bark

Frozen Bananas

Don’t miss these great ideas from these bloggers….
Baking-Ginger – Watermelon Coconut Ice Cream
The Novice Chef – Black Forest Trifle

To see where I am linking today- visit HERE

Frozen Kit Kat Pudding Pie

Toffee Banana Dippers

I have a warning for you- this week is going to be Frozen Recipes heavy. You see- it’s a bit warmer here & so I am not only looking for things to make that don’t require the oven- but also that help keep us all cool. When it’s 90+ outside that means it’s 85+ in my house. This one doesn’t have AC – which I was so lucky to have when we were in the desert. We are no where near those temps- but 90+ is still borderline uncomfortable. Fortunately I lived in the heat long enough to know what to do. So today I bring you…

Frozen Kit Kat Pudding Pie

Yeah- this really didn’t last very long. I had just about everyone coming out to check on my progress as I was taking these pictures. They did not want to wait any longer for this treat. It was bad enough I made it the night before & they didn’t want to have to wait until the following night to enjoy it. I really do have to make things early enough in the day so that they are ready to be photographed before dinner. Otherwise people around here start getting a bit irritated that there are treats staring at them in the fridge & they can’t have any. 🙂 I know- I’m mean right??!!

Print Recipe

Frozen Kit Kat Pudding Pie

Ingredients

1 Oreo pie crust
1 pkg Jell-O chocolate pudding prepared to pkg directions for pie filling
20 mini Kit Kat bars
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
whipped cream as desired

Instructions

Chop mini Kit Kat bars into 3 pieces each
Prepare chocolate pie filling according to pkg instructions
Stir in 1/2 of the chopped Kit Kats & 1/2 of the chocolate chips
Pour into pie crust
Sprinkle with remaining Kit Kat pieces & chocolate chips.
Freeze for at least 3-4 hours.
Let sit for 20 minutes on the counter before serving.
Top with whipped cream as desired.

Want more chocolate- don’t miss these recipes.

Chocolate Frozen Yogurt

Don’t forget to come back & join me on Mondays for Project 52

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Getting Organized with Rubbermaid All Access Organizers

**This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and Home Depot & Rubbermaid, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #AllAccessOrganizers https://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO

This week I was able to Get Organized with Rubbermaid All Access Organizers – WhoooHoooo!

When we made our cross country move 7 months ago we knew things would be tight on space. You see we only had 30 days to get relocated for the new job & apparently things like moving are a seasonal thing up here in Northern Idaho. This wasn’t something we were used to being that we are both CA natives & lived in the desert of NV for the last 12 years. So house choices were slim pickin’s. We actually took this house on a leap of faith- sight unseen. Yep- we went off of photos, phone conversations & our faith that everything would be okay. Fortunately everything worked out.

That being said- this house is 1000 square feet smaller than our last. Even though we sold or donated 50% of our belongings to make this move happen- we are still very tight on space. I used to have my entire office plus 2 closets & a bunch of space in the garage to store my crafting supplies. I had to use our new garage space for my studio (which I am grateful for) & don’t have a full dedicated office space like I used to. This means that I had to take over half the linen closet & most of the coat closet to accommodate what I still have left of my crafting supplies.

It’s been driving me INSANE!!

So you can imagine how positively THRILLED I was when given the opportunity to try the new Rubbermaid All Access Organizers.

I could barely wait to get on over to The Home Depot & pick up my organizers.

I was not only super excited to see how affordable they are- but I love the blue & green colors they were available in.

They are also much larger than I expected. So I got them home & immediately got to work.

YEP- embarrassed to say that I have been living with my closet like this for the last couple months. As I would keep collecting new craft supplies they would just get dumped in here because we hardly ever open the door. But every time I wanted to make something I would have to tear it all out & hunt for things. Did I mention I have NO PATIENCE for this. It literally puts me in an instant bad mood when I have to hunt for things. I want them within my sight & easy to access. I really don’t like feeling disorganized so this situation had to end.

Check out how neatly all this stuff fits in my bin. This is the small bin but it wasn’t small at all. I was shocked at how much I was able to fit in here. I absolutely LOVE the fact that it has the clear side door so that I can access my things without taking the lid off. I like seeing things from the label view instead of the tops of the lids. Being able to reach in from the side is AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!! Sticking in a standard tote would have been equally as annoying for me because I’m one of those people that has to see what I have or I forget it exists. Then I end up re-purchasing things I already own just because I can’t see that I have it. Do you see now why being organized is so important for me. It’s how I survive. I can’t function otherwise. I just have too much going on & my mind is in too many places to try to remember it all. So these clear doors letting me see what I have & access it so easily- LOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is the large bin. It holds a TON of stuff. I decided that I would use this for corralling all the fabric & supplies for making my camera straps. I literally had it all just dumped in a large (person sized) tote with all my other fabric & anything else that would fit in there. Every time I would make a sale I would have to drag everything out & hunt for the supplies I needed. This HAD TO STOP. I can’t live like that. I swear it’s some sort of torture to be disorganized in this way. 🙂 So now I have everything I need all in this easy to grab space. I was able to fit 30 stacks of fabric in here & all the other things that go with it- batting, spray adhesive, & most of my packaging supplies (minus the shipping boxes) in here too. That makes me HAPPY!!!

So you can see here that I bought both colors. Yeah- I really wanted the green in both sizes but they didn’t have the green in the small at the time we were there. So I decided that the colors reminded me of going home to the ocean- so that was okay with me. 🙂 I had planned on stacking a set in each of these spots- but they were so much bigger than I expected so one of each. These do stack well & open when stacked- but they didn’t fit stacked here in my closet because of these shelves. But this works really well for me because of – again- that nifty side door. I don’t have to remove them from the shelves to get to my stuff – but if I wanted to, they do open from the top as well.

You can see my projects I still have yet to complete- unfinished boxes, a shelf that needs repainting, all sorts of rope for things & the waffle box that is currently holding burlap & raffia that needs to be covered with either paint or contact paper so I don’t have to look a the logo anymore. 🙂 I will be buying a whole lot more of these Rubbermaid All Access Organizers. Every single closet in this house needs more organization along with my laundry room. My prop cabinet is also bursting & these would be great in addition to that for storing all my things for photos. The kid’s school supplies need to be moved into these organizers too so we don’t have to store them with their crafts & games. SO MANY possibilities. Looks like I will be spending a lot more time at The Home Depot picking up more of these organizers from Rubbermaid.

You can connect on Facebook with The Home Depot & Rubbermaid.

Thank you Pollinate, Home Depot & Rubbermaid for helping me get organized!

Don’t forget to come back & join me on Mondays for Project 52

To see where I am linking today- visit HERE

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Fried Hot Dog Sliders

By Kleinworth & Co 3 Comments

Today is National Hot Dog Day so we are celebrating by making Hot Dogs the theme for July’s Recipe Round-Up.

Fried Hot Dog Sliders is my celebratory recipe

Looking for Easy Family Dinner Ideas? The hubs is a bit of a hot dog nut. He will vote to have hot dogs just about any time. So it’s fair to say that we have tried them in all different ways & have narrowed it down to just a handful of the best brands. Yes we take hot dogs fairly seriously in this house despite their fun nature. So I really couldn’t resist taking advantage of National Hot Dog Day & celebrating. So today not only am I sharing my new favorite way to eat them- but a bunch of my friends are sharing either their recipes with hot dogs or recipes that go great with them. 🙂

Print Recipe

Fried Hot Dog Sliders

Ingredients

Hot Dogs 2 per slider
Provolone Cheese
French Loaf
1 Stick Butter
Garlic Powder
Parmesan Cheese

Instructions

Prepare your bread

Cut french loaf into slices & lay on ungreased baking sheet
Melt butter & brush over each slice of french bread to coat.
Sprinkle with garlic powder & Parmesan cheese.
Broil until golden brown.

Cook your hot dogs

Start by slicing each hot dog length wise until it's not completely separated but you can open it to lay it flat.
Fry in skillet until you get those nice crunchy, blackened strips on them & they are good & hot.

Assemble your slider

Lay fried hot dog on one slice of your un-toasted side of your bread.
Add provolone cheese slice.
Return back to broiler to melt & bubble cheese slightly.
Remove from broiler & add top piece of bread. Cut as desired.
Serve immediately.

Hot Dog on a Stick from The Taylor House

Watermelon Daiquiri from One Martini at a Time

Fried Hot Dog Sliders from Kleinworth & Co.

Campfire Cooking from Nap-Time Creations

Peanut Butter Banana Hot Dog from Random-osity

Wisconsin Beer Brats from Joyful Healthy Eats

National Hot Dog Day from Little by Little

Loaded Oven Chili Dogs from Semi-Homemade Mom

To see where I am linking today- visit HERE

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Creamy Watermelon Lime Chiller

Welcome to Project 52- week 29

Wow- hard to believe that we are more than half way through July. I am seeing more & more people pinning Christmas things. I know!!! Part of me wants to start planning & then the other part of me feels overwhelmed because I have all these other months to think about first. If I plan out too many at once- I’m going to burn out I think. So I think I will be focusing week by week & see how far I go. At the moment the munchkin has a birthday coming up- fairly soon. So I need to really start planning for that & doing things to prepare. So if you are wondering what I am up to when I am not in the office much this week- that is it.

As part of that prep for munchkin’s birthday- I have been playing with creating drinks.

She loves pink so this Creamy Watermelon Lime Chiller was a top pick.

Plus all this drink creation gave me the chance to play with these straw flags from Life n Reflection.

As part of being on the design team for Kristy- I was given this Spring party Set.

Since it’s not spring anymore- I focused on the flags. I can use them all year long- which is awesome!

You can pick up the set HERE.

As I mentioned yesterday in my Scavenger Hunt post- we spent part of the weekend at one of the stations having a cleaning party & BBQ afterwards. So I didn’t get too many personal photos- most of them are for the FD. I was happy to be able to capture these drinks & share them with you. We all loved them & apparently so do the yellow jackets. The stinging/flying things around here are in abundance & poor Mini-Me not only got stung on her eyelid (what are the chances??) during our Bayview Days celebration but then again on her leg this past week. Sooooooo- I’m not all that thrilled about that. I AM however happy that we found out she’s not allergic.

So do you want the recipe??

Print Recipe

Creamy Watermelon Lime Chiller

Ingredients

2 C watermelon- cubed
1-1/2 C simple syrup
1/2 C whipped cream
1/2 a lime - juiced
1 oz rum opt since this is for kids- I withheld it.

Instructions

Blend all ingredients until smooth & well combined.
Serve immediately.

Now share what you have been up to!!

Project 52

* Post 1 photo or as many as you like each week on Mondays.

* The button or text link should be present in your post- but not absolutely necessary.

* Please visit some other blogs & leave some love & encouragement.

* Submit the URL of your blog post – not your home page.

Grab the button HERE

To see where I am linking today- visit HERE

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Blog Payment Tracking Printable

Creative Reflection – 365 Days of Journaling Color Pages

Blog Payment Tracking Printable – an easy way to keep track of all your blogging income from sponsored posts & contracted work. Get organized quickly!

If you are a blogger that does a lot of sponsored posts then you know that sometimes keeping track of when you post & your expected payout can be hard. I know that a lot of times I will all of a sudden receive a payment that I had forgotten I was owed. I didn’t even remember how long it had been since I had posted. Then there are those (some I am dealing with right now) that tell you “payment within 60 days” So you wait the 60 days & it comes & goes. If you are not keeping track that 60 can turn into 90 & then you are searching for that contact info to see where the heck your payment is. This is especially frustrating when there is a big push to post in a tight time frame or you work really hard to meet the demands & deadlines only to be forgotten about when it comes to payment for all that hard work. Free Printable Checklist Templates

I searched Pinterest for a printable that had all the info on it that I wanted- & not a bunch of extra things that I didn’t– it wasn’t there.

So I finally made my own Blog Payment Tracking Printable.

Now when I get notice of a sponsored post I not only print off what I need to remember when putting the post together but I immediately write the projected post date on my editorial calendar & then fill in the info on this sheet. Now I have everything I need to know at a quick glance up on my clipboard above my desk. I know what’s expected & what has gone waaaay overdue. I made sure to add the contact info of the campaign manager so I can quickly pop them a message whether it be a question before posting or tracking down payment months later – I have all that at a glance.

Download HERE

Hope this helps keep your blogging income easier to manage.

Don’t forget to come back & join me on Mondays for Project 52

To see where I am linking today- visit HERE

If you love this – you don’t want to miss our latest book!

365 Journaling prompt coloring pages + monthly & yearly goal sheets AND 14 free color pages

Nearly 400 printable coloring pages for just $8.99

Looking for more awesome printables?

30 Days Bullet Journal Prompts Free Printable

2017 Mandala Adult Coloring Page Calendar Free Printable

With Enough Coffee Free Printable

Cursive Handwriting Practice Sheets

Don’t miss these great ideas from these bloggers….
free printable initial wall art from burlap and blue
Organizational Printables from landeelu.com

To see where I am linking today- visit HERE

Easy Kids Crafts Room Decor DIY

*Disclosure: Sponsored Post- I have been compensated for this post either monetarily or with product. All opinions are truthful & my own.

Hi Everyone!!! Happy to see you today! I have been up to my eyeballs in projects for about the past week. I have been focused on trying to spruce up the girl’s room. Ever since moving in here it has been bugging me. Then shortly thereafter the largest frame on their largest wall broke. So they have had this huge blank wall for a while now & it finally bothered me enough that I did something about it the other day.

I was so thrilled when I was offered the opportunity to be a part of the Summer Kids’ Crafting Streat Team for July. Summer is a great time to craft with your kids. I had so much fun working with the girls to find out what they wanted for their room. I was so inspired by Plaid Kid Crafts & so were they. We decided that the first issue we would tackle was that huge blank wall & then see where our creativity took us from there.

Easy Kids Crafts Room Decor DIY

We made this cute & simple stenciled, painted board in a beachy theme. We all miss the ocean & So Cal so much- especially because it’s been about 4 years since we have been able to go back home & visit. So we figured we would bring a bit of it to them by incorporating a little So Cal ocean vibe to their space.

beachy painted board, Easy Kids Crafts Room Decor DIY

I started out with these items from my Plaid kit I was sent. Then I added a few of my own things I had on hand. I am already a HUGE Plaid user – so I was thrilled to work on a project with them.

Product list:

Mod Podge Extreme Glitter

Plaid Stencils

Plaid Apple Barrel Paints in 20492 Neon Blue, 20487 Neon Pink, 20489 Neon Orange, 20491 Neon Green, 20408 Gloss White, 22814 Tropical Blue

Cardboard

Rope

Painting sponges

First I painted on the yellow at the top, then mixed the orange & pink in the middle, then mixed the green & neon blue at the bottom. Let dry.

Then I coated with white – rubbed off some with a paper towel to not only let the colors back through but to give a more distressed look.

I added the Tropical Blue paint to the bottom on the blue/green part to give it a more ocean feel. Let dry.

Then I stenciled on my letters. Painted on some ocean waves freehand. Let dry again.

Then the REALLY FUN PART!!!! Once it was dry I added 2-3 coats of Mod Podge Extreme Glitter. OH MY GOSH- I love this stuff. Can I tell you a secret?? Before my Plaid box arrived- I had never used Mod Podge before. GASP!!!! I know, right??!!! I don’t know why- I just never did. But I can tell you I am TOTALLY HOOKED!!! Be prepared to see a whole lot more projects using all variations of Mod Podge. OH YES- it’s my new favorite toy.

So I let it dry between coats – which it dried REALLY FAST. Once finished I punched holes in the corners for the rope & tied it through. So simple. The whole project only took a couple hours & the girls had so much fun helping me. They LOVE their new art in their room. Now we will be using these same colors with their already neutral base colors to punch up the fun in there.

Want to find out more about Plaid & their awesome products??

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InspiredByPlaid
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PlaidCrafts
Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/plaidcrafts/
Blog: https://paintmeplaid.com/

Don’t forget to come back & join me on Mondays for Project 52

To see where I am linking today- visit HERE

Want more Plaid Kids Crafts?? Check out all of these…

*Disclosure: Sponsored Post- I have been compensated for this post either monetarily or with product. All opinions are truthful & my own.

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Drawing with Light Tutorial – Project 52 Week 28

Happy Monday & Welcome to Project 52!

Summer is chugging along & I am sure by now those of you who have kids at home are looking for some fun things to do with them. So today I thought I would share with you a fun photography tutorial that they will have so much fun with.

Drawing with Light

It’s really quite simple & the kids will have some summertime fun.

But before I get in to the tutorial I have to share with you this image I captured of the fields around our house. This is after all Project 52- so I need to share with you an image that was taken this past week 🙂 I just love the golden tones of this particular shot.

Okay- so now on to the fun stuff. First thing- you are going to need a tripod or some other steady surface to set your camera on because your shutter is going to be SLOW.Settings for a DSLR should be set to Manual ISO 100 f/3.5-5 depending on how many people you have in your shot. SS 10-30 seconds.

For point & shoot style camera- choose the night or fireworks setting. You will have less control over the length of time your shutter stays open unless you have a manual setting & can follow the same settings as listed for DSLR. The key here is to not have a super deep depth of field so that you are keeping the people drawing out of focus. The shutter speed will depend on how much you want in the shot.I found that using a flashlight with a click button on/off worked well. That way we could control when the light was on. You could use glow sticks if you like- but you will have to have the kids move them to behind their back’s when they are done drawing.

I had my son stand in front of me with the lights on- I took a single test shot to make sure I was in focus- you will need to manually focus. You may need a couple test shots for this. Once you get your focus- don’t move your tripod & try to have the kids keep their feet in one place even though their arms will be moving . This is part of the fun to see who can do all these crazy things with their hands while keeping their feet in one place.

Then we turned out the lights. I gave the countdown- when I said “GO” I pressed the shutter button & he clicked on the light- drew what he wanted to & then clicked it off when he was done. I found that even with the longer things he wanted to write- 15 seconds was more than enough time & we had extra time where the shutter was hanging open a lot of the time. So I just started adjusting the shutter speed accordingly.It’s super fun to see how creative they get with the things they want to draw. We had shapes & then he tried to write messages.

It’s super fun because they are trying to write their words backwards so they are legible on camera.

OR- you can just flip the image in Photoshop if it’s too hard for them. My son liked the challenge of writing backwards.

If it’s too light out where you are – like it is for me (doesn’t get really dark until 10-10-:30 here in the summer) then you could do this in a dark garage.

Have fun- as far as processing, not much needs to be done to images like these.

That makes it even better in my book. I think I only sharpened these & sized for the web.

Give it a try- the kids will laugh until they are aching.

The P52 Details

* Post 1 photo or as many as you like each week on Mondays.

* The button or text link should be present in your post- but not absolutely necessary.

* Please visit some other blogs & leave some love & encouragement.

* Submit the URL of your blog post – not your home page.

Project 52

Grab the button HERE

To see where I am linking today- visit HERE

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Sour Shirley Summer Drink Recipe

By Kleinworth & Co 5 Comments

This Sour Shirley Summer Drink Recipe is a twist on the iconic childhood drink. Made with added lemonade & optional rum – this can be enjoyed by all ages.

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Mod Podge Picture Plaque

Today is my mom’s birthday!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!

After all she has been through & all she still has yet to fight- I am so grateful to be celebrating her birthday today- even if I am 1200 miles away from her right now. But I did make her a little something to give her a smile while she fights her fight. I decided to grab this AWESOME Mod Podge Wash Out for Kids (fabulous product btw) and some other supplies to make her this

Mod Podge Picture Plaque

Super simple- basically just cut the paper to fit the plaque.

Put a dab of Mod Podge on the back to tack it down. Then gave it several coats of Mod Podge all over to seal it down.

Then I just painted the edges, added some lace around the edge of the image & nailed in some more lace on the back for the hanger.

I love that it’s sealed & I don’t have to worry about the image fading. Like all grandmothers, I am sure she will love having a little something with the images of her grandchildren for her to gaze at since we are so far apart. I wish we were able to be together for her birthday but I’m sure as soon as she’s well enough to travel again we will be together.

Don’t miss my other post today- HUGE photo dump of our 4th of July weekend.

Don’t forget to come back & join me on Mondays for Project 52

To see where I am linking today- visit HERE

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Cherry Limeade Slurpee

Today is 7-11!!!! That means that TODAY you can get a FREE SLURPEE at 7-11 WHOOT!!!!!!! I so love a good slurpee- but I can’t always get one when I want it. So I decided to try some slurpee recipes & come up with my own. After a lot of different ones- I finally made…

Cherry Limeade Slurpee

Oh yeah- it’s SO GOOD. I think by now you have noticed that I have a bit of an obsession with cherry limeade- so it should come as no surprise that I made a Cherry Limeade Slurpee. I seriously can’t get enough.

Print Recipe

Cherry Limeade Slurpee

Ingredients

2 c crushed ice
1/2 c sugar
2 c cherry limeade soda
1 pkt black cherry Kool Aid

Instructions

Add all ingredients into blender- mix on ice crush for 1-2 minutes.
You may want to so this in pulses as the soda may cause it to overflow depending on the side of your blender.
Top with cherry for garnish.
Enjoy immediately.

So refreshing on these hot summer days. I could drink one all day long.

Don’t forget to come back & join me on Mondays for Project 52

To see where I am linking today- visit HERE

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Raspberry Chocolate Chip Donuts

Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls

Raspberry Chocolate Chip Donuts an easy homemade donut recipe that’s baked with fresh raspberry jam. Perfect for breakfast. Be sure to make a double batch!

Good Morning!!! How are all of you today?? I made a special – healthier treat for breakfast the other day.

Raspberry Chocolate Chip Donuts

I have been avoiding making things in the oven- that means no banana bread. So I have been trying to come up alternatives- which means that the donut maker has been making an appearance more often. But that doesn’t mean that we have shifted to unhealthy 100% of the time here. Doing things like leaving off the glaze & substituting a light dusting of powdered sugar instead is just as yummy!!

These were so good- just the right amount of sweet without feeling like I was eating a bunch of sugar.

Such a simple homemade donut recipe- made 32 mini donuts for us, which is great because with 3 teens in the house, I always feel like I’m cooking for an army. These were just perfect for a weekend breakfast with some leftover for Monday morning coffee.

Print Recipe

Raspberry Chocolate Chip Donuts

Ingredients

3 c flour
1 c sugar
3 tsp baking powder
2 sticks butter-melted
1-1/2 c milk
2 eggs
1/4 cup mini-chocolate chips
2 tbsp raspberry marmalade

Instructions

Preheat donut machine or Preheat oven to 350
Combine dry ingredients in large bowl
Make a well in the center.
Whisk in milk, then eggs.
Whisk in melted butter once slightly cooled.
Continue whisking until batter is smooth.
Add in chocolate chips & marmalade & fold to slightly mix.
Fill donut pans or wells in donut maker.
For full size donuts in the oven- bake approx 10-12 minutes
For mini-donut maker bake 6 minutes
transfer to wire rack to cool
Serve immediately OR
Store in airtight container in refrigerator.
Warm in microwave 20 -30 seconds before eating.

ENJOY!!!!

If you want some glaze- I have several in my other donut recipe posts .

If you make this recipe- please leave a link or tag me on Instagram @KleinworthCo

Looking for more of our favorite breakfast recipes?

Bacon Cheddar & Spinach Quiche Cups

Peanut Butter Overload Pancakes

Don’t miss these great ideas from these bloggers….
Overnight Cinnamon Apple Baked French Toast Casserole from Life Love & Sugar
Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake from OMG Chocolate Desserts

To see where I am linking today- visit HERE

No Sew Sleep Mask

Did you know that during the summer the sun doesn’t set here until around 10pm?? Then it’s already somewhat light out by 3:50am!!!! Guess I should have expected it being where we are now. We obviously can’t have the whole family up during all those light hours so sleep masks have become something we can’t live without – at least for us girls. 🙂 I purchased mine but decided to make some for the girls. They were so easy- NO SEWING! Done in less than 30 minutes- not including drying time. Free Printable Checklist Templates

No Sew Sleep Mask

She was thrilled to have some darkness & get back to restful sleep.

So simple. I just love simple kid crafts- especially when they are no sew diy projects. What could be better??!! The kids get a fun project that they can use night after night. Plus it gives them some really restful sleep free from any light that may be filtering in. Now I just have to come up with a more manly solution for the dudes in the house.

Download HERE

Come on back & tell me how your’s turned out!!!

AND!!!!! I’m now a contributor for Reasons to Skip Housework. Today I’m sharing my Spiced Apricot Fro Yo Pops

So be sure to head on over & check it out & grab the recipe.

Don’t forget to come back & join me on Mondays for Project 52

To see where I am linking today- visit HERE

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Strawberry Pineapple Slush

By Kleinworth & Co 5 Comments

Strawberry Pineapple Slush is an easy summer drink recipe that’s so delicious! Strawberries & pineapple are a great combo!

Happy Saturday Everyone!! Are you staying cool?? Have you had a great 4th of July weekend so far?? We have been running around here like headless chickens this week but it’s all in good fun & we have had a blast so far.

I wanted to share with you not only a tasty recipe to keep you cool this weekend but also a FABULOUS giveaway too. So I’m sharing with you…this delicious Strawberry Pineapple Slush!

Scroll to the bottom for the Printable Recipe

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Cherry Pie Parfait

Patriotic Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie

Happy Friday everyone!! Did you all have a great 4th of July?? I’m assuming that the festivities for everyone will be spread out from yesterday through the weekend like they are here. I hope your celebrations are happy & safe. We will be continuing ours today as well. I am in full treat making mode here. One thing I wanted to share with you was something I made for the kids the other day. I had so many plans for the cherry pie filling I shared with you a week ago. Unfortunately the recipes didn’t quite turn out – but I didn’t want the cherry pie filling to go to waste. So I made the kids a little

Cherry Pie Parfait

They loved them!! Just one more thing to add to the treat menu that doesn’t take too much time.

Print Recipe

Cherry Pie Parfait

Ingredients

16 oz Plain or Vanilla low fat yogurt
6 vanilla Oreo cookies
6 oz cherry pie filling

Instructions

Layer each ingredient into your glass to your liking.
That simple
ENJOY!

Really- the most time consuming part is making the cherry pie filling. But even that is less than 20 minutes. I love this because they look so pretty that people don’t realize just how simple they are to make. The perfect little treat for those that want to be a bit more health conscious. If you want to go all out & be bad- you could substitute the yogurt for either pudding or ice cream or whipped cream. 🙂 Yeah- I’m all about how you can jazz it up & make it super sinful. You know how it goes!

Have an AMAZING weekend everyone!

Looking for more awesome 4th of July ideas?

Red, White & Blue Daiquiri

Patriotic Chocolate Chip Cookies

To see where I am linking today- visit HERE

Patriotic Table Decorations

Happy 4th of July!!!

I hope you all have some really great things planned out for today! We kick off our 4 days of celebration today with a parade – the hubs & all the fire engines will be there throwing candy for the kids. That is always fun & I hear there is a lot of community spirit here. Can’t wait to see that. Then there will be the 1st of many fireworks shows late tonight. Since the sun isn’t totally set until about 10pm here- it will be a very long day. I think I may try to catch a nap if I can sometime this afternoon before heading back out.

As I told you yesterday- I wanted to make some cute little table decorations to make all the festivities just a bit more fun.

So along with the luminaries from yesterday- I also made these

Patriotic Table Decorations

So simple- with Jelly Bellies & Tootsie Pops.

Then as the night goes on- the kids have some treats to keep them happy while they wait for the fireworks to start. 🙂

Have a SAFE & HAPPY 4th of July!!!

Be FIRE SAFE!!!

To see where I am linking today- visit HERE

Glow Band Luminaries

Patriotic Mini-Cheesecakes

Hi everyone!!! Can’t believe that tomorrow is the 4th of July!!!

Exciting things happening- wanted to share some last minute decorating ideas with you this week. I decided that I wanted to make some table decorations. I never really get too festive in this department but I thought with all the gatherings going on- there will be a lot of food involved & the tables should probably look cute too! So I made these super simple…

Glow Band Luminaries

I love these because they bring a pop of color & are fire safe too. (you know me- always worried about fire safety)

Just take a short mason jar & stick some glow band bracelets in there (I bought mine at Target $1 bin area)

Then I took another taller jar & stuck it in the middle- filled with M&M’s & tied some decorations.

They will make your party come alive once the sun goes down!

If you are looking for more 4th of July inspiration- or maybe you missed one of these posts.

Favorite Patriotic Fonts

Baby Back Ribs

4th of July Fashion Ideas

Simple Patriotic Ice Cream Sandwich

Patriotic Luminaries

Paper Roll Flag Craft

Watermelon Cherry Limeade

American Flag Printable

Red White & Blue Daiquiri (cocktail/mocktail)

How to Photograph Fireworks

Patriotic Cookie Dough Brownie Bars

Chocolate Sweet Potato Cake

Coco-Nutty Caramel Popcorn

No Sew Patriotic Hair Ties

White Chocolate M&M Popcorn

Hope this gives you some great ideas for your festivities this 4th of July!!!

I will have one more quick decorating idea for you tomorrow too. Have a great one!

Don’t forget to come back & join me on Mondays for Project 52

To see where I am linking today- visit HERE

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No Sew Patriotic Hair Ties

First- I want to say just how deeply saddened over the loss of the Arizona Hot Shot Crew. As most of you know- my hubs is a fire chief. But what you probably don’t know is that wildland is his specialty. Way back in the day he was a Hot Shot for USFS long before I met him. Through his career he has always been on wildfires- even while working for municipalities- he’s always been sent & has been on nearly all of the largest & most catastrophic fires in recent history. But this touches a bit closer to home for me. About 8 years ago- he was nearly killed in a burnover incident. The details are great & I won’t go in to them now. But having gone through that- this devastation is too much to handle sometimes. We are absolutely distraught with this news.

My hubs found this image & sent it to me. GaryVarvel.com

This breaks our hearts.

This week I’m going to be focusing on all the 4th of July activities we have coming up. It’s going to be a very full week. Especially with the 4th being on Thursday- that means a 4 day weekend for us PACKED full of things happening in all the different communities that the hubs is responsible for. I’m pretty sure we have at least 2-3 different firework shows, BBQ’s every day & community gatherings & parades filling up the week. So my goal is to keep it low key. Because of that I decided to keep the sharing easy too. This week I’m focused on last minute things that you can create to make your holiday festive!! So I bring you today…

No Sew Patriotic Hair Ties

I whipped these up in a couple minutes so the girls would have something cute to pair with their 4th of July clothes.

So simple & adorable.

Start with your standard elastic hair tie.

Use 8-9 inches of 5/8″ fold-over elastic. You can pick it up at nearly every fabric supply store, Walmart – I get mine on ebay.

Tie the end in a knot- that simple. (don’t pay $1+ each for these when they are so simple to make)

Then I started cutting strips of ric-rak , tulle & ribbon & layered them together.

Take another ribbon & cinch together in the middle- tie it tightly together.

My older daughter prefers to wear a headband over having her hair pulled back- so I made her headbands.

Just cut the elastic to 20″ & tie the ends. So simple.

Then just tie the poof on to the hair tie or head band.

I like these because once 4th of July has passed- I can untie it & they can continue to use the bands all year long.

Have a FABULOUS Tuesday!

Don’t forget to come back & join me on Mondays for Project 52

To see where I am linking today- visit HERE

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White Chocolate M&M Popcorn

White Chocolate M&M Popcorn is an easy dessert recipe for popcorn coated with melted white chocolate & loaded with patriotic M&M’s. Perfect holiday treat!

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Oatmeal Raisin Muffins w/ #LACTAID

**Disclosure- I was sponsored by LACTAID for this post & future posts. All opinions & thoughts are my own.

As I have told you before- I have incorporated LACTAID into many of my recipes lately after I was able to sit in on a LACTAID Briefing Session with dietitian Michelle Harrington, Cooper Munroe of The Motherhood & celebrity chef Melissa d’Arabian back in May. Some of you may have seen Melissa d’Arabian Wednesday on the TODAY Show talking about cooking lactose-free dinner options with LACTAID. You can watch the video of that segment below.

Cooking with LACTAID has been just as easy as when I was previously cooking with milk. One just substitutes for the other & there really isn’t any change in flavor. So I decided to share with you a recipe that I have been making quite often in my quest to stop buying pre-packaged breakfast foods for the kids. This means that every couple days I bake something & a lot of the time it’s muffins or a breakfast cake/bread of some sort. One of the kid’s favorites are these

Oatmeal Raisin Muffins

They taste like an oatmeal raisin cookie- but so much healthier.

Adding LACTAID to them has made it so everyone in the house can enjoy them too.

Print Recipe

Oatmeal Raisin Muffins w/ #LACTAID

Ingredients

2 cups LACTAID
2 cups quick cooking oats
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup raisins
1 tbsp cinnamon
2 tbsp cinnamon/sugar mix for sprinkling

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Line muffin tins- set aside.
In small bowl combine LACTAID & oats & let soak for 10-15 minutes.
In mixer bowl- beat oil & eggs- then add oatmeal/LACTAID mixture.
Add flour, sugar, baking powder & salt to your wet mixture & beat until just combined.
Spoon into prepared pans.
Sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar mixture.
Bake 25 minutes or until they spring back when touched.

Check out Melissa d’Arabian on The TODAY Show Wednesday!

Melissa shared a recipe for Chicken with lactose-free Creamy Mushroom Sauce. Watch HERE.

You can also view/print my other LACTAID recipe for – Ban-Apple Muffins

Melissa d’ Arabian

LACTAID Brand Spokesperson – Mom of four girls, Author of NY Times best selling cookbook, Ten Dollar Dinners, Celebrity Chef & Television Host, Was on live segments on the TODAY Show with Kathie Lee & Hoda

Michelle Harrington , R.D.

LACTAID^®Regulatory and Nutritional Affairs Manager, Pediatric Dietitian at Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia

Be sure to check out LACTAID & see all the products they offer https://www.LACTAID.com/products

Don’t forget to come back & join me on Mondays for Project 52

To see where I am linking today- visit HERE

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Coco Piña Colada

One thing about me- I’m crazy for all things coconut. I love coconut flavored treats, the smell of coconut & especially the smell of sunscreen when it has that coconut scent. I can’t get enough. It takes me home & reminds me of the days of spending my summers with my aunt & cousins either playing by the pool or loading the surfboards in the back of the VW & enjoying the beaches of So Cal. Cherished memories that all come flooding back with every hint of coconut. So it’s no surprise that I use it in a lot of recipes- Piña Colada is no exception. Only this time I had to add even more coconut to amp it up a bit. 🙂

Coco Piña Colada

Print Recipe

Coco Piña Colada Mocktail/Cocktail

Ingredients

2 cups Pineapple Juice
1 cup chunk pineapple + more for topping
6 oz cream of coconut
splash lime juice
1/3 cup sweetened coconut + more for topping
1-1/2 cup ice
1 oz clear rum if desired
*I like my drinks the kid friendly way- so we made this without the rum & then those that like it added it after we poured everyone else's)

Instructions

Add all ingredients to blender & pulse until ice & pineapple chunks are the desired consistency that you are after- should be thin enough to go smoothly through a straw.
Pour into serving glasses & top with additional coconut & pineapple.

This was really yummy & really took me back home. I could drink these all day- everyday.

With 4th of July right around the corner… don’t miss these other summer drinks too.

Recipe HERE

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To see where I am linking today- visit HERE

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Blueberry Pie Frozen Yogurt