I'm not a soccer mom!

No, I am a baseball mom. Both of my boys played baseball this year. Saturday was a bitter sweet day. My oldest son, who was in the "big boy" league for the first time this year, played in the championship game. They played a team that was undeafeated. Our boys had an off game and did not play well. I am so proud of our team because all of the boys stayed positive and improved through out the season. My youngest son is still in the tball division which is so fun to watch. The kids often times can be found chasing butterflies and drawing pictures in the dirt. Once again, I am no soccer mom, I am a proud baseball momma!

Altered lunch tin

I made this altered lunch tin and clip for my niece. I used regular cardstock to cover the tin and adhered it using my ATG gun. The clip is a jumbo clip and can be used to hold a photot. The scalloped circles and letter were cut using my cricut.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Muffins

So a few years ago I had my tonsild removed. At that time my boys were 18 months and 3.5 years old. We were staying with my parents while our house was being built. I had to stay in a bedroom away from my boys so I could rest and not have them climbing all over me while I recovered. Well, I got very bored during that time so I started looking through the tons of cooking magazines my mom had. I decided to start writing down recipes I wanted to try. Well, 4 years later I am still writing down recipes in my binder and trying to incorporate at least 1 new recipe a week. Today I made strawberry cream ceese muffins, not sure what magazine it came from, and they are yummy. They use fresh strawberries so this is the perfect time of year to bake them. My oldest boy loved them but my youngest wants me to make them without the "white stuff" in the middle next time. he is not a fan of cream cheese but I was hoping it would work in these for him.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Muffins

2 c all purpose flour

3/4c + 2T sugar divided

6T unsalted butter

3/4c+ 2T milk

3 oz cream cheese cut into 12 cubes

1 1/2t baking powder

1/2 t baking soda

1c chopped strawberries

1 egg

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Stir together flour, 3/4c of suger, baking powder and baking soda. Cut in butter til crumbly. Stir in strawberries. In a seperate bowl whisk together egg and milk. Gently stir into flour mix. Divide the batter into 12 sprayed muffin cups. Dip cream cheese cubes into 2T sugar. Place each one into a muffin. Press till level with batter. Sprinkle the tops with remaining suger. Bake 20-25 minutes.

First LO using a sketch

So I have been scrapbooking for about 8 years now and have never used a sketch as a guide. I did my first layout using a sketch today. I am not sure if I am happy with the way it turned out but I did enjoy not having to think so much for a design.

Another paint can!

This one was made for my sons first grade teacher.

Penny Pincher Recipes

I will admit I like to save money wherever and whenever I can. One place is at meal time. Here is one of my "penny pincher" recipes we had this week.

Sausage and shells

1 16oz box medium shell pasta

1 jar favorite pasta sauce

1 lb sausage

1 pkg mozzerella shredded cheese

Cook pasta according to package and drain. Brown and drain sausage. Mix pasta, 1/2 of sausage together, and jar of sauce. Pour into a 9x13 baking dish. Top with cheese. Place in a 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes or till cheese is melted. Freeze the other half of the sausage till next time.

Homemade Laundry Soap

I made my first batch of homemade laundry soap about 8 months ago and I have never looked back. It is so much cheaper than buying already made bottles of soap that are mainly water. My boys have eczema so I have to be careful what I use on their clothes and skin. I truely feel like their skin has improved since I have been using the homemade soap. Here is the recipe I use.

4 cups hot water
1 Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
1/2 cup Borax

Grate the bar of soap and add to a saucepan along with the water. Stir continuosly over medium low heat till soap is melted. Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full with hot water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well till powders are dissolved. Add more hot water till bucket is full. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken. Stir. Fill clean, used laundry containers half full and then fill the rest of the way with water. Shake before each use.
Use 5/8 c per load for top load
Use 1/4 c per load for front load

I use my old All small and mighty bottles and get 30 bottles from each recipe.