Stain Removal Chart

You are Beautiful

Crockpot Monkey Bread

Monkey Bread is the most delicious  pull apart bread you can ever imagine. It's a favorite at my house year round. Unfortunately it's to hot to bake in the Summer but I've found an easy way to still make it, avoiding the added heat of the oven. The magical crockpot.

Crockpot Monkey Bread Recipe
 
Ingredients
1Can Grands Original Biscuits
½ cup White Sugar
½ cup Brown Sugar
1 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
1 stick Butter, melted
Optional: Cream Cheese, softened

Instructions:
Spray inside of crockpot with non-stick cooking spray.
Melt butter in microwave safe bowl, and set aside.

Combine brown sugar, white sugar and cinnamon in gallon size ziploc bag, zip up, and shake well to mix together. Set aside.

Cut each biscuit into 6 pieces.
Once all pieces have been cut, take each piece one by one and dip into melted butter, then transfer into cinnamon sugar mixture bag.
Once all pieces have been added to bag, zip up and carefully shake and gently roll around so all pieces get coated.

Pour any remaining leftover butter into bottom of crockpot.
Carefully transfer all sugar coated biscuit pieces into crockpot, and spread out along the bottom.
Cook on LOW for 2.5 hours, or until done.

Optional: top with a little room temperature cream cheese for an extra added bit of deliciousness.

Energy Tea

He is risen.

⛪Jesus’ resurrection is the Bible’s greatest miracle and history’s greatest fact. It is the cornerstone of our faith.

Our faith is predicated on the belief that Jesus Christ not only died on the cross but that He rose from the dead. If it were not a reality, there would be no Christian faith.⛪

📖He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you. - Matthew 28:6-7📖

"Edible" Easter Baskets

These edible Easter baskets will be a hit. In just minutes you can make a fun and unique Easter basket for your children.

"Edible" Easter Baskets

Materials Needed:
4 Theater box candy boxes
2 Laffy Taffy or Nerd ropes
Glue gun and glue
Cardboard
Fake Easter Grass
Filled Easter Eggs

Directions:
Glue the candy boxes together as shown. Cut out a piece of cardboard that will fit the bottom of the basket. Glue it to the bottom of the boxes.
Hot glue one end of the Laffy Taffy rope to the middle and top of the candy box. Glue the other end of the rope to the middle of the other box of candy. Do this one more time with the remaining rope. Fill basket with grass and goodies.

Easter Bunny Egg Cars

Easter Marshmallow Bark

Use a cookie cutter to make them Easter egg shaped or simply cut them into squares. They were a huge hit.

Easter Marshmallow Bark

Ingredients:
1 bag white chocolate chips 
3 cups mini rainbow marshmallows
1 Tbsp shortening 
Easter sprinkles

Directions:
Measure out 3 cups of marshmallows. Line an 8×11 glass dish or a half-sized cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Put white chocolate and shortening in a medium sized glass bowl. Melt chocolate in the microwave for 1 minute. Give it a small stir, then return to the microwave in 30 second increments, until chocolate melts completely when you stir it.

My bowl of chocolate took 2 minutes in the microwave. White chocolate looks like it’s not all melted when in fact it really is. Stir it several times and make sure it really needs more microwave time before jumping the gun and just giving it more time. I usually have to stir mine for a good 30 seconds until it’s really fully melted.

Melting white chocolate can be a little frustrating if you’ve never done it before. The reason is because white chocolate seizes easily. When chocolate seizes  it actually looks like it’s not melted yet, which prompts people to return it to the microwave, which makes the whole thing worse. Stir several times after each 30-second increment in the microwave. Many times you’ll find that a good 20-30 seconds of stirring it around in the warm bowl will melt it the rest of the way! If you’ve had back luck with melting chocolate in the past, try adding shortening!

After chocolate is melted, add marshmallows and stir to coat. You’ll want to do this kind of quickly- be sure the chocolate coats the marshmallows well, but if you take too long the marshmallows start to melt, which you don’t want.

Transfer chocolatey marshmallows to your prepared pan. Using a rubber scraper, make sure marshmallows extend to the edge of the pan. Press down slightly to make it all somewhat even. Shake on any sprinkles you’d like to decorate the bark with.

Put in the freezer for about 20 minutes, until chocolate is set. You want to use the freezer so that it cools the mixture as quickly as possible- you don’t want those marshmallows to melt.

Remove from the freezer and let sit on the counter to return to room temperature. Cut into pieces. If you use a cookie cutter, I suggest using a metal one and spraying the edges with cooking spray prior to cutting.

Peeps Houses

Easter Egg Cookie Dough Truffles

Dipping truffles can seem really tricky and intimidating, but these are so easy.  They stay together perfectly, and they dip beautifully.  And the lines on top are just created by thinning the chocolate with a little bit of vegetable shortening, and then drizzling with a fork.

Easter Egg Cookie Dough Truffles

Ingredients:
1/2 cup of butter, softened
3/4 cups packed brown sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsps vanilla extract
14 oz sweetened condensed milk
1 cup mini chocolate chips
pink, blue, purple, and white candy melts

Directions:
In the bowl of a large stand mixer, cream the butter and the brown sugar until light and fluffy, about two minutes. Beat in the vanilla.
Slowly add the flour, scraping down the sides as necessary.
With the mixer still running, slowly add in the sweetened condensed milk. You may need to stop the mixer periodically to scrape down the sides. 
Once it is fully combined, stir in the chocolate chips.
Form the dough into one inch balls, and then shape into eggs. Place on a wax paper lined pan and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.

Melt the candy melts according to the directions on the bag. Keeping the truffles in the refrigerator, and removing only three or four at a time, dip them in the candy melts one at a time with a fork. Gently tap off any excess chocolate and let dry on wax paper.

Pretzel Bunnies and Ducks

These pretzel Bunnies and Ducks are a cute and super easy Easter treat idea.

Pretzel Bunnies and Ducks

For the pretzel ducks, you need:
Yellow chocolate melts
Pretzels
Orange decorating gel
Black decorating gel

Melt the chocolate in the microwave for 2 minutes at a really low setting.   And then repeat as necessary until it’s melted and smooth.

Start by dropping a small amount of yellow chocolate onto the pretzel:

Lift up your spoon from the chocolate where the “wing” would go.  You can see that lifting the spoon gives it some height and texture so it actually looks like a wing. Add a small dot of the black decorating gel for the eye.
Use the orange decorating gel to draw a beak over the top little jut out of the pretzel.

Now for the pretzel bunnies.  You’ll need:
Pretzels
White chocolate melts
Black decorating gel
Pink decorating gel

Again, melt a small amount of the chocolate in the microwave on low power. Microwave it until it’s smooth and melted. Add a small amount of chocolate to the inside of the pretzels.  This time lift your spoon at the ears or the cheeks.  You don’t really need the texture for this one, but you have to lift the spoon somewhere.  You can see in the photo below that I lifted the spoon at the ears for the two outer pretzels and attempted cheeks for the middle pretzel.  You can decide which works best. Draw the ears and nose in pink, and draw the eyes and whiskers in black.

Zechariah 9:9

🌴Many ask...what is Palm Sunday?

In the simplest of terms, Palm Sunday is an occasion for reflecting on the final week of Jesus' life. It is a time for Christians to prepare their hearts for the agony of His Passion and the joy of His Resurrection.🌴

📖Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.
-Zechariah 9:9📖

DIY Squishy Soap

Reuben Cheesy Loaf

Rye bread stuffed with sauerkraut, corned beef and Swiss cheese in this delicious

Reuben Cheesy Loaf

Ingredients:
1 loaf round rye bread (not cut)
½ lb. corned beef, diced
1 lb. sauerkraut, drained
2 cups Swiss cheese
1000 Island Dressing

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a cookie sheet.
Cut the bread part way thru to make squares to tuck the reuben mix into. They squares should be cut a inch apart almost thru to the bottom of the loaf. Place the loaf on the cookie sheet. Gently spread the bread pieces to separate them a little. Tuck the sauerkraut in between each crevice.
Dice the corned beef up into small pieces. Spread over the sauerkraut. Top with the Swiss cheese.
Bake for about 30 minutes until the cheese is gooey and starting to turn brown. Serve with 1000 dressing.

Easy Corned Beef and Cabbage

Irish Champ

Pot of Gold Cupcakes

These Pot of Gold Cupcakes are perfect for St. Patrick’s Day! They’re simple enough to make and absolutely adorable

Pot of Gold Cupcakes

Ingredients:
Cupcakes
Vanilla Frosting 
Green Food coloring 
Pot of Gold:
24 Mini Peanut Butter Cups
¼ cup Peanut Butter
1 cup  Gold Candy Pearls
24 Airheads Extremes Rainbow Strips

Directions:
Frost cupcakes green
Pot of Gold:
Using the back of a small spoon, even spread a tiny bit of peanut butter on the peanut butter cup.
Stick the candy pearls to it, as you stack, gently touch each pearl to some peanut butter before adding it to secured it to the others. Press peanut butter cup into the cupcake frosting. Take Airheads Extremes and stick each end into the frosting to make the rainbow.

Irish Coffee

Isaiah 43:18-19

🌼Have you ever wished you could go back and completely redo a certain episode or time in your life?

As much as we would love a "do over", the sad reality is what is done is done. and we can't undo it. We can only go forward.

Life goes on. No matter how cold the winter, no matter how deep the snow; Spring eventually comes. The cycle of life continues and I am so glad it does. It is a beautiful reminder of the new thing God wants to do in your life and mine.🌼

📖 Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.
- Isaiah 43:18-19📖

Shamrock Cupcakes

These are great for St. Patrick's Day. 

Shamrock Cupcakes

Ingredients/Materials:
Cake mix, prepared per instructions
Cupcake pans
Cupcake liners
Marbles 
Frosting
Green food coloring 
Colored sprinkles (optional)

Directions:
Place liners in your pan(s). Fill with cake batter 1/2 full. Do not overfill.
To create indentations in the cupcakes that will form the shape, you will be placing marbles between the pan and the lining paper. Place two close together to form the stem. Place two more spread out about 1/3 the distance between the rest of the circle. Bake as usual. Once they are baked, allow the cupcakes to cool at room temperature. The marbles will be quite hot so don't take the cupcakes out until they are cooled or you are prepared to handle the hot marbles. It is best just to wait it out.
Part of the shamrock-shaped illusion is the frosting method. The proper use of icing can remedy even a warped looking shamrock (such as occur when cupcake papers are too full). Ice a thin line into the "stem" section. Then spread the icing in three arches to accentuate the leaves.
Cover with colored sprinkles, if desired.

Shamrock Shake

Guide to Stains

Lace Painted Accents

Are you tired of looking at the same old dresser? Wanna add a little character to a boring piece of furniture? It's easier than you think.

Lace Painted Accents 

Materials:
Spray Paint (color of your choice)
Piece of Furniture  
Bolt of Lace

Directions:
Prep the item for painting. Cover area to accented for lace. Be sure lace fits tightly and there are no lumps of material. Spray evenly with paint. Apply second cost. Wait for it to dry. Remove lace. WahLah

Creamed Collard Greens

I love all sorts of greens. They can be cooked and seasoned so many different ways that you can always work them into a meal. These creamed greens are a perfect accompaniment to any meal.

Creamed Collard Greens

Ingredients:
4 bunches collard greens, tough stems and ribs removed
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 large shallots, minced
2 cups heavy cream
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Directions:
Fill a very large pot three-quarters full with water and bring to a boil. Add the collard greens to the water and make sure they are all well submerged. Return the water to a boil and simmer until the greens are tender and bright green, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain the greens and run under cold water to stop the cooking. Drain the greens well, squeezing out excess water with your hands or by placing in a kitchen towel and squeezing. Chop the greens finely and set aside.

Melt the butter in a skillet or Dutch oven large enough to hold all of the greens. Add the garlic and shallots and cook over medium heat until softened but not browned, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the cream and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Cook until reduced by half, about 25 minutes - watch carefully as the cream can quickly boil over. Add the greens and toss until warmed through. Season generously with nutmeg, salt and pepper. Add to a serving dish and sprinkle with the Parmesan.

BLT Dip

Makes a great appetizer for any occasion.

BLT Dip

Ingredients:
1 Cup Sour Cream  
1 Cup Mayonnaise  
1 Cup Shredded Cheddar  
1 Lb Bacon, fried and crumbled  
1 Lg Tomato, seeded and diced
1 Lg Green Onion, chopped 

Directions:
Mix together everything except bacon. Chill over night. Stir in bacon right before serving.

Seek God

✒Our Father in Heaven knows exactly what we need; we should trust that He will provide for what we need and not always what we want.  Let’s live the life of victory by living life the way He intended it, by seeking Him first in all we do.✒

📖But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. -Matthew 6:33📖

Bacon Cheese Pull Aparts

Once you make these your family will be wanting them all of the time.

Bacon Cheese Pull Aparts

Ingredients:
1 Egg
2 Tbs Milk
1 Can Grand Biscuits  
6 Slices Cooked Bacon, chopped
4 oz Shredded Cheddar  
1 Can Mushroom Pieces  
4 Green Onions, chopped

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350° 
Spray a large baking baking dish.
In a large bowl whisk together eggs and milk, until smooth. Seperate dough into 8 biscuits and cut into quarters. Gently put into egg mix, stirring gently until everything is covered. Fold in remaining ingredients. Spoon mixture into baking dish and spread evenly.
Bake for 23 to 28 minutes or until golden brown. Cut into squares or just pull apart.

Gummy Bear Shots

Homeless Help Packs

Helping homeless people is not just a good deed but it also makes you feel good.

A lot of times people are just unsure of what to give them. Here's a quick list of inexpensive non perishable items (most can be purchased @ the Dollar store) that you can put together in a zip lock bag.

You can make a few up, put them in your vehicle and then be able to have them on hand to help others out when needed.

Homeless Help Packs

Suggestions:
Freeze Dried Fruit
Socks
Hand/Feet Warmers
Chap Stick
Toothbrush  
Applesauce  
Mint Gum
Raisins
Crackers

*If you feel so inclined you could also include a religious tract, a bible verse or just a simple word of encouragement.

Easy Sea Glass Effect

These cheap and easy technique can turn any glass object into something spectacular.

Easy Sea Glass Effect

Materials:
Glass Candle Holders
Elmers Glue
Food Coloring 

Directions:
Mix a few drops of desired colored to Elmers glue and mix well. Brush on glass until evenly applied. Let dry.

Owl Cupcakes

Hoot Hoot. These cupcakes are absolutely adorable and easy to make.

Owl Cupcakes 

Ingredients:
Chocolate Cupcakes  
Oreo Cookies
M&M's  
Blue Frosting

Directions:
Take each cupcake and frost it blue. Take an Oreo and twist it in half and place it in the frosting as eyes. Use an M&M as the nose/beak and wahlah.