Have a Mocha

 

Lastnight I was craving something sweet (not unusual). Since the ice cream had been devoured the night before, I had to be creative.  I sometimes turn to coffee when I'm in this situation, so I decided to make a mocha.  I found the recipe a few months ago online, but could not for the life of me remember where.  So when I made it this time I measured so I could share the chocolatey goodness with you. 

Mocha

Ingredients

• 1 cup of fresh brewed coffe
• milk & sugar to taste
• 1tsp. Hershey's Cocoa Powder
• 1tsp. Hershey's Chocolate Syrup

Directions

Add milk and sugar to your coffee just the way you like it.  Then add cocoa powder and syrup. You can also adjust these amounts to your taste.  This just gives you a starting point.  This drink totally satisfies my Starbucks craving if I don't feel like going out (or spending $5).

Hem Your Jeans

I've come to accept the fact that I'm short.  The annoying part is that I am always having to take my pants in to be hemmed.  I finally sat down with my wonderful mom to have a lesson on doing it myself.  Here are our tips:

1. Choose a thick thread. Obviously the color should match the seams already on the jeans.

2.  Fold and pin the jeans under to where you want them.  If you fold them under, it is easier to work with them inside out.

3. Measure the original seam and double it.  Mark that measurement from the bottom of your fold.

4.  Cut at your measurement all the way around.

5. Next, fold the new hem under to double it and pin.

 

6. Last, sew an even hem all the way around.  * Take the pins out as you go.  *Start and end your seam on the inside of the leg so that your double stitch doesn't show.

 

Beautiful! Thanks mom!

Happy Valentines Day!

We had a great time yesterday making Cole's homemade Valentine gifts.  This is Lily's first fingerpainting, and one of his favorite treats: No-Bake Cookies.

Oatmeal is not just for breakfast.

I recently inherited a large bag of rolled oats from my wonderful in-laws.  It came just as I was wanting some to make baby oatmeal.  However, it would take Lily years to eat it at her rate, so I researched some ideas for using it up.  Here are my top 5.

1. Baby Oatmeal
(from Homemade Baby Food Recipes)
1/4 c oats
1c water
cinnamon
Grind the oats to a powder.  Add oats and cinnamon to boiling water, then simmer 10 min. This can be frozen in individual servings!

Frozen portions of Baby Oatmeal

2. Breakfast Oatmeal
If you're making some for your little one, you might as well enjoy some too.
1/2 c oats
1c water
raisins or other dried fruit
cinnamon
Add oats to boiling water. Add fruit and cinnamon.  Simmer 10 min.


3. (Baby) Oatmeal Bars
(from Homemade Baby Food Recipes)
These would be great with any fruit puree.  They're actually yummy for all ages.  My baby loved them! I'm experimenting with freezing these so that I can just thaw one out for her each day for a snack.
1 banana
ground oats
cinnamon
Mash a banana and add ground oats to it until it becomes a sticky dough.  Spread on a baking sheet. (The bottom of mine stuck to the pan, so I might use waxed paper next time.) Sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Cut into rectangles.

Oatmeal Bars

4. Granola
2 c oats
1/2 c almonds (or other seeds or nuts you like)
1/3 c honey
2 tbsp canola oil
dried fruit of choice
cinnamon
Mix the oats, seeds, and or nuts together. Combine honey and oil, and pour over oat mixture.  Stir to coat.  Spread on a sheet and sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake at 300 degrees for 25 minutes, stirring once.  Mix in fruit.

Last, but certainly not least...
5. No-Bake Cookies
2 c sugar
1/2 c cocoa
1 stick butter
1/2 c milk 
1/2 c peanut butter
3 1/2 c oats
1 tsp. vanilla
pinch of salt
Bring sugar, cocoa, butter, and milk to a boil.  Remove from heat and add peanut butter, vanilla, and salt. Add the oats and mix well.  Drop on waxed paper to cool.

If you have any other ideas or recipes, please leave a comment and I'll pick one to feature on another post.

Fownd: A New Hairstyle!

 I don't know about you, but I normally have 3 hairstyles: down (straight), down (curly), or a ponytail.  This is due to my lack of hairstyling skills and my fine hair.  I found a great product that gives me 1 more style to add to my routine. 

 

The Goody Spin Pin is a great $5 find that does the work of 20 bobby pins.  If I tried this with bobby pins I would have to use 20, and by the end they would all be falling out. The Spin Pin is two corkscrew pins. There is no need for bobby pins or hair elastics.

First, you simply twist your hair into a bun. Next, you take one Spin Pin and twist it clockwise into the bun from the top down. Then, you take the second pin and twist it from the bottom up. That is it, I swear! It is easy, fast, and it holds (even fine hair).

With Flowers in our Hair

 After I had my baby daughter, I started seeing these adorable babies with huge flowers on their heads.  What could be cuter? I knew I had to have some.  After looking around and refusing to pay $8 for one, I went online.  I found this amazing website that offers great deals and selections on flowers, headbands, hats, tutus, and more.  It's called www.girlscrochetheadbands.com .  I got this great flower and hat for my daughter.  I looked at the flowers, and decided that I could make them even cheaper. Here's how I did it:

First, I took apart the plastic on the flower.  Then, I hot glued all the petals together.  I actually glued two flowers together to make it more full.  I even made one by mixing pink and purple flowers.  Some of the cutest ones I've seen are a mixture of colors and sizes.  Next, I hot glued a jewel to the middle and a clip on the back. That's it! 

Pita Margherita

One of my favorite things to order when I'm out is Pizza Margherita.  I bought the ingredients to make it at home, and then I had an idea.  I could make it with pita bread for lunch.  It's like grilled cheese gourmet.

Pizza Margherita

Ingredients:


pita
shredded Italian cheeses
sliced tomatoes
basil leaves
spinach leaves
Italian seasoning

Directions:

Carefully cut open the pita.  Add all ingredients inside.  Add a tsp or two of olive oil to a frying pan and cook the pita on medium until the cheese melts.  Then flip and cook a few minutes more.