Week 50: New Book Page Craft

Do you remember when I hollowed out that book to make a secret hiding cubbie? (If not, find the post here.) I'm sure you are wondering what I did with all those pages that I cut out of there (or maybe you aren't), so here's the answer to that burning question!


The New:
I have always been a fan of using mod podge to make things, but I had never done anything quite like this project. For this craft, I bought wooden letters that spell out R-E-A-D and found those old pages that I had been saving for this.

Supplies:
Wooden Letters
Book pages
Scissors
Mod podge
Paint brush

Directions:
1. Cut the book pages into strips that will be easy to work with. The size of your strips will depend on how big your letters are and the sort of effect you want to create.
2. Grab the first letter and begin sticking the strips of paper to it using the mod podge and the paint brush. You may have to make slits in the page strips so that it lays flat against rounded edges (see pictures below).
3. Let them dry completely before hanging.


The Evidence:

You can see in this picture where I made some cuts on the page strips so that they would lay flat on the front.

The Verdict:
This project took much longer than I expected it to, with the total amount of time spent on it adding up to somewhere around 5 or 6 hours. However, it was totally worth it as I am stoked about how awesome it came out! Let me just say, I would not want to do it again with a word that has more than 5 or 6 letters, so keep this in mind when deciding on what word you want to spell out. Aside from the tediousness of it, this craft was super simple and I would bet that even kids could do it (although the edges might not look as crisp).

Week 49: New Perspective on Vacations

The New:
In May, I will be graduating from college with my bachelor's degree in family studies and psychology, and my boyfriend will have obtained his EMT license. I guess that will make us real, no-more-ramen-noodles-for-dinner adults. In recognition and celebration of this, we are taking a huge road trip from southern New Mexico, along the Gulf Coast, down into Florida, through Nashville and back. It is going to be quite the adventure and I am so very excited, however planning must happen first.

Since my mom had always taken care of the behind-the-scenes stuff for our family vacations, I had no idea how much time, energy, and thought went into this process! Lucky for you though, I am going to attempt to lay it out simply for all my fellow first time vacation planners (and those who still can't seem to get it quite right).

What to do when your trip is:

8-12 Months Away:

• Decide where you are going, how you are getting there, and how many days you will be gone
• Run a very basic budget for things like transportation (plane ticket, gas, rental car, bus pass, parking fees, etc.), food, some place to stay each night, attractions/entertainment, spending money, etc.

5-6 Months Away:

• Choose a specific day to leave and request the time off from work (if it needs to be done this far in advance). When choosing a day to leave, make sure that the rest of your days work with the attractions you want to see. For example, you don't want to be expecting to go to a certain museum on a Monday if that particular museum is closed on Mondays. Also, if you want to see a certain show, be sure that you are in that city when it is happening. This seems like common sense, but it is easy to forget about during the planning process. 
• Narrow down your choices on where to stay, pick a place, and make reservations
• Find out what attractions you want to see and how else you want to spend your vacation days
• Make a budget spread sheet and fill in the numbers as you find out the more specific costs of certain things
• Revise plans as needed

1 Month Away:

• Call campsites/hotels to make sure that your reservations are still in place
• Begin making arrangements for a house-sitter, if necessary
• Revise plans as needed

1 Week Away:

• Begin packing clothes and other things that you won't need for the next week. You may consider purchasing travel-size shampoo/toothpaste/etc. to pack, just to be sure you don't forget to pack these things the morning that you leave.
• Figure out a day to go shopping for snacks, crossword puzzles for the road (if anyone ever does these anymore!), and last minute vacation essentials that you realized you need.
• Have the house-sitter come over for a tour and a debriefing about what they need to do

1 Day Away:

• Double-check packing list to be sure you packed everything
• Get a good night's rest

The Evidence:
Actual pictures of the trip will surely come this summer, but for now you'll have to accept this picture as evidence.

The Verdict:
While I haven't been through this whole process yet, I can definitely say that it was time consuming! However, I think that all the time put in will be well worth it as we travel worry-free through 9 different states this summer. After we get back from that trip, I will be sure to post pictures and all the details of what we did.

If you have any great travel tips or vacation-planning tips, I would love to hear all about them in the comments section!

Week 48: New Adult Milkshake

The New:
Since this is the season of minty desserts, I indulged in a peppermint vodka milkshake. Here's how to make this chilly treat:

Ingredients (for 2 servings):
2 cups peppermint ice cream
1 cup milk
2 Tbsp. vodka

Directions:
Place all ingredients into a blender and blend.
Garnish with a candy cane for if desired.


The Evidence:

The Verdict:
This was such a simple treat and it was delicious! Although I tend to prefer warm beverages during these wintry months, I would definitely make this milkshake again. Tell me about some of your favorite holiday drinks in the comments section!

Week 47: New Peachy Dessert

About six weeks ago (yes, this is terribly late!), I happened upon some home-grown peaches and needed something to do with them. So this is what I came up with:


The New:
I made brown sugar cinnamon peaches for dessert, and here's how:

Ingredients:
4 large or 8 small peaches
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:
1. Peel and slice peaches.
2. Melt butter in pan and then add peaches. Cook peaches for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add cinnamon and brown sugar. Cook another minute or so, until all  ingredients are well-combined.
3. Serve on top of ice cream.


The Evidence:

The Verdict:
This is definitely a recipe that I will be keeping nearby during the fall months! These fried peaches were delicious and just the right amount of sweet. Plus, this recipe is super easy and the ingredients are cheap!

Week 46: New Christmas Tree

The New:
Although I've had these pictures done for quite a while, I am finally getting around to blogging about them.
So here's the deal: I live in a teeny tiny apartment, where my roommate and I struggle to find places to store our groceries some weeks. Needless to say, there was no way we were going to be able to get an actual Christmas tree into our house, so we improvised. Instead of getting a tree, we made on out of tree lights on the wall and hung ornaments on that instead. This is what it looks like:


The Evidence:

The Verdict:
This was obviously not our first choice in holiday timber, but it sure made our living room feel festive without overcrowding our place. Plus, in good company, everything else about this time of year pales in comparison. Merry Christmas!

Week 45: New Popcicle Stick Craft

Since today is a day of rest, relaxation, and celebration, I figured there was no better day than this one to catch up on some of these blogs. Merry Christmas everyone!

The New:
Popcicle sticks are always a fun thing to craft with, but I had never before thought of making snowflakes with them until I saw a picture on Pinterest. So rather than just doing it myself, I decided to let the kids that I work with have their hand at it too. We had a lot of fun with this creative and simple project!


The Evidence:
I don't have pictures of the kids working on theirs or of their snow flakes, but here is the process I went through when I made mine.

The Verdict:
This project was fun and easy and the kids enjoyed it much more than cutting holes in folded up paper. There are all kinds of ways to construct these huge snowflakes, so if you are going to do it, I encourage you to have fun and be creative. You might also want to lay your popcicle sticks out in a way that makes you happy before ever gluing anything. Have fun with this!

Week 44: New Cobbler Recipe

Slowly but surely, I am catching up on these new things in blog form. Here's yet another yummy dessert that I made, a couple of weeks ago.


The New:
I have a boyfriend who loves himself some berries, so I decided to find a recipe for berry cobbler and whip it up. I came across several, but any crockpot recipe has instant dibs in my kitchen, so here's what I ended up making:

Triple Berry Crockpot Cobbler

Ingredients:
1 cup and 1/4 cup flour (separated)
1 cup and 3 Tbsp. sugar (separated)
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
2 Tbsp. canola oil
1/8 tsp. salt
3 cups frozen berries ( I used a mix of raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries)
1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice


Directions:
1. Combine 1 cup flour, 3 Tbsp. sugar, baking powder, and cinnamon in a large bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg, milk, and canola oil until well-blended. Add mixture to dry ingredients from first step, and mix together until just moistened. Spread over the bottom of crockpot.
3. Mix remaining flour (1/4 cup) and sugar (1 cup) together. Add in lemon juice and berries and toss berries in mixture, coating the berries evenly. Spread the berries over batter in crockpot.
4. Cook on low for 2 to 2.5 hours, or until batter is cooked through. Serve with ice cream if desired.


The Evidence:

The berries that I used had been frozen, defrosted, and frozen again, so they were a little extra juicy, but seemed to work out just fine.

The Verdict:
This cobbler is definitely one that I will be making again, but next time with more breading or fewer berries! Other than that though, it was delicious and flavorful, just as I had hoped.

Week 43: New Pomegranate Tea

If you haven't already figured it out, I LOVE TEA. It is my absolutely favorite drink and I love making new kinds of tea. A few weeks ago, I made pomegranate tea for the first time ever and learned quite a bit in the process. Here's what I did:


The New:
Here is a wonderful recipe for homemade unsweet pomegranate tea. I should warn you though, there is a right way to do this and a wrong way to do this. I assure you, after trying both, you are going to want to stick to the easier one. The first couple steps are the same either way: Brew some tea (1 quart per pomegranate), slice open the pomegranates, pull out all the seeds and set them to the side, and dispose of everything else. Now this is the point where it could go one of two ways. First, let me tell you what NOT to do:

Being that I had never done this before, I had no idea what I was doing, but I did know that I needed to squish the seeds to get the juice out. So I put a couple spoonfuls of seeds into a strainer and attempted to smash them with a spoon so the juice would come out and drain into a bowl. After a couple tries at this, the juice seemed to be everywhere except in the bowl, and the seeds were still mostly uncrushed. So in an attempt to keep the juice off my shirt, tablecloth, and kitchen walls, I used a small plate to block the splatter, which of course made it even harder as now I couldn't see what I was doing.

I grew increasingly frustrated and I decided that I would just give up, put the unused seeds into a bag, and snack on them for the next couple of days. However, as I was putting them into the bag, the right way to do this!

After pulling out all the seeds, place them into a ziplock bag, seal it tight and smash them in the bag with your fingers. So much quicker. So much cleaner. So much more fun! After smashing all the seeds, I cut a teeny tiny hole in the corner of the bag (small enough so that the seed part wouldn't come out with the juice) and poured all the juice straight into the brewed tea. It was quite the adventure, but I'm glad I found an easier way to do it! Here is the best way to make pomegranate tea in step-form, rather than story-form:

Ingredients:
Pomegranates
1 quart of tea per pomegranate

Directions:
1. Brew tea.
2. Slice open pomegranates and pull seeds out and place them in a ziplock bag. Dispose of everything else.
3. Smash seeds in the bag to get the juice out. Cut a small hole in the corner of the bag, and make sure it is small enough to keep the seeds in while letting the juice out. Pour the juice into the tea, and enjoy!



The Evidence:

The Verdict:
This tea was delicious and very flavorful. I will definitely be making this again, now that I have discovered the simple of doing it! I would definitely recommend trying it if you like pomegranates and tea.

Week 42: New Cookie Decorating

As promised, here is my third post about Christmas treats, but this is definitely the least conventional of them all. A few years back, my mom and I started getting a little crazy in our gingerbread man cookie decorating, and every year we end up getting more creative than the last....


The New:
As I mentioned above, my mom and I took a turn for the less traditional route of decorating cookies, and even though we do this every year, most of the decorating for this year was brand new to the both of us.
Here's the recipe for the icing we used on our homemade sugar cookies:
2 cups powered sugar
2 tablespoons of milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
spoonful of butter (optional)
food coloring (optional)
*please note that these measurements are approximate, and we often add more powdered sugar or milk if we want to change the consistency of it

The Evidence:

We started off traditional, with a couple of Santa cookies...

And a surprised gingerbread man. Then we moved on to the snowman, whose foot was made of "yellow snow."

And shortly after that, we almost forgot what time of year it was, as you will soon see...

This is SpongeBob Squarepants and Patrick Star.

This was inspired by my recent "The Walking Dead" binge. Here we have 4 gross zombies, Rick Grimes with his stubble in his cowboy hat, and poor Hershel, with his white beard and amputated leg. After only six cookies, my mom insisted that I move on....

Which led to use creating a cookie that belongs in the Blue Man Group and a prison inmate with an orange jumpsuit and a tear drop tattoo.

The Verdict:
My mom and I have so much fun doing this that I doubt we will ever stop. It has become a new holiday tradition for the two of us. Plus, it beats making 20 of the same cookie. If I stumble across pictures of some of the others we have made in the past, I will be sure to upload them on, as they are equally hilarious in my opinion.
All that being said, I would encourage you to find a new holiday tradition to start with your family, even if it isn't "traditional" :) Merry Christmas everyone!

Week 41: More New Cookies

Here are some more great cookies! Check it out:


The New:
These cookies are red and green: perfect for this time of year! Plus, they are pretty simple, which is also perfect for this crazy month. Here's the recipe:
This is where I found the original recipe.

Cranberry Pistachio Cookies

Ingredients:
1 package Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix (1 lb, 1.5 oz)
1 box pistachio pudding mix (4 serving)
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup butter (melted)
2 eggs
1 cup dry roasted salted pistachio nuts
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Chop pistachios while oven preheats.
2. Combine cookie mix, pudding mix, and flour in a large bowl. Add in melted butter and eggs and stir until well incorporated. Then add in pistachios and cranberries.
3. Drop spoonfuls of dough onto cookie sheet and flatten slightly. Bake for 8-10 minutes but do not over bake them. They may look slightly under done when you pull them out of the oven, but they are supposed to be soft.
4. Let them cool on a wire rack and enjoy!


The Evidence:

The Verdict:
These cookies had a unique and tasty flavor. They are soft and fluffy and melt-in-your-mouth good! Without a doubt, I will be making these again, but maybe without the pistachios. They were good, but a bit pricey and I don't think the cookies will be lacking much without them, since the pudding still adds flavor. Either way, I definitely recommend making these for your holiday cookie trays!