Pinwheels

I'm a bad blogger lately. I know... it's been about a millennium since I last posted. Every night when I get home from work I have the intention of posting, but then I settle into the couch and am usually extremely lazy for the rest of the night. Excuses... I know, but that's really what I'm doing. The extra weight on my behind is there for proof.

Also, I apologize in advance for the pictures. I took them at about 5 am when the lighting wasn't the greatest. Don't let the crappiness take away from the food, it's good.

Since Halloween is a week from today (wooh!) I decided to bring myself out of the funk and give you a crowd pleaser for your Halloween party. Don't forget to check out my Halloween Party post from last year and the Recipes tab for more ideas!

These go the fastest at every party I have ever taken them to... except the two parties that I forgot to set them out. Try em, you'll love them! The great thing about this recipe is that you pretty much just put in whatever you have. It's one of those everything but the kitchen sink kind of things. The only thing mandatory is the tortilla, cream cheese, and sour cream!

Ingredients:
1 package of tortillas
1 block of cream cheese or neufchatel cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
Garlic powder (optional)
Minced onions (optional)
whatever else you have in your fridge (I usually add in some ham or bell peppers but you can literally put in whatever you want!)

To make these, mix up all your ingredients. You can add whatever seasonings you want, but I usually just keep it simple with some garlic. Once you have your ingredients mixed, drop a dollop of your mixture onto your tortillas and roll up.

I also always add a little extra to the ends to make sure the tortilla is completely filled. This also makes the end pieces extra good! This does use a lot of your mixture though so if you want your pinwheels to go further (have more of them), just cut off the ends.

Next, I cover them and put them in the freezer for about 45 minutes-1 hour. This helps them harden up so when you cut them they don't squish down flat. This isn't mandatory, I just think it makes the final product look better. They may be a little bit frozen but they will unfreeze by the time you finish cutting them all up.

Once you have them cooled down, pull them out of freezer and cut them into 1/2-1 inch pieces. Arrange on platter and wah-lah, you are done!

Like I said earlier, I'm a bad blogger and have bad pictures for this post. This is the only picture I got of the final product. Next time I make these I will update the pictures but for now, this is what we have! Enjoy! :)

Fall Front Door Decor

Here in Texas it's hot. Especially here in South East Texas where it's so humid you literally feel like you are living in an armpit. To say the weather is unpleasant is an understatement to say the least. Since we Texans deal with this for about 8 months (which is at least how long our summer is) we are all anxiously awaiting the arrival of our long lost friend fall.

This weekend the hubby went on a camping trip to test out his manly skills so I decided to have a little fun :). When the husband is away, the wife will play! I decided if I decorated for fall, maybe it would decide to visit a little early (fingers crossed).

Now, when we moved into the house we currently live in, it was in BAD shape. Seriously, I'm pretty sure the last people that lived there hadn't done any cleaning, yard work, or home improvement in about 10 years because it was NAS-TAY. We are working really hard on it and the house is looking a million and one times better, but one thing that still needs a lot of help is our front porch. Just check out the before picture below and you will know why I thought this was the perfect place to start with my decorations.

So, to start off I went on a little browsing trip to Wal-Mart looking for some supplies to make my fall decor. I actually found quite a bit of stuff which was surprising to me considering the Wal-Mart in our home town is usually extremely picked over and unorganized. I must have caught them right when they were putting everything out. All in all this decor project cost less than $50 and I think it came out pretty darn cute!

To start off, I knew I needed a wreath. I already had a bunch of wooden wreaths left over from our wedding (enter 8 wreaths that are taking over our guest room) so I was good there but I still needed decorations to g along with it. Luckily, I found some leaf sting type things (sorry my description is failing miserably.... just check out the picture) for about $2. Two came in a pack so I picked that up and went on my way. If you don't have a million wreaths left over in your guest room you can pick one up at Hobby Lobby for $5.

Next I found a cute welcome mat for $10 (not really fall, but still cute) and some plastic pumpkins. Plastic pumpkins are  SO MUCH CHEAPER and are better than real pumpkins because they won't rot. I found a nice green one for $4 and some little ceramic ones with sayings on them for $2.

Finally I found a cute little scare crow pot holder for $14 and an orange colored plant to go with it for $3. I already had some pots at home but if you don't have any, you can get one for about $2-$3.

With all my fall goods (and a little more!) I was on my way home to decorate!

To start, I grabbed my wreath and attached the leaves. You can use whatever you want to attach it. I used floral tape and just hid it behind the leaves so it wouldn't show. I also found a little wooden W in my craft box that I stuck on there (if you buy these they are about $1). The wreaths still had green tull bows on them from our wedding so I left that on there and fluffed it up a little.

My little ceramic pumpkins were already ready to go, but I still wanted to fluff up my green plastic pumpkin a little. Since I LOVE monogramming things :) I decided to draw a little W on it. It was quick and looked so cute (if you ignore that it was slightly crooked). I used a white paint pen for this but you can also use regular paint or a sharpie (just whatever you have lying around).

After I finished the plastic pumpkin it took about 5 min to set everything up. This was by far one of my favorite crafts because it was so simple AND it barely took any time at all. I was done with this in less than 30 min (including shopping time) and was ready to lounge on the couch the rest of the day. :)

I hope you enjoy decorating for fall as much as I did! The final price on this was about $39, take that Martha Stewart!

Grow your own Pineapple

Hey Everyone! I hope you all are enjoying your week! Soon I will have a new recipe for you but today I wanted to share a quick post (let's face it, I'm long winded and there will probably be nothing short about it) on how to start growing your own pineapples!

Every time someone sees my pineapple plants they cannot believe I grew them. Then, they REALLY can't believe it when I tell them I grew them from a pineapple I picked up from our local grocery store. The best part is, it's REALLY easy to do! The biggest thing you need for this is a little patience! These also make great gifts. The hubby and I gave one to my father-in-law for Father's Day and he loved it!

Maybe this is my inner mother coming out but I love gardening. It brings me such joy. Seriously, there is something about going out and seeing all that hard work you have done... Not that gardening is really that hard... I pretty much just go out and water my plants every couple days. I like to think I'm really accomplishing something though.

Supplies:
-pineapple from the store (you want it to be as green as possible)
-clear glass
-water
-pot (or a place in the ground)
-soil

Pineapples are one of the best fruits you can grow in a container. They are perfect for people like me who live in a rent house and can't have a "real" garden. They also grow equally as well in the ground so plant yours however you would like!

When you are in the grocery store, you want to find the pineapple that is as green as possible. Normally, if you were buying the pineapple purely to eat you wouldn't want to do that. A pineapple is ripe when the little grooves on it start to turn yellow. This is when a pineapple is at it's sweetest. If you buy a pineapple like that to grow, it will not produce roots because it has been off the vine to long. Trust me, AS GREEN AS POSSIBLE! I tried this with a ripe pineapple and it did not work out. Here is a picture of mine.

 

To take of the green stem, grab it firmly in one hand and twist. You should be able to twist it right out of there. Put the fruit part over to the side to cut up and enjoy later. Next, cut off the little bit of pineapple left on the end until you can see little spots in the yellow part. Those are the roots and you want them exposed to water.

 

Next, take the little green leaves at the bottom and peel them off one by one until the roots are exposed. This usually ends up being about 10-20 leaves. Here is a picture of one of the leaves peeled up and then another of the plant with the leaves peeled off.

The roots will poke out through those levels you created when you peeled the leaves off. Next, put your pineapple in a glass with just enough water to cover the bottom where you exposed the levels.

Next, place your pineapple plant in a sunny window and watch it grow! The roots look like little white worms and will slowly emerge from the levels. Below is a picture of what the roots will eventually get to. This takes a couple weeks.

You will know the plant is ready to put in the soil when your roots have little white sprouts coming out of them. They kind of look like little hairs. Here is what your plants look like when you have just planted it. Don't worry if the leaves on the outside start to turn a little brown (you can see that in both the cup picture and the planted picture).

Once your plant gets settled it will start growing! Below is what my first pineapple plant has grown to. Isn't it beautiful? As you can see, the leaves grow out of the middle so the ones on the outside are the oldest. That's also where the fruit will grow out of (that part takes a while).

 Water your plant about once a week to keep the soil moist and most of all, enjoy it!

 

Good luck! Let me know in the comments below what your favorite thing to grow is!

DIY Succulent Garden

Hey Everyone!

I have decided to start sharing gardening tips and tricks with you because my little garden has been quite successful! This was my first year to try my hand at gardening and it has worked out really well!

Today I'm sharing with you how to make a succulent garden. Succulents are pretty much the cutest little plants in the world. They are so tiny but have so much character at the same time. When I was buying mine the cashier had never seen them and though they were precious! My hubby was gone all week in Vegas (lucky!) so I decided to do a little project as a treat to myself. I'm so glad I picked this!

I have been wanting to make one of these for awhile but I was nervous about it until I saw this tutorial from Kala over at My Breezy Room. She made it look so easy so I knew I could do it! The project ended up taking about 5 minutes total to complete and it has already added so much character to our house. I can't wait to make another!

Succulents like bright indirect light so find a nice window to put them in after you make them. If you put them out directly in the sun it will scorch them because they are very fleshy plants. They are also really easy to take care of, all they need is a little water when the soil gets dry (about once a week). In the winter you will want to take that down to about once a month in order to prevent root rot.

Supplies:
-Glass planting pot/dish (I got mine in the wedding section, I think it's actually for floating candles but whatev)
-Soil
-Succulents

Sorry all the pictures are kind of dark, I did this at night. Here is a picture of the glass pot I used:

I forgot to get a picture of the succulents before I planted them, sorry about that.

To make this little beauty, simply fill your pot with a small amount of soil to cover to bottom of the pot.

Next, place your succulents in one by one. You can use as many or as few as you like, but I wanted my pot to look full. I also tried to chose succulents that looked different to give the pot some dimension. It was fun picking them out, Walmart had about 20 different one to chose from! Here is a picture half way through:

Finally, fill in the spaces around the plants to make the soil even and water slightly to moisten the soil.

Isn't that so cute?! The little tiny cactus in the front is my favorite. The picture doesn't even do this thing justice because the little succulents are so cute and have so much detail.

I hope you enjoy making your own succulent garden, I can't wait to make another one!

My Favorite 4th of July Pinterest Posts

Hey Everyone!

I hope you are preparing for an awesome 4th of July tomorrow! The hubby and I are extremely excited because we have the day off work. We are planning on spending the day relaxing, we can't wait!

Today I thought I'd share with you some of my favorite 4th of July posts from Pinterest. Anytime I'm looking for an idea, Pinterest is my first stop and it didn't disappoint with the 4th of July posts! I have included a few here on the blog but there are TONS more on my 4th of July board on my Pinterest page. Please check it out!

1. Patriotic Punch from Sweet Cs Designs

I LOVE this stuff. It is so pretty and would go perfectly with any 4th of July party! Plus, you could always crank it up into an adult beverage if you wanted! :)

2. Red, White, & Blue Popsicles from The Little Kitchen

Living in Texas, we NEED something to cool us down, especially in July. These popsicles are perfect for that! They are perfect for kids (or adults!) to enjoy at any 4th of July party.

3. Flag Tank tops from Look What Erin Made

These little tank tops are the curtest and would be the perfect attire for a 4th of July party. The post is for kids but adults could rock them too!

4. Red, White, & Blue Cheesecake from Recipe Girl

This is BY FAR one of my favorite Pinterest finds! It's so cute and will have your guests thinking you are a professional! The directions are easy to follow and make an awesome product!

5. Red, White, & Blue Spaghetti from Created by Diane

Trying to be patriotic and maintain your healthy lifestyle? This is a wonderful post to help you do that. These colored noodles are so cute and the sauce is similar to the Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce I posted a few weeks ago. Very cool!

And last but not least....

6.4th of July Fruit Pizza by Hungry Happenings

I LOVE THIS! Fruit pizza is one of my favorites and this is one of the cutest fruit pizzas I have ever seen. This would be a great addition to any 4th of July party.

There ya have it! Don't forget to head on over to my 4th of July Pinterest board and check out some more awesome 4th of July finds!

Have a happy 4th of July!

DIY iPhone Cover

Hey guys! Today I have a post for you that I have been very excited to share! I made this for my mom for Mother's Day so I have been sitting on this post for a while with my lips sealed shut! This craft is really easy to make and is so cute!

Supplies:
-Cute craft paper OR a color printer
-Microsoft Word (or Paint)
-Scissors
-Clear iPhone case
-Optional: Exacto Knife
-Optional: Laminator or sealing paper

Ok, to start off, I would buy your iPhone case. There isn't really a point in doing the other parts if you can't get the case to protect your phone. I got mine at Wal-Mart for about $18 (I think it was the Skin it brand). After I bought it, I saw that Wal-Mart had a generic brand in their photo section for $14.... DANG!!! You can also get them on Amazon here if you are patient enough to wait on the shipping for about $2... DOUBLE DANG!! Here is a picture of the one I got:

Once you have your case, the rest of it is pretty easy!

At first, I just was printing black letters and designs out of Microsoft Word onto colored scrapbook paper. These looked OK, but I thought I could do a lot better.

Next, I tried just making different colored designs in Microsoft Word and then printing them on a  color printer. This worked perfectly! Really, you can use any designs you want, but I will post mine if you just want to use those. I also added some personalization to mine to make them special for my mom. :) She seemed to really like them!

Once you print out your designs, cut them out in the shape of your iPhone. To make this easier, I got a clear hard piece of plastic and made a stencil/pattern to use when cutting out my designs, it made things MUCH easier. Here is a picture of my stencil and some of the covers:

 

Also, the part where your camera is on the case is hard to cut out with regular scissors. I eventually got an exacto knife and it worked SO MUCH better and was a lot easier. I would definitely recommend it.

Once you are done cutting out your designs, you can laminate them for a little extra protection. If you don't have a laminator, Wal-Mart sells at home laminating paper. Basically you just stick whatever you want to laminate between two pieces of clear plastic that are sticky on the inside and then just cut off the excess.

Once you have everything finished, just stick your designed cover inside your case and pop your iPhone in. My sister got my mom a wallet and it went perfectly with one of the cases I made. Here are some pictures!

Aren't they cute!!! My favorite one is the chevron one! My mom finally decided on the leopard one as the one she was going to use first. It was fun testing them all out!

 

Here is the all of them templates I used. You can just copy and paste them into word and add any personalization you want. Also feel free to come up with your own!

 

 

 

 

 

 

And last but not least, a few pictures of our gang from Mother's Day. :)