Crayons Are the Devil

If you have a 3 year old or 2 year old or probably 4 year old (I just haven't gotten there yet), you have probably had this thought too, "crayons are the devil". Seriously, they do NOT come off of things easily and if your darling child is anything like mine, she will mark on everything possible. I have had this thought, "crayons are the devil", for quite some time but I assumed my kid would listen at some point to my non-stop harping, that you "only color on paper". I have now realized that my kid will color on anything and everything and under no circumstances listen to me ALL the time or even some of the time for that matter. So yesterday I had to take matters into my own hands immediately after my darling colored ALL over her new baby she got for Christmas in purple crayon. Thank goodness I didn't splurge on the American Girl doll.  I did it, yes I was a little upset when I did but I will have to say that even now, over 24 hours later, I have no regrets. I threw every crayon I could possibly find (and believe me I looked everywhere) in the TRASH. Ahhhhh, (sigh of relief inserted here). Don't judge, I am a good Mama, I just couldn't take the crayons anymore. I will have to say it was exhilarating. I can deal with markers, I can deal with paint, I can deal with play dough (sort of) but I couldn't handle the crayons. Crayons just don't come out of the couch, carpet, walls, dolls, more walls, toys, clothes like washable markers and paint. I am glad they are not in my life anymore for the time being, like I said it has been a mere 24 hours.....

I was pleasantly surprised when I saw that someone actually wrote a book on things their kids have destroyed.  Sh*t My Kids Ruined is a real book plus they have a site where you can submit things your little darlings have ruined too!  http://www.shitmykidsruined.com/

Super Mommy Tip #7

This week's Super Mommy Tip: Keep 2 bags in the kid's closet at all times, one for keeping out grown clothes and one for donating. I don't know about you but the daunting task of going through all the girls clothes at once can be overwhelming therefore I put it off for as long as possible. Now I just keep a bag or box in their closet and just toss things in as they outgrow them, one to keep and one to donate. Once the box gets full I store it or take it to the thrift store. Now I no longer have that task at all, eliminated!!

I hope everyone had an amazing holiday! I know I did. Now I just need to get all these sweets that I can't stop eating out of my house! I wonder if the thrift store will take a bag of treats?? HEHE

Merry Chrstmas to Me!

I have been wanting to get new throw pillows for our couch, well since we bought it a mere 3 years ago. We just used the ones that came with the couch. They weren't the worse things but they were exactly the same as the couch, so they just blended in. Last time I was browsing for fabric, I found some I liked so I make the pillows or rather pillow covers. With my crazy busy, messy kids I need to be able to wash the covers. I actually took the old pillows apart because they had piping around the edge and I thought it would make the cover look weird over it. So  I took the pillows apart, removed the piping, re-sewed the pillows, then made the covers. Whattcha think?...3 years in the making..not too shabby!

This is the back where I made the slit to remove the covers. I think it is called a french pillow case.

If you have been thinking about doing the same thing, just sit down and do it already! I thought about it for so long but it only took me 2 hours to make all of them!!


Merry Christmas!!

Fun Christmas Craft!

Every year when I was growing up we made Christmas ornaments. Simple ones out of flour and water. I remember them so vividly and it was something I loved doing. So this year now I have been wanting to make them with Alea. She is very into the ornaments this year. I finally got around to remembering to ask my Mom for the recipe. She loved making them. While they baked, I let her play with the extra dough and the cookie cutters, you would have thought she was on Top Chef. She did make a big mess but it kept her occupied for a several hours which was super nice.

Mix 2 cups of flour & 3/4 cup of salt. Make a well in the middle and add a cup of warm water. Knead, roll out and make the shapes you want. I then took the end of a pen, took the end off and put holes at the top so I could attach with ribbon to hang.  Bake at 325 for 25 minutes or until hard. Once they have cooled, paint, color, decorate. I used simple ribbon and made a circle to hang from the tree! Super fun! Remember to write their name and the year on the back. My Mom said the oldest on she has now is 1981! How cool!

Fudge, Fudge, Fudge & Easy Last Minute Gift

Another one of my favorite things to make for the holidays is FUDGE! Love it! The recipe I use is

Rachel Ray's 5 Minute Fudge.

1 bag of morsels (that word makes me laugh and I'm not sure why), I prefer milk chocolate but you can use dark, semi-sweet or whatever you like.
1 can of Sweetened condensed milk
nuts or anything else you want to add in or you don't have to add anything

In a double broiler (I just use a bowl on top of a pot) melt the morsels (!) and the add the can of milk. Once everything is melted add in your extras if you have any. FYI you don't want to continue to heat the mixture once you add nuts or whatever because that will make soft and not crunchy. Get a pan (I like to use my toaster pan), spray with cooking spray. Pour mix into pan. I refrigerate for an hour but it sets almost immediately so you don't have to. Just wait a few minutes and cut and eat!

Great to put in small bags and give to teachers, neighbors, friends....


Do you have a kid on your list but don't really know what they are into? My back-up plan for all kids gifts is ART SUPPLIES! You can't really go wrong, pretty much all kids boys and girls love to draw and color. I keep a box stocked with markers, crayons, paint, construction paper, etc... Whenever I need a kid's gift at the last minute, I just fill a bag up from my box!  Also a great idea when your kids are driving you crazy and you really need to finish something. Let them pick from the box. Alea actually has a big bag with tons of supplies and I let her have at it. FYI washable paint and markers are 100x easier to clean up or get out of things than crayons! So if your kid get carried away and likes to mark on the floor, walls, couch...give them markers and paint, NO CRAYONS :)

So Much to Say!

Since I have been a little MIA the past couple of weeks trying to get all my Christmas orders out, I am now bursting at the seams! I have so much to talk about, here is what I can get out today and I have the best kept secret...Super Mommy Tip!

So because I have been so busy, I haven't really gotten my hub anything for Christmas, just a couple of small things. We don't do big presents for each other anymore but I like to give him nice but practical gifts. I have definitely making him a silhouette of the girls. For those of you that don't know, I am a thrift store addict, almost...I love the thrift store. It might have something to do with where I live, you can find things at the Aspen Thrift store that you won't find at any other thrift store but that works for me. A few weeks ago I found a pair of croc shoes, brand new with tags similar to this for $10. They are regularly $50 shoes. He has gone on and on about how comfy they are, so I wanted to check out their other styles and get him shoes for Christmas. So just this morning I got around to crocs.com and realized that they have many different shoe styles. Right now they are offering FREE express shipping on all orders over $100, plus many of the shoes are buy one get a second for 50% off. Perfect! I got him 2 pairs and realized that my total wasn't $100, so I just added a cute pair of boots for myself (how could I not they are the Claire boots for goodness sakes). They will be here by Christmas too!

I know there are several men that read my blog, so I wanted to give you a couple of tips. If you want to do something to make your wife REALLY happy...hire a cleaning lady, don't tell her, you have to arrange everything on your own and just let her come home to a sparkling clean house. If she is a stay at home Mom you will have a little more work to get her out of the house but I promise her happiness will be worth it. Remember this and this is very important, this is not a present for your wife. Let me repeat, this is in no way considered a present for her.  It is your home too and although she probably does the majority of the cleaning it is not her job to clean the house. This is something that will make you both happy. i.e. She will be glad the house is clean and you will be glad she is not pestering you to help out.

Okay Ladies, this is for you. Are you ready? This is one of the best kept Super Mommy Tips EVER.
So I have always pretty much thought I had a fat back. Yep, a fat back. Many areas of my body I am pretty happy about but I have always been self conscious about my back. A couple of months ago, I have no idea what I was watching or reading but I remember that it was talking about buying a bra that fit correctly and yada, yada, until I heard the words....Your bra should be lower in the back than in the front... hummm....check your bra, yep sure enough mine was even too, I also recall sometimes it even crept up in the back! Go now and look in the mirror, do you see back fat? Okay now pull the back of your bra down about an inch or 2. Viola! It is gone!. I have no idea why no one ever told me this either. I guess just naturally I assumed that your bra should be even in front and back, nope, remember lower in the back. I could have saved myself years of agony over the fact that my back was fat, actually I had come to terms with the fact that it was something I could not change. But I could and I did and I no longer have a fat back!

Oh the Holidays....

I love all my little side businesses...they keep me going. I don't know what I would do if I didn't have all these hobbies turned businesses. Then the holidays arrive and all my fabulous side jobs make my head spin...I can barely keep up...I am exhausted...I am not complaining...I love my life...I am glad I have work.....I love everything that I create....even my children....my children make my head spin.  Ohmmmmm...Deep Breath

Just to give you an idea. Yesterday I edited photos from a shoot, made candles, made lotion, made shea butter, tutus, baby hats, onezees all while being a Mom. I am grateful my friend Sarajane watched Alea in the morning, so that I could try and catch up. Today I have made lotion, candles, and bread. If I can make it through this week on my feet I will be grateful.

I am not complaining, I am happy. I think I forgot that I have one more kid than I did last holiday season. I will keep singing Jingle Bells and hope that my kids decide to take naps.

I will leave you with my favorite gift idea this year. Of course it is do-it-yourself. Make it for your hubby, your parents, in-laws, yourself, anyone, I am pretty sure they will love it!

Scroll down to the bottom of this page and watch the video.
http://www.chroniclebooks.com/index/main,book-info/store,books/products_id,8942/title,Silhouette-Art/

Same thing basically as above.
http://www.lepapierstudioblog.com/2010/12/diy-tutorial-silhouette-ornaments.html

I am going to do mine on canvas and frame it. What do you think?

White Chocolate & Peppermint

What a concept, white chocolate and peppermint! For years I have seen peppermint bark and I am not even sure I have ever tasted it....not sure why, I just never had any. Since I am always looking for new recipes, in particular easy, new recipes, I decided to look up the recipe for peppermint bark. It is hardly a recipe! It is the easiest, best, yummy thing to make! It is perfect for the holidays! I just made 2 batches (only because for some unknown reason I only bought enough white chocolate for 2, believe me if I had more I would make more, I will make more as soon as I get back to the store) and it made enough for me to make 8 small treat bags as gifts and a double small treat bag for...well, me...oh yea and I might share with the hubby.

1 bag of white chocolate chips (I used Nestle)
4 candy canes, crushed (just put them in a Ziploc, cover with a cloth and pound out all your frustration from your 3 year old)
Wax or parchment paper
cookie sheet (I used the pan from my toaster and it was the perfect size)

I used a bowl on top of a sauce pan to make a double broiler since I don't have a fancy one. Put about an inch or so of water in the pan. You don't want the water to touch the bowl because when it starts to boil the water will rise. Turn the burner on medium and dump the chips into the boil. Don't turn it up too high because the chips will burn, you want them nice and creamy. Once the chips have melted.

Remove from heat. Test chocolate to make sure you didn't get a bad bag. Add your crushed peppermint.

And stir. Test again to make sure the peppermint and chocolate are loving each other. Next cover your pan with the wax paper and dump the goodness onto the paper.

Put it in the for about 2 hours. Once it comes out just break it apart into chunks.

Pick the biggest chunk and test to make sure everything is just as delicious as it was when it was melted.

Great for a sweet desert after your holiday party with a big cup of coffee, mocha, latte...
Put a couple bowls out if you have guests over, just make sure to leave some for your guests.
Put in treat size bags and give to your friends, neighbors, teachers for the holidays.
Bribe your 3 year old into taking a nap by giving her a small taste beforehand.
Have a couple of chunks so you are plenty wired to write your Christmas cards.

Seriously, I don't know why I didn't make this years ago.  Enjoy.

A Little Chunk of Heaven

I LOVE caramel. Love it. A couple of years ago when I went home to visit my Mom and family and friends, my Mom made this incredible cake. I don't remember what we were celebrating but I remember this incredibly delicious cake. White cake with caramel icing. I am going to share this chunk of heaven with you, you will wonder why you ever made any other cake.

First secret, I use box cake almost all the time. I make homemade icing ALL the time. To me the most important part is the icing, I mean I love the cake but when you make a killer icing nobody can tell you cake is from a box. Shhh, don't tell anyone.

Caramel Icing, I like it best on white cake but I am sure it will be great on anything. It is also pretty damn good straight off the spoon too.

1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup milk
1 cup light brown sugar
2 cups powdered sugar (you can sift this but not completely necessary)

Melt butter and brown sugar in sauce pan over medium heat, stir constantly until it just starts to boil. Add milk and bring back to boil. Reduce heat to medium low and slowly add powdered sugar. Pour over cake. If it starts to harden before you finish icing, just return to heat for another minute or 2. Lick your fingers, lick the spoon and then cut a chunk of cake. Yes you are in heaven.


When you show love, you receive love.

What happened to my child?

Seriously, she turned 3, barely 3 weeks ago and my sweet little girl has vanished. I now have a 3 year old that acts like she is 15. She is something to be reckoned with. I think I am going to lose my mind. Terrible twos were nothing compared to the last 3 weeks.

Deep breaths, ohmmmm

Thank you, I just had to get that out.

The Best Sweet Potatoes EVER, I swear

I can promise you this is seriously the best sweet potato recipe EVER. If you are like me I don't like the traditional sweet potato casserole, you know the one with marshmallows on top but I love sweet potatoes. We have sweet potatoes at least once a week, the regular baked, I also like to peel them and cut into about 2" squares, sprinkle with salt, pepper and a little Ms. Dash (the garlic one), cut them into fries and bake, yum, yum. But for the holidays when healthy pretty much can go out the door, I make this "to die for" sweet potato casserole.

Depending on how many people you are cooking for...I would use about 6 medium to large sweet potatoes.
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs lightly beaten
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup melted butter

For the Topping
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/3 cup melted butter
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350. Peel and cut your sweet potatoes into about 2-3" pieces. Put in a large pot and cover with water. I put about 2" of water over the potatoes. Cook for approximately 30 minutes or until a fork easily goes into one of the larger pieces of potato. Drain the water and mash the potatoes. Next combine all ingredients (except for the topping of course) Transfer to casserole dish. In a saucepan melt butter, then add remaining ingredients. Pour/Sprinkle on top of potatoes. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until the top is slightly brown.

Have these at your holiday meal or take them to a party. Everyone will love them and remember you are eating sweet potatoes and they are healthy! Forget all other ingredients while getting seconds!

Don't forget to tell the ones you love how much they mean to you. Even if you know they know how you feel, it is always nice to hear.

Super Mommy Tip #6

Super Mommy Tip #6, the quickest way to make your bathroom sparkle when you don't have time to clean it. Is your holiday party just minutes away and you've spent all your time on everything else but your bathroom didn't make the list? First clean the mirror, use at least 3 or 4 paper towels. Then wipe around the sink with those same paper towels, wipe around the toilet and check the floor. Re-wet the paper towels if necessary and last light a candle. Viola, your bathroom is sparkling in 2 minutes!

Hope this helps with the stress of your holidays.

For those of you wondering about my weekly sewing/craft challenge. Unfortunately I have to put it on hold as I get all the holiday orders out. I do have a couple of great things in the works but unless I miraculously get extra time, it will probably be after the holidays until I can post again. Don't worry or fret I have many other great, fun things to post about, so stay tuned.

***Remember 20% off all orders until the end of the month plus FREE shipping! You must order by December 15 to receive your order by Christmas.

One more thing, please keep George Aldrich and his family in your prayers.  He went missing in Aspen last Saturday night. It just started snowing today and is suppose to snow 4-6 feet in the next couple of days. If they don't find him immediately, I am afraid it will be a long time before they do.....

Yum, Yummy Pot Roast

I will have to say, I love a good Pot Roast. Not only is it tasty but it is so easy to make and the left overs are so delicious. One of the times my Mom was in town and I made a pot roast the next night she turned it into a stew and well since then I make and like pot roast about 10 times more. Remember when buying a beef roast the more fat that is on the meat the more tasty. I have tried getting a lean roast and let me just say it was disappointing to say the least. I aim for a medium amount of fat. I don't want to pack on the calories but I also don't want to compromise taste and goodness. If you are using a lean roast you might also want to add about 1/2 cup of water. I cook my potatoes and carrots with my roast.

-I use a crock pot, generously cover the meat in salt and pepper. I do use a good amount of salt but the salt helps make the meat tender.
-I also cut up one onion usually a white or yellow, I cut it into large pieces because I don't eat the onion I just want the flavor.
-I also add a few garlic cloves, which I typically leave whole or cut in half because I do not eat those either.
-If you work out of the house you can put this on first thing in the morning on low and add the potatoes, I would leave the potatoes whole. Then I buy the pre-cut and peeled carrots and add those when you get home from work and turn the crock pot on high when you add those. It should take about an hour to an hour and a half. If you don't have that long I would just steam the carrots. You can add some of the juice from the meat in your water for steaming to add flavor.
-If you work in the house I typically start mine around 11 am on high and I do not add the potatoes. Then about 2 hours before I want to serve I add the carrots and cut potatoes in about 2" squares. It is important that your potatoes are all about the same size so they will cook at the same speed. Many times I will put the carrots and potatoes on the bottom and cover them with the meat.
-Everything is done when you can put a fork in it and they easily break apart. The meat should literally fall apart. If it doesn't turn it up and cook it longer until it does.

Now the 2nd best part, the leftovers. I chop everything up into bite size pieces, the meat, potato and carrots (garlic and onion too if you like). Add a can of diced tomatoes and one big can or two small cans of tomato sauce. Add extra veggies if you gobbled up too many with the roast. Here I added peas but didn't have the diced tomatoes), green beans are good too.
Bring to a boil and let simmer for about 20 minutes. Enjoy! Soooo delicious!

Be the person you want to attract. If you want happy, positive friends then be a happy, positive friend.

Super Mommy Tip #5

Freeze it! Many times when I make dinner, I make double the amount and freeze the extra. Then when I don't feel like going to the store or just don't feel like making dinner period, all I have to do it take out ready made food from the freezer and toss it in the oven, throw it on the stove or heat it in the microwave. You can pretty much freeze any type of food. Some of my favorites are lasagna, chicken casserole or any casserole type of dish. I bake it first, then take the portion I am going to freeze, let it cool, then I wrap it in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil, then a Ziploc bag. I do all those steps to avoid any kind of freezer burn. I also freeze lots of soups and chili. For those I just cool first and put it in a Tupperware to freeze. I like enchiladas too, for those I just cook the chicken or meat, wrap up the tortillas with cheese or your favorite inside goodness and then wrap with plastic, aluminum foil and a Ziploc. When you take them out just put them in your dish and cover it with enchilada sauce and bake. Yum!

So next time, make a little extra and toss in the freezer, you will be glad you did!

-When you exert positive energy you will receive positive.

Remember 20% off all Bebe Dulce orders plus FREE shipping.
Shop for your favorite sweet baby at Bebe D!  www.bebedulceaspen.com

*I will refund the 20% after the order is complete via your payment method.

Week 6 Challenge

Okay, sorry I am late posting...I am not sure what I have been doing the past couple of days...So for Week 6 Challenge I decided to make use of some old t-shirts that are no longer flattering on my lovely Mommy figure, we will just say that the tummy isn't quite as flat as it used to be. I had a whole bag of t-shirts I assume I was keeping just waiting for my stomach to be like it was 4 years ago.  Since the shirts were pretty tight, I decided to make 1 shirt out of 2. The shirts were both where brown, one was long sleeve and one was short sleeve. I took the short sleeve shirt and cut a panel out from the center front of the shirt, it was about 8 inches wide. I then sewed clear elastic to the neckline of that piece. I cut straight down the middle of the long sleeve shirt and sewed my panel into the cut area of the long sleeve. I then cut strips out of the short sleeve shirt about 1 1/2" wide and sewed clear elastic down the center of the strips. Then I pinned and sewed the ruffled strips down my 2 seam lines on the front of my shirt and around the neck. Now it is comfy and doesn't hug my belly!

Not too shabby, huh?

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Remember the more love you put out in the world the more you get back! Happy Sunday!

And the winner is.....

Straight from the bunny rabbit....WWillows6/Lisa G!

She won our Super Fabulous Dress Giveaway!!!!  Please contact me to claim and personalize your prize!!! I was so excited to see who won, yes I drew at 8:30 am on a Saturday morning. I can't wait to see how Lisa wants to design the dress! Congratulations Lisa and a huge thank you to all that entered. More giveaways coming soon!

In the meantime take advantage of our 20% off sale on all orders plus FREE shipping!!! http://www.bebedulceaspen.com/

Super Mommy Tip #4

Only do what you can handle, Part 2.  Getting your baby to sleep can be a daunting and dreadful task. Some babies drift off into dreamland with no problems. Other babies it takes a prayer and a miracle to get them to finally let go and relax. So many people say, "Let them cry it out, you have to do it!" Well I can tell you that when Alea, my first daughter was born there was no way on earth I was going to let my precious new baby cry. Absolutely no way. I rocked that kid to sleep until my arms fell off or she fell off my arms, since she was 2, I was pregnant and she no longer fit :) I will say that when she was about a year and a half I did try it a couple of times but I thought that I had to let her cry for an hour or something to make the whole CIO work and I just couldn't last an hour listening to my baby scream. When baby #2 came along, I was determined to get her to fall asleep on her own when she was too small to realize what was going on. I will have to say that I got a blue ribbon for that accomplishment. They only thing that I didn't realize is that she would not drift off into dream world every time I decided to lay her down without a fuss. Yes, some days I can lay her down and she is fast asleep before I leave the room but other days well, it takes a lot more. So here I am letting my precious baby #2 CIO...sort of. What I discovered with baby #2 and the whole CIO stuff is that I don't have to let my baby cry for an hour before it works. Several books that I have read say, let them cry for an hour, even our pediatrician, who I love dearly says to let them cry for an hour before comforting them. That doesn't work for me. Why? Because I can't handle it. Yea, it might be great sometime, somewhere but hearing or even knowing that my baby was crying for an hour sends my anxiety to a whole new level. What I did decide was that I can handle 15 minutes. No more. Some days I can't even handle the 15 minutes, sometimes it is 10 minutes and guess what? That's okay because I can only do what I can handle. So set a time that you can handle and work from there. Just because Dr whoever tells you in his book or your beloved pediatrician tells you you have to wait x number of minutes, guess what? You don't. What worked for them doesn't always work for you. Just because you can handle something one day doesn't mean you can handle it the next. Baby #2 goes to sleep just fine the majority of the time but sometimes I can't handle it and I don't let her cry at all. So set your time limit at what you can handle, on that day and at that time. Don't force yourself, I promise everyone will be happier in the long run.

Another thing I taught myself with baby #2 is that if she is having a tough time falling asleep go do something where you can not hear her. My favorite thing to do is take a shower right after I put her down. I relax and take as long as I want and need in the shower and 99% of the time she is asleep when I get out. And the best thing about it is that I have no idea if she even cried at all. I also vacuum or find something to do outside for 15 minutes. It helps a lot because I know if I am just sitting on the computer or doing something quiet, I definitely can't last the 15 minutes because I end up just staring at the clock.

So just figure out what you can handle and do just that! Good Luck!


And don't forget to enter our Thankful Giveaway! How cute will that sweet little girl in your life look in this adorable dress?

More Great Recipes

Yesterday was Alea's birthday party, I got many compliments on the menu, so I thought I would share.  I have been baking bread quite a lot lately so I decided to make sub sandwiches, pico de gallo & of course cupcakes. I also bought a few more things, veggies with dip and more chips.

I had been wanting to make bread for a really long time but for some reason I thought I either needed a bread machine or some special something and I didn't have either. I got a new cook book a couple of weeks ago and it had several bread recipes and once I read through them I realized that I didn't need anything special and it was super easy. The only thing I needed that I didn't always keep on hand was yeast.

White Bread

1/2 cup warm water (105- 115 degrees) + 1 teaspoon + 1/4 cup warm water for high altitude, I used 1% milk
1/2 cup warm milk (105- 115 degrees)

4 teaspoons sugar
1 envelope dry yeast (I found that rapid rise works best for high altitude)
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt

Combine the yeast, 1/2 cup milk,water and sugar. Let sit until foamy. This takes about 10 minutes.

FYI, I did all mine by hand.  I just put a Kitchen Aid mixer on my Christmas list, even though this is easy I can't imagine how much easier it would be with a nice mixer! Add the flour and salt and stir until doughy. I added the additional 1/4 cup of warm water here for high altitude. Sprinkle flour on your work surface and cover your hands in flour. Lay out your dough and knead for 5-10 minutes until well mixed, smooth and no longer sticky.

Spray a bowl with cooking spray and put your ball of dough in your bowl. Spray the top of your dough with cooking spray and cover loosely with plastic wrap.

 Let sit for about an hour or until it doubles in size.

Sprinkle work surface with flour and punch down the dough (yep I literally punch!). Now decide what you want your bread to look like. For the sub sandwiches, I just used a cookie sheet but use a bread pan or whatever you want. If you want small individual sandwich bread cut your dough accordingly. I left mine and just made it into a long rectangle for the subs. This pic was taken a different day when I made a bakery loaf and sandwich bread. Spray your pan with cooking spray as well as spray the top of the dough. Loosely cover with plastic wrap.

Let sit about an hour or until or doubles in size. Remove plastic wrap and brush with the teaspoon of milk. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. This is high altitude baking time. Just watch it and once it browns, remove and tap, if it sounds hollow, it is probably done. The outside will be hard but will soften once it is removed.
Eat Up, so yummy!

I sliced my bread length wise. I made with turkey and swiss and ham and american subs with tomato and lettuce. They must have been good since we didn't bring any home!

I also did a Honey Wheat Bread.

1 cup warm water + 1/4 cup warm water
4 teaspoons honey
1 envelope yeast
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons salt

Combine the yeast, water and honey. Let sit until foamy about 10 minutes. See pics above.
-Add both flours, salt and additional 1/4 cup water if at high altitude. Stir until doughy.
-Sprinkle flour on your work surface and cover your hands in flour. Lay out your dough and knead for 5-10 minutes until well mixed, smooth and no longer sticky.
-Spray a bowl with cooking spray and put your ball of dough in your bowl. Spray the top of your dough with cooking spray and cover loosely with plastic wrap.
-Let sit for about an hour or until it doubles in size.

-Sprinkle work surface with flour and punch down the dough.  Decide what you want your bread to look like. For the sub sandwiches, I just used a cookie sheet and made a rectangle but you can use a bread pan or whatever you want.
-Spray your pan with cooking spray as well as spray the top of the dough. Loosely cover with plastic wrap.
-Let sit about an hour or until or doubles in size. Remove plastic wrap and brush with the teaspoon of milk. --Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. This is high altitude baking time. Just watch it and once it browns, remove and tap, if it counds hollow, it is probably done. The outside will be hard but will soften once it is removed.
-Enjoy!

Pico-de-Gallo

Diced onions, I used about half of a white or yellow onion but you can use more or less depending on how much you like
Diced tomatoes, I use approximately 3 medium size any kind is good
Chopped Cilantro, again use as much as you like
Lime, I squeeze about half of a super juicy one or all if it is not so juicy

Salt, pepper, coriander, garlic salt or powder
2 teaspoons Canola oil

Stir everything until combined. This only is good for about 24 hours. Perfect with chips. It is great on any type of tacos, I especially love it on fish or shrimp tacos. Enjoy! So incredibly delicious and healthy too!

Cream Cheese Icing

1/2 cup softened butter
8 oz package of cream cheese
3 cups powdered sugar (use can use the whole bag if you like, I prefer almost the whole bag.
food coloring in your kids favorite color

Mix it all up and adjust the color as the birthday girl sees fit. I also have a icing bag to apply the icing. It makes it look soooo much nicer than just using a knife.

I didn't take any pics of the whole spread, actually I didn't take many pics at all but here are a couple.

Hope you like these easy recipes. I am all about easy! Happy Sunday!

And don't forget to enter our giveaway!

Thankful Giveaway & Week 5 Challenge

This week I made my girl's dresses for up coming holiday parties.

Of course they had to be just alike! Alea now loves to dress like her baby sister :)

I promise that even though these dresses are o'so cute in the pics, they are 100% times better in person.  Bet you want one of these for the sweet little girl in your life too, huh? And guess what? I am going to give you a dress just like these. Yep! I have enough fabric for just one more! I am thankful that you are reading this and that you support Bebe Dulce. I can make any size from 3 months to a 4T and I will even let you customize the embellishments satin ribbon bow, rosette flower, cinched sleeves, long sleeves, 3/4 sleeves).

  ANYONE can enter, this is what you gotta do to get your name in the pot for this fabulous dress.

Mandatory entry: Leave a comment here and tell me who would wear this dress if you won.

5 Extra Entries: Purchase something from our website http://www.bebedulceaspen.com/ (remember we are offering 20% off all orders too plus FREE shipping. Once your order is complete, I will refund you the 20%)

Extra entry: Suggest 20 people to "like" Bebe Dulce on Facebook. Leave a comment here that you did.

Extra Entry: Tweet @bebedulceaspen that we have an incredible giveaway happening NOW and

everyone should enter!

Extra Entry: Post a photo of your sweet baby in their Bebe Dulce on our Facebook page.

Extra Entry: Go to our website, on our contact page tell us your absolutely favorite Bebe Dulce item.

Giveaway ends next Friday, November 26.

Thank you for reading our blog, shopping our website and liking us on facebook!

We are here because of you!

And don't forget, get the sweet babies in your life Bebe Dulce for the holidays!

20% off all orders plus FREE shipping.

(Once your order is complete, I will refund you the 20% via the way you paid)

http://www.bebedulceaspen.com/

Give Your Sweet Babies Extra Hugs & Kisses

I had something completely different I was going to post about today but since I can't stop thinking about something else, I think I will share it.
Emme and I went to the grocery this morning to get the food for Alea's birthday party on Saturday, TIgey met us there to play with Emme. There is this girl that works there, I think we are about the same age and she had a baby the same time I had Emme. This girl and I have known each other for years (being such a small town), we call each other by name and when we were pregnant at the same time and had our babies within weeks of each other, we had even more to chat about in the checkout line. The grocery store has been closed for 3 weeks for remodeling and today was the first day I had been back in there. When I was checking out, the girl came up and started bagging my groceries and we were chatting as usual. Tigey was holding Emme and we were talking about Emme not feeling well and I think she is coming down with a cold. I asked the girl how her baby is doing (she had a boy) and she says "Didn't you hear? He passed away."  My heart instantly broke, what? She said he died 3 weeks ago from SIDS. Of course I hugged her several times and told her how sorry I am. She has photos of him in her pocket and Tigey and I are both in tears. I am in shock. I can't believe it. Once we get outside and are loading the car, the girl comes outside and says that she has a bunch of formula coupons and she is working Sunday and she will bring them in for me. Really? What a kind soul.

I absolutely can not imagine what she is going through. I am devastated for her. Please say a prayer for her, her name is Marlene.  If you live in Aspen and know who she is, give her an extra smile and maybe a hug.... she needs it.

Bet I can Make You Laugh

Since my husband's job isn't very stable, yes he did get a new one but it isn't great money, so we are still looking for jobs for him or myself, which ever comes first. So last week I received a phone call from one of the owners of a company I am hoping to get a job from, luckily both girls has just gone down for a nap...or so I thought. Just a few short minutes into the conversation I hear Alea yelling from downstairs "Moooooommmmmm, I pooooooooped!" Oh my goodness, what do I do, I am on a very important phone call and can't possibly let this man hear my daughter yelling for me to wipe her butt. Seriously. "Mooooommmm, I pooooooped." Oh good God is right. What am I going to do? "Excuse me sir, Can you please hold for a moment while I wipe my kids butt?" or "Can I call you right back I have some poop to clean up?" I could not get off the phone and the man was basically interviewing me over the phone. How is this happening? I could barely focus, all I could hear was POOOOOOPPPPP. Poor little missy had to wait nearly 15 minutes on the pot before I could get to her. Once it was all over, I think I laughed for pretty much the rest of the day and now the mere thought of the situation sends me into laughter.

Smile.

Happy Birthday Alea

Today is Alea's birthday! I can't believe she is the big 3! I remember when she was just a few weeks old I told my Mom and husband that we all should write down what we think she will be like when as she gets older. Unfortunately we didn't, but I can tell you that I would have never imagined that she would be who she is. Her personality is so endearing as well as dominating, she lights up the room the moment she walks in. She can convince you to give her whatever she wants in seconds. She is so happy and so loving. She is extremely friendly and likes to chat with anyone and everyone she passes on the street. If she has been bad and I try to give her a treat of some sort she tells me that she can't have it because she was bad. She potty trained herself 6 weeks after she turned 2 (I seriously didn't do anything except buy the little potty) Seriously she is one of a kind and I can't imagine what my life would be like without her or what my life was like before she came along. Here are a few pics of my princess #1.

Here she is moments after she was born.

Here she is at 1.

And at 2.

Of course here is the first time she laid eyes on her baby sister.

 And one of my all time favorites. For some reason she calls Emme, Bella, no earthly idea why. We don't even know anyone named Bella. And by the way she is the BEST big sister I could have ever ask for.

And yesterday (she is a fairy princess in case you are wondering).

She can definitely make me loose my mind but she can also be the sweetest most kind little person. Yesterday she was being particularly not so great and I didn't feel good, so it was a rough day to say the least. After the husband came home I went into my office to finish up a couple of orders. A few minutes later she came in and looked at me and said Mommy, I am sorry I didn't listen and didn't take a nap today, I promise I will be a good girl tomorrow. Awe... and then proceeded to give me a huge hug and kiss (she gives the best hugs EVER).
And this morning it was 7:30 and I had not heard a peep out of either one of the girls which NEVER happens, so I decided to go check on them (and make sure they were still alive) Alea was in Emme's crib and they were both awake, just playing, I have no idea how long they were awake because nether one of them had made a sound. I love that she loves her baby sister so much!

Happy Birthday Alea.

Super Mommy Tip #3

Only do what you can handle, Part 1.  For our Super Mommy Tip this week, I am starting another small series within the Super Mommy Tips titled, "Only do what you can handle".  As "Super Moms" we try to do too much most of the time. The thing is we don't even think twice about going above and beyond. Unfortunately, constantly going above and beyond makes us stressed, overwhelmed and frustrated and we don't accomplish what we set out to accomplish.  Ultimately things go array in one way or another.

Over the summer after having baby #2, I was determined to loose the baby weight ASAP. I forced myself to workout atleast an hour a day. Once August came I lost my momentum and couldn't get it back. I just couldn't find an hour each day to go to the gym and I was becoming more and more frustrated.  About 2 weeks ago, I read an article in a magazine and it was a small workout plan that you can do in your house that is spilt into a 10 minute, 20 minute and 30 minute programs. For some reason after reading this it dawned on me that I didn't have to work out an hour each day because I didn't have an entire hour but I could find 10 minutes, 20 minutes or even 30 minutes to exercise. So I started this small interval training program and also decided that I would take the kids on a walk for cardio as often as I could (even if it was only a day or two a week) it was better than nothing. Each day I would only do what I could handle for that day if it meant only the 10 minute program or a 30 minute walk or any variety of my plan, as long as I did one thing each day. I have lost just a couple more lbs but I can feel the difference in my body, my stomach is slowly shrinking (very slowly but you have to start somewhere, right?) Most of all I am not frustrated about not doing anything anymore. Before I thought just because I couldn't commit an hour, then I just wouldn't do anything when all I had to do is what I could handle. I didn't have to wait for my husband to get home to watch the kids, finish dinner, clean the house and the huge list of things that needed to get done.

So decide what you can handle, start slow at whatever you are trying to accomplish and you will see better results!  Good Luck and smile because you are Super Mom!

Tamale Casserole

Are you ready for this delicious recipe? And guess what.. It is healthy too! Seriously. Don't let the ingredients fool you. Try it I promise it does not disappoint! I am all about eating as healthy as possible but I do not sacrifice taste. I would rather eat a little of something good than a lot of something not so good. You must make this ASAP.

Tamale Casserole

Canola Oil
1/2 to a whole green bell pepper (depending on how much you like)
1 red onion (again use as mush as you like)
1 jalapeno pepper (as much as you like but you are sauteing it so it will loose a little of it's bite)
1 clove garlic
1 lb ground turkey breast (just pretend like it is beef, you will forget it is turkey the moment you take the first bite)
1 can tomato sauce
1 can corn
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt (to taste)
4 cups water
1 1/2 cup of corn meal
2 cups Monterey Jack cheese (I used pepper jack 2%)

Preheat oven to 350. Heat the oil over medium heat. Saute the bell pepper, jalapeno, onions, garlic until soft. Add the turkey, salt and chili powder, cook until brown. Stir in the tomato sauce, corn and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer covered, stirring a couple of times until the sauce starts to thicken about 15 minutes. Transfer to 13x9" dish. Bring 2 cups of water to boil in separate pan. Meanwhile pour other 2 cups of water into a bowl and add the cornmeal and whisk until dissolved. Reduce heat of boiling water and slowly stir in the cornmeal mix stirring constantly until thick and forming large bubbles. Spread on top of turkey mix in dish. Bake 25 minutes, remove and cover with cheese. Bake additional 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving meanwhile forgetting this is remotely healthy. Dig in and enjoy.

My husband does not like when I fool him with turkey. Many times he asks if it is turkey, not this time! It ate 2 helping for dinner and then a huge helping for lunch the next day before I let him in on the secret. He almost didn't believe me!

Week 4 Challenge Part 2

Okay, I was feeling a bit lame about this weeks challenge (since it took less than 5 minutes!) so I decided to add a second lame part. Lame meaning it took me way less than 5 minutes for this part. Definitely not lame in what I did because it was exactly what I needed/wanted.

So I took the same sweater that I made the neck warmer for Alea and sewed above the neck seam all the way around the turtle neck. Cut off the turtle neck. Folded the end to hem to the width I wanted and made myself a ear/head warmer. Those of you who know me at all know that I wear my hair up pretty much everyday. The only problem with that in the winter is that putting a hat on means taking my hair down and then immediately putting it back up once I secretly take the hat off. I needed something to cover my ear and head and be able to leave my hair up. Note this is for me I'm just quite as good of a model....

Pretty cute, huh? Please ignore the sour face, the shadows and the food/dirt or whatever is on the wall. Have a great weekend!

Week 4 Challenge

Well, before I get to the Challenge project. What do you think about the new look? When I logged on this morning to write my post, I guess I was feeling a little frisky and decided to update the look. I like change. Something fresh and new since the only thing new around here is more snow. We haven't gotten much but the last 3 or 4 nights we have gotten a few inches each night. Anyway, I hope you like the new look!

This weeks project came to mind when we are getting all bundled to go outside. I like scarves and where them pretty much all year except for the few super warm months (which is mainly June, July and August here) even those months, if I get out at night I wrap a scarf on. Well, since my precious daughter wants anything and everything that I have, she MUST wear a scarf as well. After a couple of times of playing outside and her playing with her scarf and it falling into the nasty mud, where the snow has melted, I decided it was time she have her own scarf. I almost just made her a scarf with a button or something but then it dawned on me the new trend of the neck warmer scarf. Of course I headed straight to the thrift store and bought this fabulous sweater.

I made sure to get acrylic so that it would be soft not itchy and since I am slightly anal about things matching or at least going together. I got one that will go with pretty much everything. So all I did was sew a zig-zag seam straight across under the armpits all the way around. Then cut the top part off .  There you have it, a cute little neck warmer that will not drop in the mud!

Does it count if as my project if it took less than 5 minutes?

My God Box

Last week I was reading the lastest edition of Real Simple Magazine (love it!) and read this article about a woman whose mother kept a "God Box".  Basically every time that someone she knew needed a little (or big) prayer she would write it on a scrap of paper and put it in her God Box. The woman states that when she was having a hard time and her mother told her that she would put it in the God Box it made her feel relieved that she no longer had to worry. She knew that God had her prayer in His hands and that He would do whatever she truly needed.  When her mother died and the woman had to go through her mother's things she was surprised my ALL the "God Boxes" her mother had, each one filled to the rim with prayers. I loved this story. You can read it here.

Since having kids my weekly church attendance has disintegrated unfortunately. Getting 2 kids under the age of 3 dress, fed and to church by 9 well is an act of God in itself to say the least. I know that many of you do it and I am not trying to make an excuse and many of you have more than 2 little ones but I have fallen in this category. Of course I still pray everyday and read excerpts of the Bible (thanks to my phone that sends me verses daily ;).  I love the God Box and have just started my own. Other than just praying and talking to God I think it is good for the soul to write things down. I believe that writing things down many times allows the body and mind to release their worries.

I hope this helps makes you smile, maybe you will start your own God Box and release your worries and give them to God.  If you need me to add anything to my box let me know.....

Super Mommy Tip #2

Okay, so after the last Super Mommy Tip, I actually had a couple of people tell me that their husband gives their children a bath and quite frankly there was no way their husband was going to jump on cleaning the bathroom at the same time. Totally understandable.
So if your house is run anything like mine, I pretty much do all the cleaning. #1 because I work from home and therefore I have to look at the mess constantly. #2 because my husband doesn't clean very often. I mean he is happy to if I kindly ask him but that usually entails vacuuming or doing the dishes. So the way I get him to do things a little more often and EVEN sometimes without me having to ask (gasp, yes sometimes I don't even have to ask!) Is that I Praise the hell out of him when he does something. Yes I know, why should they be praised for something that we have to do daily (and get 0 praise), or that it is their house too, yea, yea, yea. A couple of years ago we went to see a marriage counselor and one of my issues was that I did everything around the house and he didn't help out (this was when I worked full time as well). She told me, you have to praise him. At the time my hard-headed-ness said their was no way no how I would "praise" him and tell him thank you for doing something I was expected to do. As time went on, I get it. I want the help, he doesn't see "clean" the same way I do. He doesn't see the dirt like I do and quite frankly if I don't want to do it all by myself, suck it up and say, "Oh my goodness, the rug looks so great, thank you so much for vacuuming!"

So my Super Mommy Tip #3 is to Praise your husband for helping clean around the house!  This tip might be hard to swallow in the beginning but trust me it will help you in the end! Try it a couple of times and I can almost guarantee results.

There are also a couple of products that are tried and true in my house. I tried countless different products until I found these gems, so I thought I would share them.

If your daughters hair looks like this in the morning and you have to spend a half an hour combing it while she screams her head off you need this product!

So believe me when I say I have tried countless products for this child's hair. My answer is Biolage. I use the shampoo, conditioner, and most importantly the detangler. The detangler is a rinse out after you condition but I promise no matter how matted your kids hair is you can comb right though those tangles! Biolage is more expensive than your regular drug store shampoo but you can get it at Target. I promise you will save many tears. In addition to that on the days I don't wash her hair, I use Biosilk Kids Tangle Buster spray. You will not need the spray if you have just washed her hair. The Biolage also makes her tangles much more manageable, meaning a lot less screaming and crying and holding her down :0 And that right there makes the day better for everyone.

And your babies hair will look like this no no time!

My other can't live without product is Aquaphor. You must get it if you don't already know it's magic. I have never used a diaper rash cream on either one of my kids. At the first sign of a red little bootie, slap a layer of this magic and viola! Happy butts everywhere. I also have a tube in my bag for lips since it will cure dry, chapped lips in no time. A rash of any kind, anywhere and it is clear in a day! Yep, I get the biggest tub they make and it lasts forever!

Unfortunately, I was not paid or given any free goodies for this post :) Just wanted to share and make your day a little brighter.

Week 3 Challenge

So for a while now I have been designing new things for Bebe Dulce. I am going to start adding more boutique style clothes to Bebe D in the Spring. So currently I am making samples and choosing fabric. I also wanted to make dresses for the girls for the holidays. I made the first round with extra fabric I had, as not to mess up the "real" fabric since I was tweaking a pattern. Here they are! I am really happy with the way they came out. I can't wait to make them in the "real" fabric. My only issue is that it is nearly impossible to take pics of your own children. My kids just don't seem to want to cooperate, Alea especially. Emme just can't sit still long enough. I promise I am a better photographer than this :)


What do you think? Both girls wore their dress yesterday and got tons of compliments as we shopped and strolled through town! They were perfect with leggings underneath!

Super Mommy Tip #1

I have decided to do a series of tips for Moms. I think it is a fun way to share what I have learned from being a Mom and things that people have told or taught me to be a better, more efficient Mom and the secrets to being or appearing to be a Super Mom.

Super Mommy Tip #1: Clean the bathroom while your kids are playing in the bath. Once I started doing this my bathroom suddenly became a much cleaner less dreaded place. The last thing I want to do in my free time is to clean the bathroom. Plus Alea is always up for spending as long as possible in the tub. I can clean everything except the inside of the tub while she is in it, then when she gets out all I have to do is wipe out the inside! I do recommend using non-toxic green cleaning solutions or if you spray the sponge outside of the bathroom and then use it to clean, so your not fuming up the bathroom while your little one is in there :)

Feel free to comment or contact me with your fabulous Mommy tips, then I can share them with everyone. If I use them there just might be a fabulous prize in store for you from Bebe Dulce!

Week 2 Challenge

Okay for week 2, I decided to make a sweater dress for Alea. I love sweater dresses for kids and when Emme wore one of hers the other day, Alea said that she needed one like it. I had gotten this sweater at the thrift store for $8, it is 50% cashmere and 50% silk, sooo incredibly soft. I was originally going to re-design it for myself...but you know how that goes.

First thing I did was wash and dry it. The main reason I did this was because the care label says "Dry clean only" and I wanted to see what washing and drying would do. I can tell you that there is no way I am going to make (or buy for that matter) my kids any clothes that I will be dry cleaning. So, I think it barely shrank, it seemed just barely smaller, maybe.

I tried it on Alea and luckily the length was perfect and the neck opening was good too. So I have a basic dress pattern that I made out of one of Alea's dresses and then I adjusted as needed.


I cut off the sleeves on the dress side of the arm pit. I marked and sewed the dress width to fit. Then I took one of Alea's long sleeve shirts (the dress pattern I have is short sleeve) and matched it up with the sweater sleeve. I matched up the cuffs, so I would not have to mess with making/changing the cuff. I cut the sleeve where needed and trimmed up the width to fit. Then I re-attached the sleeves and viola! There was my dress!


Of course I had to embellish it a little. So I took some cotton/linen type material and cut 3 pieces the width and length of my yard stick. I sewed a strip of clear elastic down the center of one of the pieces and then sewed it around the dress in the waist area. Then I took the 2 other pieces of my fabric, sewed them together to make one long strip , then sewed clear elastic at the bottom edge of the fabric. I rolled that fabric together to make a rosette. Then hand sewed the bottom of the rosette, hand sewed a piece of felt over the bottom of the rosette and hand sewed the rosette to the dress. It took about an hour, so it's definitely a nap time project. When I do projects, I time them by how many nap times I need to make it :)


What do you think?? I made it a little big so she could were it all winter and also so she could wear a t-shirt and leggings underneath.


And if you are wondering where my Mom's challenge projects are, well they are coming. She is not so great with computers...we are working on sending me the pics and info :)





Please ignore the goofy poses, this is the best I could get :) Have a great Halloween weekend!

Week 1 Challenge

This week I made several things since I got so inspired by these great sewing and crafting blogs, my favorite is this adorable Ruffle dress with leggings made out of these shirts I got on sale at Gap. It is all about "re-fashioning" clothes. Now I have a huge pile of tees, sweaters and anything else I could find in my closet to redesign.
I made my own pattern from a dress and leggings that Alea had in her closet. I used the hem of the shirts for the hem of the dress and leggings. I just cut strips of fabric and made the ruffles. I just added the ruffles where-ever. I have been dying to figure out how to make these rosettes out of fabric and found a website tutorial that explained it. So I definitely had to add a rosette. The shirts were super soft, the first thing that Alea said when she put it on was "this is soft, Momma!" This outfit only took about 2 hours from start to finish. The only thing I wish I would have done better was lining the stripes up. Next time I will. Here are a couple of the websites where I got my inspiration. Be full-warned that you will be going through your closet and finding things to redesign! I hope you are inspired!

Sutton Grace

How Does She

Recipes! Yumm-O

Yum! Tried and true recipes!

Lasagna Florentine with Turkey Sausage

You know I only make lasagna every couple of months. It just takes too long to prepare. This was until I discovered no-bake lasagna noodles. I have always known they made them but had never used them. I guess I just thought they wouldn't taste as good. Well they taste just as good and they make lasagna so easy to prepare! This is my favorite lasagna!

1 package turkey Italian sausage (I use Jeanie-O, they come in links and I promise you it doesn't taste like turkey)
2 jars spaghetti sauce
1 box of frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 15 oz low-fat ricotta cheese
3 cups part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese
1 egg
1 or 2 cloves of garlic
1/4 to 1/2 onion (I like yellow)
2 tbsp olive oil

Chop garlic and onion. I use a large pot and saute with olive oil until opaque. Cut casing off of sausage and put in pot and crumble it as it cooks. Once sausage is cooked add spaghetti sauce. Mix 2 cups of mozz cheese, ricotta cheese, spinach and egg. get large pan and layer starting with sauce, then noodles and cheese, repeat layers ending with sauce. Top with remaining cheese. Grab a piece of aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray (So the cheese won't stick). Cover and bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 10 min. This is so yummy and good! The no-bake noodles make it sooo easy!

After many summers trying to make melt-in-your mouth ribs, I have finally perfected my recipe. Since they are so freaking good, I want to share the love. Try these bad boys!

Melt-in-Your Mouth Ribs

2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp black pepper
2 tbsp salt
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 onion powder
1/2 bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce

Mix all spices in bowl and rug on top and bottom of ribs. Put grill on low setting. Grill ribs about 10 min each side. BE CAREFUL, brown sugar burns easily, keep a close eye and make sure not to burn! Take a cookie sheet and cover with aluminum foil. Then lay another large piece of foil and wrap ribs tightly. Oven to 350 and cook for 2 hours. Pull ribs out and bast with sauce both sides and flip ribs upside down. Cook for 20 minutes. Pull ribs out, pull on one rib in a thick area. Rib should easily fall off if done. If they aren't quite done, cook additional 20 min. Repeat process until the ribs fall apart when you try to flip them over. Top with any remaining BBQ sauce. Seriously these are amazing. I used to get ribs when we went out to eat, never again, these are better than any restaurant! Thanks Mom for the cooking help!

The Challenge

Most people know that my Mom is very crafty. I learned to sew, make, create and everything in between from her. I grew up making things constantly and I of course still love to. Since our lives tend to be so busy, many times you find it has been weeks even a month before you realize that you haven't made anything for fun. Obviously, I do make things for work but unless I am designing something new, I don't count it. This past week I have come across a few awesome websites/blogs where these incredibly talented women talk and write tutorials on what they create. Well I was incredibly inspired to get back into the fun, designing world. So, I called my Mom up and asked her if she was ready for a challenge! Each week we had to make something for fun. Every weekend we would email each other pictures of what we made. The one stipulation was that you could not buy anything, you had to use materials that you already had. The exception to this rule was you could go to the thrift store (you will understand more in later posts) Just a little something to keep us creating, since it is what we both love and enjoy. Well this was Friday afternoon, I sent her a couple of the links of the sites that I was inspired by (I will share them all with you as I post things similar). Needless to say neither one of us slept a wink that night excited to create new goodies. Well I finished my project in an hour and a half Saturday afternoon. I have been wanted ot make these wide leg pants from this fabric that I like. I got a pair of my pants that were the style I wanted to use and made a pattern from the pants. Actually I didn't make the pattern (If you know me I am a little impatient and that takes too long but now I love the pants and wish I had the pattern on file). Anyway the pants turned out super cute, just what I invisioned! Here are a few pics, I promise they are MUCH cuter in person. It is hard to take a pic of yourself! and I am not a great model! They are your basic wide leg pant with a wide waistband. I know the fabric is a little funky but I love them!