Ruffled & No. 143 Pillows

For the past week, I have looked forward to seeing a few of the creations made by 6 very talented ladies.  Today, it's my turn...I have the honor of guest blogging over at At Home With K, where I am sharing my tutorial for these beauties!

Adding to the Crafting List

So, today is Day 6 of the Be Mine Bonanza and Sarah has posted a tutorial for some really cute salt-dough ornaments. I don't have a lot of places to hang ornaments outside of Christmas season, but these ornaments have inspired me. I'm thinking that I'll make smaller versions (minus the paper, but maybe figure out how to add some sparkly beads to the middle) and put them on longer ribbons to make necklaces for my nieces!

I'm working on something that I'll be sharing with you next week.  It's kind of a craft/organizational tool for the kiddos, but I may havev to make a slightly altered one for myself!

Did you know I'm also on facebook?  I am, and I'd love for you to join me!

Deceitful Sun

The sun is streaming in the windows, and for a minute, it tricked me into believing that spring was here. It's not. It is 6 degrees (Fahrenheit) right now.  The wind chill factor is no longer -27, though, so that makes me happy!

It's going to be a good day to stay inside, clean house, and check out Suesan's tutorial today for the Be Mine Bonanza!

Chocolate Oatmeal No-Bake Cookies

Mmmmm...yummmmm

These were one of my favorite cookies growing up, and now they are loved by the husband and boys!

Ingredients:
3 C old fashioned rolled oats (NOT instant oatmeal)
2 C sugar
1 stick margarine (do NOT pre-melt)
1/2 C milk
3 Tbsp cocoa
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 C peanut butter (I prefer creamy, but chunky works just as well)

First, you need to spend 20 minutes looking for your tablespoon that you managed to leave in the cocoa when you last made these cookies a few weeks ago.  Then, pour the oatmeal in a mixing bowl.  The one I use holds about 8 cups, and it's just the right size for these.

In a medium pot over medium-high heat, melt together margarine, sugar, milk, and cocoa.  Bring to a boil, then boil 1 minute.  If you melt the margarine in the microwave, your cookies will not set up - trust me.

Remove from heat and add the vanilla and peanut butter.  Stir until peanut butter is melted, then pour mixture over the oatmeal.  Drop spoonfuls onto waxed paper and let sit for at least 30 minutes.

*This is not a recipe that can be doubled.  If you double the recipe, the cookies will not set up right, and you'll end up with a bunch of gooey blobs on your waxed paper.*

Once the cookies are done, munch on them while checking out (and making!) Michelle's  project for the Bonanza!

February 1

Happy 4th Birthday, Madisyn! We miss you!

Tonya is sharing a tutorial over at At Home With K today. I'm going to have to make me at least one of these!

Books for me, Books for the boys, and Books for YOU!

Within the past couple of weeks, I have received a couple of boxes filled with books and other goodies. The first box is for my boys. The plan was to use its contents to help fill their Easter baskets...now I'm not sure I can wait that long!

I bought all of this stuff from Bare Books for less than $32 - and that includes the $3 shipping!  I bought a set of 10 comic books, 2 bubble templates, 2 sets of crayons, 2 puzzles, and 4 Book sets (includes a book, cover, and line guide).  They also sent me a catalog, so it looks as though we'll be ordering some more books of varying sizes, bookmarks, a couple of gameboard sets, and some puzzles with more pieces.  I'm also thinking of getting some board books for my younger nephews!

I also received a shipment from Amazon that contained 5 books, and am expecting a few more over the next 6-8 weeks.  I'll be keeping some, but I'll also be giving some away in February and March, so keep checking back!

And, don't forget to check out Kindra's blog!  Gwen from GwennyPenny is sharing a super cute tutorial!

Be Mine Bonanza!!!

Today is the first day of Kindra's week long Be Mine Bonanza, so check out our hostess' project. I love this idea!

The rest of the week will be filled with projects from 6 more talented ladies:

Gwen from Gwenny Penny - Monday, Jan 31

Tonya from More Prim Than Proper - Tuesday, Feb 1

Michelle from Emerald Cove - Wednesday, Feb 2

Susan from Frou-FruGal -Thursday, Feb 3

Sarah from All Roads Lead Home - Friday, Feb 4

Heather from Summerstead - Saturday, Feb 5