New E-Book 31 Days to Clean

Yep, I need this book. I am not one of those people who finds joy in cleaning my house. I am one of those people who rewards herself with various things just for doing a 5 minute quick pick up. My spring cleaning list has been on my refrigerator since March and NOTHING has been checked off! I need some motivation and I think this e-book 31 Days to Clean- Having a Martha House the Mary Way by Sarah Mae just might be it! It's available now for PDF download or Amazon Kindle (Only $4.99)! I can't wait to read it :o)

FREE Cricut Online Cake Classes Today & Tomorrow

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of ProvoCraft for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Do you ever look at the cakes in the bakery display window and wish you could make something as beautiful as they do? Well, now you can!  This week, 3/30 and 3/31 Provo Craft is hosting FREE online cake decorating classes! Using the very new Cricut for cakes! (like the Cricut you love so much, but tasty!)  The classes are being taught by Jinger Adams a celebrity in the crafting world!

I wish I had the money and room for one of these in my house! I would love to make all kinds of pretty cakes to impress people with ;o) I love in the Cricut Cake Video how they put the words all over that wedding cake, gorgeous! Wouldn't that be great to do a "just because" cake with all kinds of words that describe the person you made it for? I love describing words, there are so many wonderful words that come to mind that could be used for all kinds of occasions! And this machine will cut them all out of fondant for you! So awesome! Too bad I am not a baker (I wish I was, especially with my kids birthdays coming up), but I am sure some of you are! So stop by Provo Craft and check out the FREE online cake classes :o)

Conference Trail Mix Treat

I did not write this, it was written by Heidi Baxter and I found it on Sugardoodle but I thought it was so great! So I printed it up to give to my Activity Day girl's this week with a little snack bag of it to munch on this weekend :o) Hopefully you can click on it and print it without any problems if you would like to :o)


We are also going to make Recycled Newspaper Pots from Cottage Hill and I am going to talk about how this weekend is the perfect time to plant a seed in your heart as you listen to the prophets words. And then of course we will plant a seed for them to take home and nurture :o)



And don't forget to check out other great ideas at our Conference Idea Linky Party!

I'm on Lolly Jane Boutique Today

Lolly Jane Boutique is featuring my Conference Candy Countdown Lei today for their Monday Family Fun Idea. Please stop over there and say Hi! :o)

Kids Conference Store & Linky Party

I am going to try something new next weekend to help my daughter focus on listening to the conference talks. On Saturday I am going to put a jar of pennies out and pick some keywords that come up often during conference for my daughter to listen for during the talks.


For each keyword (prophet, temple, sacrament, prayer, etc...) she recognizes she will get one penny. At the end of each session she will have the opportunity to buy items out of the Conference Store, or save her pennies to buy one big prize at the end of the day. I filled a basket with different items like: stickers, a scripture bookmark, a notebook,a scripture marking pen, a puzzle, bubbles, candy, playdoh, etc... This is the first year I am trying it but I really think she will be excited to listen and collect as many pennies as she can :o)





Also take a look at my Conference Countdown Candy Lei idea and check out all the great Conference Ideas on my Linky Party...

Go ahead and link your conference related crafts, recipes, and ideas. And please link back to me, I would greatly appreciate it :o) And that way other people can find all of our great ideas in one spot too :o)

Nanny's Notes Giveaway Winner!

The giveaway winner of the Set of Nanny's Notes cute cards is:

Comment # 13... Kristie!

(I will be contacting you by email)

Thanks everyone for entering the giveaway and checking out Nanny's Notes :o)

Spring Wreath

I had a daffodil pop up and bloom in my yard this week. And according to the calendar, tomorrow is the first day of Spring! Oh, I can't wait for warmer weather! And to celebrate Spring, I made a new wreath. I was wandering around Joann's one day and the eggs just spoke to me. I think I like it :o)





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For Japan- Bloggers Day of Silence

For Japan With Love: Will you join me for a Bloggers Day of Silence tomorrow?

Hi guys, tomorrow I will be joining the blogging community in a collective Bloggers Day of Silence, in order to raise awareness in respect of the recent disasters in Japan.

We may be living far away, but together we can certainly do a our bit to help! Please keep reading to see how you too can join...


Here's the info from the Japan With Love website:

Fundraising

For Japan With Love has a direct link on the website to the fundraising page for ShelterBox. ShelterBox was one of THE first organizations asked by Japan to help and were on hand on the Saturday after the quake. Each large, green ShelterBox is tailored to a disaster but typically contains a disaster relief tent for an extended family, blankets, water storage and purification equipment, cooking utensils, a stove, a basic tool kit, a children’s activity pack and other vital items.

Please check it out and whatever you can contribute will be so appreciated.

Bloggers Day of Silence

Anyone that has a blog can help out with this one.
The aim is just raise awareness and respect and acknowledge the devastation going on in Japan.

The guidelines are simple:

1. This coming Friday, March 18th, no posts at all on your blog.
2. Please post a blog post about what you will be doing this Friday whenever possible in hopes to spread the word and whoever else would like to join in.
3. Tweet, Re-Tweet & Facebook the link to http://www.forjapanwithlove.com please.
4. Encourage your readers to contribute to donate shelter to Japan.

Whatever anyone can contribute will be appreciated. Every little bit helps.
Feel free to ask other bloggers you like to join in on this. Whatever impact we can make will be so awesome.


If you have any questions, feel free to email lydia@ever-ours.com or info@utterlyengaged.com or see their post about this project HERE

Happy Birthday- To Me :o)

Yesterday was my birthday! And look what my husband got me! A scroll saw :o) I love it! He said it was a little weird buying his wife a saw lol. But I have had a great time playing with it already. I am excited to share some of the projects I have had in my head for awhile :o)


Don't forget to enter into the Nanny Note's Giveaway ~ it ends on Sunday!

Purex Complete Crystals Giveaway Winners

The winners of the Free Purex Complete Crystals Coupons are:

Comment #14, Kimberly
Comment #36, Robyn
& Comment #21, Traciet

Congrats ladies! I will be contacting you by email :o)
Thanks!

General Conference Candy Lei Countdown & Linky Party

General Conference is just a few weeks away and I don't know about you, but I am looking forward to it :o) I think most of us adults enjoy conference, it is the kids we have to convince. Don't get me wrong, my daughter is usually pretty good. She loves the traditions we have over conference weekend, including the conference tent, special meals, and a conference basket with treats and and her conference packet.

It is all exciting the first morning, sitting in her tent with her basket and crayons all ready to listen. And then by afternoon session I am constantly telling her to be quiet so I can hear, and to sit down and stop jumping in front of the screen ;o) I know it is not as fun for kids, and I understand she is a very energetic 7 year old and sitting there that long is HARD so I just try to make it as fun as possible. And that is where all of my fun crafty blogger friends come in.

I would love to see what fun things you have planned for your kids for conference, so I can copy your brilliant ideas of course...;o) Below I am going to start a Conference Idea Linky Party that I would love for you to link your wonderful Conference crafts, recipes, and other ideas to. If you don't have a blog to link feel free to even just leave comments with your ideas because I would love to read them!

And now for one of my ideas... A Conference Candy Lei Countdown.
I personally think kids love countdowns. They are fun! With this countdown, they get to wear it around their neck and munch on a piece of candy during each talk, counting down to the very last one. Or if you like bribing your kids, they could get to eat one after each talk that they LISTEN to ;o)


You will need:
4 ft long piece of plastic wrap cut down the middle lengthwise, you will need just one half, unless you are making 2 :o)
25 pieces of candy (Over the last few conferences there have been 24-26 talks so I went in the middle and added 25 pieces of candy to my lei.)
10 inch pieces of ribbons in coordinating colors

Super easy! Cut your plastic wrap and lie it flat one the table. Line the candy up spaced a tiny bit apart about 2 inches in from the edge of the plastic wrap. Fold the plastic wrap over the candy from the edge, then roll until the candy is completely rolled up. Then take your ribbons and tie and curl between each candy. At the end you will overlap the ends of the plastic wrap over the last piece of candy and use the plastic tie to secure it, making it into a necklace.

Conference Idea Linky Party.
Go ahead and link your conference related crafts, recipes, and ideas. And please link back to me, I would greatly appreciate it :o) And that way other people can find all of our great ideas in one spot too :o)

Girl Scout Heaven Shrimp Recipe

My daughter sold Girl Scout Cookies for the first time this year. So my kitchen was taken over with 550 boxes of deliciousness. And of course I wanted to eat them ALL!!! I am especially drooling over the flavors I didn't order for our family, thinking~ I wonder what that kind tastes like? Mmmm...


When we were taking orders for cookies I came across some recipes in a news article (you can find HERE). And because my family LOVES Samoa cookies, and my husband and I LOVE shrimp, the Fried Samoa Shrimp immediately peaked my interest. I have patiently been waiting to try it... So today, I did! And of course being my silly rushed self, I couldn't wait to eat them and I didn't really read ALL of the instructions and two steps into making them I realized- I MESSED UP! I poured the flour in with the cookies when that is completely wrong. Ahhh! So I took out as much flour as I thought necessary and then winged it from there, even adding an additional ingredient. And they were so just over the top amazing even my daughter who HATES shrimp ate them! Alot of them! And now claims she loves shrimp :o) You must try this recipe! Must! And the lime at the end... perfect touch. We had them for dinner with pasta, but these would even be a terrific appetizer. YUM!



Girl Scout Heaven Shrimp Recipe
1 lb Large Shrimp, peeled & deveined
5 Samoa Girl Scout Cookies, finely chopped
2 tbl Flour
1/2 c Italian Bread Crumbs
1/2 c Panko Bread Crumbs
1/4 c Unsweetened Coconut Flakes
Dash of Cayenne Pepper
1 Lime
2 Egg Whites

Mix finely chopped cookie, flour, italian bread crumbs, panko bread crumbs, coconut flakes and cayenne pepper in a bowl. Dip shrimp in egg whites then coat with cookie mix. Fry shrimp in vegetable oil until golden brown. Squirt with lime juice, serve and enjoy! Oh and then go track down another girl scout so you can order some more boxes of Samoas...


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Feature: Nanny's Notes & a Giveaway!

I am super excited to be featuring Nanny's Notes by Natalie Griffin and share her card collection with you :o) She is one talented lady who makes the cutest cards for holidays, birthdays, saying thanks, etc... You really must take a look!

Natalie says, "I started making cards because it was something that allowed me to share my talents with the ones I loved. I've always been crafty; from scrapbooking and knitting, to baking and decorating. I find peace in sitting down and focusing all of my creativity into making my cards. It's true when they say they're made with love."

Natalie and I would both love for you to visit Nanny's Notes and check out her adorable cards for all occasions. And she has been kind enough to offer a collection of 3 of her cards to giveaway to A Mama B's followers, yay!

To enter:
Main entry: Be a follower and leave a comment that you are.
Extra entry #1: Visit Nanny's Notes site and tell me which card you just love.
Extra entry #2: Like Nanny's Notes Facebook and leave me a comment once you have.
Extra entry #3: Like A Mama B's Facebook and leave a comment once you have.

Giveaway will end on the evening of Sunday March 20 and I will announce a winner at that time :o)

New Facebook Page!

I've created a Facebook page :o) I am hoping it will be a good way for us to communicate and be updated on new posts, ideas and giveaways. So please visit my new Facebook page and LIKE me HERE. Pretty, pretty please ;o)

Oh and don't forget to enter in the giveaway for the Purex Fabric Softener HERE, and get ready for a Feature and another giveaway this next week :o)

Bunny Hop Pop

I know Easter isn't until the END of April this year but I couldn't wait to share this cute soda pop bunny that I am making for my kids Easter baskets!

All you need is a bottle of soda pop (I used strawberry crush), plastic eyes, a pink nose, a fluffy white pom pom for the tail, chenille pipe cleaners (I found them at Micheals) for the ears, and the saying you can print out by printing the picture below. Just loop the pipe cleaner and twist it to make the ears then wrap around the top of the bottle and twist to secure, glue everything else on and you're done!

I also plan to do this with liters of pop to give away to neighbors and teachers. Maybe add a bag of popcorn with it ;o)






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Purex Complete Crystals Softener Giveaway

This week I had the opportunity to test out the new Purex Complete Crystals Fabric Softener. It smelled sooooo good! And I could tell a big difference in the softness of my towels. I'm sold. And I want you to be able to try them out too. So I am giving away 3 coupons for FREE bottles of the Purex Crystals, there will be 3 winners! And I am giving you a couple of ways to get extra entries :o)

Main Entry- You have to be a follower- leave a comment telling me you are.

Extra #1. Visit the Pure Complete Crystals page HERE to link to a coupon on their FB page, leave a comment when you've done so.

Extra #2. Like my new A Mama B's Facebook page HERE, leave a comment once you have :o)

Giveaway for the FREE bottles of crystals will end on March 12, I will stop taking entries and announce the winner that morning.

Whoopdwhoop!

Whoopdwhoop is the the new currency free market place for your crafts! You get to trade crafts with others for free! How fun and economical! It is a new site that started in January but it is really starting to take off. Here are some of my favorite things currently for trade:

Gerber Baby Boy Polka Dot Tie Onesie by Linsey

Mermaid in Bubble Bath Print by Camille Grimshaw

Brown grosgrain rosette hair clip by Elisa Fisher

crocheted owl hat by Lindsay

And I even have some things listed on there...


Go and check out Whoopdwhoop and start in the crafty trading fun!!!

Family Food Album

I am completely obsessed with this idea... I LOVE IT! A Family Food Album! At muffinsandmayhem.com you can create your own cookbook with their online application FREE! Parents and kids can type up their favorite recipes, upload photos, add personal stories, all in cookbook format. And seriously, it's FREE. What a neat idea to get kids involved in dinnertime now and how special to pass down to them later on. I started mine tonight and I honestly can't wait to get my 7 year old involved. We can add our favorite recipes, take pictures of us baking/cooking together to add to it, then we will use it to cook without throughout her years, and when it is time I will get to pass it on to her. I think this is such a very special idea :o) You could also do this with extended family, give them each the username and password and have them log in and enter in recipes and pictures to create a larger family cookbook :o)

Bratwurst & Sour Cream Recipe

This recipe is one of my family's newest favorites, I altered it from another recipe. My husband just loves it and requests it often :o)

Bratwurst in Sour Cream

4 bratwurst sausages, sliced
1 tablespoon of butter
2 tablespoons of cold water
1 1/2 teaspoon of flour
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup of sour cream

Melt butter in pan; add sliced up bratwurst and cook until golden brown. Add water; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered 3-5 minutes, turning bratwurst occasionally. Remove bratwurst from pan and cover to keep warm. With whisk, beat flour, salt and sour cream in skillet picking up the flavor off the bottom of the pan. Put bratwurst back in skillet, cook 5-8 minutes over low heat, stirring constantly. Serve over pasta and enjoy!


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Giveaway Winner!

The winner of the $5 Amazon E-Gift Card is comment #12 Candace from Candace Creations! Congrats cute lady! I will be contacting you by email :o)

100 Follower Giveaway Reminder!

Don't forget that I am going to give away a $5 Amazon E-Gift Card tomorrow morning! All you have to do to enter this giveaway is 1. Be a follower and 2.Leave a comment HERE with your email so I can contact you if you win
I will stop taking entries TONIGHT Feb.25 at midnight MST and will announce the winner tomorrow (Saturday) morning.

~Thanks for following me and for all your kind comments~

Crab & Cream Cheese Rangoons

The other night we made gyoza for dinner and I ended up with some extra pasta wrappers. So the next night I decided to get creative and make my favorite crab dip which I would normally eat with crackers, and make crab & cream cheese rangoons. My family loved them so I thought I would share the recipe with you. I also made orange chicken to go with my rangoons, however, hubby and I decided it wasn't the best. Sometimes my experiments in the kitchen work sometimes they don't :o)

Crab & Cream Cheese Rangoons

2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 tub or block of cream cheese
1 can lump crab meat, drained
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup finely chopped red peppers
1 Tbsp. dijon mustard
1 pkg wonton wrappers

Just mix the first 6 ingredients together and spoon into wonton wrappers. Fold and then fry in saffola or canola oil. Or if you would rather make this as a dip, mix the first 6 ingredients and serve with crackers. The dip is a kraft foods recipe.




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100 Followers & Giveaway!

Wow! I logged on last night to find this blog had hit 100 followers! It put a huge smile on my face and to celebrate I am going to give away a
$5 Amazon E-Gift CardAll you have to do to enter this giveaway is 1. Be a follower and 2.Leave a comment below with your email so I can contact you if you win :o)
I will stop taking entries on Friday night Feb.25 at midnight MST and will announce the winner Saturday morning.

~Thanks for following me and for all your kind comments~

Feb. COTM Recipe- Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

Around Valentine's there were the most delicious sounding recipes rotating around the web and the Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookie was one of them that caught my eye. I thought this would be perfect for the 2nd month of the Cookie-of-the-Month Club :o) Ohhh and they were! They are soooo delicious. Jenny @ The Picky Palate is genius! You must try them! You can grab the recipe here: Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

Lucky Us- Counting Our Blessings

I love things that help remind our family how blessed we are, so a couple of years ago for St. Patrick's Day I cut out letters saying "We Are So Lucky" and a handful of shamrocks and had our family write why we are blessed on them then we taped them up around our fireplace for the week of the holiday to remind us. I just have to tell you, I found them in a drawer the other day and was reading them and one that my daughter wrote was just so cute! It said that she was so lucky that "mom had me" awwww... Love it!



Anyway, I decided to do it again this year, and was actually hoping I could use the same letters but sadly no. The tape was all stuck together and then the paper peeled when I pulled them apart :o( So I made new ones and this time the light bulb turned on and I laminated them with contact paper. Two reasons- First, I won't have to cut them out again (yay!) and Second, the contact paper makes them wipe-able when you use a dry erase marker, we can write a new something on them every day if we want- brilliant! I can use them year after year :O)

I actually do a similar thing in the fall with leaves and you can guarantee I am going to laminate them this year, and I was thinking how cute would it be to make some Easter eggs to remember our blessings at Easter time when we are reflecting on the Savior? I am sure you will see another post about that ;o) But for now here are this years laminated shamrocks...Lucky us.



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Stylish Blogger Award

I was awarded the


Thanks to Dew This, Candace Creations and Ladybird Ln for passing it along!!

So here are the rules:

1. Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this award.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Award 15 recently discovered great blogs.
4. Contact these bloggers and tell them about the award.

7 Things about Me:
1. I have 2 amazing kids who are 7 years apart
2. I am taking piano lessons for the first time in my life
3. I love to try new recipes but they don't always turn out (ask hubby about the taco casserole lol)
4. I hate laundry and dishes
5. I am soooo far behind on my children's scrapbooks that it is ridiculous
6. I love couponing and getting my groceries for atleast 50% off, usually more, and I love the free stuff you can get with coupons
7. I can't wait for spring!

15 Blogs:
1. You Craft Me Up!
2. Young Nester
3. Wendy's Activities
4. TP Craft
5. The Tattered Tag
6. The Crafty Cpa
7. The Blackberry Vine
8. Making It My Own
9. Lyndsey's Craft Spot
10. Living Craftily Ever After
11. Calico and Cupcakes
12. Life In The Thrifty Lane
13. It's All In My Head
14. Homemaking Honeys
15. Duke's And Duchesses

My Lucky Charm

At Halloween time before I started this blog I made these cute "ghosts" with my kids hand/foot prints.


Then this morning I was driving along thinking how I could do something similar for St. Patty's. It did not turn out exactly how I pictured in my mind, in part to my 9 month old refusing to open his hand flat (it might be easier with a toddler or school aged child) but I see a lucky 4 leaf clover, don't you?


I just took a blank wooden plaque I got on clearance at the craft store, drilled two holes in the top, painted it light green, then smudged white and silver paint on with a paper towel after it dried, and sanded it real quick. Then I painted his hand and put it down on the board fingers facing to the middle of the board, do this 4 times around, then paint the side of his or your hand and place it at the bottom like the stem. And you have a cute lucky charm :o)





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