Homemade Finger Paints--a Pinterest Project

Via Pinterest--homemade finger paints.   
3 Tbs. sugar, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 cup corn starch, and 2 cups water. Mix, then warm in a saucepan until thickened. Cool and pour into containers, then add food coloring to create desired colors.  Will create a gel fingerpaint.

Goob said he made a picture of "goldfish and seahorses."  Must be abstract. 

A Lesson Learned

A friend posted a link on Facebook that I took an objection to (the link can be found here), and I found myself posting something I had been afraid to say for years:
"I think there is way too much focus on condemning the gay community and its supposed agenda. I keep hearing how gay marriage is going to destroy traditional marriage, and how this is all part of Satan's plan. Really? It wasn't the gay community who introduced infidelity, physical and emotional abuse, financial stress, pornography and substance addiction, etc, etc, into traditional marriage. We're doing a pretty good job of killing the notion of "marriage" ourselves. This is just a "Me-ism," but I believe that Satan is encouraging people to focus on the gay community instead of actually focusing on ourselves, and THAT is how marriage is getting destroyed. People are too focused on the "agenda" of the LGBT community instead of caring about their own homes, marriages, and what their children are doing. I have been afraid to say this for years because of the fall-out, but I will say it now, as a Mormon, I will not take away ANY rights, marriage included, of an LGBT person because what I believe is not what they have to believe, and I will focus on my own house before I condemn someone else's. Let God deal with people as he wants to. We don't know someone else's heart. I have loved ones, both friends and direct family, who are LGBT, and I love them too much to condemn their actions. Some of my gay friends were the MAIN ones to support my Mormon temple marriage and what I chose to do...how do I, in good conscience, take away what THEY believe in, just 'cause I feel differently? I'm sorry to go on a rant on here, but I have been afraid to say this for a long time b/c of what my Mormon friends would say, but I'm not afraid anymore. I am a Mormon, I believe in the tenets of my church, but I also believe in not taking away the rights of others, and I will never actively choose to hurt or condemn a community that has been so willing and accepting of me and what I believe, even when it is contrary to what I might feel."
Another person made a comment saying they didn't feel it was the school system's place to teach the concept of character, and that it is the family's job. I did make mention that some children don't have good families to rely on (look at the school shooting in Chardon, Oh. a few days ago; that child had a father in prison), and that the school can function as a family for some students, and referenced a few examples from my teaching career.
This woman started picking apart my thoughts, and I found myself picking apart hers. It got quite heated, and when I tried to bow out and said I was done talking, the woman said that it was because she was right, and I couldn't beat her, which set me off. This woman was a very stereotypical Mormon, a bajillion kids, and stuff on her profile referencing how Christ-like she is, and I made a very mean comment about how exactly NOT Christ-like she was, and it went downhill from there. She did insult me first, but I started laying it on.
By the end of it, insult after insult, I found myself shaking, with tears in my eyes. I was livid, hurt, this woman was everything I hated about Mormon stereotypes, and yet, I realized........I was stooping to her level.
So, I apologized to my friend who posted the article, apologized to the woman I was arguing with, and removed the derogatory comments, while leaving up what I believed in. I was insulted mercilessly yet again, and I simply blocked her. I couldn't take it anymore.
It dawned on me...you can't discuss love and tolerance and be hateful in your heart. I made apologies to those involved, and posted about the discussion, and my thoughts on gay rights' issues on my own page, and SUCH a wonderful discussion has taken place that has made my heart so happy. For years, I have felt like I was doing something wrong for supporting gay marriage, even going to one of my Bishops in fear I was erring (he assured me my thoughts were OK, and that I was still a good church member). And to get slammed so badly for believing that bullying is not OK in any situation, and that I felt, as a teacher, I should help my students develop character...I just didn't understand it. But, MY reaction was not any better, and I have done what I can to remedy it.
The lessons learned? I'm not alone in my beliefs. It's OK to stand up for something you feel is right. It is NOT OK to be nasty to someone just to get a point across; the more you have to fight a different opinion, the less secure you are in your own, and it made me realize I don't need to be "right" with everyone else to feel "right" in my heart about something. And I am proud of myself for taking a stand that I have been afraid to say for years now. I am grateful such a positive secondary discussion has resulted from this. I hope it continues.

My First Attempt at a Real Birthday Party...As Opposed to a Fake One?

OK, I am NOT crafty or artistically inclined.
You hear people say that all the time, but let me illustrate:
Once, while threading a needle, I stabbed myself in the chin.
I have both stapled my finger and glued my fingers together.
While drawing a picture for some little kids at an after-school program several years ago, Yasmin, age 6, raised her hand and asked if I was OK. She was really concerned. I asked her why, and she informed me, "You draw like a crazy person."
Need I say more?
But, I have been bitten by the Pinterest bug, so armed with that and a love for my kids, I decided to throw my first "real" birthday party for my son's fourth birthday.
I made a rainbow candy tray (not pictured) by layering various candies of each color of the rainbow, thanks to Pinterest inspiration. That was easy peasy.
I attempted to make a caterpillar cake with cupcakes. I got the inspiration from Pinterest, but the craziness is all me. My sister in law thought it was an alien. So, I suck at cake decorating, but the kid loved his cupcakes, so that is all that matters.
I made a fruit tray to look like a rainbow, complete with clouds of marshmallows, and a pot of "gold" (bananas.)
I made marshmallow pops from, you guessed it, Pinterest. Place a marshmallow onto a toothpick, dip in melted dipping chocolate, coat with sprinkles, and place on wax paper in the fridge for 10 min. to harden the chocolate.
I'm not blogging this to brag because, quite honestly, my final results were very, very, VERY novice, at best. But, I am PROUD of myself. This is completely out of my comfort zone. Seriously. And when my little guy said, with the sweetest voice, "I LOVE this," as he looked at his adoring family and all that was waiting for him...well, I wanted to melt into a Mommy puddle.
So, it was a very (odd-looking) success. I might post more pics at another date. We shall see. That is, if I don't end up committed after someone looks at my end results. ;)

Pinterest Project--Spaghetti Pepperoni Pie

So, I tackled a recipe that I found and pinned on Pinterest--spaghetti pepperoni pie. The original recipe is from A Thrifty Mom, and the version I made has some adaptations for family preferences. (Original recipe link can be found here.) I found it to be super yummy, and the hubby liked it, though he would prefer more cheese next time. So, we shall have a repeat performance from this tasty casserole. (If you follow me on Pinterest, you can find the pin under my recipes board.)

Spaghetti Pepperoni Pie

Ingredients

1/2 lb. spaghetti, broken up into thirds
1/3 c. dry seasoned bread crumbs
2 c. pasta sauce
2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese (we used a pack of shredded pizza blend cheese, which I loved)
4 oz. sliced pepperoni (the original recipe says to chop it, but I liked it sliced)
3 large eggs, beaten (the original calls for four, but three was AOK)

Directions

In large saucepan, boil water and cook spaghetti 1 to package specs. Drain pasta.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat pie plate with PAM spray. Coat with bread crumbs.
In bowl, combine spaghetti, pasta sauce, half of the mozzarella cheese and pepperoni. Stir in beaten eggs. Spoon mixture into prepared plate.
Bake for 20-30 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and bake until cheese is melted (I usually bake for 5-8 min.). Let cool 5 minutes. Cut into 6 wedges.

Pinterest Project--Crazy Crayons

Goob and I made another Pinterest project this morning...Crazy Crayons. They are pretty on top, but super ugly on the bottom. If unicorns existed, I'm pretty sure this is what their poop would look like.
Instructions: Tear wrappers off of old crayons. Break into pieces and put the pieces into muffin tins (mix up the colors). Heat on 170 degrees in the oven for about 20 minutes. Let cool. Place into freezer for 20 minutes. Crayons should pop out.
(For any of my projects, just look at my Pinterest page for the graphic/instructions. The ones I did today--Stars in a Jar and Crazy Crayons--are under the project listing, "For My Little Boy.")

Pinterest Project--Stars in a Jar

OK, so if you're on Pinterest, you've likely seen that very dreamy Stars in a Jar picture, with the little girl holding a mason jar in her hands, and this jar is beautifully lit from the inside by glowing blue stars. Basically, the premise of the project is taking glow in the dark paint, painting stars in the jar (duh), and voila!
I ask you...have you ever tried painting stars inside a jar? It doesn't work.
So, this morning, The Goob and I attempted the project. Armed with an arsenal of glow in the dark paint, Bell jars, brushes, and astronaut themed stickers, we painted the insides of the jars as best as we could. Goob made one with "stars," one solid, another solid with stickers on the exterior, and I painted one solid and added old sprinkles because I thought maybe the sprinkles in the paint would create a mottled glowing exterior in the dark, more resembling stars. OK, so I basically just had fun with sprinkles and paint, but hey, I have never admitted to being good at crafts/creativity, but I HAVE admitted an addiction to junk food. ;)
So, here's a picture of the project, and envision them glowing..... (The camera on my phone sucks at taking pics of glowing jars in the dark.)

My First Pinterest Project--Buckeyes

So, I conquered my first Pinterest project today--buckeyes. I basically morphed two pins--the one for Peanut Butter Balls, and the other for Buckeyes--and made my own creation. This was one of my very first attempts at making homemade candy, and that's one of the beautiful things about Pinterest--I keep finding projects that I think, "Hey, even I could maybe do this?" There are so many creative ideas, and I'm inspired to broaden my horizons and expand my skills. I'm generally not a DIY/project kind of gal, so I'm hoping to break that and surprise myself.
Here's the recipe:

-1 cup peanut butter
-1 cup honey
-1 cup powdered milk
-1 cup malted milk
-1 package chocolate chips or white chocolate chips
-1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Mix all ingredients into a thick mixture. (You can play around with proportions as needed.) Roll into walnut sized balls and place onto flat sheet/container. Chill for one hour.
In a microwave safe bowl, place chocolate chips and oil. Heat on half power for two minutes, or until melted, stirring after one minute. Roll chilled balls in melted chocolate. Chill for two more hours, and enjoy! Keep refrigerated. Yields 2 to 2 1/2 dozen.

My Latest Addiction--Pinterest, Part 2

OK, so, if you know me well, you know that I am *not* a crafty, do-it-yourself kind of person. I end up stabbing my chin when I sew (no joke). I have bound my fingers together while knitting. I spill paint. Just not my forte.
BUT, thanks to my new Pinterest addiction, and my efforts to maintain frugality and benefit my family, I am going to tackle the many wonderfully awesome projects I have found while using the site. I have chosen things that will be beneficial to our home, that will teach me how to make homemade gifts, that will create yummy treats, projects for my children to do and receive, and that will help me eliminate costs by learning how to do things like make my own body scrubs, coasters, etc. The sky is the limit, and as I pick each project, I'll document my progress on this blog. I'm curious to see if I can go from crappy crafter to a snazzy DIY frugalista. Wish me luck! This is so important to me--I want to be able to make things for my family, save money, develop skills and talents, and surprise myself.

My Latest Addiction--Pinterest

Follow me on Pinterest! I'm completely addicted to this. Thanks a bunch, Charissa!!

Why I am Grateful, #28, #29, and #30

Today will be my last post on gratitude, at least for a little while. I am sure that you are tired of these cliched Thanksgiving posts, but I am glad that I am doing them, if nothing else, for my own sake, and for my family's sake. So, for the last time this year:
Today, I am grateful for:
-Good night's sleep, which doesn't always come as often as it used to when I was younger.
-The fact that our local animal shelter, thanks to the wonderful work of its new employees and volunteers, has not killed an animal for space reasons in 366 days. Last year, there was an 85% kill rate, and now, there is a 91% save rate, and the only euthanizations have been due to illness or aggression beyond any control. I am so proud of everyone involved, and the hard work, the tears, the happy "tails," and the battles we have fought together to bring this about.
-I am grateful that my dad deactivated his Facebook account. Before you freak out on me, let me assure you, I LOVED having my dad on Facebook. But, he deactivated his account, at least temporarily, because he felt he was constantly having to check it, which decreased his productivity, and he was tired of all of the drama caused by who is friends with who, and who said what, and who believes what, who read what, etc. It has inspired me to check it less and eliminate unnecessary drama in my life. Granted, it's a great way to keep in touch w/ people, and I'll probably still check it a few times a day, but I want to work harder to check it less and less.