It's the Simple Things

If you're new here, let me tell you about "The Simple Things"...it's a cute little link us with Jesslyn Amber. It's just a weekly reminder of what I appreciate in my life.Things I appreciate this week... ** I appreciate the fact that my plumbing is fixed. Having a working bathtub is a true luxury! **** I appreciate desserts **** I appreciate good movies that I don't mind watching by myself when my husband passes out on the couch after a long day at work **** I appreciate that my kids are willing to clean my kitchen when I'm stressed by school **** I appreciate the fact that the summer semester is over!!! **** I appreciate that my stepdaughter was able to come hang out for three weeks! **

Heaven In A Cup

I am about to post a recipe that will blow your mind!!! Are you ready? Are you prepared for what my kids are calling "Heaven In A Cup"? Well here it is...

HOMEMADE TOASTED MARSHMALLOW MILKSHAKE

INGREDIENTS:

 VANILLA ICE CREAM

PLAIN YOGURT

WHOLE MILK
MARSHMALLOWS

WHIPPED CREAM

DIRECTIONS:

• TAKE BAKING SHEET AND COVER WITH FOIL

• PLACE MARSHMALLOWS ON FOIL AND BROIL UNTIL LIGHT BROWN & CRISPY EDGES

• COMBINE 6 LARGE SCOOPS OF ICE CREAM, 1 CUP OF WHOLE MILK, AND ONE DOLLAP OF YOGURT IN BLENDER

• BLEND WELL

• ONCE BLENDED, ADD 5 TOASTED MARSHMALLOWS AND PULSE UNTIL MARSHMALLOWS ARE BROKEN UP AND EVENLY DISTRIBUTED

• POUR INTO GLASS

• TOP WITH WHIPPED CREAM AND 2-3 MARSHMALLOWS.

If you try this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment and tell me what you think.




Stay Awesome & Eat Yummy Things!

A Quick Post

Just a quick post before I head to bed. It has been a dreadfully long weekend. It was fun, no doubt but long and I am looking forward to sleeping in my Temper-Pedic bed. Yay!

My family reunion was wonderful. We kayaked on the lake, rode go-karts & carnival rides, ate smores, and spent time with family. It was wonderful!

My necklace holder was auctioned off for $40.00 and I got a few family members requesting me to make them one!! I couldn't be more happy about it. I had added some cute necklaces to the holder as well as a really cool way to hang it. If I can find a picture of it at the auction, I'll post it here.

I'll post more after I catch up on some sleep.

Stay Awesome!

Stained Glass Fudge

DISCLAIMER: Some of my photos were wonkey. The lighting in my kitchen is awful!!
Ingredients: 1.5 lbs of Vanilla Almond Bark, 2 cups of Sugared Fruit Gummies, 1.5 teaspoons of Vanilla Extract, 1/8 teaspoon of salt, & 1 can of Eagle Brand.

Step One
Cut the sugared gummies into quarters. 

Step Two
Spray a 9x13 dish with Pam and set aside. (You can also line it with foil if you want.) Combine chopped almond bark, eagle brand, and salt in a saucepan and stir over low heat until melted. Add vanilla extract.

Step Three
Remove from heat and stir in gummies. This is where it gets annoying because sometimes the gummies don't want to separate. They often insist on sticking together but with persistance, you can separate them and it makes it so much more colorful.

Step Four
Spread into the prepared 9x13 dish. Cover and refridgerate until firm. Then cut into 1 inch pieces and store. You can store them at room temperature but I usually store the container in the fridge.

Well that's about it. It looks fantastic! It tastes yummy! So it's a win-win all around!!

Guest Posting Recipe

I am super happy to announce that I am guest blogging over at Fireflies & Jellybeans. If you haven't been to this blog, you need to stop over there. They are seriously some skilled women.

Anyways I volunteered to guest blog at F&J for their incredible "Christmas in July" event. Please stop by and see my blog/recipe for my Stained Glass Fudge!

Stay Awesome & Create Yummy Things!

Family Reunion/Lake Time

I am about to leave for the weekend for my family reunion. It's an annual fun-filled weekend with family, food, love, and laughter! What can be better?! I have scheduled two posts to happen tomorrow and Sunday for your enjoyment. Just to make a point that I didn't forget ya!!

When I get back, I'll probably have some pretty cool stuff to post. Details about our trip and hopefully some pretty crafty ideas from some of my family members. Every year we have a auction and most of the items are handmade. I hope there is a good turnout of goodness to share with all of you!

Have a great weekend! See you all on Monday!

Six Flags Over Texas!!!

Tomorrow, we are Six Flags bound!!! J and I are taking Sugar and Arizona to Six Flags over Texas to ride the thrilling rides such as the Titan, the Texas Giant, and my personal favorite, Mr. Freeze!! I'm so excited!

The weather in Arlington will be 101 tomorrow. The only thing that I have been tormenting myself with is what to wear. That seems like such a girly statement but I have good reason for wondering about it. For instance, if I'm wearing a pair of jean shorts and a tank top and I ride a water ride, they'll stick to me for the remainder of the day!

I was considering wearing my bathing suit with this sundress over the top of it.

Any opinions? Suggestions? Helpful advice??

Thanks!!

"My Craft Channel" Giveaway

Okay so everyone needs to stop by My Craft Channel right away. They are introducing "Get A Little Creative" with a Cricut giveaway!!! They are currently giving away twenty Cricuts in twenty days. Hosting this little shindig is Jennifer from Tatertots & Jello, Beckie from Infarrantly Creative, and Heather from Dollar Store Crafts.  Seriously, stop over there and try your hand at this giveaway!!

The Mom Uniform

Do you wear the mom uniform? Can you guess that the mom uniform is?

If you guessed sweats or yoga pants paired with a comfy t-shirt or tank top, you'd be right.

I can be found wearing some yoga pants and a t-shirt about 6 days a week whether I make it to the gym or not. I'll switch to a comfy hoodie during the winter months. It is my default look. I can throw it on, drop the kids at school, clean the house, and still be seen in public without being embarrassed. Score four for Mom! Woot!

I'm just mentioning this because I was curious on how many other moms wear the uniform.

Apple Dumplings

This morning my kids requested apple dumplings. It's so easy to make and they are so darn cute it was impossible to say no so Breakfast Apple Dumplings it was!

Ingredients: 2 packages of crescent rolls, 2 granny smith apples (peeled, cored, and cut into 8 pieces), 1.5 cups sugar, 2 sticks of butter, 1 tsp vanilla, Mountain Dew, and cinnamon.

Step 1

Wash, Peel, Core, and Cut the apples into 8 pieces. Then wrap each piece in a crescent roll. Place into a 9x13 baking dish.

Step 2

In a medium saucepan, combine butter and sugar over medium-high heat. When melted well, add vanilla and bring to a boil.

Step 3

Pour mixture over dumplings, coating them thoroughly. Add about 8 oz of Mountain Dew to the dish, also coating the dumplings.

Step 4

Sprinkle cinnamon over the top of all the dumplings for added seasoning. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Step 5

Let cool and enjoy. This is also a great dessert when paired with vanilla ice cream. Yum!!

The Jubilee Circus is now on Facebook!!!

So I jumped on the bandwagon and created a facebook page for The Jubilee Circus! Please stop by and push the little thumbs up button located at the top!!

Stay Awesome & Craft On!!!

Necklace Holder

My family reunion is the upcoming weekend. Yay! A whole weekend of family bonding, kayaking at the lake, smores at the cabin, and yummy food. During our family reunion, we hold an annual auction. This auction is usually made up of homemade goodies or family heirlooms. The purpose of the auction is to fund the reunion f or the next year. Normally, I make turn in a canvas art piece as my auction item.

This year I made something cute and functional.

Many of my family members are stylish females. I figured since I've seen them wearing necklaces often, I'd make something for them to hang them on.

First, I took a basic wooden plaque from Hobby Lobby and painted it black.

Then I used my trusty Mod Podge and some scrapbook paper to make it look awesome. I added silver lettering and Mod Podged gloss over the top.

Then I stole my husband's electric screwdriver and screwed on the two coat hangers.

I love the way it turned out! It looks so cool! I was so excited that I decided to make one for my own bathroom vanity. Tee-Hee!!

Hope you like it! Stay awesome and craft on!!

The Simple things...

I have give a shout out to a wonderful blog I came across today. Jesslyn Amber is fantastic! I had to become a friend after reading this particular post and was compelled to link up because it sounds like such a terrific idea. It's called The Simple Things. It's about seeing optimism in your everyday lives and realizing that there are much more things to be positive about than negative.

Here are the things that I am appreciative about this week...

* Arizona is here for 3 whole weeks *

* Ballerina snuggles with me every morning *

* My friends are the most incredible women ever *

* My daughters love to hang out with me *

* My husband works hard so that I can finish my degree *

* My cousin is the world's best Godmother *

I love this linky party and I am definitely do this in the future weeks! I hope you do the same! Enjoy your week and stay optimistic!!

TP Art

I saw various toilet paper artwork throughout the web. I was intrigued and excited to try it myself. This was the easiest and most earth-friendly artwork I have ever done.

Materials: Blank canvas, 7 empty toilet paper rolls, and a glue gun.

First, I cut the toilet paper rolls. I smashed the toilet paper rolls flat and cut them into equal pieces. After that I put the canvas on the table and laid out my flowers exactly how I wanted them. Once I got them set, I hot glued the flower petals together and laid them to dry. Then I glued them to the canvas. The great thing about hot gluing on canvas is that when I get tired of this particular artwork, the glue can be pealed off the canvas if done carefully.

After that I began spray painting the entire artwork. I used Krylon satin white spray paint. Not much to that. And it looks pretty good hanging on my dining room wall.

DIY Headband Holders

My girls have a lot of hair accessories. Between the three of them, I bet we have about 200 hair items. I made bow boards for their bows with clips a few months back but that left me with a ton of headbands and elastics stuffed in a drawer. Not to mention the bundles of crotched baby headbands that Ballerina wears. Well I decided to make my husband's day and do something about it.

I took a Quaker oatmeal can and a Countrytime lemonade can and covered it with Mod Podge and some brightly colored scrapbook paper. I added coordinating ribbon to the top and bottom of the can for some added flare.

I made the yellow can for my mother. She has short hair but wears headbands often. For now she has her headbands overflowing in a wicker basket on her vanity. I think she'll love it.


I added a few of our headbands to get a good measure and have found out that I may need to make two more. Yes! We have that many headbands.

The inside of the can is perfect for Ballerina's crotched bands. I am loving this so much and it looks so adorable sitting on my vanity!!

My apologies...

Please excuse the lack of posts. We've had a death in the family and will be back in town tomorrow afternoon. This means that I'll be back online by Friday or Saturday at the latest! Thanks for understanding!!!

Korker Bow

Just a warning...I've never attempted korker bows before. This is my first time.

 I wrapped the ribbon around the dowel rods and baked them at 275 degrees for 25 minutes. I was so excited to see how they were going to turn out! It was hard to wait the 25 minutes.

After they cooled, I cute them down to about 2.5 inch long pieces and stacked them in a colorful pattern then I used some yarn to tie them in the center. I used my trusty hot glue gun to glue down some pieces then glued it to the headband.

It turned out wonderful and my Ballerina looked so patriotic!