Dr. Seuss Day

Sunday, March 2nd is National Read Across America Day, otherwise known as Dr. Seuss Day!  During our February PTA Council meeting we celebrated the day with thoughts and ideas of ways to encourage reading and literacy in our schools. 

A carefully prepared refreshment table honored the fun as well.

Fresh berries in a cup with lemon fruit dip.  

So refreshing!

Lemon Cream Cheese Fruit Dip

80z cream cheese, softened 

8oz low fat vanilla yogurt

lemon juice and zest

Beat cream cheese until light and smooth.  Add in yogurt, lemon juice and zest (reserving a little for garnish if desired) and beat until smooth.  Slowly mix in powdered sugar.  Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Toffee Chocolate Bars-MMMmmm Monday

Toffee Chocolate Bars
(Found recipe on Pinterest)

Claims to be one of the best desserts ever!!  It's quite delicious.
  

Chocolate Bars

Base: 
3/4 cup margarine (or butter)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cup flour
Cream and press in 9X13 pan, bake at 350 deg. for 20-25 min.  cool
Filling:
10 oz sweetened cond. milk
2 Tablespoons margarine
Heat milk and margarine, stir over medium heat 5-10 min.  Spread over base.  Bake at 350 deg. for 12-15 min.
Topping:
1 3/4 cup milk choc. chips
1 1/3 cup toffee bits
Sprinkle on choc. chips, bake 2 more min.  Spread chocolate evenly.  Sprinkle on toffee, pressing lightly into chocolate.  Cool, cut and eat.
To make a thicker bar use a square baking dish and bake a bit longer.

Craft Table and Ribbon Storage

My husband gave me an extra gift after Christmas! (Part of it was that I think he was tired of seeing things all over our dining room table and never having a place to eat) but most of it was because he is an awesome guy who loves to make me happy. He is a seriously handy guy. He has done SO MUCH around our house. If he doesn't know how to do it, he will look it up on line and figure it out. I am so lucky. I love to give him projects so I'm not sure how lucky he feels but I really appreciate it. I mentioned that I would love a craft table and this cool ribbon holder that I saw on Capture the Moment's Blog.

He took a look and said he thought he could make it happen.

We took a trip to Lowe's and bought all the necessary building materials. It was probably pretty funny watching us load up the minivan with these huge boards but hey- it worked.

At first I was thinking I wanted to make the table out of an old door or something cool like that, but then while we were at Lowe's we decided on something more practical. For the table we bought a large piece of melamine and had them cut it at Lowe's to 3' X 8'.  We also bought a pre-made leg for the side without a wall. Brent built 2'x3' supports under the table so that it would be nice and sturdy. He finished it with 1'x4' poplar wood around the edges.

A few years ago, he built me these awesome shelves to hold all my party pedestals, trays and just general party stuff. They are amazing and I love that they are out in the open so I can remember what I have!

I decided to put all my twine, baking cups, cupcake wrappers and just other little odds and ends in these cute jars.

I got the jars at Hobby Lobby and the drawer pulls at Rod Works. I love how they turned out.

 My ribbon holder has been amazing. I love how it looks and it's so functional. Everything is right where I can see it and get to it. Brent made it bigger than the one from the "Capture the Moment". (mine is 38' W x 31' H) I have a ton of ribbon and he knew I would need more.

  I also made a few apothecary jars to hold some bigger supplies. The taller one was made from a large pickle jar with a wooden finial from Lowe's and a tall black candlestick from Hobby Lobby. The smaller jar is made from a small black candlestick and a medium sized jar from Hobby Lobby and the same wooden finial from Lowe's.

 I'm really happy with how it turned out and I use it constantly.

Yay for handy husbands!!

 

 

Just A Bit of Spring

I was out grocery shopping today and came across a little bit of spring.  And it felt oh so good.  I decided to share with a few friends in my neighborhood.  Just made me happy!

The little plant stakes are skewers.  The plant sign came from Lauren McKinsey.  Just personalized it a bit.

Happy bit of Spring!

Taco Pie-MMMmmm Monday

Mexican food is always a crowd pleaser at my house.  This recipe has become one of our favorites, especially for me because it's tasty and doesn't require much preparation.

Taco Pie

1 uncooked pie shell

1 pkg. Taco Bell seasoning mix

1 pound ground beef

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup salsa

1 cup shredded lettuce

1 medium tomato, chopped

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Sour cream, optional

Olives, optional

Green onions, optional

In a medium skillet, cook beef and onions until beef is browned and cooked through.  Drain.  Add salsa and taco seasoning.  Cook until bubbly.  Pour into crust.  Bake for 25 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.  Let cool for 5 min.

Top with cheese, lettuce and tomatoes.  Cut and serve with sour cream and favorite taco toppings.

Valentines for my Hubby

I LOVE the blog eighteen25. If you don't subscribe or go to their blog, you should!! They have the best ideas and very often have pintable's too! I saw this a few days ago and thought it was so cute and fun.

 My poor hubby has been studying like crazy to take the Bar at the end of the month. When I say crazy, I mean crazy. We hardly ever see him and along with his full time job he puts in hours upon hours studying. When I saw this cute Valentine idea I thought it would be perfect for him.

 

Hope all your Valentine Dreams Come true!

 

Valentine Table Scapes

Love One Another was our ward/neighborhood Valentine dinner party.  The person in charge asked if I would organize the decorations for the party.  Of course I said yes...my family says I don't know how to say no.  And mostly they're right.  But this is the fun stuff!  

Because my life is very full right now (and whose isn't), I came up with the idea to share the fun with the many talented ladies in our area.  

We had 12 dinner tables that needed to be decorated.  I asked 12 different ladies to be in charge of 1 dinner table.  They could do fancy, they could do fun, they could keep it simple or go all out.  They all came through with beautiful table scapes and made if very enjoyable to be a part of their table activities.

I gave the following instruction:

You will need:

To be available to host table that night

White table cloth will be provided

Table centerpiece

Place setting for 8

(We will be attaching a balloon(s) to a part of your centerpiece at each of our 12 tables)

Optional:

Favors

Mixer game for table (get to know you/reason to chat)

Menu for the evening

Soup

Salad

Bread/rolls

Dessert 

It was fun to match the personality of the person to their table.  They were absolutely beautiful.  

Buffet Tables with fun Tassel Banners.  We wondered how we were going to decorate a long row of crockpots.  Kaylee was brilliant and came up with the tassels...something that is trending on Pinterest.

The Photo Booth was a huge hit!  We had a professional come in and take care of us but would be so easy to create a photo-op spot.

They brought fun props.

After dinner and photos we played a special version of Family Feud!  So much FUN!

 

A memento of the evening.  My Funny Valentine!