Fall wreath

I really needed some therapy ... I mean craft time.  So I finally made some time for crafts yesterday.  At the beginning of the school year, I bought a package of fall-colored card stock at Michael's (for about $3) with the intention of making this wreath.  So Friday night I started making flowers (like we did for Chelsea's wedding). 

First cut a circle (it doesn't have to be perfect). Then cut a spiral within the circle, again, perfection is not required.  Then start wrapping the paper into a cone from the OUTSIDE working toward the center - this seems odd, but the center will be the base you glue your flower to.  I usually unwind the flower some, add a lot of hot glue, press your flower down, burn your fingers, remind yourself that hot glue is hot. 

   

Admire you work, repeat, repeat, repeat.

Then Saturday, Xman and I ventured out to Michael's again.  This time I needed more hot glue (project took 10-15 glue sticks total - best guess), and something to glue my flowers to ... what I ended up with was more than $50 worth of other projects ... I need supervision.

So I found these wood bases.  I purchased two of this size and one larger one for a snowflake wreath (I will post that one right after Thanksgiving -- I like to let turkeys have their day.)  First hold it up by your face ... then act like it is a hula hoop for your neck ...

 

I glued the biggest flowers on first,  trying to create a random effect. 

Then I glued on the next flowers, then smaller, then smaller, then I had to make some ultra tiny flowers to fill in a couple of spaces.

I am very happy with this project.  I have enough paper to make probably 10 more wreaths this size. I like making all the flowers first and then gluing them on and just filling in as needed.  I will be making another one for my classroom ... but I should probably do my lesson plans and notes first, and maybe clean house.  When I hang this up I will add an update.

Gearing up to craft and cook!!

I am so ready for Thanksgiving Break!!!!  I keep pinning Thanksgiving and Christmas crafts and foods.  This picture makes me a little too happy ....

This is from the Pampered Chef site.  I want to make the melted snowmen (made with the scoop loop) and the brownie houses (uses 2 brownies from brownie pan) ...

I also want to make this Turkey Shirt from artsy-fartsy mama for Xman...

I am hoping to make Cranberry Pepper Jelly Dip from Life With the Crust Cut Off.  It's pepper jelly mixed with half a can of cranberry jelly, poured over cream cheese and served with crackers.  (My link isn't working at the moment - I will update the link as soon as I can get it working)

I also love these ornaments from By Stephanie Lynn

I would love to have this ribbon wreath from Dear Emmeline...

This is only a start to what I want to accomplish .. if only I had more than 3 days off!  I will take what I can get, and try to make the most of it ... maybe I could catch up on sleep also ... dare to dream ...

I just can't clean this place ...

Have you heard "I'm all about that bass?"   Of course you have, but I will add it so you can watch it again.

Just typing it the song is stuck in my head again ... It have been singing it for a week, or a parody version of it.  Have you seen the moms parody "I just can't clean this place". 

I saw this Monday morning, sang it all day, showed it to my husband and he said "obviously" and gestured to our lovely home ... Immediately my horns are showing and I say "seriously?"  And he said "I didn't mean you, we just can't clean this place."  

It's like shoveling the driveway in a blizzard ...

I need an army of minions ...

Disclaimer: I share this story because it was hilarious to me.  And because I wanted to watch both of the videos again ... I just can't clean this place ...

Baked Tacos

This is one of my favorite quick dinners.  I found this somewhere on pinterest originally - thanks for the idea BlogChef! (I cheat and use seasoning out of a packet.)

Hard shell Tacos

Ground beef or turkey

Your favorite taco seasoning (I use Old El Paso original taco seasoning)

Cheese

Toppings of your choice

Brown meat. Season to your liking.

Place unbaked shells in casserole pan or ridged baker.

Top with cheese

Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Top as you wish.

Baking tacos like this is tastier, faster, and less messy (the shells don’t break as easily)

*I was lining a glass baking dish in foil to help fold the shells up until I saw that I could use my ridged baker. If I am making too many to fit in the ridged baker I will use my stoneware rectangular baker from now on because of how easily the cheese comes off of the stoneware.

I also use my Mix 'n Chop to make browning ground meat an easier job - one of my favorite tools

I need an army of minions ...

I have decided today I need an army of minions.  What would they do?   Well, let me tell you!

I need one team at home to complete all the house work that I just can't get around to ... including house work, organizing the garage, craft projects I have started, running to the errands (more on this later), and tending to the yard/garden.  

Then I need one team at school.  I need a team to complete all the projects that I think up (but don't have time to create), the paperwork from the office, making posters, keeping up with the concept wall, keeping my desk cleared off .... (oh if only) .... the make-up assignments, the lab prep, the lab clean-up, creating/updating presentations and lessons, updating my website and social media for classes, contacting parents, and grading ... I can't forget the grading!

Wow.  I feel better just thinking of handing off these activities to someone else.

Okay, lets get back to that running errands.   I think that there is a huge market for service (and maybe money), for errand runners.  I would love to have the time and resources to coordinate students (high school and college) and house wives/stay at home moms to help others.  There are so many times where you can't or don't want to leave the house and need errands.  Whether it is because you are sick, have a sleeping baby, already have things on the stove, or you already put your pajama pants on ... there would be so many times I have thought "I wonder if the pizza boy would mind running by the store ..."

What would you need from my army of minions?

My Pampered Chef Experience ... so far

August 2013 I jumped into the role of Pampered Chef consultant.  I had several motivating factors.  Money is always tight., I love the products, and I like parties.  A friend had a party and the consultant wasn't pushy or over the top, he was real, and I thought, well if I don't have to be pushy, I might be able to do this.  I went to the party knowing I could spend $20-40, and there were so many products I wanted.  One of the products I wanted most was the manual food processor ... and it was out of my price range ($50).

I am a teacher and I teach swim lessons in the summer for extra money.  It was the end of the summer, and I had been saving up money for two things: I wanted a Nike Fuel Band ($150) and the Advocare 24-Day Challenge ($150).  I did the 24-Day Challenge later and used $170 (with tax) to buy the biggest start-up kit ($500 value), because it had the manual food processor and a lot of other items I wanted.  

The way I saw it the only risk, is that I was "stuck" with all of the items I wanted anyway.  

I saw this on pinterest the other day it didn't have a good link to cite.  I am definitely a hobby consultant.  I make $50-$200/party.  I book or host 6-8 parties a year.  I have fun, but it doesn't consume my life.  I also think of this as my back up plan.  I know it is possible to make this a full time job if the want or need ever arises.  But when I added this to my plate I wasn't looking for a new path, just a little extra cash.   

I am currently a part of a huge direct sales holiday Facebook party.  There are two direct sales people per week and we are pooling our contacts.  It sounded like a great idea to me, my week is coming up soon and I am so excited about it. I have found so many new ideas, including an online party game.

I may start putting some of those ideas on this blog to help me keep track of/easily share these with my party people!   

I would love to hear from other consultants or anyone interested in pampered chef products or opportunities.

Friday Fun Day

Today is the one year anniversary of my mother's very unexpected death.  What a downer, right?  I found out at school and didn't want to be there today.  I took the day off for a doctor's appointment and made a day out of it with the boy, so that this day was completely different than this day a year ago.

We went to see BoxTrolls, complete with candy and popcorn.  Xman was really excited to try his first Mike and Ikes.   He sang about it all through Target, all the way to the car, and the entire ride from Target to the movies ...

 We went to four party/halloween stores to try to find a Green Lantern costume ... just to buy a "Speedo Batman" costume that was every store searched.  At the third store we asked for costume 103 -small, went back to pick it up and they had given us 003.  I asked again for 103 and the worker brought me 130.  Seriously?!  Hence, the fourth store.  

We bought two goldfish ... I mean orange fish.  Xman was so cute, talking to them all the way home and kissing the bag they were in ... and he named them "bomby-bomb" and "R."  

We got home in time to see Daddy, and then Chonte' came over.


Sometimes you are Superman and sometimes you are Doctor Doom.  Today was a pretty good day.