Recipe of the Week: Double Berry Bran Muffins

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! We recieved some MUCH NEEDED rain here, and the temps were cooler, which was so nice. Today I'm going to share a delicious muffin recipe with you, which is a terrific way to sneak some extra fiber into your family's diet! They are great when served for breakfast with a little cappuccino or coffe; or as a healthy after-school snack.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 cups bran flakes cereal
• 1 1/2 cups orange juice
• 2 eggs
• 3 Tbsp. melted margarine or butter
• 1 cup blueberries
• 1 cup strawberries, sliced
• Brown sugar (for topping)
• Pecan chips (for topping)

Method:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 2 - 12 count muffin tins and set aside. In a mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and cinnamon. Place bran flakes and orange juice in a large mixing bowl let stand for a few minutes until cereal is soggy. Add eggs and melted margarine/butter and beat well. Gradually add in flour mixture, stirring until well combined. Fold in blueberries and strawberries and spoon batter evenly into greased muffin tins. Sprinkle tops with brown sugar and pecan chips. Bake for about 30 minutes or until muffins are done in the middle. Enjoy!

Quote Sunday

Silly Saturday

???? Looks like we all just broke the law - LOL!!

Project Do-Over...

You know how sometimes after you've made a project, you decide that you're just not completely happy with it? Well, that's how I felt about the canvas project that I posted HERE, so I decided to give it a little makeover. I removed the original ribbon for hanging, and reconfigured it and the clips for the photo. (I also updated the photo!) I then added some old buttons to the ribbon and purchased a black metal easel for the canvas to sit in on my desk at work. I love the way it looks now...check out the makeover:

Thanks for looking! Have a GREAT day!

Friendship Beyond Measure...

Happy Monday! I just wanted to post a quick reminder about the Scrap-It-Girl Challenge for this month...simply use numbers in your project and link it HERE to be eligible for the awesome prize, which is shown in my sidebar on the right. Pictured above is a little gift that I made this weekend for my best bud Jamie. As you can see, there are numbers on the little ruler at the top of the tag that reads Friendship Beyond Measure. (Jamie and I dubbed our summer break "The Summer of Jamie and Becky", since it was the first time that we were both off on break at the same time!)

Just for fun, I thought I'd share the photo below of my little dog Tony giving me a hand yesterday afternoon while I was sorting some scrapbook paper...isn't he so helpful??? Hee! Hee! ;)

Have a TERRIFIC week!!

Quote Sunday

Silly Saturday

Enjoy your weekend!

Thinking of You Card

Happy Friday! It's been a busy, busy, busy week at work, but I wanted to take a minute to get a quick post in for you today to show you a card that I made last weekend. This card has quite a bit of texture going on...from the crumpled paper doily, to the lace ribbon, to the scrap of burlap...and let's not forget the aged silk flower! I spritzed the doily with walnut ink after I crumpled it up to give it an aged appearance, and then tucked it in behind the flower...love how it turned out!

Thanks for looking! Have a SUPER DUPER Friday!!

Fabric Sunflower Tutorial

Several years ago, when I was a Longaberger consultant, my friend and upline advisor Jeanie S. taught me how to make fabric sunflowers like the ones shown in the photo above. They are so quick and simple to whip up using scraps of fabric that you probably already have in your stash. These cuties are the perfect touch to add to a basket, gift bag or box, wreath, hair band or jar of jam. Since sunflowers are in season now, I'd thought I would show you how to make them...

Begin by cutting one piece of green fabric, three pieces of yellow fabric, and one piece  of gingham fabric as shown here:

Now the beauty of this project is that it is by no means an exact science!! You don't need a pattern to cut the jagged circle shapes, or the sorta-round center piece, just remember that the green part of the flower is a little bit larger than the yellow ones and your set! Next layer the pieces as shown here:

You'll need a piece of batting about the size of a walnut, give or take a little. (As I said...not an exact science - ha! ha! If you don't have batting on hand, cotton balls can be substituted.) Place the batting under the gingham center and pin it all together to hold it in place:

Using a simple running stitch, stitch around the outside of the gingham center, gently gathering as you go:

Once you've finished stitching/gathering the center, knot and tie it off on the back. Cut a piece of jute twine, about 12" long; knot the ends of the jute and stitch it to the center of the back of the flower:

Here is what your finished sunflower will look like...all ready to be tied on to something cute!

Have a "sunny" day!!

Recipe of the Week...Buttermilk Ranch Cornbread

Happy Monday, friends! My summer break is officially over, and I head back to work today. I've enjoyed my summer, and have had the opportunity to get lots of "odds-n-ends" projects completed at home...you know - those chores that get put off until we have more time! Well, I had time this summer to tackle these projects and I now have clean/organized closets, drawers, etc. - ha! ha! I'm looking forward to seeing the kiddos again...school starts for them next week. It's gonna be a great school year!

Now for this week's recipe! Last week I shared a recipe with you where I used a little dry ranch dressing mix to flavor a cheesy bacon and tomato pie. This week's recipe uses more dry ranch dressing mix to create a delicious batch of cornbread! Here's how it's done:

Ingredients:

•  1 stick margarine, melted
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 Tbsp. dry ranch dressing mix
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup cornmeal

Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9" x 11" baking dish and set aside. Place margarine in a large, glass mixing bowl and heat in microwave until melted. Stir in sugar, buttermilk and beaten eggs. Gradually fold in dry ingredients. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish and place in oven. Bake for approximately 30 - 35 minutes, or until a pretty, golden brown. Enjoy!
Wishing you a terrific week!

Quote Sunday

Silly Saturday

Wishing you a fun and safe weekend!

Guest Room Message Board Tutorial

On one of my recent trips to Hobby Lobby I picked up the cool 8" x 10" frame for this project in the clearance aisle for only 2 bucks! The glass was missing, which is why it was marked down, but I KNEW I would be able to do something fun with it so I snatched it up! I ended up creating a cute welcome message board for our guest room. Here's how I made it:

I cut a piece of thick, corrugated cardboard to fit the opening of the frame. I coated the front of the cardboard with spray adhesive and attached a piece of burlap to it; trimmed the excess burlap from the edges; and inserted the burlap cardboard into the frame, securing it with the little fold down tabs on the back of the frame.

For the rest of the project, I used Aleen's Quick Dry Tacky Glue...if you've never used it before, I HIGHLY recommend it! It's a great product and can be purchased at Hobby Lobby as well.

To create the button covered monogrammed "B", I purchased a 2-pack of wooden letter Bs while I was at Hobby Lobby. (The 2-pack was only 99 cents...and I have a spare "B" for a future project!) I then dumped out my button jar and pulled out various sizes of pearly looking buttons. I covered the wooden B with a layer of the Quick Dry Tacky Glue, and began adhering buttons to it. If there were gaps between the buttons where the wood could be seen, I simply added a second layer of buttons to those areas. Here's how the "B" turned out:

I have several old wooden spools in a jar, (I picked up a HUGE bag of them at the Tulsa Flea Market for only 5 bucks!), so my sweetie cut one in half for me:

Using the Quick Dry Tacky Glue, I glued one to the upper corners of the message board. I then put dots of glue on the back of a paper doily and attached it to the lower left corner of the frame. The tiny heart-shaped grapevine wreath I found in the dollhouse section at Hobby Lobby for 59 cents, and I knew it would work perfectly with this project! Using a generous amount of Quick Dry Tacky Glue on the back of the B, I attached it over the doily, and then added the grapevine heart with more of the glue.

While everything was drying I wrote "Welcome to Our Home" on a small white tag. On a larger white tag I wrote "In our home let love abide; and bless all those who step inside". Once the glue had dried on the spools, I triple looped some jute twine around the left spool and tied it in a bow to secure:

I brought the length of jute twine across the message board, triple looping it to the spool on the right, and finished it off with a bow as well to form the line in which to hang the message tags:

Using some tiny, (and SUPER CUTE!), little clothespins, I clipped the message tags to the line. I tied jute bows to the holes in the tags first, just for a little extra detail. (NOTE: The tiny clothespins can be purchased by the bag in the unfinished wood section at Hobby Lobby).

I tied some pretty organza dot ribbon through the hangers on the back of the frame:

I then made a decorative bow and attached it to the center of the ribbon for hanging. Viola! A cute and very inexpensive little message board for very little money! Here's another photo of the finished project:

Wishing you a day filled with many blessings!

Anniversary Card for My Folks...

Today my parents celebrate their 48th wedding anniversary! Happy Anniversary, Dad and Mom - love you bunches!! Above is a photo of the simple little card that I made and mailed to them for their special day.

Blessings,

Recipe of the Week: Cheesy Bacon and Tomato Pie

I love sliced tomatoes on a veggie pizza, so I decided why not try making a tomato pie for supper with some of the fresh tomatoes that we had on hand. I added cheese and bacon, and it turned out to be a pretty tasty little meal for Mike and I! This would be good to serve for brunch as well...here's how I made it:

Ingredients:

• 1 refrigerated pie crust
• 6 - 8 slices of pre-cooked bacon
• 2 large slicing tomatoes
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded Italian blend cheese
• 1 Tbsp. dry ranch dressing mix
• 2 tablespoons bread crumbs
• 1 Tbsp. dried chives
• 1 Tsp. minced garlic
•  Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
Line pie plate with pie crust, flute edges, and prick a few holes in the bottom and sides of the crust. Bake at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes until it's a golden brown, then remove from oven. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.

While pie crust is baking, slice tomatoes and lay on a double layer of paper towels to remove some of the moisture. (This will keep your pie crust from becoming soggy). Sprinkle a little salt on the tomato slices while they are on the paper towels. 

In a mixing bowl combine mayo, cheeses, ranch dressing mix, bread crumbs, chives and garlic. Salt and pepper mixture to your taste.

Now it's time to assemble your pie! Line the bottom of the pre-baked crust with tomato slices. Spread the cheese/mayo/spice mixture on top of the tomatoes. Lay bacon slices on top and bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for about 5 minutes to "set" before slicing. Enjoy!

Next week I'll be sharing another recipe with you that uses dry ranch dressing mix, so stay tuned...

Have a SUPER week!

Quote Sunday

“Everytime you smile at someone,

it is an action of love,

a gift to that person,

a beautiful thing.”

~ Mother Theresa ~