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!