Classic Peanut Butter Cookies

Don't these look good?  Well, mine look like this but this is a generic picture since I forgot to take one!  I haven't posted recipes lately because every one I tried lately has been bad!! YUCK!! So, here's a "classic" for you!

1 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 cup peanut butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon Vanilla

Cream together butter, peanut butter and sugars.  Beat in eggs.  In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Stir into batter.  Put batter in refrigerator for 1 hour. Roll into 1 inch balls and put on baking sheets.  Flatten each ball with a fork, making a criss-cross pattern.  Bake in a preheated 375 degrees oven for about 10 minutes or until cookies begin to brown.  Do not over bake.

This recipe make a TON of cookies!!  Also, I did not refrigerate mine for an hour (I actually didn't even know the recipe said that until I typed this up!) 

Enjoy :-)

30 Day Blog Challenge - Day 9

Day 9 - A Picture of Your Friends

To think, this is the hardest one so far!  It isn't that I don't have friends but rather, that I don't have pictures!  So lets see what I can do :-)

Well, my best friend is this wonderful man - yes, my husband! :

Isn't this a cute picture?  It is from our recent visit to the Cider Mill.

 Another friend of mine is Aimee and yes, I think this is the only picture I have of her.  And too think, I take well over 2000 pictures a year!!

I don't have any current pictures of other friends but I do have them, friends that is! :-)  Several that I've had since high school and one, Kelly, who I have known since elementary school.  She used to come to my house to catch the bus!  I guess I need to work on getting some more pictures of my friends!

Remember to click here to read more!

Week 3- Making Your Home a Haven

These weeks challenge for Making Your Home a Haven is to clean up your clutter!  It is actually two-fold.  1) Clean up the Cutter in your home.  This is a project that I started in January.  I am not a pack rat nor do I consider myself a clutterbug but I found our home was being taken over by stuff.  Something, many things, we didn't notice or use.  So I, as I've talked about in other posts, began going room by room, closet by closet, shelf by shelf - asking myself  a) Do I love it b) Do I need it and c) Do I use it.  I have cleaned out tons and tons of stuff.  It not only cleaned out my house and helped me earn some money through a garage sale; it also taught me something about spending.  Be careful what you spend your money on because it will end up given away or sold some day.  It makes me stop and think before I pull out the money - before I buy something, I ask myself similar questions such as a) Where will I put it and what will it replace? b) Do I already have something like this? and so on.  Trust me, I still buy things - I just try to be a little more cautious.  Even with my latest crafting trend - I surprise myself sometimes by finding things to use up at home instead of buying something else.  Even though I have a good handle on clutter, in a small home, I find that I always have to be cleaning up those "hotspots" where stuff gets set down, like the dining room table!!

So the actual challenge is to list a few spots in your home that make you visually stressed because of the clutter; now figure out how to organize it or clean it. 

2) Clean out the clutter in your spiritual life.  This fall I joined an accountability group with 5 other woman across the country called Good Morning Girls (You can find more info here)  We "talk" once a day via our own little private blog and talk about what we are learning in our quiet time as well as prayer requests and just what's going on.  It's been a great thing.  For the first time in a long time, having a quiet time seems "normal" to me.   The challenge today is to rid yourself of spiritual clutter.  Take time to repent daily for your sins.  As I build my prayer time, this is something that I am also doing.  I have to start with me first and let God do the rest!

Check out more of this weeks challenge at http://www.womenlivingwell-courtney.blogspot.com/

So, my candle is burning and I'm praying for peace in my home.  I love to see and smell that candle and prayer is always a good thing, is it not? 

I hope you take up this challenge too; it really will make a difference in your heart and home.

30 Day Blog Challenge - Day 8

Day 8 - A place you've traveled too

Let's see . . .I have a few to chose from so I'm trying to pick my favorite and I can still only narrow it down to two!!

First, Gatlinburg Tennessee.  We LOVE going to "our" cabin on the mountain and just getting away.

The view off the deck of "our" cabin - we've stayed here twice and just love it.

Just out for a drive in the mountains!

A Drive in the Mountains

Two, Las Vegas!!!  We love just about everything about Vegas - the sights, sounds, good food, - everything!

Our hotel the last time we visited and we always rent a convertible to enjoy the clear blue sky and wonderful views!

We also head to the border - the Hoover Dam!  It is pretty amazing to see!

The Wynn - one of the incredible Hotels!

And another :-) (Look at that sky and the palm trees!)

We've been to a few other places like Vermont, the Bahamas, Canada, Brazil.  Plus we like to take weekends away when we can (which are few and far between now with kids!)  And yes, we have our list of places we'd still like to go!!

Check out Katies Journey to check out the full scoop!

Too Cute not to "Toot"

I look at so many great blogs and great ideas I thought I would get on the bandwagon of sharing those ideas once a week - you know, those ideas that are "Too Cute Not to "TOOT" (their horn about!)  I'm thinking I might try to do this on Mondays but we all know how many times my "Worship Wednesday" gets posted on Thursday!!

So, these ideas really caught my attention this week.  Some I want to make and some, I just think are too cute!

From Crafts and Deals, this really great Halloween Sewing idea.  You can even download the pattern.

Click here for the tutorial

Or how about this great Trick-or-Treat bag?  I want something different for my kids to carry this might be it!

Here's another Trick-or-Treat Bag idea from Sisters Stuff

Check out the tutorial right here.

And I was just thinking that I need to make a "Library" bag to carry our books in and this Placemat Tote seems to fit the bill! (This would also make a great craft bag - I have a "current projects" bin but need to store each craft individually . . .)

I loved this idea from Blue Cricket Design for Halloween Silhouettes.

You can get the full tutorial here.  What a great way to decorate your normal family pictures!  Do these on cardstock and use sticky tack to adhere them to the glass frames.  After the holiday, just pull them off, clean the glass and the "real" family pictures are back!

One more fall post for this "Toot" - this is an awesome idea to do with your kids or your students! 

Aren't these great?  You can see the full tutorial here!

And last but not least -- I love all the fall projects but I've been thinking that I really need some Christmas ideas so I can get them done BEFORE the holidays and low and behold, I happened upon this post today!  I love the ideas The Speckled Dog gives for some easy Christmas Decorations.

You can get the full instructions to make the wreath, cones, and "snowballs" here


I hope you have enjoyed this first "episode of "Too Cute not to 'TOOT'"!!

Hand print Spiders

I saw this posted at Oopsey Daisy and just loved it.  We made them today! 

You will need:
Orange scrapbook paper
Patterned Scrapbook paper
Black paint
brush
adhesive
Wiggly Eyes

First, I painted Nate's hand and helped him make a print.  I reapplied paint and had him make a second print.  Than I used the black to fill in the body a little more.

I did it again with Josh's hand.  Now, understand, Josh HATES things on his hands so trying to get him to let me paint his whole hand was kinda funny.

Cut out the hand prints and adhere them to the patterned paper.  Attach the eyes and don't forget the name and date!

Aren't these cute????  I plan on making these every year until the boys are too big - which will be when they move out because they will always need to do what I say :-) hehehehe  I just think it will be fun to watch the size of their hands grow! 

The link above gives even more detail and more pictures so feel free to check it out ! (Trying to keep the painted hands off of me took precedence over getting pictures!)

30 Day Blog Challenge - Day 7

Day 7 - Favorite Movies
Let see if I can think of any!  I used to have lots of Favorite movies but we don't see very many anymore so I can't even remember!

1. Anne of Green Gables - the Whole Series

2. Everafter

3. The Land Before Time Series

4. Grease

5. Home Alone (Our Christmas Movie!)

6. Titanic

7. What's Eating Gilbert Grape

Make sure and check out Katies Journey to see her posts as well as all the other link ups!  I really looking forward to seeing the posts today just to see other movie ideas.