Mac & Cheese Pot Pie

I found this recipe online and made it for my kids and they absolutely loved it!    Click on the picture to watch the video.  It's definitely worth trying.

Jack Skellington Crafts

Halloween is just around the corner and if you are a Disney fan, Jack Skellington probably comes to mind.  We love to watch the "The Nightmare Before Christmas" at our house each October.  It's like a kick-off to the Halloween season! 

If you'd like to include Jack Skellington in your Halloween decorations this year, here are few great ways to do it:

• Jack Skellington Pumpkin Carving Template
• Jack Skellington Door Decoration
• Printable: Jack Skellington

Go all out and have a Jack Skellington party!  The perfect dessert for that party would be Jack Skellington cupcakes!  Find out how to make them by clicking here. 

Have fun, get creative and have a Happy Halloween!

Quick Tip: Break the Yolk

When making scrambled eggs or adding eggs to a recipe, break the yolk of the eggs with your fork first.  It will make whisking them easier and combining them with other ingredients, faster. 

Make Your Own Big Book of Boo Boos

If you have little ones, you've probably heard of Disney's new show, Doc McStuffins.  My daughter loves this show and loves to give everyone in the family "check-ups".  Doc McStuffins has a Big Book of Boo Boos that she uses to keep track of all the boo boos she encounters with her toy patients.  So, I thought it would be fun to make one for my daughter to use while she gave us our check-ups. 

I was so happy and excited to find that the Disney Junior website offered print-outs to make your very own Big Book of Boo Boos!  Here's the link - Doc McStuffins Big Book of Boo Boos. 

I changed it a bit for my daughter and used a 3 ring binder I already had.  I put a piece of purple construction paper with the heart print out glued to in, in the clear sleeve on the front of the binder.  Then I printed out the boo boos from the show and  punched holes in them to put in the binder.  Then I added extra lined paper for my daughter to record the boo boos she finds during our check-ups.  She loves it and can't wait for her brothers to get home from school to get started!

I hope you enjoy this simple craft as much as we did!  Get creative and have fun!

 

Quick Tip: No More Soggy Sandwiches

Are your kids complaining that the jelly on their PB&J has soaked through the bread by the time they get to eat lunch at school? Or that their sandwich was soggy at lunchtime? Here's a quick tip: Spread peanut butter on both pieces of bread and then add the jelly on top of the peanut butter. With a meat and cheese sandwich - lay the meat on one slice of bread and cheese on the other slice. Then add mayo or mustard on top of the meat and/or cheese. You still get the flavor you want but, by keeping the wet ingredients off the bread, you lose the soggy factor.

Apple Print Onesie

I'm throwing an apple themed baby shower for a teacher and found the perfect craft for it!

Supplies:

• 1 apple
• 1 green fabric pen
• red fabric paint
• onesie (or t-shirt)

Directions:

1. Put a piece of cardboard topped with a paper towel inside each onesie.
2. Cut the apple in half and pat on a paper towel to dry off juices. 
3. Dip the apple half in the red fabric paint. Wipe off excess paint and then press on onesie.
4. Use green fabric pen to add a stem and leaf. Let dry.

Create an apple print gift bag to present gift in. Use same technique as above but instead of fabric paint, use a red ink pad. Add stem and leaf with a regular green marker. Get creative and have fun!

Pipe Cleaner Crowns

My little girl loves to have "Princess/Prince Parties" with her big brothers. Tonight she had the most wonderful idea: make crowns out of pipe cleaners! So we pulled out all our pipe cleaners and got creative. We even made bracelets and rings. It was fabulous!

Leaving Your Family Pet with a Pet Sitter

A new member of the family joined us 5 months ago.  Mickey is a Miniature Schnauzer mix and the sweetest puppy ever.  We have taken a few trips since having him and have been blessed to be able to take him with us.  However, we took a trip out-of-state and he could not come with us.  So we talked to family and friends and looked into kennels/pet boarding locations.  But, I was just too worried about leaving him in an unfamiliar place with strangers.  Besides, we would prefer to have him at home where he feels safe and comfortable.  So, we decided to find a pet sitter to come by a few times a day to let him run around the backyard and feed him.

The first people we thought of were our babysitter!  She lives just across the street and recently mentioned that she is saving up for a car.  Also, they have always had a family dog that she helps look after.  So, a familiar face for our puppy and she is close by, so coming over a few times a day wouldn't be too much to ask.  We were so excited when she agreed to watch him for us.

We had spoken to a kennel and they were going to charge us $10/day.  So, that's what we paid her.  Before we left, we let her know his routine.  We also wanted to leave her helpful information in case of emergencies.  So, I hit my keyboard and found the perfect downloadable template - Pet Care Instructions.  What I like most about it is that it includes all the areas I wanted to cover for my pet sitter but, I was also able to download the form and change it to fit my needs exactly.  I filled out the Pet Care Instructions form and was sure to leave a copy of his up-to-date vaccination records - just in case.

After being away from our pup for almost a week, when we returned I think he was disappointed that he wouldn't be seeing our pet sitter every day.  But, that made me even more confident with my decision to have a pet sitter watch him at home.

Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Pork Chops

A dinner my mom used to make for us that has only a few ingredients and is not only easy but fast to make is Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Pork Chops.  Campbell's actually has a very similar recipe on their website called Tasty 2-Step Pork Chops.  This is how I make it:


Ingredients

• 4 Pork Chops
• 1 can of Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup
• olive oil
• 1-2 garlic cloves or garlic powder
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup milk (or water)

Directions

1. Brown garlic in oil then remove garlic.
2. Put pork chops in same pan.  Sprinkle pork chops with salt and pepper (and garlic powder if you didn't have garlic).  Brown on each side.  Then remove pork chops.
3. Add cream of mushroom soup and milk to pan.  Cook as directed on can using a whisk to include all the delicious pork chop flavor from the pan. 
4. Return pork chops to pan with soup and continue to cook until pork chops are done.
5. Serve over rice or egg noodles.