I decided to spend a recent rainy day (forty degrees in April, of course) making teacup candles that had the gentle smell of fruits, flowers, and other spring notions. These cups are also very nice for gift giving and incredibly easy to make.
Piecing Knowledge Together: Learning with Puzzles
Most of this year, my social feeds have been full of opinions on the new Common Core standards and methods of teaching in our public schools. I am certain that my opinions have decorated many a feed as well. The new methods supposedly work for some children though I have yet to meet anybody who […]
Crock Pot Cheesy Chicken Dip
My husband originally introduced me to the recipe after he found it on the side of a can of chicken. Just typing “can of chicken” disturbs me, so I set out to make fresh and delicious meal. So forget those cans o’ chicken and head out to your local butcher! Okay, no, you don’t have […]
Amazing Bacon Brownies!
The trick to this amazing recipe is to bake the bacon. Cover a standard cookie sheet with foil and lay out your bacon (I use center cut and can fit 8-10 strips). Place the sheet in the oven and then set the oven for 350. Bake for approximately 20 minutes, you want it just to the […]
Growing Roman Chamomile
Roman chamomile has many of the same uses as the more popular German Chamomile. The visual differences are in size, growth rate, and growing style. Roman Chamomile is of the low growing, creeper variety. Much like mint, it will take over the space it is in and the surrounding area. The plants I have are […]
DIY Raised Garden Bed
Last year, I asked Nick for a raised flower bed to replace the shale-lined, ground-level one at our house. It happened to be nice weather that weekend, so we gathered what we needed an went to town. Our bed’s outside measurements estimate at 3ft by 9ft and about a foot deep. Materials: Twelve 6ft landscaping […]
Grow Your Own Crystals for Fun and Fairs
Grow your own crystals for a fun family activity. This was actually pretty easy, and there are many ways to try it. The two most interesting crystals we grew as a test were from alum powder and epsom salts.
Make Your Own Valentine’s Love Poppet
Nope, not a typo — poppet is just the older spelling of puppet. As if that statement alone doesn’t make it obvious, I will openly admit that quirky is my thing. Quirky is also my husband’s thing, and our kids. We are a big ole nerd/geek/quirk family. So, when it comes to gifting things, we are […]
Knitted Valentine Treat Bag
In creating a dice bag (geek thing ) for my husband, I was hit by the inspiration fairy. The original pattern for the Cthulu Dice bag that started all of this can be found at http://www.arcanavitae.com. From this, I made minor changes to create a home-knitted Valentine Treat bag that can be gifted to teachers, secretaries, […]
Origami Horse for Chinese New Year 2014 and Beyond
It is always fun to come up with new things to do with the kids, and sometimes it is more fun to recycle the the things we used to do as kids ourselves. Origami is one of those things from my childhood that makes an appearance in our lives at least twice a year. Typically, […]
Chocolate-Covered Cherry Cookies
Some days, you just want more than a chocolate chip cookie. You want something decadent and delicious. But if you are anything like me, you don’t always have time to make the gourmet goodies. Undeterred, I did an inventory check of my kitchen and decided I had what it would take to amp up my […]
Using Pine Sol as Mopping Spray
Let me just get this out here: I HATE WOOD FLOORS! Yes, I know, that is not a popular statement. Everyone loves wood floors because they are so much easier to clean. Well, I have various furry pets that all shed. So, that “easy to clean” floor has me sweeping 3 times a day. Then, […]
