Artisan Bread

I have a thing for good homemade bread, I love it. I love it straight from the oven with butter, I love it in my lunches as a sandwich, or just with butter and some good cheese and an apple. 

I found this recipe on Pinterest for Artisan Bread and it looked so good and very easy to make. I read through the instructions on the website and decided that I did not need a 2.5 lb loaf of bread.  I knew that I would probably be the only one in the house to eat it and I don't need to eat that much bread!  I decided to cut everything in the recipe in half.  

I started the process on a Saturday afternoon and let it sit on the counter for 18 hours.  This bread was so easy to make, I will definitely be making it again. I also don't have a Dutch Oven, so I just used a regular non stick pot with a lid that is oven save and it still turned out perfect.  

I still had a little bit of the bread left on Friday. It was still good to eat, but it just didn't taste as fresh as it had earlier in the week.  I ended up slicing some and making cheese toast. I just spread butter on the bread, put some shredded mozarella cheese on it and put it under the broiler until the cheese was melted. I have to admit it was the best cheese toast I've ever had! 

Linking up to The Dedicated House

Onesie Cupcakes

My stepsister is pregnant with her first baby.  It is a girl and she is due in April!  This past Christmas I wasn't sure what to get her. I decided to get her something fun for the baby.

I ordered monthly stickers from GroopDeals for her to put on onesies and take monthly pictures.  The stickers I ordered are from Bella Bianca Designs. I chose the baby girl brights pack.

I found a cute idea on Pinterest on how to package the onesies.  They were packaged to look like cupcakes!  This was how my first "cupcake" turned out. 

I picked up three packs of white onesies from Walmart.  I decided to package four onesies to use with the stickers.  I gave her one 0-3 months, one 3-6 months, and two 6-12 months.  I also picked up two pair of baby socks. 

The pictures on Pinterest were easy to follow. If you go to the website that was pinned, the link provides very clear directions.

I picked up a really cute Christmas cupcake carrier at TJMax to put the four onesie cupcakes in.  I think they turned out super cute and can't wait for her to open it.  We still haven't seen each other to exchange gifts!

I still had five onesies left after making the cupcakes. I'll be on the lookout for other cute ideas for white onesies to make her something for her baby shower. If you have any fun ideas, I'd love to hear them!

Linking up to I Heart Naptime and The Dedicated House

Purex Crystals for Baby

I have been using Purex Crystals since I was able to review them through the Purex Insiders Program.  I was really excited to learn Purex was releasing a new addition, Purex Crystals for Baby!

Purex Crystals for Baby is 87% natural. The product is really easy to use. It goes in at the start of your wash cycle. I have an HE front loading washer and add the crystals right in with my clothes. 

The fresh scent really lasts. I can notice it after multiple wears of a piece of clothing. I have to admit, I use it with my own clothes as well. I did find the scent a little strong, so I use less crystals than recommended.

Purex Crystals for Baby is hypoallergenic, dye free, and safe for use on all clothes, including children's sleepwear.

You can find more information about this wonderful product on the Purex website.

Purex is hosting a "Welcome to the World" sweepstakes for Purex Crystals for Baby. One lucky winner will win $1000 and 250 2nd place winners will receive a coupon for a free bottle of Purex Crystals for baby. You can enter the sweepstakes here.

I'm also hosting a giveaway for my readers. Enter below for a chance to win one of two coupons for a free bottle of Purex Crystals for Baby , maximum value $6. 


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Disclosure: Purex provided me with a sample of Purex Crystals for Baby in exchange for a product review.  However, all the opinions expressed here are my own. 

Goop!

After making the Borax GAK, Addison wanted to try another science project.  She asked if we could make GOOP because they had made some in kindergarten.

I found this recipe for GOOP on Pinterest. I changed the recipe a little. I did not want to use 2 cups of cornstarch, so I used 1/2 cup of cornstarch and 1 cup of water.

Addison played with this for a little while, but said it was not like the GOOP they made in school.

I probably would not make this again.  I think younger kids would like to play with it more, but for my six year old she thought it was kind of boring.

If anyone has any other fun science projects for kindergarten age girls, I'd love to hear them!

Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

We love homemade muffins at our house. We eat them for breakfast and snacks. When I came across this recipe on the Money Saving Mom website for banana bread it looked so good and who doesn't have bananas laying around that need to be used!

I usually have issues when making banana bread, where the middle is not cooked through and the outside is overdone. Because of this, I decided to use the recipe and make them in to muffins. 

I used the recipe from her blog as is and added 3/4 cup chocolate chips to the batter. I baked these for 22 minutes at the temperature in the recipe. This made 24 muffins.  

These are so good they don't last long at our house!
 
 

Chocolate Caramel Chex Mix

Last weekend Northern Minnesota was hit with snow and below freezing temps.  My driveway was blocked in from the snow drifts. I was browsing Pinterest and came across a recipe for "Better Than Sex Chex Mix".  It looked really good and I happened to have a box of Chocolate Chex on hand. I did not have all of the other ingredients, so I improvised and came up with my own recipe.

You can view the original "pin" here.

I used the chocolate chex and the caramel mix from the recipe. Then instead of all of the additional add ins, I just drizzled white chocolate almond bark and semi sweet chocolate over it when it was cool.

This was very good, addicting, and a fun way to use up cereal that I was not fond of eating for breakfast!

The Many Uses of Borax!

20 Mule Team Borax is a 100% natural mineral from the earth. This product naturally softens hard water, so it can maximize cleaning power. 

Borax can be used as a laundry booster by adding 1/2 cup to every load along with your regular detergent. This can also be used in your dishwasher to help with spots!

I have tried the Borax in my washing machine, which is a He Machine. I have used it with both colors and whites and have noticed a difference, especially in the whites.

I also tried it in my dishwasher. I was amazed at how it helped with the spotting. The water in Northern MN is very hard, and most of my glassware has spots, even with using a rinse agent. I just added 1/4 cup to the bottom of the dishwasher before starting the load, per the directions on the box.

I also found another use for Borox, besides the ones listed on the box, you can use it in many science projects!  My daughter Addison, who is six was very excited to try one of them, called GAK.  I reviewed different "recipes" on Pinterest and came up with one that worked for us. I didn't want a huge amount of it, because I just have one child. 

In a glass bowl pour one bottle of craft glue.  Then fill the glue bottle with warm water and shake, and empty that into the bowl.  At this point, you can add food coloring if you want colored GAK.  Of course Addison wanted pink, so we used some red food coloring to get a dark pink color. You stir this together.  Then in another bowl you add 1/4 cup warm water and 1/2 tsp of Borox and mix together. Add this to the glue mixture and start stirring. It starts to come together and is kind of stringy. 

Keep mixing and then use your hands to form it together. I have stored this in a Glad container and it has lasted over two weeks already. You can tear it apart, use scissors and cut it, and then you can form it back together. This has provided her with hours of fun play. 

Right now Borax is holding a contest where you can enter to win the $1,500 Grand Prize, or one of 171 coupons for FREE BORAX!  If you would like to enter you can click here!

Would you like a chance to win one of two coupons for a FREE box of 20 Mule Team Borax? I'm also holding my own contest where two winners will each win a coupon for a FREE box of Borax with a max value of $3.50. 

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Borax provided a free sample of their product so I could review them. However, all of the opinions expressed here are my own.