Meatless Monday! Rice Noodle Salad

Photo: John Autry; Styling: Leigh Ann Ross

I'm making this tonight for Meatless Monday. I'll let you know later how it was! It's found in Cooking Light, Aug. 2011.

Fibers on Friday: Monkey Business

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I did, despite being the first one away from our family in years. We have fabulous friends who helped us have a relaxing, easy, enjoyable day!

A delicious smoked turkey

A super cute kid's table


And lots of fun playing Ninja Fruit!

I thought I'd show you all the sock monkeys my Daisy Troop made to send off to Craft Hope.

No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed!!!

More Capri Sun Projects

So, while I was playing around with Capri Sun pouches making this bag, I decided to throw together some notebooks, too. My kids LOVE having their own little note book/journal/sketch pad/diary.


These were so simple. Just a matter of punching some holes, sandwiching a few sheets of paper between, sewing up the sides with embroidery thread and adding some beads for extra bling! If you'd like to see a video demonstration, visit textiles 4 you on her YouTube Channel.

(I love their spelling. The picture on the left is of their trampoline. She spelled it "chraplen". Are my kids the only ones who hear a "ch" for "tr" and "dr" words?)

But then, my kids took it one step further. They created their own little wallets....a bi-fold...complete with teeeeeny tiiiiiiny I.D. card and a key....check them out:


They did this by cutting 2 inches off the bottom of the pouch and cutting up one side to make it open out. haha! Genius kids I have :-)

Meatless Monday! Treats

I've had two treats pinned on Pinterest for a while now and I finally got around to making both of them last week.

First, I made these no-bake energy balls. Yum, yum, yum!! I guess my mom must have made something similar to this when I was a kid because they're very familiar and they bring me back. They're healthy and they are the perfect little something to grab when you need a little nibble. I think they even give me a little extra boost when I go out for a run. The recipe can be found here, Smashed Peas and Carrots, and that's where I grabbed the image, too.

(image source)

Then, I made my own granola bars. Another huge YUMMM! Kids even agree on this one (the energy bites are only so-so for them). I first had to make granola, so I chose this recipe, although there are several more I'd like to try. Then I proceeded with the granola bar recipe found on Back to the Cutting Board. Huge hit. We polished off the whole pan in 2 days, so I made more this evening!

They turned out extra chocolatey because I stirred in the chocolate chips while the mixture was still warm. On the pan I made this evening, I just pressed them on top. We'll see how we like it that way.

Anyway...I highly recommend these two healthy snacks!!

Fibers on Friday: Peas and Carrots

Hello wonderful people! Happy Fibers on Friday! I come to you today with knitting and crochet....side by side....happy as peas as carrots!


The vest that I'm knitting is for Afghans for Afghans. I'm knitting the Keep Me Warm Vest. And get this....I'm trying my hand at cables for the first time! You all assured me last week it was really easier than it seems. And I must say, it's pretty easy! In the picture you'll be able to see my first twist.


The afghan I'm crocheting is the Offset Shell Pattern by Oh My Good Knits.


My excitement this week came in the form of the Kindle Fire that I pre-ordered a couple weeks ago. I was on the fence for so long about using an e-reader, but I finally dived right in and went for the Fire. I just got it yesterday...there are definitely some kinks to work out, but so far it's fun! Have you read anything you'd recommend lately?

School Files: Year Two

Last year I showed you this idea that I saw on Blue Cricket Design. A really cool way of saving school papers from year to year.

Well, the other day I put together my files for my kids' second year of school.

I love having these pretty little files tucked up in their closets. When there's something I want to save, I just slip it in. And you get the added bonus of having their handwriting saved AND their school picture. So cute!!

Capri Sun Tote Bag

I'm so behind the times when it comes to crafting with Capri Suns! Wayyyyy back in 2004, before blogging and sharing all our crafty goodness, my friend and neighbor went crazy with capri suns! She made tote bags and beach bags and pencil bags. Everywhere she went people wanted to buy one....especially school kids!

I finally decided I wanted to do something "reusable" with them. So, I sat down with some Textiles 4 You and got to work on a zippered bag.


Nothing makes me happier than when I work on a craft like this and my kids want to snatch it and use it right away. And Paige claimed this one as her book bag:




The perfect was to re-use those pouches! We don't go through too many here at home, but when we do, they're really easy to just cut the bottom and pop them into the dishwasher....dry them....and save for a project like this. And when you're conducting some sort of group activity where the kids all have one to drink, what a perfect chance to take them all home and make a bag!!

I also think it's the perfect craft to stock pile. So when your kids' school is soliciting for craft fairs or fundraisers you can pull some out and donate or sell. Cool!