Yarn Bombing!

Hi Ya'll! I have been incredibly absent from this blog, and I do apologize for that. But, I am back and with (I hope) a great DIY post for you!
Hello, Yarn Bombing!!

I originally found this idea on Pinterest. (Of course. Lol) And decided to add my own spin by mixing it up with Jute (hemp) and colored yarn that co ordinates with my living room decor. I used a smidgen of hot glue on the end of each piece of yarn to ensure it's staying power. I did paint the white twigs, first ;)
Easy peezy, lemon squeezy! (Did I spell that right? Lol)
Anyways, from one mommy to another...I highly recommend this cost effective DIY to update any mantle, sofa table, or dining room.

I hope you enjoy your Monday, Spring is on the way! I love to read your comments, so please don't be shy, and Pin me if you love it :)
Cheers!

P.S Here is an example of a very elaborate yarn bomb that I had forgot to add ;)

Fun! But, I think I will just stick to twigs lol

Hi! So, I know it has been quite some time since I  posted on this blog.  I have been on a much needed fitness journey and created my second blog to keep me motivated and hold me accountable so that I do not give up!  On another note, I hope all the Mamas out there are having a wonderful Mother's Day =)  Today, my daughter and I baked some Split Second Cookies, and also a simple shortbread that we call Smashed Shortbread because it is pressed into a pan and then baked.  You then cut it into triangles or rectangles afterwards and enjoy it with coffee or tea (or, in my daughter's instance-dipping it in her home made Pea Soup. Weird? Maybe not, it has more of a bread texture and is not as sweet as a cookie. Great drizzled with chocolate, also!).  Both of these recipes freeze great in an air tight container. 

Smashed Short Bread       Preheat 350      Bake for 30 min.


2 cups All Purpose Flour                          
1/4 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Salt
4 tablespoon Sugar
1 cup Softened Butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon Milk


1. Sift the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt, sugar) together in a bowl
2. Add the Butter, Vanilla, and Milk
3. Fold the ingredients together until it forms a firm dough
4. Place in a 9x10 pan and press down with your hands
5. Sprinkle white confectioners sugar on top before baking.  Or you can dust with powdered sugar as soon as it comes out of the oven
6. Bake for 30 min on 350, allow to cool before cutting and Enjoy! 
You can also drizzle with chocolate on top of the powdered sugar ;)


Split Second Cookies         Preheat 350      Bake for 15-20 min.


3/4 cup Softened Butter
2/3 cup Sugar
1 Egg
1 teaspoon Vanilla
2 cups All-Purpose Flour
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/3 cup Raspberry Jam


1. In a large mixing bowl, creme together the butter, sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in the egg and vanilla.  Combine the flour, baking powder and salt.  Gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well.
2.  Divide dough into 4 equal parts. (this is the traditional way). Shape into long 12 inch by 3/4 inch logs.  Place 4 inches apart on large baking sheet.  Make an indent all the way down the center of each log using your finger. Fill with Jam.
3.Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 min or until golden. Cool for 2 min and then cut diagonally into pieces.  Cool completely.


** We dropped ours into small piles, made a dent and filled with jam.  Works just as well ;) But, kids really enjoy rolling the logs out and filling them with jam.  

My Second Blog

So, I admit, I have been rather absent.  I did create another blog, though! Here it is, I hope you choose to follow, especially if you are on a fitness journey or if you are a runner :
The Restless Runner

Enjoy! I will be back with a crafty re-do of our kitchen table.  It's almost done :) Thanks for stopping by!

The Holy Grail Of Clutter

An Organized Disaster??

Hi, I'm back! I've had a seemingly endless bout of cold and flu the past 2 months and my posts have been lacking. But, with  nicer weather upon us, I have relocated my motivation and dusted it off. 

Today's task was to de-clutter the kitchen baking cupboard and breath some organization into my life! 

This is the before shot.  I had opened boxes, out of dates items, and everything was every where. 

This little project took me 45 min from start to finish. I used containers from around the home which included a pasta jar, peanut butter jar, dollarama tupper wear (in which I had lost the lids for, anyways), an unused mason jar, and one package of letter stickers (also from the dollarama), and one plastic container from a package of fresh mushrooms. This project cost me about $2.00 in total. The way i saw it, anything would look nicer than the present mess I had! Victory! You can also use plastic coffee cans, jam jars, salsa jars, ice creme containers, ect. Get creative and go for it!

Beauty! 

First Shelf contained my most used items for meals close to reach.

Second Shelf, my most used baking necessities. 

Third top shelf contained my sprinkles and chocolate chips, and other such things that I use the least. 

I must have opened and closed this cupboard 10 times already, just to breath in my organized freshness. Amazing what a de-clutter project can accomplish for your peace of mind! 

Please leave your comments below. I love to read them :) Thanks for stopping by! 

Finnish Flat Bread & Homemade Buttermilk Subsitute

Finnish Flat Bread is  simple and delicious to make.  It goes very well with pasta, and is also wonderful to dip in soups. There are a variety of Finnish breads  to choose from.  The one I am posting for you this evening does not need many ingredients and has zero rise time (insert happy dance here)!

It takes about 15 min to prepare, 30 minutes to bake and yields 6-8 servings.  Perfect addition to any meal. 

I am also including my mother's instructions for buttermilk substitute, as you will need it for this recipe.  Although, I do not recommend it for dressings, this is my go-to recipe for any thing else that calls for buttermilk.  And it works every time and saves you money! Perfect. 

Let's get it started in here...! (yes, I did just quote the Black Eyed Peas. lol.)

First, you will need to prepare your buttermilk because it needs to sit for a few min to thicken.

*Ingredients for Home Made Butter Milk Substitute

1 cup Milk. 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice or Vinegar. 

Add your lemon juice or vinegar, first.  Then pour the milk in until you reach your one cup line, let sit for 15-20 min. That's it.  Eazy-Peezy-lemon-squeezy!  Skim milk is not recommended, I used one percent. If you find it is not thickening very well, add another little squeeze of lemon juice or a little more vinegar. It will not harm the outcome of your buttermilk !

Upwards and Onwards...

Ingredients for Finnish Flat Bread

1 1/2 cup All-Purpose Flour

3/4 cup Whole Wheat flour

2 tablespoons Sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder

1 teaspoon Salt

1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda

1/4 cup Shortening 

1 cup Butter Milk *

1. In a Large Bowl, combine flours, sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda.

2. Cut in shortening until it resembles coarse crumbs.

3. Stir in buttermilk until moistened.

4. Turn dough onto floured surface and knead 3-5 min.

5. Pat onto ungreased 12 inch pan.  (I used a pie plate, but you can use a pizza pan, also).

6. Bake at 350 for 30 min or until Golden. Cool for 5-10 min. 

*The photos above are of my Finnish Flat Bread that I baked, this evening.  It was delicious! I hope you enjoy yours and  let me know how it  turned out in the comment section below. Thanks for stopping by :) 

Mama, Am I Pretty?

Although my daughter is only 6 years old, I have already begun the process of educating her on the Media she sees on television, billboards, and in magazines, as well as radio commercials. We talk about the positive and negative influences it can have on herself as a young girl, myself, and society, in general. It sounds mundane, but it has opened up an entire new realm of topics to bring us closer together, and a heightened sense of self confidence in both of us!  I noticed after continuously explaining the repetitive weight-loss commercials we see and hear about, that I myself even began to believe my own advice! "Do as I say, not as I do", right? Well, let's change that! 


What do I tell my 6 year old, you wonder? I explain to her that weight loss is necessary when a person's body has become unhealthy and puts them at high risk for things such as heart disease or diabetes. Well what is that, she asks? And Voila! An educational moment is created. We get onto to the internet to research what these things are. Which then leads to healthy eating habits, and then searching for healthy kid-friendly recipes such as this one , in which she chose and then we made. Success! 


However, something was nagging at my brain. Models, fashion, ...airbrushing...
I then remembered Dove's Self-Esteem Fund (big fan) and the video they created to explain this very issue to young girls. I looked it up and then viewed it with my daughter. She was amazed! I explained to her that although many models are very beautiful in person, the ads are airbrushed like she saw in the video.  That they are changed with a computer program and that they are not portraying the real beauty of the individual.  I continued to talk with her and told her that when she sees ads with models, appreciate the art, but DO NOT let it get her down, that she is naturally beautiful inside and out (I got a big bear hug for that one). I asked her not to forget this. We watched this video about 3 times, she was so intrigued. 


We both felt inspired to share it with you all, along with our little story. And I hope our story can open up the lines of communication with you and your children. :)

Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section below, I would love to see them! Don't forget to pin this video and spread the word. 
~30 Something Mama 

What's For Dinner, Mom?

          As a mother, I am bombarded with the same question each day " what's for dinner, mom?" 
Well, I will tell you what we had for dinner, last night! None other than Open-Face Toasted Pizza Bagels, of course! Ferme la porte! How fun and easy, you say! The kids will have a blast creating their own. 


You will need the following:
Bagels, sliced in half
Mozza cheese, grated.
Philadelphia creme cheese (plain)
Pizza sauce
Toppings (ham, pepperoni, pineapple, onions, fresh tomatoes, ect.)
Pepper, if you choose.
Baking sheet


Just prepare the topping choices ahead of time and let them go to town. The trick to ours is the Philadelphia Creme Cheese, though. After you spread the pizza sauce (i cheat and use the canned stuff from the grocery store) on each bagel, add the philly on top using a butter knife. Do not scrape side to side as you will make a mushy mess.  Just scrape it on vertically, all the way around-from the middle outwards towards  yourself. Then, add the toppings of choice and some shredded mozza, sprinkle with pepper.


Bake at 375 for about 7 min.  
You just want everything to be melted and slightly toasted. So, depending on your oven (we all know how they vary in heat capacity), just keep an eye on it.  Once you are done that part, turn off your oven and turn on your Broil button to High and watch the magic happen! The tops will become golden and crispy! 
Remember that philly we added? It has baked into creamy, fluffy goodness! It makes all the difference!
 Here is mine. My toppings included: ham, onions, fresh tomatoes, mozza, and of course the sauce and the Philadelphia creme cheese.

Bonne Appetit!

Oooo La La, A Blog Feature

A friend of mine, and fellow blogger mailed a parcel to my daughter and I, all the way from France! This is her and her Frenchman Hubby above (and their fur babies). So, to express our gratitude, I am featuring her blog, today! I hope you check her out. Her blog is adorable and fun! In her own words, it showcases herself as "a 20-something homesick Canadian girl and her Frenchman (plus a dog and 2 cats) living a love-hate relationship with France". You can expect to find great recipes, fantastic scenery, the lifestyle of her adorable pets, and even great reads that she recommends.

 Let me tell you, I was ecstatic to receive her yummy treats among my usual pile of bills.

 (The pink cupcake case is for my daughter, she was in love when she saw it!).

The chocolate was divine! My daughter loved the milk chocolate from Belgian chocolatier Galler, the most. It had a creamy praline center. You can view their website here: Galler
As for myself, I favored the All Natural Noir Cafe with coffee crispies within it, made in Switzerland! You can check out their website here: Chocolat-Villars
Your browser should offer to translate them for you, as they are both in french ;)

The tea is from the tropical island of Mauritius and came in a vanilla-coconut flavor! It is smooth with a light aroma. A sprinkle of sugar, or a small squeeze of honey enhanced the flavors. It arrived just in time, as I have the worst sinus cold known to man-kind! lol.

I hope you enjoyed this delicious blog post, featuring Crystal Goes To Europe.

Thanks for stopping by and feel free to comment!

Yummy In Your Tummy Oatmeal Coconut Choc. Chip Cookies

My daughter and I stumbled upon yet another fantastic cookie recipe! Here it is for all of you to enjoy. Please pass it on and happy baking!

10 Ingredients: Baking Time: 9-11 min. Preheat Oven to: 375.

3/4 cup Golden Crisco shortening.
1 1/4 cup firmly packed Brown Sugar.
1 Egg.
1/3 cup Milk.
1 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
1 1/2 cup Quick oats, uncooked.
1 1/2 cup All-Purpose Flour.
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda.
1/2 teaspoon Salt.
1 cup Sweetened Flake Coconut (optional, but it really is SO good!).
1 cup Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips.

1. Grease baking sheet with shortening.
2. Combine shortening, brown sugar, egg, milk and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat at medium speed with electric mixer, or mash and stir vigorously until well blended.
3. In a separate bowl, mix oats, flour, baking soda and salt. Add to the wet ingredients. Mix on low speed with your mixer, or just use a wooden spoon and blend well.
4. Stir in coconut and chocolate chips.
5. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto baking sheet. These cookies do not spread out much at all.
6. Baking for 9-11 min. or until golden brown. Do not over bake.

Bon Appétit
Hit save and that’s it!

52 Reasons I Adore My Daughter

  Valentines Day has once again come and gone.  We were fairly low key about it around our house hold and only played into the hype for the little one's sake. Do you celebrate Valentine's Day with big plans? Or would you rather save the romance for anniversaries and other such occasions, like we do?
  This year I crafted two little books. The end result had a big impact and my efforts were rewarded with hugs and kisses(My favorite!)

  I decided to share my daughter's. I hid it in her lunch box so she could be surprised at school.(How fun! I was excited for her lol)

All of my supplies were from the Dollar Store which included:

*1 deck of playing cards
*1 package of binder rings
*1 single hole punch
*1 scrap booking glue stick
*Various embellishments of your choice 
*card stock as  backgrounds. Or construction paper. Or brown paper bags (That is what I used for the mister's book).
*A black Gel pen or Scrap booking pen, also from the Dollar Store.
*Stamps for the numbers. If you are as lucky as I was, they will also be at your local Dollar Store (Insert happy dance, here).
*Sandpaper to lightly sand down the backs of each card for a more distressed look ( I also did this to the Mister's).
Ta-Da! Be very proud of yourself and tuck it away as a nice little keepsake to look back on. 

Happy Crafting!

Not Too Shabby

  When my Grandmother passed away, I was given her vintage, pine desk.  I loved this desk.

But, vowed to add my own personal touch to it, some day.  I kept my word and created this magnificent work of wonder and amazement!(Okay. Maybe, I am exaggerating a tad bit). 

  Anyways, I sanded it down imperfectly, slapped on some white spray paint and created a  distressed look by sanding down the edges and top surfaces. We also replaced the old, wooden knobs with modern stainless steel ones.  
However, I still felt that it needed a little "something".  So, I decided to create a pattern with masking tape on the sides and paint over it.  I peeled the tape off, and Voila! 

  

 So, there you have it! I actually would like to re-do this project and change up the colors and maybe even the pattern.  I am thinking Grey, Gold, Black, White.  In combination, of course. If you have any ideas, I would love to hear them in the comments below! Don't be shy! 

Yummy In Your Tummy Sweet Potato Mac & Cheese

I was recently told that I have an issue with my heart (no, it is not broken by romance lol). But, I am unsure of the exact diagnosis until February the 9th. I will keep you posted.


However, this has launched an extreme desire to take better care of myself in all ways possible! I did take fairly good care of my body to begin with, but this has thrown that desire into over drive. 
I very quickly familiarized myself with the Heart & Stroke's Foundation website and to my delight, they have some fantastic recipes.  I decided to get my daughter involved and let her choose which one we should experiment with first.  She chose the home made Sweet Potato Mac & Cheese and you can find the recipe here.


The result was met with rave reviews all around! We decided that next time we will add a little Parmesan to the ingredients list and a little less margarine. 

Happy Fooding, Everyone! 

Yummy In Your Tummy Cookies

This is the best recipe for chocolate chip cookies, hands down! 
Not too sweet, not too bland.  A little crispy on the outside and chewy in the middle. Impressive, right ? Here is the recipe from my kitchen to yours. 
Your welcome :)


TIPS & TRICKS
Here is a baking soda comparison. Same recipe for both batches.The bottom one I added a quarter teaspoon more of baking soda. Both were delicious. 


"Baking Soda. Helping yumminess rise to the occasion"
 ~ Home Spun Journey (c)2012 

7 Steps. 9 Ingredients. Pre heat oven to 375 F

1 cup butter or margarine.

1 cup white sugar.

1/2 cup brown sugar.

2 eggs.

2 teaspoon vanilla

2 & 1/3 cups all purpose flour.

1 teaspoon salt.

1 teaspoon baking soda.

12 oz chocolate chips. 

1)Creme together sugars and butter

2)Add eggs, vanilla, salt and soda.

3)Add flour 1 cup at a time, then 1/3 cup.

4)Add chocolate chips.

6)Drop from teaspoons on ungreased cookie sheet.

7)Bake at 375 for 8-10 min.

Makes almost 3 dozen.

TIPS & TRICKS 

~Feel free to add a little coconut, cinnamon, or nuts. Just eyeball it.  

~If you shave a chocolate bar into it, you will end up with double chocolate/chocolate chip cookies ;) 

   ~If you forget to set the timer, don't fret. They will be done when you can smell the yumminess  wafting from your kitchen and they are golden.

Happy baking!

Sock Bun Tutorial

Have you tried the sock bun, yet?!  Oh my goodness! It has made my life so much easier! Especially when it comes to my daughter being in ballet. No bobby pins required. (That in it self is a blessing).


Here is the video tutorial that taught me just how easy it really is:


Click here for the Sock Bun Video


And here are my photos of my own Sock Bun Success! 

Happy Stylin', Everyone!