White chocolate dipped caramel apples

Last night we made some special caramel apples. My neighbor makes these every year to give out as neighbor gifts for Christmas. They are so delicious, everyone looks forward to them every year. And they're so simple! All you need is 4-5 large apples (any kind you want. Some prefer green tart apples, I personally like sweet red ones)

1 package of Kraft caramels

1 package white chocolate chips

cinnamon/sugar mixture

Scrub the apples clean and dry thoroughly. Make caramel apples according to package directions. Place on a greased piece of parchment paper lining a cookie sheet. Refrigerate at least one hour. Melt white chocolate in a microwave safe bowl in 15-30 second intervals. Dip in cooled caramel apples, then immediately sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar. Refrigerate until hard. Store in refrigerator.

They're so delicious. Seriously, try them.

Pinspired: Flash Cards

Recently on Pinterest, I've been pinning flash cards to my board, trying to find the most practical ones for my kids. (Although there were some that were my favorite, that I would totally use for decoration, they weren't things my kids necessarily knew. They don't know what a rotary phone is.)

So I finally decided on some and printed them out for the kids. I had to do some of these Earth Vocabulary flash cards

see pin here
And these Alphabet flash cards
see pin hereAnd then I decided to make some number flash cards for Kadie. In school, they're learning to count to twenty, so what better way to work on them with her? I made them using my My Memories Suite program. Perfect!

They've been having a lot of fun with them, and it's perfect for taking to church as a quiet activity.

Now I just need to make some of these color flash cards for Gavin.

Getting Organized: The Entry (part 1)--the closet

As I've previously mentioned, my New Year resolution this year--yet again--was getting my house organized. It's the same goal I make every. single. new year. I keep working on it, and I think I'm getting better! Kinda.

Everyone has things that come naturally to them. My thing is cooking. I feel confident in my cooking, I take risks, and ingredients just kinda flow together for me. I don't always need a recipe in front of me.

For some people, organizing comes easily to them. I am not one of them.

So, like with anything else I want to learn, I've been studying. Reading books, looking for tips and inspiration on the web. I still don't feel confident in my ability, but I'm continuously working on it.I've been reading this organizing book, which I love, and one tip it gave was on where to start. The entry. Which totally makes sense. It's the first thing people see when they walk into your house, or even just stand outside your front door. So it was the perfect place to begin.
The closet felt like a good beginner. Here is a shot of how it looked before. Things always get shoved on the top shelf, the kids always throw their shoes and coats on the floor, and the vacuum always falls over from the "shoving of the shoes".And here she is after! Oh, organization, how I love thee.
I picked up some hangers from Ikea that were on sale. 99 cents for a 5-pack!! Sweet, right?! I love that I now have nice, uniform hangers in this closet.
The hubs built me a shelf for shoes, so the kids are no longer allowed to throw their shoes in there. They have to place them on the shelf. We'll see if it lasts.The vacuum has a perfect little nook now. It's no longer able to fall over! And the hose has a hook for it to hang on, off of the floor.
I picked up a couple canvas baskets at Walmart for $7 a piece (they were a little cheaper at the store then they are on line. Plus they had brown there and not online). Now there's no room to shove things on the top shelf. The one on the left holds all the vacuum accessories. Before they were in a mesh bag next to the vacuum.
I want to find a stencil to stencil the inside of the closet. I've been seeing that a lot around the web lately, and I love it! There's no reason your closets shouldn't look pretty as well as the rest of the house!

So there you have it. I know that when you came to my blog today you wanted to see my entry closet. Just admit it. ;)

I'm still here...

...just very busy. Like always. But I promise I have been crafting, etc. Here's a little bit of what I've been up to. There's definitely been a lot of sewing going on. For gifts...
...and for my family. Chloe's bumper and ruffled bed skirt have been done for a while, just need to finish that pesky quilt!!There's been some custom furniture building going on by the hubs. A GORGEOUS table for my bedroom......and some custom built-ins for my craft room. Just need to be patched and painted.
There has been a lot of organizing going on, since that is my resolution every new year. I bought a new set of drawers for my office that we turned into filing cabinets, so I've been working like crazy to get all our files organized for upcoming taxes, and just for the future of our sanity.And what's organizing without some pretty organizing accessories. Right?They just make it some much more fun.
I've spent lots of time munching on these feet...

...and just yesterday, we welcomed these new feet into the world. (My newest niece)

So, as you can see, I'm still here.

And there's so much to share.

An art desk...

As I said in my last post, the hubs has been on a building kick, which I L-O-V-E because, of coarse, it means I get some new, custom and unique furniture, etc. in my home!

The first thing he made was a art desk for Kadie. He copied an art desk that his dad made for him when he was a kid, and then gave Gavin his old art desk, and Kadie the new one. (the chair is temporary. I'll be making-over one for her.)
It opens up to little sections for organizing her supplies.It's nice to have places for the kids to keep their coloring supplies so they're not stuffed in my closets. Plus, if they want to color, we send them to their desks so it's not all over my kitchen counter or table while I'm trying to cook. Bonus!!
I'll have more to share soon enough!! Lots of projects, lots of project ideas!! So until then...

Fort Kit

Wow! It feels like it has been FOREVER since I've posted!! I planned on posting a lot more, but with the craziness of the holidays, it just didn't happen. We had a wonderful Christmas! And I hope all of you did also, as well as a happy new years!!!

I definitely have some projects to share!! The hubs got the last 'main tool' he needed to start building furniture, and he's already whipped out two pieces for us!! Can't wait to share them!!

This year I actually went less budget-friendly and went more easy along the lines of gifts. I wanted a more relaxing month then the past Decembers. And it was!! But that didn't stop me from making a couple things. For my nieces and nephew in Germany, I made them a fort kit using this tutorial from Saltwater Kids.
She has a tutorial on there for the Retro Duffel Bag, which I had to make (although I used store bought webbing, and next time I think I'll make my own like she did. I like the looks of it a whole lot better!)

And I put together a tag to go with it. Hopefully they enjoy the gift. Apparently (according to my sister) they love building forts, so hopefully this will make it a little easier for them.

What did you get for Christmas??