A "Joy Jar" for my love

So I a while back I asked for ideas for an anniversary gift for my hubs.

I got many super great suggestions. . . some I'd already done, some I'm saving away in my memory bank for later and one that I thought sounded perfect for this year.

A wonderful reader, Nancy, gave me the fab idea to make my honey a

Joy Jar!

I started by typing up lots of different moments of joy we have shared over the years - fun memories, favorite moments, things like that.

{This was really fun to do. . . thinking back over all the things we've done together!}

Once they were all typed up and printed out, cut them into strips so that each strip has one moment of joy on it.

{I think I had about 70-ish}

 Next I took each strip and curled it around a pen.

You could just as well fold them up, but I liked the fun look of them being curled.

 Next Step - stick all your curled {or folded} strips of paper into a jar.

 Now, decorate up your jar to your hearts content.

 I didn't do a whole lot as I wanted it to remain somewhat "manly".

 Last step, I added a little note.

And that's that.

An easy gift that turned out to be very meaningful!

My hubby really enjoyed reading all the different "Joys".

He pulled out a few every day and was always excited to see what the next one would be.

I plan to refill his "Joy Jar" often as I think of more moments of joy!

This is a wonderful craft that could be given to pretty much anyone. . . a parent, or friend, anyone you cherish and want to remind of all the good times. :)

Thanks Nancy for the fabulous idea!

Ummm. . . Tomato Basil Bread Recipe

Everyone loves soft, warm homemade bread, no doubt about that!

Rather than your regular every day bread, how about trying some Tomato Basil bread!  Umm!

It looks so pretty not to mention how delish it is!

Just start with your fav basic white bread recipe.

If you don't have one you can use mine!

3oz warm water

1/2 tsp. active dry yeast

3oz warm milk

1Tbsp. melted butter

2Tbsp. sugar

1tsp. salt

2C white bread flour

Now here is the special ingredient. . . 1/4 C of sundried  tomato pesto!
{or more if you want it really tomatoey }

If you cant find any sundried tomato pesto {I got it at Walmart} then here is plan b - just throw some regular pesto and some sundried tomatoes in the blender. . . or plan c - sundried tomatoes, basil, olive oil and maybe a little salt into a blender.

Add your sundried tomato pesto into your bread and kneed well.  Let it rise til about double its size then kneed again and form into a cute little bread ball, or stick it into a loaf pan.

Let it rise again til about double its size.

 Once its sufficiently risen, bake at 350 til the crust is lightly brown.

 Ummm. . . smells good right?!

Now slice that baby up and your fam will be so impressed by your fancy, gourmet bread!

Its so pretty and tinted slightly red, with a little piece of tomato scattered here and there.

Very yummy, a total pleaser for the crowd as well your taste buds!

{PS - this recipe makes a one pound loaf}

Lucky You. . . to have a wife like me!

One last St. Patty's day idea for the Irish and non-Irish alike!

A little treat for your sweetheart to let him know how LUCKY he is!

Some treats that are green and gold . . . his little treasure - just because he has the best wife!

And a little printable from moi to you so you can make sure to get your point across along with the treats.  *wink*  Every hubby can use a reminder as to how lucky he is! :)

Happy day o'luck!

And Yes. . . our hubs really are lucky to have such a great wives!

PS - I made the cute printable from free downloads from one of my fav digital scrap-booking sites Just So Scrappy

"Lucky Charm" printable

Another little fun way to celebrate don't-pinch-me-cuz-I'm-wearing-green day.

Leave a fun breakfast out for them!

I don't know about you but Lucky Charms isn't a cereal we eat all the time. . .

So one box with a bow and a note to let your loved ones know how you feel is all you need!

So easy, especially since I've made this colorful printable and all you've got to do is print!

Enjoy!!

Night IN at the Movies

How about a great date night idea that is super fun and wont break the bank. . . Awesome!

A cozy night IN at the movies!

It starts with a Redbox movie {or Netflix or whatever you prefer}

then it requires moving the couch right in front of the TV - this all depends on how big you want the screen. :)

Last step, pop some popcorn, and gather your snacks and sodas!

 We moved out couch about 5 feet from the TV with our coffee table in front so we had a place to rest our feet.

It was like being at the movies only better!

No movie theater seats are as comfy as your couch I don't care where you go!

And no annoying people talking or kicking your seat either! :)

Can you tell what movie we watched???

Megamind!

and Loved it!

Kids would love this too. . . So pull up the couch and make a night of it!

Guest Blogger - Ea from Finding Bliss...

Happy Monday my friends!  I hope your weekend was just as fab as mine!  To start off the week I have some creative inspiration from Ea of Finding Bliss...  Stop by her blog to learn a little bit about her, and keep reading, I promise you wont be disappointed ;) 

With all of the electronic gadgets in our home I needed one central station to keep things organized ….so I created our “charging station” out of baskets from the local thrift shop.  It’s been with us for a while now… at first we used it to hold my phone, and my kids’ calculators and handheld games…but now that they are teens it holds ipods, phones, and cameras….and still the calculator!

Here is how I made it:

 Find a top basket~ Figure out what objects you would like to store and then find a basket that will accommodate them with a bit of wiggle room ~ you’ll need this when you place your electronics in and attach the power cords.

Find a bottom basket~ this is the basket that will hold your power strip and all of your charging cords.  To ensure that everything will fit,  plug all of your cords into a power strip before you get the basket to get a visual of the dimensions you will be needing.

 

St. Patrick's Day art and Thank You!

I'm not the biggest St. Patties day fan, but I'm a sucker for holidays. {*blush*}

I made a simple yet festive little something to go in the frame on my entry way table.

Ah, look how festive my little shamrock "art" is!

This little baby only took me a minute to do!

I started with a piece of scrapbook paper and cut out three clovers.

 I put a cute black and white piece of paper in my frame and then I stuck the clovers on top of the frame with a little glue dot in the center.

Don't worry, the glue dot will come off.

Then to add a little dimension i folded up the petals? leaves?

And there you have it!

By the way - a HUGE thank you to all of you who emailed and commented and gave me anniversary ideas!  You guys are awesome and I'm excited to have some new great ideas!