Pizza Pizza

Pizza is a kid pleaser at our house. I'm going to guess that's true with most every house. I'm not quite sure why kids find it so much more attractive than other meals but hey, you do what you have to right?

We happen to have a great pizza place in the next town over that delivers for free. And a family deal (large 3 topping pizza, bread sticks and cinnamon sticks) is only $11.99. Can't beat that on crazy nights. But it does add up if we do it regularly.

And besides nothing beats homemade right! So this week I'm going to share with you our families favorite pizza recipe. And maybe tonight the kids at your house will be smiling!

Hawaiian Pizza!

Pizza

Crust:

1 T yeast

2 c warm water

1 t salt

1/2 t sugar

4 1/2 c flour

approx. 1 lb cheese (depending on how cheesy you like it)

your favorite toppings

Preheat oven to 375*. In a mixer put yeast, water, salt, sugar. Turn mixer on medium and add flour while mixing. Once all the flour is added leave to mix while you make the sauce.

Sauce:

8 oz can tomato sauce

1/2 t oregano

1 T sugar

1/2 t garlic powder

1/2 t basil

Mix together in a small bowl. Set aside. Press pizza crust into a greased cookie sheet. Spread sauce over crust. Layer on your favorite toppings. (Do not add cheese yet.) Bake at 375* for 35 min. Sprinkle on cheese and put back in over until cheese melts. And enjoy!

Thanksgiving Traditions

Since I was little, one of my favorite Thanksgiving traditions is: (drum roll please)

Ta-Dah!

Yes the wishbone. I am the youngest and only girl in my family so needless to say I always got the wishbone. Every year my little hand was on one side of it. And as I got older I learned how to figure out which side was going to win so I could hold that side. Oh good times!

I also love just hanging out at my Grandmas playing games with everyone and nibbling at the food all day long.

So Happy Thanksgiving to all of you (I think I only have like four followers so far, but oh well) Happy Thanksgiving to all four of you!!!!!

So-
and I'll see you after the crazy weekend.

Jean Skirts

I have been making a lot of things lately. Unfortunately they are all for Christmas presents so most of them I can't share until after Christmas so I don't give them away. This is one however that I can share. It's for my girls and since they're little I don't have to worry about them seeing them on my blog.

My wonderfully sweet and amazing cousin (does that do you justice!) found this tutorial on how to turn your old jeans into jean skirts. My girls have been into wearing skirts a lot lately and I thought this would be a great way to take some of those jeans that still fit around the waist (they're skinny girls) but are too short and make them skirts for Christmas.

This one I did a nice hem on the bottom.

This one I put two rows of stitching around the bottom and am going to let it fray.

To get to the tutorial click here. They do a good job explaining it, better than I could do I'm sure. Just a pointer though- when you come to the step that has you unpick the side seams, don't do it just yet. I ended up not putting the inserts in the sides on these two skirts. It gives them a straighter look. Putting the inserts in will give it a more flared look, which I am planning on doing one for each of them that way too. Just don't undo the sides until you have the front and backs done and know for sure that you want the side inserts. Speaking from experience its a pain to restitch up those side seams once you've undone them.

Time For Hot Cocoa

This is the view out my bedroom window this morning:

It's been snowing at our house for the last couple of days and putting me in the mood for some nice hot chocolate. But to my dismay, we're out. Isn't hot chocolate like a winter staple? How can we be out! So I googled and found an easy hot cocoa recipe at Martha Stewart.com. There is only three ingredients and quick to mix up. So find these three things in your cupboard and lets get started.

Hot Cocoa

3 1/2 C sugar

2 1/4 C cocoa

1 T salt

Mix them together and store in an airtight container.

When ready to use heat 1 cup of milk to desired warmth and add 2 T of cocoa mix. Mmm.

I've Fallen In Love

Move over honey- I've officially fallen in love! Remember on my old blog how baking soda became my best friend in the kitchen. Well I fell in love with it in the bathroom! Yes I know that's an odd place to fall in love but it's true.

I finally tried using baking soda on that persistent soap scum and hard water spots on my sinks. Hallelujah! Why didn't I try it sooner, back when I said I was going to? I'm still kicking myself for that. A little baking soda and a Scotch Brite scrubber and my sinks came cleaner easier than my stove did!

So now my bathroom cleaner caddy holds a box of baking soda. Try it- you'll fall in love too!

When Momma's Sick

Have any of you noticed how everything falls apart when Mom is sick and unmotivated to get off the couch? This is the case at our house. I woke up yesterday feeling miserable and have had a lack of motivation to do any chores. I'm sure it has something to do with the fever and nausea but I just want to lay around and do nothing.

Therefore, my kids have run a muck and the dishes have pile up. I really do want to get feeling better but at the same time not looking forward to the catch up. Anyone know a good maid service?

A New Little Sunday Suit

Have you ever had a child that grows like a weed! My little one is so tall that we go through clothes like we do diapers. He is quickly running out of things to wear. Last sunday he went to church in pants, shirt and jacket all from different outfits and they only sort of matched. So I decided it was time for some new sunday clothes.

I found a tutorial for some slacks over at MADE. I followed pretty close to what she did, just a few adjustments. One thing I added was cuffs on the bottoms. Here's what I did:

First (for each leg) cut two rectangles the width of your pants. The height should be twice the size you want for the cuff plus 1 inch. With right sides together sew the short sides of the rectangles together, making a tube.

Next, fold your tube in half, wrong sides together, matching the raw edges. Pin and iron.

Now turn your pants inside out and turn the bottom edge up 1/2 inch. Pin and iron.

Now slide pant leg inside cuff and match up the raw edges.
Pin and stitch 1/4 inch from raw edges.
Turn your pant leg right side and it should look like this:
Now fold cuff over pant leg. Pin at side seams and hand stitch to tack them in place.

I made my pockets on my pants a little big so I didn't have room to make the fake fly. And since I didn't do the fly, I left off the button on the waistband. I also meant to do belt loops but realized as I was taking the final picture that I forgot. Oh well, maybe I'll add them later.

I also decided to add buttons to the fake pockets on the back. I thought it made it look a little more dressy.
Now my little guy has pants but he still needs a top. I followed another tutorial by MADE to turn this: a sweater of mine that's too short for me
Into this: a brand new sweater for my little man
Put that together with the pants and he's ready for church on sunday!

Zucchini Bread

This weeks recipe is a great way to get your kids to eat some vegetables. Normally I have a hard time getting my kids to eat zucchini but they love this bread because it tastes like cinnamon.

Zucchini Bread

1 1/2 c flour

1 t cinnamon

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

1/4 t baking powder

1/4 t nutmeg

1 beaten egg

1 c sugar

1 c finely shredded, unpeeled zucchini

1/4 c cooking oil

Preheat oven to 350*. Grease bread pan (makes 1 regular loaf or 1 mini loaf pan). In medium bowl combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, baking powder and nutmeg. Set aside. In a separate bowl combine egg, sugar, zucchini and oil. Add zucchini mixture to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake for 50-55 minutes. *If using a mini loaf pan you may want to reduce baking time.

Halloween, Country Style

Do you remember when you were in elementary school and you got to parade around the school in your Halloween costume for all the other kids in school? Well in our small town that elementary parade is bigger and better! They didn't just have the kids parade around the school, they bussed them all over to Main Street and they did a parade for the whole town!!! And all the business came out and give the kids candy as they went by. How cool is that! Only in

a small town! I love it!

Our Halloween was an entire weekend production and so much fun. They had the parade Friday morning. Then friday night a big Halloween carnival. Saturday morning we went to a party with some friends. And then Saturday night the fire department, police, and ambulance hosted a trunk or treat. It was so much fun for the kids to get to trick or treat at an ambulance and fire truck and police cars! And of course trick or treating afterwards. We will have candy for years.

I love that in a small town there are so many more activities that can be done that don't happen in the city. It makes the holidays that much more fun. Oh how I love the country!