::Tasty Thursday::

~Strawberry Shortcake Rice Krispie Treats~

I love treats! It's the one thing that I've had a hard time with while being on the lifestyle change. I keep seeing so many different pins on Pinterest for so many fantastic looking treats, and I pin them with the intent to make them, but then realize I can't eat them. Guess I'll still make them, but give them away, heads up neighbors! I'll just have to keep 1 or 2 for us to try! 

Today's treat comes from Sweet Treats and More. Strawberry Shortcake Rice Krispie Treats! I mean come on, don't these sound delicious? Well, they are! Kristy came up with this yummy treat and I love it! I decided to make it for the Father's Day picnic we had with my husbands family last weekend. I needed a bigger pan of the treat than what Kristy made, so instead of following her recipe exactly which was made in an 8x8 pan, I just made up a batch of Rice Krispies to fit into a 9x13 pan. I used half of a round Angel Food Cake, cut into little pieces instead of just a cup. I liked this recipe because it can easily be adjusted to accommodate the amount you need. I used real whipping cream (I don't love cool whip or the spray can kind, I love the real stuff!) and just added the cut up strawberries, nothing added to them. They were so delicious and a fun twist on Strawberry Shortcake. 

Thanks Kristy for the super fun and easy recipe!

::Want it Wednesday::

I'm just gonna start this post by saying: "I LOVE DIET COKE!" I mean, its an addiction, and I can't and don't want to kick the habit! (Sorry babe!) But, come on, if I were stranded on a desert island and could only have one thing, it would be a life time, unlimited supply of DIET COKE! 

That said, my project for today is perfect! A key chain made out of Diet Coke cans in the shape of hearts! I saw this pin when I first started using Pinterest and KNEW I had to make one for my Mom (who loves Diet Coke too) and myself. Lindsay over at Diary of a Crafty Lady is the genius behind this fun key chain!

 I started saving cans and then I put them away, for a few months. I had a baby so the excitement of that and the holidays all crammed together made me forget about my fun project. Well, about a month ago I saw the cans and remembered what I wanted to do. So I got busy. 

Lindsay used Mod Podge Dimensional Magic, which I didn't have. I did have a product from Close to my Heart called Crystal Glaze that is pretty much that same thing, so I used that. Cutting out the cans proved tricky and trying to get the right emblem to use for my shapes took a little study, but I quickly found the best way to cut and trace. Trial and Error, so have some back up cans just in case. I put about 3-4 coats of the Crystal Glaze on my cut outs, depending on the size. I also followed Lindsay's advise to put the jump rings in after the first coat, that helped to make sure they were in and good to go after 3-4 coats. 

Here is a pic of my finished key chain! I love it and am super glad I made one. Oh, and my Mom loved hers too! Thanks Lindsay for the super fun project!

Linked up at:

Sumo's Sweet Stuff

::Tip Tuesday::

Today's tip comes from Picklee, Fresh Picked Inspiration. Its a super helpful blog where Jordan posts many different things that inspire her to live a better life. I found her pin on Pinterest, it's a list of 10 Remarkable DIY Cleaning Solutions, and let me tell you, they all sound amazing. Today, I'm trying out the Magic Dishwasher Cleaner. Every time I load the dishwasher, I look at it and think, "man this isn't that clean" which leads me to think, how clean are my dishes really getting? I know there are products in stores that you can buy to clean your dishwasher, but why buy something when you can use things you already have to clean it up?

So here is the Magic Dishwasher Cleaner formula for all you cleaning junkies out there: 1 cup white vinegar, and a sprinkle of baking soda. That's it! Here is the link to Picklee to see exactly how to do it and you can check out the other 9 DIY cleaning solutions while you're at it. Thanks Jordan for the awesome post, and I can't wait to try them all!

Here are my before and after pics:
Before:


After:



I think it looks a little better, and bonus, its smells a lot better!

::Makeover Monday::

The Hubs and I decided at the beginning of March that we needed to make some serious changes in our lifestyle and lose some serious weight. We both started counting calories, and exercising daily. He's lost nearly 50 lbs to date, and I'm down 22 lbs. With all the lifestyle changes in mind, I keep seeing so many pins on Pinterest for exercise, healthy eating tips, recipes, quick workouts, etc... 

I recently decided that since my butt is disappearing, I'd better try out some butt workouts to try to give it a little shape and have it not look so saggy! I found this pin, which is a link to Dr. Oz. It's called the 'Fat Butt-Busting Workout' which is supposed to help if you don't like how big your butt is and you want to tone it up. So I thought, maybe I could do it since I want some definition back there. There are 7 different moves, and you are supposed to do one a day. I decided since they looked easy enough, that I would do all 7 moves at one time. I started it this morning, and I'm not that impressed to tell you the truth. I thought they were too easy, and that I didn't really feel anything. Maybe its because I've been doing P90X workouts and Insanity so these easy little moves don't seem the phase me, but I feel like I need more of a challenge. I'm going to keep trying them out for the rest of the week and see what happens, then next week I'll let you all know if I think it's worth it or if I need to find a different butt workout!

::Family Time Friday::

I've found a lot of family time ideas on Pinterest, but this one is my favorite idea. I recently saw a pin from 71toes that I LOVED. Shawni did a post on '7 Motherhood Ideas I Love' in which comes the family time idea I want to incorporate into our family time! The very first idea is a family movie night. I LOVE this idea because it gives us time to have a special night to look forward to and see what kind of movies my kids end up liking the most! Sure we might be watching a lot of Barbie movies, but I'm hoping to get a lot of the classic Disney in there too. And don't forget that we'll be having popcorn and treats too.

When I suggested this idea to the Hubs the other day, his first reaction was "what if there is a game on? can we be flexible with that?" REALLY??? After I was done laughing, he said it sounded like a great idea, and I think he's excited to show them those old "classics" too. 

I was really excited to discover Shawni's blog, one because I grew up in the same neighborhood as her and absolutely love her family. I don't know Shawni personally, but knew her younger siblings and her Mom really well. I love that she has this amazing blog where she talks about families and the importance of motherhood and what a true blessing it is. She also has photography tips too! Love it! Go check out 71toes and you won't be disappointed! Thanks Shawni for sharing your great ideas!

::Tasty Thursday::

Tasty Thursday is going to be my nemesis! The Hubs and I started a 'lifestyle change' at the beginning of March to get into better shape, lose weight, and eat more healthy! I can already tell this might not be the best idea, maybe if I try to do the majority of delicious, healthy recipes I find on Pinterest, but the problem with that is there are so many delicious looking treats, snacks, desserts, and all super high in fat and goodness I'm sure! But, alas I have to do some yummy treats sometimes too! My body demands the sweet goodness that is chocolate and peanut butter! And it was with this combination in mind that I made some yummy Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats. I originally made them for a church function I had planned on going to, so they wouldn't be left in the house and consumed by us! But, something came up and I couldn't go, and we were STUCK with these delicious treats! YES! I mean, NO! 

I found these treats from Martha Stewart, of course! They were so easy and quick to make, and I love that they turned out so soft and chewy, even into the next day! In hind sight, I really should have added some chocolate because that really would have made them so much better. Next time! Enjoy!

::Want it Wednesday::

Father's Day is this Sunday, and I've had the best gift idea for my Dad in my mind since Mother's Day! The only problem is that I STILL don't have it done! I found this super cute idea over at Brassy Apple and knew I had to make one too! 

When this one was made they used a photo program like photoshop to create this adorable picture. Since I don't own photoshop or anything remotely close, I'm forced to just put them together in a frame. I emailed all my sibs and asked them to help me out. There are 6 kids in my family, all married, all with kids-20 1/2 grand kids to be exact! So it wouldn't work for us to each hold a letter. I decided to have each family hold one instead, and since my one sister has a dog that just had puppies, we thought it would be funny to have the last letter be with the new puppies! So I will get it together in the next couple days and post a picture here so you can see it. If you need a fun Father's Day gift for your Dad, Father-in-Law, or your Husband, you can use this super fun idea! Go check out Megan's blog to see the other ideas she put on there too! Thanks Megan for the fun ideas!