Happy (almost) New Year!

Happy (almost) New Year! 

During the chaos of the holidays, I started quite a few new projects!
Hooray for keeping busy!

And although I've been trying my hardest NOT to start anything on Pinterest, I find myself on there at least once a week...still not a member. I probably won't sign up until there is some sort of privacy block on the boards. I have no desire to share my "pins" with everyone else in the world. That takes away from the individuality...and besides, if I want to try out a new idea and have it "pinned", I'd hate to see friends do it before I get around to it. Does that make me selfish???
Perhaps! It's on the same lines as me not giving out my exact recipes all the time. If it is a special recipe, I'll leave a detail or two out. Nothing personal, but if I worked to achieve a certain flavor or technique, I'm surely not just going to give it up to anyone. Guess that makes me slightly evil, but I'm ok with that.

Next post will show pics of some of the fun things I've been making! Stay tuned!

Saving money for the holidays!

Sooo I did pretty good last year with buying Christmas presents on sale and got some really good deals. I was pretty proud of myself! I used swagbucks (click the link to sign up if you're not already a member) for 8 months out of the year and used the FREE amazon.com gift cards to purchase most of the gifts. If you keep a watchful eye, you can get some really good deals on there!! Also, sign up for Amazon Mom (free) and you can get free 2-day shipping on a lot of products. Swagbucks is now offering printable coupons as well! You can earn 10SB for each coupon that gets used--just don't forget them at home like I usually do!!

Another program I've joined an would like to share with you is ebates.com!
It's simple to use! Anytime you are going to make a purchase online (and they've got TONS of stores to choose from) just go through your ebates page. A tracking ticket is created and once the order is confirmed, you will get a percentage back! I've got mine set up to go straight into my paypal account....very handy! They also have a $5 sign up bonus :)
Check them out and sign up here: My ebates link

Ebates is nice because it literally takes just a few seconds to log in (I use FB login to make it even quicker) then to pick the store you are going to purchase from. Some of my favorite stores on there are crocs.com (5% cash back), fabric.com (4% cash back), walmart.com (2% cash back) and maurices.com (4% cash back). I do the majority of my shopping online because we live in the boonies (it's about 2 hours to the nice mall) and I can't stand the holiday rush of people...Seriously?! Where do they all come from????

What are some ways you plan on saving money this year???

Resurrecting the Blog!

Ok, so I'll admit, I've not been the best blogger recently. Fear not, all that is about to change!!

I've been crafting a lot lately and cooking/baking as usual. Now that Punky Brewster (Emily) is a bit older, she's been wanting to "help" a lot more.

Sooo I've been thinking, why not just blog about the stuff we are already doing. It'll encourage me to write more often, force me to remember some of the arts & craft activities from my preschool teaching days, find awesome ideas to share and maybe come up with a few of my own!

I'll share tonight a quick homemade potato chip recipe, that I've come up with.

You'll need:
5-6 large Russet Potatoes
Pampered Chef Ultimate Mandolin (came in my consultant kit and is VERY handy!)
Olive Oil
Dehydrated or fresh minced onions
Salt

Start by washing off the potatoes, with hot soapy water. Cut them in half, place on the Mandolin food holder and slice away. I like to use the crinkle blade for these. Pour olive oil into the pan you plan on using and heat on Med. heat. I prefer using a non-stick 10'' skillet. You'll want to have enough in there so that when you place the potatoes in, they're covered so amounts will vary depending on your pan size. As the oil is heating up, I put in the onions. Around here we rarely have fresh onions...they just go bad before I get around to using them. Dehydrated onions can be found on the spice aisle of your grocery store and while I first thought they reminded me of someone's clipped toenails, I've come to love using them. I usually throw in between 50-75 flakes...I've never actually counted but obviously if you want more onion flavor, you'll add more. Ok, time to put in the potatoes. I place them in one at a time, careful not to get any oil splashed back on me. Let them simmer for about 3-4 minutes and then I flip them using tongs. You'll see the potatoes start to turn a golden brown color and that's a good thing. Take them out when both sides are golden brown. I always put them straight onto a plate covered in paper towels to absorb any extra oil. Then just lightly salt them and enjoy! I find that I can't fry them up fast enough around here! They don't last long since they're so yummy but if you wanted to make some to enjoy at a later time, I would make sure to get them nice and dark so they don't turn mushy over time. You can also experiment with different spices. I've used garlic in with the onions before and it had a really good flavor.

Here' a pic of tonight's chips:


If you make these, let me know what you think!

You can't clean clutter!!!

You can't. All that ends up happening is things get shuffled around. The solution? De-Clutter!! Ta-DAH! I know it's not an original idea or anything, but it is something that I need to start working on. Why?? Well because I honestly believe Emily has more toys than she could ever play with...because I have more craft stuff than I could ever use (admitting that was HARD!) and because we deserve to live in a happy, clutter-free home.  How does clutter build-up?? Well it didn't take much here. We moved into a house that was pre-occupied. A lot of things we've found wasn't even from that person, it was the owners before plus the things from my house and then DH's stuff too. Add on top of all that everything a BABY requires (and acquires!) and Yep! Clutter. It's here...it's EVERYWHERE!
So here's the plan: GET RID OF IT! ha! Easier said than done, but that's the plan. And here's the reminder I need to get rid of everything.

I really made this sign and it is posted on the fridge. I also have been a fan of the Flylady system, but have fallen off the wagon. Time to get back up though, brush myself off and work harder this time.

How often do you de-clutter?? How do you keep the clutter away?? I'd love to know!

New Blog I found today!

Stumbled upon a great new blog today and I want to share it with you all. It's http://familyfocusblog.com and they're having a great Stihl giveaway just in time for Father's Day!
Here is the link to the actual giveaway post: http://freebloggiveaways.com/2011/05/04/stihl-wetdry-vacuum-giveaway/

If you enter, make sure you tell me :) I'd love for someone I know to get it! YAY! But if you don't enter, that's cool too--more chances for me...LOL!

Help Choose May Featured Scent!

It's that time again! Time to choose the Featured Scent for May 2011. **FOUR WINNERS** will be chosen at random to receive bath salt samples.

**Remember that the featured scent is available all month for 10% off!!**

Previously Featured Scents:
February-Pink Chocolate
March-Cucumber Melon
April-Lovely Lavender






Remember to vote, then add a comment to this blog to be entered into the drawing.
Winners will be chosen from the blog comments!!

No excuses!! (ok, maybe one big one) And a reason to celebrate!

So I've been working on Emily's felt playhouse...I have, I promise! It's coming a little slower than I would've liked though. I've missed 2 deadlines I set for myself and I'm not happy about it. My only excuse? I broke my pelvis. Back in January, I slipped and fell right on my butt! Those who know me personally would probably agree that I thought I had enough "junk in the trunk" to cushion any fall. But that wasn't the case here. I landed just right and have been in pain ever since. I waited some 5 weeks before going to the doctor because I'm stubborn. Also because I knew there was NOTHING at all they could do for me. It's not like they can cast my hip and I'm still breastfeeding  (22months+) so I refused pain meds. I was told to take calcium, something I should've been taking all along, I KNOW!! Basically, I was told that whenever I did something (sit, turn, move) that caused me pain, to not do it. Also, to rest a lot....with a toddler running around like a maniac trying to destroy the house?? Ughhh! I was given a glimmer of hope when they said it normally takes about 8 weeks for a pelvis fracture to heal...but then 8 weeks came and went and I was still hurting a bit. Ten weeks have passed and I still hurt. It's not enough that I complain constantly (hubby may disagree) but it's enough to limit some movements and trying to stay comfortable is still a job in itself.

Soooo that's why I've been slacking on the playhouse. I've not been able to sit and sew more than 10-15mins at a time. I think this weekend I will start making some of the animals for one of the sides and maybe some fruits and veggies. Time to get back in gear!! I've only got until May 15th to finish it!!

In other news, I've still been making my Kozy Kuddlers!! We celebrated 4 years of Kozy Kuddlers this week!! Hooray!! For those of you who don't know what Kozy Kuddlers are, they are machine washable hot/cold therapy packs. Since starting up 4 years ago, I've used over 100,000 cherry seeds! Why cherry seeds? The cherry seeds I use are all natural, specially cleaned and dried, with no added chemicals. They hold heat longer than rice, beans or corn and can be washed unlike many other fillers! .
In addition to KK's, in January I expanded my line to include "Pamper Yourself--Bath Salts/Soaks and Sugar Scrubs." I've been making bath salts for about 5 years now. Mostly for personal use and for gifts. Since my little Punky Brewster (Emily) enjoys using them too, I started paying more attention with how I make them. She has SUPER sensitive skin so her's are all natural and usually contain colloidal oatmeal.
I have also expanded my line to include nursing covers, washable nursing pads, bibs, sippy cup leashes and car seat blankets. And while I have a good bit of it posted on my facebook page, some I have only on my personal page due to crappy people with no imaginations/creativity trying to copy my own designs instead of coming up with their own. Gotta love that!

I guess I need to go round up Punky Brewster...I promised her we'd go outside and play this afternoon :)

Later,
Kristin

April Winners!

I combined the polls between the blog and my Facebook Fan Page since 2 days before the contest was over my blog poll decided to take a poo. 


Winners are as follows:


April Featured Scent: Lovely Lavender

5 Winners of Free Bath Salts are:

1. lorisumner
2. WonderMels
3. Carol
4. kaabel
5. PipersMom2009 

You will all receive a sample of March's Featured Scent--Cucumber Melon. I will contact you all later this morning (or afternoon) depending on when I wake up. If you're up and feeling froggy, you are more than welcome to email them to me before then. kozykuddlers [at] yahoo dot com.

We'll do this again in a couple weeks!

Congratulations!

**POLL** April's Featured Scent

Thanks to the new Facebook Giveaway Rules, I've decided to take things over here to make it a lot easier on the both of us. Just select your choice and then comment below that you did it. Five people will win FREE BATH SALT SAMPLES!! I'll use random.org to pick the winner from the comments. The 5 winners will be chosen on March 30th!

**Remember that the featured scent is available all month for 10% off!!**
Previously Featured Scents:
February-Pink Chocolate
March-Cucumber Melon
April-??????

Lovely Lavender
Love Spell
Monkey Farts

Exciting Stuff :) Launching a new line!!

I am pleased to announce the release of several Pampering products in my Kozy Kuddler by KAL line :)
For years, they've been a select gift I'd make for those "hard to shop for women" or co-workers. Well, I've tested them for a few weeks on my personal page and they seem to be doing well, so now I'm offering them to the world here!

For now I am offering these products:

 Bath Salts (scented, unscented, colored or natural)

I have several scents to choose from. Most are listed on my personal FB page, but will be making an appearance soon on the Kozy Kuddler by KAL Page :)

 Sugar Scrubs...A few different scents...this is just one. These work well by the kitchen sink or in the shower. They are ideal for someone who wants a little extra pampering, but are always in a hurry. Hubby washes his hands a lot (RN) so his hands are forever drying out. This is a good way to get that moisture back! 

Here is one of the Soaks. This one is strawberry scented :) The soaks I feature contain oatmeal and bits of real fruit. They're great for sensitive skinned people and babies. There is a minimal amount of salt in the soaks.


Well, there ya have it! My new products :) If you have any questions, leave a comment or email me at kozykuddlers{at}yahoo.com.

New Blogs to Follow?!

Ok, I can literally spend HOURS and HOURS on here looking at new blogs and "meeting" (ok, reading about) interesting people! It's almost worse than facebook! Anyways, I was wondering if anyone could recommend new blogs for me to check out. I usually just hop, skip and jump around making my way through the blog world, but a little direction would be handy too :)

Do you have a favorite crafting/photography/cooking/inspirational blog that you recommend?

Saving and Earning!!

Sooo I did pretty good with buying Christmas presents on sale and got some really good deals. I was pretty proud of myself! I did swagbucks (click the link to sign up if you're not already a member) for 8 months out of the year and used the FREE amazon.com gift cards to purchase most of the gifts. If you keep a watchful eye, you can get some really good deals on there!! Also, sign up for Amazon Mom (free) and you can get free 2-day shipping on a lot of products. Swagbucks is now offering printable coupons as well! You can earn 10SB for each coupon that gets used!!

Another program I've joined an would like to share with you is ebates.com!
It's simple to use! Anytime you are going to make a purchase online (and they've got TONS of stores to choose from) just go through your ebates page. A tracking ticket is created and once the order is confirmed, you will get a percentage back! I've got mine set up to go straight into my paypal account....very handy! They also have a $5 sign up bonus :)
Check them out and sign up here: My ebates link

What are some ways you plan on saving money this year???

Exciting News!!! A birthday present?!

After spotting felt playhouses here and there on various blogs, I've decided to jump on the bandwagon. I'm making one for Emily's 2nd birthday!! Now, her bday is in May, some months away, so you might be wondering why I'm talking about it now...well...I've got time management issues, mild ADD (self-diagnosed) and a very busy toddler that doesn't always let me do things as I plan.

I've seen these put together in days, weeks and months...I'm going with months :)
So here's my breakdown.

January--
gathering supplies
designing it
getting Matt to make the frame (I'm using a PVC frame instead of a table)
making some patterns to use
cutting the panels

February--
finish the front (and most important) panel
A mailbox is a must! A window and maybe some flowers too.

March--
Finish the back panel.
I've seen a lot of people that have gardens with ripe, "pickable" fruits and veggies...LOVE LOVE LOVE that idea! I've also seen a clothesline...such a neat idea! Google "felt playhouses" and you'll get soooo many ideas! Then, of course, you can come up with your own!

April--
The 2 sides!! And honestly, I have no idea what to do on the sides yet. I've seen dog houses, apple trees ripe for the picking and even an ice cream shop!

May--
Sewing the whole thing together!
And I'll warn you--I'm not the most patient person in the world, so I'm hoping I even make it this far along :) I usually get so excited about a project, then after a little while the excitement wears off and most of the time, the project ends up in my garage or my "office" just collecting dust.

I'm super excited about this because it will be something Emily can play in for years! And really, the creative possibilities are ENDLESS on a project like this!
I'd love to hear some ideas if you've got any...my slate is blank right now :)

Thanks for Reading!