Monday, September 11, 2017

Dobby and a Harry Potter Party

Well It happened, my son Knox told me he wanted a Harry Potter party for his 7th birthday, making me the proudest mother EVER!  So I went into this party thinking we are going big or not at all! My husband on the other hand gave me a budget! 😒 Thank God for Amazon, Aliexpress, the Dollar Tree, and a home printer or this party would not have happened! I wont get to much into party planning details because the pictures pretty much speak for itself! I will show you the DIY Dobby I made though. It started with 2 paper plates, paper towels, hot glue, wadded up paper, aluminum foil, a empty 2 liter coke bottle, and lots of tape!


The final product turned out better then I thought it would! 

So here are all the pictures from the party down to the invites! Hope you all enjoy! =D 
* Forgot to get a picture of the drink bar. We had Polyjuice Potion Punch, Butterbeer, Elixer of Life (Water), Sweet Tea, and Pumpkin Juice (Sunkist).









When Guests arrived they could do the photobooth before running through the brick wall into Hogsmeade. 

After Everyone had arrived we sorted everyone into their houses by placing the sorting hat on their heads and having them draw out name tags with the houses on it! Then we played several minute to win it games and even had quidditch!  They even got magic wands! 
We all had a magical time! Hope you enjoyed the pictures! Maybe they will help someone with their Potter party! If you have any questions about anytihng please feel free to ask! I had so much fun planning everything for this! The best part was seeing my sons face when he got to the house to see it all decorated!  Thanks again for Checking out this post! 

Monday, August 28, 2017

So I have started doing Influesnter and I gotta say If you do not have an account with them, Go get one NOW! I love it! I get to review awesome amazing products and in return get to keep the products complimentary! It doesn't get better then that people! Especially when you are a family on a budget! I recently got a free gift card from Influenster to Kohls for $20.00. I wanted to challenge myself so I decided to see how much I could buy with the gift card without having to use my own money! I failed but didn't do to bad! I went $1.00 yes you read that right! $1.00 over and that was because of Taxes! but check out what all I got!
2 dresses and a pair of skinny jeans! Admit it you are super impressed! My husband was! =D Kohls was a little intimidating when I first walked in but gotta say they had a great selection! Beware though, you will have to dig if you are shopping the clearance section because my local store was not sorted by size! All the employees at Kohls were friendly and helpful! I will have to go back soon! 



Wednesday, August 2, 2017

DIY Harry Potter Mandrakes!


So My kids decided they wanted a Harry Potter birthday this year! I grew up with Harry Potter and decided we were going big for this party or not at all! When researching things to purchase for these parties I found mandrakes on Etsy! Some as much as $100.00 and thought there is no way! I'm a stay at home mom and don't have that kind of budget for parties! If you do! More power to you! I decided to make my own! Now my Mandrakes may not be the most beautiful or accurate but it cost me under $7 to make! Lets get started!

What you will need!
1. Paper (computer paper, notebook paper, and etc.) I used written on notebook paper.
2. Aluminum Foil                                                      Dollar Tree        $1.00
3. Hot Glue Gun and sticks                                       Dollar General  $2.00
4. foliage ( I used ivy found at the local thrift store)                            $1.00
5. Elmers School Glue                                               Dollar General  $0.50
6. Paint and brushes (dark brown and a tan color)     Wal-Mart  2 for $0.55
7. Twine (Found some at the Dollar Tree)                  Dollar Tree       $1.00

Lets get started! First wad your papers into rounds balls as tight as they will go layer them until you reach the desired size you want!
 Then when you reach your desired sized head wrap it with foil!
Repeat for the body! then connect the 2 by wrapping in foil!  Keep wrapping in foil until you reach the thickness you want and then start adding feet arms and legs! It should look something like this when you are done!
I then used elmers glue and painted it on with a brush! It gets in the small cracks of the foil and dries clear sealing it! (Took a picture of this but it looked the same as above! =/ ) After the glue dries plug in the glue gun and lets add the Ivy! to the head! Take a section of foil the same width as the horn thing on top! Wrap the end of the greenery once the start wrapping the rest around the horn on top of your mandrake like pictured below!

Do both sides then we will attach the roots on the fingers! I used hot glue for this also! Try not to burn yourself! =D


  Now grab your glue gun! Start drawing out the facial features with the glue! You may have to go over it a few times to make it more noticeable! I also added wrinkles to the body, back, arms, and legs.  It should start resembling a mandrake now except for really shiny! 
Its time to make your mandrake look less like and alien and more like a root! Lets start painting! It took me 3 coats of the brown paint to fully cover the foil!  Remember to let it fully dry before putting on another coat! 
Last I went over the brown very gently with a tan color! Do not fully cover your mandrake in tan but very lightly! I added a black mouth and red eyes to give mine a more creepy look!  You are done! Your mandrake should look something like this! 
Now to get a pot to sit him in! =D Hope you enjoyed this easy fun DIY! 

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Here is the New Menu for March... if you have any questions please comment the m below 
and I will answer them as soon as I can... Enjoy! 





Steaks- Everyone perfers something different so get what you perfer
1 pouch fresh mushrooms

Marinate Steaks in Worcestershire Sauce over night... Grill
Toss mush rooms in 1 tbsp of olive oil and cook in saucepan til brown!

I am as guilty as the next person I like to buy discounted food so I found steaks on sale at the local Wal-Mart and it was such a good price I could not pass up.... soooo guess who bought them! Aldi has mushrooms for $.99 cents this week! Perfect weekend supper!!


Cheesy Chicken Tater Tot Casserole


 Ingredients:
1 (32 oz.) bag frozen tater tots
1 (3 oz.)bag bacon pieces
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
3/4 cup milk
salt & pepper, to taste

 Spray slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Layer half of the frozen tater tots on the bottom of the slow cooker.  Sprinkle with 1/3 of the bacon pieces.  top with 1/3 of the shredded cheese.  Add diced chicken on top.  Season with salt & pepper.  Now add 1/3 of the bacon pieces and another 1/3 of shredded cheese.  Put the rest of the frozen tater tots on top. 
Finish with the remaining 1/3 cheddar cheese and remaining 1/3 of bacon pieces.  Pour 3/4 cup milk all over the top.

 Cover and cook on low about 4-6 hours.

 

 Easy Crockpot Hot Chicken Sandwiches

4 frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can water
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 bag of salt and vinegar potato chips; crushed

sweet pickles are optional but I recommend! 

Crock-Pot Hamburger Potatoe Casserole
1 lb. ground beef
Garlic salt
1 cup water
½ tsp cream of tartar
6 potatoes thinly sliced
1 onion, chopped
¼ cup flour
½ tsp pepper
1 cup grated cheddar cheese, divided
2 Tbsp. butter
10 ¾ oz can cream of mushroom soup (you can use cream of chicken instead) 

 1. Brown ground beef and sprinkle in some garlic salt for flavor.
2. In a separate bowl, combine water and cream of tartar. Toss potatoes in water. Drain.
3. In another bowl, mix together onion, flour, salt, pepper and half of cheese.
4. Place browned beef in bottom of crock pot. Top with a layer of potatoes. Add onion cheese mixture.
5. Dot top with butter.
6. Pour soup over all.
7. Cover. Cook on low 7-9 hours or high 3-4 hours.
8. Sprinkle with remaining cheese over top, 30 min. before serving. 


Long Boy Burgers
2-4 (6-inch) sub rolls, split in half lengthwise
1 1/4 cup cornflakes, crushed
1/2 small onion, minced
1/2 cup whole or lowfat milk
6 tablespoons ketchup, separated
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 pounds 90% lean ground beef
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
 Adjust the oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees.

1. Bake rolls, cut side up, on wire rack inside rimmed baking sheet until golden and crisp, about 5 minutes.

2. Combine cornflakes, onion, milk, 4 tablespoons ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, garlic powder, egg, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in large bowl. Add meat and knead gently until well combined.

3. Top toasted rolls evenly with meat mixture, spreading meat to edges of rolls. Brush top of meat mixture evenly with remaining ketchup and bake until meat registers 160 degrees, 20-25 minutes. Top burgers with cheese and continue to bake until cheese melts, 3-4 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes. Serve.


Two Timin Pasta

1 box penne pasta
1 (15 oz.) jar Alfredo sauce
1 (24oz.) jar Marinara sauce
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Cook Pasta according to box.  Mix 2 sauces together in a large bowl, set aside.
 Add the mozzarella and stir to combine.  Then toss in the penne and toss to coat.
 Pour pasta into 9x13 baking dish and cook on 350 for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly.  Remove from oven and sprinkle with shredded parmesan cheese and bake for another 5 minutes.  

 Taco Bake with Spanish Rice

                  1 pound ground Turkey

                 1 packet taco seasoning
                 water as called for on back of seasoning packet
                 3 large flour  Whole Wheat tortillas (8-inch size)
                 1/2 cup Mild Salsa Con Queso
                 1 1/2-2 cups shredded 2% Mexican cheese blend
                  
                Brown Ground meat with taco seasoning. Once the taco meat is ready, turn off 
          heat and add in 1/2 cup salsa con queso.  Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
          Spray an 8-inch round baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
          Layer the bottom of  the pan with a flour tortilla. Add some of the meat mixture and  
          top with shredded Cheese. Keep repeating for 2 more layers,then top with a tortilla.
          Add Shredded cheese onto the top tortilla. Bake for 15-20 mins at 350F Until Cheese
         is melted and edges of tortillas are golden brown.
 
Crock-Pot Spinach Tortellini Soup
Ingredients:
1 bag of frozen tortellini
 1 small bag of fresh spinach
 2 cans of italian style diced tomatoes
 1 box or 4 cups or vegetable broth
1 block of cream cheese

 Put all ingredients in crockpot, chunking up the cream cheese. Cook on low for 5-6 hrs.

Crock-Pot Pesto Ranch Chicken
8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
6 ounce jar of pesto
1 package Ranch Dressing Seasoning Mix
1/2 cup chicken broth

 Turn crock pot to high setting. Place chicken thighs, pesto, ranch dressing and chicken broth into crock pot. Stir gently to combine all seasonings. Close with lid and cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours.

Crock-Pot Coke~A~Cola Chicken
1 Lemon
1 Onion
1 Bottle BBQ Sauce
1 Can Coca Cola
 Peel onion and cut into quarters. Cut lemon into Quarters. Place fryer in crock pot. Toss in onion quarters and lemon quarters. Pour in entire bottle of BBQ Sauce and entire can of Coke. Cover and cook on low all day or high 3 to four hours.





 2 lbs ground beef
 1 small onion diced
1 taco seasoning
1 (16 ounce) can fat free refried beans
2 cups shredded reduced fat shredded cheese
18-20 hard taco shells

Optional Condiments-
Lettuce (shredded)
Tomato (diced)
Salsa
Guacamole
Sour Cream
Olives, sliced 

 Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 
In a large skillet brown ground beef and onion over medium-high heat. Drain off any excess liquid. Return to pan, refried beans, and taco seasoning. Mix well and cook for a few minutes if mixture seems runny.

Spoon the taco meat mixture into the taco shells and place into a 9 x 13 inch baking dish, standing up. Sprinkle cheese over the top of the taco meat in each shell. Place into the oven and bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the tacos are heated through.
Remove from the oven and top with any optional condiments for serving.  




~Happy Cooking~