Rice Krispies

There's a whole lot you can do with Rice Krispies & they have a pretty good website to boot. Check out their link below for some great ideas. Who knew? Yum!

The Fascinator

Will Kate Middleton wear a fascinator on her head for her wedding? If she comes down the aisle w/ her face veiled I may be disappointed...hmmm...we'll have to wait to find out!

These are good right? A royal wedding is exCiting!

Flowers from plastic bottles

The sky's the limit as to what you can make/do by recycling plastic bottles. Save the recycling centre/landfill some work and turn some of yours into something beautiful and inspiring...

Pop bottle flowers (+ instructions) from here.

...

You could use them to make a wreath - inspiration from here.

Button Button..whose got the button?!

I have a medium sized jar of mis-matched buttons. Even if one of my shirts lost a button, you think I'd be able to find the replacement? So...here are some button crafts that I think are great. Click on the photo to go directly to the web page.

the next 4 (groups of) photos are from the same website:

Easter Crafts

Click on the photo to go to the web site - have fun!

Mini's Easter Eggs

Cute and Easy Paper Cup Egg/Treat Holders 

Add a ribbon to turn them into tiny easter baskets

These are hilarious! Imagine your family & friends as eggs?

Cute and simple.

Are those jelly bellies? So cute!

Frozen Yogurt in a Tube

Yoplait makes these yogurt tubes that make a super treat for kids and grown ups alike, especially if you freeze them.

Our daughter really likes these yogurt pops and I feel good that she's eating yogurt! 

To prevent cold fingers and hands slip the frozen yogurt tube into a mitten or a sock. P.S. the mitten or sock makes a good napkin when things start to get melty!

Lasagna Recipe

This is a simple & easy lasagna recipe from my Grandma's "go to recipe book." It freezes well and you can make your own additions/deletions to suit.


Mrs. Shirley Ostertag’s Lasagna

~ Adopted and Adapted by Grandma Wildeman

Brown: 

1 lb lean ground beef

1⁄2 c chopped onion

Add: 

1 can mushrooms (stem & pieces, use liquid)

1 can tomato soup

1⁄2 c ketchup

1⁄2 c water

1 tsp oregano + 1⁄2 tsp each s & p + 1/8 tsp garlic salt

Simmer for 10 minutes.

Mix: 

1 c feta

1 egg

2 c shredded mozza

1⁄2 c grated parmesan cheese

1 pkg spinach (thaw & squeeze out all water in spinach before adding to mixture – buy in frozen food section)

In 9” x 12” Baking Dish Layer:

1⁄2 Meat sauce

No Boil Lasagna Noodles

1⁄2 feta mixture

No Boil Lasagna Noodles

1⁄2 Meat sauce

No Boil Lasagna Noodles

1⁄2 feta mixture

Top with:

+/- 2 c fresh sliced mushrooms

1 c shredded mozza

Bake uncovered in 350° F oven for 1 hour (Place cookie sheet under baking dish to catch drippings)

• When using No Boil Lasagna Noodles there should be enough sauce to cover all of the exposed noodles/they may end up crispy - so add more if necessary.

Download the recipe from the vault here.


This recipe makes a big lasagna - eat 1/2 and freeze 1/2. Homemade yum in a pan. Enjoy!

Hey good lookin!
Wwwhhhat ya got cookin?


Here's a photo of my grandma back in the day.
She looks like fun + trouble, yes?! She still is!

The Happiness Project

Have you read The Happiness Project: Or Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle and Generally Have More Fun. by Gretchen Rubin? I have and I liked it very much.

It took me about three months on the Winnipeg Public Library waiting list to get my hands on this book and it was worth the wait (I've been on a reading binge lately). In a nutshell, the author looks to boost her happiness quota by doing some soul searching, researching theories of happiness, developing personal resolutions to test some theories and increase her own happiness. Some other results are Gretchen's own Twelve Personal Commandments (listed below) and Four Splendid Truths (I'll let you check out the book for yourself).

Gretchen Rubin's 12 Personal Commandments

• Be Gretchen.
• Let it go.
• Act the way I want to feel.
• Do it now.
• Be polite and be fair.
• Enjoy the process.
• Spend out.
• Identify the problem.
• Lighten up.
• Do what ought to be done.
• No calculation.
• There is only love.

Why I like this book:

• I want to be as happy as possible too and I like the intriguing title
• Gretchen is married and has two children
• She's done a ton of research into happiness theory and incorporates and tests the theories the throughout the book (aka: the background research is done...but I have a list of resources I could investigate for myself, if/when I want to - and there is a comprehensive reading list at the back of the book)
• There are funny moments throughout the book
• Gretchen is really honest about how she feels about life in general (it's not always easy being a woman/mom/wife - especially when you want to be the best person you can be...because we care, right?)
• She's developed a corresponding website where you can start your own Happiness Project with the same tools she's developed - for Free (not all authors are so generous)
• I feel Gretchen makes no apologies for being less than perfect
• I like and appreciate the fact that she's willing to report on what didn't work for her
• This book has opened a door of self reflection for me where I feel no pressure...only possibilities.

I would suggest checking out the book before the website. In my opinion there's nothing holding a book, turning the pages and eventually finishing it (an accomplishment in itself sometimes). 

I've bought/read/sought out a lot of books on personal development but this one is by far my favorite. It goes beyond what most of the other books did because I've felt encouraged and inspired to think about what it means to be happy (for me) and how I can take action instead of waiting for happiness to show up on my front door one day.

P.S. Yes, I am very happy and grateful for my life (maybe not ever second of every day) - but why not shoot for more of a good thing? Let me know if you read the book and what you think of it. 

"Happiness is not about what happens to you, but how you choose to respond to what happens. That's why it's called happiness not happenness—though it could be called hope-ness. You must always leave room for hope that all has happened for good cause." How to Be Happy, Dammit: A Cynic's Guide to Spiritual Happiness, by Karen Salmansohn.

Decoupage Surprise Eggs

Easter is late this year so that's gives us plenty of time to do this and that, right?

Check out these really cute Decoupauge Surprise Eggs from Say Yes to Hoboken. Whether you're up for doing the  craft/not I think just looking at jelly beans in eggs is enough to make almost anyone smile! P.S. just as good = a mason jar full of colourful jellybeans on the counter/as a table centerpiece? Why not?!

Here on the Canadian prairies we have to wait a while for colourful flowers to pop up in our (our our neighbours) gardens, why not inject some colour into our houses while we wait?

Have a super happy fun spring day!

Bookshelf/Play House

1 sheet of 3/4" plywood = this bookshelf/play house. I like the kleenex box chimney detail.
From here.

Time for Tea and a Tidy

We Can Do It! T&T now also stands for Tea and Tidy.

I read this in some sort of "get organized" book a while back. It's one of those tips that really works and the best part is it incorporates "taking a break" into the instructions:

'Take 2 minutes to heat yourself up a cup of [tea]. While the microwave is running take a sweep through your abode and tidy up (note: don't worry too much about tackling everything). By the time the microwave is done heating up your drink your place will be a little more tidy and your reward will be waiting.'

Knowing I only have two minutes (at a time - it can get addictive) to tidy up activates my sometimes dormant efficiency and speed mode... This task is easy enough to do and the tea really does feel like a reward. Voila!

There are a LOT of tea blogs out there...after doing a bit of digging, I came across one I like:

One Charming Party (.com)

Thanks to Jessica for a heads up on this very cute party website. There are lots of cute party ideas and free DIY tutorials + printable downloads (which is really too kind). Take a spin around the site and if you like what you see let the authors know. It's what keeps us bloggers going!