February's Thought of the Month

The passing of time reminds us to live more,
so we can learn more

Soapy the Sock Fish

For 2 years and up -- Most kids love sudsing themselves and this squeaky clean toy helps hands keep a grip on wet soap-without making a mess of the bar in the process

You need- New or re purposed baby sock/Embroidery thread and needle/bar of soap

Turn sock inside out, then make eyes by sewing a couple if small stitches on either side of the toe just above the seam

Turn the sock right side out and put the bar of soap into the toe. Securely tie off the sock with a piece of thread and trim the ends.

William and Abby

William and Abby playing together, the only problem is Abby just wanted to lick!!

Zesty Beef and Rice Skillet

Here's a one skillet dish that features beef,rice and salsa that will have everyone enjoying their dinner

You need

1 tablespoon oil

1 boneless sirloin steak cut into strips

1 jar Picante sauce

1 cup beef stock

1 cup uncooked rice

Chopped parsley

Heat oil . Add beef and cook until well browned stirring often. Pour off any fat.

Stir the picante sauce,broth and rice in the skillet and heat to boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 20 minutes or until the rice is tender. Sprinkle the beef mixture with the parsley

Southwestern Chicken Taco Salad

Dinner in 30 minutes is a breeze when you start with cooked and seasoned chicken breast strips from the freezer

Your need

Dressing

1/2 cup Chunky Salsa

1/2 cup sour cream

Salad

1 bag romaine and leaf lettuce

1 cup Mexican blend cheese

1 1/2 packages frozen cooked southwestern seasoned chicken breast strips thawed( or make your own)

1 can sliced ripe olives drained

4 plum tomatoes cut into quarters

1 cup chili flavored corn chips slightly crushed

2 teaspoons taco seasoning

In small bowl beat dressing ingredients with wire whisk

In a large bowl, mix salad ingredients, except corn chips. Add dressing, toss until coated Sprinkle with corn chips

Hot Chocolate Mug Cakes

Bake your favorite chocolate cake batter in individual mugs for a warming winter dessert

You need cooking spray/chocolate cake batter/Marshmallow creme

Simply coat the insides of oven safe mugs with cooking spray, then fill the mugs halfway with batter.

Follow the cupcake baking instructions on the cake mix package. The cakes are done when a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean. Allow to cool for 15 minutes

Top each mug with a generous dollop of marshmallow creme and serve with a spoon. One cake mix makes 12 mugs. Any leftover just bake in a small pan

Embellish A Cookbook

For pencil holder, glue a wide grosgrain ribbon across middle of inside back cover. Place pencil on top, then glue the ribbon back onto itself,creating a loop.

For bookmark glue narrow ribbon along spine edge, leaving excess to dangle from bottom. Attach an envelope slightly smaller than the back end paper over both ribbons, for keeping recipes and notes

Pretty Napkin Rings

Patterned Napkin Rings-Set your table with napkin rings as unique as your guests. For each ring, fold a 6 inch length of fabric ribbon in half,right sides facing, and sew ends together with a 1/4 inch seam allowance. Turn the rings right side out, and slip them around rolled napkins

Button Napkin Ring- Perk yo your party table setting with stray buttons. To turn a cluster of buttons into an eye catching napkin ring, cut a 6 inch long piece of 1 1/4 inch elastic. Hand stitch the ends together, and sew on enough buttons to completely cover the elastic

Nautical Napkin Rings- Bind 96 inches of off white cord at 12 inch intervals with clear adhesive tape. Snip through tape and cord to create 8 lengths. Thread each length through a boat snap

Loop cord,aligning ends on a 2 inch piece of 3/4 inch wide off white tape smeared with white or fabric glue.

Pinch sides of cord together to create 2 smaller loops,securing with tape

**** Boat snaps, known as eye snaps can be found at boating supply shops

Ok, the News is Out !!

As all of you know by now my daughter Jennifer makes jewelry . She has recently got back into making polymer clay beads and has some unique items. You can check out the sidebar to see more of her creations at www. twocreativechicks.com Also she has started dappling in metal, all original designs.

Well, now she is branching out into metal stamping. This will be coming soon so you need to watch for it and check out her site.She will have two options, you can order thru her or her Etsy Store which is coming soon also .

She is doing giveaways too, watch for them.Remember she is offering a 5% discount if you mention that you heard about her on Helen's Corner

Hanging with Grandpa

Look at that smile!!

How cute is this!!

OMG!!! William with Grandma's readers !!

Timber!

Here's William practicing sitting up. Stay tuned until the very end :)

Asian Marinated Flank Steak

With ingredients that one almost always has on hand you can make a flank steak extra special in no time. If you have leftovers, use them in Beef Spring Rolls with a dipping sauce.

Ingredients

1 cup low sodium soy sauce

1/4 cup honey

2 tablespoons lime juice

4 cloves garlic

2 teaspoons ground ginger

3 pounds flank steak

How to

In a large resealable plastic bag mix soy sauce,lime juice, garlic and ginger to combine. Lightly score steak on both sides. Add steak to marinade. Marinate in refrigerator 4-8 hours, turning occasionally

Heat broiler> Cover sided cookie sheet with foil. Cook steak 4 inches from heat for 11 minutes, turning once, or until medium rare

Video of William playing

William came to play today!!

Decorate with Flea Market Finds

Candle sticks before- White paint and cheerful flourishes can give heavy brass candlesticks a contemporary look. Don't worry about a matched set, A mix of shapes looks better.

Candlesticks How to Clean candlesticks with soap and water to remove dirt. Use metal spray paint and primer.Let dry. Add another coat if you're not satisfied with the color or if there are spots that need touch up. Paint stripes, dots, or any other pattern using enamel craft paint a a brush.

Family Circle Mag

Box Handles

Make heavy lifting a little easier by creating handholds after taping shut moving or storage boxes. With a razor blade or utility knife, cut a 4 inch slit about 3 inches from the box top on shorter sides, then a 3 inch perpendicular slit down the center to create a T. Score along diagonals to form two triangles, fold these flaps inward

Surprising New Uses for Dryer Sheets

Here is some useful info on dryer sheets, they are no longer just for the dryer.

Dryer sheet as thread detangler- To prevent tangles, run a threaded needle through a sheet before you begin stitching

Dryer sheet as a scum buster - Remove obstinate stop buildup from glass shower doors by sprinkling a few drops of water onto a used fabric softener sheet and scrubbing

Dryer sheet as iron cleaner-Remove gunk from a sole plate of an iron. With the setting on low,rub the iron over the dryer sheet until the residue disappears, and you're left with a pristine press

Dryer sheet as shoe freshener- Roll up one sheet per slipper,sneaker, or loafer, insert, and forget about stinky shoes

Dryer sheet as static stopper-Stop static cling on clothes-or tame flyaway hair- by rubbing a sheet over the problem area.

Gosh, who new. Let me know if these work for you

Felt Fortune Cookies

Using fabric shears, cut a 4 1/2 inch circle from a piece of felt. Cut a piece of matching ribbon slightly shorter than 4 1/2 inches. Using wire cutters cut a piece of floral wire slightly shorter than the length of ribbon

Using craft glue,affix the wire to the middle of the felt circle. Glue ribbon on top,covering the wire. Let dry

Fold the felt circle in half,using the wire as a guide, so ribbon is inside cookie. Next ,angle the sides toward each other, bending the wire at its halfway point and forming a fortune cookie shape as shown

Assemble the fortune cookies. Carefully peel back one flap of the felt cookie, and insert a paper fortune and a few candies. Fold the flap back over to close cookie around contents.

Surprising Birthday Cake Toppers

A cake adorned with silk flower candle holders can be centerpiece worthy. Place flowers, minus their centers on rounds of waxed paper and push tacks into candles from underneath

Celebrate spring with blooming lollipops atop your birthday treats. Mound vanilla icing high, and cover in sprinkles.Snip leaves from taffy tape

Perfect for a winter birthday cake, insert long, thin candles in powdered sugar doughnut holes and place on top of the cake

Keepsake Envelope Folders

Over the centuries, envelopes have contained may secrets and declarations of true love, so it's appropriate to use a group of them to store dear old letters and treasured notes-- or to fill them with trinkets for your valentine. Just stick several envelopes together , using their own adhesive, then insert your keepsakes, and tie the bundle with the most beautiful ribbon you can find.

First, fold the flaps back on all but one of the envelopes you want to join. With the unfolded flap on the bottom,stack the envelopes, open side up. Moisten folded flaps,affix each to the envelope behind it. Punch a hole through the bottom center of all the envelopes;insert keepsakes, and fold last flap over. Thread a ribbon through the hole, and tie.

Check this out !!

Jennifer is going to be posting a give away this week!! Can't wait to see what she is up too. Check out the sidebar to see all her creative jewelry and the give away . Remember if you mention Helen's Corner you receive a 5% savings, what a deal .

Pics of William

Little William had some professional photos taken yesterday, need to sort thru them but, Pat here is one to look at

New pics of "William"

William is drinking out of a sippy cup

Practicing his smile and sitting up on his own .Pat did you recognize the outfit, it finally fits him Practicing his smile

Playing on the floor

Checking out the camera

Check these out !!

This is just an example of some of the different and unique jewelry that you will find on Jennifer's blog.This just happens to be my favorite.

She also has one-of-a kind items, something for everyone. Check out the sidebar and take a look for yourself. She also takes orders on styles and colors, so if you see something you like but maybe in a different color, just ask.

She's Back !!!

My lovely daughter Jennifer is back!! Well ,she never went anywhere but she took a break from blogging to have my darling grandson William. But she is back in full force. You need to check out her blog,Two Creative Chicks. She has many new items that are just adorable, fun and unique.

Check out the sidebar and it will direct you to her site. She does custom orders also.

Cute Hangers

Here's an attractive and practical gift you can wrap up in a jiffy; a collection of colorful padded hangers made simply from cloth ribbon and recycled plastic shopping bags

You need
Plastic hangers/12 or so plastic bags per hanger/tape/4 1/2 yards of ribbon 1 1/2 inches wide per hanger

To pad each hanger, wrap plastic bags evenly around it,using short strips of tape to attach them at both ends.Cover the whole hanger except for the hook

Next, wrap ribbon around the plastic bag padding starting at the base of the hook and leaving a 1 foot tail extending above it(you'll need this to tie a bow later) Overlap the ribbon enough to hide the plastic

When you get back to where you started, cut the ribbon so that you have another 1 foot tail, then tie the two ends into a tight bow

Tubular Frame

Add a favorite picture to one of these paper frames and you've got a perfect gift for someone special.

You need cardboard/scissors/colored paper,gift wrap,magazine pages/tape.glue/dowel or round chopstick

How to

First trim a piece of cardboard into a rectangle for the frame and cover it with a piece of colored paper.

Next wrap pieces of colored paper around the dowel or chopstick,gluing or taping the edge of the paper in place. Remove the paper tube and glue or tape it to the frame.

Repeat process with more tubes, filling in any spaces with small pieces and leaving room in the center for the picture.

Laundry Room Storage Solutions

Appliance Drawers Some manufacturers of washers and dryers thoughtfully provide storage drawers in the base of the appliance. If you're shopping for a new washer and dryer and your laundry space is short,on space keep this feature in mind

A Situation with Style A space saving stacked washer and dryer in this closet turned laundry area leaves plenty of room to install shelves for storage. If you have no door conceal it with a cute colorful shower curtain suspended from a shower rod.

"William"

Here are some pictures taken over the holidays. Family picture of the Jeff''s

William in his new high chair

Kicking back with Dad

And Mom

An attempt to crawl, he goes backwards real good LOL

Abby stopping by to say Hi

January's Thought of the Month

If you don't risk anything,you risk even more

Erica Jong