Makes my Monday-A Little Sewing

Seeing the results of my sewing-"Makes My Monday"

as the girls model their new cozy winter dresses on a beautiful autumn day.
Kimmy (3 1/2) and Gracie (8 on Thurs!)

A model in the making?

What "Makes your Monday"? Share with us at Twinfatuation.

Simply Made Sunday--Chewy peanut butter cup brownie cupcakes

These are "simply" easy and so, so yummy!
The simple part is that you use a chewy brownie mix, and the yummy, yummy part is the mini peanut butter cup that is in the middle.
We used a regular size cupcake pan and lined it with baking papers. The hardest part of this is the unwrapping---which Kim and Luke were very good at!

The tricky part is making these last until the brownie batter is mixed up.

Make the brownie mix according to the package directions.

My kids do love dumping,

and mixing.

Fill the cupcake papers halfway full.

Push a mini peanut butter cup into the center of the brownie batter.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.

These go quick, so

grab a glass of milk before they are gone!

Check out more recipes at Raising Itty-Bitty Bookworms.

We Made It: Friday Showcase...Halloween Luminary

Last year we made fall luminaries and they turned out so nice, I decided to revisit this idea and have Mark and Grace make "halloween luminaries".
Supplies needed:
small clear glass votive candle holders
halloween stickers
black and white tissue paper
white glue
tealight candle
First we put halloween stickers on the votive glass jars.

Mark made sure to place them "just right".

Water down white glue in a mixture of 2 parts glue and 1 part water.

Tear tissue paper into small pieces.

Use a paintbrush to put glue on the glass, lay the tissue onto the glue and then add another layer of glue. Continue doing this until covered--overlapping edges.

Apply the tissue paper right over the stickers.

Mark and Grace made these totally on their own!

The final step is to let the gluey candle holder dry.

It actually only took about 2 hours, even though, from the looks of it, it would take a lot longer.

Use a tealight inside the candle holder,

and then sit back and enjoy your children's handiwork.

Check out all of this week's We Made It-posts at Ramblings of a Crazy Woman.

Dinner in "the little house"

The impossible photo---and this is with one child at work....

Open Ended Art-black and white

This week's theme for Open Ended Art was "black and white".

For Kim and Luke, I simply opened a big package of different types of paintbrushes, handed out black construction paper and poured out the white tempra paint.

Kimmy was eager to get started and wanted the BIGGEST paintbrush.

Luckily, there were two BIG brushes because that is what Luke wanted also.

I had hoped they would explore the other brushes, but for them, it seems that the bigger the better!
Kimmy really painted white--a lot of white--we couldn't see any black when she was finished.

For Gracie, I sent her out to find some nice autumn leaves to go along with her white paint and black paper.

She did exactly what I hoped she would do.

She painted one of the leaves, "spilling" paint over onto the paper. This made a great leaf shadow. She then turned the leaf over and used it to stamp the leaf onto the paper.

It turned out great!

It was a good thing that Kim and Luke were using the big brushes because they really liked to cover a lot of paper with paint.

Notice both of their pictures above--they said that they were making ghosts for halloween.

Kimberly then continued with her painting to paint her hands and then "wash" them with a little more paint. (Washing her hands in unusual substances is becoming a "thing" with her lately)

As is usual, Kim was the last crafter remaining.

Here she made Dora the Explorer and some friendly ghosts.

Mommy's open ended art was inspired by Gracie!

A table full of finished artwork. Notice that we ran out of black paper and I had to get out the blue!

Make sure to stop by Mommies Wise Little Bookworms and check out everyones Open ended art this week.

Next week: Pumpkins: Real, Collage anything goes

Happy 21st Birthday, Becky!!!

Whoo Hoo!!!! You made it!!!!!

Progresso Panko Giveaway-now closed

Thanks to Progresso and My Blog Spark, I have had the opportunity to tryout Progresso Panko bread crumbs and Progresso chicken broth (which I already use).

"Panko is Japan’s secret ingredient for crunch. A flaky bread crumb with a coarse texture and jagged edges, panko imparts a delicate crispiness perfect for frying or baking. For nearly a decade, panko has been popping up on the plates of fine dining restaurants, but for the home chef, panko has been difficult to find. Not anymore. Progresso Foods introduces its newest gourmet bread crumb, panko, in two flavors, plain and Italian." from Progresso's website.

My kids especially enjoy them as breading for homemade chicken strips. They remain crispy and tender after baking.

Also available on ProgressoFoods.com is a coupon for $1.00*off any two Progresso products. At ProgressoBroth.com you’ll find a coupon for $.50 off a package of broth

Now, thanks to Progresso and My Blog Spark I am offering on lucky winner the opportunity to win this great prize package. It includes

Progresso panko,

a carton of Progresso broth,

a measuring cup,

a slotted spoon,

a soup ladle,

and a sheet pan for baking.

*To enter this giveaway please leave a comment telling about your tip for using panko or broth.

After this first entry you can get extra entries by:

1. become a follower of my blog

2. add this post to a giveaway weekly "link up" and tell me about it

3. get 2 extra chances for blogging about this giveaway and letting me know

The winner will be drawn on 10/28 using the random number generator.

Three Brothers and Three Sisters Tote Set--Review

I have recently had the opportunity to review the Three Brothers and Three Sisters Tote Set from The Catholic Company.
The set includes seven books featuring the seven sacraments, an activity card and a Go Fish Sacrament card game. It all comes in a very sturdy little tote perfect for little ones to carry.
My 3, 4, and 7 year old especially enjoyed the books. This seems to be the age that they are geared too. Each book tells about one of the sacraments in a very sweet way.
I loved the illustrations.
The books are perfect for my seven year old to read aloud to her younger siblings, and at the same time helps her review the sacraments for her upcoming First Holy Communion.
The Go Fish Sacrament card game has the cutest illustrations based on the pictures in the books.
They feature each of the sacraments and also different members of the clergy. We have had great discussions about the differences between deacons, priests and bishops because of these cards.

Luke loves playing cards and especially enjoyed the books featuring the three brothers.

Mark is 9 and wasn't interested in the books. They were too "young" for him, but he did love playing cards with the other kids.

3 and 7 year olds both enjoyed the whole set!

Another activity I used the cards for was to play concentration with Luke (4) and Kim (3).

This is a game they enjoy, and are now beginning to know the names of the sacraments because of the cards.

This would be a great gift for little ones beginning to learn about the Catholic faith.

This review was written as part of the Catholic book Reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Three Brothers and Three Sisters Tote Set.

I was given the Three Brothers and Three Sisters Tote Set in exchange for my honest opinion of the product.