Favorite Little Princess

I really had no intentions of creating a post about this, but I was so shocked at the results that I just had to share. You can see in the photos just how gross the glass in the oven can get.  I had seen several comments about how great Bar Keepers  Friend is, but I never imagined this. I was skeptical about using it on glass, but the package said it was safe. Even with the horrible reflection, you can see how well that stuff works. It's pretty cheap, too, and you can often find coupons in the paper. I've seen ads that they make a cooktop cleaner. As soon as I find it, I'll get that too. Do you use Bar Keepers Friend? What do you clean with it? I'm ready to clean some more!

  If you have battles over what toppings to put on the pizza, then this is just for you! It's the perfect size and simple enough to let the kiddos get involved. On those nights when you just want to get something made quickly, without the argument, whip up a batch of these little pizzas. INGREDIENTS Refrigerated pizza dough (or make your own) Pizza sauce - get the smallest jar, you won't need much Mozzerella cheese (shredded) Your favorite toppings   We chose: Pepperoni Sausage Mushrooms DIRECTIONS Lightly spray a cupcake tin with cooking spray. Spread out the dough and cut into 12 equal blocks. Tuck these squares into the cupcake tin. Spread the sauce evenly onto each pizza. Top with your favorite topping and cover with cheese. Pop in the oven according to the directions on the pizza dough package.  The kids chose what they wanted on theirs and nobody had to pick stuff off. Even the hubby liked it. Clean up was a breeze and everyone was happ...

Did you see the story about the 4 pound hairball that was removed from a tiger? The story is from my local area, but I know it made national news. Can I just say YUCK?!?! You can click on the link under the image for the full story. Associated Press The litter box has to be my least favorite thing about owning a cat, but the whole hairball thing is almost a deal breaker. So what can you do help your kitty? There are quite a few choices. You can buy a lubricant.  They work well enough, but the smell is horrendous. I don't know how cats stand it. You can give them kitty treats especially formulated for hairballs. My kitty actually likes these, but he's already over 20 pounds and the recommended dosage is 5 treats a day. There are even some home remedies that you can use and you most likely already have it in your pantry. Butter - add 1/2 teaspoon to food once a week Olive Oil -  add 1/2 teaspoon to food once a week Petroleum Jelly - place a dab on ...

This recipe can be found on the Crockin' Girls website, but I've pasted it below for you. I'm a sucker for slow cooker recipes because I like to fix it and forget it. This site has a ton of recipes to choose from. I have to admit, the thought of putting Italian dressing mix on my chicken did not sound appealing. However, the photo makes it look so yummy.  Angel Chicken @Crockin' Girls My attempts never turn out as pretty as the photos from where I find recipes. I'm just going to assume that the taste is the same and this one was pretty good. The Italian dressing was not overpowering, but gave it just a little kick of flavor. I would suggest more towards the 7 hours rather than 8 hours for cooking. Chicken just always seem to cook faster for me in the slow cooker. Ready to try it for yourself? Angel Chicken Ingredients • 4 to 6 Chicken Breasts • 1/4 Cup Butter • 1/2 Package Dry Italian salad dressing mix • 1 Can Cream of mushroom soup • 1/2...

I get a lot of inspiration from Pinterest, as do many of you, so I thought I would start a weekly posting of my top five pins from each week. The more I pin, the more I find I need to add more boards to organize all those pins. This past week I created a new board based on one such pin. It wasn't long before I accumulated 89 pins. That's a lot of cupcakes! Favorite Pin #1 Cupcake This was originally pinned from Rachelles Beautiful Bespoke Cakes , out of London. Her creations are just amazing. If you check out her blog, which is linked on her site, you can see how she puts together some of these sweet designs. Favorite Pin #2 Chevron Baby Blanket This precious little blanket can be found over at Eat, Knit, & DIY . which I find amusing since this is a crocheted blanket. I often get requests from crocheted gifts whenever a new baby is close to arriving. This blanket will make a fine addition to my collection of go-to gifts, especially with the recent popularity ...

There have been several funerals in our calendar this month, so I thought I would do something for those loved ones who are grieving. Hopefully, it will give them just a little comfort during this time. I've heard of the Prayer Shawl Ministry  before, but I never put anything into action.   The idea behind the shawl is to create a "hug" with the length of the shawl. With the traditional prayer shawl, there are prayers that can be said before, during, and after the creation of the shawl with the idea that those prayers are weaved in with the yarn and transferred to the recipient. It's really quite beautiful. For those who aren't religious, or if you are unfamiliar with the recipients belief, you can create a healing shawl. There are tons of poems that you can include with it - or write your own.  I found lots of patterns with fringe, but I wanted something different and classier.  Fringe can unravel over time and I wanted to ma...

Most of our 5k races are early in the morning; a necessity with the Florida heat. It got pretty warm during the day and I was worried we were going to have a hot event, but by the 7 PM race time it was pretty cool out. We even had a little time to take in the scenery. The Mayfaire 5k was a new event for us, so we weren't too sure what to expect. There was promise of two lakes to run around followed by fireworks and we thought that sounded like fun.  What was not fun was trying to run after our first kickboxing class. Oh my goodness we were in so much pain! To top it off, we had to tackle several hills. Double ouch! At least we had pretty scenery to look at. We found a couple of houses we wouldn't mind moving into, as well. Not our best times, but we weren't really running for a PR (personal record). Our family 5k races are strictly for fun. It was fun to finish, but it felt longer than 3 miles. We grabbed some food - which was better than we've had at a lot...

I've been wanting to make my mom a cover for her Kitchen Aid mixer ever since she got me one. Mostly because I discovered how much dust settles on them. I'm not sure why I kept putting it off, but the farthest I could get was pinning patterns to Pinterest. Don't I feel silly now that I know how easy it is. I think I could do a basic one in less than an hour, but I couldn't just make my mom any old cover. Nope! It needed to be special. Disney special. Ultimately, I decided on this pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/55661745364829174/ I found some images on Flickr of others who used this pattern, so I figured I could handle it. Plus, it came with a pattern and instructions. First, I cut out all my pieces. I debated about using a batting to make it stiffer, but decided against it. However, I did line it with the muslin I used to do a test run for size. Waste not, want not!  Next, I pinned on the piping. I've never sewn piping on before, so I used a ton of pins t...

Summer is right around the corner, so it's time to get ready for some backyard grilling! Do you use a charcoal grill? Sprinkle an even layer of cat litter in the bottom of the pan before adding the charcoal. The litter insulates the metal from heat and also absorbs grease and fat for easier cleaning. Does your grill rack get so dirty it makes you want to scream? Maybe that's just me. I hate scrubbing it. Here's an easier way. Place the rack in a large trash bag and spray the rack with Easy-Off oven cleaner (or similar brand). Seal the bag closed and let it sit outside overnight. Remove the rack from the bag, spray it down with hose, and throw away the trash bag.  You can also wrap the rack in aluminum foil (shiny side facing inside) and place back in grill. Turn the heat on high for ten minutes or more. Let the rack cool, then remove the foil. All of the burned-on food and grease will fall off the rack. Can't find your grill brush? Is it frayed beyond all use...