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Passing Along Some Laughs

If you haven't joined the Kid History fan club yet, get with it!! Zach and I are totally obsessed with these videos. There are 3 others after this one so be sure to check those out on Youtube. Sorry if you don't think they are funny but we've been quoting them non stop for the past month now and I'm still not sick of them.

Enjoy!

My First Skirt!

My project this whole week has been this skirt tutorial which I found on Say Yes to Hoboken!

Ok so I had never sewn clothes before so this was quite the adventure. But I think it turned out cute! Perfect for summer days.

And this project was really good to get me really acquainted with my sewing machine. I learned sooo much!

Things I learned

• Read the directions through very thoroughly before cutting. While stitching is mostly reversible, cutting is not!
• Really measure your waist. I was scared to make it too small but now it's a little too big. Just remember to add enough extra for your zipper.
• Youtube is amazing! You can learn anything you want there.
• Even though it might be cute to use a lighter thread so that you can see the stitching, just stick to a thread that matches.
• A heavier fabric might make this pattern cuter.
• Sewing machines are amazing! All the different feet and settings they have. So cool.
• And even though I have youtube and the internet, I still need my Mommy.

Once I started this skirt I realized that this tutorial isn't all that clear so I had to resort to a few helpful youtube clips.

This one helped me with the invisible zipper.

I know it's not totally invisible and it's a little off...

but pretty good for a first timer learning from youtube!!

And this one helped me with the hem stitch.

So much easier than by hand.

Another REALLY AWESOME thing that I did to save some money, was to buy my fabric from D.I.. I always look through the bed sheets when I go there because they are so cheap and supply a lot of fabric! I know it sounds kind of gross to be using someone's old bed sheets but hey wash it good and it works. And you never would have known if I didn't tell you right?

Now onto my next DIY!

Healthy Start

If you're looking for a healthy start to your summer, try this yummy smoothie! It may not look to yummy but don't judge a smoothie by it's color.

My Popeye Smoothie

Original Recipe

Ingredients

Handful of fresh spinach
1 cup vanilla lowfat yogurt
1/2 cup cranberry juice
3 strawberries (fresh or frozen)
10 blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1 banana (fresh or frozen)
A few cubes of ice

Directions
Pour the cranberry juice and yogurt into the blender. Add the spinach and pulse until it has blended into small pieces. Add the strawberries, blueberries, and bananas to the mix. When everything is whipped into a smoothie texture, add a few chunks of ice and blend on high.

* Add flax to the mix for added nutritional value

Spinach in a fruit smoothie?! I know it may sound gross but you can't taste the spinach at all! This really is so great. And it makes me feel better about my vegetable diet, which I don't really have. Give it a try!

And let me know if you have any other favorite healthy recipes. I'm always looking for more.

You Have to See This Lil Peanut

Yes? No?

Either way I love this kid. He just makes me happy.

Nutella Lovers This Is For You!

If you are a Nutella addict like me, pay attention. I found this wonderful Nutella cookie recipe today and had to share it with you so that you can stop eating spoonfuls of nutella straight from the container.

Here it is

Ingredients:

½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
½ cup Nutella or other hazelnut chocolate spread
1 egg
½ tsp. Frangelico (if you have it, if not vanilla will work just fine)
1 ½ cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F.

Cream butter with an electric mixer about 1 minute until smooth. Add in both sugars. Beat on high speed about 3 minutes until light & fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

With the mixer on low, add the egg and Frangelico (or vanilla). Then add the Nutella and mix well.

In a small bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, and mix on low speed until incorporated. Increase the speed to medium and mix just until the dough is smooth. Fold in chocolate chips.

Using a small ice cream scoop (or a teaspoon) form the dough into balls and place on greased cookie sheet. To prevent my cookies from spreading too much, I stuck the cookie sheets in the freezer for about 10 minutes before baking.

Bake 6-7 minutes (or 7-8 if baking from freezer). Let cookies cool about 5 minutes and transfer to a rack to cool completely.

And I am a not so good cookie maker (especially in high elevations) and these turned out so perfect! I ate all of them. Enjoy!

Question

Do you like my new header or the old one?