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I am still getting this whole quilting thing down. I learned I am impatient and press the sewing foot too fast with my lead foot, so some of my sewing lines are squiggly. I looked to Crazy Mom Quilts for attaching the back with the middle and the top. I don’t have wood floors, so I pinned mine to the carpet and then pinned it all throughout. Also, I was a little rusty on finishing the binding, so I looked up these great websites for help: Kelly Mccaleb, Expert Village....

Handmade games are surprisingly easy to make and so much fun to play. You don’t need a lot of fancy equipment to make dominoes, just a saw to cut the wood (unless you can find pre-cut rectangles at a craft store). Add a little paint in your favorite colors (or stain if you prefer), and you are ready to play. Supplies: Wood – see below for dimensions, but the wood needs to be thick enough that it will stand up on it’s own Saw Paint Ruler Sharpie Dauber – or alternatively use the eraser end of a pencil, a rounded sculpting tool, or anything else small enough to dip in paint and make dots....

Dr. Reber: Here are the common questions I hear in my dental office concerning kids and brushing. I hear parents say all the time, “Well I tell them to brush but they just don’t listen to me ” or “Will you scare my child so he/she will brush?” These phrases make me go crazy. Here’s the deal, when it comes to your child’s health you need to be a PARENT!...

I searched my house for supplies and this is what I cam up with. These are super easy and very inexpensive to make…. let’s get started shall we? Supplies: Wooden Base (circle or square) Finial Topper (found from HD) Large wooden Dowel (I cut mine down to 20 in) Wire hanger Metal Cutter Spray Paint The first thing you’ll want to do is drill a hole into the wooden base....

It’s thaumatrope. Have you ever heard about it? It’s a toy that was popular in the 19th century. A disk with a picture on each side is attached to two pieces of string. In our case – wooden skewer. To make your own thaumatrope you will need: White paper Crayons or markers Skewers glue tape scissors Using a glass (or any round object) trace circles (you will need two circles for 1 thaumatrope) and cut them out....

Supplies for Gumdrop Pumpkins: orange, green, yellow gumdrops or spice drops Styrofoam balls, any size toothpicks ribbon glue Break all of your toothpicks in half. You only need a small piece to put into the gumdrop. Press your toothpick gumdrops into your styrofoam ball all around. You can do it in a pattern around or just randomly. Make sure your gumdrops are pushed in close to one another to fill in all the white spaces....

They just make everything a little bit more organized, rather than tossing the socks in randomly. What recycled type items are you using to help organize your home?

These crispy loaded tater tots are topped with egg, sausage, bacon, tomato, spinach, and mushrooms. They are perfect for breakfast, brunch, or breakfast for dinner. Loaded breakfast tater tots We served these loaded tater tots one morning when all of our kids and grandkids came over for breakfast. What I love about these is everyone can add their own toppings, so for those who don’t eat pork, they can just add tomatoes, mushrooms, and spinach....

Supplies for Rice Bag Warmer Tutorial: 12″x12″ piece of flannel (or any size you choose) white rice (NOT instant rice!) sewing pins, matching thread & sewing machine optional: add a drop of two of essential oils Cut your flannel to the desired size. Mine was 12″x12″, which makes for an approx. 5.5″x11.5″ bag. Fold flannel in half, right sides together. Sew along the entire long side of your rectangle....

It may seem like overkill to roast the vegetables just to cook them in the slow-cooker. But I promise you, it’s not. The flavor is fantastic, not to mention a lot of excess water evaporates in the oven from the zucchini and eggplant. I ended up deciding to modify my favorite Lasagna Bolognese recipe. The idea of a creamy bechamel sauce and roasted vegetables was too irresistible not to try in the slow-cooker version....

Supplies: Everything is available at your local craft or fabric store. Punching Awl Pattern for Spider to punch: Download here, then print the pattern: spooky-spider.pdf Cork board: For punching holes in card – found at kitchen or office store (try a cork hot plate) Thread: I usually use DMC floss, with all six strands Needle: Cross-stitch needle #26 for 18-22 count fabric Cardstock: white piece, accent color piece, folded card piece Envelope: white envelope that measures, 4 ½ “ x 5 ¾ “ Glue: Glue stick, glue dots, spray glue is recommended...

We’re a pretty techy family and definitely use it to our benefit. Here are just a few ways where the tech world is helping us feel closer to family and friends. Video Chat: This is one of our favorites with Skype or iChat. We love to video chat with Grandma. There is something about seeing the person on the other line that doesn’t make them feel so far away. Or we do this with cousins where the kids make faces at each other for 15 mintues straight....

At the beginning of the summer my girls and I selected a few books that we would read as a group. Most afternoons we gather around, inside or out, and I read a few chapters from our book. We have already finish “The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe”, which was a magnificent adventure. Now, we are reading “The Wind in the Willows” by Kenneth Grahame. We are lucky enough to have the version of the book that was my husband’s when he was a child....

Scissors: a good spendy pair of scissors, for cutting fabric and a plethora of other things! As a kid, my Mom never let us use her “expensive” scissors for just anything. Rotary Cutter & Self Healing Mat: the cutter is easy and the mat is magic! Needle and Thread: I always have a cross-stitch needle #26 around handy for embroidery or stitching my greeting cards, but any size needle and any color of thread will do for now....

Redecorating your kitchen doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. Work with what you have! It if doesn’t turn out perfect, you aren’t out any money. If it turns out fabulous—you can do a happy dance and pat yourself on the back for SAVING money! Set #1: Below, I took these 3 jars that I bought a year ago at Dollar General and gave them a quick face lift to match my kitchen decor....

I’ve partnered up with Secret and their Mean Stinks campaign, and I couldn’t be happier to share how to help our kids keep the mean out of schools, cuz it bullying stinks! 1. Family Meetings On our way home from school we walk and talk about how their day went. They usually tell me about something that happened, how lunch went, or what project they’re working on. It’s a good time to see if there’s anything pressing or fresh on their minds from their day....

There are so many fabulous ways to design and decorate a baby nursery! From the furniture and accessories to painting the walls and adding in decorations. It’s so much fun as a new parent to put it all together. Along with the design and decorations of the nursery, we also need to think about nursery safety. We’re partnering with Nationwide and their Make Safe Happen program! It’s all about how to keep our babies safe and sound in the home, starting with the nursery....

It really does help to be prepared with the right location, the perfect gear, and how to make it work best for all involved! Here are tips and tricks to make family camping fun and inviting for all involved: 1. When and where to camp: We love to go as early as possible during the summer months, as there are less people camping in June. You do run into colder weather during June in most places, but try to find a drier climate....

Happy Chinese New Year! 2010 ushers in the Year of the Tiger (no, really), which also happens to be on February 14th this year. Like Christmas the celebration is an entire season (so you still have time for Valentine treats too). The festival traditionally begins on the first day of the first month of the Chinese calendar and ends on the 15th; this day is called Lantern Festival. This is the biggest Chinese holiday of the year, with the focus on uniting family and friends and looking towards luck, happiness, longevity, and prosperity for the coming year....