Crayon Monogram

Crayon Monograms. I have seen them all over blogland. I made a mental note to make one for my son's kindergarten teacher for Christmas. I did it and it turned out gorgeous. It was very easy to do . Even on the kitchen table with kids running in and out.

Homework Station

Now that all of my kids have homework in the evenings, they need supplies nearly every night. Crayons, glue sticks, scissors. And of course we spend so much time searching drawers and bedrooms for supplies every single day. So last week when I was at my favorite thrift store I found this. It had ugly, faded flowers glued inside with some hard substance that resembled dirt. So I picked it up for a dime. Yep,you read right. A dime. Ten cents. I scooped it up, not knowing what I was going to do with it. Until this afternoon. Once again, my 5 year old could not find his pair of scissors. We found a pair of green ones .And brown ones. But he had to have his black scissors. Finally they were found under a pile of  fingerpaintings. But not before he cried. And whined. And stated to anyone that would listen that it was the end of the world because he could not (gasp) use a pair of scissors that were not his favorite.Yes it was one of those moments. When I wanted to yell and scream and whine and tell him that I would cut and paste the damn lion to the paper. Keep calm and carry on, right? That is when I looked over in the drain tray and saw the caddy that I had cleaned up earlier. BINGO. I gathered up all of their supplies and now we have a homework station. No more hunting for misplaced school supplies. And it looks pretty too!  * PS- if you look closely you can still see some of the hard , cement-like faux dirt around the edges. I cannot get it off. I will get hubby to try this weekend.

Crash Hot Potatoes

I cannot believe that I have not posted Pioneer Woman's Crash Hot Potatoes before. I just went through my archives and it is not there. How I missed blogging about one of THE most requested foods in my house I will never know. These things are happiness! My 12 year old could eat a dozen of them in one sitting. In fact, on cold afternoons, I make them and serve them as after school snacks when the boys get home. I usually serve a potato or a rice dish the the hubs and boys every night. I steam myself s a bit of brown rice, but they demand white, starchy  food! I love these because you can add what you want to them. The boys prefer just kosher salt, pepper, garlic and a bit of olive oil. But for company I have added grated cheese, scallions, bacon. The list goes on. If you make these, be prepared to get lots of oohs and ahhs from your table. Yes people, they are that good! Doubling the recipe would not be a bad idea.


CRASH HOT POTATOES by Pioneer Woman

Prep Time: 30 Minutes

Cook Time: 25 Minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 12 whole New Potatoes (or Other Small Round Potatoes)
• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• Kosher Salt To Taste
• Black Pepper To Taste
• Rosemary (or Other Herbs Of Choice) To Taste

Preparation Instructions

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add in as many potatoes as you wish to make and cook them until they are fork-tender.
On a sheet pan, generously drizzle olive oil. Place tender potatoes on the cookie sheet leaving plenty of room between each potato.
With a potato masher, gently press down each potato until it slightly mashes, rotate the potato masher 90 degrees and mash again. Brush the tops of each crushed potato generously with more olive oil.
Sprinkle potatoes with kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper and fresh chopped rosemary (or chives or thyme or whatever herb you have available.)
Bake in a 450 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Vintage Valentines

The next holiday coming up is Valentine's Day. I have been collecting vintage Valentines for a few years now. I love them. I have added them to my V-day decor. Added to pretty white frames they are adorable. This year  I am making journals for the boys' teachers with vintage valentines on the cover. They are so cute. I will post about them when they are finished. Here are a few Valentine eye candies for you today. Enjoy!