Pinned It Did It: Christmas Bark

One word. YUMMY! This recipe was super easy and super yummy! I came across it on Pinterest and you can find the original recipe at  Intimate Weddings.

Ingredients needed:
1 lb white chocolate chunks or chips (I used vanilla flavored almond bark)
1/2 cup of crushed candy canes
few drops of peppermint oil (I accidentally left this out, but it still tasted amazing)

I broke the chocolate up and melted it in the microwave, using a glass bowl. Microwave at 15 second intervals, until melted. Lay parchment/wax paper out on a cookie sheet. In the original recipe they tell you to crush the candy canes in a ziplock bag with a rolling pin. I did that too, however be aware that it will poke holes in the bag.
I used original peppermint candy canes and Hershey's Chocolate Mint candy canes. Umm, hello yummy! Once chocolate is completely melted pour onto your parchment/wax paper lined cookie sheet and spread with spatula. Sprinkle with your crushed candy canes and refrigerate for 45 minutes. Then remove from refrigerator flip upside down on a cutting board and break into pieces. 

Makes a great little candy favor for Christmas! We included some in a gift for Ronnie's occupational therapist. Super easy to make this and so yummy! Enjoy! 

 

Pinned It Did It: Reindeer Gift Bag

I came across the most adorable gift bag on Pinterest and it seemed perfect for Ronnie's occupational therapist. I found the idea at Fiskars.

Not only was it an adorable idea and so fun to make, it just seemed so appropriate. "Thanks for making my future bright" because she has helped our son more than she could possibly ever realize.

I picked up scrap booking paper at Hobby Lobby, they were running a 40% off deal. I also picked up the gifts bags 2/$1 and brown fuzzy sticks for .99. Find something circular and oval in your home to trace, glue on your bag and you're all set.

I twisted the brown fuzzy sticks (or pipe cleaners as some people call them) around one of the bag handles and that's how I made the antlers! Gosh, so cute!

We also made a bag for one of the other ladies at OT, Ronnie adores her too. She's super sweet and after his therapy she hands out stickers, which he loves! :)

Overall this was a very easy project and it turned out super cute!

Pinned It Did It: Slow Cooker Almonds

Umm hello...can anyone say new addiction?? I came across this recipe on Pinterest and had to try it out. This would be perfect for little hand outs for Christmas, to friends, neighbors, coworkers, teachers etc...
The original recipe is at The Recipe Critic.

I'm going to list the ingredients, but I did change a few things up. The original recipe calls for:
  
Ingredients The Original Recipe Called For:
1 1/2 C. Sugar
1 1/2 C. Brown Sugar
3 Tbsp. Cinnamon
1/8 tsp. Salt
1 Egg White
2 tsp. vanilla
3 Cups Almonds
1/4 C. Water

Ingredients I used:
1 Cup of Splenda
1 Cup of Splenda Brown Sugar
1 Tbsp. Cinnamon (because that's all I had. Still tasted awesome)
1/8 tsp. Salt
1 Egg White
2 tsp. Vanilla 
3 Cups Almonds
1/4 Cup Water 

I use Splenda products to make it a bit healthier and to be honest I do not carry regular sugar/brown sugar in my house! :) 

1) So in a bowl mix together your Splenda (or sugar), Splenda Brown Sugar (or brown sugar), Cinnamon and Salt.
2) In a separate bowl mix together your Egg White and Vanilla. Mix together until the Egg Whites are foamy. Then mix your Almonds in with the Egg White/Vanilla mixture and stir. Be sure to mix them well, it will help our sugar blend stick better!
3) Prepare your crock pot by spraying it with cooking spray.
4) Add all ingredients to your crock pot, stir very well making sure all the almonds are coated.

****WARNING. Your house will smell amazing! :) 

5) The original recipe calls to cook 3-4 hours, stirring every 20 minutes. I ended up cooking mine for about 2 1/2 hours. Just be sure to stir every 20 minutes. 
6) Towards the last hour of cooking, add 1/4 cup of water and stir well. This will ensure a crunchy coating and help the mixture to harden.
7) Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the almonds onto the sheet to cool. The almonds will be pretty sticky so be sure to separate them the best you can. 

**Tip: Be careful with the parchment paper. I did have some almonds that didn't want to come off easily or at all. Some pulled parchment paper with them. Next time I'll try without the parchment paper and see how that works out. 

I hope your family enjoys them as much as mine did. Even my very very picky toddler Ronnie, loved them. 

I had to share this with you. Ronnie's elf Max will be delivering a bag of cinnamon almonds to Ronnie.

 

 

Pinned It Did It: Skinny Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

First let me just say, these brownies are AWESOME! They are super easy to make too! My husband is a sweets junkie and I am too. However, I like to *try my best* to be a healthy sweets junkie! I have so many desserts pinned on my Sweet Treats board. I had all of the ingredients needed to make these brownies, so I went with this recipe.

You can find the original post about this recipe at Dashing Dish. Kudos to you, because these are just awesome. And healthy. You can't beat that! I did however follow the recipe found at Sally's Baking Addiction. But changed a few things. I used 1 cup of Splenda instead of sugar. I didn't use any salt and I didn't use the baking powder. They still turned out awesome. The hubs said they reminded him of fudge.

Ingredients needed:


Skinny Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

• 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter 
• 6 oz. low fat vanilla yogurt 
• 1/4 cup skim milk
• 1 egg
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup Splenda
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
  
  Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 8×8 inch pan with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
  Place all of the ingredients except for the peanut butter into a blender. (Yes, a blender!) She says to place the liquid ingredients into the blender first. Next time I will do the oats first to ensure they are completely ground up. Blend until smooth and oats are completely ground up.
  Pour your batter into prepared baking dish.  Microwave peanut butter for about 30 seconds. The hubs microwaved the peanut butter in a large measuring cup and then he poured the whole thing into the middle of the brownies. Our sweet little toddler Ronnie, took the butter knife and swirled the peanut butter around into the brownie mix. Or you could mix the melted peanut butter into the batter before pouring.
  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from the sides of the pan. I ended up baking for 20 minutes, let it cool for a bit and then moved it to the fridge to finish cooling. After about an hour we took them out and cut them. Ronnie couldn't wait to try one! :) These brownies are so yummmmy!
  
  

  Nutrition Breakdown

  9	Servings (brownies)
  130	Calories Per Serving
  9 g	Fat
  13 g	Carbohydrate
  3 g	Fiber
  2 g	Sugar
  7 g	Protein
  3	WWP+*

  *Weight Watchers Points per serving

  
  

  
  

  Hope you enjoy them as much as our family did! 

  

   
  
  

Change It Yourself

When We Were Young

Yes! 

Max the Elf

I think everyone has heard of The Elf on the Shelf. This is our first year to do it, our son is 3 1/2 years old. So we felt it was a good age to start the tradition. Though we are doing ours a bit differently than some families.

It was really important to us to incorporate Jesus. After all, He is the reason for the season! So I typed up a letter from Santa and it was left with Max the Elf and The Elf on the Shelf book.

Max landed in Elmo and Cookie Monster's house and decided to rest.

The elf is suppose to report back to Santa each night to tell him if you've been good or bad. Well, I didn't really want to do it that way. I wanted to use Max as a teaching tool. Obviously at the age of 3 1/2, your child is still learning right from wrong and how to obey. And since we are incorporating Jesus and what Christmas is really about, Ronnie is still learning about Jesus. So, I thought Ronnie could help Max with learning those things. So if Max does something wrong, (like one morning he was found playing with the oven) Ronnie will explain to him what he did was wrong and explain why. The oven is dangerous and we could get hurt, so we do not play with it. Max does go back to the North Pole every night. He doesn't report if Ronnie has been good or bad. Instead, he tells Santa what they did that day and what he learned from Ronnie.

Ronnie's letter from Santa...

Dear Ronnie,

It was so good to see you at the BX. You have grown to be such a big boy. I am so proud of how well you have been doing with Ms. Jessica, you've been working so hard. I know how proud your Mommy and Daddy are too. You are such an amazing little boy and you are so full of love.

Christmas is such a special time of the year. It's not just about the decorations or getting new toys. Christmas is the time to celebrate our Savior, Jesus. You know how you and Mommy say your prayers every night at bedtime? Well, you are saying those prayers to Jesus. Christmas is a special time when we get to celebrate Jesus Christ coming to this earth to be our Savior. Jesus came to this earth and died for all of us so that we can live in Heaven with Him forever. That's how much Jesus loves us, even when we make mistakes and do things we shouldn't. Like if we tell a lie or we are rude to people. Jesus forgives us for those sins. I know there are times when you may not mind Mommy or Daddy. And that's okay, you are still learning to obey them. And they forgive you, just like Jesus forgives us.

Now Ronnie, I have a very special favor to ask of you. I think you are the perfect little boy to help me. I have a friend, an elf who is still learning how to obey and learning about Jesus just like you. He is a dear friend of mine and I've tried explaining to him about sin. But, he tends to be a bit naughty. Maybe you could help him make good choices and obey too. I have explained to him about Jesus and how He died for our sins. I bet you two could learn more together.

Now my friend is a little different than you. He stays still all day long and comes alive at night.You can play with him, just be careful with him and be nice to him. That teaches him to treat others the same way. He's really quiet during the day but loves to play once everyone goes to sleep. That's when he tends to be naughty, so be sure you tell him when he does something wrong. That's how he will learn right from wrong, just like you do. I told him he was coming to stay with you and he jumping up and down with such joy. Now he is fairly new to the North Pole and I haven't figured out the perfect name for him, can you help me give him the perfect name?
Have fun, be good and I'll be back to pick him up after Christmas. -Santa

 

Ronnie saw Santa at the BX on base (we are military). And for those of you wondering, Ms. Jessica is Ronnie's occupational therapist. In the letter from Santa it states "you can play with him, just be careful with him and be nice to him." The book says you can't touch the elf. I know my son, it's not something we could have in the house and him not be able to touch. He just wouldn't be able to comprehend why. He was first unsure of Max, but likes him now. He likes coming downstairs every morning to see where Max is.

This is our new family tradition....

 

 

Ronnie and Max the Elf

 

Think BEFORE You Speak

Laugh

This is the BEST kind of laughter! :)

Find Beauty

This Makes Me Happy

Forgive them

Sometimes, this can be so hard to do....but do it anyway! Life is way too short to hold a grudge.

Teach Peace

Hey You, Love Yourself!

:)

The Good Stuff

Live, Laugh, Love

Roses

 

What a great way to look at it! Let's rejoice instead of complaining! :)

Don't Become Silent

Don't become silent about things that matter!

Never Give Up!

When I read this message, I take away from it to Never Give Up! :)

It's Gonna Be Ok

Song by Theresa Andersson
Song Title: It's Gonna Be Ok

Three Simple Rules In Life

Stay Cool

At the end of the day...

DEFINE YOURSELF

This is a great piece of advice!

Make Peace With Yourself

Your vision becomes clear....

Life is Tough

Just FOCUS and keep AIMING

This is such a GREAT reminder for us all!! We just have to keep focusing and keep aiming!! :)

the THING

What's that THING your going to do?

Albert Einstein

You must keep moving! :)

Alice Walker

Love this quote so much. :)

Handmade Jewelry Box

As much as I would LOVE to take credit for this beautiful work, I simply cannot. My Uncle Lee made this, by hand. No electrical tools were used during the making of this jewelry box. Hand painted Princess Tiana from the ever so popular movie, The Princess and the Frog. No toxic chemicals, paints or finishes used either, all water based!

It opens up to where you can hang necklaces and has a pull out drawer too!

If I had a little girl I would so keep this for her. You won't find another jewelry box like this! :)

So who's princess needs this princess perfect jewelry box? :)
This jewelry box retails for $65. If you are interested please visit my page Ollie Wollie Creations by Dawnna

Until the next time....

Fear

Oh how true this quote is. If we listen to our fears, we will never be able to chase our dreams! Never let those fears hold you back! :)

That will be my life.