WFMW~ Organizing baby hair stuff

Our granddaughter, Sweet Pea, is a rambunctious 16 months old.  She does not enjoy getting her hair done but looks so cute with bows and pigtails.

Organizing all the hair bows and bands can be a challenge so I thought I would share what works for me and her mama.

I found this idea on Pinterest and thought it was genius.  Simply a toilet paper tube and you can carry the bows and hair bands with you wherever you happen to be doing your childs hair.  Love it!

Then, we have a basket for all her headbands and hair creme.  The bow holder fits nicely in there when not being used in another room.

Then we have a cute little jar that a friend made that holds all her teeny tiny barettes (sorry, the picture is fuzzy)

I love cute storage solutions!  And, I intend to buy her many more adorable hair products so we may even need to come up with new storage solutions in the future.

Any suggestions?

Works for Me Wednesday- Shoes

Shoes, shoes, shoes.  If you are like me you can never have too many shoes (alright, you can but don’t tell my husband I said that).  Storing shoes was an issue with many of my professional organizing clients.  For one thing, we all have plenty of shoes.  For another thing, shoes are bulky and not easy to store.  So here are a few tips:

~Invest in some clear stackable shoeboxes.  This is what I use for the majority of my shoes in my closet.  They stack nicely so they maximize storage space and it is easy to see what you have.

~Put out of season shoes away.  Just like it is not necessary to have your Christmas sweaters out in April, it is not necessary for flip flops to be taking up room in your closet in January.  When you put out of season clothes away, put the shoes away too.

~For the pile of shoes that inevitably ends up near your entryway you need an attractive storage solution.  Try a bench that opens where the kids can stow away their cleats and play shoes when not wearing them.  A nice big basket works well too, provided it is not too deep.

~Keep the shoes you wear the most easily accessible.  My husband and I have a stackable shoe rack in the bottom of our walk-in closet where we keep our sneakers and slippers.

What are some of the ways you keep shoes organized? Feel free to share in the comments.

Tasty Tuesday~ Open Apple Pie with a cinnamon roll crust

I saw the concept of using refrigerated cinnamon rolls as a pie crust first on Pinterest.  The pin was attached to a recipe for sweet potato pie, which I am not that fond of.

My daughter was home from college the last few weeks and begging me to make an apple pie.  So, I decided to use the refrigerated cinnamon rolls and improvised my normal apple pie recipe.  We ended up with a yummy open faced apple pie with a sweet, soft cinnamon roll crust.

Ingredients:

• 8 apples, peeled and sliced
• 2/3 C sugar
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter
• 1 can refrigerated cinnamon rolls

1. Combine apples, sugar, cinnamon and cloves.  Toss until all coated.
2. Spread each cinnamon roll up the sides of a pie plate, you should have one remaining to spread thin and form the bottom crust.

3.  Add the apples to the crust.

4.  Slice butter over top of apples.

5.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 50-60 minutes or until apples are fork tender.

6.  Drizzle with icing packet from cinnamon rolls and serve warm.

Heavenly!!!

What recipe have you experimented with lately?

This post is linked to Tasty Tuesday.

Frugal Decorating for Christmas

I love to decorate for the holidays!  I also love to save money!  So, I wanted to share a few frugal decorating ideas that have worked for me in past and would love for y’all to chime in with what works for you and your budget in the comment section.

• Tie thick ribbon around the stem of a pine cone.  Group two or three together and hang from a mantle or shelf.
• Get a big glass bowl or vase.  Layer unshelled nuts, cranberries and artificial greenery as a base for a festive candle holder.
• When I had a banister in our old house, I used artificial garland from the dollar store along with a box of ornaments from there that I tied red ribbon to and attached them to the garland at equal increments. I always loved how that looked!
• I saw this idea on Pinterest.  Get a shadow box and fill with dollar tree ornaments.  Adorable!


Source: veetje.be via Wendy on Pinterest

Tasty Tuesday- Hot Cinnamon Cider

I hope y’all had a very Happy Thanksgiving and took the time to count your blessings.  I consider each reader a true blessing and thank you for reading Eastern Panhandle Moms and being a part of this community.

Okay, enough with the sappy stuff

Our tradition is to decorate for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving.  We got out our artificial tree {I am allergic to the real thing} and discovered the tree stand is broken.  My wonderful hubby found a replacement at Wally World last night.  We made our hot cider {this year with a twist} and set about decorating the tree.

Normally, I heat up apple cider with a spice mix from the store and we have mulled cider while we decorate the Christmas tree.  We have friends visiting though and she taught me a very simple way to add yummy flavor to cider.

Secret ingredient?

Now, I must warn you we could not find the Red Hots at our local Walmart.  We found them at Dollar General in Shepherdstown.

You simply heat the cider with half a bag of these yummy cinnamon candies until the candies are dissolved.  It does turn the cider a little reddish, but tastes yummy.

Here is what ours looked like:

It was sooo good.

What is part of your Christmas decorating tradition?

This post is linked to Tasty Tuesday.

Easy Holiday Shopping

I just had one of the easiest Christmas shopping experiences….ever!

Red Envelope is a website that condenses several brands into one site, ships your gifts directly to the recipient and even lets you choose the delivery date for shipping.

I found the site easy to navigate and full of products I would purchase.  There were these stackable rings, this car trunk organizer (with cooler) and this holiday door mat that I purchased for my grandparents {and chose the date it will arrive on their doorstep}. 

I am fairly certain I could buy for every person on our holiday list using this website {if the budget allowed}.  They have toys, jewelry, home items, apparel and much, much more.  There are also a lot of items that can be personalized, which I personally love.

Check out Red Envelope and let me know what you think!

*This is a compensated post.  All opinions are mine.

Tasty Tuesday~ Easy Pumpkin Cake

I love pumpkin!

Pumpkin spice lattes, roasted pumpkin seeds, pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread and pumpkin cake!

Obviously, this is one of my favorite times of year for cooking and baking!

Today, I wanted to share an easy recipe for a delicious cake using canned pumpkin and yellow cake mix as the base ingredients.

Easy Pumpkin Cake

2 15 oz. cans 100% pumpkin

4 eggs

1 13 oz can evaporated milk

2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1 package yellow cake mix

1 C. margarine, melted

1 C chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Mix pumpkin, eggs, milk and pumpkin pie spice until well combined.
3. Pour into a 9 x 13 cake pan.
4. Mix the nuts and cake mix.
5. Crumble over the top of mixture in the cake pan.
6. Pour melted butter evenly over top.
7. Bake for 1 hour.
8. Cool and cut into small bars.

So, so good!  Do you have a favorite pumpkin recipe?

Tasty Tuesday~ Crockpot Beef Stew

Fall is in the air.  Crisp air, changing leaves..the Panhandle is a beautiful place this time of year, isn’t it?

And, fall makes me want comfort foods like soups and stews.

Here is my go-to recipe for beef stew that will warm your stomach and make your house smell good all day!

Crockpot Beef Stew:

1 lb. stew beef {I actually buy any beef cut on sale and cut it up myself and freeze to save money}

6 potatoes, washed and diced in large cubes

1 onion, cut in wedges

3 stalks celery, washed and cut into 1-2 inch pieces

1 bag of baby carrots

1 bay leaf {remove before serving}

1 pkg. beef stew seasoning

1 large can V-8 juice

1 cup. water

1. Dredge stew beef in flour and brown in a small amount of olive oil for 2-3 minutes {doesn’t need to be fully cooked}
2. Pour V-8 juice and water into crockpot.  Add seasoning and bay leaf and stir well.
3. Add meat and veggies.
4. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
5. Serve with cornbread or biscuits.

What is your favorite autumn meal?

Tasty Tuesday~ Taco Dip

It is football season!  I don’t know if that means anything in your house but it certainly means Sunday afternoons full of football, yummy snacks and family time.

Here is an oldie but a goodie recipe from my album that the family enjoys…

Taco Dip

1 can {I use fat free} refried beans

3 medium avocados, peeled and diced

1 TB. lemon juice

1 TB. lime juice

1 C. sour cream

1 C. mayonnaise

1 pkg. taco seasoning {or 4 TB. fiesta seasoning from Tastefully Simple, that is what I use}

1 C. grated cheddar cheese

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

1 can sliced black olives, drained

1. Use a deep dish or platter as this is a layered dip.
2. Spoon the refried beans on the bottom of the dish {1st layer}
3. In a blender, blend the avocados, lemon and lime juice.  Add a dash of salt and pepper to taste.
4. Use the avocado mixture for layer 2.
5. Combine the sour cream, mayonnaise and taco seasoning.
6. Use the sour cream mixture as layer 3.
7. Sprinkle the cheese, tomatoes and black olives on top.

Serve with crackers {my kids like wheat thins with this} and tortilla chips.

What is one of your favorite football snacks?

Tasty Tuesday~ Chicken Cacciatore

I hope that everyone had a great holiday weekend.  It feels a lot like Monday to me, but alas it is Tuesday so it is time for a yummy recipe.

I love to make one dish meals.  Throw everything in a pot and call it a meal.  This is one of those meals.  Add a salad and garlic bread or breadsticks and you are good to go. {It is also good to make for a friend that has just had a baby or had surgery.  You can make the sauce and send a box of linguine along to be cooked right before it’s time to eat}

Chicken Cacciatore:

2-3 chicken pieces (breasts, thighs, etc), cooked and shredded

1 large can crushed tomatoes

1 small can tomato paste

1/2 green pepper, diced

1 small onion, diced

1 tsp. minced garlic {I use the refrigerated kind}

2 TB. olive oil

1 bay leaf

2 TB. italian seasoning

1 box fettucine noodles {cooked right before ready to serve}

parmesan cheese to taste

1. Saute onion and green pepper in olive oil.  Add garlic as onions become clear and green peppers start getting soft.
2. Combine crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, 1/2 C water and seasonings in a large soup pot.
3. Add green pepper and onion mixture.
4. Cook for 1-2 hours on low-medium until flavors are well mixed.
5. Add chicken and cook for 1 hour more.

Serve over pasta and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Feeds 4-6 people.

Do you have a favorite one dish recipe?

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