Along Came A Spider {Halloween Printable}

I saw this printable on Pinterest and I just HAD to make it for my Halloween decor this year!

I took an a frame that I bought on clearance at Hobby Lobby that I had been meaning to fix up and spray painted it black.  I chose black for Halloween of course, but also so that I can create my own printables and change them throughout the year.  Black is a safe color to go with everything, and it goes with my home decor as well.  (I will go back one day and fix the chipped edges, but for now you can't even tell unless you examine it closely.)

I then took my printable in the correct size (it comes in two sizes and can be downloaded here), cut it out and put directly into my newly painted frame. 

That was it ~ so easy!!!  A frame and a printable...can't get any easier than that!

Off to bed I go now, I have a busy week at work and it is getting late.  I am so excited though that I got my first Halloween project done this weekend.  I wish I had more time to do things like this.  One project at a time and hopefully I will get to all of them one day!

Candace

Game Day!!

Today is Game Day and we (The University of Oklahoma) play Kansas State tonight!

I have not been able to find a game day outfit for Conlea that I really like and isn't outrageously priced.  And since she is growing so fast and I dont know how long she will be able to wear it anyway I decided to make her an outfit instead!

All You need it a little piece of felt, thick embroidery thread and a plain t-shirt or onesie.  It is hard to find crimson and cream colors in just any craft store and so I chose a black onsie because we all know how dirty a white one can get!  I also thought it might be neat to use white thread, but I already had some red and so this was the easiest and fastest choice for me. 

I looked up cute fonts online and then drew on the felt and cut out the letters last night.  This morning I pinned them on and sewed them by hand.  I debated using the sewing machine, but decided that might take away from the look I was trying to achieve.  The whole thing took less than hour, but I did have a few distractions.

When Miss Priss decides to wake up from her bear nap, I am going to try it on her and see how great it looks!!  I have a red and black tutu that will go perfect for a Game Day pic!

Candace

Tomato Tortellini Soup

This is my first blog post...I hope that I relay my recipe correctly so that anyone who wants can duplicate it for their own family.  So here I go...

Every time I see a recipe for this I tell myself that I want to make it.  I mean, I love tomato soup and I love cheese tortellini so why not?! 

Well, I finally did and it was amazing!  If you are a tomato soup fan, you will love it too!  It is not the healthiest of dinner choices (which I am trying to do right now), but it was good and it kept me from going to the nearest drive-thru which it always a plus. 

I slightly modified this recipe from one that I found on Taste of Home to better fit my style and my grocery list.  Next time I make this, I am going to experiment with some other ingredients to try and get the fat down a bit.

The best part was that it took less than 30 minutes to make!  This was a last minute decision, but I had all of the ingredients on hand which made this an easy fix for dinner!

Tomato Tortellini Soup

You will need:

• 1 package (~12 oz) cheese tortellini
• 2 cans condensed tomato soup
• 2 cups 2% milk (I use skim)
• 2 cups half-and-half cream
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (or mozzarella if you prefer)
• 2 cans vegetable broth (optional if you want it more runny, but i like mine thicker)
• 1/2 cup chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes (optional)

Optional Toppings:

• Shredded parmesan or mozzarella cheese
• Crushed red pepper
• Croutons

Start by cooking tortellini following instructions on package.  Meanwhile, combine the soup, milk, cream, tomatoes, seasonings (and broth if you opt for that) in a pot on the stove on med-high stirring frequently.  When the tortellini is done, drain and add to soup mixture.  Stir in cheese and you are ready to eat.  Top with cheese, croutons, red peppers or anything else you desire.

If you measure your servings like I do (an actual bowl full), this yields about 6 servings at 500 calories each. 

Original Taste of Home Recipe can be found here.