Laurie's Everyday Notions

So easy and amazingly yummy......and probably full of high fructose corn syrup (I have purposely avoided reading the ingredient list on the back of the sweetheart package). I used my silicone heart "muffin" pan (I've gotten my use out of that thing!) for this treat. Measurements are approximate since I didn't measure. 1c. of Sweetheart Conversation Hearts (I crushed about 1/2 of them) 5 oz. of almond bark Fill the bottom of each muffin space with sweetheart.  Melt the almond bark Pour melted bark on top of sweethearts. (I did not fill each space...only filled to an inch or so) Let cool (being impatient, I put mine in the freezer) Pop out of the pan and enjoy.  

I show my love with food. I don't know if people appreciate this kind of lovin' but I sure enjoy cooking for those I care about. Valentines Menu: Homemade Wheat Bread Roasted Red Potatoes with Mushrooms Roasted Asparagus Baked Salmon in an Orange Sauce Brownie with Ice Cream and Homemade Chocolate Sauce My new favorite bread recipe is from Gwen's-Nest , the only thing I substituted was whole wheat flour. This bread is so easy and makes the best pizza crust! I'm not even going to bother giving you the directions for this bread because Gwen does it better. Check out her recipe here .  I LOVE oven roasted potatoes (skillet potatoes). I rarely make them the same way twice. For last night's meal I quartered the potatoes, tossed the potatoes into a pan of boiling water for 5 - 10 minutes...just until potatoes are a little tender - easy enough to poke a fork into but not too soft. I find that the potatoes cook a little more evenly when I ...

The ultimate Valentines gift, the ultimate gift EVER is Jesus Christ, a gift from our loving, heavenly Father. I know that Valentines "stinks" for a lot of people. You may be alone - widowed, divorced, never wed. You may feel unloved. You maybe in a marriage that leaves you feeling alone and unloved.  Wherever you are in your life know this, YOU ARE LOVED! Your heavenly Father loves you so much that he sent his son, Jesus, to live the life of a man here on earth. While Jesus walked the earth he suffered, like you have suffered. He hungered, like you have hungered. He was rejected and persecuted. Finally he died (and rose again!) for your sins. Why? Because HE LOVES YOU! God can fill you with love, hope, and peace....if you allow him.  Want proof? John 3:16 For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. Romans 5:8 ...but God shows his LOVE  for us in that while we we...

How does one handle special days such as Valentines while still maintaining frugal and minimalism ideals? I'm really stumped. February and March are usually the months when I'm at my cheapest. I've begun saving up for the taxes that will need to be paid in April, I'm tightening my money belt after spending too generously over Christmas, not to mention that I'm still focusing on my financial goals for the new year. For the most part I am not a card giver. Not only do I think cards are a waste of money but they are also a waste of resources. For birthdays I save a tree by giving a gift (in a reusable bag) and skip the sappy card that usually does say "it" right anyway. So a card just seems out of the question. I find it absolutely silly to spend $2 (often more) on something that is going to be read and then thrown away (hopefully in a recycle bin). Really, what is the point in that? Now if the recipient lives miles away that would justify a card. If the ...

A couple of weeks ago I bought a heart shaped silicone mold at Hobby Lobby. My intentions were to use it in making Valentine candies.........                   and then I saw this great idea on a crafting blog.  I started at the bottom of our crayon bucket, that's were all the broken, misfit crayons hide, dug out the misfits and if any labels was left, I peeled it off. The crayons were too hard for my little helper to snap into pieces so I snapped and she arranged. If you want to be more "controlling" of the color combinations, you may. I just went for the eclectic look, not being too concerned about complimentary colors or using all valentine colors. Besides, I had used most of my Valentine colored crayons in last weeks Melted Crayon art .  The silicone molds are a little flimsy so to avoid melted wax all over my oven and/or stove, my carpet or more likely me (because that's the kind of thing that happ...