Give that Pin a Try #2: De-Funking Bath Towels

My husband is always complaining that our towels stink.  I've tried OxyClean, Color Safe Bleach, and a few different kinds of laundry detergent, but nothing seemed to take care of the stink.  When I saw this Pin...

Source: mythirtyspot.com via Anika on Pinterest

...I was so excited to try it. (And I'm not one to get excited about laundry!!)

Go here for the EASY directions...wash once with vinegar and once with baking soda.

So simple and the verdict: It worked!  Our towels don't smell anymore!  If you're like us and have stinky towels, definitely give this a try.

I've been in a baking mood lately so I'll be sharing another yummy recipe with you soon!

Thanks for stopping by!
~Anika

Give that Pin a Try: Lazy Cake Cookies

I have an obsession with Pinterest (and I know I'm not alone)!!  I've been pinning things for months, but I rarely have time to actually try things out - whether it's a recipe, craft or cleaning tip.  So while I'm on Summer Break, I'm going to try to do at least one thing that I pin each week and then I'll blog about it.

Yesterday, I came across this recipe for "Lazy Cake Cookies".  They looked delicious and sounded super simple (and I actually had the 4 ingredients in my pantry) so I whipped them up.

1 yellow cake mix, 2 beaten eggs, 5 TBSP melted butter, 2 cups chocolate chips

Source: imalazymom.com via Anika on Pinterest

The boys were really interested in my spatula so I gave them each a spatula and a mixing bowl filled with some toys they could mix up.  

They LOVED it!!

I guess I forgot to tell them to keep their batter in the bowl!

But, Back to the cookies...

They were by far the easiest cookies I have ever made and they tasted great.  Half the pan is already gone...oops!  I guess that means Andrew thought they were good, too!  Since I used a dark coated pan, the only thing I would do differently next time is bake them at 325 instead of 350, just like with brownies.

So if you need a quick treat, definitely give these a try!!  

The next pin I'm going to try out is a way to "de-funk" your bath towels.  They are actually in the wash right now, so hopefully I will have some fluffy fresh smelling towels to share about soon!

Thanks for stopping by!

~Anika

Graduation card

We went to our last graduation party of the season on Saturday.  I made cards for all the graduates we knew this year, but most of them were thrown together really quickly for the sole purpose of holding a little cash for the recipient. But this weekend, I had a little more time and put this card together...

I found the layout on pinterest and thought it would be a great use of all the patterned paper scraps I have.

I also noticed on my little counter that I'm almost to 8,900 *different* visitors to my little blog here!  So thanks for coming by and if this is your first visit, I hope you stop again!

~Anika

Zoey's Bake Shoppe

Some friends of ours are expecting their first child in less than 2 months, and it's a girl! Yet another girl in our circle of friends for our boys to choose from! ;) So, I got to have fun shopping on the girl's side of our Carter's store once again.  Each time I do that, I am so thankful that God gave me twin boys...we'd be broke for sure if I was buying clothes for twin girls!  I have such a hard time narrowing my options down (polka dots, paisleys, hearts, butterflies...)  For this gift, I had an idea that helped me narrow it down.  I needed lots of onesies in various colors.  So, I settled on 3 packs in different sizes (12 onesies total) and 2 pair of pants with ruffles across the bum!

After some trial and error, I managed to get them all rolled up like little cupcakes and put in a plain bakery box like this...

I added some accordion folded paper around 5 of them (I decided the ones with the ruffles didn't need the paper.)  Oh, an don't ask what flavor the gray "frosting" would be, because I never did come up with something that sounded appetizing.  But the rest of them look delicious!

Since this baby's name is no secret, I had fun personalizing the top of the box using my very neglected Cricut.

I also made a quick card that matched the theme of the gift.

We are looking forward to meeting Little Miss Zoey soon!

Thanks for stopping by!
~Anika

Springtime Wrap Up

It seems blogging has ended up on the bottom of my To Do List again.  It's been an especially busy Spring and I am ready for what should be a relaxing and stress free couple months. (Beginning Wednesday once my classroom is emptied out so new carpet can be installed!!)

Aside from normal day to day things, I have also been working on renewing my Teaching License for another 5 years.  For new educators in Wisconsin, this involves completing a "Professional Development Plan" or PDP.  I was WAY behind on the recommended timeline for doing each component, but thanks to Andrew taking the boys outside to play on a few occasions, I was able to get it finished, find 3 certified educators to approve my work, and will be able to mail my paperwork and $100 to dpi this week!

Here are some pictures from our more exciting Spring events...

Today we are headed to our first graduation party of the season! It's supposed to be a beautiful day! Hope you are enjoying the day as well!

Thanks for stopping by!

~Anika