Cute Coasters

I cannot take credit for this idea. It originally comes from a fun homemaking site called You Really Made That?
Time needed: 1 hour
Level of difficulty: easy
Materials needed: 4 4-inch bathroom tiles, scrapbook paper, glue stick, Mod Podge, paintbrush, scissors, pencil, felt circles
Trace the outline of the tiles on the paper with the pencil. Cut out the squares. Use the glue stick to completely coat the top of the tile, paying close attention to the edges of the tile. Place the paper on the tile, and allow the glue to dry. (I weighed down the tiles by stacking them on each other and resting the Mod Podge bottle on them till they dried - just extra drying in place security). Once dry, coat the tiles and the edges with Mod Podge. I used 6 layers, and you have to wait 10-20 minutes between each coat of Mod Podge. The Mod Podge keeps them waterproof and glossy. Once dried, stick the adhesive felt circles on the bottoms of the tiles, and there you go!

Wanna hear the best part? I did 8 tiles and already had the Mod Podge and the paper. So, for 8 tiles and the felt circles, my cost was less than 5 bucks. Woo!

Monster Cookies

Years ago, when I was a dorky little 13 year old, my mom was in charge of putting together the food for a church girl's camp. She did an amazing job because she is my mom and because she is an amazing cook. The thing she made that stood out the most to me was these cookies. So, as I was in need to thank a few people for helping the hubs and I, these cookies came to my mind. This recipe isn't mine; it's Paula Deen's, who is a great woman and a great cook. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 12-ounce jar creamy peanut butter
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1/2 cup multi-colored chocolate candies
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup raisins, optional
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 4 1/2 cups quick-cooking oatmeal (not instant)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats.

In a very large mixing bowl, combine the eggs and sugars. Mix well. Add the salt, vanilla, peanut butter, and butter. Mix well. Stir in the chocolate candies, chocolate chips, raisins, if using, baking soda, and oatmeal. Drop by tablespoons 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Do not overbake. Let stand for about 3 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool. When cool, store in large resealable plastic bags.

Dry Erase Calendar

Time needed: 30 minutes (the fancier you make it, the longer it takes)
Level of difficulty: easy
Materials needed: picture frame (I used an 11x18, but pick a size that works for you), cute scrapbook paper, permanent marker, dry erase markers, tape, cork board (which, by the way, they sell at Office Depot in tiles of many sizes - I used a 6x6 that I cut down to fit), push pins

Directions: Choose the paper you'd like to be the background of your calendar and cut it to fit your frame. You can write the calendar or any of the events on the paper, but then you have to switch it out at the end of the month. You choose - it's your calendar! If you're doing a section for notes (see the left bottom of mine), choose a background paper to go there. Tape these together, and stick them in the back of the frame. Then, if you haven't written anything on the paper, graph yourself a 7x5 chart on the glass for your calendar. Do this in permanent marker so that the chart is always there - you can write the days in as the months come. Leave a space for the month at the top. Then, take your dry erase markers and fill in your chart! If you are looking for something more permanent than a dry erase marker but not something as permanent as a permanent marker, I'd recommend vis-a-vis markers (the kind teachers use on overhead transparencies). They stay on till you take them off with water. To stick the cork board on the calendar (and, by the way, that's optional - if you don't like it, don't do it), all you do is use the 3M stickies the cork boards come with. To cut the cork board, I just used scissors. And obviously the push pins are for things you want on your cork board. And, voila! A cute fun calendar! If you'd like to see a different version (this one's magnetic - I couldn't find a piece of metal small enough, hence the cork board), check out my cute cousin Krystal's fun blog!