Halloween is quickly approaching and the weather is getting cooler! What better way to celebrate than with this cute crocheted Halloween cat hat!

This hat will fit a toddler. You can skip the bow if you are making it for a young gentleman. The pattern comes from Crochet for You. So you can hop over to her blog for the directions.

To make the hat you will need:

1 small ball of medium weight black yarn
Small amount of orange yarn
Small amount of pink yarn
I crochet hook
H crochet hook
A tapestry needle for sewing nose, whiskers and weaving in ends

This hat works up really fast. You can easily make it in an evening then gift it to your favorite little one for Halloween!

Fall is a great time for making homemade treats. If you love to bake or give homemade gifts, these Fall Inspired Homemade Labels are for you! The round ones are 2" which fits perfectly on top of a mason jar. The oval labels are perfect for the side of a mason jar or a beautifully tied cellophane bag full of treats! 
 Just click on the picture below to access your free files. They are available in either pdf or png. Just print on sticker paper then they can be cut with your cutting machine or by hand. 

These cute images were purchased at The Hungry JPEG

Nothing says fall like candy corn! And these Candy Corn Cookie Bars are a perfect dessert to take to a Halloween party or share with your co-workers! This delicious recipe comes from Renee at Two In The Kitchen.

Candy Corn Cookie Bars 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter (softened)
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1  1/2 cups candy corn

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375.
Line a 13 x 9" baking pan with foil. Then spray bottom of foil with cooking spray.
In a medium size bowl, mix flour, salt and baking soda and set aside.
In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugar and vanilla. Then add eggs 1 at a time beating well after each addition.
Add flour mixture into wet ingredients 1 cup at a time mixing well after each addition.
Mix in 1 cup of candy corn.
Spread mixture into prepared pan. Sprinkle remaining candy corn on top of batter and press them down gently.
Bake for 15 minutes.
Remove from oven and let them cool completely before cutting.


 For other delicious cookie bars try these!

 

Just in time for Cinco de Mayo I've created this Tortilla Warmer Tutorial. Simply slide your tortillas inside then pop in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Your tortillas will come out nice and warmed!
*this post contains affiliate links

Materials:

1/3 yard of cotton print fabric ( I used this chili pepper fabric)
1/3 yard of muslin
1/3 yard of cotton batting
matching cotton thread
I used bright yellow fabric for the back of my tortilla warmer because I already had some in my fabric stash. However, you can make the front and back from the 1/3 yard print fabric.

Steps:

Trace circles on your fabric.  I used one of my dinner plates which are 11" in diameter to trace the circles onto the material with a marking pen. Then cut out all of your circles.
       - 2 from your print fabric
       - 2 from your muslin
       - 2 from your batting

Pin fabric, muslin and batting together in this order:  batting, print fabric right side up, then muslin on top.

Sew around the circle with a 1/2 inch seam. Be sure to leave a 2"-3" opening for turning the fabric.

Next, trim the seam then clip the curves. I used my pinking shears to trim the seam then I clipped around the circle at about 2" intervals right up to the seam line. This helps the fabric lay flatter after you turn it. Be sure not to cut the stitching!

Reach inside the opening and turn it right side out so that the muslin and print fabric are on the outside and the batting is on the inside. Then you can either stitch the opening by hand or machine stitch it closed. Since this was just for myself I wasn't worried about making it look all nice and neat!

Repeat all of the above steps with the second piece of fabric, muslin and batting. Your will then quilt each finished piece by marking 1 ½" intervals on the fabric then sewing along those markings. Since my fabric was dark, I had to use a white marking pencil to make the lines.

Be sure to quilt both the front and back pieces.

Finally, sew the front and back pieces together with a ¼ inch seam, muslin sides together. You will sew about ²⁄3 of the way around leaving an opening to slide your tortillas into.

Happy Cinco de Mayo! Enjoy!

Grammy Dee

MAY 3, 2017 AT 3:56 PM 

You did a great job on them even though they were just for you! Thank you for attending the #WednesdayAIMLinkParty. I shared your post.
Grammy Dee recently posted…Wednesday AIM Link Party #15Sarah

MAY 5, 2017 AT 6:23 PM 

Happy Cinco de Mayo!
Sarah recently posted…Alfresco May Day LunchMother of 3

MAY 5, 2017 AT 7:58 PM 

That is just darling! What a cute idea.
Mother of 3 recently posted…Weekly Wrap- Up: The Week Alec Made His Spring CupcakesCassie Smallwood

MAY 6, 2017 AT 9:24 AM 

This is a great idea! I like the idea that they keep from getting rubbery in the microwave and will also stay warm until you use them.
Cassie Smallwood recently posted…Stainless Steel Appliances For $15

Leanna

MAY 6, 2017 AT 10:53 PM 

This is a fantastic idea. What a perfect little gift for a shower, or in a Christmas stocking. Pinning.

Lauren

MAY 8, 2017 AT 7:53 AM 

I love this! I have some that I bought a few years ago and they are absolutely the best way to warm tortillas. I’d rather make my own though AND wouldn’t this be a great part of a wedding or housewarming gift? You could add all kinds of ingredients/tools to create a Mexican meal!

Marie

MAY 8, 2017 AT 10:35 AM 

This is such a great idea! We love taco nights at home and this would be perfect for those dinners. Thanks so much for the tutorial!

Jess

MAY 8, 2017 AT 11:52 AM 

Such a neat idea!

I would love for you to share this with my Facebook Group for recipes, crafts, tips, and tricks: https://www.facebook.com/groups/pluckyrecipescraftstips/

Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!
Jess recently posted…Cooking and Crafting with J & J Link Up #96 and #95 Features

Beverly

MAY 9, 2017 AT 7:53 AM 

This is just so cute. Love this idea. Thanks for sharing at Over The Moon Party.
Hugs,
Bev

Kileen

MAY 9, 2017 AT 11:19 AM 

Great idea! Thank you for sharing at Ravenwould.
Kileen recently posted…Sew a Coin Purse & Personalize It with Embroidery

Janice Wald|MostlyBlogging

MAY 9, 2017 AT 1:43 PM 

Hi,
Thanks for bringing your post to last week’s Pit Stop.
Janice, Pit Stop Crew
Janice Wald|MostlyBlogging recently posted…123 of the Best Free Blogging Tools that Will Save You Time Blogging (2017 Update)

Amberjane

MAY 9, 2017 AT 3:47 PM 

This is so clever I need to get my sewing machine out

Teresa

MAY 9, 2017 AT 10:38 PM 

What a great idea! I’ve always just placed my tortilla on a paper plate to heat it, but this is much, much better. Thank you for sharing it! Pinned!

Debbie Kitterman

MAY 10, 2017 AT 1:30 AM 

this is a cool idea – I have seen these for baked potatoes, but the thought never crossed my mind to use them for tortillas! Brilliant and just in time for Cinco de mayo – which of course has already passed at the time of my comment – but still great idea… Also, Thanks for linking up with #TuneInThursday this past week.
Debbie Kitterman recently posted…The Sting of Rejection: Perseverance Series Part 4

Lori Leeper

MAY 10, 2017 AT 7:52 PM 

This is a terrific idea! I never thought of making one of these! Thanks for sharing at Dishing It & Digging It! 

JES

MAY 12, 2017 AT 2:01 PM 

This is a nice way to keep them warmed if you heat them on the stove too! Thank you for sharing with us on the Art of Home-Making Mondays at Strangers & Pilgrims on Earth!

Tina G.

JUNE 7, 2017 AT 2:02 PM 

These are wonderful and easy to make.
They also make great gifts!
The only thing I would add, is to only use 100% cotton fabric, thread and batting if you are putting these in the microwave. Using anything else could be a fire hazard.

roseannmhampton

JUNE 7, 2017 AT 6:59 PM 

Thanks for the tip Tina!

Cilantro lime chicken, when added to a salad makes a great summertime meal.  After the meat marinates it only takes about 10 minutes of cook time so it doesn’t heat up the kitchen.  You could also grill the chicken outside or use a cuisinart griddler.  I use dried cilantro in my recipe because it is too hot in my area to grow this herb right now! Did you know that fresh cilantro is known to be a natural cleansing agent, cleansing toxic metals from your body?  To read about more health benefits of this herb, check out Medical News Today.

Cilantro Lime Chicken & Dressing

Grilled cilantro lime chicken salad with cilantro lime salad dressing

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For the marinade

1. 2 tablespoons olive oil
2. ¼ cup lime juice
3. 1 T lime zest
4. 1-2 tablespoons dried cilantro
5. 2 teaspoons minced garlic
6. ¼ teaspoon liquid stevia
7. ½ teaspoon salt
8. ¼ teaspoon pepper

For the salad dressing

1. ¼ cup olive oil
2. ¼ cup lime juice
3. 1 tablespoon dried cilantro (or substitute equivalent fresh)
4. 1/2 cup plain unsweetened yogurt
5. 2 cloves garlic
6. ¹/8 teaspoon liquid stevia
7. a few dashes of red (cayenne) pepper
8. salt & pepper to taste

Meat

1. 3 boneless chicken breasts

Instructions

1. Slice boneless breast into thin cutlets so that you have 6 pieces.
2. Combine all marinade ingredients in a ziploc bag.
3. Add your chicken cutlets and marinate for several hours.
4. Use a grill pan or frying pan and cook chicken about 4 minutes per side.

For the salad dressing

1. Combine all salad dressing ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until smooth.
2. Make a salad with ingredients of your choice.
3. Top with cooked chicken.
4. Serve with cilantro lime dressing.

By Roseann Hampton

I used to have a paper planner.  Then everything went electronic.  Remember when everyone was sporting a new palm pilot – the “personal digital assistant”? That was in the mid 1990’s! However, it now it seems paper planners are back in fashion.  At least in the teaching world they are.   There are life planners that cost $100 or more to have personalized or you can find nice ones at Walmart for under $10. I’ve also noticed them in the craft stores with all sorts of decorating options. That’s when I decided to create these inspirational summer planner stickers. 

Just click on the picture to download it.  It is a png file.  Just upload to design space for cricut where you can do a print and cut on sticker paper. Furthermore here are the directions to use a png on your Silhouette. In addition you can just print on sticker paper and cut your own if you do not own a cutting machine.

Enjoy!

*This post contains affiliate links.

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What Is Raynaud’s Disease?

Today while shopping in Walmart my fingers started to go numb.  Mind you it was 95° outside.  But inside Walmart it was probably 25-30° cooler.  The contrast in temperature was enough to trigger my Raynaud’s  symptoms.  Raynaud’s Disease occurs when the small arteries in your extremities narrow, which can limit blood flow to those areas. When you have an attack the arteries go into “vasospasms” which limit the blood supply and oxygen. I have secondary Raynaud’s which is associated with my lupus, sjogren’s and rheumatoid arthritis.  I do not get severe symptoms but one or more fingers will go numb and turn white.

I was playing with a new app on my phone and created this cool picture.  You can really tell where my hand was not getting circulation!

What Causes Raynaud’s Disease?

The things that trigger these symptoms for me are the contrast in temperature as I experienced in Walmart, touching something frozen, or temperatures below about 45°.  I’ve read that stress can also trigger the symptoms for some people.

What You Can Do To Help?

There isn’t a cure for Raynaud’s Disease but there are medications that can dilate the blood vessels as well as surgery to lessen the symptoms. Since my symptoms are not severe I choose not to use either of those options. One option suggested online is to move to a warmer climate.  I think the south Texas area where I live is about as warm as I like it so that is not an option! Fish oil is a supplement I take and it has been shown in some studies to improve your tolerance to cold. I always wear pants or a jacket with pockets so I can put my hands in to warm up.  In the winter I have a pair of gloves in every coat and sweater. Hand warmers that I’ve made from this tutorial are also in my coat.

In addition, I just recently came across this circulation rub made from essential oils from Camp Wander.  I’m definitely going to give this a try!