how to tell if an egg is fresh

Since it is Easter season . . . I have eggs on the brain.

source

I just learned (from my trusty Better Homes and Gardens Magazine) how to tell if an egg is fresh or not.

Gently place the egg in question in a bowl of cold water.

If the egg is really fresh, it should drop to the bottom of the bowl and lie on its side.

If the egg is somewhat fresh, the egg should stand on end and bob about in the water.

Eggs that float should be tossed in the trash.

Good to know!!

Also . . . check the "sell by" date. The eggs are usually good for up to two weeks past that date. 

(the number before the "sell by" date is the day of the year the eggs were packed . . . the carton below was packed on day 267 ~ Sept. 24) I learned that here.

source

The kids and I will be coloring some eggs in the next few days.  I'll make sure to use fresh ones! ;)

sweet music

Jake had to skip his baseball game to play in his orchestra concert.
That was hard for him to do, but I'm glad he did.

I must have really been enjoying the music because I totally missed the girl who threw up in her violin.
And I was even sitting in the very front row!!

How did I miss THAT?!

"third time's a charm" personalized Dollar Tree tote

OK . . . I promised you I would write a post about how to make this personalized tote that I brought to my friend who just had a baby.

I brought her dinner and I wanted to carry it over in something cute, so I dressed up this bag I got at the Dollar Tree.
She almost cried when she saw her sweet baby's name on it.
To see what I brought her for dinner, click here.

I just love these bags!! They had them in other colors as well.  They are not real durable, but they are only $1.00, so I am not complaining!!  They are similar to the kinds you can get at the grocery store for a couple dollars, but these are way cuter.

I found these iron on letters at Hobby Lobby (right next door to our Dollar Tree . . . convenient).   



I just peeled off the letters and lined them up how I wanted them . . . I didn't put them in a straight line, I like to angle them all in a whimsical manner. :)

The next step was to just place the hot iron on the letters for 15 - 20 seconds . . . and this is where I failed. 

I didn't realize that the iron was going to melt the bag.

This is what the iron looked like.

I cleaned up the iron and went back to the Dollar Tree (luckily, it is only a mile away from my house).

I tried a second time using a lower iron temp (my iron has numbers ~ I set it on 4) and using only the tip of the iron instead of the whole thing. 

That worked great . . . until I decided to turn the iron up just a tad to make sure the letters were securely ironed on.

Big mistake.

Ugh . . . just turning the iron up a tad melted the bag again.

It wasn't that bad this time . . . if you look closely, you will see a hole under the name.  Not good.

Soooo . . . this time I had my husband go back to the Dollar Tree for me (and Hobby Lobby to buy more letters!) Why didn't I just buy extra supplies the second time?? I don't know . . . next time I will.

The third time was definitely a charm . . .

the key is LOW iron temp and using JUST the tip of the iron on the letters.  (I think the bag is made out of plastic)

I love how it turned out and now that I know just what to do . . . I will be making a ton of these!!  I'm thinking party favors, beach totes, soccer bags, teacher gifts, alternative to wrapping paper, etc . . . 

So, learn from my mistakes and go make a pretty personalized (and cheap) tote!!

Thanks for stopping by!

~cheryl

I'm linking up with:

meal for a new mother

When I had my babies, I was not really connected in any church or school groups so I didn't have many people making me dinners.

When I had my third baby, two people brought dinner to me and it meant the world to me.

I felt loved.
I felt cared for.
I will never forget those two dinners or the people who made them for me.

So now I try to take new moms dinners as often as I can. 
I hope they feel as blessed as I did.

Today, I took one to a friend who had a sweet baby girl.

This is what I made:

ValSoCal's Chicken Cordon Bleu Penne
(recipe here)**note: I added another half jar of alfredo sauce and decreased the bread crumbs to 1/4 cup (I used Italian bread crumbs mixed with melted butter)

Cut Up Fruit
(doesn't it look great?? It's all from Aldi and it was cheap!)

Toffee Bars for dessert
(recipe here)

I wanted to carry it over in something cute so I found this bag at the Dollar Tree.

I ironed the baby's sweet name on the bag.

(I will make a whole post about this ironing on process because it was a big fail, not only once, but twice.  I went back to the Dollar Tree two times!  Anyway . . . I have got it down to a science now.)


I added a hair accessory for sweet Mirabelle. (can you get over that name??)

It was a blessing to me to be able to serve my friend in this way.

favorites on fridays

Happy Friday!!
Did this week fly by for you, too?
I was crazy busy preparing for company and making a new mommy some dinner today, so I am reposting this favorite of mine.


Favorite Pick-Me-Up Snack: Emerald Cocoa Roast Almonds

I like these almonds because they are sweet without being too sweet. They are just cocoa roasted as opposed to covered in chocolate and they have 6 grams of protein and only one gram of sugar per serving.  My whole family loves 'em!!

good, clean fun

Don't you just love spring??

I sure do!

I hope you can find a way to enjoy some good, clean fun today!

Proverbs 15:13 - "A happy heart makes the face cheerful."

flowers and a muffin recipe

I just love fresh flowers.
At our old house, I planted many colorful flowerbeds and I loved always having a bouquet in my kitchen.
I haven't had the time (or the money) to make new beds in our new yard yet.
So I am glad good ole Aldi sells pretty bouquets for only $3.99.
I just got this one last weekend and I am loving it.

I made these muffins yesterday for our "Monday Muffins".
I want to share the recipe with you.

Quaker's Best Oatmeal Muffins

Ingredients:

topping~
⅓ cup Quaker® Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
¼ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons margarine or butter, chilled and cut into pieces

muffins~
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup Quaker® Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
⅓ cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup skim milk
¼ cup canola oil
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
{I added one cup of frozen blueberries.}

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 400°F. Line twelve medium muffin cups with paper baking cups or spray bottoms only with cooking spray.

2. For streusel topping, in small bowl, combine oats, flour and sugar; mix well. Cut in butter with pastry blender or two knives until mixture is crumbly. Set aside.

3. For muffins, in large bowl, combine flour, oats, sugar and baking powder; mix well. In small bowl, combine milk, oil, egg and vanilla; blend well. Add to dry ingredients all at once; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. (Do not over-mix.)

4. Fill muffin cups almost full. Sprinkle with reserved streusel, patting gently.

5. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool muffins in pan on wire rack 5 minutes. Remove from pan. Serve warm.

~ I found this recipe here.

Enjoy!!