It's a Good Day

Got my coffee, the older ones off the school. Most everything taken care of, for now (until my 2 year old goes on a rampage). I can sit and relax. Everyday is a good day, some days better than others, but today is a good day. Happy Holidays to you all.

Dry Skin Treatment

My skin is so dry right now, around the knuckles are deep little cuts that hurt like mad. If you have and great ideas, please let me know, meanwhile I will be googling some remedies. Ouch!

Twitter

Finally! I have joined Twitter. There I will be posting my Creative Creations endeavors. Seriously getting into the soap and candle making business to keep my site stocked full of hand crafted gifts. Look me up if you want Arvi5214

Another great site

Creation Rewards has been a fun site for me too! Not a huge money maker, but $5 every few days isn't so bad. Here is the link if you would like to try it out.

http://www.creationsrewards.net/?referid=_20_5D_D4_8A_CD_AE_13

Divine Divinity Candy Recipe :)

Finally, my divinity has turn out extremely well. Here is a picture along with the recipe so you can try it out.

Divine Divinity

2 2/3 C. Evaporative Cane Juice

2/3 C. Agave

1/2 C. Water

2 Egg Whites

1 tsp. Vanilla

1 C. Nuts (Optional)

Stir Evaporated Cane Juice, agave and water over medium heat until dissolved. Cook, without stirring, to 260* on candy thermometer (or hard ball stage). In a bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Continue beating while pouring hot syrup in a thin stream into egg whites. Add vanilla; beat until the mixture holds its shape and becomes slightly dull. (Mixture may be too stiff for mixer.) Fold in nuts. Drop from top of buttered spoon onto waxed paper. Let sit until completely cool. Enjoy.

Wonderful substitute for white sugar

Cane juice

Evaporated cane juice is a healthy alternative to refined sugar. While both sweetners are made from sugar cane, evaporated cane juice does not undergo the same degree of processing that refined sugar does. Therefore, unlike refined sugar, it retains more of the nutrients found in sugar cane. I works exactly like sugar and measures the same.

Cute, Cute,Cute

My second grader came home from school yesterday and gave me this. I thought it was absolutely adorable. Why did I not ever get to make such cute things in school? The turkey had a pinecone body, feathers and a paper face. Why my picture is sideways...I do not know, it was upright when I saved it. Any ideas how to make it back upright, please let me know. Thanks again for reading.

Finally Finished!

Finally got em done! Turned out really quite pretty. One set of darling painted pillowcases.

Creative Creations

I have given up on Etsy... Too easy to get your items lost in the masses that are on there. Creative Creations is my new store on Shophandmade.com. No listing fees and free stores, a great way to get started. Times are not looking up for us anytime soon, so I am going to be pushing this store as hard as I can to get it going good. Feel free to check it out and give ideas of what you would like to see listed on there. Thanks for everything.

Quick Rewards

I love this site. It is not a huge money maker, but it is fun and if you do alot of online shopping, can stack up really fast. Take surveys, read emails, and shop. Best of all, they have no minimum payout and will pay through paypal. If you want to make a little bit of extra cash, this is a good one.

I love Handcrafting Things

I know, a strange thing to blog about, but I really enjoy it. I have sold my items on Ebay and Etsy. Kinda have to in order to be able to afford it...Anyway, I am working on some handembroidered pillow cases. I will post a picture of them as soon as I finish them. I have one done and am currently working on the other. Turned out beautiful! I will be posting them on either Etsy or Ebay when they are finished.

Wigix

I just discovered Wigix today, and I am so excited. I have listed my first item and hopefully can get some more on. If you are interested in selling online with no listing fee you should check it out. Good Luck and wish me luck.

Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays to all! Thank you for the great year and I look forward to another great year.

Just another quick note on Sucanat

Sucanat does have a slightly different flavor than brown sugar, even when cooked up in recipes. It seems to me to that is is not quite as sweet, still testing out different recipes and adding more or less to find the right amount. I will keep you posted on this.

Spray-n-Wash

I just have to say, I could not live without this fine product. Keeps my girls lighter colored clothes clean. I have tried many things, but this has worked the best. A keeper for sure :)

A Note About Sucanat

Sucanat (a contraction of "Sugar Cane Natural") is non-refined cane sugar. Unlike refined and processed white sugar, Sucanat retains its molasses content; it is essentially pure dried sugar cane juice. The juice is extracted by mechanical processes, heated and cooled at which point the small brown grainy crystals are formed. Sucanat is generally accepted as a substitute for brown sugar. Unlike regular brown sugar, sucanat is grainy instead of crystalline. Of all major sugars derived from sugar cane, Sucanat (not a "processed" sugar) ranks the highest in nutritional

value, containing a smaller proportion of sucrose than white cane sugar. However, Sucanat (in common with all sugars) is not a significant source of any nutrient apart from simple carbohydrates. Sucanat may be confused with turbinado sugar, however; the two are fundamentally different. Turbinado sugar contains only a traceamount of its original molasses content, making it similar to refined sugar except with a golden color and a hint of molasses flavor. Sucanat, on the other hand, retains its full molasses content and flavor, thus making it, as stated above, pure dried cane juice. Its grainy form also contrasts with the clear, crystalline form of turbinado.

You can use Sucanat cup for cup as you would Brown Sugar.

Sucanat Popcorn Puffs

Here is a delicious snack. It is a bit different than the original caramel popcorn, but just plain ol' yummy!

1 bag Corn Puffs

1 box Corn or Rice Chex

Mix together in a large bowl

3 c. sucanat

3 cubes butter

1/3 c. half half

1/4 c. honey

Bring to a boil and boil 4 minutes. Remove from heat and add:

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp soda

This will foam and become very fluffy. Pour onto puffs and chex and mix until evenly coated. Let dry for about 30 minutes. *If you let the mixure boil for 6 minutes instead of 4, the candy coating with dry out to be crispy instead of chewy.

Go ahead and give it a try today....and try not to eat it all in one sitting :)

I'm Back :)

I am finally back after the better part of 1 year. My computer crashed in June and with the economy the way it is and whatnot, took me this long to get a new one. I will be posting all my delicious healthy recipes (for the most part....if there is a really good one that is not all that healthy, I love sharing good recipes!). Thanks for checking up on me.

Sugar Free Vanilla Pudding

3/4 c. Agave
3 Tbps Cornstarch
3 c. Milk
4 Egg yolks or 2 beaten eggs
1 Tbps Butter
1 1/2 tsp Vanilla
In heavy saucepan combine first three ingredients. Cook and stir over medium heat till bubbly. Cook and stir for 2 more minutes. Remove from heat. Add 1 cup of milk mixture to the beaten egg yolks slowly. Add egg mixture to milk mixture in saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil, reduce heat and cook and stire for 2 minutes more. (If using whole eggs, do not boil, cook till nearly bubbly, reduce heat and cook for 2 minutes more.) Remove from heat. Stir in Vanilla and Butter. Pour Pudding into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap making sure the plastic lays on the pudding to prevent a thick layer of film on the pudding. Enjoy!

Yum Yum!

I still have not tried the agave in my divity....Not sure if I want to just yet. I did make some delicious vanilla pudding with agave and it turned out real good. I made it with whole eggs, next time I am going for just the yolks. There was little tiny white things in it that made it a bit difficult to eat. My boys just loved it and gobble it all up!