Mason Jar Soap Dispensers

Super cute and super easy. Went online and was looking for cute inexpensive ways to do simple around the house accessories for a rustic country theme that seems to be what fits our home and family in decor and lifestyle. So here's what you'll need:
Mason Jar medium sized (16oz)
Glue gun
Drill/pen knife (if using a knife you'll need needle nose pliers)
Hand soap
And an old hand soap dispenser pump

Drill a hole in the top of the jar lid large enough that the bottom of the pump can fit through but smaller than the base that screws onto a normal soap dispenser
(if using a knife cut a one inch cross in the center of the jar lid. Using needle nose pliers pull corners from the bottom until wide enough to fit bottom of pump through)

Use hot glue gun to glue the base to lid both on top and bottom

Wait for it to dry. Pour soap in jar then screw lid on and use as normal. Super easy and takes max 10min to make!

The Story of the Candy Cane

The Story of the Candy Cane: (as told by our church)

Long ago there were two villages in a far-off land. One was in a valley, and one was on a mountain top. The people in the mountain village wanted to give each person in the valley a Christmas gift. So the mountain townspeople formed a committee to think of something special. Money was limited, and each gift had to be of equal value to each person. After much time and discussion a decision was finally reached. The town's candy maker, an elderly gentleman who had a loved Jesus for many years, came up with an idea- the candy cane. Now, you may be thinking, what is so special about a candy cane- and how can it ever be tied in with the real meaning of Christmas? Well, here is how and why...

*The candy cane is in the shape of a shepherd's staff. Jesus is our Shepherd, and we are His flock. A sheep follows his own shepherd, knows his voice, trusts him and knows that he is totally safe with him. The sheep will follow no other shepherd that their own. In the same way, if we belong to Jesus, we are to follow only Him (John 10:11; Psalm 23:1; Isaiah 40:11)

*Turned over, the candy cane is a "J," the first letter of Jesus' name. (Luke 1:31) It is made of hard candy to remind us that Christ is the "rock" of our salvation.

* The wide red stripes on the candy cane represent the blood Jesus shed on the cross for each on of us so that we can have eternal life through Him. He restores us and cleans us with His shed blood_ the only thing that can was away our sin. (Luke 22:20)

* The white Stripes on the candy cane represent Jesus; virgin birth and His pure, sinless life. He is the only human being ever who never committed a single sin, even though He was tempted just as we are. (1 Peter 2:22)

* The narrow red stripes on candy canes symbolize Jesus' stripes, or scars, which He got when He was arrested and whipped. The Bible says we are healed (of sin) because He took those wounds. (Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 2:24)

* The flavoring in the candy cane is peppermint, which is similar to hyssop. Hyssop is of the mint family and was used in Old Testament times for purification and sacrifice. ( John 19:29; Psalm 51:7)

* When we break our candy cane, it reminds us that Jesus; body was broken for us. When we have communion, it is a reminder of what He did for us. ( 1 Corinthians 11:24)

* AND, if we share our candy cane and give some to someone else because we love that person, we are sharing the love of Jesus. ( 1 John 4:7,8) God gave Himself to us when He sent Jesus to earth to save us. He loves us so much that He wants us to spend eternity with Him. We are assured of that when we accept Jesus into our hearts as our Savior. ( John 1:12; John #:3, 16)

Some people believe this story of the candy cane is only a legend. Others believe it really happened this way. We do not know for sure exactly how the candy cane was invented, but one this is certain... it is an excellent picture of Christ and His love for you.

Tattoos

Not many people know this but I'm learning how to tattoo. I have been drawing up tattoos for friends and for some of my friends who are professional tattoo artists and they never have to change the design. So my husband who is super understanding and supportive in that I want to do everything for Valentine's Day bought be a tattoo kit. I have been practicing on fruit and so finally a few months ago my husband let me tattoo him. It's a cover tattoo and being that i did it on his back and he kept jumping around i do need to touch it up but my friends who do this for a living are very proud with me and hope that when I get more experience I'll be able to tattoo some of them and work with them as well! Here's some photos of designs i drew and Casey's tattoo.

Holiday Treats For Neighbors

So I've become Susie Homemaker and decided to share something nice with my neighbors. Everyone I know tends to share cookies so I thought why not try something new? I decided to make Oreo and Cookie Dough Truffles. I am warning you now it is messy but so worth it! Here are the recipes:

Oreo Truffles:

I first had these when my aunt made them and they are awesome!

Ingredients:

36 Oreo cookies finely crushed (one whole 14.3oz package of Oreo cookies is 36 cookies)

1 package of  8oz philidelphia cream cheese softened

16oz bakers semi-sweet chocolate 

Directions:

RESERVE 1/4 cup cookie crumbs. Mix cream cheese and remaining cookie crumbs until blended.

SHAPE into 48 (1-inch) balls. Dip in melted chocolate; place on waxed paper-covered rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with reserved cookie crumbs.

REFRIGERATE 1 hour or until firm.

Cookie Dough Truffles

Found this recipe on allrecipes.com note:try freezing the dough a little before molding then once again before dipping in chocolate so they maintain their shape well

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup toffee baking bits
• 1 pound chocolate confectioners' coating
               
                      Directions:
  Beat the butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until smooth. Beat in the vanilla extract. Add flour, alternately with sweetened condensed milk, beating well after each addition. Fold in the chocolate chips and toffee bits; mixing just enough to evenly combine.

  
  

  Using a small cookie scoop, make 1-inch balls and place them on waxed paper lined baking sheets. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour

  
  

  Melt the chocolate coating in a microwave-safe glass or ceramic bowl in 30-second intervals, stirring after each melting, for 1 to 3 minutes (depending on your microwave). Do not overheat or coating will scorch. Dip the dough balls in the chocolate coating, allowing any excess to drip off. Place on waxed-paper lined baking sheets and sprinkle the truffles with additional toffee pieces. Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes. Store in the refrigerator.
  
  

{Final Result I used different sprinkles to be able to tell which ones were which. They are a hit!}

Bad News Before the Holidays

So ever since I was young I've struggled with image issues. Glasses and braces at the same time, I didn't know how to match clothes well, I was uncoordinated, and worst of all, weight struggle. I have always been a yo-yo dieter and once I turned 19 I was at the best I had ever been in a healthy way. During pregnancy I still maintained a healthy eating habit and looked great throughout my pregnancy. After I had Isabella though I couldn't lose the extra weight, in fact, I couldn't lose it at all! I have been gaining weight little by little over time and now that Isabella is almost two years old I have become concerned with health and reached out for help. A friend told me that gluten free diet has done wonders for her and after looking up results for it I thought why the hell not and chose to give it a try. I felt amazing after the first two weeks of eating no gluten whatsoever and and so much healthier but when i weighed myself i had in fact gained more weight! I tried working out but still nothing. I didn't understand how this was happening. I decided to go to my family doctor  and get my thyroid checked out. After blood work came back and she said nothing seemed to be wrong with my thyroid but she did was to do more extensive tests she sat me down and told me that she was about 100% sure that I have arthritis! What! I am 22 years old! The only thing I could think of was my aunt who was just diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and the pain she suffers with. It breaks my heart to think of the pain she is in because she is by far the coolest aunt I have. After talking to my mother and looking up what is the best way to handle arthritis since people don't usually anticipate getting arthritis until they are older and have grandchildren research seemed necessary. Well from the looks of it I have to become a bird lol. Many vegetables with starch, breads, meats, fatty foods and dairy can cause your joints to become inflamed. So though this was pretty bad news to get before Christmas I decided i will take it into stride and turned this new found issue into a better way of living. So watch out I may have some new recipes for you to try that will be awesome! Wish me luck!

Christmas 2012 Part 2; Gingerbread Contest

What's the holidays without a little friendly competition? Casey and I decided that it would be fun to have a gingerbread competition. I thought making a house would be classic yet show my artistic side with care. Casey chose to do a huge gingerbread man. Though we both did it for fun and competition we had a blast doing it so here is our final results...before Isabella got to them :)

Pitbulls and Kids

So as many of you know we adopted an 8mo old pitbull. He was a stray that was found in a town about 30miles away from us and was said he was thrown out of a moving car and left for dead. Well guess what he lived and is a sweet sweet dog. The only thing is is his right front paw healed broken so he only uses three of his legs. We named him diesel and he is a sweetheart. Not only is he a good dog he's great with our daughter. We have a little girl who will be two in January and as anyone with children knows you need an animal that will be good with kids. A big fear is that big dogs and "aggressive breeds" will be dangerous if you have small children but as anyone who has had a pitbull and raised them properly will tell you it is how the owners raise them that makes them aggressive or not. Well here is how Diesel is with Isabella. They are best friends. She will take her plate off the table and sit down on the floor with him so he's not sitting alone, she'll lay down with him and always asks to give him treats. He sleeps in our room at night but during her naps he sleeps outside her bedroom door. He is so protective of her and always makes sure that he is by her side when she goes outside. I am so happy that they are so close because I know she always has an extra set of ears listening out for her safety. 

{Diesel the day we brought him home. You can see his bad paw}

{Playing with his little stuffed bone}

{He was chewing on his bone so she tried to make the same sounds as him 

by chewing on her balloon face to face with him}

Christmas 2012 Part 1

So decorating in our family starts the day after Thanksgiving. Now a days it seems that so many stores are starting to put Christmas decorations up earlier and earlier each year and each year the cost of decorations become more and more expensive. Here is what we did in order to save some money, be unique and stay in the holiday spirit!

                                           

We made our own wreath and saved $125 doing it ourselves. It's classy, unique and because it is faux foliage we can use this every year! 

We decorated inexpensive Christmas bulbs to give them our own personal touch. Makes our tree more colorful and family oriented without spending an arm and a leg

Ok Santa personally told me he liked these and even requested that we make some for Mrs. Clause as well. Nutella cookie and S'more Ice Cream sandwhiches. Delicious and just leave a note to santa next to his milk that his cookies are in the freezer!

Our little one is so excited to open her presents and have a great Christmas and enjoy all the wonderful things our family and Santa gave her!

Nutella Cookie and S'More Ice Cream Recipe:

Ingredients for cookies:

2 cups flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 cup Nutella
1 teaspoon vanilla

Cookie Directions:
In a small bowl, whisk together the first four ingredients and set aside.

With or in a mixer, beat the butter and sugar until very creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly in between. Next, add the Nutella and vanilla and beat until incorporated. Lastly, beat in the flour mixture. Cover the bowl and chill the dough for at least four hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Scoop the dough by approximately 2 tablespoons full each onto prepared baking sheets. they spread quite a bit.

Bake cookies until the edges are set but the centers still seem soft, approximately 15 minutes. Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet then transfer to a wire rack.

                                                               Ingredients for Ice Cream:

                                                                   Vanilla Ice Cream

                                                          1/4 cup Crushed Chocolate Chips

                                                           1/2 cup Crushed Gram Crackers

                                                                  1 cup Mini Marshmallows

While the cookies are cooling take 4 over flowing cups of vanilla ice cream and let them soften. Add the rest of the ingredients and the softened ice cream into a mixer, mix it together then freeze until the ice cream is back to original state. Once ice cream is ready and cookies are cooled take one scoop of the ice cream and place it between two cookies and serve. Great all year round!

Letter to the Editor

So yesterday after talking to many of my friends. family, and military spouses I was urged to start making an even bigger deal about this especially being as my husband can't be the only one going through this. So I wrote to the editor of our local news paper here in Tennessee. Here's what I sent and hope many of the other MILSOs and family members will step up and do something of the sort to help out our military going through this. 

Hi my name is Hannah June. My husband is a soldier at Fort Campbell and he is currently suffering with PTSD. He was deployed during Operation Iraqi Freedom and was awarded a combat action badge and an Army Commendation Medal. Though the honor of serving our country has been something he prides himself in he came back in 2010 with sever Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It started out with just dreams and kicking in his sleep and over the last two years has worsened. In the last six months he has slept walked countless times, woke up in our truck with it running, his pistol in his hand, loaded with a round in the chamber (he sold his pistol after that). He's pulled a knife out on me during one of his sleep walks, punched me in his sleep, woke everyone in his parents house up during a visit while searching for the key to his gun safe in order to start shooting "haji's" and has woken up in his parents sand volleyball court or by our rental management office in the middle of the night. He has tried countless times to go for help. Most of his NCOS refuse to help him and say that it will make him look bad going for help for it now since he just PCSd here from Fort Bliss. He went to sick call in the morning and they sent him to mental health who told him they couldn't do anything for him then sent him to his primary care doctor who said he couldn't help him because it was a mental health issue then sent him back. He went again to mental health and they told him that he's not depressed enough and isn't suicidal so they tell him it's not severe enough. We've called hot lines, talked to people at the church we go to, and even tried going through people who are said to be able to help with PTSD and almost all the places we've talked to have told us that he needs to do something drastic like say he's going to commit suicide in order to be sure to get help for his PTSD. WHAT!!!!! If he were to say something like that he would actually be to that point. He and I refuse to let that be on his record and lie about it especially with him trying to adopt my daughter and be her legal father not just her step father. The church told us to pray about it and gave him counseling and a name but the person said the same thing. "Do something drastic." It affects his work and his NCOS that he's been trying to go to for help are trying to demote him or find reasons to say he is not qualified for his job. This is a mental issue. He needs help and if he isn't there mentally then he won't be there to do his job correctly. His commander at Fort Bliss told me directly that he is the best at what he does and here they try to say he has "lack of job knowledge." His First Sgt is the only one who's been trying to help but going directly to him he risks getting in trouble for jumping rank and nothing he does will be able to change what Mental Health says. He is not the same man I married which I don't expect him to be exactly the same since he came back from his deployment but over the last year and a half he has lost confidence in who he is and what he does. Many families break during this and I'm trying to keep strong for him but he needs help. I know he's not the only soldier dealing with this and I'm hoping getting this information out there it will help people see we have soldier's serving our country who need help and are reaching out for it and getting door after door shut in their face. Please help us get our story out or at least help these military families such as ourselves get their loved ones help. 

Sincerely,

Hannah June

Healthy Treats to Indulge In

With the end of the year coming to an end and Christmas right around the corner indulging in a million and one sweets and gaining the extra 10lbs that you have to crunch and work off before summer try these. They are sweet and super easy to make! 

Healthy Treats:

Well I thought it’d be best to start with the healthy treats first so here are some that I’ve found and done and have been great!

Chocolate Crunch:

I got this recipe from www.eatingwell.com

Ingredients:

3 cup Wheat Chex cereal, (2 ounces)

3 cup pretzel sticks broken in half, (2 ounces)

3/4 cup salted roasted almonds, (2 1/2 ounces)

9 tablespoons bittersweet chocolate chips, melted

Preperation:

Combine Chex, pretzels and almonds in a medium bowl. Drizzle with melted chocolate; stir to combine. Spread the mixture on a wax paper-lined baking sheet and refrigerate until the chocolate is set, about 30 minutes.

-Makes 12 servings of 3/4 cups each

Baked Cinnamon Apples:

I got this recipe from TLC and I absolutely love it!
Ingredients:

4 Sheets (18x12in) heavy-duty foil, lightly sprayed with nonstick cooking spray4 Large Granny Smith or Rome Beauty Apples

1/3 cup brown sugar, packed

1/4 cut dried cranberries (i use raisins)

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons butter cut into 4 pieces

(and if you want some extra sweet flavoring add some vanilla ice cream)

PREPARATION:

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Core apples. Using paring knife, trim off 1/2-inch strip around top of each apple. Place each apple in center of foil sheet.

2. Mix brown sugar, cranberries and cinnamon in small bowl. Fill apples with sugar mixture, sprinkling any excess around pared rim. Place 1 piece butter on sugar mixture; press gently.

3. Double fold sides and ends of foil to seal packets, leaving head space for heat circulation. Place packets on baking sheet.

4. Bake 20 minutes. Remove from oven. Carefully open foil packets; shape foil around apples. Bake 10 minutes more or until apples are tender. Remove from oven. Transfer apples to bowls; spoon remaining liquid over apples. Serve warm apples with ice cream.

PTSD

So as the month of December rolls around I realized I've neglected writing on our blog. So here's an update. We moved from Texas to Tennessee. I just celebrated my 22nd birthday end of October. We've become amazing at money management and I am so happy that my husband is so amazing in everything he puts his mind to. We are so excited to be getting things done and ready to start the new year and hopefully buying our first house together.


Ok so now that the little recap is over let us get down to brass tacs. I'm struggling with my husbands PTSD. He is a veteran and served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and is currently stationed at Fort Campbell. He's suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder since 2010. Now in my personal opinion his ncos and higher ups should be helping him with getting help. In the past 5 months he has slept walked countless times, woke up in his parents sand volleyball court, woke up in the truck with his pistol loaded and truck running (he sold his pistol after that), woke his entire parents house up yelling about finding weapons to kill haji, pulled a knife out on me in his sleep and even punched me in the face when he was dead asleep. He flinches in his sleep throws things around and screams in his sleep as well. any movies or video games that come on that resemble a war zone make his PTSD act up. So as anyone can see he needs help. Yet why don't they want to help him? He asks for help and they look at him as weak yet I think anyone who is actually capable of asking for help deserves it. He doesn't want to hurt his family but the military should be helping him right? Everyone he talks to about what could they have him do all say he has to do something drastic like say he is going to commit suicide but why would he want that on his record? And honestly if he became so depressed he actually considered it I wouldn't think it was because he wanted attention. How many times can one person ask for help and be turned down especially when they served our country? And what can I do to try and help besides just being supportive? It worries me as well and the stress is extremely difficult. Any advice would truly help.

Do It Yourself Everything!

So any of you that read mine or Casey's status' I'm on a huge do it yourself kick. From home decor to cleaning supplies. Thanks a bunch to my friend Ashley and her husband Willy (with their precious newborn) for always doing so many cool do it yourself projects I've gotten really into it myself.

For those of you who are on a tight budget or even those of you who aren't and are frugal with your money here are some good money savers. First food. A family of 4 that eats out at fast food every night will spend an average of  $140 a week or more. Thats approximately $20 a night. Making meals every night (though tedious) saves bundles of money. Simple meals that are many favorites, such as spaghetti, cost about $5 for a family. thats $1.25 per person! Most meals for a family with meats, breads, and veggies cost a max of $10 per night saving $70 a week! I don't know anyone who doesn't think that having an extra $70 a week is awesome.

DIY Cleaning Supplies: Anywhere on the internet you can find recipes for cleaning supplies that you can make yourself...and they really work!

1) Laundry soap: some people have a big issue with changing laundry soap because of skin sensitivity or they're just used to their favorite brand but trying to make it once is definitely worth it.

Recipe:
-Get 2 bars of your favorite bar soap any kind is fine but most preferred is Ivory, ZOTE, or Fels-Naptha
-2 cups of borax
-2 cups of washing soda (NOT BAKING SODA)
(All should be found at local grocery stores)

-Shave soap bars with fine grater into a bowl
-add 2cups of Borax and 2 cups of Washing Soda
-Mix for about 5min and enjoy!
(this makes up 64-128 loads depending on how many Tbsp used per load and is about $0.05 per load)

2) Surface cleaner

Recipe:
-Empty Milk Jug
-2Tbsp ammonia
-1Tbsp dish detergent
-2cups rubbing alcohol
-Few drops of of your favorite essential oils (I personally like orange or lemon)
- and a couple drops of food coloring (optional)
-Fill the rest of the jug with Hot water and pour into spray container to use as needed

3) Window Cleaner

Recipe:
-This one can be made right in your spray bottle. 

-½ tsp mild dish detergent

-3Tbsp vinegar

-2 cups water  

-Put all these ingredients into a spray bottle.  Shake this up some and use it just like the commercial variety

4) Floor Cleaners

Recipe for regular floors:

-1 cup vinegar 

-1 gal warm water

mix in bucket and use

Recipe for hard wood floors:

-1/2 cup vinegar

-1 gal warm water

mix in bucket and remember to not soak wood floors with water. 

1st Birthday

                                                           {Isabella on her birthday}
As many of you know this past Tuesday, January 17, 2012 was Isabella's first birthday! (btw thank you to everyone for the birthday wishes) Though we were so happy to have Isabella turn one the day took a sharp turn when my stomach ache turned into the stomach flu which got both Casey and Isabella sick so the rest of her birthday was spent laying in bed trying not to vomit (sorry if tmi). When we all felt better we finally got to celebrate Isa's birthday, even though it was a few days after her actual birthday. Her favorite burgers were made and fries with a custom cupcake cake made for her (by Hannah) and ending the night watching her favorite movie Tangled. As nice as it was to celebrate her birthday in a small way and have a birthday party with some of my family from Arizona, I wish we would have been able to give her a birthday party with all her family and friends.

                                               {Casey helping Isabella blow out her candles}
                                         
Speaking of family from Arizona. I haven't seen some of them in almost 7years! My Tia Lorraine (aunt lorraine) hasn't changed which was nice but 5 of my youngest cousins really grew up! It's so weird seeing kids that were not even a year old to 6 years old and not even to your hip seem to grow overnight like weeds and surpass you! I still can't believe my cousins Anthony and Xavier have mustaches! Only 2 years ago they were in elementary school climbing the trees in my parents back yard and now one is Pauly D obsessed and the other is a licensed boxer! Another couple of years and they'll be driving to Tennessee and New Jersey to visit us from Arizona! Looking at them really makes me wish Isabella could stay little and cuddly forever!

A New Family....For Us

Casey Isabella and I

As many of our friends and family know Casey and I just announced our engagement on Christmas morning to our families.

Casey and I have known each other since 2009 and have been friends since then. We decided back in the end of august to date and as soon as we decided we wanted to be together is as soon as Isabella and I jumped on a plane to move to Texas to be with him. (For those of you who don't know Isabella is my daughter who's almost 1yrs old and I haven't been with her father since we found out about the pregnancy.)
From the second our plane landed in Texas and we drove to our new home with nothing but a few suitcases and a very sleepy baby girl, we knew we made the best decision.

Casey and Isabella

 Since then we've been such a happy couple and Isabella has grown to love him so much. She looks at him as another father and I am the happiest I've been in a long time with someone. He loves Isabella as his own and truly I couldn't ask for anyone better.

So bringing it back to the last few weeks, we went to New Jersey for Christmas and Michigan for New Years, both really lovely times. And with plans to buy a house in Tennessee in a few months what we really needed for Christmas was home supplies which is exactly what we got. From an ice cream maker to a whole queen bed set. Of course Isabella was spoiled with toys, clothes and everything else she could want and need. As exciting as it was to be going to visit meeting each other families definitely nerve wrecking. The approval of my family means the world to me and now we laugh and say that my family loves him more than they love me. Meeting his family was kind of a whirlwind. It all happened so fast that I'm still starting to remember things that happened but his brother Craig and sister in law Ann definitely helped make me feel so comfortable.

Now back home in Texas (for now) and getting back into our routine and planning for Isabella's 1st birthday! Can't believe its came so fast