Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars

I just came up with a new snack recipe for my kids.  I try to keep snacks readily made for them, as well as snacks that are easy to take along when we go on an outing.  It is always more affordable to make snacks than it is to buy packaged snack foods.  My kids enjoy having homebaked snacks, and I like that I know what all the ingredients in them are, and where they came from.  Too many packaged snack foods have all sorts of junk in them, some of the ingredients listed on the packages are practically impossible to pronounce.  I think this recipe is a keeper, and I will be making them again!

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars

1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups quick oats
2 eggs
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips

Mix all ingredients together, except chocolate chips, until well blended.  Dough will be slightly stiff and somewhat sticky.  Fold in chocolate chips.  Press mixture into a greased 9 x 13 inch pan, and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Cut into squares and serve.

My First Giveaway Ever!!!

I am having my first blog giveaway ever!  Woohoo!!!  I am excited to be offering a giveaway on one of my newest crocheting creations.  It is one of a kind, brand new, and hand crocheted with a varigated crochet thread in shades of blue.  This super cute headband is a wrap-around style that ties in the back, so it is adjustable to fit properly.  My lovely sister agreed to model it so I could get a good picture.  Thanks, sis! 

There are several ways you can get an entry into this giveaway.  You can get more than one entry by doing several of the following:

1. Leave a comment on any one of my posts.
2. Follow my blog.
3. Post this on Facebook.
4. Do a blog post about this giveaway.

When you have done any of the preceding, come back and leave a comment on this giveaway post and let me know all you did!  For instance, if you posted this on Facebook, leave a comment that you posted on Facebook.  Technically, that would count for two entries.  If you posted on your blog, make sure you leave a blog link in your comment :-)

I will close entries to this giveaway on Friday, July 29th at midnight (mountain time zone), and announce the winner on Saturday, July 30th.  Giveaway is limited to people residing in the USA.  Good luck!!!

Cabbage and Bacon Crockpot Soup Recipe

I was looking to use up a few grocery items and came up with this crockpot recipe. It was yummy! My six year old (who thinks she is allergic to vegetables) exclaimed after eating it, "Even though it had vegetables, I ate it anyway, and it was good!" I served this soup with buttered toast on the side.

Cabbage and Bacon Soup

1 small head of cabbage
1 bell pepper
1 15 oz can pinto beans - drained
1 onion
4 thick cut bacon slices - cooked and chopped into small pieces
6 cups water
6 chicken bouillion cubes

Chop vegetables and place in crockpot. Add the beans, water, and bouillion cubes. Stir in the chopped bacon pieces. Optional - to add more bacon flavor, add the leftover bacon drippings as well. Cook in crockpot on high for 5-6 hours.

Fun Activity - Water Bombs!!!

My kids and I embarked upon a journey of great fun this afternoon. I came across a website that had a neat craft idea for some fun outdoor water toys. You can find the directions here. My girls and I descended upon the dollar store to gather supplies for our endeavor. I was amazed, all of the supplies were in one place, and cheap too! The supplies needed to make these consist of sponges, drawer liner, a couple of Sham-Wows (yes, these amazing absorbant cloths are now at the dollar store, LOL), and some zip ties. It was a relatively easy craft to do with my kids. They helped me cut the pieces and arrange them, and then I tightened and fastened the zip ties for them.

As we finished this little project, neighbor children had gotten word about what we were making (my children may or may not have occasionally poked their head out the door waving a finished water bomb to show their friends). By the time we finished making them, the neighborhood children had gathered in our front yard to play with our new toys. I got out a few buckets filled with water, and the fun began. You all are lucky, I barely got a picture of a few of these babies before the children started their water wars! They all kept saying how neat they were, and they were eventually transported to the neighbor's pool as the water play shifted to another yard. Yeah, I would say that this little project today was a winner :-)

Tracfone Promo Codes - Lots of 'Em!!!

I just got my hands on a calendar from Tracfone that has lots of promo codes for free bonus minutes, and I am passing them along!

Valid for the month of June 2011, 2012
120 minute card or greater - 20 bonus minutes: 85416
200 minute card or greater- 40 bonus minutes:88591

Valid for the month of July 2011, 2012
120 minute card or greater- 20 bonus minutes: 81167
200 minute card or greater- 40 bonus minutes: 86043

Valid for the month of August 2011, 2012
120 minute card or greater- 20 bonus minutes: 80967
200 minute card or greater- 40 bonus minutes: 89058

Valid for the month of September 2011, 2012
120 minute card or greater - 30 bonus minutes: 88773
200 minute card or greater - 50 bonus minutes: 89592

Valid for the month of October 2011, 2012
120 minute card or greater - 30 bonus minutes: 80778
200 minute card or greater - 50 bonus minutes: 84800

Valid for the month of November 2011, 2012
120 minute card or greater - 20 bonus minutes: 81752
200 minute card or greater - 40 bonus minutes: 89306

Valid for the month of December 2011, 2012
120 minute card or greater - 20 bonus minutes: 81756
200 minute card or greater - 40 bonus minutes: 86692

Valid for the month of January 2012
120 minute card or greater - 20 bonus minutes: 85727
200 minute card or greater - 40 bonus minutes: 81550

Valid for the month of February 2012
120 minute card or greater - 20 bonus minutes: 83703
200 minute card or greater - 40 bonus minutes: 85476

Valid for the month of March 2012
120 minute card or greater - 20 bonus minutes: 81041
200 minute card or greater - 40 bonus minutes: 88398

Valid for the month of April 2012
120 minute card or greater - 30 bonus minutes: 88827
200 minute card or greater - 50 bonus minutes: 86290

Valid for the month of May 2012
120 minute card or greater - 20 bonus minutes: 81502
200 minute card or greater - 40 bonus minutes: 80033

Valid until December 31, 2012
1 year card - 200 bonus minutes: 89784
Double minutes for life card - 50 bonus minutes: 86546
1 year + double minutes card - 100 bonus minutes: 86950

New Vitacost Coupon Code - Father's Day Special

I just got ahold of a new vitacost coupon code for an extra 10% off the entire order. Unfortunately for me, I just put an order in two days ago and missed the deal (booooo!!!! hissss!!!!). Fortunately for you all, I am sharing the code :) It's in honor of Father's Day, and is good until 6/19/11. Enter this promo code at checkout: FATHERSDAY .

Great Crochet Resource

As I pursue my crocheting adventures, I continue to come across many great web resources. I happened upon this little gem of a website, and I already know that it will be one that I frequent quite often. It contains some really neat stitch patterns (FREE!!!), as well as motifs, that will help me as I try to design my own crocheted items. I am somewhat of a dreamy crocheter most days, LOL, as I see visions of what I want to crochet, but can never quite find the right pattern, or have no idea how to sit down and figure it out. This website I found will definitely be helpful in my needlework endeavors, and once I finish my current crochet project, I fully intend to get to work using the information from this website. Now that I have given great fanfare to the website, I shall reveal it to you :)

www.mypicot.com