4 Nifty New Years Tips

I want to share with you 4 easy tips that will help you start your new year off right.

VIDEO LINK:  

http://youtu.be/eCMHjG4nkF8

You can watch our video to get full details on each of the tips. 

Here is a list of the tips:

TIP #1

The first tip is a money saving tip to help put you in a money saving frame of mind. By thinking about how you can save money in small ways, you are making yourself aware of how the little things add up. This is the perfect way to start this new year because by saving money on things that you do NOT need, you are putting money in your pocket for things you DO need. Let's start by saving money on our yearly calendars. 

I used to spend over $30 on new calendars every year. I found a way to pocket that money and still have beautiful, decorative calendars in my home. 

 TIP #2 

For the second tip I will tell you how I like to keep myself motivated to keep exercising. So many times we make our New Years resolutions and we wind up breaking the promise of keeping up with our workouts. By making our workouts fun and non-repetitive, we can change the way we think about keeping fit. You CAN look forward to your workouts instead of cringing at the thought. :) 

Tip #3

For the third tip I will share with you one of my favorite health and fitness websites. This website is FREE to use and they have so many great tools to encourage you along your path to better health. You can keep track of your diet, calories, protein, workouts and more from this site. The list of healthy recipes on their site is endless. You can even share your own recipes. They also have videos that offer free workout routines to encourage you to stay motivated. They have an app for your mobile devices to make it easy to use no matter where you are. They also offer lots of articles to uplift and keep us on track toward a healthier lifestyle. If you are interested in a community that is filled with people to encourage you... they have it. There are many like-minded people who interact with each other on this website. They have knitting groups, positively uplifting groups, reading groups... you name it. It is a great place to find the support you need to help you stay motivated to keep a healthy mind and body.

Check out the site: 

http://www.sparkpeople.com/index.asp 

Tip #4

The last tip is to show you what you can do with your Christmas tree trimmings. Before you throw away your Christmas tree, cut off some of the branches and put them in a box or bag. They smell wonderful when you cut them into small pieces and simmer them in water. It is a great way to put your tree to good use. It makes your house smell so good. There will be plenty of branches to be able to change your pine potpourri every day. :) Give it a try. 

I hope these tips help and encourage you to get your New Year started off right. Thank you so much for stopping by our blog. Don't forget to check out the video and subscribe so you don't miss anything. 

Have a beautiful New Year! 

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How To Make Easy Christmas Cookies

These cookies are one of my favorite cookies to make for Christmas. I used to make them all the time to give as gifts. They were a big hit with everyone. I started out making the chocolate-mint cookies which reminded me so much of the mint cookies that I use to buy from the Girl Scouts. Then I decided to try adding peanut butter instead of mint and WOW!! The peanut butter-chocolate cookies are amazing too. These cookies are so easy to make and they do not take many ingredients at all. You do not even have to bake them!! 

I made a video that shows you how I made my cookies and it also gives you lots of tips and tricks too. So don't miss the video tutorial. 

Here is the link:

HOW TO MAKE EASY CHRISTMAS COOKIES

Here is how I make the cookies...

Mint-Chocolate Cookies 

*1 - 20 oz. Package of candy bark or 1 - 11.5 oz. package of chocolate chips

*1/4 tsp. peppermint extract

*2 tube packs of RITZ Crackers

*Candy canes, crushed 

or decorating sprinkle sugar

Peanut Butter- Chocolate Cookies 

*1 - 20 oz. Package of candy bark or 1 - 11.5 oz. package of chocolate chips

*1 tablespoon of peanut butter

*2 tube packs of RITZ Crackers

*Candy canes, crushed 

or decorating sprinkle sugar

You will need a double boiler to melt your chocolate on the stove. I do not have a double boiler but I show you what I used in the video. It is always fun to use your imagination to substitute with things you DO have. :)

Do not be afraid to use the store name brand of crackers. I know the recipe calls for RITZ crackers but you will never know the difference. 

I use waxed paper to cover a cookie sheet.

I break up my chocolate bark or pour my chocolate chips into my double boiler to melt the chocolate. If you need more tips on how to melt chocolate, here is a link that explains how to do it over the stove or in the microwave:  

http://www.wikihow.com/Melt-Chocolate-Chips

After your chocolate is melted you can add your peppermint extract or your peanut butter. I use a scraper to keep the chocolate stirred. I also leave my burner on low after the chocolate is melted in order to keep the water warm. This will keep the chocolate melted as you dip your crackers. 

I use tongs to dip my crackers into my chocolate. I flip it over on both sides to make sure that the cracker is covered. Then I use my scraper to get the extra chocolate off of the bottom of the cookie. This will use less chocolate and allow you to make more cookies. Both sides are still coated but there is less chocolate on the bottom. This also helps prevent the chocolate from puddling under your cookie and deforming it. 

After the cookie is dipped, I place it on the cookie sheet with the waxed paper. You can use crushed candy canes or sugar sprinkles to decorate your cookies. I like using sugar sprinkles.

After my cookie sheet is filled with cookies, I slide off the waxed paper with the cookies on it onto the table to allow the cookies to cool. 

When the cookies are done cooling than I just pick the cookies off of the waxed paper and put them in my Christmas containers. 

The batch that I made with the candy bark made about 73 cookies. The chocolate chip batch made about 54 cookies.

TIP:  The chocolate chip cookie batch needed to be refrigerated. I actually refrigerated the cookies a little in order to get them off of the waxed paper to put in the container.

Wasn't that easy??? They will be a BIG HIT with family and friends. I promise. :)

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HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS!

             

Make A Christmas Ornament For Your Pet

I love this project!! It is super fun to do with your kids and it is a great way to remember your pets each year when you decorate your Christmas tree. We used polymer clay to make these ornaments. It is such fun to work with polymer clay. You can make this project out of salt dough too but I wanted to try it with polymer clay because I thought it would last longer. :) 

These make GREAT gifts! I made most of mine to give as gifts. It is such a thoughtful way to surprise your friends and family who have special pets that share their lives. You may have to get creative with how you will get your Mom's dog to give you a foot print if you want to surprise her. hehe 

You can make paw print ornaments for your cats and dogs. 

I also came up with a way to always remember your favorite pet horse. You take the horses hair out of their brush and wrap it around your fingers to make a wreath. Then you add a bow to it and glue it on your clay ornament. 

I love how this one turned out!!

I know that many of us love our little pet birds so I came up with this little idea. I took a saved feather and made an ornament for my girlfriends little bird. I know she will adore this little gift.  

Use your imagination to make your ornaments the way you like them and make them as colorful as you like. 

I added glitter to this one. 

If you would like to see the step-by-step tutorial on how to make these adorable Christmas Ornaments you can watch the video by clicking this link. 

http://youtu.be/NDhOfB35qNc

You will also meet my pets who so sweetly let us record the process so we could share it with you. :)

Thank you so much for visiting our blog. Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube Channel so you do not miss any of our future ideas. 
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Have a very Merry Christmas!!