Amy Michelle

I am enjoying my morning playing with my toddler, drinking coffee and watching a little Good Morning America. It’s not quite the news and not too heavy for my slightly groggy state. A segment this morning was presented on woman’s high tech undies (AKA Spanx) and showing how major curves could be suppressed under these [...]

Looking for a last minute Halloween costume? Look no further!

Courtesy of Disney Family Fun:
http://familyfun.go.com/halloween/best-last-minute-kids-halloween-costumes-798475

Brain Cupcakes:
What you’ll need:

One Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes
Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting

How to prepare:

Prepare chocolate cupcakes according to recipe. Cool completely.
While cupcakes are cooling, make buttercream.
To decorate, use a medium round tip (such as Ateco #12) to pipe a mound of buttercream in the center of cupcake, then outline and pipe a brain design [...]

Ever find yourself wondering the candy aisle trying to figure out what candy to give your little trick or treaters?? Here is a list of the top candies to hand out this Halloween!
1. Mini Snickers Bar
2. Mini Reeses Cups
3. Mini packs of M&M’s
4. Hershey’s miniature candy bars.
5. Mini Baby Ruths
6. Kit Kat Bars
7. Twix
8. Almond [...]

Cranberry Spinach Salad:

What you’ll need:

1 tablespoon butter
3/4 cup almonds, blanched and slivered
1 pound spinach, rinsed and torn into bite-size pieces
1 cup dried cranberries
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1/2 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons minced onion
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup cider [...]

Our household has been under threat of that little unnamed flu bug. (Unnamed because I hate to say it out loud. I hate to jinx inviting those critters in). I thought my toddler had the bug, but it ended up being a really terrible cold virus. And, like the loving child my toddler is, he [...]

Stay safe this Halloween with these 10 safety tips!

1. Children should go out during daylight hours unless accompanied by a adult.
2. Plan a safe route so parents know where their kids will be at all times and set a time for them to be home.
3. Make sure the kids know to stay in populated areas [...]

Slow-Cooked Chili
What you’ll need:

1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 pound stew beef, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoons flour
1 large onion, chopped
2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small green or red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

16-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
16-ounce can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
28-ounce can [...]

Stick Vase! Gather sticks on your next nature walk to create a this beautiful stick vase. It’s fun and easy enough for your little ones to make in minutes!! 

Materials

Sticks (1/4 inch in diameter)
Garden clippers
Empty plastic jar

Thick rubber bands
Raffia or ribbon
Glue and pine cones

Instructions

Break or snip sticks to about an inch longer than the [...]

Over the last two years I have endeavored upon easy ways to reduce my impact on the environment by modifying the way I run my home.  I work full time and have found a schedule that accomplishes everything I need: laundry, food shopping, laundry and cleaning my home (yes laundry is listed twice).  By following [...]