Show Some Love

With February being the month of love, I would just like to share some different gifts and notes that I sent my husband when we were dating long-distance. I sent him a few things leading up to Valentines Day all through the mail system! It was so fun and my husband definitely felt loved! Feel free to get creative and add your own personality to each of these, anything you do will make your soul-mate feel special!
Holding Hands:
I sent him my hand print on card stock with this cute quote stating, "My heart is at home when my hand is holding yours." I wrote the quote out, but you could easily print it on paper first and then dip your hand in pant and place it on! (I sent this through the male in a manila envelope.)

Bursting with Love! 
For this gift you get a normal balloon and fill it with confetti! I used a hole punch and cut out tons of hearts and circles and placed them all into a deflated balloon. I then wrote on a tiny strip of paper, "I am bursting with love for you!" and slipped it into the balloon as well. To mail this item, I taped the opened end flat onto a card and wrote Step One: Remove carefully, Step Two: Blow Up, Step Three: Pop!. I was able to place it in an envelope and mail it with two stamps.

Yoda Best:
My husband is a big fan of Starwars, so I sent him a fun Starwars themed love letter! I made this simply through word, typing out the words and then pasting and formatting a picture of Yoda to say, "Yoda Best". On the inside of the card I used even more Starwars references by stating "...and the Obi-Wan for me. I'm thinking together, we can rule the galaxy!". I thought I was pretty clever :). This was easily mailed in an envelope as a normal letter.

I'm Nuts About You:

For this gift I used a Pringles can, scrapbook paper and Word to send him a container full of peanuts! I used the scrapbook paper to wrap and decorate the can securing it with masking tape. I also printed the address on a separate paper and taped that onto the can as well (as shown below). I then used a punch to cut out a circle to tape on the inside of the lid where I wrote, "I'm NUTS about you!". I then taped it up very securely and mailed the Pringles can just like that! 

Love You to Pieces:
For this gift I took a cheap and simple Valentines Day puzzle and put it together. Then carefully I flipped the puzzles to the back and wrote, "We just fit together! I love you to PIECES!" decorated with hearts. I then broke the puzzle up and sent him the puzzle in the mail in an envelope for him to put together and read my message.

Long-Distance Hug:
For this act of love sent him a long-distance hug! I first cut out paper as long as my one of my arm's wing span and taping pieces of paper together. I then cut out another strip of paper equivalent to my one arm wing span. On these strips of paper I wrote, "Here's a HUG, just for you! I wanted to let you know how much I care about, and miss you!". I traced and cut out two of my hands, and a heart, for the middle. I then glued one end paper to a hand and the heart, and the other strip of paper to the other hand and middle heart. (See pictures for an example). I then folded the paper in an accordion fold with each hand on the outsides, holding the heart in the middle. This all fit flat in an envelope to mail.

Kisses:
This was one of my favorite one to make, a page full kisses given from my own lips! For this I used two different shades of lip stick, placing the lips on the paper for bold and faded kisses. Tip: Practice on another sheet of paper before attempting and find your favorite style to do. I found that literally kissing the paper did not look very good, so I more like placed me lips on the paper so you could see more definition of my lips.) :)

Pictures:
On other days I just sent cute photos of me holding different Valentine Day signs and sayings. Get goofy and creative!

Stove Top Mexican Rice

Mexican rice is such an easy and delicious side that goes great with any authentic meal! This recipe is a combination of a few recipes I've tried and enjoyed, so I hope you enjoy is as well!

1 cup of white long-grain rice

1 T of canola oil

1 1/2 cups of chicken broth

1 14.5oz can of diced tomatoes

1 tsp of chili powder

1/2 tsp of garlic powder

1/2 tsp of oregano 

1 tsp of cumin 

I can or 1/2 cup of diced green chilies (optional)

Place oil in a deep skillet over medium heat. Stir in the rice to golden, takes about 5-7 minutes. Add in chicken broth, non-drained can of tomatoes, chilies if desired and all spices and bring the mix to a boil. Turn down to low heat, cover, and let simmer for 20 minutes (Do not lift the lid during simmering time). Remove from heat and let cool adding pepper to taste if desired. 

Great Gift Ideas for HER

Here are some great Amazon finds of great gifts for HER. All of these are either under or just above $10. Hopefully these can help you get some great ideas for your gifts to loved ones! Gifts for HIM coming soon!(Links are affiliated)

One of the things I use everyday is the invisibobble. This is a type of hair tie that does not leave a pony-tail mark in your hair or tugs on your hair! I used to hate wearing my hair up because it would give me a headache, but these hair ties are so gentle! These would be a perfect gift for a sister or friend! They are $9.95 for three, check them out HERE.

The next gift is a nail polish holder! You have to check this out! I don't know why I have never gotten one of these as it would make life so much easier when painting my nails! You can find them HERE. This would make such a fun gift!

The next gift is something every woman would want right now, and that's a bath bomb! These are all the rave and I can understand why as they smell amazing, are so cute bringing bubbles to your tub! I love this one sold by Two Sister Spa as there are many colors and smells to choose from in adorable packaging! They are $7.99 on Amazon, get them HERE.

The next find is a blanket scarf for only $12.99. I have a blanket scarf and it is a staple in my winter closet! They are so warm and so cute! Check them out HERE.

The next gift I wanted to share is a CC Bennie which is about $11 dollars but so soft and cute! This would be a perfect Christmas and winter gift. They have so many colors and great reviews! Find them HERE.

If you are willing to spend a few buck over $10, I have to tell you about this amazing yet practical gift for the shower! It's called a Tub Shroom and what it does is catches all the hair that goes down the drain during a shower. I have had this nifty tool for about 3 months and I love it! Its so easy to clean up hair after a shower and it keeps your hair out of sight while you do! It's only $13 and it will change your life! Check it out HERE.

The Best Banana Muffins

I love bananas, but they always seem to turn brown so quickly! I search for a banana recipe and these muffins are my absolute favorite! I find myself just buying ripe bananas so I can bake with them! Here's the recipe!

3 ripe bananas, mashed
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 cups all purpose flour (I've substituted 1 cup for wheat)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup of dark or milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line 12 standard muffin cups with paper liners. Mash the bananas in a a bowl or kitchen aid and add sugar and oil, mix. In a another bowl stir together the four, salt and baking soda and then add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well.

Divide the batter into the 12 prepared cups and place into the preheated oven and bake 10-15 minutes.Test with a toothpick inserted in the middle of a muffin and if it comes out clean the muffins area ready. Remove the pan to a cooling rack and let sit for 5 minutes. Serve immediately as these muffins are really delicious when they are warm! Enjoy!

Frozen to Shredded Crock Pot Chicken

Every time I buy a bag of frozen chicken I cook at least half of it in the crock pot. I shred the chicken and then save it in the freezer for an easy and quick meal. Here is a simple recipe that I use and makes your chicken delicious!

4-6 Frozen Chicken Breasts
1/2 T of Onion Powder or Flakes
1 tsp of Pepper (or to taste)

All you do is place the chicken in first, then the seasonings and cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours.
Now here is a trick that I learned to keep your chicken fresh and flavorful: shred the chicken in the crock pot with all the chicken juice and let cool. Once cool enough for freezer plastic bags scoop the chicken into the bags without draining any excess chicken juice/broth. Adding in the chicken broth to store your chicken will add flavor and prevent it from going dry when reheated. That's all! Delicious and painless chicken meals on the menu!

Oreo Truffles

Desserts are my absolute favorite thing to make, because they are so delicious and are wonderful gifts! This truffle recipe I am about to share is SO simple, easy, and cheap yet delicious! There are only 3 simple ingredients and they are great for parties, goody-bags, mid-night snacks and really any occasion!

Ingredients:
1 block of cream cheese (I used 1/3 fat one)
1 bag of mini oreos (or equivalent in regular oreos)
1/2 bag of milk chocolate chips (or cooking chocolate equivalent)
Optional: White chocolate, candy canes, sprinkles, etc.

Use a food processor and grind up the whole package of mini oreos until powdery fine. You can also use a ziplock bag and rolling pin if you don't have a food processor to smash them to crumbles. Next add the block of cream cheese to the food processor and blend, or add the oreos and cream cheese in a bowl and mash with a fork until all is moist and blended. Next melt your chocolate chips, with a tab of coconut oil optional, until melted and smooth. Then using your hands make about 1 in balls and dip to cover in chocolate. Place the balls on a cookie sheet lined with a baking mat or parchment paper, and sprinkle toppings like crumbled candy canes or white chocolate on immediately while chocolate is still wet. This makes about 15-20 balls depending on how big or small you make them. Let them stand and cool in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes or until chocolate hardens.

Italian Vegetable Crock Pot Chicken

This week has been cold, rainy and busy which means I go straight to a crock pot meal! This recipe is pretty cheap but delicious to eat and is a great way to get some vegetables in for dinner.

3-4 Frozen Chicken Breasts
1/2 cup of baby or shredded carrots
2 stalks of diced celery
1/2 medium onion chopped
8 oz of frozen or fresh broccoli
1/2 block of cream cheese
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1/2 package Italian seasoning mix

Set the onions on the bottom of the crock pot followed with the chicken breasts, then place the rest of vegetables on top. Poor in the Italian seasoning followed by the cream of chicken soup and the cream cheese. Let cook on high for 4 hours or high for 6 hours. Shred chicken with a fork when done and mix in melted cream cheese and soup more thoroughly. Enjoy on top of brown or white rice, and side with a green salad or stuffing! My husband and I also added some crushed Ritz Crackers and crushed red pepper on top for extra flavor.