Copycat Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole Review

Hiya out there!  Today I'm gonna do a review on a Copycat Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole recipe I found at Food.com.  Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of my own....we couldn't wait to dig right into it.  I'll update this post when I make it again which will be fairly soon.  I really enjoyed this recipe and it was really easy to make.  Especially with the frozen, ready to use hash browns.  Next time I am going to try making the hash browns from scratch.  My DH, Jason, was amazed at how much it tasted like the original.  Since the littles refuse to eat anything they think doesn't "look" good, there was a lot of casserole to go around.  Of course, Jason and I  didn't mind because all that meant was there was more for us.  It lasted us three days and we did not get tired of having it.  In fact, Jason already wants another pan of it ;-)  

Anywho.  Please check out the link to the recipe and my Pinterest page.  

May your bellies stay full and smiles be in your heart.

Perler Bead Covered Earphones

Good morning.

I decided that I am going to start posting reviews of the recipes, crafts, and other things that I find on Pinterest.  I have been a Pinterest lover for a very long time now.  Thank you Stephanie for getting me hooked and inviting me way back when;-)  I'll be pinning completed projects and reviews on my board Tried It.....Crafts and D.I.Y.  (Perler Bead Pin)  My daughter, Haley, crocheted fuzzy yarn over her earphones wire a while back.  Since then I've been wanting to do something similar but the thought of taking the time to crochet over the wires was not appealing to me.  In enter Pinterest.  I stumbled upon the idea of "stringing" Perler Beads over the earphone wire.  It was really easy to make.  Just a little reminder of the hot mess a "naked" set of earbuds can become:

I decided that it would be pretty cool to use glow in the dark Perler beads.  Not that I'm in the dark much, but just in the case I am, I thought it would be neat:-)

Most tutorial out there say to use a razor or craft knife.  Me, I used a heavy duty scissors (Tim Holtz Tonic Studios).  I'm so accident prone, this project would have ended in disaster :-(  

I used the end of the scissors to pry open the slit I made.  It was easy to slip it over the wire that way.

Here is the end result.

I love how they turned out.  They no longer get tangled and I instantly know which pair is mine.  Not to mention that it looks like jewelry when I hang it around my neck.  It took me about an hour to complete.  Not so bad considering that I watch Netflix as I craft.

Here's a closer look at it.

I hope you try it and let me know how it turns out for you.

Until next time, happy crafting!

Haley's 1st Microphone Session

Today I'm straying from my crafting blog posts to share with you my talented daughters.

We recently took Haley to practice singing into a microphone.  We have been trying to get her to agree to do Teen Open Mic night at the Carmel Youth Center.  If you haven't heard of it, please check out their webpage.    Yes I am plugging for the youth center but only because I love that place and people.  They do a lot of great things.  So, our friend Ernest, who works there, suggested Haley practice on a mic before actually going on stage.  It's a good thing she did because it really felt weird to her.  Her little sisters even got in on the action also.  

Here Haley is being silly and getting comfortable with the mic:

Here is Haley with Reagan covering Sunday by Sia:

Here they are again covering Count On Me by Bruno Mars

....and Haley covering Skinny Love by Bon Iver

I hope you enjoyed their little performances and wish us luck in getting Haley on stage.