Dinosaur Hoodie

How cute is this hoodie?! Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of one on any of my nephews.

This project was relatively easy and cheap. I found plain zip-up hooded sweatshirts and some yellow felt.

Rip the seam of the hood out down to the seam that attaches the hood to the rest of the sweatshirt. Skip over this seam and cut the sweatshirt down the center to the lower seam.

Cut triangles out of a double layer of felt and sew around the edges. I used a contrasting color, but if you don't want the seam to stand out use thread that is the same color as your felt. You will need a different number of triangles depending on the size of your sweatshirt and the size of the triangles. I used between 11 and 14 for the three I made for boys who are 2, 5 and 6.

Place the edge of the triangle even with the cut edge of the fabric on the sweatshirt and sew about 1/4 inch in from the edge.

When you are almost to the end of the first triangle stop sewing. Make sure that the needle is down and lift up the foot. Pull back the top layer of fabric and place the corner of the next triangle against the corner of the last. Lay the fabric back over the top, put the foot back down and continue sewing. Do this with each triangle until you get to the seam of the hood. Sew up to the seam, and back stitch about 1/2 inch.

Move to the other side of the seam and continue adding triangles down the back until you get to the bottom seam. Finish off the same as you did with the hood. 

Creamy Layers of Goodness

My husband has declared this his favorite. I picked this recipe for the first Pinterest project to blog about. I kinda cheated because I found it and then pinned it so it would count, but oh well. I got the recipe from The Country Cook, who calls it the Cookie Monster Dessert, but I think I'll call them Chocolate Chip Pudding Bars. I used an 8x8 pan instead of a 9x13 and cut down the ingredients by about half (except the Cool Whip, you can never have too much Cool Whip) because the two of us didn't need a 9x13 pan of this.

Chocolate Chip Pudding Bars

1 16 oz package ready-to-bake chocolate chip cookies

1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

1 small tub Cool Whip, thawed

3 cups milk

1 4 oz box instant chocolate pudding

1 4 oz box instant vanilla pudding

mini chocolate chips and toffee bits for topping

Preheat oven to 350°. Press the cookie dough into the bottom of a greased 9x13 baking dish and bake for about 16-18 minutes. Cool completely (I'm impatient, so after the pan was cool I put it into the freezer to cool the cookie quicker). Meanwhile, in a small bowl, blend the cream cheese and powdered sugar. Fold in 1 1/2 - 2 cups Cool Whip. Spread the cream cheese mixture over the cookie. Mix the two packages of pudding together, add 3 cups of cold milk and whisk until pudding consistency. Spread pudding over the cream cheese mixture. Top the pudding with remaining Cool Whip and sprinkle with mini chocolate chips and toffee bits. Store in the fridge until ready to serve. 

This Will Happen

So...for the past month I have kinda neglected my blog. Sorry, loyal followers (if there are any out there). I have been super busy and, I'm not gonna lie, pretty lazy. But, I am resolving to change that.

I found a blog called The Pinterest Project and they've inspired me. While I'm not going to be quite as ambitious as they are and tackle a project daily, I'd like to do one at least once a week. Whether it's a new recipe or something crafty, if it's on one of my boards I'm on it.

I'd love to make a little party out of some of the bigger projects, so if anyone is interested in getting together let me know! Projects are always more fun with friends (and wine), right? There are so, so, so many awesome ideas out there, like this tee pee that Melissa and I made a few weeks ago, that it seems like a waste to just fill up pin boards and never do anything with them.

I fully anticipate that this could get pricey, so I'm going to have to be selective, seeing as my husband already thinks Pinterest is the devil, and keep costs to a minimum. I can't wait to get started cooking, baking, crafting, and blogging.

Crock Pot Taco Chicken Chili

I love my Crock Pot. It's an awesome feeling to be driving home from work and knowing that dinner is ready and waiting at home. One of my favorite things to cook in a slow cooker is chili. It is so tasty after it's been simmering all day and it's even better as leftovers! 

Crock Pot Taco Chicken Chili

1 can black beans

1 can kidney beans

1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies

1 small can tomato sauce

1 tbsp cumin

1 tbsp chili powder

1 packet taco seasoning

1 small bag frozen corn kernels

1 small onion, chopped

2-3 chicken breasts

Mix everything, but the chicken into a slow cooker. Place the chicken breasts on top.

Put on the lid and cook on low for 6-8 hours. 

Remove the chicken and shred it. Stir chicken back into chili and serve.