The Top 10 in 2010

So New Year's Eve is tomorrow night...Eeep!  Can you believe it!  Another year is out the door and what a great one it was!!  So many wonderful things to be thankful for this year but the most outstanding to us was bringing yet another healthy, happy baby into our home!  What a wonderful addition Eloise is to our family :-)  

Today, I thought I would round up the Top 10 posts from my blog from 2010.  WOWZA!  What a fun trip down memory lane it has been.  You guys have really made sharing many of my passions in life something pretty wonderful and I am sincerely so thankful for you all.  You keep coming back to read week after week, you subscribe, you comment, you email, you have even joined me on Facebook and Twitter, it really does make a girl feel warm and fuzzy.  Yup, I am completely thankful for you all and the support you give me each and every day!  This blog of mine has become a such wonderful creative outlet for me to share my ideas with all of you and one of the coolest things is that I can honestly say I have made so many wonderful friends doing this, it really is so fun and so worth it!  

So, to you all my dear friends, I want to share with you 2010's most popular posts!!  

Here it is in all it's glory.

Let the countdown begin shall we?

10.  The Perfect Fit Tablecloth

9.  Twix Bar Fake-Out

8.  Stretch Knit Pregnancy Band

7.  Felt Cinnamon Roll

6.  Fabric Rose Wreath

5.  Booster Seat Cushions

4.  The Elastic Band Empire Waist Dress

3.  Fabric Mini Bolt Organization

2.  Melted Snowman Sugar Cookies

And the most popular post of 2010....

1. Glazed Button Rings!!

What a fun list this was to put together, there was really a little bit of everything which makes me so happy to see!!  I really loved seeing what you all enjoyed and I hope you did too!

Before I go for the year, I also want to give a huge shout out to some of the amazing blogs/blog owners that have so kindly featured many of my tutorials and posts, sending me such amazing readers each and every day!!

Rachel of One Pretty Thing

Kari of Ucreate

Shannon of LuvintheMommyhood

Dotty of Totally Tutorials

Anne of Craft Gossip

Michelle at Someday Crafts

Kathreen of Whip Up

These ladies are all extremely amazing in so diligently finding awesome content in blogland to share with all of us and they deserve a huge THANK YOU from me for all the feature love they have given me this year!!

Thanks again for stopping by today and thank you so much for being a part of Smashed Peas and Carrots!  

Happy New Year to You!!

Jimmy Dean D-lights and $100 VISA gift card giveaway!!!

This Giveaway is Closed

This is a compensated review from BlogHer and Jimmy Dean, however the opinions and feelings expressed here are my own.

With another New Year coming up right around the corner, I have been thinking I should probably try to make a few changes to my eating habits, preferably by trying to eat a better breakfast cause you know, 'A Better Breakfast makes a Better You'.  Anyone else feeling like this lately?  With having three kids to take care of, I'm definitely feeling a lot less focus on what I eat.  I'm always making sure they eat healthy but I'll freely admit that I don't always follow my own rules.  Candy for breakfast?  If you're my kid, there's no way that's gonna happen.  If you are me, sure why not...it makes for a quick breakfast...right!?!  I really need to eat a lot less of these...

{Crunchy and salty but not good for the waistline.}

I really need to start eating a good breakfast loaded with protein so I can get through my day.  And we all know how loooong a day can be when you have kids.  

Oh, how I love me some naptime and bedtime :-)

We all hear about how eating a good breakfast can set the tone for the rest of your day, haven't we?  Eating protein keeps us fueled up and feeling fuller longer...exactly what I need and what better time than the New Year to start doing so!

Jimmy Dean has a new line out called D-lights and they asked me to try a few of them out.  Man, let me just say they really are deee-lightful!  They are the perfect breakfast for any momma-on-the-go.  They are fast and easy and you only need one hand to eat heat them up AND eat them...Yay!   

...And guess what else?  They have between 15 and 23 grams of protein too!

See, I'm not lying!  17 grams of protein in one sandwich!  ONE sandwich!!!  This is exactly what I needed to get my New Year and my Better Breakfast/Better Me attitude off to a running start!

Turkey Sausage.  Whole Grain Bagel.  Cheese.  Egg.  

Dee-lightful!

A good breakfast full of protein will definitely keep me fueled and help keep me going strong so I can lace these up everyday...

And take this little doggie out for some well needed exercise!  

{Don't you see the begging in her sweet little eyes!?!}

Now it's your turn!  

Tell me what you plan to do in the New Year to make yourself 'A Better Breakfast, Better You'.  What are you trying to eat healthier for breakfast?  Are you trying to work out more?  Or just have a little more balance in your life?  Just leave a comment below with your answer and you will be entered for a chance to win a 

$100 VISA gift card!!  

Giveaway ends January 30, 2011!!

Rules:

No duplicate comments.  You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post

b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post

c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post

d) Read the official rules for alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older.  Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.  You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

Visit the Official site

Visit the Exclusive Offers section

Visit the Official Rules

Weebles Prize Pack and $100 HasbroToyShop.com Gift Card-WINNER!!

I hope you all had yourselves a most wonderful Christmas!  We sure did!!

Okay, so the winner of the Weebles prize pack and the $100 HasbroToyShop.com gift card is...

Congratulations Cara!!  

Please email me your snail mail addy at SmashedPeasandCarrots(at)gmail(dot)com!!!

Christmas-sy Fun

So since Christmas is in just a few days, I will be bidding you adieu until after the gift un-wrapping frenzy has ended.  Me and the fam will be spending some major quality time soaking in our last bits of Christmas fun before the Big day since me and the kids are officially on winter break.  No preschool, no ballet, no story time, for reals!  I'm seeing a movie day out in our future with, egads! all three of my children (and hubby of course!)  Wish us luck!!  

I will post the winner of the Weebles Wobble and HasbroToyShop.com giftcard on Sunday...or maybe Monday...so if you haven't joined in on the fun, go HERE to do so now!  

I'll leave you with some stills of some of the Christmas fun we have been having this crazy snowy winter.  Dana made it look so fun that I just had to contribute to the goodness.  Enjoy!  :-)

'Tis the season for a little Holiday Bokeh!!  

I love the look of bokeh and if you do too, this is the perfect time of year to perfect this fun photography skill!!  Christmas tree lights always look a little merrier all blurred out and circular smooth :-)

Here are some good tutorials if you are so inclined to try it out yourself!!

Kevin and Amanda 

The Pioneer Woman

Robert S. Donovan

We did our annual Christmas tradition of decorating a Gingerbread House.  It looks pretty but don't be deceived there is little kid goober all over this thing.  The day we decorate our Gingerbread House always equals major sugar high day in our house, how about yours?

I've been on a Christmas cookie baking binge the past few weeks, WOW say that 5 times fast!  Oh, how I love to look at lots of pretty cookies (and eat them too-who am I kidding that's the only reason I love to bake them!)  If you are a neighbor or friend you may have received a tray or two of them...hope you liked them :-) !!

The kids also spent another day decorating GIANT gingerbread men, of which Penny made hers a lady complete with a little bow on her head :-)

Not sure why her lady is wearing a tie.

Of course you can't decorate anything gingerbread related in our house without a good lick at the end of all your hard work.

And a taste of a foot.

Noah made himself a little Ginger boy.  Check out that hair!

A sampling of his work is in order, don't you think?

Nom, nom, nom!

Unfortunately Eloise couldn't really partake in the festivities, do you think she's upset?

And just to add a little sappy-ness to this post can I just say that I am so blessed to have these guys in my life.  They really do fill my heart with utter joy and happiness.  My cup runneth over!!  

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday and enjoy any bit of time that you get to spend with your loved ones near or far.  

Merry Christmas to You!!!

{And, in case you were wondering, YES those are Halloween pajama pants that Penelope is wearing.}  

Scrappy Holiday Cards {An Easy Tutorial}

Eeep!  This is the last week before Christmas..are ya ready?  At this point most of you probably have your shopping done or at least very close to done and if you are doing a handmade holiday you probably have a good dent in your list of to-make's.  I have a few more things to make for the kidlets and then I'll be set for Christmas day.  I'm hoping for some long nap times and early bedtimes this week so I can focus on getting them done (I'll be so sad if I am up late on Christmas Eve finishing everything up!)

So, instead of posting yet another Christmas present idea I thought I would post some of the cards I made last week during nap time.  Quite possibly I should have been working on Christmas pressies but these were just begging to be made.  They are super pretty cards that could be used for many things...Thank You cards, Thinking of You cards and maybe even the Happy Holidays to You kinda cards. I'll definitely be using mine for Thank You cards in the coming weeks :-)

I love cards that involve fabric and my sewing machine.  They just make me happy.  These ones can be done in no time at all...Enjoy!

Scrappy Holiday Cards

Scrap fabric

Coordinating thread

Sewing machine

Rotary cutter and mat or scissors

Cut your fabric scraps into triangles measuring 1 inch in height and 1-2 inches in width.  I used a green plaid fabric from my scrap stash but these trees would look awesome in pinks and blues and even red!

Lay your triangles one over the other starting with the bottom-most one.  Start sewing with your needle at the very tip of the tree, remembering to backstitch at the beginning and the end.  Sew a line straight down the tree continuing past the bottom triangle to make the trunk.  

The inside of your card will look like this!

And the finished product...

Ahhh, lovely!

You can sew up just one tree...

Or make yourself a forest!

A pretty handmade note to send your thanks in...

So Sweet!

Maple Walnut Chocolates {A Recipe}

Here is one of my contributions to the cookie exchange I hosted this year, Maple Walnut Chocolates!  Mmm, so good!  And like a good host, I was the only one who forgot to print out my recipes for everyone else to take home, hah!  So I thought, I would post the recipe here in case you too would like to make some this holiday season!

If you have ever made the Pioneer Women's cinnamon rolls then you know the deliciousness that is maple flavoring...her icing is To. Die. For.  This is another great recipe that will help you put a dent in that bottle of goodness.  You can omit the walnuts if you have allergies or just plain don't want them in the chocolates, the recipe will work either way.  

By the way, here are some other yummy recipes that you can find in my recipes tab at the top of my blog.  (They would be perfect treats to make for a cookie exchange or a holiday get-together!)

Eggnog Bread

Toffee Crackers

Girl Scout Tagalong Knock-offs

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles

Okay, that is all.  On with today's recipe!

Maple Walnut Chocolates

1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup butter

7 1/2 cups powdered sugar (you will need a whole 2 lb bag!)

2 tsp maple flavoring

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups walnuts

1 package chocolate bark

In a saucepan, combine the condensed milk and butter.  Stir over low heat until butter is completely melted.  Place powdered sugar in a large mixing bowl.  Pour the milk mixture over the sugar while mixing on low until well combined.  Stir in vanilla, maple flavoring and walnuts.  Roll into balls and place on a waxed paper lined cookie sheet.  Freeze for about 1 hour.  Melt chocolate bark in the microwave following package directions.  Dip balls into chocolate and let dry on another piece of waxed paper.  

Okay, so you have all your ingredients? 

Let's go then!

Place the condensed milk and butter in a small-ish saucepan.  Cook on low heat, stirring until butter is completely melted.

While you are waiting for the butter to melt, you can grab your 2 cups of walnuts...

And chop them up so they are nice and small!

Then pour your powdered sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer...

And then pour your sweetened condensed milk/melted butter mixture over the top while mixing on a very low speed.  Very low!!  Otherwise you will have powdered sugar flying all over your kitchen and I mean All. Over. Your. Kitchen.  No lie!!

Mix until well combined...nice and smooth.

Then add your walnuts, if you so desire, and your maple flavoring and vanilla...

Continue mixing until everything is nice and combined.  

Roll your mixture into balls and place on a waxed paper lined cookie sheet.  

I like to put the cookie sheet in the freezer for about an hour to firm them up a bit before I start dipping them in chocolate but you could always throw them in the fridge for a few more hours if you don't have the freezer space, I won't tell!

Then, melt your chocolate bark in your microwave following the packages directions.  I will often add a teaspoon or two of shortening to the bark before microwaving to thin it our a bit.

Then just dip, dip, dip those little maple balls... 

until you have rows of yummy goodness like this...

Your kitchen will look like a veritable Chocolate Factory 

:-)

And that's NOT a bad thing at all!

Enjoy!