Hot Link and Chicken Gumbo

This has been one of our very favorite recipes for M.A.N.Y.  Y.E.A.R.S!

It's a hearty soup that will warm and fill your tummy!

It has been so warm and beautiful here in Arizona, it hasn't really felt like soup weather,

buuuuuuut, I'm always greeted with such big grins from my family when they see that this is what's cookin!

It's super flavorful plus a quick and easy dinner.

Prep Time:  10 minutes

RECIPE:

4 cups water

4 bouillon cubes

1/2 lb hot links or Polish sausage, cooked and sliced (the hot links from Costco are fantastic!)

1 1/2 cups cooked white rice (save time by throwing in a cup of uncooked rice and extra water, if needed)

1 bottle Classico spaghetti sauce (Costco)

2 cups cooked diced chicken (or 1 can cooked chicken from Costco to save even more time)

1 can drained corn

1 green bell pepper, diced

I just throw it all in together and let simmer for 10 minutes.  All the flavor comes from the hot links and it's got just a little bit of a kick to it (not too much though).  Seriously, you will LOVE this soup!

FYI:  I always double it!  It's great leftover too!!!

Blue and Gold Banquet Centerpiece - Tri-fold Photo Frame

It's that time of year again for planning Cub Scout Blue and Gold Banquets!

Here's another fun centerpiece idea that we did a while back.  

I love the simplicity of it and how it's 

ALL ABOUT THE CUB SCOUT!  

We did one for each table and the boys got to take theirs home after the banquet!

(we lucked out on the number of our scouts vs the number of dining tables we needed)

They are 9" high and each of the three sides is 5 1/2" wide.

That translates to each piece of blue cardstock should be cut to 9" x 16 3/4".

You'll need that extra 1/4" to create a gluing strip.

I hope that makes sense.

3 sides, 5 1/2" each adds up to 16 1/2", plus that extra 1/4".

I used my Creative Memories circle cutter to cut out the ovals just smaller than the 4" x 6" photos.

I also used a gold stretchy string to tie around each 'corner' to shine it up a bit.

Any gold/yellow ribbon or string would add a nice touch.

I also added a lolly on each of the three sides

and centered it with a gold fleur-de-lis that I cut out with a Martha Stewart punch.

Here's looking down inside from the top.

You can see where we just scotch taped the pictures on the inside of the frame.

It just so happened that we had 3 photos already for each boy 

that we'd taken at activities throughout the year.

If you don't have three photos for each boy already, 

then I'm sure their parents would be happy to email you a few to use.

Here's an angled view.

Cub Scouts are the cutest!!!

Now that the banquet is over and done with,

I store this keepsake with some of my other favorite treasures in my craft room.

Click HERE if you'd like another one of my ideas for a Blue and Gold centerpiece.

Bottle Cap Necklaces - Come Unto Christ

Come Unto Christ is the 2014 Young Women's Theme 

for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

I haven't been in Young Women's for almost a year, however, I seem to be asked to sub in Relief Society a lot lately, and this theme went along perfectly with my Relief Society lesson on the Savior this month.  

I made this exact same kind of necklace a couple of years ago for girls camp when we had the owl theme.  The girls loved the necklaces and they are so fun to make!

I posted a picture on Instagram and Facebook recently that I had been making jewelry.

Since then I've gotten lots of questions on how I made these, where I got all the supplies, etc.

So here we are.

SUPPLIES:

As far as supplies go, it kind of depends on how many you plan to make 

as to where you should buy them.

If you're just making a few, buy in small quantities at the craft store.  

I saw these exact same bottle caps at Hobby Lobby in a 6-pack for about $4.99.

If you're making lots of them, then for sure buy online in bulk.

The basic must-haves:

Bottle caps (with the flat 1" surface in the center)

Get them with the hole already punched in them and the split rings already attached!!!

Epoxy dome stickers (mine came with my bottle caps)

Aluminum 18" (or longer!) ball chain necklaces

1" Round printable printed on regular paper

Modge Podge

Small paint brush

The fun extras:

Jewelry pins to string beads on

Beads

Special little jewelry ziplock bags to put them in

I got my bottle caps, dome stickers, ball chains and bags on eBay for cheap in bulks of 100!

My Come Unto Christ PRINTABLES I got on Etsy.  

I searched and searched printables.  This is my absolute favorite!

You can literally find any printable on Etsy.

The rest I got at Hobby Lobby.

I just used beads I had leftover from previous projects.

It's always nice to use up some of your stash!

First, print out your printable and cut out with your 1" punch.

Have everything laid out and ready to go before you start gluing.

Modge Podge dries fast!

'Paint' just the flat surface with Modge Podge.