Gifting Toilet Paper Tubes

These are amazing contraptions that my aunt and I made. We sold them as a fundraiser for my brother's hearing aid fund. They were a hit! They're super easy to do, plus you can use all those paper tubes you have from the bathroom or kitchen (paper towels). Its important to note that you will have to trim down the paper towel tubes but they work well for some of the goodies that you can put inside.

These are also fabulous for kids to take to school for their Valentines, although the work is monotonous and can cause your munchkins to quickly lose interest. These aren't a once a year craft either, you can make them for Halloween or Fourth of July, even Easter... just switch out the decorations to match.

How Do You Spell You?

For those of you who haven't gotten the memo, the husband and I are expecting. And right quick and in a hurry too. Alexander's due date is March 20th, but at this point I'm hoping to land right on the day... I know its typical that it doesn't happen that way. But I want Alex to have his own day, and there are so many birthday's at the end of February, in March, and at the beginning of April. I have to share my birthday, and have had to share many birthday parties for years with my cousin, my sister (two days after mine) and I just want him to never have to experience the sharing of a cake, or attention. Its just unfair. I know I sound selfish, but as his mother I'm supposed to only want the best for him.  Alex's room is filled with animals. From wall clings to pictures to other artsy projects. For today's project, we're tackling those cute little letters that are infamous in any nursery.

Baking Tips & Recipes From Those People ABYS Knows

We all have tips and tricks we stick by when it comes to baking, or cooking. Tips that we love, cherish and pass on with pride to our friends and family. In my family we have a cookie day tradition. This tradition started forever ago, its simply a weekend or weekday night about a week before Christmas where we all get together at her house and just bake. I think this past year it was over 40 dozen cookies made... She has this trick, particularly with chocolate chip cookies, where she'll make the dough, roll it into half-inch balls and freeze them. Then she can pop some in whenever company (or grandkids) are coming. Not always do the cookie dough balls make it to the oven however. Today, after polling some Facebook users, we're sharing some of their tips.

Gardening Cheaper

Gardens are a thrifty DIY'ers dream. You save money in the grocery store, plus you get that sense of accomplishment. I know very little about gardening, and in fact claim to have the brownest thumb you'll ever see (as opposed to a green thumb). I have killed every kind of plant. You know those "Fix It and Forget It" infomercials and cookbooks? Yep, that's the kind of flowers/garden I need in general. I don't have the urge to spend my days watering dirt. That's not my cup of tea.... Not that I like tea... But for some of our readers it is. So with the help of Brook Howell and Kathy Wilson, I'm bringing you some Garden Thriftiness Tips.

Fuel Their Curiosity

Kids love to cook! All the books, websites and magazines say so. So how do you get them started? With craft time of course! This craft came from Kaboose.com, who also offers a 4x6 option but I personally think the 3x5 version is cuter... Simply put some of their favorite recipes in the card holder and let them occasionally pick one out... Lots of websites have kid-friendly recipes.

Don't forget to include them in the daily cooking or they will end up like me, learning to cook at age 24... Not that that hasn't been an interesting experience, just slightly frustrating.

Snowmen That Don't Melt?

Frosty the snowman was a fairytale they say, He was made of snow but the children know how he came to life one day....

Snowmen are a pretty short-term prize. Until now that is. In the Midwest we haven't seen much of a winter. Our Christmas was as brown as St. Patrick's Day. We just starting getting snow here, and not even all of our state has seen it. So, needless to say, our snowman population has been dwindling. However, if you're missing those cute little coal eyes and corncob pipes, you can decorate your mantle, kitchen table or even a windowsill with these little guys the entire winter long.

Bring a Hint of Spring

I know that spring is still some time away, but I couldn't resist such a cute cake. It seems simple enough, using sugar cookies as the flowers. The perfect cake for a spring birthday, or a garden party... if garden parties still exist...

Variety Of The Flying Mammal Type

I'm sure the title has you all sorts of confused. I'm actually talking about some Buffalo Chicken recipes. One of my biggest cravings (during and before pregnancy) is wing sauce. I love it, and can never seem to get enough of it. There are many ways to enjoy that spicy poultry that I love. Today, some of the recipes we're going to touch base on are Buffalo Chicken Skewers, Buffalo Chicken Pizza, and Buffalo Chicken Dip. I know these aren't your standard family dinners but with it being football season and the big game day coming up I thought you could use some foods like this. Plus these three seem way less messy, and no one wants to be picking up napkins for days after the wings are gone. Fear not though, should you be craving the classic we have finished out this post with the secret to Hooters hot wings.

Unconventional Bon bons

Bonbon is derived from the French word for 'good' or bon  (as in bon apetit, and not as in Sean Connery in SNL) and is typically made with coconut and walnuts along with a few other ingredients. However our friends at CopyKat Recipes have created a delectable alternative, Ice Cream Bonbons! I really don't see how you could go wrong with Ice Cream Bonbons. The options are infinite! You could use peanut butter ice cream, banana, chocolate chip, cookie dough, or even your cake batter ice cream we made the other day. The author even suggests using Neapolitan to get a little variety in each one! It may take a little patience to get these just right, so remember to practice and practice often. Another bonus, its bite-sized ice cream, so... Portion Control!

A Slightly Healthier Cake, But This Time Its Actually Cake!

This is my actual recipe, that my husband LOVES. In fact, between the two of us, we can put away an entire 9x13 cake in less than a week. Its got a healthy feel, although with all the sugar and butter don't get too optimistic. Its a Banana Cake. It also works as a breakfast food! Its like combining banana bread with cinnamon rolls (mainly just the icing of cinnamon rolls).

A New Use For Old T-shirts

If your husband, or significant other is anything like mine, he has a collection of T-shirts that he just can't quite bear to depart with yet. I'm talking old school Nintendo and TMNT shirts that are just sitting in our closet that really aren't wearable (too small, rings around the collar from sweaty days at work, etc) So I was rather excited to find these reuse old T-shirts series of videos...

Loving That Unloved Couch/Chair

So you've got this new-to-you couch/loveseat/chair that just needs a little love. Its nice and broken in, but isn't all that pretty. An easy fix is throw pillows. Personally our couch has 6 throw pillows, ours is a sectional though (before you start thinking I have some pillow obsession... Alright, I do.) Anyway, throw pillows aren't cheap. Some can be as much as $29 at a retail discount store. And they don't always match the look you want. You could buy cheap ones, but rarely are they pretty. How do you fix this? You can easily go to the local craft store and get the plain pillows that are just the inserts that are still about $7 if not a little more (depending on brand and quality), and then get the fabric that'll match perfectly in the decor you want. $AVINGS TIP: Go to the local Goodwill or Salvation Army, buy those cheap well-loved pillows at a fraction of the price! (Especially if you cash in on those 1/2 off offers or other sales they have)

What Better Way To Celebrate Then With Cake

I thought to kick off the recipes/cooking/baking section of the site we'd start with cake... Or at least the batter. Everyone knows of Cold Stones Cake Batter Ice Cream. Well I've found the recipe for it, or rather Cold Stone Slab Cake Batter Ice Cream. Its a super easy recipe, however remember to follow the tips and that (unlike the real Cold Stone Creamery) this ice cream will melt!

A Clean Nest is a Happy Nest

Whenever a mother hits that nesting period she can go full steam into a project that seems impossible. Whether it be cleaning the house top to bottom or redecorating specific rooms (particularly the munchkins room). Mine seems to be the latter, I'm semi-obsessed with redecorating the no-longer-spare bedroom. However for those of you who aren't in that mode, and more of the former (cleaning) I've found some helpful hints, secrets, and new uses for old tools to help make your daunting (incessant and never-ending) task a little easier. Plus, bonus! they're safe for you to do, even eight months pregnant!

New to ABMS

Greetings Folks!

You may notice a few new things on the site. Particularly on the top and right side of the screens. I wanted to take this opportunity to explain some of them. And to request your requests. Is there anything in particular you're looking for? Something we can help with?