Happy Halloween Everyone

Can you guess what Opal is going to be for halloween?  Yep, the incredible hulk.

Here are some things that have been 3 Jewels approved.  I suggest you check them out over the weekend.

 

Crystal from Cakes That Make You Go Mmm 

Here are some of her other most recent cake creations

My friend and E.A. Jen suggested this great educational kids website.  Also, this website is a great site to help you motivate your kids to help with chores around the house.

You seriously have to try these oreo pumpkin cheescakes

 Find the recipe here

Lastly, are you struggling to come up with a Christmas gift idea for that "hard to buy for" female in your life?
Check out this great handmade cowl/shawl/scarf knitted by a local Etsy designer

Do you have something that you would like to suggest or promote on Three Jewels In My Crown?  You can contact me by email @ crystalc@persona.ca

Looking forward to celebrating my second favorite holiday with my family this weekend.
Enjoy the sugar rush everyone and Happy Halloween.

Who really owns this house? Me vs The Toys!

Do you ever feel like your kids' toys have TAKEN OVER your personal space?  They creep in one by one and then all of the sudden, the "toys" have claimed ownership of your house.  Don't get me wrong,  I don't mind hanging onto toys that will never become antiquated; it's the "pointless, good-for-nothing, happy meal toting toys that pierce the bottom of your foot as you walk to the bathroom in the middle of the night, that bother me".  {ok take a deep breath.  Sorry about that grammatically incorrect very long run on sentance}    
 
So today I had a very serious conversation~~with the TOYS.  I explained to them that they were no longer welcome in my home.  I told them that I would make the transition from my home to another home as pain-free as possible.  Initially I felt as though they were mocking me.  See for yourself

                                                                         Exhibit A

 To be honest I kind of felt a little bit guilty as I recklessly tossed the toys in to a reusable sack.  It felt as if  I were tossing little kittens into a pillow case; later to be disposed of.   I told myself I was nothing like "Cruella Devil" {oh wait, she was the puppy snatcher not the kitty killer}  Anyway, it was pretty emotional for both of us.  Not to mention a very difficult power struggle.

 
So what do you think?  Do you think I followed through with this unspeakable act?  Did I give away a bunch of my kids' toys without their consent?  Do you feel as if the toys have taken over your home?
What toy from your childhood would have caused you to seek professional counselling if your mother had thrown it out without your permission?   Have you checked out this post?  Have I overwhelmed you with questions?

I'm going to leave you with these few snapshots of the nonsense I had to deal with today.

                              Wishing I could crawl inside Opal's head when he was playing with these two toys

What my 3 jewels are having for supper tonight!

Unfortunately, 2/3 of my precious jewels have very discriminate taste pallets, aka Picky Eaters.
As if parenting wasn't difficult enough, right?
Opal will eat anything and everything that's put in front of him.
On the other side of the table sits, " Miss Picky #1" and "Miss Picky #2".
Needless to say, I've had to employ lots of creativity when making supper for my girls.
I've seriously contemplated serving them Chicken Alfredo every meal; if only my conscience would allow it.
 
There is however one other meal that I can serve without having to jump through hoops and barrels to get them to eat it.
It's what I like to call "Mini Chicken Pot Pies"
{This is a great recipe for my U.S. readers, who will soon be celebrating their Thanksgiving} 

 

It tastes as yummy as it looks!

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups cubed chicken or turkey
• 1 sleeve of mini pie shells {found in most freezer sections}
• mashed potatoes
• 1 can of cream of chicken soup
• veggies of choice {ie. baby carrots, peas or corn}

{ooops, I forgot to mention that we always serve cranberry juice with our chicken potpies-so yummy!} 

 Bake your mini pie shells as per package directions.  These ones baked at 375 for 10 minutes.

At the same time make your mashed potatoes if you don't have any left overs.  

***Tip-Always warm your milk before pouring it into your mashed potatoes.  This will ensure you get perfectly fluffy mashed potatoes.  Cold milk reacts with the starches in  potatoes, causing them to become glue-like.

Meanwhile, heat your cream of chicken soup and cubed chicken in a skillet.  

  

Once your shells have finished baking, it's time to fill them with your chicken mixture and veggies.  

I then piped the mashed potatoes on top and set them back in the oven to broil for a few minutes.

The only thing your left to decide on is "What's for dessert?".....
Why not try this or even these but definitely not this.



Do you have picky eaters kids with specific taste buds?
Anyone have any recipes for me to try with my bunch? 

Homemade Chocolate Rolo Pudding

Delicious,smooth and fudgy,this simple yet elegant dessert is a  
true chocolate indulgence.

Last night I was CRAVING chocolate!  When I say craving, I mean totally hormonal, would probably kill for it, PMSing, give up my left kidney, chocolate craving!
So I made a mad dash for the freezer {where I keep my chocolate stash}
I decided to put a little spin on my "down home, comfort food, chocolate pudding recipe"
How's a lil Chocolate Rolo Pudding sound folks?
I know.... aren't you glad I thought of it? 

Are you salivating as you wait for the recipe?

Here you are my friends,


Ingredients

• 11/2 cup (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chilled mini chocolate rolo pieces
• 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 cup butter, cubed
• Whipped topping and miniature semisweet chocolate chips, optional

Directions

• Place chocolate chips, rolo pieces and confectioners' sugar in a blender; cover and process until  coarsely chopped.
• In a small saucepan add milk and butter. Bring to boil over medium heat. Add to blender; cover and process until chips are melted and mixture is smooth.
• Pour into six individual serving dishes. Chill until set. Garnish with whipped topping if desired. 

                  Mmmmm~~~~~~~~~~~~Enjoy!

Pinocchio Parenting-How often do you lie to your kids?

"Mommy is Santa REAL?".....
Oh no she didn't.....just ask me the Santa question!!! Urrrrghhhhh!
Yep, it lasted 7 years 22 days.  The LIES that is.  Today my innocent little baby girl skeptically questioned the validity of Santa and the MAGIC that encompasses him. 
Of course I diffused the question quickly and crossed my fingers that she would continue to believe for just      
ONE MORE YEAR!

Why didn't I tell her the truth, you ask?  I suppose out of selfishness!
You see, I've always been a big believer in satisfying my kids' imaginations.  Why burst their "bubble" any sooner than I have to?  And to be honest, seeing my kids' faces filled with "wonder" and "delight" will always be the one Christmas present I treasure for eternity.   

Sapphire's question gave me a full blown migraine!  I felt as if I had been hit in the back of the egg-noggin with a giant candy cane.
In fact, it really had me thinking, "How often do we lie to our kids and about what?"
Stop pretending like you don't know what I'm talking about.  Liar, Liar, Pants On Fire!  {O.K., now I'm just acting childish}

We all lie. A lot!  To our friends, family, employers and especially to our kids.

So I guess I'll go first.  Here are the top five lies I've told my kids recently
(quite possibly in the last 24 hours)
     
1.  If you eat in your bed or in the living room, crumbs will get left behind and mice will come in our house and bite your feet.
2.  I just checked the TV guide and nope, no kid shows are on right now. 
3.  If you swear the police will arrest you.
4. Why doesn't that man have any hair?  Because every time he poops another hair falls out.
5.  Why is that horse giving the other horse a piggy back ride?  Actually, they were playing a game of leapfrog and the back horse hurt his leg last week and couldn't jump over the front horse.

  Alright, let's hear them.  What lies have you told recently?

Make your own boutique style hair accessory

I'm very proud of the fact that I grew up as a so-called "Tom Boy".  I had 3 brothers to wrestle with and I would describe myself as a typical Canadian "rink rat" {a kid that hangs out in a hockey arena}

Surprising as it may be, I wasn't at all interested in anything "girly" for the better part of my life. 

Therefore, according to Murphy's Law, I was destined to produce offspring who fell into the "girly-girl" category.

When Sapphire came along with her full head of hair, I felt lost and totally out of my element.  

I actually taught myself how to french braid by watching "You Tube" videos.  {No Lie}

Hair accessories soon cluttered most drawers in our house.   

Unfortunately, I wasn't very keen on paying the hefty price tag attached to most boutique style hair bows.  

So I began teaching myself how to make them.  It's actually quite simple once you get the hang of it.

I ended up purchasing one of these

 This was my first attempt and I think it turned out O.K.

                                      I saved myself time by ordering the korker ribbons online here.

                                              This bow costs me about $1.00 to make.

                                                       The possibilities are endless

The Girly Things website offers easy to follow instructions for making all different types of bows and clippies.

I guess the point of today's post is to inspire you to try something new.  A few years ago, I was embarrassed to say I had no idea how to braid my daughter's hair and now I'm tackling handmade boutique style hair accessories.

Happy Crafting everyone!
 

Two Tips Tuesday

 Save Money


Schools , universities and businesses are saving money and so can you!
Wondering how?  Well, according to a study done by printer.com you can save $40/year by simply switching your default font.  Printing documents with a font such as Century Gothic rather than Times or Arial will afford you one less ink cartridge per year.  
As well take into consideration the standard advice for trimming printing costs: Print in "draft" mode, use both sides of the page, and always select "print preview" to make sure you're not printing pages with useless text such as a copyright line.  
 Here are some fonts to consider

                                                            {photo courtesy of google images)

Save Time

Are you frustrated and wasting time trying to find the end of the clear packaging tape?  I agree, clear tape is EVIL but here's the simple solution that I use.  

I know, totally genious right?  A tooth pick attached to the end of the clear tape will keep your blood from boiling over when you want to find the end of the roll.

Do you have any helpful tips that will help save everyone time or money?  Leave me a comment or email me and I will consider them for next week's "Two Tips Tuesday Post" 

Guest Blogger Jen B is here to introduce us to Muffin Tin Monday

3 Jewels is excited to welcome back the fabulous Jen B as today's guest blogger. 

Today she is introducing us to the very popular concept, "Muffin Tin Monday" and I'm hoping to take away some pointers from this very informative post.    Take it away Jen....

For moms{and dads}everywhere, this one little question can cause a lot of stress! Whether you are at home, on the road or packing a lunch for a school or daycare, it’s an age old problem.

An ideal lunch is nutritious-but nowadays it has to be more than that.  Heck, everything nowadays has to be entertaining in order to get kids to comply.  

Here is an entertaining idea. Serve your meal in a muffin tin. 

Yes, a muffin tin.

1. It's fun!
2. You can separate food so it's not touching.
3. You can sneak in new foods; in small amounts.
4. Variety is the spice of life! It's like a little buffet.
5. It's portable. {You can stack them or make them on the fly}
6. Usually no utensils needed. Who doesn't love finger foods?
7. Fun for toddlers, kids and adults.
8. Only one dish to wash!
9.You can follow the themes...no need to think about what you are cooking for dinner!
10. Kids will love to eat it-- nutritional or not!

What more could you ask for? 

O.k., there are lots of photos and examples and places for inspiration if you scroll down.

My fondness with Muffin Tin Meals started about a year ago. I was attempting to win a contest. The challenge~"find an interesting and inexpensive way to spice up a summer day”.

Here is my winning submission!

After thinking of many craft ideas and searching blog after blog, I found Muffin Tin Mom 

I fell in love with the idea of presenting a meal in a muffin tin, even though my little one was not even old enough to eat solids yet!

What is better than a mini-buffet for your mini-me? A chance to try new things in a small portion, the food is appealing when it is presented in a fun way, your little one can eat in any order that his/her little heart desires, and it’s a nice variety. And yes, you can make these portable. You could make this into a weekly ritual. Have your kids help you think of things, shop {o.k. maybe not}and prepare the meal.

The possibilities are endless. In fact, you’ll find tons of ideas on several blogs. Muffin Tin Mom actually has a theme each week- this way, it’s a "no brainer". Just check out this week's theme for ideas.  Follow if you want~or get a bit more creative. There are lots of blog followers who have photos for you to peruse. You can use your old muffin tins or order some fancy new ones. 

There are some really clever ways to make food into art! 

Simply search for "Muffin Tin Meals" and you will come up with lots of ideas, tutorials and recipes.

Ok, enough writing already. Bring on the photos!

                                                                       Farm Theme:

                                                                    Ocean Theme:

Counting Numbers:

Hickory Dickory Dock:

Harvest Theme:

Shapes:

Today's Craft-Tickle Monster Mitts

Have You Tickled Your Kids Today?

When I was a little kid my brothers and I would torture each other by tickling one another.
I have fond memories of our little "tickle fights".  ~Laughing until we cried~
Fast forward to the present, I still enjoy hearing the giggles and shrieks that come from my kids when I tickle them.

This book inspired today's craft idea

I ordered a copy of this book here but while I impatiently await it's arrival, I took full advantage of some mitts I had at home already. 

I simply cut the tips off a pair of fuzzy brown gloves and inserted these witch fingers.  I used a dab of hot glue to secure the witch fingers inside the gloves.

Then I "went to town" tickling everyone that came near me.  

This craft cost less than $2 and it took less than 5 minutes to create.  The entertainment it provided was
PRICELESS!

What do ya think?   Maybe you could glue some fake fur to them and use them as Werewolf mitts for halloween.

Check out these witch gloves that I found
here





Well, have a great weekend everyone!  Be sure to visit on Monday because I have a special guest coming.
Guest blogger Jen B is back with a great post for all of you.  Sorry no hints!!
I'm off to hang some garlic, dust off the skeletons, let out the ghosts and polish the pumpkins.... who am I kidding...I have to go to work this afternoon so I'll be back next week. 

                                                                    Cheers,

Who knew making candy kabobs could be so dangerous?

Nobody panic.  I'll be fine!  The pain is tolerable (braxton hicks tolerable) Just a few jabs in the hand with a wooden skewer.  Accidentally of course!
Apparently I didn't read the handbook on making Candy Kabobs that states,
"Caution-cut the sharp tip off the skewer prior to shoving candy on it"

This is what could happen if you don't.

Anyway,
The pain was worth the end product.  I wanted to make Candy Swords aka Candy Kabobs for Opal's pirate themed birthday party next week.

Take a look...

Here's a closer look

I'm sure the parents will be cursing my name when they pick up their kids from the party. 

Have you ever made candy kabobs? 

What about handing out this fun treat for halloween?

A new approach to teaching site words-glow in the dark sight word wall

Teaching little kids how to memorize sight words doesn't have to be boring.
I came up with this fun and interactive way to help my kids memorize their "Word Wall Words".

I wanted some of these but I was too cheap to purchase new plastic magnet letters so I grabbed some of our glow in the dark paint (recently purchased for our halloween decorating) and let the kids paint the letters they already had.  I used a magnetic cork board to display the words.

Now Sapphire and Opal are having fun practicing their sight words while lying in bed at night when it's "lights out"!!!

I'd love to hear your feedback.  What do you think of this idea?  I promise I'll give you all my left over halloween candy if you leave me a comment.  Speaking of candy, what would you say is your favorite halloween treat, now or as a kid?  Me- Candy Kisses hands down!