Pumpkin Chai Tea Latte - DIY!

So people that know me well, know that I despise coffee! I can't even stand the smell. Yes really!

It's true. Sorry to all you coffee lovers. But it means more for you, right?

My aversion for coffee kept me away from Starbucks for years!! That is until I tried their chai tea lattes...YUM!! I was hooked.

The only thing I wasn't so keen on being hooked on was the cost! Geez!! If I bought one every time I wanted one, I'd be flat broke! They are just that good!

So imagine my joy when I found that they sold the concentrate inside their coffee shops. At $5 I was willing to try my hand at making one at home. But the best part is that $5 is for the whole box of concentrate that makes around 8 drinks! Score!!!

After I was completely addicted, Starbucks stopped selling it in their stores. Do what???? How could they do that to me? Dang you Starbucks, got me again.  Or DID they??

They are now sold in several grocery stores. I found my latest box at H-E-B here in Texas for $4. Before moving here, I was able to find it at WalMart I believe. But also for only $3 at the military commissaries on base, for all you military wives :)

Start off with the supplies: Tazo Organic Chai concentrate, milk of your choice, microwavable measuring cup, and your choice of flavoring syrup (optional, but OH so worth it!!).

I'm not sure how much beverage you get at Starbucks, but I normally make mine 1 cup. Using the measuring cup, fill to the 1/2 cup mark with concentrate.

Then fill to the 1 cup line with milk. Our house uses 2%, but you can use whatever milk or milk substitute that you prefer.

At this point, the only thing left is to heat. Again, there are several different ways to do this, but the easiest way is using the microwave!! AKA- the fastest route to my tummy!!

For 1 cup, I normally heat for a minute and a half.

For some people, you would be done now. Pour into your favorite mug, and enjoy. But I can't bring myself to stop there. Once you try a flavored you just might be hooked like I was.

My favorite flavor is caramel. It's found in the coffee aisle at the grocery store, and caramel can normally be found all year round.  On my latest trip to purchase more, I found pumpkin pie flavored!!  Having tried pumpkin at Starbucks, I had to give it a try!!

Now would be the time to add in your syrup and stir. Pumpkin pie is SO yummy!!

Disclaimer: you will be addicted to this drink. I can not be held responsible for any lost sleep over thinking about your next fix. And for less then half of the cost of going to Starbucks.

You're welcome! ;)

Drink up! - Bottle cap necklace

While out on a recent shopping excursion, my daughter spotted some really cute bottlecap necklaces. As I was bracing myself for the whining that follows her asking to buy one, and mean 'ole mom saying no..... my little girl surprised me!

She simply said something along the lines of :

"Hey Mom, I like these but I know we could make them ourselves."

My daughter say WHAT??

(Said in my best Hannah Montana fast talking impression)

You can't even start to imagine how proud I was at that moment. No matter the fact that I had no freakin' clue what supplies we'd need. But where there is a will there is a way, right?

Enter my husband. While he normally doesn't have much to do with any of my projects, he did have a small hand in this one. And I'm sure it a sacrifice he would do time and time again. But don't go feeling sorry for him. It was simply to drink the bottled beers in the fridge. Rough life, right??

So on to the steps.

First drink a bottled beverage, and save the cap. Wash and dry.

Next, using a nail, make a hole in the bottlecap where the sides meet the top. Insert a 9mm jump ring and close. (Sorry there aren't pics of this part.)

Once you have the jump ring closed, spray paint the back side of said bottlecap so that no one can tell your sweet young daughter really has a beer cap hanging from her neck :)

Now comes the fun part. Coming up with what you want the inside to look like. For this example, I cut out a 1 inch circle from houndstooth paper, and the letter A out of cardstock using my Silhouette. But of course you could cut any design you want using scissors as well.

Using liberal amounts of ModPodge, glue the circle into place under the jump ring. Cover the top side of the circle as well, and adhere any embellishments. Then give everything a nice coat to seal it all together. Don't worry, it will dry clear.

Once it is all dry, fill in the bottlecap with Dimensional Magic. This stuff can be tedious to work with some times, but there are a lot of tips out there in "blog-land".

Once filled, leave the bottlecap on a flat surface to dry overnight. The directions say to let it dry for 3 hours, but that is most likely for a smaller amount than what I used. And whatever you do, resist the urge to do a touch test. It's the hardest part of this whole thing. Remember that feeling when you smudge your nail polish cause you just can't wait any longer? Yep...you'll feel the same way in this case. So do yourself a favor, and wait it out.



And just when you can't it ANY longer....it's done! Hang it from your necklace of choice and wear your creation proudly.

And here's the original that started it all.

I'd love to see if any of you make any!

Want a free movie??

Are you a movie buff? Watch a lot of movies? Then it's safe to say that you may have already known about the awesome-ness that is

But just in case you've been under a rock....I've got a great deal for you! Clicking here will take you to a special link that RedBox helped me create. If you click on the link and it's your first time renting online, they'll give you a free one-night online rental credit. And I'll get a free rental each time you rent via my link through 3/17/11.

Reserving movies online is the way to go! Putting in your zip code will pull up a list of all of the kiosks local to you. Once you select the one you'd like to go to, you can then view the movies that are currently available at that location. As you are confirming your reservation, they then ask for your credit card information to hold the DVD for you to pick up. Your card is not charged until you go to the kiosk to receive the DVD. But don't forget the card you used.  At the redbox, touch "Online Reservation Pickup," swipe your credit card and go!

What are you waiting for?? The movies await!!

Knitting: Not just for grandma anymore!

Being a housewife that does not work, I have a lot of free time on my hands. And while I know quite a few women that would kill for just a little bit of free time to themselves, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. Don't get me wrong, I've been on the other side as well. At our last duty station, I did work outside the home and felt like I never had enough time to do anything else. But for now, I am fortunate enough to spend my time at home.

With that being said, it got to a point recently that it was just too much time. I had nothing to do. When we first moved here, I had gone on a decorating, recycling, painting etc spree. I have all the walls covered with my creations, with no room for anything else. (I already feel like it's a little cluttered as is. I didn't need to add to it)

So in my fits of boredom, I brainstormed ideas that could get me into something new. A friend of mine had started learning how to knit a few months before, and I got to thinking about it. I hadn't ever tried to learn or had anyone to teach me. But it didn't stop me from looking up videos on YouTube. You can just about anything and everything on there, I swear!  Without boring you with all the details, long story short is that I got hooked. My first project was a simple garter stitch scarf on straight needles. I just didn't know what it was called at the time. All I knew was that I was knitting row after row after row.

But enough of the talky talk...I'll get to pictures. To limit the sheer amount, I'll add them in collage and then describe below. You know...cause I can't seem to stop talking....ever!

1. My very first knitted project.
2. a set of cabled wristlets to try doing cable stitches. It was so much easier than I had ever imagined. As
    long as you have the right supplies
3. a hat for my daughter, first one made with circular needles. The only problem was that it got too small to
   finish on the circular needles, so for the first time I transferred the work to double pointed needles (dpns),
   and some where in the process I messed up and knitted the opposite of what I needed. That's the reason
   for the large pom pom to help hide the mistake ;) Lesson learned
4.my first of many newborn hats. This one was sent to our friends in NC that are expecting their first little
   one!
5. more newborn experience, this time for friends expecting baby #3...along with a custom designed onesie
   with their nickname for the baby while still in the "oven"
6. a girly colorful number made for a friend's toddler...fit for a little one that already loves to accessorize.
    LOVE it!
7. living with my husband, I knew that I needed to attempt to make a New York Yankees hat. Thankfully
    after some advice from the owner of www.verypink.com I got the results you see. (this was attempt #3)
8. After making #6, I knew I couldn't leave out her older brother. And he loves loves loves Yo Gabba
    Gabba.
9. Yet another newborn hat. This one was shipped out to Virginia to some friends that unexpectedly had to
    move. They had been stationed here, and she had become my thrift shopping buddy. I was sad to see
    them go. But they are also expecting their first baby girl. And she's the first in line of my 4 friends to 
    deliver. I can NOT wait to see pics of this little one!

There you have it. The abridged version of my last 2-3 months. I am by no means anywhere close to an expert knitter. And I guess that's why I felt like I didn't have much business blogging about my creations.

Ok, I must go. I'm off to start on the last of the newborn hats. Love it!!