Teacher Gift: A TOTEally Awesome Teacher- FREE Printable

I can't believe the end of the school year is practically here. 

I can't believe it is almost Summer and all too soon I am going to have to be entertaining a small pack of wild and crazies. Ugh, let's not think about that just yet...

For now let's focus on all the wonderful teachers. I love great teachers. Every time I go into one of the boys' classrooms and help out I am reminded at just how hard it is to be a teacher. I sure want to make sure great teachers know they are great teachers.

Teacher's Appreciation Week was only a few weeks ago. I shared with you my Teacher Appreciation Gift "Thanks for Being a SOAPer Teacher".

Even though the two are close together, I also like giving an end of the school year gift to our teachers.

I really wanted to make a tote and use the cheesy phrase "TOTEally Awesome Teacher." Then I found this gloriously Summery chevron and I knew the bag was meant to be.

I gave a little sneak peak of this Teacher Gift yesterday on Instagram. 

Yes people I have finally joined and I am slowly...okay not so slowly...and very surely loading up my Instagram with photos. Follow along (@larissa_anotherday)

I designed and sewed this little tote bag. (tutorial in the works)

Perfect for our teachers to haul things to the beach, the library, or a park during their Summer break.

Then once school is back in they can TOTE around (hehehe, sorry I had to) planners, lunch, books, and other teachery things.

I folded the bag up and added in a coordinating little chalk board. I was fortunate to have some of these chalkboards left over from Little's Charlie Brown Birthday Party.

I tied it all up with a scrap of fabric that I had left over from the inside lining.

Then I printed off  the tag that I designed in PicMonkey.

Then I slipped the tag on the gift. One TOTEally easy and TOTEally lovely gift for one TOTEally awesome teacher. Really I just couldn't seem to help myself...hahaha.

Such an easy and fun way to thank a teacher. 

Here is a tag you can download by right clicking and saving it to your computer.

You can just attach it to any tote--store bought or handmade. Easy as that.

What is your favorite way to thank your awesome teachers?

Recipe Thursday: Guacamole AND Pico de Gallo

Years and year and year ago, my very cute and somewhat blonde sister (blonde in her youth naturally and now not so naturally) gave us many opportunities to reflect on her blondness.

One instance was a funny little phone conversation that went a little something like this--

Me: "So Sister Dear (yes I am proper and affectionate like that), when is your next day off of school?"

Sister Dear: "Um not like until October." (I totally added the like. She may or may not have said that).

Me: "Oh, do you have Columbus Day off?"

Sister Dear: (in a know-it-all tone) "Uh...Rissa...I don't live in Ohio (at the time we lived in Ohio)." You could almost hear the DUH!

Me: "Uh Sister Dear, Columbus Day is for Christopher Columbus...not Columbus, Ohio."

Sister Dear: "Oh...hehehehehe...I should probably know that."

Another Sister Dear blond moment has much more to do with this post.

During a trip through the drive through with my dad, my dad happened to be saying something about guacamole and about how it was made from avocados.

To which Sister Dear said, "Oh really? I thought guacamole came from guacomolies."

Insert Silence. Chirp. Chirp. Chirp.

Followed by some serious laughter.

Dad: "Uh no." (as he wipes tears of laughter from his face).

Thanks to my Sister Dear I will always think of guacamole coming from guacamolies.

Truth be told for most of my adult life this amusing little tale was all that I liked about guacamole. I am not a huge fan of avocados. Therefore, guacamole never appealed to me. Which is CRAZY because I love, love, luh-ve tortilla chips and salsa.

Which should of course reason that I would also like guacomole. Alas, it didn't seem to matter how much I liked tortilla chips and dips into which to well dip them...I just couldn't appreciate guacamole.

UNTIL now.

Goosh! I love this guacamole. Like scarf down half the bowl "checking" it to see if it tastes good enough to serve guests.

My guests didn't get much. Hanging head in shame.

So how does a girl who doesn't like guacamole even decide to make it.

Well see there was this Mexican Fiesta First Birthday party...oh you remember it? Yeah I went a little overboard.

My menu was more for 40 people instead of the 15+ that we had. I wanted to cover all of my Mexican food bases.

So guacamole was made. The great news is that this recipe also required me to make another tortilla chip favorite...Pico de Gallo.

So today I am sharing with you not one, but TWO recipes. To tortilla chip favorites. Two dips.

We are DOUBLE DIPPING in a completely socially acceptable way.

This is a super easy and basic recipe. You shall have some yummy dip before you know it. Now grab that bag of tortilla chips and get ready to munch. Mmmmm. Now I wish I had some tortilla chips and some of these dips in the fridge!

Happy snacking!

Guacamole AND Pico de Gallo
The Pioneer Woman 

Printable Recipe

Pico de Gallo:
equal amounts of the following:
chopped cilantro
diced white onions
chopped Roma tomatoes

2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely diced
lime
salt to taste

The cilantro, onions, and tomatoes once chopped and/or diced should be in equal quantities. Basically that means if you have two cups of tomatoes, you need two cups of both onions and cilantro.

Seed the jalapeno. Very finely dice the peppers.

Mix the cilantro, onions, tomatoes and jalapenos in a bowl. Squeeze the juice from half a lime over the ingredients in the bowl.

Sprinkle with salt. Stir to mix everything together.

Taste to make sure the flavor is good. Add more salt if needed.

Use in the same day.

If making guacamole (and I really think you should), set aside the pico de gallo.

Guacamole:
6-8 avocados
salt
1/2-3/4 cup premade pico de gallo
lime

Slice and remove the pit from the avocados. Scoop into a medium serving bowl. Salt and then mash with a fork.

Add in a heaping pile (1/2 + cup) of your reserved pico de gallo. Squeeze the juice from the other half of the lime over the guacamole. Gently fold in the pico de gallo to the avocado.

Taste. Add more pico de gallo if necessary.

Don't forget to check out my other RECIPES.

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The Sweetheart Sewing Kit

Recently my baby sister left to serve an 18 month mission for our Church.

There was a lot of preparation in getting ready for her to leave.

One day my mom was listing off what they still needed and one of the items was a sewing kit.

I excitedly said, "Oooh let me take care of that!" Yeah I am a nerd like that and something as little as a sewing kit excites me.

I know I could have bought one, but heck she is the baby and she is doing something fantastically awesome. So I figured she could use a little sewing kit made with love.

I designed the sewing kit to open and close like a tiny notebook.

I used some of my more vintagey and lovely fabrics. She is going to Oklahoma and I really wanted a gingham dress and eyelet lace petticoat kind of feel. Basically I wanted it to scream county fair, blue ribbon pies, and mending on the front porch of a ranch house.

I have watched Oklahoma! the musical way too many times...

Funny story, once on Christmas Eve (technically Christmas Day) at three in the morning my siblings and I found ourselves unable to sleep. We were under strict instructions not to wake up our parents until 6am. As a tradition on Christmas Eve, we all slept in the same room. This room just happened to have a TV. So we turned it on and randomly enough this movie was all that was playing. So we all watched this movie together.

Ahh...good times.

Okay back to the sewing kit and wanting it to like a county fair...

This might be a little over the top with my theme...but I kind of love it.

There are pockets on both sides.

One side is a divided pocket to hold the cutest and daintiest scissors. There is also a felt flag banner to keep safety pins on.

I also managed to find a pink measuring tape.

My sister insisted that she didn't think she would need a measuring tape, since there probably wouldn't be much measuring. I went along with her...

...until I found the pink measuring tape.

Could.Not.Resist.

The pocket on the other side is a vinyl pocket with a velcro closure.

I bought mini rolls of thread and displayed them proudly in the clear pocket.

I added more felt details...because when have I ever not LOVED adding felt to a project.

I sewed a heart-shaped piece that holds needles.

I also cut more felt banners to hold spare buttons. I only attached these banners at the top so that the buttons were accessible.

The whole sewing kit easily folds closed and velcros shut. She can easily pack it away. It takes up no room at all.

She will always be ready to face any sewing/mending mishaps. AND she can do it with pure Oklahoman style.

Plus, I hope when ever she uses it she will remember how much I love her.

Kind of like I am sending her the prettiest hug from so far away.

Baby Gift: Baby Bath Towels

One of my friends just had the most beautiful and precious little girl.

Oh, she is just so sweet. There is almost nothing better than holding a newborn baby.

I wanted to give my friend and baby a little baby gift.

I was tempted to get dresses and frilly things (you know since I never get to buy those things), but I knew her mom had already got/made her tons of cute new clothes.

After thinking a bit, I remembered the Hooded Baby Towels I made right after Bean was born.

Then during a trip to Target I saw these fun and girly towels.

Could you die??? Ack! I love them!

I grabbed that towel and a coordinating solid one and head home for some sewing.

I made some biased tape out of a solid softer pink fabric.

I followed the same instructions from my Hooded Baby Towel tutorial.

I used the pattern towel to make a hood on the solid towel. I thought that would be a fun twist on a completely solid towel.

Bam! Two towels done.

I folded them up, wrapped them with a strip of fabric and gave them to my friend to wrap up her sweet baby after her little baths.

These towels are really easy to make (especially if you already have the biased tape made). 

I had so much fun making these. I also had so much fun doing a girly project. I don't get to do too many of those.

Such an easy homemade gift.

So did you get that I said they were easy to make?

Easy peasy.

Enjoy sweet baby girl!

Slow Cooker Saturday: Honey Sesame Chicken

Welcome to Slow Cooker Saturday.

I have a super delicious slow cooker recipe for you today.

This dish has quickly become a family favorite. We serve it over a hot helping of steamed rice and top it with fresh and crunchy green onions.

We serve it up family style on a big plate. Then we spoon ourselves a not-so-modest serving onto a plate.

Then we pretty much shovel the food into our mouths in a manner suggesting that we have not eaten in days. 

Oh-so-good.

Sometimes I like to pretend that I have houseful of napkin-toting, fork-using, proper-manners, please-and-thank-you using Little Men.

Then there are times I am just gonna say it like it is...

They inhaled this meal. I am not sure napkins were even considered. I served it up and then the next thing I knew their plates were already empty, their little faces saucy (aka covered in sauce), and they were requesting seconds.

Note to self...double the recipe. I mean the Momma and Daddy have to eat too.

This is a great recipe and should definitely make your Slow Cooker rotation. I promise. This Momma does not take a yummy and family friendly recipe lightly.

Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken
adapted from Your Homebased Mom 

Printable Recipe

2-3 chicken breasts
salt
pepper
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 cup honey
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sriracha
4 teaspoon cornstarch
1/3 cup water
1 Tablespoon sesame seeds
3-4 green onions, sliced

Put the chicken in the crock pot and liberally salt and pepper on both sides.

In a bowl, combine onion, garlic, honey, ketchup, soy sauce, oil, and sriracha. Pour the sauce over the chicken.

Cook on low for 4-5 hours.

Remove chicken and shred. Set aside.

Combine the cornstarch and water in a small bowl. Strain the fat off the sauce that is in the slow cooker. Discard the fat and pour the sauce into a small sauce pan. Add in the cornstarch mixture. Cook the sauce over medium high heat, stirring frequently for about 10 minutes OR until the sauce thickens.

Pour the sauce over the shredded chicken.

Serve over rice. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions.

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I know I have finally caught up with the times...

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