peanut butter chocolate chips balls

Ready for another yummy and healthy treat? Need some extra protein in your diet? Then these are just for you!

1 c. ground oatmeal (just process in your food processor)
.75 c. natural peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)
.25 c. agave nectar
.33 c. shredded unsweetened coconut
.5 c. mini chocolate chips (These do have sugar in them, so you don't have to use them. You could substitute raisins. I use Enjoy Life's dairy-nut-soy free chocolate chips found at Whole Foods.)

Process the oatmeal first. Next, add the peanut butter, agave nectar and coconut.  Process. Add the chocolate chips last and process just until blended. Form 1-inch balls and place on a cookie sheet. Freeze for at least and hour and then transfer into a ziploc bag and store in your freezer. You can eat these right out of the freezer. Yum! Calorie count is 75 calories per ball. Enjoy!

monterey

This past November we went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium for their free homeschool day. We had a blast! (And so did our kids.)

As I've said before, I don't own any die-cutting systems. I wanted to make a jellyfish for this layout and the ric-rack ribbon was calling to me! I used an AC chipboard piece, a little patterned paper and lots of ribbon and twine. It was simple and I'm happy with how it turned out. 

Happy Monday morning to you!

cashew date balls

Want a sweet treat with little guilt? These are good for you and taste great too! And are so easy to make in a jiffy!

.75 c. raw cashews
1.5 c. pitted dates
2 tsp. vanilla
4 Tbls. natural peanut butter
1 Tbls. agave nectar (or honey)
1 Tbls. pure maple syrup (no Aunt Jemima here)
.5 c. unsweetened shredded coconut

Blend well in your food processor. Shape into 1 inch balls (I use my small melon ball scooper). They come out a little sticky, so I roll them in unsweetened coconut and they are perfect. I like to store mine in the freezer and eat them cold. They are not too hard to eat right away. You could store them in the refrigerator as well. They are only 75 calories each--a great snack when you need a little pick me up! Hope you like them!

February Card Club

I've been teaching card classes at Green Tangerines scrapbook store for over three years. In the past I have taught the classes on a weeknight here and there. Recently, we decided to start holding them on Friday evenings once a month. Want to come play with glue and paper with us?

There are only 24 spots available each Friday night, and at the moment, there is only one left. When you attend the class, you get first dibs on signing up for my next class in March! Hope you can join us! Call the store at 916.771.8010 to sign up. Cost is only $15. 

Have a great day!

and the winner is . . .

Congrats! You will love this eBook! Email me at johnstonhouse at gmail dot com and I will get you the information you need to get your free eBook. Have a great night!

ella's take twelve challenge giveaway!

I LOVE the concept of Ella's latest challenge! I have done Project 365, Project 12 and this past year I did Project Life. I have loved how all of them have helped me document the everyday stuff . . . the REAL stuff that happens in life. Ella has put a fun spin on things . . .

It's simple. Take 12 photos on the 12th of each month and make one layout per month with them. At the end of the year, you will have 12 layouts and 144 photos showcasing the everyday little things that happen in your life.

Why do you need this eBook? Because it is loaded with fantastic ideas! What should you focus on when taking your pictures? How should you lay them out? (That means sketches!) What are some fun and different ideas that you can do with these photos? I've read through this book and I love it! Check out the  FAQ here. Oh, and by the way, you do not have to start this project in January . . . and you do not have to take the pictures ON the 12th. This is your project!

And the best part of this post is that I get to do a giveaway! Leave me a comment and let me know what you have done in the past to document the everyday. I will choose a random winner on Wednesday night! Be sure and check back!

layouts to share

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a great weekend celebrating with family and friends! I have a couple of layouts to share from the December Green Tangerines Kit Club.

This is Seth's One-Year Birthday party. Yes, I scrapbooked his two-year-old party first. I usually scrapbook out of order and scrapbook what I feel like at the time. I love that I finally have this done for the birthday album. I keep all of my kids birthday party layouts in the same album. They love seeing all their parties (and what the theme was) all in one place!

Banners have been quite the trend over the past couple of years and for some reason I have not had the desire to have one in a layout . . . until now. And I love how it turned out. It makes the layout look more "party-like." And yes, I made the barnyard cake. Probably the most time I have spent on a cake!!

I made this layout because I wanted to remember how athletic my daughter is and how involved my husband is in challenging her to try new things. We have never been in any organized sports, but she is not afraid to try new things and loves to be active! She is a natural at most things she tries.

Hope you are having a great start to your new year! I am enjoying new year start without making any resolutions! : )