Super Easy Super Tasty Fruit Dip

With all of the BBQ's and outdoor parties we have been going to this summer I needed a quick and easy go-to dip to whip up in a hurry. My friend Jodi is the women when it comes to cooking, this gal is the Queen of tasty yet easy. We showed up to her house for a party and she had made this dip with all of the cut up variety of fruit to go with it, heaven help me! It was delicious and I NEEDED to know how she made it. When she told me it was 2 ingredients I about fell over, now it tasted even better because it was so simple. The dip is sweet but also gives has a little tang to it, or something like that. All I know is it is good and I have since made it several times for several occasions and it has WOWED every time!!!


Ingredients:
1) 1 - 8oz pack of cream cheese
2) 1 - 7oz jar of Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Creme



Pick out several of your favorite fruits to dip, this time we went simple with strawberries and apples.





Step 1: Combine the cream cheese and marshmallow creme.

Tip: If the cream cheese is a little hard microwave it for about 20-25 seconds so it is a little softer to work with.


Step 2: Mix the two ingredients with a fork or spoon until they are blended really well together (or no lumps).


Step 3: Chill in the fridge for about an hour. Cut your fruit up into dipping size pieces while you wait.


Step 4: Dip and Enjoy!!!!


That's it, easiest thing ever. Hope you liked this treat, we ALWAYS do.

*Special thanks to my BFF Jodi for letting me "steal" her famous dip! Try it you won't be disappointed!

P.S. Don't you feel like the fruit cancels out any calories you consume by the cream cheese and marshmallow creme? I do.

Honoring 9/11

I was trying to think of a way to honor the 10 year anniversary of 9/11 attacks. I thought maybe a post about where were you, how did it effect you, what do you think about 10 years later but none of it seemed fitting enough to honor the day in the way it should be. For me I realized that it a reminder everyday to hug the ones you love, kiss the ones you love and be thankfully every day we have on this earth to be Americans.

We all have our own story of how it effected us and where we were and those are good stories. Write them down, tell them to the younger generation and be thankful for the men and woman of the Armed Forces, Fire Departments and Police Departments all over America.

My son is too little to understand what 9/11 means so for us we are watching Fireman Sam cartoons and being grateful for the country we love. We thank my sisters husband who served in Afghanistan in the Army, my brother who served in the Army and a close family friend Jodi for her husband who still continues to serve in the Army.

Children's Hospital Thrift Stores

I have been on a roll lately with my thrifting (not a real word but it is to me now ha!) it seems like I am slightly addicted. Oh dear. Well this time when we came across the Children's Hospital of Seattle Thrift Store on Bainbridge Island I knew that we had buy stuff to help this great cause. When my now 25 year old little brother was born he was very premature and sick. They did not think he had much of a chance to live, it that was so hard on the whole family. The relief that my parents did find was at the Children's Hospital in Los Angeles, where we living at the time. Needless to say they helped my family and my little brother and he is a healthy 25 year old aspiring "rock star" and we have them to thank.


I have been wanting to get JJ Dr. Seuss books to add to his home library because every kid has them or knows about them. We had them as kids and I have fond memories of reading these classic books. Honestly though at $8 a pop I was having a hard time justifying buying a bunch of them at a time, I know I could buy one at a time but buying in bulk is so much easier. So when we found these for just $1 each at the thrift store I scooped them up! They are in great condition and were most of the ones I was searching for, The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, Are you my Mother? just to name a few. If you do the math if I had paid retail at $8 each x 6 I would have paid $48 and since I bought them second hand I only paid $6 for all. I saved $42 dollars, how frugal of me!!!




And while we were there we found this turtle for $3, the shell comes off to store hidden treasures. JJ is obsessed with turtles so we had to have him. Kind of cute huh?





Anyways, Happy Thirfting All!!!

Halloween Decor on a budget

I LOVE HALLOWEEN! It is one of my favorite holidays to decorate and celebrate. The kids are always happy this time of year and the decorations are everywhere. I seem to want to buy everything but I am on a budget you know and sometimes I have to real myself in. I am finding in my frugal state the Goodwill or any second hand store is a great place to check out when you are looking for holiday items. Like every second hand store there is good stuff and crappy stuff, you just have to search. I came across these two items the other day and for 99 cents each I knew I couldn't go wrong.

A vintage looking Ghost, cute and not spooky :)






A more modern feel with this spider web metal candle holder. See the glass pieces inside the web?

I love a good cheap find, something that I know I will use year after year. Not only do they have great items that you have to do nothing to or with, there are many DIY projects just waiting for you at any second hand store. Check them out, you won't be disappointed. In fact...I see another trip for me in the near future!

Kiwi Magazine Maylee's Moment Carrot Cupcake Recipe

 

 Maylee's Moment by Kiwi Magazine Carrot Cupcakes

  

I enjoy reading Kiwi Magazine and getting the email newsletter. Today I read this Carrot Cupcake recipe and loved it. I want to make these for Halloween. I LOVE the way Carrot Cake tastes and thankfully my son does too. I had carrot cake on my birthday and he ate most of mine and his! This recipe is from the Kiwi Magazine newsletter. I did not write this recipe I just wanted to share it.

Cupcakes are always delicious, but they're extra fun to eat when they're good for you, too. These ones are loaded with carrots, which are good for your eyes. Try making them with your parent and having one as an after school treat!

Prep time: 20 minutes
Bake time: 15 to 20 minutes

Carrot Cupcakes
1/2 pound carrots
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
Pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Glaze
1 medium navel orange
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

1. Have your parent preheat the oven to 350° while you line a muffin tin with paper cups.
2. With your parent, use a grater to grate the carrots, taking extra care not to scrape your fingers! Set aside.
3. With your parent, measure the flour, salt, spices, and baking soda. Put them all in a large bowl and stir until thoroughly blended. Then, you can add the grated carrots to the bowl and mix to combine.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk, your parent can help you combine the eggs and sugars and mix until well combined. Add the oil, and mix until smooth. Turn off the mixer and add the flour mixture. Turn the mixer back on and mix until combined.
5. Use an ice cream scoop to fill the cupcake liners with batter until they are about two-thirds full.
6. Have your parent bake cupcakes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes.
7. While the cupcakes are baking, help your parent cut the orange in half.
8. Use your (clean!) hands to pick out any seeds from the orange. Then hold one half of it over a medium bowl, cut side down, and squeeze as hard as you can until you get all the juice out. Do it again with the other orange half.
9. With your parent, measure the confectioners' sugar and add it to the bowl. Stir slowly with the whisk (or else the sugar will fly all over). When the glaze is smooth and shiny and there are no lumps, you can glaze the cooled cupcakes.

Makes 12 cupcakes
Per cupcake: calories 268, fat 10 g, protein 2 g, carbohydrates 43 g, dietary fiber 1 g

Mixbook Custom Cards Review

I love personalized items. They make sending cards, notes and information much more friendly. As a blogger I am always looking for new companies to create me products that can add a personal touch for my correspondence that also promote my site. Thank You cards are a must have for any company. I know for me when I get a Thank You card it makes my day to know someone went out of there way to send me one. I already have a list of companies that I will be sending my cards to.

Even as a parent Thank You cards are important. Having personalized ones to send for gifts, parties or favors would be great. I want to teach my son appreciation for others by sending Thank You cards. I will be getting him ones with his name on them when he is older so he can see that we thank others who have given us their time and effort.

For this review I ordered from Mixbook.com some really cute circle mod type of Thank You cards with a few of my favorite colors on them. I love Orange and Brown so these were perfect. They turned out great and are a high quality card stock with envelopes included.

With the holidays right around the corner I was exited to see the variety of Photo Cards available at Mixbook.com. I know this year we want to do a personalized Christmas card. When I worked in a studio as a family photographer one of the biggest expense were Holiday Cards. I find that personal pictures on a holiday card is much sweeter and meaningful than a posed studio card. Plus its a big money saver. Call me frugal but you can also later cut out the pictures you use to display you families loving faces in a frame or on the fridge. ( I do this with my holiday cards!)

I also thought of my sister Sam and her baby that is on the way for the Mixbook Photo Birth Announcements.
I know she will be excited to see all the cute pink cards they offer. We will need to get the baby some bows for her hair for her official announcement picture. I am excited for my sister and myself too, I get to buy pink and girly stuff!

You can check out all the great cards on Mixbook.com such as wedding announcements, save the date cards and they have super cute party invitations for all occasions.

Mixbook.com shares discounts and sale info on their accounts on facebook and twitter. I am sure as it gets closer to the holidays there will be great deals.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Old Navy Baby Sale

We LOVE Old Navy! This sale is a great excuse to go over there and see what they have. They have the cutest baby stuff. My son and I have matching t-shirts! Sale ends 9/22. Dont forget to check the clearance section there is always something great at my local store.

Winnie the Pooh Movie Coming to DVD October 25th

DVD AND MOVIE DOWNLOAD OCTOBER 25^th

 

Includes an Exclusive Short, Sing-Along Option and Hours More

of Exciting Bonus Features!

Film Synopsis

Disney returns to the Hundred Acre Wood with “Winnie the Pooh.” Featuring the timeless charm, wit and whimsy of the original featurettes, this all-new movie reunites audiences with the philosophical “bear of very little brain” and friends Tigger, Rabbit, Piglet, Owl, Kanga, Roo – and last, but certainly not least, Eeyore, who has lost his tail. “Ever have one of those days where you just can’t win, Eeyore?” asks Pooh. Owl sends the whole gang on a wild quest to save Christopher Robin from an imaginary culprit. It turns out to be a very busy day for a bear who simply set out to find some honey. Disney’s all-new “Winnie the Pooh” movie is inspired by three stories from A.A. Milne’s books in Disney’s classic, hand-drawn art

“Like” Pooh Bear on Facebook  at www.facebook.com/WinniethePooh

 Follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/disneyanimation

 View exciting trailers, video clips and more at www.Disney.com/WinnieThePooh

Betty Crocker FANfare Recipes Inspired by TV Shows

I have been trying to be more of a good cook in my house. Before my son was born I would eat whatever I had and usually the same plain thing every few days. Now that I am a Mom I try to think of great ways to make food fun and tasty. The awesome thing is I get to eat tastier food too! 

Betty Crocker has a great resource for recipes inspired by TV shows called FANfare. This site has lots of great recipes. There are even recipes for fun smoothies using breakfast cereal.

 This recipe looks really good. It uses Black Beans, which in my house we love! Tater tots are a staple in my home too. We will try this soon.

Cheesy Po-Ta-Chos

You won’t have to ask twice to get everyone in front of this pile of potatoey goodness, topped with cheese, salsa and fresh veggies like tomatoes and avocado. This twist on classic nachos is so good- it may be a fight to snatch the last bite!

You can visit the site for the complete recipe and directions.


* I was not paid or compensated for this post. I received the details from Betty Crocker through MyBlogSpark to share.

Thomas and Friends Day of the Diesels and Angelina Ballerina The Shining Star Trophy DVD Review and Giveaway

 I LOVED this movie for my son! Of course we are huge Thomas and Friends fans but this movie is wonderful. I loved how it teaches the value of friendship, equality, honesty and hard work. We can all be "useful engines" in this world if we work together. I have watched the whole movie with him a few times. He will sit there and watch it on my lap yelling "Choo Choo" its so sweet. I always know I can leave on a Thomas and Friends DVD and have a worry free mind. I know he is learning good lessons and kid friendly ideals.

DVD Summary:

The Steamies and the Diesels are in for an action-packed movie adventure in this Thomas & Friends Day of the Diesels DVD. There's a huge fire on Sodor and two new firefighting engines – Flynn and Belle – show up to lend a helping hand. When Thomas starts spending all of his time with Sodor's newest heroes, Percy is drawn to the Dieselworks, where he is made to feel special by the master of mischief himself. Diesel 10 has a master plan to take over the Steamworks and the Steam Team is forced to come up with unique ways of dealing with all the mischief.-

Bonus features include Fiery Flynn To The Rescue game, Day of the Diesels karaoke song, Hear the Engines Coming karaoke song, and Steamies and Diesels video
-Format: Widescreen Run time: 58 minutes

My son loves to dance, he did not however watch this movie. I had one of my husbands cousins kids watch it. The girls thought it was a great movie and reminded me of the time Sam and I were in ballet. It was for a short time but it was really fun. Dance is a great way to get kids to exercise. I love that Angelina is on DVD I recall reading the books as a kid. I look forward to when Sam's little girl will be watching these types of movies and wearing a tutu! This DVD would be a great gift for any little dance star.

 

DVD Summary:

Angelina shines brighter than ever in this all-new movie! Ms. Mimi announces that there's going to be a big talent show at Camembert Academy – and the winner will walk away with the Shining Star Trophy. With celebrity guest judge Perry Parmesan deciding the winner, every minute of practice counts. But when Angelina goes out of her way to help her friends find their special talents, she has little time to work on her own routine. Who will take center stage and win the Shining Star Trophy? Watch as Angelina follows her heart to become a true shining star!

Buy it now on DVD $14.98

Rating: NR
Genre: Children/Family/Animated
Age Target: 2-7 years old
Closed Captioned: English
Format: Widescreen
Feature Running Time: 55 minutes



GIVEAWAY

 

Win a DVD copy of Thomas and Friends Day of the Diesels and Angelina Ballerina The Shining Star Trophy

To Enter This Giveaway: 

Is your child a Thomas the Train fan or an Angelina Ballerina fan?

 *Leave a comment answering the question and be sure to leave your email address if its not public in your Google account*

Extra Entries: Can be done after leaving a comment for mandatory entry. If the extra entry says 1 extra entry leave 1 comment and 2 extra entries leave me 2 comments and so on. 

-Like Angelina Ballerina on Facebook +1 
-Like Thomas and Friends on Facebook +1 

-Follow Frugal Family Tree on GFC ( right hand side) +2

-Like our new fan page on Facebook Frugal Family Tree +1

-Follow FrugalFamTree on Twitter +1

-Share this giveaway on Twitter or Facebook using the Share Button at the bottom on this post. +1 for each share you do. (can be done once a day) This means you have the chance to get 2 extra entries a day.

-Add our button to your blog and leave a link of where it is located +5 (right hand side) 

*Limited to US residents; 18 years old and above. Giveaway starts September 8, 2011 and ends on September 19, 2011 at midnight PST.  Winner will be emailed and has 48 hours to respond before another winner is selected. I was not paid for this giveaway or post. I was provide the item in this review for free by the company or PR firm representing them. The opinions on this item are 100% mine and may vary from others.