DIY Sea Glass

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Here's how to make these really pretty sea glass style jars!

Materials needed:

Old vases from Goodwill, Walmart sells canning jars that work well too.

Elmer’s Glue

Food Coloring

Sponge Paint Brushes.

You mix the glue with the food coloring to make your desired color. Add a little coloring to the glue, and then keep adding until you have the color you want. I put on the glue paint on around the lower part of the vase and the upper rim. Then, you do smooth strokes all the way up and down the vase. After it's dry, be sure to do one more coat for a polished finish.

New York Times Best Cookie Recipe

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Thanks Tender Crumb for this amazing Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe!

Jacques Torres' Secret Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
Makes twenty-six 5-inch cookies or 8 1/2 dozen 1 1/4-inch cookies

Ingredients
1 pound unsalted butter
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
2 1/4 cups packed light-brown sugar
4 large eggs
3 cups plus 2 tablespoons pastry flour
3 cups bread flour
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 pounds bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats; set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugars.
- Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- Reduce speed to low and add both flours, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla, and chocolate; mix until well combined.
- Using a 4-ounce scoop for larger cookies or a 1-ounce scoop for smaller cookies, scoop cookie dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart.
- Bake until lightly browned, but still soft, about 20 minutes for larger cookies and about 15 minutes for smaller cookies.
- Cool slightly on baking sheets before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

20 Unique Disney World Photo Ideas

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My husband is a Disney World fanatic. I asked him where some of his favorite photo spots are located. Everyone needs the classic shot standing in front of Cinderella's Castle, but here's his list of some of the more unique photo opportunities.

Magic Kingdom

  • Next to the statue of Goofy in front Cinderella's Castle
  • Along the "Rivers of America" with the Liberty Square Riverboat in the background
  • Pose with one of the many street performers on Main Street U.S.A., such as the Dapper Dans.
  • Take a seat, and a photo, in one of the rocking chairs on Tom Sawyer Island
  • On the front porch of the Crystal Palace

Epcot

  • In front of the Imagination! Pavilion
  • Playing the African drums at The Outpost, between China and Germany.
  • In front of the torii in Japan
  • The gardens along the pathway adjacent to the Imagination! Pavilion
  • On one of the Friendship Boats, as it sails on the World Showcase Lagoon.

Hollywood Studios

  • Instead of filing out with the crowd after the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular, walk down to the front and grab a photo with Indiana Jones' stunt double.
  • Take a seat on the speeder bike replica from Return of the Jedi, outside of Star Tours.
  • Have your kids put their hands inside the famous handprints outside the Great Movie Ride.
  • In front of Miss Piggy's Ms. Liberty fountain, outside Muppet*Vision 3D
  • With Gertie The Dinosaur!

Animal Kingdom

  • Pose next to the insect-themed movie posters before entering the theatre to see It's Tough to be a Bug.
  • Stop at the Oasis exhibits and grab a photo with a macaw or anteater.
  • There are many opportunities near Expedition Everest, such as the prayer flags or the Yeti posters.
  • In front of the tigers on the Maharajah Jungle Trek
  • Snap a photo with the cute stuffed dinosaur you'll be sure to win at Disney's Fossil Fun midway games.

Krispy Kreme Copycat Recipe

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Here's how to make your own Krispy Kreme donuts at home!

This yields 10-12 regular-sized doughnuts.

Doughnut Ingredients:

  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 2 1/4 cups bread flour, divided
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 2 tablespoons superfine sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • vegetable oil for frying

Glaze Ingredients:

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons milk

Doughnut Directions:

  1. Heat the milk to 100 degrees.  You can do this in the microwave or on the stove top.
  2. Stir in the yeast until it is dissolved or close to dissolved.
  3. Transfer to a medium-sized bowl and mix in 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of the bread flour. Stir until smooth.
  4. Cover the bowl (I like to use my cloth bowl covers for this) to prevent drying out and place in a warm spot to rise.
  5. When the batter has doubled in size (about an hour, depending on the temperature of your house), add it to a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.
  6. Add the egg yolks, superfine sugar, and salt. Mix on low speed until smooth.
  7. Mix in vanilla extract and butter until smooth.  
  8. With the mixer running, slowly add the rest of the flour (1 1/4 cups + 2 tablespoons). Keep mixing until the batter just comes together into a smooth dough. It will be quite wet and sticky, but should be able to hold together as one “lump” of dough. If not, add a bit more flour, one tablespoon at a time.
  9. Lift the ball of dough up and brush the bottom of the bowl lightly with vegetable oil.  
  10. Cover the bowl again and place in a warm spot to rise.
  11. Once the dough has doubled in size (another hour or so), refrigerate it for 15 minutes. This will make it easier to roll out.
  12. On a well-floured surface, gently roll out the dough to about 3/8” to 1/2” thickness.
  13. Use cookie cutters to stamp out whatever shapes you like.  I used a 3 1/2" circle for the large doughnuts with a 1 1/4" hole.  For the minis, I used a 1 1/2" circle with a 15/16" hole (all of these cutters come in the same set).  Save the holes to fry up as well, or roll the batter out again to make more doughnuts.
  14. Place the stamped dough on a parchment- or Silpat-lined cookie sheet, cover with plastic, and allow to rise again in a warm spot.
  15. Once the doughnuts are almost doubled in size (another hour or so), heat oil in a large pot or deep fryer until it reaches 360 F.  I strongly prefer to fry in a deep fryer.  It keeps everything so much cleaner and perfectly regulates the temperature.
  16. Fry the doughnuts in batches until golden brown on each side (you'll need to flip them mid-fry). The total frying time will be under 2 minutes. Use tongs to flip and retrieve them.
  17. Set hot doughnuts on paper towels to absorb extra oil.

Glaze Directions:

  1. Mix all ingredients in a small bowl until smooth. 
  2. Drizzle over piping hot doughnuts.

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Free Kindle Books- 7+ Web Sites

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How do I get so many awesome books for my Kindle? Click below to get 30 days of FREE Kindle books!

 

 You can also get books at:

  • Public libraries: Here's how to use the service (although the tutorial is intended for Nook owners, the same process applies to Kindle).
  • BookLending.com: Any "lending-enabled" Kindle book can be loaned one time for up to 14 days. This site matches borrowers and lenders.
  • eBookFling.com: Another sharing site.
  • Amazon Prime: Borrow from over 300,000 titles, one per month. 

Also be sure to check out our Pinterest page with over 500+ free Kindle books and deals! We update the Pinterest page several times a week!

Homemade Glitter Ornaments

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Here's what you'll need to make your own glitter ornaments:

  • Clear glass ornaments
  • Pledge Tile & Vinyl Floor Finish with Future Shine
  • Fine glitter (Martha Stewart glitter, sold at Michael's, is a good choice.)
  • A funnel
  • A few cotton swabs

To make the ornaments:

1. Take off the hangers from the ornament
2. Squirt some floor wax in the ornament and roll or swirl it around.
3. Take the cap off of the floor shine and stick the ornament upside down on it so the extra drains back in.
4. Pour a generous amount of glitter into the ornament through a funnel.
5. Roll the ornament around so the glitter coats the inside.
6. Put your thumb over the opening and shake the ornament, making sure glitter coats the neck and any other bare spots.
7. Take the lid off of the glitter container and turn the ornament upside down on it so the loose glitter can empty back in the glitter container.
8. Put the toppers back on the ornaments.

 

15 Holiday Gifts for Teachers

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Photo Credit: Flickr / Florian Boyd http://www.flickr.com/photos/fboyd/6540840301/

Here are 15 creative gifts for teachers:

  1. Target Gift Card
  2. Amazon.com Gift Card
  3. Barnes and Noble Gift Card
  4. class gift
  5. spa gift card
  6. Christmas ornament (Hallmark is a good source)
  7. homemade card or craft made by the student
  8. baked goods – (May want to skip if you aren't aware of their tastes, food allergies, etc.)
  9. basket of gourmet coffees or gourmet teas
  10. note pads or thank you cards
  11. bouquet of flowers
  12. bottle of wine or eggnog
  13. Williams Sonoma dish towel wrapped around their Winter Forest dish soap
  14. gift basket with bag of coffee, travel mug and a magazine — Get a $5 subscription on Amazon right now to lots of magazines, including Good Housekeeping, Oprah and more- Get your deal here.
  15. Starbucks gift card, include in a cute mug