All posts by Kaycee

Hi all! My name is Kaycee. I live in Arkansas with my husband of almost ten years. We have a 21 year old daughter who has grown up, got married on us and a had a little one who is less than a year old. Just love being Nonna! We also have two great Chihuahuas and a Great Dane, along with several fish. My educational background is in Psychology and Child Development but my heart is in ministry, crafts, fun, reviews and my website, My Crafty Zoo. I look forward to continuing to share my life through word and pictures with you and love hearing your feedback! Thank you for taking the time to read and allowing me to share!
Halloween, Reviews, School and Office

Fall Lesson Planning with Let the Little Children Come @SMGurusNetwork #BTS18

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The Halloween Tracts are perfect for the holidays this fall! Definitely want to order them for your classroom now!

Fall Lesson Planning with Let the Little Children Come @SMGurusNetwork #BTS18Let the Little Children Come has some great products for every classroom! They have a ton of relevant tracts that make learning lessons fun and easy! I highly recommend their selection and they have some great free resources as well!!!

In the interest of preparation, we have brought you the perfect lesson for this fall! I don’t know about you, but I prefer to have my lessons ready to go as early as I can. No stress when the time comes! Lesson planning is always best in advance!

The Halloween Tract is absolutely perfect for this fall! On the outside it asks ‘Is there anything better than candy?’ and comes on a flat sheet, with the inside of each pumpkin having a part of the lesson written on it.

Each pack comes with 20 fold-able pumpkins and comes ready to assemble with a hard piece of cardboard on the back to keep them from getting before they arrive. They were very well received and the kids absolute loved them!  We also did a Friendship Lesson with them!

Halloween Tract from Let the Little Children Come

There are two ways one could utilize the pumpkins to teach:

1.  Allow the Children to Assemble the pumpkins as a group. The students could take turns reading each of the lessons, then fold them together to form a pumpkin! Not only is it a fun way to learn, it’s something the kids can take with them for years to come!

2.  If you prefer to hand the out rather than do them as a classroom project, you can form them and place inside some of the kids’ favorite candies and treats. Either way, it’s a great product to help teach and reinforce the gospel message!

Let the Little Children Come

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2018 Back to School Gift Guide

Here are some additional free resources for your enjoyment:

Salvation Bracelet Tutorial ~ Gospel Plane Printable

Free Gospel String Magic Lesson ~ Free Bracelet Tutorial

15 Lessons You Can Teach with Paracord

5 Great Lessons Using Optical Illusions

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Condiments, Recipes, Sauces

Homemade Honey Mustard Recipe

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honeymustard

Ahh, honey mustard!!!  My husband is a honey mustard addict!  The other day I forgot to buy some and rather than go to the store, I found this recipe:

  • 4 tbsp mustard
    1 tbsp honey
    2 tsp dijon mustard

Mix, adjust to your taste and enjoy!

Some great ways to eat honey mustard:

salads
chicken strips
french fries
sandwiches

Hope you enjoy this recipe!  It’s 3:30 a.m. and I couldn’t sleep so I thought I would hook ya up, then all of the sudden I am overwhelmingly sleepy.  SO, I’m gonna take advantage and go pass out!  Stop by and check out my recipe page for more great recipes (tried and true with honest opinions).

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Originally posted 2016-02-11 05:38:00.

Beef, For Carnivores, Main Dishes, Recipes

Oklahoma Indian Taco

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IndianTacoCrystalSellersI recently reviewed an amazing book, Summer Under My Quilt.  This recipe was provided by the debut author, Crystal Sellars.  Being a fellow Oklahoman, I can tell you the book very much depicts the part of the state the author and I grew up in.  I hope you’ll check the my review and book out, then enjoy this recipe as you read!  Without further introduction, here is the author’s recipe.  Enjoy!

Growing up in Stilwell Oklahoma I was raised on Indian Tacos.
Since I’m sure not many have tried this yummy dinner, it seemed the perfect thing to make for you all.

Brown hamburger meat. (Amount depends on your family size) add onions to taste. Then add in a packet of taco seasoning.

Next you will need to make your fry bread. I do this the cheat way. I use can biscuits or crescent rolls. Smmer Under My Quilt
Add a little oil to the pan and your dough. Flatten and fry till cooked thoroughly.

In the mean time chop your veggies:
Tomatoes
Lettuce
Black olives
Onion
Other toppings:
Shredded cheese, sour cream, salsa, avocados.
Heat a can of re-fried beans.

Once your finished pile beans, meat and vegetables all on top of your fry bread and enjoy!

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Originally posted 2016-02-10 06:04:29.

Cookies, Desserts, Recipes

Old Fashion Peanut Butter Cookies

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PeanutButterCookies

I have an old recipe book from my childhood that is full of old, simple but delicious recipes.  While they aren’t necessarily new foods, they frequently remind me of my childhood.  This particular recipe book sat for years on my Mom’s bookshelf.  When I moved out, I went back home and gave it freedom from my Mom’s bookshelf, she never really used them and didn’t mind my procuring it.  I write in it now, my modifications, when I used the recipes, and the reactions I get.  If it’s a special occasion, I note that too.  I don’t know that anyone will ever care about my notes but they bring back good memories when I see my notes.  I attempted to pass the tradition down and will continue to do so because with these times and everything being online it seems that little things like this may become obsolete.  This particular cookbook lost it’s covers long ago, so I can’t share the title.  However, I can say that the original recipe was submitted by Debbie Salmon.  I have modified it slightly.  I hope you enjoy these cookies as I enjoyed making them as a girl.

Old Fashion Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup crunchy peanut butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg, beaten

3 tsp baking powder

Directions:

Combine all ingredients well.  Roll into balls similar in size.  Make a criss-crosss imprint on the ball with a fork to smash them down.  Bake 8 to 10 minutes at 350 degrees.  Remove before they are too brown as they will brown a little more when you put them on wire racks to cool.

Are there any modifications you like in your peanut butter cookies?  I’d love to hear stories of childhood baking, they make my heart smile.  Hope you enjoy.

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Originally posted 2016-02-08 06:31:34.

Book Reviews, Christian, Reviews, Young Adult

Summer Under My Quilt

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Introducing the debut Author Crystal Sellers with a story of love, life, and learning to let go.

CrystalSellers

Smmer Under My Quilt

Megan Creeway spent the summer at her grandparent’s lake house. Her life had imploded and she didn’t know how to get it back. Her husband was a cheat, her son was outgrowing his mother, and her grandpa was very sick. Seeking refuge from it all, the one thing she did not expect, was to find herself being courted by the very handsome local Pastor.
Reid Stone was finally enjoying his life three years after a divorce. He started over in the quaint town of Lake Charlotte as the pastor of the local church. He quickly made friends yet still led a peaceful quiet life of bachelorhood.

An Excerpt from the novel

He appeared just as captivated by the fireflies as she had just been a moment ago, watching them dance in the air above the wheat field. It was all so majestic, like a carefully orchestrated Broadway play. One thing Megan always enjoyed was how the night sounds of the country took her far away from reality.

My Thoughts

You can read my original review on Good Reads but the skinny is: I LOVED this book!  It was a great read; wonderful story of home, family, love and triumph over trials.  It’s a definite page turner that you just don’t want to put down.  The story will warm your heart while giving you a sense of peace and comfort about the world.  The characters are well written and I felt like I knew them when I was done reading about them, like somehow they could be friends or family of mine.  Though I’m not sure what would take place, I’d love to read a sequel to this book because, frankly, I feel like I miss them.  While reading the book, they became very real to me.  I can imagine the lives the characters would continue to live and what they might be doing, but I’d love to read it from the author’s perspective.

Author’s Links

Amazon

GoodReads

Instagram

Twitter

Facebook

 

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Originally posted 2016-02-04 00:00:04.

Food, For Your Home, Kitchen, Reviews

#Brieftons Vertico Spiralizer

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Brieftons Vertico SpiralizerBeing a blogger means making food pretty. It isn’t always easy, as a matter of fact, it can be quite a challenge. Not only do we need to be able to take gorgeous pictures, we also need to be able to make the beauty of our subject look great and food isn’t always easy. Food photographers get paid very well to do what they do, they also use techniques for it which means you can’t necessarily actually EAT what is in the pictures. I assure you, every single picture of food that I take is promptly eaten.
Brieftons Vertico Spiralizer is made to, basically, cut fresh veggies and fruits into spirals. They can be either big or small, depending on how you choose to use it. I have plans to use mine for some dinner parties and this summer I will be making some amazing and gorgeous salads. However, this week is kind of slow and I didn’t have any fancy food to test it out on. I still have to eat though and when I went to get an apple to snack on, I realized it was the perfect test object. It if looked terrible, I wasn’t depending on it for garnishment on food for guests. Fortunately, it looked gorgeous. In order to prepare the apple, all I did was washed it. I personally dislike biting into an unsliced apple (unless it’s covered in caramel, haha) so ‘spiralizing’ my apple was a win-win scenario.
Putting the Vertico Spiralizer together was quick and easy, taking only a minute or two. I was able to figure it out without any instructions, though Brieftons does have a youtube video demonstrating how to do it on youtube and on their site. Cleanup was also a breeze, a good rinse got the left behind fruit out of the blades and it is top rack dishwasher safe. Have I said how much I love my dishwasher? LOL. There was a little bit of pressure required to keep the slice going once I got to the middle of the apple, but it wasn’t very difficult. There are grips on the bottom that holds it in place as you operate it. I was able to get 2 out of 3 suction cups and they did well to hold it in place.
There are only two things I would change about the Vertico Spiralizer. The first is the ability to add pressure. While it was easy to modify the way I turned the crank, I would really have loved for there to be a little more weight to the crank so that perhaps the additional pressure wouldn’t have been necessary. The other thing that I would have loved is if their slicer would better double as a mandolin. While it probably is possible to use the blade on the bottom as a make shift mandolin, the top rack gets in the way of really using it much. Plus, that particular blade is not very long.
All in all, the spiralizer is a really good and fun product. The company sends you 3 virtual recipe books that contains recipes to use with it. One of which is a raw foods recipe book. While I, personally, haven’t ventured into the raw foods arena some of the recipes sound really good and I may eventually try them out. Right now, I plan on using it for gorgeous garnishes and to play with during meals. I’m looking forward to seeing what I can do with it. I know it is going to make some beautiful chocolate spirals for cakes and cupcakes. Bring on the sweets, baby!

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Originally posted 2016-02-02 00:31:29.

Beef, For Carnivores, Main Dishes, Recipes

Wild Mushroom Beef Stew

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WildMushroomBeefStew

It’s been so cold this winter that I’m trying out new soups left and right.  I’m also working on stepping out of my comfort zone.  That hasn’t always been my strong suit. So, as one of my new trial recipe I tried this out.  My husband thinks it will be even better if it was made in a dutch oven.  Modification instructions are below the crockpot recipe.  Hope you like it.

  • 1 1/2- 2 lbs beef stew meat, cut into 1″ cubes
  • 1/8 cup of flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 3 cups beef broth
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tbs minced garlic
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 8 oz shiitake mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 med carrots, sliced
  • 2 med potatoes, diced
  • 1 sm white onion, chopped
  • 1 stalk celery, sliced
  1. Put beef in crockpot.  Mix together flour, salt and pepper.  Pour over meat, stir to coat each piece of meat with flours mixture.  Add remaining ingredients and stir to mix well.
  2. Cover & cook on high for 4 hours or until done.  Stir stew before serving.

Dutch Oven Modification: Heat dutch oven over med-high heat.  Mix flour and seasoning (all but bay leaf) and toss the beef in it. Coat pan with 1-2 tbsp olive oil.  Brown beef in oil.  Add all ingredients, stir and cook until done.

**If you have any thoughts or modifications, I’d love to hear them!  Please share.

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Originally posted 2016-01-29 06:30:39.

Food, Reviews

Chomps Jerky Review

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chompChomp’s is a great alternative to the typical beef jerky.  A much better choice, I feel.  The meat from Chomps comes from grass fed beef, it is non-GMO, gluten free, paleo friendly and all natural.  Sounds great but we all know that flavor is the essential requirement, at least for those I know anyway.

Let me tell you the flavor is great!  I was a little surprised at the packaging, as there is an extra layer of plastic protecting the freshness of the jerky.  There are a couple of different flavors, my favorite is the original.  I tend to lean toward the all beef flavor and it’s really good.

Started out of an apartment in Chicago, Chomps was created by Peter and Rashid, with the all important assistance of their wives.  Their mission is to “create the highest quality jerky product on the market” and with 9 g of protein per stick, I think they are well on their way!

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Originally posted 2015-12-29 15:56:10.

Current Giveaways, Giveaways

Alex & Me Starring Soccer Superstar Alex Morgan And Exclusive Blog App!

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Have you heard of Alex & Me yet?  This super exciting soccer film will inspire the whole family!

Alex & Me Soccer Superstar Family Film!

**“Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post. The opinions I share are my own.”**

When I was a kid, soccer was my jam!  I was on a really good team and made every practice and game.  We worked hard and we played hard.  That year, we even had the entire team come to my soccer themed party at the skating rink!

So yeah, maybe I just dated myself.  That’s okay.  Kids today will never get how great so many things in the early 90’s were!  Or perhaps I’ll just never get over it.  haha.

Moving on…

Alex and Me Blu Ray! Work hard, play hard, succeed!

Alex & Me features Alex Morgan, scoring her movie debut!  I love watching kids get their time to shine!  It also features Siena Agudong, one of the Nickelodeon stars of Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn and  Star Falls.

The movie features an uplifting story of a young female athlete who learns how you need passion, determination and self-worth to make all of your dreams come true!

I love that it teaches so many wonderful lessons and inspires young girls!  I feel like it’s a very important factor to raising smart, confident and successful young girls!

Alex and Me Blu Ray

Alex & Me

Get Yours Here!

Teenager Reagan Willis (Agudong) has one dream – to play soccer like her hero, Alex Morgan. Her bedroom is a shrine to all things Alex, including a life-size poster of the Olympic gold medalist. Yet in the Willis house, Reagan lives in the shadow of her prep football superstar brother, Logan. When Reagan fails to make the cut of the premiere local soccer club team and is humiliated by her rival Claire, she’s certain her ship has sailed. But after accidentally hitting her head, Reagan’s poster of Alex Morgan suddenly comes to life and everything changes!

An Olympic Gold Medalist and FIFA Women’s World Cup champion with a penchant for goal scoring, Alex Morgan is one of the top soccer players on the planet, currently playing forward for the United States Women’s National Team and the Orlando Pride of the National Women’s Soccer League. Away from the field, Morgan is also an accomplished author of “The Kicks” series, a collection of chapter books filled with wonderful messages of empowerment for young girls. The first The Kicks book, “Saving the Team,” debuted at No. 7 on the New York Times Best Seller list.

Alex and Me Film Still Shot

Eric Champnella (Thunderstruck, Mr. 3000, Eddie) wrote the Alex & Me screenplay and is also making his full-length feature debut as the film’s director. Alex Morgan serves as co-producer. Producers are Mike Karz (Blended) and William Bindley (Mother’s Day). Todd Williams (The Illusionist) is the executive producer.

Jerry Trainor (iCarly) also stars as Nigel, a less-than-reliable youth soccer coach, alongside Matt Cornett (Bella and the Bulldogs) as Reagan’s brother, Logan; Colin Critchley (Legends of the Hidden Temple) as Reagan’s soccer-playing pal, Ben; Chuiti Tiu (Nashville) as Reagan’s mother, Ann Wills; and Jim Klock (True Detective, Scream Queens) as Reagan’s father (and biggest fan), Joe Wills. Jessica Treska (HBO’s upcoming Sharp Objects) plays Reagan’s arch-rival, Claire.

BONUS FEATURES

• Getting to Know Alex
• Aspire to Inspire: Success in Hard Work
• Soccer, Script to Set: A Playbook on Alex & Me
• Outtake

Enter to Win Alex and Me on Blu-Ray! #Giveaway Ends 6/30

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Accessories, Jewelry, Reviews

Quan Jewelry Earrings Review

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Earrings4I received these earrings to review from Quan Jewelry and was very excited when they arrived.  They looked adorable on the site. Here are the product details from the company:

  • Open heart earrings with high-quality crystals.
    925 sterling silver.
    Butterfly clasps.
    Available in Pink and Silver.
    Perfect gift any time of the year.
    Packaged with loving care from the USA.

When they arrived, they were packaged in a cute little fold up paper gift bag, then in a small cinch bag containing the actual earrings.  Unfortunately, one of the earrings in the bag was broken.  The silver heart with the crystals on it had broken away from the earring base.  I contacted the company and they were completely gracious and quickly sent out a replacement pair.  Needless to say, I was very pleased with the amazing customer service.

I am the type of girl who leaves earrings in for a while, I don’t take them off every night or change them out frequently.  After about two months wear, the same thing happened to the new pair that was wrong with the original.  The part of the heart with the crystals came unglued and fell off.  While I did get a lot of wear out of them, I expect my earrings to last a good bit longer than two months of wear.  Perhaps if I hadn’t wore them constantly, they might have lasted longer, or I would have at least lost one before they had a chance to fall apart on me.

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Originally posted 2015-12-14 11:06:56.