Minty Fresh

 One of my resolutions for 2013 is to start becoming more aware of what I am eating, and trying to eliminate preservatives in my food. Not only am I watching out for myself, but I am also trying to do it for my pup as well.  I want her to be as healthy as possible, so I have her on a grain free, high protein, organic food.  I decided today that I was going to make her some home made dog treats!

Missy loves anything peppermint, which is weird, I know.  She digs in purses to get gum, she loves having her teeth brushed, and would eat the candy canes off our Christmas tree! I always try to find treats that are mint flavored, but they are impossible to find!  Even online, there are hardly any recipes on mint treats!  I combined a few recipes together to create this one, and Missy loves them!  If your pup doesn't love mint like mine, you can add more peanut butter or some chicken broth.

The recipe is as follows:

2 cups whole wheat flower
1 cup oats
2 tbsp peanut butter
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 milk (I used almond milk)
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 tbsp mint extract

Preheat oven to 375. 
I kneaded the ingredients together by hand, and then used a rolling pin to smooth it all out.  I then used this cookie cutter in the shape of a dog bone from a local dog store.  I then put it in the oven for 20 minutes! 

She sure looks excited about these treats...

 I was able to make 15 full sized bone treats, and 14 smaller ball sized treats. 

Shes looking a bit more excited now! 

 Yep, She loves them!

First "Pinspiration" Project

This is my first attempt at a "pinspiration"project! I have seen many awesome projects that I cannot wait to do in the upcoming weeks!

 I have a ton of old Bath and Body Works Candles that have no useable wax left, so I keep them in my linen closet for no reason other than I'm a candle hoarder. I had no idea what I was going to do with these jars, but I knew I kept them for a reason! As I was browsing through Pinterest the other day, I saw that you can easily remove the wax out of the candle jars to create a universal container! I was sold.

I ran to my nearest empty candle to try it out!  This one had about a quarter inch of unusable wax on the bottom, and it worked perfectly.  It your candle has a lot more wax than this, it may take longer for it to work. 

I started by putting some water in a saucepan and bringing it to a boil.

I then carefully poured the boiling water into the candle jar.  Leaving the boiling water in the container melts the remaining wax down to a liquid, and it all rises to the top.  As the water cools, so does the wax.  It's so simple that I felt dumb for not thinking of it!  I was able to pull out the wax in one piece and the container was perfectly clean! All I had to do was rinse it off and it is good to go!

I have no idea what I am going to do with the container now that it's clean, but I have some ideas! I might use it to store some cotton balls or q-tips, or possibly make another Pinterest project and add some glitter to the bottom of the container!  The options are endless! 

I hope this gives you some ideas for your empty candle containers, and I will let you know what comes of it!

Welcoming in 2013

2012 was an amazing year full of wonderful accomplishments, and I hope 2013 is even better!  In 2012 I was able to graduate college, get engaged and buy my first house- a lot of major milestones!  For 2013, all I can hope for is health and happiness for all my friends and family! 

We have a lot of exciting plans for our lives and home in 2013, and I hope to capture them all in this blog to share with you all. 

We wish you all a Happy New Year!

xoxo
Emily and Matt