Two are Back! -Christmas Garlands at Etsy

Hello friends, I am stopping by today to let you know that these garlands are available once more

at my Etsy shop.  There are only two rolls (9 yard roll) left from last year and I will no longer make these. 

I am trying to make this a happy Christmas for my little one and appreciate your support.  Please 

spread the word, to others who may be interested and thank you always.  Enjoy your week!  

Cursive Handwriting Workbook Review

*Disclosure: I received this product for review. All views and opinions expressed are my honest 100% opinion.

     I received this Cursive Handwriting Workbook to review and to share my honest opinion 

about it.  This beautiful and simple 8" 1/2 x 11" workbook is intended for the young cursive 

learner in grades 2-3. The book has a table of contents and it also shows ways for a student 

to hold a pencil properly for writing comfortably.  It is pretty easy to follow and provides 

students with handwriting exercises that begin with the letters of the alphabet in cursive.
The workbook also provides cursive sentences for the student to practice, which is certainly
helpful as they learn to connect letters and form sentences. This provides a great opportunity
for learning how to read in cursive.

     Each letter is introduced with arrows guiding the student as to where to begin and end the

curved letter. The students practice by tracing over the letters and then they write it on their own.

     After the students learn to form the letters correctly, they write numbers and the names of

numbers.  As the young learner progresses to smaller sized letters, they then write the days

of the week and the months of the year. Students will find this cursive handwriting workbook

fun as it has 26 coloring pages with cursive handwriting practice, one for each

letter of the alphabet; a great reward after they are done with their cursive sentences.

     They are also given pages to draw with practice cursive letters. Toward the end of the book,

there are extra lines for either extra practice, or for providing the opportunity for them to write

their own sentences or little stories.

     I am currently helping my son learn and perfect his cursive handwriting skills. He has

improved his cursive writing a great deal. I can honestly say that with practice, he has

achieved beautiful cursive handwriting and he can read cursive as well, which I find to
be important.

     This is a great workbook for children to practice without overworking them. I would

recommend this book to any student looking to learn to write cursive.  It is simple, easy

and encouraging for those who wish to learn or improve their cursive handwriting skills.

To get your very own, click the image below to visit amazon.

Product Photography at Home

*This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links. This is not a paid post.

 

     When I started my crafting hobby five years ago, I decided to sell the items I made by hand on
Etsy, but  I knew absolutely nothing about photography, branding and everything else that came along with the business.

     I look back at my first photographed items and wonder what in the world was I doing?  They are
dark, with shadows and uninteresting.  It took me a while to learn how to photograph products
on my own, taking a long time to actually get it, but what I have discovered is that I can learn quite a lot from the photography classes offered at Craftsy.  I have taken a class and have learned a great deal already.  One of the many classes offered there is the Product Photography at Home class.  For someone who knew nothing about aperture and shutter speed, I have come a long way.

     There is so much to learn and gain from the classes offered there. I am very happy with the classes and the best part is that I can go at my own pace.  A busy momma can only do so much right?

     I am in love with everything Craftsy offers because they have classes for all kinds of craft such as cooking, baking, sewing, painting, woodwork, watercolors, crocheting and so much more; the list goes on.  They have just added several new classes to their site with many to choose from depending on your interest.

     As to the photography portion, it helps with my Etsy shop, my blog and my personal photos. You will learn that light becomes your best friend when shooting.  I do most of my photography outside when it's nice and bright, avoiding direct light to my pieces.

     If you like, drop by Craftsy and check out the classes that are being offered.  I hope that you find one suitable for you.  Thank you for stopping by.

A Week in Pinning

Happy Weekend everyone!  Today I will be sharing my pins for the week.

These are just a few among the many I pinned.  I was inspired by Autumn!
Hope they inspire you for Fall decorating later in the month.

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Happy Pinning!

Chicken Parmesan Recipe

This recipe is slightly different than other chicken Parmesans out there, it has less 

sauce and a bit crispier.  When I made this recipe for the first time, my little family 

loved it!

I will be sharing the recipe with you today, and hope that you like it as well.  

First let me give you a list of what you need to make this dish:

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• salt and freshly  ground pepper to taste
• 2 eggs
• 4 cups of bread crumbs or panko bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 or more tablespoons of all-purpose flour
• 1 cup of oil for frying
• 1/2 cup of prepared tomato sauce 
• 1/4 cup fresh shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup of fresh chopped basil
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 grated Parmesan cheese
• box of spaghetti
• 1 tablespoon garlic butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place chicken breast into a large zip-lock bag, on a flat level surface, firmly pound chicken with a meat mallet to a thickness of 1/2 inch.  Season chicken thoroughly with salt and pepper.
3. Beat eggs in a shallow bowl and set aside.
4. Mix bread crumbs with 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese in a separate bowl and set aside.
5. Lightly coat chicken breasts with flour coating both sides.
6. Dip flour coated chicken in the beaten eggs, then transfer breasts to bread crumbs and coat both sides thoroughly.  Repeat for each breast.  Set aside breaded chicken breasts for about 15 minutes.
7. Heat 1 cup oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat until it begins to shimmer. Cook chicken until golden, about 2 minutes on each side. The chicken will finish cooking in the oven.
8. Place fried chicken in a baking dish and top with 1/3 tomato sauce. Layer each breast with evenly with mozzarella cheese, basil, Parmesan cheese and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
9. Bake in the preheated oven until cheese is bubbly and chicken is no longer pink inside, about 15- 20 minutes.  A thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F.

For pasta:

1. Boil spaghetti according to box instructions, add teaspoon of salt. 
2. Drain when done.  Place in a bowl and add garlic butter, sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of Parmesan cheese and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. 
3. Mix and serve with the Chicken Parmesan.

Recipe courtesy of All Recipes with adjustments.

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