Back, Back, Back It Up

You know you should. But you haven't, at least not recently. It could save you all kinds of time and pain if you do it on a regular basis. Can you guess what I'm talking about? The title gave it away, huh? Did you think I was going to lecture you on flossing? Not me, but this guy is a stickler for oral hygiene.



Well, it is Tech Tuesday, so here we go.

I never backed up my files before I met my husband. Living my life on the edge, you know, without a slight care about all those precious pictures and documents. Then one time I lost a bunch. And learned my lesson, for the most part. I thought you might want to also learn from my bad experiences, so I will share a few tidbits about backing up.

Why: Because you don't want to lose all your crap.

When: Monthly or Bi-Monthly

What: Portable hard drive, cds, dvds, or online tools.

How:

• Decide which option you want to use. We use a Western Digital hard drive. It's recommended by my resident techie and was a good price. You can also purchase CD-Rs or DVDs.
  
• Insert or hook up your back-up gadget to your computer. The box should open on your screen showing that it's blank. If it doesn't show up, find "My Computer" and click on it there.
• Drop and drag (or copy and paste) everything you want backed-up into the gadget's window. Close it and you're done.
  
• You can use an online tool to back up your files as well. I haven't tried this yet, but most sites offer 2GB or 5GB of free storage.

My sentiments exactly!

You are totally motivated to go back up your stuff now, aren't you? Yeah, like how I'm totally motivated to vacuum the crushed Cheerios out of my car's back seat. Do it. You can thank me later.

All my best,
Robin

Five Minute Headband

I love wearing headbands, especially in warm weather. What I do not love? Feeling my pulse behind behind my ears and the headache that follows, or the constant slipping of the band until it flops off the back of my head. Enter: Five Minute Headband. My inspiration came from You Seriously Made That!?! Hers is a 60 second tutorial using ribbon and a glue gun. I had access to Barb so we went legit and used a sewing machine.

Here are directions to make one:
1. Cut a strip of fabric about 3 inches wide and long enough to fit around your head--we made ours smaller than needed, it will stretch with the ponytail holder.
2. Fold the strip in half so it looks inside out and sew along the open side. This creates a tube.
3. Flip the tube to its right side out (Barb has a sweet tool for this. The rest of us have to awkwardly shove the fabric through the opening).
4. Place the ponytail holder by the raw edge of the fabric. Fold the fabric over so it loops around the holder and sew to secure.
5. Repeat on the other side of the fabric.
6. You should end up with a loop of fabric, secured on both ends with a ponytail holder, and you'll have hopefully spent no more than five minutes doing so.

I will be wearing these all summer long!

All my best,
Robin

To teach, to appreciate

Teacher Appreciation Week is drawing to a close, so I thought I better get a move on and post some goodies before it passes me by. Can you believe we get a whole week to celebrate our job? On the top of my list of things I love about teaching are kids' notes. They melt me instantly, and immediately release any memories I have of my students' fights, forgetfulness, nose picking or other germy behaviors. They turn to cherubs right before my eyes. I swear, this really happens.

Adore the straightforward nature of this first one.




I have a thing for owls...every note I get has an owl somewhere.


See that brunette on the left? That's me. Notice the thin limbs and styled hair? I did.

This little package was a fun one. The cardstock envelope hooks on the water bottle and holds a candy bar as well as a single serving drink mix to pour in the water. You could do these for party favors as well.

This is not something I received, but something I'm stoked to give to my coworker. It's a free printable I got here. I framed it in an 8x10. I love the different fonts and colors. I'm tempted to do one for myself. I can appreciate my teaching, can't I?

What else can we put on a stick?

I promise you, this will not become a theme--the whole dessert on a stick thing. You will not find any additional goodies as "pops" on this here blog after this. But you might in my kitchen, or at an upcoming function I attend. I can't resist--too delectable and adorable not to make and eat. And so we have pie pops. I borrowed this fab idea from Bakerella, and have seen them around the Internet.

To make, you need:
-pie crust
-pie filling
-lollipop sticks

Optional (glaze)
-powdered sugar
-butter
-milk

1. Heat oven to 375. Roll out pie crust (homemade or store-bought) with a little flour to avoid sticking. Using a cookie cutter about 2" wide, cut out circles or other desired shape. I had some help with this part.
2. Stick the lollipop stick firmly on top of the shape, about halfway in to make sure the pie stays on while eating. Fill each pop with a small amount of desired filling. We used cherry from a can...ssshhhh.
3. Place another circle of dough on top of the filling, being careful not to push the filling out the side. I found this part impossible--it was oozing a bit. Too much filling I think. Using the tines of a fork, press the two pieces of dough together.

4. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Remove from pan and cool. I made a glaze to put on while they were still warm. To make, I combined 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1 Tbsp. butter, and 2 Tbsp. milk, then drizzled it on. I wrapped the pops up in saran wrap and tied ribbon around them to dress em up.

With the extra we made some mini pies and did some experimental lattice work. Enjoy!

All my best,
Robin

Linked to

Get Your Pin On

Have you heard of Pinterest? Surely you're already "pinning." We here at The Sweetest Pear sure are. And you can follow us if you like.

What is Pinterest? It's a "virtual pinboard" where you can keep images and descriptions of things you love. You can pin projects, pictures, quotes, whatever. It keeps track of your inspirations from the www all in one organized place. It's brilliant. It's also addicting. I'm a tad obsessed.

Surely you've also seen these "Keep calm" posters popping up all over the place. We see them everywhere. I think they're kinda cute. My husband has a differing opinion, but I couldn't resist this collection. Guess where I found these lovelies? Pinterest.




There are many more, but those are the ones that fit my lifestyle. While I have your attention, I have some good news. We have been featured on a few fabulous blogs and are ecstatic about this, so check out our "We've Been Featured" page to see the blogs we love and link to.

All my best,
Robin

Ruffle Scarf

We have been bundled up in scarves all winter long here in frigid SD, and now it seems spring has sprung. That's no excuse for us to stop accessorizing, we just modify. Barb is here with a project that has us thinking more flip flops and umbrellas and less snow boots and ice scrapers.


I found this tutorial on Simple Sister Blog and thought, "I must try this." Their tutorial is easy to follow, so we won't try to duplicate the directions. It was a fun project and very easy. To do the project, you need 1/2 yard fabric for an adult size, as well as elastic thread, a sewing machine, and believe it or not, a candle to melt the edges. When purchasing the elastic thread, I shared with the clerks what I was making and they looked at me like I was crazy. Guess what, though? It worked, and was easy! Follow the instructions in the linked site and you can have a new accessory for your Spring wardrobe.
-Barb

I apologize for only sharing a single shot. The scarves were not cooperating for their photo shoot. Either that or the photographer didn't have the skills. This one is nice and long, so can be worn a ton of different ways, but since you're making your own, you can do any length and fabric, as long as it has some polyester-- it's all about options!

All my best,
Robin

Chicken, Two Ways

I've put aside my recipe binder this past week, and have been using this cook book I ordered through my Scholastic book order at school. I am not usually into cookbooks--many of the recipes aren't practical for my family or style of cooking, but this one is awesome. I've made three recipes out of it this week, and they were all delicious. So of course, I had to share a couple with you. It is Good Food Friday after all.

These both are chicken based--mostly a coincidence, but worked out nicely when buying groceries. I sometimes try to pick meals for a week with common ingredients. Key word: sometimes. I'm not that organized.

First up, Simple Salsa Skillet

Ingredients:

• 1 green sweet pepper, cut into bite-size strips
• 1 red sweet pepper, cut into bite size strips
• 1 tablespoon cooking oil
• 2 cups cubed cooked potatoes
• 1 1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken
• 1 15 1/2-ounce can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 15- or 16-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 16-ounce jar salsa
• Dairy sour cream (optional)

Directions

1. In a large skillet, cook pepper strips in cooking oil for 2 minutes. Add potatoes, chicken, corn, black beans and salsa. Stir gently.

2. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes or till mixture is heated through, stirring occasionally. If you like, serve with sour cream. Makes 4 to 6 servings

This picture just doesn't do it justice. The Chicken and Vegetables Alfredo with Rice is very tasty.

Ingredients:

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 1 Tbsp butter or margarine
• 2 1/2 frozen stir fry vegetables (or whatever kind you like)
• 1 1/3 cups instant rice
• 10 oz. container refrigerated light alfredo sauce
• 1 cup milk
• grated parmesan cheese for topping (optional)

Directions:
1. In a large skillet, cook chicken in hot butter over medium heat, 6-8 minutes, turning once. Remove chicken from skillet.
2. Add frozen vegetables, rice, alfredo sauce, and milk to skillet. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Top with chicken and reduce heat.
3. Cover and cook on medium low until chicken is tender and no longer pink, stirring once or twice. Serve with parmesan cheese if desired. Makes 4 servings

All my best,
Robin