s April 2016 - The Kim Six Fix
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Grilled Lemon Chicken and Asparagus Skewers


Grilled lemon chicken and asparagus skewers
Tracking PixelSpring is here and it is finally warm enough to fire up the grill!  I love cooking outside and I especially love skewers/kabobs since they are so easy to eat and cook so quickly.  Today I am teaming up with Foster Farms in order to share this wonderful fresh spring kabob recipe using Foster Farms Organic Chicken and locally farmed organic produce.

Don't forget to follow Foster Farms on Facebook for news, recipes, and more. You can also click here for a money-saving coupon on their organic chicken!


My family actually raved about these Lemon Chicken and Asparagus skewers. The kids love eating anything off a stick, and my husband actually complimented me on the asparagus-lemon flavor profile.  (Not something that happens very frequently at our house!) 

Plus the recipe is a favorite of mine because it is made on the grill (NO DISHES!) and I even marinate the chicken in a bag so, aside from the cutting board, the clean-up is virtually nothing.   

And the best part?  The recipe only has 4 ingredients!
Lemon Chicken Asparagus Kabobs

100+ Easy Container Garden Ideas

Spring is almost here!  So it is finally time to start thinking about our gardens. (Hooray right?!)   I don’t have a ton of yard space in my sliver of California so I am almost exclusively a container gardener.  Therefore I'm teaming up with the All Things Creative team and sharing 100+ Ideas for container gardens.
100 plus Container Gardening Tips and Tricks
Growing your “garden” inside pots or planters is a great option if you live in an apartment or town home and have limited yard space.  Even if you do have a large yard, container gardens are great since they are easy to maintain and don’t require nearly as much water or other resources as in-ground gardens.  (Another perk for us here in drought-stricken California! I am gardening in zone 9 and I am also always trying to be aware of plants that are drought tolerant and need very little water.

So 10 of us Bloggers got together to share 100+ Container Garden Inspiration with you.

Easy DIY Personalized Disney Autograph Books

Easy Personalized DIY Disney Autograph books
I told you a few weeks ago that we were headed to Disneyland.. and we are now back from our trip. The kids had a great time since they love all things Disney, and thanks to Get Away Today we found a GREAT DEAL on our vacation.  I know trips to Disney, especially for large families, can get to be expensive, but I have quite a few tricks up my sleeve for saving money on our Disney vacations.

One of the things I do (besides the tips about bringing our own food and souvenirs) is I also bring our own autograph books.  Meeting the characters for a photo and an autograph is a big part of the Disney experience, and you buy autograph books in the park for $25-30.  Make Your Own Disneyland Autograph books
Of course, for three kids that really adds up, so instead of buying them in the park, I make our own.  Not only is is cheaper, but they are also personalized with the kids names and the date.

I use regular old lined composition notebooks, but if you wanted to do the same thing with a photo album (so you could insert your photos after the fact) you could also do that. Personalized Disney Journals DIY
Customizing them is so easy if you have die cutting machine!

SUPPLIES:

For these versions I used:
Small Composition Notebooks
Silhouette Cameo
Glittered or glossy Cardstock
Permanent vinyl and transfer tape
Craft Glue
Scissors
Pencil


STEP 1:

Trace the cover of the book onto the cardstock.  After doing a bunch of these I realized that the covers are all slightly different sizes so you need to make sure you remember which is the front and which is the back.
Tracing covers for notebooks
I actually cut one side and glued it, then cut the other side in order to keep everything straight. Making your own covers on notebooks

STEP 2:

To attach the covers I spread a thin layer of Craft Bond on the cover of the notebook, added the cardstock and then pressed it flat between heavy books until it dried.  It is most important to have the glue all the way to the edges to prevent the cardstock from peeling up.  If the cardstock is slightly too large you can always trim it down after it has dried to get a perfect edge. How to make custom covers for notebooks

STEP 3: 

Next I grabbed my vinyl scraps and Silhouette Cameo.  Personalizing Jourals with Vinyl
I designed my books by downloading a blank set of Mickey ears and adding text.  Sorry I can’t provide the file since it is copyrighted but if you google “Mickey Ear Silhouette” and load it to your silhouette software it is pretty easy to trace.

The Disney font you want is available on DaFont for free. It is called “Waltograph"Personalizing Disney Autograph Books with Silhouette
I cut, and transferred the vinyl onto the covers and that was that!
Personalizing Disney Autograph Books with Silhouette CameoThese were so fun for the kids.. and they loved the little bit of sparkle.  Not only did they like getting the characters autographs, but they also used the notebooks to draw photos and journal during the trip.
Disney autograph books with your silhouette
A simple inexpensive way to capture the magic memories of your Disney trip!


And don’t miss these other fun Disney Tips I’ve shared before: 


Mickey Bokeh for Night Photography:

How to Rewire a Lamp with an Ikea Hemma Cord Set

Rewire a Lamp with an Ikea Hemma Cord Kit
I recently found this fabulous red metal farmhouse pendant lamp at the Habitat restore.  It was $6 but the wiring was SHOT.  It looks like the bulb had broken off in the fixture and fried it. Plus it was a hardwired pendant, and I wanted a plug in lamp, so I knew I would have to rewire it.

Woven Bowl Turned Desk Lamp Lampshade (Styled x3 Challenge)

Wicker bowl turned lamp shade
Every month Stacy from Not Just a Housewife sends a pair of DIY bloggers a home decor item in the mail and challenges them to create something unique with it.  She calls it the Styled x3 challenge.   (You can see examples of previous challenges at the bottom of her post.) Styledx3 banner
This month she challenged myself and Claire from A Little Clareification to style this hyacinth bowl in our own way.  And you know me.. I needed to bring out the POWER TOOLS!

15 Minute Minky Baby Blanket


Hi friends! Alicia here from Sew What Alicia again with a really fun, quick, and easy baby blanket. If you are like me you think one day at a time and so things sneak up on you! This is a great last minute baby gift that you could whip up before you leave for a shower or even before you leave to meet a new baby!

Supplies: 

Organic vs. Conventional Chicken: Is it really worth it?

Should you be buying organic chicken
If you have been a long time reader of my blog, you may have figured out that I have a pretty great relationship with Foster Farms. They are the the West Coast’s leading producer of Organic Chicken raised without antibiotics or GMOs and the brand of chicken I EXCLUSIVELY buy for my family.  I’ve created nearly a half dozen recipes on their behalf and I honestly love ALL of their products.   So when they asked me if I would be willing to blog about their line of Certified Organic chicken, of course I immediately said ‘sure!’

You may or my not know that before my career as a DIY blogger and stay at home mom I actually was a research scientist with a bachelor's degree in Meat and Animal Science (Yes! That is a real thing!)  I spent more than 15 years at the lab bench and working hands on with poultry and livestock (I spent a few of  my college summers in poultry barns and hatcheries). I also completed coursework in Agricultural Biotechnology right here in the state of California so I am suprisingly qualified to speak about the differences between conventional and organic chicken.
Ag biotech
Of course, I am going to cut right to the chase and answer the question that everyone wants to know:  
Is Foster Farms certified organic chicken really worth it?






 
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