Play Group Granola Bars: 4/5

I am always searching for the perfect granola recipe. It seems like something simple enough to make at home, but it's not. Which is probably why the grocery store has half an aisle dedicated to nothing but granola bars. That doesn't even include the granola in the cereal aisle! Anyway, the recipe play group granola bars from Allrecipes.com is among the better ones I've tried. They had great flavor, especially the vanilla. The texture wasn't perfect--just slightly cakier than I like--but I will be making these again.

Dark Chocolate Blueberry Muffins: 4/5

Can you tell that I love muffins? I do. So very much. They are easy to whip up, and they are even easier to grab in the morning for breakfast. Or later in the day for a snack. This is another muffin recipe I've had in my to-do stack for awhile. Oh my heavens. These were so good! I'm afraid to say it, but I would leave out the blueberries next time. They made me feel like I was eating something healthier, but they didn't add much taste-wise for me. This recipe does call for dark cocoa powder. This is not your usual cocoa powder! I first learned about it through Joy the Baker's Midnight Black Chocolate Pudding (another winning recipe!). If you are looking for something with extreme chocolate, I highly recommend you find some. Lastly, I am incapable of following a recipe exactly, so I did not use pastry flour. I used a 50/50 mix of all purpose white and wheat flours, as suggested in the comments.

Holepunched Cards as Keepsake: 5/5

Do you keep all of the cards you receive from people? I do. When my dad passed away, I realized he kept 100's of cards he'd gotten over the years. I went through them all and kept the ones that were sentimental or especially funny. Even though I bemoaned my dad's slight hoarding instinct while going through the rest of his things, I was glad to have those memories.

The problem is that these cards take up space! And they're a pain to organize. My dad had a box. And it worked. But it wasn't great. I, on the other hand, had a folder or two in our filing cabinet. It didn't work much better except that it gave me reasonable space constraints (so I couldn't save too many, which I saw as a good thing). SimpleMom.net has some wonderful ideas here! I have used the scrapbooking idea for Baby Girl's cards in her keepsake book, and I loved it! Sadly, it took about a billion years (or at least several hours) to cut apart all of her cards and attempt to collage them artistically. I liked the journal idea but don't have a journal that can be taken apart, so the hole punching thing would be out of the question.

Some pinner along the way had an idea to hole-punch the cards and make them into their own "book." No extra writing required! I gathered all of my folders and sorted the cards. I made categories such as, from Mom, condolence cards, from husband, etc. Then I borrowed a friend's fancy hole-puncher and got to it! I am terribly ashamed of my photography, but I was super excited about the book results!

P.S. The card with the orange and yellow birds was made by my talented friend Meredith. You can check out her other lovely work on her website Lily Jane Stationery. I wish she lived closer so she could take my pictures for me!

Honey Lemon Olive Oil Muffins: 5/5

Weird, right? Who puts olive oil in a muffin? This recipe intrigued me enough to bookmark even before my days of Pinterest. However, it baffled me enough that I put off making them for two years. I'm so glad that I finally caved and tried them. Delicious! The olive oil was just a faint background note, but that little hint was great paired with the lemon and honey. I admit I was too lazy to make a glaze; I'm sure they would taste even more amazing with it. Also, we had some fading blueberries in the fridge, so some of the muffins were technically Honey Lemon Blueberry Olive Oil Muffins. Both ways were yummy! But I would recommend adding the blueberries into the batter instead of remembering them after all of the muffin batter has been scooped into the pan. Otherwise your muffins will look like alien muffins. Like mine.

Baked "Stand Up" Tortilla Shells: 5/5

A few years ago, I stopped buying or frying our chalupa shells. I brush corn tortillas with oil and bake them instead. Much healthier and a little cheaper. Score. Alas, I was still buying taco shells. I mean, how could you replicate that pocket at home--without frying? Enter brilliant idea from EatingWell.com. Hooray! What an awesome concept. Here's how they turned out:

They weren't the prettiest things, and let's be honest, they didn't have quite the same texture as a nice fried tortilla! But for a healthy knock-off, I was exceptionally pleased with them. I don't plan on buying taco shells again anytime soon.

Bathtub Stain Removal: 3/5

We had a bath/shower until installed in our guest bathroom. It looks great except we've had these orange streaks in the tub. I have tried so many things to clean it! Bleach, Magic Eraser, vinegar, baking soda, Pine-sol, and Scrubby Bubbles. Nothing even made a dent. I've used paper towels, rags, stiff brushes, and sponges. No difference there either. Finally I found an old message board talking about something similar. I figured I'd tried everything else, why not try Clorox 2? I still had to scrub a bit and apply twice, but it worked!

*Temporarily. It was suggested on the message board not to use a bleach cleaner. I haven't! And yet the stains came back. Once again I had success with the Clorox 2. I'm thinking the marks are due to something besides using a bleach cleaner, but I have no idea what. Not that I enjoy scrubbing the tub but at least I have a recurring solution, even if it isn't a one-time fix.

*NOTE: Problem solved! I think. I forgot that while we had company, some Clorox Wipes were used. Looks like bleach was the problem after all.

Cereal Container for Car Trash: 4/5

Another easy organization tip! Can you tell I love these? I've had a plastic bag in my car for trash collecting. You know, the used tissues, granola bar wrappers, unwanted receipts, and other random debris. Sometimes the bag spills. And sometimes I worry that ants are going to pick up the scent and make a home in my car.

A cereal container was the solution I didn't know I was looking for. I even found a container that was designed to store cereal while still in the bag; it was easy to just stuff it with a plastic bag. Of course it seals, so I'm less worried about tossing food-related garbage in it. Then when it's full, I'll just toss the bag and put in a new one.

My only complaint is that it does roll around in the car. I don't have a middle console, so the "garbage pail" is underfoot. I'm sure I could weight it down or even velcro it under the dash or something like that. Any suggestions?