What to Pack: Essentials for a Missions Trip

Summer 2012 was the first time in my life I had ever been out of the country. Since I (apparently) like to do things big, I decided Africa would be a great stepping stone for my first overseas missions trip.

I had never been out of the United States before, much less to a third world country. I was clueless as to what all I should pack. Thankfully, the organization I traveled with kept our team well informed and sent us as much information as possible. But I was still that paranoid packer who was just SURE I was going to need everything but the kitchen sink to survive (for ten days).

Skip ahead to Summer 2013 when I left the country again, this time bound for the Dominican Republic. It was a different climate and different culture, but many of the same packing rules applied.

After two trips into two different countries and climates, I discovered what things I absolutely couldn't do without and what could be left at home.

One of my teammates from Tanzania, who became a forever friend, is taking the next step on her missions journey at the end of this month. She will be traveling back to Africa for two months and I couldn't be more proud of her. Her sweet mom told me some of the things she was worrying about the most were the little essentials that can easily be overlooked. So, I put together a small care package for her to alleviate a tiny bit of her stress.

If you look in the travel section of Walmart or Target, you will find lots of travel sized goodies that will make your life ten times easier while living out of a suitcase in the middle of nowhere. These are the things I've found that help when traveling overseas, and a few things I knew she loved.

Let's start on the top left.

Baby Wipes: An absolute essential. These were more needed in Africa for me, when we were camping in a remote village with only a bucket of cold water for a shower. They work wonderfully for dry, dusty feet after a long day of walking.

Band-Aids: Good to have on hand for nicks and scrapes.

Eye Drops: This was a special item I packed for my friend, because I know she wears contacts, and Africa can be a dusty, windy place. Not an absolute essential, but very nice to have when you need it.

Neosporin: I used this quite often on both trips. This kind is the NEO To Go spray-on Neosporin. I LOVE it. It's tiny and can fit in a pocket, pouch or purse. If you scrape your leg, just squirt the cut a few times and stick a bandaid on. It's perfect.

Hand Sanitizer: Need I say more?

Tide To Go: This is something I packed when I went to Tanzania, but didn't end up using. Because my friend will be in Africa for two months, I knew she would need some.

Let's check out the inside of the box.

Toothbrushes: One of the hardest things to get used to in Africa was brushing your teeth with a bottle of water. Clean water is something we definitely take for granted in the states. I picked up a few cheap packages of toothbrushes, because it's easier to switch every few days than to worry if your one toothbrush is contaminated or not. Not an essential item, but definitely something nice to have!

Bug spray: An absolute essential. I used a rub-on stick on both my trips, but any bug spray will do.

Baby Powder: This is an absolute essential for us girls. Walking all day long, in a skirt, in warm weather...your thighs will thank you for the baby powder. Nuff said! :)

Clorox Wipes: This is a new item I added for my friend. You never know what kind of conditions you will encounter in a third world country. There are often times when clean facilities are nowhere to be found. I know these will come in handy for her.

Finally on to the right side.

Kleenex: Travel size packs are the best!

Lysol To Go: The same as the clorox wipes. I just happened to see this tiny can for 99¢ so I picked it up.

Lip Balm: Whether it's Carmex, Chapstick or EOS, you'll be glad to have some with you. EOS just happens to be my friends' favorite.

Tums: Our bodies aren't used to other cultures and their foods. This is something I wish I would've packed on my first trip, and absolutely needed on my second trip.

Tylenol: Always good to keep with you.

I packed everything in this container. For less than $4 at Walmart, it was perfect. Everything is in one location, and the box is the perfect size to slip into your suitcase.

So, there you have it. For under $40 you can put together an easy-to-pack essentials kit for your next missions trip. This would also be a great gift idea for high school kids heading off to college, or even as a semi-emergency kit to keep in the car.

Have you been overseas lately? What essentials do you find necessary when traveling?

If you would like to keep up with my friend and her missions journey, you can visit her blog Brandi's Mission.

-Jenn (With 2 N's)


Links:
Apostolic Youth Corps
Associates In Missions
AYC Tanzania 2012
AYC DR 2013

T-2 Days to AYC DR

It's almost time, friends!! In two short days I'll be on a plane to the hot, tropical island that is home to the Dominican Republic!

I have been swamped at work and home the last few days and not able to update like I would like to. I have some blog posts ready to show you guys but I literally haven't had a spare minute to compose my thoughts into a proper post!

Since I will be leaving on Friday, I doubt you'll see anything from me until I've landed safely in the DR. If you'd like to keep up with what's going on with our team while we are there, I've created a separate blog for our team to update.

www.thedrteam.blogspot.com

Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we spread God's word to the Dominican people!

-Jenn (With 2 N's)

June Photo A Day (Fat Mum Slim)

It's been over a year since I've participated in a monthly photo-a-day challenge, and I thought it was high time to get back in on the action.

Chantelle at Fat Mum Slim hosts a challenge each month. She always has creatively challenging prompts, so I'm going to be participating this month! Instead of flooding your feed every day with my photos, I'll be giving you a photo dump each Monday of the previous week's photos.

June is going to be a pretty spectacular month for me (Dominican!!), so I'm excited to share my photos with you! Since we will be there into the first week of July, I may just roll over and do July's challenge as well.

I hope you enjoy seeing snippets of my day through my iPhone camera lens. If you'd like to join, visit the June Photo A Day page. I share my photos through my Instagram, but there are plenty of options, and it's not too late!

Happy June everyone!
-Jenn (With 2 N's)

I'm Back!

Are you sitting down? Are you in a stable position? Because I'm sure you're all shocked to see me actually posting something!

It's only been almost a year since my last post.

Loads of wonderful things have happened in the last year, and if I had time and a hot cup of tea I would share them all with you. Let's just say it's been one of the best year's of my life.

My sister got married last year...

I traveled to Africa (best decision of my life) and made some wonderful new friends who radically changed my life...



I moved back to my hometown last year, and I recently got a new job (which I love)!

This last year has been a transition period for me professionally, and I'm finally back in the design field and excited about my professional future. I've missed blogging like crazy, and am finally in a place where I can devote more time to the things I love doing.

As you can see, I'm slowly changing the design and purpose of this blog. I don't craft nearly as much as I used to, but I do have projects here and there that I will share. I'm currently (slowly) working on a stitch-heavy cross stitch project, so I will keep you posted on my progress. I even recently sewed my first plushie! Without a pattern, all on my own. I was pretty darn proud of myself.

Although it may look like a rat, it's actually an R.O.U.S. (Rodent of Unusual Size). If you don't know what an R.O.U.S. is, you're not living! It's a creature from the movie The Princess Bride. This was a surprise birthday gift for someone special, and I'm pretty sure it was a hit. I almost didn't want to give him away, he turned out so cute. I Googled and found a side drawing of a rat body, and created my own pattern. I hit a few snares along the way, but managed to figure out what I was doing!

It definitely inspired me to do more hand sewing. I foresee more plushies in my sewing future!

As for the future of the blog, I will be sharing bits and pieces of my life (I promise to only give you the interesting bits), some fun and random iPhone photography, recipes, crafts, and whatever other random things I decide to post. One thing I never featured much in the past was my designing. Not only is it my 8-5 job, but I also do freelance graphic design, so I will be making a special section of the blog to feature that part of my life.

After being in Africa, I knew I had to go overseas again. Missions work has grabbed my heart and won't let go. So this summer I'm heading to the Dominican Republic! You can be sure I'll post about that.

All in all, I'm just happy to be back to blogging!

-Jenn (With 2 N's)

June Showers Bring July Weddings

So, it's been awhile. I could make lots of excuses, but honestly I just took a break! A lot has happened in our family in the past few months. Starting on Memorial Day, my wonderful Papa went to be with Jesus after a long, well-lived life. My sister flew home from New York to be with us and is here until her wedding in a few short days! I've been getting preparations together for my trip, spending much needed time with my family, and just being busy. So, that's the long and short of it!

I can't promise my blogging will get any more frequent over the next few months, but I do promise to give you updates of what's happening in my little life, and I will absolutely be bringing you LOADS of pictures from Africa!

This weekend we threw a bridal shower for my sister in honor of her impending nuptials. We had a small crowd, and a large amount of fun. Close friends, good food and laughter were all on the menu.

As stressed as I get right before a party, I can honestly say they are one of my favorite things to do. Buying decor, planning the menu and sending out invitations are all fun bits and pieces to any successful party. And even though the Bride 2 Be called me a "party nazi" I'll forgive her. ;-)

My mother made her famous Chicken Salad with Wild Rice, and we served them on croissants with garden greens. We had the Bride 2 Be's favorite, shrimp cocktail, along with deviled eggs, crackers & cheese, hummus & pretzels and fresh veggies.

I got the idea from Pinterest to do a Mini Fruit Pizza bar and it was definitely the hit of the party. One of the bridesmaids brought homemade sugar cookies and we topped them with fruit dip and assorted fresh fruits. They were delicious! We also had chocolate dipped pretzels and assorted candies for the guests to take home with them.

We were missing a bridesmaid and were all sad she couldn't be with us, but she'll be here very soon from New York and we will party hard while she's here. ;)

Happy Monday everyone!

-Jenn (With 2 N's)

P.S.

Best Fruit Dip Ever: 1 jar marshmallow creme & 1 package cream cheese.

Whip together and try not to bury your face in it.

P.P.S.

The bottom right picture perfectly illustrates our relationship as sisters. =)

Slow and Steady Wins the Race

This will be a different, more personal post, but it's what I feel.

Many of you who follow and read my ramblings are close, personal friends. Many of you know of my struggles with being myself, being comfortable in my own skin, and trying to shape a healthier life for myself.

Last year, I tried a radically different approach to a healthier life, and it worked. The end of 2011 and the beginning of 2012 were great for me. I felt good. I ate better, I lived larger...it was wonderful.

But with anything I ever do, I became careless with it. Letting this or that slip in. For the past few months I've been pushing myself to make a more concerted effort to get back to the me that I want to be.

Today, Andie, a person I really don't know, but I do, has inspired me to get back on that path. She is forever my inspiration. She talks straight, pulls no punches, and I adore her for it. She is always challenging me with her honest writings, and giving me inspiration through her own journey.

Read her post from today. I promise it's a keeper. She doesn't sugar coat anything. Because honestly, we'd just eat that too.

Last year I started a personal blog to track my progression to a healthier me. I'm contemplating opening that blog up and linking it to this blog, to give myself more accountability. It's a scary thought, so some thought and preparation will have to go into that decision.

At any rate, I hope Andie's post and mine help someone who might be struggling. I can't tell you how many times I've fallen off the wagon. I have millions of virtual bruises and scraps from all those times. But that's not the point. The point is to pick yourself up, dust off the powdered sugar and sprinkles, and just keep going.

-Jenn (With 2 N's)

Up To Date

It's been a crazy month over this way!

I'm still knee-deep in salsa sales, and thankful for every single order! It just absolutely took off like wildfire and I couldn't be more grateful for a successful fundraiser. So far, I've met my first monetary goal, and already have funds to go toward my second goal, due at the end of May. I have been blessed beyond measure with donations and plenty of salsa sales!!

Among all the preparations for Africa, I moved to the big city! It's been a long time coming, and I'm beyond happy to be back in my hometown. Unfortunately, we had to move my Pa into a nursing home because of his progressing Alzheimer's and the toll it was taking on my Grams, so I was able to move in with her to help her adjust. We get along wonderfully, and it's been a God-send for both of us.

I was ecstatic to go buy my first set of groceries ON MY OWN for my new house. That is, until I had to pay for it in the end. It's much more fun to pick out groceries when you're not the one swiping the credit card. ;)

It's been fun to see all the old things that Grams is finding while cleaning the guest bedroom to become my bedroom. I found these super old hangers in her closet, and thought they were so neat. And I'm happy to say I'm getting to use my very favorite quilt. It's been at her house since I can remember, and it's always been my fav.

The move has also relegated me to the Monday night card table with Grama, Aunt G and Uncle J. Since I've been a kid they've been getting together at Gram's house on Monday nights to play cards. Since Pa's Alzheimer's, they haven't gotten to play as much (Rook, especially), so we brought out the old Rook cards Monday night. Much to my Aunt's chagrin, Grams and I slaughtered. They decided to switch to Golf, a card game I wasn't that thrilled with the first time I played it, but since I walloped them at that too, it's not such a bad game after all. :)

-Jenn (With 2 N's)

Munchies 4 Missions & Salsa 4 Souls

While I am still in the process of finishing my embroidery project (running out of time!) I am also in the middle of another VERY exciting project.

As some of you may know, I am traveling to Tanzania, Africa in July on an AYC missions trip. This will be my first time out of the country, and I can't think of a better place to go. I am ECSTATIC and truly can't wait to be in Africa.

In December I started Munchies 4 Missions, my personal fundraising endeavor.

I had great success selling at our local Christmas parade, and I was so appreciative to everyone who came out to support me and buy something!

Well, the Lord must've inspired me, because I have a new project going under Munchies 4 Missions. My BFF has dubbed it "Salsa 4 Souls." :) She's a smart one.

I have been taking orders for homemade salsa, and am astounded at the response I've gotten JUST on Facebook!

A few weeks ago I got the itch to try my hand at making my own salsa. We are Pace eaters in our house, but we've grown tired of it. I prefer a smoother, restaurant style salsa, so that's what I made. It was yumm-oh!

I decided to try it as a fundraiser, and within a few hours of posting on Facebook I had a TON of orders. Within the last week I've taken orders upwards of $400 and I am just so ecstatic. I never expected it to take off like it has, and all I can say is...God is GOOD!

I am still taking orders, so if you aren't connected to me on Facebook and would like to order some, it's $5 per jar. Available in Medium or Hot. It is canned and heat sealed, so it can stay on the shelf for a few months. Email me at jleann86@sbcglobal.net to place an order.

Beyond all the donations and orders, I covet everyone's prayers for my journey. Pray that God will keep his hand on our group and that we will be a blessing to the missionaries in Tanzania.

I am just thrilled beyond measure to be part of something so great.

-Jenn (With 2 N's)

Goal For March

I hate to say it, but the craftiness bug hasn't bitten in awhile. A few weeks ago I got my craft table all nice and clean, laid out things for a new craft project, and now when I look at my craft table there is more junk piled on it and I have no desire to sit down and craft. It's sad.

I have, however, been wanting to try something new. I'm thinking it's just the thing to get the crafty juices flowing again.

Source

A few months ago I came across this tutorial from Leigh Ann over at Freckled Nest on stitching your own handwriting. She's a lovely blogger who I follow daily, and I was thrilled when I saw this.

Years ago my mother was a master cross-stitcher. She tried to pass that knowledge on to my sister and I, and while I thought it was fun, I always lost interest halfway through a project. A few weeks ago while cleaning out some old junk drawers, I came across a half finished project I had started for my BFF from high school. My mom had helped me plan out a pattern using graph paper taped together. I texted a picture of my find to my friend to show her the present she almost got. ;-)

That unfinished project reminded me of all these hand embroidering projects I've seen lately on Pinterest.

Source

Mollie at Wild Olive has some precious embroidery patterns. This one just makes me smile all over.

Source

This adorable Etsy find makes me want to create my own pattern of a "self-portrait." It's very similar to the unfinished project I found in my junk drawer.

In junior high and high school, my BFF and I came up with our own special logo, before we even knew what logo's were. :) It was two little stick girls, each with flowing curly hair, their hands joined in the middle by a heart. Underneath them we would always write "Together Forever."

I loved those little girls so much!

Source

This blog from The Humble Nest has lots of tips and embroidery tutorials for beginners.

I just love all these hand-stitched, embroidered things to death. I got a little burnt out on all the hair-bows and headbands, so I'm thinking getting my hands on some embroidery floss, a large needle and a simple pattern will be the trick to getting over this craft hump.

Have you recently had a bout of the craft blues? How did you manage to get over them?

-Jenn (With 2 N's)

Coming Soon: A hearty recipe to cure the cold weather blues.

Craft Madness

Monday night I had enough. The craft area in my room was the pits. Literally. Just imagine 10+ canvas bags, plastic bags, various sized bags filled to overflowing with t-shirt scraps, material, ribbons, headbands...it was a nightmare. I was HAVING nightmares!

Spools of ribbon lined my tables and dresser.

Scraps of tshirt yarn and fabric laid strewn about. Forgotten by their mistress.

Headbands and hair pretties laid in wait...hoping to be purchased by someone special.

It was tragic, folks. Very, very tragic.

I have done ZERO crafting since before Christmas. And my hands are itching to get some things made!

So, I straightened and organized. Color coded and filed away.

Think I have enough headbands???

I picked up, reassembled and nearly got my craft area back to working order. And now, I have room to create my next project!

Any ideas?? I promise to have the tutorial and finished craft up next week! Yay for crafting!

And yay for clean areas to craft in! :)

Happy Friday friends. Go out and celebrate the day.

-Jenn (With 2 N's)

Happy New Year!

Sorry to have been away for so long, but I've been having fun! Christmas was wonderful with my family. My sister was home for the holidays, and she even found her wedding dress while here! We were super excited.

This last weekend I met up with my girl, Nat, and we took a trip to Tulsa for Oklahoma Holiday Youth Convention.

We are still young at heart, and they had services for the "20Somethings." We had a wonderful time, and every service was awesome. God was there so strong, His presence was almost palpable. It was the perfect end to a great year.

Saturday we got up early and drove to a remote location not on any map, also known as the family farm. Nat's familie's farm, that is. Her Grandpa and Grandma live out in the boonies (a.k.a. the middle of nowhere) and every New Year's weekend her entire family gets together for Christmas. They have a HUGE family. As in, there were about 75 of us there. And that was immediate family. It was crazy.

It was also a ton of fun. Saturday morning the kids all opened presents, and then we hung out and talked until lunch was ready. We walked across the yard to her uncle's house, where tables were set up for the entire clan. They had everything you could imagine. Smoked pork loin, turkey, ham, the most amazing dressing I've ever had, mashed potatoes and gravy, fried turnips, cheesy potatoes, green beans, and at that point I couldn't remember the names of foods because there was so much.

After we ate, the guys cleared away the tables and set up chairs for church, which is a tradition on the farm at Christmas. Let me tell you...after having been at HYC with hundreds of other young people worshipping and praising God I thought church couldn't get any better, but this family showed me different. From the moment the cousins started leading us in worship, the room was simply saturated with the presence of God. It was one of the best experiences I've ever had. I really hope I get to go back again.

After church the boys were ready to go shootin'. I followed along, wanting to watch. Big Q, however, and his wife, Tammy, had other plans. He quickly stuck a .45 in my hands and instructed me to plant my feet firmly on the ground, shoulder width apart, nice and comfy.

Guns and me don't get along. The one and only time I shot one, it scared me to death, but Q is a really good teacher. As in, he needs to open a place of his own. One side shooting range, the other side for teaching Brazilian Ju Jitsu. (He taught me some of those moves, too.)

After I slowed my breathing down and lined up the 3 dots, he told me I wasn't a bad shot for a chicken.

Sweet Cayna and her beau came too. He brought the big guns.

Later in the day some of the aunts and cousins sat down for their annual game of Hand & Foot. It's a crazy canasta style game with about 7 decks of cards. I learned pretty fast though, and almost came in first with my partner. We were a close second after the second to last had put us down 3000 points.

Sunday morning we all got up and went to church with Grandma and Grandpa. Their town is super small, but cute and quaint. I saw this painted storefront and had to snap a shot.

Bailey girl managed to sit still for 2.5 seconds so her Momma could snap a shot of us.

After church, we quickly traded in our heels for our comfy shoes and jean skirts, since heels and sand don't really go great together, and spent a few more hours with Nat's family before heading back home.

In other words, the last week of 2011 was pretty stellar.

I can't wait to see what 2012 has to hold. I know it's going to be an amazing year!

-Jenn (With 2 N's)

Pistols Firing!

This weekend we celebrated a HUGE milestone in our family. My wonderful mother graduated from college with her Bachelor's in Elementary Education! We are SO super duper proud of her. She has worked in the school system for years, and never got to have her own classroom. She and Dad put both me and my sister through college, and it's so awesome to see her finally get her shot.

It's been a tough road for her, juggling school, her editing job, keeping up the house, being a pastor's wife, and everything else she does as SuperMom, but she has made excellent grades the entire time, and has been at the top of her class.

She was SO worried about every certification test she had to take, but when we got her results back that she passed them with flying colors, we just grinned because we knew she was a smarty britches. =)

Her professors and fellow students have told us we are lucky to have her as a Mom, and I totally agree with them. She's pretty stinking awesome!!

I love you Momma! And I'm SOOOOOO proud of you!!

Laughter IS the Best Medicine

Guess who's home for the holidays??? =)

Yeah...she got in last night, and I'm already hurting from laughing so much.

I'm pretty much stoked about the next few weeks.

Merry Friday before the Friday before Christmas! ;-)

-Jenn (With 2 N's)

It's In The Bag

What happens when you get off work at 10:30 p.m. and you aren't tired and your purse is a mess?

This happens!!

I've been carrying a big "suitcase" around with me lately, and it was getting ridiculous. I wasn't even sure what was living down in the depths of that thing. It's been causing my back to hurt when I walk around and go shopping, so I knew I needed to consolidate and use a smaller bag.

So, I dumped everything out last night to survey the damage. (I'm pretty sure I could win that crazy 'What's In Your Purse' game.)

#1 - I love gum. With my whole heart. And I've missed real gum since I've had braces. So when I discovered this sugar free Juicy Fruit, my heart was happy!

#2 - With all the junk that's been going around lately, mints and cough drops have been hanging out in the bottom of my bag for awhile.

#3 - The braces are ruling my life, man! These are bags of rubberbands I have to wear on a daily basis. I just had to laugh when I realized one of them had come OPEN in my bag and a million little rubberbands had spilled out in my purse.

#4 - Kleenex. Nuff said.

#5 - This isn't even half of my chapstick collection. Carmex is a must during the winter, and I love Softlips.

#6 - Pens and nail files. I hoard them. It's weird. There are more that you can't see. It's a disease I think.

#7 - Tic-Tacs. A must have. And they must be the white kind. Best kind ever!

#8 - One of my favorite treasures. This little coin purse belonged to my great-aunt. I was very young when she died, but I remember getting this from her. I've kept it in my purse for a long time. At the present moment it's being used to hold my business cards. It's the perfect size!

#9 - This is my baby key ring. It used to be gigantic. It was getting ridiculous so I downsized. I miss my big one. :(

#10 - Emergency bobby pin case. It's a life saver!

#11 - At any given point there will be 2 or 3 pairs of wadded up headphones in my purse. I'm not sure how they end up there.

#12 - Ever since I switched from glasses to contacts, I've LOVED being able to wear sunglasses. It's what I always missed about wearing glasses. These are my go-to pair. $5 from Cato!

#13 - I also hoard notepads. This one doesn't even have a functioning pen. And yet it stays in my purse. Do not ask me why.

#14 - Love my hot pink wallet! It was a cheapy, but it's lasted for forever.

#15 - My planner/journal/calendar/catch all. With a pen attached. I told you I hoard them!

#16 - An old ticket stub from the Friends concert with my bestie. :)

#17 - My cosmetic bag. You do not even want to see the inside of that thing. More chapstick, lotions, old perfume bottles...it's sad.

#18 - I seriously need to invest in a travel size lotion bottle. This thing is getting ridiculous to lug around. I'm pretty sure by itself it weighs 5.37 pounds.

#19 - My favorite head warmer thingy majig. The weather has been so retarded in Oklahoma lately, I've been keeping it with me in case the wind is unbearable. A) It's pink. B) It keeps my ears nice and toasty.

#20 - Emergency clip. You never know when you'll need one!

Alas, it's all lovely and organized. Albeit cram packed, but organized! Now let's see how long this lasts. :)

-Jenn (With 2 N's)

Munchies 4 Missions: Success!

We had a WONDERFUL day Saturday at the Merry Mall. Tons of people stopped by, and I know those that couldn't make it were praying for our success because we certainly had it! I raised enough money to completely cover my passport expense, application fee, and put some in savings. It was a good day!

In the hustle and bustle of setting everything up, I left my good camera at home, so you get the stinky iPhone pics. Oh, well!

On the tables from left to right we had: Peanut Brittle, Chocolate Cake Peanut Butter Chunk Cookies, Crunchy Holiday Peanut Butter Mix, Marshmallow Pops, Tiger Butter Fudge, Peanut Butter Cookies, Sweet 'n Salty Sammies, Haddles, and then all my hair stuff. I had made some braided headbands, as well as some stretchy bands with flowers or buttons. I even got some custom orders and made them that day!

Mom was with me most of the day and she helped me SO much. I couldn't have done it without her. We had a rush at the end of the night because Santa came by to take pictures with the kids. It was wonderful! :)

Thursday night and Friday afternoon/evening after work were set aside for all the baking. It was tedious work, but I got it all done. Dad helped a lot and we managed to thoroughly make a mess of the kitchen.

 One of my favorite things was getting to smash up the peanut butter cups for the chocolate cake cookies. And oh my goodness...they were AMAZING! So, so good.

Tiger Butter fudge cooling off in the fridge. It was hard not to run my finger through that whole thing and lick it. It's seriously the easiest fudge you will ever make.

Grab one package (24 oz.) of white almond bark, 1.5 cups of creamy peanut butter, and one regular sized bag of milk chocolate chips. Make SURE they are milk chocolate. It will make you smile.

Cut the almond bark into pieces and melt in the microwave. I always start out with 2 minutes, stir and see how it's doing. I usually put it in for another minute, then add in the peanut butter. You want the almond bark to be almost completely melted before adding in the PB. Melt that for about 45 seconds/minute and stir until completely combined. Pour the bark/PB mixture in a parchment lined 9x13 glass dish. And please, for the sake of your sanity, line the dish with parchment or wax. You can't get the fudge out if you don't.

Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave (1-2 minutes) and spoon it over the peanut butter mixture. I usually start drizzling it in a circular pattern. Once it's all on, swirl it with the tip of a butter knife. It won't look pretty while you're spooning the chocolate on, but once you start swirling it will become lovely. Put this in the fridge over night, or freeze it for about 45 minutes if you're in a hurry. Once it's set, pop it out of the pan, and cut into small chunks.

This stuff is extremely decadent, so you want to make these small pieces. It will go further, and a little goes a long way with Tiger Butter.

 These guys were fun to make. It was a pain unwrapping all those Hugs, but Dad helped and we made quick work of it. They were so easy! You just lay out Pretzel snaps on a cookie sheet (covered in parchment), stack one Hug on each pretzel and pop them in the oven for about 3 minutes. You just want them to get soft so you can moosh the tops on. *Moosh is a technical baking term.

We had some extra Reese's cups left over, so Dad even tried some with those. He just cut one cup in half and mooshed them just like the Hugs. They were yummy! Everyone thought they were so cool.

Probably my favorite thing on the table was the Peanut Butter cookies. I found an old fashioned recipe online for "Welfare Cookies" and they were divine. I used crunchy peanut butter, and it just gave them an extra special punch. Yumm-o!

Surprisingly, these marshmallow pops were super popular. The kids really loved them. I set them up on a cake stand, and sold them 3 for $1. We sold out of these babies! And the ones with the broken sticks...I ete em. =)

I knew I would have plenty of down time during the day to work on hair bows, so I took my craft supplies with me. Some ladies I knew wanted custom braided headbands in specific colors, so I made a few custom orders earlier in the day. They were thrilled!

I had tons of bright colored felt with me, so I used a flower template I already had on hand to make this colorful gal. I sold it about an hour after I had it finished! The little girl that got it immediately put it on.


We still have plenty of peanut brittle left (we made a large order) so if you need to order some, or know someone looking for some, just give me a shout and we'll get you some. They are $3 per bag with 2 medium patties in each bag.

It was a tiring weekend, but very successful for my first fundraising attempt. God had favor on us, and I'm so thankful!


-Jenn (With 2 N's)


Recipe Links:
Welfare Peanut Butter Cookies
Chocolate Cake Reese's Peanut Butter Chunk Cookies