Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Summer Fun!

    To kick off the summer of 2012 we have been trying some fun crafts and activities with the kiddos. A few that we have tried are painting a monster mural, water balloon fight, ice tray lunches and last but not least sidewalk chalk.

Monster Mural


    This was one of the kids favorite activities, and it was super easy to set up! the only supplies necessary were:
-a variety of sponges (any kind will do, we went to the dollar store and bought a variety pack for $1.00)
-a white sheet/table cloth (we used a plastic table cloth because it's easy to clean and reuse)
-paint (tempera paint worked really well for us)
   
   The process is quite simple all you do is hang the canvas (we hung ours outside to avoid mess). Pour the paint onto a plate and set out some sponges, and get ready to have TONS of fun!

   We tried a few different techniques of painting. we started out throwing our sponges at the canvas...that was a blast but eventually we decided to get closer and press the sponges on the canvas.  

Water Balloon Fight

 
   This is an especially good activity to do with boys, but girls also seemed to enjoy it. water balloon games are some of the funnest to play on a hot summer day!

   The only supplies you need for this activity are:
-water balloons (can be purchased just about anywhere, we got ours at Dollar General)
-ice chest (this isn't necessary but it is nice to have to keep your balloons from rolling away)

    We had a few ideas of ways to make the water balloons last longer. I will list a few of my favorites:
-give everyone 1 balloon to throw and throwing them all at the same time
- have everyone throw their balloon at the same person.

Ice Tray Lunch

  
    The kids thought this was WAY COOL! They asked if we could eat lunch like this everyday. We were kinda nervous we wouldn't have enough small foods to fill the spots, but once we got started it was super easy.
   
    We used cheese, pepperonis, pretzel sticks, grapes, strawberries, marshmallows, fruit gummies, teddy grahams, fruit loops, and yogurt. We also used a variety of sauces to dip the food into such as marinara sauce, cool-whip, and peanut butter.

Sidewalk Chalk



   Sidewalk chalk is a classic activity that my family has done ever since I was a little girl. I remember every summer spending the whole day outside coloring. Chalk is a great way to get kids to use their imagination and be creative, and it is extremely entertaining!

Laura-Kate

Monday, February 6, 2012

Pinterest Recipe Reviews

Okay...if your like me Pinterest has become an addiction.  You have quotes, fashion, recipes, crafts...galore pinned to your board, but between real life and "pinning" you haven't had time to try the recipes and make the crafts you've pinned.  Well I'm setting a goal to try at least 2 recipes per week...so hear's my review of the latest recipes I've tried.

Slowcooker Chunky Chicken Chili
This was actually first pinned by my daughter LauraKate, she asked me to make it...It's pretty bad when your kid starts creating menus for you based on pinterest...LOL.
Okay so if you follow the link on the recipe title you'll find the recipe...I followed the recipe except I didn't use kidney beans...I went with pinto.  We're just not big kidney bean fans at our house.  The kids loved it!!  My husband however was not quite so impressed...in fact his response was it's okay, but why can't we just have real chili...LOL.  Which isn't much of a surprise he's not so good with change.
So would I recommend the recipe? Yes I thought it was really good...not too spicy and an easy choice for a busy day...unless of course you have a husband who is resistant to change:)  This is a pic of the chili I made...served it with tortilla chips.


Next up...Philly Cheese Steak Sloppy Joes...this was my personal favorite and my husband loved it too ...but guess what...the kids didn't like this one.  Oh well, I just let them eat left over Chunky Chicken Chili. I pretty much followed the recipe as written but didn't make the cheese sauce, and I served the sloppy joes on baguettes from Panera Bread (I love Panera...just say'n). So your thinking if you didn't make the cheese sauce what did you do (it is after all Philly CHEESE Steak)...well first I spread a little butter on the sliced baguettes...toasted them for just a sec...and then then put a slice of havarti cheese on them and toasted them a little longer...PERFECTION...havarti is so creamy when it's melted...try it you'll like it. So will I make it again, and what would I change?  Yes I will make it again (I really loved this one), but next time I will keep the green peppers and onion separate from the meat mixture so my kids will eat it. This is the pic from Pinterest...I didn't take one of my own.


Hope every one has a wonderful day...Jennifer

Monday, January 16, 2012

I Made It Monday...T-Shirt Scarf

Making this scarf is super easy, and in my opinion it turns out really cute. It's made out of an old gray t-shirt from Wal-Mart...nothing too special! the shirt I used was a size small, but using larger sized t-shirts will make larger sized scarfs. I am really excited to try some shirts of different colors and designs. HAPPY MAKE IT YOURSELF MONDAY EVERYBODY!!

                                           -Laura-Kate .S.

Check out more I Made It Monday
Found this cool scarf on Pinterest check out The Tutorial

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Happy 100th Birthday

My Grandmother, we call her MiMi, turned 100 years old on January the tenth.  It's hard to imagine what it would be like to live for 100 years.
She has seen and experienced so many things in her life...
Cars were a relatively new invention when she was a young girl, the idea of a refrigerator in your kitchen to keep things cool or frozen was unthinkable, and television would have been like science fictions...Oh, wait they didn't have science fiction...but  in her lifetime she would own more than one car,a refrigerator and even a deep freeze (where she always kept ice cream for coke floats or banana splits). She would even watch a man walk on the moon from her own television.
Not only did she see change she lived an adventure...
When she was a little girl she lived on a farm with her sister mother and father. MiMi always told me about her sister being bitten on the foot by a rattle snake...her father slit open a live chicken and put it on her foot to pump out the poison from the bite.  MiMi's mother loved the country but at some point they moved to town...her mother just could not leave the country behind.  She brought along some chickens and put them to roost in an upstairs room, or closed in porch. I've always wondered what the neighbors must have thought.
MiMi and her sister played music over the radio in exchange for lessons.  MiMi played the saxophone and her sister played the piano.  As a young girl I took a trip with her to visit her sister I got to hear them play together and even played along with them (when the songs were easy). She was on the girls basketball team in high school and has always claimed to be the star player...now who really knows...but it makes for a good story, so that is how I will always tell it. She and her mother came to live in Oklahoma during the depression.  She worked in a diner for what we would consider spare change, all of her earning went into a jar on the kitchen table and were put towards food and general household expenses.  She's always said she felt like one of the lucky ones...because it was so sad to see the men outside of the soup kitchens dressed as if they were going to work, but actually having no place to go.  That is how she met my Grandfather (working in the diner)...isn't it wonderful how our path takes us to just the place we need to be.  There are of course more stories I could tell...but well, I don't guess you have 100 years to listen.
She Taught Me...
MiMi taught me to love southern cooking...she made the best fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, fried  okra...and collard greens (but she could never teach me to love those).  For breakfast she served up biscuits with molasses, fried eggs and bacon...and she would always remind me that she had eaten eggs and bacon for most of her life and she was as healthy as a horse.  MiMi taught me to cook many things, but mostly to make candy. we would make all kinds of Christmas candy and lick the spoons until our tongues were sore.
MiMi loved to paint and took countless classes on the subject...I loved looking at all of her paints and loved it even more when she would let me use them.  She taught me to love and appreciate things that were made from the heart.
When I was really young I remember staying with her and she would send me out of the room when her friend came over to do Yoga...I had no idea what Yoga was, but I thought it must be a little bit questionable, because she always sent me out of the room...and when I would peek around the corner to see what they were doing they were always in some strange position.  Of course I eventually learned that yoga was a form of exercise and was not strange at all. 
I remember her singing the books of the bible to me when I was a girl, she asked if I knew the song...and, well I didn't...and even though I went to Sunday School I didn't know all the books of the bible...She informed me that when she was in the first grade she went to Bible School and came home singing that song and it almost drove her mother crazy.  I was older than first grade so i made it my mission to at least learn most of the books of the bible. She taught me the importance of scripture and of knowing and understanding the bible.
I think MiMi would love the idea of blogging if she were younger, sharing ideas and reading about the projects and interest of others. I imagine pinterest would be something she would enjoy as well a virtual recipe swap, home improvement exchange... I don't know what she would think about video games in general, but I think she would like Wii Fit...she could get a daily dose of Yoga.
Happy Birthday MiMi...I love you...there is no way to say all that you are in this one little post, but you are a woman who made a difference...in my life.
My Family with MiMi...(back) LauraKate,Jennifer, Paul, (front) MiMi, AnnaBeth, and Luke
 Not just 3, but 4 generations of us girls...Frankie, LauraKate, AnnaBeth, Jennifer and MiMi
Make every day count...they may just add up to 100 years.  -Jennifer

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Angry Birds Birthday

lil' bros birthday party was a total hit...
we enjoyed lots of angry bird treats..

the kids especially loved the cake...
and the donut holes...
all the kiddos went home with a goodie bag....
and a baloon...
and lots of fun memories...
happy birthday bubba!! :)

                                                 -Laura-Kate

Saturday, December 31, 2011

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!(:

I hope that everyone had a great new year and started the new year off right!(:

-Laura-Kate

Pink Saturday

                                                           

 My Beautiful PINK Niece.
 Have a great PINK Saturday.
                   -Audrey Clare
for more pink saturday post visit How Sweet The Sound