tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12530133958403786532024-03-08T12:02:57.568-08:00A Rainy Day MomUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1253013395840378653.post-28727678261019080542012-08-02T22:37:00.000-07:002012-08-02T22:37:28.090-07:00Unbirthday Party!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HWnn7p_unoI/UBtjFqxXUxI/AAAAAAAAb6c/KJmx8i4l2AQ/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HWnn7p_unoI/UBtjFqxXUxI/AAAAAAAAb6c/KJmx8i4l2AQ/s320/photo.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
My girls have chore charts and if they complete 50 chores they get to pick a reward. One of the rewards is an unbirthday like in Alice and Wonderland. We made cupcakes today and the girls made/picked out presents for each other from their toys. Here is a pic with their "presents". It was fun to see them get excited about toys that we already had around the house. The girls were having a sleep over with their cousin so he was able to come to our unbirthday party! Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1253013395840378653.post-38458484414749397502012-08-01T13:44:00.001-07:002012-08-01T13:44:48.135-07:0010 Min Turn Around.....It really worksSo I have been frustrated with the little and not so little messes that my girls make for me. Some days I feel like I clean all day and left off where I started. As much as I hear "you shouldn't stress over a clean house" or "excuse the mess, memories are being made", I LIKE, no LOVE a clean house and feel a little more relaxed when it is clean. I have tried many different things but this one came to me today because I can always get the girls to do me a favor when it is about a race. So I called it "10 min turn around". I came to the toy room where the girls were playing and told them they had 10 min to turn around the room to make it clean again. I told them I would set the timer on my phone for 10 min. If they were able to clean up in 10 min they could have a few chocolate chips before lunch, which is a huge treat especially before lunch! Miraculously it was done and in 10 min we had a clean toy room again. Next time I will take a picture so you can see the difference 10 min can make.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1253013395840378653.post-64150634995083940532011-06-16T14:32:00.000-07:002011-06-16T14:51:55.078-07:00I am back...........and cupcakes!So I cannot believe that is has been over 2 months since I posted anything :( We found out that we are expecting again! We are very excited but it has taken such a toll this time. I am hoping that I am coming out of the 1st trimester joys. So these cupcakes were made a while ago. The first one was made for my daughter Ava's preschool class. She still has 2 years of preschool but all the other kids were graduating to kindergarten. I found them on a blog and feel bad that it has been so long and I do not remember the blog. All that is needed is cake mix, frosting, reeses peanut butter cups, Ghiradelli chocolate squares, mini M & M's and food gel. To make the cap place a reeses peanut butter cup upside down on the frosting. Place a little frosting on the top of the peanut butter cup and stick a chocolate square on top. make a dot with the food gel on the cap and place the mini M&M on top. Draw a tassle with the food gel. Super easy and they look really cute.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hWzvoX2yD3o/Tfp4wZpQgdI/AAAAAAAAWaI/Im6__4WYsNE/s1600/Nate%2Bsubie%2B%25281%2Bof%2B1%2529.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hWzvoX2yD3o/Tfp4wZpQgdI/AAAAAAAAWaI/Im6__4WYsNE/s320/Nate%2Bsubie%2B%25281%2Bof%2B1%2529.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618936258011103698" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The next cupcakes I made for Hanna's birthday class party. I found these<a href="http://www.livinglocurto.com/2011/04/teacher-gift-cupcakes-recipe/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+livinglocurto+%28Living+Locurto%29"> here</a> and instantly fell in love with them. According to Hanna they were a hit! I don't have ANYTHING from Hanna's 6th birthday party :( The day of her birthday was probably the worst day I have felt throughout this pregnancy so no SheRa pictures.....yes she wanted a SheRa party!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Fw5B9aXjEUQ/Tfp6jVAjbNI/AAAAAAAAWaQ/axBwht324VE/s1600/Ice%2Bcream%2Bcupcakes%2B%25281%2Bof%2B1%2529.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Fw5B9aXjEUQ/Tfp6jVAjbNI/AAAAAAAAWaQ/axBwht324VE/s320/Ice%2Bcream%2Bcupcakes%2B%25281%2Bof%2B1%2529.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618938232451591378" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1253013395840378653.post-24421089702887366302011-04-02T08:11:00.000-07:002011-04-02T08:30:13.232-07:00Cupcakes for dinner!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Mc-f8YLHFGQ/TZdA7Xp_AFI/AAAAAAAAVUo/PM0OJ9l90SQ/s1600/_MG_0358.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Mc-f8YLHFGQ/TZdA7Xp_AFI/AAAAAAAAVUo/PM0OJ9l90SQ/s320/_MG_0358.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591008851110330450" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I love April Fools! My husband always forgets so I am able to fool him! This year I filled his lunch full of candy and a soda. (made him a real lunch too) then I stuffed his car full of air fresheners..........still stinks oops! He is a good sport so he makes it fun. This year for dinner I made cupcakes for dinner! Well they were meatloaf cupcakes with mashed potato frosting and red salt sprinkles. The girls thought it was fun I even tricked my 3 year old to eating mashed potatoes for the first time. She was very disappointed though that it <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kR5dxhYQHd0/TZc82jTwUGI/AAAAAAAAVUc/dF5vHdimI_M/s1600/IMG_0371.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kR5dxhYQHd0/TZc82jTwUGI/AAAAAAAAVUc/dF5vHdimI_M/s320/IMG_0371.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591004370292461666" border="0" /></a>was not a cupcake. Here is how I did it: I took my meatloaf recipe which sorry I just eyeball so I do not know the exact measurements. Bake if a cupcake pan, I used paper liners but I think foil liners would work better. I filled the liner about 3/4 ways. While they are baking make mashed potatoes. Once meatloaf is done there will be some fat on the top, I soaked it up with a paper towel. To "frost" the cupcakes I first tried to use my cake frosting tool but it was not working properly so I just used a knife. For the "sprinkles" I took some coarse salt and put in 1 drop of food coloring and used my hands to mix. Then sprinkle on top of potatoes. I put them back in the oven for 5 mins just to make sure they are nice and warm for serving. Then my friends you have yourself cupcakes for dinner!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1253013395840378653.post-46815816029026796742011-02-10T12:32:00.000-08:002011-02-11T12:34:10.308-08:00Helping Hands-A Teacher's Valentine Gift<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RiGzi_0Hw1Y/TVWc792VWeI/AAAAAAAAUiw/aFehO5usG6M/s1600/_MG_0217.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left; clear: both;" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RiGzi_0Hw1Y/TVWc792VWeI/AAAAAAAAUiw/aFehO5usG6M/s320/_MG_0217.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />I love Hanna's teacher and think she is really great with kids. So anytime we have a chance to show our appreciation I like to make her something special. I have been wanting to do this gift idea found in the Family Fun magazine for a while now.<br />I traced out Hanna's hands and cut them out. I wanted to find some nice lotion but ran out of time so bought some hand sanitizer. I had Hanna write:<br />Mrs. Rule, You deserve a hand. Love Hanna<br /><br />Hope she likes it!<br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pUD1WdpAy4I/TVWc8Bs-UyI/AAAAAAAAUi4/VsMq8kLMuVA/s1600/_MG_0219.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left; clear: both;" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pUD1WdpAy4I/TVWc8Bs-UyI/AAAAAAAAUi4/VsMq8kLMuVA/s320/_MG_0219.jpg" border="0" /></a><div style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none; padding: 0px; background: none repeat scroll 0% 50% transparent;" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1253013395840378653.post-44344800139819853372011-02-10T12:18:00.000-08:002011-02-11T12:22:24.841-08:00Valenties Day Cards<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TVWZsLhEi3I/AAAAAAAAUiI/ryujRWMX6iw/s1600/_MG_0194.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left; clear: both;" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TVWZsLhEi3I/AAAAAAAAUiI/ryujRWMX6iw/s320/_MG_0194.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />I love Valentines Day!! It is a time to get crafty and show the people we love how special they are. I love making homemade Valentines for my kids. This year I found a great Valentine idea from <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UwSm_JXCWgE/TVWZsX61btI/AAAAAAAAUiQ/nl7nQNEcaOM/s1600/_MG_0207.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left; clear: both;" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UwSm_JXCWgE/TVWZsX61btI/AAAAAAAAUiQ/nl7nQNEcaOM/s320/_MG_0207.jpg" border="0" /></a> one of my favorite blogs <a href="http://www.dana-made-it.com/2008/07/tutorial-heartbreaker-valentines.html">made.<br /><br /></a><a href="http://www.dana-made-it.com/2008/07/tutorial-heartbreaker-valentines.html"><br /><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left; clear: both;" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gcxufFmhcdE/TVWZs2EiVuI/AAAAAAAAUiY/jXGe2gpNGBo/s320/_MG_0211.jpg" border="0" /></a><div style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none; padding: 0px; background: none repeat scroll 0% 50% transparent;" align="middle" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EqNu9sM0Y3o/TVWaZo73eYI/AAAAAAAAUio/BRIlv2HuFY4/s1600/heartbreaker%2Bvalentines.png"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 258px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EqNu9sM0Y3o/TVWaZo73eYI/AAAAAAAAUio/BRIlv2HuFY4/s320/heartbreaker%2Bvalentines.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572529879216781698" border="0" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1253013395840378653.post-73151120449043643152011-01-02T13:44:00.000-08:002011-01-02T13:45:02.499-08:00Teacher's Christmas Present<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TSDx3XgKO0I/AAAAAAAATpQ/KTzg1RS-PAI/s1600/_MG_6162.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TSDx3XgKO0I/AAAAAAAATpQ/KTzg1RS-PAI/s320/_MG_6162.JPG" /></a> So I have been a little behind on blogging but ready to go for 2011. This is something I have been meaning to post but the holidays consumed me and I have had little to no time for blogging. I did get this idea from <a href="http://angbrimwil.blogspot.com/2010/12/preschool-teacher-gifts.html">A bushel and a peck</a> and loved it. I am all about homemade gifts and it all cost under $5. I did have the teacher's name in vinyl on the apple, just did not get a picture of it. The cirlce wreath part is a wooden embroidery hoops. I used a 10" for the outer ring and an 8" for the inner. Each embroidery hoop comes with 2 so really you could make 2 if you have 2 kids in school. I just glue gunned the crayons to each of the hoops. I also glue gunned the apple to the crayons and the ribbon to the back of the hoops. The wooden apple was from Joanns wood craft section for .50 cents. I also bought a 64 ct Crayola crayon box from Joanns and used a 40% off coupon so they were under $3. Hopefully her teacher liked it!<div style='clear:both; text-align:NONE'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1253013395840378653.post-39583572283166373582010-12-07T22:43:00.000-08:002010-12-07T22:55:47.066-08:00True Meaning of ChristmasSo I just received a very inspiring email from an amazing mom and my best friend Jenny. She has been following her new favorite blog and shared a post that she read from it. I was in tears as I read it because I felt really guilty. We bought our Christmas tree late Saturday night and Hanna has been very excited to decorate it. So Saturday was too late to do anything with it. Then Sunday we had church and then company for dinner it just got too late again. Monday rolled around she went to a friends house and then again we had company from out of town stay the night and it still did not get done. She has been begging me to help decorate the tree and I have been putting it and her off because I have been too busy. I have been too busy Christmas shopping, cleaning, cooking, work, etc., etc. Thank you so much Jenny for this because I have woken up and realized that I am putting off precious memories. Christmas is about family,giving love and building memories. I will never forget this and tomorrow will change my priorities. Here is the post:<br /><br />Young@Heart<br />By Pam Young<br /><br />I was at Michael's (the craft store) in the late afternoon when I heard a conversation in the next isle between a mother and her six-year-old child.<br /><br />"Oh, Mama, look at this!"<br /><br />"Uh huh."<br /><br />"I love this!!"<br /><br />"Uh huh."<br /><br />"I have one don't I!!!"<br /><br />"Uh huh."<br /><br />"You made it for me didn't you Mama!!!!"<br /><br />"Uh huh."<br /><br />As I listened to the excitement and love for her mother in the child's voice and the drone of her mother's responses, tears welled up in my eyes. I thought about how many times I'd done the same thing with my children when they were young. After all, I had a centerpiece to make, a decoration for the coffee table to think about, colors to consider, people to impress and not enough time! At that moment in Michael's I would have given anything to go back to just one time in the isle of a store, hear my child's voice and not miss what was really happening. Love, joy adoration. The stuff of Christmas!<br /><br />My kids are grown now and I'll never again hear their little bell voices exclaiming their joy over something. That time is gone forever.<br /><br />I had to get to the next isle and see the child! With tears streaming down my cheeks, I peeked around the corner and looked at the small girl's happy little face. She had a dress on and her hair was dark brown in shoulder-length curls. She was holding a Christmas stocking with a Santa Claus on it. She looked up and smiled at me. Then I looked at her mother. She was tired; I could see it in her eyes. But when she looked into mine she smiled seeing my love for her child and the moment.<br /><br />I told her what had gone through my mind listening to their conversation. Her tears started to collect and she said, "Now you're making me cry." She dabbed her eye with the back of her wrist, "Thank you, I needed to hear this. I get so busy and it's easy to neglect her natural enthusiasm." I told the mother it was obvious that the child had not been neglected, because she was such a happy little girl, and that I understood how easy it was to get wrapped up in our own thoughts and miss these holy moments.<br /><br />I left Michael's knowing I wanted to write about this. Your children adore you and they are like little joy dispensers, especially during this time of year. Since it is also an especially busy time for you, it can be so easy to miss those gifts of love and joy your children are eager to give to you. They are gifts that can't be wrapped up with festive paper or charged on American Express. Stay awake! This is a holy time.<br /><br />Merry Christmas!<br />PamUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1253013395840378653.post-43856378243057629892010-12-01T11:19:00.001-08:002010-12-01T11:29:27.277-08:00Parenthood<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TPah3r3I3bI/AAAAAAAAS48/qOPTMD4o5Ns/s1600/gal_parenthood7.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 229px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TPah3r3I3bI/AAAAAAAAS48/qOPTMD4o5Ns/s320/gal_parenthood7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545797969192213938" border="0" /></a>I was on the computer catching up on some of my favorite blogs and I had to share this quote from the Steve Martin movie Parenthood, posted from <a href="http://littlemissmomma.blogspot.com/2010/11/roller-coaster.html">Little Miss Momma</a>. (I have not watch this movie since I have become a parent so I am putting it on our Netflix que.) This is from the crazy old Grandma:<br /><br /><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:donotoptimizeforbrowser/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-family:Verdana;">"You know, when I was nineteen, Grandpa took me on a </span><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:18pt;" >roller coaster</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">. </span><span style=";font-family:";" ></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Up, down, up, down. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:18pt;" >Oh, what a ride! </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-family:Verdana;">I always wanted to go again. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-family:Verdana;">You know, it was just so interesting to me that a ride could make me so frightened, </span><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:18pt;" >so scared</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">, so sick, </span><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:18pt;" >so excited</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">, and so thrilled all together! </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:18pt;" >Some didn't like it. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-family:Verdana;">They went on the merry-go-round. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-family:Verdana;">That just goes around. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:18pt;" >Nothing. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-family:Verdana;">I like the roller coaster. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:18pt;" >You get more out of it."</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><em><span style="font-family:Verdana;">-Grandma from PARENTHOOD (The Movie)</span></em></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:18pt;" >Life is like a theme park ride.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:18pt;" >Will you chose the roller coaster </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:18pt;" >or the merry-go-round?</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1253013395840378653.post-43761927365644064932010-11-30T15:56:00.000-08:002010-11-30T16:01:58.768-08:00Ava's Birthday Cake<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TPWPHTQOA-I/AAAAAAAAS3g/zaB9HiVJbWI/s1600/IMG_5970.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TPWPHTQOA-I/AAAAAAAAS3g/zaB9HiVJbWI/s320/IMG_5970.JPG" /></a> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TPWPHLz_6BI/AAAAAAAAS3Y/pS7NMVxmei4/s1600/IMG_5966.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TPWPHLz_6BI/AAAAAAAAS3Y/pS7NMVxmei4/s320/IMG_5966.JPG" /></a><br /><br />My little Ava turns 3 today! Her favorite princess is Snow White and so I really wanted to make a princess cake. I was going to buy a barbie pan at <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Michael's</span> but then thought that my giant cupcake pan might work. I just used the top of the giant cupcake pan and then broke the legs off of one of the many Barbies we had and stuck it on top after it was done baking. We iced the cake with a cake frosting tool and then Hanna sprinkled red sprinkles all around it. She loved it! Happy Birthday Ava!<div style='clear:both; text-align:NONE'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1253013395840378653.post-44833375089752281102010-11-22T22:51:00.000-08:002010-11-22T23:10:27.379-08:00Almost Thanksgiving!!!!<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TOtkebd_4GI/AAAAAAAASwM/gpAz_vgZAcE/s1600/_MG_5892.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TOtkebd_4GI/AAAAAAAASwM/gpAz_vgZAcE/s320/_MG_5892.JPG" border="0" /></a> Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays! The first picture is of the girls wearing paper Thanksgiving costumes. Hanna is missing her Indian headband. I cannot take credit for this though. Ava brought them home from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">pre</span>-school and they were so cute I had to share! I found a <a href="http://www.kinderteacher.com/PilgrimsAndIndians.htm">website </a>that gives instructions on how to make these costumes. Lastly every year for the past 12 years I have been making pumpkin rolls for family and friends. I have been told they are pretty tasty so I keep making them and every year it seems like I make more and more but I have gotten a pretty good system down so it is not too bad. Here is the recipe:<br /><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">Pumpkin Roll</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><span style="font-size:85%;">Pumpkin Batter:</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">3 eggs</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">1 c. sugar</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">2/3 c. pumpkin</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">1 tsp. lemon juice</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">2/3 c. flour</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">2 tsp. cinnamon</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">½ tsp nutmeg</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">½ tsp ginger</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">½ tsp salt</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">1 tsp baking powder</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">chopped walnuts (optional)</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">Filling:</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">1 c. powdered sugar</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">6 oz cream cheese softened</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">4 tbsp butter</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">½ tsp vanilla</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">Preheat oven to 375 degrees.<span style=""> </span>Spread parchment paper over a cookie sheet to fit the length of the cookie sheet. Beat eggs, sugar pumpkin and lemon juice until creamy.<span style=""> </span>In a separate bowl mix dry ingredients and then<span style=""> </span>add to pumpkin mixture. Pour mixture over parchment paper and spread until even leaving an inch on each side.<span style=""> </span>Sprinkle nuts over mixture.<span style=""> </span>Bake for 15 min. Coat a clean dish towel with powdered sugar enough for the roll to fit over.<span style=""> </span>Once the pumpkin roll is done baking flip upside down onto the sugar-coated dishtowel.<span style=""> </span>Carefully tear the wax paper off the pumpkin roll.<span style=""> </span>Roll the towel with the pumpkin roll in it be careful not to roll it too tight.<span style=""> </span>Chill in refrigerator until cool.<span style=""> </span>To make filling mix all ingredients until creamy.<span style=""> </span>Once pumpkin roll is chilled spread cream cheese filling over the entire surface.<span style=""> </span>Spread evenly and then roll back up to refrigerate.</span> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><img alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TOtkelmxmuI/AAAAAAAASwU/-XZuRExokjU/s320/_MG_5903.JPG" border="0" />I first wrap in foil and then wrap them in some muslin fabric and found these free cute little tags <a href="http://andersruff.blogspot.com/2010/11/free-printable-fall-baked-goods-from.html">here</a>. It is kinda hard to read but it says, "From The Kitchen Of" and then at the top it says "Please pass the stretchy pants." Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving!!!<br /></p><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TOtkelmxmuI/AAAAAAAASwU/-XZuRExokjU/s1600/_MG_5903.JPG"></a><div style="clear: both;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none; padding: 0px; background: none repeat scroll 0% 50% transparent;" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1253013395840378653.post-79417678012178904532010-11-15T16:53:00.000-08:002010-11-15T16:53:52.424-08:00Little Hands, Big Helpers!!<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TOHV-8MmG6I/AAAAAAAASi4/TYxJy4gDmCk/s1600/_MG_5832.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TOHV-8MmG6I/AAAAAAAASi4/TYxJy4gDmCk/s320/_MG_5832.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TOHV_s1xAbI/AAAAAAAASjI/OjZkZx1WOdc/s1600/IMG_5854.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TOHV_s1xAbI/AAAAAAAASjI/OjZkZx1WOdc/s320/IMG_5854.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TOHV_dMcKKI/AAAAAAAASjA/AeSrsAmKodQ/s1600/IMG_5849.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TOHV_dMcKKI/AAAAAAAASjA/AeSrsAmKodQ/s320/IMG_5849.JPG" border="0" /></a> Fall is here!! I wish the trees would stay red and yellow longer than a few weeks but at least for kids they have the joy of playing in the fallen leaves. We had a huge pile in our front yard that the girls got to play with. To get your kids to help with those leaves piles you can make some <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">scoopers</span> for their little hands. I went to the Dollar Store and bought some gloves and super glued them to pie pans. Note do not use the disposable ones showed, they were too flimsy. Next time I am going to buy actual pie tins, which they have at the Dollar Store as well. The girls were able to pick up big piles and help with the yard work.<div style="clear: both;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none; padding: 0px; background: none repeat scroll 0% 50% transparent;" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1253013395840378653.post-59806484817265163352010-11-10T19:07:00.000-08:002010-11-10T19:09:39.887-08:00A New Playhouse<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TNtd2qVf8wI/AAAAAAAAScc/LcRnKgjKKN4/s1600/IMG_5772.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; float: right; clear: both;" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TNtd2qVf8wI/AAAAAAAAScc/LcRnKgjKKN4/s320/IMG_5772.JPG" border="0" /></a> The girls love to play in tents and we have a few princess tents. To be honest I dread getting them out. They are always in the middle of the living room and they are difficult to fit back into the bags they came in. My husband had to Youtube a video just to figure out how to fold it back into the bag! So I came across this idea in a magazine and I instantly fell in love with it. I made a playhouse tent that fits over our dining room table so that way it is easy to put up and a way and does not take up any space. I added felt flower pots and a felt welcome sign. I still want to add more like a fence and grass around it. Maybe some felt furniture on the inside. If you have boys that are not into playing house you could make a hospital, animal clinic or a fire station. My table is 4 1/2 x 4x1/2 and it took about 9 yds of muslin fabric, I don't think I paid more than $4 with a coupon at Joann's. I measured it out on my table and then sewed the edges together so it would have a snug fit and not fall off. I used scrap pieces of felt that I had so this was a really low cost project and the girls loved it!<div style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none; padding: 0px; background: none repeat scroll 0% 50% transparent;" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1253013395840378653.post-6642948243891356502010-11-08T07:51:00.000-08:002010-11-08T07:52:02.004-08:00Candy Bar Cookies<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TNgcdmCCwyI/AAAAAAAASWg/TxyluBpaQnQ/s1600/IMG_5742.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left; clear: both;" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TNgcdmCCwyI/AAAAAAAASWg/TxyluBpaQnQ/s320/IMG_5742.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />We have so much candy lying around from Halloween that I wish would <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">disappear</span>. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Every time</span> I go to the pantry I grab a piece of candy and we still have <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">hardly</span> put a dent in it! . I thought I would try and get rid of some of it by using it in my cookies. I just used what we had, Snickers, Baby Ruth, Milky Way, Fast Break and 3 Musketeers. So yummy!<br /><br />Candy Bar Cookies<br /><br />2 sticks butter softened<br />1 C of brown sugar<br />1/2 C of granulated sugar<br />2 eggs<br />1 tsp vanilla<br />2 1/2 C of flour<br />1 tsp baking soda<br />3/4 tsp salt<br />1/2 chocolate chips<br />12 mini size candy bars or 2 full size candy bars, chopped<br /><br /><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">Pre</span> heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix butter with sugars until well combined. Add vanilla and eggs one at a time and mix until well combined. In a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">separate</span> bowl mix flour, baking soda and salt. Slowly add to the wet ingredients until well combined. Add chocolate chips and and candy bars and mix lightly until folded in. I make my cookies soft so I only baked them for 9 min. For a crisper cookie bake 11 min.<br /><br />Enjoy!!<div style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none; padding: 0px; background: none repeat scroll 0% 50% transparent;" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1253013395840378653.post-81337706734261696422010-11-06T12:27:00.000-07:002010-11-06T12:32:11.959-07:00New Art Room<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TNWsRmyQh7I/AAAAAAAASTs/Mij3GSa1LmI/s1600/IMG_5694.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TNWsRmyQh7I/AAAAAAAASTs/Mij3GSa1LmI/s320/IMG_5694.JPG" border="0" /></a><strong><br /> Before</strong><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><strong></strong></div><strong><br /></strong> Do you have one of those rooms under the stairs? This is the first time I have had one and as you can see the before picture it became a misc/junk closet. The picture actually looks good. I didn't think to take the picture until after I cleared all the stuff off the ground. I felt like it was a waste of space. The girls like to play in it and I thought of maybe putting their kitchen and food toys in there but then I had a flash forward of our living room covered in food toys....so no. Instead I decided to do an art/learning room.<br /> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TNWsSOyitrI/AAAAAAAASUE/681aexpx5Yk/s1600/IMG_5701.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TNWsSOyitrI/AAAAAAAASUE/681aexpx5Yk/s320/IMG_5701.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /> <strong> After<br /><br /></strong><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TNWsSOb1RxI/AAAAAAAAST8/9Js8I8vQInk/s1600/IMG_5698.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TNWsSOb1RxI/AAAAAAAAST8/9Js8I8vQInk/s320/IMG_5698.JPG" border="0" /></a> These are great learning posters from the Dollar Store,2 come in a pack. I laminated them so they do not get ruined and then the girls can take dry erase markers and practice their letters.<br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TNWsR5x9SQI/AAAAAAAAST0/dLIfNIqP5jw/s1600/IMG_5696.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TNWsR5x9SQI/AAAAAAAAST0/dLIfNIqP5jw/s320/IMG_5696.JPG" border="0" /></a>I have my <a href="http://arainydaymom.blogspot.com/2010/10/cheap-fun-paper.html">cheap paper </a>from an earlier post stuck to the wall with putty so they can color or water color on. I also have their <a href="http://arainydaymom.blogspot.com/2010/02/learning-center.html">learning board </a>from an earlier post about things we learn each week and their <a href="http://arainydaymom.blogspot.com/2010/02/i-love-my-girls-art-and-school-papers.html">art hangers </a>.<br /><br />So far it has been a success! They love to color and play in it, Hanna calls it her <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">pre-</span>school room(even though she is in <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Kindergarten</span>)<div style="clear: both;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none; padding: 0px; background: none repeat scroll 0% 50% transparent;" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1253013395840378653.post-29415614854976382002010-11-04T09:59:00.000-07:002010-11-04T09:59:36.883-07:00Halloween Party Continued..........<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TNLmbjHV8GI/AAAAAAAASP8/QsP4ulc2drs/s1600/IMG_5569.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TNLmbjHV8GI/AAAAAAAASP8/QsP4ulc2drs/s320/IMG_5569.JPG" border="0" /></a> I had the party on Friday, before Halloween so I thought it would be fun to go trick or treating a before anyone else does. I asked my neighbor's in my <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">cul-de-sac</span> if it was okay and provided extra candy for them. It was fun taking such a big group. After trick or treating we played pin the spider on the web. <a href="http://familycrafts.about.com/od/halloweengames/ss/Pin-The-Spider-On-The-Web-Printable-Halloween-Party-Game.htm">Here is a link for the game</a>. I had the web enlarged to 12x18 and kept the spiders the same size.<br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TNLmbjc-UwI/AAAAAAAASQE/gPt0ggYwsiw/s1600/IMG_5586.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TNLmbjc-UwI/AAAAAAAASQE/gPt0ggYwsiw/s320/IMG_5586.JPG" border="0" /></a> This had to be my favorite part of the night. I ran out of games and the kids were going a little crazy from all the candy and junk so one of the mom's came up with a great game. This is called Graveyard and who ever could be dead the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">longest</span> wins. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Genius</span>! Some of these kids were stones it was <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">hilarious</span>!<br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TNLmbweo1JI/AAAAAAAASQM/NA0ZwsVfhXU/s1600/IMG_5592.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TNLmbweo1JI/AAAAAAAASQM/NA0ZwsVfhXU/s320/IMG_5592.JPG" border="0" /></a> Here is Hanna trying her hardest to be......dead :) Hope everyone had a fun Halloween!<div style="clear: both;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none; padding: 0px; background: none repeat scroll 0% 50% transparent;" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1253013395840378653.post-8176536952696694422010-11-04T09:47:00.000-07:002010-11-04T09:59:51.767-07:00Halloween Party!!!My oldest daughter Hanna loves to party! Anytime there is a holiday or birthday's she is excited and counting down the days. She is already <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">counting</span> down to Thanksgiving she <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">says</span> "We are going to Grandma's to have a feast!" Love it. So since I decided to throw a Halloween party for all of my daughter's <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">friends</span>. 24 kids to be exact came! Below are some pictures.<br /><br /><br />Here is the treat table. Everything was orange and black. I fed them so much junk, I kinda <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">felt</span> bad but I figure Halloween only comes once a year :) Almost had one <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">casualty</span>, one little girl thought she was going to throw up but she was fine. So we had <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Cheetos</span>, Doritos,black licorice,Halloween <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">Oreos</span>, chocolate doughnuts, candy corn, cookies and <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-error">Reeces</span> Pieces.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TNLjpQqjAUI/AAAAAAAASPc/AUqFo4kkVSA/s1600/IMG_5531.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TNLjpQqjAUI/AAAAAAAASPc/AUqFo4kkVSA/s320/IMG_5531.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I had to show off my awesome costume that I borrowed from a friend. Here are the kids making their treat bags. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-error">I bought</span> a bunch of Halloween stickers and Halloween sticky foam pieces.<br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TNLjp37chnI/AAAAAAAASPs/EY9Srzt7raQ/s1600/_MG_5540.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TNLjp37chnI/AAAAAAAASPs/EY9Srzt7raQ/s320/_MG_5540.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TNLjphG02TI/AAAAAAAASPk/Olzb7_UUGx0/s1600/_MG_5534.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TNLjphG02TI/AAAAAAAASPk/Olzb7_UUGx0/s320/_MG_5534.JPG" border="0" /></a>Here are my beloved cupcakes that didn't turn out as cute as I hoped but I was on a time crunch. For the spider cupcakes there are chocolate sprinkles on top and <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-error">Reeses</span> Pieces eyes and for the legs they are black licorice that I had to cut in halves because I could not find <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_10" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">black</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_11" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">licorice</span> ropes, otherwise use ropes it will save a lot of time. The skull cupcakes were made with two mini <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_12" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">marshmallows</span> tucked in the cupcake <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_13" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">wrapper</span> and then frost over them. Top with chocolate chip and mini chocolate chips.<br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TNLjqbvGAVI/AAAAAAAASP0/iLfNj4hsDtc/s1600/IMG_5561.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TNLjqbvGAVI/AAAAAAAASP0/iLfNj4hsDtc/s320/IMG_5561.JPG" border="0" /></a> This was pumpkin,pumpkin,jack-o-lantern (instead of duck,duck,goose). We also played hot pumpkin (like hot potato) with a little pumpkin.<div style="clear: both;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none; padding: 0px; background: none repeat scroll 0% 50% transparent;" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1253013395840378653.post-10847876703521902052010-11-04T09:25:00.000-07:002010-11-04T09:30:06.016-07:00Frakenstein's Coffin Cake<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TNLfWyrTO8I/AAAAAAAASPU/v4_KK0ZiRCo/s1600/_MG_5636.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TNLfWyrTO8I/AAAAAAAASPU/v4_KK0ZiRCo/s320/_MG_5636.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535732474645265346" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TNLefBcJ9EI/AAAAAAAASPM/4b4FRS5msMc/s1600/_MG_5628.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TNLefBcJ9EI/AAAAAAAASPM/4b4FRS5msMc/s320/_MG_5628.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><br />I LOVE Halloween!! Here is the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Frankenstein's</span> coffin cake I made for my daughter's fall carnival. (I know it is a little late but keep it in mind for next year)<br /><br />Ingredients:<br />1 thawed Sara Lee pound cake<br />1 tub of vanilla or white frosting<br />red and blue food coloring<br />About 11 <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">oreos</span><br />1 large <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">marshmallow</span><br />9 small <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">marshmallows</span><br />Black cookie gel<br />Green sugar sprinkles<br />Gummy worms<br /><br />1.Make frosting by adding red and blue food coloring to your frosting. This was <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">trial</span> and error for me. I just kept adding and mixing until i git the right color for the coffin. I was going for a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">grayish</span> color.<br />2.Cut the cake in the middle for the coffin.<br />3. Place cake on serving dish and frost the bottom piece of the coffin. Frost the back side where the top part of the coffin will go, it acts like glue a little bit.<br />4. Mash 10 of the O<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">reos</span> in a shallow <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">casserole</span> dish big enough to dip the top part of the coffin into.<br />5.Frost the top piece of the coffin. This part gets a little messy. Then dip it in the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-error">oreosall</span> the way around. except the inside of the coffin.<br />6. Place next to bottom piece of coffin so it is propped open.<br />7.For the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Frankenstein</span> place an O<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_10" class="blsp-spelling-error">reo</span> first near the middle. Dip your <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_11" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">marshmallows</span> in water and then rub into green <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_12" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">sugar</span> crystals. Arrange to make <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_13" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Frankenstein</span> like picture.<br />8. I made a happy face with black cookie gel but I think next time I might make him look more scary.<br />9. Place leftover <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_14" class="blsp-spelling-error">Oreos</span> around coffin to act like dirt. Then throw in some gummy worms coming out of the dirt.<br /><br />My kids loved it!<div style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none; padding: 0px; background: none repeat scroll 0% 50% transparent;" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1253013395840378653.post-35641113937475060602010-10-25T09:32:00.002-07:002010-10-25T09:44:25.714-07:00Sweet Pumpkin Seeds<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TMWylswRanI/AAAAAAAASCg/9aN1QVU_tR0/s1600/_MG_5513.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TMWylswRanI/AAAAAAAASCg/9aN1QVU_tR0/s320/_MG_5513.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532024078033054322" border="0" /></a><br />Pumpkin carving is in the air. Here is a great recipe to make a perfectly healthy snack unhealthy :) That is the great thing about the holidays !!!<br /><br />Sweet Pumpkin Seeds<br /><br />2 c dried pumpkin seeds<br />2 T melted butter<br />3 T brown sugar<br />1/2 t salt<br />1/2 t cinnamon<br /><br /><br />Dry pumpkin seeds 300 degrees for 30 min. Mix all ingredients together. Spread over parchment paper lined cookie sheet and roast at 350 for 15 min.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1253013395840378653.post-72108385991902605202010-10-20T21:36:00.000-07:002010-11-22T23:10:27.379-08:00The Giving Tree<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TL_DY3cVXqI/AAAAAAAAR88/36gjHtBGKXk/s1600/IMG_5522.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TL_DY3cVXqI/AAAAAAAAR88/36gjHtBGKXk/s320/IMG_5522.JPG" border="0" /></a> I saw this idea in a Pottery Barn catalog and had to replicate it. The idea of it is to have the family write down one thing they are thankful for each day in the month of November in the spirit of Thanksgiving. I thought this would be a great family tradition and would be fun to look back as the kids get older the things they said they were thankful for. Also it would be a daily reminder to count our blessings.<br /><br />Materials needed:<br />1 yd of brown felt<br />1/2 yd of green felt<br />1/2 yd of yellow felt ( I found a mustard yellow to go along with the fall colors)<br />1/4 yd of 4 different fall looking fabrics<br />Fabric glue or glue gun<br /><br /><br />I have to say it was a little time consuming cutting out all the leaves and numbers. I am sure there is an easier way of doing it. Just make sure that you make pockets out of the leaves so that way the notes can be placed in each leaf. Please feel free to leave a comment or email me for the template.<br /><div style="clear: both;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none; padding: 0px; background: none repeat scroll 0% 50% transparent;" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1253013395840378653.post-22036311880472429222010-10-14T15:16:00.000-07:002010-10-14T15:16:46.462-07:00Cheap Fun Paper<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TLeBTck7DyI/AAAAAAAAR4o/p4Gr13xE0mo/s1600/IMG_5486.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TLeBTck7DyI/AAAAAAAAR4o/p4Gr13xE0mo/s320/IMG_5486.JPG" /></a> </div><br />Today was my turn to teach preschool again. I was excited to use our news paper roll and it was a great change of pace for the kids to get out of their seats and sit down on the ground to color. So I just had to post what great paper this is especially for large groups. They are the ends of the newspaper rolls. They sell them at the Idaho Press Tribune, in the front, for $2 a roll <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">regardless</span> of size. It is kinda hard to tell how much is on the roll in the picture but trust me we will not be running out any time soon. Such a great deal and fun for the kids to color on the floor. If you are not from this area call your local newspaper to see if they do this.<div style='clear:both; text-align:CENTER'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1253013395840378653.post-67251761609470176102010-10-12T18:07:00.000-07:002010-10-12T18:07:40.673-07:00Making Pizza<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TLUGW6a9zkI/AAAAAAAARng/2XUtaLZxazQ/s1600/IMG_5464.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TLUGW6a9zkI/AAAAAAAARng/2XUtaLZxazQ/s320/IMG_5464.JPG" /></a> Today was my turn to teach preschool. Thought it would be more crazy with 8 kids but it actually went really well. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Making</span> pizza was a hit so I thought I would share. The kids are learning shapes and <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">this</span> activity is great for shapes and colors. I first cut out triangles from paper grocery bags and fold over the end to make a crust. I cut out red circles for pepperoni, large orange triangles for cheese, small yellow rectangles for pineapple, pink squares for ham, small green triangles <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">for</span> bell peppers (the kids changed them to pickles though) and black <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">circles</span> with a hole punched through the center for olives. I started with cheese and from there used one shape at a time. They glued on one topping at a time so they could get familiar with the shape. They had a great time learning their shapes as well as pretending to be little chefs!<br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TLUGW6uy4tI/AAAAAAAARno/xi6YwDEb3bE/s1600/IMG_5467.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TLUGW6uy4tI/AAAAAAAARno/xi6YwDEb3bE/s320/IMG_5467.JPG" /></a><div style='clear:both; text-align:NONE'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1253013395840378653.post-29052642797860713612010-10-11T06:50:00.000-07:002010-10-11T06:51:15.535-07:00Caramel Popcorn<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TLMWEZXkwMI/AAAAAAAARnM/kJVAdXSYGbo/s1600/_MG_5452.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; float: right; clear: both;" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TLMWEZXkwMI/AAAAAAAARnM/kJVAdXSYGbo/s320/_MG_5452.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />Well it's not really baking, more like microwaving but so yummy! For Sunday baking<br />we made caramel popcorn. We went to the pumpkin patch Saturday and it really put me in the fall mood. The girls didn't help with this one <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">because</span> the caramel gets really hot and sticky. I got the recipe from a friend of mine and is by far the best recipe for caramel corn, so thanks Courtney!<br /><br />Microwave Carmel Corn<br />1 Bag of popped popcorn<br />1/3 C of butter<br />2/3 C <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">firmly</span> packed brown sugar<br />1/3 C light corn syrup<br />1/4 tsp baking soda<br />1/2 tsp vanilla<br /><br />Microwave butter in a 4qt microwave safe glass bowl until melted. Stir in brown sugar and corn syrup until mixture bubbles, stir once. Microwave on High 3 minutes without stirring. Stir in baking soda and vanilla. Stir in popcorn and mix well. Microwave at 70% power for 1 minute. Remove and stir. Repeat again at 70% power for 1 minute. Stir,once all mixes spread out onto a cookie sheet lined with wax paper to cool.<br /><br />I think next time I will add peanuts or candy. Beware you cannot just have one!!<div style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none; padding: 0px; background: none repeat scroll 0% 50% transparent;" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1253013395840378653.post-44267125398440668052010-10-06T08:08:00.000-07:002010-10-06T08:11:02.191-07:00Halloween Ghosts<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TKyRGYVFDgI/AAAAAAAARmo/zWiT0v8wlWo/s1600/IMG_5282.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TKyRGYVFDgI/AAAAAAAARmo/zWiT0v8wlWo/s320/IMG_5282.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TKyRGw4lnNI/AAAAAAAARmw/A0JNGP1KrjU/s1600/IMG_5284.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TKyRGw4lnNI/AAAAAAAARmw/A0JNGP1KrjU/s320/IMG_5284.JPG" border="0" /></a>I thought these were fun little friendly ghosts to add to our Halloween decorations. Supplies you will need: Cheese Cloth sold at <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Walmart</span> or Joanne's,liquid starch,black felt for the eyes, hot glue glue gun, 2 cups and a small balloon. Tape 2 cups together and place a small blown up balloon in the top cup. Soak a piece of cheese cloth big enough to drape your balloon in the liquid starch. Drape over and let dry. We let ours dry overnight. Once dry pop the balloon with a needle and remove from cup. Add eyes with a hot glue gun. This was very kid friendly and a fun project. For step by step instructions visit:<a href="http://www.countryliving.com/crafts/projects/ghost-craft-1010">http://www.countryliving.com/crafts/projects/ghost-craft-1010</a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TKyRFyH8MaI/AAAAAAAARmY/v68ZcX2rx1c/s1600/IMG_5268.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TKyRFyH8MaI/AAAAAAAARmY/v68ZcX2rx1c/s320/IMG_5268.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TKyRGL-SYGI/AAAAAAAARmg/d4V4YdX3JNY/s1600/IMG_5272.JPG"><img alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TKyRGL-SYGI/AAAAAAAARmg/d4V4YdX3JNY/s320/IMG_5272.JPG" border="0" /></a><div style="clear: both;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-origin: padding; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous;" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1253013395840378653.post-29450931605770394992010-10-01T13:15:00.000-07:002010-10-01T13:15:35.348-07:00Bite Size Caramel Apples<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TKZBUhRAKlI/AAAAAAAARkA/WvbDV28cbaY/s1600/IMG_5228.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; FLOAT: left; CLEAR: both" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3NgCDPfN8h0/TKZBUhRAKlI/AAAAAAAARkA/WvbDV28cbaY/s320/IMG_5228.JPG" /></a> I love fall and everything about it, I have been trying to finds some fun things to do with the girls for when the weather gets colder. I found these on another blog and thought they were so cute. I love caramel apples but they are so big. These are perfect for kids! You need a melon baller to scoop out the apple balls. Dip into melted caramel and use pretzel sticks for the stick. Perfect for Fall!<div style='clear:both; text-align:LEFT'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0