Egg-cited

      To tell you the truth, I wasn't quite sure that either of my boys would be all that interested in coloring Easter eggs this year, but to my suprise, both of them seemed extremely enthused about it once we got started. My mother-in-law was really excited to color eggs with the kids, so we went a little overboard on which kit and methods to use, so after our little egg trials, I can now tell you that I will probably NEVER do the dye cup method ever again!
     We did the Rainbow Eggs (these are the purple and one bright red one...we broke a few shells, by the way) and we loved it! It was super easy, very little mess, and it was fun because the kids could squirt it and see the eggs turning color immediately unlike the dye cups that take 10 minutes for any color! Mom-n-law made hand painted "candy apple" eggs that were shiny...pretty but not for kiddos. My five year old discovered this package of q-tip looking things that were actually swabs that you can paint the dye on the eggs with....LOVED these!! They are Paas brand and easy for both the kids (and Mom) to use. Also, with the non-soaking methods, the idea of the dye not soaking completely through the egg is nice if you'd like to use them for deviled eggs or something later and don't want them to be colored.
      Since it's spring and the weather changes quickly, I recommend doing eggs on a rainy or cold day, like we did. We didn't feel bad about being in the kitchen for a while since it was too drizzly and cold to be out in the yard! Our Easter plans are to have a family meal after church and enjoy time together while remember the reason for Easter...the Risen Savior! Enjoy your eggs and enjoy your Easter!

Pack a Picnic

Since the weather is getting cooler and it's actually bearable to be outside, it seems fitting to talk about picnics. My kids love going to parks and love picnics. Some days, when we are running errands, we will get our favorite fast food meal and take it to the park if weather permits.

After taking a long road trip to Wyoming (from Oklahoma), I was eternally grateful to my dear Mamaw for teaching me how to pack a picnic cooler and supply box for a long trip so you can have a meal anywhere.

The trick is to make sure you have everything you need for a successful picnic within reach. I packed a small ice chest...not too small but not a big rectangular one either...a small one with a handle that you can easily take out of the car if you need to.

Next, you need a plastic storage box with a lid...depends on how much you are taking with you....we took a rather large one since we were gone for a week, but we didn't pack it too heavy.

Obviously, all your cold stuff will go in the cooler: drinks, lunch meat, cheese, mayo, fruit (if you like it cold), veggies, any dressings you want, etc.

Now, for your plastic box:
Snacks, bread, chips- don't forget to put bread on top!
Plates, cups, utensils (we used plastic and paper but you could do reusable, too)
A sharp knife- we had fruit and veggies that needed cutting
Sheet or table cloth- sheets take up less room and are great for tables or ground
Hand sanitizer and/or baby wipes for before and after!
Paper towels or napkins
When traveling with kiddos, I put in a couple of extra cups with lids, too!

What else would you take??

Made in the Shade

We live in the country. We live in a barn...for real...well, sort of anyway. We have a huge metal shop building with 3/4 of it as my husband's business and the rest is our house. I know...sounds a little weird, but when you are in my house,  you don't know it's inside a shop. Anyway, one of the things that we did not do when we built, was build a porch for our house. Mostly because we had originally thought that we would build a house separate from the building and we didn't want to spend the extra at the time. Now, we have decided we kind of like the idea of staying where we are and adding on a porch, maybe an extra bedroom later, those sorts of things.
Anyway, to make a long story a little shorter, we have a ginormous playhouse that my husband built for our kids (only one kid then) when we moved in three years ago and it is the only place that we could even begin to shade until we add on the metal porch (which is, if you know anything about metal buildings, not a cheap endeavor). Yes, we have trees....small trees that hope to grow up someday. And, the east side of our building does not have a door from the house to it nor is it in the fenced yard.
We'd talked about using the space under the playhouse as a patio area....only problem is that the most open side of it faces west, which as you may know, is the hottest direction to be facing on a summer evening.

So, armed with a cordless drill borrowed from my neighbor (who lives 1 1/2 miles away), some laundry line rope, hooks, two fabric shower curtains, and 20 drapery ring clips, I went to work to make a shade that could be pulled back or taken down easily if needed.

Here's what happened:

 This is before I started...I didn't even pick up the Tonka trucks (:

 Since I was being "She-Woman" and doing this by myself, there are not lovely pictures of me trying to hold a huge DeWalt cordless drill on a step stool above my head to do this...that was the hardest part of the job.

  Looks a little like actual outdoor curtains, but WAY cheaper....the entire project only cost around $50 and half that was the shower curtains. The only thing I need to do now, is figure out a way to weight the bottom because we live in "Oooooooklahoma, where the wind comes sweeping down the plain...." and whips around everything in it's path!

Summer Bucket List

After searching Pinterest and online for summertime "bucket list" ideas, I was inspired to make my own list.

 Just a word of advice, though- if you search online, you will most likely become completely overwhelmed and feel that you are lacking in every area of your life because the woman with the perfect website or blog makes you want to puke on her perfect little picture because she can do nine thousand things with her ten kids in tow and still look super model-ish and unstressed as she tells you her latest homemade accomplishment ....whew...glad I got that out!

Anyway, the point is, that there is no right or wrong when it comes to your list and we can't do it all, contrary to popular belief (and all those cool blogs we come across--yes, I am guilty of feeling guilty, too!). So choose things that are meaningful to you and your own family. Also, be sure these are things that are realistic and doable for your family.

Take into consideration these tips when you make your list:

1.  The ages of your children- this one is self explanatory, you want things to be age appropriate

2.  Your summer schedule- for example, my husband is crazy busy at work and does weird night hours in the summer, so he is out for lots of things or we have to do them on the weekend

3.  Your geographic area -we live in a small town, 25 miles plus from lots of things to, so I wanted to be sure we added lots of things to do at home or very close

4. Your summertime budget-every mom knows you don't want to break the bank for a fun summer so 

             keep your budget in mind when you make the list

5. Ask your children what they'd like to do-I've been asking my four year old what he'd like to do this summer and he is already excited about doing many of the things on our list

I am already beginning to think that the benefits of doing the things on our list, will be that I can pass on wisdom to my children as we do things, they might accidentally learn something, the physical activity, the quality time together, and the memories we will be making. Don't forget to take pictures so you can remember your summer! One fun idea would be to take pics of each thing you do and make a bucket list photo book that your family can enjoy forever (and don't worry about this one...that's what all those cool photo sites are for-you can add pics and make a photo book without craft skills!)

Enjoy making your list! Here's mine- hope it inspires you to make your own with your family!!

 

SUMMER BUCKET LIST

o       Aquarium

o       Zoo

o       Philbrook Museum

o       Woolaroc

o       Movies

o       Library

o       Cherry Street Farmers Market

o       Broken Arrow Farmers Market

o       Picnic

o       Play in sprinkler

o       Blow bubbles

o       Paint outside

o       Sidewalk chalk

o       Make homemade ice cream

o       Swimming

o       Obstacle course

o       Treasure Hunt

o       Air & Space Museum

o       Camping

o       Visit a children’s museum

o       Visit a natural history museum

o       Go to a Pick-Your-Own farm

o       Make garden stepping stones

o       Make popsicles

o       Go to the Lake

o       Nature Center

o       Make butter

o       Mini golf

o       Go fishing

o       See some fireworks

o       Shade for under playhouse for table and sandbox

o       Incredible Pizza

o       Plant pumpkins & work in garden

o       Catch fireflies in a jar

World Vision Update

So.....we finally (a couple weeks ago) managed to raise our $100 for our World Vision gift of two chickens and a goat! This was something my four year old and I started around Thanksgiving and we put in pocket change, a dollar here and there, and he put in lots of his spending money (not just from his giving jar) into the bucket and we did it!!

Now, we have begun a new gift to work on...5 rabbits for $80. The boy is loving this and I love seeing him want to put all the change he can find in the bucket and seeing how fast we can fill it up! I discovered a clean cottage cheese container with a slot in the lid is a great way to do this because you can count it periodically and when you do lots of change like we do, you can take the whole thing to be cashed in when it's full and put the cash back in it right then. We put a picture of the rabbit on the container just like we did the goat and chicken one and we are all set!!

Also, World Vision will send you a card with a picture representing the gift you gave.

Valentine Road Map

  I used to despise Valentine's Day, but since I have kids now, I've found that it's kind of a fun thing to do and a good excuse to buy some extra chocolate (as if I really need an excuse). And, it is an extra special opportunity to be super mushy, which for me, with all the testosterone in this  house, is not always possible!
  Last year, I did a really fun road map valentine for my husband. It was so nostalgic for me and he absolutely loved it! It was simple, but thoughtful, and still inexpensive (depending on your "travel coupons").

I made the boys a dinner they both really like...I can't for the life of me, remember what it was, except that I'm pretty sure it included mashed potatoes...and we all had placemats that I made from 12x12 scrapbook paper, which I placed some of their little goodies on at dinner. For my three year old, it was a book and some M&M's...easy to please! 

 I helped my little one make a card for his Daddy and he insisted on doing hand tracing, too. The card on the left, we made with both of our thumbprints in the shapes of hearts and added some stickers, of course, because every three year old loves stickers!

 These are the "travel brochures"...each is a little mini valentine with a travel theme.

 The "travel itinerary" is a the little "booklet" that enclosed the "brochures", "coupons", and "map".

 This is my favorite part...the map! Each tag with ribbon has a date and something significant to our relationship (for example: when we started dating, when he proposed, etc.). I wrote little notes with some of them and at the "end" I wrote him a little love note.



The coupons can be whatever you want. I can't remember what I did on all of them, but I know one was for a batch of his favorite cookies upon request...didn't take long to cash that in on some PB cookies!

The only materials I used were scrapbook paper, ribbon, inkpads, markers, and stickers....all of which I already had in my craft supplies and the end results were something special!


I hope this inspires you to have some fun and make something special for you favorite valentine, too!

Merry (belated) Christmas!!

Hope you had a very Merry Christmas celebrating the birth of our Savior! We have had three celebrations so far with one more to go. I always love getting together with family and friends, and, of course, all the yummy goodies we all share together....back to my love of food again. As the year ends, I am trying to get my house organized again and prepare for our last gathering, which will be at my home. Since I haven't had much time to do any extra craft projects other than cooking, I thought I'd share some recipe links for some of my favorites that I plan to prepare the first week of 2012!

Four Cheese Lasagna---YUMMMMMY and easy!! The best homemade version I've tried and budget friendly!

Chicken Stroganoff-
A fresh twist on a classic and a kid approved one too!

Spicy Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork--I LOVE this Pioneer Woman recipe! I don't like really spicy food so I don't use all the peppers to keep it mild.

Don't forget to have some black eyed peas for New Year's!!