Bonne Nouvelle

Super Bowl Party 2012

2012-02-10T22:25:00.002-07:00

This year's Super Bowl Party was great....I didn't watch any of it! I ate, talked with some great friends, monitored our playing children and got to host a little party. My husband is part of a fantasy football team with his law school buddies so we invited them all over. Then he performed the unveiling of their official trophy. He had it custom made. Each year that their fantasy football wins, they get their own name and team name put on a little plaque and attached to the side of the trophy. Then, as we are all moving onto our separate ways after graduation this spring, the winner this year will be responsible for mailing it to the next winner next year and so on for many years to come.

Chalkboard play chart thingy. I am not sure what the official name is. I just googled it and copied their layout. It's a chalkboard written on with a chalk marker.

It was a potluck dinner party. You can see my Super Bowl Pinterest board for my inspiration and more ideas. Tyler and I made Bobby Flay's pulled pork and coleslaw. We still have leftovers!

I had seen this "doughnut on a thread spool stand" at Celebrations at Home and thought it was so clever. I thought they would work well for this sports themed party. So I did a play on that. I used two small thread holders and used them as stadium stands. The doughnuts are the fans, if you couldn't tell. White jerseys on one side and blue on the other. The little Hostess powdered sugar doughnuts fit perfectly over the hooks. I worried the doughnuts would gunk it up (because I use mine for thread) but it didn't. I just brushed off any crumbs and rinsed off any icing.

For the tablecloth I made a 50 cent football field. I saw this online too for the idea. But instead of using paper numbers I used a chalk marker (white out would work great too). I bought a 50 cent plastic disposable tablecloth at the grocery store, glued on white crepe paper (with a glue stick) and labeled the lines! Easy and just toss away when the party is over.

I labeled each cup ahead of time. I know it's kind of tacky, but it's football! Plus, with the amount of children (10) and adults getting drinks, I didn't want a bunch of cups floating around the living room. It's just easier.

Happy Footballing!

Felt Valentine Envelopes

2012-02-09T18:27:00.018-07:00

I've seen a few version of felt envelopes floating around blogland so I thought I'd try to make my own. Jocelyn's preschool group was at our home today just in time for Valentine's Day. I made these felt envelopes for each girl (there are only 4) in about 1 1/2 hours. Complete with their name and a stamp! These are a simple, inexpensive way to show your love. And they last a while and can be used again each year, or throughout the year!

Felt Valentine Envelope

Here is a simple tutorial for you so you can make your own! Actually, this makes two envelopes!

First gather your materials. For TWO envelopes you'll need:
*1--9"x12" piece of felt
*1--9"x12" coordinating piece of cotton fabric
*1--9"x12" piece of fusible adhesive (double sided)
*6--2"x2" pieces of felt, of another color
*2--2"x2" piece of same coordinating fabric
* 2 1" piece of strong velcro
*pinking shears

Start by cutting out your materials. Because of the size of felt, you can make two envelopes. You can either just purchase a 9"x12" piece of felt or cut it from a bigger piece. Cut the fusible adhesive and cotton according to same size. If you need help purchasing fusible adhesive check out this blog for help in differentiating. Most helpful!

Cut 4 pieces of felt, and two pieces of fusible adhesive, all 2"x2" pieces

Cut 2 pieces of felt, 2 pieces of cotton, 2 pieces of fusible adhesive, all 2"x2" pieces. (the fusible adhesive is already adhered to the felt, so not shown).

Let's make the heart closure for the back of the envelope. Iron fusible adhesive to one side of the first piece of felt, according to directions on package. Peel paper backing off. Set aside. Then hold the 2nd piece on top of the 1st and cut a heart out. (not pictured) I just eye balled it. If you'd like, or are not a very good heart cutter (I did cut a few wonky ones that had to be thrown out), use a stencil or draw a heart on the felt with a pen (you'll cut around it anyway). Repeat for the second felt clasp for second envelope.

Once the hearts are cut out, sew the hook side (the female, or fuzzy side) of the velcro onto the first piece of felt to the opposite side with the fusible webbing (so not the side with the fusing). Sew velcro onto heart, on all four sides of velrco, be sure to backstich well at each end.

For the second heart, or the stamp, you'll need to fuse the fabric to the cotton, just like the previous step. So it'll be three layers--felt--fusible adhesive--cotton. Then cut into a heart. Repeat with the for second envelopes stamp.

Now move onto the envelope. Fuse the felt and fabric together. It'll look like this.

Cut this piece, using pinking shears, into two pieces. Lay the piece down, lengthwise. Cut at the 6" mark. So each piece should end up 6" x 9". I then cut around each piece so it's pinked all around.

Now take the first heart, with the velcro adhered. Sew it onto one of short ends, on the right side of the envelope (or the felted side). Just center it, and sew it so the velcro piece is left peeking above the flap. Pin.

It should look like this when finished.

This is the right side of the envelope with the heart closure.

Next sew on the stamp. First I fold the envelope to get an idea of where to place it. Fold up from the bottom, 3". Then fold the top over about 2", leaving a 1" head space between the flap and the bottom part of the envelope. Once you've figured out how it will all be folded, sew the heart stamp on in the right hand upper corner.

Then if you'd like to add text do that next. You can embroider a name. I was low on time so I machine stitched the girls names. Or you can leave it blank or add squiggles as seen in this envelope.

Once the stamp, clasp and name are on move to the bottom of the envelope. Sew on the other piece of velcro. About 1 1/2" from the bottom. But you may want to fold it all up again, with the clasp down, to make sure the clasp lays on top of the velcro in the right way.

Then sew it all up. Fold the envelope up, leaving the flap open. With the inside of the flap facing up, sew, starting on the right hand corner of the envelope. Backstitch right away then continue sewing. When you get to where the pocket and flap meet, backstitch again, to make sure it stays secure when little hands are putting Valentine's in and out. Continue sewing and stop when you get to the heart clasp. As pictured. Stop, backstitch and pick up the foot and move it past the heart (so you don't sew through it). Replace the foot on the other side of the heart and sew a bit. Backstitch.

It will look like this.

Then continue sewing until you reach the pocket again. Backstitch like before. Then continue sewing until you get to the bottom. Backstitch. It should be sewn on all three sides (not the bottom). Trim all threads and press and you're finished!!

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Renaissance Collared Shirt Tutorial

2012-02-02T07:00:00.002-07:00

I saw this shirt on Say Yes to Hoboken over a year ago and have wanted to make it since. I finally got around to it and I'm please with how it turned out. I opted for the more inexpensive route of using ruffle trim instead of ribbon. And I sewed mine inside the shirt instead of directly on top.

It's not really a pilgrim's collar. It's a tight ruffle. But I liked the tea-dyed nature combined with brown and the fact that I made it around Thanksgiving time that it reminded me of a pilgirm. And it's so simplisitc. A simple way to dress up a plain shirt. But in reality it's more like a Renaissance collar. And I certainly like my Shakespeare. So it's the renaissance collar shirt.

And I kind of feel like I'm wearing my daughter's Snow White collared dress with the way it stands up in the back.

Here is a back shot with my brown boots. I bought those 5 years ago when the said daughter with the dress was born! It's so fresh because her birthday is two days after Christmas, poor child.

Here's to the usual lose weight New Year's resolution!

Alright, now for the tutorial.

Renaissance Collar V-Neck tutorial
What you'll need:
--V-neck T-shirt
--Tea, to dye your ruffle, optional
--Cotton Ruffle trim. Measure the length of your neck opening and buy 1" more. (around 1/2 a yard). I found this in the ribbon and trim aisle at any craft store, buy by the yard.
--Thread and sewing machine

First, you buy or find a V-neck T-shirt. Pre-wash it.

Second, buy ruffle trim. I found mine at Hobby Lobby for about $2/half yard. It only came in white and maybe pink. I didn't want plain white so I tea-dyed it. If you want to learn how to tea-dye I used these tutorials here and here. I used this Tiger thai chi tea (celestial seasonings) that we did not like to drink but it made for a nice rich reddish brownish collar and still smells great when I wear it!

Next, fold the ruffle in half. Center the ruffle with the back of the shirt and pin to the inside or wrong side of the shirt. Pin into place all the way down until the ruffles meet in the front.

Then, turn shirt inside out, and sew. Starting at one end of the ruffle working around. I first sewed right along the existing seam of the shirt and it laid nice and flat (like in the tutorial) but it left a little "flap" on the top that I was worried I'd have to iron closed after each wash so I decided to sew over it again (see photo above) but it made it ruffle or wave out a bit. So if you prefer it to rest more flat, then sew on the lower line. If you like the way mine flares out a bit, then sew on the above line. (like in photo below).

I am not an amazing seamstress with clothing. I mainly like to re-purpose clothing. So if you have any questions or comments, please let me know. You don't really have to be a seamstress to make this!

Lavender Scented Vacuum

2012-02-01T14:18:00.003-07:00

Tuesday's Tip...on Wednesday :)

Lavender Scented Carpet & Vacuum

The next time you vacuum sprinkle a little dried lavender on your carpet. It will brighten the room up immediately. Not only does this freshen up the room and make it smell nice and clean it also freshens up your vacuum. So each time I vacuum after I've sprinkled the lavender the scent is still present in the vacuum instead of that nasty dusty (time to be cleaned) smell. I simply take a handful, crush the herb a bit and toss on the carpet like fairy dust. It's fun for your kids too because they are magicked into thinking they are playing when they're really cleaning! Then just vacuum it all up!

I buy my lavender in bulk from the Monterey Bay Spice Company but I am sure you can find it at an herbal store, vitamin cottage and some health food stores.

I just found this solution also. Add it to baking soda, with added preferred essential oil (optional) and let it sit overnight before vacuuming. This will deodorize as well.

Super Bowl 2012

2012-01-25T18:06:00.000-07:00

Do you celebrate the Super Bowl? I have to admit that I am not a huge football fan. Or a sports fan really at all. I'll go to the occasional baseball game (I LOVE Rockies Field because I was living there when it was first built) and football game for my alma mater (BYU) otherwise I'm not a huge sports fan. But my husband is. And he loves fantasy football. So we're having his teams and their families over for the bowl.

We kept it very simple last year. I will probably do something similar this year. What do you all do?

The colors are red, white and blue, for both teams! Keeps it super easy! Here are some images for inspiration!

Red, white and blue marshmallow pops

I found this on Pinterest. Instead of guacamole I'll make a 7-layer dip

Pomegranate Jello Salad anyone?

Blueberry Almond Scones with Lemon Curd

2012-01-21T10:33:00.006-07:00

My sisters-in-law all worked for a caterer in Colorado and brought home the yummiest foods....and a few great recipes! This is one of them. She also is the reason for the Overnight Caramel French Toast.

Each Christmas morning my in-laws make these wonderful scones complete with lemon curd and Devnonshire cream! Oh yes! They usually make cherry almond scones with Devonshire cream and blueberry scones with citrus curd. But either sauce goes well with any type of scones. You can spread the creams on top of your scone. Or you can dip them. That's what we do! These are flaky, not too sweet, simple and delicious!

You can adapt the scone recipe very easily.

Almond Scone base
Yield: 12 scones (or about 6 people)

1 3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter, cold
1/2 cup dried fruit---such as blueberries, cherries or cranberries
1/2 cup almond paste (you MUST include this ingredient)
1 tsp orange peel (for the red fruits) OR 1 tsp lemon peel (for blueberries)
1/2 cup vanilla or plain yogurt
1/3 cup buttermilk; or sour milk, or 1/3 cup milk with 3 tsp vinegar (let rest for 5 minutes to curdle)
1/2 cup white chocolate chips, optional

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.

1. Combine all dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl.
2. Cut in butter with pastry cutter or criss-cross two knives
3. Add yogurt and buttermilk.
4. Fold in berries, orange peel and add in crumbled almond paste into pea sized bits
5. Divide dough, it will be sticky!, into two rounds. Flatten with your flour covered hands.
6. Brush with 1-2 tsp buttermilk, 1 Tbsp sugar, and 1/2 tsp grated orange peel
7. Bake for 15-20 minutes
8. Enjoy with chilled lemon curd or Devnonshire cream

Citrus Curd
2 large eggs + 2 large egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup orange juice (fresh is preferable, but condensed is fine)
1 tsp lemon peel (fresh is preferable but dried is okay)
1 tsp grated orange peel
dash of salt
1/3 cup unsalted butter

1. Whisk eggs and yolks together in saucepan.
2. Add all remaining ingredients, except butter.
3. Cut butter into tablespoons and add to pot
4. Stir constantly, over medium heat until it comes to a boil and begins to thicken.
5. It is ready when it's the consistency of thin jelly. Cover with saran wrap.
6. Served best after it's been chilled for one hour.

Devonshire Cream
8 oz cream cheese, softened
8 oz sour cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla

Cream the sour cream and cream cheese together until smooth. Add sugar and vanilla. Blend. Cover.
Chill.

Relief Society Valentine's Dinner

2012-01-20T12:16:00.003-07:00

This event happened last February. I had blogged about it on my personal blog but kept putting it off for this one. So here are some ideas of how to feed 80-100 people for around $350 if you do all of it yourself and pull resources from people around you.

In my church I have the opportunity to plan our monthly activities for the women (called the Relief Society). I LOVE this assignment. And I have an awesome committee full of talented and willing ladies. We've done some wonderful things together as a committee to unite the women in our area and I feel we've been achieving our goals each month we have a meeting. But in February, we had our biggest meeting yet and for the year. We pumped it up for months ahead to get the greatest turn out possible. As is common in each activity, there were a few hiccups along the way and the night of, otherwise it was nearly flawless. We worked well together and from the comments from those in attendance, we know it was a success.

The theme: Enhancing Personal Relationships. We used an Italian theme with the food and for decor we kept it to the month of love with a red, white and pink color palate. Here are some photos and some descriptions. In a budget under $350 we served an elegant dinner to 100 people (including youth servers and children's class helpers), took a love language quiz and listened to professional counselor (who happens to be in the RS Presidency) teach us about enhancing our marriages. I thought we did a pretty nice job!

Here is the gym. We only used half of it to make it more intimate. We fit 10 round tables with 8 people at each, on this half.

The entrance.

Carnations from Costco, handed out to each sister (after I remembered) at the end. We had them each wear a nametag. Flower ball on clearance at Michael's after Valentine's Day sales.

Here is Nina and her daughter Sarita. Nina, on our committee, lovingly made all the paper good items including these nametags, with her many papercrafting supplies. Here she is greeting the sisters as they came in.

The buffet table. Rhonda, who has catering experience, suggested we put Christmas lights underneath the tablecloth. I liked the softened look and then the lights don't get in the way or dirty when serving the food.

I made a little fabric garland with fabric donated by my friend Raylynn a while ago. You never know when you'll use your fabric scraps so keep them anyway!

I made these silk topiaries with fabric I had in my stash. I'll share a tutorial sometime. I made the topiaries and garlands myself with my own materials to save money and so that I could keep them, which helped with the budget as well.

One our committee members, Michelle, suggested that we ask for volunteers to decorate individual tables. Each was unique and brought a nice personal touch. I gave them a 12" x12" piece of glittery cardstock as a guideline for how much space they could use. Here are a few examples.

Here is the speaker's table.

Nina made an "events" card with results form the quiz on the back. Notice the goblets? She also donated use of these that she had previously used in her daughter's wedding. When the women first entered this was one of the first things they noticed, these beautiful goblets. It added an elegant touch. Nina found them on clearance for $3 a box and was happy to be able to use them again. We didn't break one! She also had battery operated tea lights

We had menu's printed on a tri-fold with a quiz printed on the inside. As the women were seated and waiting to start the evening we had them take a version of the 5 Love Language quiz, which unbeknown to me, was part of Marlene's talk. The little red heart was supposed to act as a little cupid's heart. I had specially ordered red golf pencils on ebay but they did not ship on time (grrrrr) so we had to gather regular pencils (including my children's attractive printed holiday ones they get from school and other places) and didn't have time to punch holes in them to make the cupid affect. Minor detail. I used an 8 1/2" x 11" glittery piece of cardstock as a placemat.

One of the highlights of the evening was having a live quartet playing classical music. Nina's son-in-law created a group of his musical friends and they willingly volunteered their time (only in exchange for a free meal) to play background music. They were so good that when my husband walked through to pick up the kids, he thought it was a cd!

After they took the quiz we welcomed them and invited them to start on their salads (which were placed on the tables beforehand) and warm bread.

Here is the serving line with the food.

Here are some of the committee members slaving away. I stayed out of the kitchen as I was working on decorating and making sure everything was in order. Some of us ran around like chicken's with our heads cut off, especially right at the last minute when everything comes together. I think we all managed to be able to sit down for a few minutes to at least eat a little.

Here I am sharpening pencils beforehand after my ebay glitch. And I am thinner there too. What the?!!?!

Here are some of our cute servers. They really took their job to heart and were so willing and helpful. They kept our water filled and assisted the many elderly sisters in our ward by serving them their food directly so they didn't have to wait in line for their food.

The Menu. Rhonda came up with a delicious and fairly simple menu. We had a tight budget but wanted it to be delicious. She cooked most of it, hours before, herself. Alicia and Michelle helped in the kitchen as she instructed them.
We had two pastas. Regular spaghetti, with a nice meat marinara sauce. The second was a garlic cheese white sauce that she pre-mixed with pasta.
The salad was a copycat version of Olive Garden's.
She roasted garlic slices and mixed them with olive oil and herbs. We dipped our warm bread (from Costco, the Italian version) in this herbed oil spread.

We simplified our dessert by purchasing fresh mixed berry Gelato from our Costco cafe with a piece of biscotti. Simple, elegant, rich, unique, easy.

Marlene, our upbeat and funny speaker. Sadly, I couldn't listen to all of it but what I did gather was helpful.

It was a wonderful evening with few and simple decorations that made a strong impact, music to add to the ambiance, dimmed lights, delicious yet inexpensive food, a slow pace and the little details all added to a wonderful evening together. I know that each person was enriched by coming! Several said it was the best Church activity they had been to! That's the greatest compliment!

Thanks again to my committee and to Marianne for lending me your camera and taking some candid shots!

Peppermint Popcorn

2012-01-18T16:59:00.004-07:00

Oops! A day early....I was going to post this tomorrow. This was supposed to be posted on Thursday, the 19th, and I didn't even know it's National Popcorn Day! Happy Popcorn Day!

Looking for a way to get rid of your leftover Christmas candy? Peppermints and candy canes? Peppermint Hershey Kisses?

I had a variation of this at my book club (along with the Cranberry Cilantro Relish Spread....I have cool friends) but she made it with chex cereal. Well, I had some peppermint candies left and peppermint kisses from these Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookies. My children wanted a treat and I wanted to deliver some goodies off to a recovering friend (get this! My friend went to the ER for an appendicitis only to have it removed with the good, and scary, news that there was a cancerous tumor on the appendix! Blessing in disguise!) who really liked the peppermint treat at the book club. So I brought her some. This would also make a fun Valentine's treat. It's so pink with nice crunchy satisfying peppermint bits.

Peppermint Popcorn
adapted from Skip to My Lou and Plain Chicken

*1 cup peppermints, approximately 40 hard peppermint candies or 10 candy canes, finely ground
*1 pound melted vanilla candy---I used a combination of pink Wilton's candy melts & 30 Peppermint kisses. You could also use almond bark or white chocolate chips.
*12 cups air popped corn, use this easy microwave tutorial
*1 cup Frosted Animal Cookies, optional. It adds a nice texture and added flavor

1. Pop corn according to tutorial. Pour into a giant mixing bowl.
2. Crush peppermints in a small food processor. This is quite aggressive and it sounds like you're breaking glass but your processor can handle it. I have a tiny one and ground them in batches. The smaller the bits, the better. Set aside.
3. Break animal cookies into pea sized bits. Set aside.
4. Melt your candies and kisses in a glass pyrex measuring cup or medium sized microwave bowl. Stir every 30 seconds and continue cooking, stirring after each round, until completely melted.
5. Pour over popcorn and stir until evenly spread.
6. Spread a cookie sheet sized piece of wax paper or parchment out. Pour the popcorn onto it. Sprinle with peppermint bits and cookie bits.
7. Let dry completely, until it hardens and is no longer gooey, about 30 minutes. Then it's ready to eat and place in a cello or ziplock bag.

Alice in Winter Wonderland Tea Party

2012-01-18T14:09:00.010-07:00

Jocelyn wanted a tea party, peacock feathers, and we wanted to incorporate Otis, our white pet rabbit. So it made sense to have an Alice in Wonderland Party! Peacocks, gold, blue, green, purple, snowflakes and feathers! And for $52.40 for favors, food and decor and a bit of time setting up! But so worth it after seeing the girls reaction. It was fun to see their reactions as they saw the canopied table and lanterns. It felt so magical. And I have to give credit to Pinterest for so much inspiration!! I don't usually incorporate each photo that I've pinned but I usually pin because there is one or more elements that have inspired a thought, image or arrangement. You can follow this inspiration board here, or any of my others too!

The events were as follows. We had "Alice in Wonderland" (the animated version) while we waited for all the guests to arrive. Then we painted fingernails. Had the tea party, sang the birthday song, ate the cake (well, I did, there wasn't much else going on), opened gifts, played with gifts, and ended with decorating their favor boxes with stickers and feathers.

The happy 5 year old with Otis. Her adorable headband was made by Ellie. You can check out her fun blog here. The Alice dress was borrowed from my cousin, Micaela.

Peacock frosted cupcakes. Inspired by these cupcakes I found on Pitnerest. My friend Melanie made them and I added the "Eat Me" straw flag and pipe cleaner head.

Otis, our white rabbit, was a little scared atop the table.

Peacocks & glitter. Perfect.

Peacock Cake made from a box and tub of frosting. Sometimes quick and easy outweighs time and stress levels.

Peacock inspired place cards. Each number corresponded with the girls age.

Each girl was able to take their teacup home. I found all 6 sets in one shopping spree to the local D.I. (thrift store). Jocelyn was very excited for her friends to try herbal tea, her favorite morning treat. We made mixed berry and about half the girls actually drank it.

Ribbon & ring.

The nail & party favor station. Jocelyn loves to paint anyone's nails. It got a little chaotic though and I had to remind each girl to make sure their nails were completely dry before playing.

White gable boxes that they decorated and then fit all of their goodies in to take home.

Snowflake Wands (tutorial to come later).

"Drink Me" bottles. I saw these POM(egranate) juice bottles and thought they were the perfect size and shape to give each girl. They are seasonal (winter) so I was happy to find them. I'll be surprised if any of the girls actually like drinking it, it's very strong because it's pure. But the bottles can be dish washed on the top rack and my children like to drink out of them because of their fun shape.

Flamingo Croquet pens, they went home with a bag of "hedgehogs" too (gummy bears)

Price breakdown: $52.40
Birds--gifted and Christmas clearance, Joanns & Pier 1 Imports = $4
Glitter decor fillers--Christmas clearance, Joanns & Michaels (some of those individual strands, including the snowflake wand tops were only 30 cents a piece, and this was 80% a week to three weeks after Christmas)--$10
Cake & Cupcake & Tea--$4, traded goods for the cupcakes :)
POM juice--seasonal, Walmart, 6 oz = $10 after coupons, $2.28 each,
Rings--$1, clearance at Charlotte Russe, pack of 5
Tea sets-- Thrift store, set of 7 mismatched, I kept the plates for other projects and because they didn't fit in the boxes = $8
Lanterns--Zurchers & my mom's closet = $5
Snowflake Wands--handmade, $2
Flamingo Pens--Dollar Tree = $6
Gold doileys & playing cards = Free from personal stash & mom's closet. It was worth hanging onto those mismatched cards.
Gable Boxes--Expedx = $2.40 for set of 6, on sale
Fresh flowers--Costco, gift card
Canopy, teapot, and other accessories--Free from mom's closet
Blue tablecloth--vintage from mother, also used for my French themed party

I hope this party can inspire your next Alice in Wonderland or Tea Party themed birthday. Please share if it has!

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Tea Party coming up

2012-01-09T12:40:00.002-07:00

My middle child turned 5 over the Christmas holidays. I can't believe our little princess is already 5....going on 15. She's a drama girl but so bright with the memory of....I don't know. What kind of animal has a good memory? A dog? No, that doesn't work. Anyway, she remembers things from years ago that I'd forgotten about. She is beautiful, a great help to me and a great sister. I love my little J.

For her birthday we thought it fit we involve the pet bunny,Otis, you may remember him from this. So I declared it was to be an Alice in Wonderland themed party. Plus Jocelyn loves tea parties, so the unbirthday party setting was perfect. She also loves peacock feathers from my parents house and it's wintery so it evolved into a "Alice in Winter Wonderland Tea Party." I will be feverishly working on this and her birthday gift all this week for the party on Friday. But here is a sneak peak. I used these invitations from my cousin Sarah Jane's shop. Complete with white bunny and all! It is a summer tea party in the invite but it works nonetheless. They having tea. They are little girls. There is a white rabbit and bunting!

To see more of my inspiration check out my Pinterest Board.

Best of 2011 Kitchen

2012-01-04T11:45:00.000-07:00

My little play kitchen was chosen as part of the top ten play kitchens featured in 2011 on Ohdeedoh! Wow, I'm flattered! Thanks for pinning, spreading and sharing the love! If my play kitchen inspired your play kitchen, please share! Leave me a comment or better yet, pin it to my DIY play kitchen board so we can all see your creation!

I am planning my daughter's "Alice in Winter Wonderland Peacock Tea Party" in addition to making her birthday gift so I'll be busy for the next two weeks. I'm really excited with how both will turn out so stay tuned for pictures and details!

Pomegranate Jello Salad

2012-01-01T22:43:00.006-07:00

Happy New Year!! I am excited for this 2012 year. I am nervous because there will be changes in my personal life but I look forward to it as well. How did you celebrate last night? We ate lots of party foods and played games together as a family. It was great though after staying up way too late for the past week is making me very very tired. Last night I was able to eat this beautiful fruit, the pomegranate. I took this photo before the jello set and by the time the jello did set, it was dark and my photos turned out, so blah!

So, be patient. There is a good one at the bottom. I have taken a photo of this dessert 3 times over the past year. Yes, it took that many and I still don't like the ones I settled with. However, although this recipe is not the most beautiful to photograph, I assure you it is incredibly delicious. The pomegranate garnish on top does help attract the patron to try this recipe. And jello with whipped topping? Sure! Sounds great. But you've got to try this extraordinary jello salad with this unique fruit. Please, forgive my lack of photography skills and try this recipe out for yourself.

Is it a jello? A salad? A side dish or dessert? I'm not really sure but I think it can be all of them! My aunt Julie D. gave this recipe to me several years ago and I look forward to making it every year. The pomegranates start debuting around Thanksgiving and disappear again in January, usually. They are seasonal and so I try to find any excuse I can to make this jello. It's fresh, red and is a great side dish or dessert for any holiday gathering. Plus you get to whack open a pomegranate.

See? My ISO was off. I like the twinkling lights but yeah, it's a little yellow.

And this...well, the cream looks white but the angle and lighting are not so great. Really, it was just the timing. The dessert was never made until right before the party and it's always dark in the winter at night. So, that's my excuse. I just need to make this further in advance to capture the true goodness.

Neither not so pinworthy. But if you DO pin this, pin the top photo of just the pretty fruit. That'll get some attention....maybe?

Finally, I got a decent photo. My sister and I catered an event for my great aunt and we made this jello. She suggested we served them individually in clear cups so we didn't have to sloppily serve it individually on each plate. And look how pretty they look. Much nicer. And so fun to serve a party.

Okay, here is the recipe.

Pomegranate Jello Salad

Yield: 15-20 servings

Ingredients:

1 6 oz box of jello, any red flavor

2 C boiling water

1 C whole cranberry sauce

1 12 oz. can of crushed pineapple, undrained

3 small apples or pear, chopped fine (or very tiny chunks or slivers)

1 pomegranate, seeded (save about 1/4 cup to sprinkle on the top)

Boil 2 cups water. Add box of jello. Stir until jello dissolves. Add remaining ingredients. Pour into a 9x13 pan. Cover with saran wrap and store in fridge until completely, about 4 hours.

TIP for getting the seeds out of the pomegranate. Cut the fruit in half and then whack the back of it with a large metal serving spoon or a large metal ladle. Do this over a large enough bowl and in a sink, it will look like you are in a crime scene with all the juice that flies out as well.

Topping:

1 8 oz package of cream cheese, softened

1/3 c. sugar

2 c. whipped cream or whipped topping (thawed)

1 tsp. vanilla

Whip softened cream cheese until soft and aerated. Add whip cream and combine. Then add remaining ingredients until combined. Do not overmix or it will turn into a buttery curdled like topping.

Sprinkle with remaining pomegranate seeds.

Enjoy!

Gingersnap Softie Cookie Sandwich

2011-12-30T09:46:00.007-07:00

My sister-in-law Marci made us her mother's gingersnap cookies. They are the kind that I love. Soft, chewy and sweet. Yum! Well, the night of my daughter's 5th birthday (1 bowling trip and 5 years ago, she was born. 5 years already!) we had leftover icing from her cake. I didn't want it to go to waste and saw the gingersnaps sitting there. Hence the gingersnap softie cookie sandwich was born. Pair it with a glass of egg nog and you'll be lying on the couch for the next half hour digesting the goodness. Or, go and blog about it like I am ;) Oh, and ignore the crayon scribbles that my children artistically added to my parents' coffee table.

Here is my SIL's mother's gingersnap recipe combined with your choice of favorite icing or one of my favorites, Wilton's Buttercream.

Gingersnap Soft Cookie

Yield: A lot. I don't really know because my sister-in-law made these

Ingredients:
2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup molasses
2 eggs
4 1/2 cup flour
3 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 cup granulated sugar for rolling

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream sugar & butter until well blended and fluffy.
Add eggs and molasses. Combine.
Mix remaining ingredients. Mix well.
Roll into 1 1/2" balls. Roll and coat in sugar.
Bake at 350 for 8 minutes. Do not overbake.
Remove from oven and let rest on cookie sheet before replacing to cookie sheet.
Once completely cooled fill with 1-2 Tbsp of icing (recipe below).

Wilton's Buttercream Icing
Makes about 3 cups icing

Ingredients:
1/2 cups shortening
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla (if you have clear on hand make that for a more white look)
4 cups powdered sugar
2 Tbsp milk

In large bowl, cream shortening and butter with electric mixer. Add vanilla. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Keep bowl covered with a damp cloth until ready to use. For best results, keep icing bowl in refrigerator when not in use. Refrigerated in an airtight container, this icing can be stored 2 weeks. Rewhip before using.

Cranberry Cilantro Relish Spread

2011-12-29T12:21:00.001-07:00

At my book club last month one of the gals made this cranberry spread and it was amazing! She said it was a knock off of Harry and David's food products (which I'd never heard of) but you can make it yourself for a lot less and in about 10 minutes. This is an elegant yet bold dish that marries flavors beautifully. The tartness of the lime and cranberries with the tangy cilantro combines nicely with the sweetness of the sugar. It'll be a winner at any event particularly a Christmas or New Years Eve party. Everyone will want a copy of this recipe.

If you have a large food processor it'll take you about 5 minutes to make. If you're like me and have a very small one it took me about 15 minutes. I process the cranberries in 3 sets, then the remaining ingredients. I did have to cut my green onions and stem the cilantro before processing them all together.

TIP: to cut cilantro or herbs of any kind, you can easily do this by removing the leaf from the stem and place them in a mug. Using your culinary shears, cut them directly inside the mug. (If you want me to show a picture, I can show you how that works). It's quicker and cleaner than using a cutting board and knife. You can chop it as fine or course as you'd like this way.

Cranberry Cilantro Relish Spread
Ingredients:
1 12-oz bag of fresh cranberries
1 bunch cilantro, stemmed as much as possible
1 bunch green onions
pinch of salt
3/4 cup sugar
2 limes, juiced
2 jalapeno peppers
2 8-oz bricks of cream cheese
up to 1/2 tsp cumin, optional

1. Combine all ingredients (except the cheese) in a food processor, chop.
2. Spread over the two blocks of cream cheese.
3. Chill in refrigerator for best results to allow flavors to meld together.
4. Serve with crackers, croustini's or even baguettes or tortilla chips.
5. Enjoy at your next holiday event and you'll leave very popular.

Marshmallow Snowmen (and women)

2011-12-13T15:03:00.001-07:00

Are you looking for a simple yet festive craft that doubles as a treat to bring in the festive season? Try making marshmallow snowmen, er.....women, er......people. How about Mary Poppins?

This activity is more for you than for your child, or do it together. It involves a lot of tiny pieces of candy and a lot of sticky stuff like corn syrup and peanut butter which is hard to maneuver. If you don't mind what these look like then go ahead and assemble them together but if you are giving these away as gifts (such as teacher or neighbor gifts...I'm thinking hot chocolate stirrers? Maybe next year....) then I'd just assemble it yourself. They do take a bit of time and patience while drying. I had each girl from our preschool group just tell me which features they wanted and I assembled it for them, allowing them to stick on the buttons and eating the Oreo cream. Once they were dry I put them in a sandwich bag and tied it up so they could take it home!

Materials:
You probably have most of these things on hand. Just use what you can find in your pantry or leftover Halloween candy!
--6" lollipop stick or straw
--Marshmallows--3 regular sized (mini ones for piles of snowballs or cloud effect!)
--Eyes--mini chocolate chips or mini M&M's
--Buttons--mini M&M's smarties or red hots
--Scarf--lemon heads or fruit roll-ups
--Hat--chocolate ring with large gum drop or other chocolate candy on top of half an Oreo cookie
--Arms--pretzel sticks
--Nose--mini M&M or candy corn
--Mouth--licorice rope or mini chocolate chips
--Corn syrup and/or peanut butter
--Mini cupcake liner, optional

First, you start with three regular sized marshmallows. Using either a 6" lollipop stick or straw (though paper straws are not as strong they are so cute!) slide the mallows on. Next, insert eyes. I used mini chocolate chips (but any small candy item will do). I poked a tiny hole using a toothpick in corn syrup then inserted the chip. For the nose, I used mini M&M's for some and then for others I used cut candy corn. For the mouth there are several options. You can use licorice rope (I used black because I had it leftover from marshmallow spiders) or a row of mini chocolate chips. And for the buttons I used mini M&M's but smarties or red hots would work for these too. For all of the facial and button features, I used a toothpick dipped into corn syrup to stick them on. Corn syrup does take a long time to dry. If you're in a hurry or they are not sticking, just dab on some peanut butter. The arms are just pretzel sticks stuck into a hole that I stabbed with a toothpick first.

The scarf and hats were the trickiest to make stick. With that hats I twisted Oreo's apart, scraped (or let the kids lick if it is for them) off the cream (I had some left over from Halloween) and used one half. Then I bought this Christmas mix that had jelly rings and chocolate covered jelly candies. They were nice and round. I stuck them all together with peanut butter after I realized the corn syrup was just sliding around with the weight. Corn syrup is a good option for kids with allergies or for a glossy look.

The scarves we used were made out of sour air heads. It looked kind of "snowy" with the sugar coating and it was striped. I just cut them down the middle, lengthwise, and got 2 scarves out of each candy. I also thought of using fruit by the foot or fruit roll-ups for a more solid color. The nice thing about fruit roll-ups would have done is stick to each other better. For mine, I tried using corn syrup and peanut butter to make the scarf stick to itself but they wouldn't stick. Finally, I decided to use a peppermint brach nougat candy (I LOVE those things). I just tore off a piece, smashed it and stuck them together. That worked like a charm!

For the Mary Poppins person I used a cookie, then jelly ring then a Hershey kiss (with the tip bit off) inserted into the ring. For fun I got out some cocktail umbrella's to finish off her look.

For the snowman, well, he got a sword.

Have fun!

Rosemary Place Settings

2011-12-09T16:53:00.000-07:00

We were going to host Thanksgiving so I started searching Pinterest for some decorating ideas. It turned out that we didn't end up hosting but I still requested to make the place settings. Nothing elaborate, just something simple. I saw this on Pinterest and made it my own.

Rosemary (still left from our frozen garden), a simple ribbon tied to a name tag. And rosemary adds such a nice scent to the table as well. I think this would be nice for Christmas too.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bars

2011-11-28T17:37:00.001-07:00

Forgive me for sharing a few more Autumn and Thanksgiving ideas. I am just not ready for December to start! I will be sharing a few more posts until this month is over.

I love the combination of cocoa and pumpkin. Two ingredients that are not blatantly sweet but with a little bit of sugar and spice makes them blend nicely. I prefer to eat these bars over the pumpkin chocolate chip cookies (which are delicious, just not equal) because they are more attractive and less sticky.

From Martha Stewart

Prep Time 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Yield Makes 24

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
1 tablespoon pumpkin-pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 package (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with foil, leaving an overhang on all sides. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, pie spice, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar on medium-high speed until smooth; beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in pumpkin puree (mixture may appear curdled). Reduce speed to low, and mix in dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips.
Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Bake until edges begin to pull away from sides of pan and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely in pan.
Lift cake from pan (using foil as an aid). Peel off foil, and use a serrated knife to cut into 24 squares.

Thanksgiving Ideas

2011-11-24T12:21:00.000-07:00

Here are some last minute yet simple ideas for your Thanksgiving festivities.

Make a Mayflower boat place setting by sticking a toothpick pennant flag into a sliced apple. Soak sliced apples in lemon water right before placing to prevent browning.

Turkey Cookies. Use any combination of cookies and candies. In this case I used striped fudge cookies for the base and back of tail. A leftover Halloween Oreo for the tail feathers. They are easy to push in candy corn feathers. Attach a malt ball head with nutella (or frosting) to the Oreo. Add a candy corn beak. The belly is a mini nutter butter and candy corn claws. Simple enough for children to assemble and keep busy while they wait for the main feast to begin. And always a fun treat to eat afterwards!

Happy Thanksgiving! I am grateful for my family, this blog, for food and many other lovely things in life this day. Gratitude :)

Zucchini Waffles

2011-11-22T07:00:00.003-07:00

Do you have any zucchini left from your summer gardens? We had some late ones hanging on for dear life so I made some zucchini waffles. They are seriously good (and healthy). In the original recipe, she shreds the zucchini, but I blended the zucchini (like I do for this bread) so my picky eater didn't even realize he was eating zucchini!! They have a nice touch of cinnamon which makes them a bit sweeter. Serve with applesauce and/or maple syrup.

Zucchini Waffles

adapted from Life as Mom

Serves: 6 large waffles (I have a four-square Belgian iron)

Ingredients

1 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1/8 cup sugar
1/8 cup baking powder
1/4 Tablespoon salt
1/4 Tablespoon cinnamon
2 cups buttermilk (or use 2 cups milk with 2 Tbsp vinegar until it curdles)
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup sugar-free applesauce
2 eggs
1/2 cup zucchini, cut into thick slices (about 1 medium zucchini)

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flours, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Whisk to blend.
In a blender, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and zucchini. Blend until smooth.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and fold to combine.
Spray waffle iron with cooking spray and pour in about 1 cup batter. Cook.
Cool baked waffles on a rack.
Freezing instructions for waffles: Place the cooked waffles in a labeled freezer bag, removing as much air as possible and store the bag in the freezer.
To thaw and serve: Simply reheat frozen waffles in the toaster or toaster oven for quick morning meals.

Indian Butter Chicken, Crock-Pot style

2011-11-15T14:55:00.003-07:00

I am amazed! I am amazed at how GOOD this tasted. I am amazed that my food snob husband approved of this crock-pot dish. AND my children whole heartily approved too. It is so simple and yet so delicious, and for Indian food! Double whammy! This is one we'll make again and again.

I found this recipe on Pinterest from Meal Planning 101.
Indian Butter Chicken, crock-pot style
Recipe by Lisa Kremer
Serves 4-6, easily

4-6 boneless chicken thighs cut into bite-sized pieces. If they are really small, add more.
1 onion diced
3 cloves garlic minced
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp oil

Stir fry chicken, onion and garlic in frying pan on medium heat until the chicken has some color and the onion is translucent. Then pour entire contents of pan into crock pot. Then add:

15 green cardamom pods OR if you don't have pods, use 1/2 tsp cardamom powder*
She suggested doing: can be strung together with needle and thread - I always do it this way, and then a friend informed me putting it in some cheesecloth would be easier...good thinking.
2 tsp curry powder
1 tbsp curry paste **
1/2-1 tsp cayenne powder . I added 1/2 tsp and it was perfect. The sauce is spicy by itself but on top of rice it milds it down a bit. If you're afraid of the heat, then don't add this ingredient at all.
2 tsp tandoori masala*
1 tsp garam masala*
1 can coconut milk--I used the "Lite" version and did not notice a difference in taste...but it did make it a bit runnier.
1 cup plain yogurt
1 5.5 fl oz can of tomato paste
Salt to taste

Mix gently and cook on high heat 3-4 hours or low heat for 4-6 hours. The internal temperature of the chicken should safely be 165 degrees.

Serve with basmati rice and warm naan bread. Try this sweet basmati recipe for a great combination! It certainly tastes best with the sweetness and nuttiness of basmati but if you don't have any, try sticky, long grain or even wild or brown! It'll still taste good, just not as good.
--If you don't have a local Indian restaurant that you pick your naan up from, or don't make your own, check your local grocery store. I first asked the bakery, and they did not have any. The next store I asked the Deli, where the Greek bread is shelved, and they actually had some frozen naan in the back! $3 for 2 large pieces. You just thaw it out and heat it in the oven for 2-3 minutes. And it was really delicious!

* If you cannot find these spices at your local grocery store, try the Specialty or gourmet grocery stores or International food markets.

**I used Patak's, like she suggested. You can see it in the photo. I liked the mild because my children were eating with us. But if you're feeling a little more adventurous, try the hot blend. You can find curry paste in some grocery stores or specialty foreign food stores. I found mine at my local Macey's (but not at Smith's) in Utah.

Twilight Woods Lotion Giveaway Winner!

2011-11-15T08:57:00.001-07:00

Welcome from Kammy's Korner readers and thank you to those who participated in the giveaway! Unfortunately, I chose only one of you.

Congratulations go to

Alycia

from Crowley Party

You are the WINNER of the Twilight Woods Lotion set! Now you can be even more ready to attend the premiere :) I used the services of random.org and plugged in 30 entries. #4 was the winner!

And while I'm talking about Alycia, I wanted to put a little plug in for her blog. I've actually met Alycia. Our husbands go the same Law School. We go to a dinner group once a month together. She's a great gal and super funny. You should check out her fun blog too! Congratulations Alycia!

Oh, and my play kitchen was featured on Kammy's Korner Trash 2 Treasure today. Sweet! Thanks Kammy for the feature!

Thanksgiving Kid's craft

2011-11-14T14:25:00.001-07:00

Gobble! Gobble! Thanksgiving is almost here! It's one of my favorite holidays. Eating and spending time with family. What can be better than that? The last week we've been trying to teach our three young children about this holiday. Not only about the history of it but about being grateful. I think it's wonderful that Thanksgiving is right before Christmas becuase it begins to put things in perspective for us. My children are already asking about Christmas and gifts! But I am trying to teach them about being grateful too. For J's preschool group last week we made these little turkeys.

Simply grab 2 pieces of card stock. Cut out two circles from one (or use a paper sack for one of the cirlces like I did here). Gather some leaves, of all sizes and colors. Lay out the leaves like a fan tail, and then glue the circles on top. Then add two googly eyes and candy corn for a beak. Simple! It's kind of fun to it the next day because the leaves curl up a bit and look a little more feather like.

REMEMBER: sign-up for the Twilight Woods giveaway. It ends tonight at 11pm. I'll announce the winner tomorrow!

Twilight Woods Lotion Giveaway!

2011-11-11T11:49:00.002-07:00

Hi there! Welcome to my blog if you're new to Bonne Nouvelle!

I am feeling a little sappy. Have you read Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series? If so, I won't judge, haha. I have read them all too and I must admit that I liked them. There are parts of the series that I think are ridiculous but I also think that there are parts that are very clever. She and I have the same alma mater, which is kind of fun, plus I think she is a very smart person. My husband keeps asking me if I've woken up with an amazing novel-forming dream so we could make millions. I told him "in his dreams."

So with the premier of the 2nd to last of the series film, Breaking Dawn, coming in one week I thought it would be fun to host a giveaway! I LOVE the scent Twilight Woods by Bath and Body Works. It's one of my favorite. When I put it on each morning I am taken back to the woods of Washington standing between a vampire and a wolf....no, not really. I just really like the scent. I love everything about Bath and Body Works (no, they are not paying me to say that) and so I wanted to share the joy with one you. ONE lucky winner will receive the THREE items pictured below. One Twilight Woods Lotion, one shower gel and one body spray. I'll ship it out to the winner next Tuesday and maybe you'll get it in time to wear to the premier!

To enter the giveaway you can get up to six, no SEVEN possible entries. Submit any or all of them.

First Entry:

"Follow" my blog (just up and to your right) and leave a comment HERE identifying how you came upon this blog.

Second Entry:

"Like" Bonne Nouvelle on Facebook and leave a comment back HERE.

Third Entry:

"Pin" (Pinterest) your favorite recipe or project from THIS BLOG and comment back with the LINK to your pin here so we can all see it.

Fourth Entry:

Comment on this blog if you like the Twilight book series better than the Twilight Woods lotion, or not at all. Or maybe it's a tie?

Fifth Entry:

Visit my closed Etsy shop and view "sold" items. Is there anything in the shop that you'd like to see brought back next year? If so, comment here!

BONUS ENTRY:

Facebook OR blog about this giveaway and comment back here! (Be sure to leave a link to your blog post)

BONUS BONUS ENTRY:
Follow me on Pinterest, here.

On Monday night I will generate a winner using random.org. Tuesday (November 22) I will announce the winner!

Let the sharing and commenting begin!

Pinterest Challenge and Tutorial

2011-11-02T23:46:00.001-06:00

Did you take the Pinterest Challenge? I first read about in Bower Power's blog, a new one to me. She has a lot of great tutorial and beautiful home makeovers. But she was included in this challenge with other bloggers such as Ana White!

The challenge was to actually make something you pinned. My sister challenges herself with this all the time. She only pins things she can realistically complete in the recent future. I have a lot of pins, many for inspiration that I can use and re-purpose for other projects. But realistically, I don't have time for them all. But these following pins certainly helped with our Halloween this year. Remember, musical costumes?

The first is the Mummy. I drew this inspiration from this pin, on babble.com by Jordan Ferney. This design is from her sister's blog, Design Mom.

I used her same techniques. Sewing and a little hot glue.

First, I started with a pair of ruined (with gum) short-water pants. They were already in the giveaway box so they were the perfect fit. And a ratty old long sleeved shirt.

Then I took some muslin and ripped, ripped and ripped into long strips. So much faster and easier than cutting because it didn't matter if it was frayed. It's perfect for a mummy.

Then I took one strip (they were the width of the fabric, so 44" or so) and started at the bottom of the pant leg. I wrapped around and continued to sew, forcing it above the next layer, in layers, sewing it with about an inch overlap. I would have to roll the pant leg to fit it over the arm of the machine, as pictured. And worked my way up the leg.

I did the same with the shirt. The arms of the shirt were too skinny to place over the arm of the machine so I had to sort of sew them where I could and then hot glue the rest on. It held up great for school parades, trick-or-treating and partying. We'll see how that holds up in the washing machine.

Next, was the Dorothy inspiration. Don't you love that smirk?

I used this pin from this etsy shop for inspiration for the tutu/apron combo and then found the following three for additional inspiration.

1. Daydream Believers

2. goody goody tutus on Etsy

3. Kirra's Boutique on Etsy

I used this board technique found on Pinterest, from the blog Treasures for Tots. Soooo easy and quick! You simply wrap the spool of 6" tulle over and over a 13-15" long piece of cardboard, depending on how long you want the tutu. For my tall 4 year old, I used a 13" board, and only cut on end, making a 26" piece, which doubled over to be 13" long in total. In her tutorial, she cut on both ends, which made 15" long pieces, to create an approximate 7" (after knotting) long tutu for her toddler. And then you wrap with rubber bands to hold in place, and cut the ends!

Then I found an easy way to tie the tulle onto the elastic. This pin was found via the blog Little Birdie Secrets. After sewing (which, by the way, you cut the elastic about 1" smaller than the child's waist. Unlike other sewing projcets, like skirts or PJ bottoms, where you need to cut elastic 1" longer than measurement of waist) the elastic, stick it on your leg, like a garter, and it stays in place. So much easier to tie on ! And in both cases, they each found that double knotting the tulle instead of using a slip knot, not only kept the knot in place just as well, but it was much quicker and easier.

Once the tutu was completed it needed an apron. I received this ugly skirt as a hand-me-down and I knew almost immediately that it would be a perfect fit for Dorothy. Initially I was going to have Jocelyn wear the tutu underneath this skirt and make a separate apron....but it looked ridiculous so I just turned it into an apron instead.

I took this once ugly skirt and cut it. I folded it in half and sewed the inside seam and turned back out for the bottom half. Next I took the remaining half and flipped it up, sewing it onto the top. Added some bias tape for straps, and existing blue buttons to complete the Dorothy look. Done!

Thanks again Katie of Bower Power for the challenge! It was fun!

Halloween 2011

2011-11-02T22:03:00.001-06:00

I can't believe Halloween is over already! Where has the time gone? Oh yeah, to Pinterest.

Our Halloween was more like musical costumes. The theme was to be Wizard of Oz. But then there was moaning and groaning. Jocelyn didn't want to be Dorothy and Samuel didn't want to be the tin man. Cecily had no say in the matter :) She was the lion, which is what the other two had already been at her age, and so it was Wizard of Oz! That was the main inspiration but decided to go with a modern twist. So Samuel was changed from tin-man to robot. And Jocelyn would wear a tutu and an apron. And then....I was a little tired thinking about creating the robot costume, and the logistics of him wearing it at school. With all of his whining he suggested a mummy. That's easy! Tear up some muslin that I already had on hand and sew onto some old clothes! So the theme changed from Wizard of Oz to movie themed characters. It worked for me. A lot less stress and they were happy wearing them which is what matters in the end.

So here are the characters!

The not so-Cowardly Lion

Dorothy

The Mummy

And for breakfast we had orange cat pancakes with sprinkles and for dinner, mummy dogs.

And of course, we had a little party.

Happy Halloween! Be sure to check out the costume tutorials coming up next!

Featured

2011-10-27T23:36:00.004-06:00

Kelle, from Ann Kelle, the designer of Metro Market fabric line through Robert Kaufman featured my little play kitchen as a fabric sighting on her blog. I was delighted to see a message personally from her in my inbox. I've used her strawberry fabric for several projects like J's baking party and then again for C's Caterpillar birthday party. I love the strawberry fabric she designed and still have some left to use for more projects! Thank you Kelle for the feature! Check out her other fabrics and designs for tiny prints cards! I have been seriously contemplating buying her helicopter fabric for a project for my nephew.

And on another note....Do you ever feel like this? Especially around holidays? Cecily, my almost 2 year old, has been sick lately and grumpy, which is very out of character for her so I've been feeling this a bit too, while trying to create a Halloween atmosphere. On another note, I updated the photo for PW's awesome Chicken Pot Pie recipe. I modified it by adding biscuits (time saver). Yum! Nothing like a little comfort food.

Halloween Crunch: Sweet Popcorn Treat

2011-10-24T11:21:00.001-06:00

When it was still safe to eat homemade goodies given to us while trick-or-treating, as a child I loved receiving popcorn balls. I've been looking for a non-caramel popcorn treat for a while and then I saw this on on Pinterest from Our Best Bites.

I modified their recipe a bit to my tastes and you can mix and match however you like it too.

Halloween Crunch

adapted from Our Best Bites

Ingredients:
12 cups popcorn (see easy tutorial here)
1 pound almond bark

Then add whichever nuts and candies you'd like. I added the following:
1 cup almonds, or any variety nut
1 cup m&m's (any kind, plain, peanut butter, peanut, etc)
1 cup candy corn

Pop popcorn (either microwave method or healthier quick method) and place in the largest bowl you have. Add m&m's, candy corn and nuts. Mix. Next, melt almond bark according to directions on package. With spatula, gently pour melted almond bark over popcorn mixture. Stir occasionally. Then take a long sheet of foil, wax or parchment paper and lay flat. Spread popcorn mixture on top. Allow to dry, about 1 hour.

Marshmallow Spider Pops

2011-10-22T22:52:00.001-06:00

Halloween is almost here! Are you ready? Do you have all of your costume assembled? Your trick-or-treats bag retrieved out of storage? Or are they still sitting on top of the Halloween box where you left them a year ago? It's been a year since last Halloween already??

For my daughter's preschool group the beginning of October I decided to make an experimental treat. Marshmallow spider pops. I had seen a cake pop version and wanted to try this simplified version.

These are simple, but a bit messy.
Needed:
--6 large marshmallows
--1 cup chocolate chips
--6 feet black licorice rope (on3 small package is plenty)
--2 edible pearls for eyes
--6 popsicle or succor sticks

First, cut up black licorice ropes into 2-3" pieces. These will be your legs.You simply melt about 1 cup chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl for 1 minute. Continue cooking, for 30 second intervals. stir. Repeat until melted.

After dipping marshmallows in chocolate, see this tutorial here, and while the pop is still wet, holding onto the pop with your left hand, gently take a sharp knife and create 4 small slits onto either side of pop. Gently push 1 spider leg into each slit. Smooth over any missed spots. Dry in a sturdy vase or egg carton to dry. To quicken the drying process, refrigerate for 5 minutes until firm.

You can make wolf spiders, by adding toasted coconut.

Dead spiders, with the curly ends of licorice rope, facing up and eyes on the bottom.

Go ahead, take a bite!

I was featured!

2011-10-19T15:32:00.004-06:00

This is old news by now but I haven't had time to share other then on Facebook. The good news is that my play kitchen was featured on one of my favorite websites, ohdeedoh. Wow! Seriously, it's like a dream come true! I love this blog and it is such an honor to be featured on it.

If you are new to Bonne Nouvelle you can find the featured post here. The abridged repurposing of the play kitchen is here and the unabridged, detailed version can be found here! Thanks for looking!

Brown paper bag popcorn

2011-10-18T23:03:00.003-06:00

Tuesday's Tip: Microwave Popcorn in a brown paper bag

Friday night is movie night at our house, and if meals are eaten up, that means popcorn too! The kids look forward to it each week. We typically make our popcorn in a popcorn popper similar to this one using this completely unhealthy but very much like movie popcorn oil. But sometimes the kids want a quick snack, or I want a healthy salty snack to munch on instead of chips (I said sometimes...).

Try this trick next time you reach for the pre-packed microwave popcorn. I learned this trick in college while experimenting. The first time I made it I put too many kernels in and they spilled out everywhere but it worked and I modified it. Microwave kernels directly in a lunch paper sack and add your desired amount of salt and butter. It takes 3 minutes and about 2 extra steps. Plus it's the healthiest method!

First, you need 1/2 cup of kernels.

Next, fold down the top of the bag twice. Place bag, upright, in the microwave (Yes, I retouched the splatters inside the microwave so that it looked cleaner. Can you believe it?). Heat for 3 minutes; the regular popcorn button, or until the pops are about 2 seconds apart. You don't want to burn it!

Remove the hot bag. While holding it closed, shake it a bit. With your finger (or unless it burst open naturally like mine did), poke a finger sized hole at the bottom of the bag. You can now gently shake out the old maids and re-pop them later.

Season with salt and melted butter, if desired.

1/2 C kernels = about 12 cups popcorn

Lego Birthday Party: Photo goods

2011-10-02T23:05:00.003-06:00

I am not a graphic designer or even very savvy with Photoshop. I use Picasa a lot to do basic editing before going to Photoshop. When I saw this Lego party invitation on delia creates, I thought it was genius! Lego self portrait, inexpensive, simple and classic.

Samuel took the photo for his invite. I added the text using Picasa and then printed them at Costco, 13 cents each. The "envelope" that is made out of lego cardstock (found at Joann's) was actually more expensive then the invite. But all under $3 to create a set of 8. If you don't want to create your own, Delia has a free printable version already made up for you!

Here is the printed "welcome" sign that greeted the boys that I mentioned earlier.

Also inspired by delia creates, I made each boy a place card held by it's own Lego stand. Samuel helped me create these as well. I added the cool bubble and text using Picnik. Then at the end of the party, I taped them to their favor box so they knew whose belonged to who.

Each boy had his own lego guy, picked out and created by Samuel. I just collaged two images into one, and printed on 4x6 and cut in half. It was a perfect size. I ended up spending under $4 for all of these photo goods.

That's all for the Lego Birthday Party! I had so much fun planning this party. I'd appreciate it if you linked back to this if you used it for you inspiration. And let me know! I'd love to see how your parties turn out!

Check out all the details of this party:
Inspiration Board: Pinterest
Part 1
Part 2: Decorations
Part 3: Food
Part 4: Games
Part 5: Party Favors
Part 6: Photo Goods

Lego Birthday Party: Party Favors

2011-10-02T22:45:00.002-06:00

The party favors cost me under $3 each, maybe even less. That's my kind of favor!

Ikea Lego looking boxes: re-purposed. To be honest, they were used. My mom is a school teacher and she used them in her 1st grade classroom for crayon boxes. She didn't need them anymore so I took them, cleaned them up (using W-40 to remove the crayon marks and dish soap) and they're as good as new. FREE.

Coloring Book: Free. This party here gave me a lot of inspiration and info. And I used this website to create a maze and a crossword puzzle. Just copied and pasted, cut to size, covered with spare scrapbook paper, and sewed together.

The pencil sharpener came from Zurchers (25 cents each), & the mini red pencils I purchased on eBay in bulk.

Lego kit. 30 cents each on Christmas clearance.

Lego Candy. Purchased at my local grocery store for $4.20/lb. I bought about 1 pound. They are so fun because they can actually be played with. Plus, it didn't hurt that they actually taste good (like sweet tarts).

Lego mini-fig crayons. I paid $9 for the mold (I found it on eBay in a set with a lego block mold). The crayons were gathered from our broken collection. Although these took a lot of time it was pleasurable recycling the broken crayons. But the kids had fun helping me make them and they are fun to color with! I won't repeat what others have already explained as far as instructions. If you'd like to make your own, there are some great instructions here.

Check out all the details of this party:

Inspiration Board: Pinterest

Part 1

Part 2: Decorations

Part 3: Food

Part 4: Games

Part 5: Party Favors

Part 6: Photo Goods

Lego Birthday Party: Games

2011-09-28T13:49:00.001-06:00

There are many many fun and simple game ideas that you can find on the internet. From building lego towers, car races, to lego bingo and ring toss. I chose 4 simple activities that would take up enough time to fill the 1 1/2 hour party plus 15 minutes for cake/ice cream and presents at the end.

The first game they started with....once they noticed it was here....was to guess how many lego candies were in the small jelly jar with spray painted lid. I gave them a hint to make it easier, like it's a number between 10 and 100. The boy who guessed the closest got to take the jar home. I made the sign on Picnik via Picasa. I took a photo of this Lego dude and added the text and graphics for free! Then I printed it at Costco for 13 cents.

Because each boy received a Lego city boat kit (remember....30 cents a piece, otherwise you could invest in one of those big boxes of Legos and give each boy a pile to build a car or boat with) we took the first 15 minutes, once everyone arrived, to build them. Once they were built, we had a boat race. Just fill a kiddy pool, arm them with a straw, set the rules (like no using hands) and let them race. The boats didn't float as well as I hoped but it didn't stop them from playing anyway. They inevitably got a little wet, but they dried off quickly!

Next up: Balloon scavenger hunt. I saw this balloon idea on Pinterest from Martha Stewart. The balloons were stapled to the shed (but you could pin them to a sheet, tablecloth or tape them to butcher paper and tack to a wall) in the shape of an "S" for Samuel. We filled each balloon with a number that lead to a destination around the house/yard. Whoever found the next clue got to pop the next balloon. My husband had the list of locations and they'd ask him which corresponded with that number and they'd run to the next destination. They were so out of breath! And it took a lot of time because they had to run back and forth. The final destination had a bowl with their party favors inside, so everyone won this game.

Last game...which was very messy by the end of the party was

suck a Lego onto a plate. We dumped a bunch of smaller Lego's onto the center of the table and I timed them for 2 minutes, whoever got the most Legos on their plate, using only a straw, won a box of bubblegum balls.

In between games there was a lot of running, chasing, drinking liquids, eating treats, etc.

Check out all the details of this party:
Inspiration Board: Pinterest
Part 1
Part 2: Decorations
Part 3: Food
Part 4: Games
Part 5: Party Favors
Part 6: Photo Goods

Lego Birthday Party: Food

2011-09-27T07:43:00.013-06:00

I chose to serve sweet treats instead of savory. I've noticed at kids parties all they want to do is play and have fun. They usually waste their snacks, including the cake. So instead of serving pizza and snack foods, to save money and not waste so much food (though there are so many cute ideas for Lego inspired food snacks) we served sweets and started the party at 2pm and ended at 3:30. After lunch but still soon enough so it wouldn't spoil their dinners. Needless to say, they were on quite the sugar high....or maybe it's just friends getting together to celebrate, the natural high.

The cake. Samuel wanted a tall Lego shaped cake. He wanted it to be the color of sand, like a desert. One of his gifts was this Prince of Persia beetle and dude, which matched the theme perfectly. The knobs are made of marshmallows (candy coated because I ran out of frosting). The inside is made of this doctored up chocolate cake from a box (without the coffee or toffee). And as usual, I used Wilton's buttercream frosting. If I would have realized it would be this ugly brownish color, I would have made peanut butter frosting! Mmmmmm, chocolate and peanut butter.
I saw this cake stand idea on Pinterest so I mimicked it. But my cake stand was showing underneath so I added a little more bunting.

I made the little cookies 'n cream Lego blocks that line the cake by simply by melting white chocolate chips, adding crushed oreo's, and then pouring them (using a ziplock bag, cut at the tip) into the Lego mold with miniature chocolate chips placed in the "knobs" of the mold.

My kids and I made angry bird cupcakes, though out of theme, my son loved playing the game on my phone....until recently he no longer plays it. But they were so cute I wanted to give them a try. The idea came from The Crafting Chicks. Plus I needed something to use for the little "knobs" of the Lego blocks shown here.

Samuel's only food request, other than the cake, was "green drink", ie Sprite. I saw these kid sized bottles and thought they were perfect. More than I would normally spend on drinks but they came in a pack of 8, perfect amount. Plus they had these little dimples that looked Lego-ish to me.

I simply covered the existing labels with Lego name labels. You can find the font for free here. I simply printed them off on white paper, colored the outside with yellow, cut around, and glued to a red piece of cut card stock. I adhered them with two scrapbook sticky squares, and then sealed it in back with a piece of scotch tape. Then I simply taped the blue and white paper straws (found for super cheap on Amazon).

I provided them with cups as well, for extra beverage and so I could make these fun koolaid ice cubes and they could see their Sprite change color as it melted. I found the silicone molds in a set of lego blocks and mini-figs (used to make crayons) on Ebay for $19 shipped. The biggest splurge for this party.

How can you have a party without marshmallow or cake pops? I always opt for marshmallow because they are cheaper and easier. After I dipped the large marshmallow's (see tutorial here) I added a mini marshmallow to the top. My son informed me that it looked more like a hat. So later I cut them down and just smeared some more on top. And added faces with an icing tube with a small writing tip, not the edible ink kind because I couldn't find one and this was more useful for other projects. They are stored in a painted egg carton stand.

Wait until the large marshmallows are dry to put the tops on. After I dipped the mini marshmallow, holding it with a toothpick, I used another toothpick to slide it on to the top like you see here.

Check out all the details of this party:
Inspiration Board: Pinterest
Part 1
Part 2: Decorations
Part 3: Food
Part 4: Games
Part 5: Party Favors
Part 6: Photo Goods

Lego Birthday Party: Decorations

2011-09-26T07:00:00.007-06:00

As they entered the yard the guests were welcomed by this stand of balloons. It had a guessing game atop it but the boys were so excited to see each other, they completely bipassed this stand and started playing tag.....disclaimer: If I had been totally ready with the party on time, I could have been standing there as they entered...but I was not....still learning! I was nearly on time!

The Dessert Table.
A small buffet table with some Ikea fabric draped over a simple white tablecloth. Giant Lego blocks created with tissue paper (from Dollar Tree) covered capri sun boxes (idea from this party.) The "knobs" of the Lego are cupcakes. (Angry Bird cupcakes, completely out of theme....but my son's favorite game....until recently...but they were too cute to pass up). I added medium sized gumballs that my daughter noticed at the dollar store, they fit the color theme perfectly and filled the front of the table easily and inexpensively. I deliberately placed this table in front of this brick wall....to mimic the "block" look. If I would have time I would have painted or taped colored paper on the outside edge blocks, in reds, greens, blues and yellows to enhance that vision...but alas, I ran out of time. Just pretend you can see them there and then try it at your own party!

This pennant bunting was inspired by One Charming Party's Superhero party. Instead I used Lego magazines and vintage polka-dotted bias tape that I had on hand to create=free! It is now hanging in my son's room for as long as he'd like.

The game & food table. As I mentioned earlier, I should have set up two separate tables, one for the food eating and another for game playing. The combination of these two activities on one table became messy and cluttered. The boys were spreading out their party favors, built boats, food, soda, and candy Legos. It was a mess by the end!

I tried to incorporate blocks and dots, Lego like. This vinyl tablecloth was a great match, and cost under $1. Scrapbook paper place mats, red square plates and blue napkins. Each plate had their Lego boat ready to be assembled, their first planned activity.

My fabric birthday banner welcomed the guests & gifts.

Lego filled mason jar, with painted rim, for a balloon weight, idea from Delia Creates.

Check out all the details of this party:
Inspiration Board: Pinterest
Part 1
Part 2: Decorations
Part 3: Food
Part 4: Games
Part 5: Party Favors
Part 6: Photo Goods

Lego Birthday Party: Part 1

2011-09-25T22:51:00.006-06:00

My oldest child turned 7 last week! I have a seven year old son! I still can't believe it. For his birthday theme, I didn't really give him a choice. Mean, perhaps, but smart. In January a friend of mine reported (on Facebook, no less) that she scored some Lego men stocking stuffer kits for 30 cents a piece!!! I asked her if her store had any more (she lives in a different state) after I had already scoured mine. She had actually purchased 12 and realized she didn't need that many and sold 11 to me. It was decided then that his theme would be Lego. And I didn't care what type of Lego he wanted.....star wars, harry potter, pirate, etc. Whatever he liked. I've been planning it since March! Thanks heavens for Pinterest as I've found so much inspiration from it, you can view my Lego Party inspiration board. This party from delia creates, in particular was most helpful.

Seven boys were invited, one per year of age, and although I am sad that some my son's friends couldn't come, I am glad that it was a more intimate group of 4 friends. I was prepared, mentally, for a crazy bunch! But physically I wish I was a little more prepared.

For example, this table was used for eating, playing games and building. I should have set up a second table to eat on, so that the Lego's candies and sprite did not all mix together ;)

The Dessert Table

The boys

The birthday boy with his specifically designed cake.

His favorite gift.....one that I bought in January half price. I secretly encouraged him to keep liking the "Power Miner" Lego theme (I don't think it's even sold anymore) so he wouldn't lose interest in this gift. My ulterior motives at work, haha.

I had so much fun planning this party! All on a $50 budget. I like to be as frugal as possible without compromising on style whenever possible.

Keep checking back this week. I will share more posts with all the little details for this party!

Check out all the details of this party:

Inspiration Board: Pinterest

Part 1

Part 2: Decorations

Part 3: Food

Part 4: Games

Part 5: Party Favors

Part 6: Photo Goods

Tuesday's Tip: Freezer Space

2011-09-24T22:54:00.002-06:00

Originally supposed to "air" last Tuesday but the scheduled programing decided to on Saturday. Oh, well, here it is!

Easy and space saving tip to store ground beef.

1. Weigh beef. Either in half pound or pound increments. Store in freezer safe ziploc quart sized bags.

2. Seal shut, leaving about 1" space open. Roll out the beef with a rolling pin or glass.

3. You'll be left with a stack like this. Perfectly thin and easy to store! How do you store your ground beef?

Sage Dijon Pork Chops

2011-09-21T06:43:00.005-06:00

Pork is often overlooked. Chicken and even turkey even seem to be the main source of white meat recipes. But here is a simple, quick and delicious recipe for that "other white meat." Don't you just hear Aaron Copeland's "Rodeo: Hoedown" song? Or don't you? I was wrong!! I youtubed it, his song was on the "Beef, it's what's for dinner" commercial. Dang, I was way off. But I still like pork as an alternative to chicken. Pork's safe internal temperature has been lowered (from 160 degrees to 145) so now it's even quicker to cook!

This recipe is from Cooks Illustrated.

Four-6 oz boneless pork chops, or Eight-thin 3 oz chops
1teaspoon vegetable oil
1/2teaspoon granulated sugar
Sauce
1teaspoon vegetable oil
1medium clove garlic , minced
1/4cup low-sodium chicken broth
1tablespoon Dijon mustard
3tablespoons unsalted butter
1teaspoon minced fresh sage leaves, or 1/2 tsp dried rubbed sage

Instructions

Turn stove to medium heat. Rub both sides of each chop with 1/8 teaspoon oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sprinkle one side of each chop evenly with 1/8 teaspoon sugar.
Place chops, sugared-side down, in 12-inch nonstick skillet. Press meat of each chop into pan. cook until lightly browned, 4 to 9 minutes (chops should be sizzling after 2 minutes; if not, see step 4). Using tongs, flip chops. Cover skillet, reduce heat to low, and cook until center of each chop registers 140 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 3 to 6 minutes; chops will barely brown on second side. Transfer chops to platter, tent with foil, and let rest.
Pour liquid in skillet into small bowl. While chops are resting, add vegetable oil and garlic to now-empty skillet; set skillet over medium heat and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add low-sodium chicken broth; increase heat to high and simmer until reduced to about 2 tablespoons, about 3 minutes. Add pork chop juices to skillet. Off heat, whisk in Dijon mustard and butter until combined. Stir in sage and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper; spoon sauce over chops and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Stuffed Zucchini

2011-09-19T23:20:00.001-06:00

I was looking for an alternative recipe for zucchini and I found a lovely stuffed zucchini dish on Pinterest. I made a few alterations to it.

Couscous Stuffed Zucchini
adapted from Kayotic Kitchen

Ingredients:
1 large zucchini
1 cup prepared couscous, cooked in chicken broth
1 small onion, chopped
4 slices bacon, crumbled
1 tomato, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp basil, fresh, chopped
1 Tbsp sour cream
1/4 tsp curry powder
Parmesan cheese
Parsley, fresh

Instructions:
1. Wash and cut zucchini lengthwise. Gut it by scraping out innards. Set aside.
2. Fry bacon. Meanwhile, chop onion. Once bacon is cooked fry onion and garlic in some of the bacon grease. Add chopped tomato.
3. Prepare couscous by following instructions on package, in 1 cup chicken broth. Set aside.
4. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Stuff inside zucchini.
5. Bake for 20 minutes, or until soft, in a glass dish.
6. Remove from oven, top with cheese and garnish with parsley.

Enjoy!

Fish Tacos

2011-09-14T15:23:00.004-06:00

This is a perfect late summer recipe. Or anytime summer recipe. You can use your jalapenos, cilantro and cabbage. Add some fresh white fish, garlic, onions, corn tortillas, limes and avocado and you're set!

I was browsing Pinterest for some fish tacos and I came up with a lovely combination of three different elements. A cilantro sauce, a crema and a coleslaw. What did I do before Pinterest? These three separate components compliment each other very nicely.

Here are the ingredients:

First, I made the sauce. It's from this lovely blog, originally from Gwyneth Paltrow's cookbook (what doesn't that woman do?). It's pretty straight forward. I just threw it all into a small processor, chopped up the fish and added a little wine.

Cilantro Sauce
1 bunch cilantro
juice from 5 limes
1/3 cup olive oil, plus 2 Tablespoons for cooking
1 small white onion
2 cloves garlic
1 jalapeno **
1/2 Tablespoon garlic powder
1 Tablespoon cumin
1 Tablespoon paprika
salt
pepper

2 pounds halibut

1/2 cup white wine
**If you want less heat, for your or your children, reduce or cut this ingredient.

Combine all ingredients except the fish and wine. Process until minced and smooth (but will have a few small chunks). It comes out to be a lovely orange-y green color. Chop the halibut into 2" pieces. Cook in 2 tablespoons of oil for about 8 minutes. Once cooked through (don't overcook!) add the wine. Once it's reduced and gone, about 2 minutes. Then add the sauce. Cook through for about 2 minutes. Turn off heat and set aside.

While the fish is cooking prepare the crema and slaw.

Here is the link to the crema recipe.
Crema:

1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons fat-free mayonnaise
3 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream
1 teaspoon grated lime rind
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 garlic clove, minced

I just used the same processor, rinsed it out, and threw all of these ingredients into it and blended. It turns out to be a lovely minty green color. Set aside.

Cabbage and Chili Pepper Coleslaw:
I found this recipe in the BHG magazine but now I cannot find it online. So here you go! Um, BHG is having issues....so I will have to try and find the recipe. It was basically cabbage, red onion, cilantro and some lime? Hopefully this link will work now......http://www.bhg.com/recipe/seafood/fish-tacos-with-cabbage-and-chile-pepper-slaw/

In my photos I just simply used plain cabbage chopped up but I did try this recipe previously and it's wonderful. Either way you make it, it'll be good.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

2011-08-30T16:49:00.002-06:00

Zucchini Bread: Your kids will never know it's "good" for them!

This is a re-post, but worth repeating. Do you have too many zucchini from your garden? Do you neglect to pick them before they grow too large and bitter like me? Then use them for zucchini bread. This recipe came from my mother-in-law and it very delicious.....seriously good. The best I've ever tried. You can't taste the zucchini which is why my kids and I love it! And with the added glaze it's like you're eating cake!

3 eggs, beaten
1 C white sugar
1 C brown sugar
3 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
3 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp baking powder
3 C flour
1 C canola oil
2 C zucchini

Glaze: Make a thin powdered sugar glaze and add some cinnamon.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 3 regular sized loaf pans or 1 large and 4 mini pans. Set aside.

First add oil plus chopped (doesn't have to be peeled. It's extra fiber. And it's pureed so it doesn't affect the texture but you can be if you prefer) zucchini into blender. Blend until smooth. Make sure it equals 3 cups. Add more zucchini until it is so.
Next, beat eggs, sugars and vanilla together. Add zucchini/oil mixture to egg mixture. Mix. Add remaining ingredients. Pour evenly into pans.

Bake for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pan. Cool on wire rack.

VARIATIONS:
Lemon Zucchini Bread

1/2 tsp grated lemon rind
1 C chopped nuts

Omit cinnamon and nutmeg and add lemon rind and nuts.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread (pictured)

3 Tbsp cocoa
1 C chocolate chips

Omit cinnamon and nutmeg and add cocoa and chips.

Chocolate glaze:
In a double boiler melt 1/2 C chocolate chips with 1 Tbsp butter plus 5 Tbsp water. Stir until melted.

Off heat add:
1/2 C powdered sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt

Wait until loaves are slightly cooled before glazing.

TO FREEZE:
You can freeze the oil/zucchini blended mixture in a quart sized freezer ziploc bag. Freeze flat. Thaw completely and prepare as normal.

OR you may freeze cooled cooked loaves with glazes. Wrap in saran wrap and then foil.

Enjoy!

Summer Fun Party

2011-08-01T21:42:00.063-06:00

Again, I am going back in time. I hosted this party in July 2011 and am sharing it in January 2012 when there is snow on the ground. It's fun to think of summer in the winter, right?

I invited a bunch of my friends and their children to come over for an outdoor summer party. Any excuse to throw a party! The kids had a blast getting each other wet with homemade sponges likes these from OCP and the adults got to sit around and talk....until they got wet. :)

My little Cecily. Love those chubby legs.

This treat is what I call seashell crunch.

One of my favorite childhood snacks--Bugles, (because they look kind of like shells), goldfish crackers, and pink jello popcorn.

Fresh watermelon on a stick. I tried putting a cupcake liner underneath like I had seen on Real Simple, but the liner just got soggy and defeated the purpose. so I stopped lining them.

Blue Jello cups with swedish fish. It was so hot they began to melt and the kids drank them.

Marshmallow starfish. I saw these on Pinterest and thought they were so adorable! But instead of making the marshmallows from scratch I cut them out of those newer flat rectangle marshmallows with a star cookie cutter (a fondant cutter would work too). So as a result they were really small and took a long time. I did not have any candy eyes so I used white chocolate chips and dotted them with tube frosting. They are coated in melted chocolate then dipped in crushed graham crackers. Laying on a bed of sand (brown sugar).

I had seen this idea on Pinterest too. Fresh pureed fruit frozen in a cup. They just tore off the cup and ate the popsicle before it melted. This is the recipe I used from Sunflower Market. I can't find the recipe now but it was basically pureed strawberries, pineapple juice and perhaps watermelon?

I made this jello with suspending swedish fish. The tutorial can be found here. I think I ended up just making blue jello which is why it is so dark. So the effect ins't quite the same and the fish are swimming sideways. But the kids loved it.

Pretzel crabs. These are simple large pretzels covered in orange (with a touch of red) candy coating (Wilton's). The eyes are like the starfish, white chocolate chips with dots of black frosting.

This paper fish is a vintage kite from Japan. My grandfather caught it when he visited there many many years ago. My mom had it in her stash and it was perfect for this party. It is now hanging in my son's bedroom. I drew on this old shed wall with pink chalk. It came right off with some hose water.

Tuesdays Tip

2011-07-19T22:38:00.003-06:00

Is your kitchen like mine? Full of gadgets or containers, most that only collect dust due to under-use? If so, then you'll agree that although sometimes a cake holder or plastic cupcake holder would be handy to have when transporting cake or cupcakes to another location. But is the space it takes up more valuable?

Or does your family eat as much cold cereal as mine? We go through 1-2 small boxes a week and I hate to throw them out.

Well, why not save some? I have a few purposes that I use them for and here is one. A cupcake holder with lid. A recycled transporter that can be dropped off and no need to be returned. I've volunteered to make cupcakes for families that have funerals at my Church lately. I don't want to drop them off on one of my plates or cookie sheets that'll just need to be returned so I put them in a cereal box and let them take care of the trash. No worries.

Remove the bag. Simply tape the end closed, where you normally open to pour the cereal. Then cut one of the sides on 3 sides, to create a flap. Fill with 24 mini-cupcakes or 12 regular. I usually frost them once they're in the box, just to make it easier and less messy getting them in. Then, if you need, just add a little piece of tap to close it and deliver!

What have you used to transport cupcakes in a less messy or inexpensive way? I've seen the use of a disposable clothing box from department stores. You can cut an "x" to create a little tight slot or hole on top of the box to place the cupcake in. But it won't have a lid. The same concept can be used with a cereal box.

Smoot Poots

2011-07-18T00:01:00.002-06:00

I love country style breakfast. Don't you? This is a recipe from the mid-western states, I believe, hence the unique name. It comes from my husbands side of the family who hail from Wisconsin and Indiana. I have grown to LOVE this recipe over the years. I have modified it to make a little healthier by substituting the sugar with honey and oil with applesauce, and you cannot tell the difference! These are easy, hearty and healthy and delicious!

Smoot Poots
Yield: 6 large pancakes

2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups oatmeal, slow cook kind
2 Tbsp honey
1/3 cup applesauce
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder

In a large bowl combine oats and milk. Let soak for 5 minutes. Then add remaining ingredients and mix. Fry up on a griddle or frying pan. Top with applesauce and syrup. Enjoy!

Mammoth

2011-07-17T11:40:00.000-06:00

Summer Fun Idea #00 (not listed)

Earlier this summer when the kids and I hung out in Mt P we visited the Fairview Museum of History and Art. A few years back they discovered a wooly mammoth fossil in their little town. It's really the only reason worth going to this little museum, other than the really cheap gift shop. Sadly, this is not the original fossil. Payson stole it. So this is a replica but still really cool. When we took the kids a few years ago they were too scared to stand by it. haha. It is really huge. In addition to this guy there are a bunch of other artifacts, some art, a gift shop and some old and broken pioneer wagons and such.

My little brother with the kiddos in front of the wooly mammoth.

Snow Cones

2011-07-16T22:49:00.002-06:00

Summer Fun List #39

Snow Cones at the Park

We were able to visit one of the many snow cone shacks/huts around town. This is one is right across the street from my alma mater and makes me smile every time I pass by this colorful little booth. I'm glad I was finally able to try it out.The kids loved my watermelon cone the best. My son did not like it when his rainbow cone melted and the colors were mixed together. Now we know not to try that mix again! Sadly by the time we got to the park it was over 90 degrees out and way too hot to be safely playing outside before becoming sunburnt and dehydrated so we went home early. Fun memories were created!

Look, how sweet, they're sharing. They loved the special straws with spoons at the end :)

Chalk Art

2011-07-15T17:43:00.000-06:00

I've been sooo busy this last month. Want to hear my excuses? First, I was on a committee to plan a carnival themed party at my Church which kept me very busy. Then, the very next day my family reunion started, which I was also essentially responsible for. That took us to the 4th and then I took a little breather and took my children to visit their grandparents and my sister in Denver. Phew! So needless to say, this blog has been a bit neglected. But in the meantime, I did help my cousin in redesigning my blog a bit. I'm still working on it, but what do you think so far?

The kids and I have been busy with our Summer Fun list.

This week one of our activities was:

Summer Fun Idea #37

Chalk Fun

MIA?

2011-06-27T01:00:00.001-06:00

Have you wondered where I've been lately? Well, to be honest, we've been busy over here having fun in the summer! Seriously, I am so tired by the end of the day.

Here are some images from my parents home in central Utah. We've visited a couple of times this month and I wanted to capture the natural beauty that they are surrounded by. It certainly keeps my children busy while we're there.

I hope that you are enjoying your summer break as well!

Win a trip to Paris?

2011-06-10T00:50:00.001-06:00

Sure. No problem. I wish!!!

Jordan Ferney from Oh Happy Day, who is currently living in Paris, is generously offering an incredible giveaway. She is offering a 7 day trip for TWO and free stay in the luxurious budget hotel Mama Shelter. Incredible!!

Tyler and I would LOVE to go back and visit Paris! We could collect more Apilco porcelain. I can purchase toile and silk near Sacre Ceour. We can eat real French Macrons again, visit the Eiffel Tower without a child and visit old friends and acquaintances. Not to mention hanging out with Jordan would be a treat.

Feel free to enter here but don't spread the word too much! You'll diminish my chances of winning. haha.

Red White and Blue desserts

2011-06-09T18:33:00.000-06:00

Remember these from last year? Yum! I wanted to make these again but decided to branch out a bit. I didn't have to go very far from sandwiched ice cream with sprinkles and candies.

I found these on Pinterest and had to make my own. Do you love Pinterest as much as I do? My new Inspiration Board place to store and remember cool images and inspiration. Love it!!

You saw these S'more pops in an earlier post but I wanted to show them again because they are so tasty and easy to make! These were made with the gigantic campfire marshmallows. Have you seen those at your local store? They're pretty fun.

More sprinkled and mini m&m covered ice cream sandwiches on a stick!

Trifle in a jar.

What is your favorite red, white and blue dessert for Memorial Day or 4th of July?

Memorial Day 2011

2011-06-09T17:21:00.001-06:00

Although it was rainy most of the time, we had a fun filled Memorial Day weekend anyhow. We celebrated with friends and family and ate way too much delicious food!

Here are a few snapshots from the weekend.

S'more Pops. Huge hit with the kids. And with the mom's :)

Patriotic T-Shirts, #43 on Summer Fun list S. is wearing his shirt from last year because his was still drying.

Little C with Otis

BBQ with friends, with Georgia Leigh

Movie night

More desserts coming soon.....

Pennant Bunting Summer Event Calendar

2011-06-08T12:04:00.000-06:00

Along with the 50 summer fun ideas list that I created from the Crafting Chicks, I wanted to hang it up somehow. I liked Chocolate on my Craniums idea of an appliqued wall hanging. However, I wanted something a little smaller. So I kept it simple and stuck to a six day pennant flag bunting event calendar. Each day they flip open the flag and there is a little pocket. Inside each pocket there is a number on a piece of paper. (So far, they haven't cheated and looked ahead at the other pockets so I put them in a week at a time). They refer to the 50 summer fun idea chart clipped to the bunting and that is what we do special that day!

So far it's worked out really well. The visual calendar gets them really excited about what we are going to do that day. Then at the end of the day, they can check it off the list!

Here are some photos I submitted to Delia Creates "Color My Summer Contest". I didn't have the list of 50 summer fun ideas picked up from Costco yet so I substituted it with some scrapbook paper. My idea was chosen and featured here! Thanks to Delia Creates and Kojo Designs for the features!

In the next week I hope to put up a tutorial of how to make your own Pennant Bunting Summer Event Calendar and perhaps a giveaway! So stay tuned!

Featured: Otis

2011-06-01T10:48:00.000-06:00

photo courtesy of a Nicole Hill Gerulat

Once in a while I check out Nicole Hill Gerulat's photo casting calls. She is one of my favorite photographers. I particularly love her work on one of my favorite blogs, One Charming Party. So simple, bright and clear. She's a great commercial photographer. I also know her family through association as I student taught at the high school she graduated from. So we have a lot of common friends. Plus she's a super genuine gal. I went to her book signing party and she was so courteous! Well, she was casting animals a while back so I submitted our little bunny rabbit, Otis. And she chose to use him form some Easter shots including one with this darling model. She said we might even see him on the cover of a parenting magazine. Maybe next Easter?

Our little rabbit is a star!

Here he is featured on A little sussy!

Summer Fun Week 1

2011-05-30T12:57:00.000-06:00

Each week I will post a photo montage of the previous weeks summer special day activities with a brief description. To see my list again check it out here.

Week 1

Day 1: #9 Pot a plant and watch it grow
We used the treasure pots that we made for St Patrick's Day. And a pot S decorated at a local art class.

Day 2: #30 Dirt Dessert
In the kitchen, the kids made the chocolate cook 'n serve pudding. Topped with "dirt", crushed oreos, and buried sour worms.

Day 3: #34 Water Fight
I was feeling under the weather and things didn't go quite as planned. So a water fight with the neighbors and a lengthy play date were the special activities.

Day 4: unnumbered
I was still sick. S took his kindergarten test and did so well! Instead of miniature golfing as planned we bought a gigantic doughnut and posicles and watched a movie instead. It was a happy compromise.

Day 5: #43
Paint patriotic T-shirts.

Day 6: #48 Memorial Day festivities
BBQ with our friends Dave and Georgia (from Georgia Leigh) and enjoying sprinkled ice cream sandwiches.

I'm excited for this upcoming week. In honor of Memorial Day it's Service week. My goal is to visit with our elderly friends, serve Grandma next door and other service related activities.

Later this week I'll post my summer fun calendar which was featured on delia creates! Plus a photo of our pet rabbit who was featured on A little Sussy!

Summer Fun Ideas 2011

2011-05-23T09:58:00.000-06:00

Click on image to see the full list. You can download your own free blank chart from The Crafting Chicks.

I am hoping to make this summer the best one yet in our family! I want to avoid boredom, fighting, watching too much TV and playing too many computer games. My kids ask every single day, "What are we doing special today?" It gets old, real fast.

For the last two summers a friend of mine has used this idea from Chocolate on the Cranium by making a fabric event calender. This year I am finally ready to make my own version (to be shown later...). But today I am showing you our family "Summer Fun 2011" list of 50 plus things to do.

Here are the three main websites I used to get inspiration:

1. The Crafting Chicks: Summer Fun list in jpeg form seen above. I just edited it in Picasa by adding my own text to their blank (free) copy. They also have "60 Summer Fun ideas" here.

2. Chocolate on my Cranium: See her appliqued ice cream cone "cool summer days" calender. Additionally, she has a long list of fabulous activities along with links.

3. The Long Thread: 50 plus summer craft ideas, also divided into year round activities. Fabulous links and photos.

I have to be honest, it's an ambitious list but I really want it to work. And I'm pretty sure my kids will hold me to it :) I'll keep you posted throughout the summer with photos and success (or failures) stories! Stay tuned for the summer chart!

Here are our 50 ideas divided along with some links:

Weekly we'll try going to the library, to a park with friends, and the local water park (we bought a pass).

Vacations:
**Trip to Colorado
**Visit cousins in Richfield
**Lake Powell
**Family Reunion
**Grandma visits

In the Kitchen:
**Dirt Cake
**Mini Jello watermelons
**UnBirthday party prep
**Aroma dough
**Homemade popsicles

Craft/Art/Sew:
**Eric Carle inspired art work here and here.
**Sew church bags
**Paint: Patriotic T-shirts
**Star Fruit stamped bunting, tricky part is finding the star fruit. Maybe a sponge or potato will do.
**Pudding Paint
**Chalk Fun
**Sew summer PJ's
**Paint rocks
**Sea shell creatures
**Water paint sidewalks

Field Trips:
**Thanksgiving Point Dinosaur Museum ($2 Tuesday)
**Thanksgiving Point Gardens ($2 Tuesday)
**Thanksgiving Point Petting Zoo ($2 Tuesday)
**BYU Art Museum
**Zoo
**Bowling, FREE for kids in the summer
**Cabella's
**Bean Museum
**Cars 2 movie

Outdoor:
**Picnic at the Temple
**Hike the Y
**Hike Rock Canyon
**Walk to the Creamery
**Camp in the backyard
**Movie on the lawn
**Ice melting games
**Nature Walks
**Irrigation ditch boat races
**Upcycyled toys here, here and here.
**Fishing at reservoir
**Plant seeds
**Snow cones in the park

Science:
**Slime/Goo
**Volcanoes (mentos and diet coke)
**Ice Melting Games

Themed Weeks:
**Cultural Week: learn about a different culture each day. Invite our International friends over for a lesson/food exchange.
**Pioneer Week: July 18-24. Learn Pioneer stories, go on a hike, make pioneer games, attend parade, etc
**Service Week: visit an elderly neighbor
**Water Week: water fight with neighbors, neighborhood water party, homemade popsicles

I know there are so many great ideas out there! Each family has customized activities for the age, size and shape of your own family. What does your family do? Do share!

Bittersweet growth

2011-05-22T11:35:00.001-06:00

My son has had a momentous week. He completed one year of kindergarten and lost his first tooth. I am starting to feel like Claire on the most recent episode of Modern Family!

After he lost his tooth, which he was so brave about doing, I thought a tooth monster should be made. Together we sewed this little guy.

My proud 6 year old was the head designer and even helped sew it a bit. I found this one after we made ours and he is sad that his did not have more sharp teeth. I also regret not making the pocket mouth a tad bit bigger so the dollar bill doesn't fall out. Oh, and he wanted to add the little cape/wing thing on the back ;0

Along with the last week of kindergarten I gave my son's teacher a little paper sack of mini pencils and a bag of these adorable mini-apple treats from those smart Crafting Chicks. Well, actually, we gave them to her during Teacher Appreciation week, but they would work for thank you's for a great year as well. I used mini nutter-butter cookies because the oreo's were sold out (it was the last day of the sale, I should have known). And they were still cute and tasty!

I tried sewing the wax bag of goodies shut. Sadly though, the "s" in Mrs. didn't come through so I had to pencil that in. haha. I really wanted to re-sew it but I was already running late so that wasn't an option. It's the thought that counts, right? It doesn't have to be perfect.

Sigh, my first born is done with his first year of education. At least he held my hand after his T-ball game on Saturday. He initiated! That melted my heart! I look forward to a great fun filled summer which I hope to blog about this week.

Sarah Jane & Michael Miller fabrics

2011-05-17T11:00:00.000-06:00

I had the pleasure of making two pennant flag buntings for my cousin Sarah Jane. She designed over 50 fabrics for Michael Miller's new line, Children at Play.

It....is....fabulous!

I am so excited to get my hands on more of this fabric later this summer.

She just attended the Quilt Market and she asked me to make some flags. Here is a little shot of the flags and her awesome booth!! I love the wall art!

I made her a little bag to keep the flags in too.

They were so much fun to make that I got a little excited and made two of children shirts with the scraps. I am telling you this fabric is beautiful! Seriously, I can't wait for it!!

Love these trousers made by this friend of Sarah's.

What would you make with her fabric?

Pork Pitas

2011-05-16T22:28:00.000-06:00

While we lived in Paris our wonderful chef friend shared this recipe with us. At the Monoprix you could easily purchase these ingredients. They even had skewers with little pork portions, onions and peppers already assembled with a little packet of Herbs de Provence. All ready to fry up and serve with warm pitas, fresh hummus and crisp cucumber. This recipe is what made me fall in love with those herbs!

It is now one our families favorite recipes! Okay, so maybe I say that about a lot of my recipes. But this one really is likeable by all picky eaters. Though, I have to admit that the kids don't eat the veggies. I tried making my own hummus because I was disappointed by all the American brands. But my version was even worse. So now I stick with the store bought versions. It's a great source of protein and a great snack when craving something salty or savory.

Pork Pita's
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
2-3 thick pork loin chops, trimmed of fat and bone
1 cucumber
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small package hummus
1 red pepper
1 small onion
Herbs de Provence
Pita bread, pocket or flat

Instructions:
1. Cut pork into 1" cubes. Repeat with pepper and onion.
2. Saute veggies until tender. Add garlic and saute until fragrant.
3. Empty veggies into bowl, set aside.
4. Fry pork. Sprinkle with desired amount of Herbs de Provence.
5. Meanwhile, chop cucumber into tiny little cubes. You can make a raita or tzatziki if you wish, but really, it's just fine without it! Cucumbers do the job just the same!
5. Heat pitas in microwave.
6. To serve, slather pita with hummus, add a spoonful of cucumber, pork and vegetables.
Enjoy!

Mother's Day Brunch

2011-05-15T23:15:00.000-06:00

I love my mother and grandmother's. I love my mother-in-law too! It's so wonderful to be able to have such loving, supportive and helpful women in my life. I am proud to be their daughter. To show them my love I decided this year I would cook for them and give them a special brunch.

After I had seen this lovely brunch set-up on OCP's blog I realized that I could create a simplified version! My mom was already in town for the weekend to arrange flowers for my cousins wedding. It was perfectly timed. And I already live next door to my grandma, like across the driveway! Here is a photo from our adjoining yard. Sadly this lilac tree is no longer here. The roots weren't strong enough to handle my 6 year old monkey.

I quickly ran to Sunflower Market to buy some fresh fruit on Friday night. I asked my mom, who was quietly reading a novel, if she could watch my two oldest while I took the little one to the store. Sadly, though, I didn't think I'd be gone more than 40 minutes while the make-ahead manicotti was baking in the oven. My mom had no idea it was in there and in my haste I forgot to look at the time when I left so I didn't call her to check on it. Needless to say now we're stuck eating dried up crusty leftovers. Such is life.

So anyway, back to the brunch. I invited my mom and grandma over along with J, my oldest daughter.

I loved the citrus theme. It felt so summery. I gave up the idea of sleeping in and woke up and got to work. This was a day that I wished I had two ovens. I thought about using my grandma's but I didn't want to to spoil my surprise!

The menu consisted of homemade quiche similar to this recipe (and I made the shell this time!), orange rolls (Rhodes with zest and glaze added), poppy seed bread and citrus drop cookies.

We ate outside on my Grandma's patio. It was perfectly warm and we had a lovely and brief time chatting and eating. Two of my favorite things to do! And with some of my best friends!

On a side note. I was messing around with Picnik and I'm not sure if I like the effects. It was a bright beautiful day but you can't really tell with the film grain effect I added. I like the vintage look to them for this particular shoot anyway. But the original photos were so bright and shadowy. What is your opinion? Do these photos still look edible?

Bake Sale

2011-05-14T09:10:00.002-06:00

I have a few topics to cover today. All doing with school! This is the last week of school for my Kindergartner! I can't believe the school year is over already!

Yesterday the school had their biggest fundraiser of the year, the only one in fact. A huge extravaganza. It was fabulous! The kids and I had non-stop fun for 3 full hours. And that beats selling candy bars door-to-door!

I signed up to bring a food item for the bake sale. And I brought something that I didn't actually have to bake but I knew would be popular. Marshmallow pops! Here is a tutorial, FYI. I was trying to think of something that would hold them while they dried and that I didn't mind donating along with the goodies. I thought about using $1 store floral foam. But I wanted to save time, money and to recycle. So then I thought of an egg carton (not styrofoam...not sure that the paint would stick as well). The perfect marshmallow pop stand! It's sturdy, simple, inexpensive, raised like a little cake stand, and it's recycling.

It's simple! All you need to do is tape the lid, on both sides, with masking or packing tape so the sticks don't fall through the holes when you flip it over. If the sticks lean over too much, then scrunch a paper towel inside before closing to act as filler.

Then cut a hole or "x" on the bottom of the center of each cone where the egg rests. Lastly, you or your children can paint it. I've used acrylic paints and spray paint, and the acrylics coat better. It does absorb a lot of paint, but it still uses a minimal amount. Be sure to let it dry completely before placing the pops inside. I blow dried mine to hasten the drying process but I did not dry it inside so when I placed the sticks inside it was still a little wet and got some paint on some of the sticks. So let it dry and then it's all ready! Just place each pop in the hole. It fits 1 dozen perfectly!

Teacher Appreciation Week

2011-05-02T20:31:00.001-06:00

This week (May 2-6th) is Teacher Appreciation Week. This is the first year I've heard of this as my first child is in Kindergarten. I've found some fabulous ideas on Skip to my Lou. Just click on the photo for the link. These are all easy projects and fairly inexpensive. The hardest part is deciding which one to do!