Positively Peaches

Baked Doughnuts

2012-01-19T21:38:00.000-08:00

For the past week the kids have been able to enjoy the snow. We got snow. Lots and lots of snow. There had to have been at least a foot. I even had lots of fun in it too. Not only because I got to see the kids in awe of all the fluffy white stuff in our yard, or hear their giggles as they played, but because when you spend the day playing out in the snow, you get to come inside and drink warm hot cocoa. We had lots of hot cocoa, made caramel popcorn, and even snow icecream. On top of these yummy foods I found a recipe for baked doughnuts. So this morning before going out to play in the snow, Razy helped me make the dough. Then after dinner we finished the final steps and as a family we enjoyed the yummy goodness.

Before I go on can I just say that I LOVE SNOW SUITS. They make life so much easier. Before we bought the kids snow suits they went out in layers of clothes. They would go out at least 2 or 3 times a day in the snow which meant I had lots and lots of wet clothes to deal with. Now that they each have a snow suit, I have ZERO wet clothes to deal with. Thank you to whomever invented snow suits.

Now onto the recipe.

MMM. Don't they look so good. They were nice and light and fluffy. I got two thumbs up from each member of the family. They were pretty fool proof too. Try them out for yourself and let me know what you think.

***This recipe was taken from Krissy's Creations***

Baked Doughnuts

Makes: About 15 doughnuts (& doughnut holes)

For the Dough
3/4 cups Warm Milk
1 packet Active Dry Yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
1 tbsp. Unsalted Butter
1/3 cup Sugar
1 Egg
2 ½ cup All Purpose Flour
Pinch of Nutmeg
½ tsp. Salt

For the Glaze
* Enough to glaze all the doughnuts
¼ cup Milk
1 tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract
2 cups Confectioners Sugar

For the Cinnamon Sugar Topping
*Enough to cover all of the doughnuts
½ cup Unsalted Butter
1 cup Sugar
1 tbsp. Cinnamon

To make the dough, place ¼ cups of the warm milk in the bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle the yeast over the milk. Let sit for 5 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine the remaining ½ cup of milk with the sugar and butter. Add it to the yeast mixture. Stir to combine. Add the egg and stir until incorporated. Add the flour, nutmeg, and salt and stir until the dough starts to form. Change to the dough hook and knead for until the dough starts to become smooth. If the dough is too sticky, slowly add more flour until it is no longer sticky.

Transfer to the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic and has formed a ball. Place the dough ball in a large lightly greased bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit in a warm place for about 1 hour, until doubled in size.

Once the dough has risen, roll it out on a lightly floured surface until ½ thick. Using a doughnut cutter (if you don’t have a doughnut cutter, you can use 2 biscuit cutters – 1 that is about 3 inches, and the other that is about 2 inches for the inner circle) cut out the doughnuts until you have no dough left. If desired you can gather up the scraps into a ball and roll it out and cut out more doughnuts. However, I found that the dough got too hard to work with.

Place the doughnuts on a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper, about 2 inches apart. Cover with a clean towel and let sit for about 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven 375 degrees F.

Place the baking sheets in the oven and bake for 7 minutes, until lightly golden brown. Be careful to not overbake these. You want them to be light and doughy inside. Let the doughnuts cool for about 5 minutes until ready to top with either the glaze or cinnamon sugar topping

While the doughnuts are cooling make the glaze and/or cinnamon sugar glaze. Each recipe makes enough to cover all the doughnuts. I made a half recipe of each and topped half of the doughnuts with each topping. Or you can choose to just do one of topping for all the doughnuts.

To make the glaze, combine the milk and the vanilla in a small saucepan. Heat over low heat until just warmed. Slowly add in the confectioners sugar and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Remove the glaze from the heat and place over a bowl of warm water.

To glaze the doughnuts, dip them halfway into the glaze and place on a draining/cooling rack set over a baking sheet. Sprinkle with sprinkles if desired. Let set for about 10 minutes.

To make the cinnamon sugar topping, melt the butter in a saucepan or a microwave, and place in a small bowl. Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a medium sized bowl.

To top the doughnuts with cinnamon sugar, dip the halfway into the melted butter. Then dip them into the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Set on a draining/cooling rack to set, about 5 minutes.

Serve and enjoy :)!

Leaving behind 2011...Heading into 2012

2011-12-31T08:43:00.000-08:00

2011 is about to go, but what a great year it was...

JBody and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary

Lil' E grew up fast in my eyes after becoming an official grade schooler (1st Grade)

The kids kept us busy with sports...wrestling, tball, baseball, soccer, flag football, basketball.

Razy started her first year of preschool without Doble and Doble moved into the big kid class.

Doble learned to ride a 2 wheel bike.

After trying for exactly a year JBody and I are pregnant!

5 Camping trips, Lil' E polar dipping in the ocean, Birthday parties and big cakes.

My little sister returned from her mission in the Philippines

2 new members born into the family (1 nephew and 1 neice)

The list could go on and on!!!

What is to come in 2012

We get to find out what our little bean is in Jan.

Baby #4 arrives in May

Lil' E is turning 8 and GETTING BAPTIZED!

Doble starts Kindergarten, Lil' E 2nd grade (oh my I am feeling old).

More camping trips this time with 6 of us instead of 5

DISNEYLAND!

Have a Fun and Safe New Year!! I am looking forward to a wonderful 2012.

Homemade Frozen Hasbrowns

2011-12-29T14:24:00.000-08:00

I was down in our basement yesterday and noticed the buckets of potatoes we had harvest earlier this fall. I have a tendency to forget about what is down there and decided I needed to something with the potatoes before they went bad. I know that they can last pretty long, but I didn't want to take my chances. Besides we have cans and cans of potatoe flakes in our pantry so I wanted to to something with them other than use them for mashed potatoes. HASHBROWNS! I figured there had to be a way to make your own frozen ones since you can find them in the stores. And of course google came to the rescue.

To make your own hashbrowns you will need:
Potatoes!!! Yep that is it. Well you will need some equipment and water, but no preservatives.

You can buy your potatoes or harvest your own. These are ones from our own garden, but in the past I have gotten those big bags of potatoes and then wasted them because we didn't know what to do with all of them. Now I know!

Wash and peel your potatoes.

Cut them into large chunks. Place them into cold water and bring to a boil. Boil for 10 mins. This will keep them from browning in the freezer.

I forgot to take a picture, but after they have boiled. Drain them and place in cold water to stop the cooking process. Keep them in water and place in the refridgerator overnight.

Using a food processor grate or shred your potatoes. You will notice how dry they come out. This is a good thing. Dry potatoes are what make your crispy yummy hashbrowns.

Place in gallon ziploc freezer bags. I put 2 pounds in each bag. This way if I have a recipe that calls for hashbrowns they are in the same size bags you would buy from the store. Lay them flat and get all the air out of them. Lastly place them in your freezer. Easy Peasy. And Cheap too!

The "Minivan" Express

2011-12-29T14:10:00.000-08:00

Wow it seems like forever since I have blogged. I am starting to feel better and really wanted to share this new Tradition we started this year.

I have mentioned it many times before, but I love Pinterest. I love that many of my friends use it too. Thanks to my friend Crystal I was able to do this fun and memorable event with my kids. It is called The "Minivan" express. Yep just like the Polar Express. Of course we don't own a train so our van became the polar express. Here is what you will need to start this wonderful family tradition with your children next Christmas.

First you will need to print your tickets off. I found mine over at Memories are the Scraps of Life. The actual link to the tickets can be found on her page or you can just go HERE. I found some great gold paper at our local scrapbooking store. You could print it off anywhere but the gold really gave it that special touch.

While the kids were getting ready for bed with Daddy I made Hot Chocolate and Popcorn. The kids could smell the popcorn so I had to tell them we were going to make popcorn balls the next day. I hid their tickets under their covers for them to find when they climbed in. Daddy saw and heard all the excitement of discovering the tickets, because I was outside in the car ready to great the kids.

"All Aboard!" Before entering the car they each had to show me their ticket to get it punched (just like in the movie). Daddy came out and we were ready for the ride. A little bit down the road the Hot Chocolate song came on and the kids discovered their Hot Cocoa and Popcorn bags. Razy thought the ticket meant that we were going to go ride the real Polar Express. After some explaining we told her she was in the Minivan Express and we were on our way to go see some pretty Christmas Lights. Razy is NOT a fan of Santa. So we had to assure her that we would not be stopping to see the big man in red. We found some beautiful lights. Here are a couple of our favorites.

This was just a little house, but it had hundreds or lights.

This next house was the whole reason we traveled 30 mins to the next town to see. It was amazing. I wish pictures did it justice. We were first greeted by this giant snowman. Then a sign that said "Drive Thru". The owners let you drive their u shaped driveway to see the whole yard.

This is the entry to the driveway. On the left is a carousel that spun and trees and bushes that were covered in lights.

The Nativity

Here was the landing dock for Santa and his sleigh. You can even see Santa taking off in the distance.

And last but not least Santa in his big delivery truck.

After seeing the lights we headed home. Of course we had to stop for an icecream treat. When we got home we sent the kids upstairs to rebrush their teeth and get into bed. This is where they found their last surprise. On each of their pillows was a bell, that was left by Santa while we were gone. They were so excited. It was the perfect touch to the end of a wonderful night. Just what I needed to help me get into the Christmas spirit.

What are some of your family Chirstmas traditions? New or Old?

Thanksgiving Turkey Veggie Platter

2011-11-24T09:34:00.000-08:00

Need a last minute way to make your veggie tray cute for your Thanksgiving table? How about turn it into a turkey? I found this cute little idea on pinterest and knew I wanted to make it.

The original was cuter but I wanted to add celery and tomatoes and didn't want as many peppers that they had on their tray. It doesn't matter the veggies you use, it is the color that really makes the turkey.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Apple Crisp Recipe

2011-11-09T10:28:00.000-08:00

I have apples coming out of my ears right now. Earlier during the summer months I prepared bags and bags of pear puree to turn into pear applesauce. I have been dreading the applesauce making because I have been feeling so icky. Well with the help of my mom and brother I went and picked baskets full of apples. I have been slowly working on them and have made 10 quarts of pear applesauce, 5 pints of apple butter, and I still have lots more to do. Well last night I decided to take a break and make something other than applesauce. The kids and I found a yummy recipe and got to work. I am excited to share it with you. It smells delicious and tastes even better.

Apple Crisp

10 cups all-purpose apples, peeled, cored, and sliced.

1 cup white sugar

1 TB all purpose flour

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 cup water

1 cup old fashioned oats

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

2. Place the sliced apples in a 9x13 inch pan. Mix the white sugar, 1 TB flour and ground cinnamon together, and sprinkle over apples. Pour water evenly over all.

3. Combine the oats, 1 cup flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and melted butter together. Crumble evenly over the apple mixture.

4. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 45 mins. (If your topping is getting too brown you can cover with aluminum foil. I did this for the last 5 mins)

5. Let cool for a little bit. Serve with icecream!

Stay tuned for Pear Applesauce recipe.

Shaklee Winners & Apology

2011-11-03T13:05:00.000-07:00

Hello Readers. I was supposed to announce this a couple of days ago, but I have a confession to make. I have been super sick. Getting on the computer is an effort. So much so that I rarely check my email and I am never on the blog or facebook anymore. I am hoping this will pass sooner rather than later. It has been about 3 weeks now and who knows it could be another 3 weeks until I am feeling back to normal. Forgive me for being a couple days late and bear with me in my lack of posts. I really had plans on doing Give Thanks November this year, but it is looking like it could be later in the month that I will start it, if I do even start it. Enough with my sad story and onto your winnings. The following ladies have won a sample of the Shaklee Basic H Solution.

Ladies you will be given an email to let you know that you have one. You will have 48 hours to respond. Congratulations!

If you are still reading than I will let you know why I have been so sick if you haven't already guessed.

We are Expecting Baby #4

We are so excited. I am so happy that each of the kids are so excited. Razy inparticular cannot wait for her baby "sister" to come. I keep telling her that there is a chance it could be a baby brother. "Nope" she says. "Girl babies come from mommies, and boy babies come from daddies." Well little girl it doesn't work like that. I am just happy that she can't wait to take care of it and be a big sister. I know it will be a big suprise and change for her since she has been the baby for so long. There are benefits of being the youngest and those are soon to be taken away from her. For her sake she may want to have it be a boy. That way, being the only princess cannot be taken away from her. I on the other hand will love a boy or a girl. There a things about both that I would love, but I really do think that every girl does need a sister. Right now I can't be thinking about boy or girl. I am just trying to get through the yucky morning sickness that seems to linger all day and into the night. I am just thankful for an understanding husband who is okay with the fact that laundry isn't getting done (unless he does it), that the house is very ~~messy~~ lived in, and that dinners have become quite creative. This will pass and I know that soon I will have forgotten how sick and tired I have been. It is just all new to me. This is the first time I have been sick during pregnancy. I had other complications, but those seem so minor to the feelings I am feeling now. You ladies who suffered or are suffering morning sickness I feel for you.

How were your pregnancies? Were you sick? Tired? or did you feel the best ever in your life while pregnant?

Shaklee Basic H Review and Giveaway {multiple winners!}

2011-10-17T15:45:00.000-07:00

Recently I was asked to review a product called Basic H2. It is a product by the Shaklee company. I had never heard of the product nor the company until I was sent my sample. To be honest I laughed a little when I saw the small capsule that came in the mail. I was expecting a larger package. However, after reading the information on the packaging I realized that that tiny capsule would actually make 2-16oz bottles of cleaner.

Not only did it make 2 bottles, but this super cleaner has the ability to basically clean my whole house.

According to the website it can clean...

Barbecue grill grunge, Sticky countertops, Muddy doggie prints, Greasy pans, Crayoned walls, Splattered tomato sauce on stovetops, Kitchen appliances, Bathroom fixtures, Streaks on windows, Dusty tables, Adhesive residue, Microwave mishaps, Patio furniture, Wooden decks, Chrome lighting fixtures, Spotty silverware, Spilled juice, Water-marked windshields, Shoe track marks, Grimy toilets, Remote controls, Filthy volleyballs, Dirty gym bags, Refrigerator inside and out, Steering wheels, Dusty ceiling fans, Chandeliers, Telephones, Banisters, Fingerprints on bathroom mirror, Greasy kitchen sinks, Chocolate on kitchen walls, Coffee mug rings on tabletops, Pizza dough on countertops, Dog slobber on glass doors, Veggie drawers, and more.

Not only does that pretty much cover EVERYTHING inside the house, but it has many uses outside. I wanted to test it out and I found that they were true to their word.

Not only did it clean the crayon off my walls, but my banister was pretty nasty and it cleaned it up good as new.

I didn't take a picture of everything I cleaned with the cleaner, but I will say that I was happy with the product. The very first thing I cleaned was my bathroom. I will be honest. When I clean my bathroom I love the fresh scent to the cleaner that I usually use. The one thing with the Shaklee Basic H2 is that it is unscented. Many people would probably like this feature. Myself on the otherhand, am not used to cleaning with out a scent. So subconciously I thought it was not cleaning. However, it cleaned very well. No streaks and residue left on the countertops or the toilet. All bathroom odors were eliminated, so that was a plus. I will just have to get over the minor issue of no scent. I guess that just means I can put a scentsy in their and I won't get the mixture of Autumn Harvest and Bathroom Cleaner. That is a Bonus!

After researching a little bit I found out some pretty cool facts.

This little 16 oz bottle creates an unbelievable 48 gallons of super-safe, really powerful, all purpose cleaner.

1 bottle of Basic H2 equals the cleaning uses of 5,824 bottles of 26 oz. Windex®*

Depending on your cleaning needs the concentrate can be diluted differently.

For all-purpose cleaning:

Add 1/4 tsp. to 16 oz. of water.

For windows and mirrors:

Add 1-2 drops to 16 oz. of water.

For degreasing:

Add 1 1/2 tsp. to 16 oz. of water.

For bigger jobs, add 2 oz. to 1 gallon of water.

Not only is this a great little cleaner it is Non-toxic, Natural, and Biodegrable.

Shaklee has other products that look just as great to use as the Basic H. If you would like to learn more about Basic H and other great Shaklee products please visit Andrea's website.

Would you like to try Basic H out for yourself? Andrea has offered to giveaway some samples so you can make up 2 of your own bottles of Basic H.

How to Enter:

Visit Andrea's Shaklee website and tell me what other product you would like to try.

For more entries:

1. Follow my blog

2. Blog about this giveaway and leave a link.

3. Share on Facebook

4. Tweet about this giveaway.

This giveaway will end November 1st, 2011 at 11pm PST.

There is a Monster in Our Toilet

2011-10-02T11:21:00.000-07:00

Halloween is soon approaching. I love this time of year. Mostly becuase I love fall and the lead into The Most Wonderful Time of Year...yes I will say it CHRISTMAS! Razy and I had all our fall decor up 2 days before October 1st. We have fall and Halloween stuff in the living room and dining. I am slowly finding crafts and other fun decor. When I came across the Toilet Monster I knew I had to do it.

All I did was take a piece of blank newspaper print and taped it to the toilet. Then I made a template by freehanding Mr. Monster. I cut it out and then use that as my guide for my vinyl. I cut him out of the vinyl and placed him in his new home. Hopefully monsters like living in toilets because with 2 little boys I know I wouldn't want too.

Oh So Cute Hair Accessories

2011-10-02T09:38:00.000-07:00

Last night I stayed up pretty late playing around with ribbon. I found some cute hair clips on pinterest and google and decided to try my luck at making them. They didn't have instructions so I jut made it up as I went. I think they turned out pretty cute.

Butterfly hair clip: found one similar on google and made up my own.

Cupcake Hair Clip: The one I found on pinterest had different frosting. I think I like the way mine turned out a little better. It was easier to make too.

Soccer Hair Clips: I can't wait for Razy to wear these at for her next soccer game. I think they turned out pretty cute. I got the idea from pinterest.

Strawberry Bows: I didn't make these last night, but thought I would share them again.

Strawberry Bow Winner!

2011-10-01T07:37:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all those who entered my giveaway for Razy's Birthday. She had a wonderful day. Here are a couple pictures of the day.

I will be posting the strawberry filling I did for this cake over on my cake blog.

Now onto the winner of these cute little bows.

THE WINNER IS:

QUEEN OF SPADES

I have notified her. Thanks again for playing and wishing Razy a Happy Birthday!

Happy 4th Birthday to my Little Princess! {Giveaway}

2011-09-24T22:40:00.000-07:00

Today my little girl turned 4. I can't believe it, nor do I really want to think alot about it. Only two more years and I will have all three kids in school. We enjoyed her birthday at the soccer and football fields. Tomorrow we will celebrate it with family. Pictures to be posted tomorrow night. For now let me share with you the giveaway that I have been promising.

Happy Birthday Razy!

Favorite Food: Cereal

Favorite Color: Pink, Purple, Blue

Favorite Song: Anything she makes up.

Favorite Movie: Tangled and Strawberry Shortcake

Best Friend: Doble

Favorite Toy: Babies and Princess Barbies

Dislikes: Potatoes. She hates them, french fries and all.

Birthday Theme: Strawberry Shortcake

In honor of the her Birthday I am giving away a set of Strawberry Clips!

To Enter:

Mandatory: Wish Razy a Happy Birthday

Extra Entries:

1. Follow Positively Peaches

2. Follow my cake blog Peach of Cake

Remember to leave an email address for me to contact you.

This Giveaway will End Friday September 30, 2011 at 12am PST and a winner will be announced the following day.

Piggies with Ribbon Headband

2011-09-23T18:08:00.000-07:00

This is a repost of a hair do I did in March.

If I told you the week I have had you would understand.

I love doing Razy's hair. I love hairbows and flowers and headbands. I love creating hairdos that go along with the holidays. I love hair blogs. I follow a couple that I really like. A couple of weeks ago a friend of mine told me about another one that I really like. This morning as I was contimplating a hairdo for church today I found this one. Razy got to choose the style. I gave her three choices and she picked her favorite. I thought I would give a little tutorial for those that wanted to try it.

Start by making a part down her head. I like to part Razy's hair to the side, but you can part down the middle. Divide each side of the part into two. The front section of each side is just temporary. For the back section put the elastic toward the bottom.

For each back section either braid or twist braid and tie off the end with an elastic.

Take each braid or twist braid over the head and tuck it into the elastic from the other side. This is where you will weave your ribbon into the hair. She says to sew it, but I couldn't find a needle so I just weaved it.

With the remaining hair in back divide into two pigtails and add the hair from the front temporary part and the ends of the braids.

To create the bun: In each piggy make a braid or twist braid and tuck the ends into the elastic then curl and add a bow.

So my tutorial isn't as good as the one I followed. Head on over to The Story of a Princess and Her Hair for a better tutorial and more cute hairstyles.

Faux French Fish Tail {tutorial}

2011-09-22T21:50:00.000-07:00

Sorry for this late post. Kind of a busy day. I am behind on Razy's Birthday Cake and we had lots of running around with drop offs and pick ups and football in between the cake/cupcake making. But here I am and here is your new hair style.

1. Begin by taking a small portion of hair at the top of the head. Tie it off with a rubberband.

2. Divide that portion of hair in half.

3. Take the pony and pull it through the top and out the bottom of the divided pony.

You should end with a piece of hair looking like this.

4. Take another portion of hair and tie it off with a rubberband.

5. Repeat step 2 and 3 by pulling the through the hair.

5. Continue steps 1-3 all the way the head.

6. End at the back of the neck.

7. Take a rubberband tie it around the remaining pony tail about 1-2 inches down.

8. Pull hair through like you have been.

9. Continue all the way down the pony tail and you are done.

I love how the pony tail looks similar to a fishtail without the tedious braiding. A fish tail is very hard to do on Razy's hair and this way it holds better in her hair in less the time.

Winner of the Birthday Countdown

2011-09-21T14:20:00.000-07:00

Today is the big day to announce the winner of our Birthday Countdown Giveaway. Thank you to everyone that entered. I really enjoyed hearing all about your fears and excitements about turning 30. So far I have had a wonderful 30th birthday. I really have been looking forward to moving into the 30's club. I am grateful to have wonderful friends and know amazing women that are in their 30's and beyond. I will have to say that I do feel different. I feel blessed to be where I am at at 30. My 20s were fun. I learned alot. But in my 30s I hope to really enjoy the stage my children are at. I hope to become a role model to those younger than me, so they see that turning 30 isn't as bad as they might think.

And the winner of the Countdown is...
Kim from Tiaras and Bowties

Kim I have sent you an email. You have 48 hours to contact me or the prize will go to someone else.

Three Braids to One {tutorial}

2011-09-21T08:18:00.000-07:00

Maybe you could help me out with a name for this style. Three Braids to One isn't that cool. Well here is a way to get the side part french braid look. I don't actually show you how to french braid on here, but there are awesome tutorials on youtube to help you out. That is actually how I learned.

1. Part the hair way off to the side. I like to pull the extra hair in the back and tie it off so it doesn't get in my way while I am doing this first french braid.

2. French braid the hair that you just parted and tie off with a rubberband.

3. Part the rest of the hair in the middle of the head. Tie off the side that you are braiding first.

4. Using the first braid as a one of your three pieces, braid one half of the head. Tie off at the end.

It will look somewhat like this once incorporated.

5. Braid the other side. You can leave it in french braided pig tails or go on from here.

6. Combine both braids together and turn it into one braid. This part can get to be a handful. Work carefully as to not undo your french braids.

Don't forget today is the last day you have to enter my Birthday Week Giveaway. It ends at 10:03 AM PST. If you missed it don't forget that Saturday I will be hosting a new giveaway in honor of Razy's Birthday.

Webbed Hair {tutorial}

2011-09-20T06:57:00.000-07:00

Did you keep the rubberbands in from yesterday's hairstyle? If so keep it in. If you are just seeing this thats okay you can start today.

1. Seperate the hair into 5 small sections and tie them off on top of the head with rubberbands. For the purpose of this tutorial I am using colored rubberbands to make it easier to identify the steps.

2. Starting from one end take all of the purple pony and half of the green pony tie them together with a rubberband.

3. Take the half that is left over from the green pony and half of the blue pony and tie off with rubberband.

4. Continue this process until you get to the end. You will add the whole pony at the end, like you did when you started. You should end with 4 new ponies.

5. Make two new ponies by tieing two ponies together.

6. Tie your two new ponies togetheer to create one. You could end here with the hair down. However, we were going to soccer so we needed to get it up off her neck.

7. Grab all the hair and place it into one large pony.

Just because I think she is so cute with her hair pulled back, here is a front view.

Don't forget tomorrow is the last day to enter My Birthday Week Giveaway!

Stay tuned for another giveaway on Saturday for Razy's Birthday!

Rubberband Headband {tutorial}

2011-09-19T07:01:00.000-07:00

Today's hairstyle is a quick one. You will need 5 rubberbands. Razy likes her colored bands for this one because she calls it rainbow hair.

1. Seperate the hair in 5 pieces tieing each piece off with a rubberband. Leave it in tomorrow and I will show you how you can take it further.

A front view.

Don't forget tomorrow to enter My Birthday Week Giveaway!

Stay tuned for another giveaway on Saturday for Razy's Birthday!

Braided Shoelace Piggies {tutorial}

2011-09-18T07:13:00.000-07:00

Today's hair style is going to can be done really easily by recycling yesterday's hair lines. However, you don't have to. This tutorial is done without using the same lines, but know that if you did the Shoe Lace Piggies yesterday your lines are already made for you today.

1. Part the hair in half. I like a side part so I usually part her hair at the side and then part it in the middle.

2. On the top of her head place piggies on either side of the part. I use about a third or a little under a third for these first piggies. Braid each of these piggies.

3. Take about another third of her hair for this next step.

4. Cross the right top piggy and add it to the second third part of hair on the left side of head. At this point you can tie off and then begin a new braid. However, today I didn't tie it off and I just went to braiding.

5. Repeat step four on the with the top left piggy.

6. Take the new left piggy that you created and add it into the remaining bottom third on the right side of the head. Either tie off and braid or just begin braiding.

7. Repeat step 6 with the right piggy.

Here is a look at the finished hair style. Reminds me of a Pocahantas braid.

Don't forget, I will be posting a new hairstyle tutorial until Friday the 23rd. Then on Saturday I will be hosting a giveaway in honor of Razy's Birthday!

If you haven't already entered, go enter my Birthday Week Giveaway.

Shoe Lace Piggies {tutorial}

2011-09-17T12:27:00.000-07:00

I don't know if you caught the end of my Birthday giveaway post that I would be putting up a weeks worth of little girl hairstyles in honor of Razy's Birthday. Well her birthday is a week from today. Yep my baby is going to be 4. I love doing her hair and lucky for me she likes it too. Many mornings I let her decide what style she wants. If she says piggies I choose what kind of piggies but she get piggies none the less. Same with ponies and braids.

I am going to start off by posting a series of styles that work off eachother. The first is the Criss Cross Piggies. We call them the Shoe Lace Piggies because they look like a shoe lace to me when they are done.

1. Part the hair in half. I like a side part so I usually part her hair at the side and then part it in the middle. You can kind of see what I mean from the picture below. (Excuse the cereal in the shot. I do Razy's hair most mornings, before school, during breakfast.)

2. On the top of her head place piggies on either side of the part. I use about a third or a little under a third for these first piggies.

3. Take about another third of her hair for this next step.

4. Cross the right top piggy and add it to the second third part of hair on the left side of head and tie off with a rubberband.

5. Repeat step four on the with the top left piggy.

6. Take the new left piggy that you created and add it into the remaining bottom third on the right side of the head and tie off.

7. Repeat step 6 with the right piggy.

8. You can end here or go another step. I think it looks super cute with curls.

9. Curl each piggy and tie ribbons or place bows or flowers. Can you see the shoe lace look?

All ready for her first day of preschool.

Stay tuned tomorrow for a recycle of this hair style.

To Brood or Not to Brood

2011-09-16T13:19:00.000-07:00

Meet Broody Judy

It is kind of late in the season to be letting one of our chickens go broody. But I just couldn't resist. Broody Judy has been toying with the idea of becoming a mother for the past month. She would act like she wanted to brood then change her mind. Then a week later I would think she was ready and then nope. Two days ago I found her sitting on 4 eggs in the hen house. She stayed on those four eggs and allowed other hens to sit in her box with her then she would take those eggs and situate them under her body. I checked on her at night and she was still there. So yesterday I went to walmart and bought her a 30 gallon Rubbermaid bin, cut a hole in the side, layed some bedding and waited. I didn't want to move her until night because I wanted to get her to accept her new nest. JBody helped me move her and her clutch after dark and this morning she was still there. I guess it looks like we are going to have some baby chicks in about 20 days or so.

This is really exciting for us. The last time we had a hen go broody she hatched about 12 eggs. That was our dear Mama Fluff. She was our favorite chicken. She was killed by a hawk last spring. We have since added 10 more birds to our flock since she hatched her eggs. 6 of them are Buff Orphingtons like she was. Broody Judy is also a Buff Orphington. They are known to go broody. We were just not expecting her to go broody at only 7 months old.

Picture of mama fluff. She looks like she is a cranky little thing. But she actually was quite sweet. Her and her sister Zebra would follow us around the yard, when it was just the two of them. She would let the kids pick her up and not peck at them. She is still talked about with from the kids.

Mama Fluff with some of her babies.

We will keep you updated on Broody Judy's progress to Motherhood.

Happy Birthday Emily! Another Chance to Win!

2011-09-15T13:32:00.000-07:00

Remember I told you there would be another chance to win a cute birthday countdown? Well I have made another countdown to be given away in honor of my friend Emily's birthday on the 18th.

If you haven't entered for your chance to win here on my blog don't forget to do so. Once you have entered here, head on over to Insanity Rules for another chance. And while you are over there you can join her Birthday Bash and enter some other great giveaways in honor of her birthday.

It's My Birthday Week! {Giveaway}

2011-09-14T15:14:00.000-07:00

In our house birthdays are a big deal. I go all out on the cake for the kids. I like to do pinatas, and banners, and do fun cupcakes for the kids at school. JBody and I celebrate for the whole week leading up to the big day. Well this year is no different. No I don't make a cake for myself, or banners, and pinatas. But I am celebrating here on the blog. This year it is the big 3-0! I am turning 30. Last year I was not happy about this, but I am actually looking forward to leaving the 20's and moving into my 30's.

To celebrate I have decided to host a giveaway. Did you see the cute birthday countdown at the begining of the post? I just finished making it. And it is what I am giving away. Well either this one or one similar. I've made 2. This one and one with similar colors. The other will be given away too, but on a friends blog to celebrate her birthday! That giveaway starts tomorrow. You can try your luck with BOTH giveaways! How great is that? I celebrate and you get the present. Good luck with the giveaway and don't forget to follow the rules. Today's giveaway and tomorrow will have different rules.

To Enter:

Mandatory: Tell me what you were or are excited or scared about turning 30.

Remember to leave a way for me to contact you. If your profile or blog page don't have your email then leave one for me in the following format (positivelypeaches at gmail dot com)

1 Extra Entry: Follow Postitively Peaches via Google Friend Connect

1 Extra Entry: Follow Peach of Cake via Google Friend Connect

1 Extra Entry: Tweet this giveaway and leave a link.

1 Extra Entry: Blog about the giveaway and leave a link.

Contest Ends on My Birthday: September 21st, 2011 at 10:03am (that is what time I was born)

I will do a random drawing and the winner will be announced (hopefully if all goes smoothly) the following day!

Sorry but entries are limited to U.S. addresses only. I know bummer right?!

Be sure to comment seperately for each entry. You must do the mandatory entry in order to do the extra entries.

I am so excited to share one of these with you. It was fun to make and I love seeing it up on the self. Yeah we celebrate 2 birthdays in September so it gets to stay up extra long.

Stay tuned because Razy celebrates her 4th birthday this month and starting Saturday the 17th I will be posting a weeks worth of fun little girl hairstyles with a giveaway on her birthday!

How to Can Peaches {tutorial}

2011-08-31T10:32:00.000-07:00

First off I have to apologize for this tutorial. It is a NON PICTURE tutorial. For those of you who have ever canned peaches before you know how sticky and messy it is. For those of you who will soon can for the first time, you will see why there are no pictures in this tutorial. So let's get started.

Before you Begin

The best way to can peaches is with a friend. Trust me it makes the process alot quicker and enjoyable. JBody and I had about 100-125lbs of peaches to can this year. There is no way I could have done it without him.

1. Start by putting your jars and rings into a dishwasher on the sterilize setting. If you don’t have a dishwasher, you can easily place your jars in your boiling water canner and bring the water to a boil for 10 minutes. I like to leave them in the dishwasher on heat dry until I am ready to use them. You can also place them in the oven at 250 to keep them hot. Keeping your jars hot will prevent them from cracking when you add hot fruits and liquid into the jars.

2. Place the lids in a small saucepan and heat to a simmer, but don’t boil. You only need to do this for about 5 minutes.
3. Wash your peaches by rinsing in a colander. Use lukewarm water and be carefull not to bruise.

4. Place the peaches into a pot of boiling water and blanch for 30 to 60 seconds.

5. After blanching, place them into a ice water bath to keep them from cooking.

6. Then the skins should slip right off. You won't even need to use a knife. If they don’t slip off, you may need to put them back in the boiling water for 30 more seconds. If they still don’t slip, your peaches might not be ripe. Put a ripe banana in the box and check them the next day. The banana usually does the trick and the peaches ripen right up.

7. Cut your peaches. We like cutting the peach into eight pieces. You get more in a jar and it makes it easier for little ones to eat. You can cut them in half, quarters, eights. If you are working with regular mouth jars you will want to at least quarter your peaches.

8. This step you can choose to omit. If you want to keep your fruit from turning brown you can use fruit fresh or lemon juice. I did some with and then the second day I chose to skip that part.

9. Pack your jars. We cold or raw pack. This means the fruit goes in cold or raw. If you want to hot pack, don't put into your jars quite yet. When placing your peaches in jars, try to put them in pit side down. This will allow you to get as much fruit into your jar as possible. Pack tightly without squishing your fruit. You will want to leave 1/2 inch headspace.

10. Prepare you syrup. We like light syrup. Kids get lots of sugar already and we don't think we need to pack alot of sugar into our fruit. For our syrup we use 5 1/2 cups water to 2 1/2 cups sugar. Put the sugar and the water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Once boiling you add the hot liquid to your jars. *** Here is where you will start your hot pack if you choose to hot pack. You will want to boil your peaches in your syrup for 5-7 mins and then place the fruit and liquid into jars.

11. If cold packing add your liquid to your fruit jars. Fill to 1/2 headspace and then run a butter knife to get any air bubbles. This will let the bubble escape and the fruit settle a bit. You will probably need to add more liquid. Make sure you cover all your peaches.

12. Wipe the rim of your jars to make sure there are no juices or fruit on them. Put your lids and bands on your jars. Do not over tighten your bands. Just finger tight them. What does that mean? Only use your fingers to tighten them. When you involved your wrist the go on way to tight. You want to allow air to be released.

13. Place your jars into your hot water bath. You water should be hot and at or close to a boil. Make sure to place your jars in one by one and opposite sides of the canner rack. This will minimize tipping. A canner rack can hold 7 pint or quart sized jars. Once all jars are in submerge them into the water. When water comes to a boil start your time. We process our jars because we are at a low altitude. You may have to alter your processing time depending on altitude.

14. After processing time is up, remove your jars. Place them on the counter and try not to move them for 12-24 hours. During cool down you may hear a popping sound. This is good. It means that your jars are sealing. After 24 hours, jars that still pop when the lid is touched mean they were not sealed. Just place in the refrigerate and eat!

There you have it. It really is not all that bad. It does make a giant mess. JBody and I actually canned outside on our camping stoves. All the mess was kept outside and we had lots of room to move around.

Purple Cows

2011-08-25T13:10:00.000-07:00

Is there anyone out there (other than my family) who has ever heard of a Purple Cow?

We told the kids the other night that we were going to have a purple cow for dessert. We got some pretty weird looks and a bunch of "GROSS"es. Little did the kids know that purple cows are a yummy treat.

I forgot about this treat, until recently. While visiting an uncle, JBody and I were introduced to the Purple Cow Deliciousness. So what is, and how do you make a Purple Cow. Let me tell you.

GRAPE JUICE & VANILLA ICECREAM

Purple Cow

mmm doesn't that look yummy?!

Razy approval.

Forget the rootbeer and bring on the purple goodness.

Pickling Beets {Tutorial}

2011-08-24T18:45:00.000-07:00

Step 1- Selecting the Beets

The best beets are fresh beets. Select firm, crisp beets.

Step 2: Trim the Tops and Wash your beets.

Just take a sharp knife or a pair of kitchen scissors and trim off beet tops, leaving an inch of stem and roots to prevent bleeding of color.

Step 3: Cook the Beets

Place beets in a large pot and cover with water. Cook them until they are tender. This depends on the size. I did mine for around 20 mins. Drain and discard the liquid.

Step 4: Cool the Beets

Place the beets in a bowl of ice water. This is to cool them off for handling.

Step 5: Cut Beets into smaller pieces

You can cut your beets into wedges, slices, or leave them whole. You just want them small enough to place into your jars.

Step 6: Prepare your Pickling Solution

4 cups vinegar (5% acidity)
1½ teaspoons canning or pickling salt
2 cups sugar or Splenda
2 cups water
2 cinnamon sticks
12 whole cloves - about 1 tsp
12 allspice nuts (whole) - about 1 tsp

Place vinegar, salt, sugar, and water in a large pot. Put spices into a cheesecloth and tie off.
***tip- baby food holders work great to hold your spices.
Bring to a boil.

Step 7: Boil Beets in Pickling Solution

Add beets to solution and simmer for 5 mins.

Step 8: Place Beets in Jars

(forgot picture sorry)

Add beets to clean, sterile, hot jars. I like to keep mine in the oven at 250 degrees until ready to use. Fill your jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace at top. Then add liquid leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Place lids and bands semi tightly on.

Step 8: Water Bath

Place jars in an open water bath for 30 mins.

Step 9: Let Jars Cool

Cool your jars for 24 hours before removing bands. Any jars that didn't process right, place in the refridgerator or eat.

Raspberry Cheesecake

2011-08-24T09:55:00.000-07:00

The other day the kids and I went raspberry picking. I didn't want to turn all the raspberries into jam because we just got done doing 18 pints of strawberry jam. Instead I decided to make a cheesecake. This was scary for me because I have never made cheesecake before. I am so glad I did because it turned out beautiful.

I found the recipe from a whisk, a spoon. Can I just say that her cheesecake is gorgeous. All credit for this recipe goes to her.

For the recipe visit a whisk, a spoon or you can find it on my cake blog, Peach of Cake.

More on Blanching: Green Beans and Broccoli

2011-08-08T14:50:00.000-07:00

Today I decided to do a little more blanching. We had some Green Beans and Broccoli that were ready. For your information I am posting the how to on the blog. I didn't take any pictures, but it is all pretty much self explanatory.

All fruits and vegetables contain enzymes and bacteria that, over time, break down the destroy nutrients and change the color, flavor, and texture of food during frozen storage.

Blanching Green Beans

Ingredients
A bowl of green beans -any amount. I do about a handful per person as a serving.

Equipment
What you will need:

A pot of boiling water with a lid
A bowl of ice water
A collander
Freezer bags or Vacuum Seal

Step 1- Go get your beans. You want them as fresh as you can get them. The best is to pick your beans right before you prepare them for freezing. Morning is also the best time to pick your vegetables. Make sure your beans are ripe, but not too ripe. You don't want dried out, bruised, or too ripe beans. They won't taste very good later on.

Step 2- Wash and cut your beans.
To cut your beans, simply cut the ends off. I also like to cut my beans to about an inch and a half. This way they are easier for the kids to eat. If you want french cut beans cut them lengthwise.
Step 3- Blanch Beans.
Place your beans into boiling water for 3 minutes.

Step 4-Cool Beans (typing that just made me smile)
Immediately remove from boiling water and place in ice water to stop the cooking process. Keep in water until completely cooled. A general rule of thumb would be to keep in water as long as it was in the boiling water.
Step 5-Drain your peas.

Step 6- Seal and freeze.
Now you are ready to seal. I love my vacuum sealer. Things tend to stay fresher and don't get freezer burned. However, if you don't have one you can place your beans into freezer bags. Just make sure to get out as much air as you can before placing in the freezer.

How to Freeze Broccoli

Ingredients
fresh broccoli - any quantity. When freezing veggies I generally do about 1 handful per person as a serving.
Salt

Equipment
1 Large pot of boiling water
2 large bowls, one filled with cold water and ice.
1 sharp knife
Vacuum food sealer (You can also use Ziploc baggies if you don't have a sealer. Use the heavy duty baggies)
Instructions
Step 1 - Harvest your broccoli. We didn't grow broccoli this year, but I did get some in my Bountiful Basket that I didn't want to go to waste. Make sure your broccoli is FRESH and CRISP. Using limp, old broccoli doesn't taste good before freezing so it of course will taste nasty frozen.

Broccoli are of the best quality when they are tight, before the florets start to open or turn yellow.

Step 2 - Wash the broccoli!
You do know how to do this without me explaining how to right?

Step 3 -Split the broccoli
Split lengthwise so florets are no more than 1 1/2 inches across. Remove leaves and woody portions. Separate the heads into convenient-size sections.

Step 4 - Soak the florets in brine (salt water)
Brine= 4 teaspoons salt to 1 gallon tap water
Soaking in a brine will help remove any creepy crawlies that may have found a home in your broccoli. Soak for 30 minutes and then rinse under running water.
Step 5- Get the pots ready
Fill a pot 2/3 full with water and bring to a boil. Fill another large bowl with ice and cold water.

Step 6 - Blanch the broccoli.
Blanching times for broccoli is 3 minutes
Begin counting the blanching time as soon as you place the broccoli in the boiling water. Cover the pot and boil at a high temperature for 3 minutes. You may use the same blanching water several times (up to 5). Be sure to add more hot water from the tap from time to time to keep the water level at the required height.

Step 7 - Cool the broccoli
Cool broccoli immediately in ice water.
After vegetables are blanched, cool them quickly to prevent overcooking. Plunge the broccoli into a large quantity of ice-cold water (I keep adding more ice to it). A good rule of thumb: Cool for the same amount of time as the blanch step. For instance, if you blanch sweet broccoli for 3 minutes, then cool in ice water for at least 3 minutes.

Drain thoroughly.

Step 8 - Bag the broccoli
I love my FoodSaver for this step. However you can use Ziploc bags. Make sure you use the heavy duty freezer bags and get all air out to prevent drying and freezer burn.

Step 9 - Freeze and enjoy later!

Oh What Do You Do In The Summertime?

2011-08-02T10:09:00.000-07:00

I was looking back through posts that I have put up on the blog and realized that I really haven't put any pictures of the kids and the fun things we have done thus far this summer. Actually I was noticing that I need to have my camera on me at all times, because I really don't have many pictures at all. That is not like me. Enjoy the following pictures of some of the things we have done this summer. These may or may not be in order, but they are all from the past 2 months.

3rd Annual Ward Campout

Every year the campouts get better and better. This year we had so many people show up. The annual lighting of the campfire went off without a hitch. Pinatas, games, smores, friends, and fun. What else could you ask for?

Enchanted Village

Every year we go as a big family to Enchanted Village. This year was no different than any other. We had a great time.

Lots of cousins all piled into a firetruck.

Brave Little Girl. She really wanted to go on the pirate ship. However, once it started she hated it. Lil' E got on, but he was at the top.

She loved the scrambler. I think she went on it at least 6 times in a row.

4th of July

Our annual family 4th of July was a blast. The weather was so nice that we camped out. The kids had lots of fun with cousins they haven't seen in a long time. This was the first time in like 15 years that JBody had seen one of his brothers. It was a great weekend.

Baby Lise Finally Has Arrived!

June 19th was the arrival our new baby cousin Lise. What a whirlwind she put her mommy and daddy through. We are so happy that in the end both she and her mommy were healthy. We had to wait awhile till the kids could see her. They didn't get to see her in the hospital because she was 4 weeks early. But now that she is home, they love her. Especially Razy. She has become quite the baby hog when Lise is around. (Lise is her bloggy name)

The Game Farm With Mema

Mema is what the kids all call their Grandma. Mema had all 8 grandkids visiting so she treated them all to the Game Farm.

The Elk were pretty scary. Everytime you turned around another one had it's head in the window.

Finally a Double Yoker

Lil' E has patiently waited for 2 years to get a double yoker. He has to wait no longer.

Daddy Fixed the Septic Pump with Grandpa

I thought I would just add this picture for giggles. Our daddy is quite the character. He was supposed to take a picture of the little box behind him and email it to grandpa. He thought it would be funny to take the picture with him in it too.

Swimming in Mema's Pool

My mom has a pool (and it is heated ahh). This summer the kids have gone over there about 4 times. Lil' E has learned to swim (Yeah) and Razy and Doble are no longer afraid to be in the water. The water is a nice 85 degrees so even when it is gloomy they can enjoy the pool.

Another Tooth Lost

Well this one was yanked out. Doble and Lil' E were playing and Doble ripped a blanket out of Lil' E's mouth. The blanket wasn't the only thing to come out of his mouth.

Babysitting Baby Lise

My brother and my sister in law asked if we would watch Lise while they went to dinner. OF COURSE!! Razy got Lise all to herself. The boys were at Aunt Tay Tay's house so Razy got to cuddle with Lise the whole night.

She actually did start to fall asleep on the luv sac with Lise, but here she is just faking.

Camping At Zion's Camp

We enjoyed Zion's camp so mcuh during Memorial Day Weekend that we decided to go back. It was the perfect weekend to do so. It was so warm that the kids got in the lake and swam. We were still in t-shirts and shorts that night when we finally decided to go to bed around 11:30. It was so beautiful.

This came as a huge shock to me. I can't believe Doble actually went out on the lake. This is the first year he has overcome his fear of being in the water.

Well there you have it. That has been our summer thus far. This week we are supposed to have some nice weather so we are actually hoping to visit Salt Creek and John Wayne Marina. Pictures to come!

Eliminating Onion Tears

2011-08-01T21:46:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wanted to just wear a pair of googles while cutting an onion? I sure have. I hate cutting into an onion and then getting those insta tears. Not just the tears, but it really does burn. Well guess what? You don't have to cry over cut onions any longer.

The next time you cut into an onion, first go and get a candle. Yep you heard right. If you light a candle while cutting in onion you will eliminate the tears. The flame from the candle absorbs the fumes the are released from the onion.

I won't guarantee this will work for you. However, it did work for me today. I am going to continue to do it as long as it continues to work. I did feel a little bit of a burn for a second, but I am using in a teary mess when I am done cutting an onion so a little burn was no problem.

Happy Chopping

Don't Take the Hook {My Family Monday}

2011-08-01T21:10:00.000-07:00

It has been awhile since I've put a Family Home Evening Lesson on the blog. I thought I would share with you our lesson for tonight. The timing worked out great because we just got home from camping where we also went fishing.

Lesson:

*How do you fish? - let the girls tell you - (get a fishing pool, put something on the hook, real worm or fake worm, then they cast it into the water and reel in the lure so it moves around so it looks like food etc...)

Did you know that Adapted Fisherman will study the trout’s/fish behavior, the weather, the water currents and type of insect they like to eat. They knows those artificial insects embedded with tiny hooks need to be perfect deception so the fish don’t see the slightest flow and reject it.

Did you know that Satan is a master “Fisherman” he has some pretty good tricky lures, Satan uses artificial lures to fool and catch us too, he tempts, deceives and tries to ensnare us, only he doesn’t catch you and release you, he likes to keep you. He likes to make bad look good, he has been fishing for many years and has already hooked a lot of people. He knows what artificial lures look good to us.

- Story: Chip gets hooked

There was a fish name Chip, all of the older fish had taught him and gave him warnings to stay away from worms, his head was full of advice. One day Chip was out swimming alone when all at once he seen a worm and he thought how could that be? How could this worm be so bad for me? It looks so good. He thought for sure the older fish were just trying to scare him. He thought I’m going to eat that worm, I see nothing wrong with it. Just as he was about to eat the worm one of the older fish pushed him away and said CHIP did you not see the hook? Chip did not see the hook he only seen the yummy worm.

This older fish took Chip to the shoreline to show him what happens to fish who take a bit. Some of the fish were barely alive, some had their jaws ripped opens, some just hanged around close to shore and the birds would eat them. Everything he seen was horrible. He thought well maybe they are not as smart as me, I would be smart and only take worm with out getting hooked. Well one day he thought he would give it a try and he took a big bite and he thought this does not taste good, it taste like plastic, then he stared to feel pain in his mouth, he tried really hard to get away but he couldn't he was caught.

* Satan tries to tempt us everyday and sometimes we don’t see the whole picture, you girls need to have faith and listen to your parents and leaders, Satan wants to drag us away from our Heavenly Father. He will always try new bait and temptations, he doesn’t care if you get hurt.

We are all like fish swimming around that worm hook – tempted to take a bite and Satan knows our weakness.

What are some things people get hooked on? (drugs, lying, cheating, stealing, drinking, smoking,gossip, dress unmodest, etc…)

So how do we know if something is good or that it is one of Satan’s hooks? (if it doesn’t agree with Heavenly Fathers commandments, we should stay away, if we ask our Heavenly Father for help he will show us the way out) (1 nephi 15:24) (1 cor 10:13)

---Super easy, fast, craft----- to remind them not to get hook by Satan

Activity: Don't Get Hooked Bracelet
The original idea was to make a bracelet out of fishing swivels. However, I could only find ones that contained lead. I didn't think it would be a good idea to have the kids wearing lead bracelets. So I came up with another idea.

You will need: bracelet braiding cord and little fishing corkies.
I just braided a bracelet and every so often added a corky.

Lesson idea came from Sugardoodle

Homemade Samoas Cookies {MMM Girl Scout Cookie Goodness}

2011-07-25T15:05:00.000-07:00

Homemade Samoas Cookies

shared from the kitchen of

Once Upon a Plate

Read Before Making: These cookies do take some time and there are many steps to it. However, you will not be dissappointed. They are well worth the work.

Cookies ~ Homemade Samoas

(also known as Caramel de-Lites)

Makes about 4 to 4 1/2 dozen

Let the 4 step process begin:
1. Make the cookie Base
2. Top with Caramel-Coconut mixture
3. Dip bottom of cookies in melted chocolate
4. Drizzle tops with melted chocolate

The Cookie (base):
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
up to 2 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 350F.
Cream together butter and sugar in a large bowl. Mix in flour, baking powder and salt at a low speed, next, the vanilla and milk, adding in the milk only as needed to make the dough come together without being sticky (you may not need any at all). The dough should come together into a soft, pliable ball. Add in a bit of extra flour if your dough seems sticky.

It's easiest to roll the dough out in 2 or 3 batches (between pieces of wax (or parchment) paper to about 1/4-inch thickness (or a little thinner) using a 1 1/2-inch cookie cutter to make rounds. Place on a parchment lined (or on silicone mat) baking sheet and make a hole in the center. I used one of those big plastic straws. You know the ones that your kids blow into and they drive you crazy with that whistling sound. However, this part is really not necessary. Next time I don't think I will do it. They will give you the Girl Scout look, but the flavor is still the same. Repeat until the dough is used up (it's okay to re-roll, this dough is shortbread-like and very forgiving.)

Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, until bottoms are very lightly golden brown around the edges. All ovens are different so I actually did mine for 9 mins. and they came out perfect.

Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet, to allow them to firm up slightly, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Topping:
3 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
12-ounces good-quality chewy caramels
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons milk
8 ounces dark or semisweet chocolate (chocolate chips will do, however, I found that when I made them with the chocolate chips they melt in your hands even after setting up.)
(If you prefer milk chocolate use it. I used semi-sweet and JBody wishes I would have gone with Milk. He is a huge milk chocolate guy though.)
Preheat oven to 300 degrees (F)

Spread coconut evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and toast 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. Watch carefully, especially near the end of toasting time; the coconut toasts very quickly once it begins to become golden.

My Notes: 20 minutes was too long. The coconut was already golden at 10 and I had to take it out.

Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

Unwrap the caramels and place in a large microwave-safe bowl with milk and salt. Cook on high for 3-4 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help the caramel melt. When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a spatula.

Using the spatula or a small offset spatula, spread topping on cooled cookies, using about 2-3 teaspoons per cookie. Reheat caramel for a few seconds in the microwave if it begins to firm up, to make it soft and spreadable once again.

While topping sets up, melt chocolate in a small bowl. Heat on high in the microwave in 45 second intervals, stirring thoroughly to prevent scorching. Dip the base of each cookie into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment paper (I dipped them and then had them set up upside down before drizzling). Transfer all remaining chocolate into a piping bag or a ziplock bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle finished cookies with chocolate.
Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.

Let me just tell you that you have to try these. And once you make them hide them from yourself. Trust me they are addicting. I have plans to make them again. I have a cute cookie container idea I found on pinterest. We are going to give them away as Christmas Presents. Let me know if you make them and what you think of them.

Recipe credit: Nicole @ Baking Bites.com

Homemade Ice Cream in a Baggie

2011-07-20T20:38:00.000-07:00

Tonight after having fun playing baseball in the front yard, we came inside to make some ice cream. We found the idea at 2 little hooligans. I had all plans to make a picture tutorial to add to this post, but with 3 excited kids, and momma for that matter, it just didn't happen. If you go to 2 little hooligans you can find the picture tutorial I didn't add.

LET'S GET MAKING THE ICE CREAM

Here is what you will need to make homemade ice cream in a baggie:

2 TBL sugar

1 cup half & half (or light cream)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup coarse salt or table salt

ice

gallon-sized Ziploc bag

pint-sized Ziploc bag

Mix the sugar, half & half, and vanilla. Pour it into a pint-sized Ziploc bag. Make sure you seal it tight.

Fill your gallon Ziploc bag half full and add the salt.

Place the half & half baggie into the gallon Ziploc.

Now the fun begins. Shake, Shake, Shake it up!! The kids had fun with this...for the first 2 minutes. Then I got the privilege of shaking. Shake for about 5 minutes (8 minutes if using cream). When solid remove the icecream baggie and clean off the salt. Then it is time to enjoy!

The kids had fun filling up their ice cream with toppings: cookie crunch, chocolate drops, caramel, and raspberries.

Hope you get the chance to make your own yummy homemade icecream!

How to Blanch Peas {tutorial}

2011-07-13T17:34:00.000-07:00

Are you growing a garden this year? Do you find that you planted lots of one vegetable and you just can't eat them fast enough? Do you know how to freeze your vegetables. Even if you don't have a garden you can still freeze fresh veggies to eat them later in the year when you are craving those fresh garden vegetables. I am going to show you how to blanch and freeze peas for later use.

Go get your peas. You want them as fresh as you can get them. The best is to pick your peas right before you prepare them for freezing. Morning is also the best time to pick your vegetables. Make sure your peas are ripe, but not too ripe. You don't want dried out, bruised, or too ripe peas. They won't taste very good later on.

What you will need:

A bowl of peas

A pot of boiling water with a lid

A bowl of ice water

A collander

Freezer bags or Vacuum Seal

Wash your peas. Sorry no picture. I figured you knew how to wash your vegetables. Once washed Hull your peas. The peas I am freezing have edible pods so I skipped this part. To Hull press your thumb into the seam and squeeze the pod gently. It should open up and you can push your thumb through the pod and remove the peas. If you are not hulling, just pull the tops off.

Next comes the Blanching. Place your peas into boiling water for 90 seconds. All you want to do is kill the enzyme (and any bacteria) in the pea that would discolor and change the taste of your peas if you did not boil them. Time yourself. Do Not Overcook.

Immediately remove from boiling water and place in ice water to stop the cooking process. Keep in water until completely cooled. A general rule of thumb would be to keep in water as long as it was in the boiling water.

Again I have no picture for this step but completely Drain your peas.

Now you are ready to seal. I love my vacuum sealer. Things tend to stay fresher and don't get freezer burned. However, if you don't have one you can place your peas into freezer bags. Just make sure to get out as much air as you can before placing in the freezer.

I know three bags isn't that much. I do still have more in the garden, but three bags is a start. I am hoping to get another crop started since peas are so quick to mature. Can't wait to try out peas out this fall.

Take a Walk Through My garden

2011-07-13T17:12:00.000-07:00

We are so pleased with our garden this year. Last year our garden did very poorly. We expected it to be the same this year. We redid the whole garden this spring. Last year we had the fence put up around the whole yard and then a smaller one to box in our garden. JBody built new raised bed this year. I love them. The rock was all given to us by our neighbors and we had just enough to lay on the floor of the garden. I love how it stays so nice looking. And I love the green!!! That means everything is growing. It is growing so well that we actually had to pull out lots of spinach and feed it to the chickens. I wish I would have blanched it and freezed it. We did plant another crop of spinach and I plan to freeze what we don't use of it.

Some things we grew this year are: peas, beans, turnips, lettuce, zuchinni, squash, carrots, tomatoes, pumpkins, potatoes, Sun Chokes, beets, brussel spouts, cucumber, and berries (blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, boysenberries).

This year I planted onions inbetween our new strawberry seedlings.

Can you see our lovely peas? I actually got some blanched and in the freezer today.

My poor little tomatoe plants. They were given to me by a friend. We will see if they grow. They have been through quite a bit. You can also see our carrots. In the background those really tall things are our Jerusalem Artichokes (aka Sunchokes). They are roots, but the plant can grow like 6 feet tall. This is the first year we have ever planted them.

Another look at the peas. You can see my overgrown spinach and the beans and lettuce as well.

Did you plant a garden this year? What did you plant? Are you having success?

PVC Mister Sprinkler {tutorial}

2011-07-12T15:06:00.000-07:00

Do you need a fun way to beat the summer heat? Well here is an easy and fun way to get the kids wet this summer. I found this idea on Instructables.

First you will need to gather your materials.

What you will need:

Head to your local hardware store for the following 3/4" pipe and fittings:

2 ten foot lengths of PVC

3 end caps

1 threaded female hose connector (slip fit)

2 elbow joints (90 degree)

2 T connections

1 pack quarter circle mister jets or raindrip jets

Next Find all your tools.

Tools needed for this project are:

measuring device

pen or pencil

pvc cutter or saw

PVC cement and primer

drill

5/32" drill bit

Now it is time to cut your pipes.

2 at 5 feet

1 at 4 feet

4 at 18 inches

Cut one of the 10' lengths in half so that you have two 5' sections.

Then, cut a 4' section from the second one. Cut the remaining 6' section in half and then each of the 3' sections in half.

Now make your center lines.

To help keep your misters pointing in the same directions you will need a center line. Take your three longest pipes and mark a line on them. To do so, hold two pipes together, using one as a guide run your pen or pencil along it to make the line. As long as you keep your pen or pencil angle the same you will get a straight line.

Make your drill markings.

This step really depends on the amount of misters you have. I had 10 in my package so I placed 4 on the top and 3 on the sides. My markings were as followed. 9" from each end on the top and then every 10" for the other two. For the sides I placed my holes every 12 inches from the top end for 3 holes on each side.

Drill your holes for the jets.

Make sure you check your jets, but for my jets the 5/32" drill bit worked the best.

Assemble upright poles.

When assembling you will need to for a "U" shape. Each of the drilled holes will need to be facing up. Once you're satisfied glue up the "U", making sure the holes stay facing up. To do so you will prime it first and then glue.

Screw in the jets.

You can skip this part and just have streams of water shooting out all over the place, but the misters are lots of fun.

You will need to use some good pressure for this step. However, once the jets begin to make their own threads into pipes it will become easier. Face the jet holes toward the center. My jets made it possible to move them around depending on how the kids wanted to you the sprinkler later.

Assemble and glue the base.

Your "U" shape is up and the misters are installed so you are just about done. Now it is time for the base. Before you glue all parts together, MAKE SURE YOUR HOSE FITTING FITS YOUR HOSE, then glue.

Almost done...Attach your base.

First assemble the "U" and the base without glue. Make sure the base pieces are parallel with each other, and perpendicular to the plane of the "U". The edge of a sidewalk is a great reference to make sure your base pieces are parallel with each other, and perpendicular to the plane of the "U". Once everything is lined up you are ready for glue.

WAIT, WAIT, WAIT

make sure everything is dried before turing on the water. It doensn't take too long, just have patience.

Now it is time to turn on the water.

Finally after many windy days, the kids have been able to enjoy their new sprinkler.

They can run through it.

They can ride through it.

Or they can just sit under it and enjoy the cool water.

Hope you enjoy your summer! We Are!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-07-12T09:17:00.000-07:00

I love pinterest. I have become addicted to it. In the evening while we are watching tv I find myself looking through pins. I have found many things that I will slowly be doing myself and sharing here on the blog. Here is a recipe that I knew I wanted to try out. I had to share it with you. They were pinned and posted by i am baker.

The New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 cups minus 2 tablespoons (8 1/2 ounces) cake flour
1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour
*I only used all purpose flour for my recipe.
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 pounds chocolate chips
Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl and set aside.
Using a mixer with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy – about 5 minutes. Add eggs. Stir in vanilla. Reduce to low speed and add dry ingredients slowly, mixing until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Refrigerate dough for 24-36 hours.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350.Drop spoonfuls of dough onto baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

I don't know why these turned out perfect. Whenever I make chocolate chip cookies they spread out thin. It could be because the dough is refrigerated. I don't know, but these were so yummy. Try them out and let me know what you think.

Soda Can Wrappers {tutorial}

2011-07-07T14:47:00.000-07:00

Today Lil' E decided that he was going to come up with his own craft. After making his first soda can wrapper for his little brother, he wanted to make one for his dad. He asked me if I wanted to see how to make them. Before starting he asked me if I would take pictures and put it online so other people could see how to make them too. So here you are. Let's get crafting.

Supplies: Paper, An Empty Soda Can, Scissors, Crayons, Glue

Step 1: Lay your soda can on the paper

Step 2: Wrap the paper around the can.

Step 3: Cut the extra paper off getting it as flat as possible.

Step 4: It should look like this.

Step 5: It should look like this.

Step 6: Do the same to the other side.

Step 7: Lay the paper flat and draw a picture.

Step 8: Put glue on the other side of the paper from your picture.

Step 9: It should look like this.

Step 10: lay your can in the middle of the paper.

Step 11: Wrap the paper around the can.

Step 12: It should look like this.

Finished project.

You can make a note to go along with the wrapped can.

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial. Lil' E came up with it all by himself. All credit should go to him.

Corn on the Cob Cupcakes

2011-07-02T00:15:00.000-07:00

Looking for a fun cupcake idea to do for the 4th of July? Take a look at these yummy corn on the cob cupcakes. Visit my cake blog to find out what you need to make these for your next BBQ or picnic.

4th of July Pinata {tutorial}

2011-07-01T16:55:00.000-07:00

Last week we made a pinata for our ward camp out. It was so much fun that JBody and I decided we needed to make one for this weekend. Every 4th of July we have a big family get together. Everyone pitches in money for fireworks, which makes for an awesome show. This year, two of JBody's brothers that haven't come in the past due to distance will we coming. One of which JBody hasn't seen in about 15 years. We are excited for the weekend. The kids are really excited. They love spending time with their cousins. To make the weekend even more fun we made a 4th of July American Flag pinata. It will be loaded with candy, pencils, necklaces, bouncy balls, glo sticks and more.
Want to know how to make one too?

What you will need:

newspaper, balloon, flour, water

crepe paper

glue

string

Let's get crafting:

Begin by making your paper mache. I don't have a picture tutorial for this part. However, it is super easy.

1. Make your glue: 1 part flour to 5 parts water (ex. 1cup flour/ 5cups water).

2. Bring to a boil over med heat and boil for 3 mins. To make this smooth, stir constantly with a wire whisk. You want it smooth.

3. Let the mixture cool. Trust me, it will be very hot and hard to work with.

4. Using strips of newspaper, cover a blown balloon. I found that I like to have at least 4 layers. To keep track of this I do alternate layers of vertical and horizontal laying.

5. Let dry. The more layers you have the longer it takes to dry. We put ours in front of a fan for a couple days.

6. Begin decorating. Here is where my picture tutorial begins.

1. Start with your dried newspaper balloon. By day 2 I have popped the balloon to help the inside dry faster.

2. Drill holes at the top of the pinata to place your string, ribbon, wire, ect. See the large hole on top? I cut it about day 2 as well to help the inside get more air circulation.

3. Using a sharp pair of scissors, cut your crepe paper like so.

4. After cutting your crepe paper you will have a pile of strips like so.

5. Cut slits about 2/3 - 3/4 inches into the crepe paper.

6. I like to use a brush to brush the glue onto my pinata.

7. Going around in circles, glue your cut crepe paper onto pinata. Start from the bottom up. For a while you will have the pinata upside with your strips facing up.

8. There will come a point when you will be able to flip your pinata right side up and have your crepe paper pointing down. I like to place the pinata in a bowl to keep it from wobbling all over the place.

9. Find the holes that you drilled and insert a pencil or something to remove the crepe paper around them.

10. Using a piece of tape around your ribbon, insert ribbon through one hole and the other directly on the other side of it.

11. You will have 4 pieces of ribbon looking like this. Cut them so they are equal lengths.

12. I wanted to reinforce the ribbon instead of tying it. I used my sewing machine to stitch the ribbon together. I went forward and reverse few times to make it extra strong.

13. Take one of your remaining strands and sew it to the two you stitched in the opposite direction.

14. Stitch your last piece of ribbon going the opposite direction as the last stitch. I hope this part all makes sense.

15. You can use pieces of paper to embellish if you would like. For our pinata I cut stars out and glued them on to make it look more like the flag.
There you have it. A pinata ready to be beaten apart.

Pizza Bites and 4th of July Treats

2011-06-30T23:37:00.000-07:00

The other day on pinterest, I came across these yummy looking pizza bites and knew that the kids would love to try them out. They were a huge hit. I actually used the whole batch of Perfect Pizza Crust and it made a little over a enough for our family of 5. I love pinterest. I have actually completed a few projects by finding them on pinterest. I have a bunch more to do, but I have to use my time wisely.

PIZZA BITES
Printable Recipe

1/2 batch Perfect Pizza Crust dough
mozzarella cheese, about 20 cubed pieces
sliced pepperoni

For topping:
olive oil
Italian seasoning
grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Lightly grease a 9-inch pie plate or cake pan. Divide the pizza dough into roughly 20 equal sized pieces. Take one of the dough pieces and press in a cube of cheese and two slices of pepperoni. Pull the edges of the dough down around the filling and seal. Place in the pan, seam side down. Repeat with remaining dough. Each piece of dough should be touching each other in the pan. (It may seem crowded, but will be fine.)

Lightly brush the tops of the dough with olive oil. Sprinkle on Italian seasoning and Parmesan cheese. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature, with dipping sauce if desired.
Source: Thank you to Pennies on a Platter for posting this for me to see.

Remember those fun, easy treats we made for Valentine's day? You know the ones. The cute pink and white M&M, hershey kiss, pretzel treats. Well I made them again. This time using white candy melts, and red and blue M&Ms. I love how patriotic they are. Let me remind you how they are made.

What you need:

Hershey Hugs and/or Kisses
Mini Pretzels
M&M (for any occasion)

Lets Get Baking:
Preheat oven to 200 degrees
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper

Place pretzels on cookie sheet and on each pretzel place a kiss or hug.

Melt chocolate for 2-3 mins

Take out of oven and quickly and carefully add an m&m or two.

Place in freezer for 5-10 mins to let settle.

So cute right? They are addicting too. I highly doubt they are going to make it to the 4th. There is no way they can last 3 days in our house.

Summer Blocks

2011-06-29T09:42:00.000-07:00

Remember my Spring Blocks, I was inspired to make from Thoughts In Vinyl? Well she also has kits to make Summertime Blocks. Yesterday I pulled my beloved cricut out to create my own set of Summertime Blocks. If you don't have a cricut you can still make these blocks by visiting Thoughts in Vinyl and ordering her kits. They are a great price and I love that you can keep them up for months at a time. All you have to do is rotate the blocks.

Stay tuned...probably around September...when I will post my take on her Fall Blocks.

"Inbetween the Laundry" Accomplishments

2011-06-29T09:33:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I told you that I was planning on getting lots done inbetween my laundry loads. Let me just tell you that the 6 loads of laundry that were washed, dried, folded and put away were an accomplishment in and of itself. However, I also was able to get some other things done as well.

The first thing I was able to mark of my list was Razy's Room. Awhile ago she got into her storage closet and pulled out a bag of clothes that she had already outgrown and a bag of clothes that she has yet to grow into. She had them all over her floor. She also had her dirty clothes mingled in with the others. She and I were able to put the old clothes away, wash the new clothes and put them away and get the dirty laundry washed and put away. Not only that, but I was able to go through her closet and pull out more clothes that she has outgrown.

We Turned This....

Into This...

I don't have pictures to show of it, but I was able get the base part of our 4th of July pinata made.

8 layers!!! It is going to be a doozy to break.

The playroom...the oh so dreaded playroom. I sent the kids in there to clean while I worked on the pinata. After being in there for about 45 mins by themselves and getting barely anything accomplished, I worked alongside them. Sadly after about 45 mins working in there with them we only made a small dent and will be back in there today. I told them it has to be cleaned by Friday so we can go watch Cars2. Hopefully that is incentive for them to get it done.

Remember my Spring Blocks I made awhile back? I finally got my Summer Blocks finished! Here is a sneak peak...

So those are the BIG things I got done. I didn't count all the extras that we moms do during the day, everyday...

feed the kids,

clean up after the kids,

wash the kids,

play with the kids

and so on and so forth.

I really need to stop playing catch up and stay ontop of my laundry.

Shanna has it figured out...

There are 5 of us in my family so I do the days laundry every night before I go to bed so I don't have laundry catch up days. After the kids are in bed, I throw the days clothes in the washer. Then I either watch one of my tivo'd shows, do some homework, read a book, etc. Then I throw it in the dryer and take my nightly bath and get ready for bed. By the time I am done, so is the load and I fold it and go to bed. Then once a week I only have a load of whites and a load of towels to do. I developed this system after realizing that all I do on my day off is laundry. No fun! :)

and thanks to Lynn who wrote...

So Shanna has an awesome system! My take on it? Well...instead of being even further productive while my washer takes care of the clothes cleaning, I usually end up on facebook or random blogs. Oh look, here I am! :) Can't wait to hear what you accomplished!

I am so glad that I am not the only one who gets sucked into the world of blogs and facebook, when I really should be more productive while the laundry is running.

Inbetween the Laundry

2011-06-28T08:34:00.000-07:00

Today I am going to play laundry catch up a little. JBody and I have plans to make two laundry dressers, but before we do so I want to catch up a little on the laundry. Days spent doing laundry are no fun so I have decided to see how many things we can do and get done inbetween each load. Stay tuned and I will share what the kids and I were able to accomplish today "Inbetween the Laundry".

I would love to see what you get done inbetween your laundry. Share with me a comment or link of what you accomplished "Inbetween the Laundry" and I will make sure to share it alongside what I accomplished.

Happy Laundry Day...and then some.

Marvelous & Magnificent M&Ms

2011-06-22T09:57:00.000-07:00

One last end of the school year gift idea for you.

This was really quick and easy to make.

What you will need:

Scrapbook paper to create your card

M&Ms

Ribbon

Create your card. I used my cricut to cut the m&m out. I used Mickey Font at 2"*.

Punch a hole in your card.

Tie your ribbon. You want to make this tight enough where the M&Ms aren't going to shift around.

* No this wasn't created by MMMM, I just didn't wan't to expose the name.

Thanks to Happiness Is...for the original idea.

Teacher Crayon Monogram {tutorial}

2011-06-22T09:45:00.000-07:00

I just dropped my little Kindergartner off to school for the last time as a half day student. Next year he will be an all grown up 1st grader. All day school...bittersweet. I have really enjoyed Lil' E's Kindergarten teacher this year, as did he. She had one of the largest Kindergarten classes I have even seen. There were 21 children. That's quite a lot to me. The others had around 14ish. We thought about moving Lil' E to the afternoon class when I found out the class size, but I am so glad that I didn't. We will miss Mrs. Robbins. I am hoping that if she ever moves into the higher grades to teach that Lil' E will get placed in her class.
Thank you Mrs. Robbins.

To Make your own crayon monogram you will need:
crayons ( I think new ones look best...I also like the classic colors)
scrap paper
scrapbook paper
hot glue
a sharp knife
lighter
shadow box

Print your letter out on a scrap piece of paper.
Arrange crayons over letter.
Cut crayons individually to length using a sharp knife and cutting board.*
Glue crayon pieces together using a glue gun.
Then glue the crayon letter to a nice piece of stiff paper.
Frame.

* DIY tip: A lighter comes in handy when doing this project. Use it to heat your knife blade up to make cutting alot easier.

Thanks to Chic & Cheap Nursery for the original idea.

Have a Kool Summer

2011-06-21T13:10:00.000-07:00

Today officially marked the first day of summer, but Lil' E is still in school. He actually has one more day. Yep tomorrow, my little kindergartner will be a big 1st grader. We wanted to make a little end of the year gift fo the the kids in his class and when I came across this Kool Aid idea I rushed to the store to get my supplies.

Supplies:

Cricut (I didn't have to rush to the store for this. Many of you know I love my cricut)

Tags, Bags, Boxes, and More Cartridge (I wish I had this. It would have made it so much easier. Instead I had to search the web for an svg to use with my SCAL. I found one, but I had to add the window myself.)

Glue

Scrapbook paper

Silly Straws

Kool Aid

Step 1: Cut a pocket tag using your cricut. You can only get two tags per 12x12 sheet.

If you are using the tags, bags, boxes and more cartridge, cut the tag 1 out with a 9" window. If you have the SCAL program you can use the file I created HERE.

Step 2: Assemble your pocket tag

Step 3: Insert your Kool-Aid into the created tag.

Step 4: Use glue or glue dots to close tag and insert your straw.

Step 5: I printed the Have a Kool Summer out on the computer. You could write it out by hand.

Step 6: Punch the Have a Kool Summer out. I used a 1 1/4 inch circle.

Step 7: Back your Kool Summer circles with colorful paper.

How cute are these? Lil' E can't wait to take them to school tomorrow.

Thanks to Fakin' It for the original idea.

Daddy We Love You Because...

2011-06-19T10:55:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day!

There are many reasons why we love our Daddy. The kids share a couple in the collage below, but let's share a couple more with you.

Daddy We Love You Because...

You always tickle us,

You always hug us,

You are our best buddy,

You are funny

You are always nice to us,

Love, Lil' E, Doble, and Razy

I should have gotten a picture of this framed, but JBody already took it to the office. I found the "Daddy We Love You Because..." download at Positively Splendid. She had this cute idea for Father's Day and I thought it was adorable. The kids each told me why they loved daddy and then we wrote it onto the black paper. Over at Positvely Splendid she walks you through the process of creating a collage if you don't know how to make one. If you do it quickly you can get this printed and framed in no time. Even quicker if you print it off yourself and already have a frame. Happy Father's Day!

Dog Collar Boutique {Product Review}

2011-06-18T20:53:00.000-07:00

Recently we were asked to do a review for a company called Dog Collar Boutique. We were given a perfectly pink little dog collar. The collar is from the Coachdog Collar Collection.

I love this little collar. It looks like it is going to last a long time. In the past we have had our leather collars get really worn out and break. This one is made from a good thick leather type material. I love the little added touch of the dog bone charm. Isn't it so cute? And it comes in two other colors; hot pink, and aqua.

What else does Dog Collar Boutique carry? Let me show you.

Dog Harnesses

How cute is this harness? I love the cute little flowers with the added rhinestones. Bella needs one of these. She is one of those little dogs that doesn't walk on a leash very well. She likes to pull us and when she does she chokes herself. The harness would eliminate the annoying chocking sounds.

Retractable Leashes

If this isn't stylish I don't know what is? All of their retractable leashes have just the right touch of style and charm.

Dog Life Jackets

Our little Bella loves to be with us all the time and although we don't do much boating...well we do no boating. But if we did she would be sporting this cute little polkadotted life jacket. Well she would if I had a say and bought it undercover without the knowledge of JBody. He would think I was silly making a purchase like this. But our doggies need to be safe too.

Dog Toys

Just like our kids need toys, so do our pups. Bella has even been known to claim Razy's toys as her own if they are left out. Her favorites are teddy bears and plush toys. Dog Collar Boutique has many different plushes to choose from.

So whether you are looking for a collar, a harness, a retractable leash, a life jacket, or a toy, Dog Collar Boutique will have it for you.

A photo or two to leave you with.

I couldn't get a good picture of Bella and her new collar. I really need to get her hair cut. Maybe when I do I can get a good picture that shows off her new leash.

Monster Journal {tutorial}

2011-06-15T15:26:00.000-07:00

We just finished making monster journals to go along with our monster bookmarks. I really wanted to go homemade for this birthday party that Doble is going to this weekend. Not that I am cheap...(I am though), but because I wanted to stick with the theme of the party. I found a cute tutorial on how to make monster catcher journals and had to try them for myself. The kids saw me making one for the birthday boy and they each insisted on having one of their own. They each helped design theirs. Lil' E actually designed his all on his own.

We have a mess in our living room, but they are all having fun talking about monsters and drawing pictures and writing stories about playing with monsters. It is actually quite cute. I love that Lil' E is actually trying to write the story himself and is sounding out words and creating his own sentences.

How to make your own monster journal....

Supplies:

Compostion note book,

Fabric: Furry, Fleecy, Textured, ect.

Scissors

Hot Glue and Gun

Embellishments: Googly Eyes, Foam, Felt

Step 1: Cut your fabric (about 11.5 inches x 17 inches) and lay under your composition notebook. You should have about 1 inch around the whole notebook.

Step 2: Hot glue the spine of your notebook to your fabric.

Step 3: Cut a notch from each corner of your fabric to it makes it easier to wrap around your notebook.

Step 4: Using hot glue, glue all edges down around notebook. At the spine you may need to cut another notch to make it easier to close your notebook.

Step 5: Add your eyes, teeth and mouth. We used the foam for teeth and felt for mouths. Of course our little girl monster had to have a bow.

They are so excited about their new journals.

You could easier use this method to customize a composition to look any way you would like. I actually thought it would be cute to just cover one with a cute cotton fabric and embellish with buttons, flowers, ribbon, ect.

Happy Crafting!!

5 Fun and Creative Reading Activities

2011-06-15T07:00:00.000-07:00

Can you see where my focus is this summer? I really am hoping to sneak some reading opportunities into the kids' summer. I found a few fun ideas that I wanted to pass along to you. These can be catered to your child's level of learning.

Duplo Spellers

@ Filth Wizardry

I can't wait to put these together for the kids. I think they are perfect for them. The spellers can help Doble sound out and create words. The Sentence Duplos can help Lil' E move onto creating whole sentences. Now I just need to get my hands on some Legos.

Take advantage of weather

@ about.com

Be adventurous and make it a game as to where you should read to your child and how. In warm weather, read next to a pond or lake, under a tree, by the pool, or even in the tree house. Be bold and carefree. One mother reads to her young child in their blow-up children's pool in the backyard during the summer months. Another mom finishes the much-anticipated daily trip to the park in the spring or fall by reading a book before they leave. Cold months can mix reading activities by having books about snowmen, snowfalls, winter holidays, or sports such as ice skating. Day care centers or child providers can add reading fun into the mix by tying it into a planned activity for the week. If the theme for the week is "Under the Sea," then the books can be about the ocean or fish.

Sight Word Memory

@ Teach Mama

At the begining of the school year we made this game for Lil' E taking all his sight words. I searched the web to find a tutorial to share with you so I didn't have to repost it. Works perfectly because not only do you see how to make and play Sight Word Memory, but you now have a great resource in Teach Mama.

Summer Journals

@ Teacher 2 Mom

Lil' E brought home his school journal a couple weeks ago and has been taking it along with him everywhere. He loves to write in it. I have been so impressed with his ability to sound words out and write his own sentences without any help.

Magnetic Letters

@ The Snail's Trail

I love this simple game you can create for your preschooler. Most of us have magnet letters laying around the house and this can be easily made. What a great way to introduce letters and short words to early learners.

Monster Corner Bookmarks {tutorial}

2011-06-14T16:53:00.000-07:00

While searching for a cute gift idea to make for a monster birthday party the kids and I came across these Monster Corner Bookmarks. They were so simple to make that we made the birthday boy 3 and made each of the kids one of their own. {The original idea came from I Could Make That}

What you’ll need:
pretty paper of cardstock weight OR a combination of plain cardstock and pretty, decorated lighter weight paper
scissors
ruler
glue stick
[optional] other decorating tools, such as crayons, markers, stamps, stickers, ink pads, embossing powder, etc.

Let's get crafting

1) On a piece of white cardstock make your template. Using a ruler draw a 2.5 inch x 2.5 inch square. You can go a little bigger, but this makes a very good size. Draw second square exactly the same size on the right side of the first square (so they share a side) and a third square exactly the same size on the top of the first square. You should end up with 3 squares that compose an L shape.

2) Using your ruler, draw a diagonal line across the top left square, from its top right corner to its bottom left corner. Scribble out the upper left half (now a triangle) of the square, as you won’t be using that part.

Next, draw a diagonal line across the bottom right square, from its top right corner to its bottom left corner. Scribble out the lower right half (now a triangle) of this square.

3) Cut out all parts, but your scribbled out triangles. This will be your template.

5) Trace your template onto the piece of cardstock that you intend to use for your bookmark (sorry mine is so light)

6) Using your ruler,score a line (make an indent) along the edges of the square that connect to the two triangles. After making this once by scoring I actually just carefully folded it.

6.5) [optional] Cut a slightly smaller square than you used for your template from a piece of printed paper. Glue the square into the square portion created by your template.

7) Fold one triangle inwards, so it covers the upper half of the square.

8) Apply glue to the underside (the side still facing up) of the second triangle, and fold it over onto the first triangle.

8.5) [optional] As in step 6.5, if you’ve used plain cardstock and want to glue a matching top, cut a triangle slightly smaller than the template triangle using the same paper you did for the square.

9) Make your embellishments. We went with teeth and eyes. For the eyes I used my creative memories 1 inch and 3/4 inch circle punches, then freehanded the black pupil.

9.5) The teeth were made by making another 2.5 inch square (or whatever size you made your template square). Draw a diagonal line from one top point to a bottom point. Then freehand zig zags for teeth.

10) Cut out your teeth and put glue onto the triangular portion. Then slip into your bookmark and glue to the top triangle.

11) Add your eyes and you are done.

I Could Make That has 2 other ways to make corner bookmarks. Stop by her blog and try them out. They are similar to this one, without the monster touch.

6 Free Summer Reading Programs

2011-06-14T07:07:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it can be a struggle to get our children to read during the summer months. They either want to play outside with friends, or inside with toys and video games. This summer we are going to focus on reading. This year in Kindergarten Lil' E learned to read. Doble is in the early stages of sounding words out, and Razy loves to look at pictures and be read to. I am hoping that by the end of the summer their love for reading will have encreased as well as their skill.

Sometimes we all need a little incentive and the following is a list of Free Reading Programs taking place this summer. Take a look and have some Fun Reading!

Barnes and Noble Books

Imagination’s Destination FREE Summer Reading program

The Barnes & Noble Summer Reading Program is here to help you on your way, encouraging you to read books of your own choosing and earn a FREE book, simply by following these three easy steps:

1. Read any eight books this summer and record them in this Barnes & Noble Summer Reading Imagination’s Destination Journal. Be sure to let us know to whom you would recommend each book, and why.

2. Bring your completed journal to a Barnes & Noble store between May 24th and September 6th, 2011.

3. Choose your FREE reading adventure from the book list featured on the back of the journal. Click here to get your free journal.

Old Spaghetti Factory Summer Reading Program

Children who read five books are eligible for a free kid's meal. Click here for more details.

Borders Double Dog Dared Reading Challenge

Kids ages 12 and under are being “Double Dog Dared” to read 10 books this summer and record them on the downloadable form. Then just take the completed form into any store for your free book of select titles.

Local Library Summer Reading Programs

Make sure to visit your local library to see what summer reading programs they have avaliable. Many libraries not only have a summer reading program but also offer story time, and other activities throughout the summer.

Pottery Barn Kids Summer Reading Challenge

Keep your kids reading all summer long with great books from Pottery Barn Kids. Read together at their weekly Story Times or read independantly at home. Visit a local store to receive a free book when your child complete one of our recomended reading lists. The recomended reading list has some great classic childrens books on it!

Chuck E. Cheeses

You can download a free Reading Rewards Calendar (and other ones too) to incentivize some summer reading. Read a book for 2 weeks and kids earn 10 free tokens as a reward!

Coming Soon:

Fun ways to encourage your children to read during the summer

10 Summer Fun Activites

2011-06-13T10:46:00.000-07:00

Summer is just around the corner for us. Doble and Razy just finished their last day of preschool last week and Lil' E will be done by the end of next week. I was searching the web for some fun activities and crafts to do with the kids and found some I thought were worthy to pass onto my readers. Stay tuned throughout the summer and we will share more ideas that we find.

Water Balloon Pinata

at Ziggity Zoom

My kids are already ready to get wet this summer. They have already pulled the sprinklers out for some water fun. We are going to try this fun way to cool off this summer using water balloons and a plastic bat.

Rainbow Pudding Pops

at Random Thoughts of a Super Mom

Popsicles are a must during hot summer days. They are even more fun when you the kids can make them themselves. Look at how colorful and yummy these ones look to make.

Sidewalk Chalk

at Family Fun

My kids are big fans of sidewalk chalk. But with this fun and easy recipe we can make our own with ingredients we have on hand.

Scavenger Hunt

at I am Momma Hear Me Roar

What a fun way to keep the kids occupied for a little bit. The idea of using the egg cartons is genius. They each get their own carton with the list printed right on top. I love that this can be changed out for any type of scavenger hunt.

Ice Excavating

at Chasing Cheerios

The kids could spend lots of time searching for small toys and other objects that have been frozen in a block of ice. If you have room in your freezer you could even do this on a larger scale by filling a large bin.

Stars in Jars

at Brown Chicken Brown Cow

We don't live in an area with fireflies, but this cute idea just using Mason jars and glow in the dark paint would be a hit with Lil' E.

Marshmallow Art

at The Decorated Cookie

I can't wait to try this out with the kids. We go camping atleast 3 times a year. This year we are going 4 times that have already been planned for. I am definately picking up some food writers from the store before our next camping trip so the kids can have fun creating marshmallow art.

Mister Recycle Head Man

at Delia Creates

We just finished planting our garden a few weeks ago and the kids had fun helping. They would get a kick out of growing hair for their very own Recycle Man.

Silly Citrus

at Crazy Domestic

We don't do jello very often. Sometimes it is a hit and miss as to whether the kids are going to want it. This cute idea is simple enough to take the chance to see if they would have fun eating silly citrus jello shots.

A Backyard Obstacle Course

at Imagination Soup

My kids love to go out and play outside. They love to play on the playset and pull out their bats and gloves or run through the sprinkler. However, there are days that they just don't know what to do. Creating an obstacle course would be perfect for those days.

30 Days of Fun Activity Board

at Sew Dang Cute Crafts

When you figure out all that you want to do this summer why not make this cute activity board and place it where everyone can see?

Do you have fun things planned this summer to do with the kids? I would love to hear what they are.

Happy 7th Birthday Lil' E

2011-06-04T11:00:00.000-07:00

LIL' E's FAVORITES

Favorite Food: Hamburgers

Favorite Color: Blue and Red

Best Friend: Kai and Donny

Favorite Toy: Star Wars

Favorite Movie: Bolt

Favorite Song: I Love to See the Temple

Thing to Do: Play Baseball

Favorite Place to Go: The Mariners Game

Favorite kind of Icecream: Chocolate and Vanilla

Favorite Candy: Starbursts

Happy Birthday Lil' E

This is posted late, but Happy Birthday to my grown up little boy. My oldest is 7. Man, 7 seems so old. I mean 6 to me is still little, but when your kids start saying they are 7, the are full out big kids. Wow! As I was looking through pictures of Lil' E I couldn't help but smile at the memories of this cute, chubby, little boy. He has was an easy baby who loved to eat and sleep and eat. By 4 months he weighed a whopping 24 pounds. He has since then slimmed down, but I miss that little buddah baby. I love you Lil' E! Happy 7th Birthday!

Lil' E is really into Star Wars, well he says he is, but I don't know how much he really knows about Star Wars. However, by request we are doing an R2D2 cake for his birthday. We made Star Wars Cupcakes for his kindergarten class. And because of his love of baseball, we made Baseball Cupcakes for his Baseball team.

Huggable Teddy Bears {Product Review}

2011-06-03T15:45:00.000-07:00

Can you believe that my little Razy ~~doesn't~~ didn't have a teddy bear? She got one when she was first born, but it wasn't one that she wanted to cuddle with. Recently I was asked asked to review a product from Huggable Teddy Bears. Razy was so excited for her teddy bear to come. It did take her forever to choose "the" one, but once she found Buckwheat she knew he was the one.

I was so pleased with Buckwheat when he arrived. The website said that he was one soft plush bear, so I knew he would be soft and huggable. However, I didn't think he would be as soft as he was. He is so plush and his fur is so soft. He has a little bit of extra padding in his tooshy to help him sit up, but the rest of him is huggable all around. No wonder Razy loves to sleep with him.

Look at this sweet and loveable face.

Do you know someone that needs a hug and would benefit from a huggable teddy bear? Huggable Teddy Bears has bears for all occasions.

Is there a special someone in your life? Maybe you are celebrating an anniversary, wedding, or any other romantic occasion. The selection of romantic gifts will throw your loved one head over heals.

Or what about your soon to be graduate? Send them off to college with a hug and a memory of their special day. Brody may be just the bear. Look at that cute face...

and he would look so sharp in his graduation cap in gown.

Or maybe you know someone about to start in the adventure of children. Look how adorable these Baby Gifts are. They have baby gift baskets, diaper cakes, and baby bears.

What better way to say "Get Well" than with a huggable bear.

So whether you are looking for a Romantic Gift, a Graduation Gift, a Baby Gift, A Get Well Gift, or just a Huggable Teddy Bear, Go check them out today!

Lilies, Roses, and 10 years

2011-06-02T16:30:00.000-07:00

This past Thursday, JBody and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary. Each year our anniversary falls on the same weekend that we go camping with our family. We usually wait to do anything for our anniversary until we get home from our trip. This year JBody surprised me with this beautiful bouquet. It looks just a bit wilty in some areas and that is due to the fact that I didn't want this beauty to go to waste. I wanted to enjoy it for as long as I could so I rode the hour and a half to our campground with the arrangement inbetween my feet. It was worth it. It was fun to see the vibrant colors inside our cabin each day. This picture was taken after returning from our trip, but you can still see the beauty.

I love Lilies and JBody knows this. The florist did a wonderful job. The added touch of the twigs coming out the top and the rocks in the vase were perfect and really went along with our camping trip.

So did you know that when your lily blooms you need to remove the pollen pods. They stain the flower, your hands, and everything they touch. Not to mention you SNEEZE, SNEEZE, SNEEZE.

Once removed they make the flower even more gorgeous.

Just another picture to remind you how pretty this bouquet was and also to toot my horn that I really do have a Wonderful Husband.

Camping in the Land of Zion

2011-06-02T15:55:00.000-07:00

Every year during memorial weekend we head out camping. This year was no different than all the rest. However, the place was. In March we got a phone call telling us that our reservations had to be cancelled because the trees in the park had root rot and were falling down. We had to quickly find another place to camp. Well let me tell you it was anything but quick when deciding on a new place to go. First we looked into a renting a cabin or vacation home. Well when you are working with about 16 people staying together, it gets pretty expensive. $1300 expensive. This didn't include the renting of boats, tackle, bait, food, ect. So we had to throw that out of the window. I will be honest, I was sad. I thought it would be so fun to stay in a cabin. By April we were getting nervous. Where the heck were we going to stay.

Sometime in April we took our kids to some church property (Zion's Camp) to do some service in the campground. We were put in charge of cleaning the cabins. We fell in love with the area and decided that this is where we would be spending our Memorial Day camping trip. And get this it only cost us $35 a night to stay in the cabin. Yes we still had food, bait, and tackle, but the boats, paddle boats, canoes, achery, ropes coarse, frisbee golf, ect. were all FREE! We loved it so much that we are going to be taking the kids back in July.

Enjoy the following pictures of our trip.

We quickly set up camp and headed to the dock. JBody had barely finished baiting Lil' E's and Dobles poles when BAM! FISH ON BABY!!

This fish spoiled Lil' E. The rest of the fish that night and most of the weekend had nothing on this 18 inch beast.

oops he was a bit slippery

The park was a favorite place to visit. They had some pretty sweet swings. This blue one was a favorite. I wish pictures could give it justice, but it just can't. The kids were crazy as they flew and spun through the air. They all loved it, including Razy and Doble.

Another fun swing that the kids would get major air on. I still can't believe how crazy confident the kids were on these things.

Look at this cute little face. Our little baby Carson is no longer a baby. He is now the big brother to a brand new baby. Congrats Austin and Linsey!

Lil' E learning archery

Doble's first fish. His last fish of the weekend was alot bigger than this one.

Noah and his first fish

Carson actually pulled this one in with a little help from Aunti Peaches

Brave Jenna and her boat full of cousins. She had 4 kids in the paddle boat all alone. Not to mention she is also 8 months pregnant.

Pure joy. I love some these pictures of the three of these kids.

Jordan and her fish. She didn't want to touch it.

Preparing for the ropes coarse. They were practicing their trust fall

We had to get the whole gang over the top of this wall with the rules that once you were over you could only help lift twice and then you were done. Harder than it looks.

The trust fall. Freaked me out, but awesome. We stood on a log that was about 4 feet off the air and then had to fall backwards into the arms of the people below. It took alot of trust. Here we are catching Papa.

Lil' E getting some MAJOR air.

The last big fish of the weekend.

What a weekend. Fun times with family and new friends.

How to Pretty up your Bathroom TowelTUTORIAL

2011-05-19T07:17:00.000-07:00

Looking for a way to pretty up your bathroom? I made this cute towel to go into my staycation package for my swap partner. She really likes damask so I thought I would make a towel to match a picture I saw on her blog. I hope she likes it. I now want to make some for our bathroom. I just have to come up with a theme for our bathroom first. These would make cute wedding shower gifts.

What you need:

A Bathroom Towel (any size this will also work with washclothes)

Ribbon

Thread

Sewing Machine

Sewing pins

Step one: The ribbon I chose had wire in it so I had to take it out. If yours has wire remove it.

Just a picture of the towel I chose

Step 2:

Pin your ribbon to the band at each end of your towel. I only did this on one side of the towel. If you flip it over it won't a ribbon on it. I didn't want my thread to show and I didn't know how to match it up perfectly so it would look good.

Step 3:

Sewing along the edge of the ribbon, sew your ribbon to your towel. I used black thread so it wouldn't show on the under side. I made sure to sew on the outer edge where the ribbon had black stitching so you wouldn't see my thread.

Step 4:

Remove the pins and VIOLA! Isn't it cute? I love it.

Here is a glimpse of her Spa Package.

I made a matching Do Not Disturb Sign to match the towel. I am jealous that I didn't make two of each for myself.

Shopping with Children

2011-05-17T12:41:00.000-07:00

I know that I am not the only mother that dreads going to the store with her children. This shout out is for all of you.

Today I picked Lil' E up from school and decided to run to the store for a couple ingredients for some lasagna rolls. I wanted to make them for dinner. They sound really yummy and we haven't had pasta in quite some time. So we stopped at safeway. This was going to be a quick, but perfect trip...I mean I got front row parking. That never happens when I have all the kids in the car. I love it because then I don't have to chase them through the parking lot.

Razy grabbed her baby and jumped into the cart seat very happily. Doble and Lil' E walked quietly alongside of me. PERFECT! This was proving to be a fast and easy shopping trip. We first went to the pasta isle. YES! Buy 2 Classico Speghetti Sauces (one of my favs) get 2 FREE Safeway pastas. All the ingredients I needed and they were on SALE!! How perfect was this? Nope this is where things went bad...

DUN, DUN, DUN

As I am searching for my 2 FREE pastas I turn to look at Razy. She has moved from the cart seat into the the basket part of the cart. Atleast she didn't fall out and hurt herself. Where are her brothers? Chasing eachother down the isle. I tell both of them to come over and help me pick out some pasta. They do and start to fight over what kind of pasta shape to get. Don't worry boys we get 2. They each pick one and then we start down the isle to our next distination. Doble is freaking out because he CAN'T walk anymore. He wants to be in the cart. His sister WILL NOT move into the seat so I tell him that he is 5 now and can walk. He starts to get upset. Then he yells that his brother is flicking him. Maybe at this point I am over reacting and a little embarrased that people are looking at me, but I quickly grab each of their hands and pick Razy up out of the cart. "We are going home," I say. "Looks like we will be eating cereal for dinner now." "No No No. I don't want cereal," they all cry. Razy is completely upset that we are leaving all our food in the cart and not bringing it home. Doble is crying louder that he doesn't want to eat cereal. And Lil' E is mad because HE DID NOT FLICK HIS BROTHER!! I am not giving in on this one. We leave the food, we get out to the car, we drive home and the kids are now in their rooms while I write this. I did say they weren't going to get lunch, but I can't really follow through on that one. So when I am done with this their nuggets will be done cooking and they will get to come downstairs and eat.

Yes I got plently looks as I left the store. Some faces seemed to say, "Why aren't those kids well behaved?" Others gave me sympathetic smiles. To those of you who know what I am talking about my heart goes out to you. The store is really not the place for children...do you agree? But we as mothers give our children the benefit of the doubt that THIS will be the time that they are perfect little angels. We think to ourselves, I am only going in for a few things and if they can just get through the first 5 minutes we can make it to the bakery for thier free cookie and then to the check out and viola perfect shopping trip. This won't be the last time I take my kids to the store...although I wish I could say it will be. I just hope they remember this shopping trip and try to do a little better next time. As for today, I will be heading back to safeway alone tonight while the kids are tucked into bed and PERFECTLY asleep.

Happy 5th Birthday Doble!

2011-05-12T10:09:00.000-07:00

DOBLE'S FAVORITES

Favorite Food: Pizza

Favorite Color: Blue

Best Friend: Mason and Lucas

Favorite Toy: Thomas

Favorite Movie: Thomas and The Misty Island Rescue

Favorite Song: Mother I Love You

Favorite Thing to Do: Play with Thomas Trains

Favorite Place to Go: Disneyland

Favorite kind of Icecream: Chocolate and Vanilla

Favorite Candy: Skittles

Happy Birthday Doble

5 years old. Wow! I remember this cute bald headed baby. He has was an easy baby who loved to eat and sleep. He never was a baby long, his little sister came into the world when he was only 16 months old. Doble is our sweet, easy going little boy. He is always kind to everyone and makes friends very easily. I love you Doble! Happy 5th Birthday!

Once again we are having a Thomas Birthday for our train loving little boy. This year I tried to put it little twist on Thomas. He is incorporated into the Cake, but the theme is a little more than Thomas. Can't wait to share photos with you.

Mariner's Little League Weekend

2011-05-09T14:49:00.000-07:00

This weekend was a Little League Weekend at Safeco field. We couldn't pass up the chance to take the kids to the game for really cheap. They also like to walk around the field. It was alot of fun. We walked across the ferry and enjoyed the game...EVENTHOUGH THEY LOST. The kids loved the kettle corn and licorice ropes. Lil' E was mesmerized by the game.

Walking around the field. There are so many people who walk around and it was hard to actually find an opening to take a picture. JBody and the boys snuck a feel of the field...they also got in trouble for it by an undercover safeco lady. Quite funny though.

The kids...Check out Razy's hat. I love the hot pink!

One excited little boy. Check out our seats...TWO rows from the tip top, but we couldn't complain they were CHEAP and actually good seats.

Brother and Sister

Not the best shot of JBody, but a cute one of Doble

Aunt Tay Tay and JJ.

Cousins

So can I just tell you that I don't get video games being brought to sporting events, parks, camping, ect. There were so many kids there to "watch" the game, but instead of watching the game they were playing baseball video games. What the heck?! The only time I saw some of these kids look up was to watch the big screen play a game of speed boats racing eachother (basically a giant video). I am just grateful that my kids aren't glued to games all the time or the tv. Yes Doble would sit in front of the tv for hours if I let him, but the key word is let and I don't let them do that. Yeah I can't judge, but I just don't get it.

Staycation Swap Package

2011-05-09T08:02:00.000-07:00

My Staycation Swap Package came in the mail this weekend. I was excited to open it, because I had a lot of fun putting one together for my partner. I am going to have to wait to post who I got until she gets it in the mail, but when she does I have a cute tutorial to share with you.

Without any further ado here are the contents of my package...

FAMILY GAME NIGHT!

Skittles

Twizzlers

Fruit Slices

Kool-Aid

Honey Graham Bears

Ritz Cheese Sandwhichs

Popcorn

Dice

Cards

Fish

Old Maid

Dominoes

Pictureka

Crazy 8's

and a Cute Card

THANKS SARAH FOR THE FUN BOX OF GOODIES TO SHARE WITH THE FAMILY!

The kids have already had a lot of fun with the games. Yesterday morning while JBody made Mother's Day breakfast, the kids and I played Old Maid, Fish, and Crazy 8's. I think that Crazy 8's will become a favorite. Razy Loves dominoes so she was excited to see that in the mix as well. Of course the kids are going to LOVE the candy goodies in the box. My kids take after their daddy. They definately have sweet teeth.

Positively Peaches

Baked Doughnuts

Leaving behind 2011...Heading into 2012

Homemade Frozen Hasbrowns

The "Minivan" Express

Thanksgiving Turkey Veggie Platter

Apple Crisp Recipe

Shaklee Winners & Apology

Shaklee Basic H Review and Giveaway {multiple winners!}

There is a Monster in Our Toilet

Oh So Cute Hair Accessories

Strawberry Bow Winner!

Happy 4th Birthday to my Little Princess! {Giveaway}

Piggies with Ribbon Headband

Faux French Fish Tail {tutorial}

Winner of the Birthday Countdown

Three Braids to One {tutorial}

Webbed Hair {tutorial}

Rubberband Headband {tutorial}

Braided Shoelace Piggies {tutorial}

Shoe Lace Piggies {tutorial}

To Brood or Not to Brood

Happy Birthday Emily! Another Chance to Win!

It's My Birthday Week! {Giveaway}

How to Can Peaches {tutorial}

Purple Cows

Pickling Beets {Tutorial}

Raspberry Cheesecake

More on Blanching: Green Beans and Broccoli

Oh What Do You Do In The Summertime?

Eliminating Onion Tears

Don't Take the Hook {My Family Monday}

Homemade Samoas Cookies {MMM Girl Scout Cookie Goodness}

Homemade Ice Cream in a Baggie

How to Blanch Peas {tutorial}

Take a Walk Through My garden

PVC Mister Sprinkler {tutorial}

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Soda Can Wrappers {tutorial}

Corn on the Cob Cupcakes

4th of July Pinata {tutorial}

Pizza Bites and 4th of July Treats

Summer Blocks

"Inbetween the Laundry" Accomplishments

Inbetween the Laundry

Marvelous & Magnificent M&Ms

Teacher Crayon Monogram {tutorial}

Have a Kool Summer

Daddy We Love You Because...

Dog Collar Boutique {Product Review}

Monster Journal {tutorial}

5 Fun and Creative Reading Activities

Monster Corner Bookmarks {tutorial}

6 Free Summer Reading Programs

10 Summer Fun Activites

Happy 7th Birthday Lil' E

Huggable Teddy Bears {Product Review}

Lilies, Roses, and 10 years

Camping in the Land of Zion

How to Pretty up your Bathroom Towel**TUTORIAL**

Shopping with Children

Happy 5th Birthday Doble!

Mariner's Little League Weekend

Staycation Swap Package

How to Pretty up your Bathroom TowelTUTORIAL