Archive for the ‘Family’ Category
Happiness Is… Playing In the Green Grass
Wednesday, June 18th, 2008Fruity Play Dough
Monday, June 16th, 2008
Each day we have been enjoying something off of Ethan’s summertime list. One of the things that he wanted to do was to make play dough so I found a really great recipe that I thought would work perfectly and keep our kitchen nice and cool. This recipe requires no cooking, which is a bonus on a hot summer day, and uses Kool-Aid mixes to make your colors.
I made a batch in each of the kid’s favorite colors and was suprised how quickly and easily this dough came together. In about five minutes, the dough was ready to go for little hands to enjoy.
Boy, did they enjoy this! I put out my biscuit cutter, plastic forks and knives, cookie cutters, and a giant rolling pin- all items courtesy of my kitchen! The kids played in this for over an hour and then I stored the batches in plastic containers.
This dough stays nice and soft and the smell is delicious… which is very confusing for a two year-old. Emily found out the hard way that it didn’t taste as good as it smelled, but it only took one taste to find that out.
Fruity Play Dough (courtesy of Recipezaar.com)
1 cup flour
1 package Kool-AidKool-Aid (any flavor)
1 package Kool-AidKool-Aid (any flavor)
1 tablespoon cream of tartar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup salt
3/4 cup boiling water (the original recipe called for one cup of boiling water, but I found it made the dough too loose- aim for 3/4 cup and add more if needed)
1/4 cup salt
3/4 cup boiling water (the original recipe called for one cup of boiling water, but I found it made the dough too loose- aim for 3/4 cup and add more if needed)
Mix all dry ingredients in bowl then oil, then pour boiling water in and mix thoroughly. Wrap in cellophane or air tight container and store in fridge. The play dough should last a few months.
Happiness Is… Blowing Bubbles
Wednesday, June 11th, 2008
Summertime Planning
Tuesday, June 10th, 2008
I was really inspired by Whatever’s summer list and vowed that we were going to do that this summer for our family. We headed over to the Dollar Tree and picked up a piece of poster board for $.50 and a fresh new Sharpie marker for $1. On the way home, we talked about all of the things that we wanted to do this summer and we both got really excited about all of our fun plans.
Ethan made the list with us and this is what we came up with:
Go to the beach (St Joe and/or New Buffalo)
Go to the dinosaur museum (the Field Museum)
Play Mario Kart with mommy
Make homemade slushies
Run through the sprinklers
Go to the zoo (Ft Wayne and/or Potowatomi Zoo)
Go to playgroup(s)
Go to VBS
Go to the dollar movie
Sleepover with our cousin
Have an Earth Hour family night
Make homemade pizza
Eat at the food court at the mall
Make homemade play dough
Go to St Louis
Go to Granny’s house to play
Make Magic Milkshakes
Go to Grandma’s house to play
Go to the park
Get our first library card
Go to the water park
Make banana pops
Wash the cars with daddy
Get out the rainy day suitcase
Watch the Car’s movie and eat Jimmy John’s
Have an ice cream sundae night
Buy presents for the homeless shelter and deliver them
Go to Krispy Kreme and watch them make donuts
Have a picnic in the backyard
Go to the AirZoo Museum
Ethan drew a picture of his family in the summertime to go along with our list and we hung it in our kitchen for the summer.
I love that the majority of the activities he picked didn’t cost money and that the ones that he did pick that cost something could be special things that we could look forward to together. Since we have no big vacation plans, this looks like a really great round-up of activities to keep us busy this summer.
It is kind of funny though… I think my husband & I are just as excited as he is!
More Coffee Talk
Tuesday, June 10th, 2008
It has been awhile since I had been to Sam’s Club, but after all the adventures in bread making that I had been doing, I had run out of a key ingredient for cooking… all-purpose flour.
I don’t know what it is about going to Sam’s Club, but it is like I have to give myself a pep talk for an entire week that I am going there. I think it is because it is so big and the lines are so long and walking the place takes so much time, but maybe that is just me? Usually I choose the Click ‘N Pull option, but our Sam’s is under construction so I thought it would be easier if I just ran in and got the stuff myself.
I usually run in and run right back out and rarely do I browse because, frankly, I end up spending money we don’t have. As I was making my beeline towards the flour, this shiny bag caught my eye and I was doing a little happy dance in the aisle.
Sam’s Club is carrying my FAVORITE coffee in the whole wide world- Folger’s Gourmet Vanilla Biscotti. I have been highly addicted to this coffee since the company sent me some samples to review and that, my friends, is why Freebie Friday might not really be free. I can’t tell you how many “free” things I have gotten suckered into buying and this coffee is no exception.
This is a killer deal though, $10.88 for two pounds of coffee! Don’t forget, Sam’s also carries Dunkin’ Donuts for cheap too!
What have you received for “free” that you are now hooked on? Tell me I am not the only one getting sucked in by free samples!
Boo To McDonald’s
Monday, June 9th, 2008
I feel like there should be some scary 48 Hours Mystery music playing in the background or that this picture should do some eerie fade effect or that I just grow wider and wider. I just found out that my McDonald’s Vanilla Iced Coffees are made with WHOLE MILK. I only have one word to say to this…WHY?
This picture was taken after I went for a run. Yes, these were my little treats to myself after working out at the gym or doing something amazing like going for a run around the neighborhood in ninety degree weather (which I did this weekend and almost died). Little did I know that I was gulping all of the calories back into my body.
I discovered this after I had went to the gym one morning. Sweaty from a really good workout, I pulled up to the drive-thru and asked for the usual, but this time I asked the one question that I did not want to ask.
“Um, ma’am, can you tell me…is that coffee made with nonfat milk?”
“No.”
“Um, well, could you make it with some nonfat milk?”
“No.”
“Well, is it made with two percent milk?”
“No. It’s made with whole milk.”
“(teeny tiny voice) Can you change that to a medium please?”
What the hay? I love these coffees and they are so inexpensive, but I do not need to be gulping whole milk throughout the day. I am not on a diet, but I prefer not to ingest 11 grams of fat (according to McDonald’s website) in one sitting.
Oh, and here are the ingredients that they have listed:
Premium Roast Coffee. Light Cream: Milk, cream, sodium phosphate, sodium polyphosphate, DATEM, sodium stearoyl lactylate, tetra sodium pyrophosphate, sodium hexametaphosphate, sodium citrate, carrageenan. CONTAINS: MILK. Vanilla Syrup: Sugar, water, fructose, natural (plant source) and artificial flavor, caramel color (with sulfites), potassium sorbate (preservative), citric acid, malic acid. Ice.
Hmm? Sounds like a chem lab in my stomach!
Now I am going to figure out how to replicate this. After all, if I can crack the code on Starbuck’s Peppermint Mochas, these McDonald’s iced coffees should be a walk in the park.
Do you guys have some suggestions for making the perfect iced coffees? Any tips to share before I try to replicate my coffee experience with some good old-fashioned nonfat milk?
My Little Treat
Monday, June 9th, 2008
I can’t help it! I have wanted these shoes ever since I read Emily’s entry to her husband and now they are mine, all mine! I grumbled an excuse to my husband that Ethan & I had to run to Payless Shoes, after our church service, to get Ethan some sandals. As we marched into the store, I tapped my shoe on the floor waiting impatiently for Ethan to make a decision. After trying on a zillion pairs of shoes, he finally settled on the perfect pair and ran up and down the aisles as I searched the boxes for the pair of shoes that I had been dreaming of.
One pair left in my size, I clutched the box to my heart and practically kissed the $16.99 tag that was hanging off the side of the box. Yeah, it was a love like that.
The girl gushed over the shoes and said she had women coming in with pictures of these shoes asking for them, but they only had a couple of pairs left. And one of them walked out with me.
I had a hard time walking out with just one pair and my son (the perfect little boy he is) kept telling me, “Oh, mommy! You have to get those shoes! Those are perfect!” And then I would blink my long lashes and say, “Can you tell Daddy that when we get home?” After clutching four boxes, I returned three of them back to their spots. Aren’t you proud? You know me and shoes– it was tough!
Alas, we left with one lone pair, but all of the rest of those sweet summer prints will just have to be in my heart for now…or until the next BOGO sale!
Happiness Is… Time & Space to Bake
Wednesday, June 4th, 2008
I Give In!
Thursday, May 29th, 2008You can find me on Twitter now! Here’s to another black hole sucking up my time!
Happiness Is…My Favorite Coffee Cup
Wednesday, May 28th, 2008
