Friday Finds for Father's Day

So many cute ideas and it's not too late to get started on any of them!!

 

25 Days of Christ in Christmas

One of our new traditions this year...a simple countdown chain to ensure we focus on Christ being the center of Christmas at least once daily...

On each chain I wrote a scripture to look up followed by a question to be answered. Little Miss gets to take one link off a day - although we did 3 tonight...playing catch up is okay! It's not too late - get on board! This is such a fun way to teach Little Miss more about the birth of our Savior.

Making the chain was also great in other ways. Little Miss got to practice with scissors, then with patience while she waited for me to write on every link. =) It also gave us an opportunity to discuss patterns and numbers. Yay for multi-tasking!

Here is the list of the 24 scriptures & questions - I got them from here - where other good Christmas lesson ideas are! To make it 25 days - we'll be reading the whole Christmas story in Luke 2 on Christmas day...

How do you keep Christ the center of your Christmas?

1
Luke 1:26–33 
Who told Mary that she would have a baby?

2
Matt. 1:18–21 
Why did Mary and Joseph name the baby “Jesus”?

3
Luke 2:3–6 
Why did Joseph and Mary go to Bethlehem before Jesus was born?

4
Luke 2:7 
Why did Mary lay baby Jesus in a manger?

5
Luke 2:8–11 
To whom did the angel announce the Savior’s birth?

6
Luke 2:12 
What was used for a cradle for baby Jesus?

7
Luke 2:13–14 
Who joined the angel in praising God?

8
Luke 2:15–17 
Where did the shepherds go after the angels left?

9
Matt. 2:1–2 
How did the Wise Men know that Jesus had been born?

10
Matt. 2:7–10 
Where did Herod send the Wise Men?

11
Matt. 2:11 
How did the Wise Men show that they knew the young child was the Savior?

12
Matt. 2:13–15 
Why did Joseph take Mary and Jesus to Egypt?

13
Matt. 5:6 
Jesus Christ taught that we will be blessed for seeking righteousness. Spend at least 10 minutes reading scriptures or scripture stories.

14
Matt. 5:9 
Jesus Christ taught that we should be peacemakers. Be a peacemaker in your family by not arguing with others.

15
Matt. 5:16 
Jesus Christ taught that we should be good examples to others. Set an example by choosing the right.

16
Matt. 5:43–44 
Jesus Christ taught that we should love our enemies. In your personal prayers, ask a blessing for someone who has been unkind to you.

17
Matt. 6:3–4 
Jesus Christ taught that we should help other people. Perform a secret act of service for a member of your family.

18
Matt. 7:7–8 
Jesus Christ taught us that our prayers will be answered. Volunteer to say the family prayer.

19
Matt. 7:12 
Jesus Christ taught us to treat others as we would like to be treated. Write a letter to someone who is far away, such as a missionary or grandparent.

20
Luke 17:12–19 
Jesus Christ praised the leper who thanked Him. Write a note or draw a picture to thank your Primary teacher for what he or she has taught you.

21
Mark 10:13–14 
Jesus Christ showed that children are very important to Him. Show your love for a brother, sister, or parent by reading a story to him or her.

22
Matt. 22:37–39 
Jesus Christ taught us to love our neighbors. Work with your family to do something nice for a neighbor.

23
John 13:34 
Jesus Christ told us that we should love one another. Show your love to your parents by helping without being asked.

24
Isa. 9:6 
The celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ is a time for joy. Write in your journal the feelings you have for Him.

Halloween, A Little Late

This year Little Miss decided she would be a detective for Halloween...so I spent a whopping $0.55 and turned this thrift store find...

into this girly detective costume...

I love you sewing machine. Men's shirt - 25 cents, hat - 25 cents, magnify glass - 5 cents.

To complete our family costume ensemble, we stuck Little Man in the money bag outfit his sister wore at that age, and husband and I were the robbers...so the detective was trying to find the stolen money.

Super fun! After seeing all the girls trick-or-treating in princess costumes...Little Miss told me she wants to be a princess next year. Ugh. So predictable. The peer pressure sets in and the creativity goes out the window. Oh well, maybe it'll wane.

Cinco de Mayo Menu - revisited

This year...

Beef Nacho Casserole and Fried Ice Cream

Okay - so the beef nacho casserole isn't super authentic and maybe is a cop-out - but it does have spicy flavors. And it's super easy to throw together! Which is why it's my pick for this year...and Fried Ice Cream. Yum! It's my first time making it. So...I'll let you know how it goes. And I'll post pictures later. Meanwhile - here are the recipes...

Beef Nacho Casserole - a recipe from my childhood

• 1 lb ground beef
• 12 oz salsa
• 1 cup corn
• 3/4 cup miracle whip
• 1 Tbsp chili powder
• Spicy Nacho Doritos
• Shredded Cheddar Cheese
• Lettuce
• Tomatoes
• Sour Cream

Brown beef, drain. Add salsa, corn, miracle whip, & chili powder. Place 1/2 meat mixture in 9x13. Cover with layer of doritos. Layer of cheese. Repeat layer of meat, chips, and cheese. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes. Serve with lettuce, tomatoes, & sour cream.

Fried Ice Cream - courtesy of allrecipes.com

• 1 quart vanilla ice cream
• 3 cups crushed cornflakes
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3 egg whites
• Frying oil

Scoop ice cream into 8 - 1/2 cup sized balls. Place on baking sheet and freeze until firm, about 1 hour.

In a shallow dish, combine cornflakes and cinnamon. In another dish, beat egg whites until foamy. Roll ice cream balls in egg whites, then in cornflakes, covering ice cream completely. Repeat if necessary. Freeze again until firm, 3 hours.

In deep fryer or large, heavy saucepan, heat oil to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Using a basket or slotted spoon, fry ice cream balls 1 or 2 at a time, for 10 to 15 seconds, until golden. Drain quickly on paper towels and serve immediately.


Click Here for Last Years Menu...

DIY: Silk Tie Easter Eggs {archives}

I love these Easter Eggs...beautiful. And different. This isn't exactly a kid friendly project - at least not for my toddler - but it would be fun for slightly older kids to help.

You'll need 100% silk ties from the thrift store, an old pillowcase or lightweight light colored material (got mine at the thrift store too), some string or twist ties, and scissors.

These two were my favorite ties. Love the elephants.

First deconstruct the ties carefully, salvage just the silk material.

Then wrap your eggs as tight as possible without breaking the egg (right side of the material touching the surface of the eggs). Then wrap again with the pillowcase material.

Place gently in a pot, cover eggs with water and add 1/4 cup vinegar. Then turn the heat on. Once the water starts boiling, time them for 20 min. Check periodically for floaters - and push them back down again. Remove from water and let cool and dry till damp.

I was impatient so I gave my eggs more airflow so they'd cool faster by placing my cooling rack over my sink and a paper towel underneath to catch drips.

Some of my favorites...

I love how the paisley ties turned out!



I got this idea from Our Best Bites. A few silk ties from the thrift store and voila!

Click here for full instructions and more pictures from Our Best Bites. Oh, and they're not edible! The dye on silk ties is not FDA approved, who knows where it's from - so don't try it! I'm going to find some cute white ceramic egg cups and display mine.

Remember These?

I still love Little Misses Easter basket - which is almost exactly like the girly one shown below that I made last year for a giveaway...I can't wait to make one for Mr Man now!!

Now to go find some fun fabric!

Almost done moving - just have to finish cleaning the old apartment. Moving with two small children is now on my *most hated* list - not fun for anyone. Really it wouldn't have been so bad had Little Miss not come down with croup the week of our move! Stress city. Then Mr Man got his 2 month shots and was super grumpy and fever-ish...but we made it through. And I promise I will have more exciting posts in the next few days!

Yay for getting back to normal!

Mint {Green} Oreo Cupcakes

This is the perfect St. Patrick's Day treat for the chocolate lover, the mint lover, the oreo lover....the lover of pretty food. My husband always teases me because I am slightly obsessed with food being appealing to the eye (I've watched food network one too many times). I love garnishing. Even just for the 2 of us. Anyway - this is also the perfect treat to make with kids!

Don't they look pretty? It get's better...

First start with some mint oreos - remove the tops and place cookie side down in a muffin tin lined with paper cups.

My new favorite cake mix is this butter recipe - it uses butter instead of oil and is so much better! Thick and creamy. Love it. One box of cake mix will yield about 28 cupcakes. Make according to box directions and cover up your naked oreos about 3/4 of the way full.

After baking - they'll look like this on the bottom.

...and this on the inside...

No cupcake is complete until frosted. First you'll need one cube butter and one 8 oz cream cheese - both room temperature. Beat together with a mixer until fluffy.

Next add 1 Tablespoon vanilla.

And about 1 lb powdered sugar - a cup at a time. About 4 cups. I think I added a little more to get the thicker consistency I wanted for piping on the frosting...

That's about thick enough...

And of course it has to be green for St Patrick's Day!

And done.

Make sure you have someone to help you lick the beaters - like a cute little girl still in her pajamas...whoever said cream cheese frosting wasn't good for breakfast?!

I used the largest cake decorating tip I had and piped on the frosting in swirling peaks.

But something was missing...oh yes. A dusting of fine oreo crumbs that I made out of the tops I took off originally. Placed in a food processor and voila. Beautiful and tasty!

Happy St Patricks Day!! Have fun with your kids!

Celebrating St Patrick's Day

So I love holidays. This probably explains why my daughter measures time by what holiday is coming next. Here’s a look into how we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day:

Step 1: Wear Green. Silly glasses are a must.

Step 2: Follow the leprechaun footprints to see what he left you! Last year, they led right into my daughter’s room, where she discovered a bucket filled with Shamrock coins and a tasty snack.

Step 3: Play Games. I had my daughter help me make these shamrocks that we used for two games. A memory/matching game…

…and our own version of a cake walk. We placed the shamrocks in a circle, and she walked around them till the music stopped, then shouted out which shape she stopped on.

Step 4: FINGER PAINT! We like to finger paint with yogurt…then you can delight in licking it off your fingers. Key lime pie would have been the best flavor to use, but all we had was vanilla—easy to fix with a little food coloring. (My daughter went through a phase where she didn’t like getting her hands dirty….hence the spoon. Oh well, makes it easier to eat!)

Step 5: Eat green food. Seriously—anything you can turn green, do it! We like to eat breakfast for dinner. And breakfast foods are easy to turn green. We had green French toast, eggs and milk. If I could have figured out a way to turn the sausage green, I would have ;)

How do you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?

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Marie is a stay at home mom of two adorable kiddos who keep her super busy! She has a dual degree in Elementary Education and Early Childhood Education and continues to use her degree everyday of her mommy career!

Marie is one of my good friends and someone I look up to very much as a mommy. She has tons of fun ideas for things to do with your kids - so keep an eye out for her future guest posts.