Freezer Meal--from Most any Meal

As Back-to-School time begins to encroach on our Summer fun, its time to start finding ways to make those School days a little less hectic.  One idea: Freezer Meals.  We've all made freezer meals before the arrival of a new baby in the name of saving time and effort, now its time to make and use them again.

Freezer meals are quite easy.  I just double a meal and place half of it in a freezer bag and cook the other half for dinner.  Doubling a recipe takes very little effort and thus saves a lot of time.  Soups, Pasta dishes, and Casseroles all work great as Freezer Meals.

I write the meal instructions on the freezer bag.  Pull it out to thaw at lunch time, thaw in the microwave, or set a meal in the Refridgerator before you head out in the morning. Then just before dinner time place in a dish and bake.

Enjoy!

DIY Burlap Wreath

I've been wanting a wreath for the door and saw this one on pinterest.  I thought the burlap was cute and that it was great because it just used a wire hanger and not a wreath form.  I did mine a little different because I liked the look more (it seemed fuller/more structured).

Here is what you need:

A wire hanger

1 1/2 yards burlap cut into 3" wide strips

any other decorations

1- Bend your hanger out into a circle

2- untwist the hanger where it comes together
you can use pliers to help if needed

3- thread your burlap onto the hanger

(put it on, fold it over, and twist 180deg - hopefully the picture helps!)

4- keep going until it is as full as you want it

5- twist the top of the hanger back together

6- add any other decorations you want

How to cut a watermelon - Aunty style

The other day Mommy showed you how she cuts a watermelon.  I thought I would share how I cut a watermelon.  I learned this way from my sister-in-law.  I like it because you don't have to cut the rind off of each ring/slice.

1- cut your watermelon in half and lay the cut side down

2- cut the rind off of the sides

3- cut the rind off of the top part

4- the rind is all cut off!

5- slice it one direction

6- lay your slices down and slice again

7- turn your pile and slice one more time so you have cubes

8- all ready to eat!!!

Chili Mac

Chili Mac is something that I learned in college.  It is a great way to stretch a box of Macaroni and Cheese and adds some protein too.

1 box macaroni and cheese

1 can chili

Prepare the macaroni and cheese per box directions.  Put it back in the pan and add the can of chili.  Warm until heated through and enjoy!

How to Cut a Watermelon

Summer and Watermelon just go together.

But sometimes Watermelon cutting can seem daunting.

I try to keep it simple and quick,  and easy to eat for my little ones.

Push knife lengthwise, straight into melon...

Then around like the hands of a clock, turning melon half way through.

Now that you have melon rings...

Cut rind off, around the ring, then remove rind.

Cut slices in a checker board pattern and place in bowl.

Repeat with other slices, either as needed, or all at once.

To get the fruit out of the melon's end cap 'bowls', use a melon baller or spoon and dig out 'balls' of melon.

Enjoy Summer!

Father's Day Handprint Craft

It might go without saying, but DIY Daddy is pretty handy around the house.

He also needs a few work shirts to get dirty in as he works.

Thus, our Father's Day Gift: a personalized Handy-Daddy t-shirt.

How to: Use craft paint and stamps to write out the saying.  (Clean paint off stamps quickly after use.) Then paint the children's hands and carefully place down on shirt, pressing each finger and palm down firmly, then lift straight up.  

Other possible sayings..."Zoe's Handyman", "Our Handyman", "Daddy's our Handyman", "Tyler and Emma's Handy-Daddy".

Top row: back of t-shirt.
Bottom row: front of t-shirt

Summer Mohawk

Last summer I thought it would be fun to take, now 3 year old Tommie's long locks and instead of going straight for a summer butch give him a mohawk for a bit first.  

He loved it.  His siblings loved it.  

So, fast forward to this summer, where Tommie has been asking for his mohawk back.

Alrighty kiddo, here comes your mohawk!

Summer Mohawk How-to

(For regular haircuts skip to step 2.)

1. Using a comb to make straight line parts, gather the hair in the middle of the head into a couple of ponytails--gathering and lifting the mohawk-to-be out of the way.  I don't go all the way to the neck with the mohawk, but stop a few inches up instead...that bottom hair doesn't mohawk well.

2. Cut all hair that is not in a ponytail using clippers.  In this case I used a #3 clipper attachment.  Work carefully around the ponytails, trying not to catch any hair you don't mean to.  Go over the hair with the clippers a couple of times to insure you don't have any long hairred straglers.

3. Using the ear attachment, clip/clean-up right around ears.

4. Clean-up and create a straight line at the neck, by using the clippers--no attachment--on lowest setting. Holding clippers upside down, start by placing clippers at desired hairline and 'shaving' down the neck towards shoulders, going down as far as there are stray hairs.  Make sense? ;)

5. When your finished cutting it should look something like this.  Ponytails down the middle an. a clean cut all around.

6. Take the ponytails out.

7. Style using mousse, fiber gum, hairspray, gel--whatever you've got--and a little hairdryer action to hold in place.

Note:  The above how-to can be used for regular hair cuts too, just cut all the hair instead of leaving a mohawk.

It's HOT! Time for a Milkshake!

We've been playing outside this morning, and it's hot.  Now I think we need something cold and yummy.

Banana Milk Shake

1 C. Milk

1 Banana

2 C. Vanilla Ice Cream

Blend it all in the blender until smooth.  Make more by doubling your ingredients.

Clearance plants

When I was at Lowes today I happened upon a couple of racks of clearance plants. A lot of them were $0.10 and the bigger perennials that I got were $0.50.  My grand total: $1.60. Not too shabby!

Check it out and see if there are any flowers/plants on clearance where you are.

Crepes with Strawberry Jam

Now that we have fresh jam in house we need something to eat with.

Time for some Crepes!

Crepes

2 Beaten Eggs

1 1/2 C. Milk

1 C. Flour

1 T. Oil

Dash of Salt

Combine all ingredients, stirring just until combined.

In a warmed, greased, round-skillet pour about 1/4 C. batter, then lift skillet and tilt it around in a circle to spread the batter thinly, thus forming a crepe.

Crepe making takes some time, so I will warm the oven to about 200 deg., turn it off and then place finished crepes on a cookie sheet in the oven to stay warm until I have finished cooking all of the batter.

To eat: place a small amount of jam down the center of a crepe.  Roll crepe up and watch them all disappear.

Strawberry Freezer Jam

We have been picking a plethora of strawberries, which can only mean one thing: 

Time for making JAM.

Freezer jam is very easy to make.  

There are only 3 ingredients: fruit, sugar, and pectin.

I can't tell you specific amounts because it depends on the pectin--which will have a recipe--but I do recommend using dry pectin over wet.

Note: Pectin can normally be found by the canning jars at the store.

Here are the basics of putting the jam together.

1. Wash fruit, cut off greens, and place in blender.

2. Puree in blender just long enough to get each berry through the blades, you want to have some berry chunks instead of just liquified berries.

3. Read your pectin recipe to know how many berries and how much sugar to prep.

4. Wash and dry jam containers: these can be glass jars, plastic containers, but keep it small-ish.

5. Combine, by mixing, pectin and sugar.

6. Mix pectin/sugar with berry puree for a few minutes.

7. After this mixing you will be able to see that the kam has thickened.

8. Pour jam into containers, leaving the top half inch unfilled.

Freeze and use as needed.

DIY Storage Boxes

I have been on the look out for storage boxes/baskets that would fit into our awesome Mud Room Unit that we built.  I haven't found anything that is the right size.  I happily discovered that the boxes that milk comes in from Costco are just about right.

To make them into pretty storage boxes:

Cut off the flaps (I used a box cutter)

Mod Podge scrapbook paper onto the front (a 12x12" fit the width perfectly and I just folded the excess over the top)

Add a layer of Mod Podge on top of the paper to protect it

Note: I tried to smooth the paper out as I put it on the box.  I did find that when I added the Mod Podge on top, the paper bubbled up.  It did flatten back out as it dried.

I just put paper on the front since that is all that will normally be seen, but you could do all the sides if you wanted.

$0.30 storage boxes!!!  Wahoo!!!

Mouse Alfredo

DIY Daddy put a few mouse traps up in the attic...but has yet to catch anything.

However, it was a Mouse Alfredo kind of night.  

What, you say, is Mouse Alfredo?  Alfredo sauce with a tablespoon of pesto aded in.  I happened to use a sun dried tomato pesto, but standard green pesto is just as delicious.  So my short recipe would look something like this:

Mouse Alfredo

1 jar Alfredo Sauce

1 Tb Pesto

1/2 lb shredded Chicken

Cooked pasta

"But why is it called Mouse Alfredo," you beg.

Because this pesto-alfredo sauce is a copycat of an alfredo sauce found on pasta entrees at Disneyland, would be the answer.  So the mouse part is thanks to Mickey.

Eat up.

Outdoor Rug a'la Paint

Today we were lucky enough to be invited over to a friends for a swim.

Which the kids absolutely love!

Any how....I really liked this idea of a painting a rug on the cement.

What's not to like.  Easily cleaned.  Water proof. Spill proof. Custom colors.

Just a really awesome idea that gets the idea wheels turning.

Local Gem: Kids Bowl Free

Pretty much anywhere in the U.S. you can find a bowling alley that participates in the summer program KidsBowlFree.  Its 2 free games per child, per day.  You just have to rent shoes. 

We LOVE free bowling! 

Really we love anything free.  But we really do love free bowling: an indoor airconditooned activity, with flexible hours, that everyone can participate in--parents get to join in for a small $25 fee for the whole summer.  Family fun night.

Some tips: Consider investing in some used bowling shoes if you plan on bowling often.  If there are several alleys near you: compare hours for free, days, number of lanesn dates.  For example one lane near us doesn't allow free bowling on the weekend--when dad's home--and ends the 1st week of August.  Verses our alley of choice which has free bowling on the weekend and is available through the end of August.

#kidsbowlfree

Sign-up at: kidsbowlfree.com

Summer Reading Goals

At our house Summer Break starts tomorrow at Noon! Wah-hoooo!

Tomorrow will also mark the beginning of our Family Summer Reading Goals. 

Each summer we, the parents, set page reading goals for each child--a.k.a. they each have different numbers of pages based on they're reading level. 

 Then the kids help us choose 2 milestone prizes: the 1st prize is earned when they've read about 5/8th of their pages and the 2nd prize when they have met their page goal. 

 Why 5/8ths? The kids find it easier to read for the first prize than to keep going toward the second, so these proportions help them push through to the end.

Prizes are usually family activities, that we don't do very often,  and therefore fall into the splurge catagory for us.  

Examples: 

Go see the New Pixar movie at the theater

Weekend of camping

Afternoon at Inceedible Pizza

Bowling

Skating

Mini-golf

Whatever the prize, it works best if its something a little out of the norm, and something you won't be doing over the summer unless the kids have earned it.

Hint: to help figure out how many pages a child's goal should be--1st figure out how many pages of a level appropriate book the child can read in about 45 minutes.  Then multiply that by the number of days in your summer.  We sometimes allow our older reader to count picture books read to his siblings, but most of his pages need to come from his books.

Go to the Library often to get new books.

Plus the Library probably offers a Summer Reading program too.  Look into it.

DIY Drawer Organizers

Today's project was organizing the kitchen drawers (I know we have more than we need (4 sets of measuring cups!!)).  I have been thinking about making dividers for awhile but haven't had good cardboard to do it with.  I got a good, long box to use last weekend.  I am hoping that having the dividers in there will help things get back in the right place (I put things where I think they go, Uncle doesn't always think they go where I do.)

To make the dividers, I cut strips of cardboard that were as tall as my drawer (3 1/2").  I just left the strips as long as the cardboard box was.  They were about 5 inches longer than my drawer.  I folded the end of the cardboard strip to be the length of my drawer, then put my strips into the drawer.  The strips fit in snugly and the folded over part helps to keep them spaced out (there is a groove in the folded over part from how the box was folded).  Ta da!

Shirred Skirt from a T-shirt

I saw this awesome idea on pinterest and couldn't wait to try.  I thought I was pretty well versed in sewing, but it turns out there was at least one technique I wasn't aware of: shirring.  Apparently shirring is like smocking (which I had heard of) but slightly different (not sure how).  I had no idea that you could smock (shir) on your machine.  All you need is elastic thread in the bobbin.

To make this super comfy, stretchy skirt you need a T-shirt, elastic thread (and of course your other basic sewing supplies) and half an hour.  I found this T-shirt at a thrift store for $1.50.  I got the elastic thread at hobby lobby for $0.95 (after coupon).

#1 wrap your elastic thread onto your bobbin.  This needs to be done by hand to get the tension right.  You don't want it to be loose, but you don't want it to be stretched out either.

#2 Cut the sleeves and neck off of your T-shirt.  The bottom part will become your skirt.
You could cut just below the sleeves, but I cut a little higher than that to get my skirt as long as I wanted it.  I just sewed up the little openings on the sides where the arm holes had been.

#3 Start sewing to create your shirred waistband.  To shirr, just sew like you normally would, right side up (so that the elastic is on the inside of your skirt).  The first few rows don't seem very tight, but they will get tighter as you do more.

Don't forget to back-stitch when you start and stop!
(Or you could tie the ends of the elastic together when your done.)

I used a long stitch and tightened my top tension a little.  You'll have to see what works with your machine.

#4 Keep adding more rows to your waistband.  I just used the edge of my presser foot as my guide to keep my rows relatively even (1/4" apart).  Be sure to spread your fabric out flat in front of the needle as you sew.

I sewed 10 rows, but you could do a few more too.

#5 After you have all of your rows sewn, you can hit the elastic with a little steam from the iron (of water from a spray bottle) to help the elastic tighten up.

That's it!  You're done!  Half an hour later and you have a super comfy skirt.  I have worn mine several times and love it!

Note: The T-shirt that I got was a 3x.  That was great for the length, but when I first started wearing my skirt I felt like it was going to fall off.  So I just took it in a few inches on one of the sides.  Now it is great!

Trifle

 

I am a few days behind...but here is the yummy dessert my hubby made me for Mother's Day (at my request).  It is a trifle!  I just think they are fun maybe because there are lots of different layers and you can see them!  Here is what we used:

milk chocolate cake, cooked per box directions
one batch vanilla pudding (I wanted to use a box but uncle insisted on the from scratch variety)

whipping cream (or cool whip)

strawberries, bananas
mini chocolate chips

Put a layer of each of your ingredients in and then repeat!

Some trifle bowls will let you put an 8" round cake in whole, ours doesn't so we just broke the cake up into big pieces.  If you don't have a trifle bowl, use a glass bowl, or any other bowl (you just won't be able to see the layers).

You can do whatever flavors you want.  Have fun making a yummy trifle!

 

DIY Ornate, Colored Earings

It seems that bright pastel colored earings are all the rage right now.  Which gave me the perfect idea for a pair of my earings who's metal has become not so silver anymore.

Paint them, a bright pastel, to cover the metal and match a sweater.

Here we go.

1- Mix or find a craft paint of desired color.  (I mixed a true blue and lime green to get aquamarine.)

2- Use masking tape to cover the hooks.

3- Paint fronts using a foam brush and small amounts of paint. Let dry; help from the blow dry makes this quick. Hint: you can get unwanted paint bubbles out from between the metal by blowing it out or using a toothpick.

4- Do the same to the backside. Let dry.

That's it.  Take off the masking tape and you're done.

Pretty cool, huh?

Marshmallow Cheerio Bars

I had a little dilemma today. I had some sticky marshmallows that needed used but no rice crispies.  Now what?

Enter substitue cereal--Cheerios.

It turned out delicious.

Marshmallow Cheerios Bars

4Tbs Butter

10oz bag of Marshmallow

5 1/2 C. Cheerios

Melt butter and marshmallow over medium heat, in large sauce pan.

Stir occasionally. Grease 9x13 pan while it melts. 

Add cheerios, stir, then pour into 9x13 pan.  Flatten into pan using wet hands--thus avoiding the stickyness and heat.

"healthy" chocolate chip cookies

I had a hankering for cookies today (surprise, surprise).  I have made these cookies once before and decided to make them again today.  They use about half the fat and less sugar than regular chocolate chip cookies, plus no eggs.  They still taste like cookies.  Not too shabby!

I found the recipe here and followed it almost exactly except that I did 1 cup whole wheat flour and 2 cups all purpose flour.  I also like them better with some oatmeal in them rather than without oatmeal.  I threw in about 1 tablespoon of ground flax seeds for good measure too.

The dough doesn't stick together as well as regular cookie dough, but I kind of press it together with my cookie scoop as I form the cookies and it works out great.

A note on bean puree:  Bean Puree is just cooked beans (either dry beans that you cooked or beans from a can that have already been cooked) that you puree with a little water if needed.  I used great northern beans because that is what I had on hand and pureed it in my little tiny food processor.  You can freeze any extra puree for later.

Chewy "Healthy" Chocolate Chip Cookies
You and your kids can eat all the dough they would like since there are no eggs! These cookies are lower in sugar, lower in fat, and lower in cholesterol. You can't get much healthier than that and still enjoy a cookie! This is the result of a year's worth of experiments. I'm so glad I didn't give up!
½ cup butter	2 tsp baking soda
½ cup white bean puree	1 Tbsp vanilla
⅔ cup sugar	¼ cup vegetable oil
1 cup brown sugar, packed	1 cup chocolate chips
3 cups all-purpose flour	Oatmeal, coconut, chopped nuts (optional)
Cream together butter, bean puree and sugars. Add flour, baking soda, and vanilla. It will look pretty dry at this point. Slowly add in the oil and mix until it has pulled together into cookie dough consistency. Stir in chocolate chips and any other optional ingredients you'd like. Roll into balls and place on greased baking sheets. Bake at 350° F for 8–10 minutes. Pull them out of the oven just as they are beginning to turn light brown in a couple of spots. They still look pretty doughy overall. Allow to rest on baking sheet for about 5 minutes to set and them move to a wire rack to cool. Makes 3 dozen.

The Smashed Bread Solution

How to Salvage a Smashed Loaf of Bread

I was NOT a good grocery packer yesterday considering that when I got home and opened the trunk I found myself a few loaves of smashed bread.  Oh, man!

But when the trunk gives you smashed bread...

Make FRENCH TOAST!

Or if you're Gretta...make an edible hat.

Freeze your own strawberries

I happened upon strawberries for $0.75/lb yesterday!  I couldn't resist buying more than we could use fresh.  When I got home I started freezing them.  Here's how:

1. Wash and core them.

2. Lay them out flat on a cookie sheet.

3. Put them in the freezer until they are frozen.
(A few hours will do.)

4. Put them into a freezer bag.

Freezing them on the cookie tray first will keep them from sticking together; you'll be able to take out as many as you want this way.  We like to use them for smoothies.

A little more time than buying already frozen strawberries, but for half the price I'm there!

Patching the Lawn

We have a spot in our yard that should be grass but has been dirt for the last year and a half from when we extended our patio (see our pretty pavers?).  My husband had mentioned going and getting a roll of sod to fix it but that hasn't happened yet.  We had some lawn patch stuff (seeds plus newspaper, etc to keep it moist) on hand, so I decided we'd give it a try.  We have used it in a few other places in our yard before and it has worked great.  The hardest part is remembering to keep it moist for the first week or so until the seeds sprout.  

All you have to do is loosen the dirt a little, spread the lawn patch out, water it and keep it moist until the seeds sprout.  Pretty simple!

Local Gem: Grocery Store Clearance

It seems I go shopping a lot.

My favorite deal spot,  a.k.a. local gem, at the grocery store would be the clearance shelves!

There's bakery clearance, produce clearance, meat, frozen and general clearance.  The store refers to these as markdowns, managers specials, or weekly specials.  

What's on clearance changes daily, so I always check to see what there is each time I go to the store...like yesterday when I found 10 boxes of penne, 5 jars of Alfredo Sauce, 1 can of organic black beans, and 1 bottle of Lowry's marinade for a total of $14.

I love a good deal...keep your eyes peeled.

Homemade Oreos

Homemade Oreos are one of my favorites, plus they are super simple to make!

Homemade Oreos

1 box devil's food cake mix

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, melted

2 eggs

frosting

Mix cake mix (unprepared), butter and eggs together.  Drop by tablespoonful onto a cookie sheet. (Or use a cookie scoop.)  Bake at 325 for 7-9 minutes.

When the cookies are cool, spread frosting (store bought or homemade) between two cookies to make a sandwich.

Staining the Playset

Last week I stained our playset.  We built it last year from a kit (we aren't quite as cool as Mommy with a built-from-scratch playset).  The playset came with a "color treatment" but the wood wasn't stained and was starting to show a little wear.  We sanded the areas that were showing wear and made sure it was all cleaned (sprayed it off).  

We used Penofin stain (we used it on our fence 5 years ago too).  It isn't the cheapest stain, but it lasts.  We used about 1 1/2 gallons.  

To mask of the parts we didn't want stained (handles, "rocks", etc.) I used Press and Seal (saran wrap).  I tried newspaper first but decided that the press and seal was much easier/faster to use.  

We used a tank sprayer (like you would use for weeds) to apply the stain.  It is probably not as efficient as brushing it on, but it is much faster.  

In the process I learned to stain the inside first and then go back and do the outside (top to bottom).  Read the label on whatever stain you use to find out specific instructions for application.

Local Gem: International/Farmers Market

There are lots of local stores, groups, parks, etc. that can be great resources.

Today's local gem is an International Farmers Market.

The market carries tons of fruits and vegetables, both local and international, with several different varieties of each.  They have fresh, as in still swimming fish, with a fish counter with cleaning services.The market also has natural foods, and my favorite, foriegn sweets and juices.

It's good to know there's a store full of variety and possibilty.

Fresh Fruit Salad

During Spring and Summer we often have Fruit Salad as a dinner side dish.  There's just something about fruit when its warm outside-- it's lite, it's sweet, it's cool.

As a "dressing" to "glue" the salad together I use either:

2T Cool Whip

1T Orange Juice

Or

2T Cool Whip

2T Fruit Yogurt

Either one ties all the fruit together and makes the salad taste great.

Edible Cookie Dough

Okay, so in my opinion, all cookie dough is edible, but...eating something with raw eggs in it does mean there is a risk of salmonila.

With that in mind, when I really want cookie dough, and not cookies, I make egg free dough.

It's Simple!

Just substitute each egg in the recipe with 1/4 C of milk.

Happy doughing!

Homemade Cooked Jam

I came across strawberries on sale for $1/lb!!!  So I bought several and made some jam.  I have made freezer jam before but never cooked jam.  It wasn't hard to do and I don't have to worry about them taking up space in the freezer.  You will need: fruit, sugar and pectin (not instant).  Then you just follow the directions that came with the pectin.  I made 3.5 pints (7 cups) of jam with 3 lbs of strawberries.

To "crush" my strawberries, I just threw them in the blender.  You can make them as coarse or as smooth as your family likes it.

Also, the pectin tells you to process the jam in a water bath.  I was recently told by several people that water bathing jam is not necessary, they will seal and keep just fine without.  I didn't water bath mine.  Some people turn the jars upside down to help them seal better (I was told that wasn't necessary either).  I did turn mine upside down just in case.  They sealed just fine, but my jam is now stuck at the top of my jars. :(  Maybe next time I won't turn them upside down to seal.

DIY Watering Can

I wanted to buy a watering can last year but never did.  I saw this awesome idea to make your own watering can.  Yay for FREE things!

All you need is a bottle with a lid (I used an juice bottle) and a drill with a little drill bit (mine was 1/16").

Take the lid off of the bottle and drill several holes spaced out all over the lid.  It is best to turn the lid upside down and drill from the inside so that it is well supported.  I put it on a scrap piece of wood so that my work surface didn't end up with holes in it.

Drill one or two holes in the handle of the bottle.  This allows air flow into the bottle so that you can pour water continuously.

Ta Da!  An awesome DIY watering can made in about 2 minutes.

As a note, the first time I was going to make this I tried using a hammer and nail to punch holes in the lid.  Turned out to be not such a great idea.  The lid cracked and I had to wait for us to drink more juice.  The drill worked great.