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.