Too Cute Not Too Toot

To start out this week is a great idea for a craft from Nothing But Country for a cute nightlight.  Not only would it just be fun to do with your kids; it would also make a great birthday party craft, VBS activity or room mom idea!

Father's Day is literally around the corner so when I saw this cute idea from Michelle Paige for a Father's Day Party.  She also gives a link to her idea from last year at the bottom of her post.

And, that's all folks!  I guess I just wasn't inspired this week :-) 

Summer Fun, Week One

A week or so ago, I posted about our Summer Binder which holds lots of ideas and plans for this summer.  We have officially finished our first week and I wanted to share what we did!

We had originally planned to start on June 1st but it was pouring rain here on that day so I just pushed everything up to Monday.

1) Monday - We planted our Sunflowers that we were going to plant on Friday and then we planted some veggies that we had picked out on Sunday.  I had originally planned to do some carrots in a bottle but instead, we just planted the carrot seeds in our little garden area.

 Here are our plants - 1 Cherry Tomato, 1 Zucchini,  1 Cucumber, 1 Pumpkin and 1 Watermelon.  I realized after I planted them that all but one of them is a "vine" LOL  I told my husband he might not have to mow once they start growing!  I picked Cucumber because I love fresh "pickles"; zucchini because we love fried zucchini in the summer, cherry tomatoes because the boys love to pick (and squish) them, pumpkin, well, because I though it would be fun for the boys to see them grow and watermelon because Josh loves "Waterlemon". 

 Here is our little garden spot - same spot as last year.  The first thing we had to do was weed it and get it ready to plant.

 Here come my helpers.  I didn't even tell them I was coming outside but it didn't take long until I heard "MOM where are you??" :-)

Besides the plants you see, we also planted those carrot seeds and sunflower seeds.  We'll see if they pop up.  The funny thing is after we planted the Sunflowers (or Trees as Josh calls them), Josh kept going outside to see if they had grown yet.  I can't wait until they start to pop up!

2) Tuesday - We made homemade lemonade.  I found this Recipe and cut it in half . . .well kinda.

 I knew that both boys would want to make their own lemonade so I sliced up three lemons for each of them to use and had them put their lemons in a pitchers.  Then, they each dumped in 1 1/2 cups of sugar.  Sounds like a lot of sugar doesn't it?  Well. . .it is.  Remember I said I cut the recipe in half?  Well I used 6 lemons instead of 12 and 3 cups of sugar instead of . . 3 cups of sugar.  I was never good at math.  HA!  I had 1 1/2 cups in my head so I measured out 1 1/2 cups for each of them instead of 3/4 of a cup for each of them and did not realize until we tasted it.  It reminded me of the way my dad likes his fresh squeezed lemonade :-)

 They pounded and they pounded . .. and then I poured it all into two big bowls and they were able to really pound those lemons. 

Then we drank some - I think we'll do this again this summer but measure out the right amount of sugar!  The boys really enjoyed making their favorite drink.

3 and 4)  Wednesday and Thursday were all about Strawberries.  On Wednesday, I loaded the boys up and we drove to the local Strawberry Farm to "pick" berries.  Now, I'm no dummy.  There are other people who enjoy bending over Strawberry plants and finding those yummy berries but I am not one of them.  Instead, we went to the farm stand and I let the boys pick out a flat of strawberries.  Let me tell you, I had to move fast.  I have never seen three little boys grab strawberries so fast!!!  We picked out our flat and, before I could pay for it, the boys all had strawberries in their hands and mouths.  Crazy kids :-)  Oh, and Josh informed me on the way home that he didn't not need sandwiches anymore for lunch, he would just eat berries HA.  On Thursday, I made Strawberry Jam and Strawberry Syrup.  The boys helped a little by picking out strawberries for me and putting them in the bowl to mash. 

At dinner that night, I made yeast rolls and we all enjoyed fresh strawberry jam on those rolls  . .. well actually, the boys just ate it off their fingers.  Darryl and I enjoyed some strawberry syrup on vanilla ice cream for a snack.  It was yummy!

5) Friday - ok, I slacked.  I had planned to either make or get a bird house/bird seed.  It just didn't happen.  They seem to be a little  pricey!  BUT, the boys have discovered a birds nest in our tree, Crabby.  (Yes, we name our trees).  So they, with their dad, explored that - looking for any babies (they are gone) and talking about who lives there.  I keep seeing the boys walk over to the tree.  Josh even took the Munchkin over there to show him the birds nest.  I think that is a better success story then the bird houses any day!

I count our first week as a huge success.  It really wasn't that much "work" - I wrote down time for the activity each day in my planner to make sure that I accomplished the goal.  I think it really helps the boys to have something special to do each day!

A Fat Lip

Can you see it?  That nice fat lip?  That's Nate and this is our first "real" injury.  Sure, the boys have had cuts and bruises before and even a few bloody lips but nothing like this.  At first we thought he had a few loose teeth but, other than I nice, big, bloody, split lip, he's fine. 

What happened?  On Friday afternoon, he was sitting at the top of our slide.  The munchkin I babysit was at the bottom of the slide.  Nate just doesn't stop so having someone at the bottom doesn't phase him and he just went down.  Well, his face hit the munchkins head and Nate is the one that got the battle scars!  Yes, he cried.  A.l.o.t.  Yes, I had to kiss his lip multiple times (because after all, mom's kisses are supposed to make everything better); in the end though, he's pretty tough :-)

Weekly Menu Plus

Welcome to June :-)  This past week was great - it was in the 70's with a great breeze and no humidity.  It made cooking dinners, making Strawberry Jam and baking easy.  The forecast is showing some hot humid days coming though so this weeks meals are going to be grill friendly, stove top friendly or crock-pot friendly!  I've mentioned in the past that our microwave was starting to die.  Sometimes it ran when it was off . . when you opened the door but I love my microwave so I made it work.  Well, I was eating up some corn for dinner one night and noticed that after cooking for 5 minutes it was still cold.  So I threw it for 2 more minutes and it was hot.  Then we tried to make popcorn later that night and it won't even turn on BOO!!!  Our microwave is also our oven hood so it is a little pricey . I think we are going to pick up an inexpensive counter top Microwave to get by with until we can save for a nice new, stainless steel hood/micro combo.  I'll loose counter space but I'll have my microwave.  Yes, I know there are people who think microwaves are bad but I'm not one of them! HA 

This weekend we have some busyness going on - on Saturday we are going to cross one item off of my (expired) 40x40 list - we are going to the Cereal Festival to eat Breakfast at the longest breakfast table :-)  I'm excited and am looking forward to just being able to say that I went!!  Then, my mother-in-law is hosting a big summer gathering for family so we are heading to her house for the rest of the day . . .or at least for a few hours.  We have quite a few things to get done this weekend; we also want to get back to making Sundays a relaxed day.  The kind that we grew up with - where all of the work is done by Saturday night so that you can get up, go to church, come home and do whatever you want for the day - watch TV, take a nap, work on a hobby, go for a family walk. So with that said, we may skip out on the party a little early to come home and finish up the last of our chores so we can enjoy Sunday.  Even on the Sunday's my husband has to work, we are going to aim for him to be home earlier enough in the day that he can still enjoy a day of "rest". 

Here's our menu:
Saturday:  Dinner at the in-laws (maybe).  I'm supposed to bring something but I don't know what yet.  I'm kinda floundering on it since I'm not sure if we will be there for dinner.  I may "cheat" and just buy some Amish Macaroni Salad from walmart so I can leave it there if we leave early :-) If we do, I'm sure we will grab a pizza on our way in to town.

Sunday: The plan is Hamburgers, potato salad, and chips with dip.  It is supposed to hit 90 with high humidity though so it is possible that we will get something out instead.

Monday: Brats, leftover salad, Baked Beans (I'm going to try my baked beans in the crock pot and see how they turn out), and a relish tray - pickles and olives.

Tuesday: Swedish Meatballs in the Crockpot (something new), with pasta, left over relish tray, left over sides from the beginning of the week

Wednesday: Breakfast Casserole (this is something new too - I love breakfast casseroles and this one is very different!) with a fruit salad

Thursday: Meatball Subs with Italian Pasta Salad

Friday: Chicken on the grill, corn on the cob and sweet potatoes (in the crock pot)

This is really a less than exciting menu but . .. when the summer heats up I am less than excited about cooking.  I really try to look ahead when planning - the simple truth is if the temps are going to hit those 90's with humidity, my husband and I agree that cooking in our house just isn't fun so then, I need to plan for eating out and not buy something we don't need!   I haven't even decided on cookies for the week yet . . .I'll do some sort of cookie bar so they will be done quickly!!

Food Friday - Cheese Danish

My husband and I both enjoy the classic cheese dessert.  It always seems odd to me because cream cheese has so many different flavors!  When I saw this idea posted on Pinterest it was too good to pass up so I made it for a dessert the other night and I can tell you that I will never buy the dry, flaky, tasteless Cheese Danish in the store again!!!

Cheese Danish
adapted from The Country Cook

I really have nothing else to add other than you should make these right away.  I did only make 4 (which is one roll of crescents) but made the full amount of cheese mixture and used almost all of it in the 4 we had HA!  It was sooo good!!!!

Ingredients:
For the Danishes:
2 tubes of Crescent Rolls
1 8 ounce package cream cheese (softened)
1/4 cup granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons butter (melted)
8 tablespoons light brown sugar

Glaze:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 teaspoons milk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a medium bowl, combine softened cream cheese with white sugar and vanilla extract.  Mixture should be creamy and smooth when finished (like cheesecake batter).  Separate dough into eight rectangles.  Seal perforations. Using a brush or spoon, spread melted butter all over crescent rolls.  Sprinkle each rectangle with about 1 tablespoon of brown sugar.  Roll up from long side; pinch edges to seal.  Holding one end, loosely coil each.  Now you want to get in there with you fingers and spread out the dough some to make room for the filling.  Just pull and stretch and make a nice dent in the middle.  Place on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with nonstick spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown.  Then, mix the powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk.  Stir until smooth and drizzle over each warm danish.

Some Evening Fun

The weather has been wonderful here in Michigan - it could stay like this all summer, truth be told!  No humidity, sunny days, a slight breeze and temps in the upper 70's.  I know I'm dreaming and at some point (like Sunday) it will hit 90 again.  But for now, we are enjoying being outside - especially after dinner :-)

Yes, Darryl got up in the tree house with the boys and they loved it.  He even showed them how to pour sand between the cracks of the floor into the sandbox below!

 The slide is ALWAYS the fasted way to travel!

 I love that look of concentration on Nate's face.  It took all he had to get that full shovel of sand up the steps into the tree house!!

 Brothers.  Enough Said.

Josh getting bubbles in his face HA!  They love bubbles!

I hope you are enjoying your week!

Outside My Comfot Zone

Have you ever done anything outside of your comfort zone?  I did this week.  Ironically, it is something that didnt' used to be outside that zone but when you haven't done something in a long time and are doing it in a new environment, well, that comfort zone is gone!!!

In March, I joined the Lakewood Area Choral Society and I love it.  I have been wanting to join for a few years but our schedule didn't allow for me to make it to the practices so I just had to wait.  I am beyond thrilled to be part of this fantastic group - the director is beyond amazing and there is nothing better than being in a room with a bunch of people that love to sing. 

Well, on Monday night, try-outs took place for both solos in some upcoming songs as well as specials for the next concert.  Now, I've sung solo's in church since I was 13.  Over the past few weeks I worked on a song and had planned to try out for the solos as well . .. until I figured out that my comfort zone walls were being stretched.  See, I haven't even sung in church in over a year because we have been in between churches.  Yes, I miss singing.  Very much.  The first time to sing again is always tough and I doubted even trying it but . . .I did it.  I tried out for a special - as did several others so who knows :-)  What I did not do was try out for a solo.  I tend to be very uncomfortable when I don't know how the process works so tonight I sat and listened and watched to what other did.  It was actually very relaxed - the direction is really just listening for voices.  The good news?  There is still one solo that no one tried out for so I'm going to work hard on it the next two weeks and try out for it even if it is just to get the first time out of the way! 

Here is the song I'm singing:

(I apoligize for the quality of the video, it is the only one I could find)

We do have some upcoming concerts so feel free to check out the website for date :- )

And I'll let you know how my next try out goes too!