EASY Craft / Learning Activity

I saw an idea on Pinterest (where else???) that looked super easy and fun.  I don't even think I pinned it, it was so simple.  I tested it out on the girlies a couple of weeks ago, and, sure enough, it was a hit!

I bought a package of craft sticks and some self-adhesive Velcro dots.  Each craft stick got a "soft" dot on one end, and a "sticky" dot on the other end.


It literally took me five minutes to assemble the sticks...while the girls watched, at that!...and they were off creating shapes.

The girls had a fun time seeing what shapes and figures they could make.  It was also a bit of an exercise in patterns, as they had to alternate the sticks to make them adhere to each other. 

As a variation of this, it might be fun to paint the sticks different colors.  Or -- for older kids -- maybe there's an application with sentence construction by writing words on the sticks.

The only drawback was that the Velcro left little "fuzzies" all over the table.  I hope that byproduct will lessen as we play with the sticks some more.


(Pardon the bed-head...we hadn't been up long!)

I have a big bag of craft sticks remaining, and my mind keeps going back to these awesome craft stick puzzles I saw on Marcia's blog.  They're on my list for this summer.

Happy -- and EASY -- crafting!

Kitchen Creations

Over the past few weeks, I've made some new things in the kitchen, most of them Pinterest-inspired.  I thought I'd share a couple of my favorite finds...

Chocolate and Strawberry Nachos

These were really easy and so-so-SO very yummy!  [RECIPE HERE]  I used whole wheat tortillas and dark chocolate, so they contributed to my whole grains AND antioxidants for the day...in addition to the fruit and whipped (dairy) topping, of course!  

[I didn't ask Hubby to pose, digging into the first bite.  He refused to wait while I grabbed the camera.  (Oh, and these were an after-the-girls-were-in-bed treat for us...not sure I'd want to share!)] 

Chocolate-Dipped Rice Krispies Treats on a Stick

I made these for our MoMs' Night Out last week.  [INSPIRATION HERE]  I made the treats in an 8x8 pan, so they would be a little thicker.  I let them sit overnight, and I did my best to cut them into even rectangles.  I inserted the lollipop sticks and dipped them into vanilla bark, and then used some sprinkles to decorate them.

At the risk of seeming too "Martha Stewart" I tied ribbons on the sticks.  :)  These were super easy, and really, really good!  I'm not a huge fan of Rice Krispies treats...I can usually take them or leave them...but dipped in chocolate???  Count me in!  And, they were an easy handheld treat for our craft night.

Monkey Munch

I've confessed before to being a fan of John & Kate + 8.  I remember seeing Kate make "Monkey Munch" a few times, and I always wondered what was in it.  I found the recipe [HERE] (which -- although I haven't compared the ingredients -- looks a lot like "Puppy Chow" to me).  We used Wheat Chex and omitted the butter...again, healthy!  :)

It was such a rainy day on Mother's Day, poo-pooing the plans I had to go hiking with my littles.  Instead, I decided to do something fun with them in the kitchen.

The girls had a blast measuring the ingredients, and then shaking the powdered sugar in a big bag.

And while I don't have pictures of the next two savories...I can promise they were some kind of savory!

Garlic Butter Roasted Mushrooms

I have made these twice [RECIPE HERE], both times to rave reviews from the entire 'fam.  I used baby bella mushrooms, most of which I quartered (depending on the size...I like some "bite" in my 'shrooms), and extra garlic, roughly diced (there's always room for more garlic!).  The first time I used capers, and the second time I omitted them.  And Hubby and I used the juices to dip our French bread...also recommended.

Roasted Green Beans

This is similar to the roasted asparagus that I make, but it a great - and quick! - way to make a side dish from fresh green beans [RECIPE HERE].  I snapped the ends off the beans and then let the girls snap them into pieces.  They loved helping, as always!

I love doing new things in the kitchen.  It is a fun way to mix things up...and make me feel like my time "invested" in Pinterest is worthwhile.  :)

You Know What They Say about Green M&M's...

...apparently, you have to be LUCKY to find them!

What did you think I was going to say???

I have seen a couple variations of sweet little treats on Pinterest, using green M&M's to make a clover for St. Patty's Day.

I began searching for an elusive bag of green M&M's, rumored to be mint-flavored. (My mouth waters as I type that.)

The girls were troopers, looking at four different stores over a period of a couple of days. And they began to employ a cute phrase in the process, "Our quest continues!"

Finally, close to defeat, I summoned my inner MacGyver. I figured there had to be quite a few green M&M's in a standard bag, right?

If I had been thinking ahead, I would have had the girls help me sort the M&M's by color. But this leprechaun was working the second shift, and I engaged in that little exercise myself.

Here's my resulting version...


I dipped small pretzels in chocolate, and pressed M&M's into the cut-outs. I love how they turned out! And they're yummy, too...a delicious combination of salty and sweet, with crunch from the pretzel and the candy coating. Mmmmm....

If green M&M's were more readily available, how cute would these be in cellophane, tied with an "I'm so LUCKY you're my friend!" tag?

I don't see that happening for this holiday, though, as I would have to buy an awful lot of bags of M&M's...and neither my wallet nor my thighs would be very happy.

I'm already looking forward to possibilities for future holidays...like dark chocolate-dipped pretzels with brown, orange, and yellow candies to welcome fall...and white chocolate-dipped pretzels for Christmas, with green and red M&M's.

And in case you're wondering, in an 8-serving, 12.6oz bag of M&M's, I found 43 green M&M's.

(It feels really sad that I know that.) :/

Chefs, Marshmallow Fluff, and S'meeps, Oh, My!

We've had such a fun few days!

On Thursday, Aunt Karen joined us for lunch. She gave the girls a belated Christmas gift...aprons, chef's hats, and pot holders. They have had SO much fun! "I'm a chef! I'm a chef!" they keep exclaiming. And this mommy can hardly stand the cuteness.



We've had some beautiful weather lately, but it's been pretty windy. It's finally perfect for the girls to weather these light puffer jackets I bought at the end of last season. I can hardly stand the cuteness here, either...and I can't resist calling the girls "my marshmallow fluff". They, of course, think that's pretty hilarious, too.


And on Sunday night, I employed yet another Pinterest find...S'mores made with Peeps. Aunt Karen and Aunt Shanda and I embarked on this endeavor together, and Karen immediately coined the term "S'meeps". I think it's a keeper.

While we toyed with the idea of starting up the fire pit, I didn't know how Peeps would respond to open flame. We instead relied on Shanda's toaster oven.

Here are the pink bunny Peeps, nice and toasty...


Carefully place toasted Peep on its chocolate / graham cracker bed.



Tuck him in, nice and tight.



And enjoy the ooey-gooey goodness!



As our sugar high began to kick in, we turned "S'meeps" into a verb, and then an adjective. "S'meeping is fun!" "You're a great S'meeper!" "These are S'meep-alicious!"

***

I'm linking up with Cheryl at Twinfatuation today. My sweet baby girls, in all their marshmallow fluffiness...and some pretty great sugar-loving friends who appreciate some good, old-fashioned silliness...that Makes My Monday!

Hook, Line, and Pin-ker

It was probably inevitable.

I could only resist it for so long.

The pull was so strong, the lure of the unknown, so tantalizing.

I have officially succumbed to Pinterest.

"Welcome to the vortex," said Julia, when I made my Facebook confession.

I have technically been on Pinterest for quite a while. I solicited an invitation (thanks, Rebecca!), and set up an account.

But there was a little voice in the back of my head saying, "Don't do it! Don't go there! You might get lost and never see the light of day again!"

In the same way that I just don't buy candy [most of the time]...as I have very little willpower, I kept myself off Pinterest, fearing a[nother] time drain.

I have been on for about a week, and so far, so good. To date I have 10 boards and 55 pins. I'm pinning only things I actually think I can do, like crafts with the girls, fun things in the kitchen, and recipes that I actually "approve" of the ingredients.

I don't feel like this is a "time suck"...maybe because my Facebook time is more limited these days, so overall it's a wash.

I think the bigger test will be, how many of my pins do I actually act upon.

So far, the only one I've executed are these yogurt drops...


...they were a huge hit as part of a "very special snack". [It's a long story, but our girls don't eat yogurt, so they were over the moon with 6 or 8 "drops".]

And I have plans over the next couple of days for some St. Patrick's Day-inspired fun in the kitchen and at the craft table.

Like most anything else, I think Pinterest will be a lot of fun for me...as long as I enjoy it in moderation. [Similarly, jelly beans are OK, as long as I don't eat a family-size bag in one sitting. Ahem.]