Summer Loungewear for a Little Diva {another Summer Beach Robe}

Last week I shared our tutorial for a quick and easy Beach Robe using a beach towel. The ones we made have been absolutely perfect for swim lessons and afternoons at the pool so I made Kaylee one as well. She was excited to wake up from her nap yesterday to this little beauty.

Kaylee's is made from a bath towel that she picked out at Target. A cheap $4.99 one, but still nice and soft. Perfect for ages 2-3. I used the same technique as the ones for the boys and made some bias tape from a piece of floral scrap fabric. She loves it! I snapped these photos right after she finished an afternoon swim in the wading pool :)

These have been so fun and easy to make (seriously, less than an hour) that I don't think I will ever purchase robes for them again. Towels it is.

Would you like to make one or two or three of these fun robes? Click here the full tutorial.

 

The Perfect Sandwich Cookie

Winners for the Creativity for Kids Giveaway here.

 I remember my mom making these cookies when I was a child. She found the recipe in the "Country" magazine, which is now called "Taste of Home". I hadn't had them in years and was trying to think of a good ice cream sandwich cookie when these came to mind. I did a quick google search and found the recipe on the Taste of Home website! Yay!

 They are called "Poor Man" Cookies. There aren't any eggs, milk, or nuts in them. Just plain, basic ingredients and somehow they end up being the richest, melt in your mouth, oatmeal cookie...EVER. Crispy on the outside, soft in the center, and a hint of toasted coconut flavor, although they do not contain coconut. Maybe it's all of the brown sugar that makes them so rich in flavor? I'm not sure, but they are amazing.

 And my hunch was right...the perfect sandwich cookie. They stack well and hold up perfectly to the weight and pressure of the ice cream in the center.

 Kaylee came over to take a whiff.

They met her approval!

Here is the recipe for anyone interested. Have a great week!

1 cup shortening

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoons salt

2 cups rolled oats

In a large bowl, cream shortening and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in water and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Fold in oats.

   Drop dough by tablespoonfuls* onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to stand 2 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool. Yield: 3 dozen.

Nutrition Facts: 1 cookie equals 112 calories, 6 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 54 mg sodium, 14 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 1 g protein.

*I made mine a bit larger for the ice cream sandwiches so my recipe made 2 dozen using the medium Pampered Chef Scoop.

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Another "Remember When..." Birthday Gift

 Next to my own Grandmother, Derrick's Nana is just about the neatest lady around! She is in her 80's but had so much energy, pep, and enthusiasm. She is sweet and always keeps in touch with us. Just like my Grandma. If you write her, she WILL write you back. Always. I love that.

After making the "Remember When" birthday gift for my Grandmother last month, I knew it is what I wanted to do for Nana. Below is the one that I made last month. They are similar since they are only 4 years apart. All of the items were popular or created around the specific birthday year. Some are much earlier, some are later. Things they'd remember as early adults.

These boxes have been so much fun to put together and well received. My Grandmother has thanked me for the box at least 3 times. She shows it to everyone who comes over and they enjoy reading the labels on each product inside of the box (thank you wikipedia for all of the info!!). It was especially fun to go through the photos that my mother in law e-mailed me for this project! They were so neat! I put them in the laminated booklet that I made with facts and trivia on 1929 (price of gas, bread, popular toys, radio shows, etc.)

The item she enjoyed the best was the CD that had two of her favorite songs on it from back then. "Don't sit under the apple tree with anyone but me" and "Red River Valley". She also got a kick out of the vintage Cracker Jacks. My aunt contacted me and said that this gift just made my Grandma's day and she was so happy to reminisce through it. Goal achieved. At that age it's hard to find things that they'll want or need....so a stroll back down memory lane is always fun.

I'd love to eventually get a site started and sell these, but for now  my family will be the recipients!

Buffalo Chicken Dip

This is a re-post from last summer, but I brought this to a potluck today and had probably 10 ladies ask for the recipe...Here you go ladies!

Looking for the perfect dip to bring to a fun summer BBQ? Look no further! This dip is very popular lately and is so easy to make. I found a recipe on allrecipes.com and changed it a bit to make a little more. Enjoy!

Buffalo Chicken Dip

15 oz. canned chicken, drained

3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1 1/2 cup Ranch dressing

1 cup pepper sauce (such as Frank's Red Hot®)

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

 

Heat chicken and hot sauce in a skillet over medium heat, until heated through. Stir in cream cheese and ranch dressing. Cook, stirring until well blended and warm. Mix in half of the shredded cheese, and transfer the mixture to a slow cooker. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top, cover, and cook on Low setting until hot and bubbly. Serve with celery sticks and crackers.

In search of Ideas!

I love the idea of camping! It sounds so fun, cozy, and exhilarating....but a lot of work. We used to go as a family when I was little and it was awesome! But now as an adult....I've been maybe three times and only once that the kids can remember. We took them for a one night trip last summer... only 30 minutes away! They were GIDDY. So giddy and could have played in the tent all night. So it's time that we do a "real" trip, I guess. And this time we'll bring an air mattress {oh the memory...rocks, chills, noisy neighbors, It was an awful night for us, but the kids slept great!}.
We're planning a camping trip when we go to Palmyra, New York this summer for the Hill Cumorah Pageant. 3 nights, then off to Niagara Falls for a few days (in a hotel :). I've been scouring the web for ideas.

We usually do some sort of foil packs with potatoes and kielbasa, hot dogs, pancakes, etc. But I'd like to try some new ideas!

Our foil packets and biscuits on a stick.

Do you have any? If so, I'd love to hear about them! You don't have to attach a link, just let me know what you do! Anyone would have more experience than me! I remember making meatloaf in an onion when I was 12 at girl's camp one year (I think the only year that I went the entire time...I 'm not a fan of the Girl's Camp program, lol) and it was really good. I should try to find instructions online!

 We had "walking tacos" recently and they were a HIT! We'll definitely be doing these for a lunch or dinner while camping! Just pile all of your taco fixings on top of your Frito chips...no dishes, no mess. Yum!

Camping isn't camping without Jiffy popcorn. We're big popcorn fans over here so will probably have this every night along with s'mores.

Here are some ideas that I found online and one of our own that are contenders for this year's trip!

Potato Packets (Family Fun)

Pie on a Stick (Family Fun)

Campfire Grilled Pizzas (Family Fun)

Kabobs (I posted these last summer)

I'm actually getting excited about this, but not as excited as the kids!! :)

 

As a side note: My sister, Stacy, and I are twins...born 16 months apart. Seriously, that's what I think sometimes. It's crazy when we talk on the phone and tell eachother what's going on in our lives...it's always the same. Last night while I was coming up with ideas of camping foods, she was posting hers from a recent trip to Yosemite. The SAME ideas I found online. I love it! We are ALWAYS on the same wave length. Last night was just one more example of that! To check out her ideas, click here!

Fresh Mex Rice Bowls

 I love fresh Mex. I could eat it every single day. I love that you can switch it up so many ways and it is always amazing. Fresh ingredients, fresh flavors, and a bit of heat. And it is so inexpensive. I love Chipotle, but can't afford to eat there as often as I would like, and honestly I can make the same thing without leaving my home!

We like making Mexican bowls. Filling and healthy especially when you skip out on the tortilla and pile it all into a bowl.

 Pico de Gallo makes everything taste like Fresh Mex. I made this with cilantro from our garden! Too bad the cilantro will be done for the season by the time the tomatoes and onions are ready. Oh well. I'll have to plan better next year. Usually, we add black beans to the mix as well and sometimes frozen corn. Guacamole is always good, but I used what I had on hand tonight. It doesn't matter what combo we use, it always tastes awesome:

Pico de Gallo

boston lettuce

diced bell peppers*

Mexican shredded cheese

Mexican shredded chicken**

steamed rice

 I start with a bed of lettuce, add the rice and chicken, then top with everything else.

 *Bell Peppers:

I wasn't ever a fan of onions or bell peppers until I was an adult. Now I love them! Especially sauteed. I chop up a bunch and add them to a skillet with 1 T. olive oil and saute until golden on the edges.

**Mexican Chicken

I've made chicken like this in the crock pot, but it can easily be done on the stove while the rice cooks as well.  I make a packet of McCormick's Baja Lime marinade (including the oil and water that it calls for) and add 2 T. lemon juice + 3/4 c. salsa + another 2/3 c. water and pour it over 3 chicken breasts in a skillet. I bring it to a boil, cover it with a lid and let it simmer on low-med heat for 25 minutes. It finishes up right after the rice is done cooking! Then I shred it up and add the chicken back to the sauce for serving.

Kaylee loves cheese :)
It's the perfect meal for eating out on the patio during the summer and takes about 30 minutes to make so it doesn't heat up my kitchen too much. Bonus!

Patriotic 3-D Cardstock Wreath

  If you have cardstock in your craft stash and a hot glue gun, you can make this super easy wreath in less than an hour! I made a summer 3-D Cardstock Wreath last summer and it was a hit!

 I use my cricut to cut my star shapes, but a cricut is not necessary. You can simple cut out stars and still make then 3 dimensional without a cricut.

 I love that it works for all of the patriotic holidays! My front door looks so bright and festive.

Would you like to make a 3-D Star Wreath for your front door?

Click below for the tutorial!

TUTORIAL

Father's Day Treat Cans {Pineapple Anyone?}

 Our Father's Day Gifts this year are simple, kid friendly, and made with a lot of excitement and anticipation from the little ones. Nothing ground breaking or new, but we had a lot of fun putting these together. And Derrick has been banned from my blog until Sunday ;)

I purchased a safe lid can opener (the kind that cuts from the side and leaves an edge). It was horrible and didn't work well. It pretty much mangled the can, so I am going to take that one back. In the meantime, I purchased a nicer one and it did a GREAT job of cutting the bottoms of the cans. Moral of the story: you get what you pay for!

I originally wanted to do soup cans and have a tag that said "For a 'Souper' Dad!" or something like that, but soup cans have rounded bottoms. For this project, you need cans with flat bottoms (the bottom is grooved the same as the top) or else the can opener will not open them. So we went with fruit cans.

We stocked up on a bunch of snacks: candy bars, jerky, mixed nuts, fruit mints, etc. and loaded up the cans.

 I asked the boys if they would like me to make some special labels for the cans, but they thought it would be funny to leave them as is. The little tricksters :) They were both giddy with the thought of mailing their Grandpa's a can of pineapple and each giving one to Daddy for Father's Day and seeing the surprise on his face... and probably a bit of bewilderment. So we left our cans plain. Good 'ol pineapple. They each made a special note to add inside and we attached the bottom back onto the can with a bit of craft glue.

I added a couple of tags for the ones for Grandpa's and put the kids together as a trio for their Daddy. We also ordered him a photo book which they signed. It turned out darling. They are very excited for Sunday to come so that they can give Derrick their presents! Tomorrow we will be working on a couple more small gifts. They are each coming up with an "invention". Something that would make Daddy's life easier. Aaron picked up a toothbrush at the store and is planning on attaching a comb to the other side. A 2 in 1 brush/toothbrush. Dallin is coming up with some sort of microwave popcorn in a brown bag that is ALREADY seasoned. Too cute. No matter how these "inventions" turn out, Derrick will love them ♥

Mini Tool Box For Dad

I shared this on Positively Splendid earlier in the week and would like to share it with my readers on here BEFORE Father's Day!
***
Father's Day is just around the corner and I would love to share an idea that my children and I made Derrick. We actually made this as a Christmas gift last year, but it could be used for any occasion for the lover of tools in your home! And the Daddy over here has many boxes of tools, so this was perfect for him.

 I found my inspiration for this project by googling "creative gifts for dad" in google images and found a photo of a mini tool box on Alpha Mom! So I checked out her site and was in love! Here is our version of this fun tool box!

For this project, you will need:

Empty Altoid Tins. At least one, but they are darling when stacked.

Sand paper or wire brush
Spray Primer

Spray Paint

Vinyl + Cricut or Silhouette (optional)

Craft Wire

Hammer & Nail or metal punch

Mini Hardware Handle

(Don't you just love Altoid tins? The project ideas for these cute little boxes are endless!)

First things first. Cover your work surface outside with newspaper and make sure it is well ventilated. Sand each tin to create a rougher surface for your paint to stick to. Don't worry about doing anything to the inside of your tins, just the outside.

Apply your spray on primer and let dry. Then apply several thin coats of the spray paint color of your choice, allowing time for each coat to dry in between layers.

 Once dry, mark 2 dots on the bottom of the first tin, and the tops of each consecutive tin, and bottom of the middle tin. Using a hammer/nail or metal punch, carefully hammer two holes into each surface that you marked. Make sure that the holes line up with the tin underneath since you will be wiring the tins together. After the holes are punched, wire them together with your craft wire.

 Once your tins are wired, apply vinyl (this is of course optional). And your handle. You could screw in you handle from the underside, but the one that I bought didn't work like that. The screws were too long (they allowed for depth since they are supposed to be screwed into a cupboard) so I used some epoxy and allowed it to dry 24 hours. It is merely a decorative touch, not meant to hold up to being carried around a lot.

 Then fill it with little goodies and you are set! We made these coupons for ours. I put them in their designated tins. On the back of each coupon is a picture that each child drew.

***

Not the painting & sanding type? Here is a fun idea that I made for Derrick's birthday! It was a hit and as a bonus, I was able to sample some of the extra bottles of root beer. Yum!

Root beer Sampler

Summer Tie Dye Party!

We hosted a "Tie Dye" party in our back yard earlier this week and it was FUN! We invited a bunch of friends to come over with white shirts and dressed to get WET. The kids made shirts, played in the homemade sprinklers and wading pool, ate lunch and PLAYED. It was great! Kaylee kept coming up to me and saying, "Not done yet Mama!" and would then run back to the wading pool to play.

The weather was in the mid 80s, not a cloud in the sky and very low humidity. Perfect!

I supplied beverages for the moms, juice boxes for the kids, hot dogs and cookies. Everyone else brought a snack to share. We ended up with a great assortment of summer goodies. Popsicles, chocolate strawberries, popcorn, watermelon, cheese sticks, and yogurts. The kids were thrilled.

 These were fun to make. I made a batch of sugar cookies, piped around the edges, then filled the center with thinned down frosting. Then I dripped several different colors of frosting in the center and dragged a tooth pick through it to create the crazy designs.

Here are the boy's shirts we made LAST year...

And our new ones this year...

 These are how our shirts washed up. The kids loved them and they are so unique, but a word to the wise: DO NOT use tie dye from the year before. It isn't potent at all! I had a couple of bottles left in the basement and used those to refill the new ones after we used them up.  The purple one and the onesie had lots of pink that didn't end up sticking around after the wash. So I dyed them again letting it sit much longer and they still weren't as vivid as they should have been, but it helped.

 I purchased a kit at Michael's for 40% off and it was the best deal. All of the bottles, dye, gloves, and rubber bands that we needed for less than it would have cost to purchase the dyes separately. The instructions were great and the kids (about 15 of them) had a great time creating their custom summer tee. It was a lot of work, but worth it.

 The onesie is for baby sister who will be here in 4 months! The kids said that they are going to bring this to her to wear in the hospital. I think that will be hilarious.

They sported these hip creations all over the place the next day and it was pretty easy to spot where they were at all times :)



Homemade Sprinklers

On Saturday, Derrick decided that he was going to help the boys make their own sprinklers. I would never have thought to do such a thing! He sat down with them and they designed exactly what they wanted. The "blue prints" as the boys called them were pretty cute. I love how Aaron added all of the grass and water in his.

Then we went to Lowe's. While Kaylee and I picked out hanging flower baskets, the boys browsed up and down the plumbing aisle, picking out PVC pipe fittings for their sprinklers.

They worked all evening gluing, drilling, and testing, until they came up with these...

SO AWESOME! They even attempted a HUGE family sized sprinkler, but it couldn't handle all of the water pressure and kept exploding, so that one will have to go back to the drawing board, but the PVC water gun was a success.

Was it cheaper to make sprinklers vs. buy one at the store? Probably not, but they had so much fun planning and working with Derrick that it was worth every cent.

We hosted a summer party in our backyard for a bunch of friends this afternoon (more details on the party to follow in a couple of days) and the kids all had fun with the sprinklers!

What fun summer projects have you been working on? Don't forget to link them up to the Summer Link Party! Just click on the photo under the blog header to go directly to the party!

Today I am sharing a couple of Father's Day Projects over at Positively Splendid! Feel free to stop by and check them out!