Mothers Day Craft Playdate

For those who couldn't make the playdate, here is what we did and how!

Gather your supplies:

Wet Wipes, the paint dries super fast to your skin!

Paint brushes

Fabric Paint - I used flat not puffy

Fabric Pens - not required but I like them!

Canvas bag or t-shirt

 I painted the kids hands with the fabric paint and arranged them like a garden on the bag.

I did the same with the t-shirt.  I lined the bags and t-shirts up in a sort of assembly line and kept refreshing the paint on their hands after each mark.

I was surprised my 1 year old did as well as she did with putting down her hands 4 times!  It may have helped that she was working on a Ritz cracker but I still think she did great.  These were super easy to make and I've already used my mother's day gift twice!

Hairy Grass Caterpillars for Earth Day Playdate!

Celebrate Earth Day

and the Letter C

I found these adorable caterpillars all over the Internet while searching for crafts my playgroup could do for Earth Day. It looks easy enough for a bunch of 2-4 year olds to accomplish mostly on their own! So I gathered up my troop of princesses and headed off to Lowes to pick up some grass seed, potting soil, and some cute shovels for the kids. After much searching I found a small bag of grass seed, and several other seeds I wanted to try out with the kids as well.

Our playdate began with the moms prepping our breakfast counter. We poured soil into 2 containers figuring more then one kiddo would want to participate in the craft at one time. In a large bowl we mixed the grass seed with the soil then cut up our pantyhose. I never knew how much fun it would be to destroy my pantyhose!

We set up the kids with a bowl of soil and grass seed mix, handed them shovels, and opened the pantyhose for them to pour it all in. It was a mess, but fun none the less!

FamilyFun Magazine says to use ponytail holders and we tried that on one of the caterpillars. That worked well as long as you use the thin holders, the thick ones were too hard to wrap around the worm. But it did work well. Another mom brought regular rubber bands, hers turned out great as well.

I refused to part with any of my pony tail holders and honestly didn't want the girls to think they could use their small ones for anything other then their hair. So I wrapped the pipe cleaners tightly around the worm making segments then used what was left over as legs. These pictures also show the placement of the tie off and I personally prefer making it the nose as seen in the first photo!

Caterpillar with rubber bands and legs pushed into the side:

Caterpillar with pipe cleaners wrapped around then used as legs:

*Tip - You may want to wait on putting the eyes on. We didn't, as you can see and were worried they'd come off during the soaking. So far neither of mine have lost their eyes but that may just be luck!

After the legs are done its time to work on the antenna. There are a couple ways to affix the pipe cleaner to the caterpillar. You can cut the pipe cleaner in half and push it through the pantyhose 0r you can cut 2 slits in the hose and feed the pipe cleaner through. Bend in the middle and curl the tops.

Now its time to soak! Soak for 10 minutes.

After your caterpillar is done soaking its time to put it in the sun. Since the girls garden is barren in the middle I thought it'd be a nice home for ours till we can plant the seeds we bought at Lowes.

Once your caterpillar has dried out a bit, you can affix the googlie eyes on without much worry. Water your caterpillar every other day. Have your kiddos go out with you to observe how the grass is growing, the texture, color, and length. I measure out the water for each girl and let them water their own, otherwise they'd be mud by now!


*Additional note: Once the grass begins to grow the eyes you glued on will disappear. The FamilyFun site says to use a bobby pin and glue the eyes on that way. I tried that but had an impossible time keeping the bobby pins upright. I also didn't find the need for a yogurt container or pom poms.

Amanda's Chicken Taquitos with Black Beans and Rice

Not the healthiest recipe, but it makes up for it in yumminess!

DIRECTIONS FOR THE CHICKEN TAQUITOS:

Bake Chicken in oven and cut into pieces when done (or pull apart an already made rotisserie chicken from the grocery store). Preheat oil in a pan on medium low-medium, enough to cover the bottom plus a little bit more). I use olive oil because I don't care for the other kinds, but you may use whatever oil you usually cook with. Place about 5 tortillas in a closed Ziploc bag and microwave for 40-45 seconds (this makes it easier to roll without breaking). Place chicken on a tortilla and roll it up. Place seam-side down in the pan. Repeat directions with however many you plan to make. Be sure to flip when the bottom side turns a golden tan.

DIRECTIONS FOR THE BLACK BEANS:

I saute onion in olive oil and add canned black beans. I have tried making the bag kind before without any success :(

Pair with any of the following: rice, salsa, guacamole, and Cojita cheese.

Lynn's Soft Pumpkin Cookies

INGREDIENTS:
1 (15 ounces) can pumpkin, about 1 2/3 cups
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 cup (8 ounces) butter, softened
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon maple extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4 eggs
1 cup pecan halves

DIRECTIONS:
Into a large mixing bowl, measure all ingredients except pecans. With hand held mixer at low speed, beat ingredients until blended, scraping bowl occasionally. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat for 1 minute longer.Preheat oven to 350°. Using 2 tablespoons of batter for each cookie, spoon batter into mounds on ungreased baking sheets, keeping mounds about 2 inches apart. Press a pecan half into the center of each cookie dough mound. Bake cookies for 18 to 20 minutes, until golden brown. Loosen cookies with spatula and move to wire rack to cool. Store in tightly covered container for up to 4 days. Freeze in portions, if desired.Makes 6 to 7 dozen cookies. (I have kept them a little longer than 4 days - just put a slice of bread in the container with them to keep them soft.)

Bryony's Apricot Jam

18 cups of apricots - pits removed
8 cups of sugar
4 teaspoons of "Fresh Fruit" this can be found near the canning section, it stops the jam from oxidizing, you can also use Ascorbic Acid or crushed Vitamin C.

*Place in stainless steel pan, bring to boil, reduce to simmer and cook until desired consistency

Lynn's Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana

INGREDIENTS:
• 1 lb ground Italian sausage
• 1½ tsp crushed red peppers
• 1 large diced white onion
• 4 Tbsp bacon pieces
• 2 tsp garlic puree
• 10 cups water
• 5 cubes of chicken bouillon
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 lb sliced Russet potatoes, or about 3 large potatoes
• ¼ of a bunch of kale

DIRECTIONS:
1. Sauté Italian sausage and crushed red pepper in a large pot. Drain excess fat, refrigerate while you prepare other ingredients.
2. In the same pan, sauté bacon, onions and garlic for approximately 15 mins. or until the onions are soft.
3. Mix together the chicken bouillon and water, then add it to the onions, bacon and garlic. Cook until boiling.
4. Add potatoes and cook until soft, about half an hour.
5. Add heavy cream and cook until thoroughly heated.
6. Stir in the sausage.
7. Add kale just before serving.

*Makes: 6-8 servings

Lynn's Seafood Medley

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 lb crabmeat (I have used real and imitation)
1 lb bay scallops
2 10 3/4 oz cans cream of celery soup (I prefer campbell's)
2 soup cans of milk
2 tbsp butter, melted
1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
1/4 -1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

DIRECTIONS:

• Layer shrimp, crab, and scallops in crock pot/slow cooker
• Combine soup and milk.
• Pour over seafood.
• Mix together butter and spices and pour over top.
• Cover.
• Cook on low 3-4 hours.
• Serve over rice or noodles.

*This makes a lot - about 10-12 servings