Summer Boredom BuStErS!!

Here are some fun ideas to help your kids beat boredom this summer. Thanks to my new favorite website, pinterest.com for so many awesome activities! Here are some to name a few...tent sleepover, glow jars (simply use glow paint and spatter the inside of a canning jar), super hero cape, rainbow painting, friendship bracelets, pirate dress up, lava lamp, hula hoop rug and the best bubble mixture...ever!

Nuts for Nutella

I LOVE Nutella. I've usually just spread it on some toast in the morning or sandwiched it in between a croissant but there are endless possibilities and new recipes to try with this rich, creamy, delicious chocolate spread! Check out some of these recipes I've discovered recently. I haven't made all of them (and probably shouldn't ...unless I want to expand my waistline drastically, ha!) But once in a while it won't hurt to try one of these recipes! ;)

Strawberry-Nutella Thumbprints

Self-frosting Nutella cupcakes

Banana-Nutella muffins

Nutella Brownies

Nutella Ice Cream Sundae with Toasted Hazlenuts

Is your mouth watering yet?! Yum!

Book Recommendation

I enjoy browsing around and trying out Ree's delicious recipes at www.thepioneerwoman.com. Just recently Ree Drummond (the author of 'The Pioneer Woman Cooks' and 'Black Heels to Tractor Wheels') released a children's book. I was excited about this one! I love to read books with my kids before bedtime and am always looking for good reads. 'Charlie The Ranch Dog' has been a huge hit with my Emma and Luke. It's endearing, funny and almost makes me want to have a basset hound added to our own family! ;) I've even been thinking about what old man names would best fit a dog...(if we were to actually get one). Winston, Earl, Hubert and Stanley are some of the runner's up. :)

P.S If you go to www.barnesandnoble.com/storytime this month, Ree reads her story online for free! Check it out!

The Royal Wedding Ceremony - Westminster Abbey Choir - This is the day (...

One of my favorite songs from the Royal wedding.

Perfectly Royal Scones

This morning I gave into my hopelessly romantic side and got up at 4am to watch a certain royal wedding. The night before I had baked some scones for this momentous occasion. When my alarm went off, I groggily made my way to the kitchen and put some water on to boil for some tea to accompany my scones. I felt so British. ha!

The scone recipe I found on www.allrecipes.com was amazing! My scones have had a history of turning out hard and tasteless but these were soft, airy and slightly sweet. You can customize them with your favorite dried fruit, chocolate chips or whatever you might want to add. I baked mine plain and added some blueberry preserves on top. YUM!

Scones

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 5 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup butter
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in butter. Mix the egg and milk in a small bowl, and stir into flour mixture until moistened.
3. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead briefly. Roll dough out into a 1/2 inch thick round. Cut into 8 wedges, and place on the prepared baking sheet.
4. Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.

Spring salad with bunny ears

I follow 'One Charming Party' and they had the most adorable idea a few weeks ago. I read their post here about a bunny party. Basically, you could throw together any salad combo of your choice and stick the Petits Palmiers in the middle of your dish and voila...you have 'somebunny' in your salad! =) My kids thought this was so neat! I found the palmiers at Trader Joes like they suggested.

Buzz Lightyear Birthday

Luke's 2nd birthday party was a success! The theme was Buzz Lightyear since he gets so excited about him! It was an unusually hot day for mid-March but we enjoyed the summer-like weather for the outside birthday party. ; ) I made alien cupcakes which were by far the easiest cupcakes I've made for a bday. I found the recipe off the Disney website and you can check it out here.

The idea for the cake came after I googled 'Toy Story' cakes and saw a variety of different designs. I made a chocolate cake with blue icing and then made some clouds out of fondant. I found a super simple recipe for marshmallow fondant here.

Then I just made some marshmallow pops. I took lollipop sticks (available at Hobby Lobby) and stuck marshmallows on top and dipped them in chocolate and then used some sprinkles to decorate them.

I wish I was able to make more decorations and all but time was my enemy. haha...

And I regret not taking a picture of my cake before the Buzz figure fell off the front and left a dent. Oh well, forgive the imperfection. ;)

Banana and Blueberry Pancakes

I follow the 'Comfort of Cooking' on facebook and they posted this scrumptious recipe the other day. Banana and Blueberry Pancakes with Cinnamon vanilla butter. The pancakes were SO delicious. Here's the link for the recipe. I didn't make the cinnamon vanilla butter but instead made some orange butter that my Mom makes. All you need is to soften up a stick of butter and whip in some orange zest and about a teaspoon of orange juice. It's oh so yummy!

pic courtesy of 'CC'

Campbell's Covered Bridge

This afternoon we took a family excursion to the only covered bridge in South Carolina. It was built in 1909 and it still looks beautiful! The area has been renovated and there are even picnic tables and hiking trails you can check out. Here's a link with directions and more history.

Herbed Dinner Rolls

I don't know what it is about homemade bread that gets so complicated sometimes. I have had my issues in the past, not adding the yeast at the right time or temperature, over kneading, not rising enough etc... But I found this recipe at Annie's Eats and was excited to make them. It looked easy enough!! So, I went step by step very carefully and everything turned out beautifully. I stuck them in the oven and the house started to smell so good. Then our company came over and I completely forgot about my rolls (partially b/c I forgot to turn the timer on) I remembered them about 30 minutes too late. : ( Needless to say they were worthless hard, burnt rolls. Grrrr!!!! That was a few months ago so I decided to give these guys another try. And second time was a CHARM!!! They turned out so yummy. These herbed rolls have parsley, rosemary, chives, thyme, sage, basil, dill....oh my! Check out the recipe HERE and enjoy.

P.S Don't forget to set your timer! ; )

Diy Valentine Gumball Necklace

This sweet necklace will be a hit with my daughter. I can't wait to make one for her Valentine's gift. Check out the instructions here

Volkswagen Commercial: The Force (Guaranteed to put a smile on your face)

Robert Sabuda Pop up Books

This is AmAzInG! I had never heard of Robert Sabuda but I am truly impressed by his pop art books! Read more about his beautiful creations at Snowy Bliss blog or Robert Sabuda.com

Amazon also sells his books. Here are some pictures of Cinderella and Alice and Wonderland pop up books that Anj over at Snowy Bliss captured.

A walk down memory 'cake' lane...

My son's 2nd birthday is coming up and I couldn't be more excited! I love planning parties and baking cakes or cupcakes. My daughter is getting very particular when it comes to her birthday cakes but it's still easy to choose something for my son. ;) I thought I'd post a few of the birthday creations I've made through the years. I can't wait for the many more to come! There's been a first bday cake for Miss Emma, barnyard cupcakes, a princess castle, one huge cupcake, toy story jessie and chocolate cupcakes with the cutest topper ever. (And I'm not biased or anything. );) This year for Mr. Luke's birthday I didn't have to think long and hard. There isn't anything he loves more than BUZZ LIGHTYEAR! So, check back in March to see how that cake turns out. ;) I love searching the web for birthday ideas but some of my favorite sites are hostess with the mostess and of course etsy!

How can I know God?

Do you know Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour? It's the most important decision of your life.

How Can I Know God? from Frazor Team on Vimeo.

Gingerbread Waffles

I think I've found the perfect recipe for Christmas morning breakfast! These waffles look so delicious! I love anything gingerbread... Here is the link to the recipe. (pic from annie's eats)

Linus Christmas Monologue

What is Christmas all about, anyway?!!

Hot Chocolate goodness...

This evening the weather got bitter cold. (at least for us in South Carolina it did at 22 degrees ) ;o) It was the perfect night to sit by the fire and sip on some hot cocoa. Williams-Sonoma has some superb hot chocolate for all you hot cocoa connoisseurs out there. A friend of mine recommended it... so we gave it a try. In her words it will ''turn you into a hot chocolate snob''. You definitely won't think Nesquik tastes quite as good from now on. ; )

Cleta Bailey's Toffee Squares

I made these for a Christmas party this week. Super easy, quick and tasty! Check out the recipe from pioneer woman here. (pic courtesy of pw)

It's A Wonderful Life - The ending scene - High quality

My all time favorite Christmas movie....

Remembering the First Thanksgiving

This is a wonderful article that I found at crosswalk.com. I posted the first part of it here and I encourage you to read the rest in the link above. It only takes a few minutes of your time and it's a good reminder of how the First Thanksgiving really happened.

A few forgotten facts:

Half the Pilgrims that began their new life in Plymouth died in the winter of 1620

The first thanksgiving lasted three whole days

William Bradford (Governor of Plymouth) proclaimed a day of thanksgiving to God and the Pilgrims invited their Indian friends

"I'd stuffed many a turkey before I really understood Thanksgiving. Oh sure, I knew we were supposed to be thankful, and once I became a Christian I knew who we were thanking. But it wasn’t ‘til I taught my children at home that I really got the whole story.

Unfortunately, these days that story keeps getting harder to find.

For years, many public schools have left God out of Thanksgiving, teaching instead that the Pilgrims gave a party to thank the Native Americans or Mother Earth. Even more current are claims that the first Thanksgiving was a copy of European harvest festivals or a stolen Native American custom, or just a repeat of thanksgivings by other explorers.

But the Pilgrims’ own writings, and the historical events leading to the first Thanksgiving show the traditional accounts (available in pre-1960 books and encyclopedias) to be authentic. Thanksgiving was not as an isolated event, or an imitation, but a uniquely inspired Christian celebration – the culmination of a long journey of faith in which the Pilgrims had relied on God and trusted him through many adversities.

If the story is not to be forgotten, it is today’s Christian parents who must pass it on.

This year, make sure your celebration of Thanksgiving includes this portrait of God’s hand in history bringing people together to accomplish specific purposes – as well as the lesson of 1Thessalonian 5:18:"

Be joyful always, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances.

Continue reading the rest here.

Mini pumpkin muffins with cream cheese frosting

I saw the most adorable little muffins over at Life of Bliss last month. I've been waiting for the perfect occasion to make these and finally had a chance. I took them to our monthly ladies Bible study at my church. With Thanksgiving coming up they would also make the perfect little addition to your table. Check out the instructions here.