New Winner!!!

Unfortunately, I have not heard from the winner of my sign giveaway so....... the new winner is KENDRA from "The Burns family" Congratulations!! Please e-mail me so you can tell me which sign you would LOVE to have!!

Have fun!

Freecycle Friday - Faux Makeup For Your Kiddos

We decided a long time ago that we don't want our kids to get used to wearing real makeup too young, but the only "play" makeup I can ever find in the toy section is all REAL!!

So, I always save my empty makeup containers for my girls to play with, but I have always kept an eye out for "play" makeup like I used to have as a kid. But, I still haven't found any (only the occasional fake lipstick and such).

SO......

Here we are......making our own.
And all you need is nail polish!!

It's ssooooooo easy AND it looks totally REAL, so your kiddos will LOVE it! (My hubby even saw it sitting on the counter and didn't realize it was fake :)

Just wash out your old makeup containers with soap and water, and let them dry thoroughly.
Then, (once you've gotten some cheap Dollar Store nail polish, or use some that you don't use as much anymore), just slowly pour it into your containers where the makeup used to be.

I say slowly because you don't want to accidentally pour out the little mixing beads that are inside. Also, before pouring shake the polish well, but then let it sit for a minute so the air bubbles can rise and pop and not mess up your "makeup."

You can use as much as you want, but as the polish dries, it shrinks, so it will actually look like about half of what you pour in. I used the whole bottle for the "foundation powder" and around a quarter of the large pink bottle for the "blush" and less than an eighth of a bottle for each "eyeshadow." (but, the eyeshadow in the pic is wet, so it will look like less once it dries)

It takes a full 24 hours for the polish to dry, but I waited another few days since it was still pretty stinky (didn't want the kiddos getting high off it), and to make sure it was thoroughly set.

Once I used up the bottle for the "foundation," I thought it would be cool to have play nail polish too! So, I cleaned the brush off with nail polish remover and around the inside of the cap, then I just let the tiny bit that was left over dry inside the bottle for a few days too. We do let our kiddos have painted nails, but they are not allowed to play with the actual bottles of nail polish, so....now they can :)

The best part of these are the cool brushes to use with it!!!

Don't forget to let it dry in a well ventilated area, away from bugs that might get stuck in it. Also, this is probably a craft to do without your kids since, (a) there are lots of fumes & (b) they can't really help much and they can't even play with it for 3 whole days!!!

Well, hope you have fun making your own, I know your kids will LOVE it!

Update: Hop on over to Reinvented to check out her "Trash to Treasure Tuesday" I linked up with this post :)

Super-Fun Beanbag Balloons

So, I saw this on the Family Fun website here and couldn't resist trying it, since we just happened to have all the ingredients at our fingertips. (I LOVE this website!)

Anyhoo,.......as it is with any craft, we needed to modify things a little, so I'll give a quick tute (hee, hee, that's a funny word :)

For each ball, you will need three balloons (the website used different colors that looked cool, but nnooooooooo, my girls had to have plain solid colors), and 3/4 cup of dried beans. You will also need to make a cardboard funnel about 1 - 1 1/2 inches wide.

Go ahead and cut the neck off 2 of the balloons.

First, blow up the first one and hold it for 30 seconds (to stretch it out). Then, put the cardboard funnel in, the length of the neck of the balloon.

Then, proceed to fill the balloon with the beans. You will need to stop a few times to pack the beans down. We found it was easier to blow into the balloon a little to get the beans to go into the balloon since it's really hard to just "pack" them in.

Once you have filled the balloon, remove the funnel and snip off the lip of the balloon. Then, fold it down and stretch one of the other balloons over it. Take the third balloon and stretch it over the first two.

Voila! You have your very own beanbag ball!!

Once you get the hang of it, the next ones will go alot faster.

These are great lightweight and very squishy. I even love playing with these, so fun!

A few tips.....

Make sure to use all 3 balloon layers. At first we accidentally did just 2 and the ball broke open only a few hours later. The next ones we made have lasted a few weeks so far, but just in case, have your older kiddos be careful around the babies (balloons were always the popular choice for my babies to chew on whenever they had a chance :)

Have fun!

What??!!!! You Can Make Chocolate Cake In The Microwave!!!

Ok, so I know this has been around for awhile, but that was my reaction when I FIRST saw that! I only just got around to trying it (Duh, why did I wait so long.....IT'S EASY and it's CHOCOLATE!!!)

So, I finally tried it and it's MUCH better than it looks.
Ok, so we ALL know what it LOOKS like.....but it ended up tasting pretty good, especially with ice cream and chocolate chips. But, be prepared the texture is more like a thick bread pudding, so if you don't like that kind of texture, you should probably abstain.

Here's how:

Supplies

• 4 tablespoons flour
• 4 Tablespoons sugar
• 2 Tablespoons baking chocolate
• 1 Egg
• 3 Tablespoons milk
• 3 Tablespoons oil
• 3 Tablespoons chocolate chips (optional, but necessary)
• splash of vanilla
• Large mug

Start by mixing all the dry ingredients (and choc. chips) together in the mug.

Then, add the egg and blend it in well.

Follow that with all the wet ingredients and mix well. The texture will be thinner than cake batter. But, that's normal (I guess).



Put the mug into the microwave for 3 minutes. Now, be sure to let your kids watch this part, because the cake will rise over the top of the mug and it looks pretty cool! (for the kid in me :) Once the microwave stops, it will sink back down so don't worry. Sorry for the bad pics, but our kitchen is not very bright and therefore a bad place to be taking pics. But, I totally HAD to show you guys this.

When it's done cooking it looks like this (again, yes I know what you are all thinking).

Pop it out onto a plate (eewwwww!).

But, I HAD to cut it up a little to make to look more appetizing. Serve it with some ice cream, and you're ready to go!

So, here's my full review: I think that, for the calories......it's not really worth it, but if you are having a crazy strong craving for chocolate, this will do. Two things that are necessary; (1) You MUST add the chocolate chips.......it's alot better that way & (2) ice cream makes it even more better (is that the correct way of saying that or have I been hanging around my kiddos too much?)

I did make a lower fat/calorie version and I think it tastes pretty close to the original. Plus, I didn't feel as guilty afterwards:

• 4 Tablespoons of wheat flour
• 4 Tablespoons of sugar
  
• 2 Tablespoons baking chocolate
  
• 1/4 cup of Egg Beaters (that equals one egg)
• 3 Tablespoons milk
• 3 Tablespoons applesauce
• 3 Tablespoons Chocolate chips (still optional, but still necessary)
• Splash of vanilla

You will still probably want to have a scoop of ice cream with this, so I guess it doesn't make it all that much healthier, but at least I wasn't eating the 3 Tablespoons of oil :)

You should all try this at least once.....it's interesting and fun to watch it rise while cooking. Also, it's especially fun to let your kiddos make. And......it's something to have in a jiffy if you can't make the real thing! My kiddos LOVED it and ate it right up and had fun helping me make it!

Have fun!

The Great Giveaway Winer Is.......

Comment #36!!!!

And let's find out WHO that lucky person is......

WENDY! aka Mike and Wendy!!!

Wendy said:
"It's a toss up. I don't know if your 'be' blocks are included in the give away, but I"ve been eyeing them for a while. Also, since I'm 36 weeks pregnant, I might get a sign with the new family member's name (when we finally figure out what it will be, that is!)"

Congratulations!!

Wendy, please e-mail me as soon as possible with your info and you can tell me which sign you would like (yes, you can have the "Be" blocks if you want :) and colors.

Sorry for those of you who didn't win, but now that I know you like the signs......I shall have to giveaway MORE!!!! Maybe when we get to #200, hint, hint?????

Stay tuned for more Fun!

We Seem To Have Some Secret Admirers

Well.....I did have another post ready for tonight (no, not the giveaway just yet), but I really wanted to post about the AWESOME secret admirers we seem to have here in our neighborhood :)

So, it all started a little over a year ago......at night, on the 4th of July.

I was sitting in my office working on the computer and it was pretty late and all the fireworks had already gone off (I say my office because I have so much crafting and sign-making stuff in here that my poor hubby doesn't want to come in here anymore. He just uses his laptop in the kitchen now).

Suddenly, there was a LOUD knock on the window right next to me! Now, it was waaayyyyy dark outside, but I had the light on in here, so I couldn't see who was outside (I had forgotten to close the blinds) ! Also, to get to this window, you have to go through our gate into the back yard a little.

SOMEONE WAS IN OUR BACKYARD, LATE AT NIGHT WHILE MY HUBBY (a police officer) WAS GONE AT WORK!

K, so I got up (very calmly but VERY quickly) and went to a part of the house where I knew no one could see me to collect myself and figure out what to do. But, then I heard someone tapping on the bathroom window (bathroom on the side of the house right next to the office)!!

So, I calmed down for a few minutes (and finished wetting myself) and went to our room and got a weapon and then went to search the backyard. Whoever it was had left. So, I called hubby at work to tell him what happened.

(You can kinda tell in this pic, but our house is right on the corner. So, there's easy access to our backyard from the corner. The 2 windows in front are the office and then there is one on the left side of the house, right past the gate.)

Fast forward to several months later......

Same thing happens again (except no tapping on the bathroom window). Hubby and I had talked about the first time and decided that it was probably just some stupid teenagers trying to scare me, (we live in a pretty nice neighborhood, but that doesn't mean there aren't still stupid teenagers out there) so I pretended not to hear it and tried to sit still in my seat (even though I was MAD that they were in my backyard again and were trying to scare me, again!!).

Too bad hubby wasn't home.....he would have liked to go out there.

Fast forward AGAIN......

2 weeks ago, I was re-finishing a craft table and chairs for the kiddos (I'll post pics later), so I had the garage door open all day so I wouldn't die from inhaling spray paint fumes. I forgot it was open, but remembered to close it before we went to bed that night (late).

The next day, hubby goes out to cut some wood for me. He comes back in and says " Honey, come here for a minute," so I go out there thinking I was in trouble for something. Then, he asks: "Where did you put the drill yeaterday?" So, I went to show him, but it wasn't there. Neither was his saw or the weedwacker.

We had been robbed.

Although.......it could have been worse. They didn't take any of his other tools (he has tons) or my (kinda pricey) bike or a lot of other things that cost WAY more than what they did take. So, we were lucky in that respect.

AND THEY DIDN'T COME INTO THE HOUSE!!

Our girls' room is right next to the garage door!
But, actually, THEY are lucky that they didn't come in the house because HUBBY was home that time!! (Yes, he is my knight in shining armor :)

Fast forward AGAIN to last night.......

Hubby and I were watching some t.v. and he dozed off a little. Then, I heard a loud THUD that came from the kitchen cabinets. So, I got up to check and see what fell, but I didn't see anything. Then I realized that it came from outside.

So,

I woke Chris up and told him what I heard. He went outside to check it out (my hero!). When he came back he showed me the source of the noise:

What!?? Someone threw a full bottle of Gatorade at the side of our house!!

A few minutes later, I saw (what looked like) light from a flashlight shining into our front room through the window in there.

Hubby went to check that out too, but didn't see anyone. He was disappointed....and me too a little so we could see who was playing these stupid pranks on us (and WHY!) and he would have liked to arrest them!!

Don't get me wrong......we are flattered that someone is going to all this trouble to get our attention,

But, now I would like the party responsible to stop.

I know we are VERY cool people and others always want to be in our presence.......but this is getting kinda annoying.

We don't think they are the same people who robbed us (probably just someone driving by late and saw an opportunity to steal a few things quickly).

Well, that's my story. I'll keep you all updated about our admirers and who they are (if we get the pleasure of meeting them). I don't know why they would choose to lavish all their love on us......we are nice people and hubby's a VERY nice cop (and doesn't work anywhere near here).

Oh, well......at least we got some Gatorade out of it :)

Have fun!

Freecycle Friday - luscious lips for the kids too!

If you are looking for my super-duper giveaway, go here. But, hurry cuz it ends Sunday at midnight!



Well, all the excitement of making lip balm (they get excited easily :) made my kiddos want some of their own too. I usually just let them each have one of mine (since I now have 18 tubes!!!), but there was one thing I been wanting to try for awhile.

Kool-Aid lip gloss!!!

But, then I needed to find a little pot to put it in.

Then I remembered something I saw last night,......what Nikki on Whimsy Love had made with her kiddos to keep bugs in, here.

At first I was sad because my kiddos don't like catching bugs, so sadly i won't be making this one.

But, then.......I had an idea!!!

My kids could make these and use them as lip gloss pots.....SO CUTE

&

It's FREECYCLING!!!

I knew we had a few of those little capsules lying around the house and petroleum jelly and Kool-Aid and beads.........so why not?

So, I went to find a few of those little pay-50 cents-for-a-toy-that-costs-a-penny-but-the-capsule-is-cooler, and we got to work.

First, I let them help me poke a hole in the lid with my "paper piercer" (say that 10 time fast :), of course using a mat underneath so we didn't damage their newly re-finished craft table. Try to make the hole as big as you can.

After that, they helped me add some flower rub-ons to the sides of their capsules. I like the way it turned out!

Then, I measured the hemp cording and, after cutting it, let them proceed by stringing beads while I started to make the lip gloss (since I had never made it before, I knew I might have to improvise some things).

Here's what worked for me. Since the petroleum jelly (PJ from now on), is not water-based it did not mix with the Kool-aid, so I, first, added a few drops (start off with 2 drops, you don't want to add too much water) of water to the Kool-Aid (between 1/2 - 1 teaspoon of Kool-aid) to dissolve it a tiny bit and make it turn that deep red color. Then I added the PJ (I think it was around 2 teaspoons) and mixed it up well. The Kool-aid was still a little grainy, but my daughters didn't mind :)

Once they were finished stringing beads (my girls didn't want to add alot of beads for some reason), I put the 2 ends of the cording through the hole and tied a knot so it wouldn't slip back through. Then, I added the oh-so-sweet-smelling lip gloss and......

Ta Da! Their very own lip gloss on a string!

Madison was SO happy and wanted to take tons of pics, but Aislyn lost interest and didn't want me to come near her with the camera :)

Have fun!

Take Care Of Thoese Luscious Lips!!!

If you are looking for my giveaway.....scroll down to the next post.

Well, I was needing some more lip balm and whipped up a batch today so I could take pics and show you all how easy (and cheap) it is to make your very own!

I LOVE Burt's Bees, but can't bring myself to pay 3 bucks (or more) for each tube. I go through a lot of lip balm (HAVE to have it with me constantly), so I needed to find something that took good care of my luscious lips AND my wallet.

So, I started making my own and have been ever since.

I've been making & experimenting with bath stuff for years. I've made soap (yup, the old-fashioned way with lye), bath fizzies, salt/sugar scrubs, masks, candles, and even lotion.....once.

But, my all time favorite things to make it lip balm. Cuz it's sssoooooooo easy!

First of all, I've been using the same company for supplies for years.......and they are still great! Don't be fooled by the look of their website, though. They are the best and carry a huge supply of ingredients, containers, and even bases (you can just get a lip balm base, and add your own colors and additives). They are very knowledgeable, friendly, and helpful, so stop by and have a look here. Majestic Mountain Sage.

Now, here's how you can make your own too!

First, gather some supplies. I just LOVE their recipe for the "Honey a La Lip Creme" (found here) but cut the sweet almond oil in half (from 45 grams to 22-ish) so it's firm enough to go into tubes since I use it so much and tubes are easier. I also substituted shea butter for coconut oil since I didn't have any and added a little more honey (I like it sweet :)

You don't even have to follow a recipe, you can go here to get a general guideline of ingredients to make up your own recipes.

Pay attention to the "oils" since some are solid at room temp and some are brittle at room temp....kinda weird. Here are a few pics of what this stuff looks like at room temperature.

Shea Butter

Cocoa butter

Lanolin

Once gathered, I like to measure everything out into a glass measuring cup so I can just pop it into a pan of boiling water to melt it (aka, double-boiler). The easiest way to measure, is to zero the scale after adding each ingredient so you don't have to try to keeping adding in your head.

Then, once everything is measured out, pop your cup in the boiling water and let it melt. This is a great time to add any tinting you want. I usually just cut off a small piece of my lipstick and throw it in. It's just a little tinting, but I like it, since I can't wear much lipstick because it gets on my braces (yummy!)


After it's melted, use pipettes to fill the tubes. Just stand the tubes up and hold onto them while you fill and make sure to fill all the way up to the top. I went ahead and got this handy-dandy filling tray to hold them upright so I could fill faster and not worry about spillage.

Just make sure to keep stirring in between each tube so the honey doesn't settle.

These just take about 5-10 minutes to cool....and you're ready for your HOT-DATE!

Since I always make my own......I went ahead and bought a scale that measures small amounts AND I can switch it back and forth from grams to ounces. Or, you can go here and they have a calculator that will convert it for you.

Also, I noticed that Not Martha posted a great tutorial about this awhile back here. She did a great job of researching things out and she even used the same company as I do for some of her supplies! At the bottom she puts measurements to make a smaller batch if you just want to try it out.

Update: Just FYI......The recipe that I mentioned above ended up giving me 18 tubes!!! I just didn't put that many in the picture I took cuz I was lazy :)

Have fun and let me know if you have any questions!