DIY Tissue Paper Globe Craft for Earth Day or Solar System

April 7, 2016 By Brandy 1 Comment

Tissue paper, a styrofoam ball, and a bit of glue is all you need to make a darling little globe craft. A fun craft for Earth Day or a solar system unit craft! Hang with a small hook and string from the ceiling for a fun way to display!

I love using tissue paper for crafts because it is easy to work with and so colorful! We've made a vase and a sun catcher in the past, and today we are sharing how we made this darling tissue paper. Our kids have maps on their walls and are interested in learning about the interesting places here on earth and in the solar system so we made this little globe to hang in their room. It was so easy to make and you can even mark the places you've traveled on it! It would also make a great Earth Day craft!

DIY Tissue Paper Globe Craft

Supplies:

Styrofoam ball

Green and blue tissue paper

Scissors

White glue or Mod Podge

Brush, optional

Instructions for making a tissue paper globe craft:

Cut 2 pieces of blue tissue paper into strips then into 1-2" squares. Cut abstract shapes out of green tissue paper for your continents, or you can be detailed and cut out exact shapes for your continents. I'm not that talented 😉

We found that using our fingers to apply the glue worked best, but a brush would work too and be less messy. Apply glue to your ball. Place tissue paper squares on your ball, overlapping and covering all of the white. Use glue to secure seams so make everything nice and smooth.

After applying the blue squares, lay the green continents on top and smooth with your fingers. Brush a thin layer of glue over the entire ball and let dry (the white glue will dry clear). A skewer and jar work great to keep it from sticking to your work surface while drying.

Dip your hanger in a bit of glue and screw it into the styrofoam. Let dry.

You can even mark the places you've visited with a permanent marker or add map pins!

Where is the farthest you've traveled from home?

Baked Parmesan Panko Tilapia

April 4, 2016 By Brandy Leave a Comment

Today I'm sharing one of our favorite meals, one that the kids will eat without question. Baked Parmesan Panko Tilapia. When we lived in Alaska, we had halibut on the menu a couple of times a week. It was during that time that I discovered panko bread crumbs for an easy coating on our fish. Panko bread crumbs are light and stay crispy even after being dredged and baked. My husband had a boat and would stock our freezer in the summertime with dozens of halibut fillets so this was a recipe that we had frequently.

(My (now 12 year old) son and his buddy checking out that day's catch of Alaskan halibut.)

(And one more just for kicks. My husband (in the orange) and his friend with the 180 lb. halibut that they wrestled into their boat. It was a trophy fish, for sure, but the smaller fish taste better than the bigger ones. This monster was perfect for batter fried halibut, and we reserved the smaller ones for grilling and baking)

I soon discovered my love for white fish. Fresh white fish has such a light flavor and can adapt to so many recipes! We made fish tacos, fish pesto with pasta, etc. If you can make it with chicken, you can usually make it with fish as well. When we left Alaska I realized how expensive halibut was in the lower 48. That's when we tried tilapia. Tilapia is similar to halibut and takes on the flavor of whatever it has been marinated in. It is our new go-to fish for light, low-fat, recipes like this one, although I will always prefer halibut.

Baked Parmesan Panko Tilapia

gluesticksblog.com

6 tilapia fillets

1 c. flour

2 c. panko bread crumbs

2 eggs

1 c. melted butter or margarine

⅓ c. grated Parmesan cheese

1 T. garlic powder

2 tsp. paprika

1 T. fresh or freeze dried parsley

2 tsp. kosher salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with non stick cooking spray.

I make this assembly line style using 4 pie pans for my ingredients. Fill the first pan with eggs (slightly beaten). Fill the second pan with flour. Fill the third pan with melter butter. Fill the fourth pan or shallow dish with 2 c. panko, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, paprika, parsley and kosher salt.

Dip fillets in egg, coating both sides. Dredge in flour (shaking off excess), dip in melted butter and then roll in the bread crumb mixture. Place on baking sheet. Repeat process for all fillets.

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until tilapia flakes with a fork.

Fairy Tale Fairy Garden To Add A Bit Of Magic To Your Yard

March 24, 2016 By Brandy 22 Comments

A darling fairy tale fairy garden, complete with a carriage! This little garden is what little girl dreams are made of.

Our front yard is bursting with whimsical fairy goodness this year! The girls and I had so much fun choosing out the flowers and accessories for this year's spring fairy garden!

We went with a fairy tale theme and think that it turned out simply magical.

I'm not an expert, by any means, when it comes to choosing flowers and plants that grow well together. We visited our local nursery and browsed the rows and rows of annuals and perennials. We simply chose our favorites, ones that we thought coordinated well together, and flowers that preferred full sun vs. shade. We picked out flowers in varying heights to add interest to our garden and even found some ground cover greenery to look like flooring.

The girls picked the accessories. MyFairyGardens.com has a darling line of coordinating Fairy Tale themed fairy garden supplies. This darling carriage was our main focal point. They also chose a bird bath, tiny bunnies, a flower, and some colorful bunting.

We filled our planted with potting soil and got started!

The girls carefully removed the plants from the containers and loosened up the roots.

We filled the pot, leaving room for our accessories.

The purples from the flowers popped and the greens really made it look like a lush garden, perfect for attracting fairies.

Once the Fairy Tale elements were added, the garden really came together.

We gave our garden a good watering and placed it in one of our flower beds. We enjoy seeing it every day and sharing it with each and every friend who comes to visit.

I ordered my fairy garden supplies from MyFairyGardens.com. They have such a great selection of houses, animals, furniture, and everything to create the perfect garden in miniature form! You can find fairy garden supplies at craft stores too, but the variety just doesn’t compare, and our package shipped to us within a few days! Since we met the minimum threshold, shipping was free too.

Homemade Bubble Recipe

March 17, 2016 By Brandy 1 Comment

Make your own bubbles this summer with this 3 ingredient homemade bubble recipe. Simply combine water, dish soap, and glycerin! Fill up a large jug with homemade bubbles to have plenty on hand when spill happen, because they always do!

This post contains an affiliate link.Bubbles are fascinating, and magical, and it's no wonder that all children love them! The only thing as fun as playing with bubbles is playing with bubbles in a water table! The Step2 Big Bubble Splash Water Table is the best of both worlds. Today we're sharing one of the best recipes for homemade bubbles (seriously, you can make some huge ones with this 3 ingredient recipe!), and a fun twist on the typical bubble wand!

My husband came home with a bottle of glycerin a few months ago and said he was going to use it to make bubbles with the kids. This guy kills me! I hadn't really thought about making bubbles before because they are already very affordable, but he said he wanted to make some to see if the homemade variety was better.

The recipe he gave me is simple: glycerin, dish soap, and water. That's it!

Homemade Bubble Recipe

Ingredients:

1 c. water

4 T. dish soap

1 T. glycerin

Directions:

Pour ingredients into a small bowl. Whisk to combine. Pour into a container or jar. Make a double batch in case your kids are like mine and spill half of the bottle on their way to the backyard 🙂

The results were awesome! All Ruby had to do was hold her wand in front of the battery powered bubble blower and watch as her giant bubbles blew across the yard.

We added to our collection of bubble wands by making a few pipe cleaner bubble wands. We simply bent the pipe cleaner into a heart shape and twisted it off. Then we strung the remaining few inches with beads and pinched off the bottom.

The wands worked like a charm, but I have to say that I was the most impressed by the girls' ingenuity. They figured out how to blow bubbles with their hands!

The water in the table was great for rinsing off their hands so to prevent them from being so sticky. Then they'd dip their fingers in the bubble tray and blow to make their own bubbles.

You're never too old to play with bubbles!

How to Make a Teacup Fairy Garden for Your Window Sill

March 15, 2016 By Brandy 3 Comments

A whimsical fairy garden that will fit in the palm of your hand. This teacup fairy garden adds the perfect amount of magic to any windowsill or shelf! Click here for a collection of easy fairy garden ideas that I put together for all seasons.

My girls and I are 3 peas in a pod when it comes to flowers and plants. When the sun came out after two weeks of rain, we took advantage of it and put our fairy gardens together! We had been planning and designing what we would put in them for weeks and are absolutely thrilled with how they turned out.

Today I am sharing my teacup fairy garden. You can see the girls' fairy tale fairy garden and mini flower gardens here.

What kind of teacup works best for a fairy garden?

You can use any teacup that is water resistant as long as you aren't worried about drainage. Succulents are a great option because they require very little water. You can also get away with using a tiny plant if you water it carefully. If you need to drill holes in the bottom make sure to use a drill that is accommodating for the material that you will be drilling through.

This teacup planter is about 2.5" tall and 6.5" wide. To keep the root system simple I decided to stick with slow growing plants; succulents. Because we used succulents we do not have to worry about drainage because succulents require very little water.

What accessories work best for a teacup fairy garden? It's so small!

This ½" gnome pick coordinated perfectly. I couldn't pass him up. I also chose this tiny well to balance things out, and without making my garden cluttered.

What kind of potting mixture should you use for a teacup fairy garden?

I used a handful of a bag of potting soil. You can buy special potting mixtures for succulents, house plants, or anything that you decide to use in this planter.

These succulents came from the fairy garden we had last year. They are easy to transplant and take root with little effort.

I simply arranged them in my pot, added my accessories, and gave it a good watering.

Then I added a few rocks and a tiny bit of mulch to fill in any bare spots.

My teacup garden looks so bright and cheerful in my kitchen window. I don't think I ever would have made a fairy garden if I didn't have little girls. I'm so glad I have them around to keep me young at heart! They were discussing with each other how the fairies visit them at night when they are asleep, and that is when the little animals and gnomes come alive. Sounds good to me.

I ordered my fairy garden supplies from MyFairyGardens.com. They have such a great selection of houses, animals, furniture, and everything to create the perfect garden in miniature form! You can find fairy garden supplies at craft stores too, but the variety just doesn't compare, and our package shipped to us within a few days. We also like finding fairy garden accessories at Joanns, Michael's and Hobby Lobby with their 40-50% off coupons.

Slow Cooker Green Chile Shredded Pork for Salads or Tacos

March 14, 2016 By Brandy 1 Comment

This slow cooker green chile shredded pork is perfect for tacos, enchiladas, chimichangas or salad! Slow cooked in your crock pot, it's an easy drop and go recipe.

I'm a huge salad fan and love all different kinds. My favorite is pork salad. I layer rice, beans, shredded pork, salsa, and a big handful of greens, and salad mixing. A delicious, and healthy lunch, and a great way to use up leftover green child shredded pork from the night before!

salad, pork, rice, beans and salsa fixings for pork salad

I took a semi-homemade approach with my pork salad and used an Eat Smart Gourmet Vegetable Salad Kit to prepare my salad! The Eat Smart Southwest Salad Kit includes 5 superfoods; savoy cabbage, red cabbage, radishes, carrots and kale plus toppings and a chipotle dressing! If you don't have a salad kit, no worries. A giant head of romaine lettuce works great too. Just chop it finely, add your favorite veggies like cherry tomatoes or shredded carrots, and you're on your way! If you don't have Southwest dressing on hand, mix salsa and ranch together. Done and done! Another dressing that I LOVE for shredded pork salad is this jalapeño cilantro ranch from Modern Honey.

Slow Cooker Green Chile Shredded Pork salad

Serves 6-8

1 Southwest Salad Kit or a large head of romaine lettuce
1 can. black beans, drained and rinsed
salsa, to taste
1 batch of green chile shredded pork (see recipe above)

Rice:

3 c. cooked rice
1 T. lime juice
½ c. cilantro

To serve add ½ c rice to a bowl. Add ¼ c. black beans, then 4 oz. shredded pork.

Top with a handful of greens. Drizzle with the chipotle dressing and add remaining toppings.

More Mexican Inspired Recipes You're Sure To Love!

Street Taco Carnitas: These slow cooker street tacos take just minutes to prepare! The deliciously seasoned carnitas simmer to perfection in the slow cooker. When you are ready to eat simply serve in a warm corn tortilla and top with shredded lettuce, avocados, cilantro, tomatoes and cojita cheese.

Baked Chicken Taquitos: Flour tortillas, filled with delicious shredded chicken, green chiles, and cheese, are rolled up, brushed with olive oil and lime juice, then baked to perfection!

Cilantro Lime Pesto Burritos: A delicious twist on the traditional pesto recipe, using cilantro instead of basil. Perfect to add to chicken for burritos and tacos!

Print Pin

5 from 1 vote

Slow Cooker Green Chile Shredded Pork

This slow cooker green chile shredded pork is perfect for tacos, enchiladas, chimichangas or salad! Slow cooked in your crock pot, it's an easy drop and go recipe.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 8

Total Time 8 5

Servings people

Calories 330kcal

Author Brandy Nelson

Ingredients

2 lb. pork roast
1 small can of green chiles mild
½ cup green salsa
1 cup chicken broth.

Instructions

Cook on low for 8-10 hours. Shred.

Notes

Instant Pot Version: Pressure cook on high for 30 minutes. Allow to sit after cooking for 10 minutes then quick release.

Nutrition

Calories: 330kcal

Easter Luncheon for Kids: Simple & Cute!

March 7, 2016 By Brandy 12 Comments

A darling Easter luncheon for kids that is as pretty as it is easy to set up! Kid-friendly foods, paper products, spring colors, and a ton of cuteness! Thank you KRAFT, for sponsoring this post.

Ruby and I hosted an Easter Bunny Luncheon for her two best girlfriends last week and it was a lot of fun. We usually arrange a playdate after preschool once a week for the girls to continue playing and for the moms to get a few more things done without having to pick up at 11:30. We planned our luncheon around one of those playdates!

All three of the girls adore bunnies so this is a great time of year to stock up on cute bunny decor, plates, and themed foods. I was able to set everything set up in about an hour!

I kept it super simple: Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, fruit kebobs, and bunny sandwiches. I arranged everything on small plates so that the girls could serve it themselves.

We used Greek yogurt as a fruit dip for their kebabs.

Turkey and cheese sandwiches cut out with a cookie cutter made for perfect finger foods.

I used tiny milk bottles as pitchers so that they could pour their own drinks. We served strawberry lemonade and milk.

Kraft Macaroni and Cheese is one of my go-to playdate lunches because it is ready in under 15 minutes, and the kids all love it. I love it too. It was a staple of my childhood, and I continue to enjoy it to this day.

It was a lovely afternoon spent with friends, with only a few tears (my daughter) because someone didn't get the pink cup she wanted. All in all, I'll call that a win! A cute little lunch for these cute little girls!

You might also like these cute and easy Easter party favors!

Easter in a Jar

Felt Carrot Candy Pouches

Felt Bunny Tutorial

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Royal Shimmer Tutu Tutorial

March 4, 2016 By Brandy 3 Comments

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #InspireBigDreams #DreamBigPrincess #CollectiveBias

Tiaras, dress up shoes, pearls, sparkly dresses, and jewelry are a part of everyday life for the princesses in our home. Sometimes I watch my girls parading around in their princess and ballerina attire and think, "How did this happen?"

After two boys, I didn't understand little girls very well. I couldn't imagine a home full of sugar, spice, and everything nice, but I have embraced it wholeheartedly, becoming their biggest enabler, because it is who they are. My girls are caring, gentle, and kind. Just like their favorite princesses!

This little one walked on her tippy toes before she could even run. Her mannerisms are very deliberate. She is careful, graceful, and points her toes when she walks, and she LOVES ballet. We could tell right away that this wasn't just a phase, but a part of who she is.

We enrolled her in a 3-year-old ballet/tap dance class last year for an introduction to dance. It was hard for her at first since she is very shy, but she soon felt welcomed by the new girls. I was proud of her for going out of her comfort zone and dancing in front of others!

Ruby also loves her princess dolls because they are beautiful and their stories are magical. Each one finds her "Happily Ever After."

I like the princesses because each one has a story to tell about being courageous, kind, brave, caring, and unique. A story that didn't come with a golden ticket to happiness.

My favorite princess is Cinderella, for that very reason. She was kind and patient no matter what was thrown in her path.

Have faith in your dreams and someday
Your rainbow will come smiling through
No matter how your heart is grieving
If you keep on believing
the dream that you wish will come true

(A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes)

I hope every little girl grows up believing this. "No matter how your heart is grieving If you keep on believing, the dream that you wish will come true."

I recently asked Ruby what she wants to be when she grows up. She said, "I want to be a ballerina because I love to dance, and I want to be a mom too." She will be a beautiful ballerina and mother. I just know it, and we will support her in her desire as long as SHE loves ballet and wants to dance.

Her dance clothes are well worn since she doesn't just wear them to dance class. It isn't uncommon to see her donning a tutu at the grocery store or at the park. We thought it might be fun to make a new tutu to match one of her favorite princesses.

She has 3 favorite princesses so when I asked which one she would like to make a matching tutu for she looked at me and said, "Can you help me decide? I like all of them!" So we discussed which colors went with which princesses and it was a quick decision after that. Aurora is PINK.

And so it was decided that we could make a tutu to match her new Disney Princess Royal Shimmer Aurora Doll.

There is a Disney Princess Royal Shimmer doll for all eleven princesses so it is easy to find your little gal's favorite! Each comes with removable shoes and a shimmering gown with ombre and glitter accent. Ruby loves taking the shoes on and off and playing with Aurora's hair. She has even tagged along to dance class with her.

Ruby chose a shimmery magenta tulle to match the shimmery fabric found on Aurora's dress. She adores her larger than life shimmery pink tutu. It is so full and feminine and came together in about a half an hour!

**And what happens when your daughter shows up to dance class in such a fabulous tutu? You get asked to make 10 for the upcoming ballet recital---in rainbow colors for their "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" dance! Let me tell you, that is going to be a whole lotta' cuteness right there! I am excited to do this for them!**

You can find tulle in every color of the rainbow, so making a tutu to match your little one's favorite princess is a breeze! There are many no-sew tutorials out there, but I find that sewing is quicker! Instead of cutting dozens of strips and tying them to an elastic band, I folded my fabric twice, sewed one very long seam, then fed my elastic through. It really was as simple as that. Let me show you!

Royal Shimmer Tutu Tutorial

3T-8years

Supplies:

5 yards sparkly tulle

1" wide elastic

scissors

alligator clips (hairbow clips)

Tulle, when purchased by the yard, comes already folded in half. Leave it folded. Above you will see what it looks like right off the bolt, 2 layers.

Fold it again so that you have 4 layers.

Here is what you will have now: a 5-yard strip of tulle that has been folded a total of 2 times. (Once by the store, and once by you) for a total of 4 layers.

5 yards of tulle is super long and won't fit on the table. I laid it all out on the living room floor, but moved it to the table for better lighting in this photograph.

Sew a casing across the top fold ¼" wider than your elastic. I used 1" elastic, so my casing was 1 ¼" wide. You can't really pin tulle, so I like using a bunch of alligator clips to hold the fabric in place as I sew across the top, removing the clips as I sew. (I forgot to snap a photo of the clips that had been removed in this photo).

Now, decide how long you want the tutu to be. (Ruby is 4 years old and I made hers, and the ones for the girls in her dance class, 12" long.)

Trim the excess off of the bottom of the tutu. This can be easily done by folding the 5-yard strip in half lengthwise a few times so that you don't have to cut across the entire 5-yard strip.

Cut a piece of elastic the size of your child's waist. Add 1 ". Attach a safety pin and pull through the elastic casing you just made. Yep, pull it through that entire 5-yard strip. It's tedious, but not hard!

Once elastic has been pulled through and comes out the other side, sew both ends of elastic together. Then open and fold each end flat and sew again so that it lays flat.

Evenly distribute the gathers all the way around the skirt. There will be an opening in the back where the ends of the tulle meet. You can zig zag that seam closed, but it is so full and gathered that you don't even see it when it is being worn.

Have faith in your dreams and someday
Your rainbow will come smiling through

I hope she knows that she can achieve anything she sets her heart on. We love our Ruby girl!

Seasoned Potatoes and Kielbasa

March 2, 2016 By Brandy 2 Comments

Potatoes and kielbasa is a delicious weeknight dinner! You can also roll it inside of warm flour tortillas for breakfast burritos. This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser.

Seasoned potatoes are one of our favorite side dishes. We decided to switch them up by adding kielbasa sausage when we were first married and they instantly went from a side dish to the main dish! Serve them with vegetables for a complete dinner or fill a warm tortilla with a scoop of potatoes and kielbasa, a sprinkle of shredded cheese, and a scoop of salsa for a breakfast burrito!

Seasoned Potatoes and Kielbasa

(scroll down for printable recipe)

1 (14 oz.) package kielbasa

6-8 medium sized red potatoes

1 medium red onion

2 T. olive oil

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. garlic powder

½ tsp. onion powder

fresh cracked black pepper, to taste

Chop potatoes into bite-sized pieces and dice onion.

Heat a large skillet on medium heat. Add oil and onions and cook until fragrant.

Add potatoes and spices. Turn heat to medium-high and cook for about 3 minutes, or until potatoes brown.

Give them a good stir. Reduce heat to medium, cover and continue to cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are fork tender.

Remove from heat.

Dice Polska Kielbasa into bite sized pieces.

Add to pan and cover for 5 minutes. No heat necessary, they will warm with the hot potatoes. Since Hillshire Farm® Kielbasa is fully cooked and seasoned, it is a quick add-in for so many meals!

This dish reheats really well so feel free to make a large batch and use for quick lunches all week!

Eaten on their own or in a tortilla with your favorite breakfast burrito toppings, these seasoned potatoes with kielbasa are the perfect comfort food!

Print Pin

5 from 1 vote

Seasoned Potatoes and Kielbasa

Potatoes and kielbasa is a delicious weeknight dinner! You can also roll it inside of warm flour tortillas for breakfast burritos.

Course Breakfast, Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 15

Total Time 25

Servings

Calories 390kcal

Author Brandy Nelson

Ingredients

1 14 oz. package kielbasa
6-8 medium sized red potatoes
1 medium red onion
2 olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder

Instructions

Chop potatoes into bite-sized pieces and dice onion.
Heat a large skillet on medium heat. Add oil and onions and cook until fragrant.
Add potatoes and spices. Turn heat to medium-high and cook for about 3 minutes, or until potatoes brown.
Give them a good stir. Reduce heat to medium, cover and continue to cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are fork tender.
Remove from heat.
Dice Polska Kielbasa into bite sized pieces.
Add to pan and cover for 5 minutes. No heat necessary, they will warm with the hot potatoes.

Notes

To make breakfast burritos place potatoes and kielbasa inside warm tortillas with cheese and scrambled eggs.

Nutrition

Calories: 390kcal

If you liked this easy weeknight dinner idea you might also like...

Sheet pan Fajitas

Stroganoff Loaf

Asian Noodle Bowls