"With You As My Teacher I'll Be One Smart Cookie". Attach this printable tag to a deep dish chocolate chip cookie or package of cookies for a back to school teacher gift! My go-to back to school gifts for teachers bounce back between two things: this yummy cookie gift, and this hand sanitizer gift for teachers. Both are simple to put together and always appreciated! This post is a pretty little refresh of a post originally shared in 2011. My boys are starting school in the next couple of ... Read More about One Smart Cookie Teacher Gift With Printable Tag
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Basil Recipes
This year we planted a couple of squares of basil in our square foot garden. This photo was taken about a month ago, and the plants have grown a lot since then! I was excited to try some new recipes using our fresh basil. Including homemade pesto. Pesto is simple to make and made from such simple ingredients! Homemade Pesto Sauce I only have a mini food processor, so I had to do my recipe in two batches. 3 cups fresh basil 1 c. olive oil 4 cloves garlic 1 1/2 c. nuts (I ... Read More about Basil Recipes
Homemade Foaming Hand Soap
Homemade Foaming Hand Soap. Who knew? Apparently a lot of people except for me because when I googled it, a bunch of links came up! Now that I know how easy it is to make I will never buy another $3 bottle of it again! How do manufacturers justify charging so much for a bottle of it when in actuality you are buying a fraction of the soap that a regular bottle of hand soap has and it is diluted down with water? They probably justify it because people are willing to pay for it! I was. Here's ... Read More about Homemade Foaming Hand Soap
PVC Framed Canopy Bed
 While browsing Toys R Us & Babies R Us last weekend, we came across a cute Tinkerbell canopy bed that Kaylee just loved. She already had a nice toddler bed, so we didn't give it much though, or at least I didn't. Daddy had other plans...  Derrick thought that it would be pretty simple to make her a canopy for her existing bed from a PVC frame. He is the king at PVC pipe creations...  Homemade Sprinklers Toy Bucket Doorway Puppet Theater Frame (Just to name a few :) And he ... Read More about PVC Framed Canopy Bed
Homemade Ice Cream Bowls!
 The other night, Derrick asked me to make a batch of fortune cookie batter....for what? Ice cream bowls! I knew they would taste good, but I wasn't sure how they would hold up. The end result? Amazing! Fortune Cookie Ice Cream Bowls Ingredients 2 egg whites 1/2 cup flour (sifted) 1/2 cup sugar 2 tablespoons water 1 teaspoon almond extract 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract Cooking Directions Set oven to 400 degrees F. Place egg whites in a bowl and beat with ... Read More about Homemade Ice Cream Bowls!
Patriotic Paper Star Wreath for Kids to Make
If you have scrapbook paper in your craft stash and a hot glue gun you can make this super easy star wreath in less than an hour! This is a great craft to make with kids and can be customized for so many occasions. There are so many fun crafts for kids to make out of paper. Try our DIY pocket fans, talking dinosaur clothespins, or a pop up book! Aaron and I made a fun cardstock wreath for our front door last year. Nice and bright with summer colors and easy to customize for any season. ... Read More about Patriotic Paper Star Wreath for Kids to Make
Father’s Day Treat Cans
Our Father's Day Gifts this year are simple, kid friendly, and made with a lot of excitement and anticipation from the little ones. I purchased a safe lid can opener (the kind that cuts from the side and leaves an edge) and it did a GREAT job of cutting the bottoms of the cans. 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, ... Read More about Father’s Day Treat Cans
A Mini Tool Box Craft For Dad: Father’s Day Gift Idea
Make dad a mini tool box craft filled with coupons! A darling Father's Day gift from the kids! Altoid containers are fun to use for so many projects. 3 are stacked together to create this mini tool box. 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 ... Read More about A Mini Tool Box Craft For Dad: Father’s Day Gift Idea
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 ... Read More about Summer Tie Dye Party!