Borax Sparklies

I love sparkly things.

I love inexpensive things.

I love making things (as long as they're easy).

I REALLY love making sparkly things that are inexpensive (and easy).

So I give you (drumroll please):   The Borax Sparklies!

This will come as a shock - but this idea came from Pinterest.  The kids and I made these at Christmas too - but I especially love the Valentine sparklies.

And they're actually easy!  All you do is make some pipe cleaner shapes and let them soak overnight in a water/Borax solution. 

Here's how:

Take pipe cleaners and make them into the shapes you want.  

Since they have to hang suspended in water overnight, I attached them to a pencil (a popsicle stick would work fine too).  I used fishing line and scotch tape to attach them. 

Also - I put them in empty jars first to make sure that the shape will fit in the jar without touching the sides or the bottom.

Once you're ready to submerge the pipecleaners, fill a mason jar with hot (super hot) water and add a half to a three-quarters  cup of Borax to it.  Important: If you use something bigger than a mason jar (I used some empty hurricane lamps) use more Borax.  The sparklies come from the Borax so you want to make sure that you're solution isn't too watered down.

ASIDE:  Apparently Borax is like this crazy good household cleaner.  I wouldn't know about such things since I'm not the best housekeeper...)  

Anyway!  Stir up the Borax really good and then submerge your pipecleaner shape into the water.  Be sure not to let it touch the sides or the bottom or it will get stuck.  

Let them sit, fully submerged and undisturbed overnight.

The next day, carefully remove them from the water and voila!!  A SPARKLY!!!  (can't you just hear them sparkling - sheen! sparkle, sparkle!!)

They look beautiful hanging from a chandelier or in a window.  When the sun hits them, they really sparkle!

They also make cute little gift wrap accessories.

Here's the site where I first saw the idea.

Couple things that I've found with these....  Sometimes they come out without any crystals on them.  I think that happens when you don't use enough Borax - or when you disturb them while they're soaking.  Be sure to use lots of Borax, and once you submerge them, don't touch them until the next day when it's time to take them out.

Also, after a few months, the crystals will turn all white and powdery.  I just toss them at that point and make new ones.

Sparkle on, friends!

The Prayer Pail

I've been troubled lately by my kids' prayers.  Geez, that sounds so horrible to say - but let me explain.  We talk about prayer - and the fact that when you're praying, you're talking with God.  We talk about how important that is - and how happy it makes God when we pray.  And my kids pray all the time.

So how can I be troubled by my kids' prayers?

Well... because they say the same thing.

Every.Single.Time

It's as if prayer has become this meaningless exercise they must perform before they eat and before they go to bed.  I'm serious - they say the EXact same thing every time.  And it's crazy - it's not just their words that are the same - their inflections, their meter - everything!  It's like they're reciting a poem they've memorized or something.  They're praying in Iambic Pentameter!

Does God love them any less?  Of.Course.Not.  Do my kids love God any less?  Again.  Of.Course.Not.

I just think they could get a little bit more about of their conversations with God if they actually thought about what they were saying instead of simply reciting what they've always recited.  I would love for them to see/understand that they're building a relationship with God - and that prayer is one of the ways you do do that.

Enter the Prayer Pail.  This was an idea I got from Pinterest (duh) and I'm very excited to put it into practice.

Each night at dinner - and each night before bed, the kids will draw a card from the Prayer Pail. They will talk to God about whatever is on the card.  Maybe it's a prayer request for that person/thing - maybe it's a praise.  Whatever it is - I'm hoping that it will help them engage a little more.  That they'll think about what they're saying.  That they'll begin to see that they're talking with God - not AT Him.

Prayer is a pretty powerful thing.  We tend to think about praying for other people - and praying because God wants us to talk to Him.  I think we often overlook what WE get out of prayer.  I think we forget that we are really talking to God when we pray.

We are having a conversation with someone we have a relationship with.  When we talk to our friends and family, we don't recite at them.  we talk to them.

I tend to be very informal in my praying - I tend to make it more like a conversation.  Because, after all, that's what it is.  For me - it makes God more real.  I hope it's not blasphemous to say that - I'm just being honest.  I know that His realness isn't dictated by how I interact with Him - I'm just saying that I feel more connected to Him. 

Anyway!  I'm going to stop on this path because I don't want to say something stupid or offensive.  (although I could, it's MY blog so just back off why don't ya!)  See what I mean?  That's why I quit when I'm ahead.

OKAY!  Here's the Prayer Pail.  It's cute huh?  It's just a little plastic cup from Michaels.

I filled it with little plastic cards and tied a ribbon to each card.  So each kid will draw a card....

And each card has something written on it.  In addition to whatever they're praying for (ie, dinner, etc) they will add something about whatever is on the card.   Like I said, it may be a request, maybe just a thank you for that person/thing.

 I made a lot of different things to pray about.  There's even a Wild Card (the one with the ? mark on it) which lets them pray about whatever they want.  And of course they're not limited to just what's on the card.  I'm just using the cards to get them going a little...

I'm excited about this.  I hope the kids will be too...

(PS - here's the site where I got the idea! )

yummmm

So anyone that knows me knows that I am not a really good cook.  I can follow a recipe - but I can't come up with stuff on my own.  As such, I'm always on the lookout for recipes that are easy-peasey-rice-and-cheesey.

I found one that I had to share.

Not to worry, I'm not going to turn this into a food blog - there are too many amazing ones out that there that I simply can't compete with (Click here to see my favorite one).  But I had to share this one recipe (from Pinterest, course - click here for the source)

They're called Baked Egg Cups.

They're approximately 100 calories each.

They take 12 minutes - with about 2 minutes prep time.

And they're amazing.


Baked Egg Cups
12 Eggs (I usually make them for just my husband and me - so I only make 4 at a time instead of a dozen)
12 thin slices of deli ham (round)
1/2 Cup of your favorite cheese (I used Parmesan)

1/2 Cup diced scallions
Fresh cracked Sea Salt and Pepper

Preheat the oven to 400.

Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray.

Lay a piece of ham in each hole creating a little ham cup.

Crack one egg into each hole and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake for 10 minutes at 400 (or until the white is firm and the yolk is somewhat gelled and still a little runny - my experience has always been 10 minutes)

Sprinkle the top with chives and cheese.

Bake for 2-3 more minutes at 400.

Pop each cup out with a fork.

Serve hot - take a bite and watch it change.your.life.

Sorry that the edges of the ham are a little burnt.  This picture was from my first try.  (I've since learned to tuck the edges down a bit - they won't get burnt that way).

My husband likes to put each cup on top of an English Muffin half (this will increase your calories, but it is definitely extra yummy).

I love the combination of all the flavors.  I think it tastes like Christmas morning.  : )

If you try it, I hope you like it!

A Few of My Favorite Things...

It's been a while since I've done one of these posts - and I feel like bloggin'.  So here we go!  The following is a list of some of my current favorite things (in no particular order)

The Help
Oh my.  This book.  This movie.  LOVED them both.  So good.  Read it then watch it.  You'll love it and want to read it and watch it all over again.  Good stuff!

Pinterest

Okay, seriously folks.  If you are not on Pinterest, you are missing.out.  I mean come ON!  Where else can you go to get fabulous ideas on everything from cooking to how to use a DSLR camera.  Crafts! Organizing!  Crocheting!  Fashion!  Travel!  Home Decor!  Why am I shouting?!  Mercy, I'm all sweaty just typing about it.  You simply have to join.  For those of you who don't know what Pinterest is (pardon me while I take a hit from my inhaler - just the IDEA of someone not knowing what Pinterest is -((gasp)) - I can't breathe).

Pinterest is an online pin board.  You see things that you love online - and you can pin them onto different boards that you create.  For example, say I want to find some recipes.  So I create a board for recipes.  Every time I find a recipe online, I can pin it to me recipe board.  Boom!  Now I'll always be able to find it!  And what's so fun is that other people can look on your boards, and pin your pins to their boards and vice versa!  It's so much fun I can't even stand it (my voice is getting high pitched just TYPING this - lucky for you I'm not telling you about it in person).

Find me on Pinterest (hey look, there I am!) - it's easy, you'll love it.  Just do it. (my name is Heidi Goble)

Crocheting

I'm hooked.  Hahahaha, see what I did there?  Hooked?  ((sigh))  I think I'm funny - no one ever thinks I'm funny, but I think I'm so funny.  So crocheting.  I taught myself how to do it through Pinterest and YouTube videos and I'm addicted.  So much fun!  I even crocheted this cute little cowl scarf - isn't it adorb?  Love it!

(The one on the right, that's my Iranian peasant girl look.  And no, that's not bad back lighting on the pictures - that's just my angelic glow. )

Invisalign

Truthfully I have mixed feelings on this one.  I've had Invisalign since July.  I want straight teeth, but hey.  It's orthodontics.  How much fun can it really be?  But I'll be happy when I'm done, I'm sure.  But, in the meantime, be a friend and if you see me with food stuck between my teeth and my Invisalign trays, don't point and laugh (like my husband does) - just point me in the direction of the nearest restroom.

Password Photo Frame

Oh.My.Word.  I could spend 3 days talking about how much I love this little invention.  I found it on my new favorite blog Sew Many Ways.  I don't know about you - but I have a LOT of things that require passwords and I can never keep them all straight.  I'm forever have to get my password emailed to me - it drives me NUTS. Enter the Password Photo Frame.

It's a .99 cent frame from Ikea - it's dual sided.  One side is a cute little picture of me and my guy (oooh, isn't he cute?) and on the back, I've typed out all my usernames and password clues!  Note in the example I didn't give out any names and passwords - I just said sample, sample, sample.  I love to share - but I have to draw the line somewhere.  Also - on my actual list, I didn't put in the passwords, I just put in a clue that will prompt me to remember the password.  I can't tell you how often I look at this crazy thing!

.99 people.

Life.Changing. 

Thank you again to Sew Many Ways!  (I'm telling you, this woman is brilliant).

Downton Abbey

((Dramatic Sigh..... ))

There aren't enough ways to say how much I love this show.  It's practically perfect in every way.  It's on on Sunday nights at 9:00 PM on PBS.  Of course I have to watch it on a different night because I won't watch it when my husband is in the house.  He claims to despise it - but methinks he protests a bit too vehemently.  Trying to cover up a secret appreciation for the show.  Quite Right!  Anyway...  After it airs each week, they show the episodes on the PBS website.  Season 1 is streaming on Netflix right now.  If you love Jane Austin, you will absolutely adore Downton Abbey.

 

People Magazine

Truthfully, this has ALWAYS been a fave of mine.  It's brain candy, it's fun AND it helps you make small talk with people (who doesn't love talkin' celebrity gossip?!).  I'm particularly smitten with it right now because I just a a subscription for Christmas - yay!  A magazine AND mail!  Win win!


Well, I think that's enough for now...  I could go on and on but I've probably lost most of you at this point. I'm off to find more favorite things!  (cue the Raindrops on Roses and Whiskers on Kittens....)

Crap-Tastic Crap Baskets!

So I got another idea off Pinterest.  This one is brilliant I tell you, BRILLIANT!  Now, typically, whenever I attempt to mimic a craft or a recipe I've seen online, the outcome is.... shall we say..... less than what is seen on the internet.

You'll notice that I just said "less."  I didn't say how or, in what way it was less.  The reason is because it's just less.  It's just freakin' LESS.  In EVERY way.  Less attractive, less tasty, less cost effective and certainly less easy.  (click here to see a sad and dark example of my experience with "Less").

My projects simply never turn out the way they look online.

Until this one.

This one, I dare say, turned out just as good and I'm super thrilled!

First let me give credit where credit is due.  I found a wonderful blog, filled with all sorts of fun ideas - and I took the Crap Basket idea from her.  If you get a chance, check out her blog - it's wonderful.

Okay, so on to the project.  First, the backstory.

We live in a smallish house - certainly big enough for us to be comfortable - while at the same time -certainly small enough for us to get buried alive in our clutter.  I can't count the number of hours I've spent hauling various pieces of clutter to their proper places.

But all of that is about to change.

Allow me to introduce, the Crap Basket.

Every member of the family has one.  Throughout the day as I (or anyone else) comes across someone else's crap, they pick it up and put it in the respective Crap Basket.  Sadly, I've had to change the name of these to Junk Baskets.  I don't have any issue with the word, Crap - but I don't want my 5 year old son to get a color change at school for saying Crap.  (Even though I've given up any hope at being named Mother of the Year, I still have to put forth the illusion that I'm an ongoing contender for the title).

Hope and I made them together and they were really easy (and even pretty cheap). I got the baskets for 75% at Michaels.

And then I bought little oval shaped woodies for .89 each and the pack of stencils was $3.  And then of course I had to add the daisy clips for .99 each.  The daisies are my attempt to make them look a little more feminine (the baskets felt a little masculine to me, what with the name crap and being brown and all)...

Hope painted the woodies and I did the stenciled letters.  Then I just hot glued them to the baskets along with the flowers and voila! Craptastic Crap Baskets!

We had a family meeting and told the kids that they have to empty their basket each night before bed and bring it back to the living room.  Of course, where they put the crap in their room is a different story (hey, we have to crawl before we can walk...).  

The kids are actually excited about picking up their crap!  Of course I realize that the novelty will soon wear off, but hey.  I'm going to bask in this moment as long as I can.

Pinterest Project Post

So here it is.  My first Pinterest Project Post.  

I got hooked on Pinterest last spring and I absolutely love it!

After much blood, sweat and tears, I taught myself to crochet and decided to crochet some scarves as gifts for Christmas this year.  I created a pattern that was pretty simple and made about 15 of them for friends and family.  They were a lot of fun - and really easy.  I also crocheted 4 afghans along with the 15 scarves over a period of 3 weeks.  (I don't recommend that you try that.  Especially if you're married and have kids and want to stay married with kids).

If you're interested in the pattern let me know.  It's pretty simple.  

I like scarves that have a bigger stitch and are really soft so I used two strands of bulky yarn.  Loops and Threads Charisma is my favorite brand because it's the softest (and the least expensive).

 I also like them to be really long so I can wrap them around my neck a few times and still have some scarf left.  Because I wanted them long, I needed a big hook so that I could make them up quickly.  A long scarf made with tiny stitches would take way too long (my attention span is good for about 75 minutes and then I'm on to something else).

So....

In addition to the bulky yarn, I also used big ol' hook to help make the process faster (and to get that big stitch look I was going for).  It's an S-35 hook (19 mm) - also known as the Speed Hook.

If you haven't joined Pinterest yet, you're missing out.  It's crazy fun - you should join!

Okay....

So I'm going vulnerable here.  Please.Be.Kind.

Here are a few pictures of the scarf....  Please don't judge, I took them at about 2:30 in the morning.

 Yes.  This is what I look like at 2:30 AM.  I wore a hat so you wouldn't get jealous of my uber greasy hair.  You're welcome.

And this is what I look like when I realize that no one wants to see my face at 2:30 AM (this is me telling Kurt to wait to take the picture until I made sure all 5 of my chins were safely tucked away under the scarf. He shot too soon).

This is me saying, "Alright, chins are securely stowed, go ahead and shoot."  A word to the wise, when you're asking you husband to take Pinterest Project Post pictures of you at 2:30 AM, you may want to refrain from using phrases like, "go ahead and shoot."  Hey, just tryin' to help you out...

 And this is when common sense finally kicked in and I removed myself from the pictures altogether. (and Kurt said "screw it, I'm not taking anymore stinkin' pictures." so I had to take them myself).

Like I said earlier, I made a ton of these scarves in all kinds of colors.  I made one for my sweet little Hope.  It looks great on her dont'chya think? (no, this is was not taken at 2:30 AM - we are very responsible parents.  This was taken on our way out to Ruby's to get the kids ice cream sundaes for dinner).

My husband tried to get a close up shot of the scarf for this blog post, but apparently I'm "extremely uncooperative."  But aren't the lights beautiful?

 

 And here's Jack.  He's not wearing a scarf - but I wanted to show proof that uncooperativeness is genetic. (In addition to crocheting scarves, I also occasionally make up words).

If I could make all the scarves over again (my husband would KILL me) I would want to make infinity scarves.  Here's my attempt at getting this straight scarf to pass as one. Sorry I look all orange in this pic- that's because I'm sitting in the car with the dome light on taking the picture with my phone.  Seriously, it looks like I rolled around in Doritos or something.  If you look closely, you can see my husband trying to Photo-Bomb (off to the right).  And please don't be alarmed; we were stopped at a red light - he's a very responsible driver.

So there you go.  My first (and probably only) Pinterest Project Post.  Not too exciting, but hey, I had fun.  I hope to see you all on Pinterest soon!  : )

Bisquik Birthday!

This week we celebrated Hope's 10th birthday - double digits!!

Breakfast is her favorite meal of the day, so we wanted to do a special birthday breakfast for her.

Pancakes are her favorite breakfast food - so we wanted to incorporate that into her special breakfast.

Pancakes.... Breakfast.... Birthday.... boom!

My husband had an epiphany.

How about a Pancake Cake? Brilliant!

I added - how about a 10 layer pancake cake since she's 10 years old? Also brilliant!

We made the the pancakes the night before and then re-heated them that morning.

Hope was thrilled and I think a new tradition has been born.

Behold.... the 10-Pancake Pancake-Cake:

 

Behold the Biskquik Brilliance...

All 10 layers of yumminess....

A little cut-away view...

 It was glorious (and deeee-licious)!  AND!  It was cheap and easy (two of my favorite adjectives).  Yay for Biskquik birthdays!!

Blink...

Jack had his last day of Preschool VBS today.

His last big event as a preschooler.  I started thinking about the fact that he's going to start elementary school and how different it's going to be...

No more naptime.

No more snack.

No more Mother's Day Tea parties.

It feels a little strange.  It actually brought on a little panic....

See, people always tell you that it goes by really fast.

And I realized today....

 

It really does go by fast.

And once it's gone, you can't get it back.

Today marks the end of preschool. Tomorrow will be the end of college.

You blink and it's over....

Time is precious...

Ivory Soap. Who Knew, Right?!

So I saw this done on a blog that I love, love LOVE called Housing a Forest, and thought it looked like fun.  We highly recommend it.  All you need is a bar of Ivory Soap and a microwave. 

Watch our video. 

It's cool.

Here's a still shot of the soap cloud.  (be careful when you first take it out because it's a little hot).

You can use the soap cloud to make "soap paint" for the kids' baths.  Here's the link to the recipe for the soap paint.  I tried it and Jack loved it!

Good.Clean.Fun. (and it only cost 97 cents!)

I ♥ Goodwill

And no....

I'm not referring to the whole goodwill toward men thing.  Although I'm a fan of that too and it's my belief that we don't see enough of it.

But that's a post for another day...

I'm referring to the retail experience I had at the Goodwill today.

I love cozy.

I love soft, yellow light.

I love pictures.

I love pretty lamps.

And today I found one.

A lamp, that is. 

For $8.

Boom.



♥♥♥



This just makes me want to drink hot cocoa and play Christmas carols. 

DIY Summer Scientists... Fun (No, really. It was FUN!!)

Okay, so I saw this on Pinterest - another DIY. But hey! This time it really WAS simple, cheap, fast and fun. I was so excited!

Most people probably already know this little kid-pleaser, but it's new to me so I'll share it.

What you need:

1. White Vinegar
2. Dishwashing soap (I used lemon Joy)
3. Food Coloring
4. Baking Soda
5. A Clear glass (or clear plastic)
6. A tray to catch all the run off

The directions I read said to pour the vinegar first (fill the glass to the half-way point). Add a few drops of dishwashing soap and some food coloring; then stir it all together.

Drop a heaping spoonful of baking soda in the glass. Stand back and watch the smiles on the kids faces.

It worked.... But we found a variation that yielded a more dramatic effect.

1. Squeeze a few drops of dishwashing soap in the empty glass.
2. Drop in a heaping spoonful of baking soda (we used a LOT).
3. Add some food coloring (we used a LOT to make the color more vibrant).
4 Pour in some vinegar and watch it go!

Either way, it's fun, fast and pretty cheap. We actually had everything in the house already so it didn't cost us anything. My kids are 9 and 5 and they both really enjoyed it. Here's some pics...

Here they are. They're thinking that I'm about to set them up for another miserable craft experience (see prior blog entry for details on that). Note the trays - you're going to want something like that to catch the runoff (otherwise you'll have a huge mess)

The first time around we followed the original instructions (adding the baking soda to the vinegar). The reaction was okay - but it was much better when we did it the second time (adding the vinegar to the baking soda)

Jack is beginning to get into it here (I love his little face)...

Hope takes her turn next...

Now we start adding the vinegar to a big pile of baking soda (the reactions from both the glass and the kids got bigger and better)

Must.Add.More.Vinegar.

Boom!

Sigh.... So much fun.

Free. Fast. Fun.

Oh, and a little added bonus.... The combination of the baking soda and vinegar totally made the glasses sparkle. Seriously - I have the worst water/mineral stains on my glassware (ga-ross). This little experiment totally removed the stains. Again, most people probably already know about this little benefit, but I was completely clueless.

Try it. You'll like it!

Exposing The Dark Underbelly of the Crafting World

So lots of things have come together to create what can only be called:

The Perfect Storm.

1. It's summer.

2. I'm home with the kids.

3. I want to do fun stuff with them.

4. I discovered Pinterest.

I'm seeing all these crazy awesome crafts on Pinterest and I start thinking to myself: "These crafts are oh-so-cute! I've got to try some of them!! It will be great. The kids and me working together, making beautiful keepsakes that will be treasured for years to come!" ( Are you picturing a heavenly glow around my kids and me huddled over a beautiful project? can you hear the angels singing?)

I know I can do this. After all, all the tutorials say they're "oh.so.easy.""

Alright friends. I'm just going to say this....

This is for all you non-crafters/wannabe crafters/soon-to-be-crafters. You paying attention?

Good - because this is important.

Whenever you see the word "easy" in a craft tutorial - what they're really telling you is: "You are about to embark on a mission that is utterly unwinnable. You will be injured. There Will Be Blood. You will be reduced to tears and will have to fight the urge to run straight to the freakin' Nut Hut.

Oh - and it will look like crap when you're done."

Yeah.

No Heavenly glow.

No angels singing.

But more on that later....

What I want to do now is post the pictures from the only somewhat-successful craft venture I've had so far.

Once I have finished composing my thoughts (which is code for: recovering from the insanity that is "crafting") I will put pen to paper (or keys to computer screen) and fill you in on the deets. Not to give anything away but..... it's pathetic. paTHETic.

So today the kids and I decided to try the whole "make your own crayons in fun shapes and colors" thing.

The only prep work is to to unwrap all your old, broken crayons, break them into little pieces and put them in a cute little tray like this one. EASY! (yeah, see what I did there?)


Then you put them in the oven at 250 degrees for "15 minutes." "You won't believe how quickly the crayons melt." (Seriously, you won't believe it).

Take them out of the oven - be sure to use oven mitts! (I know I didn't really need to say that but I wanted an excuse to post Jack's picture because I think he's the cutest thing ever).

Let them cool for a "few minutes. They set up right away and pop out super easy!" (I'm getting hives from all the lies I'm telling)
They're cute, colorful, the "kids will love them." (as long as they don't have any other toy, television or electronic gaming device within reach).

"And the best part is, you can make dozens and dozens and DUH-zens of them with just a few little broken ol' piceces of crayon that you have lying around the house." (You know what, I can't even reSPOND to that one).

What you're seeing here are the fruits of our labor. Note that it is significantly less than dozens and dozens and dozens. But at least we got a few....

So that about sums up our DIY Crayon Redux project. As I mentioned earlier, I have a lot more to add - but need a few days to recover - uh, I mean - organize my thoughts. I'm so overwhelmed by the feelings brought on by this experience that I need to take a few steps back from it (yeah - away from the craft and straight toward the Psych Ward).

To be continued...