Fun, Unique Teacher Appreciation Gifts

Posted on June 3, 2013 by Awnya

Fun, Unique Teacher Appreciation Gift Ideas I don’t know about where you live, but we have 3 (3! 3! 3!) days left of school here. With the end of the year fast approaching, I like to say thanks to the teachers my kids have had through the year. OR, this also works great for teacher appreciation week that hit a few weeks back….
Here are our unique, fun teacher appreciation gifts (and one for the bus driver too).
Teacher appreciation juice Teacher gift- Christmas or Teacher appreciation

We found out that Miss Juarez likes all natural fruit juices so we got this bottle of Bolthouse Farms Blue Goodness juice for her. The note attached (with plenty of curling ribbon) said

Thanks for helping the fruits of our learning to grow and develope this year! Because of you they are extra sweet!

Dr. Pepper teacher gift

Dr. Pepper Teacher Appreciation gift note

Next was Mr. Lovell. He LOVES Dr. Pepper. He actually calls it “Dr. Lovell” some of the time. So, a 20 pack of Dr. Pepper for him with this note:

We hope you survived the school year without needing to see the “Dr.” too many times!! Thanks for the WONDERFUL school year! Have a Peppy Summer!!

bus driver gift

Bus driver Appreciation note

Finally, we made a small gift for Mr. D, the bus driver. We did make 2 of these (one for each kid to give him) just to avoid any fights. I put like 10 or so Dum-Dum suckers in a bag with this note attached:

Thank you for taking us to school every day so that we aren’t a bunch of “Dum-Dum’s”

Ha ha ha! I thought that was pretty clever, right?!?

Leave a note below letting us know what teacher appreciation gift ideas you use or how you use or tweak one of these to make it your own!!

Personal Pasta Dish

Posted on May 29, 2013 by melissa

Personalpasta

Growing up I was the oldest of 6 kids, so I learned how to cook for a family of 8. Well when I went off to college I had no idea how to make a “personal” meal. Since I have 2 darling sisters graduating this month I thought I would share one of my Go-To meals in college. (And I still love to make it) It is pretty self explanatory but I will share with you all how I make my creation! (Thanks mom)

Things you will need:

Pasta

Tomato

Salt

Pepper

Basil

Mozzarella Cheese

1. cook up the pasta! Short pasta works best but whatever you have works!! (I had long pasta) You don’t need much pasta at ALL. You want to have about a fist size of pasta (once cooked)

photo-21

photo-24

2. Chop up the tomato, I only use half of a tomato for one fist size of pasta. Pile on your tomato and a dash of basil. Fresh Basil is best but when you don’t have fresh dried works too. Salt and pepper to taste. You can either shred the cheese or chop it. I chopped mine. photo-23

photo-20

3. Add the cheese. Now- I like to pop mine in the microwave for a little bit so the cheese is melted, but you can do what you want.

photo-25

And there you have it!! A super yummy pasta and tomato dish! If you wanted to you could use cherry tomatoes and just halved them or left them whole. Just use what you have or what is on sale.

I hope you like my simple pasta dish! I know it isn’t anything fancy, but I thought I would just share with you one of my favorite and easy dishes.

**Disclaimer, your roommates will try to mooch some delicious pasta from you.**

photo-27 photo-26

photo-28

Leave a comment and let me know what you think? What are some ideas you have for simple and easy dishes for one?

Personal Pasta Dish

Ingredients

Handful of Pasta
1 Tomato
1/2 Tablespoon of Basil
1/3 Cup of Mozzarella Cheese
Salt & Pepper to taste

Instructions

Bring water to a boil
Add the pasta and cook for about 5-10 minutes
Chop up the tomato and shred or chop the cheese
Remove the pasta and put it on a plate
Add the chopped tomato, basil, salt and pepper
Top it off with the cheese
Warm up in Microwave for 30 sec. to 1 min. (optional)

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Homemade Corn Salsa

Posted on May 23, 2013 by melissa

Cornsalsa

Summer is finally coming to Utah!! So I thought I would share with all of you one of my favorite summertime potluck go to recipe. Corn Salsa! YUM!!! I think the reason why I love this recipe so much is because it is quick, simple, and you can personalize it so much! In our house I LOVE tomatoes but my husband hates them. So I chop them into big chunks so he could easily pick them out. Growing up my mom would make this for us to snack on ALL the time. I love to add a spoonful of sour cream when I serve it up. And I’m sure some cilantro would be tasty (for all you cilantro lovers) This recipe is SO simple and so versatile it is sure to be a crowd pleaser.

Here is everything you will need:(make sure your work space is cleaned, and both produce and hands are washed well)

ingredients

Making Corn Salsa:

Corn Salsa

Ingredients

1 Can of black beans
1 Can of corn
2 Medium sized tomatoes
1/2 to 1 Cup of green onions
2 Medium sized Avocados
3 Limes
1 Pkg. of Italian dressing mix (powder)

Instructions

Drain the corn and the black beans and add them to a large mixing bowl.
Dice the tomatoes, avocados and green onions. Next add them to the bowl.
Roll the limes between the counter and the palm of your hand to soften them up, then cut the limes in half and juice them.
Then add the Italian dressing mix.
Stir to combine.
Store the salsa in the fridge. You can either serve it right away or once it has chilled for a couple hours.

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Leave a comment and let me know how your corn salsa worked out!! Thanks for stopping by!

{Tutorial} Fun and Easy Paper Crafts for Kids.

Posted on May 17, 2013 by melissa

PAPERcraft

I was wanting to think of some fun things that you mamas could do with your kids now that school is starting to get out for summer. So I called my Mom for some fun craft ideas. I think they are pretty cute, what do you think? Want to make them? Let me show you how it is really simple!!

These are all the materials you will need:

(you can add what ever you want! I’m just giving you the basic idea so you can make your own creation!)

Bees-

Yellow,white, and black construction paper
Scissors
Yarn
Brass fasteners
Googlie eyes
Glue or tape
Black marker

Elephant-

Blue and white construction paper
Googlie eyes
Scissors
Party blowouts
Marker
Tape
Glue

First I’ll show you how to make the Bees:

1.Take your yellow construction paper and fold in into 3 sections

2. Cut on the folds (it is just fine if the sections are not equal)

3. Roll the strip of paper so that the ends slightly overlap

4. Mark where you want your strips and then lay the paper flat and fill in the strips

5. Roll the strip back up and glue the overlapping ends together.

6. Cut out the wings- I like to cut out squares that are about the right size I want for my wings and cut a circle from that. Then you can either cut the first circle and use it as a template for your other circle or stack the papers on top of each-other and cut the circle out once.

7. Over lap the wings a little bit, then poke the brass fastener in the center of where the circles overlap. Cut three pieces of yarn, they don’t have to be exact. Set the yarn aside. Then take the brass fastener out and take one piece of yarn and lay the end over the hole you just created. Push the brass fastener through the hole-pusshing the yarn down with it.

8. Then stick the brass fastener in the center of the paper strip. I like to put the wings across where the paper overlaps so it hides the overlap. Then open the prongs of the fastener so that it all stays in place. Next you snip a hole in the bottom of the bee and take another piece of yarn. Put one end of the yarn and push it through the hole you just snipped. Tie a knot. (you don’t need to do this if it is the last bee in the line)

(The yarn is not attached to the bee in the above picture)

9. Attach the rest of the bees glue on their eyes…and… BOOM! You’re DONE!!

flyingbees

So adorable right?!? Moving on-

Elephant Mask:

1. Take the marker and sketch out a vague resemblance of an elephant head but don’t draw a trunk. Then cut out around your drawing. It’s alright if the ears are lopsided or different sizes. It adds more character!

2. Those lines are the “trunk wrinkles” at the base of those you want to snip an X

3. Stick the party blower in the X you just made. You want the part the you blow on to be in the back. That is how you hold up the mask, and then the part that rolls out is the trunk of the elephant. Tape the party blower in place.

4. Then cut out a smile (or you could just draw that) and cut out tusks. Then glue on the eyes.

5. Enjoy the elephant mask! since babycakes is to little to enjoy this, I modeled the lovely mask for you all.

paperelephant

I hope your kiddos enjoy their paper creations! Let your imagination go wild!! You can make BIG bees or lots of little bees. use glitter glue for the strips and make each bee a different color. What’s wrong with a rainbow elephant? just let the kiddos make a rainbow elephant! I bet your paper creations will be beautiful! Leave a comment and let me know how the kids liked it!

Awesome Smoothies and Shakes your kids will LOVE

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Awnya

Two weeks ago my oldest kid (Mr. K) got in a scooter accident. He ended up needing about 40 stitches in his top lip (in 3 layers) and because of those, he has been limited to an all liquid diet. At first, I thought, “How am I supposed to FEED this kid?!!” Well, let me just tell you, it hasn’t always been easy, but we have come up with several smoothy and shake recipes that he loves and your little one will love too. Some are more healthy than others, but hey….he’s a kid and he was pretty sure he would DIE if I didn’t feed him some yummy stuff at least some of the time! The pictures in this tutorial are for my famous Peanut Butter and Jelly Shake. Smoothy recipe and variations on this shake are below. Enjoy! First, you will need a blender. This recipe is for abut 1- 6 to 8 oz shake. Put into the blender the following:

Vanilla Ice cream- yum

2 1/2 scoops vanilla icecream
about 1/3 cup milk

Protein Powder in the shake - secret ingredient!

a scoop of protein powder – secret ingredient! (great for nutrition and flavor). I recommend the vanilla flavored kind so it doesn’t change the flavor of the shake.
a heaping tablespoon of peanut butter
a heaping tablespoon of jam or jelly

Blend in the blender.

Your blender may have a bit of a difficult time at first. If it is REALLY struggling, add a bit more milk. That helps it blend better.

You will know its done mixing when you have a kind of tornado in the center of the blender. (see picture).

If you did add too much milk or other ingredients, either add another scoop of icecream or a few ice cubes to make it thicker. Dump into your cup and enjoy!

Variations: We have also tried using Cocoa Pebbles, Captain Crunch with Berries, Snickers, Peanut Butter cup, Oreo, strawberry, or just plain vanilla. You can add chocolate or strawberry syrup or pretty much any candybar you would like. I do recommend when adding the cold cereal that you blend that into a powder BEFORE adding the other ingredients, otherwise you may have chunks. For a fruit smoothy:

Fruit Smoothy

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Yield: about 1- 16 oz serving

Ingredients

fruit (your choice)
yogurt (plain, vanilla or flavored)
milk
ice cubes

Instructions

You can use frozen, canned or fresh fruit for this recipe. I liked the frozen fruit because it needed less ice, but the choice is up to you. Add about 3/4 cup yogurt to the blender and about 1/3 cup of milk. Put in about 3/4 cup of fruit and then 3 or 4 ice cubes. Blend. If you are using plain yogurt, you may need to add a little sweetener like honey or brown sugar.
Test the consistency to see if you need more ice or more milk. Add ice if you want it to be thicker, milk if you want it more runny.
Pour into a cup and enjoy

Notes

Fruit to try: blueberries, strawberries, cherries, peaches, blackberries, raspberries, fruit cocktail, mango, banana, etc.

*secret ingredient - to add a bit more healthy, I will add a few fresh spinach leaves to the fruit smoothies. The kids can't tell and the other fruit hides the flavor!

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And the printable version of the Peanut Butter and Jelly shake (or variations) –>

Peanut Butter and Jelly Shake

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

2 1/2 scoops vanilla ice cream
about 1/3 cup milk
a scoop of protein powder (great for nutrition and flavor). I recommend the vanilla flavored kind so it doesn't change the flavor of the shake.
a heaping tablespoon of peanut butter
a heaping tablespoon of jam or jelly

Instructions

Add ingredients to the blender. Blend.
Your blender may have a bit of a difficult time at first. If it is REALLY struggling, add a bit more milk. That helps it blend better.
You will know its done mixing when you have a kind of tornado in the center of the blender.
If you did add too much milk or other ingredients, either add another scoop of ice cream or a few ice cubes to make it thicker. Dump into your cup and enjoy!

Notes

Variations: We have also tried using Cocoa Pebbles, Captain Crunch with Berries, Snickers, Peanut Butter cup, Oreo, strawberry, or just plain vanilla. You can add chocolate or strawberry syrup or pretty much any candybar you would like. I do recommend when adding the cold cereal that you blend that into a powder BEFORE adding the other ingredients, otherwise you may have chunks.

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Comment below to let us know what variations you have tried! Mr. K would LOVE to have different smoothies or shakes to try!

Teacher Appreciation: Cookies-in-a-Jar

Posted on May 10, 2013 by Amy

It’s that time of year when we start thinking end of school, summer vacation, swim-suit season (blech!), and teacher gifts. This is a great gift that is simple, inexpensive, and child-friendly. You most likely have the ingredients lying around your house already, and the process is so easy that your kids will love making these with you. This also work well for that special mother in your life. (Mother’s Day is on Sunday!!)

This recipe is specifically made for 12 oz mason jars (the small but tall and skinny ones). I got a case of 12 at Wal-Mart for around $10. Each jar will get filled with 3/4 c of flour, 1/4 t of salt, 1/4 t of soda, 1/4 c white sugar, 1/4 c brown sugar, and a candy of your choice. I used M&M’s, but you can also use chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, mint chocolate chips, ect.

Start by mixing the flour, baking soda, and salt together. Layer them into the jar and then level it off by tapping the jar on the table a couple of times. Then take a paper towel and wipe off any flour dust that is on the inside of the jar. TIP: If you have a hard time getting the flour in the narrow mouth of the jar use a funnel, or take a piece of paper and roll it into a cone.

Next layer in the white sugar and then the brown sugar. Use a spoon or small cup to press down the brown sugar into a firm layer. Fill the remaining space with the candy of your choice. Once you seal the lid on the ingredients will stay fresh for 4-6 months if stored in a cool dark place.

I am not a crafty person at all, so I’m sure you all can come up with way cuter decorating ideas. I ended up tying a ribbon around the top of the jar to attach the cooking directions. My jars also came with these cute labels you could use. Or you could print the directions on sticker paper and stick it to the side of the jar. Go crazy!

Cooking Directions

1. Remove the candy from the top of mixture.

2. Cream 4 T of butter with both sugars

3. Add 1 egg and 1.4 t of vanilla and beat

4. Add flour to the mix and combine until smooth

5. Stir in the candy pieces

6. Refrigerate until cold and then bake at 350 for 13-15 mins

Teacher Appreciation: Cookies-in-a-Jar

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Yield: 8-10 cookies

Ingredients

12 oz mason jars
3/4 C flour
1/4 t salt
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 c white sugar
1/4 c brown sugar
candy or chocolate chips

Instructions

Combine flour, salt, and baking soda and then dump mixture into the jar.
Add white sugar to the jar.
Add brown sugar into the jar and then press down firmly.
Fill up the rest of the space with the candy of your choice.
Seal jar with lid. Stays good for 4-6 months.

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{Tutorial} From Stem to Clip

Posted on May 7, 2013 by melissa

howto

So for some people this process is pretty self explanatory…not for me! I honestly didn’t even think about turning silk flowers into hair clips until I wanted flowers for my “brides maids” hair. I had no idea how to do it until I met this sweet girl who showed me how! I was able to make cute hair clips for my wedding. I LOVED how they turned out! So I thought I would share what I learned with anyone who wants to make flower clips but doesn’t know how. (I apologize for the pictures, it was late and my lighting is horrible)

1. Find the flowers you want. Since I was making mine for babycakes I decided to find a smaller flower. Any craft store carries them- even Walmart has them!

beforeafter

2. Pull off flowers. If the flowers don’t just pop off you can cut them off.

3. Pull apart the actual flower. you want to remove all things plastic, every couple layers there will be a plastic “spacer” and depending on how you want your flower to look you can remove them accordingly. I tend to remove all of them in my flowers.

keep the layers of petals in order as you take them off your flower.

4. Hot glue the flower back together. You don’t have to use the stem if you don’t want to. I normally do because it helps me keep the flower center. I also cut the spiky-ness off of the center of my flower. You don’t need hot glue for the first layer of petals, but on the second layer put two little dots opposite each other. (I accidentally put a fatty glob of glue on mine)

hotglue

You will want to alternate the petal layers so that the actual petal is covering the spacing between the previous petals.

5. Finish off your flower. This part was always fun for me because you want to trim the excess stem and then use your hot glue gun to melt the plastic so the flower won’t come apart. (I love melting the stem…)

6. Choose your center. You can leave the center of your flower alone, or you can add whatever you want! This time I went with rhinestones and glitter glue.

go ahead and dap some glue in the center of your flower and add the bling of your choice!

Now that you made your flower, you need a clip to glue it on! I usually use clips I can slide into babycakes hair but anything works.

1. Find a clip you like and ribbon that matches your flower. I get mine from Sally’s hair and beauty supplies. I like that they are flat and don’t have ridges.

2. Cover Clip with Ribbon. Honestly, you don’t need ribbon. I’ve used fabric before and I’ve done nothing to cover the clip before. The idea is to camouflage the clip. Measure out the ribbon you will need and then cut it.

Then go ahead and glue it on. This part can be tricky because hot glue dries quickly. If the glue dries before you get your ribbon on just heat it up again with the glue gun. I like to put the glue on the prongs of the clip and then slide the ribbon in. Then I just put glue on the rest of the clip and wrap the ribbon around.

don’t forget to put glue on the underside of the top prongs so the ribbon stays on when you open and shut the clip. Donezo!! Now for a little extra grip I add a little piece of shelving liner.

It is just like the ribbon only this stays on the underside of the top prongs. Cut the shelving to size and glue it into place. (I use the same technique as gluing ribbon on the clip) trim any excess.

If you get strings of glue, just pull/cut them off.

To attach the flower just put a dab of glue on the base of your flower and stick it right on your clip!

Now, if you want to make a headband with your flower here is how-

1. Measure out the amount of elastic you will need.

2. Cut the elastic and hot glue the ends together. Make sure to overlap a bit.

3. Measure out felt pieces. You just want to cover the hard plastic of the flower and make sure the flower is securely attached. I cut out little squares that are the right cover up size and then I cut a circle from that.

4. Attach the flower. When you attach the flower I recommend gluing into the seam of the elastic (the two ends you glued together) not only does it hide the seam but it makes it even more difficult for your headband to pull apart. So take your felt circle and place it under your elastic. Then glob on some glue, you want to make sure there is a little bit of glue covering the whole circle.

Attach the flower and make sure all the edges of the circle are glued down.

Tada! Look at your adorable headband! You can leave it with just one darling flower or add more. I wanted three on mine.

To add more flowers you will glue them on the same but make sure to overlap the flowers a little bit because the elastic will stretch and your flowers will spread apart.

Thats it!! You did it! Here are the accessories I made with mine. I used glitter glue for most of the flower centers. I also left some spacers in a pair of clips to add to the “rosette” look of the flower.

whatswhat

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial! If you have a question leave a comment and I will answer you right back! I would also LOVE to see what you come up with when making your silk flower accessories!