Friday 30 March 2012

An Easter Table....

On Sunday, our family will sit down and share our Easter dinner together as half my family will be away on Easter weekend.
I was tasked today with creating a fresh tablescape for our dinner.
The inspiration for the colour scheme came from the turqouise and green napkins I found at Superstore.
I just love those colours together...so fun & fresh.
So I pulled out a few turqouise and green things so everyone could party together.
I used some small custard cups to stand in as little 'nests' and added some paper grass and sparkly eggs.
 Then I filled some white serving bowls with eggs in the right colours.
 Yellow tulips and green apples complete the table...simple and colourful.
We are having a turkey for our Easter dinner because I just cooked a brown-surgar glazed ham for Sunday dinner last weekend.
I have everything ready except for the dessert....I am having such a hard time trying to decide what to make.
Any suggestions?
What are you making for Easter dinner dessert?
Happy Weekend!
xo

{Thank you so much to Jenn at Tatertots and Jello for featuring this post here.}
{Thank you so much to Stephanie Lynn from Under The Table & Dreaming for featuring this post here.}
{Thank you so much to Six Sisters Stuff for featuring this post here.}



This post has been linked to these great parties:

Design Dazzle
Funky Junk's Saturday Nite Special




The 36th AVENUE


Home Stories A2ZTip Junkie handmade projects
It's OVerflowingUndertheTableandDreaming
Today's Creative BlogPositively SplendidI Heart Nap Time

Thursday 29 March 2012

Sweet & Silly Marshmallow Kabobs for Easter...

We are preparing to celebrate Easter a week early at our house since my boys will be away in British Columbia for a hockey tournament on Easter weekend.
I have been busy in the kitchen creating a few sweeet treats for our special dinner and to share with a few friends.
I've seen marshmallow kabobs around in stores, and I thought they would be so fun to make at home, so I bought some supplies and dreamed up my own version.
This project is perfect to do with little ones too....the marshmallows and the easy 'melt, dip and coat' method with candy wafers are easy for little hands to manage.
The little chick marshmallows at the top of the kabobs, purchased at the dollar store,  add a little touch of silly and whimsy .
{or a little touch of 'Chuckie Doll', whichever you prefer! The faces are a little sad.}
For this project you will need:

-candy melts in different colours
-sprinkles in different colours
-bamboo skewers
-a bag of marshmallows {a regular size bag of marshmallows will make approx. 7 kabobs.If you plan to make a lot, I would definitely buy a jumbo bag.}
-chickadee marshmallows {optional}


Start by organizing the sprinkles into small bowls for dipping the marshmallows.
I used these little custard cups.
Place a sheet of waxed paper on a cookie sheet as a place for the dipped marshmallows to dry.
Next, melt a small bowl of candy melts in the microwave for 40-50 seconds. Stir with a spoon until mixture is smooth.
Just melt one colour at a time and dip marshmallows if this is a one person project.
Melt a few bowls of wafers of different colours if you are doing this project as a group.
After dipping the marshmallows in the melted wafers, roll in sprinkles.
{ This is a super fun job for kids.You could give each child a bowl of melted wafers and sprinkles to do.}
Place dipped marshmallows on cookies sheet of waxed paper to harden...this should take about 10-15 minutes.
If you are doing this project with children, this is a good time for a little break or snack.
When the dipped marshmallows are 'set', thread on  bamboo skewers.
Leave about 1-2 inches at the bottom with no marshmallows as a place to hold the kabob.
The dipped marshamallows should slide onto skewers with a little gentle pressure.
I used 6 marshmallows to make 1 kabob.
For fun, you can add chickadees to the top of the kabobs, or jelly beans or gumdrops would be another fun option.
Have fun with it!
And I added a little ribbon to the bottom for extra colour...and if you have been reading Echoes of Laughter for awhile, you know how I am slightly ribbon crazy.
Pile high on a plate and admire your creations!
I bought pretzel bags to package these up with, but they did not fit...darn.
So I wrapped the 'bobs in saran wrap to keep them from drying out.
These would be so fun to make & give to a child's class at school, or a sunday school class.
Or just a fun edible craft to make with kids!
My 11 yr. old could not wait to eat one, and he had quite the interesting coloured mustache when he was finished.

{Thank you so much to Stephanie Lynn from Under the Table & Dreaming for featuring this post here.}
{Thank you so much to Beth from Home Stories A to Z for featuring this post here.}
{Thank you so much to Linda from It All Started with Paint for featuring this post here.}
{Thank you so much to Jamielyn from I Heart Naptime for featuring this post here.}
{Thank you so much to Jenn at Clean & Scentsible for featuring this post here.}



This post is linked to these parties:
The DIY Dreamer, Moms and Munchkins,

 

Monday 26 March 2012

March Break Goodness...

This week is March Break for my children.
We are having a budget-friendly 'staycation' this year.
Last year we were lucky enough to go to Florida, but this year we are hanging around our city doing a few day trips and just enjoying a break from the school routine.
One of the day trips we usually enjoy is a trip to this waterpark at West Edmonton Mall.
It provides a full day of fun & thrills for all ages.
My teenager goes with her friends, but I take my school-aged son and a friend and I stay at the park with them.
We take a packed lunch, snacks and I usually take a book.
It's a fun mission for the kids when they go to see if they can hit every single water slide...which can take a few hours when it is busy.
The talk this year is about some new water rides that were recently added to the park....one is like a capsule that you climb into and then the bottom drops out and propels you into water at 65mph and 3G's of force...and as the kids say....it is SICK!
No...I won't be testing it out...I am too old for big wedgies!!!

What does your March Break goodness mean for you and your family?
Are you 'staycationing' like us?

Since break is 100% family fun, I will be popping in & out this week!
Love to all!

Thursday 22 March 2012

On Weekends I Moonlight as a Chauffeur in Pink Pyjamas...

Yes.

It's  true.

I cannot lie.

Why you ask?

It's simple. I have a teenager in the house. She's too young to drive but old enough to have a busy life.

Her social life would rival Snooki's.

Seriouuuuuusly.

I often get texts like this:

"me and Jenn are gonna go to hunger games midnight on Thursday & I'm gonna babysit for Amy on Saturday night she'll pick me up and drop me off but it will be late. can jen and I going skiing on Friday & Saturday morning we wanna go to yoga. and the waterpark on Monday."

Okaaaay.



The thing is that for all of this fun and stuff, I have to drive her. And really. I don't mind.

I liken it to those on demand feedings way back when. It is for such a short period of time. And soon she'll be driving and her friends will be driving and I won't be needed anymore. {I'll just be up half the night worrying about new drivers on the road, but that is a post for another time.}

I'm happy that she is happy. And doing things like skiing and yoga.

Great stuff for a 15 year old to be doing.

But when she goes out at night to hang at a friend's house or to a late night movie on weekends, pick up time is often past my bedtime.

 I used to stay up in my clothes until it was pickup time. But gee whiz, who wants to stay up in an underwire bra all the live long day and night?

So I change into my pink pyjamas.

 And I set my alarm in case I fall asleep.

Tonight she's off to see the much anticipated opening of the 'The Hunger Games'. At midnight. So pick up time will be probably around 3:00 am.

So I'll be changing into my pink cozies around 9 pm. Driving the girls to the movies around 11:15 pm. And then go home to fall asleep watch tv until a 'pick us up please' text arrives.

And then I'll hop in the car in my pink pyjamas and scoot to the theatre, hoping that no one rear-ends me or any other such happenings that would force me to get out of the car in my pink pyjamas. But don't worry....I finish off the fashionable pyjama ensemble with crocs. It completes the look.

Driving around in pink pyjamas can also have it's rewards.

Like the time I went to pick up Hunter at a friend's house, but on this night she kept me waiting a bit too long in the driveway. I got mad and threatened in a text, "If you don't come right now, I'll come to the door in my pyjamas and you won't want that!".

You wanna see a girl fly out the door in record time.

I guess the threat of Mom coming to the door in pink pyjamas is a great motivator.

As a new parent, I, like many,  used to spend lots of time up at night with babes in arms. Now I'm an old parent.... up at night with a steering wheel in my arms driving around town in my skivvies. Fun times.

But the reason is the same.

Because I love her.


Wednesday 21 March 2012

Easy Napkin Rings For Spring....

I love napkin rings for dressing up a table as you can get wonderfully colourful impact for very little effort.
But I refuse to pay big prices for something that I know that I can make at home.
This little project is so easy and so budget friendly that you will be jumping up and down with joy.
Ok. Maybe not jumping up and down exactly.
But you will love this project's simplicity.
{And you knew it would be another 'yellow' project, right?}
All that is needed is;
Shower Curtain Rings {I got a package of clear rings at Dollarama for $1.25}
Faux Flowers {Dollarama, 1 stem, $1.25}
Glue gun & glue stick.
Assembly: 10 Minutes.
Instructions: Remove flowers from stem and use glue gun to glue flowers to shower rings.
Total Cost = $2.50 for 6 Napkin Rings.
Then slide the napkin rings onto cloth napkins as shown.
See? Totally easy!
 Even if you are not crafty.
These simple napkin rings can dress a table for any occasion.
They are the perfect Mrs. Party Dress for Mr. Boring Plate.
And think of the possibilities....you could make any colour to match your decor or occasion.
This project.along with a set of napkins,  would make a great gift,...think Mother's Day.
It would also be a super fun craft for a girl's birthday party...easy for sweet little hands and easy for Momma!
{The girls could pick out the flowers and colours. Ribbon could also be wrapped around the rings for more colour. Beads could also be used. Go wild!}
What do you think?
Are you grabbing your coat to go out the door to the nearest dollar store?
If you would like to see how I made these sweet napkin ring holders for Valentine's Day with a paper towel roll, please go here.
Love to all!
xo

{Thank you so much to Toni at Design Dazzle for featutring this project here.}


This post is linked to these terrific parties:




Funky Junk's Saturday Nite Special




Today's Creative BlogHome Stories A2ZTip Junkie handmade projects UndertheTableandDreaming Positively Splendid

It's OVerflowingI Heart Nap Time



Design Dazzle

{nifty button}The 36th AVENUESomewhat Simple
that give mcdonalds coupons and 
breakfast coupons you also can find recipe from