Sunday, May 5, 2013

Mother's Day craft - Part 2

Mother's Day craft part-two. This first post was about making a flower. This one is about making a gift package which we added a very special gift (kisses). And what mom doesn't love kisses!!??
 
These are also very easy and cost effective. I let my scouts do these also and give them along with the flower. I did a little more prep work with these before the girls got them but if we had more time then they could have done it too.
 
Lots of kisses!
 
 
Ok, so as you can see these are made with toilet paper rolls. My prep work is I gave them with several coats of paint. Then when dry I let the girls decorate any way they liked. I supplied stickers, markers, sharpies, and crayons. They were only limited by their imagination.
The "package" is made by folding down both ends of the roll.
Now the inside...
We filled them with hershey kisses! So when the girl's give them to their moms they are giving them lots of kisses.
All of the girls "got it" and loved the idea.
 
From our house to yours, Mary
 
 
 

Mother's Day craft - Part 1

This will be a two-part post since I have two crafts to show everyone. I did both of these crafts with my scout troop. The girls ranged in age from kindergarden to 3rd grade and all loved it.
 
Mother's Day Flower
 
 
Sweet, simple, and cost effiencient.
I started out in microsoft word (any word/drawing program will do) and made the stem. This was done by drawing a long rectangle. The leaf is two archs put together. I also added a large circle at the top to glue the petals to. I printed these on card stock and got two per page.
Next I drew some hearts slightly elongated for the petals and a smaller circle for the center. I fit 7 hearts and the circle per page which makes one flower. I did this on card stock too, just to make things stronger.
 
Now it's the kid's turn to do all the work!
 
I had the girls write on the hearts what they love about their mom. I gave them all the sharpies I could find in the house to do this so it was something very special...to get to use a sharpie. Then I had them color and cutout the flowers.
I put on the glue and they did the rest. Wala, mother's day flowers.
 
This craft allowed the girls to practice all of their fine motor skills and have something to be proud of afterwards. I didn't help them at all (even with spelling). Each one is unique to that child. We have one girl that is younger so she wrote a few words then drew pictures on the rest of her petals. As an afterthought I should have put magnets on the back so they would have been fridge ready.
 
From our house to yours, Mary
 
 


Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Breakfast Rolls

With warmer weather coming it means I spend alot less time in front of the computer and alot more time outside. I appoligize for my post for being so few and far between lately.
 
Here is a quick easy breakfast roll recipe that is sure to please. Put together the night before and let sit out all night, cook in morning.
 
 
Ingredients:
frozen rolls, 1 stick butter, 2 teaspoons cinnanmon, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 small package cook style vanilla pudding
 
Directions:
Grease bunt pan, add rolls.
Mix sugar, pudding, and cinnanmon, sprinkle over rolls.
Pour melted butter over top.
Let rise overnight. I put a dish towel over them to prevent flies.
Bake at 325 degrees for approx 25 minutes.
 
ENJOY!!!!!
 
From our kitchen to yours, Mary

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Chocolate Pie

Doris's Chocolate Pie
 
Doris is my mom and this is her never fail from scratch chocolate pie with meringue. My mom still does things the old way especially when it comes to cooking, she says "that jiffy stuff is bad". Sooooo here it is:
 
Pie Ingredients:
 
1 1/2 cup sugar, 2/3 cup all-purpose flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 2 cups milk (use 1 cup half-half for richer taste), 4 egg yolks (beaten), 3 squares melted chocolate or 9 tablespoons cocoa, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 4 tablespoons butter
 
1 pie shell 9inch baked
 
Directions:
 
In saucepan mix sugar, flour and salt.
Gradually add milk.
Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly.
Remove from heat.
Stir about 1 cup filling into egg yolks.
Return egg mixture to saucepan and bring to a gentle boil.
Cook and stir 2 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in vanilla, butter, and melted chocolate.
Beat mixture with electric mixer and pour hot filling into piecrust.
 
Meringue Ingredients:
 
4 egg whites, dash salt, 1/2 teaspoon cream of tarter, 8 tablespoons sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
 
Directions:
 
Beat egg whites with cream of tarter and salt until soft peaks form.
Gradually add sugar and continue to beat until stiff and glossy.
Spread evenly over hot filling, sealing meringue to pie crust.
Bake at 325 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Thursday, March 7, 2013

McWane Center Membership perks

So, if you live here in Alabama near Birmingham then you know about McWane Science Center. It is a hands-on science center for kids that will have the adults amazed as well.
 
 
What you may not realize is what a membership there can do for you! I was hunting ways to do things with my daughter a few weeks ago and was reasearching memberships to different places verses just getting regular tickets. Here is something I learned that is very useful...
 
If you are a member to a museum that participates in the ASTC program then you have a great opportunity!

By getting a McWane membership, which is in Birmingham then I can also get into the Gulf Coast Exploreum (Mobile), Space and Rocket Center and Sci-quest in Huntsville for free. And get half off my admission for Anniston Museum and Mary G Hardin center in Gadsden. And that is just Alabama. Wow so with a little traveling you can visit alot of places on one membership!

It works on over 270 museums worldwide in the same manner with the one membership.

Here is a list of the Alabama museums that I've mentioned above:

www.annistonmuseum.org
www.exploreum.com
www.culuralarts.com
www.sci-quest.org
www.spacecamp.com


From our home to yours, Mary


Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Opppssss...

Ok folks really messed up my blog. Was trying to remove stuff off my phone and apparently deleted the pics here as well. Not sure why my pics that I load onto here automatically load onto my phone but they do and really eat up my memory. Any ideas on where to change the settings to make this stop happening I would LOVE to hear. Otherwise the picture content on this blog will have to be reduced drastically and it will take me a very long time to reload the ones I've deleted.

Saturday, February 16, 2013

Girl Scout Cookie

Who doesn't love Girl Scout cookies?! Like I've told you in the past I'm a girl scout leader. There are so many kinds of cookies for sale now days but have you ever wondered about when they first started? Lots have changed over the years...flavors, prices, designs, on and on. So while looking at other things I ran across this recipe, it's the original GS cookie. A simple butter cookie but very good. Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, 1 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons milk, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 2 cups flour

Directions:
Cream butter and sugar.
Add well beaten eggs, then add milk, flavoring, and flour.
Roll thin and bake in quick oven.
Sprinkle sugar on top.

Quick oven...hmmmm well that is the directions.  So here is what I did, I used 350 degree.
When it says roll thin they mean it. I used a cookie cutter to shape these cookies so if they are not thin they will not hold the shape.
And like all butter cookie recipes it needs to stay cold till put in oven. I found the best results to take dough out of fridge in small batches, roll with rolling pin, cut, put on cold cookie sheet (I used parchment paper) then put back in fridge for a few minutes before putting in oven. It only takes a few minutes for them to cook, maybe 7-10 minutes. Take them out when the edges show sign of brown. If you leave them in till cookies is brown they will be rock hard.
 
From our kitchen to yours, Mary