​We buy a lot of fruits and veggies in our house - my son is a fruit monster! Seriously, he would rather have a bowl of berries than and treat you can think of.  So it saddens me when I read statistics that state each American wastes a pound of food each day and that people with the fruit and vegetable rich diets are the most wasteful.   There are so many things you can do to use up a a mix match of veggies from your fridge - frittatas or omelets, stir fries, quesadillas, I could keep going.  The same goes for fruit!  When we buy too much or it starts to get too ripe we turn bananas into banana muffins, freeze fruit to blend into smoothies, or my son’s favorite, make popsicles!   He loves popsicles!  I hate that most of the popsicles you buy are just super bombs and have no nutritional value and that if you want ones made with actual fruit you are paying $4.00 for 4 popsicles!  Making your own popsicles are so easy and it is fun to do with your little helper! 


This time we had some peaches that were getting too ripe - the grocery store had 2lb bags for $ .99! And apparently my family got a little peached out before we could use them up.  So this afternoon’s project was Popsicle making!  

What you need

• any type of fruit
• Yogurt 
• Popsicle moulds - I love these moulds by Zoku they are a little more expensive but I think they are so funny and  my son thinks they are hilarious he likes to mix up the heads and bodies. 
• Food processor or blender 

How to make it

• if you have larger fruit like peaches, cut them into manageable pieces first and then toss them into the blender
• Add a couple scoops of yogurt. I like using plain Greek yogurt or Siggi’s Icelandic Skyr because the sugar count is so much less than most others. If I am using plain Greek yogurt, I may add a small amount of honey to sweeten it up. 
• Now blend! If it is looking a little thick or the blender is having a hard time, add a little more yogurt. I like to blend these until smooth, but you could leave it a little chunky if you’d like. 
• Pour into your popsicle moulds and pop them into the freezer and wait until frozen - this is the hardest part for my son, he think he can come back after 5 minutes and they will be ready to go, sorry buddy. 
• Enjoy!

Now I don’t feel bad when my little one has three popsicles in one day!  He calls them a treat and I have no guilt.

We are in full swing of summertime fun in our household and that means fun in the sun and lots of meals on the grill. I love dinners on the grill, partly because they are easy and because the hubby usually volunteers to cook (yes!). Now I am always looking for creative grill options or something to spruce up your basic hamburger and hotdog dinner - I think these Potato Foil Packets can do just that. They are simple, easy to make ahead, customizable and leftovers make a delicious breakfast side with your eggs.

What you need

• ​Aluminum Foil
• Nonstick spray
• Potatoes
• Onions
• Seasonings - I used a Roasted Garlic and Herb (yum!)
• Salt and pepper
• Butter or olive oil

How to make it

• ​Chop up your potatoes into 1/4” inch thick slices or dice into cubes. I do it both ways, just depends on my mood. Remember to not make the pieces too big or thick - this will increase your cooking time
• Slice your onion or any other veggie you would like to add - be creative or don’t or use the opportunity to use up that half of a green pepper in the fridge you don’t have plans for.
• Put your potatoes and veggies in a bowl and add your salt, pepper and seasonings to taste. Toss to combine.
  
• Tear your aluminum foil - about 12” sections. Spray with your nonstick spray.
  
• Dump in your potato mix. Again, don’t layer the potatoes too thick in your packets - our house likes the crispy potatoes, so the more touching the bottom of the foil, the better.
  
• Top your potatoes with butter (I use about half a tablespoon) or drizzle with olive oil.
  
• Fold up your packets starting by bringing the two longer ends to the middle and folding over twice to seal. And then fold the two ends twice by folding upwards.
  
• Place the packets on the grill (or campfire or oven) seam side up - this is important, you don’t want the butter or oil dripping out.
  
• Cook for about 30 minutes
• Remove from the grill and open carefully! It will be steamy.
  
• Enjoy! ​ ​

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I am always looking for fun new recipes to try and I stumbled across this one for a Picnic Banana Pudding from The Country Cook. It looked simple enough, could be made ahead of time and would travel well for a get together. You can find the original recipe here: https://www.thecountrycook.net/picnic-banana-pudding

Here is what you need:

• cream cheese 8oz, softened to room temp
• sweetened condensed milk 14 oz
• 1 package Instant vanilla pudding mix 5 oz - MUST be the INSTANT pudding, the cook and serve will not set properly
• 3 cups milk, 2 % or higher - I ended up using only 2 cups but the original recipe called for 3
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• whipped topping (COOL WHIP) 8 oz container, thawed
• Nilla wafers 11 oz box
• 5-7 bananas, peeled and sliced​​

How to make it​

• In your mixer, beat the cream cheese on a medium speed until smooth and fluffy.
• Add in sweetened condensed milk, pudding mix, milk and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Make sure you scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula to make sure the cream cheese is all mixed in.
• Stir in half of the whipped topping.
• Now to assemble. Find what dish you want to use. You can use a large bowl or a 9x13 baking dish, but a trifle dish REALLY makes this dessert look amazing.​ Here is the Trifle Dish I used.
• Place one third of the vanilla wafers in a layer on the bottom of your dish. In my trifle dish, I put one flat layer and one standing up around the perimeter of the dish
• Add a layer of bananas - use about a third of them
• Then pour one third of the pudding mixture on top (enough to cover all the bananas).
• Add two more layers the same as before - I even added the standing up Nilla wafers around the perimeter again just to make it look pretty.
• Top with remaining whipped topping.
• Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one to two hours before serving so it can thicken up and the wafers can soften.​ ​

Going through my pantry trying to use up a few things we have laying around I found corn syrup. Now I don’t use this very often - I think I bought it to make pecan pie for Thanksgiving. So I thought let’s make some Caramel Corn!

What you need:

• 15 cups popped popcorn - I love Pop Secret Jumbo Popping Corn Kernels this popcorn is bigger and fluffier than just your normal popcorn. I love to make air pop popcorn!
• 1 1/2 cups chopped peanuts
• 1 cup Brown sugar packed
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 cup corn syrup
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• Large oven bag
• Aluminum foil
• Nonstick spray

How to make it

• Place popcorn and peanuts in an oven bag and set aside
• Combine brown sugar, butter, corn syrup, and salt in a microwave safe glass bowl and combine
• Microwave on high for 2-3 minutes, stirring after each minute until mixture comes to a boil
• Once boiling has been reached, microwave for 2 minutes longer without stirring.
• While that is cooking, lay out aluminum foil and coat with a nonstick spray
• Stir in baking soda. This will make the mixture foamy.
• Pour mixture over popcorn and shake to combine
• Microwave in bag for 1 1/2 minutes, shake to combine again -careful, it will be hot!
• Pour onto aluminum foil, toss and let cool

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Did you know you can make your own vanilla extract? It is literally two ingredients. You are probably asking, why would you want to? So besides the fact that homemade is always better, real vanilla extract is expensive! And you just get an itty bitty amount. You might say that there is the fake stuff .... imitation vanilla extract.... that’s cheap. Well.... I was listening to the radio one day and they mention what imitation vanilla extract was made from.... “secretions from a beaver's castor glands (located conveniently near its anus)“!!!!!!!! Ok now I have never been able to get that out of my head. Does that weird out anyone else? So if that isn’t enough motivation for you, how about the fact that we can’t pronounce the majority of the ingredients on labels of our food? Here is just one little way to be a bit more wholesome. And when it is this simple? Why not!

What you need:

• 8 oz Vodka 80 proof - now you can choose any vodka, we had a brand leftover that we don’t usually drink, so this was a great way to use it up. You can also experiment with different alcohols, but vodka is the traditional choice.
• 5-6 Vanilla beans - when searching, grade B beans are for extract purposes. You can buy them in most supermarkets but they are expensive! These are the beans I used Vanilla Beans. They were really a quality bean.
• A glass jar with a tight sealing top - these Hinge Top Bottles are great and would be wonderful for gifting

How to make it

• add the beans to the jar
• Pour the vodka over the beans and make sure the beans are fully submerged
• Store the jar out in a spot out of direct sunlight
• Give it a little shake once each week
• Now wait for at least 8 weeks but 6-12 months would be better.
  ​

​I know that is crazy long but this stuff will last you forever! You can take out the vanilla beans to use the seeds in baking and refresh the beans in your jar and top off the vodka for a never ending supply of vanilla extract. Wouldn’t this make an excellent Christmas gift for the baker in your life? You can easily double this recipe to make a bigger batch. My picture is from about a week after I started the process. I will post updates when it is finished brewing!

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Have you seen the daily stitch challenges? Well I am starting my own. With summer here, I am
spending a lot of time up at the cottage.... hot days playing in the lake and nights relaxing
around the campfire. But it also means, no phone or internet! I love that it forces us to
disconnect and be in the moment. So the cottage also means no craft room - ahhhhhh!  And
thus here comes the Daily Stitch Challenge. I keep my embroidery hoop and floss on hand and
I will work on it each morning I am up there. This is a great way to re-energize my creativity.
This challenge also lets me test new stitches and learn new techniques to use in my future
crafting - you never know when you might be able to use new embroidery techniques! I add
little embroidery touches in a lot of my crafts - snowman scarves, tea towels, updating old
clothes and so much more.

This is what I have come up with so far. I am excited with my progress and I have so many
ideas to build off what I have. Can’t wait to update you with how my Daily Stitch Challenge
developments!

Want to make your own daily challenge?  Here is all you need:

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Whether it is a for a special occasions, a gift, or just a treat, homemade chocolates are perfect
and easier than you may think. When going through my pantry, I stumbled across a partial bag
of melting chocolate wafers and a bag of coconut. So naturally I thought I would make a small
batch of chocolates. You can use just about anything you have in your pantry - dried fruit, nuts,
pretzels, even potato chips!
What you need:

• Chocolate Wafers - I had about 4oz of these Ghirardelli Chocolates
• Coconut Flakes (or any other filler) - I used a heaping 1/2 cup scoop
• Candy wrappers or wax paper

How to make it:

• Toast your coconut. I prefer to do this stove top, but it can easily be done in the oven as well.  Warm your pan on a low medium heat. Add your coconut. Stir occasionally until mostly golden brown. This happens quickly - maybe 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Melt your chocolate. I usually do this in the microwave because it is quickest. I heat the wafers for 30 seconds and then stir. If you need more melting time, heat and stir in 15 second intervals.
• Combine the coconut and chocolate. Stir until the flakes are well covered.
• Scoop into candy wrappers or onto a sheet of wax paper
• Refrigerate until chocolate has hardened
• Enjoy

It is spring and our property is teeming with wildlife - especially birds - and since I am always trying to find fun activities for my busy 4 year old to do, I thought why not a bird feeder!  This easy bird feeder is something even your little toddlers can do (great for fine motor skills!). I know you see a lot of bird feeders with peanut butter rolled in seed but that can be just so messy and requires a little more supervision.  So here is the Cheerio Bird Feeder!  You most likely have all you need on hand already and if your little one decides to snack on the supplies, it’s no big deal. 

What you need:

• Cheerios
• Pipe cleaner 
• String

How to make it:

• pour your Cheerios into a bowl
• String the Cheerios onto the pipe cleaner leaving about a half inch open at each end
• Twist the two ends together 
• Form the shape you want to make - we chose hearts, but let your little one be creative here
• Cut a length of string and loop it through your shape and tie it onto a tree branch somewhere you and watch from a window. My little guy likes to keep tabs on his!

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I must be really into the 4th this year or maybe I am not used to being home this much.   With this stay at home order, my crafts have really taken over!  

So what is more American than baseball?  An American flag painted baseball!  These are just regular baseballs painted with acrylics. When I ordered these balls to paint, I had to fight off both the dog and 4 year old from trying to steal them - trust me it was a battle.   Now you don’t need to be an artist to pull these off.  I feel that the primitive look is better than crisp lines on these. I stacked all of my balls in an old tray I had laying around waiting to be repurposed.  I think they look great. I might just leave them out all summer! 

What you need:

• Baseballs - I painted 12 of them. Here is what I used Rawlings Official Baseballs
• Acrylic paints (blue and red)
• Medium sized paint brush
• White paint pen - this makes it way easier to make the stars. I have these Paint Pens and they come in handy all the time 
• Antiquing medium - I used something I had on hand, but this Antiquing Medium would work great
• An old towel to apply antiquing medium
• Polyurethane or Clear Coat - any type of sealer like this one from Rust-Oleum to make sure your artwork is protected 

​How to make it:

• Gather your supplies and set up your work area. Because I lack patience, I painted all 12 of my balls at the same time. 
• You will notice that the balls are conveniently already sectioned into 2 working areas by the stitching. Pick which color you want to work with first - red stripes or solid blue. I chose to do the stripes first. 
• Start by adding your stripes. I used the stitching as a guide to keep my lines straight and my stripes somewhat consistent. I found that starting in the small middle area help to keep my lines from going on a slant and I needed about 3 coats of paint to cover the white sufficiently.  This is where my lack of patience kicks in, as one ball dries between coats, I would paint 2 or 3 more and then go back to the first. 
• Once all of your stripes are on and dry, start painting the entire second section of the ball blue. 
• Once the blue is completely dry, draw on your stars with your white paint pen.  I did a random pattern and I wasn’t worried about making them perfect.  It is really important to make sure your blue paint is completely dry before starting your stars, if not, you will end up with bluish white stars. 
• Once the stars have dried, apply your antiquing medium. I rubbed mine on with an old dish towel. Apply as much or as little as you like so they are your level of antiqued. 
• Finally apply your polyurethane top coat. 

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Summer weather is finally here!  After a long winter of being cooped up inside, we are all excited to get out.  While I was stuck waiting anxiously waiting for the spring rains to stop (we got a lot!), I decided to put some of my time to use making some decorations for the 4th of July.   

This ribbon chain garland was so easy and I just love how it turned out.  I used a wired ribbon because I wanted to make sure the links would stay round and full.  I selected two color patterns, but you could add more if that is your thing.   
What your need:

• Star Wired Ribbon - This is the one I used Star Wired Edge Ribbon (2.5", Beige Navy Blue) - 10 Yards : RG01269K6
• Striped Wire Ribbon - The vertical striped ribbon is out of stock, but here is the horizontal 2.5" Wide Expressions Royal Canvas Wide Expressions Stripe Wired Ribbon Natural & Burgundy (10 Yards)
• Scissors
• Hot Glue

How to make it:

• Cut all of your ribbon into equal length pieces - I chose about a 10" length
• Fold over a 1/2" piece on each strip and tack down with hot glue.  This will create a nice finished edge of each chain link.
• Now start creating each of your links alternating colors - make sure that you add the glue to the end that you folded over so that ends up on the outside.  I also made sure that when I positioned my links that the seam is on the inside of the chains, but I just might be a little particular 
• Add as many links as you need to create the length you want.  

Now isn't that super simple? You could do this for any holiday (I already have ribbon to make a Halloween version!).  I did use all 10 yards of each color ribbon to make this garland.

​For this one I used an old shutter I had laying around.  I am sure I picked it up on one of my antiquing adventures with some grand plan in mind, but that never happened!  Again, this was super simple and it makes a really unique piece of decor.  
What you need:

• An old shutter
• Acrylic Paint - Red, White, Blue (my shutter was already a shade of blue)
• Wooden stars - quantity will depend on the number of slats your shutter has ,  I used 35 of these Unfinished Wooden Stars
• Hot Glue

How to make it:

• On the lower half of the shutter, paint the slats alternating colors of red and white
• On the top half, paint all of the slats blue - now I was lucky enough to have a blue shutter, so I just left it
• Paint each of your stars white
• Hot glue each of the stars  on the slats 

Ta-Da! Again, super simple and looks great.