full of adventure

 We ended 2011 and started 2012 with some fun adventures!:

New Years Day: snowshoeing

1. New Years Eve: "Yukon Do It" 5K race (my little runner's third 5K of the year)

2. Chrismas Eve: Snowflake Fun Run 5K - DIY medals

3. Gifts for the boys: DIY Race Boards for keeping all of their race numbers and medals

4. Christmas Eve: We hosted our own 5K race (Snowflake Fun Run) and invited a few of our favorite little running buddies to join us. (Originally, we had planned on signing up for a Jingle Bell race, but I procrastinated too long and it sold out.  So, we decided to host our own race - medals and hot cocoa for all the finishers!)

5. DIY: Race numbers (to hang on the race boards)

Camping on Christmas Eve: I think we can add this to our end-of-the-year adventures too - twinkle lights and all!

Here is to a new year full of exciting adventures!

mini icebox cakes

Yesterday, I shared one of my favorite quick and easy desserts from my childhood over at MADE as part of the Sweets & Treats event going on all month long. Icebox Cake.

This recipe is very rich, so a little goes a long way. I thought it would be fun to make mini icebox cakes.

One thing I love about this recipe is that it is SUPER easy to make and you can store the cakes in the freezer for two months!  

Mini Icebox Cakes:
Famous Chocolate Wafers (I was able to find them at my Safeway store)  
1 pint (2 cups) heavy whipping cream  
1T vanilla extract
2T sugar   

 10-12 - 1/2 pint wide Mouth Jar Canning Jars  
 

Whip the cream until almost stiff. Add sugar and vanilla; beat until cream holds soft peaks.

Scoop about 1/4 cup of whipped cream into the bottom of the jars. Add a wafer. Keep layering in this pattern until you have 5 scoops of whipped cream and 4 cookies.  Then pop them in the freezer (if you want to eat them the same day, then refrigerate for 4 hours before serving). 

When you are ready to eat your sweet little treats, remove them from the freezer and let them thaw for 1 hour. Then grab a spoon or fork and enjoy!

Share them with friends and neighbors, or maybe enjoy one while putting the finishing touches on those last minute gifts.  

Happy Holidays!

freezer paper shirts: turkey trot 5K race

 Turkey Trot 2011

Running the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning, with our friends and family, is something we look forward to all year long. This year it was especially wonderful because both of my boys ran the race in record time - with smiles!

At our pre-race craft night, we traced, cut, and painted our design on t-shirts - a lot of fun, but a lot of work!  Next year, I think we might try our hands at making our own silkscreen.

I hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving!

sand toys for big boys

Over the holiday weekend we headed to the ocean to dig for razor clams, and...

when we arrived, we were shocked to find a vehicle nearly completely buried in the sand.

 Of course, we had to check it out.

 After a while, we continued down the beach...

 

to scope things out.

And enjoy the sun.

As we headed back to the truck to gather up our clam diggin' gear, we noticed this coming down the beach...

 could it be? No way? What are the chances?

For these two little construction enthusiasts, this was a dream come true - the ultimate sand toy!

After the excavation, we got down to business. Clam business.

mmm, dinner!

 

Oh, what a perfect day!

hot/cold pack details

After receiving a few comments and emails with questions about the hot/cold packs I made for Halloween, I thought I would give you a quick rundown of the details.

The tutorial for sewing and filling the packs can be found over at Rubber Punkin, so I am just going to share how I was able to get 24 packs from one yard of fabric.

CUT:

(24) 12" X 5" - from main fabric (see diagram below)
(24) 6" loops - (I cut 1" strips from a t-shirt, stretched them out, and then cut the 6" lengths)

Here is the layout for cutting 24 packs out of 42" wide fabric (you will have 4" left over along the 36" side)

Check out the TUTORIAL for sewing and filling the packs HERE at Rubber Punkin.  She also has some great ideas for adding different scents and fillers.

Thanks for stopping by!

party favors: hot/cold packs

Just a quick post to share the party favors we handed out this year at my son's preschool Trunk-or-Treat party.

Last year I made hot/cold packs for the boys' Valentine's Day parties. Since then, several parents have mention how much their kids loved them - which inspired me to make them again.

They are a great candy-free gift for kids, and easy enough to crank out in an afternoon.

The tags were made using my tried and true method, and they turned out great.

 

To make 24 packs I used: 

 - one yard of fabric

 - scraps from an old orange t-shirt

 - long grain white rice

 - flaxseed

 - mint essential oil

...and I still have at least half of the rice/flaxseed mix leftover. Stocking suffers? Birthdays? Get well soon gift?

Thanks for stopping by!