Posts from — May 2010

This is a fantastic book for kids of all ages. It actually has 4 stories going on at the same time but they are all linked together. It’s fun for kids to discover how they all relate to each other. The illustrations a great.

This is an easy, make ahead recipe for a breakfast or brunch.

Creme Brulee French Toast
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons corn syrup
bread, slice, to cover butter mixture
5 large eggs
1 1/2 cups half and half
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
In a saucepan, melt butter, brown sugar and corn syrup. Pour into a 9 by 13 inch glass baking dish. Arrange bread pieces on top. Beat together eggs, half and half, vanilla and salt. Pour egg mixture over the top of the bread. Cover and chill overnight in the refrigerator. The next morning, bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.
I found this recipe in the Worldwide Ward Cookbook (published by Covenant Communications 2008)

I enjoyed a fun day with my daughter and my grandsons painting and planting.
We started out by painting terra cotta planters that I picked up at the thrift store for $.50. We used acrylic paints. While they were drying we headed to the nursery to get shrubs & flowers for my daughter’s yard. I let my grandson’s pick out a plant for their pot.

We barely had room for Ethan in the backseat. He was surrounded by plants & flowers.

Mason with the final project.

Aren’t these darling. I can’t wait to make them with my 8 year old granddaughter when we have our special sleepover. They would also be fun to make at a birthday party. Thanks to Hope at Going Sew Crazy for letting me share her idea. She has detailed directions so they’re easy to make.
GET DIRECTIONS

It’s that time of year when we begin to think about family reunions. You’re probably thanking your lucky stars that it wasn’t your turn to plan it this time around. But just because you didn’t have to plan it doesn’t mean you’re off the hook. Somebody went to the trouble of deciding the program. It may be an elaborate reunion in an exotic location or a picnic in the park. Wherever it is what are your obligations? READ MORE

This is a fun and decorative way to serve fruit at a party or picnic. WATCH VIDEO for directions.

This activity is not just for Earth Day but is great all year round. Before you recycle your old magazines and newspapers, let your grandchildren use them to create stories or books.
You’ll need magazines, newspapers scissors, glue, blank paper and a pencil. Let your grandchildren cut out pictures and words to create an original story.

This looks and sounds very refreshing for a spring or summer lunch and it has 0g fat.

Minted Carrot & Orange
2 oranges, peeled
4 carrots
7 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 1/2 teaspoons water
3/4 teaspoons cinnamon
dash of salt
2 1/4 teaspoons fresh mint leaves, washed & dried

Cut the peeled orange into small chunks. Pour the orange and as much of the juice as you can into a medium-sized bowl. Grate the carrots and add to the bowl of oranges. Add lemon juice, water, cinnamon, salt and finely chopped mint leaves to the salad. Stir until well combined.
Makes six 1/2 cup servings

I learned or should I say re-learned a lesson recently, when it comes to grandchildren it’s the simple things that can build lasting memories. Two of my grandsons, age 7 and 5, were spending time with me and one of the things we did was go to the playground of a nearby school. They had fun playing follow-the-leader, pretending to be the Star Wars characters and daring each other to try tricks on the high bars. But most of the time was spend scooping up small gravel rocks and piling them at the bottom of the slide. They would then slide down and crash through the rocks. After laughing hysterically we would start the piling again. This went on for about 30 minutes and then it was time to head back home. At dinner and even later in the evening they talked about how much fun we had piling and sliding through the rocks. They both expressed, “That was their favorite thing!” It all seemed so simple yet, I believe it built a lasting memory.
I would love to hear about the memories you are building with your children, grandchildren, nieces, or nephews.