Father's Day Ideas

Father's Day is quickly approaching and I'll be honest-I have a really hard time trying to find that perfect gift for the men in our lives.  So this year I'm doing things a little bit different.  I'm having each of my kids give him a gift to "do" together.  For example, my son loves baseball so he is giving his dad baseball tickets to go see their favorite team-the Arizona Diamondbacks-together!  My youngest daughter loves icecream so I'm getting a gift card to Dairy Queen for her to give to him.  All these gifts allow for a special "Dad date" for each of the kids-all doing things that Dad likes to do with them!  I'm hoping this will be a fun tradition in the future.  I'm also going to wait and see if there is anything in particular that he wants and if there is I'll just get it for him from me!

I have a big collection of birthday decorations that I just pull out every time we have a birthday to celebrate and I decided that I also wanted to do that with some good Father's Day decorations.  There are so many great ideas out there on the web right now so here are a few of my favorites and the links that they go to.

Father's Day Tie Box at eighteen25

I loved these little tie box printables and they were so simple to make.  I did mine in round vases that I bought at the $1.  Can't beat a dollar!  Plus they're irrestistable with the fun snacks inside!

I've seen this quote all over the place this year and wanted to do something with it.  I happen to have a block of wood so I just drilled three small holes into it and twisted some wire to make picture holders.  Then you can put up however many pictures of your man and kids that you'd like!  My husband isn't big on the frilly stuff so all of my decorations had to be pretty simple.  You could easily dress this up with some scrapbook paper and modpodge or even some ribbon and stuff.  Mine just has the black vinyl.  I'm going to add a coat of finish to it just to protect it, but thats it!

The last thing that I made was an "Our Dad Rocks" jar.  I saw this somewhere recently but I can't remember for the life of me where, so the idea is not mine.  But I thought it was too cute and TOO SIMPLE that I had to make it.  I just rinsed out an old pickle jar and cut out the vinyl on my Silhouette and then you're done!  I had the girls go out back and find some rocks to fill it!

I hope that gives some fun, easy, inexpensive ideas to help celebrate Father's Day with your wonderful men out there!  Happy Father's Day!

MOSQUITOES!

Mosquitoes suck. Quite literally. I know this is a family friendly blog, but seriously. Enough is enough.

Many of you experienced an enormous amount of rain over the past few months. We had record fall here. And let me say: I love rain. I really do, but between having our basement flooding and a swamp-like backyard, I was ready for it to be over!

The past week has seen a majority of sun. It has been so nice that we were finally able to put our trampoline up (2 months after we promised!!). Enter the villains.

While setting the tramp up, we were bit no less that 10 times. WITH repellent on! Our kind neighbor even came by and used a store bought 'fogger', but to no avail. It was a lost cause.

Now, we all know that the bites are annoying. and they itch. So what can you do?

1.) Repellent.  Not only is this important, but it is important that you use the RIGHT ONE!   I don’t respond well to low Deet repellent.  The ‘squitoes still love me. 

The most effective one I have read about is OFF! Deep Woods.

It will last about 5 hours on average..but isn't very safe for kids. Too much deet.

Instead try this one for the kids:

We use this one and it has been great.  It smells good and like it says, it’s smooth and dry.  It isn’t sticky and I like that.  It was even in the top 4 picks of consumersearch

*Children under 2 should avoid most repellents. 

2.) Avoid the pests.  Alright, so this one is wishful thinking, BUT do try some of these:

• Water.  Make sure there isn’t any standing water. It can quickly become a party for them!  (even those baby pools can become an issue)
• Fragrance FREE.  Yes, this includes deodorants, perfume, lotions, etc.  Personally I am not going to stop using them, but I’ll be cutting down before I venture outside.
• Rub garlic on you.  Blah!  I love EATING garlic, but rubbing it on your body?  Not only are you going to be successful in keeping the bugs away, but you are also going to alienate yourself from your family, friends, anything and anyone with a nose.  BUT, it is worth a try! 
• Plant.  There are some plants that help repel mosquitos.  Here are a few:  basil, marigolds & rosemary.

3.) Citronella.  This has been proven to help.  Light a few torches or candles and even rub a bit on yourself.  (Be careful of allergic reactions)

Other ideas:  bug zapper. 

**If any of you know about safe foggers or how to control a backyard, send them MY WAY!

The best blondies you will ever eat!

Hello! My name is Cary and I have a little money saving blog called www.thislittlepiggybank.blogspot.com
I wanted to share my very favorite dessert to make, eat and share with others.
Blondies.
Yum.... Lots of people call them Butterscotch Brownies, but either way you are going to love them! Be warned this will take lots of bowls and pans but it is important to follow the steps.

Blondies.
Preheat the oven to 350* Grease an 8-inch square baking pan, making sure to get the sides also.

Whisk together thoroughly:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt, if you have sea salt even better!

In a large heavy saucepan, melt, then boil, stirring constantly, until light golden brown, about 4 minutes:
1 stick salted butter (sweet cream butter)

Remove from the heat and stir in until well blended:
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon maple syrup
You will see the butter separate from the sugars but keep stirring! You will need to stir for about 5 minutes, then let cool to barely warm, you don't want to cook the next step!.
Stir in until well combined:
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla

Then go back to the first bowl and stir in flour mixture and, if desired:
1 cup chocolate chips

Scrape into the pan that you have ready. Bake until the top is just golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. This is the blondies going right into the oven. I forgot to take a after picture till we ate them all!

Then I swear eat them and enjoy every bite!

Janiebugbibs

Today we are featuring Jane. I have known Jane for years and years and have always been impressed with her. She has a quiet southern drawl and a very easy-going personality. Another reason to be impressed? She was an RN. To me, that is the epitome of amazing. {My grandmother and aunt were both nurses.}

Here is a snippet from her etsy shop:
As a retired RN and grandmother with time on my hands, I recently re-discovered my love for sewing and creating fun and useful projects. As a grandmother, the need for absorbent and well made bibs was always just a child away! Making cute, thirsty, fun bibs has become my passion! The possibilities are endless!

These bibs are awesome. They aren't your normal run-of-the-mill bibs that only cover a portion of your child; they have sleeves!

The possibilities don't end there. She also has some available for adults and adolescents (elderly, handicapped, and the plain messy!)

Click the button and visit her etsy shop!

30 Days of June

30 Days to a healthier you!

Check out this calendar for June

It is a PDF file...let me know what you think!

We've got a button...

Wahoo! We have buttons! Put one on your blog today!


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Bowling...for free!

What is a better way to spend the summer than bowling. We love bowling in our house and so we were really excited when we heard about kidsbowlfree.com.

Go check it out and see if it is available in your area!