Wednesday, May 30, 2012

June Visiting Teaching Message {free printable}


How is it June already??? I always think I can put off my visiting teaching and before I know it, the month is over. Sooooo, don't be like me and visit your lovely sisters before the last day of the month. This message is great for me as I tend to worry and feel bad about the "numbers" more than the visiting and serving. I don't always feel like I am doing any good visiting my sisters when my children are running around crazy, but I do know that we are asked to visit teach for a special reason. I also truly believe that who we visit isn't picked at random but prayerfully thought out. I am grateful for the chance to get to know my sisters better and for their example. I ALWAYS leave my sisters homes feeling like I can be a little bit better and a little bit stronger.
As usual, you can just download the 4x6 or the 8.5x11 with four messages to a page.



Happy visiting teaching!
There are 2 days left to enter my giveaway. . . ONE FREE INVITATION AND PARTY PACK!!
Enter HERE
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Monday, May 28, 2012

memorial day bunting banner

 Happy Memorial Day! I wanted to display some red, white and blue in my house and remembered this guy I made last year for the fourth of July. I thought I would repost it for Memorial Day.
There is also something terribly wrong with me because my mantle has changed at least 20 times since than. . .
Also, don't forget to enter SugarTot Designs: The Shop giveaway going on until Friday, June 1st! Winner receives a free invitation and party pack in my shop. If you don't see what you want in my shop, I will make you a custom party package!
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Thursday, May 24, 2012

SugarTot Designs Giveaway!

My little shop reached 500 sales and I think it's time for a giveaway to say thank you to those who have supported me!
Enter to win
ONE INVITATION & COORDINATING PARTY PACK
 

If you don't see a party theme that you are looking for, I will make a custom package for you!
 There are 6 ways to enter below:
 Winner will be announced JUNE 1, 2012
Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Summer Bucket List

     My husband is a resident here in beautiful Cleveland, and we have absolutely loved our time here. This is our last summer here, because next year we're headed back to Atlanta.
     Here's our summer bucket list- with a special emphasis on Cleveland!
    Not here? Come and visit! It's an awesome city..... Or just tweak it a little bit for your city. :)
    I'm planning on writing the list out on our chalkboard wall...


  1. Go on a picnic
  2. Cleveland Botanical Gardens
  3. Go on a nature walk in the Cleveland Metroparks
  4. Make a posterboard collage from magazine cutouts
  5. Camping in the backyard
  6. Slumber party with a friend
  7. Chalk art gallery on the driveway (I'll draw the frames, they make the art)
  8. Bowling.. I'm planning on using a Groupon for this one!
  9. Wash cars in the driveway.. with lots of bubbles, of course!
  10. Day of baking for friends and neighbors (then see #39)
  11. Build (or maybe just paint) a bird house and hang
  12. Design a shirt- paint, tie dye, markers? I have a feeling this will be worn alllll summer!
  13. Playground crawl- one new playground a day
  14. Scavenger hunt around the house and yard
  15. Backwards day
  16. Cleveland children's museum
  17. Movie night- complete with popcorn and a borrowed movie
  18. Library- story time
  19. Ice skating- yep, that's right. cleveland has ice skating in the summertime!
  20. water balloon fight (a little hesitant about this one. i'm not a fan of all of those little pieces everywhere)
  21. Kites- build and fly!
  22. Memphis kiddie park
  23. Zoo
  24. Big indoor fort- using all sheets and blankets!
  25. Stargazing
  26. Sno cones (i have a sno cone machine that probably has dust on it.)
  27. Macaroni necklaces- paint and string with yarn
  28. Beach- mentor headlands
  29. Make lemonade- real lemons, real sugar, sell for 5 cents. :)
  30. Splash park-opens june 9th
  31. Obstacle course in the backyard
  32. Box cars- use cardboard boxes and paint them to make cars! (drive in movie, anyone?)
  33. Feed ducks at Aurora Farms outlets
  34. New Cleveland aquarium
  35. Pillow fight
  36. Make ice cream in a bag
  37. Tea party
  38. Glow sticks in the bathtub
  39. Ding dong ditch the neighbors with cookies!
  40. Make a book
  41. Make a band
  42. Mess-less makeup- I got this idea from http://cuegly.blogspot.com/. She took empty makeup containers and poured in fingernail polish. Her daughter still thinks it's real and she doesn't have to clean up any messes. BRILLIANT!
  43.  Chocolate tour at Malley's Chocolate Factory 
  44.  Indians game- with the kids
  45.  Bike rides
  46.  Wade Oval Wednesdays
  47.  Fruit picking- have always gone to Patterson's, but might try somewhere new!
  48.  Work in the garden- plant flowers
  49. Catch fireflies
  50.  West Side Market


Have an awesome summer!



Friday, May 18, 2012

Dutch Babies Recipe {free printable recipe card}

 These delicious, easy to make egg pancakes have a few names: Dutch Babies . . . German Pancakes . . . Hootenannies . . . whatever you call them, they are DELICIOUS! Since I married a Dutchman, I like to call them Dutch babies:) 
My mom and sisters recently took a girls trip out here (still laughing out loud at the crazy fun time we had) and I made these for them. One of my sisters said she has never seen or heard of these. . . WHAT?!? I don't understand how we are sisters and don't know the same food. Anyway, this post and recipe card printable is in honor and of her and anyone else who has gone their whole life without tasting of this goodness.
All it takes is 5 ingredients:
4 tablespoons butter
6 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
Heat your oven to 400 degrees, melt the butter in a 9x13 pan by placing it in the oven (unless you like burnt butter, keep your eye on it. It doesn't take long to melt)
Meanwhile, Whip your eggs together: add milk, flour and salt. Blend together and pour over the melted butter.
Increase the oven temperature to 450 and bake for 15-20 minutes, reduce heat to 350 and bake for another 5 minutes.

NOTE: I ran out of flour and had to use half whole wheat flour, so it didn't come out as "yellow" as they normally do. . . and threw my kids for a loop. Good grief. However, after promising over and over again that it tasted the same, they gobbled it up. 
It will REALLY puff up in the oven, don't worry that is normal and will collapse a bit when you take it out of the oven, like the picture below. 
 Sprinkle those babies with powdered sugar and fresh squeezed orange juice and the whole pan will be gone before you know it!
Here is a 4x6 recipe card to add to your breakfast stash! Enjoy!

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linking up to these parties:
craftomaniac, stories from a2znot just a housewife,  tip junkiesugar beesomewhat simpletater tots and jelloat the picket fenceremodelaholicwhipperberryi heart naptime, be different act normal, little inspiration

Friday, May 11, 2012

Superhero Cupcake Toppers and Avengers Party Pack{at SugarTot Designs: the store}

 In case you haven't noticed, we are all about Superheroes at our house. With three boys, everything has super powers. . . even my new Captain America phone cover from Wal-Mart. Yep, nerd alert! So, for Bodie's birthday we had a little superhero birthday bash (and by little, I mean in a hotel with just us little. . . it was wonderful:)) I made these cupcake toppers with my favorite Hall of Heroes font and Bodie was overjoyed when he saw all the Superhero logos.

Click HERE to purchase these Superhero toppers in my shop.

I have had a few requests to just have the Avenger's on the toppers, so I made an Avenger's birthday invitation and party pack!
Click HERE to purchase the Avenger's Invitation

Click HERE to purchase them in my shop!
Two months later and this is how I found "Super" Bodie watching some morning cartoons:)
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Tuesday, May 8, 2012

white Bookshelf Makeover with Removable Lining

This black, beat up bookshelf of ours has been screaming for a makeover for awhile now. However, like with most things, I couldn't decide which color to paint it. I really didn't want to have to paint it my usual three times before I like it. So, I went with the classic white and to add a some pop of color to my gray dining area, I put wrapping paper on thick poster board for lining. That way when I change my mind, I can just unwrap the poster board and put a new color on or leave it white.
Did I say, I put the wrapping paper on??? Oh yes, my sweet mom did it for me while I laid on the couch, sick and wanting to throw up (these was about a year ago when we found out about our upcoming surprise baby). Not only did my parents fly into town to help my kids and me while I was sick, my mom finished all my craft projects and my dad fixed EVERYTHING around the house and still managed to do a puzzle:)
I saw this wrapping paper at Target on clearance!!! So much cheaper than using fabric which was my original plan.

Well, that surprise baby is now 3 months old and this bookshelf is finally finished!!!! Some projects just take me A LOOOONG time. I LOVE the clean, fresh look of it!
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Sunday, May 6, 2012

Mother's Day Mini Banner {free printable}

This post was originally for I {Heart} Naptime but wanted to share it with my friends as well!

With Mother's Day around the corner, here is a quick and cute way to add some love to your Mother's Day cake (or to YOUR cake). It is probably easy enough that your hubby or kids can make it for you to show you how much they appreciate you ;) 
All you need is to download, print and cut out the banner. Then attach to a string with 2 long wooden skewers. Fold each flag in half and glue over string, insert into cake and you are done!

You can use this mini banner on just about anything . . . wrapped around a vase of flowers, for gift wrapping or anything else your crafty brain can think of! I hope all you lovely ladies have a Happy Mother's Day!

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