Magnet Board

Oh I am SOOOOOOOOO EXCITED about this post! These are soooo fun and EASY to make!

Have you ever made a Busy Book/ Quiet Book/ Activity Book? They are time consuming and EXPENSIVE! I made one 2 years ago, I probably put $60 into it and I only got 10 pages. (I have a habit of taking things to the extreme! I wanted it really cool, and it was!) Anyways once a book is done you can't add more pages, you have to wait until you have enough ideas to fill a second book, and I wasnt ready to pick up that challenge again. And in the past 2 years, Kaiden has chewed on the pages and lost pieces. Its quite a sad book now! =(

Well, we are embarking on a crazy long road trip this weekend and I wanted some new and special activities to keep our "Busy man" B-U-S-Y!! I saw an idea on pinterest to use a cookie sheet as a magnet board for meal planning and...... LIGHTBULB! So I headed to the Dollar Store, because after the abuse the book got, I was going CHEAP on this project! It's great because I found a TON of things I could slap magnets on to work for Kaiden's "Busy Board!" I even justified the little money I spent, saying that after the trip I could make a fun tote bag and use it for church! And when Jaxton is old enough I can buy him his own $1 magnet board and they can share the activities!!

p.s. If anyone of you EVER make this, please take pics and share with me!!! I'm now obsessed about finding all kinds of new things to add magnets to for games and play with the magnet board!!!

It's a 3D Shrek Popsicle Stick Puzzle! I chose to do it this way because I figured it would be easier, but I'm thinking the 3D idea made it 10x harder. lol. Next time I'll do a solid picture! Hey, at least he can grow into it and the 3D pics are pretty fun to look at!

Here is what I used to make the Shrek Popsicle Stick Puzzle. Also the Magnet Sheets are what I used on most everything to follow! (3D "poster"- $1, Jumbo Popsicle Sticks 75 Count- $2, Magnet Sheet- $2.) For all the projects I made, I maybe used 3/4 of 1 sheet, the pack comes with 2! It's also great because it's liek a giant sticker, so for most of these activities you can just peel and stick! EASY!

A super easy puzzle! Because it goes in no particular order! I got this fun kids puzzle from le Dollar Store! I used a 1x1 in square from the magnet sheet on the back of each piece.

I tried not to let Kaiden play too much with any of these activities because I wanted them to all be NEW but my curiosity got the better of me. I had to know if Kaiden would appreciate some of these activities!! And it looks like he did!

One of the BEST things about the magnet board is you can buy a sticker sheet and immediatley have a new "Playset!" I reccommend get the "puffy" stickers because they are thicker and plastic! I got these stickers from the $ Store, but I've seen stickers at Wal-mart for $1 as well! I just placed the stickers on white cardstock and cut them out, then I placed a small piece of magnet from the magnet sheet on each of them.

You can also find fun magnets and use them! I got these from the $ Store, but you can also get the plastic Numbers or Letters from Wal-Mart for the same price. I like this because it can help Kaiden with his numbers, obviously the math will come much later!

Here are more stickers! Kaiden loves Monster Trucks so I thought I'd better get them for him!

Then I thought he would need a background for his Monster Trucks! I made this in like 2 minutes, don't judge on the bad quality, lol. I just used construction paper and slid it into a plastic sheet protector!

This is the EASY Fishing Game! I bought 2 of these fishing games at the $ Store, because I worried about the poles breaking easily and because I wanted 6 of the "fish." I attached a magnet from my fridge (I have the kind that look like Push Pins!) and hot glued it to the "hook." Also I used a small strip from the magnetic sheet on top of each "fish" to "hook" them!

This is the HARD fishing game. I guess he can grow into it. This is my fave game to play!!!! It's also nice to have 2 poles, because then you can make a game of "who can catch the most fish" with another player!

I used puffy fish stickers from wal-mart, $1! Then I hot glued a small piece from the magnet sheet to each fish's mouth and a really small piece on the backs of each fish to keep them from sliding around.

For a "splurge" I used those small, circular, ultra strong magnets and hot glued them to the bottom of Hot Wheels! Actually I didn't have to do much "splurging" because I had these all on hand, but if you were to run to the store the Hot Wheels are maybe $0.88 at wal-mart and the super strong magnets maybe $3 from Wal-Mart.

I let Kaiden play with them jsut for a second to see if the effort was worth it and he LOVED it! He lined up the cars and said they were "kissing!" lol. Also ignore that goos egg on his forehead, he tripped the other day on some cement, and his head broke his fall!

Here was a last minute buy, Circus Puffy Stickers! Ta, da a new playset!!! These pieces are kind of small, but Kaiden picked them out and reallllllly wanted them. So for $1 I caved! lol.

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Here are some other ideas I may use in the future!

Leap Frog Fridge Farm Magnetic Animal Set- I reallllllly want this for a BIG SPLURGE! It's about $15 from Amazon.com and you match up the fronts and backs of the animals and it make fun animal noises, it's SUPER CUTE and ALL magnetic!!!

FREE Preschool Printables from the blog Preschool Printables!!! I especially love the Super Heroes! Just print, laminate and add a strip from the magnet sheet!

Have you ever thought ofg all the FUN things you could do with Paint Chips? Here's one, make color matching cards! You could also cut out different shapes for a shape matching game! Idea from Impressyourkids.org!

You could even use paint chips to make a faux Candyland Game! Idea from Impressyourkids.org!

Paint Chips Color Matching Game!!!! From the blog The Rigneys! (You could even buy large buttons and have a fun color matching game of it!)

Yo Gabba Gabba Car Bingo!!! The blog My Delicious Ambiguity has LOTS of other Car Bingo, Travel Games, and Busy Bag Activities that can be amde magnetic!!

Felt Mr. & Mrs. Potato Heads! How fun are these!?!?!? One day when I have more time! I would probably suggest laminated paper instead. Idea from the blog Here In the Waiting Place!

Homemade Marshmallow Fluff

This recipe is AWESOME and super handy to have! I used/ needed it for Homemade Snickers Bars, very good by the way! I never knew you could make home made Marshmallow Fluff, but Pinterest is very good about showing you all kinds of things you didn't know were possible! This recipe reminds me of store bought Marshmallow Fluff and also homemade Divintiy candy! It is YUM!

I have no idea if this would work for fudge, perhaps if we were not preparing to move I would check it out. ENJOY!!!

***photo and recipe courtesy of cinnamonspiceandeverythingnice.com***

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Ingredients:

3 large egg whites

2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

3/4 cup light corn syrup

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Beat egg whites together until light and frothy using an electric stand mixer with the whisk attachment.

2. With the mixer running, slowly pour in 2 tablespoons sugar; beat until soft peaks form.

3. In a small saucepan, combine 1/3 cup water, corn syrup, and remaining 2/3 cup sugar. Place over medium heat and cook until boiling. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly, until mixture reaches the firm-ball stage, about 242 to 248 degrees on a candy thermometer, about 10 minutes.

4.With the mixer on low, slowly add hot syrup to egg-white mixture. Increase mixer speed to high and continue beating for 4 minutes. Add vanilla and continue to beat until mixture looks like marshmallow cream, about 1 minute more. Store in tightly sealed jars. Stores for up to 2 weeks!

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Ideas to use Marshmallow Fluff with:

Homemade Snickers from How Sweet It Is

Smores Pancakes from We Are Not Martha

Chocolate Whoopie Pies with Marshmallow Cream Filling from Sprinkle of Parsley

Chocolate Marshmallow Fluff Cupcakes from Sugar & Charm

And of course, to top some delicious Hot Chocolate! Photo courtesy of Woodford Reserve Recipes

Chevron Blanket

Who isn't on the Chevron band wagon yet!? I've been seing them EVERYWHERE lately and I just can't get enough! I've been in a blanket making mood and just couldn't resisit the opportunity to incorparate Chevron into Kaiden's Robot Travel Blankie!!
I had an image in my head of the robot fabric being BIG chevron and the coordinating colors being small chevron, so I came up with my own pattern, although I'm sure it's nothing new. =)

Warning: My grandmother saw what I was doing and said there was an easier way to do this, but after thinking about it for 2 days I couldn't see what she was talking about. So, maybe there is and I just can't see it, but this way was pretty easy and I have no complaints! =D I'm still pretty new at sewing/ quilting so nothing I make is perfect. Also my directions may be a bit jumbled, but you'll get the gist of it!

First I cut my Robot fabric. I cut it into 6.5 in. strips. Then I took half of those strips front side up and cut them on the 45 degree angle on my mat. Each strip is 9 in. long.

The other half of the strips, back side up, I cut on the 45 degree angle on my cutting mat.

Here is what half of each of my robot pieces looked like face up!

Then, I cut my thin color strips! I cut mine about 2.5 in. x 9 in. The tops and bottoms I cut on the 45 degree angle on my mat!

You will also need to cut a few robot squares in 6.5 in. x 6.5 in. squares. Then cut them in half diagonally. (You'll see why you need these in the next picture!)
This is how I planned my first quilt strip to look! (The tops and bottoms of each strip will have the cut squares!)
Here is the frist quilt strip (sewn) compared to the second quilt strip, going the opposite way (and not yet sewn.) You will repeat this pattern back and forth to get the chevron stripes going!
When sewing your quilt strips, depending on which strip you're sewing, you may need to overlap a 1/4 inch before you sew!
Once all your quilt strips are sewn, this is how you'll assemble the blanket!
This was my finished product! I added a 1 inch thick, black border and then added the yellow triangle trim! LOVE IT!!!

Cake Batter Cinnamon Rolls

Did ya just about pass out reading the blog title!? Lol, I almost did, when my friend Alyssa sent me this recipe. (It was a very nice, subtle hint for me to make these and let her know if they were any good!) ;D Haha, well they are! I'm guessing another reason she wanted me to attempt them first is because the original recipe isn't very accurate and has ALOT of guesstimate/ use your best judgement during the whole process. But don't you worry, I wrote everything I did down, so it will be ALOT clearer! Please, read through my directions before you attempt, to avoid confusion, just in case my directions are not as thorough as I think they are. =D

What You'll Need for the Dough: Makes 12 good sized rolls!

1 Pkg. Yeast or 2 1/2 tsp. from a Jar

1/2 C. Warm Water

1/2 tsp. Sugar- this is for the yeast

3 Tbs. Shortening

1/2 C. Sugar

1 1/2 tsp. Salt

1 C. Hot Water- near boiling

1/2 C. Yellow Cake Mix

Roughly 6 C. Flour

1 Egg, Beaten

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What You'll Need for the Filling:

2 Tbs. Melted Butter

1 C. Brown Sugar

1 C. Yellow Cake Mix

Cinnamon- I used less than 1 teaspoon

Sprinkles!

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What You'll Need for the Frosting/ Icing:

2 Tbs. Melted Butter

1/2 C. Yellow Cake Mix

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

1 1/4 C. Powdered Sugar

1/4 C. Milk - more if you want an "icing" texture

Directions:

1. Mix shortening, 1 c. sugar, and salt with the hot water. Mix until the shortening has melted completley. Let this mixture sit aside until it is a lukewarm temperature.

2. While the previous mixture is cooling, in a small bowl mix together 1/2 c. warm water, yeast and 1/2 tsp. sugar together. Let the yeast mixture set for at least 5 minutes to get the yeast activated.

3. Add 2 cups of flour and 1/2 c. cake mix to the mixture from step #1. Use your mixer to beat the dough until smooth.

4. Add the yeast water and mix until smooth.

5. Add in the beaten egg.

6. Add in 2 additional cups of flour. Attach your dough hook to your mixer and add 1/2 cup of flour at a time until the dough no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl. I used about 2 more cups. Let your dough hook work it's magic for about 4 minutes, or knead by hand which will take about 10 minutes. You want the dough to have a nice satiny look and feel .

7. Cover the bowl with saran wrap, and let the dough rise for 30 minutes.

8. Flour your counter then roll out your dough to a rectangle about 17 inches x 21 inches. This was just a tiny bit bigger than my silicone mat.

9. Using a silicone brush, spread the melted butter onto the dough. Then add the filling. (1 c. Brown Sugar, 1 C. Cake Mix, a REALLY LIGHT dusting of Cinnamon, and Sprinkles if you wish.)

10. Roll the dough up as tightly as you can and pinch the seam closed.

11. Use thread or dental floss to cut the rolls. Cut off the uneven ends, you won't be using them. Then cut each roll about 2 inches wide, you should get about 12 rolls.

12. Grease, or better yet, use parchment paper to line 1 large cookie sheet or 2, 9x13 pans. ( I wish I had used the pans! 6 rolls per pan.) Evenly space the cinnamon rolls, cover with a clean dish towel and let them rise for about 30-60 minutes until doubled in size.

12. Bake at 425 for 10 minutes, reduce the heat to 350 and bake an additional 5-7 minutes.

13. While the rolls are baking, prepare the DELICIOUS frosting. Seriously this stuff is to die for! I prefer my frosting to be nice and thick and I like to spread it on warm cinnamon rolls, but if you prefer more of an "icing" texture, then just add extra milk 1 Tbs at a time until you get the consistency you're looking for.

The middle of a cinnamon roll is always my FAVORITE part!! I hope ya'll enjoy these as much as I am!

Rainbow Jello

I saw this FUN idea on Pinterest, but used my Mother In Law's recipe for a Jello Salad. I twisted it just a tiny bit to make it work for this idea and it worked out PERFECTLY for my St. Patrick's Day dinner!

You Will Need:

Jello, the small boxes, in Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue and Purple

4 C. Cool Whip

6 C. Boiling Water

3 C. Ice Cubes

Starting with the bottom layer, Grape/ Purple Jello, mix in 1 C. Boiling Water until dissolved.

Then mix in 1/2 C. Ice Cubes and mix until dissolved.

Finally mix in 1/2 C. Cool Whip and mix until dissolved.

Pour into a 9x13 pan and refrigerate for 45 minutes until set. Continue on to the Blue/ Blue Raspberry layer using the same steps. Repeat for the Green, Yellow, Orange and Red layers, waiting 45 minutes between each layer so the Jello sets. Once the Red layer is set, smooth 1 C. of Cool Whip on top! Super, easy, super time consuming, SUPER YUMMY!!! Top with rainbow sprinkles if you wish!!

Swirled Shortbread Cookies!

One of my top 10 very favorite cookie recipes! And they actually TASTE as good as they LOOK! (I swear they taste just like the cookies from the bakery!) I like how you can personalize these for each holiday or party theme! Eat them alone or with hot chocolate!!! YUM! (This makes ALOT I usually cut the dough in half, wrap it in saran wrap, place in a Freezer Ziplock Bag, and place in the freezer for another day!)

Ingredients:

1 C. Sugar

1 C. Powdered Sugar

2 C. Butter Flavored Crisco

1 tsp. Vanilla

1 Egg

4 1/3 C. Cake Flour- VERY important. Has to be CAKE Flour

3/4 tsp. Baking Soda

3/4 tsp. Baking Powder

1/4 tsp. Salt

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375. In a medium bowl, cream together sugars and
shortening using an electric mixer for about 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Slowly
add vanilla and beaten egg while mixing.
In a separate bowl, whisk cake flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
Gradually add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture, mixing on slow speed
until just blended. Set aside half of the dough and color it pink. You now have
two dough balls; cut these both in half, so that you have four dough balls. (2 white and 2 pink)

This recipe will make 2 cookie dough rolls. Roll out each of the dough balls
until they are ¼ inch thick. You can use wax paper, and to keep the dough from sticking, use powdered sugar!

Place the pink doughs over top the white doughs
and roll them out just a little bit. Trim the dough until it is a nice, clean cut rectangle.

Roll up the flattened doughs and roll around in sprinkles!

Slice the cookie dough rolls into 1/2 in slices and bake for 9-10 minutes. Let cool on pan for 5 minutes before removing them to a cooling rack.

Tip: You can use these little ball sprinkles, but they are hard and crunchy, we prefer the Jimmy sprinkles, because they are soft but still add the sprinkle fun!

p.s. I got the cookie recipe from here, it's suppose to be a copycat recipe of Paradise Bakery's famous Sugar Cookie, but it reminds me way more of a shortbread cookie!

Also I got the idea of the swirl effect and sprinkles from here!div>