Smore Pizza

 

This was such a great yummy treat to take to a pot luck.  The recipe was so easy and it taste delicious.  I originally found the recipe on you guessed it Pinterest.    So here is the recipe I followed.

S'mores Pizza

for pizza dough

recipe from allrecipes

3 c. all-purpose flour

1 package active dry yeast

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp white sugar

1 c. warm water (110 degrees F)

for pizza toppings

1/2 tbsp butter, melted

1 tbsp sugar

4 graham crackers, crumbled

3 cups of marshmallows

15 fun sized Hershey's bars, broken into smaller pieces or Chocolate Chips

Preheat the oven to 375°F. 

Combine flour, salt, sugar and yeast in a large bowl. Mix in oil and water. Kneed dough with your hands and roll out half of the dough on a pizza stone or baking sheet. I only used half of the pizza dough so if you want to use the entire dough then double the amount of pizza toppings. 

Once the pizza dough is rolled out, brush melted butter on pizza dough and sprinkle pizza edges with sugar. Top pizza with graham cracker crumbs, chocolate pieces, marshmallows. Bake pizza for 20 minutes. Eat right out of the oven

Here is 1/2 the dough rolled out on my pizza stone, covered in butter and the edge sprinkled with course sugar.

Now to add the toppings.   I didn't use 3 cups of marshmellows I don't think but just enough to cover the crust.  I also didn't have any mini chocolate bars so I used chocolate chips instead.

I really think using 1/2 the dough is a great idea cause it wasn't too thick and fluffy.  It really made a nice thin crust.

What a great way to enjoy the Smore taste in the the spring.

DIY headband

 

So a couple of weeks ago as I was blog hopping...something I LOVE to do during nap time.  I came across this awesome tutorial for a "Ridiculously easy baby headband" after reading how easy this head band was I pinned it to my into the craft room board knowing that I had a pair of little girl tights in my sewing basket that I could use for this project.   

Seriously the title is so bang on to this project.  You simple take some tights or pantyhose that you have laying around the house.  And if you don't have any used ones you can buy some at the dollar store.  You can follow the tutorial from the original blog cause she has some pictures but all you have to do is cut the leg and foot off of the tights and tie into a knot.  Ta-da...how simple and easy is that.  I made this cute little white one for Lady J in 5 minutes and she even got a compliment on it that night when we were out with some friends :)  

Recipe holder

A few years back I wrote a post on how I made this recipe holder.  To sum it up I basically used a plastic 4*6 picture plastic picture frame that I purchased at the dollar store.   Added some stickers that said Kate's Kitchen and ta da I had a way to keep my recipes upright and clean while I was cooking.  

Well sadly just a couple of weeks ago my beautiful kitchen helper Lady J dropped it on the floor and it broke so it was time to create a new one.   I mean why not a new kitchen should have a new recipe holder. 

So here it is my new recipe holder!!!   I did the same thing.  Plastic picture frame from dollar store and colorful stickers.  

Rock pets

Hey welcome to Pin it Thursday.  Sorry I have been off the blogging wagon but my camera died and I have been a little sad but my husband told me how we could fix this so until we get a new one you are stuck with Instagram and phone photos. 

Here is one activity I saw on Pinterest a long time ago and thought it would be a fun craft to do with the kids.  They are rock monsters that we are going to put into our flower garden for decorations. 

Eben is old enough to use real paint but I was worried about Jaelyn cause she still puts everything into her month.  So I mixed up a batch of vanilla pudding paint for her.  Because I want her to learn NOT to put the stuff in her month I still told her not to do it when she was trying to eat the "paint".   But because it was just pudding I didn't I have to be too concerned. 

As Jaelyn got painting I did realize a few things.  Like I should have striped her down to her diaper before we started.  By the end of our painting fun she was so covered in all the paint that it was hard to get her undressed and into a bath. 

 I took 2 days to do this craft with the kids since I wanted the paint to dry.  So the first day we picked out the colors and painted the rocks.  Then yesterday we glued on the eyes and drew on their mouths.

I think they turned out so cute.  I hope we get some good weather this weekend to finish up our flower gardens and put these little guys in their new home. 

So tell me what are you pinning on Pinterest?? 

braids

Here is a summer hair style that I am loving right now!!  I saw one of my friends wearing her hair like this on facebook and asked her how she did it.  She gave me the run down and this is what I came up with.

I don't really have much luck with back combing to get lots of volume on the top of my head. I have tried and tried but I think my hair is just too thin.  But you can back comb to get some volume on the top and pull half of your hair up on the top of your head and into a bun.  Mine usually is a messy bun.  Then you take the bottom part of your hair and part it in two.  Create two braids one on the left side and one on the right side.  

Then you bring them up and bobby pin them across the top of your head.  I always add a flower clip to it was well.  And there you go a quick way to wear your hair this summer! 

Lego fun

This little boy loves lego.  He spends hours creating all sorts of creations and then making stories with them.  It has been such a joy to see him be so creative.  And what a blessing it was to be able to get him all this lego for Christmas off of Kijiji for only $25.  

For our school time this week I decided to write out the numbers 1-10 on recipe cards.  Then I told Eben that he was to count out the number on each card but the lego had to match the color on the card as well.  I think orginally I was thinking that he would just count out the lego and place all the piece on the card.  I should have know he is more creative then that. 

By number 3 he was making creations. 

He loved this little game.  Next time we are going to try numbers 11-20.  I will use two different colors to make those numbers so he can use two different colors to make even bigger creations. 

Praying for our kids

Here is something that I found on pinterest that I really love and started doing this month.  Its 31 things to pray over your kids.  I started this month and lucky for me there are 31 days in April!  I posted this right in the middle of the fridge cause that is one place that I open everyday so its easy for me to remember and not forget a day.

Blanket time

We just finished teaching Jaelyn how to do blanket time and I wish we would have done it earier.  It has made school time, game time with Eben, story time and prayer time so much better.   Before blanket time these times would be stressful for all of us.  Jaelyn  would be her exploriative self and be climbing onto everything, getting into everything and making these times not very fun for us.  So we started blanket time; a thing we first heard about when I read 20 and counting by Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar.   What you do is lay out a blanket (this is her special blanket) and on the blanket you can add 1-3 different toys.  She likes her duck and a book at night and in the morning while I do school work with Eben she gets blocks to build towers with along with Duckie. 

I simply tell Jaelyn in a very excited voice that its blanket time as I lay out the blanket for her.  Then she gets on and starts playing.  She usually will last in the morning for 20-30 minutes and in the evening its long even to read Eben a bed time story and pray together.  When you are first teaching them to stay on the blanket you keep telling them every minute or so that they are doing a great job having blanket time.   I also stayed close to her during the first week.  Now I can leave her in the living room while I give Eben school instructions and she is fine to play and entertain herself.

We even hauled out the blanket this weekend when we had guest for both her and Eben to sit on to read while Micah and I had adult conversation with our guest.  It took a little while for Jaelyn to stay on her blanket with other people here but eventually she did it and we were able to sit and chat for 20 minutes or so.

Another friend of mine has started blanket time and posted these resources if you would like to read more on it.

Whats on the blanket
Blanket time video

Cookie dough dip

So the other night I was looking through my Sweet Treat board on Pinterest to see if anything sparked my eye to make to take to my friends house that evening as we were having a Duggar watching party.  I came across this chocolate chip cookie dough dip and decided that would be the prefect treat to take with some apples and Graham crackers. 

Cookie Dough Dip Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 8-ounce package cream cheese
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1 cup toffee bits

Instructions

1. Cream together cream cheese and butter.
2. Add all remaining ingredients and mix until well-combined.
3. Serve with graham crackers or apple wedges.

Notes

Do NOT use reduced fat cream cheese as it may cause your dip to have the wrong consistency.

The dip was so delicious.  I was thinking that you could make it and store it in little containers in the fridge and use it as Dunkaroo dip for kids lunches or snacks instead of buying the over priced high fat snacks. 

For more awesome crafty ideas and recipe head on over to I heart nap time!  

Pin it Thursday

Welcome to another Pin it Thursday.  This week its Easter edition so I am going to put together some awesome ideas for you and your family to do for Easter.  Here are a few things I found on pinterest today.


First here is a great movie that we recommend.  Its had become our good Friday tradition.  You can order it on Amazon.

This little Easter Story Hunt looks like a fun activity to do with kids

These little egg nest are a favorite to do here cause the kids can help mold the bird nest. 

These Easter Bunny Pretzels also look so fun for the kids to do! 

These bunny jar would make cute table decorations and also be good parting gifts for dinner guest. 

Please share with me some of your things you have pinned for Easter. 

Pancakes

I love having breakfast type meals for supper and since waffles and pancakes happen to be Ebens favorites it makes for a very nice supper meal when they just keep eating and eating. 

So I thought I would share our favorite pancake recipe with you. I found the recipe over at The Finer things in life a couple of years ago and we have been using it ever since.  

Buttermilk Pancakes

• 2 cup white flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/4 cup oil
• 2 eggs
• 2 c. buttermilk (I use 2 Tbsp. vinegar mixed into 2 cup of milk)

Combine dry ingredients in a small bowl.  Whisk together oil, eggs and buttermilk in larger bowl.  Add dry ingredients to wet.  Mix together.  Fry on griddle.  Flip when bubbly.

One trick that I like to do is I mix all the dry ingredients up in a zip lock bag or mason jar.  Then when we want pancakes we just have to get the wets and mix them together.  Its like having your own ready to go mix all made up!

Fishing letters

Here is a very fun school time activity we did last week.  I really love doing "school" time with Eben and now Jaelyn likes to get involved.  Some days she can take part but on days that its too over her head or she just ruins stuff she enjoys "blanket time" which I will post about later.  

I love how kids learn through games and playing.  They don't have to or shouldn't have to sit down be still and be quite to learn all the time.   I mean I don't learn very well like that so I am glad I have this time to work with him in a fun and interactive way.  Here is our fishing for letters game. 

I put all their magnetic letters into this yellow pail. 

Then we made little fishing rods out of wooden dowels, string and a paper clip.  This was also a good lesson to talk about metal and magnets. 

Then they both went fishing.  Trying to get their paper clip to stick to a letter.  Once they caught a letter they placed it onto this cookie sheet. 

As they pulled more letters out we spelt some words with them. 

Eben really had fun playing this game and even asked to play it when daddy came home and he had it out the next morning fishing again.  

He was very good at it.

I love how he spells his name everywhere these days.  In the mist of all those letters he had spelt out Eben. 

Mama had to help a little to spell out Jaelyn for him. 

Is there any "school" time games you guys do that your kids LOVE?