31 August 2012

Sept 2 - 8

Next week is
National Waffle Week
and since I think I'd do much better eating pancakes every day
instead of waffles (which I like, but not as much as pancakes - I think
it's because waffle irons are a pain in the neck
to clean),
I'm encouraging you to check out this site for some
waffle inspiration.

You're welcome.

30 August 2012

July Crafts

I know it's not July anymore.
And I really did have these done before July ended -
it was even before Independence Day,
but it's taken me this long to take pictures and post it.

When the kids and I went to visit family in June,
I took some wood scraps with me and we made some cutie
4th of July crafts.
Because we like to change the decor with the holidays.
 flag made with 2x4s and ribbon


 'Old Glory' with 2x3s and paper - it seems a little bare,
so maybe next year I'll add some kind of embellishment.
Or maybe not.  
We didn't use vinyl on these.  I just made the letters large in PowerPoint,
printed them, made them darker with a marker, and then
ModPodged them on.


firecracers with 2x2, paper, and pipe cleaners

September

Well, we missed a few fun holidays between today and
the last post, but have no fear....
they can all be celebrated next year!

So as we anticipate the next month on Saturday, let's start out by naming a few
monthly celebrations you might decide to participate in during September.

Grab a spatula, some pancake batter and start flippin'!
All American Breakfast Month
(or you could scramble eggs, toast bread, pour cereal from the box - what's more
All American than cold cereal with cartoon characters on the box?  Of course,
I'm just assuming that started here - I really don't know so if I'm wrong, please don't stress about it.
I've been wrong on a couple occasions in the past.)

Expecting a bundle of joy?  Is your baby meeting a new
milestone?  Do you have all the baby gates and 
cupboard locks you feel are necessary?  What better time to get it done than
Baby Safety Month
Get info and tips on keeping your precious bundle safe here.

Do you love free books?  Head to your local library for
Library Card Sign-Up Month
I LOVE the library, probably because I am often reading more than
one book at any given time - right now it's three
(The Three Musketeers by Dumas, The Clouds by Aristophanes,
and The Red Badge of Courage by Crane) -
but I especially love being able to take my children there and check out a bagful of books.
Cuz the kids around here LOVE to read, too!

There are so many more monthly celebrations in September, but those are the ones
I'm highlighting today.

But I won't leave without letting you know some menu planning ideas for next month,
since September is also:
apple month
chili peppers and figs month
go wild during california wild rice month
low cholesterol, low fat pizza bake month
chicken month
fruit & veggies month
honey month
mushroom month
organic harvest month
prime beef month
rice month
passion fruit and peach month
peas and radish month
whole grains month

If that doesn't give you some menu ideas, I don't know what will.
Unless of course it's September 2 - 8, which is
National Waffle Week
(for great ideas other than pancake/waffle batter to try in your waffle iron, check out this site!)
or the 22nd, which is
Ice Cream Cone Day

Enjoy!

18 August 2012

Still a Fun Weekend

I ended up going into so much detail about geocaching that I ran
out of time for Sunday's holiday, and I
wanted to be sure to post what it is before it's too late for you to get 
the necessary supplies.
Sunday is 
Black Cow Root Beer Float Day
It'll be a delicious celebration around here, that's for sure!

17 August 2012

Fun Weekend

I hope that you've had a week with less
Screaming than I have.  Our daughter is about to turn five,
And I think the anticipation is causing her some problems.
And how do you work through your problems when you're four?
Scream. Scream. SCREAMMMMMM!!

So we've had some extra timeouts the past few days,
And I've tried to remember extra hugs.

Have you ev geocached?  One of my college roommates introduced me to it.
It's pretty enjoyable, especially if you like treasure hunts.
But more especially if you have a GPS.
It is kind of a requirement.
Basically, you go to the geocaching website.
Pick a geocached to check out.
Gather any necessary items.
Grab your GPS and try to find it.
Still don't understand?
A geocached is something that someone created and then hid near a specific
GPS coordinate.  It might be a film canister, an old ammunition box - really
Anything that will survive the weather conditions, since it will epboably be outside.
Then you post the coordinates on the website and tell potential visitors what they will need to do
When they find your cache.
This could be trading an item for one that's in your cache or maybe signing something. 
They find it, do the thing, and then you can go back to the website and share your experience.
It's pretty fun.
And what better time to try it than tomorrow?
Because tomorrow is 
International Geocaching Day
Try it out.
It might be your new favorite family activity.

14 August 2012

Anyone Got a BFF?

While I know 'got' is not the grammatically correct way to word
the title of this post, I'm gonna go with it.
Yes, yes, I'm also aware that 'gonna' is not much better than the title.
I guess we'll all just have to deal, and try not to dwell.

Tomorrow is 
Best Friends Day.
So if you've got a best friend, let 'em know.
You could send flowers, a letter,
cookies or candy if they've a sweet tooth,
or a phone call would be ideal for many BFF's these days.
 Whatever you do, thank them for being a good friend, which 
they obviously are, since they are your best friend, right?  And if they're not a good friend,
then maybe it's time to get a new one.

Thursday is
National Airborne Day.
The first time the US Army used paratroopers in combat was 
during WWII in 1942.  I'm pretty sure that one of my 
grandpa's brothers was a paratrooper back then.
I am so grateful for military personnel, current and past.
They have sacrificed so much for me to make this country what it is and what it can be.
I am proud to be a military spouse, and while it was difficult to have 
Mr MPP in Afghanistan while our oldest daughter
was a baby, I'd make the sacrifice again if needed.
And HOOAH to you, paratroopers, for being so brave to head into
combat from the air.

Scrabble Week

I've been a little remiss in getting this post up,
but there's still time to celebrate
National Scrabble Week!

It runs from the 11 - 15, so there's still today and tomorrow
to get your words on.
Mr MPP and I have played one game every night so far.
Last night, I scored my all-time high of 351!!
I could hardly believe it.

And in honor of Scrabble Week, I made some cookies that 
Mr MPP took to work this morning.
 Here's a picture of the ones we kept and ate:

And here's what our board looked like on Saturday after our first match:
So far, I've won every game.
Hopefully Mr MPP can win tonight and/or tomorrow, or we might
not be celebrating this next August.

08 August 2012

Garden Much?

It may be too late for you, but did you know that today is
Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor's Porch Night?
Did you even know that that is a holiday?
Well, it is.
And I am glad that I picked up some zucchini when I went shopping this week,
since we do not currently have a garden.
Maybe next year.
When our backyard doesn't look like this:
 Or this, which is what the current situation is.

But if it's too late for you to be sneaky, why not
celebrate Friday's
S'more Day!
Oh yeah, you'd better believe I picked up some marshmallows and chocolate
bars when I was at the grocery store.  We'll probably do it after the kids
are in bed, since that's how we do a lot of things that involve 
sugar around here.
It's not too difficult to keep my kids from eating too much junk food,
but I love it.

And don't forget about the weekend - there are two
holidays that you might enjoy.
Saturday is
National Garage Sale Day
and both Saturday and Sunday are
Kool-Aid Day

So grab some cash, something super sweet to drink, and enjoy your weekend!

Pioneer Cupcakes

I'm slightly embarrassed to admit, but it really did take until today
to discover that I had the camera cord this whole time.
Oops!  But at long last, here
are the pictures of the adorable pioneer cupcakes made for the celebration last month.
Please excuse the video...I had it on the wrong setting, but I thought
it had the truest color.


Chocolate cupcakes, chocolate frosting,
Quaker Oh's for the wheels, and Wilton's Sugar Sheets for the wagon canvas.
Even though some people thought it was paper, I hope that they realized it wasn't when
they touched it to take it off the cupcake.
The whole batch.  I did as many wagons as I could from one sugar sheet.
They weren't all even, but that's just how I roll sometimes...
I wing it.
In case you're wondering, I picked up my sugar sheets from JoAnn's.
But I've seen them at Walmart and Michael's, too...you could probably
pick them up at any craft or cake store that sells Wilton products.