Tag: whole heartily

How to Play – Sophie’s Seashell Scramble

Part of the fun in raising Zoey is finding things that delight and educate her; I want to find fun, creative board games to play with her during our family game nights! This week we played Sophie’s Seashell Scramble by Educational Insights for up to 4 players! 

Zoey has loved this game since before she even knew how to play! She would pull everything out and play with the Sophie and the seashells, honestly it’s surprising that there are no missing pieces! Then we learned how to play the game together, and she loves it even more! She loves picking up the shells with the Sophie pincers; we find it super fun and easy collecting and replacing the seashells to the mats and back.

Let’s play!

IN THE BOX
  • A game-board (part of the box)
  • A Sophie pincer
  • A spinner
  • 20 seashells in five patterns
  • 4 seashell snack mats
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Remove everything from the game box, then scatter the seashells onto the seascape on the inside bottom of the box.
  2. Give each player a seashell snack mat.
  3. The youngest player takes the first turn. Play then passes to the left of that player and onward.
  4. On your turn, spin the spinner, pick up the Sophie pincers, and follow the directions below according to your spin. Then it’s the next player’s turn!
    • Pattern: Find a shell that matches the pattern (the color of the shell doesn’t matter) and use Sophie to pick it up and place it on your seashell snack mat.
    • One Shell: Pick any one shell from the seascape and use Sophie to pick it up and place it on your seashell snack mat.
    • Two Shells: Pick any two shells from the seascape and use Sophie to pick them up and place them on your seashell snack mat.
    • Big Wave: A big wave is crashing the shell-collecting party. All players lose a shell back to the seascape.
    • Hungry Otter: Use Sophie to take any shell from another player and place it on the matching space on your seashell snack mat.
    • Otto the Octopus: Take any shell from for seashell snack mat and place it on the table next to Otto. Spin the spinner, if you land on Otto or the pattern that matches the shell you chose you can take your shell back and take any other shell from the seascape. If you don’t land on Otto or the pattern that matches your shell, Otto tosses your shell back into the seascape.
  5. If you’re the first player to collect all of the shells to match the ones on your seashell snack mat, you win!

ENJOY!

How to Play – Hi Ho! Cherry-O!

Part of the fun in raising Zoey is finding things that delight and educate her; I want to find fun, creative board games to play with her during our family game nights! This week we played Hi Ho! Cherry-O by Milton Bradley! 

Zoey has loved this game since before she even knew how to play! She would pull everything out and sort the fruits by color or put the puzzle together, honestly it’s surprising that there are no missing pieces! Then we learned how to play the game together, and she loves it even more! She loves counting out the fruits; we find it super fun and easy collecting and replacing the fruit to the baskets and back. 

Let’s play!

IN THE BOX
  • A game-board
  • A spinner
  • A puzzle
  • 10 “apples”
  • 10 “blueberries”
  • 10 “cherries”
  • 10 “oranges”
  • 4 baskets
INSTRUCTIONS (CLASSIC)
  1. Place each basket in the game-board hole to the left of its matching color tree/bush.
  2. Each player chooses a tree/bush and places the matching colored fruit in each of the game-board holes.
  3. The puzzle is only for co-operative games so place it back in the box.
  4. The player whose birthday comes next takes the first turn. Play then passes to the left of that player and onward.
  5. On your turn, spin the spinner, then follow the directions below according to your spin. Then it’s the next player’s turn.
    • One Fruit: Pick one fruit from your tree/bush and put it in your basket.
      • Two Fruits: Pick two fruits from your tree/bush and put them in your basket.
      • Three Fruits: Pick three fruits from your tree/bush and put them in your basket.
      • Four Fruits: Pick four fruits from your tree/bush and put them in your basket.
      • Bird or Dog: Someone’s nibbling at your fruit! Take two fruits out of your basket and place them back on your tree/bush (if you only have one fruit, put that one back. If you have none, do nothing).
        • Spilled Basket: Uh-Oh! Take all of the fruits out of your basket, and place them back on your tree/bush.
  6. If you’re the first player to have all 10 fruits in your basket say “HI HO! CHERRY-O!” You win!
INSTRUCTIONS (CO-OPERATIVE)
  1. Place each basket in the game-board hole to the left of its matching color tree/bush.
  2. Each player chooses a tree/bush and places the matching colored fruit in each of the game-board holes.
  3. Break up the puzzle and place the pieces facedown near the game-board.
  4. The player whose birthday comes next takes the first turn. Play then passes to the left of that player and onward.
  5. On your turn, spin the spinner, then follow the directions below according to your spin. Then it’s the next player’s turn.
    • One Fruit: Pick one fruit from your tree/bush and put it in your basket.
    • Two Fruits: Pick two fruits from your tree/bush and put them in your basket.
    • Three Fruits: Pick three fruits from your tree/bush and put them in your basket.
    • Four Fruits: Pick four fruits from your tree/bush and put them in your basket.
    • Dog: Remove one fruit from your basket and place it back on the matching tree/bush (if you have none, do nothing).
    • Spilled Basket: Remove two fruits from your basket, and place them back on your tree/bush (if you only have one fruit, put that one back. If you have none, do nothing).
    • Bird: Turn one piece of the bird puzzle face up. Every time you turn over a puzzle piece, try to fit it into the bird puzzle. If you can’t do this leave it face up until it fits.
  6. The players win if they pick all the fruits and say “HI HO! CHERRY-O!”, before the puzzle is completed. The bird wins if the puzzle gets completed before all the fruit is picked.

ENJOY!

Homemade Cherry Nutmeg Muffins

Welcome back friends! Summertime is still a good time for baked treats, especially muffins made with fresh cherries! I baked these cherry nutmeg muffins for my family, and they are perfect for breakfast or brunch! Let me show you how to make them!

INGREDIENTS
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened 
  • 1 cup of sugar
  • 1 cup of milk
  • 1 teaspoon of almond extract
  • 2 teaspoons of baking powder
  • 2 cups of flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons of nutmeg
  • 2 cups of cherries, pitted and quartered
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 375 F and spray a jumbo muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.
  2. In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and sugar.
  3. Add the milk and almond extract to the butter/sugar combination and whisk until well incorporated, then set it aside.
  4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the baking powder, flour and nutmeg.
  5. Slowly add the dry ingredients in to the wet ingredients and mix until they are a well combined batter. Set the batter aside.
  6. After pitting and quartering the cherries, pat them dry with a paper towel and then dust them with flour (so they won’t sink to the bottom of your muffins) and gently fold them into the batter.
  7. Scoop the batter into the prepared jumbo muffin tin, filling each mould 3/4 of the way full.
  8. Bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of each comes out clean!
  9. Allow to cool and enjoy!

How to Safely Brew Sun Tea

I have fond memories of my mom and my grandma making sun tea outside when I was a child. I never really drank any until I hit my pre-teen to teenage years, but it always looked so good glowing in the sunshine!

Now I know there is some controversy surrounding sun tea, regarding bacterial growth, and this can happen! If you do not correctly clean out the beverage container or dispenser between each use, if you leave the tea out in the sun for longer than 4 hours and/or if you put any sweetener or fruit in before setting it in the sunshine, there is the potential for harmful bacterial growth!

Fear not friends! I’ve made and drank multiple batches of sun tea with no problems! I’ve written instructions below on what to do to keep your sun tea clean and healthy! Let’s make some!

INGREDIENTS
  • Filtered water
  • Glass beverage container or dispenser
  • Tea bags
  • Honey, optional
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Wash your glass beverage container or dispenser thoroughly with hot, soapy water and rinse well (if you are using a dispenser, this includes the spigot).
  2. Fill the container with clean, filtered water.
  3. Select which tea bags you would like to use and place them in the container with the tags on the outside. I used three tea bags for two quarts of water, but you can select how many for how strong you want your tea.
  4. Replace the lid on the container and set it outside in the sun for up to 4 hours, but no longer! If you leave it in the sun too long, there is a higher chance of bacterial growth!
  5. Once the tea is done, bring it inside and add any sweetener while it’s still warm from the sunshine. I used a few spoonfuls of my ginger and lemon infused honey.
  6. Once the sweetener of your choice has been stirred in to the warm tea, place the container in the refrigerator to chill.
  7. Enjoy!

How to Dye Cotton Flour Sack Towels

I wonder why white dish towels are so popular? They are nearly impossible to keep stainless and who wants stained and dirty looking dish towels hanging in the kitchen? Trying something new, I purchased a 5-pack of white flour sack towels and dyed them blue! Let me show you how!

SUPPLIES
  • Cotton flour-sack towels
  • Plastic table cover 
  • Paper towels
  • Rubber gloves
  • Plastic container or stainless steel sink
  • Large metal spoon
  • 1 teaspoon of dishwashing detergent
  • 1 cup of salt
  • Rit All-Purpose Dye (liquid)
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. To remove any finishes that may interfere with dye absorption, pre-wash the flour sack towels in warm, soapy water without any fabric softener.
  2. Prepare your workspace. If you do not have an asphalt driveway to work on like myself, cover your workspace with plastic table cover and have paper towels handy to protect against any possible spills.
  3. To protect your hands from hot water and staining, please wear rubber gloves.
  4. Fill a plastic container or stainless steel sink with enough water for the fabric to move freely when stirred. This water should ideally be 140°F. My tap did not get hot enough, so I used an electric kettle to heat the water and it worked out well!
  5. To enhance the color in cotton: add 1 cup of salt and 1 teaspoon of dish detergent.
  6. Shake the liquid dye well and add it to the dye-bath.
  7. Test the color by dipping a paper towel into the dye-bath. If color is too light, add more dye. If color is too dark, add more water. I used the whole 8 oz. bottle of dye in a plastic bucket filled 2/3 of the way full with water.
  8. Wet the towels, squeeze out any excess water, and add them to the dye-bath.
  9. The first 10 minutes are the most critical, stir slowly and continuously to ensure an even color.
  10. The towels can remain in the dye-bath from 10 minutes up to one hour with stirring. I left mine in for about 45 minutes.
  11. When the desired color is achieved, remove the towels from the dye-bath. Keep in mind that the fabric will look darker when wet and will dry lighter.
  12. Rinse the towels in cool water until the water begins to run clear.
  13. Wash them in warm water with a mild detergent, rinse and dry.
  14. Enjoy!

The Reluctant Dragon’s Pineapple Upside Down Cake Recipe

Welcome back friends! This week we’ll be baking miniature pineapple upside down cakes from Disney’s The Reluctant Dragon.

This recipe is featured when the dragon recites his poem “To An Upside-Down Cake” to the boy and Sir Giles.

Sweet little upside-down cake,

Cares and woes, you’ve got’em,

Poor little upside-down cake,

Your top is on your bottom.

Alas, little upside-down cake,

Your troubles never stop,

Because, little upside-down cake,

Your bottom’s on your top.

Now I do not see a pineapple nor cherry on his little cake, so I took artistic liberty and chose pineapple upside down cake; I have no regrets! These little cakes are delicious! My favorite part is the topping, all that brown sugar, mmmm!

INGREDIENTS

CAKES

  • 4 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1/4 cup of dark brown sugar, packed
  • 1 1/4 cups of granulated sugar 
  • 1/2 cup of pineapple juice 
  • 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons of baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons of cornstarch
  • 1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon of salt

TOPPING

  • 6 tablespoons of unsalted butter
  • 1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar (packed) 
  • 1/8 teaspoon of salt 
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
  • 10-12 pineapple rings
  • 10-12 maraschino cherries
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Pre-heat oven to 350 F. Spray a jumbo muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
  2. Crack the eggs into a large mixing bowl and whisk until smooth. 
  3. Add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, pineapple juice and vanilla, then whisk again until smooth. 
  4. In a separate bowl, sift together the baking powder, cinnamon, cornstarch, flour and salt.
  5. Gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and whisk until just combined (be sure not to over mix), then set the mixture aside while you make the topping. 
  6. In a small sauce pan, melt the butter over medium to low heat. 
  7. Add the brown sugar, salt, and vanilla.
  8. Cook for one minute, whisking constantly, then remove the saucepan from the heat. 
  9. Spoon two tablespoons of the topping into the bottom of each muffin tin, then place a pineapple ring over that with a cherry in the middle.
  10. Divide the cake batter evenly among the prepared tins, filling each muffin tin 3/4 of the way full. 
  11. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are puffed and golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. 
  12. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Gently run a knife around the edge of each cake to help loosen any stuck bits, then gently place a wire cooling rack over a sheet pan (to help with the drips) on top and quickly flip over.
  13. Allow to cool and enjoy!

Ginger and Lemon Infused Honey

Welcome back friends! I find homeopathic preventative care and remedies absolutely fascinating, and I am more than willing to give them a try!

This lemon and ginger infused honey is deliciously healthy for you! Ginger contains anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that have been known to help remedy stomach issues, combat cold and/or flu viruses and improve brain and heart health. Lemon is a natural detoxifier and contains antibacterial and antiviral properties. It’s also full of antioxidants and vitamin c to help boost the immune system. Raw honey has (you guessed it) even more antibacterial, antiviral, and antioxidant properties! It also contains enzymes that promote healthy gut flora and can help boost immunity and fight infection.

So many preventative and cleansing properties and it’s so easy to create and implement into everyday use! I personally create and use it to sweeten my tea. But it can also be taken by the spoonful or incorporated in to dishes!

Let’s make some!

INGREDIENTS
  • Fresh ginger, peeled
  • Lemon, sliced
  • Unpasteurized raw honey
  • Wooden spoon
  • Jar
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. First, sterilize the jar and lid. Wash them thoroughly with hot, soapy water and rinse well. Then submerge the jar lid in boiling water for 5 minutes and the jar for 10 minutes.
  2. Wash the ginger and peel it with a spoon, then thinly slice it into rounds. 
  3. Wash the lemon and thinly slice it into rounds.
  4. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of honey to the jar, then begin alternating layers of ginger, lemon and honey until you’ve used all the ingredients and the ginger and lemon have been fully submerged (leave a small space at the top for the gases to build up).
  5. Use a wooden spoon to gently stir and move the ingredients around. This is to make sure the honey fully reaches all of the ginger and lemon with no air bubbles.
  6. Seal the lid and leave it to ferment for about two weeks in a cool dark place. During this time you will need to “burp” the jar daily. This means you must open the lid briefly to allow any built up gasses to release, then close it back up!
  7. Once fermentation is done and the honey has reached your desired taste, move the whole jar into the refrigerator to halt the fermentation process.

*Like most fermented foods, just keep an eye out for bad smells, mold, and other signs of spoilage. This doesn’t happen often, but if it does, it’s time to start a new ferment.

How to Play – Save the Bee

Part of the fun in raising Zoey is finding things that delight and educate her; I want to find fun, creative board games to play with her during our family game nights! This week I found a game called Save the Bee by Gamie. Which is essentially a Jenga-type game with a bee atop a honeycomb. Each player takes turns removing pieces of the honeycomb and whoever drops the bee, loses.

Zoey loves this game and has pretty much contributed to the bee falling every time we’ve played, but that does not stop her from enjoying it! Or requesting that I stack the honeycombs back up immediately to play again. My only gripe would be that it is slightly inconvenient to re-stack the honeycomb, but other than that, it is a wonderful game to play with children!

IN THE BOX
  • A base
  • 2 sides
  • 45 honeycomb pieces
  • A cardboard honeycomb shape
  • 2 wands
  • A spinner
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Snap the 2 sides of the honeycomb into the base.
  2. Slide the honeycomb shaped cardboard piece into the base behind the sides and lay the whole thing down.
  3. Arrange the individual honeycomb pieces within the base and sides until they reach the top, then gently stand the whole thing upright and carefully remove the cardboard piece.
  4. Gently set the bee on the top center honeycomb and you’re ready to begin!
  5. Each player gets a wand and then takes turns spinning the spinner and removing a honeycomb piece of the same color they land on. If they land on space with multicolor honeycombs, they can remove a piece in the color of their choice. If they land on the prohibition symbol, they lose a turn.
  6. There are no rules that mention what happens if a player accidentally knocks out more than one honeycomb piece, we’ve just decided to let them fall and keep playing!
  7. Enjoy!

DIY – Bee Watering Station

Whether you keep a garden or not, bees are so essential to the plant life around us! They need water too, and sometimes sources of water are too deep for them to safely reach. To aid the bees while they are pollinating our plants, let’s create a decorative water dish for them to safely get a drink and keep moving!

SUPPLIES
  • 1 plant saucer
  • 1 plant pot (smaller than the plant saucer)
  • Small, foam paint brush
  • Paint palette (or a tray for your paint)
  • Non-toxic acrylic paint
  • Mod Podge
  • Glass gem marbles
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Wipe the plant pot and saucer clean with a damp rag and allow to them to dry.
  2. To prime and seal the plant pot and saucer, spread an even layer of Mod Podge on them with a small foam paint brush. Allow them to dry before switching sides and/or applying new layers.
  3. Once the Mod Podge is dry, begin painting the plant pot and saucer with whichever color of non-toxic acrylic paint you prefer! Allow them to dry before switching sides and/or applying new layers.
  4. Apply the paint in layers until you’re happy with the color and texture.
  5. Once the paint is dry, seal the plant pot and saucer again with even layers Mod Podge. Allow them to dry before switching sides and/or applying new layers.
  6. Once the Mod Podge is dry, flip the plant saucer over and find its center. Place the bottom of the plant pot centered on the bottom of the plant saucer and use a pencil to trace around the edge.
  7. Remove the plant pot and carefully apply an even trail of glue just inside the traced circle on the bottom of the plant saucer.
  8. Immediately place the bottom of the plant pot on the bottom of the plant saucer over the circle of glue and press down gently. Leave the assembled water dish as it is, upside down, for at least 24 hours to dry before moving it.
  9. Now, Mod Podge should be left to fully cure for at least 3 weeks before filling the dish with water. Allow the Mod Podge to fully cure before moving on to the next step!
  10. Once the Mod Podge has fully cured (you will know it is when it is no longer tacky to the touch), fill the water dish with glass gem marbles and then with water.
  11. Place the Bee water station outdoors to hydrate those bees!
  12. Enjoy!

DIY – Felt Pie

What child (or inner child) doesn’t love preparing toy food in a play kitchen? 

I had a play kitchen when I was a little girl and loved preparing pie for myself, my sister and my parents. Now that I’m grown and have a daughter of my own, I want to make her some handcrafted play food so she can enjoy making meals for everyone during play, or while we cook in the kitchen next to her!

Please feel free to use these patterns to create some play food for you and yours! This pattern will make one slice of pie. I made 6 slices total to create a whole pie. You can duplicate it as much as you want to make multiple pieces of each food!

SUPPLIES
PiePatternsDownload
  • Pie patterns (see above) 
  • Paper scissors
  • Light tan felt material
  • Red felt material (or whichever color you want for the pie’s interior)
  • Fiberfill stuffing
  • Sewing pins
  • Sewing scissors
  • Sewing needle
  • Embroidery floss (light tan and red or whichever color you choose for the pie’s interior)
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Print out the pie pattern I’ve provided, then cut the patterns from the paper.
  2. Pin the patterns on the appropriate colored felt, then use sewing scissors to cut the felt.
  3. Thread a sewing needle with red embroidery floss to sew the pie filling together.
  4. Using a whipstitch, begin sewing along one of the short edges of the pie filling, conceal the knots in between the two pieces of felt.
  5. Pin the red vent piece to the top crust piece and use red embroidery floss to whipstitch the vent “hole” in place.
  6. Thread a sewing needle with light tan embroidery floss and whipstitch the triangular shape of the pie filling to the triangular shape of the bottom crust. Conceal the knots inside.
  7. Continue using light tan embroidery floss to whipstitch the triangular shape of the top crust to the triangular other side of the pie filling. Conceal the knots inside.
  8. Align the back crust to the open back end of the pie we’ve already stitched together. This piece will be taller than the main pie structure and that’s perfect! We are going to fold the excess down to create the edge of the crust!
  9. Beginning at the top of one side of the filling, whipstitch down the filling, along the bottom crust then up the other side of the filling. Stop here to stuff the pie.
  10. Stuff the inside of the pie with fiberfill, then continue stitching the back crust to the top crust. Conceal the knots inside.
  11. Fold the extra felt down to create the edge of the crust and stitch along where the end meets the back of the pie. Conceal the knots inside.
  12. Stuff the edge of the crust with fiberfill and then sew the sides shut to keep the stuffing in. Conceal the knots inside.
  13. Repeat steps 2 through 12 five more times for a full pie!
  14. Enjoy!