Three Bean Salad

This recipe came from my mom, and it is one of Camille's favorites. If I double it, people complain that there's not enough. So I have already doubled the recipe so when you double it, there will actually be enough.

Drain:

2 cans wax beans

2 cans green beans

1 can kidney beans

Chop 1 Cup of each:

onion

celery

green bell pepper

Mix it all up and marinate at least a few hours (or better yet overnight) in:

1 1/2 C Sugar 

1 C oil

1 C white distilled vinegar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

Tip: my mom taught me when you are doubling recipes you should never double the salt. True? I don't know, but I definitely follow this rule and have never been dissatisfied.

Lasagna

I thought I lost this recipe and nearly proceeded to have a heart attack. I can NEVER lose this recipe, and it's getting hard to read so it's definitely time to post it. It's just sooo easy and sooo delicious. I think I found it in a Kraft magazine. You know, those things we used to get recipes from before Pinterest and blogging were a thing. Without further ado, the best lasagna in the world.

16 oz. cottage cheese (2 cups)
2 1/2 C shredded Mozzarella Cheese, divided
1/2 C grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 T plus 1 tsp dried parsley
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 jar (26 oz) spaghetti sauce
1/2 C water
1 lb. ground beef, browned and drained (optional)
11 lasagna noodles, uncooked

1. Mix 1 1/4 C mozzarella cheese, 1/4 C Parmesan cheese, cottage cheese, parsley, and egg until well blended. Set aside.
2. Pour spaghetti sauce into meat skillet. Swish water in jar to get all spaghetti sauce and add.
3. Put one layer of the meat sauce on bottom of 8 x 11 in. baking dish.
4. Layer four lasagna noodles, 1/2 cheese mixture, and a layer of meat sauce. Repeat layer and top with remaining 4 noodles and sauce.
5. Sprinkle with remaining 1 1/4 C mozzarella cheese and 1/4 C Parmesan. Cover with foil and bake 45 minutes at 350.
6. Remove foil and bake 15 minutes or until bubbling. Let sit 5 minutes before serving.

Aunt Margie's Potato Salad

My dad used to hate potato salad. At a family gathering my mom noticed him take a token portion of potato salad. And then he went back for more. And more. So naturally she had to get the recipe. Thank you Aunt Margie.

10 small new potatoes (red potatoes) boiled with skins on; peel and dice while hot
10 hard boiled eggs
4 green onions
2 C real mayonnaise (original recipe calls for 3, but I find that to be too much)
2 T white vinegar
2 T sugar
1 tsp salt

How to Estimate Utility Bills

Picture Source

We are currently house hunting, and all of those uncertain expenses that come with owning a bigger home are weighing on my mind. We looked at a beautiful five bedroom home the other day, but with all that extra space would come a higher utility bill...as expected. But how much higher? How do you estimate those additional costs?

Through our local power company I found a resource for estimating your home energy cost. Your estimated cost will depend on the house details, your appliances, and your usage. If you are shopping for a new home, knowing the following about your potential house will help you accurately estimate your future energy costs:

• Is the home weatherized?
• By owner?
• By Professional?
• Wall insulation thickness
• Ceiling insulation thickness
• Floor insulation thickness
• Windows (single or double pane?)
• Type and age of heating system
• Type, age, and location of water heater
• Type (energy star?) and age of appliances that come with the house (stove, dishwasher, etc.)

This fun calculator will also give you tips on how you can decrease your energy costs in the future. It's a great tool that I will definitely be using when planning our budget for our future house!

How to Read Crochet Charts

I found this pattern on Pinterest for a crochet skirt.

I especially like the trim and thought it would be fun to crochet this to a slip and wear as a skirt extender, BUT...I don't know how to read crochet charts.

I did some researching and found a couple excellent resources for crocheting using a chart. Here is a pdf from Redheart yarn on how to read the symbols in a crochet chart. This tutorial shows you how to read the actual chart once you know what the symbols mean.

Skirt extenders add a little length to skirts a little too short to be comfortable and add a touch of femeninity to an otherwise ordinary outfit. Hopefully these will come in handy when I get around to making my fabulous skirt extender!

Slacker Blogger Clean Up

Peril of a slacker blogger: Posts from nearly one year ago still waiting to be published...

picture source

I attended a wonderful class last month last year at church on cleaning your home. There were some great tips that I want to remember, but I certainly don't need another piece of paper lying around waiting to be lost. So hopefully these tips and tricks turn out to be helpful! I'll update as I try them.

Have you ever thought about putting Rain X on your outside windows that get direct rain? You get fewer water marks and don't have to clean your windows as often!

Spot X is supposed to work miracles for getting hard water spots off your faucets. For the edges around your faucet, use a ceramic razor blade or plastic putty knife.

Pumice stones help remove hard water deposits and stains in toilet bowls.

Mr. Clean Magic Eraser works in the shower. I've never used it for anything other than crayons and pen marks an the wall {and let me tell you, I LOVE Mr. Clean. He's the second best man in my house!}

I guess it's time to clean the bathroom and see if these really work!

Random Act of Kindness

Today I had a rough morning. I know as a mother I’m supposed to be the one who holds it all together when everyone else is falling apart, but I just couldn’t do it today. One kid woke up cranky and got another kid cranky, and I joined the cranky team. My great wisdom and many years of experience failed me big time.

I seriously couldn’t figure out how I was going to get in a better mood. I didn’t want to listen to music. I didn’t want to read. I didn’t want to go on a walk. I really didn’t want to do anything. Suddenly I remembered something I saw on Pinterest. One woman spent her 35th birthday doing 35 random acts of kindness with her children. I didn’t have all day to do random acts of kindness, but I did have a half hour.

I loaded up the kids and grabbed $3 in quarters. As I handed out the quarters to the kids, I explained that we were going to be Santa’s helpers.  At first the kids were super excited, but after seeing the neat things in the candy and toy machines they wanted to buy something for themselves. I reminded them that today our treat was to give to others, and they quickly got back into the spirit of things.

picture source

We had so much fun running from store to store leaving little surprises for some lucky kid to find. We went to a strip mall so they would all be close together and hit Albertsons, Ace Hardware, Dollar Tree, the laundromat, and Blockbuster. As we were running over to the bank, Camille said she felt warm inside and that she knew that was the Spirit. Tate told me he felt “very smurfy.” {Has anyone else seen The Smurf’s one too many times?} As we were looking for a candy machine, the teller at the bank asked if she could help us. Unfortunately the only candy they had was what the tellers hand out to the kids, which sparked an idea. We asked if she would give our quarter to a kid who came in to the bank and wish them a Merry Christmas from another kid helping out Santa.

It was the best medicine EVER. Seriously. If you're having a rough day you should try it. If you need ideas {or even just one!}, here is the original post.

More Healthy Alternatives

I like to eat healthy, but I sooo enjoy having some sugar. Sometimes I'm looking for a "more healthy" option rather than a healthy option :) So these tricks probably aren't for the person on a diet, but rather the person looking to cut back a little. Did you know you can substitute applesauce for vegetable oil in almost any bread type recipe? I had a friend in college who was an excellent baker and she taught me this trick. I've used it in store-bought cakes and muffin recipes.

I hate having to buy special ingredients for recipes {especially perishable ones}. It seems I only use a small amount and then the rest of the container goes bad because I don't know what to do with it. One such ingredient for me is buttermilk {which I rarely use in baking or cooking} so when a recipe calls for it I make my own from scratch. Not only do I save money and avoid waste, it also contains less fat - especially if you use skim or 1% milk. Put 1 Tbs. lemon juice in a glass measuring cup and add milk until you have one cup. Let this mixture sit for at least 5 minutes before using in a recipe. Can't tell the difference!

If these tricks sounds familiar, it might be because I posted this information in my "Mommy can I have another" best ever bran muffin recipe, but sometimes it's helpful to have the info right in front of you. Or maybe you didn't even see these substitution tricks because you tuned out when you saw the words bran muffin. It's okay. Not everyone likes muffin tops. Or bran. But now you have a couple more tricks up your sleeve.

"Mommy can I have another" Muffins

Tate told me this morning that he can eat five of these in one sitting, but I cut him off at four and handed him a yogurt. My kids absolutely LOVE these muffins. The recipe makes about three dozen, and they're usually gone within 24 hours. The nice thing, is that if your family knows how to pace themselves {unlike mine} the batter can be refrigerated for up to two weeks so you can pop them in the oven and have fresh, warm muffins anytime you like. This is especially handy on busy work or school mornings. I haven't tried freezing the batter yet, perhaps I'll give it a shot next time. Without further ado, here are the best bran muffins ever {at least, they're the only ones I've ever enjoyed}.

Bran Muffins
2 C All-Bran
1 C Bran Buds
1 C boiling water

Combine above ingredients and let sit until not hot anymore.
Then add the following ingredients:

2 beaten eggs
1/2 C vegetable oil*
1 1/2 C Sugar
2 1/2 C Flour
2 1/2 tsp. Baking soda
1/2 tsp. Salt
2 C Buttermilk**

Mix ingredients well, pour into greased muffin tins, and bake at 400 F for 18-20 minutes. Leftover batter can be stored in fridge for up to 2 weeks.

*You can substitute applesauce for vegetable oil in most bread type recipes {including store bought cake mixes}. I've don it in this recipe and can't taste the difference.
**No buttermilk? No problem! In a glass measuring bowl, put 2 Tbs. lemon juice and fill with milk until you have 2 cups. Let sit for five minutes before using it in recipe.

Old McDebbie's Farm

I just heard about this fun farm that I want to check out next year! It opens in March and there are train rides, pony rides, fishing, and animals to feed. In April they have Easter Egg Hunts. In October they have Friday night fires for marshmallow roasting and a not-so-scary Halloween trail. This place sounds like a blast! Why am I posting about this in December?  I just found the flier in "the pile" {more on that here} and want to throw away the flyer, but I don't want to forget about it! So we'll see you in 2012, Old McDebbie!

Ultimate Camping List

As we approach the end of 2011 I am trying to get organized. Who am I kidding? It has nothing to do with the fact that the year is ending! I'm constantly battling with my messy self {and family...it can't all be me, right?} No matter what the reason or the culprit, the fact is it's time to address "the pile." Please tell me I'm not the only one that has a pile of papers begging for a home. When it's time to clear the table for dinner or a project, all papers get thrown on "the pile." I have schoolwork, flyers for events, activities, and places I want to visit, things to be filed, notes for websites I want to check out, and lists of things I need to remember. One such list is our ultimate camping list. Anytime I'm camping and want something, I write it down and add it to the list when I get home. I had the perfect and complete list at one point, but I lost it. So now it shall go on my blog, never to be lost again! That's right, while other people are blogging about Christmas, cookies, and presents I am blogging about camping.

flashlights
lantern
sleeping bags
extra blankets
pillows
air mattress
air pump
bath towels
hand towels
washcloths
toothbrushes
toothpaste
floss
face wash
soap
shampoo
conditioner
glasses
extra contacts
contact case
contact solution
baby soap, washcloth, and towel
garbage bags
lawn chairs
marshmallow roasters
chapstick
lotion
t.p.
paper towels
sandwich bags
swim suits
sunscreen
aloe Vera
calamine
bug spray
beach towels
water toys
life jackets
bikes
helmets
sandals
tennis shoes
baby high chair
play pin
baby spoons
sippy cup
bibs
bottle
diapers
wipes
sweatshirts
light jackets
baseball caps
baseball, bat, mitts
hand sanitizer
antibacterial spray
big metal bowl for washing dishes
dishcloth & towel
dish soap
sharp cutting knife & cutting board
bowls
plates
silverware
mugs
frying pan
pots

Depending on where we're camping, what ammenities they have, and what phase of life I'm in {babies, etc.} the list may change. These are just things that I have needed in the past so I've put them on the master list. Did I forget anything? This isn't my original and I started from scratch with this camping season...as in this last summer, not this December. And if you're mathematically inclinded, you've realized that this has been sitting in "the pile" for about four months. Now don't you feel better about yourself?

Asian Salad

Camille absolutely loves this salad! She requested it this year for her birthday dinner and asked me to put it in her "cookbook." We also had sesame chicken wings and white rice.

Asian Salad
2 packages Ramen noodles, crushed (discard seasoning packet)
1 tsp. sesame seeds
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 head cabbage, shredded or finely chopped (or a bag of coleslaw blend if you don't want to do any chopping)
1 bunch of green onions, chopped
3/4 C vegetable oil
1/4 C distilled white vinegar
1/2 C white sugar
2 Tbs. soy sauce

1. In a small sauce pan bring vegetable oil, sugar, and vinegar to boil for 1 minute. Cool. Add soy sauce.
2. In a medium skillet over low heat, melt butter and brown ramen noodles and sesame seeds. Once browned, remove from heat and cool.
3. In a large bowl combine shredded cabbage and chopped green onions. Add the noodle and soy sauce mixtures.  Toss to coat, and serve immediately so noodles stay crunchy.

Cheesy Potato Casserole

I made this recipe the other night for the first time, though we were pretty sure we'd love it because it is one of Todd's favorite family recipes (also known as funeral potatoes). It was super hot when it came out of the oven, so Todd began dishing it out on the kids' plates so it could cool. Tate was very alarmed by such action and exclaimed, "What are you doing?! What if I don't like that?" To which we replied he could pass it on over! Tate's eyes got big as he tasted it and continued to shovel it in. He then had seconds.

Cheesy Potatoes

1 can cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup melted butter or margarine

1 (32 oz..) package frozen hashbrowns

8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese

1 medium onion, chopped

1 1/2 cups cornflakes

1. Mix soup, sour cream, melted butter, hashbrowns, onion, and cheese and spread in a 9 x 13 pan.

2. Crush cornflakes and sprinkle over top.

3. Bake at 350 for 45 min. or until hot.

The Lunch Bunch

The start of school marks the beginning of early mornings, homework, and sack lunches.  It's enough to keep any mother awake with excitement {or not}. Oh, and remember those first day of school nightmares? I had the mom version where I didn't take my kids to school until 1:30...and to last year's teacher.

I think the biggest real life nightmare is going to be packing lunches. My sack lunches are pretty standard and seem to illicit groans and pleas for expensive school lunches. Today was the first day of school and I'm already stuck in a rut. I need some fresh ideas to satisfy the kiddos and myself. No, I'm not planning on going back to school, but I hate making lunch twice. If I make the lunches tempting enough, maybe even the hubby will get in on the "let's save money and pack our own lunches" program.

My goal is to make packing lunches fast, easy, healthy, affordable, and fun. Oh, and without the kids complaining. Impossible? We shall see. On that note, I'd better start with fun {and healthy}. Here are some ideas I've collected for this school year:

• Have the kids sit down with me and make a list of their favorite fruits, vegetables, dairy, and meat choices. I'll pick from this list when I'm making my meal plan for lunches.
• Try new combinations. Mix two fruits together, switch up the bread choices {waffles, pancakes, bagels, English muffins, pitas, croissants, tortillas}, chicken and tuna salads, veggie sandwiches, etc.
• Add dips for fruits and vegetables. Here are some adaptable ideas for packaging anything that needs a dip.
• Cut it out! Kids {and grownups} like variety. Just cutting or slicing something differently can make it more appealing. Mellon balls instead of wedges, apples sliced so you can see the "star" in the center, cheese cut into shapes, fruit pieces to eat with a toothpick {Sidenote, I just tried this yesterday at home - the kids had apple pieces with a toothpick for a fork, and Camille said, "Ooooh. Fancy apples!}
• Improve presentation. The kids got {cute} new lunch boxes and I'm going to try to package things differently.  Camille saw a cute little cottage cheese and fruit combo at the store, and I'm pretty sure it was the package she wanted more than the contents. So this falls under the new combo category also...at her request. Keep it interesting! Sometimes I'll put a sticky note on a tupperware container. Or have a "find the sticker in your lunch" day. But not EVERY day. That would be way too much work. Just when things are getting a little boring.

Here are some fun resources I plan to reference regularly in my quest to make lunch time more interesting. Some of the above info came from these websites also.
free lunchbox printables
www.weelicious.com/ This is a great resource! More than just lunch recipes - her videos are fresh and fun with some great tips on keeping mealtimes interesting.
http://www.ilunchbox.com/ Devoted to all things lunch.
http://www.laptoplunches.com/ 365 lunch ideas. You can also sign up to receive weekly lunch menus
http://www.school-lunch-ideas.com/ Looks like a fun site I could get lost in!
More lunch ideas
Sandwich and snack ideas

How do you keep sack lunches fun for your kids? Any tricks on getting your hubby to take a lunch to work?

Feelin' Saucy

Have you ever opened up your cupboard to realize you only have tomato paste when you really need tomato sauce? Well I have. And more than once. In fact, it just happened the last time I made Sloppy Joes.

Enter my good friend Google. Solves many a quandary, especially in the kitchen. Here's how I made sauce from paste. I had a small 6 oz. can of tomato paste and added 1 ½ cups water to it. Yep, that's it! Some people suggest adding a little brown sugar to sweeten it, but I didn't find that necessary in my recipe. I was so happy with the results, I will never buy tomato sauce again!

Apparently the mom in me focused on the cute kitchen help instead of the ingredients. However, if you look closely you can see our homemade tomato sauce in the background on the stove.

Psst. If you only have tomato sauce and need tomato paste, I hear you can cook it in a pan until it is reduced by half. I've never tried it though, so let me know if you do and it works {or doesn't}! And while you're thinking about sharing, do you have any substitution tricks up your sleeve?

Sloppy Joes

The other day we were eating something when Camille turned to me and asked if I could give her the recipe when she grows up. For the life of me, I can't remember what we were eating {and neither can she!} Seriously, it's been about two days. So the idea was born to post all of her and Tate's favorite recipes on my blog along with a family story or memory. Hopefully along the way you'll find something you like, too.

Our sloppy Joe {baby Joseph} loves Sloppy Joes! We took this meal with us the other night when we met Todd for a picnic at the Tacoma Nature Center. They have a super fun play area with slides that look like logs, bridges over water and even some telescopes. There are also some wonderful trails for hiking, which we enjoyed after dinner. If you go before 5 pm, the indoor nature center is open with some fun exhibits for the kids. You can also pick up a list of all the animals living in the area and see how many you can find on your walk. Great fun, and all free! {for more free summertime activities check out this post}

SLOPPY JOES
1 lb. ground beef

¼ C brown sugar

1 ½ tsp. steak seasoning blend {we use McCormick Montreal seasoning}

1 medium onion, chopped

1 small red bell pepper, chopped

1 Tbs. red wine vinegar

1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce

2 C tomato sauce

• Break up meat in pan and add brown sugar and steak seasoning.
• When meat has browned, add onion, red bell peppers, red wine vinegar and worcestershire sauce. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 5 min.
• Add tomato sauce; stir to combine. Reduce heat and cook 5 minutes.

I like to double this recipe and freeze half for a quick meal on a busy day.
I also prefer to make my own tomato sauce from tomato paste so I only have to stock one tomato product.
This recipe was adapted from Rachael Ray...for the original recipe, click here.

By the time we set out on our little hike the sun was getting low in the sky. Tate forged ahead with the walking stick he found.

Couldn't catch a picture of any fish jumping in the air - they're quick little buggers {truly teensy - truth be told, we couldn't even tell if they were fish}. But here you can see the water rings where they were jumping. They were all over the place!

 Feeding time for the ducks {it should be noted this was a natural meal time at the nature center - we didn't feed any animals}

The bridge behind Camille is where we saw the no-see-em' fish and the dining duck.

 

Camille found some flowers that she photographed.

  

I occasionally enjoy lagging behind my family {just for a moment} 

and quietly take in the sight of my greatest blessings.

What's Going on Today?

I made a list of activities to do this summer, but some of these activities are only available on certain days. I love the idea of being organized so I printed off a blank calendar for the month and began filling in activities. As much as I love this idea, it's just not practical for me and my family. Sometimes stuff comes up at the last minute or I realize no one has socks {or worse yet, undies} and I have to do laundry again. Sometimes I wake up and have a meeeellion things to do and can't function until I get some of it done. This new list makes it easy for me to have fun on a whim without scouring every webpage on my master list.

Monday

Hmmm...no special events for Mondays. If you're looking for something to do, check out the "Any Day" Activities or this post for fun free indoor activities.

Tuesday

Lawn Bowling at Wright Park 1-3

Tacoma Farmer's Market on 6th Ave. 3-7
Concerts at American Lake Park 6:30
Regal Movie for $1 10 a.m. {Go early to make sure you get decent seating! 9:40 was perfect for us}
Starplex Cinema $1 movies {and $1 hotdogs!}

Wednesday

Wagon Shop {at Steilacoom Museum} 2-5

Steilacoom Farmer’s Market 3-7
Steilacoom's Concert in the Park 6:30

Regal Movie for $1 10 a.m. {Go early to make sure you get decent seating! 9:40 was perfect for us}

Thursday

 Tacoma Farmer's Market on Broadway 10:30-4

{You can ride the Tacoma Link Light Rail to the Farmer's Market for free - make it part of the adventure!}
Concert in the Park at Curran Apple Orchard 6:30
Tacoma Children's Museum FREE admission 10-5
Museum of Glass FREE from 5-8 on 3rd Thursday
Washington State History Museum FREE from 2-8 on 3rd Thursday
Tacoma Art Museum FREE from 5-8 on 3rd Thursday

Friday

Hmmm...no special events for Fridays. If you're looking for something to do, check out the "Any Day" Activities or this post for fun free indoor activities.

Saturday

Steilacoom Historical Museum Kids Club {last Saturday only}

Wagon Shop {at Steilacoom Museum} 1-5

Marine Science and Technology Center 10-2 FREE

Lawn Bowling at Wright Park 1-3 FREE

Brown's Point Lighthouse 1-4 FREE
Tacoma Nature Center- 10-4 FREE {Discovery Pond & Trails open til dusk}

Ride the miniature steam engine in Port Orchard, donation basis, 2nd and 4th Saturdays only from 10-4
Lowes Build & Grow Events {see website for specific dates; not every Saturday}
Michael's Make it Take it Events {see website for specific dates; not every Saturday}

Any Day*
Tacoma Nature Center FREE 8-5 {Discovery Pond & Trails open til dusk}
Lott Wet Science Center 10-4 FREE

Pick blueberries at the Blueberry Park for FREE
Visit a Sprayground
Ride the ferry out to Anderson Island, $4.70 for adults, $3.40 for kids 5 and up {I know this isn't very close to free, but I really want to do this one so I'm adding it to the list}
Ride the Tacoma Link Light Rail to downtown Tacoma FREE
Tacoma Union Station FREE weekdays 8-5
West Hylebos Wetlands dawn to dusk {don't forget to download your scavenger hunt!}
Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge sunrise to sunset
Art in the Park
Hike/walk the gardens...photo scavenger hunt anyone?
Visit a local beach or pier
Take a walk around Chambers Bay {a little history anyone?}
Go to the library!
Starplex Cinema $2 movies {and $1 hotdogs}
Bowl for FREE 8-6 {must pay for shoe rental $2.50 each}

*Please note that activities listed under "Any Day" may have special hours or be closed on Sundays. Our family uses Sundays as a day for worship and family activities at home so I didn't list special Sunday hours. Individual websites contain any additional information you may need, including directions and contact information.

Where are some of your favorite places to go in the summertime? Any local hidden treasures? I'm sure I've missed tons of fun places to go and things to do. Please share!

Summer Fun on the Cheap

I don't think you have to spend an arm and a leg to have a good time, although sometimes spending an arm OR a leg is okay. But never both. Today I feel like keeping all of my apendages, so here's a list of things we plan to do this summer. Don't mock me - we still have a month of summer left! {To see one of the reasons we are getting a late start on summer activities, check out this post about how we've been spending our Saturdays} And in my defense, it should be known that we have already done many fun things - some on  the list, and some just lazing around enjoying family and friends at the pool or elsewhere.

Almost all of these activities are free. I have tried to list any costs that I know of so you can easily browse what will fit your budget for the day.

• Go to the blueberry park and pick berries for free. The berries are kind of small and sometimes scarce so if you're hardcore check out these U-Pick farms {more than just berries, too!}.
• Steilacoom Historical Museum kids' club, last Saturday of the month from 1-3 during the summer
• Visit the Wagon Shop in Steilacoom {by the Steilacoom Museum}, summer hours: Wednesdays 2-5 and Saturdays 1-5
• Visit a Sprayground
• Visit the Marine Science and Technology Center for free
• Visit Jack and the Beanstalk garden in Puyallup for some of the children's programs
• Visit the Tacoma Nature Center {has Discovery Pond and play area}
• Visit the West Hylebos Wetlands Park. Download your free scavenger hunt here.
• Visit the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge
• Ride a miniature steam locomotive in Port Orchard {runs on a donation basis}
• Watch a movie in the park! Before heading out to watch a movie you may want to check out a parental review site to make sure the movie you are seeing meets your standards. Some movies are "designed" for kids, but not necessarily appropriate for kids. I like Common Sense Media because it details the content and has a review section for movies, video games, music, websites, and even apps!
• Check out Art in the Park where local artists have their sculptures displayed
• Ever heard of Lawn Bowling?
• Have a photo scavenger hunt...how many different kinds of flowers can you find in the gardens?
• Visit the Brown's Point Lighthouse for free. If you're up for a bit of a drive for an awesome adventure, you can tour the North Head Lighthouse {$2.50/person} while visiting Cape Dissappointment also known as the Graveyard of the Pacific in Longbeach, WA. You could make a whole trip around this one because there is so much to do in Longbeach! If you want to find a lighthouse near you, they are listed here by state with lots of other fun information.
• Go to the Farmer's Market in Tacoma {three locations!} or Steilacoom
• Summer Concerts! Music in the Park schedules for Steilacoom, the Curran Apple Orchard in UP, or American Lake Park in Lakewood
• Tacoma Children's Museum free on Thursdays, June - August
• Regal Theaters have $1 movies for kids on Tuesdays and Wednesdays during the summer.
• Starplex discount theater. This is a local theater, but most areas have some sort of discount theater. Movies are only $1 on Tuesdays, $2 any other day, and hotdogs are always $1!
• Bowl for FREE. Find a local bowling alley where kids bowl free...all you have to pay for is the shoe rental. You can also buy a family pass for $20 so the rest of you can bowl for free also.
• Visit the Lott Wet Science Center, free admission
• Free kids' building/craft programs like Lowes Build & Grow and Michael's Make it Take it
• Ride the Tacoma Link Light Rail for free from the Tacoma Dome to downtown museums
• Visit Tacoma Museums for free on 3rd Thursdays.

Some of these ideas came from the Parks and Recreation, friends at church, the library, and a local MOPS group so make sure you check out your local sources for some great ideas! For more ideas, check out my rainy day list - a lot of these would be great during the summer as well.

What are you doing this summer? Did I miss anything fun and free {or cheap}? Please share!

I was not paid or perked to mention any of these businesses or services. I just find them to be helpful in having a fun and safe summer and hope you will, too!

Silver Screen Performances

Today happens to be Lucille Ball's 100th birthday {that is if she were still alive}, but you probably already know that since you're on the Internet - it's everywhere! My six year old Camille wanted me to call Lucy and wish her a happy birthday. Since that's not possible, we'll just post it here: Happy Birthday Lucy!

Lucille Ball has many funny quotes and even more funny video clips, but I am loving this quote: "Ability is of little account without opportunity."  I don't know about the abilities I had prior to my opportunities, but I am grateful for the many opportunities in my life that have strengthened my abilities.

One of our most recent opportunities includes the stage.  That's actually why it's been so long since I've posted. We have been performing as a family! Not for the silver screen, but in a local Broadway Revue sponsored by our church. Today is our last day of performances and it's a little bittersweet. We have had so much fun doing this as a family, and it's been wonderful to see the kids' talents improve. We started by dragging Tate to rehearsals and are finishing by dragging him away from our living room stage where he is practicing to be an understudy for the two lead male roles {he's only about 10 years too young for the parts, but that's ok!} Even baby Joseph has been practicing - whenever the music comes on he bounces his knees and sings along. If I can ever figure out how to edit and post video I'll add our stage baby's performance. Pictures, however, I can do.

 My Wells Fargo Wagon family {Cody aka Wintrhop was a delightful add on}. At home, "Trouble" was the most quoted musical number from the show. It definitely lightens the mood when someone is being scolded and they throw their arms up in the air while singing, "Oh we've got trouble!"

 I found a guard and some cute street children in Aladdin's marketplace. My niece Brooke gave me two thumbs up, but when I asked her to give me a street pose she gave me the following:

 Perhaps I should have said, "Marketplace pose."

 Tradition! Fiddler on the Roof required that we always have our heads covered.

 This is what you get when you ask a bunch of cute kids to give you their best Lion King pose.
 

There Ain't Nothin Like a Dame...or my husband in a grass skirt!

The summer is nearly over and we are excited to finally be able to enjoy some weekends together...off the stage! We hope to go to the beach and take a couple mini road trips around Washington. We're especially looking forward to our annual fruit trip. So until then, the show must go on!

What have you been doing as a family this summer? Ever been on stage? Ever wanted to?...because that can be arranged!

The Great Bread Adventure

Several of my friends have asked for my bread recipe, so I posted it here. For me, getting started was the hardest part because I wanted to find the easiest, fastest way to make homemade bread. And I was really intimidated because I didn't know much anything about bread. There are a lot of great options I considered, all of which have links below...just in case I change my mind in the future about what works for me.

I learned how to see if my yeast was any good.
I had a lot of expired yeast. Apparently getting married, moving, and having a baby doesn't leave much time for baking. But here's the cool thing...the recipe above actually proofs your yeast at the begining of the recipe so you can skip this link and not waste any of your yeast! {My yeast that expired in 2009 was still good at the end of 2010, by the way. I kept it in the fridge, but it will keep even longer if kept in the freezer.}

I learned more than I ever wanted to know about yeast.
For instance, it's a fungus! Learning what hamburger really was turned three of my siblings-in-law into vegetarians. I wonder if they would stop eating bread, too. That was really the only disturbing fact, and now I've shared it with you - sorry! So go ahead, click on the link above if you're interested in yeast. Personally, I eat hamburger and bread. I know, I'm gross.

I learned I can use my bread machine for dough and then bake the bread in the oven.  I really prefer bread baked in the oven much more than in the bread machine! It all comes down to the crust; too thick, crispy and tough in the bread machine.

I learned I can use my KitchenAid mixer for dough!
Please don't laugh. I know I am soooo underutilizing my KitchenAid; it would probably make people crazy to know that until now I had only used it for mixing.  You have no idea how ecstatic I am about this - honestly, the mess of kneading dough played a big part in keeping me from making bread. Hence, the idea to use the bread machine for the dough. Since my KitchenAid discovery I have actually sold my space consuming bread machine.

I learned about freezing bread dough.
I thought about making a bunch of dough at one time and freezing it. This is great for saving on the mess, but it really doesn't save much time when you consider it has to unfreeze and rise which takes about eight hours. I actually recently tried this just to see how the bread turns out. I was NOT impresesd, as it greatly affected the quality of my bread. It almost seemed to separate - lots of air pockets when I normally don't have any. Odd.

Found a visual (yes, there are pictures!) guide to shaping bread dough for rolls and other goodies. Apparently once you have a dough recipe you like, you can shape it however you want to get different baked breads. Now that I have the dough, there's no stopping me! Except for maybe three things. You know, the short little cuties running around my house shoving freshly baked bread in their mouths.

So there you have it. Ready to bake some bread? Have you used the internet to learn a new skill that you were previously clueless about? Or find instructions for a project? Do share!