Just One Mom Trying: tutorials

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Wednesday, December 13, 2017

Christmas Traditions Box: Indoor Snowball Fight

When we lived in California we dreamed of a typical white Christmas. But the only white Christmas we got was sand. I didn't complain and we still got some type of "snow" when we made our own snowballs for an indoor snowball fight. They were a "hit" if you know what I mean.

I posted the instructions on how to make these snowballs years ago. I am posting them again for you now.

You will need the following three things to make these:

1) Scissors

2) White or cream-colored nylons- I buy the cheap $1 pair at Walmart. (In the photo are knee-highs that I already had on hand. A full pair works better and you'll get a lot more out of them.) One knee-high can produce up to 5 snowballs. One leg of a full pair of nylons can produce about 10.)

3) Poly-fil to stuff the nylon.

What you're going to do:

1) Grab a handful of the Poly-fil and stuff your stocking (just enough for one snowball). Then make a knot.

2) Make ANOTHER knot after the one you JUST made, leaving a little space between the two knots.

3) Cut between the two knots.

4) Repeat steps 1-3. Below is something you can do but you MUST remember to do step 2 or else you will waste a whole snowball.

Here's what you'll have:

We made hundreds of these last year for a Christmas party we had.

HOW TO PLAY:

If you are going to have a snowball fight, divide the group of people into two teams and divide the snowballs equally between the two teams.

Create boundaries. You can either put some masking tape down on the carpet to divide the room in half, or play on an indoor basketball court, or anywhere that has a boundary line. The teams must stay on their side of the line and cannot cross it.

Set a timer. Let them fight for 5 minutes or however long you'd like the fight to go on. You can have "rounds" of fights if you'd like.

At your signal, the teams will begin to throw snowballs at the other team. When time is up, each team will count the remaining snowballs on their own territory. The team with the LEAST amount of snowballs on their side is deemed the WINNER! (I like this part because they have to clean up the snowballs to see who the winner is.)

This is a great game for preschool, play dates, Christmas parties, birthday parties, office parties, or at home with your own family.

St. Lucia and Swedish Cinnamon Star bread

Emily 8:40 PM 0 Comments

This morning we celebrated St. Lucia. St. Lucia Day is a Swedish holiday celebrated at Christmastime on December 13th.

St. Lucia was a young Christian girl who secretly brought food to the Christians in Rome who were hiding in the catacombs under the city in order to save themselves from persecution. She wore a crown of candles on her head to light the way and keep her hands free to carry as much as she could. She was sadly killed for her faith in 304 AD.

Schools and little towns celebrate St. Lucia today in Sweden with a procession with a girl dressed as Lucia, and sing carols. Other children, both boys and girls, dress in white and are part of the procession.

On December 12th we read Lucia Morning in Sweden and prepare our gingerbread cookies and saffron buns. In the early morning the girls dress up and we surprise Grandma (my 1/2 Swedish mother-in-law) with the cookies and buns.

This year we decided not to do the saffron buns because my kids don't like them all that much. However, we did research a new Swedish food and ended up making Swedish cinnamon star bread. Swedish star bread is a mid-summer tradition but it looked so good that we gave it a try. And it was! And it was beautiful! We tried THIS recipe and it was a lot easier than I thought. There are a lot of steps but it goes quickly and it's fun. Don't let the lengthiness of the recipe deter you from making it.

First make the dough and let it rise. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces and let the dough rest for 15 minutes. After it rests, roll out the dough into 4 thin rounds and topped them with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. (The recipe says to keep the top layer plain- no butter or sugar/cinnamon. I didn't listen. It also called for egg instead of butter. I like butter.) Stack the 4 rounds on top of each other. Place a 10" plate on top of the dough and cut around the plate to create a nice clean circle.

Place a 2-3" diameter glass, cookie cutter, or lid in the center of the dough. Do not cut through this circle.

Cut the dough in to 4 pieces, then 8 pieces, and then 16.

This is where it gets fun. Take 2 pieces right next to each other and twist the two outward at the same time, twice. Repeat with the remaining pieces.

Pinch the ends together to create a point.

Cover the dough again and let it rise for about 45 min - 1 hour. When it has risen, brush with egg whites and bake.

Final product! It is nice and soft.

Dust with powdered sugar or you could even try a little glaze.

This was perfect. It was delicious! It was a hit with everyone.

We have been enjoying finding out more about our heritage and adopting some of the traditions of our ancestors.

# bread # breakfast

Sunday, July 30, 2017

Indoor Date Idea: How to Massage

Emily 9:32 PM 0 Comments

Looking for a great indoor date night with your spouse? This one is sure to bring you together! Learn how to massage with THIS fantastic DVD set! I found this set on Amazon for less than $25.

I love these DVDs! They teach how to give a professional massage with proper technique so your hands don't ache or tire quickly. These DVDs are appropriate, easy to follow, and include 4 different massages: Luxury Facial, Indian Head, Back & Neck, and Full Body. This set also makes a great gift for your spouse. So, turn down the lights, relax, and enjoy being together.

# dating at home # indoor dating

Monday, July 2, 2012

Wooden Peg People

Emily 4:46 AM 0 Comments

July is the time to think about Christmas gifts IF you are planning on making them. This year I am!

I decided to make some cute wooden peg people for my siblings and their cute families. I may just turn them into ornaments to hang on the tree, or display them on a wooden plaque with the family name. We'll see.

Grab some tiny paint brushes and some acrylic paints and transform these unfinished wood pieces into masterpieces! They do take a while to paint but they are WAY cute.

A friend of mine is a pro crafter. She taught me a few tips.

TIPS:

*Paint the head FIRST! Paint the whole head the skin color you want. Let it dry. You will be holding onto the head while you paint the body so do this part first. Don't add any features quite yet.

*Paint the body. These are really cute when you can add detail. Take your time, and go slowly.

(Shh!! These are going to be my darling nieces.)

*Paint the arms. Make little sausage-like shapes for the arms. Try to move your arms a little closer together than on complete opposite sides of the peg. If you move the arms a little closer, you don't have to turn the peg to see both arms. It won't look funny, I promise.

(This is a "sausage" arm. This handsome little guy was painted by my friend. I wish I could take the credit.)

*Paint the hair and face. Once the body is dry, paint the hair first. Add the eyes, and mouth last.

The good thing about working with acrylic paints is that you can always go back and paint over any mistakes. I have repainted a lot!

*Spray with a finishing gloss. This will prevent the paint from chipping or scratching and will add a nice professional-looking shine.

(These are some of our "first" people. The largest two people have the spray finish. The others are still incomplete.)

GOOD LUCK!

WOOD SOURCE:

Casey's Wood Products has the cheapest wooden peg people I have seen. They have a great selection and are extremely helpful and nice. They ship on the same day for most orders.

# Christmas # crafts

Friday, May 4, 2012

Tissue Paper Flowers with Balloon Center

Emily 7:50 PM 1 Comments

My daughter's birthday is coming up and she wants a flower-themed party. (I'm sure the boys are going to love it.) Anyway, I tinkered around with making paper flowers and came up with this bloom. I think I like it.

If you like it, you can make it too! Click HERE to find out how to make a simple paper flower.

You're going to do the same thing with the tissue paper flowers but using 6-8 full sheets of tissue paper. I also stapled the middle instead of using a pipe cleaner (of course). I fastened a balloon to the center and then tied on a couple of tissue paper "leaves." Voila!

TIP: Dollar Tree has tissue paper in packs of pink or blue along with multi-color packs. All the tissue paper seen here is from Dollar Tree.

This post was part of The Shady Porch Rock 'N' Share! For more awesome ideas across the blogosphere check out The Shady Porch!

# baby # birthdays

Saturday, March 24, 2012

DIY: Ribbon Dancers

Emily 10:55 AM 2 Comments

My girls love to dance. These ribbon dancers have added a lot of fun to their dance parties. These are great for birthday parties, dance classes, preschool movement, or just for fun. We even "write" our letters with them in the air.

One of the best parts about these ribbon dancers are that they are inexpensive, easy to make, customizable, and don't require tools!!

What you'll need:

Wooden dowel (7/16 x 12 in.)

Screw eye (#14)

Split key ring (1 in.)

1 1/2" wide ribbon (about 10-12 feet long)

Fray Check

Sewing machine OR needle and thread

Acrylic paint (if you want to paint your wooden dowel)

NOTE: I found the dowels (came in a pack of 6) and ribbon at Michael's,

and the screw eyes and key rings at Home Depot.

Twist the screw eye into the top of the dowel.

Twist it in all the way to the base of the eye.

Thread ribbon through the key ring and secure the edge by machine (or hand) sewing it. Add as many ribbons as you'd like.

On the raw edge of the ribbon, use fray check to keep the ribbon from unraveling.

Link the key ring to the screw eye.

DONE! Time to dance!

This post was part of The Shady Porch Rock N' Share and Oopsey Daisy's Wednesday's Wowzers. For more super cute creativity across the blogosphere, head over to The Shady Porch and Oopsey Daisy!

# crafts # games

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Coconut Macaroons: 4 Ingredients to Goodness

Emily 4:55 AM 0 Comments

I like to read recipes- especially desserts. Recently I stumbled upon a recipe for Coconut Macaroons. I was shocked at how easy they were! I made a batch of them yesterday and they turned out great!

I thought I'd share.

This recipe comes from Allrecipes.com by Eagle Brand, so you know it's good. (I changed a few things to make my life easier.)

Start by dumping a 14-oz bag of flaked coconut in a big bowl.

Add one 14-oz. can of sweetened condensed milk.

Add 2 tsp. of vanilla. Stir.

Add chocolate chips and stir again.

Drop spoonfuls onto a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

Immediately transfer hot macaroons to cooling rack to prevent sticking.

Enjoy!

P.S. I tried one this morning for breakfast and they were still amazing!

# cookies # dessert

Monday, March 5, 2012

Playing Card Holder for Little Hands

Emily 9:07 AM 0 Comments

Playing card games with your toddler can be frustrating. My three-year old loves to play UNO and Go Fish. She's actually pretty good at playing the game but it gets a little tricky trying to hold all those cards in those cute little hands.

Here's a quick solution:

Take two small party paper plates, cut off the rims and staple the middle of the plates together.