Blueberry Lemonade Popsicles

We're still settling into our new home even though it's been a year since we moved. New community, new climate... . It takes a while, and I'm all about giving myself and my family all the time and space we need to adjust. Blogging, I'm afraid, has taken a back seat to the scramblings of every day life in our new place. That said, I just had to carve out a few moments to practice taking blog photos in our new home (I am way rusty) and bring you our favorite summer popsicle.

These Blueberry Lemonade Popsicles are the perfect summer treat!

These Blueberry Lemonade Popsicles are everything you want in a summer treat. Fresh blueberries - tart and sweet. Juicy fresh lemon adding just the perfect amount of pucker. Goodness, my mouth is watering already. Let's get started.

Honey, Walnut, and Fig Granola Bars

I am TOTALLY in love with these Honey, Walnut, and Fig Granola Bars. Can't get enough of 'em. They're nutty and figgy and packed with good-for-ya ingredients. They're great with milk for the kiddos and great with coffee for da mamas and da papas. 😉 They are snack heaven in my book.

I have to admit, these Honey, Walnut, and Fig Granola Bars are a little addicting.

The trick to these yummy (and slightly addicting) snackies is toasting the nuts and oats. It makes for fabulous texture and amazing flavor. I also love that I can get my anti-nut eater to eat them. I process the walnuts so they blend in perfectly with the oats and he's none the wiser. Tricky mommy. 😉

Rice Cakes 6 Ways

I know what you're thinking. Rice cakes? Really? Isn't that like soooooooooo 1980's? This blast from the past has come to be one of our favorite family snacking options. As I've been exploring the world of gluten free snacking for me and the fam, we've tried a variety of spreads and toppings to turn these gloriously blank canvases into primo snacks.

Expand your snacking horizons with our favorite rice cake spreads and toppings.

Here are a few of our favorite rice cake snacking options:

M & M Granola Bars

My 6 year old is a little mister picky pants (don't tell him I said that). I completely understand where he's coming from though, because I was the same way when I was little. I confess that I indulge his pickiness a little - okay, maybe a lot. But I get it. I used to gag on foods I totally love now. So there must be hope for him too.

These M & M Granola Bars hit just the right note with my picky eater.

As I'm trying to keep things more natural around these here parts I've been experimenting with homemade granola bars. Finding one that Ezra will accept is the challenging part. I often make a peanut butter version that he will only sometimes eat claiming he only likes peanut butter in peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (sigh).

Mini Easter Treat Baskets

We've been raiding the recycle bin again, and just in time for Easter fun. The boys and I put together these simple little Easter treat baskets for giving away sweets. We love turning boxes into all sorts of wonderfulness - especially for giving away.

These Mini Easter Treat Baskets are made out of tea boxes.

These Mini Easter Treat Baskets are just perfect for giving out your favorite Easter cookies, candies, and goodies.

Pizza Crust Bread Pudding

If your family is anything like mine, a pizza dinner always ends in a big ol' pile of pizza crusts. Unless the crust is stuffed with cheese or incredibly yummy a few pieces might get eaten with dipping sauce, but that's about it. So I did something about it. Save the pizza crust!

Salvage those pizza crusts and make this fabulous Pizza Crust Bread Pudding!

I turned those sad and lonely, unwanted pizza crusts into a pizza crust bread pudding. It turned out fabulous! I went with a pizza flavor profile. It is pizza crust, after all.

DIY: How to Turn Any Box Into a Gift Box for Valentine's Day

My guys love making gifts. I mean LOVE it! They're always on the look out for a good cardboard box - both for creating and for using to stuff their creations into. I took a cue from them this week and turned a bunch of boxes inside out to use as gift boxes for Valentine's Day. The boys were, of course, thrilled.

Turn any box into a homemade Valentine's Day gift box!

I love how each box has the artist written all over it. Can you guess who made which box?

You can use just about any box in your home. We used a snack box, a waffle box, and a rat glue trap box. You heard me.

Advent Drawing Journal

This year the boys and I are drawing our way through Advent. My guys LOVE to draw and I wanted to really engage them as we prepare our hearts for Christmas as a family. So, I put together a simple printable book to take us through each day.

This year we're drawing our way through Advent with this homemade Advent Drawing Journal.

Each page has a line for the scripture for the day, a box for drawing, and a few lines for jotting down any reflections we'll talk about together.

There are a few different lists of scriptures you could use for this project. I opted for my Anglican family prayer book's list:

Week 1 of Advent
Mark 13:33-37
Isaiah 2:1-5
Luke 10:21-24
Isaiah 25:6-9
Matthew 7:24-29
Psalm 27:1-6
Psalm 147:1-12

Week 2 of Advent
Isaiah 11:6-9
Isaiah 35:5-10
Matthew 18:12-14
Matthew 11:28-30
Matthew 11:7-10
Psalm 1
Psalm 80:1-3

Week 3 of Advent
Philippians 4:4-7
Psalm 25:1-8
Matthew 21:28-31a
Isaiah 45:5-8
Psalm 30
Isaiah 56:1
Luke 1:46-55

You could also use the traditional Catholic list of verses. If you want a more nativity focused story, you can use the list from John Piper's "Desiring God" website. I've left the top line of the journal page blank so you can insert the scripture readings of your preference.

Each day I'll read out the scripture reading for that day from a kid friendly version of the Bible, like the New Living Translation (you can use any translation you like). Then, we'll talk about what was read, what it might mean, what it has to do with Christmas, our thoughts and feelings, etc. After that, the boys will get a chance to draw and color anything they like having to do with the reading and our discussion. Finally, they'll write a couple of sentences about what they want to remember about that day's selection.

You can staple the book together or use a hole punch and weave in a pretty ribbon. Also, you may want to print the cover on cardstock. Here are my templates for printing:

Happy preparations y'all!

Easy Thanksgiving Garland

Thanksgiving is my favorite. I'm sorry to say that the discipline of gratitude isn't always on my radar throughout the year - except for the month of November. In November the weather is grand, the anticipation of an amazing feast with the ones I love fills my mind and heart, and my home is warm with good ol'-fashioned comfort food and the sweet faces of my little family. I admit, it's much easier for me to have thoughts and feelings of gratitude at this time of year.

So, my goal each November is to take advantage of a thankful disposition and usher our little family into a season of gratitude in whatever way fits us best. This year I've incorporated my boys' love for decorating with a discipline of gratitude in this easy Thanksgiving garland.

This garland is fairly simple to make. No sewing, no gluing - just a few thumb tacks here and there.

Here's what you'll need for this craft to line a descent sized archway:

6 yards wide orange wired ribbon
2 dozen felt leaves (mine came already cut)
4 to 6 dozen mini clothespins
8 to 10 sheets of card stock to print the thankful cards
a printer
sissors
chalk
a handful of push pins




Print out about 8 copies of the thankful cards using the template below. I thought a chalkboard design would be cute and we could write out our thanksgivings in chalk. My printer printed them best in the black and white setting. You can have kids cut them out.

Measure out where you want to hang your garland. When I say that, I really mean, kinda hold it up and try to picture where you want it to start and end. 😉 It can go around an archway, doorway, or just draped along a wall. You could also twirl in some little white twinkly lights. That would be so pretty.

Our Easy Thanksgiving Garland hangs in our dining room as a daily reminder to give thanks.

I thought it would be fun to have our garland hanging in our dining room where we'll be enjoying Thanksgiving dinner.



Hang the ribbon by pushing a thumb tack into one end and pinning it to the wall. I had two 3 yard long ribbons to work with, so I started them both at the top middle of my archway to get the most even hanging on either side of the arch.

Twirl the ribbon like a streamer bending the wire a little, if you need to, to get it to stay twisted. Press a tack through the ribbon and into the wall wherever you see fit to secure it.

This Easy Thanksgiving Garland sports the most adorable chalkboard thankful cards for us to write our thanksgivings on throughout the month.

Once your ribbon is secure, have kids use the clothespins to hang up leaves and thankful cards. If you have small children helping, you may need to rearrange some of the decorations. Just say'n. 

Throughout the month, the whole family can grab a card and write something they're thankful for with chalk. Have fun talking about new additions to the garland at dinnertimes. You can also share your favorite thanksgivings at your Thanksgiving feast.




Aren't these chalkboard cards just adorable? Happy crafting!

Spooky Chocolate Bark Cake

I couldn't resist. We had a bunch of spooky candy left over from our Gluten Free Chocolate Pumpkin Jack-o-lantern Cookies that I had to put to good use.

Have some spooky fun with this Spooky Chocolate Bark Cake.

So, we spooky-fied a cake - just for fun!

First, the boys and I made some Spooky Chocolate Bark to decorate our cake. I used my Movie Candy Chocolate Bark recipe replacing the movie candy with spooky candy.

Next, I baked up a deep dark chocolate cake. I baked my batter in a couple of 6 inch pans and a few cupcakes liners. I thought a small cake would be cute, but you can also use two 8 inch pans. Make sure to butter your pans, line the bottom of each with parchment paper, and butter the parchment paper. This ensures easy removal from the cake tins.

Then, I whipped up an easy ganache by warming some cream in the microwave, pouring it over some chocolate chips, stirring it all up until smooth, and letting it cool and set for a bit.




While my ganache was cooling, I whipped up my favorite cream cheese frosting. I chose cream cheese because it is unbelievable with rich dark chocolate cake. Fab - u - lous!!

To put my cake together, I piped some cream cheese frosting onto the bottom cake layer leaving a rim to hold the ganache. I poured in some ganache and put it in the fridge to set up a little. Then, I put on the top layer and frosted the whole thing with a thin layer of frosting. After another brief spell in the fridge, I put on another layer of frosting and piped some puffs around the top of the cake. I filled a Ziplock freezer bag with the rest of the ganache, drizzled it all around the piped puffs on top, and sprinkled on some Halloween sprinkles.

Then, to finish off the cake, I pushed a shard of spooky chocolate bark into each puff and lined the bottom of the cake with them as well.

Homemade chocolate bark adds loads of fun to this Spooky Chocolate Bark Cake.

The cake turned out adorably spooky! The boys were in heaven. I just love making their day.




I also decorated the extra cupcakes. You can bake the whole batter into cupcakes if you want. They're much easier to decorate than a layer cake.



Spooky Chocolate Bark Cake

INGREDIENTS

For the deep, dark, chocolate cake:
(Recipe adapted from My Baking Addiction)
1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 cup dark cocoa powder
2 cups sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp Kosher salt
2 Tbsp instant coffee granules
about 1 cup warm water
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
about 1 cup whole milk
2 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract

For the chocolate ganache:
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

For the cream cheese frosting:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
5 to 6 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

A batch of spooky chocolate bark for decorating (I used my Movie Candy Bark recipe replacing the movie candy with spooky candy)

Halloween sprinkles for decorating

DIRECTIONS
1. Make your spooky chocolate bark using my recipe. Set in the fridge and break into shards.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, butter your cake tins, line the bottoms with parchment paper, and butter the parchment.
3. For the cake batter, pour enough warm water over your coffee granules to make 1 cup and set aside. Also, pour enough milk over the apple cider vinegar to make 1 cup of sour milk and set aside for 15 minutes.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients for the cake batter.
5. Pour all wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk together until batter is smooth.
6. Pour into prepared cake tins and bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Cool cakes for 20 minutes, loosen edges with a butter knife, remove cakes, and cool completely.
8. To make the ganache, pour chocolate chips into a heat proof bowl. In another microwave safe dish, heat 1/2 cup whipping cream for about a minute (watch it carefully) until just simmering. Pour over the chocolate chips and set a timer for 5 minutes. Then, stir ganache until smooth and set another timer for 15 minutes so ganache can set a bit.
9. For the frosting, beat cream cheese and butter for 30 seconds. Beat in 3 cups powdered sugar. Beat in vanilla and then beat in 2 to 3 more cups powdered sugar until you get the consistency you like. Then, scrape down the bowl and beat on high for 3 minutes.
10. Put half the frosting into a Ziplock freezer bag prepared with a piping tip.
11. Pipe a layer of frosting onto the bottom layer of the cake making a little rim to hold the ganache.
12. Pour in some of the ganache and set the cake in the fridge to set for about 15 minutes.
13. Top with the other cake layer and frost the whole cake with a thin layer of frosting. Then, set in the fridge for 15 minutes.
14. Put another layer of frosting onto your cake making it as smooth as you wish.
15. Pipe puffs of frosting all along the top of the cake.
16. Fill another Ziplock freezer bag with ganache. Snip a teeny tiny piece off of one corner and drizzle onto the top of the cake. Sprinkle with Halloween sprinkles.
17. Push a shard of spooky chocolate bark into each frosting puff and line the bottom of the cake with more.

Easy, No Sew, No Glue Spooky Eyeball Halloween Garland

Boo! Scared ya, didn't I? Just play'n.

We've been super busy over here at Loverbee central. The boys and I didn't get the great start to the new school year that I was hoping for. On top of that, Nora's sleep schedule continues to derail me. I've had to cut down on baking to once a week. (deep sigh)

So, that said, here is this busy family's easy Halloween craft - easy peasy and super spookely cute.

This craft involves a little cutting, tying, and the hanging of a few simple decorations. It'll take you longer to say "Easy, No Sew, No Glue Spooky Eyeball Halloween Garland" than it will be to put this cutie together. If your kids can tie a knot, they can probably do this whole project by themselves.

Make this Easy, No Sew, No Glue Spooky Eyeball Halloween Garland for cuteness sakes!

Here's what you'll need:
4 yards burlap
3 yards orange ribbon
3 yards purple ribbon
2 dozen Christmas ornament hangers
2 dozen spooky eyeball ornaments

I found my eyeball ornaments at a 99 Cents Only store. I've also seen felt ones. If you can't find any, you can cut circles out of white card stock, have kids draw spooky eyeballs on them, and use a hole punch to make a hole at the top of each.




Start by prepping your burlap. My sections came in 36 x 18 inch pieces. I kept the length and cut each piece in half longways to get a width of 9 inches. By the way, to keep your burlap from unraveling, pull out a string from the center, where you plan to cut. Then, cut along the center, right where you pulled out the string. Here's a tutorial from Decor by the Seashore if you'd like a visual.




Now, tie each piece of burlap together with a simple knot.




Next, cut your orange ribbon in half. Then, cut each piece in half again. You should end up with four, more or less, equal pieces. Do the same for the purple ribbon.




I tied my orange and purple ribbons together in between each burlap knot. I just tied a simple bow.




Have kids loop a Christmas ornament hook through each eyeball and let them go crazy adding them to the garland. I found it easiest to hang the garland first.




I draped my garland along our dining room chandelier since we don't have a proper mantel.

"Eye see you," says the Easy, No Sew, No Glue Spooky Eyeball Halloween Garland.

You can also hang it on a wall, mantel, arch, or doorway.

Eye'll be seeing ya! 😉