Toddler Activity- shaving cream art

Guys, I love being an aunt. I have three nieces. My oldest niece is also my goddaughter. She's a beautiful, fun-loving spirit who reminds my family of a young version of me. She is two and a few months. I went home last weekend and the two of us played a lot.

Being an educator- I want to teach her how to world works, how to see art in everything, how to explore and investigate and never stop asking questions. But she's two. And I'm her aunt, not her educator. I want to give her cuddles and dress her in princess dresses and tell her how important she is to me. This weekend we tried a bit of both- I dressed her in my dress which she declared "Too big!" and then we played with a tactile activity. This is a great toddler activity- we tried to do low mess because she is not big on messes. 

I put out a plastic table cloth and bought a thing of shaving cream from the dollar store. I warned her first that we would get "a little" messy and to ask her dad if it was okay. After we got the all clear, we headed outside for fun. I piled high some shaving cream and demonstrated to move it around. Shortly, she was squishing and moving and painting with me. Although, halfway through she asked my mom to clean her up then went back at it- it was a great time. We did hand prints, traced letters, and made pictures. 

She got really into it and said she had fun, and I believe her because why would a toddler lie? I would recommend this as a good toddler craft when you need a little bit of not-too-messy arts and crafts time. If you are feeling daring- add a drop of food coloring. The shaving cream comes off really easy, however you smell like a newly shaved dude for a bit- even after washing your hands. 

And, as an aunt and educator- please, keep exploring. You will discover so much.

Easy breakfast

This weekend has been great! As it comes to a close, Keith and I decided to make breakfast today before we start the work week. Keith made bacon, I made a smoothie and these delicious rolls- they are SO easy! Recipe to follow:

What you need:

• A roll of Grands rolls
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 2 tbsp of ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to what it says on the Grands tube. Spray cookie sheet with nonstick spray. Mix the sugar and cinnamon in a shallow dish. Remove the Grands and put them in the sugar/cinnamon mixture. I made sure I got all sides, including the sides. Repeat until you get all of them. Cook them around 14 minutes. Enjoy :)

and, we're back!

Sorry I have been away but I am now comfortably resting in my new apartment in Chicago! I love it and Keith and I are settling in quite nicely. I will post more about that when we are fully settled. Until then- a quick post about a new treat we discovered on our vacation

Keith and I went to Mackinac Island with my family. I love the Island, and really think of it as my home. We got engaged on the island, I lived on the island and I spent my childhood visiting the island. I know every inch of it. We met up with friends and went to a favorite for drinks and I found this on the menu: adult rootbeer float. I have to say- I was pretty stoked.

It was so good I wanted to make it at home. So I did!

Add 1.5 ounces of whipped cream vodka over ice. Fill cup with rootbeer and add a splash of cream. Delicious.

Enjoy and drink responsibly. I will post again soon!

Quick update

Hi everyone. I love creating and blogging. However, things have gotten kind of hectic right now with preparing for the move. If I don't blog, know that I am going to continue after the move, but right now I am focusing on packing up our apartment to move to the big city. Stick with us though and we will be back with great recipes, tutorials and adventures around the city.

Thanks!
Jenn

DIY Easy Paper Banner

 Our days are numbers in our apartment and while we pack up, things are getting into boxes or in some cases, rediscovered before getting put into boxes. I found some scrapbook paper and decided to make a festive banner that will go with us to our new home. It's a really easy how-to so I thought I would share how I made it.

What you need:

• Bunting template from online or make your own. It helps if it has a fold over portion 
• scrap book paper, I had three different patterns
• scissors
• string/baker's twine
• tape (not pictured)

Use your template to cut out triangles. I cut out nine total.

Fold over the excess at the top to create a flap to hide the string.

Tape the flap down and make sure the string is under flap.

And there you have it! Simple, easy and fun paper bunting.

Vintage Cocktail Recipe: the Moscow Mule

Have you ever had a Moscow Mule? It is delicious and pretty easy to make. However, having it in a copper mug adds a degree of deliciousness, so I would recommend buying a pair.

To make a Moscow Mule you need:

• 2 ounce of vodka
• 8 ounces of ginger beer (this is a soda, not an alcoholic beer)
• 1 tsp of simple syrup
• 2 ounces of lime juice
• ice
• mint and lime to garnish

Put ice in the copper mug and pour vodka in first. Next put in the lime juice and simple syrup. Lastly top off with ginger beer.
Delicious!

Enjoy and drink responsibly. 

Our new hobby

For a few years I had been thinking about buying myself a record player. But I couldn't really justify- I had no where to put it, it was pricey, I had music on my computer, etc. When my grandpa passed away I noticed this awesome yellow record stand in his basement, and took it. So, for awhile I put plants on it, and a lamp and all that, but it didn't feel right without a record player. So I bought one for my big birthday this year and I have loved it!

So, I got the record player for my birthday with only two records I found at a thrift store for 99 cents each- Cabaret Soundtrack and a sampler with several blues-y songs. So then Keith got me three records for my birthday- new and newer music. Every since, we have such a great time record shopping.

This is our collection since end of January. We barely ever buy them new and full price. We get a lot of them at thrift stores or at used record store or antique shops. Most thrift shops have a record bin or box located near the books. Usually they are between 99 cents to two dollars. We have picked up several great gems from thrift stores, loads of classical music and some like the one below:

The hunt is so fun to find a record that you really can't wait to listen to. We have different tastes, so our collection really shows that. Also, Keith looks like he is a weirdo in this photo. he's not.

I have the problem of when I listen to the radio, cds or music in the car I don't listen to the whole song but skip around. I cannot do this easily on the record and it allows me to really enjoy a whole album. I have been noticing that not only will I listen to the record the whole way through, but will replay it twice in a sitting sometimes. I love the record player.

But seriously, record shopping is probably my new favorite hobby. I love sifting through the racks to find the gems. I cannot wait to keep expanding the collection.