Scatter Sunshine

Willow Tree Nativity Stars Knock Off

2013-11-12T07:19:00.003-08:00

I collect nativity sets. With so many on a shelf I sometimes need a little something to place behind a specific nativity set to help it to stand out. I love the Willow Tree Nativity Stars. They cost about $20. I knew I could make several sets of stars, just how I wanted them, for much less.

Here is how to make your own version (you can easily use more or less stars):

Go to Hobby Lobby buy an unfinished wooden plaque for the base, a package of unfinished wood stars, 3 thin dowels, Rustoleum Hammered Metallic Paint-brown, and glue.

Cut your dowels to the varying heights that you'd like. Glue the dowel to the back of the star using a strong glue like E6000. Let dry overnight.

Decide on where you'd like your stars to stand on the plaque, make little marks to help you remember (see the pencil marks on the stand in the photo above). Drill holes into your wood- using a drill bit the same circumference as your dowel (or twist your hubby's arm and let him do it).

Slide the star "sticks" into the holes on your plaque- add a bit of glue for durability.

Spray paint with Rustoleum Hammered Metallic Paint- Brown. It's just the right mix- a hint of shimmer and "rustic". Let dry and then display!

I haven't unpacked my nativity sets yet, but I had this little manger that I found at a yard sale last week already out- so, you can kind of see what I was shooting for- pretty sweet :)

Designing Furniture

2013-10-09T09:30:00.002-07:00

When we moved earlier this year we found ourselves in need of some different furniture for a few bare spots in the house. I looked and looked and couldn't find what I loved for a price that was right.

Then on craigslist I saw an add for a guy that would build furniture for you. My husband and I went and checked it out. He ended up making three pieces for me. I gave him the basic wants and a drawing, he added a few things and now I have some furniture that works really well for our family. It was less expensive than buying ready made (but more then I usually spend on furniture).

I'm going to apologize now because my photographic skills are not the greatest and my camera is on the blitz- got to send it in for a repair.... I was squeezing up against walls trying to get the entire piece into the view finder- trying to adjust the colors to get close to the actual paint colors, etc. ..so sorry, but these photos will give you a general idea.. .

So, first up. The entryway shelf needed to be tall but not too deep so that it would fit near a window. This is what we came up with:

My version:

Finished product:

You can see our office from the front door entry. I needed something that was functional- that would hold two computers, printers, cords, etc. but I also needed a way to hide all of that clutter. This is the computerized version of my design:

Here is the finished product:

I wanted some more storage in the office area. Not to decorate with but to actually hold books, etc. Here is my version:

I had the furniture maker paint it with Valspar's Fire Orange (from Lowes)- in real life it's a beautiful pumpkin/spicy orange and then I antiqued it. We are going to hang a large family picture on the wall above it- but getting that set up may take a bit (it's all a process, right?!). Oh yeah, and that wall color- not really gray- it's greige with taupe and a tiny bit of olive green mixed in- love how it looks in real life....

Here is what we came up with.

I'm grateful to have furniture. I'm grateful to have a place to put it. This has been a BLAST! I learned that designing something and the having it be created is really super FUN!

Halloween "Smell My Feet" Free Printable

2013-09-26T11:04:00.001-07:00

Long time no post, eh?!

Well, I'm helping my daughter to put together some little gifts for her friends for Halloween- aren't you SO IMPRESSED that we started out this early??? Well, don't be. I finally figured out that if I don't start early it doesn't happen. Like if I don't have dinner started by ten in the morning we're probably eating toast, but I digress.

I was browsing around the store called Tuesday Morning and found these super cute sets of Halloween polish- and it's scented! The polish comes in Halloween colors and they have a gold decal on them of a haunted house, a jack-o-lantern, or a ghost.

I bought some for my daughter and she wanted some more to give to her friends- so, we grabbed another set or two. She is going to break the sets apart and just give each girl two colors.

She is going to put the nail polish in a little bag and maybe add a few other goodies. I made this label for her to attach to her nail polish gift bags. I hope that she'll have lots of fun gifting these to her chums.

Happy Halloween!

Painting the Town- Actually Just the House

2013-03-27T08:01:00.002-07:00

We recently moved to a new town and to a new to us house. The paint colors were not quite what we would have picked so there has been lots of painting going on! I am color challenged and made frequent phone calls to my very talented Sister-in-law for direction. I learned a few things that I want to remember for the next time that we have to paint.

Paint chips don't work for me. I really need to see samples painted onto a large piece of poster board and tacked to the wall where I'll be painting. Valspar and Benjamin Moore paints have some of my favorite colors.

Under the direction of my decorator SIL I painted the back of the living room shelves a bright spicy orange. I tried two different kinds of paint there. The first kind: Behr Ultra went on thick and creamy- very nice.

The second kind- Valspar- ick. It was thin, runny and splattered and dripped everywhere. The color I picked for this spot was a Valspar paint and Home Depot's match wasn't quite right- that is why I ended up going with the Valspar. I also had to paint four coats of paint and that was over primer and a layer of the Behr.... so, in the future to save time I'll be using Behr paint when choosing between the two brands.

I also found the ONLY paintbrush that I can paint a straight line with. It is called Ziber and I get the two inch angled sash with the long handle- the short handled version had softer bristles which I didn't care for. This paintbrush is at Home Depot.

The previous home owners had a good tip if you want to upgrade your switch plates. They had painted them (and the screw tops) with Rust-Oleum Hammered paint and primer in one spray paint. It's an inexpensive way to jazz up the 25 cent white plastic outlet and plate covers. It gives them a rustic metal looking finish- I think there are six metal finishes to choose from.

We broke down and hired a painter to help us get things moving. It was pretty sweet to go about my daily routine and at the end of the day have two more rooms painted! Those are the tips I want to remember for the future... hopefully we won't be painting too much more for another ten years or so :)

Homemade Soy Candles

2012-11-08T06:30:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I made some candles for a friend who has everything :) We are moving and my camera is packed so the above photo is from the web....

I decided to go with soy candles. I followed the directions here to make the wick. I recommend the directions for wick number 2. Leaving the unbleached cotton twine in the borax solution overnight caused crystals to form that I had to remove before dipping the wicks in wax. Use unbleached cotton twine to keep this a "clean" candle without any harmful chemicals being released into the air as you burn them. I chose not to add any dyes to my candles for the same reason.

I followed the directions here to make the candles. I put together some instructions on how to burn a soy candle and attached it to my gift. Here are some similar instructions. As you read them note how important it is to do a memory burn, how to center your wick after prolonged burning, and how to extinguish your candle without causing smoke. After making your candles allow them cure for a few days before burning them... I know... it is so hard to wait!

I made a summer scented candle using:

1/2 pound soy wax
1 T. jasmine essential oil
1/4 t. grapefruit essential oil

I think the above fragrance combination makes a nice perfume. Just use beeswax instead of the soy and add equal parts sweet almond oil to make a solid perfume. Directions here.

I made an Autumn scented candle using:

1 pound soy wax
2 T clove bud essential oil
1/2 t. vanilla essential oil

I have been burning the Autumn scented candle all week and I love, love, love it. Some commercial candles smell too sugary sweet for me. However, I'm very happy with these!

Best (& EASIEST) Pulled Pork

2012-09-26T15:47:00.001-07:00

I tried a new recipe and I loved it. It is SUPER easy- not on my diet- but tasty nonetheless. At first I freaked out when I realized you used root beer to cook your pork in- but there were so many awesome reviews that I went with it. Then two days later I made another batch for a friend who had just had a baby. I just sent over the pulled pork, a mess of coleslaw and a bag of rolls. This would be wonderful for tailgating parties.

Here is the recipe- photo and recipe from Allrecipes.com. I used 2 litres of A&W root beer, a half of a pork roast- the inexpensive kind in a tube shaped bag and Sweet Baby Ray's Original BBQ sauce. You just put the pork in the crock pot- cover it with root beer- cook on low. Turn the roast a time or two during the day. At dinner time drain off all of the root beer and remove any fat. Shred meat with a fork (it falls apart) and drench with the BBQ sauce. You can use the pulled pork on your favorite salad or I like to make sandwiches with it- just put a heaping pile of the pork in the middle of a soft roll and enjoy.

Where to Buy Large, Chunky Beads

2012-09-07T11:20:00.000-07:00

I love the fun necklaces with big chunky beads. I hit my local craft stores trying to find large beads to make a few necklaces of my own. Our town only has two craft stores. I didn't find much. The beads either looked cheap- perfect for a four year old playing dress up- or they didn't have the colors I needed. I had a "duh" moment and looked for beads at etsy under the supply category.

I found these pretty glass "pearl" beads and purchased them for two different necklaces. I purchased two different shades of gray and some cream beads and crystals. I tried to find beads that were at least 14mm. My local craft store carries the smaller sizes.

For my match everything, all cream colored necklace I purchased a few large glass crystals to add texture and sparkle. They were a nice addition. I personally prefer cream pearls to white- but that is just me.

I found some yellow beads here... for some reason a large, pretty yellow bead is nearly impossible to find. These are 20mm- very nice size!

I did find out that making a necklace with tons of beads can get expensive (my gray pearl necklace-yikes)! You can ~~probably~~ buy one already made for less money. But if you are trying to match a specific outfit or need some craft therapy go for it.

September 1 we went back onto our modified Dave Ramsey budget so there is less shopping and more saving going on at our house now ;0)

J.R. Watkins Cleaner

2012-08-29T12:30:00.001-07:00

Let me preface this by saying that I grew up in a home surrounded by over twenty navel orange trees- can you imagine how great it smelled when the orange blossoms were bursting out all over the place- amazing!!

Then in December/January when oranges were perfect for eating they became the staple of my diet.... delicious... best oranges ever! Understanding my history may lead you to believe that I am biased, and maybe I am, but I've got to tell you about how delighted I was to try J.R. Watkins Tub & Tile cleaner in orange citrus scent.... this is just me, a mom who grabbed it on sale on an impulse buy (no company endorsement stuff going on).... and I really like it. It cleaned my yucky toilet exterior and my bathroom smelled heavenly while I worked..... sigh...

Products I Like

2012-08-24T00:34:00.001-07:00

Long time no post- just busy doing other fun stuff. I did want to share a product review or two- so that I can look back and remember what brand I liked. Here are some popular items at our house:

Ghirardelli Hazelnut Heaven Intense Dark Chocolate. The sweetness of the hazelnut tones down the dark chocolate and makes for a very tasty treat. So, hard to keep it to a nibble and not just consume the entire bar-

Garden of Eatin taco shells. I found these at the local health food store. They actually taste like corn tortillas did when I was a kid growing up in Arizona. By that I mean, you can taste the corn. Rubbery if zapped in the microwave. Delightful crunchiness when warmed in the oven. These are the ingredients: Organic stoneground yellow corn masa flour, expeller pressed high oleic safflower and/or sunflower oil. Yummy.

Unsweetened Almond Breeze with Coconut milk- I use this with frozen fruit (banana, mango, papaya, and pineapple) to make tropical tasting fruit smoothies. I want to try a smoothie with chocolate and see if it tastes like a mounds bar...

Do you spend a small fortune on printer ink? We do. We tried switching brands of printers and that didn't save us any money. We switched to a laser Brother HL-2270 DW. The ink cartridge costs $45 and is supposed to print 1600 pages. Very nice quality printing. It only prints in black and white- but that is all we need 85% of the time. We kept the old printer (for color) and added the new and are hoping for some big savings in the ink department.

Service Activity Day

2012-06-05T09:35:00.000-07:00

This week for activity day (church group of girls ages 8-11) we focused on service. First, I had the girls help me make no bake peanut butter bars. While they were cooling in the refrigerator we discussed the blessings and happiness that come when we do service for others. I focused on this talk by President Monson and Matthew 25.

We played the game Guesstures (charades). We discussed how actions speak louder than words. Many people say that they love God, their family, or their neighbor- but do they show them?

Then I used this fabulous idea that I found via pinterest and gave each girl their own top secret folder so that they could go home with a reminder to perform secret acts of loving service.

Oh, and we sent home the peanut butter bars with the girls (they were delish)!

Activity Day: Ceramic Tiles

2012-04-17T16:13:00.001-07:00

This week for activity day (church group of girls ages 8-11) we discussed President Monson's talk from the April 2012 Young Women's conference about how living the gospel and obeying God's commandments makes our lives easier. I highlighted this quote:

Obey your parents. Obey the laws of God. They are given to us by a loving Heavenly Father. When they are obeyed, our lives will be more fulfilling, less complicated. Our challenges and problems will be easier to bear. We will receive the Lord’s promised blessings... You have but one life to live. Keep it as free from trouble as you can.

Next, we discussed some specifics. For instance, how would making the correct choice not to steal make their life easier? They could see how stealing could lead to loss of trust, loss of friends, and even legal consequences, etc. We also discussed choosing not to use drugs- how would that choice bless them? Etc.

Then we painted ceramic tiles as a reminder to always choose the right. We used small ceramic tiles from Habitat for Humanity Restore and Folk Art Enamel Paints. Ahead of time I cleaned the tiles with rubbing alcohol and then traced CTR (choose the right) onto the center of each tile. The girls wrote their names on the back of each tile in pencil- important since the tiles won't be ready to take home immediately. Then the girls painted the "CTR" letters and embellished the remaining area. I baked the tiles to set the paint and then later delivered the finished tile with a little easel to each girl. I found the easels in a bag of twelve in the fine art section at Michaels... on clearance :o)

Family History Break

2012-04-13T12:09:00.001-07:00

I'm sorry I haven't posted much lately. I'm still here. Still happy. I'm just not feeling much urge to craft... weird, I know. I look around my house and while it doesn't have the latest trends in decorating, it's comfortable and I like it. So, I don't feel the need to make stuff to decorate with....

My daughter invited a few friends from school over for tonight. We are going to make earrings- so, I'll get a little crafting in :o)

What else am I up to? I know I mentioned it before but I've been bitten by the family history bug. I love it! It is so much fun to find a relative on the 1900 census and to realize that the mom had eight children but only five are listed and to search and find those missing three.

Did you know that if you do your research at a LDS family history center (located inside many meeting houses for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) you can have free access to several huge online genealogical websites. Yes! ancestry.com is free, fold3 is free and several other wonderful resources. You don't have to be a member of the church to use these family history centers, everything is free, and they even have people there to help you as needed. Click here to find the family history center closest to you. I'm telling you it's FUN!

Healthy Treat

2012-04-05T07:18:00.003-07:00

My current healthy obsession- Fage Greek yogurt with honey.

Activity Day: Making a Terrarium

2012-04-03T16:29:00.000-07:00

I feel Spring in the air. It feels like it's time to start gardening. It's still too early to plant most vegetables outside because of the danger of a late freeze where I live. However, I thought it would be fun to show the activity day girls (church group of girls ages 8-11) some basic gardening tips like how to transplant a potted plant. I thought they could practice some of what we talked about by making a terrarium.

I followed the tutorials found here and here. These can be made in any jar where the jar opening is smaller than the circumference of the jar at its widest point. The most difficult par of this project is trying to find tiny plants. The plants I selected seemed small enough- but by the time you covered the root ball with potting soil and added the height of the plant- they were bursting out the top... oops... and the girls were very generous with the potting soil :o)

What type of jar is best? I'm not sure.... I've seen people use wide mouth canning jars- the jar opening needs to be large enough for a child to put their hands down inside.... or you'll be spending lots of time trying to get things in place using chopsticks! You can find activated charcoal in the aquarium section of your pet store- this keeps your terrarium smelling fresh. You can find living moss (don't use the dried dead stuff) in the ground covering section of your local nursery.

We used polka dot plants from Home Depot, they were with the houseplants. Oh, and don't place your finished terrarium in direct sunlight or your plants will bake and die.

I made the little mushrooms ahead of time using polymer clay. I painted on the little spots and covered the mushroom tops with triple glaze. I think they look pretty sweet in their new terrarium homes.

Edit a Photo

2012-03-30T09:06:00.002-07:00

I found a blog with wonderful tutorials on how to edit photos- it's called polished pictures. I want to try it on the above picture.

Make a Small Textured Photography Backdrop

2012-03-26T09:11:00.000-07:00

Try to ignore the precious princess above and check out the fantastic textured backdrop used behind her. I LOVE it! I'm going to dislocate my shoulder patting myself on the back because I made it and it only cost two dollars!!! You can make one too- it's super simple!

Here are the easy to follow (I hope) directions:
Purchase a foam board and a package of tissue paper- I found mine at Dollar Tree. You'll also need matte finished mod podge and a foam brush.

Tear up a single layer of tissue paper into random sized pieces about six inches wide, wad the pieces of tissue up into a tiny ball to make wrinkles and crinkles.

Gently unfold your paper wads. Smear your foam board with mod podge- painting it onto one small section at a time. Then press your wrinkled tissue paper onto the board making sure that the edges are glued down well.

Keep layering mod podge and wrinkled paper until you reach the look you are going for. I wanted something very subtle so I added several layers of tissue paper. If you want bold lines and edges that clearly show where the tissue paper is overlapping just apply a thin layer of tissue paper. Place your board on a flat surface and allow to dry. If the foam board curls up on the corners set weights onto each corner to help flatten it back out.

When it is all dry flip over your foam board and use a second color of tissue paper to make a backdrop on the backside. I want to try again using gold tissue paper, and then a floral print, etc., etc. If you shop at Dollar Tree you can spend 3$ (add some mod podge) and end up with two delightful backdrops.

Obviously, this will make a very small backdrop suitable for close ups and for photographing babies or toddlers. However you could join two boards together and make a larger backdrop... so many options : )

Activity Day: Tissue Paper Flowers & Eggs

2012-03-21T08:44:00.000-07:00

I had to do a bit of last minute shuffling this week for activity day (church group for girls ages 8-11). I wasn't able to find all of the "ingredients" for what I had planned.... so, instead we made tissue paper flowers and covered paper-mache eggs with torn pieces of tissue paper and mod podge.

A friend had given our family a large basket full of Easter candy. Rather than keeping it around for temptation I let the girls raid the basket and add some sweets to their little buckets (Dollar Tree currently has adorable tin buckets and nice paper filler).

If I had planned a bit more I would have discussed the true meaning of Easter and shared this video.

Sewing a Simple Baby Dress

2012-03-13T12:49:00.000-07:00

I used some vintage fabric to make a sweet little baby dress to have on hand for an upcoming photo shoot. I wanted something very simple. Something that would look good with vintage props. I used New Look pattern number 6880. This pattern is SUPER easy- a wonderful beginner pattern if you are just learning to sew.

Last night we planted sugar snap peas in the garden and are enjoying harvesting and eating the fresh asparagus that is already growing. Garden fresh asparagus is sweet- it doesn't have the bitter aftertaste that you find in asparagus that has been in the grocery store for awhile. I like to steam it, add real butter and some salt and then fight the kids off to eat as much as I can.... my husband refers to it as "dessert".

Activity Day: Service at the Park

2012-03-06T17:07:00.000-08:00

Our church has adopted a local park to keep clean. Does your community do that? An organization "adopts" a park, or a strip of highway, etc. The city puts up a little sign saying who is keeping that piece of real estate looking nice.

Well, anyhow, for activity day (church group for girls ages 8-11) we decided to take advantage of the beautiful Spring weather and head to our park. For a service project we picked up litter.

We decided to add another little service project to our day by making peanut butter and bird seed feeders (picture from craft jr. blog- see above link- I forgot to bring my camera). We gathered at a picnic table and did our little "craft". After covering the pine cones with peanut butter we rolled them in bird seed that we had spread onto a cookie sheet. The girls took home their birdie goodies to hang up in a tree at home. That way they can see the birds nibbling on their treat. Here is a link to another bird treat recipe.

Of course, we couldn't be outside in the sunshine without blowing some bubbles and playing on the swings and slides. This was a very easy activity with very little prep time and an entertaining way for the girls to give service to the community.

For this activity you'll need:

garbage bags
plastic gloves
hand sanitizer

peanut butter
bird seed
butter knives
pinecones
string
paper towels to clean up sticky peanut butter

bubbles

How to Lengthen a Skirt by Adding Ruffles

2012-02-23T10:00:00.001-08:00

I found a cute gray skirt for my daughter at the thrift store for three dollars. It was too short. To lengthen it I decided to add two ruffles. I cut a strip of coordinating fabric seven inches wide and long enough to go around the bottom of the skirt almost two times. I made a 1/4 inch rolled hem on one side. It is much easier to hem before gathering! On the other side of the strip of fabric I ran a zig zag stitch to reduce fraying and then I ran it through the sewing machine with the ruffler foot on.

I made a second strip of fabric five inches wide and did the same thing. Then I sewed both ruffles onto the lining of the skirt and topped it with lace, just to add a pretty touch and to hide some of the rough edges.

All done!

Activity Day: Value of Education

2012-02-21T16:36:00.000-08:00

For our activity day this week (girl's group ages 8-11) we talked about the value of education. We used a quote from Pres. Hinckley that was shared in the 2007 General Young Women's Meeting:

Resolve now, while you are young, that you will get all of the education you can. We live in a highly competitive age, and it will only grow worse. Education is the key that will unlock the door of opportunity.

Don’t just drift along, letting the days come and go without improvement in your lives. The Lord will bless you as you make the effort. Your lives will be enriched and your outlook broadened as your minds are opened to new vistas and knowledge.

Once we talked about the value of education then we had some science fun! We mixed menthos with diet coke for a huge, gigantic, messy old faithful type eruption. We made GAK and glow in the dark drinks and we blew up a balloon using a mixture of "chemicals". We watched raisins dance and we saw how colors break apart using a coffee filter and crayola markers.

The girls giggled with delighted surprise when I got a face full of erupting coke. They squealed at the icky texture of the GAK and they went back to look at themselves with the black light (used with the glow in the dark drink). Hopefully, the girls went home with the idea that learning can be fun and with a reminder that education is a privilege and a wonderful opportunity.

Safety Tips:

The menthos & diet coke experiment makes a huge instantaneous explosion- do this project outside on the lawn and make sure that everyone stands back about fifteen feet.

Hint about GAK: The recipe I used calls for Borax- which is toxic. Don't eat it. Don't let your girl's eat it. Don't let their siblings eat it. DON'T dispose of it down the sink either- they say this stuff will clog your plumbing. After playing with the goo throw it away in the trash can! Now go have some fun!

How to Make a Photo Prop Banner

2012-02-15T05:00:00.000-08:00

There are lots of different banners used in photo sessions. I've noticed a huge variety. I have made a couple in the past. Then I saw some using simple muslin and I decided to make a few of those as well. I'm sorry that these are not original ideas- they are copies of what I have seen around the web- with directions on how to make them for your photo prop stash.

The first banner is made by cutting out fourteen triangles. Then place two together and sew them on top of each other with a simple zig zag stitch (just making them thicker so that they'll hang better).

The "string" is made by cutting strips that are two inches wide. Fold in half and zig zag the length of your "string". Place triangles onto string and zig zag in place. Leave the edges raw, show the stitching- it all adds texture.

The gathered muslin strip is made by cutting a strip of fabric three inches wide. Sew a large width straight basting stitch down the middle, and then again one fourth inch from previous row of stitching- do not back stitch. Then pull end strings to gather. When it is a "ruffled" as you like, sew down the middle again using a small straight stitch. Drape as needed.

Now, I really ought to quit playing with props and start learning how to take photos with some real people!

How to Make a Photo Prop Floor

2012-02-13T02:02:00.000-08:00

I found a box of flooring at my Habitat for Humanity Restore for a very nice price. It was the snap together kind. I snapped it up- actually it took a few grunts and groans to get it into the cart- that stuff is heavy! I brought it home and snapped my tiny photo prop floor together and took a few photos. I think I mentioned this before and you can see the floor below-

What I realized was that I would like to have a rustic white floor, too. Yet, I didn't want to give up my "wooden" floor- so, I just flipped. Yep, I took the floor apart, flipped over each plank, and painted the back white. Now, I can use the "wood" side or flip over the planks and use the "white" side as needed (they slide together either way). I guess this is an obvious solution- but it took me awhile to come up with it! Here is a shot of my rustic white photo prop floor:

To paint the flooring I cleaned the plank backs with TSP. Then I painted on a coat of primer. Then I added a coat of eggshell finish white paint and I topped it all with a layer of brown antiquing wax.

This floor isn't perfect. When I have kids on it, they wiggle and the flooring begins to slip apart. But it is easily snapped back together. Of course when photographing infants you don't have this problem. To store the floor between photography sessions it is easy stack the individual planks- so they don't take up tons of room.

All in all I'm very pleased- two floors for $15!

Activity Day: Homemade Chocolates

2012-02-09T05:00:00.000-08:00

With Valentine's Day coming up I thought it would be fun to teach the activity day girls (church group of girls ages 8-11) how to make homemade chocolates. We used the delicious billionaire chocolate recipe and this chocolate peanut butter candy recipe. I've made the billionaire chocolates before and they were a huge hit. Make the filling balls small (nickel size or smaller) so that after dipping in chocolate they are the perfect size- if they get too big they are a little hard to chew.

I made the billionaire filling ahead of time and rolled them up all ready to dip into chocolate. If you run out of time doing this activity you can send these home to eat without dipping them in chocolate- they are delicious as is!

While the girls were here we made the peanut butter filling and rolled both kinds of candy in chocolate. We got chocolate EVERYWHERE.... this may go down in history as the most messy activity day EVER!

We put some of the candies into little candy cups and the girls boxed up a few of their chocolates with a ribbon to give as a gift. The other candies were placed onto a pink paper plate.

We ran out of time. Next time I'll make both types of candy fillings ahead of time. This will allow them to firm up in the refrigerator before dipping in the chocolate. This advanced prep might also allow us some time to put the finished chocolates in the refrigerator for a few minutes so that the chocolate is set before the candy needs to be transported home-we ended up sending home some very unique and interesting looking mounds of chocolate- but the girls were thrilled with their results.

For our spiritual message we talked about how important it is to follow directions when making a recipe. We talked about how important it is to follow directions in life. We discussed how we can find the directions we need in the scriptures, from our leaders, and from our parents. We talked about My Gospel Standards and how they are a great "recipe" for life. It was a yummy fun day although it destroyed my healthy eating plan for the day!

Pecan, Apple & Spinach Salad

2012-02-07T01:14:00.000-08:00

I had this salad for lunch yesterday. It is one of my favorites. The salad is made with a spring salad mix, baby spinach, chunks of apples, pecans, diced roasted chicken, and goat cheese all topped with Braswell's raspberry vinaigrette. This very yummy salad dressing has sugar in it- but I still use it occasionally...mmm.