Catch a falling star garland.

Making sure we're getting good use out of our star puncher!

Hot glue 2 stars together with floral wire in between for a fun and festive touch for your 4th of July celebration!

Celebrate good times, come on!

This I swear by the stars.

Every heart beats true to the red white and blue!

Dying rice is so easy and super fun!
You can dye rice for any ocasion making a varitety of colors.  This year it's red, white and blue for July 4! 

To dye rice all you need is food coloring, vinegar, ziplock baggies, tray or shallow dish, paper towels...and rice!  

• Divide rice into 3 equal parts. Place 2 of the parts into separate ziplock baggies (one for red, the other for blue).  The third part you'll leave white.
• Add 2 teaspoons of vinegar or rubbing alcohol to each bag...we even heard you could use hand sanitizer!
• Add food coloring to each bag.  We used about 15 drops!

• Zip lock your baggies and mix the color around by smushing the bag and spreading out the color evenly.  You might need to add a few more drops of food coloring and vinegar until you get the color or brightness you want.
• Set some paper towels on a tray or plate.  Once your rice is mixed, open each bag and spread it out on the tray to let dry.  It doesn't take long at all!

Funfetti!

Be careful when layering!

"This land was made for you and me!"

Smells of the Season.

Aloha and Happy Summer!

We love our stovetop potpourri mixes!

Put all the ingredients in a saucepan and fill with water.  

You only need a drop or two of the coconut extract.

And only one cinnamon stick. Two were a bit too strong!

Place on a low setting burner and enjoy! 

Don't let the water completely evaporate.

Soy relaxing! 

Pinwheel, pinwheel, spinning around.

Well...these decorative pinwheels don't actually spin...but they look so so cute and are easy to make!

• Cut a squares out of double sided patriotic paper.  (We didn't have any but gluing the pieces of paper back to back worked just as well.)  We cut 5x5 and 6x6 squares.
• Fold your square corner to corner then unfold.
• On each fold create a pencil mark about 1/3 of the way from the center.
• Cut along the folded lines, stopping at the pencil mark.  Don't cut all the way into the center.
• Bring together every other point into the center and hot glue.

• Make a center piece for your pinwheel.  We used stuff laying around the apartment...burlap, buttons, paper, even some pennies!
• Hot glue your pinwheel onto a stick.  You could use anything...a pencil, chopsticks, a dowel, an actual stick, we used straws!

Happy 4th!

U.S.A!

U.S.A!

U.S.A!

U.S.A!

Macaroni Monday; Bow Tie Pasta

This is another one of my favorites from Mamma Dukes!

Is so easy and can be made with ingredients you probably have around the house!

Bow Tie Macaroni Salad

1 box Bow Tie pasta, cooked and drained 

2 cups grape tomatoes, halved

Chopped garlic

1 7-ounce package feta cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 1 1/2 cups)

1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Olives

Oregano or Italian seasoning 

• In a large bowl mix tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper for the dressing and let soak for a while while you wait for the pasta to cook.  The olive oil should cover and go above the tomatoes.
• Add cooked pasta, feta and olives to dressing.
• Mix together, cover and chill.

Our favorite Old Fashion night cap.

Dennis introduced me to Old Fashions while we were in Madison Wisconsin with Fiddler on the Roof.  Old Fashions are one of the oldest cocktails in existence!  
There are tons of "correct" ways to make it, but from scouting the internet...this recipe seems to be the closet to the one we had in Madison.

2oz Burbon whiskey
3 dashes of Angostura bitters 
1 tsp sugar
Splash of soda water
1 maraschino 
1 orange slice
Ice cubes

Place sugar inside the glass, wet down with 3 dashes of bitters, add splash of soda water and swirl around or mix till sugar is desolved.  
Add the fruit and muddle with the back of a spoon.

Add whiskey and ice, stir up and enjoy!

Now all we need are some cheese curds!

Dad, get off the can!

Father's Day gifts can become a little monotonous. 
So we wanted to get creative with the packaging!

We upcycled our chai can by wrapping some paper around the outside and stuffed it with some manly macho Dad things.

The can becomes apart of the gift as well!  
Dad can use it to hold pens, pencils, change...whatever floats your Dad's boat.

Love ya Dad!

SPAM Tater Tot Casserole for Dad!

My Dad loves SPAM! 
As a play on our Mommas Quiche Lorraine, we wanted to make a breakfast dish fit for Dad!

SPAM Tater Tot Casserole

5 eggs

1 small can of SPAM, cubed

1 small onion, chopped

Frozen Oreida Onion Tater Tots, enough to fill the bottom of your pie dish

1 1/4 cups of heavy cream or half and half or milk

1 1/2 cups of grated cheddar cheese

Pinch of nutmeg 

Pinch of sugar

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven 350 degrees.

In a large bowl combine eggs, cream, salt, pepper, nutmeg, sugar, and cayenne pepper and mix.

Sprinkle greased pie dish with SPAM, cheese, onion, tater tots and pour in mixture.

Bake for 45 minutes or until silver knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Top with a dollop of sour cream and sriracha...so manly!

We might have found our guilty pleasure...SPAM!

Happy Father's Day!

Macho macho man candle.

People don't really decorate for Father's Day, but we'll find any excuse to make a holiday craft!
We cut an old dress shirt and wrapped the cuff around a jar.
Father's Day. Voilà. 

"Elementary my dear Watson."

Somewhere over the rainbow cake jars...

Celebrate your pride with these rainbow cake jars!

What you need is:
Boxed white cake mix
Frosting
3 egg whites
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cup water 
Neon and regular food coloring
3 jars
Non-stick cooking spray

Make cake batter according to the directions on the cake mix box.
Divide batter evenly between 6 bowls and add food coloring to make your rainbow colors!
Preheat over 350 degrees.
Spray the inside of your glass jars to the top with a generous amount of non-stick cooking spray.
Layer each color by pouring your batter slowly into the jar.  
Each jar should only have about 1 cup of batter.

Place your jars in a baking dish with an inch of water at the bottom of the dish surrounding the jars.
Bake for 35-40 minutes.
Be sure to keep an eye on your jars and use the knife test!

Allow cakes to cool completely before frosting!

Pretty please! With a cheery on top!

Let your freak flag fly!