Making apple slices that don't brown!

Making apple slices that don't brown!

For Clayton's preschool class last week, I was assigned the task of providing a fruit snack for the class. Clayton requested apple slices with caramel dip. And thus my dilemna - how do I prepare apple slices for 22 kids, two hours ahead of time without them turning brown (and without having to buy a dozen lemons).

The answer? Seven-Up! Pour some Seven-Up in a large bowl or tupperware. As you slice the apples, toss them in the bowl of Seven-up. Keep the apples submerged in Seven-Up until you are ready to serve them. Drain the Seven-Up and rinse the apples with water and you have freshly cut apples that aren't brown!

Letter Signs

I've been wanting to hang something on the wall above the beds in the boys' room, but have yet to find anything that's I like that's not really expensive.
I saw this sign on Pinterest and it inspired me to make similar ones for the boys.

I picked up a cheap frame, some burlap, some red paint, and wooden letters from Hobby Lobby.

I took the glass and cardboard out of the frame and painted it. (I used a small bottle of FolkArt paint).  I painted the wooden letter (resting it on wax paper so it didn't stick like it would to newspaper).

While the paint was drying, I cut the burlap a few inches larger than the frame and ironed it so it didn't have any wrinkles.  I turned the frame over, backside up, and rested the burlap over the frame. I pushed the cardboard into the frame and gently pulled the burlap so it was flat in the front.

 I then folded the burlap over the cardboard and hot-glued it down. I pushed down the frame tabs (the little things that keep the cardboard in the frame.

 Next, I hotglued the letter to the burlap, and voila! - artwork for above the boys' beds!

Yeah! Their room is finally starting to look decorated!

Labels for your pantry!

My pantry was a disaster and it was driving me crazy. So, I finally found time to clean it out - throw away stuff that was old or that was never going to get eaten, wipe away any spills or crumbs, and put certain pantry staples into cute containers.  You can get cute containers at a variety of different stores. I already had a few glass containers that I liked, but was able to buy a few more at Hobby Lobby. (Who knew they had such a variety of great containers!?)
I then printed out free (and adorable) labels from Better Homes and Gardens. I had them laminated at Office Depot for about 1$ and hot-glued or sticky-tacked them to my containers. My pantry looks SO much better!

Easter Wreath

For Easter this year, I made an Easter wreath. I'm always afraid to use the fake flowers because they so often start to look cheesy, and using fresh flowers are cost-prohibitive.  Luckily, I found these flowers on sale at Michaels that are made from natural materials. They look similar to dried flowers but are much harder and more durable.  I bought a simple stick wreath and stuck in/hot-glued the natural flowers. I then cut a simple wooden dowel into the right sizes for my cross, hot-glued them together, and then further secured them with a natural-colored rope.  I stuck the cross into the branches at the bottom of the wreath, and voila!

Make an Easter garden

To help make Easter focused on Jesus' resurrection and not eggs and bunnies, we made an Easter garden.
Find a shallow pot, flower pot bottom, (or in this case a basket with a tin baking pan at the bottom since it's what we had on hand.) Cover the bottom with dirt or potting soil. Bury a mini flower pot placed on its side to represent the tomb. Find a larger stone about the same size as the pot opening. Make 3 crosses to signify the crosses at Calvary.  Find some relatively straight sticks, break to size, and tie together  to make crosses.  Plant shade grass seed in the dirt and cover with another layer of dirt. Stick the crosses in the dirt. Layer pebbles in front of the "tomb".  You can print out a picture of Jesus and put it in the tomb and put the stone in front of the tomb opening.  On Easter morning, have the kids roll the stone away and reveal that it is empty and that Jesus has risen! (Make sure to remember to remove the paper Jesus the night before!)
It's best to plant this about a week to a week and a half before Easter so the grass starts growing in time. Make sure to spray it with water and keep it moist a few times a day. (The kids LOVE to do this.)