Getting Ready for the 4th

My kids and husband are heading to a ball game on the 4th of July, so I had to think of a way to get them on TV so I could see them. Then my Family Fun magazine came in the mail. Here is the page that I used in my magazine: Crown & Glory. This will give you the exact directions that I used. We couldn't find red, white and blue bendy straws, but I did find decorated bendy straws at Target for $1.99 each. Each kid used a full tube of 20 straws to make their hats. I had wired stars in the basement, and already had red & blue duct tape (I have every color they make).

The straws had the decorations on the bendy part of the straw, so I un-peeled each decoration, and the kids re-taped them onto the other side of the straw. It took awhile, but they were excited still.

When all the straws were done I measured each kid and laid out a piece of duct tape to the same size. The kids laid out their straws in the patterns that they wanted. Then we smooshed the straws between another layer of duct tape. The contracting color of tape was to sandwich the two other pieces on the bottom. I think mostly to prevent hair from sticking to the tape. I then measured it around their heads and secured with a smaller piece of tape to cover any exposed tape.

The kids then went into the bathroom to shape the straws how they wanted them. The boys added 3" pieces of wired stars to the inside of the straws, my daughter didn't want any because it made the straws heaver and she wanted hers to stick up strait.

Here is what they ended up with:

Hopefully with their "Circle me Bert" signs they made, they will make it onto TV on the 4th of July. They will also be wearing them to the fireworks later that night if they haven't destroyed them at the game!

Homemade Cookies

Who doesn't love a homemade cookie over a store bought one? Not to many people I am guessing. With the kids home from school, we have a tendency to go through a few more cookies. I have let my older kids go to town in the kitchen with my stand mixer to make their own cookie dough. Some have been good, and some not so good. We do also try every year at our local county fair to enter a few of the better recipes.



Here Matt won third place for his chocolate chip cookies. They were not the best he had ever made, but it was how they turned out that year. We don't use any special recipe for the chocolate chip cookies, we normally just alter a regular recipe.




This year Ali won first place for snickerdoodles , and Matt again took third for his chocolate chip. I make sure to not have them compete in the same flavor categories. Somebody will lose, and somebody will feel bad, so we avoid competing in the same categories.

Here is the recipe I gave her to use:

Snickerdoodles
(from Martha's web site)
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. Put butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in eggs. Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture.

2. Stir together cinnamon and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in a small bowl. Shape dough into 20 (1 3/4-inch) balls; roll in cinnamon sugar. Space 3 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

3. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges are golden, 12 to 15 minutes.


They are REALLY good. I have been known to eat a few at a sitting before. Be sure to store in an air tight container, or they will get hard.




Now I know this isn't a craft project, but it is a project to do with your kids. Grab your cookbook, dust it off, and find a new cookie you have never tried before. It could be a new family favorite.

Here is the list that my local county fair has for entries:
Chocolate drop
white drop
fruit - nut drop
drop - no bake
oatmeal drop
ginger
peanut butter
biscotti
chocolate chip
chocolate refrigerator
white refrigerator
fruit/nut refrigerator
lemon sugar
sugar - molded
sugar - rolled
snickerdoodles
Russian tea cakes

Try something new, and see if you can enter it at the fair this summer! If you do, take a picture and let us know about it!

Kids and Digital Cameras

Do you own an inexpensive digital camera? Do you ever let your kids use it? This summer teach them a few simple tricks with your digital camera, and let them use their creativity to see what they can come up with. All three of my kids take hundreds of pictures each year. And the best of the best end up being submitted to our local County Fair for judging. The picture above is from three years ago, but they often end up winning ribbons and prizes on their pictures.

Ali found her creative side last winter when she decided she was going to be a photographer when she grew up. I said "Why wait?" Take the camera and your brothers and see what you can do. They spent ALL DAY in her bedroom trying different poses and different backgrounds. The picture above is my personal favorite. I did help her with the editing on the computer to get rid of red eye, change the colors, and soften the edges. They all had a real fun time and were excited to see what they came up with. She will be entering this picture this summer.

Matt has an eye for nature. We have multiple pictures of different flowers from our Como visits. He also takes nature pictures in our own backyard. His subjects range from the dogs to frogs by the neighbors pond. He has taken some wonderful pictures of the trees all the way down to a close-up of new growth on a pine branch. He has a different way of looking at nature, and that is what makes them so unique and beautiful. He has learned that sometimes less is more in pictures.

And then there's Timmy. He started taking his own pictures when he was just 2 years old. We limit his pictures to the inside of our house. We also let him use the old digital camera in case he drops it. His pictures are all from his vantage point, so they are more abstract. I do end up deleting a good majority of his work due to fingers in the way, or him taking them to fast for the auto focus. But every once in awhile there are a few real good ones. The picture above is the inside of his new crawl thru tube. I never would have thought of this, but he thought it looked cool, and I like the way it turned out too. He is going to enter a few pictures into the Fair this year too. He probably won't win against 12 year olds, but you never know. It is always a good learning experience, win or lose.

YOUR PROJECT:

Let the kids lose with a digital camera this summer. Let them do whatever they want with it, and you will be amazed. The first few will be safe and predictable, then they will start to experiment and the pictures will get more creative. Print the pictures and put into old frames you already have around the house. every kid loves to have their artwork displayed. The best part is except for the paper & ink, it is pretty much free. You can just delete the bad ones and save the good ones on your computer. Start a file labeled with your child's name and Summer 2008. You will be able to look back year after year to see how they have improved.