Homemade SpongeBob Squarepants Cake

This was for my son Green's 3rd birthday and it was my first attempt at making a character cake. The decorations and designs were all made using only icing. He was extremely happy!

Number Shaped Birthday Cakes

Homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

Another great recipe I found here http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chocolate-Peanut-Butter-Cups/Detail.aspx

This was a huge for the kids! Very simple and fun!

Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits

Found this great recipe here http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chef-Johns-Buttermilk-Biscuits/Detail.aspx

Although the taste is fabulous, you do have to be extra careful when forming the circles, for they can turn out to be a little uneven like mine did...Practice makes perfect! :)

Homemade Zucchini Bread

Found this recipe here http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Moms-Zucchini-Bread/Detail.aspx

Very easy and healthy. I did some variations with it by substituting zucchini for sweet potato or even carrots! Very delicious in the morning! Try it! :-)

Spiral Apple Dumplings

I'm always searching for recipes online. It's somewhat of an addiction as well as looking for ways to sneak in fruits and veggies so my kids would eat them. For this recipe I was on the "Better Homes and Gardens" website, typed in apples in the search box, and decided on making this one since I already had the all the ingredients on hand and lots and lots of apples which I'm trying get rid of before they become rotten.....So here's the link to the recipe enjoy!http://www.bhg.com/recipe/breads/spiral-apple-dumplings/

Weather Chart

 

The one in the photo above is my version of the chart.

 

 

This one I found on pinterest. It's the original version. I happened to come across this blog in which the blogger explains how the original creator of this weather chart has no blog of her own (not sure if she does now a year later), but go ahead over there and check it out. The blogger even has her own version. Mine isn't so professionally made as theirs are but I just really like the whole idea of it. The kids helped out too by coloring it using markers. Mine has 2 blank spaces since where I live we don't get any snow or much storms....just rain. So I didn't know what to put there and decided to leave them blank. Here's the link to that blog and a photo of her version of the weather chart: http://rowdyinroom300.blogspot.com/2012/07/weather-chart.html

 

Chocolate Banana Ice-Cream Loaf

Another recipe from my beloved book "Simply Delicious Desserts" which is based on recipes using Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk. This recipe was actually my first attempt in homemade ice-cream. It was a huge success with the kids!

Frozen Chocolate Banana Loaf
1 1/2 cups chocolate wafer cookie crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2/3 cup chocolate-flavored syrup
2 small ripe bananas, mashed (3/4 cups)
2 cups whipped cream

Line 9x5-inch loaf pan with aluminum foil, extending foil above sides of pan; butter foil. Combine Crumbs, sugar, and butter; press firmly on bottom and halfway up sides of prepared pan. In large bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk, chocolate syrup and bananas; mix well. Fold in whipped cream. Pour into prepared pan; cover. Freeze 6 hours or until firm. To serve, remove from pan; peel off foil. Garnish as desired. Slice to serve.

Color Words Wall Art

For the letters I used sparkly foam paper. And I simply wrote out my letters by hand on the back and cut them up and glued them onto a black poster. The girls really liked it! We hung it up in their room and read it a lot and even use it as a reference in writing sometimes.

Homemade Ice-cream Without an Ice-cream Maker

 

 

 

Making ice-cream is so fun and easy. It tastes better since it's actually homemade and you can make any flavor you want. There are so many recipes out there to experiment with, but my recipe is actually from a book that my mom bought for .50 cents about 20 years ago and just recently I started to show some interest in this book. I'm sure glad that I did!  

 

Homemade Ice-Cream Refrigerator-Freezer Method:

 

1 (14-ounce) can Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 cup pureed or mashed fresh fruit

2 cups (1 pint) whipped cream

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Food coloring, optional 

 

In a large bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk and vanilla; stir in pureed or mashed fruit and food coloring if desired. Fold in whipped cream. Pour into 9x5-inch loaf pan or other 2-quart container. Freeze 6 hours or until firm.

Homemade Pizza Dough

This is the first time I actually made a pizza! And for a beginner, I'll have to say that it turned pretty good! I'm so proud of myself! ;) The pictures above are all the same pizza. I only didn't didn't know which picture to choose since they're all at different angles. So I just uploaded all of them! :) The pizza dough recipe I used is from http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pizza-Dough-III/Detail.aspx . Here's a video they have on the website:

I'll be honest and say that I didn't do exactly like the video. For me, I thought the dough was too sticky and soggy looking. I was afraid to deal with that kind of dough, it looks like it's just too hard to control. So what I did was, I added in about 1/2 cup of flour in the first step and kneaded the dough until it was soft looking and formed it into a ball. Then I let it rise to double it's size. I punched it down to let the air out and rolled it out on my pan using my hands. I put on my favorite sauce and toppings, and there you go! Fresh homemade delicious pizza right from my oven!

 

One thing I want to mention is that I've made this only twice. The first time I used one recipe of the dough, and to me it was good but I just that it was a little on the thin side. So the second time around, I doubled up the pizza dough recipe and flattened it down on my pan and made my pizza, and realized that it was a little too thick especially around the edges. So I'm still working on how to make a perfect crust. Any suggestions?

Chalkboard In Kids' Room

I've always wanted to make a chalkboard wall for my kids in their room. I finally got it done all by myself! Yaay! Having a chalkboard wall can be very useful in many ways; kids can let their imagination and creativity go wild, can be good for learning, scribbling notes or messages for one another, and simply just having fun. The downside of this unfortunately, is that it can be very very messy. Messiness in the air, on the floor, on little hands, and even on clothes. I'm constantly battling with the dust from everyday sweeping and washing. It never ends. I always wonder if everyone else with chalkboard walls face the same problems like I do. Since it was my idea, I try my best to stay calm about this matter and just let the kids enjoy themselves and have fun. Even I enjoy doodling on it. Who doesn't? Hopefully my problems with the mess will reside within time.

Before

 

After

Paper Crowns

 

I got this crown off of this website http://www.4kraftykidz.com/GirlCraftKits.html I found during my search of paper crowns. Unfortunately, the craft didn't have a tutorial since it was only up for sale, so I basically made mine by eyeballing and using common sense. Here's the image I found:

 

These below images are the ones I made. I made two of them since I was making these for my daughter's classroom, one for the boys and one for the girls. I decorated them with all sorts of things I had on hand; glitter, sequins, gems and even a plastic rubbery spiderman item I found which added a nice touch to the boys' crown. I placed some adhesive clear film on them to keep them in good shape and to last longer since it was for a classroom, and I added a ribbon on both sides so it can be adjustable for all the kids. Too bad I took these quick photoshots, therefore I didn't get a chance to take pictures with someone wearing them.

With plastic film.

With ribbons.

 

This last picture has some vertical lines I occasionally get due to my camera being damaged. Didn't notice them before, so I don't have any better pictures. 

Toilet Paper Roll Flowers

 

This craft is was inspired by a craft I found online at http://ocfamily.com/ in the blogs section which came with a tutorial. I tried to attach the exact link, but for some reason I get a blank page when I open the blogs section window. It could be the cookies in my browser... But if I do manage to get it to open I'll update you with the link. For now, here's the photo I found on that website and below that are mine.

 

 

There are so many amazing and creative crafts that can be done with toilet paper rolls, ranging from flowers, to animals, to even school supplies storage! Amazing amazing!!! You can even decorate your house with them! I was awed and surprised by all the creative creations that can be done by simply using these rolls that is cheap, easy and nearly always available! So start saving those rolls and put them to good use!

Cootie Catchers For Reading

Inspired by QuirkyMomma found on instructables.com which is a great website on things that people make and how they make them. It's a really cool website, so do check it out if you haven't already. You can find QuirkyMomma's tutorial on cootie catchers for reading here:  http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-and-use-a-Cootie-Catcher-for-Reading/

Sunset Photos Taken By Me

Fishtail Sideswept French Braid

 

 

This is another hairstyle inspired by princesshairstyles.com and is a great variation to the regular fishtail braid. My daughter's hair is a little short to be kept sideways, and my older daughter didn't let me do hers (her hair is a bit longer) so this was how it turned out. It mostly stayed on her back instead of being over her shoulder. Oh well... She wore this hairstyle for school so I guess it's better that it was out of her way. If you know how to a regular fishtail braid, then you will master this one easily. But it does take a lot of time so be verrrry patient. I didn't spray any water during the braiding process since I was afraid of losing control of the strands. I did spray a little before I started, but it dried up, so I guess mine turned out to be on the messy side. I'll have to water it down some more next time. Here's the tutorial:

Sunshine Burst (Never Ending French Braid Bun)

 

 

This hairstyle was inspired by princesshairstyles.com. It seems like it's usually called Never Ending French Braid Bun, but I think it looks like sunshine rays so I called it Sunshine Burst... These pictures were taken on my first try of this hairstyle and I'll have to say, it turned out pretty ok. My girls are always fidgeting and complaining when I work with their hair, so this was the best I could do.  My second try turned out even better, too bad we were in a hurry to go out and I didn't have time to take any pictures that day... From my experience, you can have the braided part of this hairstyle placed anywhere on the head depending on how you part out the circle, whether it's closer to the forehead or closer to the middle of the head. You can check out the tutorial here :

 

Neighborhood Cats

Random Post:

 

 

The other day I was simply looking out the window like I usually do and found 3 beautiful cats sunbathing on top of our tool shed. I was awed and amazed by the way they all looked so different in terms of colors and patterns, yet they were cuddled up and sleeping so peacefully in the warm sun. I quickly grabbed my camera and when I came back I was very lucky to find them in the same position and I took this amazing snapshot while I still could. I enjoyed watching them. Too bad my kids were at school, they would've loved seeing this in person. These are my neighborhood's wandering cats that are under no ownership. I only edited the surroundings a little bit and left the cats intact. It's just picture perfect like they were posing for me or something!

Braided Beehive

First of all, I'd like to point out that you may see some vertical lines visible on these photos due to my camera being damaged. Sometimes I get these lines and sometimes I don't....

 

 

 

I call this hairstyle the Braided Beehive and I just so happen to come up with it on my own! YaaaY! I just went with the flow... I didn't get it from the internet whatsoever, meaning from no blogs, no pictures, and no videos. Now I did try googling the name Braided Beehive and came up with many wacky hairdos. You may find this somewhere out there just probably under a different name. So I don't think that I'm that genius enough.

Making this hairstyle is very easy and straightforward. I just parted her hair down onto one side, then parted all her hair in a circle around her whole head with a rattail comb leaving equal amounts of hair all around her head outside of the circle I made. After that, I gathered the hair in the middle or on the inside of the circle and secured it in a bun in the center of her head to get it out of the way. Then I started a simple lace braid starting from the part line and close to her forehead. A lace braid is a type of braid where you add in new strands of hair only from one side. When I reached the top of her head forming my first braided circle, I temporarily pinned it down and out of the way and parted a new circle leaving equal amounts of hair all around. I combined the strands from the previous circle into the strands of the new circle to form one set of strands and started braiding a new braid. I made a third circle using this strategy and when I had no more hair to add into my lace braid, I just finished it off by braiding a normal braid and secured with an elastic. I tucked the ending of the braid inside the middle of the third circle as neat as possible and secured it with bobby pins. You can place a hair accessory like a nice flower or butterfly or something in the middle, but I thought that it looked better without anything so I skipped this step. I think this hairstyle would be great to wear on formal occasions.

 

 

Updated Pictures (same hairstyle, different day)