Apple Butter

A few weeks ago, I made some apple butter.  It was actually a slow cooker recipe.  But I did it a little differently, and it still came out delicious.

Instead of coring and pairing the apples and cooking them in the slow cooker, I simply washed, cut and cooked them with skins and cores in tact.  Once they were mushy, I put them through my strainer.  It saved me a lot of time on the prep end.

Then I added the sugar and spices to the sauce and dumped it in the slow cooker to meld the flavors for four or five hours.  

It was all I could do not to eat the whole batch before it was done cooking!  And the house smelled wonderful!!! 

Incidentally, I didn’t have any ground cloves, so I had to get creative with a hammer and strainer.  Lol!  You needed to know that, right?

Apple Butter

Ingredients:

• @6 lbs of apples (I used Jonathans)
• 2 Tablespoons vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups of raw or brown sugar. 
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves (I’m going to use less next time)
• 3-4 teaspoons cinnamon

Peel and core the apples.  Cook in a slow cooker until mushy.  Then mush them up and add the spices.  Cook for a few more hours.

OR

Cut up the apples with skins and cores in tact.  Cook them on the stove till mushy, adding a dribble of water to the pan in the beginning, and stirring often.  Then put it through a strainer, add spices, and cook in a slow cooker for several hours. 

It will keep in the fridge for a few weeks.  Or you can freeze/can some.  Jars of apple butter would make wonderful Christmas gifts for teachers or anyone!  Just print off your own creative label and tie a pretty ribbon around the lid. 

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This is the first time I’ve made apple butter, and I was delighted with how easy it was!  It’s the perfect way to use up the great buys on apples this time of year.  :)

Homemade Light Sabers: Quick, Easy, And A Must-Have at Star Wars Parties!

O.K.  Was that a long title or what??  Lol!  My boys said I really needed to post about this because we had so much fun making and using them.

So here goes.  I’m happy to say, there ARE such things as cheap, durable light sabers you can make yourself! 

All you have to do is get creative!   Walk the clearance isles at your favorite stores, raid your husband’s electrical and plumbing supplies, and…let The Force guide you!  Lol!

Here are some things I found:

• Bubble wands:  Wal-mart, clearance isle for $.50.
• Electrical tape (in various colors).
• Pool noodles.  The thin ones are great!
• Foam Pipe insulation
• Pieces of dowel rod or thin wood to insert part way up the foam.
• Duct Tape
• Scissors, and low temp hot glue (which I ended up not using).
• Glow Sticks

I made a variety of light sabers as I experimented.  But, I’ll show you the boys’ favorite version.

• Take a pool noodle, cut it in half. 
• Then take a bubble wand and insert the top part of it into the noodle, up to the “hilt.”  It fits tightly. 
• Cut a small piece of pipe foam insulation (the black foam in the picture above) and wrap it around the bubble wand handle.  Pull the strips off the self adhesive edges of the pipe insulation and press them together like the zipper of a jacket to cover the handle.  
• Use duct tape and electrical tape to decorate the handle.
• And if the kids want to dual at night, drop a glow stick down the end and tape it shut.  I used just a little glow bracelet and its light gave the noodle a soft glow.  So I’m sure if you picked up one or two of those really bright glow sticks, the effect would be awesome!!!

Here are a few of the finished sabers.  

And this is one of my favorite Jedi. 

The handles still unscrew, which enables the Jedi to unleash an immobilizing wave of his top secret arsenal.

“Death Bubbles.”

Don’t you love it??  Lol! 

Note:  You don’t have to insert anything rigid in the handle end of the foam.  You can just wrap tape around one end of a pool noodle to make the handle.  But adding a short stick makes it a little less floppy. 

I made a few light sabers out of just pipe insulation and sticks, and they turned out fine.  But we liked the colorful pool noodles a little better.  :)

And there you have it!  A cheap durable light saber that, incidentally, you can let the kids beat the tar out of each other with. 

Safely.  :)

Kid tested.  Mother approved.  Budget friendly.  Works for me!

Negotiating My Own Coupon Book

“Just a hug.” 

That’s my standard answer each year when my boys ask me what I want for Christmas.  They usually smile, shake their heads, and then they say, “No, really, Mom, what do you want?”

So this year, I suggested, “Why not make a coupon book of things you are willing to do for me.   It would mean more than anything you or your dad could buy because you are giving of yourself and your time.”

So here is a cover and coupon pattern I made for them to print out and use.  If you like them, feel free to copy, paste and print as many as you like.

Here are some things we thought of for my coupon book:

• Oh how I would love to have someone vacuum my car.
• Or clear the table—completely, including the wiping.
• Make a batch of cookies for lunch snacks. (My 12 year old loves to do this anyway.)
• Give me complete control of the remote (or pick a movie of MY choice) for a whole night.  (I’d settle for an hour slot, though.  And pretty much anything but Star Wars or the History Channel)
• A dinner date where my children make and serve dinner for my husband and me.  Whatever they choose.  :)  (I’m good with PB & J.  But I’m hoping for Omelets!)
• Vacuum my bedroom.  I’m embarrassed to say that it hardly ever gets done.
• Wipe down my kitchen cabinets.  (They used to be white…)
• A totally fight-free night.  (a highly valuable coupon when you have three boys)
• How about a free tub scrub/shower cleaning?
• Organize the linen closet

I’m still trying to get them to throw in a “multiple use” clause.  But my oldest isn’t buying it.  Smart kid.

My boys liked the idea so much that they asked if I could make them a coupon book too!  Although they have just begun their lists, they put in requests for such things as:

• A sleepover with up to three friends.  Terms to be negotiated.
• One junk food item.  Our treat.
• A Saturday play date with up to 6 friends.
• A movie night with favorite snack.
• A stay up as late as you want coupon.
• Ice cream for dinner.
• Dinner at Krispy Kreme  (Hey, that’s a GOOD one!  Add it to MY list)

…You get the picture.  :)

What are some other ideas you could put on a coupon??  I’d love to hear them!

P.S. Boys, I still want my hugs.  :)

This week’s Works For Me Wednesday is Themed: Gift Ideas: handmade, homemade, unique or frugal! Go check out all the great ideas!

Martha Stewart’s Glow Stick Spiders

While camping at the dunes, we helped the boys make Martha Stewart’s Glow Stick Spiders to decorate our camp site. WHAT A HIT!! They were pretty easy to make, and the boys just loved them dancing in the wind under our canopy. I know I talked about our plans to make them last week, but I needed to show you how they came out!And, yes, the Styrofoam really does light up with the glow from the sticks! We liked the red and blue sticks the best. They seemed to show up very well.

For economy’s sake, we used smaller Styrofoam balls and bracelet size glow sticks for the legs. But other than that, we pretty much followed Martha’s directions.

We picked up a low temp hot glue gun to secure the eye hooks in the top and we’re glad we did. They wouldn’t have stayed in the Styrofoam very well without the hot glue.

I have to say, this is probably the only type of spider I don’t mind hanging around!

Don’t forget to check out DIY Day at Kimba’s A Soft Place To Land!

AND, did you know that Mayhem and Moxie is hosting a FLIP give away? I just read that if you share your Halloween craft in her meme, you can get extra entries! I love it when something I’m posting anyway fits a new purpose!! And I would LOVE to win a FLIP. :)

Little Eyes

Amy (of A King’s Table)recently posted a poem that touched me and totally reminded me of my boys. 

I printed it out to frame as a birthday gift from my four year old to his bigger brother. 

I thought maybe he could draw a picture at the bottom.  But then I saw the eyes in this picture and knew I had found the perfect illustration for the poem.

BIG BROTHER

My little eyes are watching

All you say and do

And when I grow up big and tall

I want to be like you

My little ears are listening

To everything you say

I am learning how to grow up

To be like you someday.

So, be careful how you teach me

To be the person that you are.

You're a night in shining armor

You are my shining star.

-Author Unknown

 

Peanut Butter Cookie Pops

When I was teaching (a number of years ago), an incredibly-super-wonderful room parent brought these in for one of the parties, and I was immediately hooked. She wrote up the recipe for me and I am forever grateful! Thanks, Mrs. H!

Now, I make them as a special treat for my own kids! The fun is the in surprise which you tuck in the middle.

That day, they came to school with Rolo's in the middle. Oh-my-goodness were they good! But I have someone in the family who doesn't like carmel. So for this batch, I cut up chunks of Snickers Bars to put in the middle.

Peanut Butter Cookie Pops

1 Cup Sugar

1 Cup Firmly Packed Brown Sugar

1 Cup Crisco

1 Cup Peanut Butter

2 teaspoons Vanilla

2 eggs

3 Cups All Purpose Flour

1 teaspoon Baking Powder

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

Snack size or funsize candy bar with soft center (Rolo's, Milky Ways, Snickers, etc.)

Popsicle sticks (Be sure to use a good grade to prevent splinters)

Heat oven to 375. (My oven is hot, so I cook them at 350)

In a large bowl, combine first 6 ingredients. Beat well. Add7-9. Mix well.

Insert stick into candy. Form a golf ball size ball of dough and surround the candy, patting around till it is smooth and completely covered.

Place 3-4 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 13-15 minutes until lightly golden brown.

*Cool 7-10 minutes on the cookie sheet and then remove and cool completely.

This recipe makes around 32 of the snack size pops, depending on how large you make them.

You don't have to use the popsicle sticks. You can simply roll the balls in red sugar and press a Hershey's Kiss into the top when you remove them from the oven. They make wonderful Valentine's Day Treats. I mixed this batch up and did a few of each, even rolling a few in raw sugar (something I love!).

Wrap a pop up in colored cellophane and tie with a red ribbon and it makes a fun teacher gift!

Visit the Sweethearts Treats Recipe Swap for more great recipes!

Now, who's coming over to help me eat these??

Works For Me Wednesday To Slip In a Card or Book

Bookmarks, personalized with pictures of the kids or family make wonderful gifts in themselves, tucked in a card. But they also add a personal touch to any books you give as gifts.

We use scrapbooking paper so they won't fade, and then I pick out some fun pictures from the year to print out. I try to pick out pictures that will have significance for the person receiving the bookmark. For the grandparents, photos of the boys and us are perfect. For friends, I pick pictures of our families playing together, or photos of places we like to go together.

Scrapbooking tools come in handy, but you don't need them. Plain scissors and glue will do just fine. Stickers, if you have them, are a fun touch.

When I have the bookmarks together, I take them to the library to get them laminated. Then, I punch a hole in the top, and make some tassels to loop through, and they're done! For the tassels, embroidery thread makes them look classy (and I like classy), but you can use yarn, ribbon, or even choose to leave them as is.

Each year, the boys make some for themselves, too. They love having a personalized bookmark to take to school, and if it encourages them to put their nose in a book, I'm all for it.

Last year, my oldest made one with pictures of the family and his favorite place to visit, the Dayton Air Museum. It turned out really cool. He drew pictures of his favorite planes on the back side.

One year, I made one for my husband that had pictures of the boys on the front, and a favorite verse on the back. He still keeps it in his Bible. I've made a few (O.K., a lot of them) for myself, too, of course! But when you are talking about something that combines the joy of reading with pictures of my kids, I simply can't stop!

This year, my four year old got in on the fun and made a Thomas and Friends one using family pictures and Thomas stickers. Once I get them laminated, I'll slip his into the Thomas the Tank activity book I got him for Christmas. He'll love it! He is always looking at the ones I keep in my Bible during church.

If you need a good book idea to tuck them into, Grace For The Moment Morning and Evening Edition, by Max Lucado, or The Purpose of Christmas, by Rick Warren, would make beautiful choices! Seriously, Grace for The Moment is a twice daily devotional that I absolutely love. If my certain engineer hasn't yet gotten the hint, I would really, REALLY, love to have a copy of this for my very own...

Now, go check out the rest of the fun at Works For Me Wednesday, or visit the Kimba's Holiday Open House at A Soft Place To Land! Between the two, there are enough ideas to keep you clicking all the way through Christmas vacation!!!

Merry Christmas!

Wooden Toy Arsenal

For those of you who may have access to a wood shop, these are some other fun ideas for boys to make.


My boys designed and drew these scary weapons on wood over the summer. After I cut them out with the band saw, they sanded and painted them. Then, they gave them to each other for their birthdays.


The boys are old enough to know not to swing them at each other. Their pretend play has matured (most of the time) to the point where they are pretty careful. They use these more in dress up to hang on belt loops and run around the yard.

My oldest thought his little brother needed a rifle of his own. So he chose a piece of wood and set out to design a pint size rifle. Although I cut it out, he sanded the barrel, and painted it all on his own. My youngest loved it, of course!

Like the guns their grandpop made, these toys are special, because they had a big part in making them. And they aren't going to break with the abuse they get in the toy box. Plus, they are less likely to get left in the yard.

I like that.

Another Wooden Toy Gun

Last year, my dad made each of the boys a wooden toy gun. All three were cut from the same piece of cedar (puzzle fashion) and then personalized with their initials and some designs. He used a wood burning tool to put the designs on, and then stained each one.

They are simple, durable, and the boys love them! The fact that Grandpop made them makes them extra special to them, and to me.

Boys will be boys and they all love to play army. I just hate to spend money on those cheap plastic guns. This is a great alternative!

My dad also made the two older boys wooden rifles, which I wrote about a while back.

Works For Me Wednesday Christmas In A Jar

These jars are easy to make and can be customized in countless ways! They are especially nice for someone who doesn't have the space for (or energy to set up) a Christmas tree.

I made one for myself years ago when I lived in a small efficiency apartment. But so many people commented on it, that I ended up making a bunch for gifts the next year. You'll need a large mouthed jar of some sort. Big pickle jars work great. You can eat a lot of pickles, or you can stop by an Italian deli. We got lots from a local deli dumpster. Deli Dumpster. Giggle-Snort! I like the sound of that.


You will also need a small string of lights. I use the little 20 count sets from Walmart. Then, you will need some things to put in with them. Look at your leftover Christmas decorations. I cut a garland into small pieces to layer with pine cones and berries. I also made some multi strand bows out of jute and slid them down the sides. I liked the rustic look.


Add some pretty ribbon of some sort, and you could be finished! Mine stayed like the one above for a few years, but I gradually began adding stems of flowers and berry branches to add interest during the day.

Last year, I decided to do a Snowman Jar for the boys' play room. He turned out pretty well. In the bottom, I layered the small light set with glass floral beads and miniature silver Christmas balls from the dollar tree. The snowman is an ornament from our tree.

I usually just let the wire for the lights run up the inside back of the jar and then under the ribbon and down.


Making unique Christmas gifts and decorations is so much fun, and people just love these things! What they don't know about where the jar came from can't hurt them. . .


Don't forget to swing back over to Rocks in My Dryer to see more of Works For Me Wednesday.

Rice Buddies

Rice Buddies are a cinch to make, inexpensive, and make wonderful gifts! Simply put, they are fabric pockets filled with rice which can be stored in zip locks in the freezer to use as cool packs, or microwaved and used as heating pads.

Over the years, I've made sets of small squares (4-5 inches) which I call Pocket Packs, and then long ones about 18 inches long by 2-3 inches wide. The size depends on the material I'm using, for whom I'm making it and how they'll use it, etc.

This year, I found some fleece on clearance at our Walmart which will work perfectly! You want a heavy material since, when you microwave these, even for a short time, they can get extremely hot. Besides, the fuzzy fleece just feels wonderful!

Take your material, cut two identical pieces to the size you like, place them right sides together, and sew a seam around all the edges--leaving a 2 inch gap for filling later.

Then, turn it right side out, and it is ready to fill. A good rule of thumb is to fill the bag about 2/3 full. You want to leave enough space inside for the rice to mold to the person's hands, neck, lap or head. Shhhhh! These football ones are for my sons for Christmas, since they complained the last time that I didn't make them any. They'll love having them to put in their pockets before they head out to play in the snow.

If you are making a long one, or one that is broader for a lap pad, do it the same way. I recommend, though, that after you turn it right side out, you tack the layers together in a few places (or sew a few plastic buttons down the middle) to help keep the rice spread out. The pad will heat better, you use less rice, and it won't be as heavy for the person who is using it.

This year, I've gone a step further, and actually made a set of Pocket Packs that have pockets. Now don't laugh. These are just prototypes. But, my dad's hands get extremely cold and I'm thinking he would love the "snug as a bug" feel these could offer when he puts his hands inside. I can picture him in his recliner with his hands (and TV remote) snugly inside. LOL!

The sky is the limit for what you can do! Here is my little guy checking out the pockets.

When you finish your rice buddy, test it in the microwave. Each fabric behaves differently, and with the varying amount of rice used, you want to put a good and safe estimate of heating time on your instruction tag. Less is always best! For our pocket packs, it generally takes a minute, and for the longer ones, about two, to get them pleasantly hot.

I print out little tags from the computer onto card stock with the directions. After we cut them out, the kids decorate them with markers, and we attach them with gold safety pins. My kids like to do the filling with a funnel, (yes, rice will be everywhere, so expect it). The older two even like to sew up the last little bit by hand. It's a fun family gift that everyone can take some part in making. Oh, yes, and the Daddy's part? He can carry the 50 lb bag of rice in from Sam's Club!

We've given them to teachers (for recess duty), Sunday school teachers, neighbors, friends and family. Everyone loves them!

If you are traveling a great distance at Christmas time, it might be a good idea to take them unfilled, and finish them on location. That way, you aren't hauling the extra weight!

Also, along those lines, if you are looking for a homemade gift you can mail to those distant friends and relatives, this probably is NOT it. After mailing off 50 pounds of Rice Buddies one year, I've learned to give them locally only!

Thanks, Sharon, for hosting Works for Me Wednesday!

Goose Neck Gourd Pumpkin Craft

About seven years ago, my father-in-law gave me a bunch of goose neck gourds. I researched tons of ideas on the Internet at the time and settled on making this pumpkin/ghost. I'm sorry, but it's been so long, I have no idea where I saw the idea. Whoever it was, though, was incredibly creative!

My version turned out surprisingly well, and I ended up making a bunch for Christmas gifts. Odd, I know to give Halloween decorations at Christmas, but they were a big hit! A few years ago, my dad made this cute little guy out of a gourd he picked up at a roadside stand.
They really aren't hard to make. Just take the gourd, sand it lightly, and seal it with a base coat. Paint the bottom orange and the top white and then add the details. I sealed mine with a topcoat of clear enamel so I can hang it outside.

Wooden Toy Guns

My boys are ALL BOYS. I tried my hardest to delay the introduction of toy guns. I thought, like many, that if I didn't cave in to their pleading for this or that toy gun, that it would eventually pass.

They simply made guns out of sticks, or used their fingers, or blocks. I finally gave in, but not to the cheap plastic guns that litter the department stores. Don't get me wrong, we have plenty of them which we picked up from yard sales and such, but I still have a hard time spending money on that kind of stuff .

I decided to enlist the help of my father, who is great with wood. He cut these two guns out of a board, and then painted them. As a finishing touch, he attached two shoulder straps, and wrapped them up for Christmas. The boys were tickled, and now treasure them because GrandPop made them.

That was two years ago, and unlike the plastic guns that I've had to hot glue back together numerous times, these wear well. They still look great! There just isn't anything to break, and the boys can be boys with them. Even the neighborhood kids choose them first (if they can) when they play army.

The boys may grow out of playing army in the yard, but they'll never grow out of appreciation for the work that GrandPop put into them. I imagine these will be passed on to their sons some day.

Making a Train Table

My four year old son loves Thomas the Train. But, buying a real Thomas the Train table involved more money than I could budget, so I set out to make one for his last birthday.

The first thing I did was make a layout using his track from several generic sets. When I found a layout I liked, I took a picture (so I could reconstruct it again) and measured it's dimensions. Then, I went looking for a piece of scrap plywood that would work. After trimming it to size, and sanding the top and edges, my older boys helped me design and paint the top. What fun! Then we reconstructed the track in the layout we had planned, and screwed it down. For risers under bridges, we cut small scraps of wood.

When in use, we sit it on two toy bins (big totes). The nice thing is that it can be easily stored by leaning it in a corner of the room. It has seen tons of use and is one project well worth the time and effort involved. I was tickled to find some beautifully made train pieces from Big Lots at the time for a fraction of the cost of name brand ones. I like that!