Mommie Guide

Peppermint Creme Bars

2011-12-16T23:24:00.002-07:00

These are delicious. They are like a peppermint patty with an oreo layer. Pretty easy to make, just need a food processor and time (they are a bit time consuming, it seemed to me at least).

1 package crushed chocolate sandwich cookies with white filling
6 tablespoons butter, melted
6 cups powdered sugar
6 tablespoons butter, softened
6 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons peppermint extract
1 pkg. semi sweet chocolate chips (or 1 1/2 depending on how chocolatey you like it)
4 teaspoons shortening

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 9x13-inch baking pan with foil, extending foil over the pan edges; set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine crushed cookies and melted butter. Press mixture into the bottom of prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 8 minutes. Cool slightly in pan on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, combine powdered sugar and softened butter in a food processor. Cover and process until butter is evenly distributed. With processor running, add milk and peppermint extract to make a paste. Spread peppermint mixture evenly over the prepared crust. Put in freezer for 45 minutes.

In a saucepan, melt chocolate and shortening over low heat. Pour chocolate over mint layer and spread evenly. Freeze again, or let set out until chocolate in firm (I put in freezer for about 20ish minutes). Using the edges of the foil, lift the uncut bars out of the pan. Cut into square.

*I added Christmas sprinkles to the mint part, and snowflake sprinkles on top the chocolate part (before the chocolate hardens).

*adapted from HERE. The original recipe is in a 8x8 pan which I thought was way too small for the amount of time put into these, and I made a change in the peppermint layer part, I like more peppermint creme, so I more than doubled the original recipe, but don't worry, it's been tested and works just great.

Some of my favorite Things

2011-08-29T17:31:00.004-06:00

I am moving to UTAH!

So I will most likely not be doing Colorado updates, unless something amazing is happening that I wish I could go to and think that no one should miss.

So, with planning to move out of Colorado, I am jam packing our last month with some of the things I loved doing in Douglas County and will miss the most. I couldn't fit everything into our last month here, but here is my list:

Belleview Miniature Train and Children's Farm Park (Littleton)

"The miniature train has run in Belleview Park for over 30 years, averaging 60,000 riders annually."

"Come on down to the farm for a little bit of yesteryear. Enjoy getting to know some farm animals. Our barnyard will host cows, pigs, goats, chickens, and sheep just to name a few. The farm also features Buttercup, a life-size fiberglass milking cow. Try and see if you know how to milk our cow and experience how people used to get their milk down on the farm!"

$1.50 per person for the train, and $1.50 per person for the farm (under 2 is free)

The Children's Farm and Miniature Train are open from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

Littleton Museum

FREE

"The Littleton Museum is a 14-acre site encompassing an 1860s farm and 1890s farm with costumed interpreters, Littleton's original log schoolhouse, a 1903 working blacksmith shop, and an ice house. It is host to many events and programs each month. The museum, which is free to the general public, is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays. The museum is closed on Mondays and holidays."

"Climb the Rock" (the Castle Rock)

FREE

"Climb the Rock that is located in Castle Rock. This is an easy hike-a dirt path will lead you to the base of the Rock, from there you have to climb up the rock a short distance to reach the summit."

Climb Devil's Head

FREE

" A trail that leads to a fire tower lookout from where you can have a 360 degree view of the Rockies and Eastern Plains"

The Wildlife Experience

This is a little pricy, I think, for a one day visit with the family, but get a year membership, and you can go whenever you want and I think it is well worth it. You may even be able to find some good deals. I recently got a year membership through mamapedia for 60% off, so I got the Family Premier Membership (normally $100) for $40! This is great because it is all indoors too, so you don't have to worry about too hot or too cold weather.

Festival Italiano

This is my favorite and the only festival we go to. My husband isn't a festivally kind of person; but he looks forward to and loves this one. The kids love it because of the grape stomp (to make the little feet merlot wine). It takes place in September. This year, one September 10-11. Entrance and activities are free and you can easily find free parking.

The Spice Shops

So this isn't really an activity or event, but I love LOVE the two spice shops in Downtown Historic Littleton. Penzeys and the Savory Spice Shop. You have to try these out, changed my cooking! (This is kind of a few things in one because the Historic Downtown Littleton is awesome as well, and you HAVE to go to the Ladies Only Sample Tour if you can. I went one year, and tried to get tickets for the next year and they sold out on the first day, so you have to be FAST, but go if you can!)

Douglas County Parks

FREE

Civic Green Park is the new one I JUST discovered, of course, a month before having to move, but it is awesome. It has a little stream for the kids to play in, two splashpads, playground, grass field, covered picnic area, everything! Also right by the Highlands Ranch library!

I love Cornerstone Park in Littleton as well, and it is across the street from the Belleview Mini Train and Farm, it has a splashpad and fun park equipment and sand box.

There are probably 100s of parks in Douglas County, and they are all amazing and have different and fun things to offer, but I really love splashpads and fun playgrounds, so they are my top two. O'Brien Park in Parker is pretty awesome too, and Bison Park, Paintbrush Park, and Gemstone Park in Castle Rock are also some favorites. And they just built a brand new park on Castle Pines Parkway that is HUGE and awesome and has splash pads, so go check it out, the grand opening is September 17th. It is called Elk Ridge Park and is "located on Mira Vista Lane off of Lagae Road, just north of American Academy Charter School. Elk Ridge Park is multi-generational and consists of approximately 12 acres with trails, turf athletic fields, open space, art features, playground equipment, a natural amphitheater area, climbing wall, water features and much more."

Aurora Reservoir Swim Beach

This has a car entrance fee, but we all spent the day there and had so much fun!

The Streets at South Glenn water fountain

And just some other things I really love about Douglas County:

The Libraries!

Douglas County has amazing libraries with awesome events for children going on all the time, and it's free. And membership is free, and rentals are free. It's all free, unless you rack up late fees (like me). AND you don't have to return books/movies to the same library you checked them out at, just any of the Douglas County libraries. Take advantage of the library if you live here!

The Castle Rock Outlets

These were REALLY close to where we lived and always had some great deals going on.

FREE Days

The Dever Metro area has tons of free days going on for all types of places, like the Zoo, Hudson Gardens, The Children's Museum. Check out HERE for more details. (this is a list of 2010, but you get the idea, and can know which places do free days from it).

The Denver Aquarium

This is a little pricy also I think, and doesn't offer any free days, but it is worth it. I would have gotten a year membership to either here or the Children's Museum if they weren't so far from my house. It is pretty big, has a large variety, and has an interactive stingray reef touch tank. The kids loved that part!

Oreo and Peanut Butter Layered Baby Lattice Pies

2011-08-20T13:13:00.002-06:00

I saw this on Picky Palate and decided to make it for my husband's lunch club dessert. I thought they were pretty easy, and I have never done anything lattice before. They were also pretty delicious; I thought at least. The only things I would change would be to not be skimpy on the peanut butter. I wish I would have added twice as much in the layers, and the lattice actually looked pretty neat (although you can't see in the picture) but I would make the strips thicker. The recipe says to make long thin strips, so I did that, but on the pies that had thicker strips so that the lattice completely covered the top looked better. I also used a 4 inch round cookie cutter to cut out the dough instead of just "eyeing it" like the recipe says to. Someone at my husband's lunch club suggested to crush the oreos and then do the peanut butter, which I thought would be neat too, however you wouldn't get those cool looking layers. I also thought of putting chocolate chip cookie dough instead of the oreos but I didn't know how well that would transfer for cooking times, ect.

Click here to go to the recipe at Picky Palate.

Banana Blueberry Cream Pie

2011-08-10T14:11:00.003-06:00

1 Banana, sliced

1 can blueberry pie filling

1 graham cracker crust

1 pkg. cream cheese, softened

1 (8 ox.) container cool whip

Cream together the cream cheese and cool whip. (I added a little powdered sugar and vanilla extract to mine). Pour half of mix into crust. Layer with bananas, then pour the rest of cream mixture on top. Top with blueberry pie filling and chill.

*the original recipe called for 2 cream cheese packages and 2 cool whips, but that was WAY too much for my pie, it also said to do 3 layers of cream/banana/cream/banana, but I could only fit one layer. If you did want to do two pies, you could definitely use the two packages of cream cheese and cool whip and split one can of blueberry pie filling. I got this recipe from my Mom, but I can't remember where she got it from.

Summer Hose Wreath

2011-08-05T08:47:00.004-06:00

Even though most everyone has started school already, I can still post a summer craft thing, right? This is a cute summer wreath that my mom made using a hose, some flowers, gloves, and a nest. A very cute, easy and inexpensive way to decorate for summer.

Colorado White Water Rafting

2011-07-19T11:48:00.006-06:00

(that's me, my husband, and our rafting group)

This past weekend I went white water rafting with my husband and his work company. It was a blast, we went to the Royal Gorge, by Canon City (about 2 hours away from Denver). We did the full day rafting trip and rafted about 10 miles. I would definitely recommend this if you like rafting, and it's not too far from Denver. It is absolutely beautiful there with some amazing views!

Here is the website for the rafting company we went through:

White Water Adventure Outfitters

Here is a little more info on the raft trip that I took, in case you're interested:

"The ultimate white water raft trip in Colorado. This rafting trip is ranked in the top ten white water trips nationally. The best of Bighorn Canyon in the morning, including class III & III+ rapids Wake Up, Three Rocks, Spikebuck & Sharkstooth. We then stop for a rest at the Parkdale beach and enjoy our famous riverside lunch. Be ready to focus and paddle hard through the class III - V turbulence that is the ROYAL GORGE. Seven out of ten miles of continuous white water thrills including Sunshine Falls, Sledgehammer, Wallslammer & Boateater. The Gorge is home to the most spectacular scenery on the river as you pass under the highest suspension bridge in the world, 1053' above you. The premier Colorado rafting adventure on the Arkansas River!"

Colorado Springs

2011-07-11T16:08:00.003-06:00

Pikes Peak County Attractions

Thought I would give a shout out to Colorado Springs and Pikes Peak area. I have been there once I think for a minute, and didn't really think anything of it, but I came across this website and I would love to spend a weekend a month in Colorado Springs area now. There are tons of things to do. Here are some of my top choices:

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

(I've heard tons about it, and your kids can feed the giraffes)

Garden of the Gods

Manitou Cliff Dwellings

4th of July Desserts

2011-07-01T21:57:00.005-06:00

I found all of these desserts through different blogs. I can't make all of them (I mean, I suppose I just shouldn't but...) here are my top choices, I'll probably just have the family look through them and vote.

4th of July Jello

Red, White, and Blueberry Dessert Squares

Red, White, and Blueberry Yogurt Cake

Star-Spangled Fruit Tart Recipe

Summer Berry Trifle

Mini 4th of July Cheesecake Bites

Berry Cheesecake Pie Recipe

Which one would you pick?

Wall Mounted Book Shelf (pallet shelf)

2011-07-01T07:38:00.006-06:00

My parents just came up for a visit and I asked my dad to make me little wall mounted shelves to put by each of my kids' beds. They have been really into reading themselves to sleep lately. We got all the wood at home depot. Most of it came from the cull section. To make both shelves, (all the wood) and to get some screws and washers, it cost about $6. The kids love their new shelves. I can't give you a tutorial on how to make them (because my dad made them), but hopefully it can give you some ideas if you are looking to make something like this. I think I may put those little push button night lights that hang on the wall by them.

4th of July Festivities Roundup

2011-06-27T10:45:00.003-06:00

Here are a ton of 4th of July festivities that I found:

4th of July Celebration in the Meadows (Castle Rock)

Rocky Mountain Freedom Festival (Castle Rock)

Let Freedom Sing (Parker)

Family Festival and Fireworks (Englewood)

July 4th Celebration (Highlands Ranch)

Light up the Night 4th of July Spectacular (Aurora)

Independence Day Celebration (Lone Tree)

Civic Center Independence Eve Celebration (Denver)

Elitch Gardens Independence Weekend Fireworks (Denver)

Independence Day Celebration (Arvada)

Park Hill 4th of July Parade (Denver)

4th of July Spectacular and free family fun (Arvada)

4th of July Celebration (Evergreen)

Hope everyone has a fun and safe 4th of July Weekend!

Recipes to Try

2011-05-24T12:00:00.003-06:00

Over the last year (or more) I have been bookmarking recipes on my computer tabs that I wanted to try. Afraid that my tabs might be lost accidentally, I decided to make a post with all the recipes I have saved. One day, I will have tried all of them (okay, maybe one day). I have made some already; and I put a star (*) by those ones. Feel free to look over my collection of recipes that have caught my eye:

Desserts:

Cakes:

*Cake in a Jar

Cherry Coffeecake

Lemon Blueberry Coffee Cake

*Our Best Bites Peppermint Fudge Cake Jars

Meyer Lemon Cranberry Upside Down Cake

Cranberry Cake with Warm Vanilla Sauce

Brown Sugar Pound Cake

Saffron and Olive Oil Cake

Rhubarb Streusel Cake

Sour Cream and Lemon Pound Cake

Apple Spice Cake with Caramel Sauce

Pumpkin Spice Bundt Cake

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Honeybun Cake

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Cranberry Orange Mini Bundts

Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Simple Cinna-Bun Butter Cakes in a Jar

Lemon and Lime White Chocolate Mud Cake

Brownies:

Pioneer Woman's Knock You Naked Brownies

Fudge Filled Blonde Brownies

Mint Fudge Brownie Parfaits in a Jar

Cool Mint Oreo Brownie Cupcake

Snickerdoodle Blondies

*Picky Palate Smore Stuffed Brownies

*BYU Mint Brownies

Peanut Butter Truffle Brownies

Peanut Butter Marbled Brownies

Cookie Brownie Cupcakes

*Peanut Butter Marshmallow Brownies

Bars:

Lemon Berry Bars

Meyer Lemon Lime Bars

Samoas Bars

Cranberry Bliss Bars

*Our Best Bites Reese's Peanut Butter Bars (No Bake)

Picky Palate Chocolate and Pumpkin Shortbread Bars

Creamy Lemon Squares

Apple Pie Bars

Picky Palate Caramel Apple Cream Cheese Cookie Bars

Smore Bars

Lemon Blueberry Crumb Bars

Oatmeal Toffee Bars

Betty Crocker Coconut Bonbon Bars

Chocolate Caramel Shortbread Bars

Peanut Butter Cookie Bars

English Toffee Bars

Strawberry Lemonade Bars

Baklava Bars

Pioneer Woman Creamy Lemon Crumb Squares

Lemon Creme Bars

Half Baked Lemon Bars

Layered Peanut Butter Bars

Key Lime Swirl Cheesecake Bars

Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars

Glazed Lemon Bars

Cookies:

Lemon Drop Cookies

Cranberry Cream Cheese Snickerdoodles

Picky Palate Cinnamon Roll Sugar Cookies

Reese's Peanut Butter Cookies

Chocolate Mint Cookies

Strawberry Shortcake Cookies

Picky Palate Fluffernutter Cookies

Rootbeer Cookies

*Pizzookies

Apple Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

Homemade Girl Scout Cookies

Cool Whip Cookies

Spiced Chocolate Crinkles

*Oreo Pudding Cookies

Ritz Cracker Cookies

S'mores Cookies

Pies:

*Chocolate Silk Pie with Marshmallow Meringue

No Bake Key Lime Mini Pies

Easy Coconut Cream Pie

Grasshopper Pie

Key Lime Pie

Peaches 'n' Cream Gelatin Dessert

No Bake White Chocolate Pie

French Silk Pie with Chocolate Curls

Mini S'mores Pies

Key Lime Pie

Cupcakes:

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

Strawberry Filled Cupcakes with Laffy Taffy Frosting

Meyer Lemon Raspberry Cupcakes

Rootbeer Cupcakes

Pineapple Upside Down Cupcakes

Pineapple Cupcakes with Pineapple Cream Frosting

Basic White Cupcake Recipe

Billy's Vanilla Cupcakes

Cheesecake:

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake

Cheesecake

Cin-a-Bun Cheesecake

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Pie

Picky Palate Black Bottom Mini Caramel Pumpkin Cheesecake Bites

Cheesecake in a Jar

Other:

Mini Chocolate Baked Donuts

Vanilla Bean Caramels

Pineapple Dole Whip

Chocolate Marshmallow Pillows

Mascarpone with Raspberries and Pineapple

Magic Chocolate Ice Cream

Skillet Peaches a la mode

Breakfast/Breads:

*Pioneer Woman's Lemon Blueberry Pancakes

Blueberry Poppy Seed Brunch Cake

Strawberry-Lemonade Scones

Pioneer Woman's Sweet Cinnamon Scones

Apple Pie Muffins

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

Our Best Bites Streusel-Topped Blueberry Muffins

Overnight French Toast

Lemon Cranberry Coconut Bread

Nutella Croissants

Coffee Cake Muffins

Blueberry Lemon Shortbread Tart

Glazed Doughnut Muffins

Strawberry Filled Oatmeal Coconut Muffins

Drinks:

BYU Strawberry Lemonade

Strawberry and Peach Sorbet Smoothie

Dinner:

Picky Palate Carne Asada Soft Tacos

Spinach Lasagna Rolls

*Penne Rosa

Hawaiian Haystacks

Chicken Cordon Bleu Wraps

Orange Basil Chicken with Creamy Coconut Rice

*Lemon Herb Crockpot Chicken

Spicy Crispy Chicken Recipe

*Cafe Rio Salad

Our Best Bites Minestrone Soup

Shredded Beef for Tacos

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup and Italian Sausage Soup in 10 minutes

Chicken Tortilla Soup

BBQ Chicken Wrap

Minestrone Soup

*Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

Picky Palate BBQ Spaghetti

Picky Palate BBQ Chicken Sliders

Bahama Mama Chicken Tortilla Soup

Rotisserie Chicken Recipe

Pasta with Maple Mustard Chicken

*BBQ Chicken Salad with Cilantro Dressing

BBQ Beef Sandwiches

*Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

BBQ Chicken Pasta

Chicken Marseilles

Pioneer Woman Cajun Chicken Pasta

Grilled Cheese Dippers with Spicy Tomato Cheese Soup

Sausage and Bacon Kabobs

Pepperjack Cheese Soup

Chicken and Snow Peas Stir Fry

Amazing Chicken Tortilla Soup

To Die For Crock Pot Roast

*Hawaiian Grilled Chicken

*Easy Crockpot Pork Carnitas

Avocado Chicken Salad

Santa Fe Chicken Salad Wrap

Split Pea Soup with Ham

Holiday/Fun:

Skeleton Cupcakes

Kit Kat Cake

*Resurrection Rolls

St. Patrick's Day Cupcakes

Pot of Gold Cupcakes

Crispy Apple Treats

Quick Valentine Treat

Valentine Treats

Chocolate Caramel Popcorn with Peanuts and Toffee

Wubbzy's Marshmallow Lasagna

Red, White, and Blue Cookie Bark

Cap'n Crunch Peanut Butter Cookie Stackers

Zebra Cake

Shot Glass Desserts

One Ingredient Ice Cream

Pudding Cups

Spooky Peanut Butter Puff Truffles

St. Patrick's Day Mint Cookie Cupcakes

Picky Palate Candy Cane Brownies

Egg Nog Cupcakes

Minty Chocolate Christmas Bars

FHE Treats

Squiddlers

Misc./Sides:

Simple Microwave Lemon Curd

Broccoli Recipe

Picky Palate Baked Spinach Dip in Mini Bread Bowls

Homemade Butter

Our Best Bites Green Enchilada Sauce

Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes and Carrots

Fast and Easy Breadsticks

Garlic Cheddar Rolls

Freezer Spaghetti Sauce

Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits

Homemade Croutons

Homemade Marshmallows

BYU Recipes

Couscous Salad

Alcohol Substitutions

Parmesan Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2011-03-16T21:35:00.004-06:00

So I've been a little lazy, tired, {other excuses}, so I am just going to put up links for St. Patrick's Day things I did last year. I made the Pistachio bread today and the kids love it. I also put it in my husband's lunch for a fun surprise, although he probably won't even think about it being green or that it is St. Patrick's Day; he doesn't consider it a holiday :). I am trying to get this blog running again, but we will see.

Pistachio Bread

Little Leprechauns

Yo-Yo Hair Barrettes

Pot of Gold / Rainbow Cupcakes

Edible Pot of Gold

Hair Accessories

Other fun St. Patrick's Day stuff from other blogs:

Double Rainbow Pancakes

Green Velvet Baby Cakes

St. Patrick's Day Rose Wreath

Shamrock Pretzel Snack

Shamrock Button Art

Leprechaun Pie

Corned Beef and Cabbage (for the die hard celebrators)

And as usual, my Mom sent a package filled with things for the kids (I'm so lucky!). I couldn't tell you how to make them, but maybe it will give you some ideas.

St. Patrick's Day Leggings

A St. Patrick's Day "Lucky" Pin

Denver Metro's Halloween Guide

2010-10-17T13:42:00.009-06:00

I am sorry I haven't posted in awhile, I am planning on getting back into it soon, we have just had some stressful family stuff lately. ANYWAY, I just thought I'd put this up for all the Denver Metro people, this should keep your kids busy!

For the crafty kids; check out:

Michael's FREE Halloween make and takes, click HERE

Lakeshore Learning Centers FREE make and takes, click HERE

For Family Halloween Events, check out:

Halloween Spook Skate (Parker), Sat. Oct. 23, 5:30 pm - 9:30 pm, Grab your skates and a costume and head to the Fieldhouse for the annual Spook Skate! Costumes, candy, crafts, concessions and climbing will keep participants of all ages entertained throughout the evening. And don't forget the skating! Get creative with those costumes because prizes will be awarded for the cutest, scariest and most unique costume from each age group, $5/$6, click HERE for more info

FREE. Spooktacular Festival (Castle Rock), Sat. Oct. 23, 1 pm - 3 pm, Castle Rock Rec Center, Halloween fun for the little ones and families, includes face painting, jumpy houses, games, crafts and contests. Open to all ages. Click HERE for more info

FREE. Trick or Treat Street (Downtown Castle Rock), Oct. 29, 2 pm - 5 pm, click HERE for more info

FREE. Pumpkin Fest at the Grange (Castle Rock), Sat. Oct. 30, 1 pm - 4 pm, includes Hay Wagon Rides, Make Your Own Scarecrow, Crafts, The Meadows Pumpkin Patch, Games, Food, Vendors and much More, click HERE for more info

FREE. Trick or Treat with Parker Police, Sat. Oct 30, 2 pm - 4 pm, Bring the family to the new police station for a behind the scenes tour and trick or treating with Parker's police officers, click HERE for more info

FREE. Littleton Historical Museum 'Victorian Halloween', Sat. Oct. 30, 6 pm - 8 pm, includes bobbing for apples, stories, fortune telling, refreshments (not a trick or treat event), click HERE for more info

FREE. Annual Halloween Carnival (Englewood), Sat. Oct 30, 5 pm - 8:30 pm, Grab your costume and kids or grandkids and creep, slither, or crawl on over for the annual Halloween Carnival. This safe, fun party for kids of all ages features carnival games, inflatables, concessions, and more. Admission to the carnival is free. Game tickets are sold for 25 cents each., click HERE for more info

FREE. A Spooky Halloween by the Littleton Symphony Orchestra, Sat. Oct. 30, Discover the 2000-year-old original story of the Sorcerer's Apprentice and hear French composer Paul Dukas' delightful and dramatic music of the same name!, click HERE for more info

FREE. Spooky Stories, a treat for kids age 5-12 at Douglas County Libraries, Come to the library for spooky stories told by Douglas County Spellbinders. They're sure to send shivers down your spine! Each program begins at 7 p.m., with slightly spooky stories in the first half hour (for ages 5 and up), and spookier tales in the second half hour (for ages 10 and up)., click HERE for more info

FREE. Historic Downtown Littleton Trick or Treat Street, Sat., Oct, 30, 12 pm, Bring the kids in their costumes and get Halloween started early with this safe, fun alternative to going house to house. Historic Downtown Littleton Merchants will be ready with candy and surprises for all! Look for the bright orange window posters at participating merchants., click HERE for more info

FREE. Trick or Treat Street at Aspen Grove (Littleton), Sat. Oct. 30, 5 pm - 8 pm, includes trick or treating with hay stack rides and a costume parade, click HERE for more info.

FREE. Trick or Treat off the Street at The Outlets at Castle Rock, Sat. Oct. 30, 4 pm - 6 pm.

Our retailers will be handing out candy and other little goodies for your ghost and goblins, click HERE for more info

FREE. Trick or Treat event at Chatfield High School in Littleton, Sat. Oct. 30, 2 pm - 4 pm, a fun trick or treat event put on by the high schoolers, click HERE for the high school home page to get the address

Halloween Trick or Treat Street (Highlands Ranch), Sat, Oct. 30, 11 am - 2 pm, Children ages 12 and under are invited to put on costumes, grab their trick-or-treat bags and join the fun at Trick-or-Treat Street! Local businesses provide treats for all the “little ghost and goblins!”, $1.00 per trick-or-treater (ages 12 and under) and each family may select a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch; while supplies last., click HERE for more info

Rockin Halloween on the Pinnacle (Parker), Sat. Oct. 30, 6 pm - 8 pm, Enjoy a scavenger hunt on the rocks, contests, prizes and other creepy activities for your all hallows eve enjoyment. Costumes are optional, but a best costume award may be in your future! $5, click HERE for more info

For adults, older kids, or if you have a little more money to spend, check out THIS list with several events going on in the denver area.

Cake Bites

2010-08-30T08:00:00.001-06:00

These little cake bites seem like they are all the rage right now. I made these to go along with my son's birthday cake. They are very rich; but delicious and very versatile. You can pick any cake mix flavor and any frosting you want. Mix and Match. Be Creative. Here's how I did it:

First bake the cake mix (I used the party chip flavor) in a 9 x 13 pan according to box directions. Wait until it is COMPLETELY COOLED, (I waited several hours even), and then just spoon out the cake mix into a big mixing bowl.

Spool a whole jar of frosting into the bowl and mix together. I used a small cookie scoop thing to scoop out the cake into balls, and then put on a cookie sheet to chill in the fridge. Let chill for awhile.

I used white melting chocolate to do this part, but you could use whatever you like. I melted it and then rolled the chilled cake ball into it and put some sprinkles on top. Then I also melted some milk chocolate, put it in a bag, snipped the end and made the zig zag design over the cake balls/bites.

Let the cake bites chill again until the chocolate has set. Then enjoy! My kids loved helping me make these.

Sorry

2010-08-27T14:46:00.002-06:00

Hey, I really am still here, sorry it's been so long. We went on vacation to come back to my daughter getting sick, then starting school, then my baby getting sick, and then me. We are all getting better and getting back into a routine and posts will be coming up again soon!

Summer Break

2010-07-21T17:57:00.002-06:00

Hey Everyone. I will be taking a 3 week summer break, due to some summer vacations we've planned and a couple dr. tests/surgeries coming up that I am sure will take up my time and mind. I will be back to blogging soon and I hope everyone has a great summer!

THIS WEEKEND

2010-07-15T09:43:00.003-06:00

This weekend, (July 16-18), here is what is going on:

Make a FREE Sandy Beach Scene at Lakeshore Learning Centers, (July 17, 11 am - 3 pm) click HERE to see more

Join the Highlands Ranch Sunflower Farmer's Market to get a $2 Fish Taco, (July 17, 11:30 - 1:30) Click HERE to see more

Highlands Ranch Carnival, this is the last weekend, (July 17-18, 4 pm - 11 pm), click HERE to read more

KidSpree in Aurora, FREE, you don't want to miss this. (July 17-18, 10 am - 5 pm) "Walk through a giant maze or life-size board game. Paint a tiny town every color under the rainbow. Experience jugglers, magicians and all kinds of other entertainment." Click HERE to read more

Centennial Night at the Movies, (July 16, 7 pm) Click HERE to read more

THIS WEEKEND

2010-07-07T23:20:00.003-06:00

This weekend, July 9-11, here is what is going on:

Earth Balloon at the Grange - (July 9, 1 pm - 4 pm), $2 per person, click HERE for details

Make a FREE Summer Memory Keeper at Lakeshore Learning Centers,

(July 10, 11 am - 3 pm)

Starlight Summer Movie #2 in Downtown Castle Rock,

(July 10, 6:30 - 10 pm), click HERE for details

FREE Malley Movietime in Englewood, (July 9, 1:30 pm), "See the latest FREE movies shown on a large screen! Popcorn sold for 25 cents", Click HERE for details

FREE 24th Annual Colorado Black Arts Festival, (July 9-11) "three day festival of music, dance and visual arts.", click HERE for details

Highlands Ranch Carnival, (July 9-17), click HERE for details

Highlands Ranch Rodeo (July 10-11), "Experience Colorado's western heritage at its best at the Annual HRCA Rodeo. Witness Bareback Riding, Saddle Bronc Riding, Bull Riding, visit exhibitors, and much more right here in the Ranch! Kids can get into the spirit with two fun and hilarious events: Mutton Busting and Chicken Scramble.", click HERE for details

Centennial Night at the Movies,(July 9, 7 pm) click HERE for details

FREE Olde Town Market in Historic Downtown Littleton (July 10, 10 am - 4 pm), "A whimsical artisans emporium," click HERE for details

Smore's Stuffed Brownies

2010-07-06T23:11:00.003-06:00

This recipe is from Picky Palate, which is an amazing recipe blog! I made these twice in a week, they are very good. I would recommend making them with plenty of time to have the chocolate set up. I made them in the morning for the after dinner dessert, and they turned out perfect! Here is the recipe:

Batch Prepared in 8×8 inch baking pan

1 box of your favorite brownie mix

4 1/2 full Graham Crackers

3 1/2 Full size Hershey’s Bars

16 large marshmallows

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare brownie mix according to package directions. Line foil into an 8×8 inch baking pan and spray generously with cooking spray. Pour half the brownie batter into lined pan. Layer graham crackers over brownies following Hershey Bars and marshmallows. Pour remaining brownie batter over marshmallows. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until toothpick comes mostly clean from center. Remove from oven and let cool completely. Carefully remove foil and brownies from pan. Peel any foil from away from edges and cut into squares.

12 brownies

Click HERE to see the recipe with additional pictures on Picky Palate.

*picture from Picky Palate

Oopsey Daisy

2010-07-06T16:10:00.002-06:00

I'm featuring "Oopsey Daisy" today. She describes herself as "happy mommy, looking for spicy ideas to beautify, multipurpose, simplify, and refunction." She has lots of cute ideas, including:

A Pantry Door Organizer

A Cozy Car Caddy

A Simple Rag Blanket

(when I saw this I had to put it because I was just talking to my friend the other day about how much we LOVE these blankets, but don't know how to make them)

She also has some great recipes, like Snickerdoodle Muffins ,

and Golden Graham S'mores.

You should check out her blog.

THIS WEEKEND

2010-07-01T08:00:00.001-06:00

Gear up because this weekend is the 4th of July weekend and there is A LOT going on:

First, the FREE crafts and events:

Cherry Creek Arts Festival, (July 2, 7 pm - 10 pm), click HERE for details

Make a FREE Patriotic drum at Lakeshore Learning centers

(July 3, 11 am - 3 pm) click HERE to see more

Make a FREE periscope at Home Depot Kids Workshop

(July 3, 9 am - 12 pm) click HERE to see more

Don't miss Paris Street Market at the Aspen Grove shopping center in Littleton,

(July 3, 8 am - 3 pm), click HERE for details

FREE day at the Denver Art Museum (July 3)

FREE day at the Denver Museum of Miniatures, Dolls, and Toys, (July 4)

Now for the festivities, JULY 3RD:

4th of July Celebration at the Meadows (July 3rd, Bison Park, 11 am - 2 pm) "this fun event kicks off with the Bike Parade and continues with music, food, games, crafts and much more. Bison Park will provide shade for attendees and a turf field for activities." click HERE to see more

FREE: Let Freedom Sing, Independence Day Event in Parker (July 3rd, Salisbury Park, 6 pm - 10 pm)"including live music, children's activities, food and beverage vendors and of course, fireworks; plenty of family fun throughout the evening including bounce houses, slides, face painters, balloon artists, games and family-friendly music.",Click HERE to see more

Highlands Ranch 4th of July Parade, Run, and Celebration (July 3rd, 9 am - 9 pm) There is so much going on including the parade, 5K run, Huge celebration in Town Center, hot dog eating contest, pet adoption fair, click HERE to see everything in detail

JULY 4th:

Light up the Night, 4th of July Spectacular in Aurora (July 4th) "Fourth of July Spectacular, Aurora’s ninth annual Independence Day Celebration, features the largest fireworks display in the metro area and a performance by the U.S. Army Band from Ft. Carson. Fourth of July Spectacular takes place at the great lawn on the west side of the Aurora Municipal Center." Click HERE to see more

Independence Day Celebration in Lone Tree (July 4th, Sweetwater Park), includes a children's bike parade, fireworks, activities for kids, live entertainment, food and drink vendors, 5K, climbing wall, petting zoo, clowns, face painting, balloon artists, and more, click HERE To see

Family Festival and Fireworks in Englewood (July 4th, 3 pm - 9 pm, Belleview, Cornerstone, & Progress Parks) "featuring field games, activities, and live entertainment from 3 - 9 pm, with a professional fireworks display at 9:30 pm" Click HERE to read more

*And Don't Forget: This Tuesday (July 6) is FREE day at Denver's Children's Museum

Easy Patriotic Flag Dessert

2010-06-30T11:08:00.004-06:00

I made this last year and everyone loved it. I'm looking for something new this year, but this is pretty good that I might just make it again and call it a tradition.

3 cups boiling water, divided

2 pkg. (4-serving size each) JELL-O Berry Blue Flavor Gelatin

2 cups ice cubes, divided

2 pkg. (8 oz. each) Cream Cheese, softened

1/4 cup sugar

1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed, divided

2 pkg. (4-serving size each) JELL-O Strawberry Flavor Gelatin, or any red flavor

2 cups halved strawberries

1/2 cup blueberries

STIR 1-1/2 cups of the boiling water into dry blue gelatin in medium bowl at least 2 min. until completely dissolved. Add 1 cup of the ice cubes; stir until ice is completely melted. Pour into 13x9-inch dish. Refrigerate 20 min. or until gelatin is set but not firm.

PLACE cream cheese, sugar and half of the whipped topping in large bowl; beat until well blended. Spoon over blue gelatin layer in dish; spread carefully to evenly cover gelatin layer. Stir remaining 1-1/2 cups boiling water into strawberry gelatin in separate bowl at least 2 min. until completely dissolved. Add remaining 1 cup ice cubes; stir until ice is completely melted. Let stand at room temperature 5 min. or until slightly thickened. Spoon over cream cheese layer in dish. Refrigerate 3 hours or until set.

SPREAD remaining whipped topping over dessert just before serving. Decorate with strawberries and blueberries to resemble a flag. Store leftover dessert in refrigerator

To see TONS of 4th of July recipes, crafts, and decorations, check out the link party at craftaholics anonymous:

Prepared NOT scared!

2010-06-29T09:16:00.005-06:00

I am featuring this cool new blog that my Mom found. It's called "Prepared NOT scared." It's main theme is about food storage and preparedness. It has food storage meals and menu plans, food storage calculators, and lots of preparedness and storage ideas; but it is so much more than that. It has family home evening ideas, cool chore charts, yummy recipes, gardening, holiday games and ideas, TONS of ideas for kids. You should really check it out!

http://preparednotscared.blogspot.com /

THIS WEEKEND

2010-06-24T09:21:00.003-06:00

This weekend, (June 25 - 27), here is what is going on:

Sunflower Farmer's Market, (June 26, 12 pm - 2 pm) $1 Ice Cream Social, Highlands Ranch Location

Make a FREE summer fruit basket a Lakeshore Learning Centers,

(June 26, 11 am - 3 pm)

click HERE to see more

Make a FREE patriotic project at participating Michael's Crafts stores

(June 26, 10 am - 2 pm)

click HERE to see more

Make a FREE monster truck at Lowe's build and Grow clinics,

(June 26, 10 am - 11 am)

Click HERE to see more and register

The Cherry Blossom Festival 2010 is this weekend (June 26-27), "Experience Japanese dance, drum performances, art exhibits, Asian marketplace, food and more at this annual Denver event." FREE, click HERE to read more, located at 1947 Lawrence Street, Denver

Lollipop-Looza Kid's Carnival in Highlands Ranch, (June 25, 12 pm - 3 pm) "Join us for this fun and fabulous Kids Event! The Recreation Center at Westridge will turn into a kid’s play zone with everything from special battings cage games, dunk tanks, inflatable’s, games, prizes and more! This is a fun and active way to spend a Friday afternoon!" Click HERE to read more, tickets are $5.

FREE/Low Cost Summer Movies

2010-06-24T09:01:00.003-06:00

During the summer, these movie theaters are participating in FREE or low cost children's/family movies (Rated G or PG). Check it out:

AMC Theaters: $1 summer movies, every Tuesday at 10 am, click HERE to see the movie showings (locations in Castle Rock, Parker, Highlands Ranch, Aurora, Littleton, Denver, Arvada, Evergreen, Westminster, Broomfield)

Regal Theaters: FREE Family Film Festival: Movies at 10 am every Tuesday and Wednesday, click HERE to see the movie showings (locations in Englewood, Lakewood, Littleton, Sheridan, Longmont)

Cinemark Theaters: Summer Movie Clubhouse: $1 per show or $10 for 5, click HERE to see more, (locations in Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, Greeley, Lakewood, Pueblo)

Simple Perfect Enchiladas

2010-06-23T08:03:00.006-06:00

(photo from The Pioneer Woman)

I love going through all my favorite recipe blogs looking for new things to make. I have my favorites that I always go to first and one on them is The Pioneer Woman. She is awesome and very funny. Her name is Ree and you should really check out her website. Anyway, I found a recipe titled "Simple Perfect Enchiladas." These are WONDERFUL! Click HERE for Ree's recipe, or see below, I changed it a little. You should definitely try these:

Sauce:
1 Tablespoon Canola Oil
1 Tablespoon All-purpose Flour
1 (10 oz.) can green enchilada sauce
1 (10 oz.) can red enchilada sauce
1 ½ cups Chicken Broth
½ teaspoons Salt
½ teaspoons Ground Black Pepper
2 Tablespoons Chopped Cilantro
Meat:
1-½ - 2 pounds Ground Beef
1 whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced
2 cans (4 Ounce) Diced Green Chilies
½ teaspoons Salt
extras to put in while assembling:
3 cups Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
½ cups Chopped Black Olives

Start by making the sauce:

In a large saucepan over medium heat, add oil and flour and whisk together to make a paste, cooking for one minute. Pour in the red and green sauce, chicken broth, cilantro, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30-45 minutes.

While the sauce is simmering, start the meat:

Brown the meat with onions in a skillet. Drain off fat. Stir in 2 cans diced green chilies and seasoned salt. Set aside.

Then assemble them:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour ½ cup sauce in bottom of baking pan. Spread to even out. Spoon meat, a little grated cheese, a little black olives, and spoonful of sauce in the center of tortilla. Roll up and place, seam down, in baking pan. Repeat until pan is filled. Pour extra sauce over enchiladas. Top with shredded cheddar cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly.

*My family LOVES rice, so I make Cilantro Lime Rice and put it inside the enchiladas as well.

Gemstone Park

2010-06-18T08:00:00.000-06:00

Located:

6145 Sapphire Pointe Blvd.

Castle Rock, CO 80104

Amenities:

Basketball, Bike Path (Paved), Climbing Wall / Structure, Multi-use Court, Parking, Paved Trail, Picnic Pavilion (General Use), Picnic Tables, Play Fields, Playground, Portable Restroom, Swings, Synthetic Turf Field, and Tennis Court

We actually call this the Spiderweb park because of this climbing thing

fields behind the park

covered picnic area with big tables and little tables (they are the cutest things)

the climbing wall on the park side

tennis/basketball court

swinging benches, these are awesome

the climbing wall

Going up to the park

THIS WEEKEND

2010-06-17T08:00:00.000-06:00

This weekend, (June 18-20), here is what is going on:

Sunflower Farmer's Market is having root beer floats for $1, and FREE make and take Father's Day cards;

(Highlands Ranch location, 11 am - 1 pm, June 19)

Make a FREE Father's Day notepad holder at Lakeshore Learning Center,

(June 19, 11 am - 3 pm)

Click HERE to read more

Make and Take Father's Day t-shirt at Michael's Crafts (June 18, 6 pm - 8pm)*requires purchase of t-shirt

FREE Make and Take Father's Day Card at Michael's Crafts (June 19, 10 am - 2 pm)

Don't miss out on The Meadows Community Garage Sale, (June 19, 8 am - 4 pm), click HERE to read more

And going on the same time as the community wide garage sale will be "The All American Bake Sale" held at The Grange in Castle Rock, (June 19, 8 am - 2 pm), click HERE to read more

FREE: The Classic Rock Cruise In Summer Car show is going on (June 19, 10 am - 3 pm), "Hosted on Wilcox/Main St downtown Castle Rock. Street fest, Live Music, Downtown Shops, Restaurants, Art Guild, and some of the finest rides in the Rockies. Free to the public. " click HERE to read more

The Colorado Renaissance Festival is still going on (Saturday and Sunday, June 19 & 20, 10 am - 6:30 pm) Click HERE to read more

The Greek Festival is going on (June 18, 19, 20), Click HERE to read more

FREE: The 2010 Public Art Walking Tours, (June 19), click HERE to read more

FREE: The Highlands Ranch Classic Car Show (June 19, 10 am - 2 pm), "Great cars, motorcycles, food, music, and more are at this popular and free event. " Click HERE to read more, located at the Cherry Hills Community Church

The Greenwood Village Goose Chase, click HERE to register

FREE: The Summer Concert: Tribute Night in Lone Tree, located at Sweetwater Park, (June 19, 6 pm - 10 pm), "Bring the entire family in for a free night of fun and music at Sweetwater Park. Don't forget your blankets, dancing shoes, and friends, to take part in this summer concert series. On-site features to enjoy include: face painting, clowns, airbrush artists, balloonists, caricature artists, concessions, and the password to culture actives for kids." Click HERE to read more.

FREE: Littleton's Blazing Block Party, (June 19, 9 am - 10 pm) "Antique fire engine parade at 9AM on Main Street; fire muster in the ACC parking lot from 10 AM-3 PM; Wild on Littleton Block Party for some fiery good fun from 6-10 PM; also includes food, music, dancing, games, displays, fireworks, and educational booths", Click HERE, HERE, and HERE to read more.

Homemade Ice Cream in a Bag

2010-06-16T08:00:00.001-06:00

With summer FINALLY here, this is such an awesome way to have some great homemade ice cream, and a really fun activity for the kids. It's also an awesome way to get lots of different flavors. When I did this, I had my kids and my friend's kids (two four 4 olds and two 2 year olds all together) do this and they did it just great. It says to shake the bag for 5 minutes, and they didn't do it quite that long but it still turned out. I would recommend duck taping the top of the bag that has the ice cream ingredients in it, then sticking it inside the bag with the ice and salt, then sticking that bag inside a grocery sack and tying the top. It's easier for the kids to shake it (doesn't get their hands as cold) and doesn't make quite the mess.

Ingredients:

2 Tab. Sugar

1 cup Half and Half

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup salt (the bigger the granules, the better. Kosher and rock salt work best)

Ice Cubes (enough the fill each gallon size bag about 1/2 full

1 pint size ziplock bag

1 gallon size ziplock bag

Directions:

Combine the sugar, half and half, and vanilla extract in the pint size ziplock bag and seal tightly (I duct taped mine close). Place the salt and ice inside the gallon size bag, and then place the pint size ice cream bag inside the gallon ice bag and seal tightly. ( I put mine inside a grocery sack as well). Shake the bags until the mixture hardens (about 5 minutes). Take the smaller bag out and add mix-ins if you want. You can put in cups or eat straight out of the bag.

Just FYI:

I made 5 bags of the ice cream and it took this much ice and half and half:

one 7 lb. bag of ice

one 1/2 gallon of half and half

Recipe found at Family Fun, click HERE to see

linked to these parties

Tiepedia

2010-06-15T08:00:00.000-06:00

Matt from Tiepedia is a great source to go to for Father's Day. You can order ties from the site (in all sorts of varieties), and if 'real' ties aren't your Dad's/Husband's/Brother's (whomever) thing, why don't you copy Matt's idea and make them a 'TIE CAKE' instead...here are some examples:

Click HERE to go to Matt's Tiepedia post to see some more fun ideas and great Father's Day Gifts.

THIS WEEKEND

2010-06-10T09:56:00.002-06:00

This Weekend (June 11-13), here is what is going on:

Kid's Night Out at Sunflower Farmer's Market (June 11, 5 pm - 7 pm)

"Bring the whole family for food, face painting, and fun activities out on the patio"

Highlands Ranch location, click HERE for more details

Make a FREE portable storage pouch at Lakeshore Learning Centers, (June 12, 11 am - 3 pm)

click HERE to see details

Make a FREE Father's Day Picture Frame at Lowe's (June 12, 10 am - 11 am)

click HERE for more details and to register

Make-it-take-it Father's Day Frame at Michael's (June 12, 10 am - 2 pm)

click HERE to see details

Make-it-take-it Father's Day Mug at Michael's (June 13, 1 pm - 3 pm)

click HERE to see details

Summer Roundup in Cherry Hills Village, (June 12, 9:30 am - 11 am)

"This free event has something for everyone whether you want to ride your horse through the Village, or bring the kids to the park for games, horse pictures and horse demonstrations. The morning will be packed full with laughs and entertainment including: Equestrian Demonstrations, Barn Chore Relay Race, Kid’s Haystack Treasure Hunt, Pictures with Ponies, Coffee and Donuts"

Click HERE for details

Visit Olde Town Market (a whimsical artisan's emporium) in Downtown Littleton

(June 12, 10 am - 4 pm)

Click HERE for details

2010 Parker Days, (June 11-13), at O'Brien Park, there will be a carnival, entertainment, marketplace, parade and food

Click HERE for details

The Colorado Renaissance Festival starts this weekend in Larkspur. Click HERE for details

THIS WEEKEND

2010-05-27T08:00:00.002-06:00

This Weekend, (May 28-30), here is what is going on:

First, the regulars:

Make a FREE tic-tac-toe game at Lakeshore Learning

(May 29, 11 am - 3 pm)

Make a FREE vase of flowers card at Michael's

(may 29, 10 am - 1 pm)

FREE Mom and Daughter mini-makeovers

at the Aurora Sprouts Farmer's Market location

(May 29, 11 am - 2 pm)

Stop by the Highlands Ranch Sunflower Farmer's Market location for an Ice Cream Social Fundraiser, click HERE for details, ice cream bowls are $2, proceeds will go to the American Cancer Society

Now, are you all so excited for summer! Opening up this weekend are:

The H2O'Brien Pool in Parker

The Miniature Train and Children's Farm at Belleview Park in Littleton

Pirate's Cove in Littleton

And to celebrate Memorial Day weekend:

The Old South Gaylord Memorial Day Weekend Festival

The Boulder Creek Festival

Parade and Tribute in Denver

The Downtown Denver Arts Festival

Easy Spring/Summer Wreath

2010-05-26T08:00:00.000-06:00

This is a very easy way to spruce up any door, and it can be made very inexpensively as well.

I picked up a wreath like this from Michael's

Have you noticed how popular eggs and birds are? So I decided to put some of these speckled eggs on .

Then I just got some flowers and cut them into individual pieces

Then I just stuck in the flowers were I wanted them and placed the eggs were I though looked good, and hot glued them on.

Here is a close up:

Our Best Bites

2010-05-25T08:00:00.008-06:00

You definitely have to take a look at this recipe blog. It is Tuesday again today, and I want to feature this blog because it is so awesome. The favorites that I have tried are:

Pizzookies- or warm cookies sundae (a BIG hit)

1 ingredient Ice Cream (which my kids LOVE)

Chicken Taquitos

Creamy Lime-Cilantro Dressing

Taco Chicken

And these are some next on my list to try:

Cashew Sweet and Sour Pork

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Thai Peanut Noodle Salad

So take a look at Our Best Bites, and let me know what you tried and how it was.

*All pictures are from 'Our Best Bites' blog*

Baked Ziti

2010-05-24T10:41:00.003-06:00

This is a fun twist on the regular spaghetti dish. My family loves it and it is really easy to have a meat and vegetarian meal at the table at the same time:

you can leave it like this:

or top it with sauce (our family uses meat sauce, but you can do it without meat if you want)

1 box ziti noodles, cooked al dente (you can use penne or rigatoni noodles also)

1 red pepper, sliced

1 green pepper, sliced

6-8 oz. of shredded cheddar cheese

6-8 oz. of shredded monterey jack cheese

1 tsp salt

1 tsp. pepper

½ cup Italian bread crumbs

1 cup half and half

spaghetti sauce (desired amount)

Heat oven to 350. Grease a 13x9x2 baking dish. Combine ziti, peppers, cheeses, and spaghetti sauce. Pour half and half and salt and pepper evenly over mixture. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover, top with breadcrumbs and bake additional 30 minutes.

Serve as is, or top with more spaghetti sauce.

Necklace Holder

2010-05-21T07:55:00.005-06:00

(I measure the hooks out 1 inch apart. I marked the wood with a pen to make sure they were straight and even in a row)

I was really needing something to do with my necklaces. This is a really easy and cheap solution. I used some leftover wood from a project my husband had been working on. It is about 1 inch thick and about 2 feet long. I bet you could get some scrap wood at Home Depot or Lowes that would work for this for free. I sanded it a little bit, then painted it black to match my bathroom. I bought a pack of 50 hooks at Walmart for about $2.50. I only used about 20 of them. Then I just got a leveler to make sure it was straight and hung it up. I used two long nails in the end to hang it up because I was afraid that a screw at the end of the board might split the wood. I wanted to make it really secure, so I did put one screw in the middle and it didn't split it.

Like the scrapbook picture frames? Click HERE to see them.

I am linked to THESE parties.

THIS WEEKEND

2010-05-20T08:00:00.004-06:00

This weekend, (May 21-23), here is what is going on:

Make a FREE tear-art tambourine at Lakeshore Learning centers,

(May 22, 11 am - 3 pm)

Make a FREE catapult at Lowe's,

(May 22, 10 am - 11 am), click HERE to register

Don't miss the FREE Parker Family Fun Fest, in Parker (May 22, 11 am - 2 pm), at the O'Brien Park (10795 Victorian Drive, Parker, CO 80138). "Activities will include fun games, obstacle courses, an inline hockey challenge, inflatable's, demonstrations and more!" Click HERE to read more.

Castle Rock Ducky Derby and Street Festival (May 22, 11 am - 4 pm) Tickets can be obtained with a donation of $5, or $20 for five tickets, they recommend you get the tickets ahead of time, so click HERE to read more info about where to get them. It takes place on Wilcox and 2nd Street. There will be a waddle walk, face painting, vendors, food, entertainment, car show, safari bouncy house and slide, silent auction and much more!

Click HERE to read more about it.

Buttermilk Brownies

2010-05-19T08:00:00.004-06:00

These are similar to a texas sheet cake, I was told. I got this recipe from my brother's wife's family (whom I just love and pretty much consider them like my family as well). I made TWO trays of these brownies for a church activity, and they were gone in an instant, I didn't even get one. These are delicious!

Brownies:

1 cup butter

3 Tab. ghirardelli cocoa (I don't know if they brand makes a difference, but that is what they used, and told me to use, so I used it.)

1 cup hot water

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1/2 teas. salt

1 teas. soda

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 teas. vanilla

2 eggs

Bring butter, cocoa, and hot water to a boil. In a separate bowl, mix flour sugar, and salt. Make a well with the flour mixture and add the butter/cocoa mixture to it stirring BY HAND. In another separate bowl, mix the soda and buttermilk, add that to the flour/cocoa mixture, also stirring BY HAND. Add eggs and vanilla in BY HAND. Pour into a greased jelly roll pan and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Let cool before frosting.

Frosting:

1/2 cup butter

1/3 cup milk

2 Tab. ghirardelli cocoa

1 teas. vanilla

1/2 pkg. powdered sugar

(nuts optional)

Heat butter, milk, and cocoa until almost boiling. Add vanilla. Stir in powdered sugar SLOWLY with a wire whisk until creamy and mixed in. Let cool before frosting.

Stone Wreath

2010-05-18T12:25:00.003-06:00

Tuesday again and the feature this week is from Craft Envy. I love the Stone Wreath look, and it was under $5 to make. How cute. Click HERE for the tutorial.

Blog Swap

2010-05-14T09:38:00.001-06:00

Hello Mommie Guide readers! I am so excited to be guest posting here today!
Let me introduce myself!

I am Fawnda from Fireflies and Jellybeans a little DIY blog that I co-author with my best friend Jeannine.

I am a mom to a 2 year old son (who we adopted from Korea about 1.5 years ago!) and a wife to an amazing man! I love all things crafty!
We have all kinds of fun stuff going one at Fireflies and Jellybeans! We have a Show Off Your Stuff Party every Thursday where you can link up your posts that you want to show off!

We also have many great tutorials! Here are a few of our favorites:
Travel First Aid kit

Book Page Wreath
Scrabble Tile Ring

Chalkboard Mugs

Ribbon Bead Necklace

Leg Warmers

Crinkle Tag Blanket

Ruffle Butt Onesie with leg warmers for baby

Come on over and check us out at Fireflies and Jellybeans We love to meet new friends!
Thanks Kylee for letting me invade your blog today! It has been so FUN! :)

THIS WEEKEND

2010-05-13T08:00:00.003-06:00

This weekend, May 14-16, here is what is going on:

Kids Night Out at Sunflower Farmer's Market (Highlands Ranch location, May 14, 5 pm-7pm) "Bring the kids in for snacks, face-painting and fun activities."

Make a FREE mini megaphone at Lakeshore Learning Centers (May 15, 11 am-3pm)

Parker Kids Kulture, it's FREE . (May 15, 10am-11:30am). The theme this year is 'Animals and their habitat', and the topic on the 15th is 'Bees.' "Each Kidz Kulture! presentation will consist of a live performance, plus hands-on art projects brought to you by the Parker Artists Guild. Kidz Kulture! is a free event, but pre-registration is requested. Register on line at www.ParkerRec.com or by calling 303.434.1560. "

Castle Pines North Community Garage Sale is May 14, 10am-2pm, and May 15, 9 am-3pm. There will be "hundreds of sellers and thousands of items." Click HERE to read more and get a list of the garage sale participants.

Ginormous Chalkboard

2010-05-12T12:16:00.004-06:00

Sorry, I've been busy and missed Tuesday, but still wanted to feature a cool blog, and the feature this week is Joy's Hope. She did this post awhile ago and I loved it. The second I have a enough wall space somewhere, I want to make a 'ginormous chalkboard.' I like how she has the trim around it and the pictures hung up with the clothes pins. so cute! Anyway, here is her blog button:

and HERE is the direct link to the tutorial

Shadow Boxes

2010-05-09T08:00:00.001-06:00

So I think I pretty much got the blog back to normal for the most time and pretty quick too. My Mom is opening an etsy shop in a couple weeks, so I will be doing my first giveaway then for something from her shop. She makes homemade bows, headbands, jewelry and lots more so stay tuned! Here are my shadow boxes.

I got a pack of three wooden shadow boxes at Michaels. I painted the frames, traced the back part of the frame onto scrapbook paper. I mod podged the scrapbook paper on the back. When everything was dry I hot glued the little decorations inside. My girl's room was in Hello Kitty, so I used to little stuffed animals and a pair of baby ballet slippers. My boy's room was in sports, so I used a sporty Snoopy stuffed animal and some sports balls. Pretty easy room decorations and pretty cheap. You could fill the shadow boxes with more meaningful stuff as well. My friend, called her's 'Memory boxes', and put in her new baby's hospital bracelets and little hospital hat, some pictures of the newborn baby in the hospital and stuff like that that reminds her of the birth. A very cute way to display all that stuff that is a little bulky for a scrapbook, but still precious keepsakes.

Oops!

2010-05-06T21:51:00.003-06:00

Okay, I tried to put a new template/background thing on my blog today, and it totally erased everything except my posts pretty much. That's why it looks like this. I am going to try to restore it to even better than it's original look over the next couple weeks, but because I am not very computer savvy it might take me awhile to get it how it was. I am hoping to have a HUGE welcome back post with a giveaway I have lined up and some cool crafts and recipes. I might do a post here and there, but not everyday like I have been, as I am going to be trying to edit my HTML and all that good stuff. SORRY!

THIS WEEKEND

2010-05-06T08:00:00.010-06:00

This weekend, (May 7-9) Here is what is going on:

First, again to start a little early...

Today (May 6) Thursday is 'Ladies Only Sample Tour' in Downtown Littleton. You have to have a bracelet to participate, but if you go to the information office right at 4 pm when it starts, they sell any extras they have. Click HERE to read more. I'm be there with my friend, so hope to see you!

Make a Mother's Day one of a kind t-shirt at Michaels, (May 6, 6 pm - 8 pm) (tshirt purchase required, the rest supplied by Michaels)

Now, the weekend:

Make a Mother's Day Frame at Michael's (May 7, 6 pm - 8 pm) (frame purchase required, the rest supplied by Michael's)

It's FREE day at the Denver Botanic Garden in Chatfield, located at:

8500 Deer Creek Canyon Road, Littleton

Make a FREE Mother's Day Card at Michael's (May 8, 10 am - 12 pm)

FREE Wilton Cookie Demonstration at Michael's (May 8, 12 pm - 1 pm)

Build a FREE trellis planter for Mother's Day at Lowes, (May 8, 10 am - 11 am), click HERE to register

Make a FREE Mother's Day jewelry holder at Lakeshore Learning Centers

(May 8, 11 am - 3 pm)

Make FREE tissue paper flowers at Pottery Barn Kids

(May 8 & 9, 2 - 4 pm)

FREE: Sunflower Farmers Market (Highlands Ranch location) is having a 'Just for Moms Spa Day'. (May 8, 10 am - 2 pm) "Moms come in to be pampered and treated. Indulge your sweet tooth and your soul in in fun and free event." Click HERE to read more.

FREE: Mom and Daughter mini makeovers at Sprouts Farmers Market, Parker Location (Parker Rd & Lincoln Ave.) (May 8, 11am-2pm) "An Aubrey Organics make-up artist will be on hand to give you tips and techniques to bring out your very best. Aubrey Organics is an all natural, make-up!"

FREE: You DON'T want to miss 'Olde Town Market.' It's called a whimsical artisans emporium, with antiques, vintage, unique, and artisan vendors. Takes place in Historic Downtown Littleton (May 8), click HERE to read more

FREE: Centennial Spring Fling at deKoevend Park (6315 S University Blvd. Centennial, 1/2 of a mile north of Arapahoe on University) (May 8, 10 am - 2 am)"The event is designed as a hands-on interactive festival for children of all ages." Click HERE to read more.

FREE: Celebrate with the Cinco de Mayo Festival in Denver. (May 8-9, 10 am- 8 pm). The event includes live entertainment, art exhibitions, children's entertainment and food and drink stalls. Located at the Civic Center Park (Broadway and Colfax Ave.), Click HERE to read more.

Highlands Ranch Indoor Garage Sale (May 8, 8 am - 3 pm), "Be sure to swing by the gym at Eastridge for a great show! We have a ton of vendors which means a great selection of items." Click HERE to read more.

And don't forget to have your kids participate in the FREE National Park and Recreation Month coloring contest at the Castle Rock Rec Center.

"Help celebrate National Park and Recreation Month by submitting an original work of art that depicts how your child enjoys our parks, open spaces or trails. The winning artwork will be featured in the fall / winter 2010 issue of the Recreation Guide, and the top three contestants will be awarded a goodie bag of Recreation Center prizes, including a 20-punch admission pass.

The contest is open to youth ages 3 to 18. Include the child's name, phone number, e-mail or mailing address and age with all entries. Entries must be received by May 17."

Click HERE to read more

Ladybug Cookies

2010-05-05T08:00:00.006-06:00

I made these cookies for a friend's daughter's birthday party. She turned one and was having a ladybug birthday party. I got 2 packages of oreo cookies, some red melting chocolate from Michael's (they are called Wilton Candy Melts and come in a variety of colors for $2.99 a bag, one bag was plenty for this) , and some chocolate frosting tube (from Walmart) found by all the birthday candles and sprinkles in the baking isle. First I melted the red chocolate, then dipped the oreo in it (I just covered the front side, I didn't completely cover the whole oreo. Then I put all the oreos in the fridge for a while for the chocolate to harden. Then I took out the chocolate frosting tube and made little heads. I put them back in the fridge for about 15 minutes for the little heads to harden, then I made a line down the middle (wings) and three dots on each side. Refrigerate until ready to eat. I decided not to do eyes. I thought they looked cute just how they were. Pretty easy and the kids loved them!

I am linked to THESE parties!

Mother's Day Roundup

2010-05-04T08:00:00.010-06:00

So I am going to try a link party. With Mother's Day coming up, I would LOVE to see all the good ideas for presents out there. It's also Tuesday, so I am going to feature a blog. I think this craft would be an awesome Mother's Day (or Grandmother) present.

Mod Podged Hand Trees from At Second Street

Click HERE to see the tutorial, or click on the button to go directly to the website

These two things are things I am doing for the kids in my primary class at church:

Mother's Day Questionnaire, which I am SO excited to see how the kids answer the questions, found HERE

Mother's Day Hand print and Poem:

Sometimes you get discouraged

Because I am so small

And always leave my fingerprints

On furniture and walls.

But every day I'm growing -
I'll be grown some day
And all those tiny handprints
Will surely fade away.

So here's a little handprint
Just so you can recall
Exactly how my fingers looked
When I was very small.

(to look something like this, this is actually my husband's from a long time ago that he gave to his mom)

Now for the link party,

1. Link up your Mother's Day crafts, recipes, presents, whatever you have Mother's Day

2. Make sure you link to your actual post and NOT your blog's home page

3. Here's my button if you want to link back to the party from your blog post.

<a href="http://www.mommieguide.blogspot.com" target="_blank"&gt<img src="http://i482.photobucket.com/albums/rr185/kyleeduff/Picture15.png

" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /&gt</a&gt

Thanks. I'm excited to see what you all have!

Scotch A Roos

2010-05-03T08:00:00.000-06:00

These are an amazing spin on regular rice crispy treats. My Mom got them from someone at her work, and passed the recipe on to me. Try them, they are awesome!

1 cup corn syrup

1 cup sugar

Heat until bubbling. remove from heat and add 1 cup peanut butter and 6 cups rice crispies. Spread into 9x13 pan. Melt 1 cup of semi sweet chocolate chips and butterscotch chips. Spread over squares.

***I did not have butterscotch chips but DID have butterscotch ice cream topping, so I mixed in some of the topping in when I put the peanut butter in, and it was AWESOME. Then I just melted the semi sweet chocolate and drizzled it on top.

Jump Street

2010-05-02T08:00:00.006-06:00

Click HERE to visit the Jump Street website. These pictures and review reflect the Earthquake and Tremors parts of Jump Street (7 and under and 3 and under).

the big crocodile slide

The little area for kids 3 and under, it's hard to tell, but there is a little car roller coaster thing in the back that the kids loved, there are about 7 little houses and kitchens, and little jungle gyms with slides.

game area

trampoline (jump street)

The castle with the obstacle course and slide inside

the little coffee house

We got free tickets in the mail for Jump Street, so we went and it was a lot of fun. The kids were never bored and I was wondering if they would even make a full hour, but they kept wanting to stay longer, (they are 4 and 2); I think we ended up staying an hour and a half. Very fun place, I would recommend it.

Location:

10081 W. Bowles Ave.
Littleton, CO 80127
303-339-3030

Hours:

Sunday - Monday

11 am - 9 pm

Tuesday - Thursday

10 am - 10 pm

Friday and Saturday

10 am - midnight

*jump sessions are in one hour increments and begin on the hour and half hour.

Prices:

Monday - Thursday: $8 all day

Fri/Sat/Sun : $6 hour

(these prices are for the 7 and under part of Jump Street, to see a full pricing list, click HERE)

Going on a Trip Presents

2010-05-01T08:00:00.001-06:00

So JUST me and my little baby went on a short weekend trip (for a family event) to Utah, leaving my husband and two other kids at home. Fearing that this might be a problem for the two kids (I've never left them before), I came up with a GREAT idea. I shopped around in the dollar section at Target (but the Dollar Store, Walmart, or anywhere will do, really), and found them a cool small little thing. Then I grabbed some lunch sack type gift bags and made them all (not forgetting the hubby), a little present to open each day. It was a BIG hit and the kids (they knew of the presents but not what was in them) kept asking me to leave early so they could open the presents. Examples of things I got (just FYI) were: playdough, Styrofoam dart gun, sticker scrapbook, harmonica (hey, I wasn't going to be there), little candy or crackers, ect, all found for $1 each. Then I labeled them so they knew who they were for and for which day. Really fun for the kids, and fun to have them tell me all about it on the phone. Only downside...this has now set a precedence for all future trips. oh well.

IHOP Pancakes

2010-04-30T08:00:00.003-06:00

These pancakes are easy to make and I love that you only use one bowl, because in a lot of recipes you have to mix the dry ingredients and wet ingredients in separate bowls. I added a little bit of vanilla extract and cinnamon to mine though; maybe that makes them not "IHOP" authentic, but they were still really good, here is the recipe:

Nonstick Spray
1 1/4 flour
1 egg
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup oil
pinch of salt

*vanilla extract and cinnamon optional

Just pour all the ingredients into a mixer and mix. Then pour batter (I just a 1/4 cup) onto a greased pre-heated griddle. Flip. Then enjoy!