Cool Down With a Pop Ice

Do you remember those little ice pops mom would make for us either via use of ice cube tray and toothpicks or those little cups with popsicle stick. Well here is a way to reminsce about your childhood and make a sweet treat as well.

1/3 cup KOOL-AID Tropical Punch Flavor Sugar-Sweetened Soft Drink Mix

4 cups fresh strawberries

BLEND ingredients in blender 2 min. or until smooth; pour into 6 paper or plastic cups. Freeze 1 hour.
INSERT wooden pop stick into center of each cup. Freeze 3 hours or until firm. Remove pops from cups before serving.

Rudis Organic Bakery vote and make a difference

Vote for your favorite sandwich box art. You will not only be able to share your idea of the best creativity but with each vote Rudis organic bakery will donat $1 to the lunchbox program. Not familiar with lunchbox? Well they are the fine folks trying to make each meal within cafeterias nationwide more nutritional by supporting healthier options. The sandwich box with the most votes will win a nifty prize pack as well and by just voting you can take advantage of a .75/1 rudis organic bakery product

My top 3 favorites inclue

the fish

The Purple People

My Family

Aloha Friday

The blog An Island Life host the meme Aloha Friday which is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too. Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response and if you want you can head over to the host blog to ask your own question

My question today is:

Have you went on vacation yet this summer? Where did you go

We have been taking lots of small day trips but we plan on taking a large vacation with the whole family hopefully including grandbabies and all my kids and their mates.

Zutano perfect for little boys

What little boy does not like frogs? Whether its because the mommy and many little girls are scared of frogs or just because boys like to be ooeey gooeey the thing is boys normally like frogs.

The Zutano company is located in the green hills of Vermont. The look for the softest cotton for our little ones is always on. Zutano wants to ensure that every product continues the line of superior quality clothing and accessories. Making each piece colorful and fun that parent and child alike will love. The array of patterns nd colors allows them to show off their individuality. Zutano offers
everything from plush toys, sock, shoes, bedding and home to the cutest little outfits.

Our Thoughts: we love zutano and almost wish they made clothes for grownups. We recieved a three piece outfit with tee, shorts and sun hat included and loved each piece. Soft and cuddly if our babies weren't all ready the softness of these outfits makes the little one even more irrisistable. We have two little ones that love frogs and the style of the outfits we were sent could not have fit our young mans personality better.

• Zutano Boy Clothing available at Zutano – price varies
• Follow @Zutano on twitter
• Like Zutano on FaceBook

Happy 4th of July : (man named search)

When I was a little girl I loved the fact that we celebrated the 4th of July where I lived in big style. There was a 3 to 4 day celebration and a large parade that hosted anything from the highschool football team to the statue of liberty. In this parade though the ones that I admired most and still do are the veterans. Men who were young and old alike either marching down the street or riding on the flatbed drove by a truck dressed in their best uniform attire. Impressive is what I believed they were. I can remember a man Mr. Search, he owned the local grocery store and was a veteran. I believe WWI I spent many times at his store with my mom, my grandma, and even shopping by myself when I had enough change. He was always a kind man but he was a man who was proud to be a veteran and proudly flew the American flag in front of his story. He never shared any war stories with us kids just taught us to respect others. We were taught to not be disrespectful and he shared with us a bit about why our veterans and men at war were to be respected. I was born shortly after the vietnam war was officially called over but there were so many that did not return home or were injured from our are. The park across the street from Mr. Searches shop was named after one of these fallen heros. Today I recall Mr. Search and his wife as well and thank him for teaching a little girl all about American pride and to respect the heros that fought for our freedom.

All American Sandwich

find recipe here

Today July 3, 2012

Outside my window: I can watch my older children outside in their spot is it not funny that they have a sitting place and the only time you may find someone not there is when it pours rain which it has not done for quite a while

I am thinking or rather planning about the remainder of summer. I believe that I will make travel plans through october and then then the savings will turn to the holidays

I am Thankful for: the freedom that my country has blessed me with.

I am Going to go shopping late tonight when the stores have less traffic

I am wearing a striped tee and shorts with no shoes just the way I like it in the middle of summer

I am noticing that my son is very debatable

In the kitchen it is hot and lonely as the kitchen has no a/c and is very hot

I am reading nothing at the present time but thinking about joining the mob of friends reading the 50 shades of gray

I am wondering who will on one of my favorite shows America Has Talent

I am hoping that it cools down a bit

I am looking forward to visiting my grandchildren again

Around the house I have did little with all the heat the laundry was done and the teens cleaned the rest

I am pondering these words Happy 4th of July

One of my favorite things my laptop it keeps me quite busy

A few plans for the rest of the week... work a lot of it looks like about 44 hours at work this week with plenty of blogging and housework to do as well

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Simple Womans Day Book

American Flag Cake

What will your guest think if you share this amazing looking cake with them? Check the recipe out here

Patriotic Cupcake Cones

24 flat-bottom ice cream cones
1 batch of cupcakes (either homemade or from a boxed mix)
1 batch of Vanilla Buttercream frosting (see below)
Red, white, and blue sprinkles in assorted shapes

Vanilla Buttercream:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup shortening
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 cups confectioners' sugar
2-4 tablespoons milk

1. Preheat oven according to recipe or boxed cake mix. Place an ice cream cone standing up in each of the wells of a 24-cup muffin pan.

2. Prepare cupcake batter according to directions and spoon into ice cream cones, filling them 2/3 of the way full.

3. Bake according to directions, for about 20-23 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean.

4. When cupcakes have cooled, prepare your vanilla buttercream: In a large bowl beat butter and shortening until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and salt. Beat in confectioners' sugar, 1 cup at a time, scraping down sides of bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of milk; beat at high speed until light and fluffy. Add additional milk for desired spreading consistency.

5. Pipe frosting on top of cupcakes in big generous swirls (I used a Wilton #1M tip for these cupcakes). Decorate with sprinkles!

Makes 24 cupcakes.

Recipe source Bakergirl.

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 Bizzy Bakes

 Tackle It Tuesday

Weight Watchers Coleslaw

1 small head green cabbage, finely shredded

2 large carrots, shredded

2 small red apples, peeled, cored, shredded

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

1 cup plain, non-fat Greek yogurt

2 tbsp fat free mayonnaise

2 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 1/2 tsp sugar

1 tbsp celery salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, celery salt, pepper and sugar.
2. Add in the cabbage, onion, carrot and apple, and toss well to coat.
3. Cover and place in refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes to allow flavors to blend and marinate. Toss again before serving.

1 cup is equivalent to 2 ww points or 76 calories

What Do YOu Put On Your Dog

You can find a slide show of unusual hotdog toppings here One of our favorites was this hotdog dressed with mac & cheese I think this is something that would bring me back to my childhood.

would love to hear how you dress your dog

Our top 5 Favorite Summer Things To Do

There are so many great things to do in the summer time and among my top 10 favorite things to do are

1. summer cleaning leads to garage sales and I love to host them and shop them. There are so many great things we can find that others are selling at theirs and I love the money that can be made as well.

2. Schools are out so summer fun can be had with the entire family. Sorry for those few that take summer college courses. They never last to long and are well worth it. I always loved the last day of school so much excitement for everyone.

3. a great time to get outside and enjoy the wonderful soroundings. I live near the Shawnee National Forest and there are so many beautiful places to be found. Get out there and look around

4. for those who love the water it is a great time to head into the pool. I for one do not swim and have no great ambition to do it because I am scared of water but I still love to get in the pool and spash around a bit

5. Picnics in the park. Plenty of family fun and the beautiful outdoors. Don't worry you can still have a picnic inside if it rains or is too hot outside. Anywhere you host your picnic you can have a great meal experience and time to be together.

RIP Andy Griffith

NEWS Release - Tuesday Morning - 7/3/12
Beloved actor, Andy Griffith dies at age 86, at his home in Dare County, North Carolina around 7AM.

A man in my opinion that could carry himself like no other offering wholesome family shows like andy griffith and Matlock.

This Date in History

Battle of Gettysburg Ends

On July 3, 1863, the third day of the Battle of Gettysburg, Confederate General Robert E. Lee's last attempt at breaking the Union line ends in disastrous failure, bringing the most decisive battle of the American Civil War to an end.

Nearly 150 years ago our country had a major battle within itself one that will never be forgotten. Neighbor faced neighbor and brother faced brother for what we all considered our rights. The battle of Gettysburg, including main skirmishes at Little Round Top, Devil's Den, the Wheat field and the Peach orchard, is best known as the turning point of the war, along with General Grant's victory in Vicksburg. Though the Union's victory in Antietam helped get the Emancipation Proclamation passed, and the threat of foreign help to the Confederacy stamped out, Gettysburg proved that the war was turning in the Union's favor. It proved that the south could not win a battle in the North's territory

Italian Cookies

I once heard as a little girl that if you learn something new every day your brain will never grow tired. Now as an adult I work in a facility that host adults with DD and other behavioral problems. I still take the little notion of learning something new every day. Today I learned a bit about anise seeds and this delicious italian cookie recipe as well.

YIELD: 3 dozen cookies!!!

1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon anise extract
1 teaspoon lemon extract (see substitutions below)
3 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg

Glaze Ingredients:

1 cup powdered sugar
milk
colored sprinkles

Pre-heat oven to 350 F.
Beat together butter and sugar until creamy. Stir in anise and lemon Add dry ingredients - blend together. Add eggs. Blend.  Form dough into 1-inch balls and place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. Cool and glaze.

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Made by you monday
Meal Time Monday

Its So Very Creative
Meatless Monday

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

Sunset at Garden of the Gods a beautiful place right here in Southern Illinois just down the road from where I live

Just hanging around and having lots of fun my daughter and son in law were up for the fun at the last community gathering

This lemonade cake inspired by the lemonade I bought from a young man was so very tasty and sweet

Having summer fun and making some funny faces the girls seemed to enjoy being together at the local park

We did this space theme for VBS and the kids really loved it. What are you all doing for your VBS theme?

Honey Nut Cheerios Awesome Coupon

Here is an awesome coupon you all may want to check out its for .50 / 1 honey nut cheerios. In some places this may even double to $1/1