Quick Lil' Campfire

Is your little corner of the world on a fire ban like us?  Do you have a camp-in date night planned, or just want a safe faux campfire for your littles to play with?  Are you a teacher and want a "campfire" for your morning meetings or writers to share their stories around?  Here is a QUICK lil' campfire you can whip up in half an hour or less, and best of all it's almost FREE!

YOU WILL NEED:

Wrapping paper, paper towel tubes (or toilet paper tubes): 5 or 6 lengths that are half the width of the fire you want to make and several (6 or 7) smaller-cut circles.

Paper (a few shades of yellow and a light orange work best) that is crumpled and gathered at the center of each piece, hot glue gun/gluesticks, scissors (optional)

STEP ONE: Glue the sides of your long tubes together at one end and fan out so that they look like spokes--it's more sturdy if you also glue a smaller circle in the middle of it.

STEP TWO: Glue the small circles in between each long tube at the center.  This not only gives it a little more sturdiness but also will come in handy for step 3.  :)

STEP THREE: Put a little hot glue in the inside of one of the small circle tubes and push the crumpled, gathered corner of a yellow paper inside of it.  Continue around, alternating shades of yellow.  In the center hole, stick at least three crumpled pieces of paper in it to make it a nice, full flame.

STEP FOUR: Cut out 3-4 orange flame shapes (you'll want them to be a little bigger than the rest of the fire, for a pleasing visual dimension) and stick them in between the yellow paper flames.  Depending on your purpose, you can glue them in or not.  (In this sharing time activity, I had stories/honesty case studies written on each orange flame that they could pick out to read, so they were removable.  If I were making this for a child's plaything, I'd glue them in for sure.  In my classroom, I might have review questions, songs, morning meeting prompts, writer/reader response questions, etc. on the flames and have them removeable.)

STEP FIVE: Gather around your lil' campfire and tell stories, sing songs, and share good conversation!

Sharing pioneer stories around the campfire with our senior primary :)
Got the idea and the stories/case studies HERE.

I love this lil' campfire TONS and I can't wait to use it in my someday-classroom as well!  :)  Happy camping!

Banana Ice Cream and Other Marvels

I finally gave the frozen banana-turned-ice cream a whirl last night.  It was MAGICAL.

 And, because everything looks cooler as an instagram photo:

You literally just slice and freeze bananas for a few hours (4 bananas gave us 3 heaping servings of ice cream), then blend them.  It starts off crumbly, but then after a few minutes something magical happens and allasudden you have "ice cream."  Everyone said it would be more soft-serve in texture, but ours was definitely scoopable.  I don't even have a food processer, and our blender kinda DOESN'T rock, so I just used a hand mixer, scraping the sides as I went along.  Other than stray banana chunks that dive-bombed my head as I mixed, it turned out great!  Next up, I'm gonna try adding in some PB and cocoa powder for some chocolate-pb-banana yumminess.


In other family happenings, we got a bunch of old clothes from my mom to look through--this was my "keep" pile, but I guess it was Obi's, too--she took to it right away and built herself a little nest.  :)

She's so cute.

We finally have some RAIN!  I took the dogs out in it, which they didn't love me for, but I still made them stay out for a few minutes as I did a little happy dance in it anyway.  This is the first REAL rain we've had in MONTHS.  I'm thrilled.  Puppies aren't.  Poor puppies.  But without the rain, poor farmers!  Which means a poor ALL of us soon, when food prices jump up due to the drought.  Seriously.  I splashed in puddles and was finally able to cross that off my summer bucket list.  :)

I took the mantle decor down.  It was just feeling too "busy" for my taste.  Now, with a large clock from my mother-in-law (the QUEEN of good garage sale deals!), it's simpler and makes a bit more of a statement to me--less REALLY IS more!  It's the only part of the home I feel semi-satisfied with, decorating-wise.  I'd like it even better if we painted the walls.  :) 

Yup, some beige or pale green paint on that wall and some wood in that firewood holder, and a fire in that fireplace, and I'll be in heaven.  :) 

Otherwise, not much is going on.  My life is really boring right now, which normally would be a GOOD thing.  But I've just been a little down and discouraged and sick of WAITING and it's been weird to be in a place where GOOD doesn't mean NOT BAD anymore.  Does that make sense?  I'm working on journaling more, to work through all this negative emotion and really just changes, which is partly why you're not getting as much of ME in this blog right now.  Otherwise, things are okay.  I'm really looking forward to school starting so I can work again...too much time on my hands leads to too much introspection, which leads to an unhappy Celeste.  I'm looking forward to other marvels yet to be.

Faux Bubblegum Machine...with a purpose!

Remember this awesome faux gumball machine my BFF Linds made me?

(A tutorial can be found HERE)

Well, after we ate all that sugary candy fruit, we filled it with 7 pounds of M&Ms. 

(1/2 gone...)

And then ate it ALL.

In a week.

And then it sat for a few months, empty.  The problem with this is that I wanted to either (A) fill it with candy and eat, fill and eat, rinse and repeat, which would NOT help me lose weight, or (B) fill it with gumballs--which I don't even like, honestly.  So candy sitting for months in the "machine" didn't bode well with me, either.  And keeping it empty did no good and was a waste of a perfectly beautiful birthday gift.

Well, I FINALLY got inspired.  That's the first time in a WHILE, craft-wise, so as soon as I thought through the details I went right to WalMart and bought 4 dozen ping pong balls and a Sharpie.

Oh, the magic that happens with a Sharpie!  :)

So, I give you...my faux bubblegum machine centerpiece/conversation starter!

(Yeah, I should probably come up with a shorter name for it.)

ANYWAY, I just took those ping pong balls, and painted them in six different colors.  Conveniently, the ping pong balls fit right into my plastic painting palette, so I could easily paint and dry them one half at a time.

Then I used the Sharpie to write a different question on each one.  They actually normally sell colorful ping pong balls already, but WalMart was out of them and I was impatient...not to mention I already had the paint and the white ones were WAY cheaper.  48 questions, none too nostalgic so even kids can play along, to get conversation going around the dinner table. 

If you're needing ideas, here are my 48 questions:

1.       What’s the verb you want to spend your life with?

2.       If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?

3.       What would you do with a million dollars?

4.       If your life had a soundtrack, what are some of the songs that would be on it?

5.       If you could vacation anywhere in the world for one month, where would you go?

6.       Five of your favorite things?

7.       If you could have picked your own name, what would it be?

8.       What is the funniest joke you know?

9.       What would you do today if you knew you were going to die tomorrow?

10.   What fictitious character is most like you?

11.   What thought would you like to put in a million fortune cookies?

12.   If your life had a remote control, which button would you press most often?

13.   What do you (secretly) wish you knew how to do better?

14.   If you could take in any 3 animals as pets, what would they be?

15.   What is your biggest “claim to fame?”

16.   If you could win a shopping spree to any store, which would you choose?

17.   What do you want to be when you grow up?

18.   Do you (or have you ever) collected anything?

19.   If you were a punctuation mark, which would you be and why?

20.   What are some of your biggest fears?

21.   Which TV family would you most like to belong to?

22.   What would you like your famous last words to be?

23.   What is the most common compliment people give you?

24.   If you could swim in a pool of any food or drink item, what would you choose?

25.   Finish this sentence: “Love is…”

26.   Do you have any scars?  How did you get them?

27.   What was the best day you’ve ever had?

28.   If you hosted a dinner party for 5 guests (anyone goes), who would you invite?

29.   Would you rather live under the ocean or on the moon?

30.   If you had three wishes, what would they be?

31.   What one work of fiction do you wish was true?

32.   Which friend (besides family) have you had the longest?

33.   Who in your family are you closest to?

34.   If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would you pick?

35.   Where do you see yourself 20 years from now?

36.   If they made a movie of your life, what genre would it be?  Who would play you?

37.   Who is/was your favorite pet?

38.   What is a favorite family tradition of yours?

39.   What is one thing you learned today?

40.   What do you think is the greatest invention of all time?

41.   Would you rather be blind or deaf?

42.   What is your biggest pet peeve?

43.   If you were President for a week, what 3 laws would you create?

44.   What is your favorite room in the house?

45.   If you were in a yearbook now, you would be voted “Most Likely To ______”

46.   What sport do you enjoy playing/watching the most?

47.   What item would you put in a time capsule for someone to find 100 years from now?

48.   What about your life (to date) are you most proud of?

You could modify this in a ton of ways, of course, which makes it even more fun.

AT HOME:

• This could be your "boredom buster" jar.
• You could write Sunday-appropriate activities on each ball and that could be your go-to place on the Sabbath.
• You could write a different chore on each one and have the kiddos pick different jobs to do.

AT SCHOOL:

• use these prompts as morning meeting starters
• creative writing/journal prompts
• reading response tasks
• alternative assessment ideas listed on each one...like instead of a book report, do this...
• "early finisher" tasks
• alternative to the popsicle stick names/jars
• use as a "prize box," with a different incentive/reward written on each one

The possibilities really are endless!  I'm so happy that I have found a use for this adorable faux gumball machine that won't interfere with my weight loss goals.  It is a TRUE CONVERSATION PIECE, and I am happy with the final result.  :)  I'm also happy to finally have something to show off, since I haven't had much of that lately.  Here's to good things to come!

 

What are your favorite CHEAP meals?

Sometimes, in spite of our best efforts, we find ourselves with waaaaay less money for groceries than we had budgeted.  Or, perhaps we have a potluck or some other dinner party and spend more on one meal and have to sacrifice a little on the next two or three.  In these moments, it's important for us to find cheap meals.  Not always QUICK, and almost never all that HEALTHY (at least compared to what I WANT to eat), but food that tastes good enough you forget you're poor for a while and that fills you up enough you can make it 'til payday.

These are some of our go-to meals when we are poor.  Aldi really helps cut the costs even further.  :)  Thankfully, many of these can be easily adapted for food storage meals as well.  Each of these "recipes" fills Paul (a BIG eater) and me up for dinner AND usually provides at least one serving of leftovers for a nice work lunch the next day. 

GRILLED CHEESE & TOMATO SOUP
Comfort food at its finest.  :)  Heat a griddle to 350 (or pan to medium on the stove).  Put a slice of cheese in between two slices of bread.  (Depending on what you have, you can also sprinkle the insides with dried or grated basil, thinly sliced tomatoes, leaf lettuce, etc.)  Butter the outsides of the bread sandwich and cook in pan or on griddle until golden brown.  Serve with a can of tomato soup cooked according to directions.

BLACK BEANS & RICE
Simple, quick, and hearty.  :)  Cook up the rice you want in a rice cooker.  Put 2 cans of black beans (not rinsed or drained) in a pot on the stove.  Pour in a little vinegar to taste, and add sea salt.  Drain 1 can of corn and add.  Heat thoroughly.  Spoon bean/corn mixture over rice and eat.  :)

BEAN SANDWICHES
Taken from an old roommate.  :)  Toast 8-10 slices of bread well, and lay on a baking sheet.  Layer each slice with a slice of cheese (optional), a spoonful or two of baked beans, and a slice or two of cooked bacon.  (We've added sliced pickles and it was pretty good too, although you have to be in the mood for it.)  Heat in 350 oven for 5-10 minutes.  Eat with a fork.

CORN DOG CASSEROLE
Carnival food, redefined.  :)  Spoon out a can of baked beans in an 8" baking dish.  Drizzle ketchup and mustard on top, until well covered.  Drop in a full package of hot dogs, sliced.  Mix up a package of Jiffy or other cornbread mix and spread evenly over the hot dog/bean mixture.  Bake until cornbread is baked through (usually 1 1/2-2 times as long as the package says because of all the extra moisture from the beans).  Serve with ketchup and mustard.

SUSHI
I've already written a whole post about this one, HERE.  :)

CHICKEN CURRY
When you want to go exotic.  Hahaha. :)  Cook up the desired amount of rice.  Cut 1-2 chicken breasts FINELY (no more than 1/4 or 1/2 chunks) and cook in a pot.  Add 1/2 bag of frozen peas and cook until heated through.  Add 1 can cream of chicken soup and 1/2 can of water and mix until smooth and creamy.  Sprinkle with 1-2 tsp. of curry powder (or more, to taste...I do lots :) and mix until thoroughly mixed.  Spoon over rice and serve hot.

CHICKEN & RICE
From another roommate.  This one isn't the cheapest of all the cheap meals, but it's still cheaper than a lot of our other meals so I'm including it.  Pour 1 can cream of mushroom soup, 1 can cream of celery soup, 1 cup uncooked rice, and 2 1/2 cups water in a 9x13 baking dish and bake until well mixed.  (Sometimes I add in 1/2 a bag of frozen broccoli, too, which is yummy.)  Add 2-3 chicken breasts on top (you can cut it up but it's not necessary) and sprinkle a package of onion soup mix over the whole thing.  Cover with foil and bake in a 350 oven for 1 1/2 hours or 'til rice is tender.  Serve hot.

LETTUCE WRAPS
For a messy fun time.  :)  Cut up 1 large chicken breast into SMALL pieces (the smaller the better--you want it to seem almost ground when it cooks).  Cook in a little olive oil just until cooked through.  Add 1/2 bag of frozen corn and cook through.  Sprinkle with either chili powder or a mix of ground chipotle chili pepper, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, and onion powder until WELL seasoned.  Then cover with soy sauce--about 1/4 c, give or take.  Add 2 tsp. of balsamic vinegar.  If you want, you can add 1 Tbsp. of sugar (it's delicious, but I don't always do it).  Mix and heat well.  Spoon into soft lettuce leaves and wrap up and eat.

GAMIS
I don't know why my parents called these "gamis," but this is a childhood favorite of mine.  It's basically an open and sweet sloppy joe.  :)  Brown 1 lb. ground beef well in a pan.  Add ketchup until the texture is easily spoonable.  Add brown sugar to taste.  Spoon the beef mixture over toasted bread and eat with fork. 

GOOD OL' SPAGHETTI
Cook up 1/2 package of spaghetti according to directions on package, drain, and add 1 full jar or can of spaghetti sauce.  Add 1 can DRAINED mushrooms and 1 can DRAINED diced tomatoes.  Heat it all up and serve warm.  :)

CREAMED TUNA ON NOODLES
One of Paul's favorites.  :)  Cook a package of pasta of your choice and drain.  In a separate pot, pour in 1 can cream of mushroom soup and 1 can water, and mix well.  Add in 1/2 package frozen peas and heat mixture thoroughly.  Dump in 2 cans drained tuna and a few splashes of soy sauce.  Serve creamed tuna mixture over pasta.

MAC 'N' CHEESE 'N' TUNA
Pretty much the one I'm sick of most--but it's a classic standby for po' folk.  :)  Cook up 2 packages of mac 'n' cheese as directed.  **If using frozen veggies (peas & carrots &/or corn are recommended), cook and drain with the noodles.**  Add in 1-2 cans of drained tuna and, if using canned veggies, 1 can of veggies.  Heat a few more minutes.  Serve in bowls with ketchup--trust me.  :)

TUNA PATTIES
Another childhood classic.  :) Mix 4 cans of tuna, 2 cups cracker crumbs, and 4 eggs in a bowl.  Season with soy sauce and 1 ground chicken bouillon if desired.  Shape into patties and fry in butter.  Serve with ketchup and a side of canned veggies.

LEFTOVER VEGGIE SOUP
I really only do this when I've used up several 1/2 bags of frozen veggies from the recipes above or have lots of small portions of fresh veggies in my fridge that I need to use up.  If you tried to make it without the veggies being leftovers, it could get expensive fast.  Anyway, add in a bunch of veggies to a pot--sautee the harder ones first, like sliced carrots or peppers.  DO NOT sautee your onions--they are way better in the soup if they just cook with the soup.  Likewise, frozen veggies don't need sauteed since they are already soft as they thaw.  Anyway, dump in all your veggies (anything but lettuce goes--spinach is way good) and add in canned V8 or another tomato-based juice until it's a soupy texture.  Cook on low or medium-low for 2 hours, or until flavors blend well and all the veggies are soft enough to eat, adding in more V8 as necessary.  Serve warm with a loaf of French bread.  YUM! 

What are some of YOUR favorite cheap go-to meals?  I'll admit, I get really sick of most of these meals after one or two times, and I can't make them again.  I could use some inspiration for the next time poverty hits.  :)

Project 366--July 9-15

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This week was pretty boring--Paul was in Chicago at work for a while and I didn't do anything worth noting, so all these pictures are either of animals or food.  I'm starting to notice a trend.  :)  P.S. the cat isn't mine.  :)  It was the Kenney's...but he's so cute when he's sleeping.  :)

Next week's page is one of my FAVORITE pages ever, so be excited!  :)

Chicago for the 4th of July!

We got to go up and visit Paul's folks for the 4th of July.  It was one of the HOTTEST weeks of the year, but we lived to tell the tale, thanks mostly to a box-a.c. that kept our room at a cool 79 degrees and a new car that is a JOY to ride in regardless of the temperature outside.  :)  MORE importantly, it was wonderful to catch up with them for no reason other than to visit.  :)

We traveled up there on the 4th of July, and other than unwinding while listening to the fireworks go off around the neighborhood, we didn't really celebrate in any other way.  It was over 110 degrees with the heat index, so it really was too hot to do anything.

Here are some pictures of our short (a couple of days) trip:

Chicago, off in the distance

Paul teaches Paulette how to use the iPod

Not pictured: a picnic on the bed, enjoying the air conditioning and good pita and kebabs.  :)

One of the many pretty fountains at Old Orchard (an outdoor mall)

Making a wish!

Saw this movie.  It was awesome.

My in-law's living room.  Someday our place will look this nice.  :)

Little Quiapo, a favorite Filipino restaurant in Chicago (off of Lincoln and McCormick)

Gotta have the buffet look like a jeepney, for sure!

And what Filipino restaurant could stay in business without lechon?

My first plate--pancit, lumpia, rice, adobo, and some strange meatloaf

My second plate--more lumpia, pork skewers, mango gelatin, something resembling ube, and a coconut/sweet corn gelatin thingy that was surprisingly good.

It was a short trip, but a fun one.  :)  Thanks, Tony and Paulette, for letting us stay with you for a few days!  Getting out of the house alone was worth it, but getting to visit with you was even better!

Egg- and dairy-free breakfast options, anyone?

I find it REALLY hard to find simple and tasty breakfast recipes that don't include eggs or dairy.  Between Paul's allergies and lactose intolerance, and my occasional desire to go vegan for a day, I love when inspiration hits and we can eat something besides leftovers or cold cereal/oatmeal (not that I don't LOVE those things, but...they get old when you have them every day).

I also find it hard to use up all my produce before it goes bad.  Especially potatoes and peppers and onions.  For some reason, I always buy them at Aldi in a bag (where they are cheaper) even though I only need one or two for the forseeable future, so they sit in the back of my fridge where they either freeze or mold and then I end up throwing them away.  Which I HATE.

Enter my inspired breakfast hash.  It's nothing new or special, everyone makes some version of it already, but I only recently remembered it so I LOVE it right now.  It saves me every time because I can chop and FREEZE these random veggies before they go bad and, when I have enough saved up, whip up an awesome breakfast in less time than it takes to make pancakes.  :)  It's extremely versatile--you just use up whatever you have chopped and stored in the freezer, proportions don't really matter, it can be a great side or the main attraction, and you can make this vegetarian/vegan or not.  It's a GREAT way to make something hearty and satisfying (and nutritious :) for pot lucks, camping breakfasts (try it in foil!), etc...it works great for big crowds.  It also saves pretty well if, like us, you cook for only one or two.

So, without further ado, I give you: my breakfast hash.  :)

("Chopped" in this case means you cut everything into relatively similarly-sized cubes...mine are at most 1/2", give or take.  The more uniform all your veggies and everything are, the better it will be, but don't worry about making it perfect.  I turned on a TV episode and did all my chopping and freezing into baggies while enjoying some entertainment.  Again, I love the easiness of it.)

• Chopped fresh or frozen potatoes (in this recipe I used 3 medium potatoes)
• Chopped fresh or frozen veggies (bell peppers or various squash in a variety of colors) (in this recipe I used 3 bell peppers--two orange and one yellow)
• Chopped fresh or frozen onion (I use red, not that it matters. :) (I'd use 1 large or 2 small)
• Pepper, to taste
• For a heartier, meaty breakfast hash, add in a pound or so of browned and drained sausage--any variety you like (although I don't recommend the maple...while I love the sweet & salty combo, it's not my favorite in this dish)
• For a vegan/vegetarian meal, add in a package of grape tomatoes or chopped & seeded tomatoes!

Whatever combo you're going for, heat a Tbsp or so of olive oil in a large skillet or wok.  Add in your potatoes, veggies, and onion, and cook until potatoes are heated through, stirring frequently. Add pepper to taste.  Add either sausage (already cooked and drained) or a package of grape tomatoes (or chopped and seeded tomatoes) and stir until everything is heated through.   Serve hot. 

If eggs and dairy aren't a problem, you can add in some scrambled egg or top it with some shredded cheese.  Like I said, it's extremely adaptable to your family's needs and taste buds.  Which is why I love it.  :)

Project 366--July 2-8



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July 2--spicy spaghetti squash for dinner (it's vegetarian!)
July 3--headless Voodoo.  OFF WITH HER HEAD!  :) 
July 4--Paul teaching Paulette how to use her iPod we got her for Mother's Day
July 5--Went to see Brave!
July 6--Filipino restaurants...always with the lechon.
July 7--All-American breakfast hash
July 8--my 4th of July skirt...love it.  :)

Project 366--June 25-July 1

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Monday: played a Risk-like game on the iPhone...learning to strategize
Tuesday: Obi made a nest of blankets on the bed. :)
Wednesday: Meatloaf & garlic-herb mashed potatoes for dinner
Thursday: Went swimming with Caida & Cerene (again)
Friday: Babysat cute kiddos
Saturday: James & Sherree's wedding reception!
Sunday: Stuffed zucchini for dinner. Be jealous, it was DELICIOUS!  :)

Project 366--June 18-24

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Monday: Babysat a CLIMBER!
Tuesday: Dogs snuggling
Wednesday: My lettuce, all ready to eat!
Thursday: Made Indiana string art for July 4th
Friday: Made no-bakes and got to use my Cookie Monster Mug!
Saturday: Went to my cousin's graduation party...this is Caida coming down the HUGE slide of the bounce house!
Sunday: Learned to play RISK from Greg & Anna Bowen and, of course, Paul.  This is Lord of the Rings risk...even cooler!