Free "Pumpkin Poop" Printable!

I loved the "Pumpkin Poop" concept that's been floating around the pinterest world this season, but wanted to create my own label...and so I did! And now I'm excited to share it with you! You can upload the printable by clicking directly on the picture {this will take you to photobucket} and then uploading it from there. It is in JPEG format.  THEN, you'll just need to pull the JPEG file into a Word doc. and print.

 I'm wanting to learn how to put pdf files on here...but alas, I don't know how just yet! So, if you'd like this in a pdf format, simply send an email to ldugovic@yahoo.com and put "PRINTABLE" in the subject line, and I will attach it and send it your way!

Enjoy!

Xoxo,
Laura

Home Remedy?

So, I had a little extra time on my hands the other day and I thought, why not get in some desperately needed pampering.  So, I turned to Pinterest to find a home remedy to try.  Feeling pretty daring, I decided to tackle the age old nuisance, stretch marks, and this is what I found.

Coffee Grinds 
Take coffee grinds with olive oil, and make into a paste. Massage well into the area with stretch marks for about 5 minutes. Then take a hot towel, and wrap it around the area for about 20-25 minutes. Remove and wash off with warm water. Also, when you are finished, apply a moisturizer to the area. The olive oil with the caffeine in the grinds, will help stimulate the area to remove the stretch marks. If you do this 1-3 times a week, you will start to notice a difference within 2 weeks!


I was on a mission.  Not only was I going to succeed, but I was ready to give those stretch marks the send off they deserved.  I made the paste and started to apply the "magical concoction. (mistake #1 applying over floors you just cleaned earlier that day.  Talk about a mess!)  And if you don't mind your spouse or significant other knocking on the door, questioning what you're doing and why the house is drenched in the smell of coffee, than you'll do just fine on this part.

Getting back to the horrible mess part... I decided it would be best to wrap up in Saran Wrap to keep the grinds from falling everywhere.  K- next step, hot towel.  (mistake #2 heating a towel in the microwave...  FYI, after about a minute, it will start on fire.) 

Moving on...  I put what was left of my smoking (literally) hot towel around me and then covered up with a robe.  (Mistake #3- multitasking.  Let me say, not a good idea trying to get other things done while waiting the 20-25 minutes. 

Now it's finally time to take the stuff off!  Here would be the perfect place for mistake #4, but I guess it was my lucky day so instead, I give a warning.  Coffee grinds mixed with olive oil in bath tub makes for a potentially dangerous situation (and did I say the stuff was messy?)

So besides leaving a coffee grind trail through the house, nearly starting a fire in the microwave and getting the classic one eyebrow raise from the hubz when I finally confess what I was trying to accomplish, I would say chances of repeating this process are about %12.

At this time I would recommend going back to your miracle creams or find another "remedy."  If you have have any suggestions on how to do it better or a remedy you want me to try, drop me a comment!  I apologize for no pics of this lovely exchange with coffee grinds, but trust me.... it's better this way!

50 Things for your Summer Bucket List

Summer is here!  The smells of BBQs and fresh cut grass, mountains, chlorine and sunscreen perforate the air.  The sounds of children laughing and the oh-so-popular "Mommy, I'm bored."  Well, don't worry.  We've put together a list of 50 things that will cost you next to nothing.  Last year we introduced the Summer Bucket List so here's more things to add to your summer of fun!

Run through the sprinklers                                           Drive the Alpine Loop/scenic drive
Blow bubbles                                                                Slip 'n' Slide
Roast marshmellows (at home or in the mountains)    Make a movie
Have a picnic                                                                Scavenger hunt
Play in the park                                                             Finger paint with pudding
Camp out in the back yard                                            Make a card/send to Grandparent
Play a card game                                                           Hide and seek/Sardines
Paint a picture                                                               Nature walk/make artwork from what you find
Play restaraunt w/playdough                                        Homemade pizza party
Water balloon fight                                                       Play dress up/break out Halloween costumes
Decorate bikes/have a parade                                       Go on a treasure hunt
Go for a hike                                                                 Ride sleeping bags down the stairs
Plant a garden                                                                Nerf war
Go to the library                                                            Go to grandma's/grandpa's house 
Make an obstacle course                                               Hike to a waterfall
Make paperbag/sock puppets/put on a play                  Bake cookies
Fly a kite                                                                       Play with shaving cream/make sculptures
Watch a movie outside at night                                    Wash the car
Feed the ducks                                                              Make a fort
Play night games                                                           Make bugs out of rocks and pipe cleaners
Make snow cones                                                          Stargazing
Ride bikes                                                                      Watch fireworks
Play frisbee golf                                                             Play volleyball w/balloons
Go rollerblading/skateboarding                                     Ride Trax/Frontrunner
Go to a parade                                                                Play at the lake

And as an added BONUS, here's a link that you can download for a fun template to make a list of your own!

Enjoy!

Home Made Easter Baskets

So for the last installment of the Easter posts we're going retro.  That's right.  I'm bringing back an Easter element from my childhood.  Now I don't think it's necessary to say we're going "WAY back."  In fact, I think by saying we're taking a look "back" does the job without having it sound like I mingled with dinosaurs.  So, brace yourself for a glimpse of Easter past..... Now just in case the multi-colored shag carpet and footed pj's with the feet cut out because we grew like weeds doesn't give it away, I'm simply going to say it was the 80's.  Here's me and my little brother (for embarrassment reasons I won't give out his name, but will continue to hold it over his head for blackmail purposes).  I had this particular Easter basket until I was married and sadly one day after moving, discovered it had been crushed and was beyond repair.  Nearly a decade has passed and I've seen these coming back out, so you can imagine my excitement.  So, I gave it a try!

Ingredients:

Mod Podge
Crochet Thread
Balloons
Lace (or other trim for the border)
Ribbon (optional)

I've heard of using liquid starch for making the baskets but I searched high and low and couldn't find any so I turned to the old reliable Mod Podge.  Low and behold, it didn't let me down.  I simply used 1 part Mod Podge, 1 part water for the gluey substance.  

Blow up a balloon to whatever size you want your egg.  You can either roll your balloon in the glue mixture and start wrapping or just throw the roll right in to soak it up and then start wrapping.  There really is no wrong way to do it.  You can use anywhere from a half a roll of thread to the entire thing, depending on the size and how you want your egg to look.  Warning:  It's messy!



When you're done wrapping the balloons, stand them up on cups.  It helps if you've got something down for them to drip on.  It usually takes about a good 24 hours to dry.  Then, just pop your balloon and you've got your egg!


Now, cut a hole for your opening and the last thing you need is lace or some sort of border to seal off the raggedy edges.  I used a glue gun to secure it on.  Top it off with ribbon and your ready to fill it!

Just a few filling ideas.... we have the classic basket with all the junk food you desire.  Another fun twist to the basket is to fill it and give it away as a gift.


Here is the "healthy" basket.
This particular basket is loaded with craisins, apples w/carmel dip, yogurt drink, string cheese, yogurt covered raisins, orange, goldfish crackers, flavored milk straws, low sodium microwave pop corn. 


This is an example of a toy basket.  Just make a quick trip to the dollar store and you'll find plenty of fillers that will keep your kiddo entertained for days without the sugar hangover.


These were such a blast to make and create.  I was surprised at how cute my baskets turned out since I wasn't born with a single crafting bone in my body.  The variations of baskets are endless!

Easter Segment on 2News This Morning

easter nests.

We made these SIMPLE Easter Nests last year and man were they fun {not to mention effortlessly pretty - yay!}. Go here for the full post with more pics, and fun takes with white chocolate, pretzels, crunchy chow mein noodles, and peanut butter!

Easter Fun!!

Easter is less than a week away can you believe it?   In case you were wondering how you can make this last week more Easter-y, here's a few, fun and festive ideas to put some hop into your day.... (I know, super cheesy, but just wait 'till you see what I've got).

K- so first, let's start with the kiddo's lunches.   Pack whatever treats or their whole lunch into Easter eggs. The bigger the eggs, the more treats you can cram in there....  or pre-pack them and let the kids have at it for after school snacks.   These are also some really great and healthy ideas for the Easter Bunny to throw into the baskets so your kids aren't running around on a sugar high for hours.





Another treat for kids, whether it be for snacks or baskets, is make your own carrot snack bags. I just took sandwich baggies, threw some goldfish (or whatever orange snack you have) and tied a green ribbon at the top..... ta da!!!

Fun AND cute!



So, one last idea to throw out there for today... plant some jelly beans... no really.   Start today so you're bean will bloom in time for Easter.


You can take any old pot, fill it with whatever dirt you can find.   Give it some sunshine (no watering required), wait a few days and.....

Viola!  Eat your heart out Willy Wonka!


Check back in soon, we've got some more great ideas for Easter coming up over the next few days.

st. patrick's day fun with the kids

Have you ever totally forgotten that it was St. Patrick's Day and had your kid come home in tears because he got pinched and teased, and he was also just crushed because he felt like he missed out on all the greenish fun?

Oh...you haven't...?
Yeah, me either...
I mean of course I would never let something like THAT happen,
I was just wondering if, um, you ever did, and stuff...
Not that I would judge you if you had or anything...
Moving on.

I've found that making a "big deal" out of St. Patrick's Day helps keep it fresh in my mind, and I am more likely to remember to send my munchkin out for the day in some serious greens.

I am LOVING all of the amazing pinterest ideas out there and I am going to share and rate them for you here!

The first {and probably my favorite} one?
RAINBOW PANCAKES
Oh my.
Inspiration here.
My end result?

Woo-hoo!

*****

{a.k.a. FIVE stars for this pinterest project.} 

If this little lady {ahem, me}who has tried - almost successfully...TWICE - to burn down her kitchen can make these in one attempt...then this project deserved every last star I awarded it. It was really fun to do, and such a delightful departure from the green eggs that made me oh so gaggy last St. Patty's Day.

HINT: For best results, use a non-stick griddle on LOW heat. I usually cook my pancakes at 350 degrees, but that browns the entire sides of the pancakes, and it dims and ickies the colored ones, so I cooked them at 200 degrees and that was perfect. They took about a minute and a half on the first side to get firm enough to flip, but the gorgeous, vibrant colors stayed fully intact. Score!


And for mamas on the go, another really darling way to make your kiddos feel special first thing in the morning is a newly packaged serving of Lucky Charms.

Inspiration for the cereal idea here.


I loved this idea, but didn't want to get quite so crafty with it, and that is where none other than Utah's own "The Crafting Chicks" stepped in and saved the day. {Oh the irony...just when I don't want to be too crafty, some cute lil' crafting chicks help me to...not be so crafty.}

 They shared utterly fantastic St. Patrick's Day printables {they're free, btw} on their blog last year, and thanks to pinterest, I found, and have gotten a ton of use out of them for this year. Blogs are gifts that just keep on a-givin'.

For The Crafting Chicks' AWESOME printables, go here.

*****

{a.k.a. FIVE stars for this pinterest project.}

All in all, it was simple, and my kids will LOVE getting a naughty, sugary cereal on Friday...plus a love note from mom letting them know how much they mean to me.

And for my last trick...

*****

{a.k.a. FIVE stars for this pinterest project.}

Kay, so I am only giving four stars to this pinterest project, because my project turned out reasonably uglier than the one I originally found. This isn't her fault, but the rating is based on how well at basic-level {and even a little spacey...maybe?} mama can execute the project.The idea is WONDERFUL though, and I plan on sending these to all of my son's teachers and the secretaries who run his school's office...mostly as a kiss up bribe in hopes that they'll let him keep coming to their school despite his general spaz-i-ness. {He gets it honestly, folks, my genetics are NUTS... the least I can do is bribe a few teachers on his behalf}.

I also Rolos instead of gold coins, which doesn't look as cute, but tastes OH so much better than those icky chocolate coins!

Inspiration here.

2News This Morning Segment