Meet Tommy Teal, our Elf on the Shelf. He first visited our house last November 26th. Tommy isn't as crazy as some elves you see out there. He's actually quite boring. That's ok and I'll tell you why! Yes, I do admit that I get a bit jealous of some of the ideas people come up with for their Elf on the Shelf. I've seen some cute ones, some mischievous ones, and some just plain wrong ones. However, not everyone is that creative nor do they have time to make those little scenes. If you are anything like me, you have to set an alarm to even remember to move your elf each night! Plus, I thought the point of the Elf on the Shelf was to help your kids be good during the holiday season. Your elf is suppose to sit somewhere in your house all day and watch your childrens' behavior. Each night he goes back to the North Pole and reports to Santa how they have been. This is where I have an issue with some of the ideas I've seen and why I think our boring Tommy is just fine. 1) … [Read more...]
Pinned it, Did it—Snowday Ice Cream
This post was actually written last winter and for some odd reason we never published it. We found Snowday Ice Cream on Pinterest but have since lost the original pin. Here's our take on it though :) Yes, the lack of snow continues this year! Where we live (the frozen tundra) we normally have a surplus of snow for this tasty treat. Notice I said "normally?" Yeah well this year, not so much...in fact this year was the first year I can remember in my 30-something years where we had a brown Christmas. Well we finally got a little bit of snow (just barely enough to cover the ground) and I can finally share this tasty treat with you.Here is what you will need:8 cups of CLEAN snow- steer clear of the yellow snow, for obvious reasons1 can of sweetened condensed milk1-2 tsp vanilla extract (or almond is great too!)sprinkles (because who doesn't like sprinkles)Grab your largest bowl and fill it with the fresh snow that has just fallen.Estimate 8 cups (give or take a little) and pour the … [Read more...]
Christmas Morning Sticky Buns
Last year I shared a post about our family tradition of eating Ice Box Pudding on Christmas Eve. This year, I bring you a tradition my mom started for us--Christmas Morning Sticky Buns. To be honest, I have no clue what the real name of these tasty morning treats are. My mom found the recipe in a church cook book years ago. When she started making them every year for Christmas morning, they became known as Christmas Morning Sticky Buns in my family. Funny thing is, though, we eat them on Easter and Thanksgiving morning too!Below is the recipe of you want to try them with your family. Plan ahead though, these take time and are usually made the day before we eat them.1) In a large bowl, measure 1 1/2 cups of flour. Add 2 packages of dry yeast.2) In a saucepan, measure: 3/4 cup milk 1/2 cup water 1/4 cup margarine 1/4 cup sugar 1 tsp saltStirring constantly, heat until warm (120-130 degrees)3) Once warm, pour into the flour/yeast mixture4) Add 1 egg and … [Read more...]
SimplyFun®–Family Connections and Learning Through Play
How often do you play games with your family? Growing up, my family played games together all the time, especially around the holidays. My husband and I play games with our girls as often as we can too. It's fun to sit by the fire, "unplug" and have family time in the winter. In the summer, our air conditioned basement is the perfect place to unwind and play a game after a day of fun in the sun. SimplyFun® is a company that promotes family connections via game playing with your kids. They believe "play must be a priority for all families." Their mission statement says, "Play allows important human connections to take root, to grow, and to flourish. It allows us to share with each other...It relieves stress and creates joyful memories...Play keeps our families connected!" When SimplyFun® contacted us to do a review of some of their games, we jumped at the opportunity! After all, at Toys In The Dryer, we believe the same things they do. Our site is all about spending time … [Read more...]
Christmas Tree Bunting
Some of you may remember my Bunny Bunting Banner I made last spring for Easter. If not be sure to HOP over and check it out (sorry, I couldn't help myself). I loved the way it turned out so much that I decided to make one for Christmas this year, except put a spin on it. Instead of using colorful paper (which you can still totally do) I decided to use Christmas colored fabrics and make little trees! I am SO excited with how it turned out and I thought I'd share it with you for a little inspiration as well.Gather enough fabric to make several trees. Cut and stitch them each, leaving the bottom open for turning right side out and for stuffing and adding the tree stump. *If your kids are good with scissors, they can help you cut the trees out.My least favorite part of sewing is making sure my corners (or points) are nice and precise. My grandma was a stickler for perfect sewing so I kind of feel like I would be letting her down if I gave it half of my effort. Using a small scissors or a … [Read more...]
Milk Art–Pinned it, Did it!
I've seen milk art all over Pinterest and was excited to try it with my girls. Unfortunately, it wasn't quite as awesome as I hoped it would be...I'm not saying it wasn't cool and we didn't have fun...I'm just saying it wasn't as cool as the original post from Pinterest. Theirs was just so neat and at the end was a really fun video. Ours didn't look like either of those.We started by putting drops of food coloring in a thin layer of 2% milk on a plate...Then we dropped dish soap onto our food coloring drops and watched it react with the fat in the milk. The food coloring instantly dispersed all over the milk. It was neat to watch but again, not as cool as the video in the original post.In fact, my girls had more fun swirling the food coloring with a fork and making the above conglomerate.I then thought long and hard and took a second look at the original post. They had more food coloring and had it all in one place vs random drops. So...we tried again...Much better!! It was … [Read more...]
