I love fall. Besides the beautiful colors, crisp air, and spicy smells, fall is also the beginning of comfort food time. This incredibly easy vegetable beef soup is one of my go-to comfort foods because I almost always have all the ingredients on hand and it's quick to make. My girls are super picky eaters but this is one meal they gobble right up (and usually ask for seconds!) I don't think they even realize how many vegetables they are eating. Bonus! My husband loves it because it's hearty despite being a soup. Exchange the rice for small cubed potatoes and it's even heartier. To make this easy vegetable beef soup you'll need: 1 lb hamburger or ground turkey cooked and crumbled 1 package of frozen mixed vegetables 1-2 cups cooked rice 32 oz beef broth Dried basil, parsley, and oregano to taste Salt and pepper to taste Mix all the ingredients in a large soup pot and cook until vegetables are thawed and soup is warm. My family likes to eat this … [Read more...]
9 Acorn Crafts For Kids
It's a bit hard to think about fall right now as the weather has been in the mid to high 70s but today is the first day of fall! With fall comes acorns and acorn crafts. Unfortunately, my supply of acorns is now gone as my neighbor's oak tree fell down in a storm this summer. So, instead of me making a bunch of crafts out of acorns, you're going to have to settle with the ideas I was going to try off of Pinterest and three I did last year. Acorn Flowers How cute are these acorn flowers from Crafty Morning? Both old and young kids can make them. Woodland Fairy Folk These Woodland Fairy Folk from Twig and Toadstool are utterly adorable. Little kids will need a lot of help making these but you can make a fall treasure hunt for all the pieces. Acorn Squirrel Last year the girls and I made these Acorn Squirrels. They were fun and easy to make and we displayed them as part of our fall decor. The girls got a bunch of compliments on them! Acorn Dolls It looks like … [Read more...]
Free Thanksgiving Printables
Now that my birthday, Tottie's birthday, and Halloween are over, it's time to start thinking about the next round of celebrations with free Thanksgiving printables! Yes, Thanksgiving is less than one month away, which means that Christmas is right around the corner! One holiday at a time though, right? In the past we've brought you 4 Thanksgiving activities to do with adults and kids, 4 more Thanksgiving activities, and 5 unique Thanksgiving crafts, we understand, however, that sometimes you just need to keep the kids quiet. That's why, this year, we're giving you free Thanksgiving printables to keep your kids quiet, yet entertained. Click on the photos above to download and print. Though the two printables look very similar, the first is meant for younger kids who can't spell, while the second is meant for those who can spell. We made them similar so that the kids don't fight over who's printable is better. (I know my girls would fight over it!) Enjoy these … [Read more...]
How To Make Acorn Squirrels
We're well into October and all the acorns have long ago fallen off the trees. However, if your kids are anything like mine, they've stashed a few acorns around the house just for fun (or for later, I'm not sure which). A few days ago I came across a stash in our china cabinet. Rather than throw them away, I decided we'd make acorn squirrels out of them because my girls hid the acorns just like squirrels do. These cute little critters would make a great addition to your fall decorating or even your Thanksgiving table! My girls, however, are having fun just playing with them. To make them yourselves you'll need: Those acorns your kids have stashed away Brown pipe cleaners Scissors A hot glue gun* A black marker *It goes without saying that you will need to help your younger kids with the hot glue gun! 1) Start by gluing two acorns together, one on top of the other. 2) Next cut a piece of pipe cleaner so that it is long enough for feet and a tail when … [Read more...]
How To Make Woven Paper Ball Pumpkins
I have to admit, this was almost a fail post for me. As I was searching the internet for Christmas inspiration a few weeks ago, I came across these woven paper ball ornaments. One look at them and I thought, "hey, I can do this but turn them into pumpkins for Halloween or Thanksgiving!" Thus I came up with woven paper ball pumpkins. I had every intent of letting the girls try to make these. I followed the instructions and videos in the original post and got very frustrated! I could NOT seem to get the finishing right! I had the braiding of 4 strands down, I just couldn't figure out how to tuck over and under to finish the ball since I was using only one color paper. If I couldn't figure it out, how were the girls going to do it?? I gave up and threw everything away. Then I thought, "hey, we do failure posts around here and this would make a great failure!" Since everything ended up in the garbage, I needed to start again for some photos of these tragic woven paper ball … [Read more...]
Tin Foil Leaves
A few years ago we did leaf drawings on the blog. This year we'll so something similar but with different supplies...tin foil leaves! Tottie and her friend had a blast making these and watching the different leaf patterns come through. To make these, you'll need: tin/aluminum foil card stock paper glue leaves of different shapes/sizes paint and a brush (optional) 1) Start by gluing at least one leaf on your paper. Make sure the veins/bumpy side of the leaf is facing UP. 2) Next cover the leaf with the tin foil by wrapping the foil around the paper and folding it on the opposite side of the paper as the leaf. 3) Flip the paper over and rub your finger over the tin foil so that the leaf pattern comes through. This is where your kid's faces will light up! 4) This last step is optional. You can use paint to make the pattern stand out a little more. Make sure to use just a LITTLE bit of paint (a thin layer) or you'll lose the pattern … [Read more...]
