Kids Art/Craft Projects

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Sir Oliver's Favorite Treat

Sir Oliver Walter joined our family early this winter. He came from a foster mom who had taken him when he was a puppy because she found him abused.

Now Sir Oliver is five to six months old (we are guessing). He has grown quite a bit from when he joined us that late Sunday afternoon. Sir Oliver is absolutely the most sweetest BIG puppy. A BIG puppy that loves to cuddle in your lap any day or night...and is so fascinated by the leaves blowing in the wind.

Yesterday we decided to make our sweet puppy a little bakery treat, and came across this Pumpkin + Peanut Butter recipe that we must say he absolutely devoured. We have learned that pumpkin is a good source of vitamin for dogs, as well as, helps with farting if your dog farts often.

The only thing we would change next time is to make the dog biscuits a little larger because our hearts were almost the size of the bottom of his mouth, so we need to break them in half. The girls thought the hearts would be a good size for him and for Valentine's Day coming up, when actually, we need to make them a little longer and possibly shape them as a large dog bone. But all in all it was really a good recipe and everything is natural with no preservatives.

One important thing to remember when looking for the flavor of a dog biscuit is to make sure that you allow it to cool down completely when pulling it out of the oven, because if it is placed in an air tight container and still a little warm...it might allow mold to develop on the biscuit, and make your dog sick. But otherwise, an air tight container is very important to keep them fresh.

Have you made treats for your favorite pet? If so, what have you made?

Our senior cats Harley and Colby have been very patient with Sir Oliver so we are looking for just the right kitty treat for them.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Carrot Cake

Many moons ago I was a Girl Scout, my mom was a co-leader and there were a group of girls where we got together on a regular basis for years. The wonderful thing was that we all were friends throughout elementary, middle and high school. As we went our separate ways to college, we all reconnected within the past year or so. Many memories were shared during our survival camp expeditions, selling cookies, raising money for group trips, learning CPR and oh so much more...I look back and just smile.

Now my daughter has been enjoying her first year of being a Girl Scout. There have been many changes of how the troops do activities, guidelines changing, new badges created...but the one thing that remains is the friendships that the girls form amongst themselves that are priceless.

In December, as my daughter and I were baking carrot cake for the Nutcracker Party that we were hosting...we were talking about various activities that my troop did over the years.

For the past two years, Petunia has danced with her ballet academy for the Nutcracker. Family that lives locally, as well as, traveling miles join us in the celebration of the season. After the ballet, everyone comes over to our home for the family festivities. The Nutcracker music plays in the background and handmade ornaments are given to everyone. We have made it a tradition where Petunia and Marigold make handmade ornaments for the Nutcracker Party.

This year one of the requests that my daughter asked was to make our family carrot cake recipe (really it is the recipe that I baked for a Girl Scout Jr. Bake Off). So as you can see...that is why Girl Scouts have been on my mind recently, as well as it being Girl Scout cookie time here in Indiana.

We wanted to share with you our favorite carrot cake recipe that we enjoy throughout the year!

Carrot Cake

Cake Recipe
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
4 eggs
1 cup cooking oil
4 cups grated raw carrots
3/4 cups chopped walnuts

Preheat the over to 350F. Mix flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together. In a separate bowl, beat eggs until foamy. Slowly beat in the cooking oil. Add the flour mixture beating until smooth. Mix in the carrots and walnuts.

Pour the batter into three greased/floured 9-inch round cake pans.

Bake for doneness, roughly 25 minutes and allow to cook before decorating with frosting.

Frosting
8 oz. cream cheese
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 stick butter
3 cups powder sugar
1 Tablespoon vanilla

Blend the cream cheese, butter, powder sugar and vanilla together. Frost between the cooled cake layers and on top. Depending on your frosting preferences, you can add the walnuts to the frosting when blending together, place the walnuts on top of the cake, or along the sides of the cake. Either way it will be just yummy.

Happy Baking!


Tuesday, December 6, 2011

EtsyKids 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway!



Join EtsyKids as we host the 12 days of Christmas! You have a chance to win some great items from my fellow EtsyKids members! There are 30 items up for grabs, some days there may be more than one item available, and on the final day there will be a Grand Prize with several different items for one lucky winner!
 
Be sure to check each day what you may have a chance to win...I must admit, there are some really neat handmade items.

The EtsyKids shops participating are
  • Applesauce Crafts
  • Toastie Studio
  • Harvest Moon by Hand
  • Tuturocks
  • Baby Chic Creations
  • My Father's Hands, LLC
  • Aunty Ann Designs
  • Aunty Ann Designs (second entry)
  • 2 Sprouts Stitchery
  • Harmony Girls Clothing
  • Quilted Hugs Bibs
  • Hi Mamma
  • LuckyLuCreations
  • My Sweet Sunshine
  • lil b Designs
  • The Sewing Loft
  • Bard Designs
  • Chew Chew's Closet
  • mia4art
  • Inky Pinky Paperie
  • Paytons Play
  • Dragonfly Boutique
  • AddieKat Boutique
  • Cuddlehugs Boutique
  • Leigh and Michael Designs
  • Dara43
  • Stitchin' Netka
  • Zvijezda
  • Magical Attic
  • Sweet Child of Mine Kids

Monday, December 5, 2011

Let the Creativeness Soar!


Just wanted to share an update for those participating in the 2011 Handmade Christmas Ornament Exchange, all family matchings have been sent via email. If you have not received an email from me, please contact me and I will send them to you.

We are so excited about this years exchange.

If you are interested in sharing a photograph of your handmade ornament, please email me. I know that other families would enjoy seeing what fellow participants created.

We wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Update on the Handmade Christmas Ornament Exchange

For those of you who are participating in the handmade Christmas ornament exchange. My Outlook crashed and I have been rebuilding it this evening...so I wanted to let you know that family pairings will be going out on Monday.

I just wanted to let everyone know incase you checking your email to see who you were matched with. I am sorry for this delay...my family is excited as well in getting started and creating. We have started cutting out our felt!

Merry Christmas!
Michelle

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

oh my! Holiday Wishlist

Marisa Edghill of Omiyage.ca, asked fellow oh my! contributors what is on their wish lists this holiday season (hint something that is handmade) and what they may be hoping to unwrap this year. 

I encourage you to visit oh my! and be sure to look at all the lovelies that where selected...ooh it just makes me want to create a list of all the handmade lovelies that are out there that I would like to get for family and friends.

Monday, November 21, 2011

Register for the Christmas Ornament Exchange

It happened last night…I received an email if we were coordinating a 2011 Christmas Ornament Exchange. I thought about it last week and my week flew away from us, then I thought, you know what, let’s do it! We had so much fun last year exchanging Christmas ornaments. This year we will have short RSVP deadline…December 2.

The idea is that families make Christmas ornaments for other families and exchange them during the holiday season. Your family would be signing up as a family where you make the same number of ornaments that you send. So for example, if you have four people in your family, then you would make four ornaments total. These four ornaments though would be going to four different people, and in return, you will be receiving four ornaments back from four different people (receiving four packages total) with the idea that every ornament would be different. If you had one or even two people in your family unit, then you would receive one or two ornaments back.

Please refrain from any commercial look-a-likes.

Ornaments would need to be mailed on, or before, Friday, December 9, 2011 to make sure they arrive in time to your assigned family.

If you are interested in participating, please RSVP by midnight on December 2, 2011.

To sign up, please email michelle@himamma.com with the following information:

1) Your first and last name.
2) Your shipping/mailing address.
3) The number of ornaments that you will be exchanging.
4) Please share with me if you would be interested shipping internationally.

You will receive Christmas ornament swap partner addresses by email between on December 3-4, 2011.

If you know of anyone that might be interesting in participating in the Christmas ornament exchange please share with them the details.

AND if you have are not already following Hi Mamma, please do so, so that you will receive any additional updates about the exchange.