Making Homemade Play Dough And Other Fun In The Kitchen!

Today we made homemade play dough which was a fun, hands-on project for the kids!  Sort of messy, but let's face it, a lot of things that are fun make a mess!  And when my Trev is pouring salt it's just not going to be a tidy moment. But I simply kept the vacuum nearby and let them go to town. They enjoyed seeing how this worked.

Homemade Play Dough

Pour 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup salt, and 3 TBSP vegetable oil into a medium bowl and stir with a wooden spoon. Add 1/3 cup water tinted with 17 drops of desired shade of food coloring.  Knewad dough with hands until it feels smooth.  If dough is crumbly, add more oil; if it's sticky, add more flour.  Store in the refrigerator.  Add scented oils if you would like.

We definitely found we needed more oil for ours.  And as for 17 drops of food coloring, I'm thinking Madi's number was a lot closer to that than Trev's who had blue food coloring dropping out so fast I could barely keep count!  It turned out pretty neat - sure we had play dough on hand they could have used, but it was more about the process and keeping those minds and hands busy on a summer day.

On Saturday, two little dolls helped me make the morning waffles...

And Trev had been begging me to make banana bread, so last week I had 3 ripe bananas that I used to make him a loaf using this recipe from the Food Network.  I am always willing to make the kids anything that has fruit or vegetables in it!

This afternoon I tried a scrumptious recipe that I will share with you soon.  Be on the lookout if you like shortbread.  Mmm, mmm, mmm. We are just having too much fun in the kitchen these days!

And I Can't Leave Out Trevor's "Whoofie" Pies

Not only did we bake an apple pie today, but Trev found a little mix for whoopie pies in the pantry and he wanted to make them so badly, mainly because he saw the picture on the front and wanted to eat them.  (He enjoyed helping make the apple pie, but wasn't interested in eating it.) Since it was a simple little project I told him that he could do it, and boy did he take ownership of that idea and think he was something else!  Watch out Bobby Flay, there is a new kid in town!

He had his first successful egg crack which his sister, a long time baking helper of mine, was over the moon about.  He worked very carefully pouring, mixing, dropping, icing.

And it is safe to say he was pretty happy about the finished product!

So much so that he couldn't wait to tell his daddy and grandparents about the "whoofie" pies he made, encouraged [forced] them to try some of his "whoofie" pies, and thanked God at least three times during prayers before bedtime for something regarding "whoofie" pies....that he got to make them, eat them,  and that there were still two left so he and Madi could each have one tomorrow after "wunch."

To which we said amen and tucked this sweet, enthusiastic, and chocolate-loving boy into bed.

As American As Apple Pie

I've had this tray sitting on my kitchen counter for the past few weeks...

And with the celebration of the Fourth of July I had been wanting to bake a good, old-fashioned, homemade apple pie with the kids.

Today we were having a staying-inside-from-the-heat-but-not-turning-on-the-television kind of day.  I pulled out an old Longaberger cookbook and we set to work making Grandma Bonnie's Apple Pie.  I have only made a homemade pie crust once or twice so this was something new for all of us!  The kids were really into the sifting...

And even helped each other out when their hands got tired.

Madi did most of the work...I only helped a little.

But they both helped prepare the apples using the apple peeler/corer/slicer which is always lots of fun!  They get the biggest kick out of cranking that handle.

After lots of teamwork we had the pie assembled and in the oven.  As it was baking and I was washing dishes, I heard a commotion of laughter and squeals and looked out to see this....

The kids were having sack races down the hallway using their pillowcases!  Talk about good, old-fashioned, all-American fun!  When the pie came out of the oven it smelled of cinnamon and sugar and the crust, though not perfect in appearance, was cooked just right.

We let it cool on the table and then we did what any good family would do...

We had apple pie and vanilla ice cream for dinner!

The Kitchen Is Her Studio

And the past two days my little artist has been busy at her easel!  I love to take a peek at her working while I come in and out of the kitchen.  A Disney Pandora station is often playing in the background while her little mind and hands are busy creating.  My two recent favorites are....

Our Home

The Cross and the Empty Tomb

Today many of her paintings were for the "set" of a play she and Trevor were working on.  And one of her last and favorite paintings from school is still hanging in the kitchen.  She told me they made one boat bigger to make it look closer and one boat smaller to make it look farther away.  I  think it is just lovely.

I never knew I would be the owner of such precious, valuable art!

Little Boys...

...find their momma's cake stands and use them to help build an empire.  

Honor

²hon·or

 verb \ˈä-nər\

transitive verb

1

a : to regard or treat (someone) with admiration and respect : to regard or treat with honorb : to give special recognition to : to confer honor on

On Veteran's day I had an opportunity to take the kids to a retirement center for a program honoring veterans.  My dad prayed and I sang patriotic songs.  While singing, I looked out and saw Trevor sitting on the lap of a woman in a wheelchair and Madi sitting on the curb next to them, taking it all in.  


This week we had the opportunity to honor veterans once again, one of whom my kids know and love, but don't understand yet that many years ago was a POW in the Korean War.  They know he was a soldier, and we were explaining to them in simple terms how he and other soldiers have defended our country and freedom, allowing us to live in a safe and wonderful place.  

We are trying to teach our kids about honor.  We want them first and foremost to honor God with their lives (I Corinthians 6:20); to honor us as their parents (Ephesians 6:2); to honor the authority their lives (Romans 13:1-3); to honor their peers (Romans 12:10); to honor their country, community, heroes, flag (Romans 13:7). 


In order to teach them this Jimmy and I must live honorably, and be intentional about giving them opportunities to understand and demonstrate honor.  We must honor others as a way of life, and talk about what the Bible says and why honor should be a mark of our character.  And we must treat their tender little hearts and lives with loving honor and respect.

"All the great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope."

Winston Churchill

Making Monkey Bread

Recently I had a realization that I had never made monkey bread for my kids.  In fact, I don't know if I have ever made it since we were married!  I have fond memories of this special treat from my childhood, and thought it was time to let my kids enjoy this warm cinnamon and sugar goodness.

I googled monkey bread and decided to use The Pioneer Woman's recipe.  Not only did this recipe turn out to be delicious, but the post was a cute, fun read as well!

The recipe called for 3 cans of biscuits, but I had picked up biscuits the last time I was at Aldi (they are soooo cheap there) and since the cans are slightly smaller in terms of ounces, I ended up using 4 cans which was just right.

Madi helped me make this.  She cut each biscuit in half, and then I cut her halves into fourths which made for a good, hands-on fraction lesson.

Here are the biscuits coated in cinnamon and sugar, waiting to be doused in butter and brown sugar and put in the oven...

And here is the monkey bread, warm and fresh out of the oven.

The best thing about monkey bread is, well, pretty much everything about the way it looks, tastes, and smells!!

The only bad thing about monkey bread is that is so good.  As in, it's easy to look down and say to yourself, "Pretty sure I just singlehandedly ate a can of biscuits and half a stick of butter."  But it is so, so delicious washed down with a cold glass of milk, so just focus on the calcium.  :)

The kids loved it, and it was a treat to make it together with Madi.  I enjoy my time with her in the kitchen!  Such a fun summer breakfast.