Friday, May 10, 2013

Homemade Bubbles

By: Laura

Winter is officially over (I think) and spring is in full bloom here in Nebraska.  It's been a long time coming, but it finally feels like we can go outside without bundling up to the nines!  Ella and I have been enjoying fun in the sun with many activities, such as park adventures, sidewalk chalk drawings, tricycle rides, and, of course, bubbles.  I mean, no toddler home is complete without bubbles.  Unfortunately, I was without bubbles earlier this week and Ella was in total bubble mode, so instead of getting in the car and heading to the store, I decided to get on Pinterest to find a quick recipe.  Now, there were a ton there, but I needed one that was fast, easy, and included ingredients I had at home.  The following recipe was the easiest I found and therefore the best:

1 cup of water
1/3 cup of dish soap
1/6 cup of honey

All we had to do was dump them in a container, shake them up and we were ready to go bubble crazy. Take a look at that.

Here is Ella getting the bubbles ready.  We just used an old bubble container we had in the garage. 

More dipping...

Nearly ready...

And there you have it, beautiful bubbles!

Now, I will say that this recipe worked just fine, but the bubbles weren't very plentiful. Meaning, if you're looking for bubbles galore, this might not be the recipe for you, but if you have a bubble emergency, these will do the trick.  I think Ella and I will continue our search for the best homemade recipe, but that should be easy considering summer is fast approaching.

Sunday, May 5, 2013

Colors of Summer

by Erin

I've been planting and transplanting and coddling plants for about three weeks now.  I am patiently awaiting their leaves and blooms in hopes that my care has paid off.  In the meantime, I'm bringing color to my backyard and garden by my own accord. 

Garden Tote
I made this vibrant garden tote in the dead of winter after finding this fabric on sale at The Needle Shop.  It has been hanging on a doorknob all winter and now it is out in the yard in full affect.  After three weeks of use I have yet to yell, "where the hell did I put my pruner?" to no one in particular.  Everything in one place.  It can hold all my tools plus whatever it is I am planting.    It is not, however, this clean anymore nor will it ever be I assume. 

Solar Lanterns
I hung these lovely solar powered garden lanterns yesterday.  My friend Eva and I took a weekday trip to Ikea in March and I found these.  They were $10 each.   Not bad, especially since I've had good luck Ikea solar lights.  They work, and I've had one string for 4 years now and it still faithfully lights up.   I don't know why I thought any different with these lanterns, but last night when I looked out my window at the garage I didn't expect to see these lit up, but they were, in fact, glowing in the moonlight (streetlight).  Immediately a smile came to my face - they made me so happy (I get it now, Mom). 

I should put up a picture, but I know they won't look as good via picture, so I will selfishly keep the image in my mind and invite you over for a BBQ or something fun like that so you can see them for yourself. 

...more summer colors to come...




Friday, May 10, 2013

Homemade Bubbles

By: Laura

Winter is officially over (I think) and spring is in full bloom here in Nebraska.  It's been a long time coming, but it finally feels like we can go outside without bundling up to the nines!  Ella and I have been enjoying fun in the sun with many activities, such as park adventures, sidewalk chalk drawings, tricycle rides, and, of course, bubbles.  I mean, no toddler home is complete without bubbles.  Unfortunately, I was without bubbles earlier this week and Ella was in total bubble mode, so instead of getting in the car and heading to the store, I decided to get on Pinterest to find a quick recipe.  Now, there were a ton there, but I needed one that was fast, easy, and included ingredients I had at home.  The following recipe was the easiest I found and therefore the best:

1 cup of water
1/3 cup of dish soap
1/6 cup of honey

All we had to do was dump them in a container, shake them up and we were ready to go bubble crazy. Take a look at that.

Here is Ella getting the bubbles ready.  We just used an old bubble container we had in the garage. 

More dipping...

Nearly ready...

And there you have it, beautiful bubbles!

Now, I will say that this recipe worked just fine, but the bubbles weren't very plentiful. Meaning, if you're looking for bubbles galore, this might not be the recipe for you, but if you have a bubble emergency, these will do the trick.  I think Ella and I will continue our search for the best homemade recipe, but that should be easy considering summer is fast approaching.

Sunday, May 5, 2013

Colors of Summer

by Erin

I've been planting and transplanting and coddling plants for about three weeks now.  I am patiently awaiting their leaves and blooms in hopes that my care has paid off.  In the meantime, I'm bringing color to my backyard and garden by my own accord. 

Garden Tote
I made this vibrant garden tote in the dead of winter after finding this fabric on sale at The Needle Shop.  It has been hanging on a doorknob all winter and now it is out in the yard in full affect.  After three weeks of use I have yet to yell, "where the hell did I put my pruner?" to no one in particular.  Everything in one place.  It can hold all my tools plus whatever it is I am planting.    It is not, however, this clean anymore nor will it ever be I assume. 

Solar Lanterns
I hung these lovely solar powered garden lanterns yesterday.  My friend Eva and I took a weekday trip to Ikea in March and I found these.  They were $10 each.   Not bad, especially since I've had good luck Ikea solar lights.  They work, and I've had one string for 4 years now and it still faithfully lights up.   I don't know why I thought any different with these lanterns, but last night when I looked out my window at the garage I didn't expect to see these lit up, but they were, in fact, glowing in the moonlight (streetlight).  Immediately a smile came to my face - they made me so happy (I get it now, Mom). 

I should put up a picture, but I know they won't look as good via picture, so I will selfishly keep the image in my mind and invite you over for a BBQ or something fun like that so you can see them for yourself. 

...more summer colors to come...