summer fun

oh my word, the days are just flying by.

it's not that we are even that busy, but i guess being a family of six is just that... busy when you aren't even trying!

it's been hot here. not as crazy hot as it was two weeks ago, but hot enough that the only thing i want to do is take the kids to the pool and swim! and that's just what we do most days. ben has been working hard to learn how to swim without floaties this summer.

my little fishies...









we still try to fit in treat tuesdays, watercolor wednesdays, and craft thursdays. sometimes they don't happen on the right day, and obviously i don;t always blog about it, but we are still spending time together doing things that are meaningful and important to the kids.

last tuesday we made peach cobbler using peaches from a friend's tree. i think i want a peach tree. my neighbors have one and the peaches right off the tree... amazing! so delicious. now they have nectarines that look just about ripe and i'm crossing my fingers that some of the branches grow about an inch more so they are on our side of the fence. i love nectarines even more than peaches!


peaches cut with skin removed


i love that my kids enjoy helping out in the kitchen


he's the only kid that didn't get kicked out of the kitchen though!


bubbling peaches in a pot


 prepping the baking dish


spreading the dough over the top


happy helper


fresh from the oven


served with a scoop of vanilla coconut bliss


ready to dig in!

this recipe and many other tasty gluten free treats and recipes can be found at gluten free goddess.

Gluten-Free Peach Cobbler Recipe

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Lightly grease an 8x8-inch baking dish or two large/four small individual gratin dishes.

Ingredients:

About 4 cups of sliced ripe peaches (peeled)
2 tablespoons organic light brown sugar or use raw agave nectar
2 teaspoons tapioca starch

Begin with the peaches:

Pour the sliced peaches into a pot and stir in the light brown sugar and tapioca starch till coated. Heat over medium heat until the peaches start to bubble a little around the edges. Turn the heat to low and cook for eight to ten minutes. This gives the peaches a head start in the baking department.

Meanwhile whisk together:

1 cup sorghum flour (also known as jowar flour) or brown rice flour
1/2 cup almond meal (also known as almond flour)
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1/2 cup organic cane sugar
1/2 teaspoon bourbon vanilla extract


Beat in:

6 tablespoons of light olive oil or melted vegan butter spread
1 egg replacer (I used Ener-G Egg Replacer)
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups unsweetened So Delicious Coconut Milk, or hemp, almond, or rice milk

The biscuit dough will come together quickly- don't beat it to death. Just till smooth. It should be a wee bit sticky (not too wet and not too dry) like a biscuit dough/batter.

Instructions:

Spoon the hot peaches into the prepared baking dish.

Plop spoonfuls of the biscuit dough on top of the peaches.

Sprinkle with a little dusting of organic cane sugar.

Bake in the center of a preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until the juices are bubbling, and the biscuit topping is golden brown and baked through. Cool for five to ten minutes before serving.

Serve warm.

Makes four servings.

Read more: http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2010/08/gluten-free-peach-cobbler.html#ixzz2Z9lGAdMR

 the topping tasted like a muffin. it really puffed up and took over. we ran out of peaches way before we ran out of topping. most of us liked this best warm with ice cream. i would love to try the peach crisp she has posted, too.

see, i need a peach tree. :)

craft thursday #2: sponge balls

i found the next activity... sponge balls... at one charming party.

as soon as i saw this activity, i bookmarked it. summers are hot and we don't have a pool. sprinklers and squirt guns are fun, but this steps it up a notch. i also like that creating the sponge balls can be a cooperative activity.

watercolor wednesday

in the spirit of celebrating our country's birthday and freedom, today's watercolor activity comes from one of my favorite sites to find art projects for kids, both at home and in the classroom...

it's called art projects for kids!

it's funny, because the project was inspired by another one of my favorite artsy fartsy website, deep space sparkle. :)

the title of today's painting is "lady liberty." it's a simple portrait using lines and shapes. there are not a lot of details, so this was easy for all three of my boys (ages 6-11) to create. we did not do self-portraits, as the lesson suggests. instead we based our drawings on the real statue of liberty.

here's what you'll need:



in true teacher fashion i made a power point presentation, but started by letting my kids tell me what they already knew. they knew a lot--most of what i had in my ppt. but this is not a bad thing, because little ben didn't know much, so the big boys got to teach him and use my photos to connect that knowledge to something visual. they were really into it (thank goodness!) i have not actually been to see the statue of liberty, but the internet is a wealth of knowledge and resources. a simple search, some cutting and pasting, and wa-la!

i led the art lesson direct-draw style. next they had to trace the pencil lines with sharpie. then i gave the boys some directions and tips for watercoloring. finally it was time for them to paint. my favorite part!





after our pictures dried we put them in dollar store picture frames. i didn't think about how the paper we used would be bigger than the 8x10 frame, so i had to trim them a bit first. poor lady liberty lost some of her shoulders and neck.

 
from left to right: taylor, zach, ben

we wrapped these up and gave them to my mom as an early birthday present. i thought they would make for a sweet decoration hanging on the fence at her 4th of july swim party.

if you have kids, this would make for a fun and educational activity at your 4th of july festivities.

have you seen the statue of liberty in person?

treat tuesday #2, 2013 GF series

today's treat comes from danielle at against all grain.

when i think of summer, one of the things that pops into my mind is strawberries. juicy, sweet, delicious strawberries.


when i saw these strawberry shortcake cupcakes on pinterest my mouth watered and i knew it would be one of the first things i was going to make. i ate so many strawberries when i was pregnant with taylor that i developed a rash up and down my arms. my children share my love of strawberries, especially miss natalie. they also happen to love cupcakes, so this recipe was sure to be a big hit.

my benny beans helped me make today's treat. it was actually super simple. in fact, all you need are your ingredients and...

a blender!

a sweet little helper is optional, but highly recommended!







and wa-la! the batter is ready to be poured into muffin tins and baked.

i'd like to note that this recipe says it will make a dozen cupcakes and i only made a single batch, but got 18 cupcakes. i also filled my cups more than the recipe said to. i likely made a measurement error with the almond meal, but the cupcakes were delicious the way they were. when i make these again, i will be curious to see how many i make.



once our cupcakes cooled, we topped them off with italian meringue. this my first attempt at making italian meringue. i followed the recipe from against all grain, using honey in place of sugar.





 

honestly, the meringue was not a huge hit at our house. it had a very strong honey taste, and we love honey, but maybe it didn't quite go with the cupcakes? i am anxious to make it again with sugar. the texture and consistency were perfect and those are just about the prettiest cupcakes i have ever made! i definitely need to make it again.

we left the remainder of the cupcakes unfrosted and ate them as muffins. also quite delicious!

Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes

Author: Danielle Walker – Against All Grain

Serves: 1 Dozen

 

Cupcakes Ingredients:

• 2½ cups blanched almond flour
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• ⅔ cup honey
• ⅓ cup coconut oil, melted
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon lemon zest
• ½ cup finely chopped strawberries 

Frosting Ingredients: 

• 2 egg whites, room temperature
• ⅓ cup honey
• ¼ teaspoon lemon juice or vinegar
• 1½ tablespoons strawberry preserves (freshly pureed strawberries will work too)

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Line a standard muffin tin with baking cups.
3. Combine the honey, coconut oil, eggs, lemon juice, vanilla, and lemon zest in the jar of a blender. Puree on medium speed for 20 seconds or until frothy and smooth.
4. Add the dry ingredients and blend on high for 30-45 seconds. The batter should be very smooth and contain no lumps. If needed, scrape down the sides with a spatula and blend again for a few seconds until all of the dry mixture is incorporated.
5. Gently fold the chopped strawberries in by hand. Divide the batter evenly into the muffin tin, filling about ¾ of the way full.
6. Bake for 16-18 minutes, until a toothpick can be inserted into the middle and comes out clean.
7. Let the cupcakes cool completely on the counter before frosting.
8. Frosting
9. Once the cupcakes have cooled, make your Italian meringue.
10. Bring your honey to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat.
11. Meanwhile, beat the egg whites and lemon juice until frothy and you can just begin to see trail marks from your beaters. When you lift out the beaters, you should see soft peaks.
12. With the beaters or mixer running, slowly pour in the boiling honey in a steady stream. Continue beating for 6-8 minutes, until the meringue is cool to the touch.
13. Gently fold in the strawberry preserves. Put the frosting into a piping bag for a pretty design, or spread onto cupcakes with a knife.

as i said before, i will be making these again. probably sooner rather than later! :) also, danielle's site turned out to be a goldmine of amazingly scrumptious looking GL recipes. i think i have found a new favorite website to follow!

what's your favorite flavor cupcake?

craft thursday #1: tissue paper luminaries

 i'm back today with another fun summertime activity!

we had some friends over last thursday, which is craft day at this house. the kids were over the moon excited to have someone else to play with and i was very thankful to have another grown-up to talk with for a couple of hours. i know you know what i'm talking about!

like lots of kids, my children love playing on the wii gaming system. i enjoy it, too. but sometimes it seems like that is all my kids want to do. "can i play on the wii?" when that question starts to sound like nails on a chalkboard, the answer is always "NO!" and usually "don't ask me again!"

our summer list, which i will share soon, has lots of fun activities, like craft thursdays, to help mix it up a bit. i'm fine with my kids playing wii as long as that isn't all they are doing.

with our friends over, the kids broke into two teams and had a little healthy wii competition. this game had the kids sitting, standing, jumping, twirling, and all of us were laughing like crazy. it was a lot of fun!



today's craft comes from four flights of fancy.

the link takes you to her "how-to" about making mason jar luminaries. the examples look very similar to my halloween mason jar luminaries, but are made with mod podge and tissue paper, instead of paint. the end result looks very similar when you are using a solid color, as in her examples. what caught my eye, was another picture of a mason jar luminary that i saw using tissue paper and mod podge, only the tissue paper was layered to create a patriotic decoration, so layers of red, white, and blue. you can view those luminaries at for the love of. i think they are beautiful. both links are to blogs that are written by the same person.

i thought creating tissue paper luminaries would be a fun craft to start the summer off with. and once again, i had everything on hand and didn't have to make any extra stops with my rowdy rugrats in tow. (and i mean that with a mama's sincerest love and affection).

we also had some friends join us for this craft and it was easy to pack up the finished luminaries and transport them home. 

to make the luminaries you will need the following:



we used half pint jars with a regular mouth. these were two samples i made to show the kids that you could cover the whole jar or only part of it. i also find i need to do the craft first by myself, so i know how to best guide kids in crafting and i am better equipped to anticipate and help with areas that might be tricky.

 
(not the best picture, sorry)

when i gave the directions to the kids, i made sure to emphasize the two most important rules (after i remembered what they were!):

1. use minimal mod podge--you don't want a drippy, cloudy mess
2. paint the glue only where you immediately need it--basically, paint as you go!

i do not think you can over-emphasize these, because chances are they are going to go in one ear and out the other!

i also modeled how to paint and add tissue paper. my sample jar with red, white, and blue was only half way complete, so i modeled adding to that. just a quick little demo, because i had anxious crafters waiting!



the kiddos were free to make what they wanted. we talked about who they were making this for--was it a gift or for their own house? what colors did they want to use? if it was for someone, did they want to choose colors that person liked or did they want to go with a theme? i really wanted the kids to have fun with their crafting, but to also be intentional with their planning and creating.










(loudon was done so quickly, i didn't get a picture of him!)

in the end everyone made a luminary for themselves. some were a little more intentional with their planning and creating than others. :)

bristol cut out shapes from the tissue paper to make items that represented hobbies her family members have. loudon used only his favorite colors. taylor, zach, and ben just picked different shapes and colors and glued them on. zach covered the jar, taylor and ben left spaces.

no matter, i enjoyed watching the kids working on something other than getting to the next level in a video game!

if you are nervous about putting a candle in these, you could use the battery-operated candles. I saw a photo somewhere of this same type of craft, but they painted the metal lids of the mason jar with acrylic paint and closed the top. inside were battery-operated candles and the result was very pretty... like a stained glass lantern.

what kind of luminary would you make?

watercolor wednesday

this summer we've added a new activity to our calendar. welcome to watercolor wednesday!



i love watercolors. they are so simple to use and easy to clean up. i find that when we watercolor, it's such a stress free activity that i can actually sit down and watercolor with my kids. i call this watercolor therapy, because when we are done, we are all happy and relaxed! well, maybe we are just happy :)

watercolor projects are easy to find. a quick search on pinterest and you will be up to your eyeballs in lovely, fun, color. this was by far the easiest list to make when planning our summer activities.

today's project comes from my favorite blog, where i get most of my ideas and inspiration... whatever. when i saw this on pinterest, i had already bookmarked a different circle painting project, but i liked meg's much better, so we went with it.

it was fairly easy to set up. i only have small sheets of watercolor paper, so i prepped enough paper for the boys to each make two. i used the rim of a half pint mason jar, watered down black acrylic paint, and a paint brush to make the black circles. i just painted and stamped, painted and stamped. i'll admit, i was a little stressed in the beginning... smudged lines, paint splatters, incomplete circles... but it's art and it's all good. soon i was in a groove and enjoying this part of the process.

while the paint circles dried, we made a starbucks run. i may or may not have had paint splatter in my left nostril, unnoticed until after we got home.

the kids were very happy to sit and watercolor.











they like watercoloring as much as i do. in fact, natalie goes a little crazy for the watercolors. the boys were having a (mostly) nice discussion with each other and natalie starts taking my supplies and when i tell her no, those are mine and i point to hers, she demands i give mine to her saying "that's not a good choice mom!" when i don't give in, my sweet two year old called me "stinky." seriously?! i wish i were kidding.




all in all, watercolor wednesday was a hit, it's always fun to see how everyone creates such different pieces, even when the canvas is so similar.


ben's pictures


zach's pictures


taylor's pictures


the girls' pictures


beautiful colors

i hope you will be inspired to add a little color to your life today!