Months ago I purchased a Downy dryer bar, and after it melted all over my comforter, I can now say that I'm not a fan. So, I recently began a search for an alternative to dryer sheets, and thanks to two pins on Pinterest, I now have a new dryer technique.
The 1st Pinterest idea is from Junk in their Trunk, and it is quite simple. Take pieces of aluminum foil, lightly ball it up, and throw it into your dryer. This significantly reduced my static cling. I simple reuse the foil over and over again. When it gets into too tight of a ball, I loosen it - that simple. I include three or four of these balls each time I use my dryer.
The 2nd Pinterest idea is from Homemade Mamas, and I love the smell it has added to my laundry. These are reuseable dryer sheets. Years ago I cut up a yard of fleece for reuseable baby wipes for my little one. I set a few aside to do something with one day. So three years later, I got to use them. I will say, seeing the wipes did make me a little sad being as it has been almost two years since I have used them. I am very eager to use them again on another baby bottom.
Ok now back to dryer sheets. In an old Cool Whip container, I mixed 4 parts fabric softener (1 cup) and 10 parts hot water (2.5 cups) then added the fleece. When I do laundry, I just pick up one or two sheets, gently squeeze most of the liquid back into the container, and then add it to the dryer. I find it helpful to dry my hand off with an item in the dryer (esp. hubby's socks) to make sure that item comes out smelling great. Then once the dryer is done, I put the wipes back into the solution, and wait to do laundry again.
Chris, Lexie, and Elie
are pleased to announce that our family is growing!!! Richard Byron Tae-ho Cupp is waiting for us
in Seoul, South Korea. He was born April
10, 2012, and we hope to have him home by next fall.
So I got this idea from Pinterest (challenge #36), so we changed it up a little since we were adopting. At this time we cannot release his photos without a password protection. If you would like to get picture updates, please email me at lexiejk4@gmail.com.
Here is hint #3. It may seem that the answer to the three hints is an obvious one, but I promise, it is very unlikely anyone has the correct guess. So...are you ready for the big reveal tomorrow? Until then, here is the final hint to keep you guessing. This time I would love to hear what everyone thinks is the answer (unless you already know it because that would spoil the fun for everyone else).
We have some exciting news that will be announced in a few days. So over the next 3 days, I will share 3 different parts of the picture. Here is hint #1:
If you already know, please help us to keep the secret!
So all you need for this Pinterest recipe from Food for a Hungry Soul is 2-3 pounds of chicken breasts or thighs, 1 packet of dry Italian Dressing mix, and 1/2 cup of brown sugar. The idea is simple, mix the two dry ingredients and coat the chicken with the mixture. Then bake the chicken in a 350 degree oven for 50-60 minutes until the chicken is cooked.
Simple and easy! This chicken tasted somewhat like an Asain sweet and sour chicken. The chicken was good, but I'm not sure it made it to the list of dishes I will make again.
"Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth." 1 John 3:18 NIV
As we go through life, it is easy to give into the worldly pressures of living for yourself. We all do it! This year (and hopefully for many more to come) as we study a different letter of the alphabet, we will do a service project that relates to the letter we are studying.
The curriculum we use (My Father's World) studies letters in a specific sequence rather than alphabetically, so our first week was the letter 'S'. Samaritan's Purse is a wonderful organization that has a multitude of ministries throughout the world, one of which is Operation Christmas Child. We actually studied this about two months ago and purchased our supplies, but I chose not to post it until we could drop off our boxes for National Collection Week!
In case you've never heard of Operation Christmas Child, here's what you need to know. Each shoe box is an opportunity to introduce a child to Jesus. In areas of the world where these boxes are given to children who are in desperate need. A simple notebook and pack of pencils can make a world of difference to a child who has never had anything of his own. Here's a video to help you understand:
So what can you do to help? Pray for what God would have you give. We were able to pack and send out 35 shoe boxes this year! Even if you are able to pack 1 box - just think, that is one more child who will have the opportunity to hear about Jesus! Here's a list of things that you can include in your boxes:
school supplies - paper, pencils and sharpeners, crayons, markers
toys - toy cars, small stuffed animals, jump ropes, slinky
hygiene items - soap, toothbrush, toothpaste
socks
a photo of you and your family
flashlights (extra batteries)
and many other things that you may be felt to give
National Collection Week runs from November 12-19. So you have until the 19th to bring your boxes into any drop off location. You can find a drop off site here.
Here is my little girl being super silly while she packs a box. We made big piles in our living room and had a great afternoon stuffing the boxes full of goodies.
Here we are dropping off the shoe boxes at a local drop off location. Can you tell some of our boxes were a little over stuffed? We were fortunate enough to get blank boxes. Elie had the best time decorating them with Christmas stickers.
Operation Christmas Child also has a new option where you pay for the shipping of your boxes online and print the labels straight from your computer. Your labels will have a special bar code on them that is linked to your email. Once your boxes are delivered, you will receive emails telling you the countries to which your boxes were shipped. Two years ago we had about 15 boxes that went to 7 different countries! I'm excited to have an upcoming geography lesson.
In addition to our service project, we also have a memory verse that is memorized for the week. Here is the memory verse for our 'S' week.
"Jesus is the light of the world" John 8:12
And here is one final video about Operation Christmas Child to leave you with.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoy making healthy meals for my family, but there are some days when you just need to relax and indulge in something super yummy. So the other day, I made Jello and let Elie play in it using letter cookie cutters. She had the best time playing in it, forming letters, and eating it. And after, I enjoyed a sticky, red kiss from my little girl!
While studying the sun, I measured Elie's shadow throughout the morning so she can see how it changes as the sun moves through the sky. She enjoyed having her hands in different stances while I drew each shadow.
We simply went outside and she stood still while I outlined her shadow in chalk. Then she tried to lay down on her shadow to see if she would fit. We had a great time taking in the sun! Oh the joys of homeschooling.
Elie has a fascination with dresses, and she has been begging me to make her a dress that goes to her feet. When searching Pinterest, I came across this idea from Sumo's Sweet Stuff that used a shirt to make a dress. I decided to give it a try, and Elie was quite pleased!
So the original idea has lots of details about how to sew the dress, but I will give you a few tips that I used. I would explain everything, but I am not an expert, by any means, in sewing. So when it comes to many of the terms in sewing, I am clueless.
The base of the shirt (front and back) measured 22 inches. I cut a piece of fabric 1 1/2 times the width of that (to allow for ruffling) for the piece that all of the ruffles would be sewn on to. So the 'under piece' measured 33 inches.
Then each ruffle was double the width of the shirt - so 44 inches each. I used three fat quarters to make 6 ruffles (I as able to get 2 complete ruffles from each fat quarter).
Once the ruffles were all sewn onto the base piece, I sewed it to the shirt. This was a tricky job, and it doesn't look perfect. Then the side was sewn closed, and it was ready to wear.
She ran around in the dress all day. It was definitely a long and tedious process that I may try to do again in a month or two. All in all, I spent about 10 hours making this dress, so hopefully next time it will go a little faster!
While studying the sun, we decided to make a quick and easy sundial. I grabbed a legal pad (used the cardboard on the back), old play-doh, and a marker, and we had an instant sundial. We went outside and measured the shadow on the hour.
Here's how is looked at the end of our day. Can you tell what time is nap time?
My engagement ring and wedding band go through a lot during the typical day. They are exposed to paint, soap, shampoo, cleaning materials, and a fair share of 'kid boogers'. So to say the least, they were in desperate need of cleaning. After finding a recipe on Pinterest from food.com (yes a strange place to put a jewelry cleaner recipe), I decided to give my rings the good cleaning they deserved. Here's what I used to clean them:
1 small piece of foil
1 tablespoon of salt
1 tablespoon of dish detergent
1 tablespoon of baking soda
1 cup of water
An old toothbrush
Heat the water in the microwave for 2 minutes.
Put the small piece of foil at the bottom of that bowl once you take it out of the microwave.
Mix the salt, dish detergent, and baking soda into the bowl.
Place the jewelry on top of the foil and let it sit for 10 minutes.
Remove rings and clean with a toothbrush.
This is my before picture.
Here is after. I know it is hard to tell the difference, but I really noticed a difference. I will definitely do this again rather than spend money on store bought cleaners.
We recently whipped up a quick batch of granola bars that were super easy to make and quite yummy. Here's what you need to make it:
4 cups of Oats
1 cup of Peanut Butter (I used our Homemade Peanut Butter)
1/2 cup of Craisins
1/4 cup of water
Simply mix everything together in a greased pan (I used an 11x7 pan). You can use different ones depending on your desired thickness. This is what it looks like before it is cooked.
Cook it at 350 degrees for about 20-30 minutes (depending on thickness of bars). Here is what ours looks like when fully cooked. The bars are not the easiest to cut into perfect rectangles, so I usually just break them into bite sized pieces.
You may find that these are not sweet enough for your taste if you are used to store bought granola bars, so here are somethings you may like to add into your granola before cooking:
This recipe looked simple and easy, and it really was. The only problem is where these potatoes went after they were cooked. The answer is---in the trash. We each ate a bite or two and quickly concluded that it was a total waste (esp. of all of that cheese). So Pinterest and Taste of Home, this was an epic fail. I won't bother with posting the recipe here, but you can click the Taste of Home's link to see it - if you are brave enough to try it.
We began a new unit this morning which focuses on the letter M. We went around the house looking for things that started with the letter M, and Elie came up with a startling revelation. The bottom of her nose looks like a lowercase 'm'. Nice one!
In preparation for a girls night, I needed a quick and easy dip to throw together. I haven't had spinach sip in a while so I searched Pinterest and found this recipe from Haystacks and Champagne for Hot Spinach Salsa Queso Dip. I had all of the ingredients on hand, so I quickly went to work. I modified the recipe a little bit. Here's my recipe:
3-4 handfuls of fresh spinach (the original recipe called for frozen spinach, but I much prefer fresh)
1 lb of Velveeta (I used sharp cheddar)
1/2 jar of salsa
1 8 oz. pack of cream cheese
2 Tablespoons of Tabasco Chipotle (I thought it needed a little flavor)
First, cook the spinach for a few minutes until wilted. I added a dash of olive oil to it. You can then take scissors and cut it into smaller pieces straight in the pan or leave it the way it is.
Next, melt the cream cheese and Velveeta into the cooked spinach. Once it is melted, add the Tabasco.
After everything is mixed together well, add the salsa then serve. Sorry for the distorted pic. I wrapped the container in Saran Wrap before I took the picture. I was rushing out of the door, so I didn't have time to undo it and take a nicer pic.
It was quite tasty. Next time I may add even more Tabasco!
In Unit 1 of My Father's World, Elie tried out a new activity that will continue throughout the year. Salt writing.
It was a simple setup. I used a resealable plastic container and put a thick layer of salt inside. She had fun making the letter S (our first unit) and then proceeded to play with it for about 20 minutes, drawing different things in the salt.
Sensory bins are taken out on an almost daily basis, so she knows the rules for keeping all of the box contents inside the box - but with salt, there was a little bit spread out on her table. So she grabbed her dust vac and cleaned up.
The weather was so nice the other day, we opened the windows all day long and enjoyed a nice breeze blowing through the house. Later that night we began to notice those pesky fruit flies that snuck in through the tiny holes in the screen. The next day my friend from Dandelions, Dead Bugs, and Diaper Rashes came over and offered the solution you see above. Here's how to make it:
1. Cut up fruit (I used an apple that way on its way out to the trash anyway).
2. Put the fruit in a bowl with about 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar in the bottom.
3. Cover the bowl tightly with Saran Wrap.
4. Use a toothpick to poke holes for the fruit flies to get into.
Boy did it work. Within a few hours there were probably 10 of them in the bowl, and I just went outside and released them. I brought the bowl back inside and repeated the process for a few days until my house was rid of them. I know as soon as I see one of these pesky bugs in the house again, I will make this trap again.
September has been a time of pumpkin in the Cupp household. When I saw the recipe on Pinterest for Cinnamon Roll Pumpkin Vanilla Sheet Cake I quickly pinned it and waited for an opportunity to make this recipe when friends came over. In no way did I want this big cake to be eaten by our family of 3. Here's the ingredients:
1 box butter cake mix
4 eggs
1/2 cup of oil
1/2 cup of greek yogurt
1/2 cup of milk
3/4 ounce box of vanilla instant pudding mix
1 can of pumpkin
1 stick of butter
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
3/4 cup of brown sugar
1/4 cup of milk
3/4 of powdered sugar
Now that you see the ingredients, you can understand why I didn't want to make this cake for just our family. That's a lot of stuff in there! Okay, here are the steps:
1. Spray your 9 by 13 pan with cooking spray and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Use a mixer to beat the cake mix, eggs, oil, yogurt, milk, pudding, and pumpkin until creamy. Spread this in the pan.
3. Melt the butter in a bowl and mix in the brown sugar and cinnamon. Drizzle it over the 'raw' cake and swirl it with a fork or knife.
4. Bake for 30 minutes until cooked.
5. While the cake is baking, mix together the powdered sugar and milk. Once the cake is removed from the oven, drizzle the milk/sugar mixture on top of the cake.
My cake (as you can see by the above picture) came out of the oven looking like a topographical map - complete with lots of mountains and valleys. If I make it again and it comes out looking the same, I will call it the Grand Canyon cake.
We reheated each piece just before we ate it and put a spoonful of Cool Whip on top. Oh my, it was so good!
Our previous blog's title was "The Cupp Family's Journey: Walking by Faith." I've been thinking of changing it for quite some time. Since we are homeschooling, the idea of a homeschool name has been a topic of conversation. At first I liked "Cupp's Christ Centered Academy", but that seemed a little long and I wanted something more original. So I decided on the name:
After seeing this Pinterest Idea from A Diamond in the Stuff, I was quite eager for today (the first day of autumn). A few weeks ago I bought a bunch of frames from the Dollar Tree. I ended up buying 9 altogether because I would like to do them for every season/holiday, and I figured the longest word I would spell would be CHRISTMAS.
The spray paint I used was a dark navy colored that was intended for car/truck spray paint (not that I would ever think to spray paint my car) that I found for $1. I applied about 3 coats total to the frames and didn't even use one whole can of spray paint.
Then I used the Cricut (opposites attract lettering) to cut out the letters onto brown paper. The paper just wasn't quite the right brown I was looking for so I inked the letters with a brown ink pad. Then the letters received a layer of adhesive (I used a dots runner) and were placed on pre-cut papers and inserted into the frames.
And there you have it! Our quick and easy mantle decor.
Sorry I didn't take a before picture of my bar stools, but lets just say they were not even allowed indoors. I've had them in the garage (in all of the garages where we have lived) since Chris and I were married. They were left from college and had lots of 'character'. I thought of getting rid of them so many times, but never did. So the other day I decided I needed to either refinish them or trash them.
I used some batting that I originally had purposed to make a blanket, but never did. I traced the circle shape from the top of the bar stools and cut it out. I then took the fabric and cut a square that allowed plenty of room for overlap on the sides.
Next, I spray painted the legs of the bar stools. I lightly glued the batting to the bar stool with FabriTac. I didn't want to put too much and have hard clumps when you sit on it.
I put the fabric on a table and centered the bar stool on it upside down. Then, I just gathered up sections of the fabric and used a air compressed staple gun to adhere the fabric to the underneath of each bar stool.
Chris and I started a project (I will post it once it is completed) that required a bunch of coins to be seperated. I thought this would be a great teaching moment for Elie, so I put her in charge of finding pennies and dimes - thinking those two coins would be easy to spot because of color and size. After sorting her coins for a while, she went on to do all of them.
Once she was done, she knew all of the names of the coins (penny, nickel, dime, quarter). This was another moment when I realized how much I do love homeschooling!
One of the favorite activities enjoyed by our 3 year old is her rice and beans sensory tub, so when I came across this Pinterest idea from Play Through The Day, I knew this would be a quick and easy setup. We already had everything needed - packing peanuts, red/white popcorn container, and popcorn kernels (we bought a ginormous bag from Sams a few months back).
I grabbed a bin, threw it all together, and Elie went to town having a good time.
