FATHER'S DAY PARTY IDEAS...EASY & FUN

Popsicle Party for POP!


Margarita Popsicles...need I say more???

Since Father's Day is just around the corner & we love homemade frozen Margarita's & smoothies in our home, I thought why not have a Popsicle Party for Father's Day!

I thought a personalized "Poparita or is it Poparito" Popsicle would be a super fun way to kick off our Father's Day celebration.

You see in my house, my husband, Andy is a commercial fisherman...which means we never know when he will be home!  So we have to celebrate when we can & sometimes we miss the actual day but if were lucky we can celebrate before, during & after :) 

This works out super cool for spreading the word about our "Popsicle for POP" party. 


This party is super easy, just takes a little planning. 

I simply got some pictures printed from my favorite place Shutterfly - totally lovin' the valet door delivery service - saved me an extra stop (they even have for new members - 50 free prints- how cool is that!!)  

Bought some popsicle sticks from the craft store and also got little 3 oz. cups; they seemed to work best for margarita drinkers & little hands.   

I used super silly pictures from past birthday parties & vacations; cut out the faces from my pictures then glued them to my popsicle sticks.  

I have to tell you...we totally cracked up laughing every time we opened the freezer!  It was like the fun patrol & ice cream police all rolled into one hanging out in there :)  Plus, after the shock of seeing them in my freezer,it brought back all those happy memories from the pictures.

I found that cutting the photo wider at the bottom works better for propping up on the cup - rather than waiting 2 hours to put the sticks in.  You still need to check to make sure the sticks don't get tipsy :) 

Now that my sticks are all prepped, time to make the yummy popsicles...YAY!

We made frozen watermelon Poparitas.
Margarita Recipe:
Watermelon
2 shots of silver tequilla
1 shot triple sec liquor
1 shot Rose's lime juice
lots of ice, blend until yummy



Now for the Kid time Popsicles:

Nyla, my fabulous Popsicle maker chose her favorite drink - pink lemonade.  How easy just pour lemonade into a little tiny cup, then wait for it to harden a little & add the sticks.  We also had magic shell on hand for some yummy chocolatey dipping!!  WOW!!  

When ready to serve, simply cut along seam of cup, if the cup sticks to the bottom, wet it a tiny bit with water and that should do the trick. 


We kept making more popsicles but kept it simple and used what was in our fridge; Customizing to our bff's - milk, chocolate milk, grape & apple juice. That's the beauty of popsicles, the possibilities are endless!

Since this was such a special party - I'm thinking, I'm going to get all these picks made into a photobook that way whether Andy is here or not we'll have this special day in our hearts and on our coffee table.  (my photo bff, Shutterfly can do that for me too :)

YUCK STOPS HERE PARTY

FLOWER POWER!...

Flower bombs Rock and that's that!  

I got the fever when I saw this idea from Twig and Toadstool and could barely wait to get started!  Check out her full tutorial and her rainbow power :)

We made these a couple of weeks ago & now our little flower power is poppin up!! YAY! I think I stuffed a lot of seeds in each bomb, kinda like my burritos, I just can't help it :)

Nyla asked me, "Why do we have to use paper to make them why can't we just use dirt"?  Well, she is soo practical at times... I said, "because it's just not as cool or pretty & you don't get to squish stuff (which we totally loved) plus flowers like to get wrapped up in a pretty package and people like getting pretty packages rather than a clump of dirt." 

Then Nyla said, "Oh yeah, I get it now"

This was fun, I love flower power :) 

MY GO TO APPETIZERS...4 quick anytime appies

Here are my 4 "go to appies" that I always have on hand - perfect for when you need fancy in a flash :)

Cucumber Rounds
Cucumbers, red pepper, mayonnaise, cilantro & salt.
I created this recipe when my guest were knocking on the door & I realized all my avocados were way to ripe for guacamole. Yikes! This can be made in a flash with just tidbits of ingredients (seriously just an ity-bity sliver of red pepper is all you need).  


Spinach Dip "A Classic"
frozen spinach, spice packet, mayonnaise & sour cream

I know its been around forever but seriously everyone loves this stuff!  I haven't met one single person who doesn't.  So I always keep frozen spinach in the freezer just for this reason. (I have used frozen chopped broccoli before & thumbs up reviews as well)
...and you have options - serve with crackers, veggies or a fancy bread bowl, who doesn't love an appie with options :)  


Hummus
can of chickpeas drained reserving 1/4 liquid, 1 tbsp.cumin, 1 clove garlic, 1 tbsp. lemon juice, 1/4tsp. red pepper, 1/4 tsp. salt  
(pulse in food processor till blended, adding liquid & season to taste)

Super popular & the variety now is crazy good but if you want to make a quick batch this recipe is quick and easy to custom to your liking. 

Bread Dippers
french bread, olive oil, variety of spices

This is so silly easy but makes a big hit.
Cut up bread of your choice (I used Nan bread last night), put oil in 2 or 3 little bowls & add a variety of your favorite spices (I used Italian seasoning, salt, pepper & fresh thyme). 

There you have it 4 quick go to appies that never stress you out :)

FUN MAIL...

Today, I got some stickers & stuck them on our mailbox...

then I tucked a little gift certificate in a thank you note for our mailman...he has delivered our mail thru blizzards, hailstorms, rains; Wow, we sure do appreciate him!


In this day where everything is social media & online - our mailbox doesn't get used as much as it used too :( 

I still love the excitement of checking the mail & get a smile on my face when we we get fun mail. Don't you?
Here's another post where Nyla spread the sweetness of a thank you note :)

WOODEN BANGLES...easy DIY

This is a fun way to reuse all those Popsicle sticks that you'll have this summer! I discovered this idea from Craft Fairy & Craft Affection I switched it up a bit by using coffee stir sticks since I had them left over from my tea/coffee stir stick craft.  The cute little bangles fit my wrist as well as Nyla's... perfect huh?)

Here's what you do:

Soak your sticks - soak more than you need; a few of mine broke or the ends looked a little frayed, plus this is cool so your gonna wanna a bunch! (since I used the coffee sticks it really didn't take that long about 15-20 min, Popsicle sticks will take longer)

Then bend them a little & put in a glass with water to get their shape started. (a small little juice glass works good)

Take them out of the water in a few minutes & let them get almost dry bend them a little more to fit your wrist.  Bend & dry, bend & dry till you get the shape.  Sometimes you might have to soak them again for a bit. Just play around with them until you get the shape that fits your wrist.

FUN PART - Decorate however you want. 

We had little flowers from our craft stash so we glued them on. It doesn't matter if you glue them in the exact same spot on each bracelet. If you wear them in multiples its like wearing a little wrist corsage :)


Thanks Craft Fairy & Craft Affection for inspiring us!!




I'm lovin this party come join me!!

SILVERWARE TRAY MAKEOVER....

I have this white silverware tray...drives me crazy!! When I first bought it, I thought clean lines, modern.  Now, years later its dirty; I really don't get it because all the silverware goes in clean.  What IS that silverware doing in there?

Anyway, I always forget to buy another one even though it's a constant reminder every time I open that drawer, Yuck! I've gotta get a new one.  Drives me nuts!! 

So today is the day, I'm not going to go nuts (at least over that anymore).  I decided to glam up my tray & give my silverware a little beach towel so to speak :)

 It's not perfect but it took me about 5 minutes & a little duck tape to end that frustration and I'm lovin' that!!

Here are some more of my Changes in 5 minutes. My FLIRTY Chandelier,  Mailbox FUN & Stove Hood Makeover.



Come join me!!

SPICY GUTTER GARDEN...

I have to tell you right off the bat... I'm not a gardener; I'm a total newbie at this game, its just I'm sooo excited, I had to show you what we made at my house.

We bought some plastic gutters from the hardware store and my husband cut them to fit in our fence then nailed them.  He also nailed a couple of little supporty pieces of wood underneath and drilled some drain holes in the bottom of the gutter.  Super easy huh? The ends of the gutters are open but doesn't seem to be a problem since they fit right in fence panel.

Then we planted them with all different spices & herbs.  So far so good, we had a serious rain since we planted and they held up. 

This was a pretty cheap project, the plastic gutters were about $6.00 and it keeps our little dogs from eating (& tinkling on) all our plants:)

I'll keep you posted on how our garden is going - I would love to know if any of you have tried this or any garden tips, pictures :)

BREAKFAST TREAT...YUM!!

German Pancakes!!!! 
A cousin made these for us a couple of years ago (big time thanks Jerry!!) and Nyla insisted I make these everyday since for 1 month!! So, needless to say we got a little tired of them until I had them again at my Moms last week. WOW!!  I forgot how fun,yum & easy these were!! I love these things so much I have to share them with you...

SUPER EASY RECIPE: (makes 2 piepans)
2 eggs whipped
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup flour
cinnamon (I go swoosh, swoosh)
1/2 stick of butter (yep, split between 2 pie pans so not soo bad :)

powdered sugar & lime juice for topping

Melt butter in pie pans in a 450 degree oven.
Whip eggs, add rest of ingredients(except for sugar & lime juice)
Pour in mixture into buttery pie pans 
Bake for about 15-20 minutes

Take out puffy poufs & douse with lime juice & powdered sugar (I say the more the merrier :)

It's that easy and each time they puff a little different so its always a fun surprise.  This little pancake packs a glamorous punch perfect for a Mother's day - any day breakfast!!

Tea Bag Pretty Tags diy...

This is a repost but since Mother's Day is just around the corner, I thought this might be another idea for you :) 

...and these little tea bag pretty tags are good for just about any holiday or occasion.

I got this idea from the gorgeous blog,Hank and Hunt. She made incredible pom pom teabags.

I added my own spin to her idea & made these.

  

How easy is that!  Just grab some scrap paper &/or duck tape, glue dots and stick away. My first ones, the string was a little long & dangly so just wrap the string around the original tea bag tag before you add your cute little tag. (if you want - you can even reuse the tags when your done, thanks to glue dots)

I think they will be a perfect gifty for our very sweet tea lovin friend, Judy.

The possibilities are truly endless, I can't wait to make more! Thanks to all of you for inspiring me daily, love ya!! 

Super big time thanks to Jenny from Hank and Hunt! You made my cup of tea a super treat!

Now, it's tea time!

In case you missed my other Mother's day giftie ideas click here & here for some easy fab ideas.

WAFFLE BUNS...

How could cinnamon buns get any more delish???? 

Well, just stick them in the waffle maker and you can have them that much quicker!!



Just grab your pillsbury cinnamon rolls and place them in the waffle maker - don't squish them, we set our temperature to 4 on our waffle maker.

& you will be gobblin' up this yummy goodness quicker than ever!!!

(My husband heard about this on the radio & said we have got to try this!  Super thanks to whoever came up with this idea!!)

Just had to show you 1 more time, don't you just want to grab a bite!

Hey, check out another one of my breakfast treats - scrambled eggs waffle style!