Review: Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

I found the recipe for these wonderful little muffins on one of my favorite blogs, Annie's Eats.  These muffins are moist, rich in pumpkin flavor, and have a little cream cheese surprise inside.  I made them as part of a fall dinner party menu and they were a hit.  Luckily I have enough left over to enjoy for the next few days!
The recipe involves basic ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry.  They go together pretty easily, but you will need to plan ahead to make the cream cheese log for the filling.  The secret to getting the cream cheese nestled inside the muffin is to make and freeze a log, then slice off pieces to drop in the prebaked muffins.  I had a little trouble making the log, but only because the cream cheese/sugar mixture was a little sticky.  Once I had in wrapped it the the plastic wrap, I was able to squeeze and manipulate it into a log shape.  I left it in the freezer for a few days until I was ready to make the muffins.

Once you have the muffin batter, drop 1-2 tablespoons into each pan liner.  Drop in a sliced piece of the log and cover with the remaining batter. 

Finally, top each muffin with a crumble topping and bake!  These muffins are fantastic and I definitely recommend you try them.  Click here for the full recipe at Annie's Eats.

Brown Bear Series: The Black Sheep

This is the final project in our Brown Bear series for this year.  In previous years I made the gold fish, and have always wanted to try the teacher and the children, but this is as far as I got this year.  This sheep is by far my favorite project and the most creative in the series.  It involves a lesson on ovals, cutting, gluing, using chalk and cotton balls, and creative personalization on the student's part.  I drew the patterns for the body, head, and face and traced them on to black and gray paper.  The students were able to cut the pieces out and construct the sheep.  They cut out their own legs and drew the sheep's fur with white chalk.  Each sheep turned out totally unique and some were just so funny looking!  I decided to tie this project in with the Baa Baa Black Sheep nursery rhyme and made a hallway display out of it.

Brown Bear Series: The White Dog

I got the idea for the White Dog from Enchanted Learning's website.  If you are at all interested in crafts for children, Enchanted Learning is a wonderful resource.  I used the pattern (click here) for the "Delightful Dog Card" using white construction paper.  The children could easily construct this dog and personalize the face.  I loved seeing all the different interpretations and creative ideas for the faces!  I also used this same pattern for a "d is for dog" lesson in previous years.

Brown Bear Series: The Purple Cat

The Purple Cat is a fun little project and is similar to the square bear.  I started by cutting squares on the paper cutter for the face, then shreds of black for the whiskers, and triangles for the ears.  I showed the students how to glue cotton balls on the face and draw a cat's mouth.  At this point in our paper craft series I have taught the students how to gather their own materials instead of me passing them out.  This teaches them to follow multi-step directions and to take count of what they need.  I put the pieces for the cat at different areas in the room so each area does not get congested with students.  Some students get each piece at a time, while others are able to count and gather all their pieces at once. 

Brown Bear Series: The Green Frog

The Green Frog is simple and quick, both to prepare and to construct.  All you will need is a 4" x 6" green rectangle, a 1.5" x 6" red strip, and googly eyes.  Students will fold the rectangle in half to make the head, then curl the red strip of paper on their pencil for the tongue.  Glue the tongue inside the mouth and the googly eyes on the front.  That's it!  The highlight of this project is learning how to curl the paper around a pencil.  Although some may have trouble at first, once the see it can be done they are marveled by this technique.  They later use it creatively on their own when making up their own projects in the art center.

Brown Bear Series: The Blue Horse

Our Blue Horse is made up entirely of rectangles.  For some reason, the rectangle is the trickiest shape for my kindergartners to remember.  This project is perfect for giving them something to refer to when thinking about rectangles.  All of the parts are cut out on the paper cutter.  Since there is no cutting required on the student's part, I wanted to at least include a new cutting skill for them to try...fringing!  I showed them how to fringe the dark blue triangle to make the horse's tail.  In past years, I have noticed my students using this technique creatively in the art center.  They always refer back to the "horse's tail" when they show me something they fringed. 

Below are the measurements of each piece I used:
Head - 4" x 2.5"
Body - 8" x 4.5"
Legs - 1" x 4"
Tail - 4" x 2"
To finish the project, allow the kids to personalize by drawing a mane, a face, hooves, etc.

Brown Bear Series: The Yellow Duck

Next we see the Yellow Duck!  This project is based on a lesson about circles and also reinforces the skill of cutting on a curve.

• I started with a standard 18 x 12 piece of yellow construction paper and cut a 3 1/2" strip off the short side.  
• Out of this strip I cut 3 squares, each 3.5" x 3.5".  These squares are used to make the wings. 
• I then cut the remaining larger piece in half to make two 12 x 7 rectangles which I will use to trace the circles for the duck's body. To make the body I looked around my classroom for two objects I could trace in the shape of circles, one bigger than the other.  I used a cookie jar lid and a small paper plate.  I traced these on the 12 x 7 paper, making one for each student.  (You could also make patterns of these circles and teach the children to trace them themselves.) 
• The children can make the wings by folding the 3.5" square in half diagonally, then cutting on that line to make two triangles. 
• They can cut out their own feet, or you could do what I did and make a freehand pattern and cut out several at a time for them. 
• Finally, I cut the orange triangles on the paper cutter for the beak. 

Once constructed, each child can personalize their duck by drawing a face.

Brown Bear Series: The Red Bird

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, what do you see? I see a red bird looking at me!  Our second animal in the series is the red bird made of a diamond and triangles. I designed this project myself and it goes together very quickly.  You can make one pattern for yourself and cut out a class set of diamonds and triangles on the paper cutter.  To make the pattern I cut a standard 12"x18" piece of red construction paper in quarters, resulting in four 6"x9" rectangles.  To make the diamond template I folded one rectangle in quarters, opened it up and drew dots on each folded edge, then connected the dots with diagonal lines to make a perfect diamond.  I cut this template out on the paper cutter and it gives you one diamond body and four triangle wings.  Use this template to cut out a class set using several papers at a time.  You will have lots of extra triangles, but these can be used for another project.

Then, using a strip of yellow paper, cut little triangles for the bird's beak.

Students can easily construct this project and personalize it by drawing eyes, feathers, or whatever they think their bird should have.

Brown Bear Project

During the first two weeks of kindergarten, we use a theme based on the book, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin and Eric Carle.  Our students enjoy the repetitive nature of the story and love to predict which animal Brown Bear will see next.  Many students gain the confidence of  reading because they have memorized the story and can "read" the story independently.  To reinforce and tie in other areas of the curriculum, I like to do a hands-on, simple paper craft for each character in the story.  During this time we are also reviewing shapes and colors, so each animal is made of the basic shapes and colors we are learning about.  This project is also a good way to practice proper use of glue, scissor skills and spatial relations as they construct each animal.  My students start the year at all levels and some have never been exposed to scissors or glue.  This project incorporates many of the skills we are learning in early kindergarten and still allows for some creativity on the child's part.

We always start with Brown Bear himself, we call it the "square bear."

This is the simplest of all the projects and I pre-cut the shapes on a paper cutter.  I normally do not like to do a lot of pre-cut art projects, but for our very first kindergarten project we have to keep it pretty simple.  I'm not sure where the pattern for this project originated, I borrowed it from a colleague when i first started teaching. 
For each bear you will need:
(1) 7"x7" square - dark brown, for head
(2) 2"x2" squares - dark brown, for ears
(2) 1.5"x1.5" squares - light brown, for inner ears
(3) 1"x1" squares - black, for eyes/nose
teacher drawn copy of bow tie for students to cut out and color

After reading the story and our lesson on squares, I model the project and pass out the materials.The students can personalize the face (some drew ferocious teeth!) and color the bow tie.  This project goes together pretty easy and very few students need help.  Cutting out the bow tie is challenging for those who've never held scissors, but it lets me know who is going to need extra practice with fine motor skills.

Review: Martha's Quilted Coasters

I recently made these pretty quilted coasters for my living room.  I used the tutorial by Martha Stewart, with a few minor changes.  You can find the full directions for these coasters here.  This was a quick and simple project and didn't require much fabric.  I used cotton craft batting and some quilting fabric I had in my stash.  I used a rotary cutter to make sure all the cuts were precise.

When it came time to insert the batting (step #5 in Martha's directions), I found that trying to insert the batting into the sewn coaster was too much trouble.  Instead, I sewed the coaster right sides together as directed, then pinned the batting square on top.  I then turned the coaster right side out and the batting was perfectly in place.

Finally, when I quilted the finished coaster, I didn't worry about specific measurements and just used the side of the presser foot as a guide.  I'm happy with the end result of these coasters.  They will not prevent condensation from seeping through to your furniture surface (I put them on top of a thirsty stone coaster for this reason), but are fine for coffee cups, wine glasses, etc.

Make: Simple Lined Curtain Panel

Finished panels in my sewing room

I have a lot of sewing experience and I love to decorate, so making curtains is enjoyable for me. I have made all the curtains in my house using an adaptation of the pillowcase method.  With this method you are sewing your curtain and liner wrong sides together, then turning them inside-out like a pillowcase.

Before we get started I'd like to share a few tips on fabric.  Home decorating fabric comes in two basic sizes: 58" and 45".  The 58" fabric is kept flat on a roller, while 45" fabric is folded in half and rolled on a rectangular bolt.  The wider fabric is normally used for drapery and upholstery, is pricier (around $20 - $50+ a yard) and comes in a wide variety of fabric types. The 45" fabric is normally a heavy cotton and can be used for curtains, bags, accessories, etc.  The advantages of this fabric is that it's less expensive ($5 - $14 a yard), machine washable, and is very easy to work with (stiff enough to stay in place as you cut and sew.) Read over the measuring directions prior to buying fabric so that you know how much to buy. 

Also, one very important step not to be skipped is press as you go. Pressing after sewing each seam seals and flattens the stitches and prevents seam puckering. It's very important not to skip this step as it can affect the way your panels hang and has a more professional finish. I keep my ironing board lowered to the height of my sewing table and set it behind me so that I can easily swing around and press each seam as I work.

Materials:
curtain fabric 
white lining fabric (drapery lining or white muslin)
coordinating thread
measuring tape and yardstick
fabric scissors
pins
iron
sewing machine

1. Begin by deciding on the desired finished length of your panel, then add 13" to accomodate for hem and rod pocket. For example, if you want your finished panel to be 80" long, then you will need to cut a 93" piece of fabric.
Here is a time saving tip for cutting a straight line: use your yardstick as a "moving mark." I was cutting this panel at 25", so I lined up my yardstick on one edge and slid it along to act as a guide as I cut.



2. Cut the lining fabric the same length as the curtain fabric, but 1" LESS on the width. So if your fabric is 45 inches wide, cut your liner 44" wide. You can use your curtain fabric as a cutting guide.



3. With wrong sides together, align curtain fabic to side edge of lining fabric and sew a 1/2" seam from top to bottom. With your iron, press the seam to seal stitches. Then "scoot" the opposite side edge of the liner and align it with the other side edge of the curtain fabric and sew a 1/2" seam from top to bottom. Press seam to seal stiches. It should NOT be able to lay flat and will be like a tube.



4. Turn your tube inside out so that the right side of the curtain fabric is on the outside. Now you may straighten the lining fabric so that it lays flat, with a 1/2" of the curtain fabric curled towards the liner. This will be the back of your curtain panel. Press the sides so that they are flat, even, and neat.



5. Fold up 3 1/2 inches on each raw end to make the rod pocket and hem. Once you fold up your 3 1/2", press the fold, then tuck under 1/2" of raw edge and press again. Pin in place and sew along folded seam. After doing both ends, you will have a 3" hem and a 3" pocket for your rod.



This method is so quick and easy and can be adapted to make any length and width of panel you desire!

Good Morning

On our drive back from South Carolina we decided to stop halfway for a night to rest in Virginia. We stayed at a great little hotel tucked beneath a mountain with a horse farm nearby. This was the view from our room first thing in the morning. Happy horses peacefully grazing on top of the mountain...a great way to start the morning!

Review: The Best Chicken Chili Ever!

This recipe for Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili is the easiest and most delicious chili I've  made.  The only labor involved is chopping the onion. After that, you dump the rest of the ingredients in the crock pot, give it a stir and set in three uncooked chicken breasts. I let it cook for about 6 hours on high, then easily shred the chicken with forks and returned it to the pot. The flavors came together perfectly and it was just the right consistency. My husband and brother loved it and had two bowls each. You really have to try this one!  Visit Skinny Taste for the full recipe.

Do: Watch Mad Men

Season four starts July 25th and if you haven't seen this show you really should! The drama, the fashion, the culture of the 1960's, the excessive smoking and drinking, and of course, Don Draper...



AMC will be running marathons of the first three seasons, starting with season one tonight at 8:00pm. Go to AMC's website to learn more about this fascinating show.  Also, check out this article from the Huffington Post about why we love Mad Men!

Strange Finds

We found these guys washed up on the beach in South Carolina. I know the two in the back are horseshoe crabs which are commonly found washed ashore in this area. I'm not sure about the one in the front. It's obviously some kind of blowfish.  Is it a porcupine fish?

Review: Tomato and Basil Crostini with Feta and Roasted Garlic Spread

This crostini is a wonderful appetizer I've made many times. I found it on an awesome blog called For the Love of Cooking. I don't remember how or when I stumbled on this blog, but it's been a great resource for me and I've cooked many of the recipes.

These little bites are so easy to prepare and taste amazing. Before you begin, you will need to roast a head of garlic. It couldn't be simpler, just slice the top end off a head of garlic, pour a little olive oil, salt and pepper on it, then wrap it in a pouch of foil. Put this in the oven at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. The garlic will squeeze easily out of the skin and can be mashed into a paste. Once you've completed this step, the rest comes together in a few minutes. Visit For the Love of Cooking for the full recipe, and check out her other recipes while you're there!

Make: Spice Pantry Organizer

If you are like me and love to cook, then you probably have what seems like hundreds of spices in your pantry. All those bottles of various sizes, some half full or with barely a pinch, can cause major clutter in your pantry or spice drawer. I keep mine on a shelf in my pantry and cannot see half of what I have. I tried installing a tap light and writing the name of each spice on the jar lids, but that didn't solve the clutter problem. I needed a new system that took up less space and would be easy to maintain.

I made this spice "file" a few months ago and it's been great! I keep my most commonly used spices in their jars and put the rest in ziploc snack size baggies, labeled on the end. I used a clear container/box that I found at Target to file them in. The box I chose is 10 inches long, 6 inches wide, and 5 inches deep. The sides of the box need to be high enough to support the baggies so they can stand up straight. A handheld label printer creates labels that look neat and are easy to read. Filing the spices in alphabetical order makes them easy to find and easy to put away. This system saved so much space in my pantry and I've had no problem keeping it organized!

Review: Broccoli and Cheese Mini Egg Omelets

I recently joined Weight Watchers and have been looking for new healthy recipes to try. I stumbled upon a great website called Skinny Taste - Gina's Weight Watchers Recipes. I decided to try the Broccoli and Cheese Mini Egg Omelets for a lovely summer brunch. These little omelets, cooked in a muffin tin, are so easy and delicious. I halved the recipe (calls for 9) and ended up making 5. I used 1/2 cup of egg beaters in place of the whole eggs, and 4 egg whites.  I baked these for about 25 minutes and they came out perfect. They were absolutely fabulous! Each omelet is 2 WW points. I had two omelets and a handful of berries for an extra point, paired it with a glass of S.Pellegrino mineral water (0 points) for a delicious and filling 5 point brunch.  Visit Skinny Taste for the full recipe.

Sunset

This is a beautiful sunset we enjoyed over the Kiawah river, while sitting on a quiet dock watching dolphins play in the water.  It doesn't get better than this.

Review: Summer Nail Colors

I've always loved painting my nails. For me, it's a relaxing escape and a chance to focus on something just for me. Shopping for and trying out new nail colors is part of the fun. While in South Carolina, I had a chance to shop at an Ulta store and picked up some fun summer colors.

Among some of my loot from Ulta are three bottles of China Glaze lacquers. My favorite is Shocking Pink, which is a neon pink.

This polish is so bright I can see it through my socks! I put three coats on my toes, but it could have used four. This polish dries matte, so a top coat is needed for a glossy finish. I also tried another neon called Purple Panic. It looks purple and fuchsia in different lights.  It's so pretty and really unique to any other purples I've tried. This needed three coats and a shiny top coat. Unfortunately it chipped on my fingers the next day, but has been long lasting on my toes. Finally, I tried Thataway, which is a bright, shimmery orange. This polish is slightly sheer and I was fine with two coats.


This was my first experience with China Glaze. The variety of color options is extensive and there are a lot of fun, bright colors. The quality is better than most, but OPI and Essie are still my favorites. Regardless, I will continue to use these colors, especially for pedicures!

Review: Blueberry Pie

I recently stumbled upon a great blog called Annie's Eats. Her recipes and photography are outstanding and will make you want to try every one. I decided to try making her blueberry pie using fresh blueberries. Although I intended to use her basic pie dough recipe, I was exhausted that day and cheaped out with Pillsbury crusts (shame!) Aside from the crust, I followed her recipe exactly and the pie turned out amazing! I plan to make this again, but with the homemade dough, of course.

I used a hearts pie top cutter on the top crust. After baking, I was a little disappointed to see the hearts around the edge were swallowed up by the bubbling blueberry filling and the middle heart lost it's shape.  Next time I will try it with either a lattice top or simple vents.

This recipe was fun, easy, and delicious.  Try it!

Do: Enjoy Summer!

Ending the school year was bittersweet. I loved my students and was sad to see them go, but was so proud of their accomplishments and the fun we had. On the last day of school I closed up my classroom and drove to South Carolina where I would spend the next few weeks. With summer in full swing, it's time to refresh, relax, and enjoy!

Do: Waterpainting

As the weather got nicer I enjoyed taking my class outside for activities. One of the simplest, yet most requested activity is waterpainting. All you need is a sidewalk, paintbrushes, and a bucket of water. It is so exciting to see children marvel over something as simple as water creatively painted on dry concrete. Kids today are so hyperstimulated with technology, it's good to know that children still desire the simple things if presented to them.

On this particular day I had sidewalk chalk in a separate area. It was the children's idea to mix the chalk drawing with the waterpainting and it was such a cool effect. Kids are innately creative and are not afraid to experiment, I learn a lot from them!

Make: Spring Bulletin Board

This was the last bulletin board I displayed outside my kindergarten classroom this year.  I put it up around springtime and left it up until the last week of school.  It was so bright, 3D, and eye-catching, it recieved a lot of attention. 
First I had the kids make tissue paper flowers in pots.



I let each student choose two tissue colors. I showed them how to fold the tissue accordian style, then how to wrap a green pipe cleaner in the middle. The fun part was poofing the flower out. The next day, we painted styrofoam coffe cups (large) with a mix of red, orange, and brown paint. When the cups were dry, we stuffed them with a piece of green tissue paper and I stapled the pipe cleaner inside. They don't stand up on thier own, but hang nicely.



The actual bulletin board came together without much of a plan. First I made the tissue flowers. I cut out the photos and taped them to popsicle sticks and stuck those in the flowers. I found the quote Friends are Flowers in the Garden of Life randomly on the internet. I wrote that on white paper and cut around it. The first thing I hung was the grass (two shades of green construction paper) and the glitter sun. I hung the quote around those, and stapled the flowers where they would fit. I cut strips of green paper to use as stems and leaves, and voila! It turned out better than expected.

About this blog...

This is a blog all about the things I enjoy.  I love to be creative and try new things.  During the school year, it's all about crafting with kids.  When school is not in session, you'll find me cooking, sewing, crafting, and pampering with beauty products.  Enjoy!