Happy Labor Day!

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Happy Fourth of July!

Happy Memorial Day!

Paper Plate Patriotic "Banner"

Aren't these just so cute! There are four of us in our family and we each made our own design to hang up at the cabin. All you need is one paper plate for every 2 you want to make. Cute them in half and have fun painting. We made these while at the cabin and while we are there we like to get crafty but don't have quite the arsenal of craft supplies there like we do at home, so fun and simple things with minimal supplies is definitely something we can do while we are there. Try these out!

Cheers to Labor Day Weekend

It is our final holiday weekend of the summer. Happy Labor Day!

It's easy to make your drink look festive by throwing in some blueberries and raspberries in some white wine, or some lemon-lime soda and you'll have a fun red, white and blue effect.

Patriotic Pie

I didn't go quite the easy route on this desert like I did and some of the others I have shared with you the last 2 months but I did use canned pie filling. I made homemade pie crust because I think there is nothing better in the world than having a homemade pie crust made with butter. It is so buttery and Flaky and just tastes divine.

Typically 1 can of pie filling may fill up a fight in depending upon the size of your by 10. But for this one I wanted to have two colors underneath so I bought a can of both blueberry and Cherry Pie fillings. I filled in three quarters it with cherry pie filling and one quarter with blueberry pie filling.

I did make a double pie crust recipe but you could buy the ready-made pie crust that Pillsbury makes to use for the top stars and stripes and you could you use a frozen pie crust for the bottom.

If you have a small star cookie cutter that would work great to make the stars but I didn't have that so I did them free hand. It gives them a quirky look.

Simple Patriotic Candle Display

By now you probably have noticed that I have come up with a variety of simple crafts and foods to make for Memorial Day, 4th of July, and Labor Day that are simple and use a minimal amount of supplies or ingredients. This idea is no exception.

You will need to make this at least a day in advance so the rice has time to dry again. To make the colored rice you need to mix rice and food coloring. I used 1 C of rice for each layer. Put the rice in a ziploc baggie then put in 3 or 4 drops of one color  and squish around until until well blended. Then spread out the rice in a single layer on a cookie sheet. It will need at a day too dry just to be sure it if fully dry.

Obviously, you need white rice you just leave it without dying it. I used a funnel to put the rice into the jar. Just a note that you should not put a lid over the top of this when storing it because the moisture will stay inside and it will mold. Then you can place a tea light on top. I did not have any problem with the rice scorching or anything, but you should always exercise caution when having anything with fire or flames.

Patriotic Ice Cream Sandwiches

So I wanted to quick mention before you get too far into reading about this, I did not use ice cream in these sandwiches. They are made with Cool Whip.

With that said, I totally went the easy way when making these and thought sugar cookie log from the grocery store. But if you want to make homemade old fashioned sugar cookie dough check out my sugar cookie dough recipe.

Bake your cookies as directed and put sprinkles on the top of the dough before you bake them and allow to completely cool before using. Put your Cool Whip in the refrigerator to thaw out so that you can scoop it out. While those things are happening, line a baking sheet with wax paper. I actually used a covered cake pan so that I could keep them stored in it. And pour sprinkles in a bowl.

When you cookies are cooled and Cool Whip is thawed, it is time to begin assembly. Place a generous scoop of Cool Whip in between two cookies and lightly press together. Then roll the sides of the exposed Cool Whip in the sprinkles. Place on your waxed baking pan. Place in the freezer and allow a minimum of 3 hours to freeze.

Simple Red, White & Blue Jello Dessert

Seriously, you can't get any easier than this with a dessert. All you need is your favorite "red" flavor of jell-o. I usually pick raspberry or strawberry, some whip cream in a can (make it easy to top) and blueberries.

I made these at our cabin, so I didn't have a ton of dishes to choose from so I used our short juice cups.

Make jell-o as directed on the package. Allow to set completely before topping. Arrange blueberries around the perimeter and spray whip cream in a nice mound in the center.

Simple, tasty, and kids will love it.

Holidays don't have to be filled with complicated dishes. Just have fun!

Happy Memorial Day!

Easy Star Hair Design for Girls

To do this you should be prepared with 5 hair ties and any bows you want to use. If your child has curly hair like mine it might be easier to use wet hair rather than dry hair.

I took the first third section of hair at the top of her head and split it equally into three sections. Secure each of those sections with a hair tie. The section at the very top can be secured tight but the ones on the side should be somewhat loose until you have put your star lines in place.

Divide each of the sections into two sections. Twist the hair up. If the hair is wet it should stay Twisted nicely and the hair will be smooth. Use the picture as reference to where you should put your hair sections. Use the remaining two hair ties to make the bottom two points. For a variation you could braids the sections after they have been separated.

Hopefully these directions are not too confusing. I think it is really easily to just look at the picture to figure it out.

Easy Patriotic Non-Alcoholic Drink

I have to admit, this was what I came up with AFTER a pinterest fail. I was trying that drink where you use Gatorade and Hawaiian Punch and Diet Sprite. I failed so many times with that one. I read about tips and making sure that you have a big enough difference between sugar contents (most sugar on the bottom) and adding ice at different times. Mostly I got purple drinks and one time I kept 2 colors separate, that's it. It was time to come up with something easier with what I had on hand.

Ingredients:
Carbonated clear water or soda
strawberries
blueberries
Ice

I decided to layer ice in between the fruits to keep the separate, So, ice on the bottom, then strawberries, then more ice, then blueberries. Pour you clear carbonated beverage over the top.

Simple and easy and a little snack too!

Star Paper Plate Wreath

With a little bit of preparation, you can easily make this cute weath with your child in a short time.

I bought the cheap paper plates that have a circle indentation around the center. Start a hole for them so they can get their scissors inside and have them cut out that inner circle. While they were doing that I cut out Stars. Cut out squares in the size you want so that you can easily cut out stars using a template. I made a template and then cut out 3-4 stars at a time. Then let them glue them into place. I had some excess ribbon and just tied it in a bowl and let them glue that into place as well.

Super quick. Super easy. Super cute.

Flag Waffles

Just a fun idea to have a patriotic theme to your breakfast for the upcoming summer holidays of Memorial Day and 4th of July and Labor Day. I made homemade waffles and have a waffle maker that makes two waffles this size at a time. You could possibly even use frozen waffles if you wanted that are square as well. Just slice up your fruit to fit in the size hole that is available on the waffles you are using. I used blueberries strawberries and bananas but next time I think my kids would love to have me use raspberries. They love this and it got us to eat more fruit that day.