{yummo} fruit dip

I had this for the first time several weeks ago at a graduation party. It was so yummy I had to track down the recipe. I have made it at least 2 times since!!!

Ingredients:
8 oz vanilla yogurt
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
whipped cream

Directions:
Mix first 3 ingredients together. Then fold in some whipped cream until you get the consistency and taste you like!

ready to {smash}

I first saw these Smash books on TwoPeas and knew I wanted to get my hands on one! I am usually such a traditional 8.5x11 or 12x12 scrapbooker, but every now and then I enjoy doing something that is out of my box. ;) So while we were at the Mall of America, we stopped in Archiver's and my mom, sis and I all picked one up! Here is a fun Smash video if you'd like to learn more about them.

Here is the style I chose....Mod Black. There are several different styles and colors to choose from. All 3 of us got different ones! We are going to use them to scrap our Mall trip!

These are a few other things I have picked up to use in my book...

Artisan tape....I have seen decorative tapes all over and I found these at Archivers in the $1.99 section. They are a great way to attach memorablia to a page or just add some decorative detail.

Today I picked up these 2 items at Tuesday Mornings. The tan box was on clearance for $1.00. It is filled with buttons, paper flowers and travel diecuts! The stickers were $1.00 each and they are travel themed as well.

Us girls are getting together Friday to {SMASH}...can't wait!!!

happy dad's day!!!

Hope all the fathers out there had a wonderful day today! Little Bit and I sure love all the dads and papas in our life!!!

crockpot cheesy potato soup

I just love crockpot meals! Lately I have been using it about twice a week. I just love being able to throw in all the ingredients in the morning and come 5:00 we have dinner ready to go! Plus, now that it is getting hotter out, it is nice not to heat up the kitchen using the oven.

This was my first experience making soup in the crockpot and it turned out wonderful!

Ingredients:
2 cups chicken broth
1 can cream of chicken soup
4 large potatoes, peeled & cubed
1 small onion, diced
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/4 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp parsley
salt & pepper to taste
2 cups shredded cheese
crumbled bacon

Directions:
Place potatoes, onion, corn and spices in crockpot. Mix soup and broth together and pour over veggies and spices. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Using a potato masher, mash potatoes some and then stir in the cheese. Serve with crumbled bacon on top!

all {american} getaway...

Last week Little Bit, the Hubs and I piled in my parents van and took off with them and my sister and headed north to Minnesota. We were on our way to the Mall of America!!! Somehow we ended up with quite a few America's on this trip! Here are some highlights...

We took a quick detour on the way up and stopped in LeClaire, Iowa at Antique Archaeology.....home of the American Pickers show on the History Channel! We love this show and it was awesome to get to see the shop in person!

Back on the road and we were on to our next America stop....the Mall of America. I have been there twice before...and every time is a great experience! We always wear ourselves out but it is well worth it!!!

Next up....American Girl! This was Little Bits and my sisters 1st time experiencing an American Girl store. Little Bit just got an 18 inch doll for Easter {Target's Our Generation doll} and was excited to go to the Eva store....that is her doll's name. Both girls picked out shirts for their dolls.

On the way home we took a different route and saw a sign for the American Gothic House. It was a free museum that had costumes and pitchforks, so people could reenact the scene from the original painting. Of course the hubs and I had to do this!!!

What a fun American journey!

Menu Plan Monday

Monday ~ beef tortellini, salad, cheesy bread

Tuesday ~ crockpot pork chops, mashed potatoes, green beans

Wednesday ~ french toast, scrambled eggs, bananas

Thursday ~ ham & beans, cornbread, apple slices

Friday ~ honey teriyaki salmon, green beans, baked sweet potatoes

Linking up with Org Junkie...check them out for more recipes!

fabric rosette necklace...

I have seen these fabric rosette necklaces all over blogland! I especially love this green one from Allora Handmade. {note to self....add green fabric to Joann Fabric shopping list!} So I decided to try and make one myself...

I had bought some yellow fabric at Hobby Lobby a few months ago so I could make one of these necklaces. I think I got 1/4 yard for like 60 some cents! I found a necklace in my jewelry box that I wasn't wearing because it was too short and had some felt in my stash as well.

I cut my fabric and rolled the rosettes to the size I wanted. There are so many great tutorials out there. Here is a simple video that explains how to make the fabric flowers. Then you just glue your rosettes onto felt and attach your necklace with glue as well.

Tada!

Letter Zz

{It's hard to believe we have gotten through the whole alphabet already....seems like we just started! So glad we did this....Little Bit has loved having "projects" to work on and has learned so much throughout this process. Hoping to do some themed things over the summer and then she's off to preschool in the fall!}

"Z" topics...zoo, zebra, zero

{Circle Time}

Calendar...Talk about the month and days of the week and put sticker on the day we are discussing.

Reading...My "x, y, z" Book by Jane Belk Moncure

Two at the Zoo by Dana Smith
When Lulu Went to the Zoo by Andy Ellis
My Heart is Like a Zoo by Michael Hall
Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell

Songs/Rhymes...The Z says...

{Letter Craft}

Z is for Zebra...{this one is my design}

{Activities}

Coloring...Letter Zz

Letter Identification...

find the letter worksheet

...do a dot letter printables

...build a Z with craft sticks

...Z letter tracing worksheet.

Spelling...Little Bit is still loving to spell her name! She loves getting on my laptop and typing in a word document. She types her name, mom and dad. She got a new doll for Easter and has learned to spell her name too!

...tray with magnetic letters and cards with words {ZOO, ZIP}. Little Bit placed the corresponding letters over the letters on the cards...while sounding out each letter.

Zebra...dot to dot zebra. This is a great exercise for getting letters in the correct order and drawing lines!

...Zebra jigsaw puzzle. We just found these puzzles when on letter Y and Little Bit just loves doing them. This is another great tool for practice moving the mouse because you have to drag the pieces to line them up in order to finish the puzzle.

Zoo...Little Bit has been into building with her blocks lately so we decided to build a zoo for her Little People animals! She had so much fun setting it up and making a home for each of the animals.

Zero...We have been introducing Little Bit to math. She loves doing simple addition. We have been working on zero and what it means. She has really caught on quick! I found this book at the library and she loves it....I Can Add by Anna Nilsen! It has flip cards with fun addition problems.

Activity shelf...treasure box; patterns with animals/colors; opening/closing activity{Little Bit's favorite this whole time!}; pom pom transfer to suction mat; pom pom transfer to strawberry traw; ice cream sensory box {pastel pom poms, ice cream scoop, ice cream erasers, gems for sprinkles, bowl, spoon}; sorting shells by big and little; rice bin with rake and race car; shape matching using our shaped buttons and dollar store banners that I cut apart.

Computer time...Starfall {we worked in the ABC section with the letter Z}

...Little Bit also loves to get in some computer time when we go the library. They have computers set up in the children's area with games, stories, etc. She loves working on Jump Start PreK!

Just thought I'd share a picture of our alphabet tree all filled up!