Mr. and Mrs. Rustic Wedding Ring Bearer Box

One of my husband's oldest and dearest friends, John, is getting married next month. He and his fiancé are planning a lovely wedding with a rustic western theme. I have seen several unique western twists on the traditional ring bearer pillow. I loved the idea of a small wooden box for the wedding rings instead. I felt like it fit them perfectly. I received my invitation recently, and I decided to return my reply with a gift wrapped in a box with burlap.

 

 

You may remember their fun engagement photos I took last year. Click here for the full post on their country style engagement photos full of boots and tractors!

 

 

Supplies:

Wooden  box

Wood stain

White paint pen

Burlap

Stuffing

 

Directions:

 

1. I started out with a small wooden box from Michael's Craft Store.

 

 

2. Stain your wooden box. I stained the outside and a small portion of the inside.

 

3. Use a white paint pen to decorate the front and inside.

 

4. I hand sewed a small piece of burlap with stuffing inside.

 

 

I hope they enjoy their little rustic ring bearer box!

 

P.S. 38 weeks and counting still for my little baby girl to arrive!

 

Need some more rustic country wedding ideas? Check out this post...with all the instructions on how to throw the party pictured below!

 

 

 

 

Duck Duck Goose...I mean Tape

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walmart for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

     When we were moving a few months ago I had asked my husband for some duck tape to fix a vent in our attic that was not covered. He laughed and said, "It is not DUCK tape like the animal." " It sure is," I told him with confidence. Did he really think he was going to win this argument? I had just written another post about how wonderful duck tape was, and I had done a little research in the process. I bet him a few dollars, googled it for proof, and laughed when I told him I learned it blogging. FYI: Interesting fact for the day...Duck tape was invented around World War II as a solution for multiple issues.It could repair trucks, cracked windows, seal containers and much more! 

 Now Duck tape is all over pinterest, google, and the internet for craft projects galore. Personally, I buy Duck Tape at Walmart . They have a very large variety and selections of Duck tape colors and patterns for my crafting and fix it needs. Even though I can't honestly say it was on my child's Kindergarten supply list, I think it would have been a great addition. Especially, for all the fun projects I can make for shcool. The stuff really is amazing!!  Need a little inspiration of your own...Follow @TheDuckBrand for a constant supply of inventive and original crafts. I love this duck tape project with pencils at Holy Craft. They are so fast and simple to make with a little Duck Tape! 

 http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/teomom/ducktapepencilsfinal.jpg        aIhttp://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/teomom/ducktapepencilsfinal.jpg  buy Duck Tape at WalmartIaFYIff     

Homemade Frozen Daiquiri Hostess Gift

My sweet family threw me an amazing baby shower this weekend. I searched the Internet for a unique, clever, or original hostess gift and just couldn't find something I liked. Then I realized, just because I am pregnant and can't drink, doesn't mean they can't. Who doesn't love a cold daiquiri in the summer time?! I looked for a great recipe for pre-made daiquiris and the adjusted it to my preference. The original recipe I found was on theyummylife.com.

 

 

Ingredients:

 

Frozen strawberries, peaches, blueberries, or mangos

Light Rum ( I used flavored rum)

Frozen limeade (or lemonade) concentrate

Ice

 Mason jars

 

Directions:

 

1. In a blender combine 6 oz limeade concentrate, 6-8 oz rum, 8-10 oz frozen fruit, and approximately 3 cups of ice.

 

Tips: You make have to tweak it as you go and add a little more ice or rum. I would go light on the limeade because it can make it extra tart. Frozen fruit is perfect because it is already sweet and helps add to the consistency.

 

 

 

2. Pour your delicious daiquiri cocktail in your mason jars allowing at least a half inch at the top for freezing.

 

3. Store in your freezer until the occasion allows.

 

4. Enjoy!!

 

These are my darling baby shower hostesses. I can't wait to share the rest of the shower with you! 3 weeks and counting until my due date.

 

Superman Child Photo Shoot as a Gift for Dad

My husband's birthday is in a few weeks and I am at a total loss for a good present. Honestly, there is not much I can buy him that would fit in our camper right now or for the next few months. Lol! My youngest is obsessed with super heroes right now and he spied a picture on the Internet of a little boy dressed up as Clark Kent. He wanted to make his own costume. I thought a Superman photo shoot was the perfect solution. Plus it only took ten minutes.

 

 

Supplies:

3 D glasses from the movie theatre with the lenses popped out

Superman shirt

Button down shirt

Tie

 

Now to decide which picture is my favorite. What do you think? I am going to make a card for my husband's birthday that says something like...

 

Thanks Dad for always being my Superman!

 

 

Thai Peanut Stir Fry

Less then 5 weeks until my due date!!! I can't wait. Our little girl will be here soon enough to add to our family of two crazy boys. I have been on bed rest now for two weeks but I cheat just enough to keep sane. I hope to sneak out tonight and take my boys to see the movie Planes. A family night at the movies is just what the doctor ordered. Plus, it is 103 degrees in Texas today, and the camper we are currently living in just can't seem to keep up. I think movie theatres are some of the coolest entertainment venues around.

On to a yummy and fast recipe for Thai Peanut Stir Fry. I wish I could say it is as tasty as some of the delectable food my son and I ate while in Thailand last year, but as a Thai chef, I have a long way to go. The whole family enjoyed it though!

Sauce:

2 tbsp creamy Peanut Butter

2 tbsp rice wine vinegar

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp garlic powder

1/8 tsp ground Ginger

cayenne pepper

 

Directions:

 

1. Steam a nice blend of frozen Asian vegetables.

 

2. Cook a beef of your choice.

 

3. Steam some white rice. ( I always use a rice cooker because I think it is sooo much better that way)

 

4. Layer your rice, vegetables, beef, and don't forget some peanuts. Add your sauce on top and blend well.

 

5. Enjoy!

I think you OTTER KNOW how great Otter Pops are!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Jel Sert for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I guess the heat wave has officially hit nationwide. What are you doing to keep you and your kiddos cooled off for the summer?!? Frozen treats are a staple at our place this time of year. Popsicles are such an easy treat to satisfy my kids sweet tooth. Have you ever had an Otter Pop. These simple yet ingenius popsicles are reasonably priced, low calorie, and they contain real fruit juice. Let me be honest. I love them too! I find popsicles are great in pregnancy to soothe an upset stomach. (Sounds like an excuse...lol...but I mean it!)

 

We have so many reward systems around our house, in order to help motivate the kids to be good helpers. I prefer not to always give them money for extra chores, so I came up with a new system around our house (camper). I took a bunch of Otter Pops and labeled them with things like pick up toys, wipe the dinner table, help Dad, etc. Now my boys can pick a popsicle, do the extra little chore, and earn a sweet treat for their help. They have had so much fun helping me come up with ideas to earn popsicles. I just used a sharpie marker to write on the outside of the plastic package before I froze them. It is soooo much harder to write on them otherwise. I also let the kids decorate some of the Otter Pops with sharpies, because they are a little too young to write many words themselves.

 

 

 

We copied some of the characters from the Otter Pop Stars. You can check them out at www.otterpopstars.com. There are videos, activities, and more! My little ones liked Poncho. Whose your kids favorite star?

 

Join me in liking Otter Pops on Facebook. I think by now you OTTER KNOW how great Otter Pops are!

 

Mommy and Me Date Gift Set

While trying to decide on a gift for my best friend, and my son's best friend, whose birthdays are a few days apart, I elected for a joint gift. I made a basket full of Mommy and Me date nights that I hoped they would both enjoy. The gift basket included 5 date nights for Mom and son.

Mommy and Me Date Nights!

 

I kind of wished I had made a duplicate gift for my boys and I with date nights when I was done. We could really use some good excuses to get out of our camper we are living in right now! Funny story. After 5 days of rain in Texas, I drove up beside the camper to park on the land as usual. I quickly realized my tires were not moving smoothly any more. I attempted to begin backing up without success. I was stuck in the mud!! Finally, after quite some effort, and a little panic, I managed to avoid hitting the camper and our current water line. It was a close one according to these tire tracks.

 

I was so afraid to go back, I drove off to stay somewhere else for the night. My boys were so confused as I drove off. "MOM!" After my luck lately, I was not going to chance finding a safe spot to park, where I could actually leave early in the morning for work again. I accepted my defeat calmly. Plan B. Ok, now on to the date nights.

 

Date Night 1: Bake some brownies with me!

 

(Brownie mix and a new spatula)

 

Date Night 2: Take me to the movies

(Movie tickets and some candy treats to bring along)

 

Date Night 3: Ice cream and coloring

(Gift card to buy ice cream at Dairy Queen, coloring book, and new crayons)

 

Date Night 4: Buy some flowers and plant them together

(Garden gloves, small hand shovel, and money to buy flowers)

 

Date Night 5: Fly a kite, blow some bubbles, and use glow sticks in the swimming pool after dark!

(Beach bag, kite, bubbles and glow sticks)

 

I hope they enjoyed the gift!!

 

P.S. I didn't have a fancy way to make the tags. I googled images for chevron print. I cut and pasted the image in Microsoft Word and then typed the text over the chevron image. It was super easy and it did not require a fancy program.