7.11.10

Kimmy's {Baptism}

I can't believe my baby is EIGHT!! I am really excited with her baptism later this month! I am planing a cute party afterwards.

Grandma is coming all the way from Brazil to make things even more special!

Saturday we went to downtown to take her "baptism" pictures. I think they turned out great! Here are just a few (we took more than TWO HUNDRED - just in case ;0)














And this is the invitation...



The 'theme' is Bees based on Pres. Hinckey's Be's talk!

5.10.10

Making Some Juice...

I had an awesome AND busy weekend. Enjoyed General Conference and made some grape juice!

Yumm...


Grapes from our yard!!








Delicious...

30.9.10

General Conference {gift} baskets



One more idea for General Conference! I made these for the ladies that I visit teach!




*General Conference Packets - for the kids
*Crayons or pencils
*A notebook
*Pen
*Bag of popcorn
*Kleenex
*Candy




The note says:

"Just POPPING by to wish you a meaninful conference weekend. Enjoy!"


Have a great conference weekend you too!!!




Tip Junkie handmade projects




28.9.10

General Conference Games & Activities





This weekend is General Conference! I really enjoy General Conference because it is a time when I can gather to listen to the leaders of the church and to get an extra boost in my life.

 I always come away spiritually uplifted, and with a strong resolve to do a better job - especially as a mother. But it can be hard to have the kids listen with the same enthusiasm...



 Here are some ideas to help the kids watch General Conference:

Use these cards to help children learn the names and faces of the First Presidency and 12 Apostles. There are also some fun facts too.

Just print and cutout the cards for this fun game. Four LDS bingo boards and other pieces come with this printable game. Enjoy!
 
Prophets and Apostles Matching Game.

The following links are for notebooks.

Senior Primary (6 - 11)


Nursery (18 months - 3 years):


Junior Primary (3 - 6)


Youth (12 - 18):

**(Link em portugues)

General Conference is a wonderful time to spend learning about Jesus Christ and the things that we need to work on in order to return to live with him. I know that as you listen to conference with an open heart and mind that you will feel the spirit and be strengthened. Enjoy...


credits for the ideas: The Idea Door, Sugardoodle and lds.about.com

Click here to know more what general conference...

{LDS} General Conference - a little "Get To Know"


Salt Lake Temple

A thought it would be a good idea to explain about the upcoming General Conference!
Twice a year the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (AKA Mormons) broadcasts a General Conference world wide from the Conference Center at Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah. General Conference of the LDS Church is held in April and October, usually on the first Saturday and Sunday of the month. In these meetings the First Presidency, 12 Apostles, and other leaders of the LDS Church share inspirational messages to members throughout the world.


inside Conference Center

There are five, two hour sessions as follows:

Saturday (All times are in Mountain Time)
•10:00 am General Session
•2:00 pm General Session
•6:00 pm Priesthood Session

Sunday
•10:00 am General Session
•2:00 pm General Session


The Priesthood session is for all brethren who hold the Priesthood, Broadcasts of General Conference are transmitted over TV, radio, and satellite. Video feeds of the conference are hosted online at www.byu.tv. All messages presented during General Conferences are made available in audio, video, and written formats (in over 80 languages including American Sign Language) at the Broadcast Archives as well as in the subsequent issue (May and November) of the LDS Church’s Ensign magazine.






24.9.10

My Most {perfect} Project Ever...




Wow, I am sooo glad to be back from 'maternity leave'!! I want to show off my new little guy! He is adorable and a VERY good baby... Such a nice addition to our family!! Meet Caleb, the most beautiful baby of all... Applause, please...




28.5.10

Painted Garden Pots.



I have tons of garden pots!! It must be one of my weaknesses... I can't see a cute pot, that I need want to buy!

Last year I bought these at Shopko for 90% off!! They ended up being one or two dollars each!!

Looking through my "collection" I decided that was time to do something! Put them to use!

So here are some of the pots that I painted for the front porch. I just LOVE it how it turned out.



First I applied some primer, then sprayed  painted the pots Heirloom White and the rim black. I didn't use any polyurethane, put you can for added weather/water protection.



Let dry really well, then I did some stenciling with vinyl. You can get the vinyl here. 



Aren't they CUTE?? I am in love...






29.4.10

Starting Seeds Indoor.

Ok... I know I should've posted this two months ago, since now is too late to start MOST veggies, but maybe you can take advantage of this season's clearance and be ready for next year!!

I can still start watermelon, cantaloupe, cucumber and few more things...

First of all, you need to find out when is the last frost date in your area. You can find this info here. When you open the page...

1. Under “Select a State(PDF)”, click on your state. This will bring up a list of locations and frost dates.

2.Search for a location near you, preferably one at a similar elevation, with similar weather conditions.

3. The MIDDLE date is the best (middle column, middle row).

Now that you have the date, just look on the back of your seed's packet for the suggested date for indoor start, or better yet, you can sign up for weekly reminders/schedule at My Square Foot Garden.

Let's start now...

1. Gather your supplies.

A. Seeds.


The best way to decide what and how much to plant is to look at your grocery list. What you don't usually buy, you probably won't eat! Only if you are like me, and rather not buy something because of the price!! Every year I try something new. Last year was eggplant - I loved it! This year I'll try brussel sprouts. I think is fun to try something new. If you like it, you do again next year, if you don't... at least you tried!!

Note: You can store "leftover" seeds for next year, just make sure to store them in a cool place. This year I'm using seeds from 2008 or even older.

B. Containers. Something to hold the soil and seeds. Here are some options:


* Jiffy Pellets: These start as a small hard disk, when added with water they pop right up and you can place a seed in them. These are nice because they are easy to use and small so they don't take up a lot of space.

You can place them right into the soil when you are ready, you do not need to peel off the netting around them. The disadvantage is that they are quite small and I always have to plant them in something else (last year I used  plastic cups and this year I used the Jiffy Peat Pots) before planting them outside.

*Peat pots: These are nice because they are a little larger.  I will use only this (instead of the pellets next year).  You can also place these right into soil and do not need to worry about damaging roots by pulling them out of the container. The disadvantage of these is that there is an extra step involved, they do not come with soil, so you have to fill them.


*Flats: You can use flats that once held  flowers. Make sure that you thoroughly clean a container that you are re-using. There could be a disease lingering on the container that would kill your starts. Fill with a seed starting mix, and  mark with popsicle sticks.


*Recycling. You can use yogurt containers or any other used container for seed starting. It makes gardening more economical that way. For even more creative and frugal seed starting containers, check out this article. If you are recycling something like a cup, be sure to poke some holes in the bottom for drainage. About 5-6 with a thumb tack should do the trick.


C. Soil. If you bought the Jiffy Pellets, you can skip this step, just hydrate your disks.

If you didn't buy the disks or if you have to transplant your seedlings to a bigger container, don't go out and buy a 50lb. bag of potting soil. Look for a seed starter mix. It will be very light and fluffy. You can now find this at major big box stores as well as garden nurseries. This year I used my garden mix (peat moss, vermiculite and compost). Any will work!

 2. Fill Your Containers

Fill your container with the seed starting mix and make sure to mark what kind of seeds you have in!! I use toothpicks and a little paper with the name or you can use popsicle sticks.

3. Plant Your Seeds

Soak the seeds with warm water for a few minutes - this will help with germination time. I use yogurt containers. Again, make sure to mark what kind of seeds they are. Bury the seeds down about 3 times their width.

4. Water

 Fill the bottom of the pellets tray with water, and the soil sucks up the water from the bottom. For containers you can use anything that will hold water, and do the same thing.

5. Keep them Damp and Warm

If you bought the Jiffy Pellets, they come with a greenhouse container, so you just put the lid on and stick in a warm area - you can put on top of the fridge or under red lights (warmer). If you didn't, that is okay, just use a piece of plastic wrap to cover your seeds, this will help keep the humidity in, another good option is a tupperware with lid. At this point, you don't need to stick them in the sun, you will want to keep them damp and warm (about 70 degrees).


6. Stick Them in a Sunny Spot or Under Lights.

Once your seeds have sprouted, you will want to move them to a sunny spot or under lights. If you are lucky to have a sunny spot in your house - a window sill maybe and kids that won't "explore" the plants, go forth, but if you don't (like me) you can use a shelf and hang lights just a few inches from the tops of your seeds.

If using regular fluorescent lights, use one 'warmer' and one 'cooler' or 'growing lights' (these will cost MUCH more). Last year I used the warmer and cooler and this year the growing light, I'll let you know which I liked better...



7. Harden Off

Once your plants are big and beautiful, you just stick them in the ground and water them, right? Wrong.

This part can seem scary, but don't let it intimidate you. When in doubt, take longer to harden off.

Your plants up to this point have had a cushy life. The temperature, humidity, and moisture, has been closely monitored. They have not experienced full sun, wind, or changing temperatures. Hardening off is the process of slowly getting them used to the environment they are going to move to. First move the plants outside in the shade for 2-3 hours in the morning then bring them back in. Do this for a week, each day increasing the time and sun exposure.

 8. Plant

Once your plants are properly hardened off, you can plant them in the ground just like you would had you bought them from the nursery. Congrats!

Enjoy the bounty that is sure to come!

Tip Junkie handmade projects




14.4.10

How To Make Your Own Liquid Fertilizer!

Looking to go green and save green with your vegetable fertilizer blend? Vegetable gardening is so much fun and very rewarding, but no-one really want to buy chemical fertilizers for their cropping plants anymore. There are many, many solutions out there, but you can make your own fertilizer blend at home using kitchen scraps. Not only will you have an excellent vegetable garden, but you will be re-using and recycling even more waste. This is a terrific way to stay green while gardening!!



Things You'll Need:
  • Blender or Food Processor
  • Epsom Salt
  • Vegetable & Fruit Scraps
  • Large bucket with lid

Step 1: Save all cooked or raw vegetable & fruit scraps from meal preparation. This includes potato peelings, apple peelings, pea pods, or any other parts you would ordinarily discard. Even the water used to cook vegetables in is a good source of nutrients for your garden.

Step 2: Place the scraps in an ordinary household blender and emulsify. If scraps are dry, add enough water to assist the blender in creating a smooth puree.

Step 3: Pour the vegetable scrap puree into a large plastic bucket. Add 1/2 teaspoon of Epsom Salt per quart of puree and mix thoroughly with a large wooden spoon.

Step 4: Seal the container and let set at room temperature overnight or until you have enough compost to create liquid fertilizer for your garden. Each quart of mulched veggies will make one gallon of liquid fertilizer.

Step 5: Prepare liquid fertilizer for the garden. Simply mix one quart of pureed vegetables to one gallon of warm water. Shake to mix well.

Step 6: Pour liquid fertilizer directly on the soil around plants in the garden.


Tips & Warnings


*Using liquid fertilizer on a daily basis will prevent the bucket of vegetable scraps from developing an odor.
 
*Use cooking liquids to help emulsify foods in the blender or as a substitute for warm water when mixing the pureed veggies before applying to your garden.
 
*Do not use vegetable scraps that have been fried or that have fats added.

31.3.10

Happy Birthday BeCCa!!


Yesterday was Becca's 5th birthday!! I just can not believe... It seems like yesterday that I was going to LDS hospital to check if she was ok (I haven't felt her moving at all that day) and ended up been there longer than I expected!!

She was a very healthy baby and big sister was way happy to see little sister and mom coming home!!



I LoVe YoU, BaBy...

.....................................................................................................
Last saturday was her, more than anticipated, party! She loved it and I was sure tired after all the preps...

EVERY single year I promise myself that I'll make something simple for the kids b-days,, but... well, knowing me...

This year she wanted a Dora picnic party. It couldn't be just Dora, had to be a picnic too... So I thought: "Great - no messes at home, let's go to the park!" - but we live in Utah.... We had a gourgeous day, but COLD... Not going outside!!

But everything turn out ok, and by the end of the party I was DEAD!!

Here is what we did...

** This time I totally skiped the 'big' cake - sorta!! I made cupcakes, a giant cupcake (thanks Ellen for decorating that DURING the party!!) and a almond joy cake (chocolate cake, coconut filling and chocolate ganache).




** For the activities, I made (13!!) backpacks - I'll post a tutorial soon - and inside the kids found a flashlight, a good ol' toilet paper roll binoculars and the map.




They went thru the dark cave (using their flashlight), thru bubble valley (popping bubbles), then after a few other activities we got to the picnic!




At the 'picnic table' each kid had their own lunch sack, with a ham and cheese sandwich, juice, chips and fruit snacks. They loved it...




After all, I was very happy with the party and Becca was VERY very happy...


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