festive touches for a family reunion

I was co-in charge (is that a word?) of my family reunion this year. It was kind of crazy trying to coordinate with everyone's schedules and preferences, but we finally got it all together.

There were a few fun things I did to make the trip more festive and thought I'd share them with you. Keep in mind, all of these things were FUN for me and I in no way felt pressure or stress to do them. Because once it becomes not fun, I stop.

1. Logo
Yes, I designed a logo for the event. I know, I'm pathetic. But, I only spent like 2 minutes on it and figured that it would be fun to include it on all correspondence. You know, to make it more official.

2. Wristbands
I wanted to do give everyone something to wear during the trip, but honestly, I'm not a big fan of cheesy t-shirts or hats or bandannas. And I was on a really LOW budget. Plus, I knew that whatever I gave would go straight into the trash afterwards. So I decided on wristbands. They cost me $2 from the dollar store and were the perfect way to unify us without being too cheesy or noticeable.

To kick off King Camp, I turned on "We are Family" during breakfast while I handed them out. The fun music and wristbands got everyone excited for the days ahead.

3. Yellowstone Survival Kits 
Since we would be spending a day in Yellowstone, I made a survival kit for everyone. The kits included "Moose Munch"- a snack mix of m&m's, pretzels, kettle corn, and yellow and white cheez-its. I also thought a friendly adult competition would be fun. I made up some License Plate game sheets (with the logo :) and put them in the kits out to everyone before we went to the Yellowstone. The winner got Haribo gummy bears since Yellowstone is notorious for bears.

Besides the beautiful sights of Yellowstone, I think everyone's favorite part was running through parking lots to find the most license plates.

What fun things have you done to festify your family reunions??

mini s'more kits

I was putting together a birthday package for my little sister when I realized that I needed to put something out of the ordinary in there. Since she won't be able to have many campfires on her own this summer (since she is serving a mission for our church), I thought a mini s'more kit would be just the perfect thing.

Never heard of a mini s'more? I think they are just about the cutest thing. Not to mention, they are fun to make. Let me tell you how to make them.

First, you need gather a tea light, toothpicks, mini marshmallows, golden grahams cereal, and chocolate chips.

Then, you light the tea light. Put a marshmallow on the toothpick and then roast it over the flame.

Once it is roasted to your liking, put it between 2 golden grahams. And don't forget to add a chocolate chip in there, too!

Now you have a mini s'more. Pop it in your mouth and make s'more!

I packaged all the contents up to make this mini s'more kit:

This would also make for a fun date idea or activity to do with friends during a game night. Or how about a party favor or gift? The possibilities are endless!

flower arranging 101

I learned how to arrange flowers the other night. There is actually a method to it as opposed to just putting a bunch of flowers in a vase. I won't be going into floral design anytime soon, but I wanted to write down what I learned before I forget.

1. Use special flower tape to make a grid across the opening of the vase. This will help keep the flowers standing straight up.
2. Fill the vase 3/4 full of water and add plant food to prevent bacteria from growing.
3.Use 2 different kinds of greenery. Make sure you clean off the stem so no leaves get in the water.The greenery should be shorter than any of your flowers.
4. Decide what color scheme you will go with. Monochromatic, complimentary, etc.
5. Use 2 vertical flowers to create height.
6. Choose one flower to be your focal point.
7. Fill in with other flowers. Use different types to create pops.
8. Add in more greenery if needed.
9. Finish off by adding a bow to tie everything together.

Frozen Fruit Salad [recipe]

My final fruit recipe is a favorite from my childhood. I have such vivid memories of eating frozen fruit salad in white china bowls for Sunday dinner. I love this stuff. I recently made it with all the peaches we had. I am so excited to have a nice stash of it to last us through the winter.

This is what you'll need: 

And this is what you will end up with...

Frozen Fruit Salad
6 cups fresh peaches, chopped
6 cups fresh pears, chopped
1 2/3 cup crushed pineapple
1 lb. grapes
up to 2 cups sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 1/2 cup orange juice

Mix all the fruit together and then pour sugar over top. Mix well, let sit for about 20 minutes until sugar is dissolved. Then add juices and stir well. Freeze in ziploc bags or freezer containers. Makes 16 cups.

To eat, defrost for just a few minutes. You still want it chunky and frozen.

peach torte

(don't forget to enter the giveaway here)

 Before summer is too far past, I'm going to share with you some of my favorite festive 

ways to use up that fruit. First up... Peach Torte.

I first tried peach torte back when I was dating my husband. My future sister-in-law made it for us and ever since that day, I have been endlessly waiting to make it myself. I've been waiting for the perfect reason to make it, but I finally just decided that the fact the summer is practically over is a good enough reason. And, we had fresh peaches to use. I'm salivating just thinking about it. And confession, my husband actually made it. So it is a recipe that is easy enough a man can make it!

Peach Torte
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 cups oats
10 fresh peaches, sliced
1 1/2 cup milk
1 large box  instant vanilla pudding
8 oz whipped cream or cool whip


Melt butter. Add brown sugar and oats. Mix and put in a greased 9x13 pan. (Do not bake). Put sliced peaches on top of crust. Mix milk and pudding together until smooth. Then add cool whip to pudding. Mix well and then spread on top of peaches. Refrigerate until you eat it.

5-minute homemade popsicles

Summer is winding down! I've just realized that there are still so many things I want to do before Fall comes. Making homemade Popsicles was one of them. Chocolate popsicles are such a childhood memory for me. I haven't had them in years, but I have to say that they are still as good as I remember. And so quick and easy!

Homemade Chocolate Popsicles

1 small box of chocolate pudding- instant (if you want a from scratch recipe, try this one)
2 cups milk
popsicle molds or paper cups + popsicle sticks

Mix the milk and pudding together well with a whisk. Then before it sets up, pour into molds.

Leave a little room for it to expand when it freezes.

Put in your popsicle sticks and then freeze for at least 5 hours. 

Viola! Yummy homemade popsicles!

7-11: Free Slurpee!

Today is 7-11! That means FREE Slurpees at 7-11 today. 

Go grab one. I love when being festive is free!!

image via bargain hoot

Mango Salsa

I never liked Mango Salsa until my roommate in college made it for me. I remember devouring the entire bowl in one sitting. I loved the freshness of it and I liked that it wasn't too sweet (in comparison to most). I made this for the Arizona themed party, but since a few of you asked for the recipe, here you go.

Mango Salsa

1 mango
2 tomatoes
1 anaheim pepper
2 Tbsp. red onion
2 Tbsp. cilantro
1/2 Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp. orange juice

Chop up everything and mix together. Enjoy!

Grilled Pizza

Our newest favorite from the grill is Grilled Pizza.

Grilled Pizza
frozen roll dough*
pizza sauce
mozarella cheese
toppings: tomatoes, pepperoni, spinach, peppers (or anything you like!)

(*I used frozen dough for the sake of time, but I would try something different next time. Also, I would chop up the veggies so it would be easier to eat.)

Simply roll out your dough. Brush one side of it with olive oil and lay flat on the grill. Cook for about 5 minutes or until it looks cooked. Brush the top side with oil before flipping over, then flip over. Add your sauce, cheese, and toppings. Cook for another 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Rosemary Ranch Chicken Skewers [recipe]

I thought I would share some of our favorite grill recipes over the course of the next little while. You know, just in case you are obsessed with grilling like we have been lately. Because in my mind, grilling makes life festive. And makes it more exciting to eat. And being festive is what we are all about.

I first tried Rosemary Ranch Chicken at my in-laws, but have just recently rediscovered it. We have had it twice in the past few weeks. The way the flavors come together will make you crave it. It is so delicious!

Rosemary Ranch Chicken 

1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup ranch dressing
3 TB Worcestershire sauce
1 TB rosemary
2 tsp salt
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp vinegar
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 TB white sugar
5 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and let sit for 5 minutes. Put chicken in and stir and coat well. Let the chicken marinade for 30 minutes or longer. Put on metal skewers or soaked bamboo skewers. Cook on the grill for 6-10 minutes on each side.

Themed Party: Picnic Date

Summer is here and that means picnic season! Here are some ideas for planning the perfect picnic...



Location:

• Keep it simple in your backyard
• Or venture out to your favorite picnic spot

Food:

• Pack everything up in a picnic basket (including candles if you want it to be romantic)
• Make subs for dinner and bring your favorite picnic snacks

Activity ideas: 

• If you have a laptop, bring it along. Watch "7 Brides for 7 Brothers" once it's dark. 
• Star gaze.
•  Play your favorite card games
• Feed the ducks.

DIY: Fancy Summer Strawberries

It's June! That means summer is just around the corner.
I have lots of fun summer things coming up,

First up...Fancy Summer Strawberries

What you'll need: 

fresh strawberries, peach yogurt, cool whip, melted chocolate

First, clean the strawberries and let drain on a paper towel.

Then, cut out the center with a peeler or knife. 

Mix together the yogurt and cool whip. 

(There is no magic ratio--just mix until it tastes how you want it)

Then, fill the center of the strawberries with the yogurt mixture.

Cut the very tip of the bottom off so the strawberry will stand up on the plate. 

Finally, drizzle the melted chocolate over the strawberries. 

Refrigerate until you are ready to serve. Perfect for a summer BBQ or dinner party.

Snicker Salad

We are loving lighter meals lately. One of our favorite side dishes is Snicker Salad.

Snicker Salad

apples, bananas, grapes, strawberries, kiwi
1 peach yogurt
2 cups cool whip
Snickers, chopped

Chop all of your fruit. (You really can use whatever you want/have). Mix the cool whip and yogurt together (and add more yogurt or cool whip until it tastes how you want it). Then pour over the chopped fruit. Add in chopped snickers. You can put kiwi  and strawberry on the top for some extra festiveness.

DIY: Flower Cookies

 What you'll need: sugar cookie dough, wood skewer sticks, large gum drops, frosting (optional)

 First, make some sugar cookie dough. 

Next, cut the dough using a flower cookie cutter.

Before you bake it, take a skewer and make a small hole in the middle, like this: 

 

Bake according to the recipe and let cool.

If you want to frost the cookies, do so now.
I used the glace icing recipe from Our Best Bites.

Cut the gumdrops in half length-wise. 

Take the bottom half and slide it down about 1/2 inch on the skewer.

Then slide the cookie down.

Then put on the top of the gum drop. 

Repeat until all the cookies are done.

Put them all together in vase and you have a Springy edible bouquet!
It's perfect for a centerpiece. 

Strawberry Goodness [recipe]

My friend Mandy introduced me to Strawberry Goodness last spring. I am pretty sure she didn't call it that, but that is what we like to call it because it is so yummy. It is our favorite summertime drink. We couldn't wait for summer to come and since it's been nice weather lately, we made it for our first picnic of the year.

Strawberry Goodness
1 1/2 cups chopped fresh strawberries
1 cup lemon juice
3/4-1 1/2 cups sugar (we use 3/4 cup so it isn't too sugary)

Mix those ingredients in a blender until smooth. Then add 4 cups of water and that's it!

Enjoy our favorite refreshing drink.

Mud Cup Dessert

I LOVE this treat. It's so simple and so fun for summer.

All you need for your mud cup dessert:

• 2 cups crushed Oreos
  
• 1 large box chocolate pudding
  
• 8 oz. cool whip
  
• Gummy worms (at least 2 per person)
  
• Plastic cups (paper will also work, but it won't look as pretty)

First, mix the chocolate pudding as directed. Let the pudding thicken for 5 minutes. Then add the cool whip and 1/2 cup of crushed oreos.

Pour that mixture into the cups. Then add crushed oreos on top and gummy worms.

Keep these refrigerated until you are ready to serve them.