Princess Party on a Budget

My good friend, Wendy, has two adorable girls named Isabelle and Kindra.  This week I planned a princess party for these little kiddos and a few of their friends. There was no particular reason for the party.  It was simply to give them something special to look forward to.  For days I heard, “Princess Party?  When is the Princess Party!?”.

It turned out to be such a perfect, simple afternoon.

At first, I was unsure how to execute such a party.  I have planned countless activities for college students, high school students and even large formal events, however; I have very limited experience planning children’s parties.  Additionally, I put myself on a tight budget.  I wanted this party to be inexpensive while still making it a special and memorable time.

Princess Tea:
We began the day with a princess tea.  The day before a friend and I made fairy-tale land cupcakes.  After being formally welcomed to the tea and handed flowers (cut from Wendy’s garden) the girls felt like royal guests.  Total Expense: $9.00

Games & Activities:

 

Snow White’s Poisoned Apple

Princess music played while the girls passed around an apple.  When the music stopped, whoever was holding snow white’s poisonous apple had to go to sleep.  The girls loved this one.  Total Expense: $0.50

Pin the Crown on the Princess

I had been given a canvas with three Disney princesses pictured on it for free (some friends moved from Dubuque last week and gave a lot of items away). I then made little crowns out of cardstock and glitter pens.  I put the girls initials on each crown.  The girls were blindfolded, spun around and then they had to attempt to pin the crown on the princess.  Total Expense: $0.00

Princess and the Pea

I read the girls the story of the princess and the pea.  Once the story was read I had the girls exit the room.  I placed five pillows on the ground and a tennis ball under one of the pillows.  I then had the girls come back in the room.  They each sat on the pillows and guessed what pillow had the pea under it. Total Expense: $0.00

Princess Stories

I read two different princess stories that were checked out from the library. 

The Princess and the Pea: By Hans Christian Anderson (went with the game)

The Princess and the Three Kings: by Karen Kingsbury (has a biblical lesson about true love)

Total Expense: $0.00

Prizes:

Each girl was given a ring if they won a game. Each girl won at least two rings by the end of the party. Total Expense: $1.00

Craft:

I purchased pre-made crowns from the dollar store.  The girls decorated these crowns with glitter, ribbon and paper.  Total Expense: $1.00

It was a very simple party but the girls had a great time!

the simple cupcake

I have a new love for cupcakes. 

I first became intrigued by cupcakes in 2008.  It was during this year that I traveled to New York City for a 10-day vacation with my friend Jamie.  During this trip I encountered one of the most delicious cupcakes I have ever eaten…

…in my entire life.

You see, we went to Magnolias.  Magnolias is famous for being the bakery where all the movie stars purchase their birthday cakes.

After hearing all the reviews, I was surprised to find out that Magnolias was a very humble looking bakery.  Consequently, I was skeptical when I first entered, however; the humble appearance was deceiving.  The baked goods that come out of that plain, little shop are far from ordinary.

I purchased four cupcakes that afternoon. 

  

All four cupcakes were eaten within an hour.

You see, I soon realized that these were not just any normal cupcakes...these were MAGNOLIAS cupcakes.  They simply melt in your mouth.

My cupcake journey continued on into last summer.  While taking a break from my schoolwork, I clicked on the television.  As I surfed TV stations, I stumbled upon Cupcake Wars (on the food network).  I was so fascinated by the bakers who made scrumptious looking cupcakes under intense pressure and guidelines.  This show left a lasting impression on me.  I realized that there is much that can be done to alter the taste and presentation of a seemingly plain, simple, little cupcake.

This summer I was inspired to make cupcakes. 

I planned a princess party for a few little girls at my church this week.  So, I decided that this was the perfect time to try out cupcake decorating.  With the help of my friend, Kristi, I made a fairy-tale land out of cupcakes.

Plain, little, ordinary cupcakes were decorated into princess crowns, magical wands and my personal favorite…butterflies.

The cupcakes added a fun touch to this little party. 

Thanks Kristi for all your help! Once again…you have taught me well!

More to come on the princess party…. :)

spinning in circles

spinning vs. running...which is better?

Running has been something that I have enjoyed since I was about 17 years old.  I remember the first time I chose to go for a run (rather than being required for P.E. class).  A friend and I ran around my neighborhood…probably totaling about one mile. :)  This initial run was tough, however; it was the run that caused me to realize that I enjoy everything about running.

I enjoy…

the steady sound of my feet tapping against the pavement.

the feeling of sweat accumulating at the top of my forehead.

the sound of my music blaring through my ipod.

the various sights that I can see along the journey.

the ability to get lost in my thoughts without any interruption.

and taste of ice-cold water after a good, long run.

Running is simply therapeutic.

Consequently, I believe that it is one of the most effective ways to relieve stress. 

As a result of my love for running, I had a goal in life to run in a race. This year I decided to accomplish this goal.  I ran in both a 5k and an 8k in Chicago, IL.

In November I ran in the Turkey Trot (8K)

In April I ran in the Bunny Hop (5K)

Now that I have completed my graduate studies, I desire to get back in shape and make exercise a priority once again.  Although I have a great love for running, this month I tried a new form of exercise to begin this process.  I am quickly falling in love with everything about this new cardio workout.

Spinning.

You might better understand spinning as cycling using a stationary bike.  Spinning instructors bring you on a cycling route each day which includes hills (up and down), long and short flats, muddy roads, and windy streets. These classes match your peddling to the cadence of the music, which is being played over the sound system.  Combining the intensity of the music with the energy found from all the others in class results in an incredible workout.

I am dripping sweat by the end of the class.

I thoroughly enjoy both running and spinning. I decided to do a little research to see if one was better for you or more effective.

Here is what I found:

Running:

• works out the entire body (legs, core and upper body)
• shapes and tones your entire body as it is working against your own body weight
• requires endurance
• about 680 calories is burned an hour (at a 10 mile per hour rate)
• places strain on bones and joints
• all you need is a good pair of running shoes and a road (and in my opinion…an ipod in necessary as well)

Spinning:

• builds strength in the lower body (specifically glutes, quads, and hamstrings)
• your core is engaged during spinning
• high intensity activity
• 590 calories is burned an hour during a spinning class
• easier on your joints--a low-impact exercise
• a spinning bike and a good pair of shoes are needed (and a GOOD spinning instructor)

If you look at the information, it could really be argued either way.  I think it really comes down to one’s personal preference and what you, individually, will be more disciplined in regularly performing.

At the moment I am partial to spinning.  However, as I type this, I am cooling down from a good run. I just got back from a run, which provided me time to think, pray and choose my music (something spin does not allow) and….I came back refreshed.

So which one is better?!?!

You will just have to try both and then decide. :)

Domesticated Woman

It is complete! 

A few weeks ago I began working on a blanket using old Emmaus Bible College t-shirts. I am thrilled to say that I completed this project today!

When I first began this blanket, I failed to realize the significant amount of time that it would take to finish such a project.  My friend, Laura Strautmann, probably laughed when she got my initial text saying: “What do you think about helping me make my t-shirt blanket this Sunday afternoon?”

Little did I know that this project would take over 17 hours to complete (and that is with TWO people working as though they are factory employees!!).

In order to finish this project in a timely manner, Laura and I decided to have a blanket-making marathon.

Today we woke up and began blanket-making at 9:00am.  We began this marathon while sipping on freshly brewed starbucks pikes roast coffee.  It was quite the perfect morning with Colbie Caillat and JJ Heller playing in the background.

However, despite the perfect setting, I had a few jitters.  The day began with the need for me to learn how to use a sewing machine.

I was very intimidated by this task.  Fortunately, I had a great instructor.  Laura taught me everything I needed to know to successfully complete my Emmaus blanket. 

Despite the great instructions that I had been given, there were a few mistakes along the way.

Thankfully, I learned that it is true what they say: “any mistake done on the sewing machine can be undone”.  Once I learned this fact, I was able to more confidently approach the machine.

We finished this project well after dinner-time, however; every minute was enjoyable!

A Lesson Learned:

I must admit an error in my thinking that I carried with me for many years.  Prior to this project I was of the opinion that most craft project cost more (time and money) than they are worth.

I was wrong.

The beauty of this project is that I was able to get all the supplies at a really good price (if not free!). 

Total Expense:

fabric: FREE! (old t-shirts)

thread: $3.92 (40% off at joannes fabric store)

quilt batting: $15.59 (40% off at joannes fabric store)

time spent learning how to use a sewing machine: priceless. (sorry, I couldn’t resist :) ) 

It did take many hours to complete this project, however, I am so thankful for every moment.  I was able to make a meaningful blanket and in the process learn how to sew. Thanks, Laura, for all your help and fun as I made my Emmaus Blanket!

I am now a domesticated women…and have the perfect blanket to sit on as I cheer for the Emmaus Soccer team!  Go Emmaus!

Two Little Words

There are two words in the american language that carry great meaning.

Thank You.

“Gracias”, “Mahalo”, “Merci”, “Grazie"....”Thank You”.  No matter how you choose to say it, I believe "thank you" is critical to understand and use in life.  I don’t think we pause to use it enough in our fast-paced society.

I want to slow down and become more thankful.

It has been said that “a grateful heart is one that finds the countless blessings of God in the seemingly mundane everyday life”.   I fail to do this almost every day.

If you have been following my blog, you know that my primary goal is to recognize and enjoy the simple things in life. I realize that to enjoy the simple things I need to identify the many blessings that I have surrounding me….and be THANKFUL.

Charles Spurgeon once said “it is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness.
 

I want to enjoy life.  

I want to be thankful…in everything (1Thessalonians 5:18)

In honor of this goal, I made “thank-you” cards.  

My inspiration came from Kristi Graves (who makes and sales personal hand-made cards) and the book: Joy of Card Making

One thing I appreciated about this little project is that it was very inexpensive (almost free!).   I already had most of the supplies which I have collected throughout the years.  

Supplies:  Blank Cards or Card Stock, Scrapbook Paper, Label Holders, Brads, and Glue.

I used a few different concepts that I found in the book.  The beautiful part of this project is that you can't mess up because no one knows what it was "supposed" to look like.  :)

All you need to do is print and cut and glue.  Once you are done making the card you write your "thank you" messages and then give them away.  

Simple.

 

If you recall in my last post, I made cake pops and placed a few in bags for gifts.  These cake pops and cards will be given out as “thank yous” for some people who have really blessed me these past few years.

These cards were not difficult to make and added a personal touch to a sincere thank-you.

Cows and Cake Pops are my Passion

For those of you who know me well…you know that I have a HUGE sweet tooth. 

Seriously, it is a bad addiction.

Ever since I was a young child I have had this obsession with sweets.  I cannot resist anything that includes butter, sugar and cream. This fact is especially true if the treat contains peanut butter and/or chocolate.  If either (or, better yet…BOTH) of these ingredients are added into the sweet…I am a goner. 

Another fact about myself: I love presentation.  This desire for good presentation can be identified in how I determine if I will return to a restaurant, coffee shop or any venue for that matter.  I believe it is important for any place to possess good atmosphere. Then, it is an added bonus if the venue serves their food in a fun or interesting manner.

So, as a result of my love for sweets and my desire for good presentation, I couldn’t wait to learn how to make cake pops.  It combines my obsessions for yummy sweets (especially chocolate) and my love for fun and unique presentation. 

Thursday, I learned.

This little treat is pure goodness in your mouth…and it comes on a stick!

I made classic cake pops....

...and farm animal cake pops. 

Now, you may be thinking: “farm animals.  Why make farm animals?”  Well, despite the fact that they are adorable…they are in honor of my “simple life” goal.

Charles Dickens once said, “cows are my passion. What I have ever sighed for is to retreat to a Swiss farm and live entirely surrounded by cows – and china”.

A Swiss farm that is surrounded by cows sounds pretty simple and pretty wonderful. 

These cake pops are getting me as close to a Swiss farm and Swiss cows as I can.

Unfortunately, I am not in Switzerland…I am in Iowa.  Consequently, I will be bringing these cake pops to church with me on Sunday.  If any of you reading this blog attend my church--you can taste them at break!  I personally think these little guys are delicious!

                                                                 

 

A Fun Little Idea: I made a few extra to give as gifts for a couple friends.  These are perfect “I am thinking of you today” gifts!

So, if you have any celebration to plan, any desserts you need to provide, or anyone you want to give a simple little gift to: I highly recommend cake pops.  They are simple to make…all you need is a little time and a few ingredients. 

If anyone out there in blog-land would like Kristi Graves (my wonderful cake-pop instructor) and I to make you a batch (or two or three or more) of cake-pops…we would happily take orders. 

Thank you, Kristi, for such a perfect afternoon of cake pop making!! You are a fantastic teacher and an inspiration!

across the street & around the world

You know the old saying, “when life hands you a lemon…make some lemonade”? 

Well, today I made some lemonade.

However, it is important to note that life has not handed me sour yellow lemons.  In fact, it is the exact opposite.  My life has been truly blessed by three sweet, little girls.  These little girls are: Spongile Sbo Khumalo, Isabelle Smith and Kindra Smith.

Here is how my day of lemonade making went:

Isabelle and Kindra set out to sale some lemonade.  This was their first experience making a lemonade stand.  They were full of excitement!

First, we made the lemonade and got our supplies together.  We cheated by using kool-aid rather than squeezing a bunch of lemons.

Then, we set up the stand on the corner street.

In the end, we had a pretty successful business going on.  I believe that these little girls are going to be quite the entrepreneurs one day. They really had a booming business developing.  The girls quickly learned how to play to their strengths (which, is simply their adorable selves) and work the crowds. 

Our total profit was $5.25.

Now, this is when the story gets good:

Remember the other girl I mentioned at the beginning of this post?  Spongile Sbo Khumalo? Well, let me tell you a little about Spongile.

I sponsor this little girl through World Vision.  She is from South Africa and has had some difficult circumstances in her life.  Both her parents have died after being diagnosed with HIV.  Her grandmother is raising her and her siblings.  Spongile is living in poverty. 

Isabelle and Kindra learned that this little girl in Africa didn’t have as much food or as many toys as they have.  So, today after working hard at their lemonade stand, Isabella and Kindra are not going to use the money to purchase themselves toys.  These young girls are going to spend their hard-earned lemonade money to buy Spongile simple little gifts.  Isabella and Kindra have plans to put together a package full of headbands, jewelry and little toys for Spongile to enjoy.

It was such a beautiful day.

I once heard someone say that we need to share Jesus to world…both “across the street and around the world”.  Isabelle and Kindra did just that through their lemonade stand.  These little girls reflected Jesus to each customer that they interacted with today.  And then, they are happy to use every cent of what they earned on a young girl in Africa whom they have never met. We can learn so much from these little kiddos.

If you are ever contemplating sponsoring a child…DO!  Your sponsorship money goes to assist with their medical care, education, food and clean water. As you are providing for their physical needs the spiritual needs of the children are addressed as well. We can help the suffering in this world….one child at a time.

If you would like to consider sponsoring a child, here is the link to World Vision’s Child Sponsorship site:  http://www.worldvision.org/content.nsf/pages/sponsor-a-child

Spring Cleaning

Anyone who has attended Emmaus Bible College has experienced my problem.

I am consumed with Emmaus t-shirts.  I have piles of these shirts.  My closest is busting at the seams.

I own 49 Emmaus shirts to be exact.

I collected all these shirts while being at the college for eight years. First, I was a student for four years. Then, I returned as a staff member two years after I graduated. I just completed my fourth year working in Student Affairs.

You see, it is the Emmaus way to make a t-shirt for any event or activity we can.  My wardrobe increases each year I am at the college.  As a result, my closet consists of a variety of colors and prints of themed shirts and other apparel.

As I began my spring-cleaning this week, I decided I needed to downsize my closet.  I knew that this meant throwing away some of these t-shirts. 

However, there is a problem. I am a very sentimental person. 

Consequently, I couldn’t get myself to throw out any of them.  Each shirt carries different memories.  Unfortunately, I realize that these shirts are taking up a lot of space in an area that I am trying to minimize.

As a result of my inability to throw out these shirts, I decided to put them to good use. This month I am going to make an Emmaus blanket using 33 of the 49 t-shirts that I own. 

I just began this project on Wednesday.

First, I decided which shirts I could live without.  This was a very difficult process.

After agonizing over which shirts to use, I cut each shirt into 12in X 12in squares.  I used both the front and the back of each t-shirt.  This gave me 66 pieces.

I then laid the squares out on my floor to decide how I wanted the blanket to be assembled.

So far so good.

My friend, Laura Strautmann, is the brains behind this project.  These next few weeks are going to consist of her teaching me how to use a sowing machine. 

I am a little scared for this part.  I am not quite sure how I will handle this type of machine, however; I have been told that any mistake on a sowing machine can be undone.  This gives me a little re-assurance.  I imagine that there will be a lot of un-doing in the weeks to come.  I don't care though...I am determined to have an emmaus t-shirt blanket!

So, if you are in the process of spring-cleaning: don’t throw out all those un-used t-shirts or other apparel…make a blanket! 

the simple life

I remember tightening the cap on my plastic, hand-me-down, strawberry shortcake thermos. Today, mom had given me a special treat to put inside…Hawaiian punch.  I tucked the thermos neatly inside my matching red lunchbox. I happily added my peanut butter & jelly sandwich along with a few other yummy treats.  Then, after giving mom a hug, I quickly ran across the street to eat a picnic lunch with my best friend.  We had made a fort using a little table, a few chairs and some old blankets. 

Life was so simple then.

What happened?

As I think over the span of my life, I am amazed at the journey.  The Lord has brought me on some exciting adventures these past few years. However, it seems that somewhere along the journey, I began to fail at appreciating the simple moments.  The simple moments like those I often experienced as a child: playing dress-up with my sisters, performing in Christmas pageants, eating grandma’s blackberry pie, roller-skating in the garage, and catching tadpoles in the pond up the street.  I often forget to enjoy the present moments around me…I rarely have those peaceful moments with no cares in the world, like I had as a child.

Things have changed.

You see, I am now an individual who is consistently looking forward.  I fail to stop and take in the moments around me.  During times of great celebration, I am often thinking about the next accomplishment I should pursue.  When I suffer from great loss or experience grief, I find myself discontent by the circumstances the Lord has brought into my life.  I am often thinking about ways I can change or fix these unfortunate situations.

Life has become so noisy.

I want to turn the volume down.

I just finished my Masters of Education at Azusa Pacific University.  At the end of my program one of my professors asked me what PERSONAL goals I had.  This was a wise question for my professor to ask me.  You see, I think she knew I am a pretty driven individual.  She knew I would be able to clearly articulate my professional and ministry goals.   However, my personal goals were more difficult to identify.  After much thought and contemplation I have come up with my personal goal for the next year:

I want to simplify.

I want to go back to the days of dress up, tadpoles and blackberry pie.

This is the year.  Rather than focusing on the “next thing”, I am purposing to have the “next thing”….nothing.  I want to….

Simply be.

This blog is going to be a documentation of those simple experiences and simple thoughts and simple enjoyable things in life…

…much like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.