Science Fair in the Bag

We'll this year went so much better then last year.  There were no tears just smiles and Cole's Popcorn Project was a hit!  We will find out tomorrow what his grade was and if he got a honorable mention ribbon (stay tuned for that).  Cole's teacher did say that it went very well, that he stood up and did a great presentation.  We got many ooh's and ahhh's as people walked by the fair tonight.  PLUS Cole is getting an academic award tomorrow.  As most of you know it's been rough for Cole but with help for his ADHD and an amazing tutor he was able to really focus and work hard in class.  His teacher said the award is for most improved in behavior, reading and studies!!  So proud of him!

Hope you all have a wonderful night and weekend!

Friend Funny

The older I get the less and less friends I have around, I wonder if I smell ... lol.  It's just life and family, friends kind of go on the back burner.  Then the ones you make sometimes really are just the kind that are there but in a pinch really wouldn't be there.  Guess it is just life, but I also know there are a few I can count on for bail money if I really need it .. hehe.

This made me laugh!

Had to Share!!

Science Project ... Un-popped Popcorn Kernels

We are onto this year's Science Project!  Last year we did the Lava Lamp which was a lot of fun, but sadly all our efforts did not go with a good experience from Cole.  NOW at a new school and a different way of grading science projects we are in hopes that Cole will have a good experience with this project.  It took all my effort to assure him that this time will be different and we won't end up in tears like last year, lord I pray so we'll find out Thursday at the Science Fair.

This Year he wanted to do something fun and flashy.  He had me google science project with electricity since that is something they have been doing in school.  We found some cool LED gloves you could make, but to be honest all the projects cost a lot to make. Then I came across a Popcorn Experiment by Sean Boyd.  It had GREAT instructions what to do and how to do.  

Our amazing tutor Jessica and Cole got to work on it, they put in almost a week of testing and making the board.  I was so impressed with how it turned out!  We modeled our board off a picture I found on pinterest, the Popcorn Science Board didn't have a site it was just a picture, please let me know if it yours so I can give you credit.

What you Need:

5 Brands of Microwave Popcorn ($8, 2 boxes at Dollar tree, $2 each for the rest)

2 Bowls

Microwave

Tri-Board ($2.99 Fred Meyer)

Red Paper ($1 Large sheet found at Dollar Tree)

Black Paper ($1 Large sheet found at Dollar Tree)

Yellow Paper ($1 Large sheet found at Dollar Tree)

3M Spray Glue ($4.99 we had a can already or Glue Sticks)

Popcorn Cut outs (Print if you can't find)

Circuit (For Circles and Letters or you can cut them yourself)

What you Need to do:

We placed a bag in the microwave and pressed the popcorn button. Once the microwave stopped we poured the popcorn into a bowl then counted each un-popped kernel and wrote it down.  We then did the same steps with the next 2 bags of the same brand. Same steps repeated with each brand.  We did a trial of 3 on each popcorn brand so an average could be taken to give a true test of how many un-popped kernels were left.

For the board we cut out strips of Red for the look of a popcorn bag.  We used my Circuit machine to cut out circles (used George Font Cartridge), also used this to make the letters.  Computer used for the graphs and the typing of the words, printed on white card stock.  To make the words pop we took the white cardstock and placed on black paper to outline.  We also printed a few clip art pieces to glue on the board.  We hit the garage and found a can of 3M spray adhesive and sprayed everything done.  We used yellow circles to put on the top of the board to look like popcorn coming out of the popcorn container.  We added circles to make it look like popped popcorn for each label.  We took the Pop Pop Popcorn letters and put on the board with a black background.

Question / Problem:

Which brand of popcorn will give the least amount of un-popped kernels.

Prediction / Hypothesis:

Predict which Brand would produce least and the most unpopped Kernels.

Procedure:

Use the above statement on what you need to do.

Results / Conclusion:

Take the #of un-popped kernels of each brand and divide by 3 to get an average.  The average from EACH brand will tell you who has the least and who has the most.  It will also tell you if you were right or wrong with your prediction.

Graphs:

Use Word or Excel to graph your results.  Our Graphs:

We took this data to make a graph / Data Table (We used Excel, I can't get the graph to copy):

Popcorn Brand	Trial 1	Trial 2	Trial 3	Avg.
Act II	45	69	5	40
Jollytime	72	23	2	32
Pop Secret	26	19	21	22
Kroger	46	48	15	36
Primetime	31	38	36	35

Have fun, this is a fun and pretty inexpensive experiment.

Thanks for Stopping by!

Don't forget to see the parties I link up to HERE. 

Bring on the Diaper Cakes ... Palm Tree Diaper Cake

Next on the diaper cake train was the one I made for the Safari themed party.  I thought it would be fun to do a palm tree with a monkey hanging off it.  I saw a few different ideas on Diaper Cakes Tampa and More than Favors.  I took their ideas and ran with it.

I did my normal diaper cake base that I would do for a 3 tier diaper cake.  I rolled each diaper and tied it with ribbon that says "It's a boy" found at the dollar tree.  I made one round of diapers to resemble a base (like a round cake).  Tied it with a brown ribbon that reminded me of safari themed.  I usually am so good at taking step by step pictures but this time I was up until midnight the night before the party and my mind was not on picture taking.  

What you Need:

Diapers (around 50 per cake)

Wire Ribbon (to wrap around the base)

thin Ribbon (to wrap around each individual diaper)

Wire Palm Branch

Monkey (with long arms and long legs)

To roll a diaper I start at the fold of the diaper and roll into a tight roll (almost like a cinnamon roll).  I tie mine off with ribbon from dollar tree that say "It's a boy (or girl)". You could use a clear small rubber band if you want.  Put together around 45/50 rolled diapers in a circle and tie with the wire ribbon this will make your base of the palm tree.  I took 3 rolled diapers and pushed them up the wire of the palm branch (this will cover up the wire stem).  I found a monkey that had the long arms and legs that I wrapped around one of the tree's.

Do you have any upcoming showers to attend?

Don't forget to see the parties I link up to HERE.

Bring on the Diaper Cakes ... Diaper Cake Tub

When I went to visit with my coworkers last October they had a surprise baby-shower planned for one of our VP's.  I of course wanted to make something, and my brilliant plan was to make a diaper cake.  YUP I packed all the supplies into my suitcase, which caused me to go over the 50lb weight limit, thank God I got a nice lady who didn't charge me for the overage. 

My amazing boss stayed up with me the night before the shower and helped me create this awesome cake I found on Building it on Pennies.  It was rather easy to make an extra set of hands does help when putting the ribbon on. 

Diapers (Used around 40)

1-baby bath tub

1-baby bath gel

1-baby powder

1-baby lotion

2-teething rings (if possible red and blue)

2-baby wash cloths

1-Sm rubber ducky that takes the waters temperature

1-lg rubber ducky that covers the tub's water spout

1-Wire Flower (easy to bend to shape into spout)

 2" wired ribbon

Place diapers over the edge of the tub and snugged them up nice and tight.  Pull ribbon around and tie a tight knot with a pretty bow to hold all the diapers in place (we had to do a little tape to help hold the ribbon down).  For the water spout for this tub. I first roll some diapers and stuff in the tub to hold the spout in place. Wrap 5 diapers around a flower stem to create the spout.  Put ribbons around the rolled up diapers to hold them on.  Then put the tub's spout in between the other rolled up diapers.  Bent it over to look like a water spout, added the teething rings to represent faucets (red and blue would be perfect) and then add a couple of wash cloths over the edge of the tub. Placed extra diapers in the bottom of the tub to fill it up.  For the bubbles use some poly foam.  Float the duckies on top like they would in a bath tub.  Add extras like the lotion etc to the tub and present to the mom to be.

It was super cute but it will be perfect gift for a new or soon to be new mommy!

Do you have any upcoming showers to attend?

Don't forget to see the parties I link up to HERE.

Weekend To do ... My list

It's going to be a busy weekend yet again!  We have swim lesson's, basketball practice and basketball game too!  We still have a science project to finish and I have 2 birthday gifts I must finish too.  Oh lord wish me luck .. lol as usual so many plates spinning.  Thankfully I've enlisted the tutor to come in Saturday to help finish up the science project.

Science Project Board almost done

A Few more experiments going on

Which brand will have the less unpopped kernels

A Super Hero Project Birthday Gift to do

Found on Alpha Mom

A Car Mat Birthday Gift to do

Found on Crafty Soccer Mom

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!

Makes you think!

With Cole and his ADHD I've been changing my thinking on fits best for his thinking.  We have been blessed this year with a GREAT teacher that is helping and talks a lot to me.  Plus having a tutor who is so willing to try new things with him just makes learning so much more fun for him.  I so need for him to not hate school at such a young age.  I keep seeing this message on facebook and know from my standpoint how powerful it is.  Thought I would share.

Roar! Safari Baby Shower ... S'mores Monkey Bread

On the safari / Monkey Theme, I made this last dish that I have been dying to make forever but didn't have a party that I could bring to.  I wanted to make Monkey Bread then I saw this S'mores Monkey Bread version that I knew would be perfect!!  Mine didn't come out pretty stacked up but it sure was tasty.  

Ingredients

1/2

cup sugar

1/2

cup crushed graham crackers or graham cracker crumbs

4

cans Pillsbury® Grands!® Flaky Layers refrigerated biscuits

1

cup milk chocolate chips (6 oz)

1/2

cup miniature marshmallows

1 1/4

cups marshmallow creme

3/4

cup butter

1

teaspoon vanilla

Steps

• 1 Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 6-cup (9-inch) fluted tube cake pan or angel food (tube) cake pan with cooking spray.
• 2 In large food-storage plastic bag, mix sugar and cracker crumbs. Separate each can of dough into 8 biscuits; cut each into quarters. Place 6 to 8 biscuit pieces in sugar-crumb mixture; shake well. Continue to add more biscuit pieces to sugar-crumb until all are completely coated.
• 3 Layer biscuit pieces, chocolate chips and marshmallows in pan.
• 4 In 1-quart saucepan, melt marshmallow creme, butter and vanilla over medium heat. When mixture begins to boil, cook and stir 1 minute. Pour over biscuits, chips and marshmallows in pan.
• 5 Bake 35 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Place plate upside down over pan; turn plate and pan over. Remove pan. Serve warm.

Ooey Goeey is the best!!

Thanks for Stopping by!

Don't forget to see the parties I link up to HERE. 

Roar! Safari Baby Shower ... Nilla Tiramisu Cookie Balls

I had these pinned a while back and had to give them a try for my Safari theme, they reminded me of Zebra strips.  These Nilla Tiramisu Cookie Balls were easy to make and I love how they looked.  I doubled the recipe thinking we would have a ton of guest, so we ended up with a ton of these.  A nice treat for them to keep since I was not taking any sweets home with me .. lol. 

Ingredients

1	pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
60	NILLA Wafers, finely crushed (about 2 cups)
3	Tbsp. MAXWELL HOUSE INTERNATIONAL Vienna Café, divided
	# pkg. (4 oz. each) BAKER'S White Chocolate, broken into pieces, melted
2	oz. BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted

Directions

MIX cream cheese, cookie crumbs and 1 Tbsp. coffee until well blended.

SHAPE into 36 (1-inch) balls. Freeze 10 min. Mix white chocolate and remaining coffee. Dip balls in white chocolate mixture; place in single layer in shallow waxed paper-lined pan. Drizzle with semi-sweet chocolate.

REFRIGERATE 1 hour or until firm.

ALEXIS NOTES:  I used chocolate melts that I had left over from my Christmas baking.  I buy them in the bulk section of Winco because it's so much cheaper.  I used the white and milk chocolate ones instead of the Baker's chocolate.  I also made larger balls then they did because I was in a hurry and needed to get this done quick.  So when I doubled the recipe I had around 36 balls.

These can be made a day or two ahead of time.  Enjoy!!!

Stay Tune for a few more Safari themed items

Thanks for Stopping by!

Don't forget to see the parties I link up to HERE. 

Roar! Safari Baby Shower ... Monkey & Banana Cupcake Toppers

This past weekend one of my dear friends had a baby shower to welcome in her 2nd baby boy that is coming very soon.  She picked a safari theme and I was asked to help with treats.  As usual I went a little nutty going over the board buying things and wanting to make everything I found.  With some urging from Rick I stepped back out of the host roll I was not and back to the helper role I was asked to be (yup I'm working on my over doing it .. lol).  Returned $100 worth of items and stuck to a few basics for the party.  First on my list was the cupcakes, I made 2 dozen with two different toppers.  The toppers I could make before hand so the day of the party I could just go and not worry about making them the day of.

I first started with the monkey's since they would take a little bit of time to make.  I found a few versions of pictures that I like and kind of made my own from it.  I used inspiration from Rose Bakes and Stagetectures.

I started with making my favorite Rolled Buttercream Fondant (I've posted my recipe so many times I'm just going to give you the link to not make this post crazy long).  I hit up Micheal's for Wilton icing food coloring in Brown and Ivory.  I used a circle cutter and two oval cutters.

What you Need:

Rolled Buttercream Fondant

Wilton Icing Color Brown

Wilton Icing Color Ivory

Circle Cutter

Ivory Cutters

Paint Brush with water

Powder Sugar (for rolling)

Make the fondant, break into 2 balls one larger ball (brown) and one smaller one (ivory).  Roll out the fondant using powder sugar so it won't stick.  I only made 12 monkey's so my monkey's were really thick, you can roll your's thinner if you would like.  The brown I rolled out and cut out 12 circles.  With my left over brown I rolled it out and used my smallest oval cutter to make the ears (24 total).  I then rolled out the ivory cut out 12 ovals (for the mouths).  Once the mouths were cut out I used my fondant cutter VERY lightly to make a straight line for the lips.  I was going to use food writers to color on the eyes but instead I used the pointy end of my paint brush to make two eyes.  To attach my mouth and ears I used my paint brush and a little warm water.  I let the Monkey's sit out to harden up a little bit before attaching to my frosted cupcakes.  See the picture below for a step by step.

After the Monkey's I made my go to best Buttercream Frosting (again to keep this post from being so long I'm including my recipe via the link).  I also made my go to Moist White Cake Recipe.

After the Monkey's were done I made the banana's for the other 12 cupcakes, this was the easiest part.  I bought a banana silicone mold off Amazon.

What you Need:

Banana Silicone Mold

Yellow Wilton Candy Melts

I loaded up each banana cavity with 6 melts and placed it into the microwave for 1 min 30 sec. You may need to do a extra 30 seconds if needed.  When you take them out bang the tray a few times to get the air bubbles out.  I placed mine in the freezer, about 10 minutes later I carefully popped them out.  I placed them on top of the cupcake and then into the fridge to make sure they didn't melt.

The cupcakes were a little time consuming but so cute and worth it!

Stay Tune for a few more Safari themed items

Thanks for Stopping by!

Don't forget to see the parties I link up to HERE. 

Cupid Time ... Heart within a Heart Cookie

While I was at it I thought I'd make some cookies for the boys friends (I'm sure I'll get a nasty gram for making something instead of buying, bring it on .. lol).  I made a version of these cookies with pumpkins before but I wanted to try with hearts.  I did a red and a pink version.  I should have stuck with white and used either or Red OR Pink to make them more dramatic looking but still a fun cookie.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup margarine 1 1/2 cups white sugar 3 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons cream of tartar 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Cream the margarine and add the sugar gradually. Beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at time, mixing well after each addition.
2.	Stir in the vanilla. Add the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt gradually to the creamed mixture, stirring in by hand. Cover and chill dough overnight.
3.	Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
4.	Roll dough out on a floured surface to 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick and cut into your favorite shapes. Place cookies onto the prepared baking sheets.
5.	Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 6 to 8 minutes or until cookie has a golden appearance.

First I started with the sugar cookie recipe.  I made tow batches of the dough.  Then First batch I made red with Wilton Icing color.  The Second batch I made pink with Wilton Icing Color. I find this is the best way to color anything from fondant to dough.  

I took my large Heart Cookie Cutter and cut out the cookies.  I then took my smaller heart and cut out the middle of my cookie.  I set these aside the small hearts for the next batch, I then just baked a few of small hearts for Caden's class.  I then rolled out the 2nd color (if I used red for the big heart then pink for the small heart and vice versa) then put the small heart in the big heart (almost like a puzzle piece) and lightly made the two edges stick together.  Bake like normal and rest on a cooling rack or eat right away :).

With my extra dough I made small and large hearts for Caden's Class (his class is much larger then Cole's and I was running out of steam).

Here is Cole's Valentine's all done up:

Caden's Valentine's all done up:

Thanks for Stopping by!

Don't forget to see the parties I link up to HERE. 

The new years resolutions are still on ..

I thought by now the new year resolution gang would kick off but we still have a ton at the gym lately with their no gym manners.  How hard is it to have respect for those around you?  LOL it just makes me laugh (ok sometimes want to scream at times) when people decide it's ok to talk on cell phones or carry on loud conversations with their neighbor or heck someone across the room.  Saw this gym funny and had to share.

On my front I have the cookie dough made, but I'm sadly behind on the rest ... YIKES

OMGosh I'm half way through this week and still have a list to do ...

It's one of those weeks that I've over booked myself yet again. I have one more project to finish for the boys valentine's treats for the class.  My friend's babyshower is on Saturday and I offered to help.  So I have a few things to make, my living room looks like diapers threw up everywhere! LOL

Cookies:

Cake like this to make:

A cross between these two Monkey cupcakes to make:

A form of this monkey diaper cake

Nilla Tiramisu Cookie Balls

Chocolate Stuffed Monkey Bread

AND ... If I get extra time

Diaper Wreath

Wish me luck!!!