DIY Valentine! Heart Robot

This cute little Pinterest inspiration came just in time for Valentine's Day! My son loves robots and when we started to make small variations of these he thought they were super cool. He tried to play with the robots but the paper I had used in the beginning was too flimsy and the tape I used just pulled pieces apart. So I had to improvise making a new one with heavy card stock and brad pins. 

Here is how I made this Valentine Heart Robot

***Now depending on how you will use this, or if you are going to let little ones try their hand at making this you may want to skip out on the brad pins and just use tape or glue. Brad pins are tiny so keep out of small hands!***

Pick out some coordinating colors of heavy card stock. For this particular robot I went with pink and green. Fold a paper in half and cut trace out half a heart like so...

and then cut it out.

Then I cut out 4 smaller hearts for the hands and feet, the 2 more small hearts for the top of the antennas. 

Next you want to trace and cut out 4 strips on another piece of card stock for the arms and legs of the robot. Then two more smaller ones for the robots antennas. 

Once you've cut the strips for the arms and legs, you want to start folding them back and forth to make an accordion like effect. (I didn't do this with the antennas, but feel free to change it up!)

Now comes a time to choose if you are going to want to use tape, glue or brad pins. The reason I used brad pins to secure the arms and legs to the robot is to make them moveable. However if you have really small children who will be handling the robot, or are if-y about using small pins stick to tape or glue!

Here is what brad pins look like. 

By the way... have I mentioned brad pins enough in this post yet? 

Brad pins. Brad pins. Brad pins. :)

I poked a hole in the robot in 4 spots where I will attach the arms and legs. Then I cut the arm and leg strips to make a spot for the pins to go through. Next I attached everything. 

I put a piece of tape over the back of the pin, just to ensure it was secure and to make sure my little guy wouldn't poke his finger. 

Front

 Back

I used more brad pins to attach the hands and feet. The antennas and hearts on top were attached with glue and tape. 

Now you should have something that looks like this. 

Here is when you can get creative. You can let your kiddos draw on the face. I cut out eyes and a mouth from paper as my son was too busy snacking on pretzels and didn't feel like drawing at the moment. 

And voila! A cute Valentine Heart Robot!

My little guy played with this for about 30 minutes until he decided he wanted it on the front door. 

This is such a cute little project to do with the kids. They can make miniature ones to give out as Valentines or keep for themselves. 

Enjoy! ~ Miranda

My Thanksgiving dinner menu!

I can't believe Thanksgiving is next week. Where did November go, where did the year go for that matter? I haven't gotten my turkey or any ingredients for Thanksgiving dinner yet. I need to get on the ball y'all!

Here is my Thanksgiving dinner menu. I will be hosting lots of family members in my home so our menu includes lots of foods that are traditional for us, along with some new items this year!

Citrus Herb Turkey (recipe to come, it's so good!)

Potato Salad - I'd love to be able to share this recipe with you, but alas... it's a family secret.

Green Bean Casserole - Nothing fancy, just the simple French's recipe. You can find it here- http://www.frenchs.com/recipe/frenchs-green-bean-casserole-RE1511

Creamy Peas and Carrots - This is new on the menu this year. I have been making this side dish for a couple of months now and everyone seems to love it. It's so easy...
Chop one onion and saute' in a large pan with a small amount of vegetable oil. Once the onions are translucent throw in some fresh carrots that have been peeled and chopped. Also put in a 1/2 tbsp of water. Let the carrots some up to a good simmer and throw in some thawed peas. Turn the heat down to medium and put the lid on. After the carrots are good and tender throw in a couple of tablespoons of cream cheese (don't freak, it's SO GOOD!) and put the lid back on. Let the cream cheese melt all the way through to create a creamy sauce and serve. So simple, and good!
This recipe is a variation of Giada's creamy pastina found here-
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/pastina-with-peas-and-carrots-recipe/index.html

Spinach Artichoke Mac & Cheese - Another newbie on my menu this year. I stumbled upon this delicious bit of heaven on pinterest over the summer. Thank you to the Budget Savvy Diva for the recipe, which you can find here-
http://www.budgetsavvydiva.com/2012/05/spinach-artichoke-mac-cheese-bake-recipe/

Sweet Potato Casserole - Another family favorite. Here is a recipe you can follow, I just don't use pecans and I use real marshmallows!
http://www.pauladeen.com/food_section_articles/view2/a_house_and_casserole_divided/

Cranberry Sauce - Yeah, I take a shortcut on this one. Canned cranberry sauce is just as good as home made!

Mashed Potatoes - this is another family favorite, only this year I will be making them in the crock pot following this recipe (Thank you again Budget Savvy Diva!) -
http://www.budgetsavvydiva.com/2012/01/ultimate-crock-pot-mashed-potatoes/

Gravy - Our house is divided. My parents and husband love the giblet gravy which makes me shutter just thinking about it. I prefer the store bought canned!

Dressing - Here is Kelsey's (my partner in blogging!) recipe for easy peasy oyster dressing! http://2momsandablog.blogspot.com/2012/11/my-thanksgiving-contribution-oyster.html 
If you are not a fan of oysters try this - http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/southern-cornbread-stuffing-recipe/index.html

Rolls With Citrus Herb Butter - I buy pre-made rolls like these - http://www.saraleebread.com/our-bread/sara-lee/buns-and-rolls. The citrus herb butter to melt on top will go along with my turkey recipe which will be posted shortly!

DESSERTS!

Apple Pie - I am going to try my craft hand at these apple pies baked inside apples this year - http://domesticdilettante.com/2012/01/11/applepie/

Pumpkin Pie - I will not be making this, I am giving this dessert to my sister to make. But here is a good recipe to try! http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/pumpkin-pie-recipe/index.html

So that's it! My Thanksgiving recipe round up. I hope that you have found some inspiration here!

~ Miranda

Birthday Traditions your Children will never forget!

It is never too early to begin Birthday traditions for the kiddos in your life. I recently posted this tutorial on how to make a balloon Birthday Wreath. We will pull this out every year a few days before my Son's Birthday so he knows his special day is coming.

Here are some other ways to make your child's Birthday special, starting when they first roll out of bed in the morning!

Starting the night before his birthday I started to get some surprises ready for him. I used streamers to put over his door frame, and hung a few balloons from the top of his door. The point was for him to bust out of the room! But my Son got sneaky and did a belly crawl out of his room under the streamers! He is too silly!

I put some balloons down the hallway leading to a little present for him to open in the morning. 

Each balloon was weighed down with quarters, so it was an extra surprise for him!

The next morning I got up super early and put out lots of other balloons in the hallway. 3 balloons had a dollar bill in them. It was a fun little game for him to find the balloons with the money.

When my Little Man woke up in the morning (as a 3 year old!!!) he was so surprised, happy and had the best morning. It was a lot of fun for him, and for me and his Daddy to watch him. Birthdays have always, and will always be a big deal to my family. It's a day to celebrate! So go all out, in any way you can to show your kids how special they are! The will always remember these things, and it's never too early to start traditions for your family that your kids will pass on.

Happy celebrating! ~ Miranda

DIY Spotted Puppy Halloween Costume

Part one on '2 Moms and a Blog' special Halloween series! 
*NO SEWING MACHINE REQUIRED*

Post courtesy of Little Man and Me (www.littlemanandme2.blogspot.com)

Halloween of 2010 my son was only 1 and it was difficult finding a cute little Halloween costume for him that wouldn't break the bank. I also didn't want something that would just be worn once and tossed away. So I came up with the Spotted Puppy Costume! In all it cost around $10 bucks. $8 for the hoodie and $2 for the felt. We had the other supplies on hand. It was really super simple. Considering that I have ZERO sewing skills and if possible much less patience. It was quick, inexpensive and super cute. And 2 years later my son still has the costume and wears it around the house! Here is how me and my husband together made this costume...

You will need an over-sized hoodie, felt squares in coordinating colors, needle, thread, scissors and fabric glue.

Step 1) Cut off the arms of the hoodie at shoulder seams (save them, you'll need them!).

 

Step 2) Cut different sized circles out of the felt squares (save the scrap felt, you'll need it!).

Step 3) Using the left over pieces from one of the arms of the hoodie, trace and cut out 4 puppy dog ears.

Step 4) Take two of the pieces of ears you just cut out and sew them together leaving the bottom open. Then stuff them using some of the left over felt scraps and sew to the hood of the jacket.

Step 5) Glue the felt circles onto the jacket to make spots. 

Step 6) Roll up the other arm sleeve and attach to the jacket as the tail of the puppy.

The results:

Absolutely adorable! When I took him to a Halloween festival that weekend we got so many compliments on the costume. It was simple, not over the top for a child his age and he was comfortable. The possibilities are endless with the over-sized hoodie idea. So keep an eye on the blog for more ideas to come soon! And be sure to check back for more in our special series of posts leading up to Halloween! 

~ Miranda

Chocolate Cherry Almond Cookies

This cookie is beloved by my Hubby. 

Warning: Do not leave out overnight, there will only be crumbs in the morning!

2 cups of all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

8 ounces unsalted butter, softened

1 cup of light brown sugar

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 1/2 cup dried cherries

Sift flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt into a medium mixing bowl, set aside. Cream unsalted softened butter, light brown sugar and granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl until fluffy. Mix in one egg at a time into butter mix then add almond extract. Add flour mixture into butter mixture a little at a time on low speed until completely absorbed and is a cookie dough consistency. Fold in chocolate chips and dried cherries. 

Set oven to 350 degrees. Drop tablespoon size drops onto a greased cookie sheet or wax paper. Bake  for 10-15 minutes. YUM!

Enjoy!

-Kelsey

Last minute Father's Day Gift Ideas- great for Grandpa too!

With Father's Day only 2 days away, you may be rushing and stressing to find the perfect gift for your little one to present to their Dad and even Grandfather. Times are tough, so that boat they have been eyeing is out of the question. Why not go the keepsake route?

I made this for my husband from our son, and plan to have it printed and framed. Which I can have done at Walmart all for under $10.00. Great deal! It's going to be something I make for him every Father's Day going forward. 

I used Photobucket.com to add the text and edit the picture. Something like this would also be a nice touch for a birthday party on the food or gift table. 

So relax this Father's Day, enjoy the Dads in your life and reward them with something they can keep for years to come!

~Miranda