Popcorn Balls

My husbands grandmother made popcorn balls every fall/Halloween.  It's one of his favorite childhood memories.   I've endeavored to keep that tradition alive for him and make it part of our children's memory bank as well.

For the first couple of years, I used a recipe that called for lots of ingredients, and they were good.  But pouring boiling liquid over popcorn and then trying to form balls without getting scalded wasn't my idea of a fun family activity, so I adapted.

I pop my popcorn on top of the stove in a big soup pot, but you can use microwaved popcorn or a popcorn popper, it really doesn't matter.   I fix enough to fill my biggest Tupperware bowl.   Then melt a bag of marshmallows in the microwave by melting 30 seconds, stir, repeat as necessary until melted.   Then combine the popcorn and melted marshmallows.   Combining works best by using your buttered hands, not a spoon or spatula.

There is nothing redeeming about these treats.  It's total sugar/carb overload.  It's ok to do that once a year, right?

Watch Ya Mouth Game Review and a GIVEAWAY!!

We typically have family game night each weekend, and we love the chance to play new games.  When the folks at Watch Ya Mouth contacted me about doing a review, I had no idea what I was getting myself into!  We were given a copy of  Watch Ya Mouth Throwdown, and their brand new Bible Expansion Pack.

The premise of the game is you insert a plastic mouth piece into your mouth (they come in adult and child size) and then challenge another player, as you both attempt to do or say whatever goofy thing is on the card you draw.   You will be amazed at how challenging, and hysterically funny this game is!

So, let me warn you, the photos I'm going to share are in NO WAY flattering.   But that makes the game even funnier!   We laughed so hard playing this game, I literally had tears running down my face (and slobber running down my chin).   Here's the whole family, in all our glory.  Lindsey is modeling the child size mouth piece, the rest of us have the adult mouthpiece in.

 

Now that you're traumatized by our candid photos, lets show you a challenge in the works.  One cup has water, one does not.  The object is to move the most water from one cup to the other, and beat your opponent before the time runs out.   Olivia did really good at this, oddly enough.

 My husband (who is all but in hysterics at this point) is not as gifted as the child who challenged him.

The Bible Expansion Pack comes with 200 phrase cards (5 blank cards included).   You can't begin to imagine how difficult, and funny it is to try to say "Breastplate of Righteousness" with a mouth piece inserted!   This game would be a total scream for teen events!

A few words to the wise, first if you're going to have a lot of people playing, buy extra mouth guards, because really you don't want to be sharing during the game!  After the game, wash with soap and water, then either place in boiling water or in the top rack of your dishwasher to sanitize.   Also, extended use can make your gums sore, so be sure to take those guards out intermittently so your mouth can have a rest.   Lastly, the pieces are sturdy, but like anything else they can break so be sure to supervise children to prevent possible choking hazards.

Watch Ya Mouth was included in the 2017 Amazon Summer Toys List, it's listed under the Rainy Day Fun section.    This would make a great addition to your family game stash!!

Give Away!!!

The folks at Watch Ya Mouth have generously offered to give one free game to one of my lucky readers!   To win, simply leave me a message and let me know what phrase (KEEP IT CLEAN) would be hard to say while wearing a mouth piece!    You may enter to win more than once (one entry per comment), and the give away will end at midnight on June 25, 2017.  

I'll announce a random winner on June 26, 2017.    Please make sure you include a way for me to contact you in your comment!  Winner will have 24 hours to respond with shipping information, or another winner will be picked.   Open to those with a U.S. shipping address only.

Good luck!!

I received a free copy of this product(s) for review purposes only.   I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated in any way other than the free product.  The thoughts and opinions here are strictly my own.

Village People

For those who think this post is about a freaky looking group of guys singing "YMCA", stop reading now.  It's not even close.  I'm talking live nativity and gingerbread villages.

We went to a Bethlehem Village event this past weekend.  It was really well done, lots of little shops, costumed people and camels!   My brother, who happens to look a great deal like Santa Claus, went with us, so we were flocked by children every step of the way.  He was loving it and told the kids that "even Santa comes to worship Jesus".     Doesn't he just look like a jolly ole, 6 foot talk elf?

 Here are a few photos from that little excursion into Bethlehem.

This evening we decided to once again try making a gingerbread house (but it was a village this time).  I learned a lot of do and don't things on our first attempt a few years back.  This year, I had a plan, and it involved using a hot glue gun to assemble the gosh darn houses....and it worked!

  

We all had a good time decorating the little houses (which, by the way, looked a LOT bigger on the box).     However it does concern me that several of the houses look as if the are in the middle of a CSI investigation...

So see, we're little village people this week, even without the cowboy hat and Indian head dress, ahem.

Nothing Planned

Last week we doubled up on lessons and did a lot of extra work Monday – Thursday so that on Friday we could take a half day field trip and then head to IEW.   The weather had other plans, everything was cancelled because of flooding and we had an unexpected free day with absolutely nothing planned.

We started out with a trip to the library to pick up a few movies for the cold, rainy weekend.  I failed to take photos, sorry.   From there, we grabbed a cheap pizza for lunch and Olivia baked us a few cookies.

Then we moved into art.   I had a few small canvases on hand, and had been wanting to try working with acrylics.  I set out the art supplies and let the girls have at it.   The only direction I gave them was on how acrylic paint differs from the watercolors they are used to working with.

Olivia chose to paint a water lily bud.

Lindsey isn’t as gifted at art, or as interested either.  Her projects tend to have lots of bold color and stripes.

Me? I just like adding color to the words that I have running through my head.   I especially loved that I can layer the acrylic paints.

We wrapped up our afternoon with a lovely cup of pumpkin spice tea.    It’s good to have a random free day here and there!

What does your free time look like?

Enjoying the Great Outdoors

After much planning, rearranging of schedules, family emergencies and finally having to skip ballet lessons (on a holiday no less), we finally made our way to the great outdoors for our first camping trip.  Since this was our first, and we weren’t sure how well the sleeping in a tent would go, we opted for a one night trip this time.

Our choice of locations was amazing.   There was a pond for fishing, a beautiful river for exploring and wading in, and lots of bunnies to romp with.

We were all tired and ready to relax by dinner time.   We did the traditional hot dogs and s’mores over the open fire for dinner…and snacks into the wee hours. 

We sat around for hours listening to the night sounds, finding various constellations and chatting about history (of course).  Somewhere around midnight we all turned in for a well deserved sleep.  Air mattresses WILL be purchased before our next trip, ahem.

The morning brought a soft dew, bad hair, a stiff back and a herd of bunnies…and bacon.   Cooking over and open fire was fun, and tasted SOOOO good.

After breakfast we walked out to the river to explore.   The views are stunning.  The water was cold and a real “wake me up”.  We taught the girls how to skip rocks and looked for fresh water clam shells.

It was a great first camping experience, and I’m sure we’ll be going again soon!