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Shamrock Search for kids — free printable!

By KariV on March 15, 2013 in Freebies, Holidays, St. Patrick's Day

Two of my adorable nephews are coming over this weekend for some St. Patrick’s Day celebrations! It’s also my Mom’s birthday so we are really going to have some fun! I put together these “Looking for Luck” books to help us on our nature walk (it is such a beautiful weekend)!

I had fun with my new glitter tape to add a little sparkle. Inside, I have designed a nature scavenger hunt, some games and activities, and a coloring page.

I thought it would be funny to bind them with Lucky Charms and Irish Spring packaging…or is that just plain weird? It’s bound to get a few chuckles.

I used my “Zutter Bind-It-All” to punch and bind the books. But if you don’t have a way to bind, just staple the pages together. (see picture above). You can use a little green ribbon to add some flair…but who am I kidding? These are for KIDS, they won’t care if they are bound with Lucky Charms or have a ribbon on them! So anything goes here, really.

Here’s a quick view of the inside activity pages:

I think my nephews are going to have a little fun with this. Let’s just see how long it can entertain them!

To download the pages, please like my page here:

Then download the pages here:

2-13 looking for luck page 1 thru 4

2-13 looking for luck page 5 thru 8

And, if you decide to try these out with your own kids, grandkids, neighbor kids, or nieces/nephews, please let me know how they like them! 🙂

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Taste Test Tuesday — String Cheese

By KariV on March 12, 2013 in Favorite Things, Taste Test Tuesday

I like to have string cheese on hand for when I need a quick snack, so I thought string cheese would be a good taste test Tuesday subject. While it may not be as exciting as, say Salted Caramel Chocolate bars or Vanilla Caramels, I think some “healthier” options are also great for reviewing!

The contenders are only 2, but they are the “Big 2” when it comes to string cheese. Here they are:

Precious Stringsters, the brand you can find at Costco VERSUS Frigo Cheeseheads, the brand that claims to be “America’s Favorite.”

This was a very quick taste test, and easy, since there were only 2 contenders on the docket. And the judges actually liked both brands….they said “these are both good,” and “I would eat either one if I had them on hand.”

All good comments, and better than what I had to say about a less well-known string cheese I tried a couple months ago. It was a clear package with black writing on each individually wrapped string cheese serving. I searched to find this particular brand to report back to you, dear reader, but I could not find it! (If I do track it down, I will update this post). This particular string cheese was practically inedible. Nobody would eat it, except the dogs. [If you know the one I’m talking about, please comment and let me know!]

Back to the 2 contenders. After all was said and done, one edged out ahead of the other…

THE RESULTS

The judges declared that the winner was creamier and more pleasant (less chalky). And the winner is (drumroll please):

PRECIOUS Stringsters String Cheese #1!

So it seems that “America’s Favorite” was actually NOT the favorite this time. While the Cheeseheads string cheese had a chalkier taste, some judges declared that it had a cheesier flavor! Even though they liked the cheesy taste of the cheeseheads, the judges said that the chalky-ness up front could not beat out the creamy taste of the Precious Stringsters!

[A special thanks to all our judges.]

What is your favorite snack? Favorite string cheese? Go give these two a try and see what you think.

Stay tuned for our next Taste Test Tuesday! All you Bakers out there, take note: the next taste test is VANILLA! What is your favorite vanilla to use in your baking? I can’t wait to reveal the results of this exciting taste test!

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Dose of Sunshine Monday: I believe in Luck

By KariV on March 11, 2013 in Freebies, Holidays, Inspiration, St. Patrick's Day

This is perfect for St. Patrick’s Day coming up! And one of my Dad’s favorites. So this is dedicated to my Dad.

Here’s an idea: take this printable and turn it into a sticker to wear on St. Patrick’s Day. Then you will be “pinch-proof!” Wishing you a little extra “luck” on St. Patrick’s Day!

And here’s the printables! Please like my page first, then print.

3-13 believer of luck 3×4

3-13 believer of luck 5×7

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A Little Bit o’ Luck FIVE ways

By KariV on March 9, 2013 in Freebies, Holidays, Paper Crafting, St. Patrick's Day

I had fun designing this printable for St. Patrick’s Day! It is such a versatile little gem that I’ve featured it in FIVE ways. With just a few different cutting techniques or punches, you can make it look completely different. I am sure there are plenty more ways to use this printable…so use your imagination and have fun!

Let’s take a closer look at these ideas. I first put together these colorful cards. I can just imagine my nephews helping me to paint a water-color rainbow for this card…they would love it! I simply folded a card out of white cardstock, painted the rainbow, added a “snowflake” stamp to the upper left corner, and cut out a pot-o-gold with black sparkly paper. It was super easy to put together and I love that it turned out so bright. I used the word bubble “Luck Logo” and just cut it out with scissors.

The other card was made with a green cardstock base, a green square cut to fit, and a “plank” of tan paper embossed with a wood embossing folder. I cut the Luck Logo with an EK Success punch and used a green stamp pad to color the edges a bit. I cut out a shamrock that I drew free-hand and glued on some green glitter. Who wouldn’t love to get one of these colorful cards offering a “Little Bit o’ Luck?”

SECOND, is the adorable cupcake flag! I cut these with an EK Success punch and attached them to a lollipop stick.

Can you imagine a row of these all lined up on your dessert table? I added a little glitter glue to the shamrock cupcake topper on the right…I think it adds just a little more pizzazz. So cute!

THIRD, a simple napkin ring made from paper. Having a St. Patrick’s Day breakfast, brunch or dinner? Add some extra luck to the table settings. I cut the “Luck logo” into a rectangle and added a little excitement to the edges with a scallop cut. It’s actually the same punch as the cupcake topper on the left, but just a part of it. (can you tell by looking at the picture above?)

FOURTH, this adorable glassine bag, embellished with some green! My creative and crafty Aunt Marilyn donated these little bags to my crafting stash and, boy, have I been having a ball decorating them up! (Thanks, Marilyn, I love them!)

I added a bit of green glitter tape (love this stuff!) and green washi tape. {A quick shout-out to my dear friend Shellie, who graciously gave me the green washi tape when I saw it in her bag! She had “extra” and kindly gave me 2 rolls!! Shellie, you are awesome!} To the top I added the bubble Luck logo. You could use this at your table setting as a gift bag…I filled mine with butterscotch candies. I think it would be just as cute with rolos or skittles!

FIFTH, a small gift, represented here by green glitter nail polish.

This green glitter nail polish would be welcome by any gal wanting to avoid any pinching on that 17th day of March! I am going to give this to my amazing Mother (shhh…don’t tell) whose birthday is on St. Patrick’s Day! I secretly hope she will share it with me!

To add a little dimension and shine to the shamrock, try using Diamond Glaze…be sure to let it completely dry before you try to attach it to your gift. (ahem, not that this happened to me….!)

I hope you enjoy spreading a little bit o’luck with these printables this year! Enjoy!

To download the printables, please like my page here:

Then download the printable here: Little Luck Logo

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Food to Make you happy — Easy Yakisoba

By KariV on March 6, 2013 in Cooking Light, Dinner in Minutes, Recipes

We are celebrating around here for making our goal of 100 likes to our new Facebook page! Thank you, friends and dear readers! And what could be a better way to celebrate than with VEGETABLES!?! I’m serious! If you know me at all, you know that I LOVE my vegetables and I drink (yes, drink) them every morning. I will be sharing my delicious breakfast drink soon!

But I have been getting SO many requests for my Yakisoba recipe that I decided to post it today. I have to keep my favorite people happy!

Truth is, this recipe makes me so happy…and I think you will agree when you try it out. It’s easy…it’s delicious…it’s filled with color. That is celebration right on a plate, friends! (Can we please officially change the title of this recipe to “Celebration on a Plate”?)

Let’s get started with the Yakisoba.

First, assemble your favorite veggies. I like to use all the colors of the rainbow (except maybe blue, I can’t even think of a blue vegetable!) My favorites for this dish are:

Onion, Carrots, Zucchini, Summer Squash, Red pepper, Broccoli, Red Cabbage, Garlic

Slice your onion (I use yellow onion). In a large pan (or stir fry pan), warm 2 T. of olive oil on medium high. Once oil is hot, add onion. Let this cook for 5-7 minutes or until the onion is soft and browned.

While the onion is cooking, cut your other veggies. Cut them in similar sizes for even cooking. When onions are browned, add carrots and zucchini. Cook for 4-5 minutes. I like to let the zucchini and squash cook without stirring for a few minutes. This allows them to get browned on one side. Oh! My mouth is watering just thinking about it! Turn them over to brown on the other side.

Once zucchini is browned, add peppers and broccoli. Allow those to cook for a bit, then add the cabbage.

While that is cooking together, get your meat ready. I used chicken for this recipe, but you can also use beef or pork, or keep it vegetarian! I cut my chicken (3 chicken tenders) into bite-sized pieces. Then warmed a small amount of olive oil in a separate skillet. Add chicken and cook, stirring occasionally. Add a couple cloves of garlic (minced) with the cooking chicken, if you like. (I like!)

When chicken is done…it only takes a few minutes! Add to the vegetables. Then, add your noodles, water, and seasoning mix from the package. I usually include 2 packages of noodles, both seasoning packets, and 1 cup of water. Here are the noodles I like to use:

[Note: If I don’t have these on hand when I crave Yakisoba, I have also used angel hair pasta or spaghetti…and I make sauce using a bit of soy sauce, cornstarch, and water!] You have to coax these particular noodles to separate, but please be careful and don’t break them. It just doesn’t taste the same with broken noodles!

Now, dish up and enjoy! (here’s another secret: I sometimes add a bit of low-sodium soy sauce to mine)