CHEAP YET INEXPENSIVE, PORTABLE SANDBOX

CHEAP, YET INEXPENSIVE, PORTABLE SANDBOX

When a family has to move due to work or a bigger home, it’s a shame that some of the outdoor activity areas have to be left behind only to have to shell out more money for them again at the new address.

Swing sets can be taken down and boxed up if they’re not too big or cumbersome but what about the sandbox you had made and all that sand? Glad you asked.

Being the cheap frugal person that I am, I had an epiphany and thought, “Why not a plastic pool?” Now I know they have those plastic sand boxes but they’re actually more expensive than the pools that are the same size. It seems that if you put the word “sandbox” on the piece of plastic, that it costs more than the pool of the same size. Seriously, do you think the kids care? And as far as keeping all the critters out of the sand box, just use some cinnamon or certain spices (check out some spice ideas on Pinterest) and rake them through the sand. You don’t need an expensive sand box with a cover. I wish I had thought of this idea when our kids were little and I wanted a sandbox for them. We rented for a few years and we couldn’t afford to have a sandbox made for each place. (this was before the dawn of plastic sandboxes).

This is a great idea too if you want to put a sand box on your deck to keep little ones a bit closer to the house within ear-shot. A very small pool for an apartment balcony is a great idea too.  Also, when pool season is over, the sandbox can last throughout Autumn and start up in the Spring. If you’re in an area that has mild Winters, you can extend that time for the kiddos even more. If you don’t mind a bit of mess in the basement (concrete floor area not the family room with the plush carpet), the sandbox/pool is a great way to help keep parents sane throughout the winter months when cabin fever hits even the youngest of the family.

I do suggest that you use play sand as it does wipe off easier than beach sand. Although a container of talcum powder will help get the sand off little hands/feet/legs (you get the idea) before it gets tracked through the house. The end of Summer season is a great time to buy the plastic pools and sand as it’s been reduced in price. Win win!

Here’s to happy kiddos and sane parents! 

 

RAW PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE FUDGE

RAW PEANUT BUTTER, CHOCOLATE FUDGE

A couple of weeks ago I did some experimenting in the kitchen. I brought out the Cuisinart processor and put a little of this, a little of that and made something that was REALLY yummy! Problem was, when I went to make it again, I wasn’t sure how much and exactly what I put in :-s…..

So I took it one step at a time and bit by bit, I had all my ingredients that I had used to make this creation.

Soooo….here it is:

150gr of coconut (I used unsweetened but today I had to make up the amount with some sweetened so I skipped the agave nectar)

½ cup oats (more later)

3 pitted dates

2 T peanut butter

1 or 2 T cocoa

¼ cup unsweetened apple sauce

Plus ¼ cup more oats (this will bind your mixture together)

1 tea. agave nectar or honey to taste (you can completely omit as the choc. chips make it sweet).

¼ cup chocolate chips (or carob chips)

Process coconut until fine but not separated. Then add all other ingredients one at a time, BUT process in between each ingredient.  Add the last ¼ cup of oats as this will bind the mixture so it will form.  By now, your mixture should be forming a ball. Add chocolate chips and process just enough to mix in the chips.

Take a sheet of waxed paper and put mixture onto paper. Pat down with a spatula to form a square or rectangle (or whatever shape you want……octagons are nice looking…just kidding). Pat sides as well until mixture is fairly condensed. I then used the waxed paper to smooth out the top. Just looks nicer :-) Score with a knife as this will make it easier to break off each piece.

Wrap in wax paper and even some plastic wrap and freeze. These will freeze nicely and are a great frozen treat. Serve frozen. ENJOY!

Nuts that are Soap?!

AWESOME STRAWSOME!

AWESOME STRAWSOME!

I’ve been purging my home of anything that we don’t use, want, can’t fit into anymore or we haven’t used in a long time. One such thing is plastic. I have come to loath it for all it represents to the damage it has done to the environment and our health over the years. My generation were the first to have it in abundance in our homes for everyday use and our kid’s toys were made of the nasty stuff. Any plastics I do get rid of are at least recyclable.

 I have been bit by bit, replacing all my plastic containers with glass and also replacing anything else that is plastic with another, safer material. Enter the Strawsome straws!

They are made of glass, come in a variety of colours and sizes and are easy to clean. I have a smoothie one which is bigger around for those lovely, thick smoothies and a narrower one for regular drinks. They are guaranteed against breakage. I use a large chenille stem to clean mine with. Works great.  For more info on Strawsome, go to: http://www.strawesome.com/

 

SMOOTH MOVE.

SMOOTH MOVE

I LOVE smoothies! Chocolate, banana, strawberry, peanut butter and the list could go on. My fav is chocolate, peanut butter and banana! Why  not? :-D

My fav way of making a rich yet calorie wise smoothie is as follows: make almond milk (or whatever milk or liquid you want) ice cubes. That way I illuminate using just plain old ice cubes which can water down your smoothie and you don’t want to do that! The key to a great smoothie is to have all the flavours as rich as possible.

Once I make my chocolate, almond milk cubes,( I use Almond Breeze)  and they’re nice and frozen, I just pop about 4-5 into the blender, add some peanut butter and some vanilla Almond Breeze liquid.

To store your cubes, I just pop the trays into a zip bag and then pop out the cubes. If they don't come out easily at first, just let them set for a couple of minutes and then they'll pop out without a hitch :-D

SOOOOOOooooooo yummy!

Enjoy!

Where There Is Hope!

WHERE THERE IS HOPE

This is a pic (obviously :-S) of Hope Wesleyan Church in Shelburne, Nova Scotia. More about this later.

 If you’ve never been to the South Shore of NS, you should put it on your bucket list. The raw beauty, salty air, wonderful friendly people, great food and all those picture postcard shots you need to take, are all here.  Every week, particularly in the summer, there is some kind of festival going on. This summer, we made it down for the Tall Ships and almost made it to the Kayak Festival but they were all booked up :-(..Oh, well…there’s always next year!

There are B&B’s, cottages and inns for accommodations and lots of great places to eat! We even had take-out this past week and it was great! We had fish and chips for supper from The Ship’s Galley take-out  and for lunch we ate at  Bistro 138. Yum is the key word for both places!!

Also, there’s some great shopping. You’re not going to find a Wal-Mart (but really, should you be shopping in a Wal-Mart while you’re on vaca or visiting a place?). Instead you’ll find locally owned and operated shops of all kinds with the most friendly, helpful people you’ll  ever meet (although I’m sure there are  friendly people in all areas of the planet )

If you’re a history buff, you’ll appreciate that Shelburne is one of the sites of the Loyalist and  one of the first black Loyalist settlements in Canada.

You’ll also find great family friendly beaches, boat tours, kayaking, fishing  and a myriad of other things to do and experience in Shelburne.

Now I know you must be thinking, why the picture of the church……..weeelllll…….I’m a little biased in the fact that my daughter and son-in-law are pastoring at Hope Wesleyan…….and my grand-daughters are there as well (which has a LOT to do with us being in Shelburne a lot). So if you’re in the area or moving to Shelburne, try out Hope Wesleyan. You’ll find a warm welcome and a hand-shake……oh, and you’ll get to meet the two most beautiful little girls in the world!!!!

For more info on Shelburne go to : http://www.shelburnenovascotia.com/ and Hope Wesleyan church go to: http://www.hopewesleyanchurch.com/

Enjoy! :-D