Muffin Tin Lunch

I struggle with lunch time. It seems to sneaks up on me most days and our lunches lack variety and are well...quite boring.

When I saw this idea for muffin tin lunches on Chrissie's blog, I knew we had to try it. Just to add some fun to our lunches!  Who would have thought that putting typical lunch time fare in a six cup muffin tin would bring giggles and smiles at lunch time.  My kids loved it! 

Has anyone tried this before? What would you put in the tins for lunch?

Our muffin tin lunch: goldfish, mini pbj (cut with mini cookie cutter), applesauce, string cheese, strawberries, carrot sticks and ranch dressing

Yum! Little man enjoying his lunch

Yes, she is still in her pj's at lunch time!

Check out Chrissie's blog Flipflops and Applesauce. It is filled with fun, creative, inexpensive things to do with your kids.  So many wonderful ideas!

Wordless Wednesday: Hannah Montana 3D

ABC's of me

A. Attached or single? attached

B. Best friend? Lance, and I have some wonderful girlfriends but I don't know that I have a "best friend"

C. Cake or pie? oh...not a huge fan of pie so I guess I would say cake

D. Day of choice? Sunday- usually very relaxing with lots of lounging and naps

E. Essential items? laptop, ipod, bible, water bottle, contacts/glasses, running shoes, a good book, planner/calendar

F. Favorite color(s)? i don't have a favorite- i like most of them

G. Gummy bears or worms? both

H. Hometown? St. Peter, MN

I. Favorite indulgence? fountain cherry pepsi or vanilla frozen yogurt with hot fudge or crushed oreos

J. January or July? July for sure - my birthday and its hot and sunny

K. Kids? 3 kiddos

L. Life isn't complete without? Jesus, my salvation, my family

M. Marriage date? December 21, 1996

N. Number of brothers or sisters? 4 brothers, 2 sisters

O. Oranges or apples? both - apples especially in the fall (macintosh are my fav) 

P. Phobias? chair lifts/ferris wheels

Q. Quotes? "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent" by Eleanor Roosevelt (I like the quote just hard to live by) 

R. Reasons to smile? i am heading to MT in two days to meet my two sisters and their families and my brother - i haven't seen any of them in a year

S. Season of choice? i like something about every season. i always look forward to each season - fall with cooler temps and changing colors, winter with snow, spring warmth and new growth, summer for pool days and hot weather 

T. Tag 5 people: Bethel Ladies, Val, Alana, Janelle, Earen, and anyone else who wants to play

U. Unknown fact about me. My family says I am the booger patrol. I can't stand boogie noses!

V. Vacation of choice? give me a beach, sunshine, sand, a great book and i am there  

W. Worst habit? too much time on the computer

X. Xray or ultrasound? ultrasound

Y. Your favorite food? chocolate chip cookies, popcorn, strawberries, corn on the cob

Z. Zodiac sign? cancer...but i am not into signs

Copycat

Hello my name is Kristen and I am a copycat.  I rarely come up with creative or inventive ideas on my own. Somehow that gene skipped me, so I take ideas from other people and either tweek them or copy them completely.

About seven months ago, I saw this post on Lindsey's blog.  We have the same type of space in our kitchen so when I saw her incredibly creative idea, I just knew I wanted to tackle that project.  Well, I FINALLY got to making my fabric covered sound boards last week.  I was a little nervous as this is out of my normal crafty zone (which is quite narrow).  It was a super easy project and I am so excited to put them to use. No more cluttered refrigerator doors. No more cluttered school room. I now have a large space to put school work and pictures. AAH - feels so good!  Now to buy some of Lindsey's cute push pins to help decorate the boards.  (If you haven't shopped Lindsey's shop, stop by! She creates the cutest things. I am big fan and frequent shopper!)

Oh, by the way, another discovery, when your husband tells you "just go buy the paint and I will paint" he might now have been 100% serious.  Now the gallons (all 3 of them plus 2 quarts) of paint have been purchased and the walls are patiently waiting for their makeover while the kids and I are in Montana.

County Fair

Fried food.

Carnival rides.

Farm animals.

4-H exhibits.

All the ingredients needed for the fair.

Some of my fondest memories of my youth were spent at the county fair. We looked forward to fair time all summer long, even though it meant school would be starting soon.  There were the 4-H friends I saw only at the fair every summer, the fair food (yum!), the rides, and the freedom of roaming the fairground without parents.  

In my mind, the fair is one of those magical summer events.  When we lived in MN there were three county fairs within 20 minutes of our house, on three separate weekends, and we attended each fair. Every year.  Some of it was due to the fact that Lance had clients with cows at the fair so it necessitated him making an appearance, but most of it was because I love the fair.

Since living in Idaho we have attended the state fair but for one reason or another have been out of town for the county fair. Until this year.  On Friday night, we ventured out for our first Idaho county fair.  

The carnival was a typical fair carnival.  The food was great. The exhibits were a bit on the slim side (I was a bit disappointed in the lack of exhibits). But the biggest surprise about our local fair was that your admission ticket also pays for the evening concert. The concert on Friday night was.... Kelly Pickler former American Idol contestant. 

I think the fair, probably the state fair, will always be a part of our summer activities.  There is just something about the fair that just draws me to it year after year.

Here is a little clip I took of Landon on the mechanical bull. I am not sure who had more fun, Landon or Lance.

Landon Bull Riding from Kristen Cheney on Vimeo.

Discoveries

1. Skinny Cow Ice Cream Sandwich with cookies and cream filling. On Sale. At Target. Oh.my.word are they good. So good in fact I had to hide them from my kids.

2. Adjustable waist isn't just for kids or maternity pants anymore.  I was putting on a pair of shorts yesterday and noticed there was an extra button on each side.  Eat a little too much at the BBQ move the button out one.  Pure genius!  

3. My baby is the next Houdini.  She can get herself out of a buckled shopping cart in no time flat.  Now running errands has taken on a whole new set of issues. Help!

4.  If you get to Target at around 9 am, there is no one in the store. No one.  You can park close to the door. Even in the first row. Every person working asks if you need helping finding something. Maybe that would solve the dilemma of number 3.  I could just give them my list and they could shop for me. It might save me some money, instead of perusing the aisles, I will be trying to keep my baby from doing more tricks in the cart.

5. When your oldest niece turns 18, it makes you feel really really old. In my mind she should still be a little girl instead she is a beautiful young lady about to enter her senior year of high school. Happy Birthday Hannah! Love you!

Wordless Wednesday: Practicing being a "football guy"