4th of July Fireworks Displays in Kansas City Area 2011

Hope everyone has a safe 4th!
If you havn't had enough celebrating or would like to catch a professional fireworks display in the Kansas City area, here is a list for Monday, 7/4/11.

Fourth of July Celebration- Parkville, MO
Independence Day Celebration Mormon Visitors Center- Independence, MO
Oak Grove Park Fireworks- Gladstone, MO
Smithville Lake Fireworks- Smithville, MO
Liberty 4th Fest- Liberty, MO
Weston Jaycees Fireworks- Weston, MO
Worlds of Fun- Kansas City, MO
Platte City Family Fun & Fireworks- Platte City, MO
Raymore Fireworks- Raymore, MO
Blue Springs Fireworks- Blue Springs, MO
Oak Grove Fireworks- Oak Grove, MO
Sugar Creek Fireworks- Independence, MO
Harrisonville Fireworks- Harrisonville, MO
Fireworks & Salute to the Union- Leavenworth, KS
Star Spangled Spectacular at Corporate Woods- Overland Park, KS
Great Mall of the Plains Fireworks- Olathe, KS
Gardner Fireworks- Gardner, KS
The Spirit of Stillwell Fireworks- Stillwell, KS
Pride Fireworks Display- Basehor, KS
Leawood City Park Fourth of July Celebration- Leawood, KS

For more information on any of these, visit Cutting Coupons in Kansas City. Amy has links for each of these. Thanks Amy of Cutting Coupons in Kansas City for taking the time to put together this great list!

We will be going to one that Amy did not list. lol
We have been going to this display almost every year for 15 years.

Drexel: For decades, this southwest Cass County burg has put together a celebration to rival cities five times its size. For miles around, even in neighboring towns, folks perch on rooftops and hilltops to watch Drexel’s annual fireworks display at dusk.
But actually go to Drexel and you’ll find stage entertainment, plenty of food and the traditional motorcross races during the day leading up to the nighttime pyrotechnics.

Breakfast at Community Building

9:00 & 9:15
First and Second PeeWee Motorcycle Races 11:00
Parade Begins on Main Street 12:00
1st Annual Horseshoe Tournament Begins in the Park 11:00-1:00
Lunch at Community Building **Proceeds benefit DREXEL LIONS CLUB**
Enjoy music by Doc Marsh and Friends 11:30
First Motorcycle Race Begins 1:30
Second Motorcycle Race Begins 2:00
Hot Dog Eating Contest 2:15
Watermelon Eating Contest 4:15
Trophy Handout for motorcycle races 4:00
"Full House" Band plays in Community Building 4:30
Dr. Damon Dennis and Friends, outdoor stage 5:00
Dinner in Community Building **Proceeds benefit DREXEL LIONS CLUB** 6:30

Inside Community Building: NICHOLAS PIERCE, MAGICIAN 7:00

"JukeBox Heroes" performance begins outside and performs until...

Fireworks in the Park!
All-Day Petting Zoo, Pony Rides!

Drexel Lions Club 52nd Annual Day in the Park ~ 4th Annual Motorcycle Race
7:00-10:00am

 

Mother's Day

I hope you all had a very

Quick & Easy Mocktails & Appetizers: New Year's Party Food

What's your New Years Eve plans?

Hubby and I do not go out on New Years Eve. Normally he has to work the next day and I don't like to be out on the road with people who do not practice having designated drivers. There has been too many close calls for us and I've seen too many bad accidents.

This year my son, daughter in law, and their 4 children will be here to spend the night. Having a New Years Eve Party with children has always been my favorite type of New Years Eve Party. The kids LOVE it!

Here are some of my favorite appetizer and mocktail recipes for that last minute impromptu party, whether you have children included or just adults.

The best part... NO COOKING REQUIRED for these appetizers!

This Mocktail is what I will be serving the children; it's a classic and so fun! They love to watch me prepare their drink, and love drinking from my good stemware.

Appletini
2 oz apple juice
1/2 ounce of simple syrup
1/4 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice

Place all in cocktail shaker and shake well.
Rim a martini glass with sugar,
Strain cocktail into glass.
Using a tiny star cookie cutter cut out apple slices to float.

Mock Champagne Punch
Mix equal amounts of white grape juice and giner ale. Drop in frozen red and green grapes.
I'm using red sparkling grape juice and 7-up.

For some great adult cookie cocktails, let Betty Crocker lend a hand! Snickerdoodle, Coconut Macaroon & more.

Break out the fondu pot! This 3 Cheese is so easy and yummy.

A quick and easy appetizer is the Smoked Gouda Cheese Balls (scroll down a little). Stick a lollipop stick (or fancy toothpick)  in each to make it easy for guests to eat.

or try these Lollipop Goat Cheese Balls.

1 cup goat cheese
½ cup toasted pistachios
¼ cup golden raisins
12 lollipop sticks for presentation

Finely chop pistachios and golden raisins together. Roll goat cheese into 1" balls and then roll into nut/raisin mixture. Insert lollipop stick.
This recipe was styled by chef Karen Pickus for Good Morning America


And don't forget your tablescape.  Here's my favorite.  I love clocks and this will be fun for the kiddos if I can round up enough. 

The tablescape was featured in Taste of Home.

How will you be celebrating New Years?

A message to all my readers....

Secret Santa Postage Stamp Printable

Therapeutic Crafting has created a wonderful Santa Postage Stamp printable for us.

There are so many things you can do with this printable.  Here's some ideas:
Print and frame it for some holiday art
Print some on tags for Secret Santa gifts! 
Print on hang tags for other crafts and decorations. 

It would also be great printed on vinyl using a Silhouette Digital Cutting Tool if you have one.  One of these days I'll have one of these awesome craft tools! I've been trying to win one forever.  Or maybe they will ask me to do a review and giveaway. How cool would that be? 

To get the instructions for personal use and printing, please visit Therapeutic Crafting HERE.  This printable DOES HAVE RESTRICTIONS!  Please honor them and the owner.  Thanks Therapeutic Crafting for sharing!

Eggnog, Milknog or Eggnot? Recipes

Here's my favorite recipe for eggnog when entertaining for the holidays. It's really easy and tastes so yummy!

Eggnog

In a medium bowl, combine 2 cups milk with one package instant vanilla pudding mix. Stir well until thickened. Add 2 more cups milk and 1 cup egg substitute (like Egg Beaters); mix well. Stir in 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg until the mixture is well-blended, smooth and coats a spoon. Refrigerate overnight. Before serving, stir in 1/4 cup rum if desired. Serves 10.

Note: If it thickens too much, simply stir in more milk until it reaches your desired consistency.

If you're not a fan of eggnog try these:

When I want a glass of 'nog but don't want to make a bunch here's my Milknog recipe.

Milknog

6 oz milk
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp french vanilla non-dairy powdered creamer
dash of nutmeg

Blend until frothy. I use my stick blender. Garnish with cinnamon.

Or you can try this one if you like malted milk powder.

Eggnot!

Heat 8 oz milk until hot. Add 3 tablespoons malted milk powder, dash of nutmeg and 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract. Whisk until foamy. Pour into mug and top with whipped cream and a dash of cinnamon.

Eco Friendly Gift Wrapping

I'm fascinated with the Furoshiki gift wrapping methods. It's so eco friendly. Imagine receiving all your gifts like this. All those lovely fabrics to reuse!

Here is a chart that shows the different techniques:

(to enlarge charge for easy viewing, click on it twice!)
And if that isn't as clear as mud, check out this video:



Looks easy, right? Those in the video are my favorites with the bag being the top dog!

What was your favorite? Have you ever given or received a gift wrapped furoshiki style?

FREE PICTURE POSTMARKS FROM SANTA CLAUS & NORTH POLE

1. After writing out the personalized letter FROM Santa, place it in a stamped envelope addressed to the child.

2. Write: Santa, North Pole, Alaska as the return address.

3. Place this addressed/stamped envelope into another stamped envelope with your name and address as the return address. Address this envelope to:
North Pole Christmas Cancellation,
Postmaster 5400 Mail Trail,
Fairbanks, AK 99709-9998

Requests must arrive in Fairbanks Alaska before December 15

OR.... here's my favorite:
To get a Santa picture postmark (shown above) do the same as above but send the letter to:
Postmaster-Santa Claus Postmark
Santa Claus Station
Santa Claus, IN 47579-9998

A note and some tips from the Santa Claus Indiana postmaster:

Are your holiday cards addressed and ready to mail? Consider taking a road trip to Santa Claus, Indiana to send them. This small-town post office is the only one in the world with the Santa Claus name and receives over 400,000 pieces of mail in December. During the rest of the year, only 13,000 pieces of mail are processed each month. The Santa Claus Post Office has offered a special “picture postmark” every holiday season since 1983.

Each year, the holiday postmark is designed by a local high school art student as part of an annual contest. This year’s winner is Shelbi Boehman, of Fulda, Indiana.

Postmaster Balbach asks that anyone interested in getting the special cancellation on their holiday mail follow these guidelines:

• Allow at least a 2-inch by 4-inch space in the stamp area for the picture postmark
• To ensure a good postmark imprint, do not enclose large or bulky items in your holiday mail (Ex: reindeer food, snowflakes, glitter, stickers, etc.)
• There is no charge for postmarking; however, there is a limit of 50 picture postmarks (hand cancellations) per person per day

For more holiday events and information or to view the postmark archive visit their page here.

Here is the letter I'm sending my onery granddaughter. lol  Her two sisters will get a different letter.  It's times like this that make being a grandma so fun. hehe

Dear !!NAME!!,

Rudolph just whispered in my ear that the sleigh is nearly packed. He can hardly wait to lead the reindeer with my sleigh full of toys on our long trip to visit the homes of good boys and girls. The elves are busy putting bows and ribbons on the last of the presents.

I just had to take a minute to write to you and tell you that I found your name on my reminder list to be a good girl.

The reindeer and I are planning to arrive in !!Name of Town!! early to deliver gifts. Please be sure to hang your stocking and be in bed early as Christmas is such a busy day!

Well, Mrs. Claus is calling me for dinner, so I have to get going.

Merry Christmas and Warmest Wishes!

Love,

Santa


For more sample letters, visit FREE Letters from Santa.

Homemade Gift Ideas: Save Money and Be the Coolest Secret Santa at the Party

I thought today would be a great day to have a guest post here.  Please welcome Kate Willson.

Homemade Gift Ideas: Save Money and Be the Coolest Secret Santa at the Party

The holidays are here! With gift shopping already on the to-do list, this is a great time for every frugal guy and gal to use those thrifting skills. Giving a gift that is homemade is not only fun to do, it can be so much more personal and of course save you cash! And with that in mind, you can feel free to buy a better bottle of rum to spike that holiday egg nog.

Here are some great ideas:

1. Give boxes of chocolates

                                                                              Photo courtesy of Food Network
It’s hard to go wrong with chocolate, and, if you make a big batch of these and give boxes out as small gifts, you can really save money. Go to your local grocery store and buy the best quality chocolate you can find. It’s not that expensive when you consider how many boxes you’ll get out of it, and it really makes a difference in how the chocolates come out. A couple options are chocolate truffles, chocolate fudge, and pretzel turtles. Once you have your chocolates ready to go, buy some cool boxes and a roll of waxed paper to make sure the chocolates don’t stick.

2. Create unique cupcakes

                        Photo courtesy of mominml
Cupcakes are another good bet if you have friends with a sweet tooth. Change it up by doing an unexpected cake flavor like cherry devil’s food or carrot. Or get in to the spirit with a holiday flavor like pumpkin spice. And, most importantly, don’t forget about the frosting! Use a store bought frosting or, even better, make your own with real cream or cream cheese. Here are some yummy recipes to try.

3. Make your own natural beauty products

This is an awesome idea because not only do you save money, you can give your friends products that are guaranteed natural and toxin-free. Plus, you’ll have plenty to spare, so make enough for yourself. It doesn’t get much better than that. This site lists excellent recipes that are wonderful for your skin and 100 percent safe for the body. Try the non-toxic vanilla body cream or the anti-aging vitamin c serum.

4. Screen print your heart out

Screen printing is a cool way to customize any gift. Consider screenprinting an inside joke or favorite quote, or cut out different designs. Screen printing is not too hard, and, once you get the hang of it, it can be really fun. You can screen print on many different kinds of fabrics, but make sure to do a test before the real thing so you know it will come out.

5. Sew your own tote bag

Tote bags are super versatile and always useful. If you’re handy with a sewing machine, it’s a fairly simple pattern. Find a burlap or canvas fabric in a fun color. You can decorate it with cool military inspired buttons, break out your glue gun and embellish it with studs or sparkles, or, better yet, screen print it!

6. Give an herb garden

A window box herb garden is a great way to grow fresh herbs during the winter. Head to an antique shop and scope out their selection of old wooden Coca-Cola boxes or anything else that would fit in a windowsill. Grab some planting soil, seeds, and plastic planters to put the soil in, and you’re good to go.

7. Don’t forget the dog!

Not to forget the most important family member, it’s definitely appropriate to shower your canine companions with homemade goodies, too. Make your own dog treats or a fun toy.

This guest post is contributed by Kate Willson, who writes on the topics of top online colleges. She welcomes your comments at her email Id: katewillson2@gmail.com.

Happy Thanksgiving

My family and I wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving.

Dollar Tree Crafts- My Little Christmas Trees

My trees are done!  Robin of All Things Heart and Home techniques made this project quick and fun.  Thanks Robin!
And here is where I needed some little trees.

I set this little store up every Christmas in honor of my husband's grandfather whose last name was Davis.  He is greatly missed.

The total cost of the tree project using the items found at Dollar Tree was $4.  I had everything else on hand.

To see the supply list for these trees and the process, go HERE.

Dollar Tree Tiny Christmas Trees

Are these trees not the prettiest thing?  When I first seen them I was guessing they were from Pottery Barn with a price tag around $79.99, but they were made by Robin of All Things Heart and Home.  AND they are easy to make.... now that Robin has figured out the secret to it and shared it with all of us.  I want some!  I have the perfect spot for them.

Robin found her little foam balls at JoAnn's.  I found mine at Dollar Tree. Yep, I stopped at a Dollar Tree I had never been in before and spied these:

I'm going to try Robin's technique and I hope it works on the little balls I bought.

I also bought my cones from Dollar Tree.  I'm off to see how it comes out.  Be sure to check out Robin's secret on how to make these cuties.

What project's are you working on this week?  Getting your home ready for Thanksgiving get togethers?  Putting up Christmas decorations?

ETA: My trees are done!  You can see them HERE.

Parade of wreaths

I love wreaths, but boy they are so expensive to buy!  I like buying them from thrift stores and changing them up.

I switch my wreaths out 5 times a year. One for each season, and one for Christmas in between fall and winter.

I've been thinking about my Christmas and winter wreaths coming up and what I would like to do/have/make.

Wreaths can be made out of anything! Take a look at some of my favorites:

I made a bird seed wreath years ago. Birds actually came and pecked at it! lol

One of these days when I can get lavendar to grow, I would love to make one of these!

Burnt marshmallows!  I love it!

This is a great way to up-cycle those burnt bulbs.

This one would look perfect on my home.  Our siding is a blue-grey.

Loving all the greenery and checked ribbon!

I love succulents! This would be a great summer wreath.

A lovely recycling newspaper wreath.

A classic!

I better get to drinkn' some wine!

This white frilly wreath is actually made out of coffee filters. The Virginia House posted a great tutorial on how she made hers. I think I will make this one and change it up some.  Mine will be made out of fabric minus the starfish.  I'll post it when I get it done.

What wreath was your favorite?  Do you switch your wreaths out for seasons? For every holiday? Do you make your own wreaths? Or purchase them?

Be sure to share your wreath with all of us!

For  fabric Thursday, visit:




And for great ideas and inspiration:

Steady wins the gift giving race

I've been slowly getting my gifts bought and made for this year.

Here's what I finished for some of the younger girls including my three granddaughters.

If you havn't been to any craft shows, shopped etsy or visited any crafting blogs; then let me introduce you to the washer necklace.

They are very popular with young girls, tweens, and teens. And I just know my thirty-something funky loving sister will love hers also when she finds it in her stocking. The granddaughters' will receive theirs in their advent calendar I am making for them.

They are quick and easy to make. I had everything in my craft stash except for the washers (.12 each) and the dimensional adhesive. I bought the Glossy Accents for $5.75 at a local scrapbooking store. So if I figure in the necklace cords I already had on hand, (bought on clearance) I'm out around $10 for the 7 necklaces shown. There is still almost a whole bottle of the glue left, I just need to buy some more .12 washers.

This one will be given to the nine year old who loves funky jewelry. I've decided I'm going to add some beads to all of them like THIS.

This one is for the 4 year old princess.

And this one is the six year old's. She loves anything pink and girlie.

If you would like details on how to make these, visit HERE


Ok, I'm off to work on the advent calendars. Can't wait to get them done and show you!

What are you up to? Baking and freezing breads? Cookies? Making something special? OR, are you avoiding the "C" word at all cost right now? lol

Feeling Nervous & Overwhelmed

I've been feeling nervous and overwhelmed in regards to the holiday season this year.

When I stopped and thought about why, here are the reasons:

1) Additions to my family- a daughter-in-law and THREE granddaughters, ages 4, 6, 9.
2) My mother has asked me to host Christmas dinner in my home this year. I never thought this would happen in a MILLION years you guys. My mother is easy going when it comes to holidays EXCEPT Christmas. I still can't believe she is letting this go, and it makes me nervous.
3) The Christmas counter at the top of my site has lost count. I'm serious! It can't be right! It is totally stressing me out, so I deleted it! Take that Christmas counter. :)

Ok, I feel a little better, and if the counter was stressing you out, I hope you feel more at ease visiting here now.

What is your game plan for the holidays this year? Are you exchanging names for a gift drawing or buying for all?

Tablescape Thursday-Kids' Halloween Dinner Party

I am hosting a Halloween Dinner Party for my kiddo and grandkids. The first thing my granddaughters want to eat when they hit my house is ramen noodles, and they have a blast using chop sticks to eat them.

So I pulled out my porcelain Himark Mandarin Oriental dinner set and added some Halloween flair to it. 

I seen some cute candlesticks in a Partylite book but didnt like the price and so I made these.  I had everything on hand except the two orange votives.

I love the little ghosties! lol

Each setting got a candy ring pop & eyeball bubble gum.

I used bat rings for chopstick rings.

And leaves for place cards. I picked these up at Dollar Tree for $1 a pack. I love them!

After Halloween is over, it will be easy to remove the Halloween decorations and still have a nice fall centerpiece.

As far as the menu, I will serve ramen noodles colored green for some Witch's Worm Soup.  That's all I got.  What's your ideas to go with it?  Maybe some kind of sandwich and a side.  I was thinking deviled egg eye balls, but come up empty for the sandwich.  Let me know what you suggest!

This post has been linked to Between Naps on the Porch: Tablescape Thursday