Idea Queen Tips & News

Since the farmer’s market is today, I’ll most likely be wandering up there to get some home grown potatoes for supper tonight. Last year we picked up small red potatoes and made a very easy dish that was absolutely delicious.

All you need is butter (we use sticks) and dried rosemary. Just cut the potatoes into cubes (they don’t need to be very small), and bake at 400* for about 30-40  in a casserole dish. Make absolutely sure the potatoes are done though - you may need to cook them a bit longer.

That’s it! Pretty easy huh?

Are your kids spoiled like mine are? If so, you probably have toys scattered EVERYWHERE.  Well this week I’m going to do something about it.

Since we are still remodeling, I’ve got to get the kids rooms completely empty very soon (yes they are STILL in my room, but hopefully almost done).  We’ve been collecting boxes from family members so that all toys can find a home. If we have time (and the energy), we’ll also do some sorting, putting all similar toys in the same box (we already do this with several things - my daughter’s Littlest Pet Shop, my son’s cars, and a few other things).

In addition to boxing everything up (stuffed animals included), we’ll be throwing some things away or giving them away. Seriously we have just way too much stuff and it’s time to downsize a bit. Even clean my daughter only has a path to her bed, so it’s really time to get rid of some toys and really organize.

Should be a fun week, but it’s a perfect job to do while the kids are out of school!

We are officially in the middle of summer, and with summer comes ice cream! If you have an ice cream maker, now is the perfect time to pull it out. And don’t even bother with plain old vanilla (as tasty as homemade vanilla is) - there are MUCH more flavors you can try out.

This very yummy ice cream machine recipe comes from our ebook. If you need more recipes, be sure to check it out!

BROWN SUGAR PECAN
1 cup milk
1 scant packed cup brown sugar
4 egg yolks
3 cups heavy cream
1 cup pecan pieces

Heat the cream. milk and sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, stirring occasionally until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is hot. place the egg yolks in a bowl and whisk briefly. Still whisking, slowly pour in about 1 cup of the hot liquid. When the mixture is blended, slowly pour it into the liquid in the saucepan, whisking constantly. Cook over heat, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon, about 8 minutes. Be sure not let the mixture boil at any time or will curdle. strain into a clean bowl and cool thoroughly. Stir in the nuts. Pour the mixture into the bowl of the machine and freeze.
Makes 5 cups.

Enjoy!

The Scholastic Store.
is currently offering free shipping on all orders over $39. Just use the code: SMRAFF.

This is a little short notice because the sale ends in 4 days, so hopefully you catch this before it’s over. If you are looking for summer reading or getting ready for school, this is a great deal to take advantage of.

Hurry! Ends July 15th!

Today I thought I would post something a little bit different. Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about what I want to be “when I grow up”. While I do enjoy running websites (most days), it’s not exactly what I thought my adult career would be.

Think back to when you were a kid. Do you remember how fantastic your imagination was? Sure we got bored once in awhile, but never for that long. We could think up hundreds of different games to play. During the summer you were probably outside for hours at a time, playing games with friends or just by yourself.

We also didn’t have the fear we’ve got now. Remember the first time you climbed to the top of a tree? I sure do! If you tried that now you probably wouldn’t get too far, since you’d probably be afraid of falling. But we didn’t fear that as kids, even if we did have a few close calls or branches break under our feet.

The point here is when we were kids, the sky was the limit. With no fear and loads of imagination, we thought of all kinds of things we wanted to be when we grew up. We never thought any idea was silly, nor did we think for a second we’d fail.

So what happened? When did our imaginations fade and fear creep in? Why aren’t we doing what we dreamed of as a child? I often wonder if money became our driving force - if we traded huge goals in for fast cash. Granted we all have to make a living somehow, but why can’t it be doing what we love?

Take a minute today to think about what you’re doing with your life, and if it’s anything close to what you wanted to be when you “grew up”. You might be surprised!

For some reason I don’t even think about sewing in the summer. When Christmas gets close, I do this mad dash to get quilts and pillows done for gifts. But why don’t I do them all year round? I mean a hobby is a hobby, right?

So I’m curious. For those of you that love to sew but don’t do it so much in the summer time - why? Is it because we have so many other things (some outdoors) to do? Is it because it’s too hot to sit with a blanket on your lap sewing? Do you not like to sit still in the summer?

What IS it exactly?

Last week I probably should have picked something a little shorter and easier for a weekly challenge. Not only was I late getting started because last Tuesday was so hectic, but we had a holiday weekend in there too.

I’m sure there were quite a few of you who had a busy week or weekend too, so we’ll give this another shot. This week’s tidy Tuesday challenge is to get caught up on your laundry. I won’t hold it against you if you leave a few half a load or so in the laundry basket, but for the most part it should be mostly caught up. This means all hampers in the house should be empty (luckily we only have one), and all clothes picked up off the floor.

Since some of us are way behind, I’ll leave the putting away part up to you. Right now I’m going to be the mean mom and make the kids put their clothes away but I won’t be putting away mine (now there’s a good lesson for the kids…..not!). In my defense though, I don’t have a closet right now. They are still working on my room and it’s in pieces.

Here’s to high water bills this month!

Here’s a funny story for you.

If you’ve spent any time at all on this blog, you know I get addicted to PC games pretty easy. Well, any game for that matter, which is why we don’t own multiple game consoles. The computer sucks up enough of my time.

Anyway, a few years ago I was talked into the buying THE computer game - The Sims. I loved it, played it all the time. Until we lost the disk that is. Every once in awhile I would see the box and pout a little, wanting to play it again. But never did actually replace it. Just sorta put it out of my mind.

Well the other day I found the disk. Rather strange actually, since it was wedged between my desk and the wall where lots of stuff falls, and I’m just sure we looked there before. But there it was, on the top of other stuff, like it had just fallen back there yesterday. WEIRD! Ironically enough I also found the missing remote, and I was actually looking for something else (isn’t that always the case? Whenever I look for one thing, I find the last thing I was looking for….).

So I was pretty excited, and popped the disk in. Only it didn’t work, and I couldn’t even reinstall it. Tried on the other computer too, and it still didn’t work. MAJOR BUMMER! I fought with the “game computer” for awhile, but to no avail. It was a loss cause really - the disk is just too old and who knows where it’s been the last two years.

Alright so now I’m REALLY wanting to play The Sims. BAD. So of course, I buy a new one. Actually, mine was the original and there’s now Sims 2 out, so I see that as justifiable for buying a new copy.

Since I just couldn’t wait any longer, I bought the instant download copy of The Sims 2 Double Deluxe off EA’s main site. However, if you are more patient, then you can probably get a MUCH better deal and a hard copy elsewhere. I would check for The Sims 2 at Amazon. There’s tons of options for different versions here, but make sure you buy the main copy (The Sims 2, The Sims Deluxe, or The Sims Double Deluxe) before you buy the expansion packs. There’s PLENTY to do without the expansion packs and extras, so it may be wise to try out the cheaper, less flashy versions first before you upgrade or add on anything.

Now, as for the game itself………it’s awesome! As mentioned before, it’s been a few years since I played the original Sims games, but I still know this version is LOTS better. They’ve added quite a bit to do, and the game play is slightly different. Plus if you have any expansion packs at all there’s other stuff to do within the game.

The load time is a bit slow on our computer, but it’s also almost 3 years old. With a newer computer I’m sure it would load faster. The actual game play isn’t that bad though, it’s just in between “moves” that’s a bit slow (like when you leave the house of the Sim you are playing, it takes a bit to load and get somewhere else, but when they are doing things in the house it’s pretty smooth - at least on my computer it does).

I’ll warn you though, this game is extremely addictive. After downloading it all day Friday (”instant” download took 8 hours), I played it all weekend. You can bounce from family to family in your choice of neighborhood, and so far I’ve only played two families - one that was already set up and one that I created. There’s just so much to do this game can go on forever.

Highly recommended!

It’s always nice when the 4th of July lands on a Friday, since we can all enjoy a nice extended weekend. There’s sure to be a whole lot of backyard grilling going on, so I probably should be giving you grilling recipes. But that’s not exactly “my thing”. I’m more of the type that makes the side dishes while the men tend to the grill.

One dish in particular I love to make because it’s so easy and tasty - plus it goes great with grilled food. Any time we grill, this is what I make.

Summer Pasta w/ Balsamic Vinegar

1 package thin spaghetti
1 can sliced mushrooms
Minced Garlic
Balsami Vinegar
Tomatoes, diced

Cook pasta as directed, drain and cool a bit. Add in the rest of the ingredients. Amounts will depend on your own taste, so do test as you go. I don’t usually use more than one tomato or more than 3 TBS of minced garlic. Add in other ingredients like walnuts or other spices for new easy pasta recipes of your own.

This recipe is best made with home grown tomatoes, so use them if you can. If you need more pasta recipes, check out the Easy Pasta Recipes at Idea Queen.

Kids have a wonderful imagination, there’s no doubt about that. Why not draw out some of that creativity by writing as a family? Yes mom and dad need to join in too!

This activity is perfect for a rainy day. In fact I just heard thunder outside, so it’s something we might be doing today. To start you’ll need to pick a place or time. It can be a fantasy world, or a real world in any area you chose. Here’s a few ideas for real world eras:

- Roaring 20s
- Modern day (as in today)
- Pioneer days (1800s)
- Pilgrim and Indian days (late 1600s, early 1700s)
- Medieval times
- Dinosaur age

Once you pick your place and time, you’ll need some characters. Take a little time to study up on your chosen era, unless you chose fantasy, then you can make up whatever history you want. Describe your characters in their clothing, homes, and modes of transportation. The more details the better.

Next you’ll need to have your characters face a challenge of some sort. For example, a pioneer faced many obstacles traveling to the west. If you’ve done a little research on the time period, you’ll find lots of information.

Finally, have your characters resolve the problem. Get creative with this part, describing how they saved the day. Turn your fictional characters into heroes!

When you do this project as a family, you can either have everyone pick the same setting or chose different settings. Once finished, read your stories out loud. Mom and dad might want to do some minor editing (grammar, sentence structure, etc), but really the purpose here is to get creative.

Have fun!