End-of-School Party at the Family Fun Center
July 4th: Celebrating Our Traditional American Family
A Hockey Birthday
He was so excited when he woke up to discover his Hockey Jersey Birthday Cake, the Face-off Puck Cakes, the Stanley Cup Ice Cream Cones, and all the other treats and decorations we made for his special day.
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| Ranger made sure that the Capitals were still represented! |
I had a couple games to play including NHL Spot it! and the NHL Bingo I created 7 years ago for one of our older boys’ 8th birthday, but the biggest attraction at Grandma and Grandpa’s house is always getting rides on the golf cart or Grandpa’s quad.
Stanley Cup Ice Cream Cones
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| “One of the benefits of helping mom with birthday prep = mini ice cream cones made from some of the leftovers.” – Captain |
Supplies:
- Joy Ice Cream Cups (2 for each finished treat/cone)
- Keebler Ice Cream Cups (1 for each finished treat/cone)
- Keebler Fudge Stripes
- White Candy Melts
- Silver Color Mist (or use edible silver pearl dust)
- M&M’s
- Cookies & Cream Ice Cream
- York minis (optional)
Directions:
Using a serrated knife, carefully cut off the rounded “cup” area from the Keebler Ice Cream Cup and put aside. We also trimmed the edge of one of the Joy Ice Cream Cups so that the edge would be flat/straight when stacked on top of the bottom Ice Cream Cup.
I wasn’t able to find a round cookie the size we needed for the bottom so we filled the center of Keebler Fudge Stripes with a brown M&M and secured it with some melted white chocolate for the base of the Stanley Cups.
Next, put melted chocolate in a piping bag fitted with a small round tip. (We used a plastic bag with the corned clipped off.) The original directions suggested piping “melted chocolate on the base of the ice cream cup and slide it inside the second ice cream cup, stacking and sealing them together.” We skipped this step so that they could be taken apart during the party and used for Ice Cream, saving the treat side for later.
Pipe a ring of chocolate on the top of the Stanley Cup and attach the ice cream cone “bowl” cut earlier on top.
Before filling the bottom cups with treats (M&M’s) and attaching the base (cookie) we temporarily put the cones together and spray painted them silver with Silver Color Mist. This wasn’t the most cost-effective thing to do, and we ended up needing a second can (purchased with 60% off coupons at least) to cover the cones that we made.
After the silver spray has dried, fill the bottom cup (the ice cream cup that wasn’t trimmed or cut at all) with candy, then pipe chocolate around the edges of the opening and place the cookie over the opening to seal. Stand the ice cream cups cookie-side down.
Re-assemble cones, set on tray, and let color and chocolate dry overnight in a cool, dry place.
Celebrating the Birthday of St. John the Baptist
Honey Sweetened Grasshopper Bars made with Avocado and Coconut! After nearly 4 months (113 days to be exact) on an incredibly strict Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) diet I finally added something back in… a little cocoa powder to make the chocolate layer for these treats… to celebrate today’s solemnity! I’m praying that it doesn’t end up being one of my triggers, but so far so good!
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| The Birthday of Saint John the Baptist from SAINTS: A Year in Faith and Art |
Hot Chocolate & Marshmallow Face-Off Puck Cakes {Hockey Themed Cupcakes}
While I was decorating the Hockey Jersey Birthday Cake, some of our older children were busy with other birthday preparations… Twinkle Toes baked “Hot Chocolate & Marshmallow Cupcakes” and Ranger carefully created the “Face-Off” inspired decorations to place on top of the cupcakes! (Captain was working on another fun treat which I’ll share next.) It’s was so nice having help!!!
- Dark Chocolate Cupcakes
- Marshmallow Frosting
- Pretzel Sticks
- Black Candy Melts, melted
- M&M’s (Dark Brown works if you can’t find Black)
- Plastic Bag (with corner cut off)
A Hockey Jersey Birthday Cake
This past Sunday (Father’s Day!) we celebrated our little hockey player’s 8th birthday! It was his first time playing this last season and I’m sure it will not be his last. He loves Hockey!
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| A photo from the Parent vs. Players Hockey Game last March! |
He had requested a hockey themed birthday earlier this year and of course, other than ordering a couple gifts, I put off making any plans until the very last minute this past Saturday! After a trip to the craft and grocery stores, and some help from my husband and older children, it all came together Saturday afternoon and evening. I wanted to do something different than our older son’s Capitals themed Hockey Birthday (over 5 years ago on his 8th birthday!) so I ended up focusing on black and silver for the LA Kings, the birthday boy’s favorite NHL team, and made a Hockey Jersey Birthday Cake. The cake was such a hit and could be easily modified for any sport or team!
Supplies:
- 1 – 9×12 Sheet Cake, frosted (the birthday boy requested a plain yellow cake with vanilla marshmallow frosting)
- 1 batch of Marshmallow Fondant (recipe below)
- Sugar Sheets in desired team colors – I used Silver and Black for the LA Kings (I hand cut the letters used for the name out of the black sugar sheet, but you could also use the Alphabet Sugar Sheet.)
I made this recipe again with regular sized marshmallows, however I didn’t refrigerate it overnight as suggested. It probably would have been much easier to roll and place had it been refrigerated.
This was only the second time I’ve made my own fondant, and the first time I’ve tried covering a whole cake, but I’d definitely do it again! Everyone always loves the marshmallow fondant.
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 (16 ounce) package marshmallows
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 pounds confectioners’ sugar, divided
Directions:
- Place the butter in a shallow bowl, and set aside.
- Place the marshmallows in a large microwave-safe bowl, and microwave on High for 30 seconds to 1 minute to start melting the marshmallows. Carefully stir the water and vanilla extract into the hot marshmallows, and stir until the mixture is smooth. Slowly beat in the confectioners’ sugar, a cup at a time, until you have a sticky dough. Reserve 1 cup of powdered sugar for kneading. The dough will be very stiff. (You may end up needing additional powdered sugar to get the right consistency… I did.)
- Rub your hands thoroughly with butter, and begin kneading the sticky dough. As you knead, the dough will become workable and pliable. Turn the dough out onto a working surface dusted with confectioners’ sugar and continue kneading until the fondant is smooth and no longer sticky to the touch, 5 to 10 minutes.
- Form the fondant into a ball, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight. To use, allow the fondant to come to room temperature, and roll it out onto a flat surface dusted with confectioners’ sugar.
Decorate Cake:
Roll out white Marshmallow Fondant, reserving some to use for the sleeves. Cover the cake with fondant and trim off any excess. (Note: I really needed a larger fondant rolling pin – mine is pretty small and my rolling pin is too heavy – and had trouble rolling my fondant large enough to cover the whole cake, so I just made sure it was wide enough to cover the top, and long enough to cover the top and bottom of the jersey. The sleeves took care of the other two sides.)
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| That moment while making one of my kids’ birthday cakes when I think it’s going to be a total failure…. #happenseverytime #decoratingcakesisstressful #atleastsomeoneisexcitedabouttheprogress |
Before adding the sleeves I placed a silver and black stripe at the bottom of the jersey using the sugar sheets. I had purchased the sugar sheets “just in case” and I was glad that I did. I tried to color some of the marshmallow fondant using a lot of black gel coloring, but instead of getting silver/gray and black I ended up with lavender and dark purple… (Actually the dark purple looks pretty black now that it’s been sitting in the fridge for a couple days, maybe it just needed a little time.) The sugar sheets were so much easier and looked great on the finished cake!
I cut the sugar sheets with a paper cutter, though you could easily hand cut them as well. I lightly misted the fondant with a little water so that the sugar sheets would adhere to the cake. At this point I hadn’t considered that the bottom corners of the cake wouldn’t be covered by the sleeves, otherwise I would have cut the sugar sheets the longest length possible versus just cutting the width. I ended up having to add in a couple smaller pieces of silver sugar sheet on each side, but it was no big deal and I was the only one who noticed the imperfections! 🙂
I hand cut the letters for the name at the top of the jersey and then printed out the number 8 using the “Freshman” font (you can download it here or find it at Picmonkey) to use as a template for cutting the sugar sheet.
5th Annual Curriculum Sale Blog Hop
Create a blog post with your gently used curriculum (and any other books/items) that you’d like to sell or pass on to another family, with pictures if possible.
Please add a link to your post, referring back to this post, so that others can find the link up.
Using the linky below, enter the direct link to your post.
Out of consideration for everyone participating in the Curriculum Sale Blog Hop, please only request items that you intend to purchase and are able to submit payment for promptly, preferably within 24 hours, unless prior arrangements have been made with the person selling the books.
Sellers please update your posts with “sale pending” or “sold” when possible, and be sure to include your payment and shipping terms.
Purchasers, if you request books from a seller, please respond to their confirmation email within a reasonable amount of time. If the seller doesn’t hear back from you within 24 hours they may decide to remove the “sale pending” and make the books you requested available to others.
The link-up will remain open from June 15-30, 2015, so be sure to check back for new links! I’ve added a button to the side of the blog which will be there for the duration of the link-up so this post can be found easily.
Our 2015 Used Book Sale
It’s time for the 5th Annual Curriculum Sale Blog Hop! You can find all the details, browse books for sale on other blogs, or add a link to your own post here.
I didn’t have enough time to sort through all our bookshelves over the weekend, but I do have a few boxes of books to sell this summer and I pulled a few more off the shelves after we got home from golf camp this afternoon.
If you are interested in purchasing any of the items in this post, please leave a comment listing the books you would like, along with your email address. (The email address box is part of the comment form here at Shower of Roses and it won’t be displayed publicly.) I will send you a private email with your total, including shipping, along with my Paypal address.
To keep it as simple as possible, I have decided to once again charge a flat rate to help cover the cost of packaging, postage, and any Paypal fees. This year it will be $5 for 1-3 items and $7.00 for 4+ items.
Please only request items that you intend to purchase and are able to submit payment for promptly. I’ve disabled comment moderation for a few days so that the comments/requests will show up immediately. I will also update the post as quickly as possible with “sales pending.”
Note: Most links are affiliate links.
Saxon Math 7/6: Homeschool Edition, good/very good condition, purchased new and used by one child, Asking $20.00 (sold)
Saxon Math 7/6 ISBN 1565775074, $10.00 (Previous school textbooks, with wear to covers, fourth edition and nearly identical to the Saxon 7/6: Homeschool Edition. A couple years ago my two oldest boys used 7/6 together with tutors, one the hardcover and one using the softcover pictured above. My 7th grader is currently using another copy of this book.)
Asking $10 each (2 1 available)
Teaching Writing: Structure and Style Workbook (Syllabus and Seminar Workbook Only – I happened to have an extra copy after participating in a local seminar. This coordinates with this DVD set.), like new, $15.00 REDUCED to $7.50 (sold)
Connecting With History: Volume 2 Spiral Bound Syllabus (Original Edition), very good condition, Asking $20.00 (sold)
Fix It! : Grammar and Editing Made Easy with Classics (2007 Edition), very good condition, Asking $15.00 (sold)
The Universe in my Hands Book with Dividers, Asking $10.00 (sold)
Science and Living in God’s World Grade 2 Teacher’s Manual and Answer Key, $1.00 Science and Living in God’s World Grade 4 Text and Workbook Answer Key, $1.00 (sold)Science and Living in God’s World Grade 5 Test Booklet, $1.00 (sold)
Explode the Code, Book 1, pages 1-3 completed, $5.00
Explode the Code, Book 1 1/2, new, sticker on cover, $6.00
Explode the Code, Book 2 1/2, new, $6.00
Word Tracking: High Frequency Words, Like New, Asking $10.00
Getty-Dubay Instruction Manual – Like New, Asking $3.00
These have all been read once and are in like new/very good condition:
Something Other Than God, Asking $10.00 (sold)
My Sisters the Saints: A Spiritual Memoir, Asking $7.00 (sold)
Catholic Philosopher Chick Makes Her Debut, Asking $10.00
Secular Saints, hardcover, wear/fading to dust cover, otherwise in great condition, $10.00
A Short Life of Christ, 1952, $4.00
The Story of the Sacred Heart, paper pamphlet type, you can see a picture of the inside here, duplicate copy, this has wear to cover including writing, Asking $3.00 Garment of Grace, like new, $2.00 REDUCED to $1.00 (sold)
Lucia Speaks on the Message of Fatima, $2.00 (sold)
Baltimore Catechism No. 1, some discoloration, a few crayon marks on inside front cover, $2.00
Ordinary Lives Extraordinary Mission, some shelf wear, $2.00
Sleeping Beauty, like new, $7.00 REDUCED to $3.50
Linnea in Monet’s Garden, duplicate copy, wear to cover, $3.00 (sold)
Peter and Lotta’s Christmas, like new, $10.00 (sold)
Baby’s Very First Black and White Library (box set of small Board Books, new), $3.00 REDUCED to $1.50(sold)
These are all duplicates of books on my boys’ bookshelves:Ranger’s Apprentice, Book One: The Ruins of Gorlan, paperback, wear to cover, $4.00 (sold)Ranger’s Apprentice, Book Eight: The Kings of Clonmel, paperback, minor wear to cover, $4.00 (sold)Brotherband, Scorpion Mountain, hard cover, like new with minor wear to corner of dust cover, $10.00 (sold)Sir Givret the Short, paperback, like new, $4.00 (sold)
Beyond the Desert Gate, paperback, new in shrink wrap, duplicate copy, $7.00 (sold)Nacar the White Deer, paperback, new in shrink wrap, duplicate copy, $6.00 (sold)Willow Wind Farm: Betsy’s Story, paperback, new, duplicate copy, $6.00 REDUCED to $3.00 (pending)My Heart Lies South, Paperback, good condition/shelf wear, $6.00 (sold)The Saints Show Us Christ, paperback, shelf wear, $2.00 REDUCED to $1.00 (sold)
The Last Things, paperback, $2.00
A Man for All Seasons: A Play in Two Acts, $2.00
All of these books are in good to very good condition, with some shelf wear:
The Call of the Wild and the Cruise of the Dazzler, $2.00 (sold)
Dollfuss: An Austrian Patriot, $3.00
Whirlwind: The Air War Against Japan, $2.00
Rascal, $3.00
The Skippack School, $4.00 Within the Palace Gates, $6.00 (sold)Cyrus the Persian, $6.00 (sold)
Brian’s Winter, $2.00
On the Wings of Heroes, $2.00
Walk the World’s Rim, $5.00
Meet Molly, HC 0808579894, ex-library book, $2.00 (sold)Changes for Molly, HC 083352366X, ex-library book, $2.00 (sold)Molly Learns a Lesson, HC 0808579924, ex-library book, $2.00 (sold)
Three Little Pigs, Usborne First Stories, some cover wear, $1.00 REDUCED to $0.50 (pending)
Phonics Practice Reader, $1.00
Yankee Doodle Sing Along, $2.00 Toddler Songs, $3.00 REDUCED to $1.50 (sold)Preschool Songs, $3.00 REDUCED to $1.50 (sold)
Silly Songs, $3.00 Lullabies, $3.00 REDUCED to $1.50 (sold)
Zippety Zoo (Level 4), $2.00A Den, a Tree, a Nest Is Best (Level 3), $2.00Slither, Slide, Hop, and Run (Level 2) , $2.00or $5.00 for all three (sold)
Stations of the Cross Coloring Book, Asking $1.00 each,
Seven Quick Takes :: Upcoming Book Sale, Coupon Codes, Special Feast Days, and Animals of God!
Now that the school year has come to an end, it is time to start gathering any books you’d like to sell. The 5th Annual Curriculum Sale Blog Hop is coming up next week! I won’t be able to host two this summer so I’ve decided to leave the link-up open for two weeks. Hopefully that gives anyone who would like to participate time to do so. I’ll post the link up sometime Monday afternoon, after we get home from golf camp.
Speaking of books, beginning today Sacred Heart Books and Gifts (one of my favorite sources for ordering discounted school books!) is offering free shipping for orders over $40 with coupon code JMJFS. For orders over $75 they are offering free shipping plus $5 off with coupon code JMJFS5. (These coupon codes are valid June 12-18, 2015.)
In honor of today’s solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and tomorrow’s feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the girls are going to bake and decorate heart shaped cookies again. After the cookies have cooled, cover each heart with white frosting. Add a red heart to the center of each cookie with red frosting, using additional yellow or orange frosting to create a flame. For the Sacred Heart Cookies add chocolate sprinkles to represent the thorns across the center; and for the Immaculate Heart add flower sprinkles and leaves. You can scroll through my past posts for the Sacred Heart here and Immaculate Heart here.
Tomorrow is also the feast of St. Anthony of Padua, the patron saint of lost items, and the one year anniversary of my miscarriage of our little Anthony. It’s hard to believe it has been a year, but at the same time (especially after all the things that have happened this past year and all the extra challenges we’ve had) it seems like so long ago…
I haven’t decided how we will celebrate the day yet, but you can find some ideas in the archives here at Shower of Roses and also over at Catholic Cuisine including an Outdoor Scavenger Hunt and “A Multitude of Fish” Trail Mix.
Our family owns an old cassette tape that we were given when our oldest three were toddlers titled Animals of God – Three Catholic Stories for Children. It includes the stories of three different animals who played roles in the lives of the saints. Our favorite is the first of the three stories, which is perfect for tomorrow’s feast, about St. Anthony of Padua and the True Presence of the Holy Eucharist.
Regina Martyrum Productions has just rereleased this story as an audio download!
“Meet Joshua, a little gray mule, and his kindhearted but stubborn Jewish owner, Guillard. After a chance encounter with Saint Anthony of Padua, the unbelieving Guillard throws out a challenge, demanding the saint to prove the true Presence of Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. When Saint Anthony accepts, unsuspecting little Joshua is locked away for three agonizing days and left to starve, yet he becomes the instrument God uses to show the entire town, without a shadow of a doubt, that the Holy Eucharist is indeed the Body of Christ. This incredible true story is told from the little mule’s point of view! A beautiful lesson on the Blessed Sacrament, which will delight children of all ages.”
Last December Bud received an awesome Schleich Portable Barn for his Farmer Boy/Big Red Barn Birthday! I had wanted to purchase the Schleich Christmas on the Farm Advent Calendar Set for him at the time, but it was just too expensive. It was still in my cart though and I snatched it up when it dropped to 61% off last week. It’s still a bargain at 59% off today if anyone else wants to add some more Schleich animals to their collection. I’ll be saving it for next December!
Inspired by the story of St. Anthony of Padua and the Hungry Gray Mule we pulled out Bud’s barn, animals, and a couple of his Saint Blessing Blocks. I need to see if I can find a gray mule… One kneeling would be even better! 🙂
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