Cute & Easy Spring Craft

We went to the story time at Barnes & Nobles today.  The "theme" was chickens and the craft was super cute.  Better yet, super easy!


Supplies:
Safety Scissors
Stick Glue
Paper (White, orange, yellow, blue)

Cut out oval "eggs" on the white paper.  Have the kids color & decorate their egg however they want.  While they're coloring, you can prep the other pieces of paper.  Tri fold a half piece of 8X10 blue page.  The yellow piece should be approximately the same size as your egg.  The orange is for creating the "beak" so not much is needed.  (As you can see in the picture below, my kids went a little overboard on their beaks!)



Have the kids cut out their "chick" (my kids are preschoolers so their chick was a basic oval shape but older kids can be as detailed as they'd like).  Paste the "chick" in the middle of the tri-fold blue page.  Paste on the "beak" and decorate eyes or other chick details as desired.  Cut a simple "zig zag" in the colored egg.  Paste the egg on the outside of the tri-fold blue page.  (You may need to do some trimming on the blue page so the egg shell pieces fit together when folded over.)  My kids really got a kick out of the egg "cracking" open to reveal their chick inside.  So cute!

Kid-friendly version of Jambalaya

Here is my family's version of a Jambalaya in honor of Fat Tuesday.  (Mine is in the crock pot as we speak! Yum!)  First let me preface with this: Traditional Jambalaya is made with chicken or shrimp and some recipes add the addition of sausage.  We prefer the taste and texture of the kielbasa so this is how we make it.

Here's a simple and budget-friendly recipe for kielbasa, slow cooked with pineapple chunks and a tangy vinegar and brown sugar sauce.

Ingredients:

• 1 can (20 ounces) pineapple chunks
• 2 pounds kielbasa
• 1 large onion, quartered, sliced
• 2 bell pepper, cut in chunks (I like to use one orange and one red for the beautiful color)
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons cider or balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
• 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed

Preparation:

Drain pineapple chunks and reserve juice. Put chunks in the slow cooker. Cut kielbasa into 1- to 2-inch lengths; add to the slow cooker along with the onion and bell pepper.

Combine reserved juice with the cornstarch, stirring until smooth. Stir in the vinegar, soy sauce, and brown sugar. Pour over the kielbasa.
Cover and cook on LOW for 4 to 6 hours.

Serve:

 Serve over a bed of Jambalaya rice (I use a box mix bought from Aldi) or for less spice make a batch of white or brown rice to mix with the Jambalaya to your taste preference.  

Very Emotional Read

 

I just finished reading When the Heart Cries (Sisters of the Quilt, Book One) by Cindy Woodsmall.  The title should have tipped me off, but still somehow I was unprepared for the depth of emotions this novel would trigger.  This is far from an "easy" read in that it is emotionally taxing.  I've grown accustomed to heartwarming Amish stories that may have a few twists and turns and heart wrenching moments, but overall still leave you with a pleasant feeling and a happy heart.  This was NOT one of those stories.  From the very beginning of the story the main character is caught up in one tragic occurrence after another.  This story begins with a "Romeo and Juliet" romance at the base of the story followed by several gut wrenching events compounded by secrets and half truths.  To say that this story left me feeling depressed might be an understatement.  I was in tears for much of the book, and spent equal amounts of time experiencing feelings of utter frustration at the injustices of the circumstances Hannah finds herself in.

That being said, however, the characters are so vivid and the story so thoroughly developed I'm anxious to read book two in the three book series.  Perhaps I'm in for a disappointment, but I'm hopeful to set my mind at ease by reading the rest of the story.  I'm hopeful that the author will bring positive conclusions to the plot.   

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review I did not receive any monetary compensation for this post. Any opinions expressed are my own.