A Pinteresting Wednesday: Canned Strawberry Lemonade Concentrate

Welcome back A Pinteresting Wednesday. It is good to see you after a sporadic Summer.

A few months ago, Hubby excitedly declared that he had just ordered me 32 pounds of strawberries. At the time we ordered all these luscious strawberries, we just planned on making lots and lots of jam.

Before the berries came, I came across a recipe for Canned Strawberry Lemonade Concentrate from Free Time Frolics. 

The heavens opened and angels sang and I knew what some of those 32 pounds of strawberries were going to go towards. 'Cause I love myself some strawberry lemonade. Yes, I do.

Hubby loves it too.

Our Little Men love it.

Well, heck, who doesn't love it?

You might also know that I am kind of addicted to canning.

So the fact that it was not just Strawberry Lemonade Concentrate, but that it was also canned so I can have it whenever my little heart desires pretty much sealed the deal that I would have to make it.

I mean for reals. Canned Strawberry Lemonade Concentrate.

Oh yes, you will be mine.

This was so stinkin' easy to make. SO EASY.

After it is all canned and you decided you want a nice glass of strawberry lemonade, well you just add water, maybe some fresh cut up strawberries, and a slice of lemon to make it fancy (fanciness not required to make it taste yummy, by the way).

Yuuuuuum. YUHHHHMMMM. Summer in a glass.

Summer is almost over, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy and savor every last sip of it. Plus, since I have this canned concentrate all made up, I can have a little reminder of Summer anytime I want...

...well until I run out of concentrate, but I shan't think of that now.

You won't regret giving this a try. Like I said earlier it is easy and the result is delicious.

Canned Strawberry Lemonade Concentrate

Each recipe cans 3 quart jars. 

5 cups fresh lemon juice (approximately 30 lemons)
6 cups sugar
6 cups hulled strawberries
wide mouth jars

In a blender or food processor, puree the strawberries. In a large pot, mix the sugar and lemon juice. Then stir in the pureed strawberries. Heat the mixture over medium heat. Heat until a candy thermometer reads 190 degrees, stirring frequently.

While the strawberry mixture is heating, clean the jars, heat the lids and rings (I do this by keeping them in a pot of simmering water), and fill the water bath canner with water.

Once the mixture is at the right temperature, funnel the mixture into the clean jars. Wipe off the mouth of the jar and then place the lid and ring tightly on each jar.

Place them in the water bath canner and cover. Bring the water to a boil and let them boil for 15 minutes.

 Remove the jars and set out on a the counter and listen for the sealing "pop".

Store until ready to use.

When ready to make lemonade, add 1 1/2 quarts to 2 quarts of water to 1 quart of concentrate.

Another Pinterest Success.

Thanks for reading! Have a grand day.

Face Painting Kit: Funner in the Summer

Reposting this from Thirty Handmade Days Funner in the Summer

I am not sure what is more fun to a kid than painting.

Oh, wait...

That would be face painting.

My boys love to have their faces painted. As I recently found out, most kids love to have their faces painted.

So I thought, what better way to have fun than to come up with a portable Face Painting Kit. 

My Face Painting Kit consists of--

small hand mirror

dixie cups

water

paint brushes

paint tray

face paints or face paint make-up

baggie of wipes

To make the kit portable, or even to give it as a fun gift, everything can be put into a fun conatiner.

Package it all up. Then you can take some Summer fun where ever you go.

Then the face painting can begin.

Have you seen happier faces?

So much fun in one afternoon.

They proudly displayed their faces the rest of the day. Captain America may have been spotted at a local soccer game. It has also been rumored that a sweet puppy may have cried the hour leading up to washing time because she didn't want to say good bye to her puppy face.

Here are some fun Summer activities I have shared:

Baking Soda Painting

Kool-Aid Glue Painting

Homemade Slime

Follow along with Just Another Day in Paradise

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Face Painting Kit: Funner in the Summer

Today I am over at Thirty Handmade Days

for Mique's Funner in the Summer Series.

I am sharing a fun Face Painting Kit idea.

My boys had so much fun with the face paint, it was a great 

way to have fun on a Summer afternoon.

Go on by and check it out.

Albion Swimsuit Review and $100 Giveaway

First, this a lovely and wonderfully comfortable bathing suit from Albion Fit that I am absolutely in love with.

Second...

Goosh.

That is a photo of me.

That is a photo of me in a swimsuit.

That is a photo of me in a swimsuit that I am actually posting.

Give me a moment to freak out in my head.

(aaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...gasp...gasp...aaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh....head between my knees...deep breaths....aaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh)

Thanks for giving me a moment.

For those of you who know me, you know this is a Hell freezing over kind of situation.

Which is why I would only trust my very close, very talented photographer friend Lisa of Lisa Hansen Photography to snap my bathing suit photos. When I called her in hysterics, she immediately obliged. I am so very grateful she lent me her talents.

Now that I have gotten over the shock of showing the world me in a bathing suit, let me tell you about this swimsuit and why I am willing to break my cardinal law (being photographed in a swimsuit).

Albion Fit contacted me and asked me if I would like to review one of their swimsuits. In under 3 seconds of looking at their site I was eagerly typing them back with an ecstatic "YES".

I ultimately picked the Criss Cross Suit because of its vintage feel. I have also wanted a classic black suit for awhile.

I was a little nervous after I picked it because I have not worn a one piece in over a decade. I have stuck strictly to tankinis for the very simple reason that prior to this whenever I have tried a one piece it looked horrible. They would cut me off all funny. I would feel like I had to walk all hunchback to make it fit. Basically, for whatever reason I would always look like a sad and unfortunate oompa loompa.

Not normally the look one goes for on the beach.

Well, who knew that was because I had been trying on sub par cheapo suits?!!??

As soon as I slipped the Criss Cross Suit on from Albion Fit, I actually said out loud, "Well this is how a swimsuit is supposed to fit. Glory be."

Yes I did actually say GLORY BE...just ask Hubby.

I can not fully explain how comfortable and supportive this suit is.

To. Die. For.

I am now fully confident that if I jump off the diving board in my normal graceful fashion I will neither a) get a wedgie or b) come out of the top.

Besides the comfort and support of the suit, it really is rather lovely.

Like I said earlier, it is a classic and vintage looking suit. I am in love with the neck line. LOVE I tell you.

The gathering in the front adds a great detail AND if you have had a few...say like four...kids the added bonus of the gathers is that it helps disguise any deflated balloon belly.

Speaking of my kids, this suit is the perfect suit for a day trip to the pool. I can lounge and look like a carefree movie star for the 60 seconds my boys will let me. Then when the monkeys realize they are free from their cage, the suit will keep up with all the carrying, saving, and being climbed upon that having four monkeys entails.

Best. Suit. Ever.

Now Albion doesn't just make suits. They also make a pretty rockin' line of athletic wear for women that I can't wait to try!

So now on to the best part.

Oh the giveaway. Happy dance for giveaways.

Albion Fit has so generously offered one of Just Another Day in Paradise readers a $100 gift card to use towards a suit or some workout clothes.

To enter all you need to do is follow the prompts of the Rafflecopter.

The mandatory entries are to visit Albion Fit, look around, fall in love, and 

come back and leave a comment about what you love.

The other entries are not mandatory, but hey who wouldn't

want more chances to win this gift card??

The giveaways will run until Saturday, June 22nd at 11:59 pm MST.

If you simply can't wait for the giveaway, then they are also offering $15 off any purchase of $50 or more

with the use of the code JustAnotherDay15.

Good Luck!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Fun with the Kids Fridays: Snake O'Cups

Fun Fridays!! Woohoo.

Now that school is out we are in desperate need of fun projects and boredom busters.

These snakes are super fun and just about the most awesome thing ever. Just ask my boys.

They are obsessed with snakes. We have several books all about snakes, and they read them all the time. Their favorite snake fact:

There is a snake that farts up to 6 feet to ward off predators.

Every time the boys talk about it they laugh and laugh and laugh.

In one of the books, there was an idea to make a snake from cups.

Yep, that was going to happen.

A bunch of cups and an hour or so equals three very happy boys.

Here is how you can make a Snake O'Cups all your own--

You need:
colorful paper cups
brads
red pipe cleaners
craft eyes
hot glue

Every cup, except the head cups and the first cup, will need 4 holes.

Two holes on the top on opposite sides of the cup and two holes on the bottom on opposite sides. Both sets of holes need to be about an inch from the top and bottom.

Punch the holes with a push pin, that will make it easier to put the brads in.

You connect the cups by putting one cup into the other. Then you attach them with brads through the top holes of the outside cup to the bottom of the inside cup.

The first cup you do only needs the holes at the top. This will be the tail. You continue attaching cups working towards where the head will be. Alternate colors, create a pattern. Basically keep at it until you have a snake to your liking. Our were about 17 cups long.

I will warn you that you will need to help. The brads were a bit tricky for little teeny fingers. The brads also really need to be fastened good. I mean they have to withhold any ensuing snake fights...that will occur, I promise you.

The snake wranglers will appreciate all your hard work though.

Just before you add the head, you will stop with a cup only attached at the bottom. Set it aside and make the head.

For the head, first make the tongue.

You need 2 red pipe cleaners.

Twist it together, leaving about and inch untwisted.

Then twist it all together.

Cut a tiny hole in the bottom of a cup and pull the pipe cleaner through using the left over inch to keep it in place.

With hot glue, attach the eyes on either side of the top of the tongue cup. Then glue that cup to the last cup of the snake body.

Draw some fangs by the tongue and....

DONE.

The brads make the cups move very snake-like.

These are the only pet snakes our boys will EVER have.

When not being carried, they prefer to lounge in the sun.

My boys gave this project two very enthusiastic thumbs up. Now they can stop pestering me for their own pet snake.

Which is good, cause it was never.gonna.happen.

Happy Friday!!
Linking here:
Your Homebased Mom
Thirty Handmade Days

Have a "Kool" Summer Printables

The end of school is right there. Preschool actually already ended.

I decided it might be nice for Little to have something to give his classmates.

As are most things in my life, this was kind of last minute. I was sitting around with an extra minute or two and decided, "Why the heck not."

I raided Hubby's not-so-secret stash of Kool-aid. Found puh-lenty of those little packets.

Next I grabbed some striped paper straws from my not-so-secret stash of party supplies.

Then I went to my trusted PicMonkey and I made up some simple tags.

Put it all together...BAM easiest little end of the summer treat ever. 

I made a sheet of these simple and fun printables and now you can make your very own KOOL gifts.  Click on the link and you can download them to your computer.
 

Download HERE

 Then before you know it you will have a whole pile all ready to go to school with your little one.

Then you can pretty much guarantee they will be just the most liked ever. Plus they will smell like Kool-aid.

What is not to like about that???

Only a few more days of school over here. Ahhh. Then the invasion begins.

Linking Here:

Sugar Bee Crafts, Today's Creative Blog,
Not Just A Housewife

Vinyl Tablecloth Picnic Blanket Tutorial

I know Summer is more than half way over, but there is still plenty of time to gather up a couple of sandwiches, some chips, fruit, water, and some treats and have yourself a grand little picnic.

Along with that picnic lunch it would also be handy to have a cozy and cute picnic blanket.

Handy? Why yes it would be handy.

You know what would be more handy, if it was easy and cheap to make.

Are you saying to yourself, "Why that would be especially handy! Please do tell."?

Well, okay...but just 'cause I like you.

I love a project that requires just a few items. I especially love a project that requires minimal work and is cheap to throw together...I mean lets face it, I am a mom of four rowdy boys and I spend all my money on milk, bread, shoes, and jeans.

This picnic blanket is one of those projects.

For this picnic blanket I simply used a vinyl tablecloth, a inexpensive $5.00 bed sheet, and a couple of packages biased tape. Pretty awesome huh!?

All you will need is-

1 twin flat bed sheet
1 60"x84" vinyl tablecloth
2 pkg of coordinating biased tape
thread

Don't be confused by the both the extra sheet and the extra package of biased tape pictured. I got a little ahead of myself when I took the pictures of the supplies. You won't need the extra.

You might see the other bed sheet in a different project soon...ooh so exciting.

First you lay out the bed sheet wrong side up. Then you line up the tablecloth on top of the sheet, wrong sides touching.

The fuzzy back of the tablecloth will help it stick to the sheet. Cut off the excess parts of the sheet so that it is in the same shape as the tablecloth on top.

Keep the tablecloth and the sheet together wrong sides facing.

Then after attaching the two packages of biased tape together, pin the tape in place all around the outside edges of the tablecloth.

Sew in place.

Fold over the biased tape and pin in place once more.

Then sew the biased tape to the blanket.

Finished.

See how easy?

Roll up your blanket and stash it in your picnic basket.

Lay it out, vinyl side down because well it is easy as pie to wipe off.

Then serve up your delightful little picnic lunch...

...and enjoy the last little bit of Summer.

Sharing Here:
Thirty Handmade Day: Pity Party
Tatertots and Jello: Weekend Wrap-up
Be Different Act Normal: Saturday Show and Tell
Whipperberry: Friday Flair