3 Easy Holiday Crafts With Hersheys Chocolate kisses

Every once in a while I get the opportunity to try out products for various companies. Mostly for the craft industry but lately I have had other types of companies and products come my way. My life (although full of crafting) has so many aspects to it... all of which I love to share here on my blog, Twitter, facebook or instagram.

It's me. It's my family. It's my life. It is probably very similar to yours too. And that's why I share, because chances are we all are going through similar things, like similar things and well if I can share something helpful, I will.

This summer I started receiving Voxboxes from Influenster to try out various products. I receive these products complimentary with no compensation other than the products themselves. I get the products, test them out and share my experiences with them. Pretty simple and it helps to break up the monotony of contract work with this little sprinkle of fun. It is a lot of fun to get a mystery box of goodies to play with.
 

This seasons Voxbox was for Hershey's Kisses (#merrykissmas). This makes sense for our family since we bake and craft a whole lot of stuff for the holidays and Hershey's are really easy to add into the mix.

Kids Craft- Puffy Candy Garland

This craft is perfect to do with kids, even younger kids. Using broader point needle helps to teach kids some good hand eye coordination, but also give them the basic skills of sewing. I recommend supervising kids as they create this even though it is such a simple craft.

Supplies:
dental floss
tapestry needle or other broad needle
puffy craft balls
Hershey Kisses
cute crafty kids :)

To begin simply take a string of dental floss and thread your needle. I only have the thread pass through once to keep the thread thin. tie the end to help prevent your garland from falling apart. Proceed to thread sequences of kisses and puffy balls. We did 3 puffy balls to 1 kiss. This can also be a great time for kids to work on color pattern sequences as well. You can structure this as a learning tool for kids or you can just let them have at it and create. Your choice, either way its fun, easy and something they accomplish which is always a win. When you are done tie off the end. Kids can gift wrap this and give it to friends, this can be a candy/craft garland that they share with a friend as a part of a crafty gift basket... truly the possibilities are endless with this. After the gift is given, the kisses can be eaten and the puffy balls can be used to help learn counting, or for older kids they can be used for crafts. In our family when our children were younger, these puffy balls were used as currency in our home... so seriously the sky is the limit with this craft and the creative ways you can integrate it into your home or gifts.

In Case of Emergency "Relax" Kit

My first craft I made with my Hershey Kisses was some hostess style gifts. I gave these to the brave moms who helped me wrangle 15 girls for my daughters 9th birthday party last week. It didn't take long, but it was a nice way to share a treat with my friends who helped me so very much.


supplies:

string or twine
2x2 white cardstock
ink
stamp- Collage of Digits- Unity Stamp Company (Liz Hicks Studios)
scissors
washi tape
bottled drink
hersheys kisses

To create these is super simple. I made the 2x2 cards by stamping the cardstock, adding some white washi tape and then writing on the card my sentiment "hugs and kisses". From here I tied the card around the neck of my soft drink and tied the string into a bow. I simply added the kisses with washi tape to add some chocolate to my gift because seriously... after 2 hours with (15) 8-9  year old girls... who wouldn't need a little chocolate?

Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies

Every year our neighborhood gals get together for a cookie exchange. It is by far my favorite time we get together because well, we eat... we chat and we all leave with a bunch of cookies... It's like an Oprah's favorite things moment for me :)

This year my neighbor made my kids favorites- Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies


If you really want to make something quick and easy... these are them. You can pick up the two ingredients (peanut butter cookie dough and hershey kisses) that you need at the store. If you have a little more time you could use this recipe here.



But seriously if you are in a pinch... all it takes is just these two ingredients to make these cookies happen. Super easy.

If you are interested in learning more about the Influenster program click here.

Hopefully this gives you some quick and easy ideas for some homemade treats.

Enjoy your weekend!

~Liz Hicks ♥

Good Morning Green Juice Recipe

Last year when I was sick I had a really tough time keeping any food down. My mother in law sent us home with her juicer in hopes that I could at least get some sort of nutrition into me.

My husband has now fallen in love with juicing and today I want to share with you one of our families favorite fruit juices.

A little back story... This juice was inspired by a breakfast I had while I was in Norway teaching mixed media courses. At breakfast they had little glasses of juice and one of them was this sweet green juice. I tried my hardest to be polite and only take one, but the glasses were small and well 1 turned to 2 and then three....

Well I brought back the basic recipe to my family and together we have adapted it to create our own version of this tasty green drink (I can now drink as much as I want! lol)

Here is our version:

• Honeydew (peeled)- 1/2 a melon
• Pineapple- 1/2 (cut of top, bottom and skin)
• Green apple- 2 mediums
• Lime (peeled)- 1 medium
• Fresh ginger- a cut equivalent to 1 Tbsp
• Kiwi (peeled)- 1-2 full  (optional for added sweetness)

This yields about 5 cups of juice and we use a Jack Lalanne power juicer.

This is one juice our whole family will drink (which is a toughy)

It is sweet yet the citrus and ginger promote a healthy immune system. All in all, it is a great way to get something good in you at the start of your day.

Wouldn't you agree?

We love juicing and hope this recipe is as good for you as it is for our family.

XOXO

~The Hicks Family (written by Liz)

The FIRSTS...

Something about a new school year brings the idea of a fresh starting point.

As I was making dinner last night it almost felt as if the stress and fast pace of summer had dissipated and that things kind of felt, well normal.

Last week we had a few FIRSTS in our family...

Our eldest son started Junior high...

With junior high comes a whole set of new responsibilities and boundries...
For the first time all of our kids are not at the same school. This has give our oldest some freedom to figure out who he is and have his own set of friends. For the first time I see him texting and hear him talking on his phone to friends. He picked out his own clothes this year (normally he just has me pick out what to buy) and is now responsible for his lunch everyday... I know these are little things but it is crazy to see how these little leisures and responsibilities give him just enough leeway to becoming his own little person.

And then moments like this one above remind me that he is still my little guy.

Our younger two...

Usually have me to guide them on their first day. Unfortunately for all of us I was extremely sick last week, so they had daddy instead. Daddy may not be mommy, but he sure does the job when needed.
I playfully refer to these two as my "twins" as they are only a year and a half a part and have always done everything together.
This year brings our little ones on their own at their elementary. They no longer have their older brother to rely on for things. Although they may not see much of a change, I see it in them. This freedom has allowed our middle son to take over as the "responsible" one after school.

This is the first year that our little guy has had to be in charge. I am grateful for that. Being slightly autistic doesn't normally afford him these opportunities. It is nice to see him stepping up into the big brother role.

And our beautiful girl... She is only in second grade but looks so much older. This is the first year that she is asking me for fashion advice. She is listening to my opinion on her outfits and actually listening :)

This is the first year that I look at her and see a child. She is not my little girl anymore. She is growing so big and it is hard for me to see my littlest not be little anymore.






So although this may not seem like much, it is a lot for our little family. I love the growth that we experience as individuals as well as a family. I look forward to seeing what adventures this new school year brings us.




Liz ♥




For a GREAT back to school teachers gift idea, click here for my project from last year.

Getting funky with Crafty Chica Products- Part 2

 So today I am sharing another fun post full of Crafty Chica products... In today's post I decided to have my daughter join in the fun. When our daughter saw me ironing on the heart to my canvas, she got a brilliant idea that a pair of her pants could be used in the same way... who am I to say no to a budding creative mind?

DIY Designer Jeans

Supplies:  Pens: Sakura of America, Iron on: Crafty Chica for I love to Create, trim and old jeans: Unknown

This project was perfect for my 6 year old daughter. I simple took the rose iron on transfer and applied it to a simple pair of her jeans. From here, I let her color in with her choice of colors. 

 Here is a close up of the detail of the pants. Just some simple trim finish these pants off and make not only a custom pair of designed pants, but also a great project for your child or teenager.

Crafty Chica Market Tote

Supplies: Market Tote: Crafty Chica for I love to Create, Pens: Sakura of America, Flowers: Prima Marketing Inc., Ink: Clearsnap

This tote was so much fun and as I created it, I kept thinking of my daughter... it didn't hurt that she was eying it as I was working on it :) regardless.. she wins and will be taking this to school tomorrow as her back pack. She helped decorate it and pick some of the colors :)

 

*I received this complimentary product(s) from CraftyChica.com as part of the Crafty Chica Design Team and was asked to share an original DIY project.*

 Click here to see if a Michaels store in your area is carrying the Crafty Chica line.

I just want to thank Kathy again for asking me to share some inspiration using her products. If you would like to have fun with Crafty Chica products, make sure to click the link above to find out where products are available near you.

Thanks for joining me today :)

~Liz Hicks♥

Pony Pics

Well some of you may have already seen my sweet pics of the cowpokes over on Facebook, I just thought I would share a little tidbit over here. Altogether the photographer took 16 pics, and I have to say... I loved them all. I am just glad that this was the day the kids decided to cooperate!

Have a blessed monday!

Liz

Kids do the darndest things...

Well every now and then I am totally caught off gaurd by my children. This week... well has been interesting and I though I would share with everyone. First we will start with my oldest.

He is in first grade but has the thought process of a 40 year old, in his class this week he was asked to fill out this questionnaire that asks how many things he would be able to do with $100. Now his responses are a little tough to read, but he go as follows:

First I would: Buy house supplies

Next I would: Buy a pet cat.

Then I would: Buy a bathtub

Finally I would: Buy clothes

These are not your typical 6 year olds answers!!! He is much to responsible for his own good, and what is so funny that he still totally acts like a young boy, his wisdom just cracks me up sometime.

Next (thanks to blogger mixing up my pics) is our three year old Daughter:

Now here is a picture of her baby doll that she picked out for her birthday this past December. We went to Toys R Us and she had to pick out just the right doll (they all looked exactly the same). After picking out the exact doll to take home, we asked her what her babys name was and she answered: "Ding Ding Dot Dot" . Yup, that is what she has been named and reffered to since day one, until this past week when I asked our daugher to pick up her baby (Ding Ding Dot Dot) and put her away in her room, our daughter looked me straight in my eyes and said that her baby was no longer a baby but was actually a robot. Yup, so here is the robot, ding ding dot dot.

Lastly is our middle son, and well this picture says it all... At Family night over at our sons Elementary, our middle child found this hat pinned to the bulletin board, and rather than to take it off and utilize it appropriately... he just stood right underneath it. I guess techniquelly he would still be considered to be wearing the hat (minor technicality).

Well that is my week of random oddities form the child side. Hope you get a kick out of them as much as I did!

~Liz

It's a hard knock life...

for my little girl. yes, she may be little but this fiesty little almost 3 year old has had more injuries and trips to the ER than her brothers combined, and you would think that her brothers would have played a part in her demise, but no... her boo-boo's are all her own. Yesterday she was wearing her little mermaid costume and decided to run (against our requests not to) and tripped and fell onto a bookshelf. I don't have any before pics, frankly my mind wasn't thinking of recording the event (I am some what normal, thank god!) but I did catch this pic of her after we came home and she had enjoyed 5 lollipops (hence the sticky do). She was a trooper in the ER, and charmed all the doctors and nurses. She even gave the "interesting" doctor a wierd look when he called her "pumpkin-doodle". She thought he was silly. She is up and going, with her Derma-bond faux stitches (thank god!). Now begins the regime of trying to keep her from a life long haircut of bangs, and keeping her scar fresh so it can heal appropriately and hopefully not be to apparent.

well, everyday I am reminded of why I do what I do, and here again is my life in motion. I love it, can't complain... at least when life throws me speed bumps, I have someone to hold my hand as I jump over it.

So today, be thankful for your family, including the few nutty ones, because each one of them keeps you grounded, and reminds you of just how good life is.

XOXO,

Liz

This weekend...

First off let me start by saying that I think blogger is out to get me. I have tried uploading these pics a particular order, and well it decided to stall (three times) and mix the pics up a bit. Oh well, it works.

So... This weekend was the Fiska-Frenzy Fiskateer event. It was AMAZING! I had so much fun reconnecting with old friends and making some new ones. Being that I was on a "girls" day, with no kids, I took total advantage. Here me and Steph were hanging out (I know seriously cheesy pun, but I had too!) I sat next to Donna and Steph and we had a little "flower fun" of our own. Here is our table as we did an amazing project designed my Candace Carpenter (a new friend!). Candace was seated next to me and even though she was up teaching and I had all of her space to plop my stuff down (she was seated to my right here) some how I guess... my supplies made their way over to Donna's space (she was sitting to my left). My dear friend Laurie was seated across from me, and was a total life saver! together my table rallied to help me finish my ATC's.

Ok, so here is where the post pics went south. This should have been the last pic, but oh well! This past friday, my oldest son lost his first tooth. He has waited for such a long time, and finally he has a gap to stick his tongue through! The tooth fairy had a tough time finding him, as he was spending the weekend at Grandma and Grandpa's house. He had forgotten his pillow, so when he came home and had his own pillow to sleep with, she found him and left some glitter from her wings on his bedding.

Here is the happy fellow showing us his new grill. Oh, and that is Sawyer in the background holding his brand new Pikachu up. Apparently Pikachu likes to pose for pics and must be in everyone.

lastly... Here are the Primadonna's posing with Captain Chad. I would love to introduce to you all the newest addition to the team Jennifer Priest (far right). She comes to the Primadonna Program from hemet Ca. and has an amazing talent and giving heart. The four of us took this opportunity to leave our mark (I brought along some flowers and foam mount squares) on Captain Chad. He was strutting his nice purple flower. Doesn't he look smashing in purple?

Well here it is, some of the pics from my weekend. Believe me there are so many more, I just haven't had a chance to look at them all yet.

Have a great week, and I am sure I will post more pics this week!

Hello 30~

Last week I celebrated my 30th birthday exactly the way I wanted to. I have debated on whether to talk about my dailies here in the blog, but I originally started this blog to catalog moments in my life so that I could look back and scrap as I go. So with this in mind, I share with you some of my day to day events this past month.

As most of you know, Sawyer our youngest son was diagnosed with PDD-NOS November 2006. He spent most of the second year of his life in intense ABA therapy which produced amazing results. He has sense adapted to a wonderful, beautiful little boy. This past few months we had noticed particular behaviors starting to creep up in him. We decided to have him evaluated again by our nuerologist and what she said devistated us. She left us with no hope, and basically told us that our little boy may never grow out of this and that he will ALWAYS have autistic tendencies. I was a shell of a mother as it was, being that I had no control over this thing that lingered in and out of our lives and to hear her tell me there was no hope, just shattered me. She did recommend intense ABA therapy to help with his behaviors but it is near impossible for our school district to cover this. We are currently in the process of having him re-evaluated for services and just hold true to the fact that God created Sawyer just as he is and has an amazing plan for his life. There is no doubt in our minds that Sawyer will move mountains, it is just the most scariest thing to go through as a parent knowing that your child is in there and you don't know how to get him out. We are fotunate enough that Sawyer is bright and responsive, tells us he loves us and talks to us. He is high functioning which is a blessing but keeps him at arms length for services he needs. So this month has been a trial for us emotionally besides the fact James' grandfather passed away as well.

Well with all of this going on, I just couldn't bring myself to have a huge party. I needed to do something simple that I could just enjoy. I had no more emotion left, and I really just needed a day to be me and appreciate the blessings in my life.

So my day consisted of dropping the kids off at school, attending IEP meetings for both Sawyer and Sedona (they both recieve speech services) and hustling over to Jackson's school for his parent teacher conference. All three meetings were great and Jackson recieved all outstandings, plus perfect attendance.

For dinner I ordered some pizza's and we had James' family over for dinner. James brought home some cupcakes from Sprinkles (my new guilty pleasure) and we laughed the night away.

This simple day of mommy duties is exactly what I wanted to do on this day at this time. I needed something simple I could relax with and I thank James for doing that for me. We will most likely do a party for the two of us during the summer, but for my day... my gift was simple. My day was simple, and it reminded me of just what my life is right now and just how blessed it is.

Cheesy candy grins @ yaya and Papa's house.

Happy Holloween!

Just wanted to wish you all a happy and safe holloween! I chose this pics well becuase of the mustaches of course! And no, that is not just a black dot on Sedona, she had to have a stache just like her brothers. Funny, but I never took princess peach as the bearded type! Well we are all set and ready to go out and hit up a few houses. We are keeping it light this year since the kids have school tomorrow. I am hoping to be back home and have them to bed by 8. I have to make cookies for church tomorrow so I hope I can keep to this schedule! So safe travels tonight and I can't wait to see all the cute pics!

Happy Holloween~

Love Daddy and Mama toadstool, Mario, Luigi and princess peach

Grease Lightning...

She runs like the wind in her new kicks. I could barely keep up with her with the camera but I managed to grab a few good clicks. She loves princesses, shoes and running from mommy so this was a happy combo for her.

thanks for peeking @ my future track star~

Day two of firsts...

Today was Sawyer's first official day of pre-school. He was very upset with me because I wouldn't let him wear his red crocs to school. he kept crying for his "red shoes". I finally was able to get him excited about going to see Mrs. Lewicki after bribing him with a few M&Ms. When we got there he was heartbroken because another little girl had taken the #5 which was his # during summer school. With his delay he doesn't take change very well so it really threw him for a loop. regardless, I was able to capture a few precious moments. Here they are to share with you all.

Sawyer running in to class

The unhappy fellow and Mrs. Lewicki

Posing for the Mammarazzi

A new day,

and new pics. Here are the pics of Jackson's first day of school. We were running late due to an early morning party held by Sawyer ( he jumped into our bed @1:30 am). So although we were all tired, we were running on adrenaline and out the door by 7:20. the parking was a nightmare so we parked in the neighborhood and walked in. It was the perfect fall day. I could smell the sweetness of the trees and although it is still summer, there was a crispness in the air that reminded me of autumn. There couldn't have been a better day to have the first day of school!
This is the first of many great days to come!

happy fall! (almost!)

The breakfast of champions ( My one time betty crocker tribute)

The Kids (on someone elses lawn since we forgot to do the doorstep pic)

Soon to be pumpkins~

So this year we decided to grow our own pumpkins. Last week my sister-in-law brought her 3 kids over and we planted then in styrofoam cups. This weekend we came home to our little sprouts popping up out of our cups. The boys are so excited! I am curious as to how much room they are going to take up and how big they will get. we got the Big Max variety which boost to get up to six feet wide. Now we will sooooo not be having six foot pumpkins but a couple little guys for pics I can handle. It has been fun being able to explain the planting and growing cycle with the boys.

well this is sure to be an adventure, hopefully it will work out!