Homemade Jello Fruit Cups

As with most things, I'm sure I'm not the first one to think of this but thought I'd share just the same...

I recently put us on a new revised (read: stricter) budget and am trying to be especially careful with groceries. As a result, we don't have all the less necessary goodies we may have had before. Such as yesterday when my boy asked me for a fruit cup and we had none. It got me thinking about how easy it would be to make our own though. So my little helpers and I got to work with some sugar-free jello and canned fruit.

First we mixed up the jello in a bowl. Then we placed a few mandarin oranges (the only canned fruit I had on hand) in the bottom of very small Rubbermaid containers. I have a bunch of these lidded containers from back in the day when I was pureeing baby food and I love when they can have a purpose beyond taking up space in the crowded "tupperware drawer". After placing the fruit in, we poured jello on top and popped them in the fridge.

You may be wondering why I don't have a cute picture to go with this. That would be because we used green lime jello and mandarin oranges. To be completely honest, they looked downright ghoulish and not at all appealling. I really did try to get a cute shot... The kids loved them so I can't complain. But the images are much more appropriate for CraftFail than general cuteness. Pin It

We came back...

...even though we would have loved to have stayed in Oregon for much, much longer. But, things like a job, a house, and all the wonderful friends and family we have right here pulled us back to Southern California.

I have nothing crafty to share today, just a couple of sweet pictures from our trip...

Asleep in the car for the long ride

Berry picking with friends

And my little man and husband flying kites at the beach

Nothing like hanging out as a family and being with old friends. Hope your summer is wonderful, filled with good memories and hot days. :) Pin It

Putting Away

We go on vacation starting Thursday and I can't wait! We're making the drive from Southern California to the Oregon Coast (we daydream of living in Oregon...) to meet another family and we'll get to have fun and just be a family for almost 2 weeks.

But, until then, I've made a couple little things and been reminded of how wonderful and satisfying little projects can be. Using up scraps is great, and there's much more immediate satisfaction in short-term projects. Who doesn't like instant gratification?

I made a coffee cup cozy based on the well-loved House on Hill Road tutorial...

And, I made a little pouch for my GPS. (yes, I'm a princess and I have absolutely no sense of direction...) Maybe if I have way too much free time, I'll list some on the little etsy shop that could. :)
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Another quilt out on its own...

So it always feels like I'm sending one of my babies out on their own when I list something handmade to sell, but I just can't stop. Here's the newest fledgling...an original creation with Heather Ross' West Hill horse fabrics. I'm not a horse person but I do love these prints and they are crazy soft. If it doesn't sell, I've already decided I'm keeping it.

No, I'm not attached or anything.


The link to the listing is here. Pin It

Happy Belated 4th...and a yummy, healthy kid treat for hot July days

So, you can file this under "cute things to do 12 months from now" because I didn't get my act together. Rather than making these ahead of time and posting so everyone else could enjoy them, I threw these together about 4 hours before the 4th of July barbecue we went to. Oops. Last minute, but very Mommy indeed.

There were lots of little ones at the bbq we went to and I volunteered to bring sweet treats. Not wanting to hop up our kids or our friends' anymore than they already were on the 4th, I made sugar-free yogurt pops. So easy, so yummy, so guilt-free.

I bought strawberry, vanilla, and blueberry yogurts. Then I amped up the blueberry with a little blue food coloring (patriotism has its price). I scooped a big dollop of strawberry in the bottom of each popsicle form, followed by vanilla, and then blueberry. The yogurt is thick enough that you don't need to set them up in the freezer between layers. Pop 'em in the freezer and voila! Kid-friendly, parent-approved treats.

You can do these for any holiday/occasion/special day - just mix up your colors and don't be afraid to use a little food coloring to customize. Enjoy! Pin It