simple Analogy

Popsicle Supplies 101: Paper Cups and Wooden Popsicle Sticks

For a completely disposable popsicle mold use 3 oz. paper bathroom cups and wooden popsicle sticks!  How's that for a cheap disposable mold?!  They are great for a children's party or outdoor events because you don't have to keep track of the parts!  You may even have some of these on hand already.

The only drawback is that your popsicle stick won't want to stand up straight and tall in the middle of your cup but will want to lean to one side.  One way to fix this problem is to pour your popsicle mixture into the cups, place in the freezer for an hour, and then insert your stick.  But if you're anything like me, you'll get busy doing something else during that hour and completely forget about inserting your sticks.  You'll end up with a perfectly good popsicle and no way to hold it.  The voice of experience!

Remedy:  Fill cup with popsicle mixture. 

Place a small piece of Press 'N Seal over it.

Make a small slit with a knife in the very center.

Insert your stick then pop them in the freezer and forget about them. 

To unmold, peel the cup off and enjoy.  Just keep a trash can nearby!

The Parade begins Monday, with the announcement of the giveaway winner and our first recipe!  Don't miss the fun! 

*** Are your children out of school yet?  Come back tomorrow for some summer popsicle fun (and a recipe)!

Popsicle Supplies 101: Popsicle Molds

Ok, before we go all out with our Popsicle Parade let's talk shop. By shop I mean the supplies that you'll need. The good thing is that popsicle making supplies are really cheap! Let's start with a method that is completely reusable!  Popsicles molds can be found in just about any store you can think of and in any shape you can think of...

flat molds

rocket molds (Like the ones I'm giving away - there's still time to enter!)

fillable center

twin pops

ring pops

Don't want a stick?  Go with these silicone squeezable molds.

The best way to unmold your popsicles is by running them under warm water for a few seconds with the cap on.  This will release them from the mold and you should be able to pull them out easily.  If they won't come out, that means you need to run them under water longer.

One thing that I have found that is helpful is that the stick part of the popsicle mold has a few holes in it.  My first set did not have holes.  The sticks were solid.  Sometimes while unmolding my popsicle, the whole stick would come out leaving the popsicle still in the mold.  Arg!

If your stick has a few holes in it, the popsicle mixture fills and freezes inside those holes fusing your popsicle to the stick.  No more stickless ice pops!

When you're done with the popsicle, just handwash in warm soapy water, and they're ready for the next round of frozen yumminess! 

Popsicle Parade and a Giveaway!

Happy Memorial Day!  Hope everyone is having a lovely long weekend!

Here in Houston we've had a pretty mild spring. But summer is now here, and we are reaching for popsicles. It's one small way we can beat the humid summer heat. I'd like to invite you to join me every Monday during June, July, and August for...

During Popsicle Parade I'll be scouring the library, food blogs, and pinterest for a new popsicle recipe for us to try each week! I'll be using Instagram to document our summer parade (@simpleanalogy), and there will be a monthly giveaway!

Please use the comment forum to leave links to your favorite popsicle recipes ('cause I'd love to try your favorites) and comment on the recipe of the week. It all begins Monday, June 4th!

To get us ready for a summer's worth of popsicles, let's do a little giveaway...

Today's offering is a set of eight rocket shaped popsicle molds. Super fun if you have younger children; equally fun if you're tired of the traditional flat popsicle shape.

Entering is easy! Just leave a comment telling me your favorite popsicle flavor! A random winner will be chosen on the first official parade day... June 4th!

Here's to some cool summer popsicle fun!

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Need a few popsicle ideas to get you inspired? Click the Popsicle Parade category in the sidebar for a few recipes!

What Do You Do With a Broken Teacup?

My mom ordered a tea set from England for a friend's daughter who is graduating from high school.  I guess the English don't know how to package tea sets for shipping overseas very well, because the set arrived with several of the cups broken.  The company told her to just keep it, and they would send a replacement set.  This one arrived with several teacups busted as well.  Grrr!  Between the two sets, there were enough whole cups to make the set.  

So then the question was put to me, can you make anything out of these broken cups?  Why yes!  A flower arrangement.  I added floral foam and arranged the flowers so that they covered up the large chip in the rim of the cup. You'd never know!  Mom wrapped the package and set the broken-teacup-turned-floral-arrangement into the bow.  

Beautifully salvaged!

Everything I Know About Cleaning Stainless Steel Sinks...

... I learned from my mother-in-law.

My mother-in-law has been a professional housecleaner for over 20 years.  It was a little intimidating as a new bride, having her over.  I thought she'd be looking for the spot of dust that I missed or the crumb that escaped the vacuum cleaner.  But you know what?  I never once saw her look out of the corner of her eye to see if I had dusted the ceiling fan (which I only do about one a year) or run her finger over the mantle (I DO dust that weekly).  She's the kind of mother-in-law that let's you be who you are without trying to improve you.

I asked her one time how she kept her stainless steel sink looking so shiny.  If you have a stainless sink, you know how dull they can get after a while.  She gave me her trade secret, and you know what?  It works like a charm.  Yes! I'll share!

First of all, scrub your sink with the cleaner of your choice.  I like to use Soft Scrub with Bleach.  The combination of grittiness and bleach removes bacteria and any stains.

This is what my sink looks like after it's been scrubbed.  Clean, but dull.  Now for the trade secret...

lemon oil

Give one swirl of lemon oil around the sink and wipe the entire surface with it with a paper towel.

Now look how shiny!  You can even see my son's head reflected as he peered over the counter. 

Landon:  Um... mom, what are you taking a picture of?

Me:  The sink.

Him:  Why?  (This must be read with the right inflection of voice - one that conveys the thought that that is the weirdest thing to take a picture of.)

Me:  For my blog.

Him:  No comment, just a quick raise of the eyebrows.  Turns and walks away...

Anyway, the oil not only makes the sink shiny, but also gives it a protective barrier from liquids and other things it comes in contact with.  Just look at that water all beaded up!

It doesn't last forever, so you'll need to do this a couple times a month.  But really it is an effortless fix.  And it smells good too!  One bottle of lemon oil will last you a year or more.

Enjoy your shiny sink!

Texas Send Off

Another name for this post could be "How To Decorate Cheaply for a Texas Send Off:  Beg, Borrow, DIY, and Buy In That Particular Order".

The Event:  A church-wide dessert fellowship to say farewell to our associate pastor who will be taking a senior pastorate in Washington.

The Budget for Decorations:  $100

The Inspiration:

1.  Texas, Texas, Texas

2.  State art

3.  Bandannas and Texas wildflowers

4.  Paper fans 

The Result:

Ok, it goes without saying that Texans are proud of their state.  So this party pretty much had to be a Texas theme.  I went with red, white, and blue (Texas flag colors) and added some turquoise to lighten things up a bit.  I could have gone old-and-crusty-cowboy, but chose to go more whimsical-and-fun while still staying true to Texas.  The result was a fun mix...  

I was rushing from the soccer field to the church to decorate and totally forgot my good camera!  Ah well, iphone pics will do...

Bandanna banners (already on hand from my Western VBS last year) and paper fans (from Party City - love their new paper decorations wall) hung from the ceiling.

The focal wall with it's Texas state art, flag, and wildflowers.  I made the signs and Texas out of cardboard (supplied by a friend's husband for free) and a little paint!  The heart was made using this method and my husband's hands (because they are bigger than mine).  The flag was borrowed from the auditorium, and the wildflower star was borrowed from the church secretary.  Gingham "curtains" were leftover from VBS as well!

Cowboy hats (borrowed), Texas wildflower jars/wreaths (also already on hand from a previous church event), wooden craft stars and homemade paper confetti adorned the tables.

And if you look closely, you will see the ever so subtle Texas flag made using three colors of table covers.  It's so subtle that probably no one even notice, but I knew it was there and that's what counts!

For the pastor's young sons, a money tree... a limb off my mom's dead tree spray painted turquoise and planted in sand.  We used a combination of clothes pins and twine to attach the money to the tree.  I wish I would have taken a picture of it at the party.  It was blooming with money!  Their boys LOVE origami, so I had a few of their friends make some of their favorites to add to the table.  Thanks Laura, Emily, and Cassie!

Thank you to my decorating team - Sarah, Cassie, Rebekah, and Beth - and my tear down crew - my husband, Damon, Phil, Sarah, Clyde, Tracy, and all the others I didn't see because I was looking at the ceiling focusing on not making my husband fall off the scaffolding that I was pushing him around on while he took down stuff from the ceiling.  He's a good man!

Go Texas!

May Kid's Craft Along: Lavender Bath Salts Teacher Gift

School is almost out! The kids are getting squirrely; the teachers are getting antsy. As a teacher (homeschool mom of 11 years) I can speak from experience. The teachers are just as ready as the kids are to be out of school, maybe more so. Her last few weeks are spent trying to cram those last few lessons into the minds of her students - minds that are already tuned in to what's going to happen as soon as that "last day of school" bell rings. It can be trying at best and maddening at worst.

What your teacher really needs for her end of school gift is the gift of relaxation. This month's craft along is just the ticket... a nice long soak in a lavender scented bath.

Supplies:

epsom salts

dried lavender

jar with lid (recycle a mason, spice, or baby food jar)

paint (optional)

fabric or ribbon

Approximate cost: $5 (will make several gifts)

Directions:

In a disposable bowl or cup, add one cup of epsom salts.

Add a small spoonful (not quite a tablespoon) of dried lavender to the salts. I prefer to just use the dried flowers because lavender is a strong scent, but if you like add two drops of lavender essential oil. Go easy though! A little goes a long way!

Stir to combine.

Spoon into a clean, dry jar.

If needed, paint the lid of your jar and let dry completely. Screw on tightly.

Print out labels. You may need to resize them depending on the size of your jar.

Tie a ribbon or strip of fabric around the top of your jar and add the label.

Suggestions:

• Dried lavender and a variety of essential oils can be found near the soap making supplies at your local craft store.
• Don't like the scent of lavender? Try making citrus scented bath salts. Substitute dried orange peel (recipe here) for the dried lavender and add a few drops of orange oil.
• For future reference, these make a great Mother's Day gift as well.

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Share pictures of your salt creations in the Kid's Craft Along Flickr pool!

Best Banana Bread Evah!

Warning:  Could be hazardous to your diet!

When a friend brings banana bread to Bible study and everyone immediately asks for the recipe, you know it's gotta be good. Banana bread recipes are a dime a dozen, but this one stands out in the crowd.

Banana Bread Recipe

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Mix the following ingredients in a LARGE bowl:

1 1/3 c vegetable oil

1 c sour cream

4 eggs

6 bananas, VERY overripe

3 cups sugar

1 Tbsp vanilla

1 1/2 tsp salt

Mix ingredients with hand mixer on medium speed until smooth.  Then add:

4 c flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

Turn on mixer briefly to incorporate flour.  Do not over mix.  Divide batter into greased and floured loaf pans, filling only 2/3 of the way full.  Sprinkle batter with raw sugar, which will form a sugar crust while baking.

Bake for 40 minutes (gift sized loaf) to 60 minutes (large loaf - although mine took about 1 hr 15 minutes) until wooden pick comes out clean.  Remove from oven and cool in pan 15 minutes before turning out onto cooling racks.

Yields 2-3 large loaves or 4-6 gift loaves.

Moist and sticky on the inside thanks to the sour cream.

Crunchy on the outside thanks to the raw sugar sprinkle! Be prepared to be addicted!

Bracelets on Parade {Day 4}

I pretty much felt the need for another color of the simple leather bracelet.  Tutorial here.  These are another of my favorite bracelets to wear! 

Hope this parade gave your jewelry making creativity a nudge!

Bracelets on Parade {Day 3}

The second bracelet for my customer...

Vintaj brass findings (Hobby Lobby), carved flower wooden bead and larger turquoise beads (Michael's).  Wire linked.  Also adjustable.