Poolside Snacks! Pudding + Cool Whip = YUM!

So, in a Better Home & Gardens magazine a few months back I found a recipe for a poolside treat that sounded amazing, I am horrible about ripping things out and remembering them so I took a picture of the recipe and pinned it. Have I mentioned how much I love Pinterest? Well, when I was thinking of a treat to take to a morning playdate I was so happy to reference the recipe I took a picture of a few months back. These turned out AMAZING, they had the texture of ice cream but didn't melt like ice cream and were a hit with the kids. I used vanilla this time and I can't wait to try different pudding flavors in the future.

Source: via Julie on Pinterest

Beach Memories

We just got home from a great vacation in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Although the weather wasn't ideal, we did have a few nice days to enjoy the beach. One afternoon in particular, the in-laws offered to stay in the condo while the kids napped and the hubby and I got an afternoon alone on the beach. Not only was it delightful but we got lucky in that it was low tide and there were TONS of sand dollars on the shore. Growing up in Houston, I don't think I've ever seen even a whole sand dollar, let alone so many. One group of girls had almost 50 of them. We collected what we could find in 20 minutes, which were still more than I can find space for and decided we'd take them home for souvenirs. So, now I have about 20 of these things and I need creative ideas on how to display and use them since they are definitely a rarity.

After a couple bleach and sun sessions, they are finally at a white that I am happy with, I like a little bit of the brown detail around the star, it keeps it authentic, ya know?

Here are some of my favorite projects in utilizing these sea creatures.

I bought an inexpensive empty frame from Hobby Lobby (only $7!), took a piece of card board left over from one of my many Amazon packages I came home to and used mod podge to cover it with some burlap. I then put mod podge on the sand dollars and let them set on the burlap overnight, with a little stapling... a wonderful souvenir is made and already looking at it on my wall reminds me of our wonderful vacation and a place we love so much. Oh, and if you are wondering, the sand dollars symbolize our family, I picked out different sizes to represent our family of 4.

I used some of the other ones to create a centerpiece and a few of them as some souvenirs for Lily and some of her friends.

 I love (almost!) free beach memories!