Easy Trampoline PVC Sprinkler

  My kids LOVE to jump on our trampoline with the sprinklers on during the summer. But I get tired of setting the sprinkler in the center of the tramp then having to move it to water other parts of the lawn, then resetting it. So we came up with a great plan. This is our original idea and haven't seen it anywhere else.  

This is so simple to make all you need is:

2- 10ft sticks of 3/4" PVC Pipe

1- 3/4" PVC End Cap

1- 3/4" PVC Coupling

1- PVC Hose Connector

PVC All Purpose Glue

10-15 Zip Ties

Drill with 1/8" drill bit

PVC Cutting Tool/Saw

 

You need to connect and glue the 2 long PVC sticks with the coupling. On one end glue on the PVC Hose Connector. From here, find the best place that is closest to the water hose so that you aren't connecting the hose in an awkward area. You will zip tie the hose connector and PVC pipe to the trampoline at that spot. Then move around about 4 ft and put another zip tie there, and so on until you get to the end. Once you have gone around the whole tramp and secured it with zip ties you should be back to the hose connector. Cut the pipe and glue the end cap on here. Next, take the drill and drill holes slightly slanted to the center of the tramp every 2-3 feet. The closer the holes are the lower it will spray, the farther apart the hole the higher the water will spray. Make sure the glue is dry before you turn on the hose. Have fun and always supervise kids when they are jumping on a trampoline and are around water.

 

Happy Summer!! 

Smile Brilliant Review & {GIVEAWAY}

Everyone LOVES whiter teeth!   I don't know about you, but I have tried several Teeth Whitening Systems...  So, I was thrilled when Smile Brilliant contacted us about review their new LED Professional Teeth Whitening Kit! 

This whitening kit includes a set of teeth trays, the whitening serum pen, and a LED light.  I really didn't know what to expect when I received this kit, but I have really enjoyed it!     How it works is you apply the serum directly to your teeth, put the trays on and then add the LED light.     NOTE- I had to do the LED light when my children where asleep because they wanted to play with it!    But, you can whiten your teeth without running the light the entire time. I timed myself by putting on an episode of Downton Abbey and watched it when I was whitening. Perfect timing and made it so enjoyable!

Above is a picture of me before I tried the whitening kit. (Sorry, I hate taking Selfies) 

My teeth usually get SUPER sensitive when I have tried OTHER kits.  I did not notice any sort of sensitivity with this product!  You can also use this product with already fitted teeth trays and that is what I did.  I used my clear retainer and it was super convenient!

 

Here is a picture of me after using 1 full pen.  You cannot tell much of a different from the picture, but I assure you...  There is a HUGE difference!  I was so glad that I did this review! It was just in time for our new family pictures! It gave me much more confidence to take these pictures. I definitely recommend it!

Smile Brilliant has offered to giveaway to one of our readers a LED Whitening Kit-  a $39.95 value!  

a Rafflecopter giveaway    

     

Nutella Cookies

Nutella Cookies

Cream Together...

1/2 c butter

1/2 c Nutella

1/2 c sugar

1/2 c brown sugar

Add...

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

Mix in...

2 1/4 c flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 c mini resses pieces

Bake 350' for 12 min

Arizona Chili-Cheese Rolls

Believe it or not, but my husband doesn't care for sweets...
 What's wrong with him?

 He would rather have an extra helping of mashed potatoes and gravy, over pie and ice cream. I have been pondering on a special treat to make him.  I was Really, Really surprised how yummy my creation turned out. So I wanted to share it with everyone.
 This recipe you will not want to pass up!!

First, start out with Briana's Good Ol' White Bread Recipe.  

While the dough in kneading, saute' 1/2 finely chopped onion in 1 TBS of butter until it turns clear. Once the dough is done mixing, divide it in half and roll it out just like you would when you make cinnamon rolls. About 24" x 12" x 1/2" thick. Spread 1 small can of chopped green chilies, 3/4 c. shredded cheddar or colby-jack cheese, 1/4 c. bacon crumbles, and the saute' onions evenly around the rolled dough. 

Now gently roll it up, slice the rolls about every 3 inches, and place in a lightly greased 9 x 13 pan. 

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees for 20-25 min. 

With the other half of the dough you can either make a loaf of bread, or roll into balls and make dinner rolls, or make a batch of cinnamon rolls. 

Printer Ink Tip

I always wondered if paying for a XL ink cartridge would be worth the money. A regular HP 60 cartridge is around $19 and a HP 60 XL is about $34. 

So I put it to the test...

I took a small labeling sticker and dated it when I put the new cartridge in. Then when I was out of ink I dated it again. Almost every time the regular cartridges lasted one month exactly while the XL had about a 3 month duration. 

So is it worth the money?

Here is the breakdown...

If you buy a Regular ink cartridge for $19 x 3 months= $57

While the XL $34 lasted 3 months= $34

I think so. 

Disclaimer: Now all printer ink cost differently at different stores, and everyone uses their printer at different frequencies than others. So give it a try and see if the XL cartridges are worth your money. 

Let us know how it works for you.

Mock Thin Mints

I had a craving for Girl Scouts Cookies and came up with a plan to make some with my boys. These were so easy and yummy! Great for a quick fix!
Mock Thin Mints 1 package of Chocolate Graham Crackers 3-4 squares of Melting Chocolate 1-2 drops of Peppermint Oil
Break all the Graham Crackers into the desired size. Melt the Chocolate. (We did it in a glass bowl in the microwave at 1 minute intervals.)  Once melted, add the Peppermint Oil. Stir well. Dip the crackers in the chocolate making sure the cracker is covered with chocolate. Let cool on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Enjoy!

Hot Chocolate Cookies

Once a week I get in the cookie making mode and crave the aroma that fills my home when I bake fresh cookies. I have my go-to recipes that are always great, but I also love to experiment.  For Christmas I made a whole bunch of Homemade Hot Chocolate (recipe on the way in a later post). I still have a whole bunch left, so I decided to add it to some cookies along with chocolate chunks, and mini marshmallows, which you are now able to find in some grocery stores. If you can't find them locally, you can get them on Amazon. I provided a link below for connivence.

These turned out very soft and chewy, a new recipe to add to my go-to list! 

Hot Chocolate Cookies

1 1/4 cup Vegetable Oil

1 cup White Sugar

2/3 cup Brown Sugar

2 Eggs

1 tsp Vanilla

3 cups Flour

1 cup Homemade Hot Chocolate or

(4 packages instant cocoa (don’t use sugar free))

1 tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp Baking Powder

1 cup Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips 

1 cup Mini Marshmallow Bits

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Whip in eggs and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, hot cocoa mix, baking soda and baking powder. Add in flour mixture to butter mixture until well combined. Fold in mallow bits and chocolate chips.

Spoon 1 tablespoon of the dough and shape into a ball. Place on a greased cookie sheet.

Bake for 9 – 11 minutes until edges are lightly browned.

Hot Chocolate Bars

The other day I had a house full of my kids and neighbor kids. They were starting to search my cupboards for snacks so I quickly pulled this recipe out to make for them which is fast and easy. These Hot Chocolate Bars have a soft, thick sugar cookie crust that you smother with hot chocolate homemade frosting that melts into the cookie. Then I topped it off with miniature marshmallows for the perfect look for the kiddos. 

Hot Chocolate Bars

Sugar cookie crust:

1/2 cup Butter, softened

1 cup Granulated Sugar

1 Egg

1 Egg White

1 Tbsp Sour Cream

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

2 1/2 cups All-purpose Flour

1/2 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

 Butter a 13″ x 9″ baking dish, set aside. In a mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt, set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip together butter and sugar until pale and fluffy about 3-4 minutes. Stir in egg and egg white. Add sour cream and vanilla and mix until blended. Slowly add dry mixture and stir until well combine. With buttered hands, gently press (so gently almost patting) mixture into buttered baking dish. Prepare Hot Chocolate Frosting. 

Bake 16 – 19 minutes until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and edges are lightly golden. When warm, smother the frosting onto the cookie crust. Sprinkle mini marshmallows on top of the frosting. Cut into squares, and enjoy while still warm. 

Hot Chocolate Frosting:

1/4 cup Softened Butter

2 cups Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix or 1 cup Powered Sugar + 4 bags instant cocoa mix

2-3 Tbsp Milk

1 tsp Vanilla

In a mixing bowl, with an electric mixer, whip together butter and Hot chocolate mix.  Slowly add milk and vanilla until fluffy.

Cinnamon Sticks

For Breakfast, my sons love to dip buttered toast into Hot Cocoa. Lately I have been experimenting with a recipe that Brooke gave me a few years back of her Best Pizza Dough Recipe.  It is SO easy to make and is SO yummy. It makes great Monkey Bread, Stromboli, Bread Sticks, and (not to mention) Pizza! I absolutely love Cinnamon Bread Sticks and thought that would be fabulous to dip into Hot Cocoa as well. So if you missed Brooke's Best Pizza Dough Recipe here it is, just modified to make a crispy cinnamon coating on top as well. Let us know what you think!

Cinnamon Sticks Recipe

Ingredients:

1 envelope of Dry Yeast

1 tsp Sugar

3/4 Cup Warm Water

1 3/4 Cups Flour

1 tsp Salt

Directions:

1. Combine yeast, sugar, and water. Let sit for 6-8 minutes.

2.  Combine Flour and Salt in a separate bowl.

3. Mix water and flour mixture together and knead for about 2-3 minutes (I just use my Kitchenaide).

4. Roll out on a floured or greased surface and spread out on a greased pizza pan.  

5. Coat the top of the dough with the cinnamon coating (below).

6. Cook in a preheated oven (475F) for 10 minutes.

Cinnamon Coating

1/2 stick Soften Butter

1 tsp. Ground Cinnamon

1/4 cup Granulated Sugar

1 Tbs. Brown Sugar

1 Tbs. Light Corn Syrup or Maple Syrup

FAMILY!

We had all of our family together during Christmas!  It does not happen too often, so we took a family picture. We would like to share with you!  

  Here is our family with all of our children!   Briana has 7 children expecting number 8, Brittany has 6 children, Bridget has 4 expecting number 5, Brooke has 3 and we also have a brother with 2 children.  There is going to be a total of 25 children and the oldest are only 12 years old!  We LOVE when all of us are together!  We have some GOOD and LOUD times!
Thank you Jess Roussel for taking our pictures at the last minute!!!

More Exciting News!

We have some really exciting news to announce!   Bridget is expecting number 5!!!    She is due in May.  This year each one of us sisters will have a baby, so all of the cousins will be super close!  There will be 22 children between the 4 of us!  

Bridget has 4 boys, so we have our fingers crossed for a little girl.  Bridget does not peak, so we will have to wait until May to find out. 

Egg Salad Sandwich

Here is a yummy and easy recipe. My boys ate all of the sandwiches, which they usually aren't a fan of sandwiches. Note: 1 egg makes enough for 1 sandwich so adjust the recipe if needed.

Egg Salad Sandwiches

3 hard boiled eggs (finely diced)

1/4 c. Mayo

1 TBS. Honey Mustard

Finely cut up your eggs. Add the mayo and honey mustard. Mix well. Add to bread. Enjoy!

There are many additional items that you can add to egg salad sandwiches to make them super yummy. Try and add onions, relish, or celery for a yummy crunch. Substitute dijon mustard for the honey mustard, or miracle whip for the mayo. Or season it with paprika and parsley for a colorful twist.

What do you like to add in your Egg Salad Sandwiches? We would love to hear from you!

Halloween Wooden Silhouettes

 This is a fun way to spice up your yard with Halloween Silhouette Decorations!  They are SUPER cute!

These wooden silhouettes will last for many Halloweens to come.

Such a cute way to hand out candy to!

Bridget sells these Halloween Silhouettes in her etsy shop call Western Hospitality.  If you want to order some you better hurry because Halloween is just around the corner!

Happy Birthday Banner

We had the pleasure to celebrate 3 birthdays in our family on Wednesday, Sept 19th!

Briana, Devin (Briana's Son), and Tillison (Bridget's Son)

I had 5 minutes to make Tillison a banner before he got home. Totally a last minute idea, but it turned out great!

 In my Word program I typed "Happy Birthday". Then enlarged it to 500 font size. Then went through each letter and changed the font to something fun and a different color. I printed it out on card stock. Punched out 2 holes at the top and threaded curling ribbon through the holes. Then trimmed the bottom corners at a 45 degree angle to make it look like all the other cute banners I have seen. It was so easy and the boys all thought it was so cool when they got home from school. 

 Happy Birthday Tillison.

Western Hospitality {GIVEAWAY}!

We are having another exciting giveaway to announce!   Bridget is SO talented and has a shop called Western Hospitality! She makes all sorts of unique items like custom chunky necklaces, bling flip flops, holsters, sucker molds and one of a kind Halloween decorations.  You seriously need to check out her shop to see what she has! Today she has offered to giveaway a single Chunky Bling Necklace of YOUR choice!  Here are some of her necklaces.

 Here is a two strand green turquoise necklace!  The best part of this necklace is that her husband hand-forged the horseshoe!!!

 Here is a gorgeous steer head chunky pink turquoise Necklace!

She also makes adorable matching Mother/Daughter necklaces!

Here is a picture of my daughter and I wearing our matching necklaces!  My little girl loves her necklace SO much especially because it matches Mom!

Now, on to the Giveaway!

This giveaway will end Tuesday night and the winner will be announce next Wednesday!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

This giveaway is only open to United States residents!

 

Enchilada Sauce

We made enchiladas the other night. But I wanted to share with all our Mexican Food Lovers this yummy Enchilada Sauce recipe that came from my grandma. Let us know if you tried it out!

Enchilada Sauce

 2 Tbs Shortening

3 Tbs Flour

2 cans Tomato Sauce

2 cans Water

1/2 tsp. Vinegar

1/2 tsp. Sugar

1 tsp. Garlic Salt

1 1/2 - 2 Tbs Chili Powder

1/2 tsp. Cumin

(spices according to taste)

Melt shortening in a pot, add the flour, mix well. Then add the tomato sauce to the pot. Use the tomato sauce cans to measure the water, add water to pot. Mix well and cook until thickened. Add other spices. Let simmer, the longer the better. 

This will make almost a quart of sauce. If you are making a large batch of enchiladas remember to double. You can store the leftovers in a quart glass jar in the fridge up to a week. Dont forget to come back and see a yummy Breakfast meal that I made with this enchilada sauce.

Stromboli

Here is a recipe that is so yummy, and it uses our versatile Pizza Dough Recipe.

 You are going to prepare the pizza dough as directed HERE. Make sure you roll it out flat and even on a greased pan. I used my favorite stone ware pan from Pampered Chef.

Then you are going to smother the dough with Marinara Sauce, Cheese, Pepperonis, and any other pizza toppings you like. The possibilities are endless. 

Once you top it you need to roll it up the best you can and as tight as you can with out ripping the dough. 

Then you get an egg white and whip it fluffy and smother the dough on the top. This will get a nice crispy and shiny top.

Optional: Sprinkle Garlic Salt, Italian Seasoning, Parmesan Cheese, or Mozzarella Cheese right on the top too. 

Bake at 475* for 10-15 min. It bakes hot and fast. 

You will have a roll like the picture below. Let cool slightly before you cut it up and enjoy!

Have you used our Pizza Dough recipe? Let us know what you have created! Here is some things that we have done with it.   Pizza Monkey Bread

Horseshoe Necklace Holder

I have been getting overstocked with necklaces, my personal ones and the ones I make. So I decided to go and create something out of my parent's scrap treasures! So I found this really antique mahogany board that my dad has had for about 12+ years! I cut it over 2 feet long and with horse shoe nails, nailed 3 used horseshoes to it. It costed me $0 cause I have such cool parents! 

 That is really antiqued paint, not new stuff here. :o)

Here is the rake head that I found and posted a few weeks ago. It now holds all the necklaces that I sell in my shop.

 Oh yes, and ALL of these are for sale in my shop called Western Hospitality. In fact I decided to share a coupon code with all of our Babblings And More Followers. Enter ILOVEBLING for 20% off in our Western Hospitality shop.