Just a Minute to Win It!

My kids had an extra month of school with the move from our old house.  They began 2 weeks before most schools, and then we moved mid school year, so they had the extra 2 weeks on the end.  Surprisingly, they took it pretty well, and most were sad to leave their teachers they had grown so close to.  But summer is finally here for us!  Our first official day school-free came at the perfect time, as it turns out.  We got to fill it with a few rounds from "Minute to Win It"!  

I hadn't heard of "Minute to Win It" until I caught a sneak peek on the Game Show Network (GSN).  These are alll new episodes hosted by Apolo Anton Ohno, yes, the famous American speed skater with the well-known goatee, and will premiere on June 25 at 8/7c only on GSN. The object of the game is for a couple to advance through each level by accomplishing a specific task within a minute in order to win a certain amount of money.

I had a list of the challenges and chose several from the first level, since my kids are young.  We also learned that we needed to be very lenient on the youngest ones in order for them to have fun, and even change the challenge a bit for them to be able to feel successful.  The first one was "This Blows," which is played by placing several cups on a raised surface and using an inflated balloon to knock them off.

Everyone had a turn and then Aunt Ashley (my oldest sister who was visiting, and who is always up for a challenge!) asked if she could have a turn.  She showed. Them. How. It. Was. Done. Too bad she wasn't playing for money.

Our next challenge was "Wet Ball" and a bit of a flop because we did it outside and the wind started to kick up, but they were supposed to get a balloon in a bucket using a spray bottle of water.  I think we'll try this one a gain with an actual ball and the hose so the wind doesn't blow it everywhere.

I loved watching the next one, "Face the Cookie".  I had everyone pair up with a partner and placed a cookie between their foreheads.  They had to work the cookie down to their mouths and each take a bite, and there was a whole lot of giggling along the way!

They all did it, though!

Their favorite was probably "Jingle in the Trunk": a tissue box belted on and filled with bells and beads that they needed to shake out.  I let them decide if they wanted the box in the front or the back.  Or on the side, in Olive's case, who always wants something else.

They could all do this challenge under a minute, and got in a little dance exercise while they were at it.

After we went through the challenge, we watched an episode of Minute to Win It and the oldest three were glued and watched to the very end.  That Apolo.  Such a charmer (maybe that's why they were so enthralled?)

The next day Olive asked "if we were going to play those really fun games again?"  I think we will be whipping these out all summer long.  They would also be fun to play at parties with adults or children.

Catch all new episodes of Minute to Win It with new host Apolo Ohno all summer long on GSN.  I know this will be one my girls will want to watch.

What Minute to Win It game would your family enjoy playing?  Answer in the comments section for a chance to win a $100 Visa giftcard!

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Shorts on the Line!

Hey shortie!  

This post was timed with precision.  All of my kids need shorts, and the plans were to make them each a pair, but 2/6 is almost half, and half rounds up to a whole, right?

But, now that I realize how quickly I can whip these up, we might have a shorts overload from my enthusiasm and assembly line type of production.

Carla and Rachel are hosting the perfectly timed Shorts on the Line, perfect because it seems like shorts never make it through to the next Dill daughter in line.

This also coincided with Dana asking me to test her shorts pattern that is coming out soon!  When the stars align like that, I make star shorts.  And checkerboard, because they're friends.

I couldn't find my 8 stamp for the tag, but I've never drawn my eights properly anyway.  Even my kids tell me I'm not supposed to do 2 circles.  But I do anyway.

These are both from the same pattern, just different options.  They're a nice simple pattern that I will be using all summer long. Olive's has a gathered waist all around, Pearl's is just gathered in the back with a flat front, both options on Dana's pattern.

Divine has already requested a pair like Olive's.  

Most anything that uses bias tape is a friend of mine.

Plus, they matched my nails, which is always fortuitous.

I've also decided that I should always sew in pairs.  They began to offer suggestions of what to do for our photo shoot.

Like the horses.  Of course.  The horses.  And then Pearl thanked me afterward for letting them use them in our shoot.

Then they just got crazy (it's how most things conclude in this house) and we had a little photo bomber who is all about the balls.

Check out what else Carla and Rachel have planned:

6/10 - Petit a Petit and Family and Schwin & Schwin

6/11 - Delia Creates and Buzzmills

6/12 - Cirque du Bebe and Sanae Ishida

6/13 - Fake It While You Make It and elsie marley

6/14 - No Big Dill and Max California and Designs by Sessa

6/17 - girl inspired and Casa Crafty

6/18 - Frances Suzanne and Caila Made

6/19 - Made by Rae and Craftstorming

6/20 - Noodlehead and emmyloubeedoo

6/21 - Siestas & Sewing and Made with Moxie

6/24 - imagine gnats and small + friendly

Mystery Box Results: Round 1

It's been an embarrassingly amount of time since Andrea from The Train to Crazy sent me a box.  She calls it The Mystery Box (dun, dun, dunnnnn) that she fills with fun fabrics and sends to different sewing bloggers to see what they do with it.  

One fabric was this charcoal sequin fabric.  I decided I could use it for a Sunday dress for one of my girls and a coordinating dress for another one of my girls.  Kill two birds with one sequin.  Or a few hundred thousand.  I made a sequin collar for Clover's dress, but there was something not quite right.  It needed something...

...more.  I was at Hobby Lobby and spied some trim that turned out to be just what I needed.

And of course a headpiece that can be worn by either girl.  Whoever gets up first in the morning ;)

I used a vintage pattern that I've used several times before, like on Clover's Vote Dress.  It's been good to me, that pattern.

I included an inverted pleat on the center front of Azure's and left the sleeves without the elastic and casing.  Clover's I pretty much followed straight up.

Her collar doesn't lay perfectly flat, probably the only thing I'd change on it. I guess they hadn't intended sequins to be used.  ;)

 I may draft some of my own and change them, as I just sewed them along the edge of the dress neck, they're easily removed.  But for now, they're fine.

Doing a photo shoot with these two monkeys is not as easy as it looks.  Or maybe it doesn't look easy, which would be accurate.

I tell them to turn around and they turn the wrong direction or in an entire circle, sneeze, or simply give me a goofy look. 

I tell them to step left and they step right (or maybe my directions are backwards?)

But I kind of like the candid nature of little kids.  They are rarely stiff and just show their personality naturally.  Also, I love the juxtaposition of the sequins and scraped knees. 

As I was sewing these, I had the harsh realization that sewing for little girls is rapidly coming to a close, as they turn into tweens and then teenagers and then onto wedding dresses!  But, I'm getting ahead of myself.  They're still just 4 and 6.  All the more reason enjoy these monkey years of silliness.

Chocolate-Caramel Slice

These will look familiar if you follow my instagram feed, and I hinted that if they were as good as they looked and smelled, then I would be sharing the recipe. That brings us to this point. Because they were. Call it an addiction or infatuation, we eat a lot of chocolate around here. When my sister was hear, we joked that she only keeps a bag of chocolate chips in her pantry, while we have a good dozen or so. I hear it's good for you and I'm going with that.

It's usually cookies that feed the craving, but when Ryan asked what I wanted for a treat, I started thumbing through our real, tangible cookbooks because I was in the mood for something different. But still chocolatey. I came to this recipe from Bon Appétit because of the picture. We all know that those are the best kind of cookbooks.

I told Ryan I was going to make the Chocolate-Caramel Slice and he said I couldn't make the caramel layer using their recipe because his was better. His recipe has been in the making for several years now. He was on a mission to make a caramel that didn't crystalize as soon as it cooled down and that didn't call for corn syrup. We used to use Cook's Illustrated caramel, but that requires adding water and then cooking out the water.

So, he found another recipe somewhere in his search that has you dry cook the sugar. It's almost like scratching fingernails on chalkboard, to dump sugar into a pan and turn the heat on without adding any liquid, but it works. I did it myself because Ryan was busy working on something else when I was ready to add the caramel layer.

He also began leaving out the butter (he does this any chance he gets, so I have to keep an eye on him sometimes ;) and it turns out, it still melts in your mouth without it.

After melting the sugar, you add cream SLOWLY which helps stop the caramel from cooking and keeps it from turning to a hard candy.

I also experimented with the crust on this and used 100% whole wheat. It was good, but I think the sweet spot would be to use half white flour and half wheat. That will be the next installment of this recipe.

Crust
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour (or half wheat)
1/4 cup packed golden brown sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2" cubes
1 tablespoon ice water
1 large egg yolk

Caramel Topping
2 cups sugar
2/3 cups cream
1/4 teaspoon salt

Chocolate Glaze
6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate , chopped
3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
flaked sea salt

Crust: Preheat oven to 350༠F.  Butter 12x8¼x1" fluted tart pan with removable bottom (I used a 10" round pan, but a glass casserole dish would work as well). Blend flour, sugar, conrstarch, and salt in processor.  Add butter.  Using on/off turns, blend until coarse meal forms. Add 1 tablesoppoon ice water and egg yolk.  Blend until moist clumps form.  Press dough onto bottom (not sides) of pan; pierce all over with fork.  Bake until golden, piercing if crust is bubbling, about 22 minutes.  Cool completely.

Caramel topping: Warm sugar on medium, stirring constantly, whisking the lumps if they form.  Once the sugar has melted and turns an amber color, remove from heat and slowly add the cream, allowing the bubbles to subside each addition until all the cream has been added, then add the salt.  Pour on the cooled crust, spreading to edge of crust, cool 15 minutes to set.

Chocolate: Meanwhile, melt chocolate with cream in microwave  in 15-second intervals, stirring occasionally until smooth (do not overheat or chocolate will separate).  Spread chocolate over warm caramel; sprinkle with sea salt.  Refrigerate until chocolate is set, at least 1 hour. Can be made 3 days ahead. 

Leftovers didn't last long, but if you happen to have some, cover and keep refrigerated. I like that it can be made 3 days ahead, not that I ever plan 3 days ahead.

But if I did, I'd make this.

OUT Chapter 4!!

Yeeeeesssssssssssssssssssssssss!  

It is time for Once Upon a Thread, Once Again!  If you're new here, let me explain

What is "Once Upon a Thread?"

It is a sewing series, inspired by children's books!  At first I wanted to have just clothing inspired by children's books, but then I thought of all the other projects that could come from this, so it doesn't necessarily need to be clothing.

Who is participating?

Hopefully anyone who thinks it sounds like fun [ahem, YOU!]

I have a flickr group for this event for you to submit 1-2 photos for each of your projects, but you can submit as many projects as you'd like.  I love to see what you're working on, and I know some of you have been creating since the last chapter of OUT, so post your photos...share!  I'm always impressed by the creativity inspired by children's literature and I'm giving you free reign to brag. ;) I have also talked fancy to get a line-up of fantastic seamstresses from around blogland, convincing them to share their talents with us:

Delia of Delia Creates

Anneliese of Aesthetic Nest

Emily of Nap Time Creations

Kelly of Wild Wandering

Disney of Ruffles & Stuff

Astrid of Red Red Completely Red

Dana of Made

Liesl of Oliver + S

What are the rules?

I want this to be fun.  If you want to use a pattern, great!  [Just give credit if you've used someone's tutorial or pattern.]  If you want to come up with something completely your own, kudos!  You are welcome to do clothes for kids, clothes for you, toys, accessories, games, whatever strikes your needle, just as long as it's made by you.  Knitters and crocheters are also welcome.  I'm not picky, hehehe.

Chapter 4 will begin next week, Wednesday the 19th and I feel like it's waiting for Christmas to see what these enormously talented women have prepared for us.  So, get busy sewing and creating to share over the next couple of weeks what you've come up with. 

You still here?!  Go empty some spools!

flashback to the first chapter of OUT: Harold and the Purple Crayon