Small Things Are Big Things

November 5, 2014 by: Kara Noel Lawson

MilkSplash {my kids get a kick out of this}

My kids crack me up.
They are entertained by the simplest things! Right now they are getting the biggest kick out of MilkSplash.

MilkSplash is a zero calorie flavoring for milk, one squirt flavors a whole cup. I think the kids love it so much because they can put it in all by themselves – it’s not messy or hard to measure. Cy thinks he’s so cool, teaching Tessa how to use these things.

I’m cracking up right now, because I was taking pictures of Cy and thought it would be funny to have him teach Tess. Ha! Kids are so funny and I love the sibling relationships that are forming between them.

Right now their favorite flavor is to mix all the flavors.
Gross! I’ll stick with the Cocoa Loco!

Here is something fun to share…
Right now MilkSplash is having 2014 “Splash Off” recipe contest. A winner will get a $500 Visa gift card. (READ: Christmas is paid for!!) I am definitely going to enter!! And you should too! Wait… you totally shouldn’t enter and ruin my chance to win. Ha! Not really, if I don’t win the big bucks, then I would love for one of my friends to win. Use #MilkSplashRecipe when you enter!

Find MilkSplash on Facebook to get more details.

Disclaimer: I am a member of The Social Media Panel, LLC. who was given the opportunity to review this product. The brand or company has not influenced me in any way to provide any type of review other than my true and honest opinions. And I would never review something I didn’t like. I am disclosing all information provided in this review according to the information provided in Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

I think they would make an EASY stocking stuffer. Something fun, and unique… not a cheap-o toy you will end up throwing out a few days after Christmas.

November 4, 2014 by: Kara Noel Lawson

I’m voting tomorrow! Neel Kashkari

Tomorrow is the day we get to vote.
I love voting!
When I was in college, elections got me excited to be involved in the change. I loved learning about the candidates and researching the props.
Now, not so much. I feel a little jaded and get depressed when I see corrupt city councils.

Two weeks ago I got to interview Neel Kashkari about his education plan. It’s good… really good! Read it here. Below is a short video of our over an hour interview.
(Don’t hate me because I don’t hate common core.)

I love him! He crosses party lines in all the ways that matter.
And I think we call all agree that California needs someone other than Jerry Brown.
I don’t want to tell you how to vote, I want you to research for yourself and decide what’s important to you and your family… but if you don’t have time for that, then just vote for Kashkari. 😉

Some pictures from the day… I was wearing my power red dress, red lips and a sock bun… you you know I meant business.

Neel Kashkari met with myself, Jo from A Sweet Dose of Truth, and Julie from OC Mom Blog. What governor does that?
Neel.

November 3, 2014 by: Kara Noel Lawson

Riley’s Farm – {flashback in time & apple picking}

Every year people in Orange County flock to Oak Glen area for apple picking.
Every year I miss apple season and I tell myself, “we’ll go next year.”
Not this year!
We went, and it was awesome.
Our Homeschool charter does a field trip to Riley’s Farm every year. Woo hoo!!
Someone else got it on the calendar for me… AND they paid for two of my kiddos.
That’s just what I needed.

Also a place where I can wear cowboy boots and not feel like an idiot.

All the guests are divided into Townships, we were in Culpeper… which is still a town today in Virginia. Each township travels to the Colonial Life stations together as a group. We learned about levers, how to loom, about the games Colonial kids played, casting metal for weapons and toys, George Washington’s etiquette, how to churn butter and mill flower. It was epic.
I love history. LOVE!!

FYI: The Kitchen House area has the best light for pictures.
And I know they are my daughters, and I’m totally biased… but they are so so so beautiful!!

After the tour we ate our packed lunch, and paid for a small apple picking bag to go into the orchards to pick apples. That was amazing too!
Taking the time and money out for a family outing like this, sometimes feels like a burden to me. (Just being real.) But it’s not.
If there is something you have been telling yourself you’ll do next year. Stop now, and make the calls/emails you need to schedule that “thing.”
Get it on the calendar.
Small Things like this will be forever memories for your kids… and you!

We even tried to get a Christmas card photo.
We’ll see…

I would still love a farm and some land. Going to places like this only makes me want it more. Nothing as big as Riley’s Farm… just enough to be self sustaining. You know when you just feel like something is meant to be… like the best is yet to come. That’s how I feel everyday.

October 31, 2014 by: Kara Noel Lawson

Happy Halloween from Small Things!

I started this blog over 6 years ago.
For my business.
And for local events.
Then it got personal.
Now I share my heart and you read my words.
Lots of you.
Thanks for walking this journey of words with me!
Happy Halloween!

Have a great Halloween!
Love, Unicorn, Ninja, Cheerleader and Cloudy with a chance of Showers.

October 29, 2014 by: Kara Noel Lawson

DIY Plank Headboard – You can make this tonight!

It was 6pm on a Sunday evening and I said to my husband, “I really want to do a DIY plank headboard.” I showed him a blog post of an plank entryway I had pinned on pinterest. He was like, “Bring it!” And came upstairs with a Sawzall and cut off our current headboard. By 7pm we were leaving the hardware store with stain and enough planks to finish the project!

You’ll need:

One 1/2” 4×8 piece of plywood. We used birch and it was lovely!
Stain. We used 3 different stain colors in the Varathane brand – Dark Walnut, American Walnut, and Carrington.
Chop saw
Measuring tape
Pencil
Pennies
Level
Nail gun

1. Have the hardware store cut your plywood. (It’s free!)
Have them do 6 cuts of 4” and 4 cuts of 6” across the long side of the board.

2. Stain your wood. We did 2 of the 4” planks in each stain color. And one in each of the 6” planks. That left us with one extra and we did that in the lighter color because the other two were darker.

3. While the stain dries, measure the length you want your headboard. With our queen size bed, 54” looked great.

4. Once the stain is dry you can start cutting! The Varathane dries in about an hour. Cut one 6” board the full length of your headboard. Level it out and nail it in. This will give you a nice level base for the rest of the headboard.

5. Use pennies to add a little space between the boards. If you need more info on that, check out the blog post… which I referenced about 50 times during this project.

6. We alternated 6” and 4” lines all the way up. We eyeballed the whole thing, making sure there wasn’t the same colors too close together, for too much of the length.
We had 4 lines of the 6” boards and 3 lines of the 4” boards. I might add another 4” layer to the top. You’ll have extra wood so you can really go as high as you want. Wouldn’t it look cool with the whole wall done!

You can do this! I can’t even tell you how happy I am every time I walk into our bedroom!
Part of that is our new bedspread and the art I have finally hung up… after sitting next to the bed for about a year. Yes, the frames were just sitting there. For a year.

The center poster is from Eikon in the Orange Circle. It was less than $5!
The large frame and the two coral pictures are from IKEA.
The hangers are from Target. $5 for 4!
The bedspread, pillows and throw are all from the Target Threshold collection. We have had the same bedspread since our wedding… almost 10 years ago. That thing had seem more than it’s share of baby poop and spit up. It was time.

We didn’t stop with the headboard that night! We did our whole entry as well.
Now as soon as I figure out what I’m putting on that wall, I’ll share that too!

By 1:15 am we had finished the headboard and the entry. And we were all tucked into bed.
We are crazy. But I sure do love having a spouse who hears my dreams and helps make them happen.
How can you make your love’s dreams come true today?

October 14, 2014 by: Kara Noel Lawson

DIY Travel Route Map

I can’t believe it’s been over a year since our trip! Those two weeks were life changing for our family and much needed to regroup after my mom’s death. Which still feels like yesterday to me.

We made this DIY Roadtrip Travel Route Map so we can remember our vacation forever. The shape of this trip makes a heart. How fitting is that?? I can’t wait to add other road trip destinations!

All you’ll need is a map, bakers twine, and a hot glue gun.

1. Tie a knot. (for some reason I love this picture)

2. Glue at your starting point.

3. Follow your route and glue in the right places.

4. Done!

Picking a map might be the funnest/hardest part! A neighbor gave us one at their garage sale and I love it. But I do wish I had picked out brighter twine for our roadtrip route. It would have stood out so much more. I might be redoing it soon.
In all my spare time.
Hahahahahahahahaha…

Here are some great maps I found…
I love this sepia United States Map from National Geographic (only $14.01 on prime)…Or the same United States Map in color… (both $18.96 24”x36”)

Happy travels!

October 13, 2014 by: Kara Noel Lawson

Hiking Holy Jim Falls with the Family

It’s been awhile since I just posted a good ole’ fashioned lifestyle post.
I think Instagram ate my blog.
This makes me sad.
I will fix that.

One of my most favorite memories of the summer was hiking Holy Jim Falls in the Cleveland National Forest, out in Trabuco Canyon. The hike is doable with kids. We had all 4 of ours (ages 8, 6, 4 & 2) and the boys wore their flip flops with no trouble.

We got out to the trail early, before it was too hot.
It is quite a drive to the trailhead. It’s a rough road and you have to go slow! In fact, one of our friends says their car has never been the same since they drove that road. It took us about half an hour in our minivan to get to the parking lot.

Brad brought his camel back filled with water and a few snacks. It wasn’t easy, and there was quite a bit of complaining every so often on the way to the falls. But all in all the kids had a wonderful time!

On the way up we stopped often in the shade for quick rests and water. We stopped about three quarters from the top for a snack and we should have stopped to eat sooner… and we should have brought more snacks. They were so so so much better after eating!

The scenery on the hike is fantastic! You won’t feel like you are in Orange County.
Doesn’t being in nature just make you crave more time in nature.
Doesn’t it make you want to buy poperty and just live off the land?
Oh, that’s just me?
Ha!

The children named this the “wave of sticks!” I love to see the world through their eyes!
What a privilege it is to be a parent!
Don’t ya think?

We let the kids explore quite a bit off the trail. As much as I wanted to power through the hike and get a workout, I wanted more for them to love this adventure.

There are 4 trail stops on the way and we all had fun learning about the actual man, Jim, the trail is named after. He kept bees in the canyon and I think I want to too!
(I’m only getting more eccentric folks when it comes to ecology type things. Get ready as I start to share more soon!)

Of course, when you take a hike and it gets tough… remember the way back is always easier! I’m so glad we pushed though to the “falls,” because now we can say, we’ve done it!

I know you want to see a picture of the actual falls. But how could I ruin the surprise? You need to discover this with your family on your own.
Spoiler Alert: The “Falls” are just a trickle in the summer. Try to go after the next good rain in So Cal (hahahahahaha).

Things you should know if you go: Holy Jim Falls

From the main road (Live Oak Canyon Rd) you’ll turn onto a dirt road next to Trabuco Creek, then you’ll take the dirt/gravel road about 4.5 miles to the trailhead. Keep an eye on your mileage, because about two miles in there is a rest stop type area with a porta potty and since you are going so darn slow you might think you are at the trailhead already!
Bring more than one snack! We should have done a whole lunch. It would also be fun to bring a short book to read at picnic rock or the falls. What a special memory for the kiddos… reading in the forest!
The way back is much easier than the way up! This is a great time to encourage your kids during a challenging situation. Pushing toward a goal. It would be a lot of fun to claim this verse before the hike, then have a prize at the end. Maybe cookies secretly waiting in the car! “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13b-14

October 4, 2014 by: Kara Noel Lawson

October Language Arts Activities from Spider Magazine

Remember when I shared the awesome Cricket Magazine activities?
I’ve started using the Spider magazine as some of our Language Arts activities.
It’s fantastic.
At least my kids think so!

It will be hard to do some of the Language Arts activities without the magazine. But you can do some of them… and the copy work. It’s worth a look!
Start with making fake moldy cheese…

Writing fiction before we made our own silhouettes.
(All the instructions for the silhouettes are on the activities sheet.)

Language Arts activities Reading Wullus

We wrote poetry, and told jokes, then we made the pop-up card in the back of the magazine. Here are some awesome pop-up card tutorials.

Finally on we learned all about cheetahs and made cheetah masks!

Print out the week of Language Arts activities here in PDF.
Here’s a snip of all the fun in the activity sheets (answer key included)…

September 19, 2014 by: Kara Noel Lawson

Sam’s Club Football Tailgating Party Essentials {free printable}

Many thanks to Sam’s Club for sponsoring today’s story and getting me ready for tailgating.

I don’t know anything about football.
True story.
But I have been known to put on a good football tailgating party.
Also true.
I’ve created some awesome free football tailgating party printables for you, (a pennant and these inspiring flags) and compiled a list of the essentials from Sam’s Club so you can put together a great party!

Head on over to Sam’s Club Tailgating Essentials page for everything you need to make this year’s tailgate fantastic!

1. The Samsung 65” TV. Oh how my husband wants this!!
2. Paper plates. I’m not usually for paper plates, but no one wants to do dishes after a party. And these are compostable!
3. Our free printable football pennant banner and free printable flags.
4. Wolfgang Puck 10-cup Digital Multicooker and…
5. …KC Masterpiece. You’ll need both of these for the recipe below!
6. Hidden Valley Ranch for that one person. You know the one. The one who only snacks on veggies, but is constantly dipping into the…
7. …Skittles candy bowl. Oh wait. That person is me!

For the Potato BBQ Chicken Sliders, you’ll need: (you can buy everything at Sam’s Club!)

6 chicken breasts
1 bell pepper, diced
1/2 onion, diced
5 potatoes, sliced in1/8th inch pieces, then cut in half (you’ll have thin half circles, a spiral peeler is the best!)
one bottle of KC Masterpiece
small slider buns

Pop everything into the Wolfgang Puck Multicooker for 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high. Mix everything and scoop onto the slider buns! You will love the way the potatoes and chicken mix together to give more down-home flavor to every bite! You will be so thankful you prepped ahead with this recipe. It’s easy and sure to tame the appetites of all your football loving guests!
Leftovers (if you have any), can be served over rice or as a side dish on it’s own!

You are going to love the printables! Use paper in YOUR team colors or print on white and color your own!

The inspiration flags can be folded around a skewer (double stick tape between) and placed in a center piece… or even to decorate that croc pot off BBQ chicken!

Print our football pennant banner on cardstock to let everyone know it’s football season in your house. You can customize the colors for your team with coordinating ribbon or yarn! Now I intentionally did NOT add any colors to this banner… and I’ll admit it looks a little bland. But I know for a fact, if I had done… um… let’s see… red and blue. Someone would have looked at the colors and clicked away thinking, “Sorry Kara-Noel, I bleed green and yellow and I can never read your blog again!” And there is nothing wrong with that… you keep your clicks here and hang those colors with pride! But just imagine how cute this banner would be with colored yarn pom poms… Squee! I may just have to whip a few up and take some more pictures. No matter the consequences!
If you print this on thick cardstock it will be durable enough to pull out every football season!

Enjoy, my friends!