Mason Jar Caterpillar Hunting Invitations {Printable}

For several years now (ever since my sister got us hooked on it) as Labor Day approaches, my thoughts turn to caterpillar hunting.  I honestly look forward to it all year!  The thrill of the hunt, and then witnessing the miracle of transformation that takes place is miraculous!

Our little family always heads out hunting for caterpillars this time of year, and I've been thinking for awhile now it would be the perfect time to have a bit of a party.  Make some cute invites, meet together to go hunting, and maybe enjoy a treat or two afterwards.  Nothing big, but something kind of unique and fun your kids will LOVE!  

I do have to caution you on the number of invites you send out.  Sometimes you find a bumper crop of caterpillars, and other times not so much.  Maybe limit your invites to around 5 or so, and have a few milkweed patch sites in mind (go find some before the party) so you can have a successful hunt for EVERYONE!

Caterpillar Hunting 2013

You can click here for more details on hunting down these caterpillars that will turn into Monarchs.  Monarchs are perfect for kids because they turn in a matter of weeks.  You can watch the entire process right before your eyes in your little Mason jar.

Monarch Caterpillar on Milkweed

I simply created an invitation in PicMonkey, cut it to be the shape of a tag, and attached it to a quart-sized jar (I find the pint-size jars are a bit too small for the caterpillars, milkweed, and eventually butterfly) with some baker's twine.  Oh, and make sure you've punch holes in the top of the lids! 

I also created name labels for the tops of the jars.  This is just for invitation purposes.  You'll want to take the name tags off after the hunt so the caterpillar has air.

Once you have your jar invitations ready to go, deliver them to the recipients.  Then meet on your designated date and time, and hunt away!  

I also thought it would be fun to have a little journaling card to fill out after the hunt.  Each of your hunters can fill out the information on the card and keep it by his/her caterpillar jar at home.  I happen to have a date stamp, so we stamped the date on our cards, but you could easily have the kids write the dates.

Here are some blank invitations you can print out and fill in the information for your party.

Click to Print

And here are some blank caterpillar journaling cards you can print out to use as well.

Click to Print

Happy hunting!  I'm sure you'll enjoy it as much as we do!

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you found a little something worth your time.

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Lemon Mousse Pudding Cups

As much as I'm chomping at the bit to get going on some fall recipes, I do have one last summery treat to share with you.  It is still August, after all.  I have to keep reminding myself that the first day of fall is well into September!

I got the idea for this recipe from a Gooseberry Patch Kids in the Kitchen.  We loved the chocolate version of this (the cup of dirt with worms), and when I found a bag of Mini Golden Oreos (there are even Lemon Twist Oreos, but they're a limited edition item) on sale a few weeks ago, I instantly thought of pairing them with lemon pudding for a fresh, summer twist on our traditionally chocolaty dessert. 

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This recipe isn't just for kids, and you could really try it with ANY pudding and cookie combination.   I love this one just as much as the chocolate version, and I can't wait to try out a few more.  Pistachio pudding is calling my name, and when fall come, there is a pumpkin spice pudding that hits the shelves- pumpkin and gingersnaps.  YUM!

And here's the chocolate version of this easy, crowd-pleasing dessert.  It's a Halloween edition, but that's perfect because the spooky holiday will be here before we know it!

Chocolate Mousse Pudding Cups

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you found a little something worth your time.

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Faith is the Antidote for Fear {Printable}

If there's one thing I love more than creating holiday printables, it would have to be creating inspiration printables.  Holiday printables make me completely giddy, but if I really want a dose of wisdom and guidance, I turn to the inspirational quotes.

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I've been reading the May issue of The Ensign (a monthly magazine put out by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints), and this article/talk entitled Let Your Faith Show by Elder Russell M. Nelson was a favorite of mine!  There were so many amazing thoughts in his message, but this short and simple one sums up faith perfectly!

I'm not sure what you worries are in life, but I'm sure you have them.  I know I do!  And while I'm not perfect at it, I have come a LONG way in replacing my fear with faith.  I've come to realize worrying doesn't get me anywhere, but in knotted mess.  I'm very grateful to know that I have a loving Heavenly Father who knows me, loves me, and will make everything work out for me in the end.  It may not be the way I want it to work out, but the way He wants, and I know His will is better than mine.  

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you found a little something worth your time.

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Favorite Color Combination Websites

I've come to appreciate the talent of those who can come up with beautiful color combinations.  Whenever I create a printable to share, I'm always on the lookout for fresh, eye-catching color pallets.  For a long time, I just relied on what looked good to me, but I found myself using the same color schemes over and over.  I needed something new!

I can't quite remember how, but I found a website several months ago, and it has quickly become my best friend when it comes to creating pretty much anything digital.  The site is called Color Combos.  I love this site because you can choose any color, click on it, then you can view tons of color palletes using your chosen color as a base.  Plus, you'll get the hex number (see the 6-digit numbers below each color) for each color, so you can copy and paste that into your editing program, and have the exact colors you want.  Love it!!  (I tend to have a lot of gray hues on my mind these days with little boy number four on the way).  

Color Combos

I am most familiar with Color Combos, and use it the most, but here are a couple other sites that I love to draw color inspiration from.

design seeds

I love design seeds because of the endless color palletes that are all based around nature and art.  Just look at these gorgeous roses, and the stunning color combinations you could use based on them.  My only hang up with this site is that you won't get a hex number, or RGB number to duplicate the exact colors.  You can purchase their books, and I'm sure you'll find the numbers in there, but otherwise you just have to eyeball it.  When I create anything digital, I always like having an exact hex number.  But, if you just want some inspiration to use for home decor, then this site is perfect!  You can match the colors provided with paint samples, and you'll be all set.

Colour Lovers

Colour Lovers

Another site I found recently is called Colour Lovers.  It's a lot like Color Combos because you'll get the hex number for each color provided, but you'll also get the RGB number as well!  I can't wait to explore this site more.  So many great sources of inspiration!

I also found this cool site (RGB to Hex) that will convert your hex number to an RGB number, and vice versa.  That way if you only have one number, or the other, then you type it in and the site will convert it for you.  So cool!

I hope you'll take the time to explore a few of these sites.  I do have to warn you, you'll be wanting to redecorate your entire house with the amazing color palletes you find!

Happy coloring!

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you found a little something worth your time.

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Eric Carle Inspired Garden Art For Kids

I was going through some papers the other day, and ran across these garden art pages my boys and I made quite awhile ago.  I had forgotten how cute they were!

My twins were only about three when we made these, so drawing the vegetables was a bit tricky.  The perfect solution?   Go Eric Carle style.  They just colored papers in different colors, and then I cut out the shapes of the veggies.

They painted some papers, and used crayons, markers, colored pencils, and whatever else we had.

Then I cut out the vegetable shapes and attached them to some card stock.  The boys helped me write each vegetable name when we had everything glued on.  And by the way, we have never ever planted an eggplant, but they had learned about it in a book, so we had to include it!

I also added a favorite garden quote, and then had my boys tell me what they liked about the garden.  I typed up what they said, and added them to the page.  Cute art, and some journaling as well .  It's making me realize we need to do this activity again!

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you found a little something worth your time.

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Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

August means zucchini days, doesn't it?  My in-law's usually have and abundance of zucchini  (as I'm sure many of you have), but this year they've had a mother deer and her twin babies (darling, but a bit of a nuisance) visiting the garden daily.  They seem to love the blossoms, so this year each zucchini we do snag is kind of precious!

I got this recipe from my mother-in-law several years ago.  I didn't get around to posting it last year, and I wanted to make sure to get it done this year.  The recipe takes about 3 cups of zucchini, so for those of you who have zucchini coming out of your ears, it's the perfect way to use up a lot of it!

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I always add the chocolate chips (semi sweet), but that's about it as far as optional ingredients go.  I do remember my mother-in-law making it with all the optional ingredients, and it is fantastic!

I also have to say I loved getting out the cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves for this bread.  Fall ingredients are beginning to make more of an appearance these days at our house.  I LOVE them, and how they smell when baking!!

We also have a family favorite pumpkin bread that is very similar to this zucchini one.

Old Grist Mill Pumpkin Bread

And here are the most AMAZING zucchini cupcakes you'll ever taste!  The frosting is perfection!

Zucchini Spice Cupcakes

What are you doing with your zucchini this summer?

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you found a little something worth your time.

Linking up to these parties & Savvy Southern Style.