Acorn Bites!

 

You've probably seen these on Pinterest but they are so adorable that I just couldn't resist making some and sending them to our missionaries.  Truth be told, I think when I first saw them I may or may not have let out a little scream of excitement.  Yup.  They are just that cute.  They are super easy, way fast, relatively inexpensive (I say 'relatively' simply because they make a TON so you can send out lots or give some away to family and friends), and YUMMY!!  I'd give credit but these are seriously EVERYWHERE on the web...

 

 

Supplies needed:

Mini Vanilla Wafers

(I found these in our local supermarket. 

They come in the same size box as the regular Vanilla Wafers.)

Hershey Kiss candy

Peanut Butter Chips

(Like chocolate chips only peanut butter!

You can find these by the chocolate chips

in the baking section of your local grocer.)

Caramels (optional)

 

 

 

Begin by unwrapping your Hershey Kisses then melt a small amount of your peanut butter chips.  The peanut butter chips will be your 'glue' to attach everything together OR you could use peanut butter chips to attach the acorn's stem (because it's the same color and shows more) and then use melted caramel to attach the cookie to the kiss.  If you opt for the peanut butter/caramel version you will only need a small amount of melted chips and your finished version will taste just like a Twix candy bar.  Seriously YUMMY!!

 

 

Dip the bottom of your Hershey Kiss into the melted peanut butter chips or caramel. Wipe off some of the excess on the edge of the bowl and apply your Mini Vanilla Wafer.  I've also seen this done with Mini Nutter Butter Cookies and while I do like the added texture to the top of the acorn, I didn't want to have to take the cookies apart.  You don't need very much 'glue' otherwise it will squish out around the edges and look messy.  Yup.  Learn from my experience.  On the bright side:  You can eat your mistakes!  Lay them aside on a cookie sheet to set up a bit.

 

 

 

Following the same procedure, attach the peanut butter chip 'stem' to the top of your acorn and set aside.  It doesn't take long for them to set up.

 

 

Note:  Please excuse the fact that I was multi-tasking and making dinner at the same time as I was making acorns...and the black in my nails is actually Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint from yet another project earlier in the day.  I tend to cram a LOT into my day's off work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I sent out quite a few of these acorn bites so I came up with two ideas for packaging.  I loved the little paint cans that I found at the craft store ($2.99) but they were too large to send in the small flat rate boxes from the post office so I only sent those to my son and his companion.  I found the 'Count Your Blessings' free printable online at yellowblissroad.com.  They were the perfect size for the center of my paint can.  Then I tied scraps of coordinating ribbon and fiber to the handle (see the photo at the beginning of the post).

 

 

I made a bag topper for the other Acorn Bites that I was sending out.  Just put your acorns into a regular sized reclosable sandwich baggie,  seal closed, place your folded bag tag over and staple.  I folded down the top part of my baggie because I didn't fill them all the way full.  Sorry that I forgot to take photos of the finished product.  Don't know where my brain was...

 

 

Print the bag topper onto white cardstock and fold in half.

 

Click here to download the free 'Give Thanks' printable.

 

 

 



'Words of Wisdom' - a letter idea

This month the 'missionary moms' (and whomever else would like to join us) in our ward will hold our first 'get-together'.  Who knows how often we will meet.  We don't want it to be a stress but more of a support group of friends that meet for just an hour to share thoughts and feelings, ideas, maybe pictures and probably tears.  It was my dear friend, Jackie's idea and it is brilliant and I am so excited.

I asked her if I could bring something fun and easy for the mom's to work on while we're chatting.  It's not crafty really but I suppose it could be as elaborate as you wanted to make it.  I'm doing the preliminary preparations and each mother will bring a spiritual thought or a little message, 'words of wisdom' or encouragement, a poem, favorite scripture, faith promoting story or any kind of little thought to send to each of our missionaries.  That means that each mother will bring 16 copies of the same thing - one for each of the 16 missionaries serving from our ward.  Each 'word of wisdom' can simply be on a piece of paper (full sheet or smaller size cut apart).  It shouldn't take more than a few minutes for each mom to put together and just needs to fit inside a small 3.5"x6.5" size envelope.  Those who can't attend can still email or drop off their 'words of wisdom' and we'll put it together for them.  Should be super easy and our missionaries are going to LOVE it. 

This project doesn't have to be done by just moms!  In fact, we did something very similar at a family gathering and sent them to Mason and my parents when they were on their missions.  On the outside of the top envelope we put the family's surname using letter stickers.  We had an envelope for each family member and stacked the envelopes in order according to age (not sure why...probably just because I'm a little anal...or a lot, depending on who you ask).  You could also do this with just your immediate family or from all of your missionary's friends for their birthday or use it for an advent calendar for any holiday by adding numbers to the envelopes.  Just follow the directions below, fold the envelopes up accordion style and then tie the whole stack with a ribbon and send it on it's merry little way.  Your missionary can open the whole stack all at once or just open one envelope each day.  How awesome would that be to be able to open a letter from home each and every day?

Gather your supplies together...

patterned paper

scissors or paper cutter

ruler

pencil

small envelopes

glue or double sided clear tape

Begin by cutting your decorative paper inserts measuring 6 inches x 2 inches.  It is not necessary to fill the entire inside of the envelope because it's not visible and it will only add bulk and weight to your finished product.  I used a different patterned paper for each envelope set (so 16 different papers).  By using a coupon I was able to purchase a pad of Halloween paper for far less than purchasing individual papers...then again, I had to do a LOT.  You wouldn't have to use a different patterned paper for each envelope. They could all be the same or alternate between two or three patterns or use scraps of what you already have on hand.

Apply glue or use a small piece of double sided clear tape to adhere decorative paper to the inside of the envelope as shown above and below.

Make sure that your decorative paper is attached just BELOW the fold line of your envelope flap for ease in folding the finished product as shown above.  Continue this process until you have finished all of your envelopes.  Don't worry, it goes pretty fast...

Now you're ready to start assembling them all together...





Apply double sided tape to the areas noted in the above photo OR use a glue stick.  If you are using glue I would apply the glue to the entire flap of the envelope. 

Attach another envelope to the envelope that you just applied tape to.  This time attach your envelope just ABOVE the fold line for ease in folding them all together otherwise they won't fold nicely.  Continue in this process until you have the desired amount of envelopes.  Don't add tape to the very top one...there won't be anything to stick it to, silly! 

Fill your envelopes with all kinds of messages from home.  Here's some ideas that the moms in our group included in their messages:

a letter

favorite scripture and why

an inspirational quote

17 Points of the True Church card from Deseret Book

small candy with a scripture reference written on the outside

an uplifting Conference talk printed from the internet

a missionary story

poetry

printable

KEEP IT LIGHT!

Some moms have to/get to mail things to foreign missions which can get very pricey.

Keep it light.  Print on both sides of a page and try to keep your message

limited to a single sheet of paper or less.  Our goal for them is 4lbs. or less...

I sent a printable (3.25 in. x 6 in.) that I made in Photoshop along with a short letter from me attaching both together will a paperclip.  It turned out cute.  My first chalkboard printable.  I'm kind of in love with them at the moment...but I digress.  Click on the picture if you would like to download it for your missionary.



Whatever they/your family decides to send, make sure that everyone signs their name so your missionary will know whom each message is from. 

Now just fold them all up accordion style. 

Fold the flap over the top but DON'T glue or tape it shut!



Print out the 'Words of Wisdom' printable onto white cardstock.  Just click on the image below and it will take you to the link.

Put the cut out printable on top of your stack of envelopes and tie them all together with the bow or knot going through the center - see how I provided a nice little space for your bow?  Cute!   I picked up my ribbon at Walmart in their seasonal section for $1 a spool.  Can you say bargain?

Pop it into the small Flat Rate box with some shredded paper, tissue paper or Easter grass (click here if you don't know what I'm talking about), toss in a few pieces of candy or a protein bar and send it on it's merry way.  Easy Peasy!  Way less than the 4lb. limit for mailing overseas.  Have fun!

AND just for you - because I think you AND your missionaries are wonderful, I've already whipped up printables for November and December.  I will post additional months as I get them designed. Just click on the image and it will take you to the link.

November

(Thanks to timcoffeyart.com for the free digital sunflower stamp.)

December





Back to School!

I like to send at least one package a month to our missionary.  Three years ago, when Mason was on his mission I could not for the life of me think of anything for September.  All I could come up with was fall stuff but September isn't really fall yet.  What else happens in the fall?  Back to school...so does a missionary really need a plethora of school supplies?  Not really.  A few days ago I stumbled upon a great idea on Pinterest for an Alphabet Basket from Fairy Tales & Fun.  It just so happens that I have family visiting from New Zealand at the moment hence we are having a HUGE family bash on Sunday after church.  Remember my VERY large family?  This proved to be the perfect opportunity to put together a Back to School care package for Matt.  One problem though...I ran out of letters before I ran out of people that are coming so I did numbers 0-10 as well.  Instead of having each person bring something that began with a certain letter or a certain number of items (for the numbers), I just assigned each family a few letters/numbers.  I encouraged them to find things around the house or the dollar store because I wanted it to be fun and not an expense or burden on the family.  It was so much fun to see what people came up with!

(an alphabetical idea list is included at the end of this post)

 

1. Download letters and numbers by clicking here.

2. Print out letters and numbers onto white cardstock.

3. Cut out around each letter or number using decorative scissors if desired.

4. Using double sided tape, attach each letter or number to the matching item.

 



Some of the items were really small so I put them in these cute 'paper' bags that I found at Orson Gygi's in Salt Lake City.  I just attached the letter to the outside and used a bit of tape to close the bag.   ($4.50 / 20)


 

Missionary's love 'stuff' but they love letters more.  I wanted to collect as many letters from family members as I could.  This is always much easier if I keep the size of the paper small.  For this project I decided to stick with the 'Back to School' theme so I made up printables that look like chalkboards and using a chalk font, printed different quotes onto the chalkboard.  Each chalkboard quote is different.  They are all centered around learning, knowledge, school or education.  Print them out onto regular paper and then just cut the paper in half (two chalkboard quotes per page).  There are 50 different chalkboard 'letters' because I have such a large family for 25 pages total.  The links for printing them out are listed below.  You certainly don't have to print out all 50 though it does make for quite a nice stack of letters!

click here for pages 1-5

click here for pages 6-10

click here for pages 11-15

click here for pages 16-20

and here for pages 21-25



 

~ A ~

dried apples, Apple Jack's cereal, aspirin, almonds, address book (click here for an idea for a quick and easy one), antacid, aftershave, Almond Joy candy, Air Head candy, Altoid breath mints, air freshener,  Animal Crackers, apron, Andie's mints

 

~ B ~

small teddy bear, brush, bubble gum, Big Hunk candy, beef jerky, breath mints, balloons, ball, bubbles, Bobby Pins, barrettes, book (make sure it's mission approved), a Book of Mormon with your testimony inside, Butterfinger candy, body spray, bracelet, bean dip, bookmark, novelty BandAids, brownies

 

~ C ~

coins, coupons, chocolate milk, cough drops, coconut candy, coconut syrup, coconut flavored m&m's (can you tell we like coconut?), clips, dried cherries, Craisins, cookies (click here for tips on mailing cookies), Chapstick, coloring book and Crayons, Church News, cake mix, cookie mix, chips, crackers, cashew's, Carmex lip balm, card,  Chicken in a Bisket crackers, CD - music, conference, inspirational speaker, Cheetos chips, clock, small calculator, CTR ring(s) (missionaries love to give out the cheep Primary ones to kids - you can pick some up at any Distribution Center for $10 for packages of 10 or order online from store.lds.org), Captain Crunch cereal, cents (for bus change), conditioner, Chips Ahoy cookies, caramel apple (click here for step-by-step instructions on how to make your own), comb, picture of Christ, caramel apple dip, colored pencils, Charleston Chews candy, Chex Mix, Cracker Jacks, clay, cotton balls, calendar

 

~ D ~

deodorant, Dove soap, Dove chocolate, Dum Dum suckers, dental floss, DVD - something that the church has released that can be shown to their investigators, dollars, Milk Duds candy, Dots candy, donuts

 

~ E ~

Ensign, envelopes, ear plugs, emery boards, earrings, Edge shaving cream

 

~ F ~

dried fruit, fruit leather, flash light, fudge, flip flops, frosting, floss, floss sticks, Flaming Hot Cheetos, FunYun's onion chips, Frisbee, football, Frosted Flakes cereal, photo of the First Presidency, Froot Loops cereal, family photo, foot cream, flower (a cute one like a silk Gerber Daisy - send a vase for 'V'), first aid kit, small flag - from their home country or the state/country where they are serving, flash drive, facial wipes (makeup remover wipes)
 

~ G ~

Nerf gun (send two), Gatorade, hair gel, granola bars, gum, gift card, graham crackers, General Conference on CD, Gratitude journal, gift (just wrap anything and it's instantly a 'gift'), Granola, graham crackers, Good & Plenty candy, gloves, Glade plugin air freshener, glue stick, Gardetto's, Goldfish crackers, fruit Gushers

 

~ H ~

hair accessories, hair gel, Hershey's Hug's, send a 'hug' (click here for a cute idea), hairspray, hand sanitizer, Hot tamale's candy, Hershey's chocolate bar, hot chocolate mix, HiChew candy, hammer, honey, beanie hat (for winter)

 

~ I ~

ibuprofen, anti-itch cream, Dr. Shoell's shoe innersoles, Icy Hot muscle cream,

 

~ J ~

jacks, jump rope, juice, jam, jelly, journal, joke, juice box, Jell-O, jerky, Jelly Beans, Jolly Rancher candy, jewelry

 

~ K ~

kite (send 2 fun for pday), Kleenex, KoolAid, Hershey's Kisses, Kit Kat candy,

 

~ L ~

letter, light, lip balm, lotion, night light, flashlight, headlamp, Lucky Charms, lemonade, licorice, lollypop, Lemon Heads, Life Savers, letter opener, loofah, Lysol room spray

 

~ M ~

money, munchies, movie (something they can share with investigators like The Testaments, etc.), music (make sure it's mission approved), Mike & Ike's, milk chocolate, Church magazine, macaroni & cheese, m&m's, Milk Duds, mouth wash, mints, matchbox car, photo of President Monson (I love this one - free printable [photo by Brian Tibbets]), Melatonin (a natural sleep aid), manicure set, makeup, Mounds candy, Milky Way candy, mittens, Mormon Tabernacle Choir CD, marshmallows, markers, memory card for their camera

 

~ N ~

noise maker, nuts, Nutella, New Era, note cards, note, Nerd's candy, nylons, Nerf gun (send two), necklace, necktie, nail clippers, nail polish, Neutrogena makeup remover

 

~ O ~

Oreo's, chocolate covered Orange Sticks, Orange Slices candy, OtterPops freezable popsicles, OHenry candy, consecrated oil vial, Orbit gum, instant Oatmeal, Olay facial cream

 

~ P ~

pen, pencil, punch mix, pudding, peanut butter, peanuts, paper clips, Purell, Poppers (like the kids throw on the ground for the 4th of July), protein bars, pass along cards, post cards (click here for a fun post card idea), Patriarchal Blessing (shrink a copy down to fit in their scriptures then have it laminated for them), paper, chocolate covered Pomegranate Seeds (oh man!), photo of the prophet (I love this one - free printable [photo by Brian Tibbets]), small photo album, pancake mix, make a prayer rock, pistachios, pinwheel, perfume, pop, Peppermint Patty candy, Pop Tarts, microwave popcorn, Primary music CD, pretzels, paper airplane, Plan of Salvation printable (just Google it, there are a ton out there on the internet), pumpkin seeds, Preach My Gospel - mini edition, PlayDoh clay, Pixie Stix, paperclips, post-it notes
 

~ Q ~

Quik, roll of quarters, 'quench' (we gave Matt a couple of his favorite soda's), Q-tips, 'Quiet' - earplugs, Quaker instant oatmeal packets

 

~ R ~

Rolo candy, Ranch dressing mix, root beer, Reese's candy, Reese's Pieces, Red Hot's candy, Red Vine licorice, ruler, chocolate covered Raspberry sticks, Ritz crackers, CTR ring, Rolaid's antacid, recipes (send some of your missionary's family favorite ones), Rice Krispie Treats, Riesen candy, fruit Rollups, raisins, chocolate covered raisins, Rice Krispie cereal

 

~ S ~

sucker, Smartie's, 'smooch' (put on some lipstick and 'kiss' a note card then write a note), Sugar Baby's candy, sponge, shampoo, soap, face scrub, squirt gun, sparklers, sun flower seeds, stamps, salt water taffy, stationary, stickers, sun glasses, sun screen, suntan lotion, scissors, soup, safety pins, Starburst candy, small screwdriver, stuffed animal, soda, stapler, Sweet Hearts candy, Sour Patch Kids candy, salsa, S'mores candy, Snickers candy, scarf, Swedish Fish, shoe polish, Silly Putty, socks, stuffing mix

 

~ T ~

Twix candy, Twizzler's licorice, toothbrush, toothpaste, toothpicks, Thank You notes, taffy, Teddy Graham cracker/cookies, timer, 'thought' (look on Pinterest or on the internet and find an inspirational 'thought' printable to print and frame), Tum's antacid, tape, Tide stain erase pen, write down your testimony for your missionary (it will be a treasured memento), simple tools (screwdriver, etc.), toy, Tootsie Roll candy, tie (duh), taco seasoning mix, tortilla chips, Tabernacle Choir CD, picture of the temple, small tool kit with the essentials, toilet paper, tissue (the personal purse kind), Toblerone candy, Twix candy, tweezers

 

~ U ~

underwear (a new sparkly, white pair of garments!), U-No candy bar, umbrella, Universal tool (you know that tool that looks like a huge pocket knife but is actually a lot of fold out tools?), Under Armor shirt for exercise or p-day, ukulele (make sure it's mission approved), photo uploader,
Up2U Mento's gum

 

~ V ~

VOTE! (send them the paperwork necessary to sign up for an absentee ballot), vinegar, Vaseline, Vaseline lotion, vacation (send them a family photo from a recent vacation when they were home), vase (send a nice silk 'flower' for the letter 'F'), vitamins, V8 juice

 

~ W ~

watermelon candy, Windex wipes, wet wipes, watch, water balloons, worry balls, Whopper candy, whoopee cushion, Washi tape (Japanese decorative tape), Willie Wonka candy, Word Search puzzle book, Whatchamacallit candy, water purifier, reusable water bottle, Werther's candy, Wheaties cereal

 

~ X ~

Xtreme Nerf gun (you should probably include two in your package...that would not be a safe thing to only have one of), Xtreme Sour Patch Kid's candy, eXam gloves, EXtra gum,

 

~ Y ~

yoyo, yogurt candy, York Peppermint Patty candy, YooHoo candy

 

~ Z ~

Little Debbie Zebra Cakes, Zero candy, Zoo Animal Crackers, Zero Propel drink mix, Zesty Italian salad dressing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Gourmet Caramel Apples

One of the biggest perks of serving a mission stateside - besides no language barrier, more Gospel study time, no culture shock and food that you've at least heard of before, is the U.S. Postal Service. I mean these faithful servants (and I'm talking about the postmen and women, not our missionaries) trudge through rain, snow, sleet and hail not to mention the humidity of an Ohio summer day, just to make sure that my faithful servant gets his letters and packages from home. I love them! And don't you just love the Flat Rate boxes? Makes it all possible.

Have you ever had a gourmet caramel apple? Here in Utah we have the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory which specializes in gourmet apples. They are sinfully delicious. I'm not kidding. You don't even care how many calories are in that little orb of delectability. They are seriously good.

Last year we tried our hand at making our own caramel apples and now it's a tradition...well, at least for the last two years. Place the finished apples in large baking cups then in a clear cellophane sack. One for your missionary and one for his companion - I always try to include the companion some how. No one likes to feel left out when a package comes! Wrap each sack in bubble wrap then box and send them on their merry little way. They only take two to three days to mail and my missionary said they arrived just great. Make sure you time it so it's not sitting in a dark post office somewhere over a weekend. Have fun trying your own combinations to come up with a unique flavor all your own.

Gourmet Caramel Apples - 3 apples*

sharpened wooden dowels

Granny Smith apples

37 Milk Maid caramels*

1 Tbs. water

2 cups milk chocolate chips

2 Tbs. Crisco shortening

toppings of choice

Remove stem and wash apples well with water rubbing with a washcloth to remove any wax.  Dry and insert sharpened sticks into the center of the apples.  Unwrap caramels and place in a glass microwavable bowl with 1 Tbs. water.*  Heat in the microwave for about three minutes.  Watch closely and take out and stir when it STARTS to bubble.  If caramel gets too hot it will dry too hard.  Don't let the caramel get too thin - stir it to the right consistency.  Dip apples into caramel, allowing the extra caramel to drip off - use a spoon to work the extra caramel off the apple.  Place dipped apples on a cookie sheet that is covered with wax paper and has been sprayed with cooking spray.  Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, overnight is even better.  If the caramel has puddled aroud the base of the apple, run some water over your fingers and push the caramel back up the apple before you dip it into the chocolate.

While waiting for the caramel to set up, prepare the toppings and set aside.  Melt the chocolate chips* in a glass bowl in the microwave at 50% power for 45 seconds at a time, stirring after each time.  Once chips start to get soft, add Crisco and return to the microwave for 15 seconds at 50% power.  Remove and stir well to ensure no lumps remain.  Do not let the chocolate chips get too runny or it won't stay on the apple.  Dip the apples into the chocolate.  Dip apple in toppings or sprinkle on the outside then pat onto the chocolate.  Place apple on a wax paper lined cookie sheet (no spray) and return to the refrigerator for 20 minutes to allow the chocolate time to sep up.  For the decorative layer of chocolate, take the remaining melted chocolate and spoon into a small plastic bag.  Cut a small hole in the corner of the bag.  Squeeze the top of the bag, pushing the chocolate toward the hole.  Make circular designs around the apple.  The decorative layer can be done in the milk chocolate, a darker chocolate, or use white chocolate.  This step can also be accomplished by drizzling the melted chocolate from a spoon. If desired, place apples in a large baking cup and place in a cellophane bag.  Return apples to the fridge and let the apples set up for 30 minutes.  Remove apples from refrigerator 10 minutes prior to serving.  Slice before serving.

(recipe courtesy of Rachel Anderson)

*If you are making a large quantity of caramel apples you can purchase Peter's Caramel in large blocks to use in place of the Milk Maid Caramels and dipping chocolate to use in place of the milk chocolate chips.  Add small amounts of water to the caramel only to help get it to the proper consistency.  I melted my caramel and chocolate in a bowl placed over hot water (similar to a double boiler).  I purchased my caramel, chocolate, dowels, large baking cups, and cellophane bags from Orson Gygi's, a culinary supply store located at 3500 South 300 West in Salt Lake City, Utah  www.gygi.com

 Here are some ideas for different flavored apples:

• Apple Pie - caramel, white chocolate then cinnamon sugar (1 c. sugar/1 T. cinnamon)
• S'more - caramel, milk chocolate, mini marshmallows, graham cracker, white drizzle
• Twix - caramel, milk chocolate, crushed graham crackers, white drizzle
• Candy bar - caramel, favorite candy, milk chocolate, white drizzle
• Nutter Butter - caramel, milk chocolate, crushed Nutter Butter cookies, white drizzle
• Cookies n' Cream - caramel, milk chocolate, crushed Oreo cookies, white drizzle
• Hawaiian - caramel, white chocolate, toasted coconut, macadamia nuts, white drizzle
• Toffee Chip - caramel, milk chocolate, Toffee chips, white drizzle
• Turtle - caramel, milk chocolate, pecans, drizzle with dark chocolate
• Pretzel - caramel, milk chocolate, crushed pretzels, drizzle with white chocolate
• German Chocolate - caramel, milk chocolate, coconut, pecans, drizzle with dark chocolate
• Triple Chocolate - caramel, milk chocolate, drizzle with dark and white chocolate