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Preparing for a trip

We are planning a trip to the Tennessee mountains for some much needed family time. We will be staying in a little wood cabin with a waterfall and creek nearby.  Luckily for us, we have a house sitter to take care of things around here. Hopefully our little chickens, who love to play you chase me and I run game, will behave and everything else around here will behave as they should.

Packing for 10 people is a challenge. Packing for a trip un-nerves me if I don’t have a plan.  With a plan, it is really doable and I can leave with peace of mind and leave behind that I forgot something feeling.  I was writing out my plan when I thought “duh, shouldn’t I share this?”.  I know most of you already took your trips this summer so hopefully this may help you the next time.

I use index cards to keep everything organized so I don’t have to rely on my brain.  I use the following cards: (you may have different cards for your specific needs)

One index card for each person going on the trip, write everything they will need to take on the trip.  I include reminders such as my glasses, sketch pad and beeswax crayons and color pencils.
To buy for the trip (this includes food items for the road trip and your stay)
To prepare for the trip
Food to pack (shop in your pantry first)
For the road trip
Miscellaneous items to take
To do as we are leaving
To do when we return.

Here are a few tips that help me:

Cook and freeze a meal before you leave for your trip so when you come home tired, all you have to do is pop your meal in the freezer. This will save a trip to the pizzeria or fast food restaurant and will save the stress of having to figure out what to make for your hungry family.

Before you leave, pour some cleaner into sink drains and toilets.

A few days before you leave, use any food that might spoil while you are gone.

As you are leaving, turn the air off or up and tape your freezer door shut.  Imagine coming home to a freezer that opened by mistake and all the spoiled food. Tape it!

Make sure the house is clean and sparkling, so when you walk in the door you are not blown away by a messy house.

Once you are settled in and have your precooked meal, take a look at your pantry and make a list of meals for the next couple of days.  Put the list in your purse so you have it when you go to the grocery store.

For packing:

If we are going on a car trip and not a plane, I pack the kids into bins and not suitcases.  They make less mess when they can get to their stuff easier and do not have to rummage around a suitcase.  Bins also stack neater in a car trunk than suitcases.

For each child I pack one outfit including socks and underwear into a bag for each day (you can recycle the shopping bags from the store) or if you do not use plastic, pillowcases work awesome. Ziploc bags would work but I dislike things that you pay for and then throw out. These go into the bin for that child.  Each day, they just have to grab a bag and put it on.  No more clothing thrown about.

I take little bags for “treasure and momentos” to go into.  I myself am looking forward to collecting huge acorns which I saw everywhere there last year at this time.  I am going to be painting them different colors for our Christmas tree and to adorn presents this year.  Yippee!!!  There may also be lots of herbs and plants that I can harvest or identify (this falls under the category of nerdy and I love it).

I take a few laundry bags for dirty clothes, as soon as someone changes their clothes the dirty ones go right in the bag.  When you get home, just sort and start washing.  Easy peasy.

I hope this helps you next time you have to pack.

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Jello shot push pops tutorial

Remember push pops?  The geniuses over at the Meringue Bake Shop came up with some push pop cupcakes which I must say I love so…. I found a company who sells clear plastic ones and have been making lots of fun things with them.  For our annual July 4th celebration, I made jello shots in them.  Of course you could make them without the alcohol but why should the kids have all the fun.  If you have never made alcoholic jello shots then fret not, I’ve got you covered (scroll to the bottom for the instructions)

 Make your bottom layer flavor of jello and pour into the cups, put in the fridge for about 30 minutes or until firm

 in this picture I am piping in a layer of whipped cream but if you do it this way it will float to the top once you pour your next layer of jello so just do it at the end. Make the next layer of jello and pour over the firmed up layer of jello.  Put them back in the fridge for an hour.

 To pipe the whipped topping on, just put a cup or so of whipped cream into a piping bag with a star tip and squeeze a nice round of whipped cream on top for decoration.

 You will need a base to keep your pops upright while the jello firms up the refrigerator.  You could easily use a block of styrofoam covered with paper or fabric.  I have searched and there is no one making jello like this out on the web.  If you copy this idea please post a link back to the post ; ) Thank you!

For jello shots you mix the jello powder with one cup of boiling water and then instead of adding a cup of cold water you add a cup of cold vodka…done!  Told ya it was easy.
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