New Plans!

I've been on vacation for a little while so I haven't been blogging quite as much as I would like to.  Since it's a little more difficult to do projects and what not I've just been trying to blog about my adventures along the way.  So many fun things have happened, I took Davin putt-putt golfing for the first time, to his first movie in a movie theater, Jungle Jim's International Market, an Amish auction and to the Columbus Zoo in Ohio.  All of it was very fun and we had some great experiences!  Mainly it was great to be able to visit with my parents for an extended period of time and to let Davin spend time with his grandparents.  We will be heading back home in a couple of days and I would be lying if I said I'm not anxious.  Of course I'm going to be sad and miss my parents and other family members but I can't wait to see my husband and pets again either.  Also, I can't wait to get started on my new plans!  As soon as I get back I'm joining the local gym and am going to get my butt on a workout schedule which in turn will most likely help me be more productive since I will be beginning my day much earlier and with an energizing workout.  I really do miss going to the gym, even as difficult as it was to get myself motivated enough to go there, but the feeling I had afterward made it worth it and the results are obviously great too!  I am also going to try my hardest to get 3 small projects done a day; one being dinner so that will be a definite, one with Davin and then one of my own while Davin is napping or during his bedtime.  I really enjoy crafting even if it is something small or quick and easy to do.  Of course I will be blogging on here about these projects :).  So I have some great things planned, I hope you will stop by to check them out!


Danielle

Amish Country- Millersburg, OH

We took a trip to Ohio's Amish country on July 27th.  We went to Schrock's Amish Farm, Hershberger Farm and Bakery, Heini's Cheese Chalet (yum!) and Mrs. Yoder's Kitchen for dinner.  It was a really great trip, here are some of the pictures I took along the way.

One of the goats at the farm trying to pick-pocket Davin, he loved it.



Davin was talking to this horse, it seemed like it was listening quite intently.

Davin riding on "Shorty" the pony.

"Big Ben" the 3000 lb. Belgian.

He was looking right at me, he started kicking that gate a little too, very intimidating!

One of the wagon rides available.

The goats on top of the animal building.

It was a pretty big building but there was a ramp built on the side for the goats to climb up to the roof.

Ducklings.

A bunch of homemade jams and jellies available for purchase.

Tons of fresh produce for sale.

The Amish farm

We took a buggy ride with a very nice Amish man and "Buddy".

Another Amish family home.

Some Amish approve of using tractors.

 

Buggys parked outside of Mrs. Yoder's Kitchen. 

Heading home for the day.

* I did not take pictures of the faces of the Amish because they do not approve of having pictures of their faces taken due to their religious beliefs. You can learn more about that and more HERE.

CLICK HERE to plan your own trip to Amish country.

My other personal favorite places other than the ones mentioned in this blog post are the following:

1. Wendell August- Personalize, handcrafted metal gifts.

2. Lehman's- "If they don't have it, you don't need it."

3. Miller's Bakery

4. Coblentz Chocolates

5. Tis' The Season- A Christmas shop open year 'round.

6. Carlisle Gifts

7. Der Dutchman Restaurant  



Milk Art

What You Need:
Food Dye
Milk (about a cup)
Pie Pan or Something Similar
Liquid Dish Soap
Toothpicks


Directions

1.  Pour the milk into the pie pan.

2.  Now go ahead and drop some of the food coloring into the milk,  put little dots all over the place, whatever you want.

3.  Take the dish soap and add little drops of it over top of the food coloring.  This is such a neat step, the food coloring will just "shoot" around in the pan.  Add as much coloring as you want, we gradually added quite a bit.

4.  Use your toothpics to make swirls in the pan.

Jello Fruit Snacks

These fruit snacks are so quick to make and my little Davin loves them!

What You Need:


1 Mold (Bought at local Hobby store)
1 Pack of Jello (3 oz. regular size, Fruit Punch and Tropical Fusion is what I used)
1/3 cup of Water
2 (.25 oz) packs of Unflavored Gelatin




Directions:


1. Pour the water into a small saucepan, add the jello and gelatin to the water.


2. Grab a whisk and stir up the mixture, then place over medium heat until you have a liquid mixture and all gelatin is dissolved.


3. Carefully pour the mix into your mold, I placed my mold onto a baking pan just in case any of the mix overflowed in spots (which it did). 


4. Let the mixture cool for 20 minutes, then they are ready to eat.

Almost all of them should peel out together if you use this mold



Paper Plate Maracas

What You Need:

A Paper Plate

Stapler

Sticker and/or Crayons

Rice or Beans

Directions:

1. Pour about a half a cup of rice or beans onto your paper plate. 

2. Fold the paper plate in half, then staple the edges all the way around.

3. Now it's time to decorate your maracas, you can use stickers, crayons, markers or anything else you can think of.