SNOW fun!
Who ever said that picnics are only for the summertime? The next time snowflakes are falling, bundle up and have a snow picnic! Make some cocoa to stay warm, but don’t forget to whip up some snow ice cream!
Happy Halloween!
Hope you are all enjoying sweet treats today. Here are the candy corn sugar cookie trick-or-treats we made this year. 
Halloween Decorations
I know, I have been lame and have not made time to post on here in a while. 
I am trying to get back in the groove. So, here is a photo of our Halloween mantel. My son made canvas paintings for our Halloween display. What art projects have you done for the fall?
Day trips and local features
In the past several months in SWW Family we have included features on a miniature donkey farm (White Hawk Farms), a creamery (Olympic Mountain Ice Cream), a drive-in movie theatre (Skyline Drive-in), an engine ride (through the Chehalis-Centralia Railroad) and going boating (Mayfield Lake Resort). We would like to know what fun local adventures your family loves. Please let us know what you would like to read about or places that you enjoy that you think are worthy of a feature.
Happy 4th of July!
Here is a free (for home use) printable. If you are going to a holiday bbq or get together this weekend and need something quick and simple to bring this should suit you well. Simply print, cut and attach to toothpicks. Decorate cakes, cupcakes or even put on top of jello salad.
Happy holiday!
Play time!
It’s bubble gum … it’s cookie dough … no,
It’s playdough!!!! And maybe, more accurately, it should be called free time in a jar! You know, the prized moments where you can run a load of laundry, go to the bathroom, or even (gasp!) read a magazine without any interruptions … just once, please. 
Well for us, that can always happen with playdough. For some reason have never made playdough – until now. Here are the ingredients we used and truly just combined them all on the stove in a pan until they resembled playdough. It was a bit warm so we put it in the freezer for a few minutes … and then came the free time bliss – for both of us!
1 cup of flour, 1/2 cup of salt, 1 tablespoon cream of tartar, 2 teaspoons canola oil, 1 cup of water and food coloring. This is honestly the most simple thing to make. Enjoy!
Go nuts for nuts!
Need a quick and easy snack? My current favorite is rosemary almonds & cherries. Toss marcona almonds with a touch of olive oil, a sprinkling of rosemary & kosher salt and warm in the oven (at 350) for about 8 minutes. Let cool and add in dried cherries (I love the Costco brand). Enjoy this healthy tasty snack anytime of the day. Mmmm!
And, if you are not yet a fan of rosemary (I used to call them pine needles!) … try using your coffee grinder to very finely chop the spice. Then sprinkle the fine powder sparsely until you are more used to the taste.
Chilly
The calendar says it is May, but the temperature here is too cold for my comfort! If you need something warm but fashionable to cover your head during sports games look no further. Up North Knits on Etsy has the cutest hats around! Maybe my husband will read this and I will get one for Mother’s Day.
Coupon newbie
Do you have any tips for couponing? Please share!
Here are the inserts that I received in the Saturday edition of The Chronicle. I am excited to try my hand at this ‘hobby’. I already know what I am going to buy with my 40% off at Michaels!
Fellow blogger
Hello everyone! Today I thought I would share a blog with you. Megan Berry is creative and inspiring coming up with amazing activities, crafts and parties for her daughter, friends and family. When you are looking for a family friendly activity I hope you will check out her site. We are happy to have her as a part of our Advisory Board for Family magazine and if you remember the amazing rainbow party we featured a few months ago … the ‘brite’ idea and celebration came from her!
http://fowlsinglefile.blogspot.com/
