So I'm not exactly crafty, but I wanted to create a Valentine's Day project.  Since I LOVE my kids, and I am not super-creative, I opted for a framed silhouette for each of my kids that I will use to cover the hallway wall going to the kids' bedrooms.  I started by purchasing the following supplies:

• 5 black frames
• black matte paper
• scissors
• glue

Now it was time to get to work. We had my 4-year-old sit VERY still... (this was the hardest part) and traced his face against a sheet of white printer paper that we taped behind him.  Then we shined my lamp on him in just a way to cast a nice, sharp, life-size, shadow on the paper.  We traced it with a pencil, then placed it against our black matte paper, and then cut it out.  Finally, we glued the black matte "shadow" to a piece of white paper, and placed it into our frame.  It was super-simple, and looks amazing!  (Now we just have to do this again... X 4!)


Not only do we have a special way to say how much we love our kids this Valentine's Day, but these make great Grandma presents.  Can you imagine me looking back in 20 years at our little boys' faces and saying, "Remember when?"

This project cost less than $30 buck to make total.  (It will cost less if you have fewer kids, and more if you buy fancier frames. )

Did you know…

Leeks are a very popular ingredient for dishes originating from Denmark. As someone treasures their Danish heritage – and loves food – I get especially nostalgic for leeks during the holiday season. While leeks resemble a large green onion, they are much milder in flavor and add a very delicate and savory nature to everything they are cooked in.




This recipe is perfect for holiday brunch or when you need something for a lazy Sunday afternoon meal after all the business of the season. I love that it is full of bacon and leeks; they complement each other nicely and remind me of my grandma’s old world Danish cooking! The addition of Pillsbury crescent rolls adds texture and eliminates the need to mess with complicated quiche crusts.


Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 2 cups shredded mild cheddar cheese
• 1 cup sliced leeks
• ½ pound raw bacon, chopped
• ¼ tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 tube Pillsbury Crescent Rolls

Begin by browning the bacon in a medium-high skillet. Once cooked through, add in the leeks and cook an additional 2 minutes, or until the leeks are softened. Set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, mix the eggs, cheddar cheese, and kosher salt with a wire whisk. Add in the bacon and leeks. Stir until just mixed.

Pour the egg mixture into a glass pie dish. Cook in a 375 degree oven for 8 minutes, or until the egg mixture is just starting to puff and is no longer watery in the middle. Remove from the oven.

Unroll the crescent dough, and cut it in half to make two large squares. Use one of the squares to cover the baked egg mixture. Set the other half aside for another recipe. Return the dish to the oven and cook an additional 8 minutes or until the dough is lightly browned.

Remove from the oven. Allow to cool slightly. Cut into squares and serve!




Have company coming over? Make this the night before, and store in the fridge. The morning of your meal, just cover the top lightly in foil and warm in the oven at 300 degrees for 15 minutes, removing the foil for the last 3 minutes or so. It won’t lose moisture, and it will have the same creamy texture as if you prepared it fresh!

Perhaps the most exciting science products I've seen this year comes from a recent Circuit Scribe review. I am blessed to be living in a time when we -- as parents -- have an unprecedented number of quality products and toys that help teach basic science concepts in a fun and engaging way! Learn more about this fantastic, non-toxic, conductive ink that you can use to draw circuits! They are probably one of the hottest -- and best -- STEM products out there.
 


When I first saw these pens on YouTube, I did NOT believe that it would be so simple to use them. We were asked to review the Maker Kit and the smaller Mini Kit, and I was blown away by how very, very cool they were. This may be the toy of the year!
 

What's Included

​Look what comes in even the smallest "Mini Kit". You get the pen, filled with special ink, the components to do the activities (including the battery), and directions for doing several fun and simple experiments. Here's me doing the first one. I simply connected the LED light module with the battery module by "drawing". I could even doodle in the space below. As long as the ink connected, the hope was that my LED would light up.
 

And it did! I have to admit that in my mind, I knew that this would work. But I was still thrilled and a little surprised that it did! The Circuit Scribe review experience was a lot of fun. (It's just as engaging for adults as kids, in my opinion.)
 

Our Circuit Scribe Review Experience

​This very brief video shows me placing the battery and light on the circuit for the first time. As you can see, placement is key. Both came with little "feet" on the bottom that need to sit on the circular shape of the circuit. It's important to color in the circuit large enough to conduct, but if you can fill out circles on a standardized test, you've got this!

 

All of this comes in the Mini Kit, which is priced very, very nicely at a mere $9.99. Can you say "stocking stuffer"?
 

The Maker: Circuit Scribe Review

​We also tried out the much bigger, involved, and challenging kit - The Maker. This thing has it all! Lots of activities for hours of hands-on learning and exploring. This was the best thing I've seen offered to both kids and adults interested in learning electrical principles in a very long time!
 

Is Circuit Scribe a toy? A learning tool? Who cares!! It's so much fun and you learn without trying. I'm a big fan after this Circuit Scribe review, and I look forward to building our kits and also buying the replacement pens down the road when we've run out of ink. At just $20 a pen, it's a sustainable way to play and learn for years to come.

Learn more about Circuit Scribe products at their website, or check them out on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

(​Wondering about STEM? We answer the question "What is STEM?" for you here.....)

*Samples received to review. Opinions are my own.

Make a Meal Together

Star Gaze

Reminisce about Your Favorite Memories

Have a Spa Night

Have a Game Night

Create a Bucket List

Watching Your Wedding DVD

Final Thoughts