Food Dept.- Trader Joe's

Hi Guys. Here is another wonderful hidden gem I shoved into the cart at Trader Joe's. The thing about Trader Joe's is, my friends always tell me what to get. I have been going there forever, yet someone will always surprise me with a " you have to try ...". So this time I grabbed some Yogurt Stars. I've seen them before and have always loved the package, but by the time I hit the freezer section with an overflowing cart they never make the cut. This time they did!

These sweet little stars are super cute and addicting. They are "Yogurt" Stars, so they are kinda good for you right? My daughter and I made a carrot cake, (another good for you item) and decorated the frosting with the stars.

Speaking of frosting, we used T.J.'s Baker Josef's white frosting (this one is no secret). For that decadent cream cheese flavor we substituted the butter for cream cheese.

Our cake turned out sweet and was the perfect little Thank You gift for some friends of ours!
Do you have any Trader Joe's secrets? Please share!
xo, cherish

A Wonderful Quote

Today We Got A Little Crafty

I have this box that holds a lot of stuff. Stuff like maps, used wrapping paper, cool clothing tags, and even some vintage paper. One of my favorite things to do is open it up and get crafty. Sometimes I have an idea, sometimes I just dive in. If you add some music and lovely people, it's a perfect afternoon.

Today we made mini envelopes. They are adorable with paper tape or washi tape added to them. Mini stationery is great to have on hand and is super easy to make. We also didn't have a lot of time to spend but were in a creative mood.

We had a perfectly crafty afternoon and now I have some fun envelopes to add to presents or thank you cards. How do you get crafty?
xo,
 cherish

More Smores

Here is one last shout out to summer and a sweet Halloween welcome. I feel like smores are a total summer dessert, with roasting marshmallows and campfires and all. They are just so good. We made these for a bake sale at a neighborhood pumpkin patch, I think they fit right in.

These are easy to mass produce. Mass production is definitely something you need when making smores! We stuck them in the oven for only a couple minutes. You'll know when they are ready because the mallows puff up.  When the chocolate is shiny and the mallows are toasted pull them out and smash them together. Put the stick in and let them cool for a few hours in the fridge. You may need to try one when you think they are stiff enough to go for a dip, just to make sure they are ready. Then melt the dipping chocolate, dip, sprinkle, and cool again in the fridge. They set up nicely.

Possibilities are endless for toppings. These smore pops are perfect way to kick off Fall festivities while saying farewell to summer. Enjoy!
xo,
Cherish

Wonder How To Make Bread Beads?

 We had so much fun making these little beads. I invited my family over, we all sat down and got a bit messy. I loosely used this recipe.

 We added colors with both tempera and acrylic paint. I didn't notice a difference in the texture of the dried beads.

Then we grabbed some random tools that we found in the junk drawer and started cutting out beads.
We let the cut beads dry for a bit and then made small holes in the middle so we could string them.

Finally we let them dry overnight.

After we strung them I added a layer of Mod Podge to some to make them a bit shiny.
Our little bead making party was so fun! I can't wait for the next crafty party.
xo,
cherish

Our Story

      Once upon a time there was a sweet little daredevil of a second grader. He could leap over huge obstacles without a single thought.

 Although, this brave boy did have a hurdle that seemed impossible to conquer, it would stump him every time. For him, leaving his mama was proving to be quite complicated, which made it difficult to go to school. To solve this issue we had many secret sit down meetings and drew up a plan.

After a few prototypes and trial n error, we developed the perfect answer. Let me introduce our first Cherished Littles Monster to you. She is a mini monster that is "filled up" with love and kisses in the morning and kept in a safe pocket all day. Now when my little daredevil is feeling like he misses his mama, he just gives his monster a little squeeze and is reminded of all his mama's love and kisses that it is filled with.

I am pleased to report that this story has a happy ending.

xo,
Cherish

Wonder What Movie to Watch?

We love to come together as a family and watch movies. We have favorite movies that we watch over and over. Often times we quote the movies and crack each other up. These movies are like classics and will be handed down through the generations. We have found that this a great way for our family to bond. This was a whole evening created around one of our favorite movies, The Sandlot,it was super fun just planning it!

 We started out with a steak bbq. This was inspired by a part in the movie where Smalls used a steak to help ease the pain of a black eye. Then we ....

... had a blast creating new versions of smores! My favorite was the Symphony bar smore. This is a Hershey bar with toffee and almond chips, so decadent. I had a great time creating a theme and watching the movie with my family. We also choose favorite quotes from the movie.

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