Raised Southern : February 2015

Friday, February 27, 2015

St. Patricks Day Crafts for your Crafty Holiday Fix

Even though St. Patricks day is not a big holiday, it is a fun one, and any reason to get crafty is good for me. I wanted to share a few St. Patricks Day Crafts that I found when looking for some that we are going to do that would be great for you and the little ones to get a crafty and have fun with this holiday.

This is such a cute little treat to let your children's teachers know how lucky you are to have them, or if you homeschool this is a fun treat to make for others in the family :) You could use, I feel so LUCKY to have a YaYa {Grandma} like you.

-Teachers Treat Gift http://zitzmanfam.blogspot.com/2014/03/lucky-to-have-teachers-like-you.html

Try to catch a leprechaun by hanging all these Pot of Gold Rainbow Rings around the home or class room. As St. Patricks Day gets closer have the children put together a leprechaun trap to see if they can catch one. This is always a very fun project for the kids.

A family that works together...

Whether it's a family or a team, working together will result in growing together. This is most important though, I believe within the family. Everyone in a family needs to be on the same page in their journey together. Everyone must be striving for the same goal in each of their own individual responsibilities and ways. For Example {and this is how it works in our family} My husband works outside of the home. He has a set schedule and needs to be there throughout the week and sometimes on the weekend. My job is very flexible. I work with several sites, own my own {RaisedSouthern.com}

{Southern Snapshots}

It has been such a busy week and not much time to get a lot of pictures! This is from the other day when we enjoyed 75 degree weather! I KNOW - It was such a tease by mother nature! Hope you all have had a great week!

Valentines M&M's {Teachers Gift}

This isn't a "holiday" to many but it is one that I think is important because we have one day dedicated to love and another opportunity to show everyone how much we care about them. Valentines day is also one of the first experiences our children have with "love". {Outside of their parents, grandparents, etc} This is also a holiday that the kids get to give little gifts out to each of their friends at school or get to do something special for a friend or family member. While my daughter was going through my Pinterest looking for ideas of what she could make for her valentines, she saw a M&M Valentines Day Jar, and she immediately said I want to make this for my teacher.

These are very simple and if you're like me and a little crafty you probably have all the supplies around your home, except for the M&Ms.

Supplies Needed:

This year my little girl had a very hard time deciding what kind of Valentines she wanted to make but we knew we wanted to make them ourselves. I let her check out my "I Love You Day" Pinterest Board, which wasn't a great idea because I have a hard time deciding what I am going to make from my Pinterest board. I even narrowed it down to the 14 that I shared on the DIY Valentines blog post she still wasn't happy.
She finally decided on what type of candy she wanted to give our because she wasn't having any of the non candy valentines, and she decided Gum Balls. So I came up with this cute and very easy Valentines Day Card for her to pass out in school today at her Valentines Day Party.

In a few of my other Mardi Gras posts I talked about the kids being out of school for Mardi Gras. Yes, public schools celebrate two holiday days of Mardi Gras. Since we are in a transition of one being Home Schooled and the other still in public school the "holiday" comes up. We will be celebrating it differently in our own homeschool way. Anywho, with these holidays I wanted to learn more about Mardi Gras other then beads, moonpies, and king cake.

Did you know that Mardi Gras was founded in Mobile, AL? Yep, sure was - not New Orleans like you may have thought. It was also founded 15 years before New Orleans was founded. History always surprises us because things are never as they appear. Just like thinking Mardi Gras was founded in NOLA {<<Southern Slang for New Orleans, LA, if you aren't familiar}

{Mardi Gras} Infographic

*Click to Enlarge* Photo found no link back, this does not belong to Raised Southern.

Mardi Gras - Betcha Didn't Know

-1.2 Million people attended Mardi Gras festivities last year - 3.5 times the population of New Orleans.

-Hotels take in $56 Million over the 12 days. Prices for a double room on Bourbon Street increase 151% over any other time during the year.

-The City of New Orleans spends $3.33 Million on Mardi Gras each year. It sees a return of $4.48 for every public dollar spent.

-There are 3,000 bars in New Orleans. The hurricane is considered the cocktail of Mardi Gras: Here's the Recipe:

Are you excited for the upcoming weekend and 5 days of Parades? I think after 5 days of Mardi Gras Parades you would have enough beads to have your very own parade. I want to share the parades and other events happening this weekend, so make sure you pay close attention to the location of these parades because they are going to be for all over the Gulf Coast
{from Mobile to Pensacola}.
Laissez les bons temps rouler!
Find out all the Routes and any other Information needed for the

Alabama Parades HERE and Pensacola Parades HERE

Friday- February 13, 2015

Mystical Order of Mirams, 6 p.m., Perdido Beach Boulevard, Orange Beach

Maids of Jubilee, 6:45 p.m., Fairhope

Crewe of Columbus, 6:30 p.m., Route A, Mobile

MAMGA Grand Marshal's Ball, 9 p.m., Mobile Convention Center
The Krewe of Lafitte Illuminated Parade, 8p.m., Downtown Pensacola

Saturday - February 14, 2015

{The Scott Life}

Making : a lists and meal plans, of supplies and groceries needed for next week and for the kids Valentines they have picked out.
Cooking : Nothing, already cooked -- we had BBQ Pork Chops, Mashed Taters, Corn, and ... well I just didn't feel like making biscuits {I do make them homemade}.
Drinking : Pink Lemonade {Is it Spring Time yet? I sure would love to be sipping Lemonade in the Spring weather}
Reading: I've been reading lots of homeschool stuff. I need to find myself a good book {I always say that} but I won't read probably until beach weather comes.
Wanting: some Chocolate Milk, or Strawberry Milk.
Looking: I'm still looking for Rehearsal dresses and vacation clothes for June. I need to go try some dresses on.
Playing: The T.V. is on and plaything The Good Wife. I love this show, and just started it a few weeks ago on Hulu.. I have plenty catching up to do.

Now that you have crafted and enjoyed some desserts we need to talk about Dinner & Drinks, and the kids are going to love their own Mardi Gras Punch and jelly drinks and mom and dad enjoy Cajun cooking and cocktails. I only want cajun cooking when I think king cake and Mardi Gras so I found two recipes that are perfect for everyone in the family and drinks to add to your supper.

Cajun Shrimp Casserole
http://www.southernliving.com/food/holidays-occasions/new-orleans-mardi-gras-recipes/cajun-shrimp-casserole-recipe_2

And/Or

Crawfish Cornbread

I can't believe I had forgotten to do my Monthly Memories- I enjoy sharing all my pictures but this one is one of my favorites because I can share anything that we took pictures of in January and remember them in the years to come. I also think this is a great series for the kids to look back on too. Here is January 2015 Monthly Memories!

We have all started to love shooting the bow, we each need to get our own.

The start of my Disney Stache - See the finish product here:
http://www.raisedsouthern.com/2015/01/craft-timediy-disney-stache.html

For Some reason she came into the house and took her shoes off right there, just like that.

Mardi Gras Treats

When I hear Mardi Gras I think King Cake - most people start thinking parades but my favorite thing about Mardi Gras is that sweet cinnamon, icing covered, baby hidden, bead covered bread. Until this year I was the only one in the house that liked King Cake, well I bought one this year {I haven't had the chance to make a homemade one} brought it home and the kids love it. There are plenty other treats you can make at Mardi Gras season if King Cake is not your pleasure or you may be hosting a party and you need a few desserts? Well here are a few that will go great for any party or just to make for a sweet treat for the family! Laissez les bons temps rouler!

Individual King Cakes :) You could even buy a small plastic baby to add in each or just add in the set you make. This is also from one of my favorite recipe blogs, Plain Chicken. Check out these Easy King Cake Knots. http://www.plainchicken.com/2011/03/easy-king-cake-knots.html

Another King Cake Favorite would these little King Cake Bars

Mardi Gras Crafts & Decorations - Preparing to Let the Good Times Roll

This year many of us are skipping the Valentines Dates because we are celebrating Mardi Gras all weekend long with all the festivities that are going on. This is the perfect year to make Valentines Day all about the kids and enjoy a adult party with some Mardi Gras Fun { Parade Information coming on Thursday for all over the Gulf Coast}. Mardi Gras is not celebrated everywhere like it is here on the Gulf Coast, I'm not surprised because are kids get 2 days off of school for "Mardi Gras Holidays". So during these days you may be looking for some fun things to do or make to get ready for a Mardi Gras Party. Laissez les bons temps rouler!

Hey Y'all, It is getting warmer and if you didn't know my favorite thing to photograph is the water. These pictures are taking all over the Gulf Coast. I will label where each photo was taking. All photos we're taking by me, Kari Scott and are property of Raised Southern.

Perdido Key, Public Beach Access - First Warm day of the season and a perfect day to collect seashells.

Seashells like this beauty here.

Such a beautiful view, nothing like Home!

The Right to do Something...

If this isn't a lesson that should be learned by all. For some reason this stuck out to me this week, maybe it's the fact that I have an opinion bigger then I should, maybe it's that my son is in a "pre-teen" stage thinking he has the right to do everything and anything, but it did. It was the first one I read of many Amish Proverbs I read for this post and this was the one that weighed on my mind.

Maybe it was just something I personally needed to think about or, maybe it was just something I was meant to share. Hope you all have a great week!

Thursday, February 5, 2015

13 years & A Weekend in Orange Beach, AL

This quote should be hung in every married couples home the day they marry, because it's true. Everything in this quote, not going to be easy, it's going to be REALLY hard {at times}, you're going to have to work everyday at maintaining it, but you WILL DO IT because you want that person you have chosen to be your husband/wife; all of them forever, you and him/her everyday! This comes from one of my favorite movies and if you have never seen it {How have you not seen this movie?} you should rent it/buy it, do whatever you need to do to see it. It is a "chick flick" as most husbands will say but he will not regret watching it either! & Valentines Day is coming up!

At the end of January my husband and I celebrate the day we started dating. 13 years we celebrated last weekend. We started dating when we were 15 and 16 years old {that just made me feel very old} in high school and we've been together ever since. We, just like every couple have had our ups and downs but the most important thing I can say to anyone having any relationship problems, it's all worth it to work together and comprise whatever may be done. I love and adore my husband so much and I was so excited when he told me he wanted to take me to the beach for the weekend. It was going to be a beautiful weekend, warmer {NOT as warm as i would have liked} and it was just going to be us. We really needed a relaxing weekend together because it feels like we have been go go go since school started. So we went and stayed at The Island House Hotel in Orange Beach, AL. and this is a place I highly recommend if you are heading to Orange Beach.

Our Room was Beautiful!

& The view amazing! All rooms do have balconies!

{The Scott Life}

I haven't updated everyone with our weekly life "survey" that I started sharing with everyone last year. I'm getting back on track with all of our series and wanted to update everyone with how things are with us weekly. If you would like to take this survey too at the bottom of this each week will be a blank survey you can copy and paste! Have a great rest of the week, it's humpday so we're almost to the weekend!

Making : Blogs- I've been blogging all day! 4 down, 2 to go.
Cooking: Nothing - The Pizza Man cooked tonight!
Drinking : A Mtn. Dew.. well that's the last thing I drank.
Reading: I just downloaded a few books from Kindle, Hoping to be able to read a "grown up" book. We're reading Treasure Hunters by James Patterson in School {homeschool}
Wanting: To climb in bed and call it an early night, this mama is tired!
Looking: I'm starting to look for dresses for my cousins upcoming wedding in June. I need a rehearsal dress and a few others.
Playing: Nothing currently, no time for games in this busy evening.
Wasting: Nothing- I really should remove this because I don't like wasting anything, but sometimes time gets wasted on things it shouldn't. (Fb, Twitter, uhhh Pinterest, lol)

This evening the kids and I are going to be surfing Pinterest to find some more awesome DIY Valentines that they want to do this weekend. Last year we did some special ones for my daughters class, Butterfly Snack Valentines {HERE} My son didn't care to do anything special he wanted to buy his from the store, but this year it's a little different. We are going to do something for the class and something for some of the special people in our life! If you've been reading our other Valentines Day Posts {V-Day Crafts} {V-Day Snacks} then you know we have a busy weekend planned of Valentines Day Crafts and Baking, and now we've added D-I-Y Valentines! I have been gathering Ideas on Pinterest for the kids to look through and make there decisions but there are so so many cute ideas that I had to do a post and share some great ones that may inspire you and your kids for Valentines.

Hello Design, Meet Life – Dinomite Valentines http://www.hellodesignmeetlife.com/2014/02/13/dino-mite-valentines/

Valentines Day Bookmarks –

There was no link back but this is such a great idea, you’re a genius whoever thought of this. All you need are some paint stripes in your favorite different colors, a heart hole punch, and ribbon. How easy is that? Not to mention how cute and great to encourage reading! If you wanted to go all out you could even add a book to go with your Valentine.

Make-It-Do – You’re the Bomb Valentine

http://www.make-it-do.com/celebrate-it/valentine-doings/

One Crazy Cookie- You Make My Heart Pop -

http://onecrazycookie.blogspot.com/2011/02/couple-quick-cute-valentine-gifts.html

Maybe even add a Movie or tickets to the movie theater!

I have a sweet tooth, and it is always worse during holidays that I can make special treats on. I have special treats {other then the ones here} that I can't wait to try next week! I'm also very excited because we're going to have a weekly series called The Kids are Cooking where we will be sharing different things {probably found on Pinterest, of course} that the kids will cook themselves. My son has become obsessed with some of the cooking shows and the Jr. Master Chefs competitions that he has found a interest in cooking and my daughter of course loves to help cook whenever she can. I'm hoping they have time to make a special Valentines treat this weekend so our first should be next week! Until then here are some awesome Valentines Treats you can plan to make, and you won't be sorry you did because they all look delicious!

Makoodle – Oreo Pops

http://www.makoodle.com/valentines-oreo-pops/

My Recipe Magic – Red Velvet Blossoms -

http://myrecipemagic.com/recipe/recipedetail/red-velvet-blossoms

Bee in Our Bonnet – Parfaits with your Sweeties -

http://www.beeinourbonnet.com/2010/02/parfaits-with-your-sweeties.html

14 Valentines Day Crafts You Can't Wait to Make

One of my favorite holidays to get crafty on is Valentines Day. Not only do I love all the Valentines colors, hearts, and arrows. I love how lovey dovey everything and {most} people get. I haven't had a lot of time to really craft at all this season but I do have plans for the kids valentines and some special Valentines Day treats that I will be sharing this weekend and the beginning of next week, so be looking for those. Until then take a look at these 14 crafts you won't be able to wait to make!