Homemade Strawberry Syrup

Homemade strawberry syrup is a must make this summer. It captures the essence of summer in a simple syrup that compliments everything from cocktails to homemade popsicles. I even drizzled it over cake, and it was perfect!


When I was a kid, early in the summer, my grandpa would come calling, looking for some helping hands who were willing to go to the U-Pick-Em strawberry patch and fill bushel after bushel of berries. As his only grandchild, many times, I was the willing partner. We would head over, taking all of the back country roads, and spend the morning in the sun, bent over, picking the best berries. My grandpa, Popaw, would always poke through and make sure you had some berries with some green showing yet, as this added the right tartness to all of the wonderful things he would make with his haul. We would spend days cleaning, coring and slicing the berries. Some would become jam and jelly. Some were frozen for pies and shortcakes when the season had passed. Some were enjoyed on the spot naturally.

My Popaw passed away in 1999. I was 19 years old. I have missed him everyday since then. I can't pass a U-Pick-Em berry patch without stopping for at least a quart of fresh berries, with a little green showing on a few for balance. From one batch of fresh berries I made this wonderful simple syrup. It is so sweet, and it has the essence of summer just waiting to add something special to whatever you desire. 

Add a splash to lemonade for a refreshing treat, or maybe add some to your sprite like my daughter likes to do for a pretty pink strawberry soda. I like to add it to vodka in the summer while I sip the stress of the day away.

All you need is berries, sugar and water to pull this off.


Ingredients:
Water- 1 cup
Sugar- 1/2 cups
Strawberries, cored 2 cups


Directions:
Place the cored berries into a sauce pan.
Add water.
Add sugar.
Simmer on medium heat for about 30 minutes.
Remove from heat, allow to cool for about 30 minutes.
Place a mesh sieve over a mason jar.
Pour the mixture into the sieve, pressing the berries with a spoon to release the juices.
Discard the berry mash left in the sieve. (I like to feed it to the birds, but do so away from your house, as it will draw bees too.)


Store with a lid, in the fridge for a month.
Add a splash into cocktails or soda.
Drizzle it on white cake for a colorful and sweet berry flavor.
Make homemade strawberry soda by adding it to club soda.



If you enjoyed this recipe, check out all of my homemade soda recipes.
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Sour Apple Margarita

Cinco de Mayo is right around the corner and this Sour Apple Margarita recipe is the best cocktail for the occasion!  This recipe is easy to make and has just the right mix of booze with the perfect pucker from the sour apple schnapps. Chances are you will make this one many times as summer rolls around.


When the pandemic began, I started collecting alcohol. I have never been a big drinker, but as I age, I can certainly appreciate a good cocktail recipe. These days, an afternoon cocktail is the pick me up I need.  This sour apple margarita is a favorite for the warmer months. It is so easy to mix and hits just right.  Pair it with taco night or make it and take it outside to savor the warm weather.


I look forward to the days when we can gather with friends and serve these by the pitcher. I know they will go down fast and smooth with friends laughing in the background, telling the stories of their lives.


The vibrant green color of this cocktail makes it so appealing, especially as the world begins to come in bloom. Bring on the green after such a long and gray winter!





Ingredients

Serving size is 1 8oz glass

  1. 1oz Tequila
  2. 2oz Sour Apple Schnapps
  3. 1/2 oz Tripel Sec
  4. 1/2 oz Cointreau
  5. 2oz Sweet and Sour Mix
  6. 1 splash of fresh Lime juice
  7. 1 lime cut for garnishing





DIRECTIONS 

  1. Pour Margarita salt onto one plate and simple syrup on the other plate
  2. Take your glassware and dip the rims in the simple syrup and then the margarita salt and set to the side
  3. Fill your glasses with ice 3/4 of the way full
  4. Add ingredients to a bartender shaker along with 3-4 pieces of ice
  5. Shake to combine and strain into your glass
  6. Garnish with a lime wedge


See, I told you this was an easy cocktail recipe! So easy, you almost have to try mixing it yourself! I never knew margaritas could be so easy to make without using a mix.


You can find all of my cocktail recipes here.

Reader favorites include:

Night King Cocktails

Bomb Pop Cocktails

Wild Blueberry Gin Fizzers




How Can You Make Your House Moving Fun For The Family

 Realistically speaking, there’s no surprise that moving isn’t considered as the most enjoyable undertaking you can do together with your family. That’s because of the several things that need to be done, thereby making the entire activity exhausting and chaotic. However, it doesn’t also mean that the relocation process will be miserable throughout the journey. Working with experienced movers like United Van Lines can make the whole job much easier.




Thus, if you’re moving home anytime soon, below are some ways on how you can get your family excited from start to finish:


  1. Stay Positive


More than anything else, you need your family to be positive about the whole moving process. While all of you will be sad and lonely that you’re leaving behind your home that you lived for many years, it’s important to show positivity to make it exciting. 


Instead of thinking about the cons of relocation, you can focus on thinking about the new possibilities waiting for everyone in your new destination. Also, make some effort to laugh, sing, and joke around so everyone in the family will forget the sadness brought by moving. 


  1. Know As Much As You Can About Your New Area


You can make your relocation much more enjoyable by finding useful information about your new. For instance, if you have school-age children, you can ask them to list down all the things they’ll discover about your new city or town and the one who lists down more information will receive a reward. 


Whether it’s about the cost of living, local rules and regulations, entertainment options, and peculiarities of the area, they can include them in their research so they can win. Moreover, in addition to the fun aspect of this activity, you’ll also be able to introduce your new place to your children, thereby letting them know about the things they can expect upon their arrival. As a result, they’ll become more excited to move and have a fresh start. 


  1. Keep The Music Playing 


Well, moving doesn’t have to be a boring task. While the family is tackling the household belongings, you can turn on the music and dance with it. Generally, lively music can make a difference in your mood and efficiently. 


Thus, create your family’s playlist now and have it played everyday until the moving day. That way, you can make the process fun and at the same time a lot faster. And to ensure the fun part stays throughout the transition, you can seek help from the best moving company NYC or wherever you may be located. 


  1. Turn The Difficult Aspects Of The Move Into A Game


This is another way of making your house moving fun. Instead of doing the usual tedious tasks, you can create a game out of it to make it enjoyable. For example, you can require all the family members to compete with one another for a great game such as who can get rid most of your stuff, clean the rooms the fastest, or use the boxes efficiently in packing. 


In addition, you can organize a treasure hunt or create funny riddles to keep everyone delighted while the work is going on. But, you shouldn’t also forget the most exciting part which is the awarding of winners. For instance, you can prepare some candies, chocolates, gift cards, and many more as prizes to motivate them to participate and win. 


  1. Decorate The Moving Boxes


If you decide to pack all your possessions on your own, then decorating your moving boxes with your family can be another fun task to do during a relocation. With your multicolored packing tapes, markers, stickers, and other decoration materials, you and the rest of the family members can make colorful labels for each box. 


For example, you can allow your kids to draw something on the boxes or add decorative stickers to them as well. This will not only let you customize your cartons but also become more creative in making labels, making unpacking much easier and faster. 


  1. Organize A Goodbye Party


If you want to make the relocation process extra fun and enjoyable, you can throw a goodbye party for everyone. For instance, if you have school-age children who more likely have made good relationships with their classmates, you can invite their friends and classmates so they can give their goodbye to them. This can really mean a lot for them and for you as well as all of you will be able to spend time with the people you’re going to leave behind because of the move. 


Moreover, to make the event more fun, you can prepare cupcakes, popsicles, or popcorn for your children and their guests, while you can have some bottles of beer and chips for adults like you. Lastly, you can also plan some activities that’ll allow everyone to interact and urge them to reminisce about happy times everyone had together. 


However, in order to do all these things, you may need the assistance of some professionals to get some things done while making the process more enjoyable for the family. Typically, most moving companies NYC or other cities nearby are available to help you with the difficult aspects of your relocation. 



The Bottom Line


Well, relocating to a new house with your family can be an enjoyable adventure as long as you follow the tips mentioned above. But more than that, you and your family should be 100% into this process so you can have fun moving. 





Fine Motor Counting Activity

This activity is perfect for small hands. It combines counting and fine motor work for a fun, hands on approach to learning. This introduction to math is perfect for preschoolers. Best of all, you can get everything you need to set this up at Dollar Tree.




Little hands love pinching, so this activity is perfect for making math fun while engaging fine motor skills! My kids both loved this early introduction to counting when they were smaller, and I often pull this activity out when we have little guests in our house who need something to do. This is the ultimate boredom buster and will always have a place in my busy bag collection.



All you need to make this is some tiny clothespins from dollar trees craft section and a few craft sticks. Mark the numbers you are using on the craft sticks and hand the kids some clothespins. Encourage your child to count the clothespins and put them on the craft stick. 

This is one of those activities you will want to supervise, to keep the pins from mouths, noses and ears. 


If you enjoyed this easy activity for kids, you will want to check out some of my other preschool projects.

Rainbow Sorting Sensory Bin

 This rainbow sorting bin is so much fun for little ones. It has a variety of textures, shapes and colors for sorting on a rainy day, or anytime! This is perfect for kids who are learning colors, or just need some busy work!


My daughter loves rainbows, and she loves busy work, so this rainbow sorting bin was the perfect rainy day activity for her. We had dyed oats in our craft supplies, and with that, an idea was born to make this activity. Dying oats is so easy, and they are awesome to play with. 


I grabbed a 3 pack of mini pots at the dollar store  and painted them with Kwik Stix but you could use any type of small container, like a baby food jar, a food storage container or whatever for this bin. you just need something that your toddler or preschooler can place the beads in.




Supplies:
Small containers
A plastic storage bin with a lid
Clothespins
Small spoons
Foam beads
Buttons or larger beads


After dying your oatmeal start layering it into the storage bin.


Place the pots or containers for sorting into the bin.
Add beads to the bin, or buttons. I like to offer a variety of textures in the beads. This bin has foam, wooden and standard crafting beads in it.


Add a few small spoons, clothespins and other items for sorting, pinching and measuring. Tongs and slotted spoons are great additions!


I added a clear plastic ornament to the bin too because I wanted to challenge Harper to place the items in a smaller opening.



Offer your child the bin. Ask your child to identify colors as they are picking them up. Encourage your child to sort the colors. This bin is fun to play in, and it is visually appealing too. The variety of textures is engaging. The use of clothespins and or tongs uses the small muscles of the hand. 
This bin has so many developmental benefits and it is a lot of fun too!


Harper loved this bin. She is a big fan of rainbows and busy work, so this rainbow sorting bin engaged her for a while on a rainy afternoon. When she was finished we snapped the lid on the storage bin and stashed it away for another day.


You can find more sensory play ideas here