Edible Wednesday: Focaccia Sandwich

How amazing does this Focaccia Sandwich look? I can assure you it was amazing! But if you really want to know for yourself - go ahead...give it a try!

Here's what you need:
Focaccia Bread (I don't make my breads and feel just fine buying them fresh!)
Large Fresh Mozzarella Ball
Large Ripe Tomatoes
Ripe Avocados
Fresh Basil (whole or sliced)
EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
Sliced Turkey (or Prosciutto, both are optional)

Here's what you do:
1. Cut your Focaccia Bread into squares approx. 3 x 3 (or smaller for appetizers).
2. Baste a little EVOO on both sides of your Focaccia Bread.
3. Slice your mozzarella ball. Each slice should be approx 1/4" thick. Be generous!
4. Lay your Mozzarella on the top side of your bread.
5. After slicing the avocado, lay the slices across the mozzarella.
6. On the other side place your Turkey or Prosciutto.
7. Slice your tomato, and lay one slice down (or a few if it's a small tomato)
8. Top this side off with basil - sliced and diced or whole!
9. Slap the 2 sides together.

Now you're all done...so what are you waiting for - open wide and take a yummy bite! Please share this recipe with others! Thanks!

If you have a recipe you'd like to share, please drop me an email by clicking the "contact me" button up above! Thanks! -kg

Stop the Thumbsucking Habit Giveaway #3 - WINNER

Good evening everyone,

Once again, I used random.org to generate a number for me and it was:
 
Comment #3 (Kim)*

Congrats Kim! Thank you for all that entered, you can try again next month or purchase your "ME Thumbsucking Cover" guard now and get free shipping.**

Have a great day! I'm off to make a Hedgehog Softie and to ship off more thumb covers to some little thumbsuckers! - kg

*Kim has 48 hours to respond to this post or my email to claim the prize or a new winner will be chosen.
**Free Shipping is offered only to those who had previously entered the giveaway via comments on the 3rd giveaway post before the midnight deadline (please enter your google name in the message to seller at check out for verification). Free shipping offer, as mentioned, is valid until June 17, 2010 midnight.

Busy Monday: Birthday Paw-ty Conclusion

So if you liked the Birthday Paw-ty invitations, here's the rest of the "Paw-ty" ideas for you to have an awesome, fun time!

My daughter wanted to have a fairy party originally, but she has a huge love of Dogs...and Cats! She still claims to want to be a Veterinarian someday even though the sound of dogs barking still scares her (traumatic event when she was younger - and I can't blame her!). I easily convinced her to have a dog and cat party. Her eyes lit up and her facial expression indicated she was ecstatic! I already posted the invitations...but here is the rest of the party!

Here's how the day went:
We got the Dog plates, birthday hats, tablecloth, napkins & cups. (I forgot I had gotten them juice boxes - but they work well for water drinkers)! I also got the "Doggy Bags" for the little favors.

Guests arrived to a table set up with all the "fixin's" - the dog plates, cups and such and to some Dog food bowls filled with Dog Bones (Scooby Doo Graham Crackers shaped like dog bones), and little Cat food bowls filled with Fish (Multi colored Goldfish)!

We played a game of "Doggy, Doggy, where's your bone". Guests sit in a circle with one in the center that is the "Doggy" (you can play it as Kitty or Puppy too). A parent or leader gives the dog bone to one person while the other kids sing "Doggy, Doggy, where's your bone? Somebody stole it from your home! Guess who!!!" The person in the middle had their eyes closed while the other guests sing and then opens their eyes to see all the children holding their hands behind their backs. The person then has to guess who has it behind their back. That person becomes the next one in the center. We played this game until all guessed arrived and had a chance to be in the center!

We then proceed to the "Adoption" area. Each child was able to "adopt" a Dog or Cat (Stuffed animals they get to keep as their party favor). They were given an "Adoption Certificate" (with the birthday girl's "Paw Of Approval") to fill out which included giving their animal a name, birthdate, birth place, favorite food, favorite toy, etc. We then gave each child a Dog Bone or Fish shape Shrinky Dink tag to design a Name tag for the collar. We were sure to punch the hole, and then after baking we strung the "dog tags" on a ribbon for a collar.

By then the kids were hungry, so they munched on Graham Cracker Bones and Goldfish until the Pizza arrived. After eating pizza, they obviously had to have some cake! My sister made cupcakes with paw prints on them, and a special Doggy cupcake for the birthday girl! She used some of the dog bones to decorate around the cupcakes. It really came out so cute! (She's going to share some of her awesome cake creations with all you Kid Giddy readers in the near future!)

After cake, the kids needed to run off some sugar energy! They brought all their animals outside for some fresh air and played "Doggies, Doggies, please come over" in the yard! Say you slice your yard in half. On child stands in the center of the halfway mark. The other children stand on one side. The child in the center says, "Doggies, Doggies, please come over". All the children then try to get across to the other side passing the child in the middle without being tagged. Then the child in the center and any others that have been tagged, call out again "Doggies, Doggies, please come over", and do this until all the doggies have been tagged. (As above you can call out...Kitties or Puppies).

As the parents arrived, the kids were having a blast just running free in the yard. It was only 2 hours and that was plenty of time. Instead of receiving gifts, my daughter accepted dog and cat food to donate to the local Animal Refuge League.

In the "Doggy Bags" I gave the kids some little sheets of Cat stickers and Dog stickers, and some Swedish Fish! I wanted  to add in some hard candy dog bones - but couldn't find them in time. You can buy them online though! Even though they got to take home the pet, this acted as the "food for the animal" to feed them!

It really was so much fun (more fun for the kids! always stressful for the adults). Now you can have a "pawriffic" "paw-ty" too! Woof! Meow!

Stop the Thumbsucking Habit Giveaway #3

It's that time again.....happy Saturday!

My ME Thumbsucking Thumb Covers work alone and just simply cover the thumb! When my girls were needing to stop for age and dental reasons - I took it upon myself to make them something to help them kick the habit, after researching and scouring the world wide web and not finding something suitable. I found other thumb covers that were extremely outrageous in price, too hard (plastic ones), too flimsy, made with velcro (meaning my child wold most definitely take it off), and the nasty nail polish that wouldn't work and was therefore not an option.

With all that I [didn't] find - I knew I'd have to make my own. I knew I wasn't the only one out there with the same concerns - and then wanted to help kids and parents gain control and break the habit by offering my product on Etsy. When I made this stop thumb sucking cover for my girls (M & E), I did it 1) to help them stop sucking their thumbs, and 2) to help me stop nagging them to stop. Once it was on - it was "game on" and there was no taking it off.

Are you at this same point. Do you want to help your child stop the habit before it gets worse and costly? I have had pediatric dentist offices contacting me to share my awesome ME Thumbsucking Thumb Covers with their clients. I've had parents telling their friends who tell their friends and so on because it works. I've had parents email to tell me - their child's thumb sucking days are over! Be prepared to be happy and sad when they do quit, because I can assure you, it is a very bitter sweet moment!

Ok - so here's the scoop! I want to help people. I would like to help the children realize they can comfort themselves without putting their thumbs in their mouth, and I want to help you - the parents of these great children before the battle begins - or end the battle if it has already started! In order to do that - they need to know about my product and about Kid Giddy. For the rest of this year, I am giving away 1 Kid Giddy ME Thumbsucking Thumb Cover away every month (on the first Saturday of the month - I know - this is the 2nd Saturday - but I was happily watching my daughter turn 7 all last week!) to a lucky Kid Giddy Blog follower. Here's what you have to do:

1) You must be a Kid Giddy Blog follower - it's ok. I always do my best to put up the most amazing yummy recipes, fun activities for kids...and fun tutorials, crafts, photos, eye candy, and busy business kind of information!....Leave a comment here - letting me know you are a follower (aka "friend"!).

2) (Extra Entry) Add the Kid Giddy blog button to your blog and leave a link here in the comment. (Eventually I will create a blog roll of friends - so if you want to be added to the blog roll - let me know!)

3) (Extra Entry) Become a Fan on the Kid Giddy Facebook fan page and leave a comment here (with your facebook initials).

4) (Extra Entry) Tweet about this giveaway and mention @kidgiddyetsy ...Leave a comment here letting me know you did.

5) (Extra Entry) Blog about this giveaway on your blog...Leave a link with your comment.

6) (Extra Entry) Blog about your favorite product from my Kid Giddy Etsy shop (doesn't have to be the ME Thumbsucking Cover!...just your favorite.)...Leave a link with your comment.

So there you have it - 6 chances to enter your name to win!

Are you ready now? Are you really ready? Your child doesn't have to be...but you do! And you have to have patience and compassion in your pocket for when it makes them sad to not be able to suck their thumbs. You'll have to stay strong - when they are weak, give lots of hugs and kisses and praise! On your mark, Get Set....GO!

(Good Luck)

All entries in by Wednesday June 9th 11:59 pm will be considered. Number will be picked at random using a number generator. Winner will be notified the next day on Thursday afternoon. Please be sure your email [at] wherever [is] included in each comment. If winner cannot be reached or does not contact me by Friday evening - a new winner will be chosen!

Giddy Up Friday: My Girly Summer Nails

Hey everyone,
It's that time of year. The sun's coming out, the sand is burning the bottom of my feet and the grass is soft to the touch and it's time to get the flip flops out! So every year - my girls and I set out and find new fun things to paint on our nails...I still have to take a picture of my Polka Dot toes..but here are some others to check out and try for yourselves...

But first - here's what you'll need:
1. Tub or soapy basin for washing
2. Nail Clippers
3. Nail File
4. Foot Shaver/File/Egg
5. Baby Wipes (these are seriously a Top Secret Secret! - They wipe off mistakes in an instant!)
6. Base Coat (that doubles as a Top Coat!) (I love Nail Tek II - not a paid endorsement - it really is my favorite!)
7. Nail Color of choice - you don't have to buy O.P.I. to get a good polish - N.Y.C. at Target works grat and last long!
8.  Get nail art polish (I use the tall skinny bottles from Sally Beauty Supplies) or nail art pens if you want flowers, polka dots or anything else fun!
9. Get a magazine to read while you're drying (and the phone so you don't have to get up!)

Here's what you do:
1. Wash your feet! No really - soak them long and good in nice warm soapy water...really long - you deserve it!
2. Get one of those callus removers or egg type "shavers"...and shave your feet. Get the dead skin cells off - and smooth your feet so you don't look you've been walking on the streets or the farm or in the mall without boots or shoes for years...White cracked heels are a big no-no! Unless of course you are really wearing white heeled shoes!
3. Clip your nails. Not down to the nail bed - but nice and simple. File if necessary.
4. Scrape away dead skin cells from around your cuticles and simultaniously pushing back your cuticle to prolong the polish!
5. Wipe them clean and dry.
6. You start with a base coat. By the time you get from one foot to the next the base coat is already dry.

7. For the Watermelon: Apply your pink (melon) color coat. Apply 2 if it is a transparent polish, or is very streaky. A second coat evens it out! Otherwise - 1 coat is just fine!
8. Then use an awesome green (rind) to just paint the tip.
9. Once that is dry use a white "nail paint" nail polish and gently, carefully throw in a line of white between your pink and green.
10. Then get the black and paint your (seeds) randomly on the pink area.

I got so many compliments when I painted my nails this way. And it was always fun to look at! This summer I'll try some others - strawberry, oranges, lemon & lime...it's so much fun!

If you like flowers, here are some different option for 1, 2, or 3 flowers, with or without leaves.

If you are interested in some detailed tutorials - leave me a comment and let me know - I'll be happy to take some detailed pictures and provide the step by step descriptions with each photo!

Some other tricks...you can use toothpicks or use a very thin paint brush. They also sell nail art brushes too in beauty supply shops. Not only can you use the brush hairs, but you can also use the other end of the nail brush for making perfect dots. Just be sure to clean your brush very well so it can be used again.

Have fun painting your nails and be sure to take the Summer Sandal Oath: "When my nail polish starts to chip and come off, it's time I clean them off and paint them again, because it's better to have no polish than chipped polish." Who needs a $40 pedicure every week? Sure it feels great - but so does a week long vacation next year because you've saved up all that money and painted your nails yourself!