As soon as the weather starts warming up, I like to always have a jug of iced tea in the frig. I use a large mason jar and make a batch a couple of times a week. Several years ago when we were vacationing in Sedona and the Grand Canyon, I had Agave Nectar at a health food restaurant. I loved the flavor and have been using it ever since, plus it’s liquid so it dissolves easily in cold drinks. Lately, I’ve been making simple flavored syrups. It is super easy to make, dissolves in cold easily and can add an extra punch of flavor. Yesterday I made lavender syrup, it adds an interesting subtle flavor.
To make the syrup use equal amounts of sugar to water – you can use raw sugar or white whatever is your preference. I usually do 3/4 cup sugar and 3/4 cup water. Put that in a pot to boil with whatever flavor enhancer you want to add. Some ideas: basil, mint, vanilla, almond, rose, dried lavender, etc. Get creative! A small handful usually does the trick. You can add more or less of the flavor to your taste. Boil for a minute or two to make sure the sugar dissolves completely, then set aside to cool and steep the flavors. Once cooled strain into a container and store in the frig for up to two weeks. Enjoy!
It’s that time of year when at least someone you know is graduating from elementary school, middle school, high school or college. My son is graduating from high school and Erin’s daughter is graduating from college, I guess we are getting old!! We are throwing a grad party for my son. We are planning on buying him a laptop for school as his gift. Here are some great gifts for grads that won’t break the bank.
1. Cash and gift cards – This gift is always appreciated by grads. They will need gas money if they will be taking their car and gift cards to Starbucks, Jamba Juice, Target, the local grocery store, etc. will be well used. For fun give them a check written out for the year, $200.13. Check Costco for some great gift card options.
2. Gear from the college they are attending. Go online and order them a sweatshirt or t-shirt or get a gift card to the college store.
3. Laundry Gift Basket – Fill it with small size detergents, stain removers and softeners and include a couple of rolls of quarters.
4. Food – Give them a basket filled with granola bars, power bars, instant coffee and other essentials that won’t go bad. That way if they get the midnight munchies they won’t have to hit 7-11.
5. Personalized gifts – A personalized frame, bulletin board, towels, etc. make a great gift.
6. Your Favorite Book – Is there a book you love that you want to share, write a meaningful message inside and include a check.
7. Depending on where the student is heading to college get a gift that is local. My son is going to San Diego State so surf lessons would be fun or a gift basket with sunscreen and beach supplies.
8. A charging case for their iPhone. They may spend long hours in the library and classes so running out of juice is a pain.
9. Plane Ticket – If they are more than a few hours away this a is a great gift whether to visit family, friends or their girlfriend they will truly appreciate this gift.
10. Got a younger grad? Head on over to Frecklebox.com and check out our personalized school products for a sweet gift or a personalized book or coloring book. You can’t go wrong.
I’m working on a new collection today that includes a bunch of doodles we did for a corporate client. The client didn’t end up using them so why let them go to waste. I’ve just started tweaking them for licensing. I think I will bring this one home to show my girls, I am sure they can add a bunch of fun stuff. I know I am missing some hash tags and yolos in there. What else should I add? I’ll show you the final version when I finish it but here’s a sneak peek of where I am now.
We did design another doodle collection called Rockin Rainbow that is on lots of fun products at Frecklebox.com, check them out or see my previous post about the collection!
The last few weeks we’ve been doing a lot of gardening. I am an amateur gardener at best. I try lots of stuff and see what works. A few years ago we took out our kids play structure and replaced it with garden boxes, a bench and a fire pit. We were totally excited to start planting. What we didn’t realize is the big beautiful tree that shaded our kids area also made growing veggies more difficult. Live and learn! What I have found is that some veggies like the half shaded area. We grow cauliflower, strawberries, broccoli, leeks and a few other veggies here. Tomatoes didn’t do so well so we plan to set up another box on our super sunny side yard. I’ve also recently started tucking veggies into pots with flowers. On my front porch I am growing jalapenos and rosemary. I have a separate flower box that I’ve planted mint. Make sure to plant mint separately otherwise it takes over the whole garden. I have seedlings for basil, cilantro and chives that I plan on adding amongst flowers. I hope this year I finally figure it out and have a very bountiful season! If you have any gardening tips I’d love to hear them!
