I’ve kinda been fascinated by the Cake Pop craze (an original invention of the amazing Bakerella) which has spread throughout the UNIVERSE in the past few years. They’re cute, but smooshed up cake and frosting rolled into a ball? All those beautiful, piped icing decorations?? Fabulous!…but not for me and my schedule.

So here’s my version…let’s call it the Krispy Pop…think soft Rice Krispy Treats wrapped around a ROLO, rolled into a ball, stuck on a stick, dipped in white chocolate and sprinkles…what could be bad about that?!?

I made these as a Thanksgiving dessert for the little ones, and they were a huge hit! Okay, full disclosure — I did sneek a couple of these addictive little morsels myself late on Thanksgiving night, and they beat the leftover pie all to pieces. Success…boo-yah!

This is a super duper fun project to do with kids. Here’s how:

You’ll need a bag of marshmallows,  1/4 C butter (don’t you dare use margarine), vanilla, Rice Krispies, a bag of white chocolate coating wafers,  20 unwrapped Rollos,and 20 sucker sticks.

You’ll also need a LOT of sprinkles. These are the cute ones I used for Thanksgiving…I ended up using 2 full jars of sprinkles for 20 Krispy Pops.

Make a batch of Rice Krispy treats using the recipe on the cereal box or the bag of marshmallows. The secret here is DON’T OVERCOOK them…melt the butter and marshmallows only until they’re melted. In fact, take them off the heat before they’re completely melted and stir stir stir until they’re mixed, then add the Rice Krispies. This will keep your treats chewy and soft instead of so hard they break your teeth. PS. I always add 1 tsp vanilla to the butter/marshmallows.

Scoop up about 1/3 cup….

…and wrap around a Rolo.

Shape into a ball with the Rolo in the center. Roll in your hands until it’s a smooth as possible — it’ll still be bumpy but who cares, right? (Spray your hands with Pam to keep it from sticking.)

Stick it on a sucker stick…make sure the stick goes into the Rolo. This will help it all stay put. It’s already cute!

Repeat with the rest of the Rolos and sticks.  I stuck them in a Styrofoam block to keep them out of trouble while I worked.

I had this much left over…not saying what I did with it.

Melt the white chocolate coating wafers…I used a tall narrow glass and the microwave. Instructions will be on the package.

Dip the Krispy Pops in the melted white coating…tap on the side of the glass to get the excess off.

Immediately roll it in sprinkles.

They’ll harden at room temperature in just a little while.

That’s all there is to it. Now find some little kids to share with, and have fun!!

Love, Kathy

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When I was a kid I always loved/dreaded the beginning of another school year…I loved seeing my friends, I dreaded homework and deadlines, somewhere inside me I loved having a routine again, but I dreaded waking up before the sun.  To this day I long to buy school supplies, a backpack and new clothes in the fall.  I don’t know what’s so exciting about crayons, pencils, Elmer’s glue all organized in a little pencil pouch arranged just right next to a homemade lunch in a backpack.  But somewhere in all the school supplies and even homework there is the magic of being a kid.

It’s that time again for kids all over – time to head back to school…I’m sure there are kids out there who feel like I do…the bittersweetness of returning to school.  Well…last year, we met someone named Candi Gershon who showed us how to put school on closer to the sweet side.  I can’t imagine a bad day would keep going if you came home to something like this:

{Cherrypillar}

{Made using cherries stuck together with cream cheese.
Use chocolate decorator’s icing for the eyes.  Serve with lettuce. }

Or this:

{Banana Sushi Rolls}

{Flatten a slice of wheat bread, cover it in peanut butter and roll it around a banana.
Slice like sushi and drizzle with honey.}

Kyle (8) and Kailyn (6) are the lucky children of Candi Gershon (contributing editor for Better Homes & Gardens Scrapbooks Etc) who come home to snacks like this every day!  Candi got the idea when her son’s grades started slipping.  She knew she had to do something about it, so she invented “Gershon Unplugged Hours” – 2 hours after school – no video games, no computer, just homework and the rules go for Candi too.  You know how CRAZY we are over here about Unplugged Hours!!!  We loved this idea.

Here’s what Candi said about it:

If they were willing to invest their time so would I.  So, I shut off the computer during those hours and did not take calls.  I started making a special snack to motivate them when they came home and then we would all sit at the table and work on homework together.  The snacks were to lure them into this new “Gershon Unplugged” time…no computers, no video games, just homework.  I am happy to say it worked!  My son started getting A’s again and I could see my time investment made a huge impact on their time investment.  Now they start asking about what the snack is as soon as they get in the car from school.

Candi says the best part about making these snacks has definitely been her kids’ reaction.  They get so excited about it.  One day my son said…

What mother wouldn’t love to hear she is creating a new tradition that will be passed on to future generations? Melted my heart.

Sounds like something we’d all LOVE to hear!  Have fun surprising your kids with these snacks, and since they’re going to love them, you’re going to need more recipes!  Here they are:

{Cereal Initials}

{Use pipe cleaners to form your child’s initial,
give them a bowl of cereal and let them munch while they create…then eat it up after}

{Arthur}

{Use bologna and Mini Babybel cheese to make Arthur. Tomato rind for the mouth.}

{Banana Octopus}

{Banana cut in half (leave peel on and in tact, cut to resemble octopus)…served with goldfish.
I used yogurt covered raisins attached with peanut butter for the eyes.}

About the amazing & talented Candi Gershon:

{Tell us about yourself!}
I am a Contributing Editor for Better Homes and Gardens Scrapbooks etc. magazine.  I write and manage articles and I also do scrapbook layouts for the magazine.  When I’m not doing that, I sell ink and toner for a company called Supplies Now.  I use so much ink printing my pictures at home, I thought I better get in the business!  It’s a great fit for me.  I have also done some freelance work for paper companies or other Better Homes and Gardens titles on the side as well…I love the creative outlet.

When I came up with this snack concept, I asked my mother for help thinking up snacks.  She was a tremendous creative resource and loves to send me the cute ideas she comes up with.  She lives in Florida and I am in Texas, so this snack thing truly brought us together despite the miles and continues to do so.  I hope someday to collaborate with her more on future creative endevors.  She is the one who made me the creative thinker I am today and it is exciting to now share that passion with her.

{If you had one whole day all to yourself,  how would you spend it?}
I would start the day at the gym, then have breakfast and coffee with a friend, and then spend the afternoon with a glass of wine, soft music, and a massage….the combination of those three things sends me straight to heaven.  If there was time left over for a pedicure, that would be perfection.

{What does it mean to you to be BRAVE?}
To me, being brave is having the courage to make decisions based on your innermost thoughts, hopes, wishes, and dreams.  To let your inner self guide you.  It’s easy to turn off those voices and forge forward into the normal routine.  It takes a lot more courage to stop and listen and take action in the direction you want to go.  I am a firm believer in following dreams and the whole concept of “thoughts become things”.

Find more of Candi and her work at www.scrapbooksetc.com

We hope you LOVE these ideas as much as we did!!  (Thanks again Candi!)

Kallie

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So….just about 90 days ago I quit Facebook, I limited my texting time and my email time….I took my email app off of my phone. I decided to do a social media detox…you can read about my decision here if you would like to know more about my reasons. I decided to do this for 90 days…essentially for the summer………..

Now..what I want you to know is that it was one of the hardest things I have ever done…at first….until I opened my eyes and looked around at everything I had been missing while my eyes were glued to a screen, big or small. So much is happening that is real, 3-D, alive….so so so much.

Believe me, I have a lot more to write about my social media fast…..but we are leaving for a family vacation in a few days where there will be no internet or phone service…..when I get back, I have a lot to share with you about what I believe after waking up and seeing my life for what it is…with no interruptions, no outside voices and no distractions. There is so much I want to tell you, and so many things I want to beg you to do…

But first, I want to share a few photos I found on my camera of a random fun day at Grammie & Granndad’s farm this summer……my boys making forts with their cousins…I took photos of all sorts of these kinds of events this summer………I lived life through my eyes and my heart instead of through a screen……and it has changed me forever. So many incredible things happened this summer…some I will share, some I’m gonna keep in my heart.

This is the kind of childhood I want my kids to have…….and I have to be a good example. I want them to feel things with their hands and see things with their own eyes and experience things with their whole soul and heart…..I want them to feel free and happy and use their imaginations and make wonderful real and lasting relationships, face to face……….so, I gotta do the same…….and I have been, and it has been absolutely amazing. Nothing fancy…just simple simple simple beautiful living, breathing, thinking, resting, creating…….being. Being with myself and being with others, but mostly…just being…..

We are still these kids inside….ya know? We still want to climb trees and build forts and make up games……….just in different ways. I hope you will take some time as the summer draws to a close to let yourself be free……….

“If you carry your childhood with you, you never become older.

Tom Stoppard

“It’s never too late to have a happy childhood”

Tom Robbins

“Our whole life is but a greater and longer childhood”

Benjamin Franklin

“There comes a time in every rightly constructed boy’s life that he has

a raging desire to go somewhere and dig for hidden treasure”

Mark Twain

“Blessed be childhood, which brings down something of heaven

into the midst of our rough earthliness.”

Henri Frederic Amiel

Happy Summer, my friends…….be on the lookout this weekend for my new melodyross website, updated blog, and a happy little makeover for our lovely Brave Girls Club website (a whole new website is being built right now, but it’s gonna be a while….and it will be worth the wait!) And…when I get back….lots and lots and lots to share.

xoxo

melody

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If you’ve been to Brave Girl Camp, then you’ve met my mom, Myrna Jean, and you know what she’s like.  She’s 75 years old, sweet, serving, kind and never seems to run out of energy (if she does, she doesn’t let on to it).  There’s a running joke in our family that she can out work my dad and any of her kids, grandkids AND great-grandkids.  She’s a hard worker.

At our July Brave Girl Camp, my mom suffered a minor stroke.  Before you worry – don’t – she’s okay.  BUT she has had to slow down a LOT, which is hard for her.  She almost never asks for help, even when we wish she would.  This week, though, she asked for help stacking some wood.  It’s funny that she would consider doing it herself…unless you know her…then it’s not surprising at all.

We showed up and there was a giant pile of wood waiting to be stacked and yet another pile waiting to be chopped….so we stacked what we could…

While the little kids helped….unless they got distracted by the toys and the swings and the chickens and the trampoline…then they did kid stuff…

Tucker and Luke (Kathy’s son and son-in-law) worked on the pile that still needed chopped while we were stacking…

I once heard that work isn’t work unless you’d rather be somewhere else.  I think we all felt the same…it was awesome to be there together…didn’t feel like work at all…

When we were all done, my dad got his lawn mower out and hooked up the trailer.  The trailer he’s been towing grandkids around in for years and years and years…

My nieces, Kallie and Chelsea, who were there have especially tender feelings about these pictures, since their grandpa used to pull them around….and now he’s pulling their kids around.

And as it got dark, and we ran out of work, we ended up just talking…my dad unloaded the grandkids, loaded up a bunch of lawn chairs instead and brought them out to us while my mom made everyone rootbeer floats.

And we watched summer magic happen…

It was dark before any of us thought about going home…we were having such a good time we didn’t even notice.

Summertime with the family….doesn’t get much better than that!  Hope you’re finding some of this goodness, too!!

xoxo

Melody

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