Homemade dough is so much fun it can make adults act like their kids again as they create snakes and flowers. I speak from experience. Dough is a blast!

Want to make your own? Here are a couple recipes for you to make at home and enjoy…

The No-Cook Dough

Ingredients

• 3 cups flour
• 1 cup cold water
• 1 cup salt
• 2 teaspoons oil
• Food coloring or powdered paint

Mix it all together in a bowl…keep kneading it until it’s just right. You can even a touch of vanilla or peppermint to make it smell wonderful!

The Cook-It Dough

Ingredients

• 2 Cups flour
• 2 cups water
• 4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Food coloring or powdered paint

Mix it all up in a saucepan. Cook the mixture over low heat until it starts to look a bit dry. Remove the mixture and place it on a table or counter top. When it’s cool to the touch, you can knead it until it’s just right!

Don’t forget the the vanilla or peppermint extract…it’s awesome!

It makes great gifts packaged in cute tins for the holidays or birthdays!

Talk about simple fun…well, this is it!

Do you like your tea sweet? Well, I sure do! After all…I live in the SOUTH! There’s nothing like a glass of southern sweet iced tea. You know, the iced tea without a mountain of sugar sitting on the bottom of the glass.  That’s never good.

Here’s a recipe for a simple sugar syrup that’s perfect for iced tea. It can be kept in a jar in your refrigerator. Since the sugar is already dissolved, it makes it easy to get the perfect sweet iced tea or coffee.

In a small pot over moderate heat, combine 2 cups sugar and 2 1/2 cups water. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture boils and the sugar has dissolved completely. Remove the pot from the heat, cover, and let stand for 1 to 2 minutes to allow the steam to dissolve any unmelted crystals on the side of the pot. Pour the cooled syrup into a 1 quart jar, cover tightly, and store in the refrigerator. It makes 3 cups.

It’s simply sweet!

Chalk can be so much fun! Would you like to know how to make it?

Here’s an easy and inexpensive way to keep your family supplied with chalk.

Supplies

• Cardboard toilet-tissue tubes or plastic taper candle molds {available at craft stores}
• Masking tape
• Wax paper
• 1 1/2 cups plaster of paris
• 3/4 cup water
• Disposable milk or ice-cream carton
• Paint stir stick
• 3 TBSP powdered tempera paint color {or mix 4 teaspoons colored paint and 4 teaspoons white paint for pastel colors}

1. Cover one end of each mold {toilet-tissue tubes for fat sidewalk chalk and taper candle molds for chalkboard-size chalk} with masking tape to prevent leaks. Line the molds with wax paper so that the finished chalk will release easily.
2. In a disposable container, stir the plaster of paris and water together slowly with a paint stirring stick. Divide the solution into two or three containers if you are making more than one color of chalk. Add paint powder to each container and stir to color evenly.
3. Set wax-paper-lined molds upright on a flat surface, fill with chalk mix, and tap the sides of the mold to release air bubbles. Allow chalk to air-dry for 3 days before unmolding. the chalk should slide out of the cardboard tubes and candle mold.
4. Make up a new batch as needed until all desired colors are made.

Time for the kids to decorate the driveway and sidewalk with colorful art!

Chalk is simply fun!