DIY tassel garland (with dry-erase flags!)

 Hæ, it's Lexa! So, recently, I've been wanting a whiteboard, or something to easily display information and reminders on! And then I was thinking about making a garland for my bedroom door. And THEN I remembered in elementary school, writing on lamented sheets of paper with white board markers. So I realized I could make some sheets of paper, have them laminated, and I'd have a whiteboard! But having a random piece of paper on my wall, lamented, might look kind of weird. So then I had the idea to combine them, and make a garland with some dry erase flags!                                                                                                                                             So, here's what you need for this project:         *Paper to laminate and make into flags                       *tissue paper in your color of choice                                *some sort of string or yarn to use you put the tassels and flags on                                                                                                                                                                                  

So, making the flags is pretty simple. Just cut the paper into the shape you want, laminate it, and hole punch it. Then you can put it on the string or yarn you are using. It should be easy to use dry erase marker on it, and erase it!
If you don't know where to laminate it, you can also use tape on a plastic binder tab thing, usually they are dry-erase. Then you should be able to cut it up. You could also cover your paper with strips of tape, which should work the same way.

For the tassels, I found a website that explained really well (with pictures!) how to make the tassels. Here is the link to that website. After that, put them on a string and put it up where you'd like! Comment below or send us an email with any questions or comments! (Btw, the first word on this page is  in Icelandic. New addition to google translate. 🤣 In case you can't tell, I'm learning how to be friendly in many different languages!🤣 Let me know if you know how to say anything in another language!)

Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Coffee Cake

ALOHA it's me, Annamarie! So today I will be giving the recipe on how to make the 5C, (get it?)  which is really easy!! Now, this is a family recipe and I don't know where we got it from, but it is super delicious! It is a great homemade gift!!

 mix sugar, sour cream, butter, vanilla, and eggs in a bowl

in another bowl, add baking powder, baking soda, and flour

combine bowls

put half of mix in greased pan

put half of the chocolate chips and sugar and cinnamon mix on the pan

add the remaining batter

add on the remaining chips and sugar mix

bake 30 min @ 350 degrees

TA DAAAAA YOUR DONEEEEE ITS SO GOOOOOODDDD

Bonus Post 2018: Texting Games!

Zdravo! That's Bosnian! Anyways, today I'm going to teach you some simple games to play through texting. You don't need any special apps or anything, just some sort of texting app! (Obviously 🤣). I'll also include some descriptions, in case you have never played the games. (Or never played them through texting.) 

1. 20 Questions. This game is pretty simple, and can be played with any number of people (for the most part). You decide on a category, such as states in the USA. One person thinks of a state, and the other people have 20 questions to guess it. Everyone guessing works as a team, (or you can say the person who guesses it correctly first wins, if there are multiple people guessing, but most people don't play this way). The questions have to be yes or no. For instance, someone could ask"does this state border the pacific ocean?" Eventually, someone may start guessing the state. For example, if the person thinking of the sate says yes to the question "does it border the pacific ocean?" and yes to the question, "does it border Canada?" you would know it was Oregon, so someone can guess Oregon. There is no restriction on questions, except it has to be yes or no, so someone could ask if it was Oregon as the first question, before they know anything else. You do not have to take turns.
2. Connect 4.  This game is played with emoji's. You make a board of circle emoji's, and then someone starts by replacing one of the circles with a colored circle, then the next person copy and pastes that, then replaces one with their colored circle (different color) and so on. 💙💚💛💜 (You could also use something like colored hearts).  (Reminder: REMEMER HOW GRAVITY WORKS)
3. First Last (AKA Name Game). This game is played by someone picking a category, for example, animals, and they say an animal. Then, whatever the last letter of that animal was, the other person picks and animal that starts with that letter. The game ends when someone can't think of an animal, and they lose (sometimes, if all players agree, and exception can be made if no one can think of an animal beginning with this letter. However, some people do not play this way.) For example, if someone begins with Zebra, the next person says something starting with A, like Ape. Then someone would say and an animal starting with E, like Eel, and so on. NO PLURALS. Examples of categories: Food, Animals, Fruits, Places, cities, flowers, plants, etc. 
4. Word unscrambles. Someone thinks of a word, and scrambles it, and the other person has to unscramble it. This works best with multiple people, so whoever unscrambles it first wins, and it is their turn to think of a word next. (Could be in a category, but it doesn't have to be. If no one gets it for a while, hints may be given).
5. Would You Rather. This game is pretty simple. You ask someone a question, such as, "Would you rather move to the hottest place on earth, or the coldest place on earth?" They give their answer, then you give yours, and then it is their turn. This game is more fun with multiple players. 
6. And of course, Apps. There are plenty of apps out there you can download with games you can play against each other!

Have any more ideas?! Feel free to email us or comment and let us know!

Pool Games for the Summer!

Hallo!! (Dutch!!!) This is Lexa and Annamarie here! We are having a sleepover! We saw each other at the pool today, and thought, hey, we should do a post! We haven't in a while! It's currently the last day of June and its 11:04 pm right now. Here are some simple pool games for the summer, ranging from simple ones everyone knows, to some we made up! We even added some twists to some common pool games! ALL CAPS ARE ONES WE MADE UP.

1. Playing catch with a pool ball.
2. FLIP CATCH! It's pretty easy to do a flip underwater, so for those who can, here is a fun change to the common pool game of catch. The new game is pretty simple. You catch the ball, then do a quick flip underwater, and as soon as you come up, throw the ball to the other person. Just like in catch, count how many times in a row the ball is caught. If you wait more than 3 seconds to throw it, the streak is lost.
3. Colors/categories! You need at least 4 people for this game. One person stands outside the pool their back facing the pool, and gives everyone  a category. Examples: colors, animals, food. Then, the people in the water are in the water by the gutter, and they think of an item in that category. When everyone has thought of their item, the person outside the pool starts guessing an item. When your item is called, you swim to the other end of the pool (or designated area). If the guesser looks back and no one is gone, they take a LARGE step forward. After someone leaves, the guesser jumps in and tries to tag them before they get to designated area. If they tag them, it is that persons turn to be the guesser. The goal is to not get tagged, if they don't tag them in time, they have to guess again.
4. GUTTERBALL! This is easiest with less people in the pool, so you don't hit people. All you need is a ball and the side of the pool, known as the gutter. You play simply by taking turns throwing the ball into the gutter, and which ever person makes it most often wins. You can do this by using multiple balls and going from one side of the pool, or having someone on each side of the pool, and using one ball to toss back and forth into the gutters.
5. Races! There are lot's of different swimming strokes, so it's easy to have a lot of different races!
6. SHALLOW END RACES! For people who aren't swimmers, this is a great way to still have races. Take turns making up ways to race across the pool WITHOUT swimming! Some examples: Hopping on one foot, trying to run in the pool, and leaping.
7. BACKGUPPY CATCH! This is a game where two people play catch, and after each catch, the people take a step back, it gets harder the farther you are. Also, it is especially hard when the pool is crowded! Try not to hit someone ;)
8. Colors! This game is pretty simple. One person is in the water, cradling the other person like a baby. The person holding the other thinks of a color, and the person who is being carried tries to guess the color. If they guess incorrectly, then they get dunked!! If they guess correctly, then they will get back flipped into the water!
9. Retrieving items! Drop some items, such as diving rings, t the bottom of the pool, and see who can retrieve the most!
10. Marco Polo! One person with their eyes closed yells "marco!" The other players yell, "Polo!" While the other players try to stay away from the tagger. The tagger has to use his/her ears! It you get tagged by the tagger, then you are the next tagger. In addition to Marco Polo, the tagger can yell, "fish out of water!" Any player who is out of the water is the next tagger, but, if there is no one out of the water, the players yell, "incorrect!"
11. Pom pom! This is best played with 5 or more people, and it works better in the deep end of the pool, so players can dive. This is where one or two players in the deep end are sharks. The other players get out of the pool and when the sharks call, "pom pom!" Then the "minos" or players out of the pool have to jump or dive in and try not to get tagged by the sharks by the time they get to the other side of the pool. If they don't get tagged, then the minos get out of the water at the other end and they are in the next round! If they do get tapped, then they become a shark! This game is played until there is one player left, who wins!! (guess who wrote this bahahah this is Annamarie sorry for grammar bad and or punctuation?)

HAPPY BDAY CCC: Lava Cupcakes with DIY 10 Minute Ice Cream

čau! It's Lexa! By the way, that's Latvian. Anyways, so today is officially 1 year anniversary of the day we started this blog, so we decided to make a special desert together to celebrate! So, we made individual lava cakes/cupcakes. We also put ice cream on top, which took us about 10 minutes so make! (We made it while the cupcakes were in the oven.) So, here's the recipe!

Lava Cupcakes Recipe (makes 12): 

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (or any chocolate, hehe, we didn't have enough chocolate chips so there's a possibility we mixed a bunch of random chocolate...) 
• 1 stick of butter
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 eggs
• oil or butter to coat muffin tins
• Cocoa powder, also to coat muffin tins 
• Ice cream (we made homemade ice cream, recipe below)

Cupcakes Directions:

1. preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit 
2. melt chocolate and butter in a saucepan over the stove. When melted completely, turn off heat and stir in vanilla. 
3. combine flour, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl. 
4. Sift into chocolate and mix with an electric hand mixer. 
5. add eggs and mix in. 
6. beat at high until batter is creamy. (About 4-5 minutes)
7. coat each muffin tin in butter, and pour in cocoa powder lightly. Shake out excess. 
8. Spoon mixture into the pan. 
9. Bake for 10-12 minutes. 
10. When the cupcakes are out, the centers should be gooey, and the outsides cake-like. Spoon on slightly melted ice cream, or make the DIY 10 minute ice cream instructions below. 

DIY 10 minute Ice cream 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup half and half
• 1 table spoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 sandwich Ziploc bag
• 1 gallon Ziploc bag 
• 1/3 cup rock salt 

Directions:

1. combine half and half, sugar, and vanilla in the sandwich bag. MAKE SURE IT IS SEALED TIGHTLY!
2. Fill gallon bag around halfway with ice and rock salt. 
3. Place sandwich bag in larger bag. SEAL BAG TIGHTLY!
4. Shake bag vigorously for 10-15 minutes. (We had to take turns and use gloves. You should probably so this outside, just in case you make a mess. ) 
5. Enjoy alone or on cupcakes! 

Enjoy your cupcakes! And happy bday CCC! 1 year anniversary!!!

To CCC lovers: go to our contact us page and scroll to the bottom of the post (not the page) and copy and paste the link ;-)

Happy spring!

Moi! That is Finnish! Anyways, it's Lexa, and I just mostly want to say, HAPPY SPRING! It's officially spring, as of yesterday, and though in some places it may not feel like it, since it is still snowing, it's spring nonetheless! Now you can go biking, and pick flowers, and go on walks, and do all that fun stuff outside! Also, may notice we've change our blog's background for SPRING!! Anyways, happy spring! Enjoy it!