Easy, Healthy & Delicious Family Food - French Market Soup

Happy Spring!!

It's been a while since I've posted but I wanted to share about an easy, healthy delicious soup that can be enjoyed year-round.  First of all, let me start by clarifying that I do not consider myself to be a wonderful cook/chef/baker and I don't aspire to be one.  I am a mom to four kids ages seven and under and like most people, I like to eat!  :)  My main goal is to provide my family with mostly healthy meals and I'd like to think the most important ingredient in all of our meals is love.  Whether it be frozen waffles or a rare made-from-scratch anything meal, I do a little prayer as I make the food and ask that the person/people eating the food will feel loved and nourished.

My Grandma Wilson passed away a couple of years ago but one of my cherished memories is going to the tea room in Stratford called In Good Company with my her, my mom, and usually at least one or two of the kids.  We would go at least once a month for as long as I can remember.  Grandma's favorites were butterscotch pie and scalloped chicken (in that order).  One of my favorites was a bowl of French Market Soup.  The tea room closed in October 2014, but thankfully the owner, Janet, created a cookbook with a compilation of all of her delicious recipes.  Excitedly, I flipped through the cookbook to find French Market Soup and was thrilled to see it but not so thrilled to see that it yielded 1 and 1/2 gallons of soup.  That is a lot of soup for 2 adults and 4 kids ages 7 and under so I gave up on trying it for a while.

We sold our old home and moved into a new home in January and I started thinking about the soup again.  Isaac was going to have a birthday in early March and we would have enough relatives over to possibly eat 1 and 1/2 gallons of soup!!  I stopped by Story City Locker to pick up the meats and was greeted by the owners, Bobbie Jo and Ty Gustafson.  This was the first time I had been in their store (I had been meaning to go for a while) and it was so clean and they had all sorts of goodies for sale.  I left with a whole chicken (recipe calls for 2 chicken breasts), 2 packages of smoked andouille sausage, and a ham steak.  I'm telling you, this soup is a complete meal in itself!

I love how the meats have the farms listed on the labels where the meat came from!

Here are the non-meat ingredients - since this recipe came from a cookbook, I can't share it exactly on a blog, but you can probably guess:

Also, all of the meats were cooked except the chicken.  I got the chicken the afternoon before the party and it was completely frozen.  Bobbie said I could just "crock it" and I'd never heard of this before, but I followed Bobbie's advice and put the chicken in my crockpot and turned it on high for a few hours, maybe about 4 or so, and then turned the heat down and continued to cook the chicken after it had thawed.  My chicken was so big it didn't quite fit but I put aluminum foil all around the lid and crock pot to seal it up and it turned out great!

I had to take a picture of the dry beans in the pot - so pretty!!

After I had cooked the beans for a while with the recommended amount of water, I added the tomatoes.  I noticed some of the water had boiled off so I added some more hot water and decided to put a lid on the pot to help keep the moisture in (and I read that this is good when cooking beans for soups, makes the beans more tender).

Meanwhile, this was happening in another pan (again, so pretty!):

And then we added the meats, the smoked andouille sausage was lean and the seasonings were wonderful, not too spicy but very flavorful:

And after a little more simmering, this is what the soup looked like - it smelled so delicious!!

I come from a mostly Norwegian family so I was a little concerned that the soup might be too spicy for my folks but everyone loved it and most people went back for more!  I served it with two loaves of fresh bread, some crackers and cheese, a bunch of fresh cut fruit and I had bought mixed salad greens and in all of the chaos I forgot to serve them with the meal but I know they would have also been great with the soup.  I loved making this special soup for some special people in my lives.  This soup is all about the meats and even though there was 2-3 pounds of meat in this soup, I felt nourished and satisfied, but not too full.  The meats were filling but not heavy and I loved it so much that I'm thinking of making it again and freezing half or sharing it with someone.  Thank you, Story City Locker, for some wonderful local meats that made our special birthday even more special!

Homemade Kool Aid Play Doh

Homemade Kool Aid Play Doh

We officially have a new baby at our house and it's been a bitterly cold winter so we've been spending a lot of time inside.  One of my favorite things to do with the kids lately is to make home made play doh with the bigger kids so I can also spend time with the newest member of our family.  The kids enjoy making it almost as much as they like playing with it & only costs about $1-$1.50 a batch so we have made several colors/flavors!

Here is a wonderful recipe I got from a fellow mom and friend:

 2.5 cups of flour (probably closer to 3 or even 3.5)
1/2 cup salt
1 tablespoon Alum
3 tablespoons cooking oil
2 cups boiling water
packet of Kool Aid (or food coloring)

Combine flour, salt & alum. Add oil & Kool Aid to boiling water and stir, then pour over flour mixture and mix.
I used an electric mixer but you can also stir with a spoon and then knead with hands. If mixture is sticky, add small amounts of flour until you can use a cookie cutter and it comes out clean. I added about 1/2 cup of flour and it seemed to form a nice ball and sort of fell off the mixer attachment.
One thing I love about this mixture is that if the play doh gets a little dried out, you can just add a little water and knead it with your hands and it springs right back.  I have been storing it in gallon zip bags and they work great.

I am such a fan of this play doh that I am even going to make a variety of colors/flavors and divide them to use as party favors for my son's birthday with preschool friends.

Here's a link to the Kool Aid website with an alternate recipe:
https://fb.kraftapps.com/koolaidshake/Content/pdfs/Kool-Aid-Play-Dough.pdf
This recipe has more intensely colored play doh but makes about 1/3 of the recipe I posted.  I have been wanting to try adding two packets of Kool Aid to my friend's recipe for more intense color but haven't tried it yet.

Color Guide:
Red - Cherry, Fruit Punch
Pink - Pink Lemonade
Orange - Orange
Yellow - Lemonade
Green - Lemon Lime
Pale Green - Green Apple
Light Mint Green - Blue Raspberry Lemonade
Blue - Mixed Berry
Purple - Grape

Barbie bedding

After a fairly extensive online search for Barbie (or similar sized doll) bedding, I found very little that I liked and thought I'd come up with my own instructions for fairly easy Barbie (or Monster High girls, Equestria Girls, Elsa, Anna, etc) bedding.

You will need:

2 pieces of coordinating (or same) fabric measuring 11" x 6" (for comforter)
2 pieces of coordinating (or same) fabric measuring 3.5" x 6" (for pillow)
a piece of some sort of batting (I used an old towel) measuring 11" x 6"
some poly-fil stuffing for the pillow
a needle
thread
scissors
a sewing machine is optional but it does make things go much faster

For the pillow:

Need 2 pieces of fabric measuring 3.5" x 6" each

Stack rectangles with right sides of fabric facing each other

Pin and sew 1/4" from edges, leaving 1-1.5" open so you will be able to turn fabric inside out

Carefully cut corners of rectangle, this will help corners look nicer

Turn pillow inside out, can poke corners out with a stuffing tool, pencil, or chopsticks

Place stuffing in corners first, fill pillow to desired firmness

Using a needle and thread, sew the pillow shut

Kid-Friendly Freezer Meal Recipes

January 2014 - Kid-Friendly Freezer Meals

I am going to have a baby in the next few weeks and once he arrives, I will have four kiddos age six and under.  I have been getting things in order for our new arrival and in addition to cleaning out things and washing baby clothes, I thought it would be a good idea to make some meals in advance and have them ready in the freezer.  I was first introduced to this idea when one of my good friends began selling Homemade Gourmet about five years ago when I was expecting my second child.  Homemade Gourmet doesn't exist anymore, but I got in touch with one of the Homemade Gourmet superstars and she was generous enough to provide me with some of her freezer recipes.

So, it took me three days, but I was able to pick some recipes, put together a grocery list, and get 13 meals into the freezer that will be ready to be cooked in either the crock pot or oven once baby arrives.  Some people were asking for the recipes so I thought I'd share them here.  Please keep in mind that these are not entirely fresh foods and I was trying to choose meals that my kiddos would enjoy, too (I'm sure all mothers can relate to this)!

I made 2 meals of Asian pork chops/loins, 2 meals of honey & spice glazed pork, 2 chicken pot pies, lazy lasagna, taco soup, alfredo chicken with broccoli, World's Best Chicken, Asian chicken, cheese ravioli bake and margarita chicken.

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Asian Pork Chops/Loins

• 1 lb pork chops/loins
• 1/4 cup soy sauce (I used low sodium)
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 cloves garlic (or garlic powder)
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger (optional)

Write "Asian Pork" and today's date on a gallon-size freezer safe zip lock bag with a marker - sharpies work great - and then put a note about cooking in slow cooker for 6 hours on low.
Add all ingredients except pork to the freezer bag and seal, then squish them around to mix.
Once al ingredients are mixed, place the pork inside, push out as much air as possible and seal the bag & try to coat the pork with the mixture.  I have read that people serve this over rice and some people use 1/2 cup measurements for the sauce instead of 1/4 cup measurements to have extra sauce for the rice so you may want to experiment a little.
Place the bag in the freezer and just pull it out the night before and put it in the refrigerator.  If you forget, you should also be able to get the frozen pork out the next morning and place in the crock pot for 6 hours.  Enjoy!

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Honey & Spice Glazed Pork

• 1 lb pork chops/loin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

As above, write "Honey & Spice Glazed Pork" on a gallon-size freezer safe zip lock along with today's date and place in freezer.  Once you are ready to cook, place in crock pot on low for 4-6 hours or on high for 3-5 hours or slightly longer if placing frozen pork directly into crockpot without thawing.

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Chicken Pot Pie (recipe makes 2 pot pies or even a little more)

• 2 cups cooked shredded chicken (boneless, skinless chicken breasts roasted for one hour @350 in oven covered) - could also use rotisserie chicken or the little packs of pre-cooked chicken near deli meat
• homemade gravy made from homemade chicken stock (or could use 2 Campbells chicken/turkey gravy in jar)
• 2 top & bottom piece pie crust (so 4 crusts total) - I used the frozen pre-made ones but could make your own
• frozen hash browns (diced) - 16 oz bag
• frozen mixed vegetables or frozen peas/carrots or whatever vegetables you like - 12oz bag
• onion, 1/4 cup diced small (optional)
• salt & pepper to taste - if using Campbell's gravy, you may want to go lightly on the pepper

Take pie crusts out of package.  If you have purchased the ones in the tis take one tin out and thaw on the counter.  Turn the second tin upside down as it thaws.
In a large bowl, mix the shredded chicken, hash browns, vegetables, onion (opt), gravy and salt & pepper.
Add pot pie ingredients into pie tin with crust.
Take the upside down pie crust and carefully place it on top of the pie.  Spread it out and pinch the two pie crusts together on the seams.
Poke a few holes with a knife or fork on top of pie.
Label gallon-size freezer zip lock bag with "Chicken Pot Pie", instructions like "bake at 350 until top is golden brown, approx 45-60 min" and today's date.  Place pie inside bag, seal, and put in freezer.

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Chicken Broccoli Alfredo

• 8oz (or more) chopped broccoli (I used frozen)
• 2 jars alfredo sauce
• 1 onion, diced
• 1-2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts

Place all ingredients in labeled freezer-safe gallon zip lock bag, push most of the air out and seal.  Mix ingredients together by squishing bag between hands and place in freezer.  Bake at 350 for approx an hour or put in crock pot for 4-6 hours and serve over noodles.

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World's Best Chicken

I removed this recipe - it was really gross!!! :(

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Cheese Ravioli Bake

• 2 - 9oz packages of refrigerated ravioli (any kind you like) - I used a larger frozen package
• 1 jar spaghetti sauce
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella or Italian cheese

Place all ingredients in labeled freezer-safe gallon zip lock bag, push most of the air out and seal.  Mix ingredients together by squishing bag between hands and place in freezer.  Bake at 350 for approx an hour.

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Taco Soup

• 1 large can tomato juice
• 1 packet of  taco seasoning
• 1 packet of  ranch dressing
• 1 lb browned ground beef
• 1 onion
• 1 can each:  corn, chili beans, black beans, & pinto beans

I took a "picky eaters" class with a registered dietician/personal trainer about 4 years ago that was designed to help parents with ideas that encouraged young kids to try new foods & be more mindful about their eating.  One of the things I learned in the class is that the liquid in canned beans (not necessarily the beans themselves) can cause gastrointestinal problems (trying to figure out a nice way to put this)...  So, one way to reduce the potential gas problems is to open the cans and dump as much of the liquid as possible.  Our instructor even suggested filling the cans with water and rinsing the beans while still in the can so I did this with the black beans and pinto beans.  If you like the extra juice or flavor then skip this but I thought I'd share this little tip since there are a lot of beans in this recipe.  I didn't rinse the chili beans, though.

Okay, I was worried I would run out of room in the freezer bag so just placed all ingredients in labeled freezer-safe gallon zip lock bag EXCEPT for tomato juice and made a note on the freezer bag to add tomato juice in pantry.  Push out as much air as possible, seal, mix with hands and place in freezer.  When ready to make this, add ingredients to crock pot and add tomato juice, cook for 4-6 hours.

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 Lazy Lasagna

• 1 container of cottage cheese
• 2/3 of a box of cooked pasta - I use bow tie pasta a lot
• 1 jar of spaghetti sauce
• 1 lb of browned ground beef (or turkey or sausage)
• 2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese

Place all ingredients in labeled freezer-safe gallon zip lock bag, push most of the air out and seal.  Mix ingredients together by squishing bag between hands and place in freezer.  Bake at 375 for approx 30-45 minutes or until bubbly or in crock pot for 4-6 hours.  Probably can also bake at 350 until bubbly, too.  When I make this when not putting into the freezer, I usually just add 1 cup of cheese and bake for about 30 min and then put the rest of the cheese on top and bake for another 5 minutes or so.

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Margarita Chicken (one of my favorites)

• 4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2 cups of margarita mix (non-alcoholic)
• garlic powder - I probably use about 1 teaspoon
• garlic salt - probably 1/4 teaspoon, I am not big on salt
• onion powder - probably 1/2 teaspoon or so
• update - I also like to add about 1-2 cups of water to ours now to tone down the sweet margarita taste.  Could also do just 1 cup of margarita mix and 1 cup water.

Place all ingredients in labeled freezer-safe gallon zip lock bag, push most of the air out and seal.  Mix ingredients together by squishing bag between hands and place in freezer.  When ready to make, place contents in glass baking dish and cover with aluminum foil.  Bake at 350 for an hour and check to make sure chicken is no longer pink.

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Cooking times are approximate and some of the measurements are approximate but at least it will help you get started.  You may also want to consider using the crock pot liners for easy clean up. While working on these recipes, I bought my ground beef in a bulk size so I just browned 3 pounds at one time and ended up freezing one pound of ground beef already browned so hopefully this will save a little time in a future recipe.  I am also going to buy some frozen loaves of bread dough to have on hand that I can bake in the oven to serve with some of the meals.  My mom uses Rhodes frozen dough and our family loves it.  These are just a few recipe ideas but there are a ton of freezer recipes on Pinterest and I'm sure lots of other websites as well if you want to do a little searching.
Will try to pick up the blogging again once school is out.  Best wishes & stay warm!!

Emily

Activities for the week of August 12

Okay, so I'm late posting this week but it's much slower than usual and I have to be honest - it takes me about an hour to do this and I'm not sure how many people are getting that much benefit from it so I am not going to spend an hour tonight, I'm going to keep it short & sweet but will still include some fun ideas for the rest of the week.

Of course, the Iowa State Fair is still going strong this week and this is the last week for the Brookside wading pool (last day is August 18).

Thursday, August 15 - 12:00PM - meal, 12:30PM - show - "Hot Dog Dinner Theater" - dig into the world of magic with our favorite magician, Rick Eugene!  The entire family will enjoy this show but the meal beforehand is an added bonus.  Come on in for a hot dog, chips, veggies, dessert, and a drink.  I don't see any mention of price so not sure if this is free so may want to bring some money just in case.  **UPDATE** - this is at BANDSHELL PARK

Thursday, August 15 - 2:00-3:00PM - Balloon Animals Workshop for 9 year-olds and up.  Learn how to make balloon critters during this hour of hands-on activities.  Space is limited so pre-registration is required - call 239-5644 to reserve a spot.  Ames City Auditorium, 520 6th St.

Thursday, August 15 - 5:00PM - meal, 5:30PM - show - "Hot Dog Dinner Theater", see 12:00PM listing.

Thursday, August 15 - 5:30PM-7:30PM - Tune Into Main Street at Tom Evans Park on Main Street Ames.  No balloon animals this week but there is live music and last month there was a bouncy house (free) and kids could wear their swimsuits and get splashed with water balloons.  Also, Valentino's had pizza slices, cookies and drinks for sale.

Thursday, August 15 - 6:30PM - Searching for Shakespeare presents Macbeth.  Free, bring chairs or blankets, show runs about 80 minutes.  Moore Memorial Park (near Northridge).  There is a nice playground here that is exactly like the one at Bandshell Park.

Friday, August 16 - 2:00PM - "The Rescuers Down Under" movie (rated G) showing at Ames City Auditorium, 520 6th St.  No food or drink allowed.

Friday, August 16 - 6:30PM - Searching for Shakespeare presents Macbeth.  See August 15 listing.

Saturday, August 17 - 8AM-noon - Farmer's Market on Main Street, look for fun kids activities and music in Tom Evans Park.

Saturday, August 17 - 1:00PM - Searching for Shakespeare presents Macbeth.  See August 15 listing.

Sunday, August 18 - 2:00-5:00PM - Snus Hill Winery will have live music, thanks to Julie for the tip!  I have never been but she tells me it is free and there is a sandbox for kids to play in so will have to try to make it before the end of their season.  See website for details:  http://snushillwine.com/events/

Sunday, August 18 - 3:00-6:00PM - my ever-favorite place to go - Prairie Moon Winery will have live music, cost is $3 for adults 21 and over, kids are free.  See their website for details:  http://www.prairiemoonwinery.com/events.cfm

Furman Aquatic Center may begin to have shorter hours as summer winds down but I think they're open through Labor Day, weather permitting.  Check their Facebook page for updates.

Also, the Story City Carousel will close after Labor Day so if you haven't made it over there yet or want to squeeze in a few more rides before the end of the season you have a couple of weeks left.

Sorry for the delay but hope you have a great rest of the week and find something fun to do to enjoy this wonderful weather!!

Activities for the week of August 5, 2013

What beautiful weather lately, it's still hard for me to believe it's August already & just three weeks until school starts!

Here is my list of fun & fairly low-cost Ames-area acitivies for the week of August 5, 2013:

Monday, August 5 - couldn't really find much of anything happening today so hope you were able to find something fun to do or just enjoy the day at home.  A good day to save up your energy for all of Tuesdays activities!

We also tried out another park we hadn't been to before last week.  We went to Moore Memorial Park, just north of Veenker golf course, although you want to enter on the north side of the park, via Carver/24th St.  It was a little tricky to find, but there are signs once you get close and we were stunned to see that the playground equipment was exactly the same as Bandshell Park, minus the little bumblebee!  One thing that was very different, though, was the cool pond at Moore Park and the little viewing dock and walking/bike trail around the pond.  Here are some of our pictures from Moore Park:

Tuesday, August 6 - 10:00AM - $1 movie "Chimpanzee" at North Grand Theater (in the mall) in Ames.

Tuesday, July 23 - 10:00AM - Reiman Gardens Story Time, $4 for kids ages 4-17, $8 for adults, children under 3 free and free if you have a family membership ($55 annual). When we did this a few years ago, there were usually 2 stories and then a craft related to the stories. Sometimes the crafts were inside and sometimes they were right in the gardens but once you pay you get full access to the gardens, including the butterfly wing.

Tuesday, August 6 - 5:00-8:00PM - 99 cent kids meals at Fazolis in Ames & they usually have a fun activity for kids in addition to the usual crayons and activity sheets.

Tuesday, August 6 - 5:30-7:30PM - free face painting and kids eat free at Valentino's in Ames.  Actually you get one free kids meal for each adult meal so if you have 3 kids and 2 adults then you will have to pay for one of the kids meals.  Valentino's does this every Tuesday and kids get to make their own pizzas but face painting is only the first Tuesday of the month.  The face painter is Pirates Princesses Lucinda, she does a great job and she is so fast, she is my kids' favorite!

Tuesday, August 6 - 7:00PM - Watch What You Eat! - kids will learn all about how to keep the food you eat safe and healthy.  Hands-on learning with produce harvested from our own garden!  Free, located at the Squaw Creek Community Garden, Plot #1, 2 blocks south fo the S. 4th St. and S. Maple intersection in Ames.

Wednesday, August 7 - 1:00PM - as far as I know, Art in the Park is still happening.  It's hard to find any information on this so you may want to try to contact the Story City Parks & REc department if you're driving very far to get there.  Story City Park, cost is $3 per child. Antique Carousel is also in the park and rides are $1 each, 6 for $5 or 20 for $12. Also, popcorn is 50 cents and there is a vending machine with soda and water on the north side of the Carousel building.

Thursday, August 8 - the first day of the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines.  I found a fun website for 101 freebies at the Iowa State Fair: http://www.iowastatefair.org/upl/downloads/library/101-freebies.pdf
and here is the general website:  http://www.iowastatefair.org/

Friday, August 9 - day 2 of the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines, see details on August 8 listing.

Friday, August 9 - 2:00PM free movie, "James and the Giant Peach" (rated PG) at Ames City Auditorium, 520 6th St.

Saturday, August 10 - day 3 of the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines, see details on August 8 listing.

Saturday, August 10 - 8AM-noon - Farmer's Market, Main Street Ames. There are usually activities or crafts for kids and live music at Tom Evans Park. One week there was a little petting zoo and sometimes there are face painters (for a small fee), too.

Sunday, August 10 - day 4 of the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines, see details on August 8 listing.

Sunday, August 10 - 3:00-6:00PM - Prairie Mooon Winery, $3 per adult (over 21), kids are free.  World Port (world view music from Des Moines) will be playing. Outside food is allowed so we bring all sorts of snacks when we go but can't bring drinks in. $3 entry includes one drink ticket that can be used for sangria or soda. They also have a big cooler of water and cups (free) so people can help themselves and food is available for purchase.  I took some pictures of the grapes yesterday and here are some pictures:

 

Here is another picture from Prairie Moon - my mom, my grandma, my grandma's sister & her husband visiting from Oregon:

 

Sunday, August 4 - 7:00PM until about 8:30PM - Roosevelt Summer Sundays Concert, The Parranderos Latin Combo will be performing.  Free, at old Roosevelt school in Ames, 9th St & Roosevelt Ave.  Here is a picture of my mom, my aunt Bonnie, and me with the kiddos listening to the Sundogs last week:

 

 

Brookside Wading Pool is still open every day through August 18, weather permitting, from 11AM-4PM. Cost is $1 per wader (no charge for parents).

Tot Time at Furman Aquatic Center is every day from 11AM-1PM and the entire water park is open until 8PM every day, weather permitting.  Please check their Facebook page for updates. Have a wonderful week!!

Activities for the week of July 29, 2013

Well, back-to-school sales, tax-free shopping, ISU students will be back in town soon and I can't believe Thursday is August 1!!  The summer is going so fast!  This is a much slower week than last week but there are still some fun things to do this week (and for the next 4 weeks - yes, I am counting the weeks - before school starts).

Here is my list of fun & fairly low-cost family activities for the week of July 29, 2013:

Monday, July 29 - believe it or not, I can't find a single thing so probably a good day for checking out a park that you haven't been to before.  We went to Daley Park in west Ames last Thursday and I was so impressed!  We also like Brookside, Inis Grove, and also just discovered Hans Peter Christofferson Park just off Oakwood Road a few months ago.

Here are some pictures from Daley Park:

Also, it's a bit of a drive, but the Indianola Hot Air Balloon Festival is happening all this week and runs through August 3.  I have never been before, but we are planning to stop through Indianola on Wednesday and I am looking forward to it!

Tuesday, July 30 - 10:00AM - $1 movie "Rio" at North Grand Theater (at the mall) in Ames

Wednesday, July 31 - 1:00PM - Art in the Park, Story City Park, cost is $3 per child. Antique Carousel is also in the park and rides are $1 each, 6 for $5 or 20 for $12. Also, popcorn is 50 cents and there is a vending machine with soda and water on the north side of the Carousel building.

Wednesday, July 31 - 4:00PM - Teen Wednesdays (teens only) - this week it's at City Auditorium, 520 6th St - free movie, "The Hobbit"

Thursday, August 1 - again, I can't find anything going on today so maybe a good day for a park or try out a new area pool.  Or maybe a good day to stay home and just have some backyard fun with some water balloons and a sprinkler.  Here's what we did last week when little sister was sick & napping:

 

Friday, August 2 - all day - not necessarily a family activity but worth mentioning - this is the first day of the tax-free shopping in Iowa, this applies to any clothing item under $100 and any shoes under $100.

Friday, August 2 - 2:00PM free movie, "Wreck it Ralph" at Ames City Auditorium, 520 6th St.  Join Ronald McDonald's McDig'n It as a pre-show before the movie

Saturday, August 3 - all day - this is the second (and final) day of the tax-free shopping in Iowa.  Again, this applies to any item of clothing priced under $100 and any pair of shoes under $100.

Saturday, August 3 - 8AM-noon - Farmer's Market, Main Street Ames.  There are usually activities or crafts for kids and live music at Tom Evans Park. One week there was a little petting zoo and sometimes there are face painters (for a small fee), too.

Sunday, August 4 - 3:00-6:00PM - Prairie Mooon Winery, $3 per adult (over 21), kids are free.  Trouble No More (blues) will be playing.  Outside food is allowed so we bring all sorts of snacks when we go but can't bring drinks in. $3 entry includes one drink ticket that can be used for sangria or soda. They also have a big cooler of water and cups (free) so people can help themselves and food is available for purchase.  The boys and I walked through the grape vines today and saw beautiful purple and green grapes.  I would bet that they're almost ready to be harvested.  If we go again this week, I will be sure to take some pictures of the grapes and post in next week's blog.

Sunday, August 4 - 7:00PM until about 8:30PM - Roosevelt Summer Sundays Concert, also their Facebook page says this will be another Roosevelt Park Potluck Supper so this may be earlier than 7:00PM, may want to check with someone if you'd like to participate.  The classic Ames band, The Sundogs (reggae), will be performing.  At old Roosevelt school in Ames, 9th St & Roosevelt Ave.

Also, Brookside Wading Pool is still open every day, weather permitting, from 11AM-4PM. Cost is $1 per wader (no charge for parents)

Tot Time at Furman Aquatic Center is every day from 11AM-1PM and the water park is open until 8PM every day, weather permitting.  Please check their Facebook page for updates.  Have a wonderful week!!