Craving for chocolate milk shakes

I have this special place in my heart for chocolate milk shakes, and this I share with my children. Every hot summer, our little blender is the star of our kitchen as we whip up every imaginable milk shake with chocolate on it.  Two of our favorites are the thick chocolate milk shake and chocolate chip shake.

For the thick chocolate milk shake, you need: 1-1/2 cup milk, ¼ cup chocolate syrup, 1-1/2 cup vanilla ice cream. Blend in milk and syrup thoroughly. Add ice cream (about 2 tablespoons at a time) and blend for 4 seconds. Do not overblend. Pour into tall glasses and add sliced fruits or a cherry.

For the chocolate chip shake, you need: 3 scoops of ice cream, 5 Oreo cookies, and 1-1/2 cups of milk. Put 3 scoops of ice cream in the blender, add the Oreo cookies and pour in the milk. Cover blender and turn on for 1 – 2 minutes, or until cookies are well ground. Pour into tall glasses and add chocolate syrup.

 

 

Scrapbooking Fun!

Summer is the best time to take on new hobbies or activities. When outdoor activities are over and it’s time to stay indoor, there are little DIY projects that can be started out. Scrapbooking is one hobby that preserves special moments in a more appealing format.

A wide variety of scrapbook decorations and supplies is now available from the local bookstores or even online, or you can add colorful art papers and beads, ribbons or ornaments leftover from other projects. Designs are endless – and ideas for the theme can be based on one’s own creativity or taken from websites on scrapbook designs.

To start off, select an album. There are albums with specific number of pages but I prefer an album that can be bound to insert pages in the future when I want to add more pages. Some albums are sold bare, with plain cardboard covers while others feature attractive covers.

Design each page of the scrapbook by choosing themes that are lively and colorful, and relevant to the events on the photographs. Decorate the page using stickers, colorful cut-outs, frames and other accessories. Use colored borders or cut-outs from magazines, or sprinkle the page with glitters to make it stand out and more alive. But best of all, put in your thoughts on these special moments to make them more personal and serve as your reminder of these special times of your life. Write or paste written notes about the occasion or event to do a little history.  Revive the moment by using phrases and comments from those in the photographs, when it was taken and where, and what were the memorable scenes or highlights of the occasion.

As a memorabilia, a scrapbook is the best way to record your personal history with stories, bits and pieces of ideas and poems to go with the photographs that you’ll never tire of looking at these pages over and over again, alone or with your family and friends.