DIY PVC Water Sprinkler

We just got finished making a pretty big move to the nice warm, humid state of Louisiana. Oh let me tell you this girl was not made for the humidity. I would be lying if I didn't say I thought I was dying my first day here. Now that we are rolling up on a week, I am starting to get used to the heat, granted I don't like it, but if I never got used to it I would be sitting in my house all summer long probably watching mind numbing reality tv.

My kids on the other hand, HA, heat shmeat, they want to be outside. After the first initial days of unpacking the u-haul and unpacking the necessities it was time to get outside. Thank goodness we found a house with a nice backyard and its fenced in. No more worrying about one of the boys pulling a Houdini and disappearing on me.

After scouring the internet on water toys etc. I remembered that my friend Kelly over at Here comes the sun, made this wonderful water sprinkler for her kids out of PVC piping. Creative yes, cheap yes and its quite durable.

I changed it up a little bit but the overall design is the same.

Here is what you are going to need:

2 10-foot pieces of 3/4 inch PVC pipe
2 slip on t-connectors
2 90-degree slip on elbow joints
3 end caps
a hose connector, found in the same place as the other PVC joint pieces
drill with a 1/16" drill bit
a saw or a PVC pipe cutter







First lets cut the PVC. Take one of the 10' pieces and cut into two 5' pieces. Then take the other 10' piece and cut into one 4' piece and four 18" pieces.

Now lets drill the holes into the 4' piece. Temporarily slip on the t-connectors to help stabilize the pipe as you are drilling. Using the 1/16" drill bit, put your holes every couple inches. The more holes you drill in the wetter you will get.

Now lets assemble! Remove the t-connectors and replace them with the elbow joints. Attach the two 5' pieces to your drilled piece of PVC to make a large U-shape. Put the t-connectors at the ends of the 5' pieces and attach the 18" sections to form a base. Now place the end caps on three of the open 18" pieces. On the final opening, attache your hose connector.

Hook up your hose and start having some fun!

Strawberry Frozen Lemonade, 2 ways

Living at the beach has is good points...being able to enjoy the desolate beaches during the spring and early fall, the warm water most of the year and the wonderful coastal weather, until you start thinking about hurricane season.

Now that it is June and school is out, college is out and our town is being swarmed by out-of-state tourist, I tend to stay away from the beaches and the boardwalks and enjoy time out at the pool or sitting outside on my porch with a cold drink, watching the boys play in the sprinklers. If we go to the beach, it is usually really early in the morning or late at night when most of the tourist are scouting out the shops or trying the local cuisine. It is nice not having to fight the crowds.

A few months ago I hopped on a plane and flew out to Texas to visit my husband sans kids. It was one of the funnest things I have done in a long time. We stayed at a beautiful lake front hotel, in a large suite which was fit for fancy people...let me tell you, I sure did feel fancy that weekend. We stopped at a restaurant on the water and ordered way too many of these wonderful, and pretty, frozen lemonade drinks. I think the scenery and the company made the drinks even better.

So now that its warm outside and we are spending more time outside, the hot drinks are being replaced with the cold ones and this one was first on my list to recreate.

Granted I just couldn't get those pretty swirls in mine... it sure did taste good!

Ingredients:

2 cups frozen (or fresh) strawberries (about 24 strawberries)
1/2 cup crushed ice (or smallest cubes possible)
1/2 cup lemon juice (fresh or bottled)
2 Tablespoons of sugar (or to taste)
3/4 cup water

If you want to make these the Adult version, just add in some Vodka to your own taste

(Optional)
1/4 lemon, sliced, for garnish
1 Tablespoon of ginger, fresh or dried (finely chopped)
A few mint leaves

Directions:

1. Allow frozen strawberries to thaw slightly.
2. Before placing ice cubes in blender, crush large chunks by sealing securely inside a plastic zip bag and rolling over the bag firmly with a rolling pin.
3. Combine lemon juice, strawberries, sugar substitute or sugar, crushed ice and water in blender jar. If blades get stuck, add more water.
4. Blend on high with lid tightly secured until smooth and thick.
5. Pour into glasses and serve immediately. Garnish with a slice of lemon & sugar the glass rim, if desired.