Mrs Home Ec

Candy Experiments

2011-11-01T16:42:00.002-04:00

I've been wanting to do candy experiments with the girls since last year. And, lucky enough, we got TONS of candy this Halloween, so I got to work making some printable experiments. I found all of these experiments and pictures from HERE (I like how they included nutritional info, too). I wanted to be able to print them and have an observation sheet, so I made these. You'll want to print an observation sheet for each experiment you decide to do. Have fun!

Candy Experiments

P.S. There was a cute border around the words but I can't get it to load. You'll just have to imagine it.

AND here's some other fun candy activities from TeachMama.

Covered Fold Out Bench Sandbox

2011-10-01T15:11:00.001-04:00

My 2nd girl just turned 3. At the beginning of August, I knew we needed to get her a sandbox. She loves to play outside in the dirt and will do it for hours. Brigham got researching and found a sandbox with a cover that folded out into benches. He knew he could make it and he did. It turned out great. I had no idea these sandboxes would be so popular by the time we gave it to her, but according to Pinterest, they are. Brig didn't have a pattern, but just knocked it off from a photo.

It really is a fun sandbox. Maybe I can get him into making tutorials and then all of you can have one, too.

Here are some pictures.

Closed:

One side open:

Both sides open:

Here are the girls enjoying it before the benches were done.

General Conference Treat Bucket Labels/Pictures

2011-09-15T17:05:00.001-04:00

I saw this idea for General Conference Treat Buckets and thought it might work for my girls. I will be tying my labels onto my buckets rather than using vinyl for a few reasons.

Since they are still quite young, I decided to have two labels - a word, and a picture to put on each bucket. That way if they can't read, they can look at the picture when they think they've heard the word.

I only have 7 buckets, but I made more labels and pictures so I could switch them out for different sessions.

I'll probably hole punch the corner and use a binder ring or ribbon to tie the labels to my buckets.

If you want, you can print some, too.

Conference Bucket Labels

Don't know what General Conference is?

Check it out here.

You won't want to miss it.

P.S. I got most of my images at freeldsart.com

Coloring Book Thank You Post Cards

2011-08-31T13:58:00.001-04:00

Here are a couple of Thank You postcards I made for the girls. I want them to always be grateful and know how important it is to express thanks when they receive something or have a great experience. Since they aren't writing well (or at all...whatever the case may be), I left the pictures white so they could help in the thank you process by coloring them. Then we'll write a quick note on the back and deliver them (either by hand or by mail).

Thank You Post Cards

Art Lessons: Vincent Van Gogh

2011-08-25T14:05:00.000-04:00

This Fall I am going to do a few art lessons for my girls.

Here's our first:

VINCENT VAN GOGH

These are simple lessons and the object is to have fun while exposing the girls to artists and different art techniques.

I'm not really worried how their projects turn out.

Here are some links to his art or you can check out a book at the library.

Starry Night

Sunflowers

Self-Portrait

If you want to find more easy art lessons, I got mine at artprojectsforkids.org.

Matchbox City

2011-06-26T00:20:00.001-04:00

I have been working on this project for a LONG time. In our family it is know as a Matchbox City. I remember playing with one as a child. My mom made it for us. It is a car play mat specifically to use with Matchbox cars. They are small enough to fit inside the doors of the houses/buildings. I added an airport, an extra house, and an orchard because my piece of fabric was a little bit bigger than my mom's. I thought about labeling the buildings but then decided it would be more fun to pretend they are whatever you want them to be. I wish I had a tutorial for all of you, but I still barely have time to finish my projects while the girls are sleeping.

See how fun. Little houses for the cars.

doll diapers

2011-06-26T00:10:00.001-04:00

I made a few doll diapers the other day. I used this tutorial, but I made mine with a little dart to give it a rounded shape in the bottom.

Father's Day 2011

2011-06-20T23:55:00.002-04:00

I am alive and I have been doing a few things. I just haven't felt like blogging. Here are some pictures from our Father's Day celebration this year. I went with a mustache theme this year.

*The "because you mustache" gift was a pair of athletic shoes because dad "must dash".

Claire's 1st Birthday Invite

2011-05-07T23:42:00.000-04:00

Here's what I came up with for Claire's little birthday get together. I'm going for a French inspired theme (yes, I know French fries are not really French...but they are cute). The fry box is my favorite.

Easter Songs and Fingerplays - better late than never

2011-04-20T11:37:00.001-04:00

A few Easter Songs and Fingerplays that we like:

March Mad Scientist Week 2011: Chemistry

2011-03-29T00:32:00.000-04:00

Baking soda and vinegar anyone? I found these easy and fun experiments here. My girls love experimenting with baking soda and vinegar. Have fun with them, too!

Here are my slightly modified versions

March Mad Scientist Week 2011: Biology

2011-03-24T11:23:00.001-04:00

Each year during March Madness I like to do a March Mad Scientist Week with the girls. This year I'm separating it into 5 days in 5 areas of science:

1.Biology: The Life cycle of a Butterfly
2. Chemistry: Baking Soda and Vinegar
3. Earth Science: Air
4. My Body: Food Science
5. Physics: Color/Rainbows

My goal was to have each lesson short enough to just last one day and give the girls a taste of science (probably my favorite subject in school).

I may not get the rest of the lessons posted on here, but I thought I'd share our butterfly lesson since it's ready. Our caterpillars arrived in the mail yesterday and the girls are SUPER excited about them. They have named them and check on them hourly. It will be a long couple of weeks watching them grow and change into butterflies :)

Here it is for you to enjoy:

The Life Cycle of a Butterfly

Here is a link to where I got most of my ideas and plans:

http://scienceforpreschoolers.com/

CTR Towel

2011-03-16T11:49:00.000-04:00

I made this a couple of months but I thought I'd still share it. There is nothing fancy about the towel and I like it that way. As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, children are able to be baptized as members of the church at age 8. You can learn more here. My niece was baptized in February. It was wonderful to be able to support her. We gave her this towel and poem. I couldn't find a poem that I liked, so I made up one. You can use it, too, if you want.

P.S. If you don't already know, "CTR" stands for "Choose the Right".

Baptism Towel Poem

The Circus Ship

2011-03-06T22:04:00.001-05:00

I have been working on this lesson for weeks. I just don't have as much time to work on preschool as I used to. Hope you enjoy it.

So here it is:

The Circus Ship

We LOVE this book and if you haven't read it, you need to. I promise your kids will like it.

Lesson Plan

Songs and Finger plays

Animal Action Cards

Shoe Box Circus Ship

Hide and Seek Animals

Camo Art

Big Time Fun with Word Families

Math Mats

I didn't keep track of where I got some of these ideas. Sorry, if you know, comment and I'll fix it.
*clip art from letteringdelights.com*

A few things for President's Day

2011-02-15T21:08:00.001-05:00

I made a few quick things you can use for President's Day if you're in the mood. Nothing spectacular, but I thought I'd share anyway.

Songs/Activities

U.S. Presidents Cards

Here are two of links if you're looking to make some presidential head wear:

Lincoln

Washington

Love Quote Love Notes

2011-02-07T18:01:00.001-05:00

Sweetheart's Week starts tomorrow!

As you know, I'm doing a game theme.

Here's my easy plan for my sweetheart, Brigham.

*A handwritten love note

with favorite quotes about love that I found.

*A "game type" treat.

*A game to play together each night

...I'm just using games we already have.

You can use my Love Quote Love Note papers if you want. They aren't spectacular, but they work.

*I printed mine 2 per page so they aren't so big.

Guess Whooo Loves You?

2011-02-01T23:21:00.000-05:00

I am excited to play this game.

To make it even more fun, you need to go make one of these.

Here is mine:

Isn't he cute?

And here is the game. The descriptions are personal for my family,

so I've included some blank cards if you want to personalize them.

Guess Whooo Loves You?

You Were "Mint" to Be My Valentine

2011-02-01T23:11:00.001-05:00

I haven't finished the girls Valentine's yet, but I wanted to show you the first step anyway.

Materials:

candy canes

An Oven at 235 F

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 235 F.

Place two candy canes into an overlapping heart shape on a cookie sheet/jellyroll pan.

Bake for 8 minutes. Keep an eye on them. Any more would have made mine bubble and change in appearance.

Take them out of the oven and pinch the tops of the candy canes together. Push the overlapping candy cane into the bottom one.

Let cool and remove from pan.

Place in a bag.

Attach cute saying....Maybe "We should be Sweethearts" or anything with a cheesy "Mint" line.

Valentine's I-Spy

2011-02-01T22:57:00.000-05:00

Time for more of my Sweethearts Games.

This one is for my oldest. She loves I-Spy games

so I took a few pictures of stuff around the house and used some photos we already had...

....the girls love pictures of themselves.

Then I made them into a photo book

because it was my lucky day

and there was a code for a FREE book!

But if there hadn't been, I would have just ordered 5x7 prints and laminated them.

I wish I would have time to make more custom I-Spy pictures

but I think they'll like it anyway.

Here are my photos if you're interested in using them. They aren't that great but you're welcome to use them anyway.

Candy:

Hearts:

Pink and Red:

Sweethearts Week 2011: The Game of Love

2011-01-21T00:30:00.000-05:00

"Love is a game that two (or 5 in our family) can play and both win".

Sweethearts Week is one of my favorite family traditions.

I stole it from my best friend, Stephanie, and I love it.

You can see what I did in 2009 and 2010.

This year my theme will be based on games.

I will be giving the girls a game we can play together each day of the week leading up to Valentine's day.

Here are a few printable games that I have come up with so far so you can enjoy them, too.

Mending Broken Hearts

Valentine Scavenger Hunt

Cupid Cruisers

Snowman Preschool Lesson

2011-01-08T23:11:00.001-05:00

I'm back...this week anyway.

Here's what we'll be doing next week:

Lesson Plan

Songs and Finger Plays

Snowman Face Literacy Game

Enjoy!

*Graphics from LetteringDelights.com

My Homemade Christmas Gifts

2010-12-30T11:56:00.000-05:00

This year I didn't have many plans for making Christmas gifts, but I really wanted to do something. Thanks to a suggestion from my friend, Stephanie. I bought the book, Wee Wonderfuls, and LOVED it.

I picked out three projects - one that I thought would fit each of my girls - and got sewing.

I was happy to find that they weren't too much work. I finished in about 4 days and I was just sewing at naps and night time. I varied the patterns a little bit to my own liking and I think they turned out great for my first doll making projects.

CK's ribbon haired doll:

L's topsy turvey doll (she was the most time intensive because of a lot of hand sewing):

And C's Ellie bag (I added a ribbon bow to the back):

By far my favorite gifts to give the girls....and they actually like them.

Oh! and the best part, I just used extra fabric/supplies I already had so they were priced just right.

Gingerbread Cookies (delicious!)

2010-12-11T00:06:00.001-05:00

I made gingerbread cookies today with the girls. They were so good that I had to post a link to the recipe. I followed it exactly except I omitted the black pepper. That just didn't sound like something I would want in a cookie.

Try it. It was so easy.

GINGERBREAD COOKIES

While the dough chilled, we read a couple of great gingerbread stories:

Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett

and

The Bakers Dozen: A Saint Nicholas Tale retold by Aaron Shepard

Christmas Advent: Couples Style

2010-11-30T17:12:00.001-05:00

This is SO last minute, and I haven't taken pictures of my completed advent, but I thought I'd share it anyway in case anyone is looking for advent ideas to do with your spouse. I tried to make most "kid less" activities that are easy and fun and should help strengthen your marriage. I am excited to have something to do with my sweetheart and count down to Christmas as well.

Here are my activity ideas, if you're interested.

Thanksgiving Sound Shopping

2010-11-20T07:00:00.011-05:00

One more Turkey Day preschool activity:

Thanksgiving Sound Shopping

A wonderful place to find literacy ideas.

*I don't know why people can't download this. I changed my sharing setting in Google documents. You can try that to see if it helped. If not, I'm not sure what the problem is. The link is working for me.

Thanksgiving Guess Who

2010-11-19T14:32:00.003-05:00

I found these cute graphics at letteringdelights.com and had to make one more Thanksgiving game.

Thanksgiving Guess Who

Here is a better explanation of the Guess Who game rules, if anyone needs them.

Thanksgiving Games

2010-11-06T18:37:00.001-04:00

Here a few Thanksgiving games I put together. I won't be posting a Thanksgiving Day lesson plan because:
#1. There will be millions created by other people (why recreate the wheel, right?)
#2. I already have some activities I am doing with the girls.

I did, however, put together a few easy games if anyone is interested.
I love this activity from Family Fun, so I modified it using turkeys rather than squirrels.

Turkey Hide and Seek/Memory

Turkey Bingo Game

Don't Eat Tom

I'm having trouble with this link. I'll try to fix it later.
*Edit* I can't get the Don't Eat Tom game to upload completely. If you'd like a copy, I can email it to you.

2010 Family Halloween Dinner

2010-11-04T16:24:00.000-04:00

We celebrated Halloween with our traditional holiday dinner. This year we themed it around monsters. The girls helped me make the decorations and everyone helped with the food. The most fun was monster mashing in our monster feet.

Favorite things:

The Watermelon Monster

Monster Sandwiches eating the carrots

Eyeballs in our soup

Our pom pom monster garland

Great dance moves!

Monster Lesson Plan

2010-10-24T00:56:00.000-04:00

It's been a long week and I am so tired, but I had to get these on here. Next week we're learning about Monsters in preparation for our annual family Halloween dinner which happens to be Monster themed this year. I haven't had a lot of prep/planning time, but I still feel like there are some great activities. Hope you are able to enjoy some of them.

Lesson Plan

Songs

Alike/Different Literacy Activity

Monster Say and Clap

Eyeball Sorting/Match

Math Clipart

Slime Recipe

Halloween Costumes

2010-10-24T00:46:00.000-04:00

These took me all week, but I finally finished the girls Sleeping Beauty Fairy costumes.

Halloween Lesson Plan

2010-10-14T22:38:00.000-04:00

I'm doing a Halloween theme next week. Here's my plan and printables.

Lesson Plan

Songs, Finger plays, Etc

Happy Halloween!

Preschool Next Week

2010-10-09T08:00:00.011-04:00

I have been on the waiting list at the library for this book:

Hooray, it finally came in! So this week we are going to use the activities at

ONE OF MY FAVORITE PLACES!

Go check them out. She always has amazing things to share.

Ocean Preschool Activities

2010-10-02T22:28:00.003-04:00

Autumn may not be the time for an ocean preschool lesson in Utah, but I wanted to do it before next Spring and the weather is still warm enough to go outside. My sister-in-law made the plan so this week I just came up with a few extra activities to go with it.

Ocean Letter Match

Build a Crab game

Number Spelling Cards

Ocean Spell Match

Ocean Animal Race

Witches Britches

2010-09-30T22:39:00.001-04:00

I finished the girls "Witches Britches" (aka bloomers, pajama pants, Hammer pants made with Halloween fabric) just in time for their witch party tomorrow. Luckily, my mom taught me how to make cotton shorts back in the early 90's because I made these without a pattern. I also didn't hem them because I was going for a rough "witchy" look. At the last minute I decided to sew on ribbons so we could tie plastic spiders onto them. Pretty spooky!

Cowgirl Chaps

2010-09-24T15:11:00.000-04:00

I finished the girls chaps just in time for the party. I would love to have a tutorial for you because they are so easy to make, but at this point of my life, I am lucky just to get them made. They are cute, though. I especially love the back view with Lucy's skirt hanging out. Can you wear skirts with chaps?

Cowboy and Cowgirl Party

2010-09-24T15:05:00.000-04:00

This weekend we had a combined birthday party for Brigham and Charlotte. It was a lot of fun to plan and get ready for, but it was a lot of work (and my last dinner birthday party:).

For Brigham's birthday, my theme was "Pardners". I made a craft paper banner printed with the word "PARDNERS" on it. One pennant said "Through the..." and the other pennants had opposites like "ups and downs", "rich and poor". I gave Brigham a small gift that represented each of the ways we are "pardners".

Here are a few pictures of the "treat table" and banners. Those treat tables are so cute and popular right now, but after this party it made me wonder how many people in the world spend the weeks after the party eating all the candy that looked so cute but didn't get eaten. I'm getting a major head start on Halloween and the holiday sweet season.

Preschool Lesson: Space

2010-09-16T16:59:00.000-04:00

My sister made me a preschool lesson about Space that we are going to use next week. Here are a few activities I made to add to it.

Planet Cards

Planet Hide a Number

(original idea from Applesauce and Flipflops)

Constellation Lacing Cards

Space Songs

Number Rocket Ship Activity

Enjoy!

Cowboy Birthday Invites

2010-09-14T17:08:00.000-04:00

Here's the invitation for Brigham and Charlotte's combined birthday party coming up this week. Party details to soon follow.

Western/Cowboy preschool printables

2010-09-10T17:22:00.003-04:00

Here are a few western printables for preschool next week.

Western syllable clothespin cards

Cowboy letter matchup

Cactus Poem - print, cut out, laminate and put cactus on tongue depressors

Dress the Cowboy activity

I don't know why my pictures keep "breaking". If you know, let me know.

Preschool Lesson: Water

2010-09-06T12:54:00.002-04:00

Here's my lesson plan and activities for this week. Enjoy!

Lesson Plan
Fingerplays and Songs
Introduction to Water
Science Experiments
Amazing Water Trick
Aluminum Foil Boat Sink
Ice Cube I Spy
Ice Cube Transfer
Ice Treasures
Water Bottle Xylophone
Wipe Off Waterproof Writing book (laminate for waterproofing)

I got many ideas from other places but didn't write them down. Thanks for everyone who shared.

Preschool Lesson: Money

2010-08-27T22:29:00.001-04:00

I just finished next week's preschool lesson on money. If anyone is interested, here it is.

And the activities I made:

Songs and Rhymes

Piggy Bank Money Mat and Cards

Recipe and Ingredient Cards

Chore Wage Cards

Here's a link to a purse template that I'm planning on using, too.

ENJOY!

Vote for Brigham!

2010-08-23T17:42:00.000-04:00

My husband has entered the RC Willey Most Inspiring Furniture Contest. I know we have a lot of RC Willey lovers who follow this blog. Please follow this link to vote for "Brigham in West Jordan, UT" (Entry 129) as soon as possible to help him win.

Each person may only vote once. For this reason, please encourage each of your family members to vote once. Thanks!!!

**His entry really is the best. If you don't believe me read through the others. We'd love your help!

By the way, the picture you are voting for looks like this.

M&M Counting Cards

2010-08-19T14:29:00.003-04:00

I thought I'd share these cards since they took me such a long time to make.

Enjoy!

Get your free

M&M counting cards

here.

4th Wedding Anniversary

2010-07-09T15:59:00.000-04:00

Brig and I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary. This year I went with a golfing theme and played off the word "FORE". We had fun frisbee golfing and eating club sandwiches (well, we never actually had the sandwiches because plans changed, but that was the original idea). I gave him a golf shirt and a coupon to go golfing with his brother. I also hid golf tees and let him know that when he found them he was supposed to remember how much I loved him.

Here are a few pictures to remember.

The hole markers for frisbee golf:

The back of the hole markers:

A Couple Other Fancy Party Details

2010-04-22T23:24:00.000-04:00

Lucy's party came and went. Here are some of the small details Fancy Nancy style.

Some simple table decorations complete with plumes and azure butterflies.

Lunch at the "King's Crown"...I thought Crown Burger was pretty close.

Parfaits for dessert

Corsages

A game of "Pin the Accessory on the Lucy"

Paper dress up dolls:

An ice cream sundae inspired cake (please be kind, cake decorating is not my forte...I have resolved to take a class:)

And some thank you gifts.

Bracelets

And Ring Pops

Happy 3rd Year Lucy!

Birthday Invitations for Lucy

2010-04-08T19:48:00.000-04:00

This year for Lucy's birthday, we're going for a dress-up/Fancy Nancyesque themed celebration. Here are the invitations that have been sent out.

The first one is a small lunch party with Grandma and a some girl cousins Lucy's age.

The little dolls, clothes, accessories come off of the page and stick together like a little

paper doll

that you can play with when you're done with your invitation.

The second one is a party for the whole family a couple of days before Lucy's birthday. We are going to have parfaits like Fancy Nancy has with her family (plus Lucy likes ice cream much better than cake).

This little doll invitation has multiple changes of clothes as well, with party information on each dress.

P.S. The dolls I printed weren't in color, so I used watercolor pencils to paint them all.

Featuring...

2010-03-09T15:45:00.001-05:00

...B.J.L. Designs.

Today is their (his) first time being featured on a real craft blog. Sorry, no personal photo or tutorial. Just expert craftmanship.

Last Fall, Brigham started working on these rocking beauties and finished one in time for this past Christmas. The wooden rocking horse is modeled after a Lundberg childhood heirloom: Old Paint.

With the help of some family members, he was able to complete the rest of them a couple of weekends ago. I never knew he was such a woodworker.

Here's the line-up:

Cleaning clipboards

2010-03-09T15:29:00.001-05:00

As we get ready to move to a new home (the first one that we aren't "just renting"), I thought I'd try to get off on the right cleaning foot. I'm hoping these memo (6"x9") clipboard checklists will help me keep our first place tidy (or at least semi-clean). I'm planning on hanging them in the each area.

I mod podged some paper to the back of the clipboards and put a little distress ink around the edges. I don't want too many embellishments. It is for function rather than design, right?

Each list is laminated and will be accompanied by a china marker (wax pencil) to check and wipe clean afterwards. I'm planning on tying them on with a ribbon or something.

Cream of Fresh Asparagus Soup

2010-02-26T19:01:00.000-05:00

It's asparagus season again and today I made some great soup. If you're like me, asparagus does not rank in your top 10 vegetables, but I promise this is so good. You have to try it.

First off, if you don't use asparagus much check out Martha Stewart's tips here.

One of the best tips to get rid of the tough woody bottom section is just to bend it and let it snap where it naturally does. Throw out the bottoms, keep the tops.

Anyway, here's the recipe:

Cream of Fresh Asparagus Soup

prep time: 15 minutes

cook time: 25 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 lb fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 cups water

2 tsp chicken bouillon

2 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp flour

1 pinch ground black pepper

1 cup milk

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large saucepan, combine asparagus, chopped onion, and 1/2 -3/4 cup water (with about 1/2 tsp bouillon ). Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until asparagus is tender (10-12 minutes). Process the mixture in a blender to puree the vegetables. Set aside.

2. In the same saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Stir in the flour and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Whisk in the remaining water and bouillon (adding slowly) and increase the heat to medium. Stir constantly until the mixture boils. Stir in asparagus puree and milk.

3. Put the sour cream in a small bowl, and stir in a ladleful of hot soup (if you don't do this the sour cream will clump in your soup). Add the sour cream mixture and the lemon juice to the soup. Stir while heating the soup to serving temperature, but don't allow to boil. Serve immediately.

Washcloth Mitts

2010-02-21T12:09:00.000-05:00

Since I only made one bath towel with each of the hand towels, I had 3 half hand towels left over. I trimmed them down a little, folded them in half and sewed two of the open sides together (leaving the nicely finished side as the opening. The result: these washcloth mitts that the girls can use in the tub.

Happy Washing!

Monogrammed Hooded Towels

2010-02-15T00:27:00.000-05:00

I had great plans for these towels/hand towels I got for $2.00 a piece after Thanksgiving. I was going to make "monster" towels and they were going to be cute, but week after week I kept putting it off. Finally, I couldn't stand having the unfinished project in the corner anymore so I sewed the towels together using this tutorial, ironed on the girls initials with wonder under and extra fabric I had, and stitched around them.

They aren't monsters, but they're cute and they are finished and that's all that matters.

(And if we don't use a "K" name for our new baby, I'll send the "K" towel to whoever does).

Sweetheart's Week 2010

2010-02-15T00:19:00.002-05:00

This year, our theme for Sweetheart's Week was

Our Family is Built on Love

and all the quotes and activities had to do with construction and building.

Each day I gave the girls and Brigham a "block" with a personal note written on one side and a quote/activity on the other. By the end of the week, we had "built" a big heart on our wall.

You can check out the things we did here:

*I need to take a clearer picture because there were some really great poems, songs, and thoughts about building, construction, and creation*

It was fun to focus on doing things together and improving the world (or just our immediate surroundings). I love Sweetheart's Week and am grateful for the 3 (almost 4) sweethearts in my life.

Some more pictures:

Rx for Valentine's Day

2010-02-10T19:05:00.003-05:00

Here are Lucy and Charlotte's 2010 Valentine friend treats.

prescription bottle: 5 cents a piece (our WalMart said they'd give you 10 for free)

paper: $1.25 for all 25 bottles

candy: $4.00 for all 25 bottles

26 cents a piece...not bad.

I just printed the note on regular paper and then pasted it onto some Valentine's paper.

What's inside:

giant Valentine Smarties.

*You would want to be careful so that your children know that things found in medicine bottles usually aren't candy!

Valentine decoder cookies

2010-02-05T14:12:00.000-05:00

I saw these Valentine's cookies and thought I'd try a few. I used my own recipe and a small spoonful of crushed clear red candies. I also sprinkled mine with some red decorating sugar before I baked them.

I think they turned out pretty cute

(even if you could basically read the hidden message without the magical decoding cookie).

Cowboy Chaps

2010-02-01T15:38:00.001-05:00

Last week when I was visiting my mom, we made a couple pairs of these cowboy chaps. My mom had made some for my brothers when they were younger, so we used the old pair as a pattern. They were really easy to make (but they were a little bit time consuming). All you need is 1 yard of medium weight vinyl (This will make 2 pairs: size 3-4), two snaps, and old belt buckle, 1/2 of a leather shoe lace and thread. I figured we made each pair for under 5 dollars. Not bad. Aren't they cute? I haven't had anyone model them yet, because I may be using them for a birthday.

I also added a little fringe to the back of mine:

Valentine's Day Pillowcases

2010-02-01T15:32:00.000-05:00

These are nothing to brag about but I'd thought I'd post them anyway. I made these Sweetheart's Week Pillowcases as a fun holiday reminder for the girls. Lucy cannot wait to put hers on her pillow.

Play Kitchen and Hutch

2009-12-30T16:35:00.001-05:00

Santa barely finished the girls play kitchen and hutch in time for Christmas.

The hutch was a refinished cabinet my dad made me when I was little. The kitchen was brought you by my brother, Daren. I "helped" by doing a little nail gun work, marking and gluing, and assisting. I definitely couldn't have done it without him. I wanted to make it for around $50 and I think we came pretty close to that although I haven't calculated exact totals. I LOVE it! The hutch was about $10 for supplies.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Kids Aprons

2009-12-11T16:49:00.001-05:00

Another item off the Christmas check-list. Hooray! Here are the aprons to go along with the girls Christmas surprise kitchen.

Lu's:

I made an adult pattern into a child's size with a pencil and parchment paper (I know, it's the only thin paper I have!). Then I just followed the regular instructions.

Charley's:

I made this pattern up. It has raw edges so it will get that frayed look.

Peg Dolls

2009-12-11T16:43:00.002-05:00

Last night I finished painting Lucy and Charlotte's peg dolls. Don't worry, Lucy caught a glimpse of them this morning. I hurried and put them away and Lucy comes back and says, "Where are those dollies. You know, the ones that you painted?" I had to tell her I thought Santa came and got them. So much for surprises. She is such a snoop.

Here are a few pictures.

Thanks for lending the paint and brushes, Mom!

Franken-dough

2009-10-26T15:12:00.004-04:00

Here is the one an only Halloween item I have made this year.

They are little Franken-(play)doughs for the girls at dance.

A canister of playdough

2 googly eyes

2 rollos

and a black marker

Brown and Pink Witches

2009-10-09T19:27:00.003-04:00

Here are the pink and brown "witch" costumes I made for the girls. I found the tights first and decided that they could wear them more if they were pink and brown rather than black and orange. I spray painted some black hats with brown paint and glued some pink flowers onto them.

This is when Monster #2 scuffed up her satin petals...boo!

And a back view of the big ribbon bow.

Puppet Thank You's

2009-10-09T19:25:00.002-04:00

Puppet Tree

2009-09-29T17:00:00.002-04:00

My husband made this fantastic puppet tree so we have a place to hang our new stash of puppets. He used wooden balls from the craft store, two 1/2 inch dowels, a square post and topper from the fencing department at Home Depot, and a scrap piece of wood for the base. It totaled under $10! We were going to paint it, but that's still up for debate. For now, enjoy!

BYU gear

2009-09-18T17:50:00.006-04:00

Just in time for the game tomorrow. I probably should have been cleaning instead...oh well!

I know I'm way behind the crafting scene on these two things:

appliqued shirts and korker bows.

Believe it or not this was my first time making either

(and why did I ever buy those bows from Gymboree? These are so easy to make and much cuter).

The Word is Out...

2009-09-18T13:07:00.005-04:00

Here are a couple of things I did for Brigham's birthday today. Since he likes "word" games, I thought I'd go with that. Each gift was accompanied by a word game spelling out a hint to the identity of the gift. I used Scrabble tiles to make the birthday banner and posters and he solved a crossword puzzle to find out how we were going to celebrate.

Another Bridal Shower Invitation...

2009-09-18T13:02:00.005-04:00

Charlotte's Puppet Theater

2009-09-04T17:54:00.003-04:00

I have (almost) finished the doorway puppet theater I'm making for Charlotte's birthday. I looked and looked on the Internet for a pattern but never found one that I loved...so, I made one up. For me, that translates into some mistakes along the way, but I'm satisfied with the results anyway. Want to make one, too? Here are some awesome guidelines. I will admit, I didn't read or follow all of it (mostly because I have to see it rather than just read it), but it does have some great pointers like making sure to have a dowel directly under your stage or else it will droop.

I used a total of about 5 1/2 yards of fabric because I lined the back. One 40" tension rod. Two dowels. About 4 yards of ribbon. 1 yard of beaded trim.

Hope she likes it.

Bridal Shower Invite: New York, New York

2009-08-21T17:39:00.007-04:00

I'm not really a card maker, but I did think these bridal shower invitations turned out pretty cute for my level of scrapbooking expertise. I like how they look like mini newspapers. I found an image of the first volume of the New York Times, made it smaller and then copied it onto some translucent silver paper. Folding them made me feel like I was 10 again getting the papers ready for my route. My fingers got black, too.

Travel Ideas: What Worked!

2009-08-21T17:01:00.005-04:00

Alright, it's about time to review what really worked for us on our trip.

First, snacks. Really, I think these were the most important thing and I took advice from other places online that suggested avoiding a lot of sugar. Maybe that helped, maybe it didn't, but the girls did pretty awesome so take it how you will. Snacks were especially helpful with the under one crowd since nothing really kept her attention for longer than a minute or so.

Second, the secret wrapped gifts came in really handy when we had unexpected occurances/frustrations (i.e. extra time on the tarmac, kids not wanting to be in seat belts...mostly just Lucy emergencies). They were all cheap toys (cars, small dolls, toy camera, finger puppets)

Third, favorite books and magazines.

How about a couple free advertisements. I'm not usually one to shout out specific brand names, but there were a couple things that were great to have on our trip:

-Fisher Price Stack and Roll Cups

I would recommend this to anyone because it is SO versatile. You can nest it, stack, roll it, make a rattle, build, bang, stick things through the hole, put on your head, play peak-a-boo etc, etc. DEFINITELY one of the best things we took for the baby (and the 2 year old). Plus it was nice to have once we got there. I only took about 5 or 6 of the cups and I left the tiny ball home so we wouldn't lose it.

Zoobie Pets:

These are cool little 3 in 1 blankets and even though they were super cute, any 3 in one blanket would be fine (I know there are other brands). It was wonderful to have a comfort toy that could be used to sleep with as well. I saved these until we got on the first flight and then gave them to the girls. You can unzip the blanket from the animal for washing or whatever. And just for those who are curious, we got the pink hippo "Pinky" and the blue elephant "Cosmo" (Creative names given by Lu and Brig).

Now that I'm done advertising, here is a quick list of the age specific stuff that I'd take again.

Under 1 year:

silk handkerchief (or cotton or whatever fiber you may have)

finger puppets

A bag full of stuff that can be taken out and put back in. This is what Char wanted to do most of the time. I don't know how many times she unloaded the diaper bag.

The stuff in the pencil holder was pretty good for short amounts of time (feathers, pom poms, pipe cleaners)

2 year old:

Loved almost everything in her folder (see post below)

I succeeded in getting the glue and the scissors into Romania, but had to check them in my luggage when leaving Romania.

I-spy, picture finds, water color pictures, scissors (of course) were a hit.

Stickers'tape are always a great time consumer.

So, I guess that's it. Somehow we did it (and without the use of Benadryl), and it was fun.

Travel Ideas: Ready for Testing

2009-08-02T17:36:00.007-04:00

The following items/ideas are untested. When we get back from our trip, I'll update on their effectiveness - if any is to be reported.

Lucy's Plane Pack

In the pencil holder:

*markers...yes, crayons are safer...maybe I'll switch

*white board marker

*pen

*tape

*glue stick (if it makes it through security)

*kids scissors (4" blade is approved, we'll see)

*balloon

*paintbrush

*pipe cleaners

In the binder:

Laminated I-Spy

Laminated hidden picture (use dry erase-low odor, we hope:)

Story

Activities to go with stories.

Cut and paste printed on sticker paper.

Finger puppets.

Watercolor pencil sheets:

Also included in folder: extra paper, coloring book pages.

Charlottes Plane Pack

This one was hard (she's only10 months)

*popcicle sticks

*clothes pin

*balloon

*big pom poms

*googly eyes

*pipe cleaners

*feather

In her folder:

Textured papers.

Other:

Small Scarf, magazine (to rip up), nesting/stacking/balls all in one

These story cards that have little plastic animals you can touch on each card as you read the story.

To keep them together I hole punched the stack and used a binder ring.

Some small surprises to open along the way.

And of course, lots of snacks. I tried to keep them fairly sugar free as I don't want to add to the "stuck on an airplane for 16+ hours" effect.

Wish us luck!

Happy Birthday, Harry!

2009-08-02T17:32:00.003-04:00

In celebration of Harry Potter's birthday: July 31st, 2009

Edible wands: A Pirouette "entertaining cookie" (that's what it says on the tin:), dipping chocolate, and sprinkles.

Watercolor Pencil Coloring Pages

2009-07-25T17:48:00.007-04:00

I saw this watercolor pencil idea on a blog a couple of weeks ago and thought it would be a great activity for our upcoming LONG airplane ride. Today I was able to test it out and it was SO much fun (for me :). Hopefully it will entertain Lucy as well.

What you need:

watercolor pencils

watercolor paper (I bought a cheaper kids version. Watercolor paper holds the moisture better)

fine tip permanent marker (unless you use a printer ink that won't bleed. Alas, we do not have a laser printer so I improvised).

First, I cut my paper to printer page size. You could just draw your pictures directly onto the watercolor paper if you prefer. I didn't trust my freehand artistic skills, so I went for lightening the images to a light gray (to minimize the ink running when water is applied) and then printing them directly onto the watercolor paper. Next, trace with a sharpie and then outline with the watercolor pencils. Last, using water and a paintbrush, apply water and Ta Da! You have fun art project.

For our trip, I'm going to have everything done except the water part. I'll pack a paintbrush in our carry-on and make sure I fill a water bottle before we board the plane.

Travel Games

2009-07-09T15:40:00.005-04:00

We're headed out for a lengthy drive this weekend, so yesterday I searched for some travel game ideas. I found great resources at Momsminivan.com. I specifically checked out things for toddlers and here are a few of the things I came up with. Hopefully they work.

This is a map with places marked approximately every 50 miles. As we reach each star, Lucy will give us the ticket withe the name and I'll give her a little travel surprise (cheap toy, snack, etc). When all the tickets are gone, we'll be there! I also have some "bonus" places marked that are accompanied with a story.

This one is just for my sake. I made a list of easy games to play that don't require anything special. I'll be keeping this in the glove compartment.

My First Garden

2009-07-09T15:28:00.002-04:00

I'd like to give some gardening advice to go along with these photos, but alas, I have none. Somehow my garden is growing without much effort on my part (besides the fact that I was fairly nervous that they would die in the beginning so I watched and watered and sprayed). Enjoy the fruits of my little labors, I know I will!

Cucumber blossoms.

Basil...fresh basil is the best!

Pepper blossom.

And one of our many garden friends.

Three Wishes for Anniversary #3

2009-06-30T11:47:00.004-04:00

Today is our third wedding anniversary. This year I found 3 fun glass containers at the secondhand store (aka Deseret Industries) for $1.50. Their purpose: to hold the magical genies that would be granting Brigham 3 celebratory wishes. His genies happened to be telepathic and already knew just what he wanted! Lucky.

I included this little poem with the jars:

Charley's Blankie

2009-06-26T11:22:00.002-04:00

Just a quick blankie I wanted to post.

Picture Perfect Dad

2009-06-20T23:10:00.006-04:00

Here is our Father's Day 2009 card. I got each of these pictures developed (that old fashioned practice) and gave Brigham the packet of pictures to flip through. When he opened it, he found these two cute girls with a special message for him.

To go along with the picture theme I also scheduled a daddy daughter photo shoot for him and enlarged a family picture we had taken this past spring.

Father's Day Edible Ties

2009-06-18T22:02:00.002-04:00

So here's a quick, easy and fun activity/gift for Father's Day: an edible tie. My sister-in-law, Candice did this a few years ago and I've always thought it was such a cute idea. Today our cousins came over and we gave it a try.

What you'll need:

Sugar Cookie Dough

Frosting

Candy for decorating

We made sugar cookie dough and I free-handed the ties before baking. Right after baking you can use a sharp knife to straighten any edges out or you can bake a rectangle and cut the tie directly from the hot, baked dough. You'll get sharper edges that way. The kids had a lot of fun decorating with icing and candy (and probably got sick from eating a large quantity of it).

The Recipe for Inexpensive and Easy Outdoor Fun

2009-06-04T23:00:00.007-04:00

Now that we have a little grass right outside our door, I have been looking for ideas of things to do that are easy and don't cost a lot of money. Here are some of the things we've tried and loved.

INGREDIENTS:
a hula hoop ($3)
bean bags (varies - you can make your own with scraps and beans/rice)
bubbles ($1)
sidewalk chalk ($1-2)
rope (varies - you can find jump ropes around $1)
ball ($1 and up)
container/bucket (anything from around the house = free)

DIRECTIONS:
Circle Walk
You don't have to go far when you go for a walk with your child--just walk in a circle in your backyard or at the park. To prevent dizziness, reverse the direction you're walking every now and then. Try the following actions as you walk together:
*Swing your arms forward and back.
*Stretch your arms overhead and walk on tiptoe
*Squat and walk like a duck
*Roll your head from shoulder to shoulder
*Rotate your arms like a windmill
*Walk fast then slow down; speed up and slow down.

Snake in the Grass
(4 rubber snakes...or beanbags)
Have your child stand on the far side of the yard and close his eyes. Hide the snakes in the grass in different places around the yard. When you yell, "Snake in the grass!" your child must run and find the snakes. Collect them and find them again.

Limbo
(rope)
Recruit another person to hold one end of a rope while you hold the other. Hold the rope at a height so your child can walk under it without touching it. Continue lowing the rope each time he attempts to pass under it. Eventually he'll have to inch under it on his back or tummy.
variation: start with the rope on the ground and raise it each time your child jumps over it.

Rope games
*Lay a long rope in a pattern on your grass. Try a zigzag pattern, circle, square or other shape. have your child walk along the rope.
*Lay the rope in a closed shape like a circle or square. Have your child think of how many ways he can move in and out of the shape. Try stepping in and out, jumping, somersaulting, etc.
*Lay the rope in a straight line and ask your child to think of how many ways he can go over it: walk across it, hop over it (on one or two feet), jump across it, crawl across it, and so on.

Frog Jump
(chalk or several hula hoops or rope)
Draw circles on the pavement with chalk. Or on the ground, lay hula hoops. Space the circles so your child can jump easily from one to the next. Have your child stand inside one of the circles and prepare to jump to another "pond". Encourage her to bend her knees, swing her arms, and jump, landing on both feet at the same time.

Jump the River
(chalk, ropes)
Use chalk to draw two long parallel lines apart on the pavement to make a "river" Draw a few rivers several feet part from one another. (You can use ropes to make the rivers on a grassy area). Have your child stand on one side of the first river. Show her how to jump across the river, swinging your arms forward as you jump and landing on both feet on the other side. You could also pretend to swim, row, etc across.

Beanbag Throw
(bean bag, container)
*Have your child throw a beanbag as high as he can.
*Have your child toss a beanbag in the air and catch it.
*Throw a beanbag in the air and have your child try to catch it.
*Throw a beanbag in the air and have your child try to catch it in a container.

Bouncing
(ball)
On the pavement, show your child how to bounce a ball. Have them hold the ball with both hands at waist level, then have them release the ball, let it bounce, and catch it. Remember to keep your eye on the ball...variation: Play some music and practice bouncing the ball to the beat.

Beanbag Hike
(Hula Hoop, beanbags)
Place a hula hoop on the ground. have your child stand several feet from the circle and face away from it. Tell him to bend at the waist and throw a bean bag between his legs and into the circle. if you like, award points for each throw. You could also have them face the hula hoop and just see how many he can throw into it.

Rock Walk
(Bucket, rocks, hula hoop)
Go on a walk with your child. Bring along a bucket and have him collect interesting-looking rocks (or pine cones or sticks, etc) as you walk. At home, empty the bucket and place it at your child's feet. hand your child a rock and have him try to drop it into the bucket from the level of his chest. If you like, partly fill the bucket with water first.
Variations:
*Place the bucket several fee away and have your child gently toss the rocks into it.
*Place a Hula hoop on the floor and have your child try to toss the rocks into it.

Alligator
(chalk, beanbag)
Draw a large rectangle on the pavement. In the center of the rectangle, draw an alligator. Around the alligator, draw a number of squares; for a toddler start with 4 squares, then add more as your child's ability increases. Number each square, or draw a number of objects to represent the numeral or color each square a different color. Have your child stand outside the rectangle and toss a beanbag into the squares in numerical order or by specified color. His beanbag can't land on the alligator. If it lands on the alligator, your child must start again from the first square.

Enjoy these activities. For more ideas, check out The Wiggle and Giggle Busy Book by Trish Kuffner. It has some great ideas.

Grad School M&M's

2009-05-10T20:05:00.004-04:00

Congratulations on your Graduation, Brigham!

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T19:22:00.004-04:00

Happy Mother's Day! I wanted to post this a couple of weeks ago, but I didn't want my mom to see it. Now that she has opened her package, I guess I'm safe. My mom has done so much for me (that goes without saying). I wanted her to feel special today and luckily I found the perfect (and beautiful) jewelry to send to her. Thank you Family Fun. Another bonus was that it was completely mailable. So this instruction sheet "How to be a Queen for the Day", jewelry, and some slippers were sent to the best mom ever for Mother's Day this year...who sometimes forgets that she's the Queen and not the servant. We love you, Mom!

Moving To-Do List

2009-05-10T19:12:00.003-04:00

This is just a simple idea that we did for a few of our friends before we move. It provided us one last opportunity to spend time with them. We'll miss you all!

The Joys of Moving

2009-05-03T14:23:00.003-04:00

Where I have I been? Doing this:

...packing, packing, more packing...

And will be for the next few weeks. Apologies to my faithful followers (my sister and my mom most likely:) who have been hoping for something new. Not to be for the moment.

Thanks to Sheryl for a great method for moving. We're doing color-coded labels with a master list of what is in each box in a folder. It is definitely more organized and hopefully will ease moving into our new place.

Sewing Books

2009-04-25T21:38:00.004-04:00

This past week I got two great sewing books from the library.

Beginning to Intermediate sewers.

I like this book because it encourages everyone to sew and emphasizes trying and "bending the rules". It also has all of the basic information you would need to sew most projects (terms, techniques, etc).

Includes many projects and instructions.

If you have a bit of sewing experience, nothing will be "new" information for you, but it has good instructions and is good to remember techniques.

This one says beginning to intermediate sewers as well, but it doesn't give the basic sewing information like the other book (at least not at the beginning. I believe there are instructions throughout for some things), so I would suggest having another instruction book if you're not familiar with sewing. However, the patterns are cuter and the instructions are great. There is a pocket in the front with patterns. She does have a section on selecting and caring for fabrics - especially vintage fabrics. I love Amy Butler fabrics so I thought this book/photos were nicely done.

All this said, I have yet to make a project from either book...I didn't think it would be a good idea to start more things when we're supposed to be moving in a matter of weeks.

Lulu & Charles

2009-04-22T19:43:00.000-04:00

Brigham and I refinished our first items of furniture.

We bought these cute, little green chairs at an antique shop:

And turned them into this fun pair:

Named Lulu and Charles after our two girls.

It was a lot of work due to layers of paint and stain and all the round pieces. There was a point where it didn't seem worth it. But then it all came together and it feels so good to know that we have two chairs that no one else has and we recreated them ourselves. Work always makes things more worthwhile.
I also made the seat cushions. The fabric is from Henry Glass designed by Barbara Jones. It's her Bubblegum Basics line and it is very cute! I actually ordered it from her. She lives in Bountiful, Utah.

To make an easy seat cushions:

Trace the seat of your chair onto a piece of paper. Calculate seam allowance and thickness of your foam pad. I used a 1 inch pad and a 1/2 inch seam allowance so I drew my pattern 1 inch wider all around the original seat shape. Also, make where you want the ribbon to come out to tie onto the chair back. Cut out the pattern. Lay out and pin onto your fabric (which should be folded wrong sides together). Mark fabric where ties should be. Cut out. Baste ties/ribbon onto marking. Pin right sides together making sure the ribbon is on the inside. Begin sewing on a normal stitch. Leave an opening at the back to put foam. Clip curves for a better shape. Turn right side out. Push out curves and corners as best as you can. Cut out a piece of foam with the original sized seat cover pattern. Put foam inside seat cover. Slip stich opening closed.

I still need to finish that tablecloth and then we're done!

Tea Cup Cake

2009-04-22T19:00:00.001-04:00

Lucy's birthday cake to kick off year two of her life:

A cupcake in a tea cup. Enjoy!

And an awesome frosting recipe from Bakerella.

Easy Buttercream Frosting

1 cup (2 sticks) butter (room temperature)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract1

1b. 10X powdered sugar

1-3 teaspoons milk, half and half or cream

Using a mixer, cream softened butter and vanilla until smooth.
Add sugar gradually, allowing butter and sugar to cream together before adding more.
If you want your frosting a little creamier, add a teaspoon of milk at a time and beat on high until you get the right texture.
Then, just use icing colors to tint the frosting the color of your choice.
This is usually just enough for a 2-layer cake, so I would recommend doubling this for a three-layer. But, I like a lot of frosting.

Tee Time Birthday Party

2009-04-22T18:56:00.000-04:00

The invitation:

We had a fun birthday for Miss Lucy yesterday afternoon.

Originally I wanted to have a tea party but many of her friends are boys, so a Tee Time seemed to work better. I called it Lucy's Par 2 Golf Course. There were 6 holes:

1. water hole: knock your ball to the pool, scoop up the letters that spell lucy’s name, then throw them back into the water. get your ball into the hole for a bonus point.
2. sand trap: smack your ball to the sand trap, dig up two number 2’s, then bury them again for the next player to find.
3. silly putting: work on your putting skills. get your ball into the hole 2 times.
4. driving school: practice your swing. hit the ball as far as you can at least 2 times. make sure everyone is done swinging when you retrieve your golf ball(s).
5. sitting pretty: feeling tired? pull up a chair and rest a while then hit your ball through the row of chairs and into the hole.
6. two for one: take your pick. get your ball into one of the two holes to end the game.
Bonus - hide ‘n’ golf seek: find 2 golf ball (circles or spheres)shaped objects hidden around the
playground/house for 2 bonus points. finders keepers.

Before the kids started golfing, they received a bag with a score card and stickers, a pencil, and a bottle of water. Then they picked up a golf club and a ball and set off for an afternoon on the links.

Each hole had a flag and an instruction card.

All that golfing made everyone hungry so we took a break to enjoy Club Sandwiches (your choice: PB & J Club or Turkey & Cheese Club).

A white chocolate covered popcorn golf ball.

And, of course, a cupcake.

Pettiskirt #2

2009-04-22T18:50:00.001-04:00

Remember my first pettiskirt? I finished Lucy's pettiskirt a couple of weeks ago. She recieved it for her birthday yesterday and loves it. Fortunately her favorite color became pink (this began yesterday).

I'll try to fix the flipped picture later.

Pill box idea

2009-04-19T21:40:00.000-04:00

So I got this idea here. And it was so cute that I didn't want to forget about it. I'm not planning on using it for Teacher Appreciation, but I will definitely be using it. I hope Brigham doesn't read this much. If he does, I hope he forgets easily.

The Creative Family

2009-04-14T13:36:00.000-04:00

I've wanted to do a post on this since I started reading it. The Creative Family by Amanda Blake Soule is a fun and inspiring book in which she shares a variety of ideas that she has used to bring creativity into her home. The best thing is that they are all simple. Many of the activities she has done remind me of things I did when I was younger. It was refreshing to read and got my creative juices flowing for things to begin doing in our home.

Natural Easter Egg Dyes

2009-04-11T21:59:00.000-04:00

This year I decided I wanted to dye our eggs using all natural dyes. I'd write down all the instructions so that you can try it sometime, but why do it when Martha already has? Check it out here. We tried spinach (unsuccessful), beets, curry, red cabbage, and onion skins. My favorite were the onion skin dyed eggs. They had a beautiful yellow and brown pattern. The curry produced a light yellow egg, the beets a pale pink, and the cabbage made a blue egg. I left a few overnight and the colors intensified. The blue was awesome. It was a fun experiment and leaves you with a very healthy dinner afterwards.

Best Ever Sugar Cookies

2009-04-07T20:53:00.000-04:00

I have found that people definitely have an opinion on what sugar cookie they think are the best. I have tried many, many recipes and this one from my childhood is still my favorite. To be honest, it is probably more of a shortbread cookie, but I use it for most of my cutout cookies. The reason I like it: the flavor (buttery sweet). I also like my cookies soft, so I roll them thick and make sure not to overcook them. They are great with or without frosting.

Best Ever Sugar Cookies

2 C butter (I do half margarine half butter)
2 C granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 t vanilla
4-5 C flour (I add this at the end just until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl...too much flour = dry cookies)
1/2 t mace (optional...I don't always add this)
1/2 t salt
2 t baking powder

Preheat oven to 350. Cream together butter, sugar, & eggs. Mix in dry ingredients until dough just pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Let chill for at least an hour. Roll to about 1/4 inch thickness on a lightly floured surface, cut out and bake for 10-12 minutes. Bottoms will be light golden brown. Cook longer for a crispier cookie.

Thumb Bunnies

2009-04-07T20:14:00.000-04:00

These thumb/finger print bunnies were too cute and easy to pass up this year.

Don't Eat Pete!

2009-04-06T20:44:00.000-04:00

I am in the process of several big projects. In the meantime, I thought I'd share our latest game. Thanks to Becky from my Family Home Evening exchange group last year, we were able to play an Easter version of Don't Eat Pete. I bet you can't guess who thoroughly enjoyed it.

If you don't know the game, all you need is a card with words, pictures, colors (whatever you want) in each square and candy (or food of some sort...I suppose you could use fruit and vegetables if you prefer).
-Cover each square with a candy (we used jelly beans)
-Have one person leave the room
-Pick one square (we picked two to avoid a 2 year old getting every bean on the card).
-Have the person come back
-Person begins eating candy off squares
-When they take the candy from the chosen square(s), yell "Don't Eat Pete!"
That ends their turn and someone else leaves the room and the game begins again until all the candy is gone.

Jester for the Day

2009-04-01T20:22:00.000-04:00

For April Fool's Day, little Miss L got to be a Jester for the day. The days events included making a jingle bell jester hat, painting and decorating bird puppets, a puppet show, learning how to juggle and entertain, and practicing jokes.

Grandma's Granola

2009-03-30T20:11:00.000-04:00

Since we're moving soon, I've been trying to use some of our food storage. Today I decided to make use of our oatmeal supply. Missy L & C and I made my Grandma Heaton's Granola recipe. It is so good which is bad because that means I've already had my fair share of granola for the week (and I have no plans of halting my intake). It's a perfectly sweet, crunchy granola - good for snacking and enjoying with milk, yogurt or fruit. Keep in mind it makes a lot. I had to use 3 jellyroll pans to bake it all and ended up with 2 gallon-sized storage bags full (approx 16-18 cups).

Granny Esther's Granola

8 C rolled oats
3 C wheat flakes (brand name: Zoom, find it on the hot cereal aisle)
2 C wheat germ (also found by the hot cereal)
2 C coconut
1 C nuts
1 ¼ C brown sugar
½ C honey
1 C oil (I added about a 1/4 cup less)
1 C water
1 T vanilla
2 t salt
(optional) craisins or your favorite dried fruit.

Combine all dry ingredients and mix. Add liquid ingredients. Mix again until everything is evenly coated. Add nuts. Spread on jelly roll pan and bake at 225 F for 1 ½ hours until golden brown (I use a Sil-pat or parchment paper to keep my pans clean). Stir occasionally (about every 30 minutes). Add in dried fruit when cooled.

Sugar-free Jelly Bean Bags

2009-03-27T15:44:00.000-04:00

I saw this cute idea and thought it would be a great alternative for Easter candy this year. They were easy and turned out great. If I did it again, I would cut my beans out a little bit fatter. Just a suggestion for those who want to make some, too. Also, I used cotton prints instead of felt due to my lack of Easter colored felt.

Preview: Birthday Invites

2009-03-27T15:42:00.000-04:00

Just finished these yesterday:

...invites for miss l's friends.

dad's invitation...it's supposed to be a tea bag if you can't tell.

March Mad Scientist Week: Kitchen Science

2009-03-27T15:35:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we did several kitchen science experiments:

1. Yeast: we activated yeast using sugar and warm water in an empty water bottle, put a balloon around the rim of the bottle, and then watched as it inflated the balloon.

2. Lemon Juice Art: we colored with lemon juice and q-tips, let it dry and then baked at 350 for 5 minutes. The heat browns the juice and makes a picture appear. Make sure you saturate your q-tip often.

3. Cornstach and Water Goop: by mixing 1 part water to 2 parts cornstarch, we made a substance that was a liquid when you held it and a solid when you moved it around.

4. Vinegar and Baking Soda volcano: We colored our white vinegar with a little food coloring to make it red, then poured it into our container of baking soda to make our volcanic eruption.

March Mad Scientist Week: Plants

2009-03-27T15:29:00.000-04:00

Wednesday was plant day. We made diagrams of the parts of plant, found plants in our refrigerator and checked out the results of our celery experiment that we started on Monday. My favorite part was slicing the celery and looking at the holes (I think they call them the xylem if we're getting scientific) that were dyed red. Carnations would have been neat, but we didn't have any of those on hand. We also cut open an apple to find the seeds and then had it (the apple not the seeds) for our snack.