Happy New Year

Wishing you a very happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!

  

Happy 2014!

New Years resolution

It's New Year's Eve.

A time when people like to reflect on the past year and all that has happened. 

The good.
The bad. 
The ugly.

It's also a time to look ahead and see all that can happen.  That would be the good things.

Some like to make New Year's Resolutions.  That's where they decide they are going to change something in their life, for the better.  A fresh start for the new year.   For some people it's to eat better, exercise more or lose weight.

I don't make New Year's Resolutions.  I think it's something that one can do any time of the year.  You don't have to wait until January 1st to change something about yourself.  You can do that any time of year. 

Do you make New Year's Resolutions? 

And, how is your day going?

On the days that I work, during lunch, I text RT. I tell him how the day is going for me (if it has been busy, who I'm working with, funny things that happen).  I always ask him how his day is going. 

Some days he texts me right back. Others, I get the text when I'm heading home for the day. 

Today at lunch i texted RT to let him know that it was real slow. I didn't hear back from him. 

 

I imagined RT and the kids having a great time. Sledding (no matter that it was 3F outside) then heading back home for hot chocolate. Talking and laughing about all of the fun they were having. 

When I left for the day, I started my car and waited a few minutes for it to warm up. I decided to look at my phone and see if RT ever had the chance during his fun-filled day to text me back. 

I was happy to see a text from him. It said, 

"The kids are driving me nuts!"

Merry Christmas!

 

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas!

Easy Homemade Gifts

Only a couple more days until Christmas!  Are you finished with your Christmas shopping?

I had my week of homemade gift ideas.  Hope that helped someone out there.

For you last minute people, here is a list of homemade items from past blog posts that you can make to gift to others:

Bottle cap necklace
Fun Scrapbooks
Flower Pen
Upcycling empty cans  hold pens or a vase for your flower pens
Jingle Bell Bracelet (children's craft)
Homemade Bubbles
Laundry Detergent (powder)
Homemade Liquid Hand Soap
Homemade Lip Balm
Homemade Lotion

Of course, you can take a look at my recipe section and make some cookies or brownies, too!

Homemade Blank Books

I thought I had a post about these blank books on my blog.  If I do, I have yet to find the post!

I have made these blank books before (for myself) and think they would make a great gift for someone.  They are very inexpensive to make because you are reusing products that you already have on hand!  I'm all for recycling.

This is where I would say, "Take a look at my previous post for more details on the "how to" part."  Of course, I can't find the previous post, so, I will have to reinvent the wheel here and give you a step by step process. 

You can find these books and "how to" instructions on other blogs.  I didn't come up with this idea, but, I do enjoy making them and think they would make a wonderful gift for someone on your list.

Let's get started!

Supplies needed:
cardboard (you can use an empty cereal box or tissue box)
awl or crop-o-dile
pretty paper (or duct tape)
glue
scissors
pencil
ruler
plain paper (for the inside of the book) (I used notebook paper for a couple of books)
embroidery thread and needle

First, cut off the top of your box and cut down one of the sides of the box.  There is a side where the box is glued together, that's usually the side I use.   At this point, you can cut off one of the side panels.

For a small book, I use a Kleenex box.  I measure the size on the side of the box and cut.  This way it will fold naturally and I won't have to tape two pieces of card board together.  Your book will fold nicely along the lines.  Just make sure to measure so both sides are even.  This is where a ruler comes in handy.  

Now to decorate the book.  You can use pretty paper (placed to cover the wording on the card board).  You can put paper on both the inside and outside if you want.  Pictured below on the left is a book using the paper on the outside, the right side shows using the paper inside the book.

 Below is a picture using (pretty) duct tape.  I used this on the outside of the book.

Once your book is decorated, it is time to make holes in the crease of the book.  I used my crop o dile.  An awl will work, too. 

Cut your paper that you plan on using for the inside of your notebook down to size.  You will then need to make sure that it is folded and has holes where it will be attached into the notebook.

yea, owls...guess whooo?  this one is for?

 

 Using your embroidery thread and needle, sew up your book.  I started so I left a little of the thread hanging out on the inside back cover of the book.  You can also have it tie in the inside middle of the book.  (I have seen some where it is tied on the outside of the book).  Sew from one hole to the next.  I would make sure that you hit each hole two to three times just to make sure that the paper is snug inside the book.  Tie the ends together.

And you are done.

These small books are great to throw in your purse or backpack.  Make a little smaller and it could fit in a shirt pocket.

Thankful for what I have

The holidays are a crazy time of year. Everyone is busy running around. Buying gifts for the special people on their list.  With all of this spending and craziness, it's hard to remember the true meaning of Christmas.

Then, along comes someone who, when asked, "What do you want for Christmas?"  Answers with, "Nothing. I have everything I need."

I know there are a lot of people that use that answer.  This time, the reply came from my thirteen year old. The one with the big heart.

When I asked Alex to give me a Christmas list, he responded, "I'm okay.  I already have everything I need."  

I can't say I was shocked. He's pretty easy going. Doesn't ask for much. 

His answer did make me think about Christmas and how it has turned into a shopping season.  Ads and sales that try to get people to spend more money on "things."  "Things" we don't necessarily need.

For us, Jesus is the reason for the season.  One of the greatest gifts ever.  The message seems to get lost in all of the sales and shopping.

I don't think there is a way to stop the shopping frenzy that goes on for the holidays.  People buy gifts and stores want to make money.

I guess it's up to each individual to decide what is important to them. 

For me, it's my family and friends.

Christmas Spirit

So, RT comes up with this great idea of making cookies and hot chocolate mixes for a bunch of friends and neighbors. What a great way to spread Christmas cheer!  He said he would handle it all but needed my help. (Uh oh)

I spent my day off making cookies and hot chocolate mixes for fifteen families. Many thanks go to my side kick, Bella. She decorated the cookies for me. After making all those cookies, decorating was not on my mind (running away sounded good).  Alex made the tags and helped RT wrap the plates.  They will be delivered tomorrow. 

 

 

The best way to spread Christmas cheer is

 singing loud for all to hear 

making lots of cookies to share.

Twine Napkin Holders

I thought I would add these twine napkin holders to my week of homemade gifts.  An easy, homemade, inexpensive gift.

I purchased these beautiful avocado green shower curtain rings for next to nothing.  Yea, I was wondering why they didn't just give them to me.  I mean, who has avocado green in their house decor? 

I took some twine and hot glue and transformed them into some pretty napkin holders.  I had a little help from my sidekick Bella.  She was a little nervous about messing up.  I said she will do wonderfully.  And, she did.

This isn't a difficult project and it is very inexpensive to make. 

Supplies needed:
shower curtain rings
twine (ribbon, washi tape, material)
hot glue

Bella and I used twine. 

This is pretty simple.

Cut a good length of twine.  Place a small amount of hot glue on the inside and put the end of the twine down and apply a small amount of pressure. 

 

Wind the twine around the ring, adding hot glue to the inside every so often.  Make sure the twine is tight, you don't want the avocado green peeking through.  When you are done, hot glue the end so it is on the inside of the ring.

 

If you want, you can embellish the napkin ring by gluing on a button, a leaf or fancy jewel.

This is a project that a child can do (with help).  Bella helped me make a few napkin holders.  I had to handle the hot glue gun, but, she did a great job with wrapping the twine. 

I know we did a good job. 

 

Nick came over to me and said that they were cool.

 

Homemade Note cards

Today we are making homemade (handmade?) note cards.  I'm cheating a little.  The cards are already made.  They are blank cards with envelopes that you can find at Michael's in the dollar bin. 

So, I guess we are done for the day....

Oh, right.  We should probably pretty them up. 

This is another great gift to make for someone. It's also a great gift that a child can make for someone.  (PSSST!  Makes a great Secret Santa gift, too!)

I enlisted my favorite side kick, Bella, to help me with this process.  She's artsy and would get a kick out of making some cards for someone. 

I took a stab at making a couple of cards myself.  I used a punch and punched all around the outer edges of the card.  I decided to add some red paper underneath it to make it stand out a little. 

                                       

On the second card, I used the same punch and only punched down one side of the card

At this point, I let my sidekick jump in and take this all to another level.  I told her there were no limits to what she could do to the card. (scary thought)  I told Bella that the cards were to be given as gifts so someone else can use them when they want to send a note (or letter).  Bella didn't understand why anyone would want a card that didn't say anything inside it.  She said her friends would think it was weird that she didn't write inside the cards.  I then had to go into this long explanation about blank cards. 

Once that 4 hour conversation about blank cards finished, I let Bella release her inner creative self and do some work on the boring blank cards.  I think she did pretty good.

 

decorative note cards

All set and ready to be gifted. 
Not to Bella's friends, tho.  They will think it's weird.

Homemade Lotion Bars

I am loving my homemade lotion that I make.  The last time I made it I used Cocoa Butter and I think I like it a lot better.  It's not as greasy as the Shea butter.  It seems to soak in a lot faster.   If you want to view the recipe, click HERE.

My problem is when I'm out and about and need to put some lotion on my hands.  The cold weather seems to dry my hands out pretty quickly and bringing my big glass jar with me everywhere might prove to be a bit difficult (unless I get a larger purse?).  So, I thought why not make a lotion bar so I can bring it with me. 

Why am I adding this post this week?  Because a lotion bar made of natural ingredients makes a wonderful holiday gift for that someone special.  That someone special might just be you, so, make an extra for yourself! 

I got this recipe from Crunch Betty.  You can visit her website by clicking here.  She has some cool things on her site.  Look around. 

I'm not going to go into all the details with lots of pictures.  Crunchy Betty did a great job with pictures and step by step instructions.

Here's the recipe:

Simple Lotion Bar Recipe

Equal parts of:  beeswax, shea butter, and sweet almond oil (or any other carrier oil your heart desires)*

15 drops essential oil of your choice (optional)

*I used cocoa butter (because that is what I had on hand and I like how it turned out in my last batch of homemade lotion)

 

You knew it would be a heart shaped lotion bar, didn't you?  What other shape would I make?

I have to say I love them!  I don't have a tin to keep my lotion bar in.  I have been putting it in a plastic snack bag so it doesn't get all over the inside of my purse. 

If you make them, let me know how yours turn out.  I would love to hear about it!

Homemade Hot Chocolate

I know.  You see recipes for homemade Hot Chocolate all over the Internet.  But, you have to admit, it makes a great gift for someone this time of year (it's about 7 degrees F as I write this post).

I made the mix and had several cups of hot chocolate made so I could take some pictures, but, they all disappeared.  I was a little bummed, but, I took it as a good sign when all of the mugs came back empty.  :)

Here's a picture of my cup of hot chocolate.  (not as exciting as the four mugs I made)

 

Try making it yourself.  It's really easy to make.  Here's the recipe:

Hot Chocolate Mix

 

2 cups powdered sugar

1 cup cocoa

2 1/2 cups powdered milk

2 teaspoons of cornstarch

1 teaspoon salt

 

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl.

To use:  add 1/4 cup of hot chocolate mix in your cup.  Pour in hot water and stir.

Seal the rest in an airtight container.

(you can also use warm milk instead of water)


The best thing about gifting Hot Chocolate is making it look festive. 

A couple of ideas:

Put the hot chocolate in a bag and put inside a nice mug.  Maybe add a small bag of marshmallows.

Put the hot chocolate in a glass jar and tie a pretty ribbon around the jar.

I purchased a package of cone shaped bags and added the hot chocolate.  I put some marshmallows on top and tied it off.

 

hot chocolate gift

 

hot chocolate gift with mug

Don't forget to add a pretty tag with instructions!

Cheers!

Handmade Felt Heart Ornaments

I'm so excited about this week's "Handmade" gift ideas.  These gift ideas are especially great for Secret Santa gifts!  They are not very expensive to make (you might have most/all of the materials on hand!)  Some of these gifts can be made by children.  And on some, your child can help you. 

Enough talking about it....Let's get started!

I thought I would start out the week with Felt Heart Ornaments.  I chose hearts because I like hearts.  I guess you can use another shape if you like.  I thought this would be an easy gift idea to make for someone on your list.  This ornament is also a great idea for a Secret Santa gift. 

I don't have pictures for everything I did when making this ornament.  I do have step by step instructions on how to make the felt ornament.

Here we go....

Supplies needed:
Paper
pencil
pins (optional)
felt (I used white, off white would look good, too)
buttons (I used red and stayed with the same color)
thread (color of your felt and the color of your buttons)
stuffing (cotton balls will work, too)
scissors
ribbon

Draw a heart.  Best done free hand.  And, don't try to draw the perfect heart.  I know it's hard.  I love drawing perfect hearts.

I drew my heart so it was a little longer and thinner.

 

Cut the heart out and pin to felt and lightly trace onto the felt using the pencil. 


Cut hearts out and match up and start sewing on the buttons (mine are sewn on randomly). 

Once the buttons are sewn on both hearts, sew the two hearts together (buttons on the outside).  Take your ribbon (you don't need much, just enough so you will be able to hang onto a tree...say, 5 inches?) and fold in half and sew (I made sure that mine was sticking out of the middle on top of the heart). 

Once the ribbon is attached, you can use your pins to pin the two hearts together to make it easier to sew.  Now you can start sewing your hearts together.  (I used white thread on my white hearts, feel free to use a different color)

Once you are halfway around, stuff your hearts and finish sewing up your ornament.

felt heart ornament

All ready for the tree!

We made it!

Ahhhh, paradise!

Sorry for the lack of posts.  This job thing just gets in the way of my blogging life.

I have several posts in the works.  Next week I am going to attempt handmade holiday gift ideas.  I thought this would be the perfect time since we still have a few weeks until Christmas.  These are really simple ideas.  Time to get your craft on and crank out some gifts. 

I have several ideas and am hoping to have enough to fill the week.  (wish me luck)

Long live the ghetto van

So, I had to work today (Black Friday) and all I wanted to do was kick my feet up and possibly go to bed early tonight.

I got a call around 8:30pm from Nick that the Volvo (RT's car) died and needed to be jumped.  So, there I am, grabbing jumper cables and going to help Nick jump a car.

 

Jumper cables?

Jump starting a car?

SOOOO not me....

Running errands

 I had  a few errands that I had to get done today (my day off). I park quite a distance away from the store(s) I went to and (literally) ran into the store. It was a nice sprint from my car into the store.

I think I put the "run" back into "running errands."  

Is there a big party going on at my house while I'm at work?  I think I do more dishes now that I'm working than I did when I was at home. 

Clean up after yourselves!

I'm a little worried about RT and this whole stay at home thing. He is already plotting on how to rile up the office worker at Bella's school.  She is grumpy and gets annoyed when answering the phone. (she's grumpy in person, too)

It's actually pretty funny what he wants to do (call and take his time asking a question).  I would let him go ahead with it, but we have three more years at that school. 

Saw a guy shaving in his car on my way to work this morning. I was going to tell him he missed a spot, but the light turned green. 

RT now has the cold.  Probably because he has been the stay at home mom the last couple of days.

Nick and I are taking our vitamins and "trying" to stay as far away from the others.

Let's hope it passes quickly without any other victims.

Two down, one to go

My third day of work today. 

Bella stayed home yesterday (she was sick). 

Today, Bella and Alex are at home, sick. 

Of course, I had to get Pippen all worked up before I left for work. 

Should be a fun day for RT today. 

Girl Scout Way - Legacy Patch

This is for Brownies.  The Girl Scout Way Legacy patch.

We earned this patch over a couple of meetings.  I thought I would share a little about what we did in order to earn this patch and maybe offer a few suggestions, too.

This badge is to show the sisterhood, celebrate traditions and make the world a better place.

These are the steps to achieve the Girl Scout Way patch.

1.  Sing everywhere.
2.  Celebrate Juliette Gordon Low's birthday.
3.  Share sisterhood.
4.  Leave a place better than you found it.
5.  Enjoy Girl Scout Traditions.

For "Sing Everywhere" we learned several new songs.  I was only going to have them sing one or two, but, the girls insisted on singing all of them! 

I listed the songs in this post HERE so you can take a look at them.  They are pretty easy (and fun) to sing.

Luckily, for "Celebrate Juliette Gordon Low's Birthday" we were doing this around the end of October (JGL's birthday is October 31).  We talked about JGL and how she founded Girl Scouts.  We did two interactive stories.  We sang "Happy Birthday" to JGL and we celebrated with cupcakes! 

*If you are doing this at a different time of year,  you can celebrate Girl Scout's birthday (March 12).  You can talk about JGL and how she started girl scouts. 

For "Share Sisterhood" we wrote thank you notes to a (daisy) troop that sent us friendship bracelets and cards.
*another idea would be to make a gift for another troop.

For "Leave a place better than you found it" we had the girls write what they can do to have their room clean (most added a few chores in the morning).  We also talked about how to keep our meeting room neat and how it is important to clean up when we are done.  At this point, we learned the Tidying Up Song (listed in the Brown Brownie book)  A song from the 1960's sung to the tune of "London Bridge"

Weave the magic in and out, in and out, in and out.
Weave the magic in and out for we are Brownies.

We have tidied everything, everything, everything
We have tidied everything for we are Brownies.

The girls LOVED this song SO SO much that they kept singing it until our meeting room was neat and tidy!

Finally, for "Enjoy Girl Scout Traditions" we went outside for this part.  We played a couple of games that are played by other girls scouts in other countries.

One of the games was played in Sweden.  One girl is the bear who is sleeping.  The other girls stand around her and ask, "Mr. Bear, are you awake?"  (the sleeping bear ignores them)  The girls then yell, "MR. BEAR ARE YOU AWAKE?"  At that, Mr. Bear gets up and chases the girls (who run to safety) and tries to tag as many girls as she can.  The girls that are tagged become cubs and help Mr. Bear the next time around.

We also played a game from Africa, the Hawk and the Hens.  There are two safe areas (almost like running bases).  The "Hawk" stands in the center and says, "Come out little hens."  The hen's have to run from one safe spot to the other without getting tagged.  If they are tagged, they have to sit out.

We did this over two meetings (believe it or not).  Our meetings last one hour (no snack).

Pickup/Drop off Lane

There's always one in the pickup/drop off lane and I happened to be right behind her. 

Today at pick up (I have been driving the boys brother this week) the woman in front of me had to reach around in her car looking for her car tag (almost causing an accident ).  She waited awhile (in the lane for opposing traffic, due to her inability to find the car tag while driving) before turning into the pick up lane.  And, of course, would not move up when all of the other cars in front of her moved causing a huge line of traffic in the street. 

Glad I only do this once on awhile. 

Temporary Hair Dye

Seems like a really cool gift to get a young girl.  Who doesn't want to add a little color to their hair?

The hair dye comes in small bottles and you just paint it onto your hair. (More like combing it into your hair).   It's very popular with younger girls (ages 8+).  It's a fun way to add some color to your hair (temporarily).

The one thing the box forgets to mention is that the dye can stain your counter top.  It does say to keep away from your clothes, but, no mention of the counter top.

Currently, my formica bathroom counter top has a few pink stains on it.

I got a job

So, before I went on that group interview I ran out and applied at a couple more places. Deep down, I did not want to take a job working at the mall in a clothing store during the hollidays (can you say nightmare?).

One of the places that I applied at called me Monday morning. I interviewed with them(a toy store) that day, accepted the job and started the next day (it's a seasonal job).

So far, so good. 

Wish me luck. 

*by the way, the clothing store called (after I accepted this job and started working) to tell me I got the job. I guess it takes some time. It also helps that it's the holliday season. 

Favorite Toy

How can a toy sit around, untouched for months on end, finally gets picked up by one kid, and all of a sudden it's all of the kids favorite toy?

"That's my favorite toy!"  

"No, that's my favorite toy!"

I wrote about favorite toys awhile back in THIS post. I think this haunts every parent at least once during their parenting career. Unfortunately, for me, it's been more than once. 

Earlier today Bella went to a friends house.  She brought over half the contents of her room. I said to make sure she remembers everything. (of course she will remember everything!) 

As we are going to bed tonight, she runs to one of the bags she used to carry all of her stuff to her friends house and starts fishing around. Turns out she forgot her Beanie Boo ("Slush") at her friends house.  She has a million other stuffed animals in her room but she HAS TO HAVE "Slush."

I was finally able to calm her down and get her to bed (without Slush).  I promised that I would retrieve Slush tomorrow and bring him back to the safety of her room.

Mom to the rescue. 

All is right with the world.

Girl Scout Songs

Thought I would list a few songs that we learned in our brownie troop the other day.  The girls absolutely loved these songs.  I thought we would sing just one or two songs and save the rest for another meeting.  The girls insisted on singing all of them.  We had a great time with them.

Here they are:

We are Brownies

(to the tune: "Are You Sleeping?")

We are Brownies, we are Brownies,
In a ring, in a ring.
We are Girl Scout Brownies, we are Girl Scout Brownies
Hear us sing, hear us sing.

We discover, we discover
Things to do, things to do.
We are ready helpers, we are ready helpers.
How about you, how about you? (point)

I'm a Girl Scout

(to the tune of "Brother John")

I'm a Girl Scout.
I'm a Girl Scout.
Who are you?
Who are you?
Can't you tell by looking?
Can't you tell by looking?
I'm one too.
I'm one too.

All Girl Scouts

 (Cadence)

I don't know but I've been told,
All Girl Scouts are good as gold.
I am one and I say it's true,
Scouting's great for me and you.

Sound off: 1, 2,
Sound off: 3,4,
Bring it on down: 1,2, 3, 4
1,2,- 3,4.

Daisy's have a disc of blue,
They are Scouts that are brand new.
They are cute and they are sweet,
Daisy Scouts are fun to meet.

Brownies have a disc of green,
They are second on the scene,
They wear a uniform that's brown,
Their smile song can erase a frown .

Junior level is the next,
A yellow disk is on their vest,
They say that camping is big fun,
And they earn badges one by one.

Cadettes are teens that care a lot,
Their service projects hit the spot,
white disc is the one they wear,
The name Girl Scouts they're proud to wear.

Seniors disc are red, I know,
They are Girl Scouts on the go,
With Wider Opportunities,
Some Girl Scouts go overseas.

Leaders have no disc at all,
They come all sizes, big and small,
They share their time and talents too,
They make Girl Scouting great for you.

He's Got the Whole World in His Hands

He's Got the Whole World in His Hands

(Girl Scout Version)

He's got the whole world in His hands
He's got the whole world in His hands
He's got the whole world in His hands
He's got the whole world in His hands

He's got the Dainty, Dainty Daisies in His hands
He's got the Dainty, Dainty Daisies in His hands
He's got the Dainty, Dainty Daisies in His hands
He's got the whole world in His hands

He's got the Busy, Busy Brownies in His hands
He's got the Busy, Busy Brownies in His hands
He's got the Busy, Busy Brownies in His hands
He's got the whole world in His hands

He's got the Jazzy, Jazzy Juniors in His hands
He's got the Jazzy, Jazzy Juniors in His hands
He's got the Jazzy, Jazzy Juniors in His hands
He's got the whole world in His hands

He's got the Crazy, Crazy Cadettes in His hands
He's got the Crazy, Crazy Cadettes in His hands
He's got the Crazy, Crazy Cadettes in His hands
He's got the whole world in His hands

He's got the Sassy, Sassy Seniors in His hands
He's got the Sassy, Sassy Seniors in His hands
He's got the Sassy, Sassy Seniors in His hands
He's got the whole world in His hands

He's got the Lovely, Lovely Leaders in His hands
He's got the Lovely, Lovely Leaders in His hands
He's got the Lovely, Lovely Leaders in His hands
He's got the whole world in His hands

Let me know if you have any favorite Girl Scout songs!  I would love to hear them!

Social anxiety

I would have written this post sooner but I have been in the closet curled up in the fetal position.

That's how I feel sometimes when being thrown into unknown situations. I do try  to make the best of every situation. Taking it as a challenge and, hopefully as a learning experience. My Dad's words always ring heavily in my ears, "The good time is within you. If you don't have a good time, there's something wrong with you."

After a long time of filling out applications, I finally got an interview (with a company I did not apply to).  It really isn't my dream job, but, hey, it's a job.

This all went down on Saturday.

My interview was with a popular clothing store in the mall (two places I don't want to be at, especially during the holiday season).  It was a group interview.  My first group interview.  That's where you interview with the manager and other job candidates.

Believe it or not, I was the oldest candidate.  I know.  I know.  Me?  Yea.  I couldn't believe it either. 

It was a fun interview.  Very interactive.  We all got to answer the questions (the manager would ask a question, then we would each take a turn and give our answer).  Then we were instructed to pick out an outfit that someone could wear to a business meeting and then a piece that they can take off to turn it into an outfit they can wear out on a date.  I think I did pretty good on that one.  (so did everyone else...I loved all of the outfits that were chosen)

We were then told that we would all get a call back within a day or two.

Outside of the store (in the mall) several of us gathered to discuss what just happened (that's where the age thing came up).

Each person was unique.  One was from Kenya, one was from Pakistan and another from Poland.  We talked for awhile then wished everyone luck as we said our goodbyes. 

I came out of the experience thinking it was quite enjoyable. As the one woman said, "I try to enjoy every minute. I don't get nervous. I take this as something new to experience."

Wise words. 

Fort Hotel Day

It's one of those cozy up days. 

Make a fort and hang out in the house. 

Here is Bella's fort hotel. 

The board to your left is to let you know who is in. You have to leave your drivers license. (Post-it note with hand drawn picture)

Probably because he's afraid to go inside the fort (he's afraid of pillows and blankets). 

Have a great day!

Pumpkin Drop

As promised, HERE is a link to the famous Pumpkin Drop that our church does every year.  This one was pretty cool.  Hope you enjoy it!

Don't forget the cake! Owl Cup cakes and Owl Cake

What is a birthday party without cake (or cupcakes)?

And for an owl birthday you must have owl cupcakes.  Maybe an owl cake.  Or, how about  both cake and cupcakes?  Everybody likes cake.

For our cupcakes:

 

Frost your cupcakes (you can use vanilla or chocolate frosting).  Split apart sandwich cookies (or oreo cookies).  Put a dab of frosting onto an M&M and place onto center of cookie.  Use candy corn for the owl beak.  We made some owls with kooky eyes.

For the cake:

Bella decorated the cake.  I think she did a great job. 

Frost your cake (we used vanilla frosting).  Chocolate chips for the big eyes (and wings).  Candy corn to make the owl's beak.

I think that's it for owls for awhile....it's hard to pass the spa socks in the store without thinking what a cute owl it would make 

Happy Birthday, Bella!

Wood Owl Key Chain

Another owl birthday party post.

Another activity that the girls got to do was to color wooden owls.  I purchased small, plain wood owls from Michaels craft store.  The owls can be painted or decorated however you choose.  Since we were working in a certain time frame, I decided to have the girls use colored markers to decorate their owl. 

Supplies needed:
Wooden owl
markers
modge podge
brush
ball chain and closures
scissors

I had RT drill a hole at the top center of the owls (so we can then put the chain in for the key chain).

The girls colored their owls using the markers.  We put a coat of Modge Podge on both sides of the owl.  I used the satin finish.  Makes them look sparkly.  :)  

Make sure that your chain is cut with the closures attached.  I made them so the girls could attach them to their backpacks.  About 2" long.

Once the owl is dry, thread the chain through the hole, close it and you are done!

The girls had such fun making these key chains.

Owl sock plush animals - Fuzzy Owls

Bella decided on an Owl theme for her birthday.  She says she likes the colorful owls.  I like the colorful owls, too and thought that would be a fun birthday theme.  Of course, then I had to scour the Internet for owl birthday party activities.  Oh, the life of the birthday party planner....

Bella mentioned that she loved when she had her veterinarian party and a box of puppies appeared on our front door step (stuffed animals,  not real puppies) and all of the girls got to adopt a puppy.   I thought, why not adopt an owl?  A cute, colorful owl.  

I had a hard time finding little, cute owls that the girls could adopt so, I did what any normal person would do.....I decided to make them.  AHHHH!! 

Thankfully, I found this wonderful tutorial HERE an appropriately named blog that is titled, How to make a Sock Owl.  Great pictures and easy to follow instructions on making a sock owl.

My first sock owl

I did make a few adjustments (of course).  I used fuzzy spa socks I found at the dollar store.  I purchased both children's socks and some adult socks for this project.  I found that for the adult sock, you can make two owls out of each sock. 

they multiply pretty fast if you let them

I had felt (white for the eye and a light beige felt for the outer eye, and an orangy yellow for the beak) and buttons for the eye balls and I even had some stuffing on hand (SCORE!). 

Just follow the instructions on the blog.  The children's socks I used worked out great.  They can be cut a little shorter if you want.

On some of the owls I used Adult spa socks.  The only difference: cut socks straight across at the heal.  You will have to trim where you made the cut (to straighten it out a little) before you start the entire owl making process. 

With this cut, you can then make two owls (one from the top piece and one from the bottom piece).  They will be a little smaller, but, they turn out adorable.  We are calling them baby owlettes.

Oh, and don't forget the owl adoption certificate!  That official piece of paper needed for all owl adoptions.  I went quite simple with this one.  I made the certificate on my computer, printed it out and glued it onto some pretty scrapbook paper.   I made a small owl template and using scrapbook paper, made an owl to put onto the certificate.

"Owl be your friend forever!"

Love it!

 

These sock owls are so much fun to make that when I was finished, I still wanted to make more!  I think Alex was right.  He will come home one day and find his room full of stuffed owls.




 

Maybe I should make one HUGE owl for him????

Owl Birthday Party

I thought I would share some of the craziness that has been taking up my life for the last month.

I briefly talked about sewing owls.  If you missed that most you can find that right HERE.

Bella mentioned that she wanted an owl Birthday Party.  "The colorful owls."   I thought that would be fun to do and I'm always up for a challenge.  Little did  I know I would be making 8 stuffed owls for the girls.....

Let's start with the invitations.  I made an owl template by folding my piece of paper in half and drawing half of the owl. 

I made it very simple and made sure that the piece of paper is a little smaller than the size of my card.  Open up the template when done cutting and then start drawing your owls on your paper.

I made a second template of the owl and cut out wings so I can use them as a wing template.  I used some of my pretty paper for the owls.

Inside it reads:

 

Guess WHOOOOO is turning 8? 

Bella! 

Come on over and help her celebrate. 

Date

Time

Place: (last name here)'s  nest

RSVP

So, once all of that is done....

I had to start making stuffed owls.

 

This is the part where Alex was worried because of the multiplying owls.

There are owls everywhere in our house.

Tune in tomorrow to learn more about how to make stuffed owls.  You won't want to miss it.

Does anyone RSVP anymore?

RSVP

Those four little letters that appear on most invitations.

RSVP  short for the French:  Répondez, s'il vous plaît.

In other words, "Are you coming to the event or not?  Let us know."

Responding to invitations has been around a long time.  I won't go into all the background on why we use RSVP, how it started, etc.  Let's just say that responding to an invitations is not a new thing.  Someone invites you over for dinner, you respond:  "Yes, I will be there." or "No.  I'm sorry, I won't be able to make it on Friday."

I have sent invitations out for various occasions over the years.  Some people respond promptly.   Some wait until the day before the event.  And, then there are those that don't respond at all. 

When you are planning a party, you need to know how many people will be attending.  If you are going out and buying food and drinks, you want to make sure that you have enough for everyone.  And, such is the case here, when you are planning goody bags for children at a birthday party, you want to make sure that every guest receives one.  No one wants to send one child home without a goody bag while all of the others are leaving with one in their hands.

If you receive an invitation, you should reply.  I also have read that you should reply promptly.  As in, as soon as you get the invitation.  Look over your schedule right away and find out if you can attend the event then call the host or hostess.  This person was so kind to invite you to their event.  They are trying to make plans to make it extra special for everyone.  Pick up the phone and call them.

I guess you can call this my public service announcement for the day.

Thanks for listening.

My Halloween Post

Hi!  Happy Halloween!

I'm posting this a little early. 

Here are some fun Halloween highlights.

Our church does a 500lb pumpkin drop every year.  If Alex heard me he would say, "Actually it was 466 lbs."  They do this in the church parking lot.  It was done for fun the first year and by popular demand has been brought back every year. 

they had to use a crane to raise the pumpkin high enough

The pumpkin is dropped into a small kiddie pool filled with water

and makes a HUGE MESS SPLASH *

Pumpkin chunks and seeds fly everywhere

The kids then rush in to grab a piece of the pumpkin to take home

Thankfully Bella just grabbed one of the rubber pumpkins in the kiddie pool

not sure what we would have done with a huge chunk of pumpkin

*it makes a huge mess, too..glad I don't have to clean it up!

Pumpkin drop

That's the action shot

If I ever get RT's video, I'll post it.  It's pretty cool

There was some Trick or Treating, too

my little witch

 

Ron's Garbage Co.

thought this one was cute

Then some pumpkins got carved

hoping they don't fall off the top of our deck

intense pumpkin carving...

 

Happy Halloween!