Easter Craft

I have been majorly failing at the crafty side of things these past couple months.  Majorly, I tell you.  Anyway, it's almost Easter, so I figured we should do SOMETHING crafty.  

My kiddos wrote the verse "He has risen, just as he said!" onto their pages.  Although it doesn't come out very well in the photos, we found some really cute, sparkly scrapbook paper to use for Easter eggs.  My kids have decided that "eggs" fit into the Easter story as the "stone" rolled in front of the tomb where Jesus was laid to rest after he died on the cross.  I think it's a great tie-in!

They each went out to collect two little sticks from the backyard.  I tied them together for them.  We glued/stapled them onto their papers.  The grass is a great fine motor skill work-out.  I gave them a green strip, and they cut slits half way down throughout.  

Since ZERO of the 15 glue bottles in our home actually work, we ended up pouring Mod Podge in a little bowl and painting glue on with a paint brush-another great fine motor work out!

So simple, but a great way to practice their scripture verse and work on fine motor skills.  Plus-every kid loves to glue things!  

Happy Easter everyone!

Happy Father's Day to My Husband and Dad

Part 1: My Husband

Ben with Ellie

 I am SO incredibly thankful for this man.  When we got married 9 years ago, I could not have imagined how great of father he would someday be to our children.  He amazes me every day.

Ben with Levi

His never-ending sense of humor keeps us all on toes, and ensures that we don't take life too seriously.  I like it that way...life is way more fun with Ben.

Ben with Zoe

 Our children are blessed, and I'm not sure they even realize it yet.  Ben is fun, playful, and so incredibly loving.  And, he's great at letting them win in wrestling fights ;)

Ben teaching Aaron how to fix the washing machine.

 I love how my husband teaches and trains our children, and how he involves them in the little things because those little things are actually really important.  

Ben with Zoe at the ER at night.

This man does whatever it takes to love our children and to care of them.  And I'm forever grateful and honored to call him my husband.  

Happy Father's Day, Ben.  We are so thankful for you!

Part 2: My Dad

And of course, there's one more super special Dad in my life-my own!  I never fully realized what an amazing man and father my dad was until I was grown and had children of my own.  He loved me, and he sacrificed so much. 

Weekends at soccer tournaments...as a child I didn't know these cost a lot of money, nor that it meant time off from work.

Birthdays...thanks for sharing your birthday with me (and now Zoe, too).

Working extra jobs...I never understood why you'd pick up extra jobs, thank for providing for everything we needed.

Jesus...thank you for being an example of who Jesus was, and for helping me understand and come to know him from a young age-this forever changed my life.

Your car...thanks for letting me drive your car to school every day, even though this meant you got dropped off at work by your teenage daughter.  

I am so blessed to have you for a father.  Happy Father's Day, Dad!

Free Customized Trick or Treat Bag (New Customers Only)

If you're looking for a cute, customized bag for trick-or-treating this year, York Photo is offering their Halloween bags for FREE when you use code TRICKTREAT at check out.  Sadly, it is available to NEW CUSTOMERS ONLY, so if you've ordered from them before, the code won't work.  

Shipping starts at $3.99.  Click HERE to go to their site.

I can't believe the holidays are all just around the corner!  I'm due with baby #4 right around the end of October.  This year has flown by!

(The links in this post are my referral/affiliate links.  Read my disclosure policy HERE.  Thank you for supporting the continuation of this blog by using my links!)

3 Super Simple Easter Crafts

We had our Easter party at school today.  I took photos to share with you all of the three easy crafts that I did with my students.  The first is pictured above.  Isn't that a cute little bunny?  All you need is some white and red paint.  Paint your child's hand (not the thumb) with white paint.  Spread your child's fingers apart and press down to make the bunny ears.  Once dry, mix some red and white paint together to make pink paint, and add the pink to the ears and the nose.  Use a black sharpie to add the eyes, whiskers, and mouth.

I used a simple Word document and inserted an oval shape.  I typed the verse "Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead."  Matthew 28:7.  The kids watercolored the egg.  Then using scissors and a strip of green paper, the children cut slits into the paper to create "grass".  Then they finished it up by glueing the grass to the egg.

For this craft, you can either have an older child cut out the tomb, stone, and sun, or you can pre-cut the pieces for a younger child.  They glued the stone to the side of tomb, and we learned the verse we glued to the top (He is not here, he has risen, just as he said!  Matthew 28:6

These crafts are so easy and frugal and they require very little supplies!  Happy Easter!

Adding a Little "Valentine's" to Snack Time

The Dollar Store is one of those magical places where all things great and cheap can be found.  If you are wanting to add a little extra "Valentine's" to your February days like I do, these little bags are fantastic.  They actually sell several different Valentine's Day bags.  They sell snack and sandwich sized Ziplocs with Valentine's decor, and they also sell these "treat" bags.  The treat bags are a better value, but they won't fit a whole sandwich, FYI (they do fit homemade uncrustables, though).  I bought 3 different styles of these Valentine's treat bags to use for snacks for my littles.  They came with 40 per pack!  It's something simple and cheap that makes the days leading up to the holiday a little more fun ;)  My girls LOVE having "special" bags for their snacks.

Homemade Granola Bars in V-Day Bags

Also, if you're looking for any other special stuff for Valentine's Day (treats, pencils, decorations, cups, plates, etc.), be sure to check the Dollar Store first-they have a ton of great stuff!).

See all my Valentine's Day activities, crafts, gifts, and projects HERE!

Homemade Candy Conversation Hearts

Ah, I love February.  I really do.  Valentine's Day is my favorite holiday.  I love the red, pink, and white.  I love making "mailboxes" with my kiddos and my students, and I love all the heart shaped treats and cards.  I just love it.

As a kid, my dad always bought me and my sister each a box of candy conversation hearts on Valentine's Day.  Super simple, but I loved it.  They are one of my favorite candies.

This is a recipe that I posted last year, but seriously, if you haven't tried to make your own candy conversation hearts before, you are missing out!  They are soooo good, and even better than the store-bought ones.  Side note: did anyone notice that one of the main candy heart makers changed some of their flavors last year?  It was odd.  I can't remember which brand it was though, as I'm an equal opportunity candy eater and try them all.

Read through the recipe before you do it.  You will need to let them dry for 24 hours, so you'll want to start them the day before you can eat them.  And don't forget the food safe markers so you can write cute sayings on them!

Head HERE to get the recipe for my homemade candy conversation hearts!

See all my Valentine's Day activities, crafts, gifts, and projects HERE!

Scratch Pumpkin Pie

My friend, Terri, has been relentlessly asking for the recipe I use for my pumpkin pies.  It's not that I didn't want to give it to her, it was mostly that I kept forgetting and then on top of that, I like to include pictures with recipes on my blog, and the first pie that I made this month was gone before I could take pictures.  She even brought a store-bought pie into work today to share to show me how pitiful her Thanksgiving Pie was going to be.  Ahem.  So here it is...finally!


Make your pie crust first!

Pie Crust

I use this Pate Brisee crust recipe for my pumpkin pies (and my sweet potato pies!).  Follow the link.  There are great directions and pictures, as well ;)

Then make your pie filling!

Pumpkin Pie (originally from simplyrecipes.com)

• 2 cups pumpkin puree (I use fresh from a pie pumpkin-learn how HERE)
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk (this is my preference, but you can also use 1 can evaporated milk or 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream if you have either or those instead)
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4-1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 eggs + 1 extra egg yolk
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. ginger
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom 
• 1/4-1/2 tsp lemon zest

In a bowl, mix together sugar, brown sugar, salt, and all the spices.  Add beaten eggs into the mixture and stir to incorporate well.  Add pumpkin puree, one cup at a time, followed by the sweetened condensed milk (or whatever cream/ milk you chose).  Mix well until smooth and uniform.  

Pour into your pie crust slowly, and place pie into a 425 degree oven.  Cook for 15 minutes.  Then, reduce the heat to 350 and bake another 40-50 minutes (sometimes mine take as long as 60 minutes).  The middle may have a little movement to it.  Just make sure that a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.  Once it comes out clean, the pie is done.  Allow to cool at room temp for a couple hours (we can never wait that long, though).  

This pie is full of spice and great flavor, and everyone always loves it!  After making this pie several times last year, every other pumpkin pie that I tried throughout the holidays seemed bland to me.  I hope you enjoy it!

10 Weeks to an Organized Christmas- Week 3

Welcome to the 10 Weeks to an Organized Christmas series!  If you are joining us for the first time, be sure to check out the first two posts in this series (Week 1, Week 2).

Hopefully you've been able to nail down a budget for each person on your list, as well as have a general idea of what you'd like to get each person.

We still have quite a bit of time until Christmas, so there's no need to run out and do all your shopping yet.  Rather, now that you have an idea of the items, supplies, etc. that you are looking for, you can begin keeping your eyes out for good deals-they are plentiful this time of year!

Still need help organizing your people, lists, and budgets?  I've made a few simple templates that you can download, print, and fill in on your own.  

Christmas List

Baking List

Today we'll talk about taking inventory of our "stuff":

Take Inventory

This week, we are going to begin taking an inventory of our supplies.  What supplies?  All of them!  You may be wondering why we would consider doing this so early?  Well, like I mentioned before, deals are plentiful at this time of year!  Baking ingredients are often going on sale, and (if you like to use coupons) we tend to see a lot of baking coupons come out this time of year, too.  If you are a notorious baker throughout the month of December (and even November), you may want to know exactly what you have on hand, and exactly what you may be needing throughout those months.  It allows you to watch for sales on the items that you know you're running low on, and helps you avoid those last minute trips to the store for a missing ingredient.  A "last minute/quick trip" to the store in November/December is never a recipe for success...the stores are always jam-packed, and it just adds craziness and stress to your life.

What items should you inventory?

• Wrapping paper, tape, ribbon, bags, bows, and tags 
• Saran wrap for baked goods, muffin liners
• Flours, sugars, spices, etc.
• Hot Chocolate.  You must never be caught without this in December.

Once you've checked on your supplies, write down a list of anything that you will need by Christmas time.  You can keep your eyes open for sales on those specific items, and you will be able to avoid spending needless money on something that you already have "in stock".


Make a Master Shopping List

Now that you've inventoried your "stuff" and you also have a general idea of gifts that you are wanting to buy/make/etc., I would strongly encourage you to make a Master Shopping List.  This could be handwritten or typed up, but it should contain everything you need to be keeping your eyes open for.  Keep it somewhere easily accessible, such as your purse or car.  That way, if you happen to be shopping and you see something on-sale, you can double check your list to make sure that it's actually something you planned for.  Unnecessary spending can be easily avoided when you know what you actually need.

10 Weeks to an Organized Christmas-Week 2

Alright.  Hopefully by now you've completed your first challenge (see last week's post HERE).  Last weeks challenge was to 1. Establish a Christmas budget  and 2. Write down a list of every person that you want/intend to "gift" in some fashion.

How did it go for you?  Were you surprised at the amount of people you plan to give "gifts" to?  Was your "plan to spend" budget within the budget that you feasibly have?  Or do you need to find some extra money over the next two months?  Did you come up with some ideas of how to do that?  I'd love to hear your stories!

This week we will be expanding our people list to include gift ideas, and breaking down our budget among people.  Gasp.  We can totally do it.

1.  Write Down Gift Ideas

You may already know exactly what you want to get someone.  If that's the case, go ahead and write that down!  For others, you may just know that you want to get them a gift card or a toy, or that you want to bake or sew or hand-make something.  Maybe you even want to gift someone a service (free babysitting, house cleaning, lawn mowing).  That's okay.  Just write your general idea down.  For instance, if I want to hand make something for my mom, I will just write "hand-made gift" next to her name.  As we get closer to Christmas and we start looking into different homemade gifts, you can narrow down exactly what that "hand-made gift" will be.  Last year I made my homemade chai mix for many people on my list.  It was fun, frugal, and a really fun gift to give!

2.  Break Down Your Budget Among People

Now that you've established your budget and have a general idea of what you'd like to get each person on your list, start playing with the numbers and assign a specific amount to each person.  Maybe this looks very detailed and person specific to you (i.e. Husband-$50), or maybe it is a bit more generic (Son's classmates-$20 total).  However you begin to break it down, just make sure that your funds will cover your intended gifts.  Avoid that credit card!  A debt free Christmas is so much more fun and freeing!  Remember, there are always small things you can do to earn a little money if you come up short (check out some ideas from the first post in this series HERE).

Finish these two things throughout the week and we'll move ahead next week in the "10 Weeks to an Organized Christmas" series.

Leave your thoughts, progress, and stories about getting organized for Christmas in the comments below!

10 Weeks to an Organized Christmas

Before kids, I was ready for Christmas long before Christmas Day.  Even when I had my first and second children, I was still pretty "on top" of all things Christmas.  Last year, with three little people and a job, I was shopping and baking and planning up until the day before Christmas.  I was scatter brained and forgot many things.  I don't know about you, but I would WAY rather spend the days surrounding Christmas celebrating and enjoying my time with my family and friends.

This year I'm determined to be prepared.  I'm determined to have a plan, a budget, and spend lots of quality time with my family.  I'm going to be breaking down "10 Week to an Organized Christmas" into several bite-sized parts.  Each week, starting today, I will present an idea or two to help us start organizing ourselves for Christmas.  By the time Christmas rolls around, we should be totally done and prepared with any "gifts" we might be giving, have fun activities and teaching points for our children prepared/completed, and have our homes and hearts ready to celebrate the birth of our Savior!

This week's challenge:

There are two challenges for this week, and they both have to do with the "gifts" side of Christmas.

1.  Determine your Christmas budget.

How much do you want/plan to spend?  Have you been saving up throughout the year, or do you need to start saving now?  Where will the money come from?  Think about the amount of money that you can realistically come up with and the amount that you are willing to spend.

Is your desired budget more than what you can realistically come up with right now?  If so, consider some of the following ideas to come up with the difference:

• Sign up for Swagbucks.  Swagbucks is a really easy way to earn gift cards.  I redeem mine for Amazon gift cards, and then use those to buy my gifts online (450 points=$5 Amazon card).  You can use their search engine to earn points, complete special offers or polls, or trade in things like old cell phones.  It's pretty easy to earn points by spending just a couple minutes a day.  
• Sell unused/unwanted items on Craigslist or eBay.  Trade in old books to places like Amazon, or sell old baby clothes to places such as Once Upon a Child.
• Do you have any special skills that you could use to earn extra money such as babysitting?  Odds and ends jobs?  Housecleaning?  Baking?

By the end of this week, have a written Christmas budget, and any plans to earn the extra money you may be wanting to spend on Christmas.

2.  Make your people list.

Write down each and every person to whom you'd like to give a gift.  From you husband and children to your next door neighbors, write down everyone.  It doesn't matter if you plan on giving them an extravagant gift or baking them a muffin.  Write down their name.  If you already have an idea of what you'd like to give them, go ahead and jot that down.  Otherwise, we will start planning out our gifts in next weeks "Organized Christmas" challenge.

People to remember/consider on your list:

• Family-immediate and extended
• Friends
• Teachers, bus drivers, delivery drivers
• Classmates, students, co-workers, clients
• Neighbors
• ???

By the end of this week, plan to have every person on your "gifts list" written down.

That's it for this weeks' "10 Weeks to an Organized Christmas"!  Have fun with this, and keep checking back for more on this challenge!  There will be one part of this series posted each week. As we get closer to Christmas, there will be several post throughout the weeks, as well, containing teaching, crafting, baking, and decorating ideas.  Thanks for reading!

Mother's Day Gift-Handprint Garden

 

A couple days ago, I remembered that I had an extra canvas leftover from a 2-pack that I bought around Christmas to make a hand print Christmas tree.  I thought that the canvas would be perfect for the youngest 5 grandchildren (of my husband's parents) to make a hand print garden for Mother's Day for their grandma.  Since they were all together to play this week, I took a few minutes to whip up this beauty!

I used basic acrylic paints (I already had all of the above colors=free!).  I painted their hands and placed them on the canvas.  Then, I painted stems and grass, and at my sister-in-laws suggestion, added names and ages (approximate ages-2 of these little guys have a birthday in a couple weeks!)

If you didn't already have any supplies, this could easily cost you under $5!!!!  What a great Mother's Day gift!

Mother's Day Framed Handprint Gift

If you are looking for a cute, quick, and inexpensive gift for your kids to do for Mother's Day, this is a perfect craft.  I had my kindergarten kids do these for their moms this year.  Simply paint their hand any color of a flower and have them place their hand on a sheet of white construction paper.  Then have the kids paint a stem and leaves.  My kids wanted yellow in the middle of their "flowers" so I let them paint a yellow circle in the middle, too.  

 

Once dry, older kids can write "Happy Mother's Day" on their paper.  Have them sign their name or write it for them.  Finally, a Dollar Store frame is what completes this project.  Place the picture in a frame.  

 

Add some ribbon or a bow to add to the presentation of your picture!  

Now, wasn't that cute, simple, and inexpensive?  Yay!