New Years Eve Idea for kids

An hour, by hour countdown for the kiddo's. So much fun! I think we will be doing this. We were planning on renting some movies and hanging at home, but I think this would be so much fun for my kids. The idea came from The Dating Diva's. You can see this post, by clicking here.

This is a super cute idea!  Make a banner and party hat's that the kids can decorate and make themselves.  Super cute!  Gives them something to do on New Years Day! I found this at Toads Treasures. I already downloaded mine and we are going to start working on them a little later this week. This was a post from last year, but I am still making it, you just neet to trace an extra 1 to add on.

And if your visiting, Toads Treasures, take the time to look around.  She has some great ideas!! I spent quite a bit of time on her blog today and now she's in my favorites . Talented lady!!

J is for...

Sorry to have disappeared.  It's been crazy busy with Christmas and break.

Jack-in-the-box. This took me a while to figure out and I am still not completely hap;y with it, but it works. 

Magic Reindeer Food

I made a cute Magic Reindeer Food Tag, that I put on scribd. I can't get a picture to post, but it's cute.  It's a different poem than all that I have seen floating around the blog world.  My friend had it from years ago when her oldest was in preschool in Washington state.

Magic Reindeer Food


1/2 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup red or green sugar crystals (for cake decorating)

A lot of recipes call for glitter.  That depends on how you feel about it.  You can make colored sugar  by just take some sugar and drop a few drops of food coloring in the sugar. Then take a fork and stir it until the sugar is colored evenly and there are no lumps.

Owl Freebie

Sorry for the lack of posts.  I've been a bit under the weather and still don't feel great.  Why don't mom's get sick days?   I have some posts I could do, but the ambition is lacking this morning.

However, I wanted to share this cute owl with you.  I am an owl lover!!!  You can create and download your very own owl calendar, all for free!!!  It's the perfect gift for the owl lover in your life.  I'm making a couple of them.  You can customize each calendar for each giftee! Click on that little cutie to be directed to this fun little project.

Okay, my energy is gone.  See you tomorrow.  I hope.....

Paperbag Rudolph

Aren't they cute?  These were no small feat with 15 kids, but they all have one ready to go home next week!  Whew, what a project.  for full instructions, go here.

12 Day's of Service

I love doing the 12 day's of Christmas. It's a fun tradition. For family home evening this week, we talked about service and how it can brighten the lives of the people we serve and also how it can brighten our lives. We talked about the people in our lives, who might need some kindness this holiday season. We came up with lots of names and I told the kids to think about it.

Well, I have to be honest, I have been stressing about how to pull this tradition off this year. Things are super tight, they always are in December (my husband works on commission), but this year seems extra tight. So I have been trying to think of alternative ideas for the 12 day's. One of the things that has been bothering me is the fact that we know so many people who could use the service and kindness this holiday season.
I came across this post, at I Can Teach My Child and I loved it! 12 day's of random service! Is there a better way to teach service, other than my doing service? I think my kids will love this. I know that I am way excited. We can bless lot's of lives in a short time.
Some of my ideas are:
Take a warm loaf of bread to a neighbor.
Do some cleaning for a friend (vacuum, mop, dust)
Make cookies for the bishops family
Take dinner to a someone who really needs it
Leave a "dinner in a bag" on someones doorstep
Visit an elderly neighbor
Take a friend their favorite candy bar and attach an uplifting quote
Go caroling
Babysit for a friend
Invite friends over for dinner
Have a neighborhood Christmas movie party (for the kids) give the moms a break!
Make an ornament and take it to someone

These are just a few of the ideas going around in my head. We may or may not do some of these. I have to discuss it with my kids in the morning. I am excited to hear what ideas they come up with. I think this will be a great way to teach my kids about service.

Therapy Sacks (aka Wheat Sacks)

I have made these in mass production this year.  I've used these for as long as I can remember.  My hubby loves them, so I figured, they would make great Christmas gifts for the men in my life.  My kids also love them, because it's a great way to keep toes warm at night.

For those of you have never seen them, they are wheat sacks.  You throw them in the microwave for a few minutes, it heats the wheat up and you have a hot pad.  If you throw it in the freezer for awhile, you have a cold compress. 

They are pretty easy to make.  I could go into detail, but you can follow this tutorial and she can guide you.  You don't necessarily need to use flannel, but it is much softer on those sore spots.

I for ice cream...

So cute!!

Got the idea here.

We also made homemade ice cream,

There were no pictures, because it was crazy!

It's a lot of work for 14 kids!

But they loved it.

You can get an easy recipe here.

I made it at home with my kids and we put it in a #10 can.

Then they can just roll the can back and forth.

Letters to Santa

Letters to Santa!  I love them.  I love to keep them stashed away and see how much my kids grow and change every year.  There are some cute ones available out in the blog world.  Cute and Free! Two of my favorite words, they go so well together.  Check these out and see if you find something you love!

Have you ever heard of The TomKat Studio?  Love this super crafted lady!

You can pick up her free printable at Hostess With The Mostess.

You can find this gem at Living Locurto.

Another of my favorite blogs!

Here is another link to some cute, fill-in-the-blank notes.
This note is darling!  She has some cute cookie tags and some tags for reindeer food!  I can't get the picture to upload, but it's defiently cute!

Rolled Flower Headbands

For the tutorial, go to this post.

 These are a few that I have made for gifts. I've come along way since I first started making these.  I use all sorts of flowers and embellishments now. Feathers and tulle are my favorites! This is one of my favorites.  I have made about 20 in the last few weeks and each is really different.

 You can make them very simple. Just use the flowers.  The headbands come from here.  Walgreen's also has some that are a bit nicer.  You get 4 for $5.00.  This is the better option if you are just going to make a few.
I also bought some of their Kuffi hats, but beware, they are tiny!  The small size is for newborns and the large, for maybe a toddler.  They fit my 3-year-old, but won't for very long.

I also have made a bunch of these on clips for my littler nieces.  You can get a big box of clips for $5.00 at Sally's or a hair supply company.

Have fun!