Oh Christmas Tree!

 I saw this idea on Pinterest and fell in love with it!  I knew that this would be a great art project for my Kinder Kiddos!

I was so thrilled with the way they turned out!  

I drew out and copied triangles on white construction paper.  I gave each of them a half sheet of white construction paper triangles.

Then I had them Mod Podge tissue paper squares to the back of  the triangle paper.  (I actually just mixed Elmer's Glue and water for the Mod Podge) 

(I'm sorry I did not get a pic of this step.)

They painted a white piece of construction paper blue and cut out the triangles once it dried.

After the blue paint dried, I had them paint snow on the bottom half of their paper.  They glued their trees and stems on and then added snowflakes!

Pretty simply, but messy when you are doing that many artsy things with 16 five year olds!

They had fun creating their snowy tree scene!  I love art that lets children create and explore using a variety of mediums!

Sharing here:

Happy Holidays!

DIY Laundry Soap & The BEST cleaner for your front loading washer!

 My skin has been randomly breaking out in red bumps and I had scratched them so much the looked HORRIBLE!  I am pretty selective with EVERYTHING I use to bath in and wash clothes in.  So out of process of elimination, I started wondering if there could be a change in the TIDE that I have always used.  Yes, I could run out and buy a 13.00 bottle of a free and clear organic type detergent...but there are not guarantees that would even work.  So in my desperate and itchy state, I turned to Pinterest to find a DIY Laundry Soap for sensitive skin.  

Let me tell you....there were SO many options!  I found one rather quickly and just went with it!

 This one stated that it was for sensitive skin!  That sold me right there!  I ended up running to Wal-Mart and grabbed the much needed ingredients.  Can you believe I actually found all of the ingredients at Wal-Mart?!?!  Usually, I go in and get frustrated with their lack of products that I need! 

Anyway, I have been using this mix for several weeks now, and I am generally impressed and not so itchy anymore!!  Yea!!!

 

Here is the recipe:

1 tbsp washing soda

1 tbsp baking soda

1 tbsp grated Castile soap (I used Kirk's Castile soap)

1/2 cup-1 cup of distilled white vinegar in the fabric softener compartment

1 tbsp of Citric Enzyme Cleaner or Citric Acid----I have not used this in my mix. 

But here is the blog that I found the laundry soap recipe on.  She has a recipe for making the Citric Enzyme Cleaner.  I hope to try this soon!

I have not mixed them together, I just quickly scoop the 3 ingredients into the detergent compartment of the washer.

OKAY....

This recipe doubles as a WASHING MACHINE CLEANER!!!

SO, after 3-4 loads my washer was cleaner than ever!!!!  My once gross and smelly front loading door was clean!!!  Can you tell I am THRILLED!!!  The residue ring around the inside of the front  door wiped off easily with no effort at all! I have used many commercial products to clean this washer!  NOTHING cleaned it better than this laundry mix!

NOW, GO CLEAN THAT WASHING MACHINE! 

 

It's All About TIME

I cannot believe that I have not posted since the end of JULY!!!  Really?!?!  Where does the time go?   I never intentionally meant to leave my blog hanging like this.  I started getting my classroom ready the 1st week of August and my school life pretty much takes over everything at that point.  I really miss blogging and having time to keep up with and interact in blog land.  I know that every year it takes tons of time and so much extra energy at the beginning of the school year.  It is just hard to make time for school, my family and keep my blog going.  So I am hoping I am almost to that point where I might be able to squeeze in a post or two each week! YEA!

On a positive note, I did not spend my entire Sunday at school today!  WOO HOO!   I was up there for about 2 hours and decided I would do the rest of my school work at home.

This has been a great weekend for rest!  The temps were mid 60's-70's (LOVE) and rainy off and on.  This kind of weather makes me HAPPY! 

It just makes me want to curl up in my big, cozy chair and read a book!

I do have several school projects that I am going to share!  So happy to finally get them finished!

Stay tuned! 

 

School Ideas

Days are quickly passing and my summer break will soon be over.  By this point in my summer I start thinking about what new things to include in my classroom.  I have been seeing a ton of stuff on Pinterest that I plan on using in my room. I thought I would show you a few of my favorite ideas so far.

I love these!  I really want to make one of these using just two crates for my reading area.

I could so see making this to put in my 4-yr. old's room.  I am sure she would have those bins filled with stuff quickly!

 

 (source)

Cooking With Kids--Potato Chip Cookies

When I saw this recipe in the Martha Stewart Living Magazine I knew I just had to try these!  My daughter LOVES chips and cookies!  If she had anything to do with it, all she would eat is chips!  My kids and I whipped these cookies up yesterday morning.  They love cooking/baking and had a lot of fun making these cookies. I think their favorite part was smashing the chips into crumbs!

Crafty Choas

Do you ever feel like you are living in Crafty Choas?  That is where I am right now.  I have several things started, but for some reason I just can't get anything completely finished.  I have all of these wonderful ideas and even have the materials to carry them out...but I am just not really all that interested in doing them. 

I have spent tons of time over my summer break organizing.  But for some reason I still have tons of piles and add those piles to the choas of the crafty projects lying around....Umm, I think I am just overwhelmed with STUFF!  

Today, I am going to set a couple of SMALL goals and get them finished!  I do SO much better when I have a list and can cross out things that I have finished.  So I am off to figure out what my goals for today are!

Please tell me that I am not the only one that gets to feeling this way?!?!

Hopefully, I will get SO much accomplished today that I will have an awesome project to share with you! 

 Thanks For Reading!

DIY Chia Pet

Want a cool activity that keeps on giving?  Check out these awesome cups of grass!  I made these fun plants this spring with my Kinder kiddos at school.  They loved having a turn to cut the "hair" on our creations!

All you needs is a: Styrofoam cup, potting soil, grass seeds (You can buy a small pkg. at Wal-Mart for a couple of dollars.)  and a permanent marker


Have your child design a face on the outside of the cup.  It is fun to make all sorts of funny and scary faces!  Next, fill your cup with potting soil.  You can fill your cup up to about and 1 inch to 1/2 inch from the top.  Next spread your grass seeds on top of the potting soil.  Mix them into the soil. (You will not want to bury the seeds deep into the soil.)  Water your grass when dry and in a week or so...you will have a funny looking character!  


The kids favorite part is getting to cut the hair!  Depending on the age of your child, you might want to assist them in "cutting" the grass.  I have seen some fun and crazy designs!  Let your child cut away and be as creative as they like!


The fun thing is that in a couple of days it will grow back and the plant is ready for a NEW hair design!

Who knew a cup of grass could be so entertaining!

                                                         Linking here:

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

I made this dessert for my husband on Father’s Day.  He loves cheesecake, so I thought this might be a quick alternative!  I am usually not big on cheesecake, but I still had to have a tiny sample of this one!  Hubby loved it!  Fast, easy and yummy…my kind of dessert!

Ingredients:

3 (8-ounce) pkg. cream cheese, softened

3 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 (16.5-ounce) rolls refrigerator chocolate chip cookie dough

Directions:

1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.) In a large bowl, beat together cream cheese, eggs, sugar, and vanilla until well mixed.  Set aside.

3.) Spray a 9 x 13 inch glass dish with cooking spray.

4.) Use one roll of cookie dough, and press in to the bottom your glass dish.  You will then spoon your cream cheese mixture over the cookie dough.

5.) Slice the other roll into thin slices and place them on top of the cream cheese mixture.

6.) Bake 45-50 min. or until golden and center is slightly firm.

7.) Remove from oven, let it cool and then refrigerate.  Cut into slices when chilled.

 

You could even add toppings to this just before serving!

(Recipe from MrFood.com)

Gray Chevron!!

Look what I finally got yesterday!!!  Woo Hoo! 

I saw this gray Chevron fabric at Hobby Lobby about 4 weeks ago.  I was excited that HL had finally gotten some Chevron fabric.  I looked at it several times trying to decide if I really needed it.  (I have to have a project in mind before I buy fabric.)  SO…a week later I run to HL and guess what…NO CHEVRON Fabric!!!  I was so disappointed! 

So for 3 weeks, I have been calling the 3 close HL’s every Friday to see if they were shipped this gray Chevron Fabric.  Each week I was disappointed by the fact that they did not get it in…UNTIL I called YESTERDAY!!!!

I was super excited when they told me that YES….they got it IN!!!  YEA!  Needless to say, I ran over to HL immediately!

I know…who…. really….gets this excited about gray Chevron fabric?!?!?!  I have been really wanting to make something out of Chevron for months now.  I just did not want to order it online.  So now I am set!

SO what am I making?  

Of course, I am not going to tell you right now…that would ruin the fun! 

I will keep you posted!

Have a FUN & SAFE weekend!!

Daily Caloric Intake

 

                                                    (source)

I have been on a mission since January to find the right way to shed some pounds.  I started the year using Weight Watchers Online.  I figured that I could keep track using the I-Phone app and I could easily track my points.  With that said, I have lost about 20lbs using the old WW point system in the past.  This time, I did not feel that I was having the same success with the new system.  Plus, the WW app was not all that it cracked up to be.  So, with that I decided to cancel my membership in early March.

A teacher friend had been faithfully using the My Fitness Pal app. (The also are online.)  I had heard of it but I had also tried using other apps that counted calories.  So, I was not sure I wanted to go that route.  Anyway, I finally started using the My Fitness Pal app in mid-March.  I decided that I loved being able to scan all my foods and it totally did all of the calculations for me!  Yea!  Plus, I have ran across very few foods that would NOT scan.  That is a PLUS in my book! 

(source)

So fast forward to now.  I have been really good about tracking calories and watching what I eat.  The MFP app told me that my daily calories should be1200.  I am down 11 pounds…give or take….it depends on the day…

Anyway,  I currently do not feel that I am loosing what I should be loosing considering that I am really trying to stick to those calories.   So, last night I got to searching around on the web looking for suggested calorie intake.  I might add that I found a very wide variety of opinions.  I guess I am just trying to figure out if maybe 1200 is too few calories and thus resulting in very SLOOOOWWW weight loss.

I found this one and thought this was an interesting concept.  It also gives you the option to zig-zag your calories everyday so you keep loosing and will not plateau.  I might just run with it for a week or two and see how it goes.  I will let you know what I think about this one in a couple of weeks!

I would LOVE to hear your thoughts and opinions!

Canned Cinnamon Roll Waffles

 

I have seen this recipe floating around blog land and thought my kids would think this was fun.

All you need is a can of Cinnamon Rolls.

Spray your waffle maker with oil before placing your rolls.  Place 1 roll in each section on your waffle maker.  (See I sprayed the bottom and forgot to spray the top!)

My waffle maker has a timer and beeps when it thinks it is finished.  I set the temp. on medium-low.  I did not want burnt waffles!

This is what they look like when they are finished!  I let the kids ice their own waffles!  I am positive that these would be great with syrup also!!

The kids and husband approved and it was a very quick and easy breakfast when you are short on time!  I think I will add this to my list of favorites!

Linking here:

 

Totes For Kids

I LOVE totes, purses and bags!!  So I have been wanting to sew up a couple of bags to use when we are out and about.  I whipped up this cute little number for my daughter.  I think she has a purse and bag obsession also!  Of course, I am sure I had nothing to do with it!  This tote is just the perfect size for a couple of coloring books and a small stuffed animal.  We tend to take the bag with us when we go to restaurants.  It keeps the kids much busier than the little coloring pages that they provide.

 

Oh and it is reversible! 

I have fabric ready and waiting to make me a much bigger bag to carry to school.  I can never have enough school bags!

I have considered making these bags to sell online.  I think I would make a variety of sizes.  What do you all think?  I would LOVE to hear your thoughts and opinions!

Linking here:

Angry Birds Birthday Cake

My first baby turned 7 three weeks ago.  I still cannot believe that I should be old enough to have a 7 year old.  I said this just a month and half ago with my daughter… time just goes by way to quickly.

It really is fun to watch him grow and change.  He is still that sweet little boy, but at times tries to play tough and act to cool for certain things. 

He wanted an Angry Birds birthday cake.  I searched high and low looking for Angry Bird cake ideas.  I ended up combining several ideas that I saw.  I think it turned out pretty cool!  He would definitely NOT want me to say cute!  He would say AWESOME! 

I used two 12x18 layers and made all of the birds out of Marshmellow Fondant.  I ended up making the tower out of Rice Krispy treats and covered them with grey fondant.  I would strongly suggest the Rice Krispy treats as a good base.  I used fondant at first and it would not hold it’s shape. 

It is always a fun and stressful day when making and putting together birthday cakes!  But we are creating lots of fun memories to share!

 

 

Enjoy!

Linking here:

And The Winner Is.....

Thanks so much for being patient with me!  This my first official day being home for the summer!  I am busy catching up on everything that I have not had the time for.  The winner of the Thirty-One Flat Iron Case is.....


a Rafflecopter giveaway


I will be emailing Sherri to let her know that she won!


If you did not win and want to purchase Thirty-One products you can contact my friend Kalyn Cavalier at www.mythirtyone.com/kalyncavalier or kalynn.cavalier@gmail.com.


Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope to be doing several more giveaways this summer!

School's Out For Summer!!

WOW!!!  Can we say it has been a CRAZY week!  I have been busy trying to keep track of 18 Kinder kids! Yesterday, was the last day of school!  A fun filled day yet very tiring.  The last day comes with a rush of so many emotions for both the kids and for me.  We laughed a little, smiled a lot, and cried some at the end of the day.  It really is hard to see them go, especially knowing some of them will not come back in August.


I have a work day at school this morning.  I am sure some of you are wondering who won our Blog-a-paloosa Giveaway.  With the craziness of my week I have not had a chance to post it.  So, that will be the first thing on my agenda when I get home this afternoon!  Stay tuned...it just might be YOU!!  :)


HAPPY SUMMER!!!

Blog-a-pal-loosa Day 14

This is the most thought out giveaway!!  Nina from

Atir Inspired Decor has put a lot of thought and love into
 her giveaway!!  It is the LAST one of our

BLOGAPALOOSA so please stop by and sign up!!

Yeah, to day is my day. I am I so happy you stopped by to check out this treasure chest of a giveaway that you just might win!
 I agonized for days about this giveaway & what I wanted to giveaway since I have never done this before, I thought I wanted to add items that I would use & were related to my blog; home decor, thrifting, DIY, Cooking & Fashion.  Here is what I came up with:

I had this piece of beautiful fabric on hand, maybe used for a bulletin board~

A Lovely Scented Candle~

Butterfly Drawer/Door Pull~

Paper Flower for a wreath, gift or as an accent on a vase~

Small Frame, these take paint so nicely, should you care to change the color~

Cupcake Bath Salt after a day if DIY'ing

A Nice Book to cuddle up with~  

                                      

Necklace & earring set, to make you feel more beautiful than you are~

This was my thrift store find, a new wallet~

Add some bling with these~

Ball of Lip Gloss~

I believe in the written word, Note Cards~

Craft Paint & Decorative Ribbon to get your creative grove on~

Decorative Serving Dish~

So come on over to 
Atir Inspired Decor
Thank You & Many Blessings

Nina