Eggs and Easter Bunnies

Saturday we prepped for Easter by coloring eggs.  After looking through all the wonderful possibilities on the internet the girls opted for the good old color with crayons and dunk method.

My favorite part of the whole activity was that they shared a chair.  Without a word the two snuggled up on the same seat, side by side, and decorated eggs.

We had a mix of brown and white eggs.  They came out speckled and beautiful, almost too pretty to eat.

Sunday we had two little Easter Bunnies hopping around the house collecting eggs.

I like to keep Easter simple.  I pull out the same ears, baskets and plastic eggs every year.  The girls get excited about their chocolate bunnies and a few pieces of candy and that's it.  We spent the day together making brunch, planning the garden, taking a walk to the park.  Quiet, family time is the best.

Although it is a little early to start planting outside we did put together a terraium for the living room.  The girls were so into it.

Their animals liked it too.

A Perfect Halloween

Costumes are not my favorite thing to sew but I like buying costumes even less.  With moving less than two weeks away handmade costumes were not going to happen this year.  Erin wanted to be half angel / half devil.  Okay, I thought (we'll see).  I took them to a Halloween store one day after school and what do you know, we spotted a half angel / half devil costume.  Ava didn't have any strong opinions about what to wear but she found a vampire dress she liked so we picked it up.  I cringed a little when we walked up to the counter but the girls were happy and I was happy because it was done.

Costumes this year were important because they have a big parade at the girls' school.  I didn't realize how big a deal this was but I'm glad I made the choice to stay and watch it.  All the kids take turns walking around the whole school to show off their costumes for each other and swarms of picture taking parents.

It was really cute to see everyone dressed up.  There were some very creative costumes.  The kids loved watching the parade.  I adore this picture of Ava getting excited to see Erin as her class walks by.

 What a turn out.  There were crowds of people around the entire school.

Teachers and parents got in on the action too.

 After the parade the kids all go back to their rooms for a Halloween celebration.  Parents bring in goodies and they get to take a break from math and reading to do some crafts.

We ended the day trick-or-treating in our new neighborhood.  It was a nice way to introduce ourselves to a few more people on our block.  When the girls filled their baskets we headed home and crashed.  Halloween is fun but it makes for a really long day.

Happy 4th

It was a very happy July 4th.  We felt right at home with old friends in a new city.  You can't beat a backyard BBQ on the Fourth of July.  Our kids met new kids and they played together like they've known each other forever.  The meal made up of individual family favorites came together perfectly.  There were no fireworks due to the fire dangers but honestly they were not missed.

So glad to be Embracing the Camera with Emily this morning.  Shortly after Erin snapped this picture of Ava and the two went and took about 40 random pictures of our friends backyard.  They were so funny to flip through this morning.  Not a lot of the actual party but I'm glad we got at least one good shot.

Hugs and Kisses Valentine Garland

We have very few, if any Valentines decorations.  I've been in a crafty mood lately and felt we needed a little something festive for the upcoming holiday so I pulled out supplies I had on hand, paper, yarn and a heart punch and this is what I came up with.  My Hugs and Kisses Valentine Garland.

To make your own...

• Find a font you like, select outline and enlarge to the size you want (I used Lucida Calligraphy sized to 250 pt).  If you squint you might be able to see the xoxo on the white paper below.  If you don't see them trust me they are there.

• Print on card stock and use a ruler to mark for holes along the top so they'll hang evenly.  You don't need to make exact measurements but if you mark now you won't have to guess where to put the holes later. 

• I recommend using an Xacto knife to cut out the letters but you could use scissors if you don't have an Xacto on hand.

• Punch or hand cut hearts.  I used 18, 1.5 inch hearts for my garland.  A also punched small holes at the top of my hearts so they would be easier to string.

• Finally, I used a needle and some pink lace weight yarn to string it all together. 

 There you go.  A simple, and practically free, Valentine decoration.  Now go make your own garland and let me know how it comes out.

Simple Holiday Decorations

Every year I try to add a couple holiday decorations and get rid of one or two that I'm not attached to.  This year I decorated my craft room with a few things I bought at Michaels for less than $5.00 and some craft supplies I had on hand.

Mini ornaments.  Simple and festive.

(notice the dust on my craft table)

I gave the bookshelf a little detail but adding ribbon trim.

Finally a pom pom garland.  All I needed was a needle, thread, packaged pom poms and about 3 minutes.  I picked up the stockings as an impulse buy at a after Christmas Target sale a few years ago.

There you have it.  I think maybe we'll make some snowflakes for the next month or two then it will be time for pastel and flowers.  I'm so happy with this Ikea green, very versatile.

Merry Christmas

 The past week has been a blur.  I had a cold the week before Christmas so I was not feeling very festive. I tried everything I could to get in the Christmas spirit, from hot baths and peppermint tea to red wine and chocolate, ultimately I just had to wait it out.  I scrambled to make cookies on the 23rd and was wrapping gifts up until church but in the end I got it all done.

Both sets of grandparents joined us for presents and yummy food on Christmas morning.  Everyone was happy.

I received a fancy new laptop.  She is slim and elegant, I think I'll name her Audrey.  I have been playing around with my photos today, hence the 60's vibe.  I'm new to Macs but I've had a great time getting familiar with it the past two days in my pajamas on the couch (sorry no photos, well there are photos but they're not pretty).

The girls gifts were pretty simple, clothes and little toys.

Ava has a new love of horses.  There were horses big and small.

Oh it was a very horsey Christmas.

I did some Christmas crafting that I haven't had a chance to post yet.  I also made a few things that were sent off and never photographed, oh well.  Now that I'm feeling better Audrey and I will have more stories to share.

Gift Giving for Kids

After my girls made gifts for their teachers I started thinkin... it sure would be nice if they could make ME a gift.  I love their play-doe cookies and all but it's also nice for kids to make things that aren't going to crumble or mold up on you.

I spent a little time the other day preparing some handmade gifts for them to make (well decorate I guess).  I punched and glued and stamped but after that I let them take over.  This was a great way to use up stored craft supplies I had plus I made a lot so they could make gifts for grandparents and each other.

I made more sets of note cards, gift tags, bookmarks (lame, but easy), pendants, pins, magnets and ornaments.

I geeked out a little (okay, a lot) and set the crafts up like a little store.  Then I got out the colored pencils, sharpies, paints, markers etc. and let them have at it.  They were SO excited to make gifts for everyone.  I'm not sure the guys in the family will be quite as excited about what they made but really it is the thought that counts.  I'm glad they see that giving is an important part of Christmas too and it's not all about presents with their names on it under the tree.

I'm hoping I get a set of note cards or maybe a pendant.  We'll see.  I'm looking forward to the surprise whatever it is.

Deck the Halls

Tree trimming day.  One of the best day's of the year.  We opened a few boxes on the first so the girls could start the advent calendar but we get a real tree so we don't put it up too early. 

 
I love that the girls now remember all their special ornaments.  They treasure the handmade reindeer and trees Jeff and I made as kids and the little ones students have made for me too.  Every time Erin pulled one out of the box she'd ask "is this breakable?" as she headed looking for a safe branch.

At times it was a team effort.  Only Christmas carols and excitement were in the air, no bickering.  Awesome.  My role has shifted from teacher to observer like so many things these days.

They still need a boost to hang the star though.