How To Share In Kindergarten

Well, I'm so proud of my sweet kindergartner, Aislyn......and how well she shares. So I thought I'd brag a little to you all.

So, this is what her typical snack might look like.....

....or.....like this if daddy is in charge that morning (he tries to buy their loves with treats).

Anyways, I digress......

So, Aislyn came to me one day after school last week and told me "Guess what mom!? My friend shared her Cheez-it's with me today!..........She gave me the whole bag, even!"

For some reason, Cheez-it's are a prized delicacy in my house.

So, of course I replied "Wow, that was so nice of her to share her yummy snack with you!"

Not to be outdone by her friend, she went on with :

"Then, I let her take a turn with my toothbrush......"

Ummmmmmm, what???

It took me a minute to process this info while my sweet 5 year-old was patiently waited for the loads of praise surely coming her way....

...with a great big expectant smile on her face.....

So, I pulled her close to me and hugged her and gently explained "honey, that was SO nice of you to share with your friend.....but, remember we aren't supposed to share things like toothbrushes with other people....."

Apparently, she didn't like the way this conversation was headed, so she backpedaled a bit and said very seriously, "Actually mom, I was just kidding.....I didn't really share my toothbrush."

Awesome.
Add fibbing to her list of skills too.......

Don't you just LOVE kindergarten?

Have fun!!

Yummy New Halloween Countdown Blocks

Howdy everyone! Hope you all had a great weekend and maybe pigged out on some yummy fried foods :)

Today I wanted to show the new countdown blocks I made with some yummy new Halloween paper from Echo Park. I LOVE this collection with all the orange and black & white!! It's great! Plus, we are making these as part of Super Saturday this year and it'll be great!

Anywhoo, I made this set awhile back, but didn't show a whole tute.....so here goes with pics and all!!

Sooooooooo, start off with 2 blocks 3 1/2" x 3 1/2" (get a 4 x 4 and cut it down.....they are really 3 1/2 x 3 1/2, don't ask me why......but that's the way it is :) You also need a 1" thick piece cut 8" x 3 1/2" for the base.

Now, paint these puppies black.

Annnnnnnnd while they dry, cut out 12 squares of paper 3" x 3". Don't forget to cut a small strip for the front of the base. Of COURSE I used Apothecary collection from Echo Park and the papers are double-sided, so that means you have double the choices!!

Mod Podge the paper onto your blocks and a little strip onto the front of the base.

Then, while you let that dry, cut out your numbers (and "countdown") using your die cut machine OR you can just print them out onto the back of your paper in reverse and then cut them out by hand.

You will need: 0,0,1,1,2,2,3,4,5,6,7, & 8 (make sure the #6 can double as #9 if it's turned upside-down)

Then, glue on your numbers and the word "countdown". On the first block put: 0,1,2,3,4, & 5 On the second block put: 6 (will also double as 9), 7,8,0,1,2

After those are dry, you can seal with a few coats of Mod Podge or a finishing spray. And....

Yay! How ca~ute are these new ones!?!?!? 

LOVE IT!!!!

Anyhoo, I'm also putting these kits in my Etsy shop in case you don't have time to gather all the materials yourself (busy time of year and all).

Stay tuned.....I have a lesson to teach you all that I learned from my daughter about sharing in kindergarten......

Have fun!

Guest Blogger: Annalisa and Yummy Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Hey there party people!!


I'm still feeling a little like a celebrity over here about my big magazine debut (ok, just by my mom and sibs mostly :). Thanks so much for allllllll your fabulously sweet and supportive comments......I love hearing from you all!! 


Anyhoo, today we are having a super awesome guest blogger who will make you drool and want to start your  Fall baking early. I even made a batch of these yummy muffins the same day I saw these and she's not kidding about how yummy they are!! And definitely huge, so be sure to pace yourself!! My kiddos wanted these for breakfast 3 days in a row (that's only how long 2 dozen lasted in our house) But, I'll let her explain.....

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Let me start off by saying thanks to Emily for asking me to guest post over here on her awesome blog today, I feel so honored!  I'm over at The Lung Fam, where I write about my daughter (cutie), my husband (hottie), our dog (crazy), where I share crafting tutorials and yummy recipes.  Today I am sharing my pumpkin cream cheese muffins recipe, so get excited!  Have you ever had Starbucks pumpkin cream cheese muffins, or do you like pumpkin and cream cheese together?  Well you should try this recipe because it is so yummy!  I seriously ate 4 in two days, and they're definitely not minis!

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

umm, how could you not want to eat that?

In a bowl, combine 8 oz. cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar and 1/4 tsp vanilla, beat until combined and fluffy.  Cover the bowl and place in the fridge.

Combine your flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, pumpkin pie spice, salt and baking soda, whisk to combine.  In a separate bowl, mix the sugar, eggs, oil, vanilla and pumpkin, until completely combined, and add the dry ingredients in until just combined, do not over mix.

Preheat your oven to 350.

 Combine the streusel ingredients, the flour, sugar and cinnamon.  Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter, or two knives, until it resembles course crumbs.

Put your cupcake liners in your pan, and place 2 Tbsp of batter into each cup, or until the bottom is just covered.  Add about a tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture on top of the batter, and then fill the cups 3/4 full with the remaining batter, until the cream cheese is covered.

Cover the tops of each muffin with about a Tbsp of the streusel mixture and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Allow to cool, because the cream cheese will be very hot, or you can pop one in the freezer for 10 minutes to cool it faster (if you're that impatient).

Enjoy the simple delight of fall in the form of this delicious muffin (that sounded cheesy), and try not to eat more than one, I ate two.  

Check out my Pumpkin Spice Lattes as well and make one to enjoy with your pumpkin cream cheese muffins!!

You can get the printable recipe over here at her blog.

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Thanks so much Annalisa, you absolutely cannot go wrong pairing pumpkin with cream cheese!  Don't forget to come back for more Halloween crafts coming up!!
Have fun

Guess Who's Cute Craft Is On The Front Cover Of A Magazine!?

I hope you guessed mine.......!

OhmygoshholycowI'msoexcitedIcan'tbelieveI'mactuallyinamagazine!!!!!!

Ok, Emily......take a deep breath and start over.

Alrighty, so one of the editors (hi Brian!) contacted me a llloooooooonnnnngggg time ago about putting my cute Glowing Jack O'Lanterns in their magazine. So of course I said YES!! Then,.......he emailed again and said the Editor-in-Chief (impressive title huh?) wanted to write about it on her Editor's page! I couldn't believe it!!

So, last night, I'm at the store getting 20lbs of sugar (marathon jam-making session and ran out of sugar) and there it was........I recognized the jars right away!! I was so excited I wanted to tell everyone standing in line with me!!! Ok, maybe not everyone since it was 11pm and there were a few questionable characters in line with me. But, I sped hurried home and was so excited, I jumped on our bed and scared my hubby awake to show him (sorry honey).

Anyhoo, I thought I would re-post the cute craft for you guys, since those are from over 2 years ago!! And the pics of the "monsters" versions too. You can also read the issue and see the cute ones they made for the magazine.......they turned out adorable!!

Thank you Woman's Day for letting me be part of your great magazine!

September 4th, 2009

Hey there!!

Today we have Freecycle Friday!!!!

And we are making these awesome Glowing jack O'Lanterns made with recycled glass jars (I have enough jars to make a TON of these :)

So, I was perusing Instructables a few weeks ago and found this awesome chick, who made these! So cute huh?

So I HAD to make some!!

(especially since I have a million jars laying around.....sorry honey)

But, I figured I would go ahead and post a tute, 'cuz I love you all ssoooooo much!

You will need:

5 glass jars of varying sizes (I think the varying sizes make it more interesting)

Some orange tissue paper (If you are anything like me.....you save tissue paper from EVERY gift you get but,.......NOT ORANGE! But luckily this was only $1 buck at Walmart)
Mod podge (Yes, I've had that bottle awhile.....no matter how much I use it, it never runs out!)
Black paper
Green paint

Start by cutting the tissue paper into strips about 1.5 - 2 inches wide. Measure the height of your jars and cut the tissue paper strips to that size.

Paint Mod Podge, a section at a time, onto the outside of the jar. lay down a strip of paper and smooth it down well. Then, move onto the next section. Don't worry if it's a little wrinkly, it doesn't show once it's dry.

I loved the way she overlapped the strips of paper to make it look more pumpkin-y (is that a word?)




Keep going till you get the jar covered. Then, work on cutting out the faces for them. You can click here and here to download a template of the faces I used and size them according to the sizes of your jars.

Glue the faces on and paint the tops with some pretty green paint and then brush on a coat or 2 of Mod Podge (I used glossy so it looks shiny like it's part of the jar :)

I ended up having to use vinyl for the faces since i didn't have any black paper on hand and I didn't feel like running out just to get paper.

Let them cure for 24 hours and.....

(in my office)

(in the sun)

(in the dark.....Ooooooooo scary)

Ta Da!

Your very own glowing jack o'lanterns!!

So Cute!! My girls are LOVING these!!

They were easy to make, AND your older kiddos can help do them. I'm thinking about using some baby food jars and letting my girls make some tiny ones to show in their room.

You can even use candles or those neat (fake) tealights in them for a fun effect :)

And here are the "Monsters":

Have fun and be sure to check me out in Woman's Day!!!!!

Super Quick And Easy Peasy Halloween Printable.....Oh Yeah, Cute Too!!

Hello all!

 Well, I was gonna post something non Halloween-y.....but this is so cute and easy, I just had to share.......Plus, I made it last year and never got around to posting it :(

Anyhoo, I made this one with a glass frame and vinyl and showed you last Halloween, but I also made it into a colorful 8 x 10 printable and threw it into a white frame.

All you need to do is download it here and then print it out onto photo paper (or send it to be printed) and voila!! Some more awesome Halloween decor to put up around your house.
Make sure you use the high quality setting to get the best & brightest color!!

Annnnnddddddd, it looks way more expensive than it really is.....shhhhhhhhh. I won't tell if you don't! Well, besides the few thousand other people who read this.....but after that, it'll be our secret!!

Have fun!!

Glow-y Paint Giveaway winner!!!

Okie Dokie!!!

Wanna know who won their choice of 3 cool glow-in-the-dark paints?

Drum roll please.......

#12 CodynStacey

Just email me with your info and what 3 colors you would like (out of white, green, blue, aqua, lilac, & orange) and I'll get those on their way so you can whip up some of your own awesome Halloween glowing crafts!!

Have fun!!

Oooooooooohhhhhhh! Spooky!! And A Batty Giveaway!!

Well, it's that time of year again........the time when we all feel like kids again at the thought of truckloads of candy and sweets and the idea of dressing up as ANYTHING we could possibly dream up! Add to that the smell of Autumn in the air and the result is simply magical.......

Anyhoo, I LOVE Halloween and have TONS of ideas for crafts this year, so come back soon!

In the meantime.......lemme show you how to make this awesome craft I made with cool glowing paint and cute glitter bats. Cool huh?

Anyhoo, I started off with a 16 inch pizza tray from Walmart.....which only cost a few bucks. That was waaaaaayyyyyy cheaper than ANY round wooden plaque I could find ($8-$14 bucks), oddly enough. Plus, the rounded bottom gives great dimension to the moon.

I sprayed it well with a white primer.....and then took some grey paint and sponged it on to try and give it a cool "moon-y" look. Don't worry if you don't get it perfect (like me :).....you can cover the splotchy parts with the bats. Actually.....I DID like the way it turned out, pretty "moon-ish"

To finish.......paint on a few coats of super-cool glow-in-the-dark paint. I got mine here and got a bunch of different colors (each one glowing for a different amount of time......The white, purple, and orange only glow for a few hours and the other 3 glow at least 10-15 hours!).

I wanted to use white and luckily this kind of paint is clear in daylight and glows in darkness. I Painted on 3 coats to make sure it works well.

I got these cute glittery foam bats last year on clearance and just attached them onto the front with foam adhesive to add a little more dimension.

Ta da!!! Totally spooky huh?

Here it is hanging on the front door.

And for extra cool effect outside (since the glow isn't the greatest outside due to street lamps and such)......I replaced our porch light with a sweet blacklight I picked up at WallyWorld. It's an energy efficient one, so it should last for years!

If you don't want to do the glowing paint.....you can do the regular paint and the blacklight should still help it glow nicely ;)

Want to make your own? Well, leave me a comment and tell me what you would like to make glow in (or around) your house and I'll send you 3 jars of glow-y paint to make your very own cool Halloween stuff!!! You can even pick your colors!!!

Ready.....go!!

Have fun and good luck......you can leave comments till midnite on Sunday the 11th!!