Saint Nick 2014

Last week Saint Nick came to our house. At our house Saint Nick is Santa's helper, he plays several roles:

Mailman: you leave him your letter to be delivered to Santa
Stork: he drops of the elf on the shelf
Santa: he leaves little trinkets and treats (this year he gave holiday socks, tree shaped cakes, and a mystery lego figure)

Above is Amelia's note to Santa, this is the short version, she has another LONG list also. Where as Anna has not asked for one thing. I keep asking her what she wants and she says I don't know. It's odd to have them both on extreme ends of the spectrum.

Not sure why Amelia wanted a fat elf, we get a new elf every year and maybe she wanted to mix it up? Before the elf on the shelf was popular I already collected the vintage knee hugger elfs. So as an extra reason to add to my collection Saint Nick brings us a new one each year. This year they named him "Little Wittle". Now the elf antics can begin!

Happy Birthday Anna - the great 8!

My little spunky monkey has turned 8 today! She is loving, a smarty pants and a giggle bunny all rolled into one.

Loving: She loves to give Brian and I hugs, everyday when we leave for work or school we get wonderful hugs to start our day.

Smarty pants: She likes to get her way and when she doesn't she shuts down pretty fast. She usually curls into a ball and pouts on the couch. She is very stubborn, friends or family can't convince her to do anything she does not want to. This might be a good or bad thing in the future.

Giggle bunny: Anna loves to laugh, from tickles, movies or fun silliness with her big sister. The other day she came out of school with this drawing on her hand, she told me she drew it on her hand to remind her to be happy. Oh, I just love that!

Here is a list of her favorite things right now 11/1/13. 

Color: Orange
Book: Fairy Berry Bake off
Show: Amazing world of Gumball
Movie: Ichabod and Mr. Toad
Animal: Rooster and Chickens
Dinner: Butter Noodles and Cheese Fondue
To do with Mama: make crafts and play games
To do with Pops: jump hugs
Toy: Stuffed Animal "Bella" the lamb

Girl Scouts SWAP - Bow and Arrow - How To Video

My troop made this SWAP a year ago when we did archery for the first time.

These SWAPS are so cute and super easy to make. Check out my youtube video with step-by-step instructions on how to make these fun bow and arrow SWAPS.

Supply List: -Tooth picks https://amzn.to/3eClUJQ -Safety Pins https://amzn.to/3eDCVDp -Fun foam https://amzn.to/3xbu2Hn -Sharpie Markers https://amzn.to/3BsSoPo -Glue https://amzn.to/3QxTaiD -Clothes Pins https://amzn.to/3RsySIu -Circle template https://amzn.to/3eFAb8B

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Our 14 hour car ride to Williamsburg, VA

This summer we drove the farthest we have ever gone with the girls. Our vacation was in Williamsburg, VA which is 14 hours from St. Louis, MO. We decided to stop overnight both ways to break up the trip. I knew the girls would be watching several movies on this long trip but I wanted to have some fun breaks from the DVD player.  I looked around for some fun ideas to keep the girls busy for the long trip there and back. 

click to enlarge photo
First to combat the dreaded, "are we there yet" question I made a map charting our way there. We had a little monkey pin that the girls got to take turns moving along the route. It helped us all know just where we were and how far we had to go, so that question was never asked.

 On our last car trip we played the licence plate game with a scratch piece of paper making a list. This time I printed out a map for each girls to color in or cross off as we saw the licence plates. I really liked this because it also helps with learning all the states.

I found this idea on pinterest. Make copies of your families heads, slip them into plastic sleeves and let the kids draw the bodies, hats, etc.... or bat wings as Amelia drew onto our dog Groucho. This was a lot of fun, we all got a few good laughs from this activity. I also liked that it doesn't take up much room and because we used dry eraser markers they can be reused over and over. I found the idea here on this blog: All For The Boys

I also a bought a few new coloring books to help keep them busy and the snack box was also a big hit. Overall our trip there and back went very well with the girls. Brian and I now know we can all survive the super long car trip. The question now is... where to go next year?

Girl Scout SWAPS - Weather Forecaster

My Junior troop is going to make these Girl Scout SWAPS for our all school troop bonfire. These SWAPS are so cute and super easy to make. Check out my youtube video with step-by-step instructions on how to make these cute Weather Forecaster SWAPS.

Need to make the tags for this SWAP?

Download the free PDF file here.

Links to supplies:

-Purple yarn https://amzn.to/3RTzPJw -Pink Yarn https://amzn.to/3D9j7SB -Green Yarn https://amzn.to/3DdeNBR -Blue yarn https://amzn.to/3TWUZsg -Safety pins https://amzn.to/3eDCVDp -Googly eyes https://amzn.to/3cW6ijX

Just print them out and write your troop # and the date at the bottom. Then cut them out, punch a hole and 
attach them to your SWAP.

Happy SWAP Trading!

User is granted permission to use this tag pattern for personal or Girl Scout troop use only. Mass production and/or commercial use of this tag design is not allowed.

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Anna - About Me Homework

double click to enlarge

School is in it's second week and homework has started. So far the girls don't mind because it's all very easy work. Above is Anna's homework last night. Can I just say that I LOVE # 9 and #10!

Maybe I am doing something right?

Adult Swim

A new invitation I designed for a client. 

Now listed in my etsy shop here.

What I'm reading... Out of My Mind By Sharon M Draper

My mom just retired as a 4 & 5 grade teacher. When she left school she took many of her books to give to Amelia who is starting the 4th grade this year. She pulled this book out of the box saying it was really good. Amelia found some other books to read so I picked up this one... "Out of My Mind" by Sharon M Draper. 

I would say it's a 5th grade to adult book and I truly feel that everyone should read it! It is very well written with a great story everyone can learn something from. The book is about a life story of a girl growing up who can not move or talk. She is labeled as mentally and physically disabled, but once they give her the tools to express herself the world is finally able see the true Melody.

A lovely book that makes you stop and think, a must read! 

Summer 2013

Summer... that's where I have been. Summer with kids home, places to go and things to do.

With only one more week of summer until the kids head back to school I look back at our summer. I feel I was able to keep the girls busy but also allowed enough free time for them to just be kids. But not too much free time so that I think I only heard, "I bored" twice all summer long.

2013 Summer:

- Swim team - Daily
- Softball - Amelia
- Girl Scout Day Camp - Both Girls
- Embroidery Camp - Hosted by me
- 10 Day Vacation to Williamsburg, VA
- Six Flags
- Amelia's Birthday Party
- Impromptu Neighborhood Kickball Games
- Lego Robotics Camp - Both Girls
- Big Family Camping Weekend at Johnson Shut-Ins
- Swimming at Grammy & Papa's Pool
- Volleyball Camp - Amelia
- Remembering Grandpa - Funeral weekend
- Golfing & Hiking with the Girl Scouts
- Violin Lessons - Amelia
- Theater Camp - Both Girls

Yes, it was a busy, fun summer that flew by so fast! School supplies are packed up and ready to go. Good bye summer... it sure was fun, we'll catch you next year!

Custom Scrabble Family Print

New! For all those who love my scrabble pillows now you can have even more scrabble fun in a paper version. 

Frame and hang... why didn't I think of doing this one sooner?

Check it out here in my etsy shop