Baby Blankies

Since it seems that half the women I know are having babies lately, I decided I would make some homemade and useful baby gifts. Thanks to some suggestions and searching on Pinterest (of course), I found these super cute car seat blankets! I made flannel and reversible cotton fabric ones with no batting in them for spring and fall type weather.

I hope Momma's and babies both love them as much as Bear and George!

Pack a Picnic

Since the weather is getting cooler and it's actually bearable to be outside, it seems fitting to talk about picnics. My kids love going to parks and love picnics. Some days, when we are running errands, we will get our favorite fast food meal and take it to the park if weather permits.

After taking a long road trip to Wyoming (from Oklahoma), I was eternally grateful to my dear Mamaw for teaching me how to pack a picnic cooler and supply box for a long trip so you can have a meal anywhere.

The trick is to make sure you have everything you need for a successful picnic within reach. I packed a small ice chest...not too small but not a big rectangular one either...a small one with a handle that you can easily take out of the car if you need to.

Next, you need a plastic storage box with a lid...depends on how much you are taking with you....we took a rather large one since we were gone for a week, but we didn't pack it too heavy.

Obviously, all your cold stuff will go in the cooler: drinks, lunch meat, cheese, mayo, fruit (if you like it cold), veggies, any dressings you want, etc.

Now, for your plastic box:
Snacks, bread, chips- don't forget to put bread on top!
Plates, cups, utensils (we used plastic and paper but you could do reusable, too)
A sharp knife- we had fruit and veggies that needed cutting
Sheet or table cloth- sheets take up less room and are great for tables or ground
Hand sanitizer and/or baby wipes for before and after!
Paper towels or napkins
When traveling with kiddos, I put in a couple of extra cups with lids, too!

What else would you take??

Bubble Mania

Kids love BUBBLES! I decided to try my hand at making my own bubbles and I found this cute idea for a bubble refill container on Pinterest. I can't even remember where I found the recipe, but it works great!

I made the recipe times four to fill my container, but to make a single batch use:
1 cup water
4 Tbsp. Dawn or Baby bath--I used baby bath so it won't sting eyes
2 Tbsp. light corn syrup

This will make a TON of bubble for CHEAP!!

I had a few frosting containers that I'd saved, because I just couldn't bring myself to throw them away, I knew they'd be handy for something and sure enough! They are great for filling with bubble and holding the bubble wands!

I thought this would be really fun since we have friends visiting with their kids this weekend and will save me from having to refill little bubble trays all the time! I can't wait to see how the kids like them!

Summer Bucket List

After searching Pinterest and online for summertime "bucket list" ideas, I was inspired to make my own list.

 Just a word of advice, though- if you search online, you will most likely become completely overwhelmed and feel that you are lacking in every area of your life because the woman with the perfect website or blog makes you want to puke on her perfect little picture because she can do nine thousand things with her ten kids in tow and still look super model-ish and unstressed as she tells you her latest homemade accomplishment ....whew...glad I got that out!

Anyway, the point is, that there is no right or wrong when it comes to your list and we can't do it all, contrary to popular belief (and all those cool blogs we come across--yes, I am guilty of feeling guilty, too!). So choose things that are meaningful to you and your own family. Also, be sure these are things that are realistic and doable for your family.

Take into consideration these tips when you make your list:

1.  The ages of your children- this one is self explanatory, you want things to be age appropriate

2.  Your summer schedule- for example, my husband is crazy busy at work and does weird night hours in the summer, so he is out for lots of things or we have to do them on the weekend

3.  Your geographic area -we live in a small town, 25 miles plus from lots of things to, so I wanted to be sure we added lots of things to do at home or very close

4. Your summertime budget-every mom knows you don't want to break the bank for a fun summer so 

             keep your budget in mind when you make the list

5. Ask your children what they'd like to do-I've been asking my four year old what he'd like to do this summer and he is already excited about doing many of the things on our list

I am already beginning to think that the benefits of doing the things on our list, will be that I can pass on wisdom to my children as we do things, they might accidentally learn something, the physical activity, the quality time together, and the memories we will be making. Don't forget to take pictures so you can remember your summer! One fun idea would be to take pics of each thing you do and make a bucket list photo book that your family can enjoy forever (and don't worry about this one...that's what all those cool photo sites are for-you can add pics and make a photo book without craft skills!)

Enjoy making your list! Here's mine- hope it inspires you to make your own with your family!!

 

SUMMER BUCKET LIST

o       Aquarium

o       Zoo

o       Philbrook Museum

o       Woolaroc

o       Movies

o       Library

o       Cherry Street Farmers Market

o       Broken Arrow Farmers Market

o       Picnic

o       Play in sprinkler

o       Blow bubbles

o       Paint outside

o       Sidewalk chalk

o       Make homemade ice cream

o       Swimming

o       Obstacle course

o       Treasure Hunt

o       Air & Space Museum

o       Camping

o       Visit a children’s museum

o       Visit a natural history museum

o       Go to a Pick-Your-Own farm

o       Make garden stepping stones

o       Make popsicles

o       Go to the Lake

o       Nature Center

o       Make butter

o       Mini golf

o       Go fishing

o       See some fireworks

o       Shade for under playhouse for table and sandbox

o       Incredible Pizza

o       Plant pumpkins & work in garden

o       Catch fireflies in a jar

Spring Garden

 My garden is a work in progress. Lots of people have the problem of not enough space...me, I have the opposite problem....there is so much space that I want to fill with beautiful garden that I don't have the time, money, or energy to do it all at once. So, I am taking baby steps.

 This year, I managed to convince hubby to let me have some raised beds instead of trying to take care of an enormous, spread out area. I wanted things more concentrated to help reduce weeds and make it, well, prettier. 

 I am trying out a method that is new to me (mostly since I haven't had a ton of gardening experience) but actually a method that has been used probably since the beginning of time....companion gardening.

 It's suprisingly simple really. It's just a matter of sorting and planning. As you can see, my garden is just beginning to grow, but I am looking forward to seeing what happens! 

Next year, I am definitely adding strawberries and some other perennial fruits and vegetables. After that, in the next few years....rock paths, arbors, sitting area, expanding my perennial flower garden, a little garden shed/greenhouse......aaaaah....I can see it now.....and my kids will grow and help...and hopefully, enjoy the garden as much as I do! There is so much to be learned there, as well!

Valentine's Day Roses

 I LOVE this Valentine's Day idea from Family Fun!!
They have some really cute ideas on their site...check it out. I came across this in their February issue and thought it was so cool and I couldn't believe I'd never seen this before! Maybe I've been living under a rock, but I had to try this and my four year old, loved doing it, too. Who knew that celery made a really cool flower stamp!?!?!? This is so easy and a great project for kids. All you need is finger paint, paper, and celery!
 Have fun with this...you can do different colors, a collage of flowers, and more. Of course, we can't just make one thing while we have the paint out, so we did several pictures and I now have some very fun artwork for my wall as well. Enjoy! It will be beautiful because you and your kids did it together!!

Valentine Road Map

  I used to despise Valentine's Day, but since I have kids now, I've found that it's kind of a fun thing to do and a good excuse to buy some extra chocolate (as if I really need an excuse). And, it is an extra special opportunity to be super mushy, which for me, with all the testosterone in this  house, is not always possible!
  Last year, I did a really fun road map valentine for my husband. It was so nostalgic for me and he absolutely loved it! It was simple, but thoughtful, and still inexpensive (depending on your "travel coupons").

I made the boys a dinner they both really like...I can't for the life of me, remember what it was, except that I'm pretty sure it included mashed potatoes...and we all had placemats that I made from 12x12 scrapbook paper, which I placed some of their little goodies on at dinner. For my three year old, it was a book and some M&M's...easy to please! 

 I helped my little one make a card for his Daddy and he insisted on doing hand tracing, too. The card on the left, we made with both of our thumbprints in the shapes of hearts and added some stickers, of course, because every three year old loves stickers!

 These are the "travel brochures"...each is a little mini valentine with a travel theme.

 The "travel itinerary" is a the little "booklet" that enclosed the "brochures", "coupons", and "map".

 This is my favorite part...the map! Each tag with ribbon has a date and something significant to our relationship (for example: when we started dating, when he proposed, etc.). I wrote little notes with some of them and at the "end" I wrote him a little love note.



The coupons can be whatever you want. I can't remember what I did on all of them, but I know one was for a batch of his favorite cookies upon request...didn't take long to cash that in on some PB cookies!

The only materials I used were scrapbook paper, ribbon, inkpads, markers, and stickers....all of which I already had in my craft supplies and the end results were something special!


I hope this inspires you to have some fun and make something special for you favorite valentine, too!

Christmas Craft & Candy

Santa pretzels were a huge hit at my house! My four year old loved to make them with me and they were super easy!!! This is a really good one for kids to do! I LOVE Pinterest for this reason!!! All you need are pretzels (we used mini ones), almond bark, colored sugar, and marshmallows or white chocolate chips. You can heat up the bark in the microwave and dip just half the pretzel in, then coat with sugar and put your marshmallow or chip on for the ball on the hat. I couldn't find a larger container of just red, so we used the multi-pack with green, yellow, and blue and adapted them to be stocking hats...they turned out great! We made enough to eat and send to my brother overseas in the military.

 We made handprint tree Christmas cards for my brother and his buddies to send with his care package.

This wreath is for my fridge....little handprints are just precious!

Picture Perfect Gift Ideas

Say "Cheeeeese!"!! If you're like me, the only time I am actually IN a picture is if we get someone else to take it, otherwise I am behind the camera. This is the time of year that seems perfect for getting a family photo for Christmas cards and just to update your frames. 
I am a huge fan of using photos as gifts! I know to some it may seem corny or cheap or just plain dumb, but what do you give the parents and grandparents who have everything?!?

Shutterfly photo mugs

 I love Shutterfly for photo gifts and prints...they have a ton of ideas from collages to mugs, calendars, and more. I actually gave these photo mugs with personalized photo cards for Father's Day this year and they were a big hit! And, they didn't break the bank, which was a huge plus!

Here are a few other photo gift ideas that you can make online or use already printed photos:

Scrapbook page framed--frames at Hobby Lobby are around $20, so wait til they are on sale!

Canvas prints--My friend  and neighbor, Traci, (check out her blog!) always does our family photos and she orders from a professional photo printing if I ask her to...for super quality, ask your photographer about this, otherwise, sites like Shutterfly, Snapfish, Wal-mart and the like will probably be just fine.

Collage--online or make it yourself

Photo Coasters--online or make them yourself using tiles, cork squares, Modge Podge, and sealer--I made these for Mother's Day a couple years ago...you can even put them on mini plate racks to display!

Calendars--online or make it yourself---way cute to personalize with kids' photos!

Photo Books--These are way cool and easy to put together online! You can even make "story books" where you can type in things you want to say about the photos, etc.

You can start by downloading your favorite photos to your favorite photo service site (which is the longest part of the process usually) and then click and play with them to see what you can come up with!
   If you have a favorite photographer, ask them about photo gifts or if you have the rights to use the pics they've taken of you and your family to make your own gifts. Be sure not to use them without their permission! Also, don't forget that some of your own candid, fun snapshots are just as meaningful as posed or professional photos so don't discount your own, even if you are not a fabulous photographer!

And don't forget the shots that are fun and don't even involve people! I took this one on vacation a couple weeks ago.

Fall Gardening

Now, don't get me wrong, I am NO gardening expert...I learn from what others have done and try what works for me. Our garden is 60x40 feet...yes, it's LARGE! It's too large for me to keep up with the way that we had our rows spread out and far apart in the  past, and I've been wanting to try raised beds for some time. I've also wanted to do what is know as "companion gardening"  within the beds because I don't want to use any pesticides on my plants. So, after MUCH discussion (sometimes heated disagreements), I finally convinced my husband that we needed some raised beds. Hopefully it will help with drainage, keeping weeds under control, making better use of the space, and make it just plain prettier to look at. 

So, my plan is to plant in these four 3x6 feet beds and on the opposite side of the garden, we will plant our rows of corn and okra and I will slowly add either more beds or make some sort of separate are for berry bushes and other perennial fruits and vegetables. I also want our garden to be a place to hang out and play with the kids, so I plan to incorporate some fun little things as it develops. (these raised bed kits and much more at Gardener's Supply)

Raised beds

My critter catcher AKA Harry Dog

Artsy Craftsy Tuesday--Diego Outfit

 My four year old loves Diego so for his birthday last month, I decided to make him a vest like Diego's. I have NEVER made any type of clothing so this was quite a feat for me. I used a yard of cloth, some felt, and blue thread...then voila, Diego vest!! The vest cost me about $9 to make. I topped off the outfit with a blue t-shirt and ordered an orange sling backpack for his birthday and he was set! The great thing is that this cool birthday get-up will double as a Halloween costume for him and he can play in it whenever he wants. I simply used one of his big t-shirts as a pattern and when from there. I love making the costumes and getting creative to make inexpensive and reusable outfits! The last two years he was a scarecrow, then a cowboy....both with clothes he already had and just a couple $1 things to add the details.