Color Sorting

 

I already had these muffin tins. Tongs and pompoms are from..where else but Dollar Tree!

They had to use the tongs to pick up the pompoms and put them in the correct row to categorize. This works on motor skills as well as color sorting!

    

After a little bit, we decided the tong look like alligators, so we(..well I!) hot glued some eyes onto them, and they went around chomping everyone!:) They had fun with it!

This is another motor skill / color sorting activity. I picked up a few paint swatches.. 2 of each color, and some clothes pins (~dollar store) I cut one paint swatch to fit on the clothes pin, and the other I left.. I cut them down a bit though.. they were about 7 shades long. The kids have to match the green to the green..but then have to decide between shades too..it is a wonderful activity!:)

    

Gel Bag Writing Practice

This is a ziploc bag with Hair Gel in it..f/Dollar Tree of course! I squirt one whole bottle/bag.. added some food coloring, and some glitter to each. The kids can write letter/numbers/whatever they are working on..then erase it and do it again! LOTS of fun!:)

         

    

I know.. a LOT of my ideas lately have been coming from Pinterest! It’s just that GREAT!!

If you haven’t heard of Pinterest check it out! You don’t know what you are missing!

Are you getting ready for Christmas?!!

Now that we’ve posted about Thanksgiving, I have something else on my mind..Christmas will be here so soon!

I bought these make-up cases at the dollar tree, emptied, washed, and dried them. Then I took some old nail polish that I honestly don’t know where I got and don’t know if I have ever even used it..anyway, I just filled them full enough to not be able to see the bottom anymore. They will dry, and be in my daughters Christmas stocking! She is always watching me and wanting to wear make-up.. so now we’ll be able to do it together! (I can’t take the credit for this though.. found it on Pinterest! I <3 Pinterest!!)

  

Happy Thanksgiving!

Tomorrow it Thanksgiving!

A few years ago..quite a few actually, I was feeling..sort of..depressed one day and I decided to sit down and write down ALL the things I could think of that I was thankful for.. well, it’s really a few things and the list grows every day. I carried that list with me for years..and years! And whenever I would have a blue day, I would pull it out and read it, COUNT my many blessings!! I can’t find the list now, but I want to start a new one!

Here’s a start.. maybe you can think of things you are thankful for and comment on this post!

In no order…well, the first part is, sort of!…

 

I am thankful for:

God, Jesus Christ, Holy Ghost, Family: Jared, Gideon, Ellanor, Mom, Dad, Hailee, Whitnee, Katee, Dustin, TJ, Adison, Timothy, Derrick, Shaun, Hampton, Tammy, Mike, Jason, Jamie, baby, Eric, Azalea, Fernanda, Gabriel, Immanuel, Grandma Grace, Grandma Marcia, Grandpa Ron, Grandma and Grandpa Kelepolo, Grandma Dunlap, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Friends: too many to list..you know who you are! :) My children’s friends, the Gospel, Church, Missionaries, Atonement, Sacrament, latter-day prophets, apostles, other church leaders, counsel, temples, marriage, covenants, baptism, beds to sleep in, Couch, Table and chairs, sink, dishwasher, pots and pans, silverware, plates, bowls, cups, toilets;), mirrors, curling irons, flat irons, blow dryers, bathtubs, showers, warm water, cold water, milk, juice, oranges, grapes, cheese, CHOCOLATE!, cookies, spaghetti, warm biscuits, hot chocolate, toast, eggs, blankets, pillows, lights, cameras, video cameras, happiness, smiles, laughter, plants in the garden, flowers, trees, grass, wind, sky, sun, stars, moon, clouds, rain, snow, ice, leaves, exercise, my body, hair, eyes, nose, mouth, hands, feet, sight, smell, hearing, touch, love, hugs, kisses, kind words, thank you, please, sorry, yes, no, home, school, Kansas City, Wichita, KS, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Washington DC, Virginia, New York, Texas, future home!, diplomas, learning, caring, giving, farm, dogs, cats, cow, chickens, turkeys, pigs, goats, lawn mowers, electricity, computers, blogs, pinterest!, television, radio, cars to drive, husband that knows so much about so many things..cars, computers, just a smart guy!, games, puzzles, numbers, math, English, Spanish, preschool, good examples, bad examples, agency, paper, pencils, pens, crayons, staplers, cricut, scrapbooks, pictures, memories, brain, teeth, tongue, food, past, future, present, hardships, trials, faith, determination, perseverance, joy, movies, comedies, rainbows, hydrangea, roses, babies, diapers (not changing them, just that I have them!), toddlers, children, lessons from children, funny quotes from children, friendship, chores, clean home, bags, purse, wallet, money, financial freedom, debt, hard work, sacrifice, sweat, tears, Cedar City UT, Grace ID, Mona UT, Provo UT, Blackfoot ID, Twin Falls ID, Abilene TX, Ft.Worth TX, Goddard KS, High School, Jr. High, roads, railways, airplanes, date nights, future (bigger) vehicle, sports: soccer, volleyball, basketball, health, red hair, washing machine, dryer, cosmetology degree, scissors, trimmers, sewing machine, business, broccoli, salad, hamburgers, pie, donuts, ice cream, recipe books, cooking, going out to eat, desk, a sick child being able to keep something in his stomach (what I am dealing with today), service, …

the list goes on and on..there are so many things in life to be thankful for..

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and if you get a chance, to ponder on the things you are thankful for.. Count your many blessings, we have been given so much!

Love to you all this Thanksgiving season!

Pie Crust & Sweet Potato Pie

Pie Crust

2 C. Flour

1 tsp. Salt

3/4 C. Shortening

3/8 C. Chilled Water

*Put flour and salt in a bowl and mix. Cut in shortening. Add chilled water a little at a time. Cut in 1/2 w/knife. Flatten dough out with hands. Roll dough out 1/2” larger than a pie tin.

*Fill with filling

*Roll out 2nd 1/2 of dough same way and put over top of pie. Cut vent holes. Pinch to seal sides

*To prevent edges browning to soon, cover with aluminum foil until last 5 min. of baking time.

*Bake pie @ 425* til lightly brown

*Bake @ 350* for 30-40 minutes. or until knife tests done

 

Sweet Potato Pie

1 C. Hot mashed Sweet Potato

3 Tbsp. Butter

2 Eggs

1 C. Sugar

1/2 C. Evaporated Milk

Grated Nutmeg to Taste

2 Tbsp. Lemon Extract

*Add butter to potatoes, beat eggs, add sugar and beat again until light.

*Combine sugar and mix w/potatoes, add milk, nutmeg, and lemon extract

*Adjust flavoring. If needed add more lemon.

*Pour into 9” round pie shells.

*Bake according to pie crust directions.

You’ve been Boo’ed

My family and I started this BOO thing around our neighborhood. We Boo'ed three families and within the two weeks before Halloween this ghost sign was everywhere! So fun! Someone at church mentioned that she was grateful for whomever started it and I kept it to myself but it made me feel good. She said her kids were so excited to get a treat and even more excited to go and ding, dong, ditch other people. Ha ha! i Know I loved it when I was younger as well. We did not put a sign up in our window after starting it but it did come back to us. We had a delicious array of goodies left on our doorstep. Yum! Can't wait to do this next year!

(I drew up a ghost to share for the BOO sign and I added some picture to the poem to make it look more exciting!)

Print or write out this poem:

The air is cool, the season fall,
Soon Halloween will come to all.

Ghosts and goblins, spooks galore...
Tricky witches at your door.

The spooks are after things to do,
In fact a spook brought this "Boo" to you!

The excitement comes when friends like you,
Copy this note and make it two.

We'll all have smiles upon our faces,
No one will know who "BOO"ed who's places!

Just two short days to work your spell,
Keep it secret, hide it well.

Please join the fun, the seasons here .
Just spread these "BOO's" and Halloween cheer.

(I had a clear plastic cup that I drew a pumpkin face on; orange tissue paper filled with candy and tied it with a green ribbon. Simple treat to share!)

Include a sheet of paper that says:

You have been BOOED! Please keep it going by following these directions:

1. Enjoy your treat
2. Place the BOO sign on your front door or visible in a window
3. Within 2 days, make 2 copies of this note, make 2 treats & 2 BOO signs
4. Secretly deliver to 2 neighbors/friends without a BOO.
5. Keep an eye on nearby front doors to see how far and fast it spreads by Halloween.

A New Business Venture!

Let me tell you where I’ve been! I have been looking for quite a while for some opportunities. I feel like something big is about to happen and have been searching for what that is. I have been looking into craft booths/shops to sell crafts. Thinking about an Etsy store, building my hair business. Wondering if I should focus on MaryKay..which isn’t what I really want to run with..thinking about BeautiControl ~FABULOUS product..but not right for me now..

About a month ago I was introduced to a gal that told me about Paparazzi Accessories. Through the long and short of it, I have become a Paparazzi Accessories Consultant. It is a FABULOUS company to work for. And has been a BLAST so far!

Paparazzi Accessories is JEWELRY and HAIR ACCESSORIES sold for $5.00 each! SUPER cute, trendy, stylish and AFFORDABLE! You can read more about it on my new business blog here: www.paparazzibyashlee.blogspot.com. It is a consultant company as of January of THIS YEAR! So it is very new and exciting. I love the idea of being a Pioneer of sorts to this area where I live. Because not many have heard of it here in the Kansas City area, the sky is the limit! I give home shows that are super fun! Invite your friends, have some refreshments, and shop for affordable, cute jewelry! Gotta love that! AND there are Hostess incentives too!:) If you would like to learn more, you can e-mail me and I would love to answer any questions you have!:) paparazzibyashlee@yahoo.com. So, I have been building my new business and am so excited for what lies ahead!

I have been crafting along the way. I am taking orders for the “Home” wood project I have been making but don’t have an Etsy store up and going yet..if you are interested in that you can e-mail me here: myswankycrafts@yahoo.com. I have come up with a lot of different options for each month for the “O”, I can’t wait to show you!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you check out my new blog and drop me a line if you wish!

Halloween Fun

To get into the Halloween spirit I made some little bats. Super easy and cute! They are hanging in the entryway to our apartment along with some cheesecloth spider webs and orange lights. It’s so fun!

Supplies for bats: desired color of paper/cardstock – I used purple and black; google eyes; double-sided tape or really good glue; fish line or string; something thin and sharp to punch small holes – I used large sewing needle.

Directions: The bats are circles and I cut a chunk out of the top to make it look like ears. Take another circle and cut in half – those halves will be wings. I used decorative scissors that I had to make edges on wings; otherwise you can cut your own design with regular scissors. Use tape/glue to add googel eyes. Tape wings to the back part of bat circle. Poke a hold and feed fishing line through. Tie the fishing line in a knot in the back and cut desired length. Oh, you can make them different sizes and connect smaller ones to larger ones (picture below: tiny black bat is taped to large purple one).

This would be cute as a mobile if you wanted to hang it from a hanger or hoops or some sort but I liked the ‘all over’ idea. I just taped each one around the ceiling.

Tasty Tuesday – Chili and Corn Bread

Isn’t chili the easiest thing to put together? Throw in whatever you want. I guess this is my own recipe and I like to make up a big pot of it because it is so good as leftovers.

1 lb. ground beef

1 medium onion, diced.

1 green pepper, diced.

1 can black beans, drained

1 Cup frozen corn

3 Cans kidney beans, drained

1 large can whole tomatoes, cut each into chunks.

1 packet of chili seasoning

1 can tomato soup

1 Cup water

Brown the beef, drain. Add onions and green peppers; cook for about five minutes until onions are softened. Add black beans (drained), kidney beans (drained), whole tomatoes ( cut into chunks), tomato soup, water, corn, chili seasoning, and whatever else you want to add. Let it cook on low for about a half hour so the corn is cooked and the beans are softened. You might add more chili seasoning to taste if you want to. To make it go further, add more tomato soup and water. Enjoy!

We make corn bread/muffins to enjoy with this meal.

Pop Tab Bracelets!

My friend was wearing one of these the first time I met her.. I knew she HAD to be a crafty person! Whenever I go home to visit my parents..we try to get together and have a crafty kind of day!:)

Yep! These are made of recycled pop tabs! and ribbon!!

  

  

Tasty Tuesday–Pumpkin Pie Milkshake

I found this on Ourbestbites the other day and HAD to try it QUICK! I did and it is AMAZING!! I just need to clear enough room in our freezer to keep some vanilla ice cream more permanently for the next few months! It’s a GREAT way to welcome in the Fall!

Pumpkin Pie Milkshake

(Click on the picture to go to the link for the recipe!)

“HOME” Project & a Puzzle

August

September

and a few more I am currently working on for other months.. actually there are a lot more I have done but do not have in my possession..as soon as I do, I will post pic! I am gathering quite a few ideas..multiples for each month…

Nov, June, Aug

       

For the Birthday Week

Another fun project. I bought (less than $2) a 2x2 board from Home Depot and cut it into square with my Miter Saw. Then I bought a cute little (about 6” x 6”) calendar from Michaels for $1. Cut the calendar to fit the blocks and decoupaged them on. THEN I went over them all with a sanding brick and sanded all the edges and corners. And finally went over the top of them with decoupage again to seal it all. I sanded them after so I could sand down the pics and make them flush with the wood.. I didn’t want the pics to hang out over the blocks. SO this is a 6 sided puzzle. Different pic on each side. My 4 year old can do it..but needs a little help at times. With 54 puzzle pieces..and only 9 needed at a time.. it can be a little hard for young ones! I am going to try this with pictures of the family soon!

     

   

Some calendars from Michaels. I have also gotten them from Target dollar bins in years past.. but don’t pay more than a dollar! You can actually get 2 full puzzles out of one book, since you only need 6 pictures and calendars have 12! Great Christmas gifts too!!