From the Fence Post

Summer Bingo {Finished Album}

2011-06-22T20:35:00.002-04:00

Last year when we played Summer Bingo I took pictures of Cole doing various items off his cards every week and had them printed as a 5x7 picture. I adhered the picture to the back of his weekly card and viola an adorable little album with all our summer fun!

Cardboard Tube Penguin

2011-06-20T20:19:00.002-04:00

This is a cross post from my TP Craft site. If you are interested in other crafty projects using toilet paper and paper towel rolls then you should check it out.

Penguin Supply List: 1 toilet paper roll, black paint, glue, scissors, white paper, yellow paper, 1 other colored paper, google eyes

Start by painting your toilet paper roll black and allow to dry. Cut an oval out of your white paper. Add google eyes, beak, and a small bow tie.

Glue your oval onto your toilet paper roll.

Book Suggestion: In the story Penguin, Ben is disappointed when the penguin he receives as a present doesn't speak. All that changes when Penguin saves the day. This was a sweet book with delightful pictures that your preschooler is sure to love.

Encourage Kids to Write...

2011-06-18T20:12:00.002-04:00

One of the things I'm including on each of Cole's weekly Summer Bingo cards is for him to write a note to a friend or family member. About a month ago I ordered some notecards from Shutterfly. I keep them in the back of our summer binder and when he chooses that activity we pull one out for him to write to a friend. He loves using his special summer notecards and I love that he practices his writing.

For Lego Lovers...

2011-06-15T19:58:00.004-04:00

You may recall from our Lego Birthday Party, that there are a bunch of Lego lovers in this house. I came across a great site called Lego Quest Kids where weekly challenges are posted and kids are encouraged to send in their creations. We haven't participated in the challenges but I did go back through the list of past challenges and I'm using some of them on our weekly Summer Bingo cards. So far Cole's favorite activity has been creating his favorite food out of Legos.

Organize Your Summer...

2011-06-13T19:50:00.003-04:00

Last year I posted in depth about how I organized our summer binder. I created a summer binder again this year because I like the way it kept us on track and let me know exactly what free events were going on around town. In our binder I have a calendar for each month and then various flyers, coupons, handouts, etc. that we collect along our way.

Toilet Paper Roll Lion

2011-06-11T19:44:00.003-04:00

This is a cross post from my TP Craft site. If you are interested in other crafty projects using toilet paper and paper towel rolls then you should check it out.

Lion Supply List: 1 toilet paper roll, paint, glue, scissors, google eyes, yellow paper, pipe cleaner

Begin by painting your toilet paper roll yellow. We mixed a little glitter glue in with our paint to make a sparkly lion. Allow your paint to dry.

Cut legs from the bottom of your toilet paper roll.

Cut a circle out of your piece of yellow paper and cut small slits all the way around the circle so that it looks like a sun. I let Cole do some of the cuts on this, but then he got board so I finished it for him.

Add google eyes and draw on a mouth.

Glue on your lion face on the toilet paper roll and add a pipe cleaner tail.

Book Suggestion: I love the story of the The Lion & the Mouse. It's a classic fable with a wonderful lesson. In this version, the story has no words and the beautiful illustrations tell the story. I like using wordless books with my kids. It gives them a chance to really tell the story and predict what they think is going to happen as well as recant what they've seen.

Summer Bingo Cards...

2011-06-09T19:35:00.004-04:00

I love it when school is out and we get to do lots of fun activities. Last year was our first year participating in Summer Bingo and it was a hit. Cole loved it, I loved it, it was a huge success for everyone. Here we are again this year ready to get our bingo on. I decided to follow the same format I used last year for the bingo cards. I'm going to hole punch the corner and connect them all together with a ring. The rules and the way I have it set up have stayed the same and pretty much the only thing I changed was the ticket redemption policy. Every Sunday Cole gets a new card and he has 1 week to complete the items. For every bingo he gets 1 ticket which can be used to purchase something from our treasure box, or saved up for a big outing.

Update: A reader emailed me to let me know that Stacy removed her download links. If you click here you can download a copy of the rules and a few bingo card templates.

Summer Bingo Treasure Chest

2011-06-07T19:29:00.003-04:00

Last year I structured our ticket/prize system for Summer Bingo with a set prize for each ticket amount. This year I decided to do something a little different. I gathered up all the small toys/trinkets/left over party favors and Cole and I put together a treasure box. I had him lay all the items out on the floor in order from what should be the lowest valued item, to the highest. Then we assigned them each a ticket value. Now when he earns bingo tickets he can go shopping for prizes. I'm curious to see how it goes this year.

Summer Bingo

2011-06-05T19:23:00.004-04:00

It's time once again for Summer Bingo! This is the photo that I'm using for the cover of Cole's cards this year. I'm working on getting a few posts together about what we're doing this year and a few things I've changed. In the meantime you can check out all the great bingo fun we had here.

Paper Towel Roll Giraffe

2011-06-03T19:17:00.002-04:00

This is a cross post from my TP Craft site. If you are interested in other crafty projects using toilet paper and paper towel rolls then you should check it out.

Giraffe Supply List: 1 paper towel roll, yellow & brown paint, google eyes, glue, scissors, pipe cleaner

Start by painting your paper towel roll yellow and allow to dry.

Paint some brown spots on your paper towel roll.

Cut some feet out of the bottom of your paper towel roll.

On the top of your paper towel roll so that it looks like the head of a giraffe sticking up.

Add your eyes, pipe cleaners and a scrap of paper towel roll for a mouth.

Book Suggestion: In Giraffes Can't Dance, Gerald the giraffe just wants to dance. He overcomes his akwardness with a little help and a new beat. This is a delightful book that teaches children that everyone can unique and dance to the beat of their own drummer, or cricket.

life = 4 x 12 {May}

2011-06-01T19:12:00.003-04:00

Here's our May family picture for my life = 4 x 12 project. We took this in front of the Bunker Hill Monument on our recent family vacation to Boston. You can see all the pictures from this year here.

Product Review {Safety Tat}

2011-05-02T23:24:00.000-04:00

I want to preface this post by stating that I received no compensation at all from Safety Tat for this review (not even free product). This is 100% my opinion on a product I love.

I ordered Safety Tats a few years ago when I first heard about them. Cole, my oldest, was about 1 at the time and I thought they were the best invention ever. I now use them on both kids whenever we go to a large public place where there is a chance we could get separated from each other. I keep my Tats in my camera case because I figure if we're going somewhere I take my camera then there is a chance I'll need one. Thankfully, my children have never gotten lost, but I am always glad that I put a Tat on them. I've had numerous parents and grandparents ask about them and I'm always happy to refer them back to the Safety Tat website. If you're looking for a little peace of mind, or a great gift idea for a mom of young kids, check out Safety Tats.

Here you can see Kiley sporting her Safety Tat at the Orlando Science Center.

life = 4 x 12 {April}

2011-04-30T23:21:00.001-04:00

I decided to take our April picture in front of our current house. I thought it was only fitting since this is the last full month we'll spend in this house. You can see all of our family pictures here.

Rainbow Cupcakes

2011-04-27T23:14:00.002-04:00

We made rainbow cupcakes the other day and they turned out awesome. I started with a traditional boxed cake batter and divided it into 6 bowls. Add food coloring to each bowl. Then we scooped 1 scoop of each color into a muffin tin. My cupcakes turned out very, very full. Almost a little too full. After they baked I added a buttercream icing and a few green sprinkles. Tada! They were tasty and very pretty to look at.

Muffin Tin Monday {Cool Pineapple Tray}

2011-04-25T11:01:00.003-04:00

Ok, so I know that "technically" Muffin Tin Monday should be in an actual tin. BUT... I found these adorable Nibble Trays and I just love them, so I thought I'd share these. I found these on Amazon and they are SO worth the $7.99 price tag. They are dishwasher safe and the little dip cup area can be frozen so that your dips stay cool. We will be using these a LOT this summer when we go to the zoo and other adventures around town.

life = 4 x 12 {March}

2011-04-22T22:57:00.003-04:00

I just realized I never posted our March family picture for my little project this year. This picture was taken on a spring break trip to the beach. I got the idea for this project from the lovely Tara Whitney.

Rainbow Craft...

2011-04-19T22:52:00.002-04:00

I know I've been a little absent lately, but I have a really good reason. We're moving! And what does a random rainbow craft have to do with your move you might ask??? Well, I've been cleaning out our craft closet and Cole and I found a ton of little scraps. I had him sort them by color and then drew a rainbow on a large piece of paper. He had a wonderful time gluing them down in each of the colored sections.

Recycled 2 Liter Bottle Planters

2011-03-27T22:38:00.003-04:00

We're trying our hand at some gardening again this year. I have a notoriously black thumb, so we'll see how it goes. I made these planters our of recycled 2 liter bottles. Start with a clean 2 liter bottle. Cut it in half and invert it into itself. Add some rocks to the bottom so that all your dirt doesn't fall out. Add dirt, seeds and water. I'll be sure to update you all on how are plants are growing.

Cardboard Tube Bird Feeder

2011-03-25T22:34:00.002-04:00

This is a cross post from my TP Craft site. If you are interested in other crafty projects using toilet paper and paper towel rolls then you should check it out.

Cardboard Tube Bird Feeder Supply List: toilet paper roll or paper towel tube, peanut butter, string or twine, bird seed, spatula

Use the spatula to spread peanut butter on your cardboard tube. Make sure to get it on nice and thick.

Once it is covered, roll your tube in bird seed.

Thread a piece of string through the tube and tie it in a knot.

Hang it outside and wait for your little bird friends to stop by for a bite to eat.

Book Suggestion: We checked out Backyard Bird Watching for Kids: How to Attract, Feed, and Provide Homes for Birds from the library and it had some great ideas for kids about how to attract birds into your backyard. It has very simplistic language that is easy for a preschooler to understand. Cole loved the bright pictures and all the interesting information about birds.

Painters Tape Painting

2011-03-23T22:23:00.003-04:00

Cole and I did some painters tape painting the other day and he loved it. We marked off his construction paper using blue painters tape. Then I let him paint any colors he wanted. He loved mixing the different colors. While the paint was still wet we peeled off the tape. He was intrigued by the lines that were left behind.

Muffin Tin Monday {Baby's First Muffin Tin}

2011-03-21T13:17:00.004-04:00

It's Monday again! This week I tried to make a muffin tin meal for Kiley. I wasn't sure how she would react to it, since usually she just dumps her plate and moves a bunch of stuff around on her tray. Well, it was a huge hit. She loved the silicone cupcake liners, loved dumping the food into different cups, loved the little fork I gave her. I guess now I have 2 monkeys to make muffin tin meals for on Monday!

life = 4 x 12 {February}

2011-03-19T22:01:00.003-04:00

I mentioned last month that this year I resolved to take at least 1 family picture of all of us every month. The idea came from the fabulous Tara Whitney. Here is our January picture. It was blurry and the color was really off. I had used the timer for that one. This month we took our pic outside and used the remote. I think it turned out much better. In addition to getting 12 family pictures, I'm also gaining better knowledge of my camera from this project.

Happy St. Patrick's Day...

2011-03-17T09:20:00.000-04:00

Toilet Paper Roll Race Car

2011-03-15T21:58:00.001-04:00

This is a cross post from my TP Craft site. If you are interested in other crafty projects using toilet paper and paper towel rolls then you should check it out.

Race Car Supply List: 1 toilet paper roll, paint, hole punch, scissors, 4 plastic bottle lids, 2 toothpicks, 1 straw

Begin by painting your toilet paper roll.

While you're waiting for your toilet paper roll to dry trim your straw to just a little shorter than your toothpicks.

Punch holes in your toilet paper roll and thread the straw through. Then insert the toothpick through the straw.

Punch some small holes in the plastic lids. You want to make sure that you get the hole directly in the center so that the wheels don't wobble.

Put the wheels onto the toothpicks. I ended up putting a little drop of glue on the outside of the wheel, right where the toothpick poked through, but it wasn't necessary. I just didn't want the baby to pull them off and try to eat them.

Cut a hole in the center of the toilet paper roll for a seat and find a little friend who wants to go for a ride.

Book Suggestion: R is for Race: A Stock Car Alphabet is a great book that is as rhyming verse for that little kids will love and longer paragraphs that are good for older kids. It's perfect for the little car enthusiast in your house.

Fishing Cupcakes

2011-03-11T21:54:00.002-05:00

The second cupcake I made was a fishing cupcake. Again, I used this tasty icing recipe and added blue food coloring. I used a large star tip to swirl on the icing. The fishing pole is a pretzel stick with a piece of dental floss tied to it. I added a few colorful goldfish into the waves and viola!

Camping Cupcakes

2011-03-09T21:49:00.002-05:00

So I mentioned earlier in the week that I made camping & fishing cupcakes for my nephew's 7th birthday. I think they turned out fabulous. These are the camping themed ones. I used this frosting recipe and added green food coloring. Using a large circular tip I iced them and then added some green sprinkles. The campfire is pretzel sticks with some red icing on the top and the marshmallow sticks are pretzel sticks with mini marshmallows on them. They were delicious.

Muffin Tin Monday

2011-03-07T13:43:00.004-05:00

It's Monday!!! Around here that means it's time for our weekly muffin tin meal. Since we've had warmer weather the last few days I tried to make a muffin tin meal that looked like a flower. I used silicone heart cupcake liners that I got on clearance at Target after Valentine's Day for .89 for a 12 pack. What a deal. Anyways, the center liner is a paper one from Ikea. I think it looks a little like a flower, right? As usual, Cole loved it and gobbled up every little bit.

Camping & Fishing Cupcakes

2011-03-05T21:39:00.004-05:00

Mmmmmmm... Cupcakes! I made these camping and fishing cupcakes for my nephew's 7th birthday. I'll post more details about them later in the week, I just wanted you to have a peek at how cute they turned out!

Paper Towel Roll Marble Run

2011-03-03T21:35:00.001-05:00

This is a cross post from my TP Craft site. If you are interested in other crafty projects using toilet paper and paper towel rolls then you should check it out.

Marble Run Supply List: 10-12 paper towel rolls, hot glue gun, magnets, scissors, marble

Cut out the edges on each of the tubes.

Use the hot glue gun to attach magnets to the side of the tubes. Please do not allow your children to use a hot glue gun. I did this part while Cole was napping.

Line up your tubes on a magnetic surface. This would be a great activity to do on your fridge. We just got a new stainless steel fridge and it is not magnetic so we did out marble run on the laundry room door.

Here is a video of our little activity. It was a HUGE hit!

Stained Glass Hearts

2011-02-20T21:59:00.003-05:00

I had every intention of getting this post up before Valentine's Day. But as you can see, that didn't happen. We made stained glass hearts this year and they turned out great. Start by sharpening some crayons and catch the shavings onto a paper plate. Sprinkle your shavings onto some wax paper and cover it with another layer of wax paper. Cover with newspaper and iron. Be sure to put down some newspaper first or you'll mess up your iron. Allow to cool and cut out your shapes. We might do this again for St. Patrick's Day.

life = 4 x 12

2011-02-18T22:23:00.002-05:00

I've taken on a little project this year inspired by one of my favorite photographers, the fabulous Tara Whitney. I'm going to take a family picture each month and compile it into a book. I'm also including 11 facts (because it's 2011) about we did during the month. I'm really excited about this project because I tend to leave myself out when taking pictures of the family. So here is our January picture. We went bowling at the beginning of the month and I used the self timer to snap this completely out of focus picture. It's not perfect, but I still think it's wonderful.

Cardboard Tube Packing Material

2011-02-16T22:03:00.000-05:00

This is a cross post from my TP Craft site. If you are interested in other crafty projects using toilet paper and paper towel rolls then you should check it out.

I was shipping a present to my best friend's daughter the other day and I needed some packing material. I cut up several paper towel rolls into small sections and dropped them down into the box.

Muffin Tin Monday...

2011-02-14T13:50:00.003-05:00

It's time for Muffin Tin Monday. Here is our Valentine's Day themed tin. I really like using the square shaped tin. It was kind of cute and different! I made the heart pics myself using a heart punch and some adhesive. It's amazing how those scrapbooking supplies come in handy!

Happy Valentine's Day...

2011-02-14T09:18:00.001-05:00

Candy Cane Heart Pops

2011-02-13T10:13:00.000-05:00

Here's a tasty treat just in time for Valentine's Day. You'll need some wax paper, small candy canes, chocolate chips, straws or popsicle sticks. Arrange your candy canes and straws on the wax paper. Melt chocolate in the microwave and carefully spoon it into the center of your hearts. Allow to harden and enjoy!

Carnival Birthday Party

2011-02-11T22:00:00.000-05:00

For Cole's 4th and Kiley's 1st birthday we threw a Carnival Birthday party in the backyard. It was awesome. We played carnival games and ate ice cream cone cupcakes. You can see all the details from the party by clicking here - Carnival Birthday Party.

Carnival Birthday Party - Pinata

2011-02-09T21:49:00.000-05:00

Our last activity before going inside for some tasty cupcakes was to break open the pinata. Last yet I made the Lego pinata that we used, but this year I just purchased one. We always hang our pinata from the monkey bars on our swing set. I really like this because I make the kids stand outside the mulch area so that no one gets hit with a bat.

Carnival Birthday Party - Loot Bags

2011-02-06T21:40:00.000-05:00

When the kids started to arrive for the Carnival Birthday Party I had a table set up where the kids could decorate their loot bags. I had markers and stickers for them as well as sticker letters for them to put their names on the bags. They used these bags to collect their prizes from the game booths in the back yard. Then these were the bags they took home with them. I loved having the kids collect their prizes from games instead of just handing them a regular loot bag.

Carnival Birthday Party Games - Treasure Hunt

2011-02-03T21:28:00.000-05:00

This was a messy game, but super fun for the Carnival Birthday Party. I took Lego bags and stuffed them inside toilet paper rolls. I wrapped them up and we buried them in our sandbox. The kids has so much fun digging for their buried treasure. I'm going to feature this over on my TP Craft site in the near future, but I thought I'd share it with you guys first.

Toilet Paper Roll Groundhog

2011-02-01T22:07:00.002-05:00

This is a cross post from my TP Craft site. If you are interested in other crafty projects using toilet paper and paper towel rolls then you should check it out.

Tomorrow is Groundhog Day! Here is a fun little activity that we really enjoyed. Cole loves popping his groundhog out of the hole. We even used the reading light in his room to show the groundhog's shadow on the wall and did a mini lesson on shadows and light.

Groundhog Supply List: 1 toilet paper roll, brown paint, scissors, glue stick, crayons, popsicle stick, crayons, groundhog printout

Start by painting your toilet paper roll with brown paint and allow to dry.

Print out a picture of a groundhog. I got mine from here. I printed it at 30% and it was the perfect size to fit in my groundhog hole (toilet paper roll).

Cut out your groundhog and glue him to the popsicle stick. Once he is dry, your groundhog is ready to pop in and out of his hole.

Book Suggestion: We are crazy about non-fiction books in this house. Each week at the library Cole picks out at least 1 non-fiction book. Groundhog Day is a great book to introduce young children to the holiday. It has wonderful pictures that kids will love.

Carnival Birthday Party Games - Fishing

2011-01-29T21:18:00.000-05:00

This booth was the kids' favorite at the Carnival Birthday Party. Cole and my husband painted a fish scene on some large banner paper that we had. We wrapped it around the frame of a soccer net. The pole was an actual Nemo fishing pole, the hook was replaced by a binder clip. My mom ran this booth for us and the kids LOVED casting the pole over the fishing booth to see what they had won.

Carnival Birthday Party Games - Lollypop Pull

2011-01-27T21:09:00.000-05:00

This may have been the easiest game I made for the Carnival Birthday Party. I bought a styrofoam ring and wrapped it with tulle that was left over from when I made Kiley a tutu. I had these jelly bean popsicle/lollypop things that I got on clearance at Target after Easter last year. I marked 3 of them with an X, those were the winners who got an extra prize. Everyone got to keep the lollypop.

Carnival Birthday Party - Photo Booth

2011-01-25T21:00:00.001-05:00

I had high hope for a photo booth set up at the Carnival Birthday Party. We raided Cole's dress up box and came up with a few great props. I put them all in a bucket and used a staple gun to attach an old curtain to the fence. I put our old point and shoot camera out for people to take pictures but I ended up taking all the pictures with good camera. I love the way they turned out and I included a set of wallet pictures with the thank you notes we sent out.

Toilet Paper Roll Dinosaur Bone

2011-01-23T22:14:00.003-05:00

This is a cross post from my TP Craft site. If you are interested in other crafty projects using toilet paper and paper towel rolls then you should check it out.

Dinosaur Bone Supply List: 1 toilet paper roll, newspaper, tape, flour, mixing bowl, paint

Ball up newspaper and tape it to the end of your toilet paper roll.

Tear the remaining newspaper into small strips and mix your paper mache. To make the paper mache I mixed equal parts water with flour, about a cup of each. Then I added in a couple of squirts of glue.

Dip the newspaper in your paper mache mixture and cover the toilet paper roll.

Allow the dinosaur bone to dry, we left ours overnight. Paint the bone white.

Book Suggestion: How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? by Jane Yolen is an amusing and fun book that follows some dinosaur friends through their bedtime shenanigans. We love all of the books in the dinosaur series.

Carnival Birthday Party Games - Basketball Throw

2011-01-21T20:55:00.002-05:00

This was an easy game for the Carnival Birthday Party. We used Cole's basketball hoop and some bean bags. I choose to use the bean bags because I knew that balls would be bouncing all over the yard.

Carnival Birthday Party Games - Ring Toss

2011-01-19T20:49:00.003-05:00

Game #2 at our Carnival Birthday Party was the Ring Toss. This game was super easy to make. I started with 6 empty Sprite bottles. I choose Sprite because the bottles are clear. I added water colored with food coloring to them. We used pool rings to throw over the tops of the bottles. Since we played all our games out in the backyard I covered a folding table with a table cloth and just laid it on the ground. This way the bottles didn't fall over.

Carnival Birthday Party Games - Duck Pond

2011-01-17T20:42:00.002-05:00

One of the games we played at the Carnival Birthday Party was a Duck Pond. For each game I had a bucket with the prizes and directions on how to play the game. This made it very easy for any extra adult to help the kids play. It also allowed me to have everything set up and ready to go a few days before the actual party. For the Duck Pond I inflated a small kiddie pool and filled it with plastic ducks. The ducks all had a B or a P on the bottom. The B ones got bubbles as a prize and the P ducks got playdoh. I also let the kids keep the ducks.

Carnival Birthday Party Invitations

2011-01-15T20:32:00.002-05:00

For our Carnival Birthday Party I created an invitation that looked like a string of tickets. I did this in photoshop and used some pictures of the kids sitting in a ball pit. The invitations were mailed in animal cracker boxes with a clown nose and some tickets. They turned out absolutely adorable and everyone loved getting the box of animal crackers in the mail.

Something New...

2011-01-09T21:17:00.005-05:00

I've been working on a new site. A few weeks ago I launched TP Craf t where I'm going to share all the crafts that we do with toilet paper and paper towel rolls. I'll still be posting some items over here, but I just wanted to make everyone aware of the new site so you can add it to your bookmarks or like us on facebook.

Annual Family Vacation Album {part 2}

2010-12-06T22:27:00.005-05:00

Here's the second set of pages from our annual family vacation album. I even included years we couldn't make it due to hurricane or the birth of 2 babies.

Annual Family Vacation Album

2010-12-04T22:19:00.004-05:00

I wanted to share an album that I created a few years back for my Mother-In-Law. Every year my husbands whole family takes a vacation together to St. Augustine. We always go over labor day weekend. I used a simple 8x8 album and added pictures from each year. I try to keep it updated for her (I had just finished adding in the pictures from this year which is why it was at my house). I love annual albums because it's so much fun to see how the kids have grown through the years. These are the first few years. I'll post the more recent pages tomorrow.

No Sew Book Sling

2010-12-02T21:55:00.003-05:00

I am not good at sewing. I don't own a sewing machine. I MAY own a needle and thread, but I'm not sure. So when I saw the book sling tutorial over on the penny carnival site I almost had a stroke. I wanted to make one RIGHT NOW! I quickly figured out how to use her pattern and instead of sewing it, use an iron on hem tape to secure the binding. I think it turned out pretty darn good. I'm not going to go through all the steps, you'll have to visit the penny carnival blog to get those. I'll just share how I adapted her steps for my non-sewing ability.

When you go to the store to get your fabric pick up a roll on iron on hem tape.

Instead of stitching your fabric closed, iron on the tape around the outside of the fabric.

Here you can see where I ironed it onto a small section of the fabric and then flipped it inside out and folded it under and ironed the rest of the tape.

Here is where I ironed on the tape to create your loops to slip your dowels through. I measured to make sure my lines of hem tape were even.

And here are the finished book slings hanging in our office. We have been wanting to do something in this corner forever. I knew this was the perfect project as soon as I saw it.

The Cutest Little Turkey Cupcakes

2010-11-30T21:30:00.006-05:00

I made some super cute and super tasty Turkey Cupcakes for Thanksgiving this year. I also baked some pies, but they weren't as adorable. So... start with a batch of plain cupcakes. I used vanilla because I made a homemade chocolate butter cream icing and I thought that a chocolate cupcake would be too rich.

I used fruit roll ups to make some turkey legs.

Cover the top of the cupcake with chocolate frosting.

Dip your cupcake in some chocolate sprinkles.

Take a double stuff Oreo and insert 5-6 candy corns. I actually bought all my candy corns on clearance after Halloween.

Plop your Oreo into the middle of the cupcake.

Decorate a Whopper with eyes and a beak and place it in front of your Oreo.

Gobble. Gobble. These were a huge hit with the kids at Thanksgiving.

Baby Signs

2010-11-28T22:03:00.002-05:00

I did signing with Cole years ago when he was right around 1. I knew that I wanted to start even younger with Kiley. Here is some footage of her signing "more". I use this site as my main resource for signs because it has a detailed glossary. I will admit that I haven't been teaching her as many words as I did to Cole. Probably because she doesn't seem as frustrated by things and is way more laid back than he ever was. In the video she is 9 months old.

Shutterfly Share-A-Palooza {watch me grow}

2010-11-26T22:00:00.002-05:00

Last post on the topic of Shutterfly for a while, I promise. Here is the watch me grow book that I did for Cole. If you want to see all of my Shutterfly projects you can click here.

Click here to view this photo book larger

Shutterfly Share-A-Palooza {watch me grow}

2010-11-24T21:57:00.002-05:00

This is a book that I did for Kiley and I also did one for Cole. I took a picture of them each month and then compiled it into 1 book. I had one printed for the grandparents as well.

Click here to view this photo book larger

Shutterfly Share-A-Palooza {little girl defined}

2010-11-22T21:47:00.002-05:00

I must admit that this book is not my original design. Although, the adorable little girl is all mine! I found this template when I was browsing through the Shutterfly gallery. Did you know that a lot of times you can pull a shared photo book into your account and add your own pictures to it?

Click here to view this photo book larger

Shutterfly Share-A-Palooza {kid artwork}

2010-11-20T21:43:00.002-05:00

Cole brings home a TON of artwork from school every week. I started taking pictures of his favorites and compiled them into a little book. This way he can look back at what he made and I don't have to keep every single piece of artwork he brings home.

Click here to view this photo book larger

Shutterfly Share-A-Palooza {trick-or-treat book}

2010-11-18T21:37:00.003-05:00

It's day 2 of Shutterfly Share-A-Palooza! This is a trick-or-treat book that I did with our pictures from Halloween. I love the way it turned out. If any of my readers have Shutterfly books to share please link to them in your comments and I'll put together some posts to share some of my favorites.

Click here to view this photo book larger

Shutterfly Share-A-Palooza {sibling book}

2010-11-16T21:32:00.003-05:00

I've been working on a bunch of Shutterfly projects lately and I wanted to share a few of them. Partly, because they turned out really great and partly because it's all I have the energy to post right now. So here is a book I did with my favorite pictures of Cole & Kiley from this past year.

Click here to view this photo book larger

W is for Watermelon

2010-11-13T21:34:00.002-05:00

We did the craft a while ago and I'm just now getting a chance to post it. Start by cutting out a green W and a pink W slightly smaller. Use a hole punch to punch some seeds. This was Cole's favorite part. Glue everything together to create a W watermelon.

Birthday Album...

2010-11-11T23:15:00.002-05:00

So I'm finally up to date on Cole's birthday album. I create a few pages and include 12 4x6 pictures from each year. I love how simple and easy this album is to keep up with. Now I just need to start working on Kiley's album.

Shutterfly Holiday Cards

2010-11-10T21:59:00.004-05:00

Have your ordered your holiday cards yet? It seems like every year the time between Halloween and Christmas goes quicker and quicker. I've already designed and I'm almost ready to order our Christmas cards from Shutterfly. This will be my 3rd year using Shutterfly for our Christmas cards and I've never been disappointed.

If you aren't familiar with Shutterfly then you should take a second to check them out. Their Christmas Photo Card collection is stunning this year with tons of new designs to choose from. While you're there check out some of their other items that make great gifts. Last year I made a calendar for my mom and mother-in-law and they were a HUGE hit. I have a few other tricks up my sleeve for this year. I've already ordered my ornament with pictures of the kids and the year. They make an excellent keepsake.

These are the cards we sent out last year. Absolutely beautiful thanks to Shutterfly. I can't wait to get this year's card in my hot little hands so they can be ready to go!

This post was sponsored by Shutterfly. I am getting 50 free cards in exchange for providing my opinion on Shutterfly cards. All reviews and opinions are my own. If you are a blogger and interested in earning free cards go here to sign up.

Muffin Tin Monday...

2010-11-08T14:49:00.002-05:00

Muffin Tin Mom had no theme this week for Muffin Tin Monday, but we used circles as ours. This was a theme she used earlier in the year, but we missed it for some reason. Today we enjoyed grapes, cheerios, hot dogs, chocolate cookies, grapes, bbq sauce and an apple. Tasty!

Ice Cream Cone Cupcake Holder...

2010-11-06T22:00:00.000-04:00

So I showed you my delicious Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes here. Well, I was stuck with how to display and serve them for the party. I ended up purchasing 2 step stools in the Target dollar spot. My husband drilled large holes in the stools and they were the perfect size to set the cones in. It was a great inexpensive way to keep my tasty creations from tipping over.

Color Your Own Pasta...

2010-11-04T23:07:00.003-04:00

This was a fun experiment that resulted in some very colorful pasta that we used as a craft. You'll need pasta, rubbing alcohol, food coloring and some plastic bags. We also used some glasses to rest the plastic bags in while we were pouring. Add 1/2 cup of rubbing alcohol and desired food coloring to bags. Mix in pasta. Seal your bags and let them sit for an hour or two. Drain all the liquid and allow the pasta to dry overnight.

Birthday Album...

2010-11-02T22:55:00.004-04:00

I've been working on trying to get caught up on Cole's birthday album. I love this album because I make 4 6 x 12 pages and then just slip the 4x6 pictures into the other slots in the album. If you want to see pictures from his previous birthdays, you can go here. If you want to see details on the Lego birthday party, you can go here. Incidentally, we celebrated Cole's 4th birthday a few months ago so hopefully it won't take me another year to update his album.

Happy Halloween...

2010-10-31T08:54:00.000-04:00

The Snackle Box...

2010-10-29T22:26:00.002-04:00

This was a little something we did over the summer. I took a regular tackle box and filled it with snacks, transforming it into a snackle box. It was awesome for the beach and pretty much any where we went. The kids loved sharing snacks out of the box and even the baby was able to partake in a few Cheerios and some Goldfish.

Halloween Food Fun...

2010-10-26T22:21:00.002-04:00

Here is another blast from the past. Mummy Dogs are a tasty and fun Halloween treat!

Halloween Craft Ideas...

2010-10-24T22:15:00.002-04:00

Here are a couple of cute Halloween craft ideas that I've shared in the past. Take a look at the Toilet Paper Roll Spider, Scary Ghost Decorations or Cardboard Tube Frankenstein for some craft inspiration.

Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes...

2010-10-22T21:52:00.002-04:00

I made these for our Carnival Birthday Party (pics coming soon). They were super easy and a huge hit! I started by covering a loaf pan with foil. Poke holes in foil and slip the cones down in the pan. Fill the cones about 1/2 way full with cupcake batter. I used regular from the box cake mix but made my icing from scratch using this recipe. To make the chocolate butter cream I just added cocoa powder the the existing recipe. I used a star tip to pipe the icing onto the cupcakes and the "cherries" are actually cherry sour candies that I found at Super Target.

Thank You Hip2Save!

2010-10-19T14:49:00.002-04:00

Below you will see the deals we picked up at the mall today for a grand total of $10 and change. It's all thanks to a little site called Hip2Save. H2S has quickly become my favorite deal site on the web (and no, I have no affiliation whatsoever with the site). So here is the breakdown of what the kids and I got at the mall today. I've linked up the deal to where I found it so you can see for yourself. Our grand total today with tax was $10.70. As you can tell from the bottom picture, the free cookie was what Cole & Kiley liked the best!

6 sheets of pictures from the Picture People - $9
1 pair of socks from Rack Room Shoes - Free
1 lotion & lip gloss from Bath & Body Works - $1
2 cookies - Free with book donation
1 goody bag from Picture People Halloween event - Free

Muffin Tin Monday...

2010-10-18T14:44:00.002-04:00

Do you know Muffin Tin Mom? We've been participating in Muffin Tin Monday for a while now, but I'm just getting around to posting about it. I know... slacker. Anyways, I love using the paper cupcake liners for picnic lunches at the park. Today we had cherry tomatoes, apple slices, star shaped cheese, grapes and some cubed chicken. Yum!

Hot Dog + Spaghetti = Octopus Food

2010-10-15T20:58:00.004-04:00

This was a fun little food project that Kristi and I made for a trip to SeaWorld. The kids LOVED the Octopus and Jellyfish snacks that we made them. Start with uncooked hot dogs and spaghetti. Break the pasta in half and stick into and through the pieces of hot dog. Boil on the stove until the pasta is cooked. Allow to cool and enjoy!

Bad Blogger

2010-09-28T22:47:00.002-04:00

I know I've been a bad blogger lately. I have a bunch of stuff to share, but it has been crazy around here. We wrapped up summer, spent a week at the beach and now Cole is back in school. We are slowly getting back into a good routine so I'm hoping to be back posting in the very near future!

Toilet Paper Roll Octopus...

2010-07-26T22:03:00.002-04:00

Continuing with our letter O, we made an octopus out of a toilet paper roll. Cole liked painting him all the different colors and of course, putting the googly eyes on him.

Letter of the Week - O

2010-07-24T22:01:00.002-04:00

For the letter O we made an octopus. It was easy and one of Cole's favorites. Of course that might have to do with the fact that the letter O is one of his favorite letters!

Snack Suitcase...

2010-07-22T21:53:00.003-04:00

We put together a Snack Suitcase for Cole to take to our free Regal Movie last week. The case is from a Playmobile set he got and the tray part lifts out of it so I can put it in the dishwasher.

Letter of the Week - R

2010-07-20T21:48:00.002-04:00

For the letter R we made an R rainbow. I started by drawing an R on a sheet of paper and making colored lines across it. Next, Cole decided that he was going to sort all the Fruit Loops by color before gluing them down on the paper. He actually had a good time tackling that big bowl. Finally, glue all your Fruit Loops to your R and allow to dry.

First Birthday T-Shirts...

2010-07-18T21:39:00.000-04:00

In addition to our scrapbooking shirts, we have also added some cute first birthday shirts to our line. They are available in a wide variety of colors, and a few different sizes to fit any one year old.

Letter of the Week - L

2010-07-16T21:28:00.002-04:00

We started this craft by going on a leaf hunt in the backyard. We looked for 10 leaves and counted them all out. Cole really liked the leaf hunt. He wanted to find 10 different leaves, from 10 different plants.

Mother's Day Album...

2010-07-14T21:22:00.002-04:00

I started this album way back when I celebrated my first Mother's Day. I always have Jonathan take a picture of me with the kid(s). I love the way it is so simple and captures us on that special day every year.

Make Your Own Mini Volcano (part 2)...

2010-07-12T21:20:00.000-04:00

Make Your Own Mini Volcano...

2010-07-10T21:09:00.003-04:00

At the end of our V week I let Cole make his own mini volcano. We started with a baby food jar and added playdoh around the sides to make it look like a volcano. Mix together some baking soda with red sprinkles (this makes the lava red). Add 1 tablespoon of baking soda to the jar and then poor 1/4 cup of vinegar into it. Watch it erupt. I actually took some video of the eruption that I'll share next. Cole absolutely loved this and begged me to do it over and over again.

Volcano Craft

2010-07-08T21:04:00.002-04:00

Cole has been fascinated by volcanos lately. He's been checking out volcano books from the library every week when we're there. I came up with this simple craft for him to make his own volcano. He liked using the paint to make the lava coming out of the top.

Letter of the Week - V

2010-07-06T20:59:00.002-04:00

This week our letter was V. We made a V vase and a really cool volcano that I'll show you next.

Happy 4th of July...

2010-07-04T08:10:00.000-04:00

Olympus Stylus Tough Digital Camera...

2010-07-02T21:27:00.002-04:00

Since we're in the throws of summer and coming up on a long holiday weekend, I thought I would take a second and do a review of my favorite point and shoot camera. All of these pictures were taken with the Olympus Stylus Tough Digital Camera. I love this camera. It is waterproof, smash proof, freeze proof, kid proof and it takes regular still pictures as well as video. I love that I can let the kids use it and I pretty much don't have to worry about anything happening to it. If you're looking for a good quality camera that is fun for the whole family, I would highly recommend this one.

A Place for Shells...

2010-06-30T20:10:00.000-04:00

Yet another great use for our Sand & Water Table - Load it up with shells you find at the beach. Cole loves collecting shells and always wants to bring them home, but I hate having them in the house. This solves all our problems.

Paper Towel Roll Rocket...

2010-06-28T20:04:00.000-04:00

We did this craft on the day we watched the shuttle launch. I think it has been one of Cole's favorites. Start by painting your paper towel roll. Allow it to dry. Cut small slits in the bottom and insert triangular pieces of paper. Fold the eyeball shaped piece of paper and staple it to form the top of the rocket. Glue all of the blue pieces and allow to dry. All that is left to do is to fly your rocket!

Water Table Treasure Hunt...

2010-06-26T20:00:00.000-04:00

This was a great activity for a hot day. Start by finding some treasures you can put at the bottom of your water table. We used some rocks, little cars, small plastic marine life. Add foam soap. I filled the other half of the water table with water so that Cole could rinse off the items as he found them. If your water table isn't divided you could use a bucket of water instead. The best part about this activity is that our table was nice and clean when he got done finding all the treasures.

Letter of the Week - U

2010-06-24T19:55:00.000-04:00

Last week we made a U Umbrella for our letter of the week. We glued a U down and an umbrella that I had cut out. Then we folded a toilet paper roll to look like a drop of water and Cole stamped water drops all over the picture.

Free Busch Gardens Ticket for Kids...

2010-06-22T21:24:00.003-04:00

Did you know that kids 5 and younger, that are Florida residents, can a free pass to Busch Gardens. Just go to the Busch Gardens site and you can fill in all the information and print your ticket. We just got back from a great weekend there. If you haven't been to Busch Gardens in a while (I think it had been 10 years for me) a lot has changed!

Happy Father's Day...

2010-06-20T20:25:00.001-04:00

This is the photo book that I made for Jonathan this year for Father's Day. I hope that all the Dads out there have a great day!

Click here to view this photo book larger

Father's Day Photobook...

2010-06-18T20:29:00.001-04:00

I wanted to share the photo book I created last year for Father's Day. I love how it turned out. It's amazing to look back at pictures of Cole and see how much he's grown.

Click here to view this photo book larger

Father's Day Book...

2010-06-16T20:32:00.002-04:00

This is from my absolute favorite Father's Day gift I ever made for Jonathan. I used a regular board book to create a really cool gift. You can see more pictures and how I did it here.

Lysol No Touch Hand Soap System...

2010-06-13T21:15:00.007-04:00

So I had some coupons that made the new Lysol No Touch Hand Soap System close to free. So I thought we would give it a try. That was a month ago and I'm ready to give it my review. I've read a lot of feedback on this product from people who didn't really like it. I must say that we LOVE it. Cole (who is almost 4) has learned how to use it perfectly. No extra soap drops down and he knows exactly when to move his hand. If your kids are going to play around with it, then I wouldn't recommend it. But, if you can teach them to use it correctly then I would highly recommend it.

i grow up fast. scrapbook. - Onesie

2010-06-11T21:06:00.002-04:00

Oh boy, do they ever grow up fast! This design is available as a onesie and also in toddler and youth sizes. You can see all of the products that are available here.

Bingo Update...

2010-06-08T22:29:00.004-04:00

We're on week 2 of Summer Bingo and it has been a huge hit. Here is a picture from Cole's first ticket he got. I've also included his second card so you can see some of his fun activities.