Lowe's Build and Grow Clinic

Okay, I told you all that our 7 year old has pneumonia, well nothing was going to do but to go to Lowe’s this morning. We are regulars and that is one of his favorite things to do so he had to go. I am glad that we went. This one was huge and he is still playing with it unlike some of the other things that he has made in the past.

Be sure to check back later. God Bless!!

Toy Story 3 Birthday Party Planning

Our son will be 8 the day before Easter and wants a Toy Story 3 party. There is a woman in our town that makes incredible cakes. They are beautiful as well as the best tasting cake I have ever tasted. However her MIL is ill and she has had to quit making cakes for now. Boo-Hoo. He and I found an awesome cake, I mean awesome, online and thought that we would be getting her to make it. Since that isn’t going to happen I might give it a try. I have made birthday cakes before but have never fooled with fondant before. This particular cake is 3 tiers and the top is a planet. If I do give it a try, which I am planning on, I will post here. That could be really interesting. lol

About 5 months ago he had decided that he wanted a camo party and the Dollar Tree had camo items, including hats, that are from “God’s Army” so we purchased enough for 18 at that time. Hey, when you can find caps for $1.00 and can get enough for a party, do it. To keep this in the party we are planning on putting a few more soldiers from Toy Story in than normal and bring that part out. This way we use what was purchased and keep both themes going.

Our church has an overhead projector that is rarely used anymore but I always have a use for one. lol While at church and working on the Easter Bulletin Board (that featured our missionaries around the world) I took a few coloring pictures and reduced them down and placed them all on one sheet of overhead film and blew them up to around 4 feet and traced out Buzz and Woody on a sheet of roll paper that we found on clearance at Wal-Mart. I really need to get my paints and get those painted. We made large pictures for another party and tried coloring them and ended up with dark places here and there and we tried markers and they ran out of ink to quickly when you are talking about larger pictures like that so I am going to purchase some paints for a couple of dollars and hopefully it will turn out looking good. I will post those as well.

If you have any good game ideas, snack ideas, or craft ideas…..please let me know. We are having it at the local pizza place, the kids love to hit the arcade after the party, but we have reserved the private room. Hopefully they will have the air on this time. Last party we about roasted in there!! lol

Be sure to check back later. God Bless!!

Christmas Rag Quilt

This is the 2nd rag quilt, or any quilt for that matter, that I have made. It turned out pretty good, or I think so. LOL

I donated it to our church for our annual Snowball Banquet and it brought $50.00. Not to bad for my 2nd attempt.

Happy Holidays and God Bless!!

Corn Hole Game

Our son will be 7 in a couple of weeks are we are hosting a backyard carnival style type party. This is the 3rd theme but due to the work on this one and we only have a few weeks to go, we are sticking with this one. LOL

This is the corn hole game that my husband made, pretty good for his first attempt, don't you think? We will use this for the party but it will bring a lot of fun afterwards as well. Ü When I went to the store to purchase the fabric to make the corn bags I didn’t get what I wanted, but I got what they had. Originally I went for solid colors such as the blue and white, U. K. colors as the boards are. What I came out with would have worked, if the one solid fabric would have been a bit more pliable. I’m not sure what type of fabric it is but it has more of a plastic backing, like it is melted together. The other is an outdoor fabric as well but is soft and much more flexible. After trying them both out I returned for more fabric. I can not wait to go shopping somewhere else this summer!! I will re-do these bags. I have a white with the outline of blue flower and a burgundy and white stripped material. While at the sewing department at Wal-Mart the first time I purchased the “outdoor” thread for $4.44 a spool. What a waste of money. It was horrible. It frayed sooooo utterly badly that it was unreal. After suffering through 4 of the 6 bags I had had enough and went to upholstery thread, which didn’t do any better, granted I have had it for about 3 years though. I finally went to regular thread and it worked great. At one point, while using the outdoor thread, I sent my husband out to our storage barn to find my old sewing machine. I was thinking it had to be the machine catching or something and was ready to throw it out the window. LOL Do you have one of those short fuses? I do! Ü Sometime this summer while we are out and about I hope to find some really nice colors to choose for outdoor fabric and make new corn bags for the game. It really doesn’t matter I just want everything to match, that OCD thing again. LOL

There are other games that my husband has made that we will be using and I will be putting pictures of those on as well as tons of pictures of the party in the coming weeks. Thanks for stopping by and please come back again soon and as always God Bless. ÜÜÜÜ

Food Labels for Picky Kids

Our son is an extremely picky eater. In hopes of helping him see how limited he is and possibly getting him to try new foods I have devised a system for him.

First I took pictures of all of the foods that he will eat, which didn’t take too long. After taking the pictures I printed them out on Kodak paper and cut them to size. For the labels I used a really cute large font that I had found earlier on the computer and printed out breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack. To attach them to the refrigerator I found magnetic tape strips for $1.17 at Wal-Mart that has 18 adhesive strips measuring 0.5 in x 4 in long, plus they are peel and stick which is even better.

After getting everything cut and laid out I began placing the magnets on the backs of the pictures and labels. DS had his large metal dump truck by my desk so I tossed them onto it and they stuck. That caught his attention and to the truck he ran to grab each one and take them to the refrigerator where he arranged them to his liking.

The plan is for him to go to the refrigerator, before breakfast, and place the magnet or magnets for each meal under the label and follow through with his picks, no changing. He then has choices as well as responsibility.

Pictures are shown for anyone that is interested in how it is done. I am sure that we will make changes in the future to it but the idea is to have something that keeps him interested.

Thanks for looking and have a great day. God Bless!!

Pictures of his foods

Magnets found at Wal-Mart

I suggest using tweezers to get the backing off of the magnets. It just made it easier. And the strips can easily be cut to the length that you need.

This is our refrigerator after he placed them all on it last night.

His choices this morning....biscuits consisted of biscuit and gravy.

Tutorial Hunters

As a self proclaimed tutorial hunter I would like to make a small suggestion or ask a favor. Remember when you post something that you may be linked here and there. Even though you are not keeping up with that post someone else may happen upon it somewhere else and try to get back to it. I like PhotoBucket, and where it is a free program, that even makes it better. LOL I have used PhotoBucket for over 2 years for my Homeschooling Blog and really do like it. However, I have noticed lately that many people are deleting their pictures and that leaves a very odd tutorial.

This is just a suggestions but what if you open an account that is only for your tutorials or when one is full, open another account all together so that those pics can stay on the web. Once it is out there, it is out there to stay most of the time whether we realize it or not. On this blog I normally import the picture from my computer but then again you are very limited in that manner which makes PhotoBucket and programs like theirs extremely handy and important to many sites. Tutorials that you can print in PDF format as well as Word format are also very helpful and you don’t have to worry about upkeep unless you are on a limited program as far as uploads. I am just putting this suggestion out there. Nothing bad meant to any of these programs or anyone’s blogs. I enjoy them immensely.

I enjoy searching tutorials on all sorts of things but my favorites are crafts, sewing, and parties. When I am getting ready for one of the kids birthday parties or a holiday party I really enjoy going into other blogs to see how people have made things and done things that are along the same ideas that I have or better. Many times I have ran across an idea that is close to what I was thinking but when it is explained out, especially with pictures because we don’t all think alike so reading what someone else means can sometimes be frustrating when it comes to directions. Back to the point, I find that they have had the same outcome or even better than what I had in mind and doing it much simpler than I would have done it. I have had several of those DUH moments while doing this. LOL Then I am sitting here asking myself; why didn’t I think of that. What a good idea or time and/or money saver. Thank you to all of you bloggers out there in cyberspace that take the time and effort to put these fabulous items on your blogs. I have learned and plan on continuing to learn so much from you all.

Take care and I hope to add to the “tutorial hunt” as I learn more.

God Bless .^_^.

New Craft Buisness Blog

My friend Trish and I started a new selling blog and have a few items listed. Be sure to visit all of our labels for information about us, shipping, ordering and our homemade items at Mountain Mamas Country Store - http://mountainmamascountrystore.blogspot.com/. There are many recipes and will be many more, our personal favorites. There will be Appalachian folklore soon and we will be adding items as often as possible for sale. Follow us and watch for regular updates.

Heart I-Spy Bag

Trinkets that I am adding to the bag.

Finished product.


I have seen several blogs where moms make these cool I-Spy bags for the kids to pass time. This was a very rushed job so it is definitely not the best. This was a last minute Valentine's Day morning gift. The kids were playing games, my niece was keeping my son busy and my daughter was in her room just chillin and watching TV.

While they were all busy I printed off 2 heart templates from the first site that I could find and resized on Word. Cut the felt around, 2 layers thick and cut the vinyl the same size as the smallest of the 2 hearts. This was a very, very rushed job. This is the first time I have tried sewing with vinyl but it really wasn't that bad. We had went to Hobby Lobby and between the Easter section, jewelry, crafts, doll house section (miniature dice and cola cans that are really cute), bugs, and buttons I came up with the items to add into the bag.
The next time I make a I-Spy bag I will take time, plan it out and close it much better than the quick seam on the side. However, this was fun for them to play with and try and figure out what all was inside.


Having fun at home.........God Bless!!

Yo-Yo Tutorial

While working on my MP3 tutorial I decided to add a Yo-Yo Tutorial along with it. I had been wanting to make a Yo-Yo project forever and was afraid that it would be difficult. To begin with I purchased a template and used it. After the very first try I discovered that it was much to simple and that the template even slowed the process down. Not to say that they are not handy or that you should not purchase one. My daughter is going to try it and wants to use the template for her projects, which is fine by me. If all goes well you will be seeing more Yo-Yo projects here.

By the way the pictures are what was used in the MP3 project and is my 4th, 5th and 6th Yo-Yo's ever made. They are simple and add a cute touch to about anything.

http://www.4shared.com/file/220243988/db181e7b/Yo_Yo_Tutorial.html

As always take care and God Bless!!

MP3 Case Tutorial

This is my first tutorial and it is how to make a cute little MP3 Case that I needed for my purse. It can also be used for just about anything. My cell fits in nicely as well as credit cards, money, and keys.

Hope you enjoy.

http://www.4shared.com/file/220241749/a03d8460/MP3_Case_Tutorial.html

Have a great day and God Bless!!

Crayola Window Crayons

I have 2 children that are homeschooled (if you hadn’t read that before) and I always have extra kids around.

It is hard at times to keep all of them entertained. While at Wal-Mart we noticed these crayons for under $4.00; I thought, why not. They are great little time consumers as well as a great tool for your budding artist. They come in a pack of 5; black, yellow, blue, green and red. The kid’s can write on mirrors, the front door, any type of glass, even your automobile windows. Just watch what they write or draw. LOL

Clean up is quick and easy. Having tried different things I recommend window cleaner. Your glass is clean and the crayons are gone. You can use soap and water or about any type of cleaner as well.

The only thing to look for is when they push hard on the crayons you will see a little clump of color, they are soft. When these fall to the floor and get stepped on the colors will spread on the floor as well. I haven’t had to deal with them on carpet so I can’t say how easy or hard clean up would be. However, on linoleum it is as easy to clean as off of the glass. Just tell them to write easy and not to press so hard. The crayons do roll up so there is plenty for your money and their time.

Take care and God bless!!

My Daughter's New Purse

This past Christmas I decided to make my daughter a purse. After making one for my mother, strictly made up as I went I decided to search for a pattern that was easy to understand. At this link: http://www.sewingmamas.com/b/downloads.php?do=file&id=357 I found the download for a super nice name brand knock off bag tutorial. I am not a seamstress. However I have found that I enjoy sewing and my dear friend Trish, which is an excellent seamstress, and I turn to for help when needed, which is pretty often. LOL

You may notice by the dates on the pictures that it wasn’t completed until last night. But, it was completed!! There is a spin on the fabric and the look but the purse is right out of the pattern from the above site. This was a great experience and there was a lot of learning about sewing than I ever figured was possible from making a purse. The key fob is something that I have been making for a while now.

Take Care and God Bless!!

Dymo LetraTag Label Maker

When it comes to organization everyone should own a labeler. We have went into office supply stores and found a really nice label maker that is on sale and cheaper to purchase it than to purchase new cartridges for the one at home. Then it comes time to replace the cartridge in the new one and the price is outrageous. Not such a good investment after all. I would rather have one that I can keep and afford to refill at the same time.

The last time that I needed a refill, and wasn’t going to be in the mall 60+ miles away anytime soon, I looked locally. I found the Dymo LetraTag LT-100T. It is an awesome little tool. The buttons are larger than normal machines, very user friendly, 6 different font styles, 9 different boxes or underline styles which include a crocodile, train, sweethearts and even flowers. It also has 195 symbols you can add into your label. This is a great gadget to have around for all of your organizational needs.

Take care and God Bless!!

Purses, Marshmallow Guns, Tag Quilts and More

December is when it seems that I get the urge to sew. You would think that I would year round and plan to in 2010. It makes for a very busy month. LOL These are a few of my projects over the past few weeks that I wanted to share.

These are the 2 boy tag blankets that I made for a friend that works at a daycare. She has 2 sets of twins at the moment and just loves this set of boys and wants to give them these for Christmas. Didn’t they turn out cute? You can’t see the backs very well so I added another pic that really doesn’t show it either. LOL Oh well. It is plain blue and matches really well.

The same friend that works at the daycare is also about 6 weeks from having her 3rd child, a girl. She has requested pink and brown and it was so hard to find things that went together for a baby here. Wal-Mart just doesn’t have that wide of a variety. However this should turn out okay. We were in the fabric section so long trying to find something that would go together (all of the small polka dots are gone in these colors) that I forgot to get the solid pale pink for the back. So I am stuck here for tonight. Back to Wal-Mart 2 days before Christmas. They shouldn’t be busy at all. Ü

This is the finished purse that I made for my mother for Christmas. This was made up 100% as I went along. As well as the key fob to go along with it. Talk about a play on colors. I know it is a picture but if you were looking at it in person you can not tell that the ribbon has black polka dots on the brown background. It really pops when you put in on the black but fades out with the brown. How odd.

These are our camo marshmallow guns, which my husband and I made together. These have been such a huge hit with all ages. If you have never had a marshmallow gun fight, you must have one. They are awesome. We have a great time at it. Just watch out for marshmallows in the carpet. It’s a sticky, icky, messy mess. Without planning we had a HUGE marshmallow gun fight at our daughter's birthday party. It was a blast and between that and the Wii, which wasn't planned either, the party was a huge hit. Go with the flow. It turns out better that way sometimes. Ü

Below is an apron that went into the Kitchen Themed auction basket that we made for our churches "Snowball Banquet". This is my first attempt at an apron and I made it up as I went along. It didn't turn out completely horrible. LOL

Take Care and God Bless!!

Crayola Hassle Free Watercolors

Since we have been on the road most of the past week and a half I have been looking for things for the kids to do that doesn't make a mess. I found these yesterday in our local Wal-Mart, of course, and they are fabulous. No Water! No Dripping! No Spilling! Is what the package advertises and it is true to its advertisement. The kids can create whatever they want and then change colors with no effort and no mess. It comes with 2 of the paint pens so each of my kids have their own and the only thing that I can see that will be a problem, with us, is that the pens tips are like long felt markers and I am sure that my kids will push to hard on them and they will split or tear up. We will see. But for under $4 I believe this to be a very good purchase for anyone with kids who like to paint.

God Bless!!