Apple Theme Kids Party!

 I was ecstatic when I got the news.

I found out I was room mom for Cati's class!

Not only was I one of the two room moms but...wait for it... 

I'm the PARTY MOM!!!!!

I sigh at the bliss of it all. I am so in my element and excited.  But I just found out this week and the first party is TOMORROW!  Every year, the Pre-K class celebrates everyone's birthday with one party.  I was told to do a cake or cupcakes, decorate any way I want, and get plates and napkins.

I rubbed my hands together in anticipation for 2 reasons.

1.  I have had no time to craft just for fun.  Now I can and it would be for an actual purpose.

2.  I liked the challenge of getting creative on a budget and having only days to accomplish it.

So I came up with an apple theme since it is the kid's first year of  school, it's Fall, and I happened to have apple-y stuff on hand from an event I did a few years ago. So I got started.  Now I don't have a lot to show you but I thought I would share with you what I have done and throw in a little tutorial too. 

First I did these cute apple plates.  

I bought small red plates, cut out circles of white card stock, folded the circles in half and cut them.  

I created a template for the leaves and stems and traced them out of card stock I had on hand. 

The apple seeds are done with a black sharpie.

I liked this idea because it makes the plates part of the decoration.

Another idea to do this that saves time is to buy the larger size plate in red, a smaller size plate in the white and cut the smaller plate in half or use it as is.

I HEART these Fuzzy and Sweet Pom Pom Apples!

I had so much fun making them and they all took me about 30 minutes from start to finish. 

Want to do your own?  GREAT!

First get a big ole cheap skein of yarn. 

Then wrap it around your hand (snugly but not too tight).  

You want to be able to slide it off your hand and also receive adequate blood supply to your extremities. 

I am a poor example of this above as it seems I was attempting to choke my hand to death. 

I actually counted 80 times around to make sure they were all the same size.

Slide it off and cut.  Then cut another length of yarn. 

Place the wrapped yarn with open ends along the length of the yarn.

Tie the string in a tight knot.

Lay a length brown yarn which will be your stem and bend in half on top of the knot you just tied.

Using the same red string, tie another knot, securing the brown yarn.  Snip the excess.

Another way to do this is instead of bending it in half with the loop at the top...tie it in the middle of the brown yarn with the two open ends sticking up. Then glue them together.

Now cut along all the loops around the apple.

And you get this crazy looking pom pom that needs a haircut.

Now it is time to play beauty parlor.  

Start asking about little apple's family, if he would like to upgrade to green highlights  like the trendy granny smith's do...blah, blah. blah. 

And there you have a cute little pom pom.

I decided to glue my little loops together. 

I just dabbed a bit of hot glue to the inside of the loop and closed it together.

Do you see that extra brown yarn next to the loop?  That is where you glue the leaf.

I cut out tiny, green leaves from felt and glued it on to hide the brown end of the yarn.

Look at that cute little munchkin!

Then I decided to make a garland to look like tree branches.  I used twine and cut out green leaves from scrapbook paper.  If I had more time, I would have used felt but I needed to triple up on the cutting!

I wonder how it will look in the class room?  

I bet it would be fabulous outside, in the yard, or on a porch.

While I was at it, I made this  pumpkin too.

He's a keeper.

I have a little bit more stuff to show you...not much...but I will do that in another post along with the cupcakes I am about to go make. 

So part two to come...hope this inspires you for a little bit more Fall Fun!

Party Links

In Case You're Interested...

Today I feel so honored to be featured over at she wears flowers with my dear friend Tammy.  We have become wonderful bloggy friends and she is one of the most amazing crafty people!  I was actually her very 1st follower and incredibly proud of it!!!  Her blog has grown so much and she has been featured all over blogland with her inspiring craftiness.

What is so humbling to me is that she actually did not start following my blog for my crafts...it was for my writing which is actually where my passion lie.  Don't get me wrong...I can not go a week without getting my craft on. But writing from my heart is why I do this blog and I was so fascinated to read about what made her start reading two shades of pink.  I am flattered and very honored to be featured by her. 

So if you would like to check it out, click here.

Home Schooling: Not for the Faint of Heart

Do any of you feel like when you have not posted for a week...it feels like a month?  And if someone else does not post for a week, it feels like forever?  I know I have been missing in action for some time now.  Ever since Hubs lost his job and Cati started school, it has been anything but normal around here.   But we have been hanging in here, amazed at the provisions of God.

For example...for the past 3 years, my hubby has been a football official on a seasonal basis.  He loves being back int he world of football, officiating these cute little munchkins all the way to high school age.  We have always done it for some extra cash but this year, combined with a bit of unemployment, we have been able to make ends meet.  God amazes me with providing us with just our portion.  Not too much.  But not too little. But at the same time it puts a strain on things.  And I am about to get real so sit down. Already sitting?  Then prepare yourself.

Ready?  Because this will seem a little mean for me to say.  So I will whisper it...hubby is kinda getting on my nerves being here all the time.

OK. I got it out without a piano falling on my head or something.  But the good news is that I have already discussed this with him.  Why?  Because we are open like that.  A long time ago we decided to keep things real between us.  The good.  The bad.  The ugly.  And how could two people NOT run into some issues when faced with being around each other all day, every day?  But what is so amazing about our marriage is we can talk about fears, annoying habits, and joys and still remain best friends and strong in our marriage. 

And we laugh about it too. But I am careful to remember that this sweet man still needs a job to feel of value and purposeful.  He did have an interview about 10 days ago and he wants this job. A LOT. Kind of a dream job for him.

But we wait. 

With our feet still in this spacious place. 

And learning how to live together for more hours of the day then we ever thought we would. But I am proud of my man.  He job searches every day and sends his resume to more positions than I can count. God is up to something and I know it will be for His highest good. And our highest good.  Maybe not what we want but His highest good is what I want most. Even if I don't know what that is.

But let me share with you this new journey of mine as a teacher.  Now know this.  My whole life I have been told I need to be a teacher.  That I am good with kids.   I believe this is because 90% of the time I behave like one.  I am known to leap from room to room if the mood strikes. I like to actually play on the playground.  I dance and sing publicly.  And I am not opposed to hiding my husbands pillow when he gets up to use the bathroom.  But perhaps that should be called IMMATURITY. But I think teaching your own child should come with an informational packet with an exhaustive list of do's and don'ts. I am much better leading bible studies or teaching adults.  That is where I thrive. But this home schooling thing...this is new.

I have discovered some not so wonderful traits of mine as I home school my child. Well, discovered might be kind of like saying I just realized I'm a girl.  No, discovered is...well...a lie.  I think the phrase I am looking for is homeschooling may be TRIGGERING some not so wonderful traits of mine.  Here is a short list...

Impatience
Intolerance
Anal Retentiveness that may require medication
A lack of grace
False expectations
Inflexibility
And my very favorite...Illusions of grandeur that my child is a prodigy

Are any of you victim to your own expectations?  High expectations?  Because this has been a lifelong, self inflicted plague of my existence.

I, Jessica, am an idealist.  I create imaginary places of perfection, pack my bags, and then go live there only to find out this place does not even exist and I can't find my way.  This is the way it has been home schooling my child.  Which I do...

One.
Day.
A.
Week.

Now really, I really think this kind of drama and woe should be reserved for the moms who are veterans, the gals who sacrifice it all to home school not 1, not 2, not 3, not 4 but 5 days a week. And they are probably so good that they don't need to do it 5 days a week.

But keeping her attention is hard.  We take breaks.  I get creative.  But this is harder then I thought.  Probably because within this idealist is also a perfectionist.  So I am on a learning curve.  I am learning what I should let go.  Where I need to persevere.  But I am so proud of her.  I love how she thinks.  I love one on one time with her.  And I love that I am partnering with a school that wants to instill godly character in her as well as a love of learning.

I took some pics of our homeschooling...

Cati cutting her "E" words.

Look at Ella coloring like a sweet girl...3 1/2 minutes I think she colored.  She wants to be like her sister. 

And look at that chaos on the table!  I am not exactly neat when it comes to papers an books.  But I get the job done!

 Math time with teddy bear counters!

Someone may have received an anal retentive trait from her mommy.  Her line is color coordinated.

It has been fun and it is teaching me about myself too.  But I feel like I need help.  

Can any of you recommend some blogs or websites that will give me tools and tips?  

I would really appreciate some encouragement and I want to make this work. I hated school as a kid.  Things did not come easy for me so I developed bad habits that last through college.  I don't want that for my girls and I want to do what I can to encourage but not push.  To make things fun but also to instill a DESIRE to learn.

Thanks friends!

I promise not to be so quiet.

Pumpkins and a Heat Index of 105

I am going to be the 1, 349, 721 blogger to say it and proclaim it...

 I Love Fall!

I have been trying to hold out until the 21st to decorate around the house but I just could not do it.  So although the temp outside is probably in the low 90's...translation:  RIDICULOUSLY HOT...I had to make a seasonal change INSIDE the house.

And since we still have the title "Jobless in Florida" I need to get creative with fall decorations.  My answer?

Paper mache.

Oh, how this is a lost art.  But I believe it is making a comeback and it should since every school project I ever did had something to do with this flour and water concoction. So I decided that the girls and I needed to get in the Autumn spirit while I quarantined them into the house for fear they would melt.

So we made paper mache pumpkins!

This was the cutest little project and I would not be me if I did not take 5 trillion pictures and then post it here on the blog.  If you are interested in doing this with your little one, all you need is newspaper, flour and water.  I did 2 parts flour to one part water because I like mine a little goopy.  The goopier the better.  I first tried white glue and water but I could not figure out the right consistency so I just bagged the idea and went old school.

 First I just took newspaper and wadded it up into a ball. It was very complicated so go slow. :) OK, I ma not really trying to insult your intelligence but I did do it so that the paper kind of covered the top and the open, crumpled part was at the bottom.

 Then, I took rubber bands and wrapped them around my ball to keep it in a ball shape.  I also did this to create the shape of a pumpkin but it did not work out so well.  I will have to fine tune this.

 I made a stem out of newspaper and kind of tucked it under the rubber band.

Then I tore 465 pieces of newspaper into strips.  

OK.  That is a lie.  

But I tore a BUNCH of them.

 The girls then got messy and started putting strips all over their pumpkins

 They need to dry overnight so they can get really hard.  You can even sand them which is a step I forgot but I am kind of glad I did because they ended up all bumpy like a real pumpkin!

 

Time to PAINT! 

I only had the color Terra Cotta but I figured it will do. It's kind of orangey.

 Look at that concentration!

  My girls make me smile...just love that they like to get crafty!

 Looky there!  Our little pumpkins around the fireplace hearth.  I think they turned out great!

 The one on the left is Cati's.  Mine is in the middle and the one on the right is Ella's.  I put their names on the bottom with the date so we can put them out each year and remember this adorable and fun project. We even tied rafia on the stems for a little something extra. I just forgot to take a picture of it.

I can almost guarantee this will not be the last pumpkin craft you see here.

Are any of you already into the swing of Fall?  Have you decorated?  Am I crazy to do it this early? But seriously...it is like 85 degrees on Christmas morning here.  If I wait too long I will miss it!

Once again, I try to close a post and I just keep going and going...

Hugs to you all!

The 1st FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!

First day of Pre-K!  

I can't believe today arrived so quickly!  My emotions have been all over the place today as I have cried on and off.  And funny thing is, I am not sure why.  I would have assumed that this would have been easier.  I mean, it is not even considered an official GRADE yet.  But she is gone from 9-3 two days a week and home schooled on one.  And today the house felt extra quiet.

We started the morning with some excitement.  I think Cati was a little scared because she would not eat her breakfast and she was a tad grumpy. Look at her just picking at her eggs. And yes.  She LOVES eggs.

Then I took a gazillion photos outside of her and  I kept getting a fake smile.  You all would never know but I am sure so many of you can relate.  YOU KNOW WHEN YOUR CHILDREN ARE JUST BARING THEIR TEETH...humoring us old folks.

This one is real.

This one is NOT.

Nope.  Not this one either.She looks a bit like a deer in headlights here.

But she is still so cute my heart can't take it.

We got to school and Cati found her seat with her name on it. And looky there...bored already even before it begins.  She's like, "OK Peeps.  When's this party gettin' started?"

Actually, I truly think she was nervous.

Sister hugs.  

Ella is NOT happy to be away from her sister.  

All day she has been reminding us, "Cati's at goool."

The best family pic we could get...but I love it.  What an amazing memory to look back on.

Libbie, did ya see the lunch box?

WE GOT OUR GIRLS THE SAME ONE!!!!!

Libbie and I had a contest to see who would be first to post a first day of school pic.

She won. 

Dang it.  But it was fun!