Reindeer Gift Bags

I had so many ideas as to what I would do for my son's "Holiday" party for school.  There are 23 kids in his classroom so I needed time to gather the materials and candy on my budget. Still more time to do the cut outs.  In the beginning of December I was gung-ho to be super crafty especially seeing all the cute gift ideas on Pinterest.  But as each day quickly passed and the last day of school loomed ahead my ideas for the treat bags became easier and easier.

Here is the progression of the treat bags from original thoughts to what I actually did.

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What I actually did.  Ha ha!

I'm a little disappointed that I didn't do a reindeer treat bag but I can still try to make it for my nephews and nieces this Christmas.  So I better stop blogging and start crafting.

Merry Christmas!

Alice in Wonderland Teacup Card

It's December and every weekend in my calendar has already been filled with plans. After being sick for a month I've just started feeling slightly "normal" again. Unfortunately, now that I feel better I have become aware of the state of my house and closet which made me feel bad all over again. You know when you're sick you really don't care about the state of the house. So when you feel better you're like "Ugh! My blinders are gone!!" It's Christmas time and it's a season of having fun so I decided to ignore the dust and make my sister a birthday card instead. 

Since I couldn't find any teacups in my Cricut cartridges I googled "teacup templates" and found many images.  After going through several sites I found this pretty teacup template through a blog hop.  The creator is Melisa Waldorf. I am always so grateful when people share their cool stuff for free.

 I printed this out and enlarged it on my printer to 180%. 

 I traced the template onto a pretty piece of paper and cut it out using both scissors and an exacto knife.

 Shade the edges.

 My first screw up is choosing thin paper instead of cardstock.  I had to add another layer of paper inside so the paper would not curl. 

I also used Stickles Platinum on the edges.

 I used foam dots so Alice would be more prominent.

Alice is from Disney Classics Cricut cartridge.  The flowers are buttons I got on sale at Aaron Bros.

My sister is 46 years old but people always tell her that she looks like she's in her late 20s or early 30s so I decided to make her youth be the subject of the card.  I used regular glue for the vellum on the bottle which I found out was a big mistake. There's a special vellum glue I'm supposed to use.  Oh, the trials and errors of scrapbooking.  I covered my mistake with glitter which turned out better.

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This card was shared at:

Happy Hour Projects

A Nest for All Seasons

Thanksgiving with Charlie Brown 2011

Whew! I've been absent from my blog for a while. I had an ear infection that slowly turned into a sinus infection. The process was so slow I didn't realize that I was really sick. I should have known something was wrong when just trying to think took a lot of effort.  I didn't have time to go to the doctor before Thanksgiving so I took a couple of my dad's leftover antibiotic medication. Yes, I know taking other people's medication is not responsible but I had over 30 guests coming and besides, it got me through Thanksgiving.  I just couldn't let something like an ear infection get in my way on Thanksgiving. To top the craziness my dad wanted family pictures which made the day a more stressful but we got through it. I give so much thanks to my husband and oldest son who really helped me in cleaning and getting ready for this day.

Now it seems Thanksgiving has come and gone in a flash and it's time to get ready for Christmas. But before I welcome in the season I want to post some Thanksgiving pics.

Here's a "Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" cake that I made. The inspiration came from justjennrecipes.com's Snoopy cupcakes.  I really had fun making this cake.  The Charlie Brown theme seemed to strike a chord within the older generation as opposed to the younger ones at the party. It brought back so many memories for us.  When I was a kid we didn't have the luxury of having 24-hour cartoon networks. Cartoons were reserved for Saturday mornings and holidays specials like Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.  And if you missed the show it was too bad - you had to wait until the next year to see it again. We would talk about it at school reminding each other to not forget to watch the show.  I think that's the reason why shows like Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer hold a special place in our hearts rather than this younger generation who can watch whatever they want whenever they want.

For the cake:  I used Petit Toasts (usually found in the deli section) and mini Jelly Bellys because they are the perfect size.  The Charlie Brown images are from various sites which I re-sized on Word.  I glued the images onto cardboard, cut them out and taped them to BBQ skewers.  This helps keep the images standing erect and  the more importantly the cardboard does not actually touch the cake.

Our Dessert Table

My sister made the pumpkin cake balls.

My husband got up at 3am to start smoking 2 briskets.

This is my "I Saw, I Pinned, I Actually Did It" section.  

My gorgeous niece helped me decorate the turkey cookies.

If someone told me how tedious and time consuming making these Gobble Gobble Oreo Turkey Cookies I would have never made them.  They are cute, but not worth the trouble.  I suggest making them a day ahead or enlisting as much help as you can.  I'm so glad my niece helped me because I was about to have a conniption fit.  The idea is from Cookies and Cups blog. She used chocolate Oreos and I used vanilla Oreos because my youngest son doesn't like chocolate.

Gratitude Challege Day 15

Teachers caught on tape bullying special-needs girl link

This news both sickens and saddens me to pieces!

Today I am grateful that my high-functioning autistic child is in a public school where he is treated kindly.

I am glad that the majority of the teachers at his school actually have the gift of teaching.

Many of the kids hug their teachers and that tells me that the teacher is liked/loved.

Do we live in the best school district? No, we don't. But seeing this video puts things into perspective for me.  I'd rather have my child in a school district that has a strict NO BULLYING policy than a school district that is recognized.  Our school may fail in other ways, but one thing I know for sure that when any report about bullying is made action is taken immediately.



Gratitude Challenge Day 9

I can't imagine a world without music.
Music has influenced me in so many ways. Music helps me to convey my feelings in ways I could not have imagined. I've made friends with those having similar tastes in music and I have had the most fun dancing to music. Music is my car companion and I especially love driving with the windows down on a lovely day blasting some really good tunes. Yes, I am the crazy person next to you on the road singing to herself.
Music has helped me through my worst times when I thought no one else could understand me. To hear a song that makes you feel you are not alone in the world is simply remarkable.
Sometimes just hearing a certain song can elevate my mood or put things into perspective.
Sometimes a song can poke a memory and it brings a smile to my face.
Music transcends languages and makes people feel connected.
Music is truly a gift and I am so grateful for it.

Gratitude Challege Day 8

 

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Gratitude Challenge Day 7

SILENCE IS THE BEST RESPONSE TO A FOOL

I am really trying to follow those words right now.  I don't know if this fits into the Gratitude Challenge. I'm feeling out of sorts today. Friday I was annoyed by some teens who live in my neighborhood. They had just gotten off the bus and were loitering on the road.  Cars in the next lane were driving at 40-45mph so I got in the lane behind them because I didn't want them to get hurt. I assumed they were going to move to the sidewalk. But they refused to get on the sidewalk. I honked a friendly honk and the response I got was that MORE kids got on the road and started flipping me off.  I decided to go around them and honked steadily as I went past them.  Of course, as I am doing this some other driver is trying to illegally go around me by going over into the wrong side of the road to get past me. I was just so furious. I was so furious that I did an extremely stupid thing.  I followed him.  He stopped his truck and rolled down the window.  I asked him "Didn't you see those kids?" He said "No."  I never understand people who drive like maniacs in non-emergency situations. And those kids...argghhhh!  I seriously want to move out of this neighborhood even though I just posted I was thankful for my home.

Someone on Pinterest annoyed me even more with a comment about Christians under a very scandalous picture that was posted.  The bad thing about Pinterest is that when you first join you do not know how it works so they guide you by asking you if you would like to follow people you don't know. In your ignorance you say yes. I have not been bothered by anything anyone has posted until recently when Halloween came around. A girl posted a graphic pic that was not sexual, just gross. So I decided to unfollow the girl. But before I hit the "unfollow" button I looked at the comments out of curiosity and now I wish I had not. So now I'm fighting the desire to post a comment but I know it would be all for naught.


Lord, I need help in being quick to let go and forgive. Please grant me wisdom and peace so that I may not do irrational and crazy things like I did.  I am thankful for Your word, but I really need help in implementing it especially when I'm so offended.

Today I am grateful for words of wisdom because I know it is better to obey God's word than to follow my irrational emotions. I just wish I had better self control.

GOD'S WORD® Translation 
Better to get angry slowly than to be a hero. Better to be even-tempered than to capture a city. ~ Proverbs 16:32

Gratitude Day 6

I am in awe of nature's astounding beauty. 

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Genesis 1: 14-19

And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so.  God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars.  God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth,  to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.

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Free Thanksgiving Coloring Pages

 Here is a link to free Crayola Thanksgiving coloring pages for the children's table during Thanksgiving meal.

This is an example of one of the many pages.

Gratitude Challenge Day 5

Lord, I thank you for my home!

My brother, John, youth pastor at Abundant Life Church, recently went on a mission trip to Juarez, Mexico. He and 11 others selflessly gave up a week of their lives to build a house for a family and work with a local orphanage.  Every year his church will find a family to build a house for in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Mexico.  Most of the houses in these neighborhoods have dirt floors, no running water, and no electricity.

When Abundant Life Church builds a house the family does not pay 1 penny.  The church builds a house with concrete floors and provides an electrical outlet and paint for the house. 

There are hardly any men in the neighborhood. Most of them have left to find jobs and sadly some have never been heard from again.  The women, children, and grandparents are left behind to fend for themselves.  My brother said the worst part of the trip is when it's time to leave and the children are clinging to them and begging them to stay. It is truly heartbreaking.

 The new house is the one the man is standing on the roof and the old house is the blue in the background. The sheds attached to the new house is storage and the outhouse.

The out house. This is just a deep hole in the ground.  

Fences are made with tires and whatever pieces of wood that can be found. 

Many dogs are roaming freely everywhere but there are hardly any cats to be seen.

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Matthew 7:24-27

New International Version (NIV)

The Wise and Foolish Builders

    ²⁴ “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. ²⁶ But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ²⁷ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

Please feel free to join Brenda's Gratitude Challenge and share your thoughts.

Gratitude Challenge Day 4

If I was the kind of person who wore t-shirts with quotes I would wear this.
I am so thankful for my wonderful husband who loves me so much.

I am so grateful that he puts up with my OCD, ADD, and just plain ole anal retentiveness. Yes, being married to me is hard work. I think my husband might be one of the few men on earth who can put up with me and my crazy shenanigans and the mess I make from scrapbooking.

Honey, I LOVE YOU! Thank you for always being my best supporter, my best friend, and teaching me how to relax and enjoy life. You are a great daddy and an example of being a man after God's own heart.  Thank you for your hard work so that I can stay home and be with the children and still finding the energy to do activities with us. It's been an exciting adventure every step of the way in our last 24 years together.

I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine. - Song of Solomon 6:3

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or to read what others are also thankful for in their lives.