More Blessings For Our Family

Reading to your baby is so important--even in the womb.

Our family continues to be blessed! We are expecting another grandchild in Dec. We are so lucky to have three close by that we see very often. (They are the ones that get to do crafts with Grandma and fishing with Papa.) We also have a very adorable little grandson that lives in Virginia but we don't get to see him as often as we would like. (Thank goodness for Facetime!)

Along with all of this happiness we also have just a touch of sadness. Two of my children have their own children but one doesn't. My daughter would make the most wonderful mother and I know her husband would be the best dad. We continue to pray that God will bless them with a baby too.

I can't think of a better job in the whole world than to be a grandparent. I heard it said it's the gift we get for growing old. ☺

I didn't get the chance to know my grandfathers but I have very fond memories of my grandmothers. One of my grandmothers lived with us until she died when I was 8 years old. My other grandmother made the best cookies and I still have her hand-written recipe card. I'm hoping someday my grandchildren will have great memories of our time together. (and lots of photos to remind them!)

Do you have fond memories of your grandparents?

Wordless Wednesday (a little late!)

A Cute Teacher Bookmark

In my last post I showed you our "Teacher Emergency Kits". Included in each kit was a bookmark I had made and laminated. I found these cute bookmarks today and thought they would be really cute to add if you didn't already have some. Go here for the printable.

Teacher Emergency Kit

The grandkids come over every Wednesday morning during the summer. The two oldest especially like to do crafts so I try to find something to work on each week. This week we made Teacher Emergency Kits.

We found white mugs at the Dollar Store. (I think Walmart has them too.) The kids each took a black sharpie and wrote the name of their teacher on their mug. Then they took colored sharpies and decorated the mugs. They thought it was cool to put their name and year on the bottom. ☺

When they were finished I put the mugs on parchment paper on a cookie sheet. The directions I found online said to put the mugs in the oven and then turn on the oven to 350. It said the mugs should heat up slowly. We "baked" them for 30 minutes and let them cool down.

After patiently waiting for the mugs to cool the kids finally got to fill them. They thought their teachers would like some fun pencils, pens, chocolate, mints, lip balm, a highlighter marker and a bookmark. (You could fill these mugs with any number of fun things for a teacher.)

We then added a cute "Teacher Emergency Kit" tag that I found on the Crafting Chicks site. (It's a free printable!) The grandkids are planning on giving these to their teachers on Open House Night next week.

I think it would also be fun to do Birthday Plates or Get Well mugs...what would you make?

Wordless Wednesday

The Only Snakes We Love

At the mere mention of snakes I cringe. Actually I do more than cringe. I am deathly afraid of the creatures! I think it stems from when I was growing up. My family moved to a farm and when we moved in there were snakes sunning themselves all over the sidewalk. Can you imagine yourself as a young child stepping out the front door to that scene? Now you understand my fear and loathing.

So when the grands asked if they could make bubble snakes I had to pause for just a second. But after that second, I said "Sure"! So we did a little Google search and this is what we came up with.

You need:   liquid dish soap (Dawn works best)
                   glycerin or white Karo syrup
                   container for the bubble mixture (we used a dishpan)
                   empty water bottles (we tried different sizes)
                   old socks or fabric (we cut up an old towel)
                    rubber bands

To make the bubble solution Combine two parts regular dishwashing liquid (not the type used for automatic dishwashers though) to one part water. We added about a quarter cup of Karo syrup to our mixture.


To make the snakes find a clean, empty plastic bottle. While a 16 or 20 oz bottle will work the best, feel free to try any size bottle you want. Carefully cut the bottom off of the plastic bottle. Cover the freshly-cut hole with a piece of fabric that is similar to a washcloth or cotton sock. Use a rubber band to keep the fabric in place.  

Dip the fabric-covered end of the bottle into the bowl of bubble solution. Blow into the mouth of the plastic bottle and, before you know it, you'll be creating Bubble Snakes!   

                                                                         Good Clean Fun!

They were making long snakes, piles of bubbles that looked like snow and sometimes large single bubbles appeared in the bubble snake. They had so much fun with this--even the clean up was fun!
Too bad it isn't this easy to get rid of the real ones!!!

Wordless Wednesday