We Interrupt this Blog...

We interupt this blog for a public safety announcement.

Please keep the following in mind while shopping/preparing for your holidays:

1. Children over age 10 are heavier then children who are 2.
2. Furniture can be VERY heavy.
3. Do not redecorate your ENTIRE downstairs mere days before expecting a tribe of relations to happily skip to their loo on over. This is asking for trouble.
4. The kids like cranberry from the can, just don't fight it.
5. My avatar, unlike myself, is all ready for Thanksgiving.
6. Chiropractors, while able to cure most ills, can only fix muscular issues just so fast ... keep that in mind when lifting furniture and children.

I will let you read between the lines to figure out why I haven't been posting lately.
I hope that you all have a fantastic Thanksgiving!!!!!!!
Just don't lift anything!!!

Start Em Young

Had a blast teaching classes at a crop for Girl Scouts over the weekend.

Here are some shots of the lovely ladies taking the beginners class.


And the youngest of our many altered clipboarders.

If you are wanting to have your children make holiday gifts the clipboards came out really great. If you keep it simple they are really easy. I got the clipboards from Walmart for about a dollar. Then you need the all powerful best stuff ever... mod podge. Other than that, I used paper from my stash that I wasn't ever going to use as well as ribbon remnants from past projects. Many of the kids made clipboards for themselves, but Agent B from Spincerely's crew made one for her grandparents, Abbie made one for her teacher, and J made one for her sister.

Last year I made altered clipboards for teacher gifts and was really pleased with how they came out. We added quotes, pictures, ribbon everywhere, rub-ons go great as do stamps. A project that is very doable for kids - and you can really go crazy with as an adult.

That is my service announcement for the day. I will be glad to give you step by step directions if you need them. Just ask in the comment section and be sure to leave your email addy.

PS - be warned... mod podge is addictive stuff! Don't take on more holiday presents than you can do!!! ;)

Vote for Abbie!

Did all of you get out to vote today? We did over here. This includes Max in his class where he got to vote for his favorite - either ice pop or ice cream. I can't let you know what Max voted for, confidential you know. ;)

The most exciting election for us was Abbie's school election. She had decided to run for student council President. She had a kicken speech and she and her "campaign manager" were here yesterday making her one allowed poster (such the scrapper am I, she used stamps and paint on canvas for her poster).

She was all dressed up, practiced her speech many times, and was ready to hit the campaign trail this morning. We are so proud of her for trying this. She had to stand up in front of all her peers and give her speech using the microphone. There were three girls and two boys running (I think).

Well guess what?! SHE WON!!!!
Congratulations Abbie, we are so proud of you!!!!

Happy Election day everyone! :)

The Halloween Story (hey! better late then never!)

Two days late, that's not tooo bad. It's been busy here. Luckily I have been visited by no more scritch scratchers so far, but tonight I leave out the pumpkins!

So, how was your Halloween?

We had a Halloween toddler style.

Hmmm... "long time" readers will most likely note the teaser line meant to let you, the innocent reader, know there is a doozy of a story about to burst forth. Brace yourselves.

No, really it wasn't that bad at all. My MIL fed us a delicious dinner of homemade soup and grilled cheese (yum) which was a lovely start to the evening. Then the "toddler style" began.

Ethan did not want to wear his cowboy costume. Nope. Threw his little self on the floor in defiance. Yelled "no yike cowboy" repeatedly. This is the same lil' buckaroo who went balistic just that morning when Max went off to school all decked out - THEN he was screeching "I want cowboy" and "mine!" Go figure. Moody little cuss huh.

Anyway - I won that battle because I have a thing about not letting toddlers/children believe that they run the show (I know, when I am not a SAHM I am Cruella DeVil - mean, mean Jenny). As I knew he would, he loved it the minute it was on. And loved his hat. Thought he was a real hot potata cowboy complete with a few "yee haw"s.

But he did not want to stop long enough for pictures. Niether did Max for that matter. The princess, well now, that's a whole 'nother story. SHE is always willing to strike a pose. She looked really sweet in her renessance princess outfit. Couldn't quite talk her into being a cowgirl... every halloween the scrapbooker in me fights with the "its a kids holiday" thing. I want them to match, they want to do their own thing. Don't worry, that one they win.

So then we go about our trick or treating business. Doin fine UNTIL one child in a leatherface mask with a ghost body (interesting look) went "boo" to Ethan. That little dude puts his hands on his hips and yells "HEY! HE SCARE ME!"

Well, since that was an accurate statement I figured the leathery ghost deserved it and moved on. From that point on EVERY trick or treater was "treated" to Ethans scolding "hey, you scare me!" This includes the puffy chicken, the cheerleader, the baby dressed as a carrot (!) the bunny, and even eventually the people answering their doors. See, that's trick or treating toddler style.

Luckily it was all received with relative good humor. Max and the Princess got a wonderful amount of loot and all was well. The weather was as perfect as can be.

I have, however, decided we are putting on our costumes again and I'm trying for some decent pictures over the weekend.

Oh and that last picture, we lit our pumpkins eventually too!

Happy Halloween!