~Scavenger Hunt Screw Up~

I wake to the sound of a plastic egg trying to be snapped shut.
I open my eyes and nudge my husband to let him know the kids are awake.
A few seconds later, Derek comes running into our bedroom, excited as can be.

And here's what happens:

Derek: "Guess what? The Easter Bunny came and left an egg in my closet and it told me to look in my shoe and I found an iTunes gift card!!!"

Mom:  "Did you find any other eggs, too?"

Derek: "Nope, just the one in the closet."

Mom:  "Hmmmmm.  What's the first thing you did when you got up?"

Derek: "Got my clothes on."

Mom: "So, you got up and went straight to your closet for your clothes and then you found an egg?"

Derek: "Yep!"

Mom: "OK?!?! Go see if you can find any more."

Derek: eagerly runs out of parent's bedroom

Mom: (leans over and whispers to Dad) "So, he managed to MISS the FIRST egg the Easter Bunny left right by his bed on the floor, leading him through an entire scavenger hunt through the whole house?!?!  He ends up finding the LAST egg the Easter Bunny left on said scavenger hunt, leading him to his prize right away?? Wow!  I can't believe that."

Dad: smiles and laughs

Derek: (enters back into parent's bedroom) "Guess what?"

Mom: "What?"

Derek: "He did leave me more eggs.  They are in all different places.  But there aren't any more prizes."

Mom: "That's great, honey."

Austin: (enters room) "Hey thanks for the iTunes card, Mom & Dad."

Mom: "Don't thank us...thank the Easter Bunny."

Austin: "Yeah, whatever.  Hey, I mean it.  Thanks guys."

Derek: (looks up strangely at big brother)  "Um, it wasn't from them Austin!  It's from the Easter Bunny."

Austin: "Oh, yeah, sure Derek.  Right. I forgot." (gives mom a ~look~)

Derek:  "We got a whole basket of stuff, too, Mom!"

Mom: "And where was that, Derek?"

Derek: "Right by my bed next to one of those eggs."

Mom: "I see.  Well, maybe the Easter Bunny wanted you to open THAT egg first and then you would have gone on a scavenger hunt to find the other eggs that led you to your iTunes card."

Derek: "Oh, THAT would have been fun!"

Oh yes, my sweet child.  That would have been fun. :)

Next year I'll have to remember to tell the Easter Bunny to make a huge *START HERE* sign.  That is... if the big brother decides to keep his mouth shut long enough for one more visit.  

~Hope you all had a lovely Easter!~ 

~Easter treats for kids~

Tomorrow will be the last day of school for the kids before Spring Break.  Derek's class will be having a little celebration at school and the teacher asked if I'd send in some treats for the kids.

I can't wait for her to ask.

I pounce on the opportunity to contribute and go in to volunteer. 

I'm one of *those* moms. 

And I'm proud of it!  

This year, we decided to make Carrots and Bunny Tails.

*Warning... Picture overload below*

Goldfish Carrots

Marshmallow Bunny Tails

All we needed to buy at the grocery was the Goldfish crackers and the Marshmallows.  I had everything else on hand, including the Wilton Carrot Baggies and ties.  I love grabbing things the year before when they are on Clearance... right after the holiday.  It's just a matter of remembering that I have them that next year! 

Wilton Carrot Labels and Ties

It was a perfect opportunity for some Math fun, too.  Since Derek is studying measurements in school, we used the 1/4 cup and he had to scoop out two helpings per bag. 

So, each carrot holds 1/2 cup of crackers.

Next, we moved onto making the Bunny Tails.  I've seen these made with the Large Marshmallows before, but we opted to buy the mini ones for the younger kids.  I didn't have the heart to put "Baby Bunny Tails" on the labels, though.  It just sounded really wrong!!

I made and printed off a sheet of paper to make labels.  We used a scalloped scissor to cut them out. 

Derek picked the bunny image.  It seemed fitting when they were stapled onto the baggies.  It looks like the bunny is spooked a bit! Thinking,"Oh no...... where's my tail?!?" 

He wrote who they were from on the back of each label. It was tricky trying to explain to him how he had to write his name upside-down before we folded and attached them. 

Just glad I printed off extra.....

we had 5 that were "practice" ones. :)

 We dropped them down into some festive Easter bags this morning and he was off for school to deliver the treats!

As the bus pulled away, I couldn't help but wonder how many treats would actually make it to school not smashed...

or uneaten!

Now...Head on over to Creation Corner or Today's Creative Blog or Craft-O-Maniac for some other crafty ideas!

~this moment~

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Inspired by SouleMama

 

O' Derek

 

~leprechaun trap~

 We're going to catch a Leprechaun... in our trap!
   

This sign will tell him which way to go....

...*wink*...

...Shhhhhh...

don't tell... *wink*...

When he reaches the top and tries to get the pennies....

he

might

just

fall

down

the

mushroom

stem

and

into

the

trap

!

Every year our Leprechaun friends visit and leave little green footprints scattered about.  But we haven't seen one.... YET! 

Here's how you and your child can join in the fun and make your own little Leprechaun Trap:

Supplies

Shoe Box

Green Tissue Paper

Green Pipe Cleaners

Red Plastic Bowls

Yellow Paint

Q-tip (paintbrush)

Gift Wrapping Tube

Pennies

Scrap felt

Paper "sign"

Toothpick

Butterfly accent

Scissors

Glue

Cover bottom of shoebox with green tissue paper. Cut three holes into the lid of the shoebox.  Cut your wrapping paper tube into 3 different heights for your "mushroom stems". Decide which stem will be your "trap" and cut a circle in the side towards the top.  Glue pennies to the scrap felt and then glue this piece inside the trap tube so that it shows from the opening.  Cut the outer rim off of the red plastic bowls.  Turn them upside-down and have your child paint yellow dots all over.  Let dry.  Attach the completed mushroom tops to their stems with glue.  Assemble a green ladder with pipe cleaners.  Attach to the trap opening and shoebox lid and glue in place.  Make a little sign with an arrow poining UP, glue to the toothpick.  Add butterfly accent.  Have your child tear and glue green tissue paper "grass" all over the shoebox lid.  Stick your completed sign in the grass.

Now place your Leprechaun Trap out so that, if you are *LUCKY* enough, you might just catch one yourself! 

Happy Trapping! 

Now, go visit Creation Corner and Funky Polkadot Giraffe and Making The World Cuter and Sassy Sites for some other great ideas!

~Day of Love~

 

I woke up this morning and found a beautiful vase of flowers and a card left on the kitchen table.  Guess our conversation at dinner the other night might have planted a seed.

No complaint's here...  they were lovely!

....................................................................

Derek's party at school on Friday was a blast!  Tons of sugared-up little cupids scattering about delivering lovely notes and playing games.  We picked up those Wooly Willy's for the treat bags and they were a big hit!  Derek's teacher had made these adorable mailboxes from cardboard and let the kids paint and decorate them earlier in the week.  They were SO cute!

A classmate was celebrating her birthday that day, also, so they got EXTRA sweets. Cookies AND cupcakes AND suckers AND conversation hearts AND chocolates.... oh my!!

And then it happened...and we all expected it would....

....my little guy was sick Friday night. 

It's pretty much a routine in our home.

It happens two nights out of the year.. 

Valentine's Day and Halloween.

Derek loves his candy.... but it just doesn't love him back!    

Happy Valentine's Day!

Here's wishing you not only a day of love,

but a lovely year ahead!

XOXO

~Hearts~

Old magazine and book pages

Thread

Glue

It's amazing how these little hearts can add such a sweet touch to your home!  The ones above have actually been up in this window since last year.  When the light is on in this room, you can drive by our home at night and see these pretty little heart silhouettes dancing through the curtain.  It's something simple that makes me smile when I pull in the driveway in the evenings.  I might just leave them up there until next Valentine's Day, too. 

They're just that pretty.

 

~bee mine~

Yesterday was Derek's Valentine's Day party at school. (*More pictures to come next week!*)  Today I thought I would share a few ideas that I found and whipped together with him for his teacher and the kid's in his class. They were all a HUGE hit!! I've included the links for you to get the free template's, too.  What I liked most about these crafts were that they were very inexpensive, fun to make together, and it added that personal touch for gift giving.

"Bee Mine" Honey for his teacher from Calli's blog

I had my own bumble-bee stamp to use for this project, so I didn't use the free printout, as cute as it was!!  

Who wouldn't love to get this sweet goodness!?!

The pictures above and below are what we crafted from finding Angie and Kristin's blog.  Check out their blog for the free template!!  We bought the foam at Walmart and I traced and cut them out.  Then Derek punched the hole with a pencil and attached the suckers. We made the mustache ones for the boys and the lips for the girls.  The kids LOVED these!!

Instead of attaching a sticker or tag with the "to" and "from", we opted to use brown paper lunch bags with doilies.  This made it exciting for the kids to open... like a little present.  I wrote the classmates names and Derek just had to sign them.  We used pink for the girls and red for the boys.

And if you look to the right back side of this photo, you can see that there is, in fact, a "To: Derek, From: Derek" treat included. He thought this was the funniest thing ever and had to show all of his friends at school!!  

Happy Crafting!!  Please feel free to leave a link to your post so we can all see what you have been busy making for

 Valentine's Day 2012!! 

 

~flowers~

'Knockout' Rose from my garden, Summer 2011

Title:       Flowers
Setting:     At the dinner table

Characters:  Derek , Mom, Dad, Austin

Mom:  "I've never, EVER, gotten flowers for Valentine's Day!! "

      *Glance over at Dad, sitting to your left*

Dad:   Give Mom, sitting to your right, a glaring, squinted *look*.

Derek:  "You know what, Mom? Neither have I!!?!?!"

Austin: Laugh

Mom:  "OK, Derek.  How does this sound: I'll buy you flowers for Valentine's Day if you buy me flowers for Valentine's Day!?! Deal?"

Derek:  *Smile BIG* "Deal!"

Dad: Smirk

Austin: Laugh

The End 

~empty fortune cookie and shadows....oh my!~

Please tell me this means really, really good luck!!

Never, in my 32 years, have I opened an empty fortune cookie.

  My oldest offered to share his fortune. 

I declined, but thought the gesture was sweet.

 This sure made for a good laugh after the day I have had!! 

Have you ever cracked open this crunchy treat to find...nothing??

This morning before the bus came we anxiously anticipated the verdict of whether or not Punxsutawney Phil would see his shadow or not.  The verdict is in.... looks like 6 more weeks of winter! I am totally OK with this prediction, considering it has been in the 50's and beautiful all week. Very unusual for February in Ohio!!
In keeping with the theme of this day, the following picture is one of my favorite shadow pictures of all time.  It is my father's shadow as he does yard work around a shed at my grandmother's home in Myrtle Beach. 

 

~Happy Groundhogs Day~