Gift for the High School Grad -under $20!!

I should have posted this earlier, but if you like the idea you can file it away for next May when those graduation announcements start rolling in. This little gift was given to a friend from church who is heading to the University of Florida. While wandering the aisles at Target recently, I was drawn to a display of towels in lots of fun and bright colors and ON SALE!!! After conferring with the husband that these were indeed VERY close to her school colors, we purchased two bath towels and two washcloths...a practical gift for a girl moving so far from home!

Fresh Take on a Flower Girl Basket

First off, I failed to notice that I am a just a wee bit past post #100! I had it set to automatically post and didn't notice until today. Also, I have noticed that this little blog gets an average of 12 hits a day, and more on some days. So, leave a comment and let me know who you are! Miss M and I might just decide to send a lucky commenter a little something as well.

We are in the first days of June - the traditional bridal month. Actually, this year I don't have any weddings to attend. Probably because I am getting too old and everyone I know is either married or too young to do so! Anyway, my brother got married almost three years ago and Miss M was the flower girl. My mom and I made this cute little alternative to a flower girl basket.

I don't have step by step directions or even a series of photos. It was simply trial and error. We started with a piece of foam, rolling, re-rolling, and trimming until we had the desired cone shape. Next step, trim your fabric to the same shape and size. You will need to leave a little overhang at the top so you can fold it down inside. Use spray adhesive to attach the foam and fabric and hot glue the end of the cone to itself. We then trimmed the entire thing out with ribbon, lace, seed pearls, and sequins. A tassel was fed down through the cone and secured in place with....hot glue of course

The handle was fashioned from a strand of pearl beads. We knotted both ends and used safety pins to attach them on the inside of the cone, a little past the half way mark. I glued a single silk petal over each pin to further hide the construction. To make it easier for little hands to pick up the petals, we stuffed left over fabric and foam into the bottom half of the cone. Like I said, trial and error! Try as we might, we couldn't get the two we made to be the exact same size.

Updated Cupcake Chalkboard

I found this little thing back in December at a thrift store for a mere $1.50. I painted two coats of chalkboard paint and gave the frame a coat of black. Then it sat in the garage for weeks months. I knew I wanted it in the kitchen, but wasn't sure how to finish up.

Enter some cute iron on cupcakes I found at Wal-Mart and the project quickly took shape. A little hot glue, a clothespin painted black, and a scrap of ribbon = total cute!  Mr C told me "Put a picture on facebook Mama!" as soon as I hung it up. I think he meant the blog, but I like the way he thinks! I'm still thinking on how to do an eraser...thinking maybe wrapping some batting in a little square of fabric and attaching it with ribbon.

My latest project is one that I hope won't take as long - because it's a new bed for Mr C's room! I picked up a headboard/footboard today at a thrift store for $40. It is wood, currently painted white. While in good condition, Miss M and I have been toying with some ways to update it and make it perfect for the boy. Check back later for before pics because we couldn't bring it home today - it wouldn't fit in our car!

Friday Funnies

Just in case you have been wondering....I STILL am around, just haven't had time for blogging lately. A friend said on facebook that "May is just as busy as December". Do you feel that way as well? I sure do! Anyway, here's a little video that made my family laugh out loud every time we watched it! It's titled "Montana Pole Dancer" but don't worry - it's totally G rated!

Friday Funnies

Miss M's school has Track & Field Day today but they call it Olympic Day. When I was teaching kindergarten one little boy was a little disappointed at our track and field day on year. He kept looking for the dragon because he thought we were calling it "DRAGON Field Day". Little ears and minds are funny!

Favorite Books

So...I'm back FINALLY!! I have been sick for about three weeks and am finally getting over it! Lots of things have taken a backseat in those weeks, including blogging. I was operating in survival mode people! To get back in the blogging mode, I am linking up to Show Me Your Life at Kelly's Korner. This week it's all about books.

Let me first say that I am a former elementary teacher, with all of my experience no higher than first grade. My heart swelled with pride at the mall playground with Miss M when she was about 2 1/2....she left the playground to visit the bookstore located next door! She will complete kindergarten in a few weeks and both reading and writing ability and confidence have swelled. Here is a sampling of what you might find on a nightstand in our house:

Miss M:

Nancy Drew Clue Crew Series - Nancy and the gang are in 3rd grade and solve mysteries in their school and neighborhood

Junie B Jones Series - I know some parents don't like these books but they provide great teaching points and Junie B always does pay for her misdeeds in the end. Think Ramona Quimby books in a more modern setting. We have several on CD and they are great for car trips - the entire family laughs outloud!

Meghan Rose Series - A lot like Junie B only tamer and with a Christian influence...Meghan's mom prays with her about situations.

Skippyjon Jones - a Siamese cat with an imagination on high speed who pretends to be a sword-fighting Chiwawa due to his overly large ears. Miss M still enjoys a great picture book every once in awhile and this fits the bill!

Mr C:Still too young for a "series" but he really enjoys books by David Shannon of the "No David" books. Funny illustrations and we always enjoy looking for drawings of his real life dog Fergus hidden in several books. When he is a older, I plan to introduce him to Hank the Cow Dog. Hank lives on a ranch in Texas and gets pretty big for his britches some days! All of the conversations in the series are between the dogs and other animals. They are laugh out loud funny too.

Cupcake Mama:

Not a lot of time for reading but I just finished up Lies Women Believe and the Truth that Sets Them Free...read it...lots of great stuff in there! Also, I enjoy most anything by Karen Kingsbury. Her books are are usually a quick read of Christian fiction.

Although I really enjoyed several of the books already mentioned (Little House series, Little Women, Nancy Drew) I want to mention a few others as well. As a child, the last book my mom read aloud to me was Rabbit Hill, pictured above. It was summer break and she would read a chapter at night or in the morning. I also remember reading the Ramona series by Beverly Cleary - well, pretty much anything by her was read by me! I have heard there is a movie in the works - maybe some new Ramona readers will be introduced to the gang.

Finally, I LOVED the Betsy-Tacy series by Maud Hart-Lovelace. We meet these two buddies in the first book when they are only 5 years old and the series continues until Betsy's Wedding. Written and set in the 1940's, I always enjoyed a visit on Hill Street with my Betsy and friends.

Friday Funnies

A recent conversation at my house - the words with dashes were spelled orally by the speaker.

Miss M: Can we play R-o-c-k B-a-n-d after lunch?
Me: No, because your brother needs to take a -N-a-p first. Maybe afterwards, though.
Mr C: How about B-i-b-l-e?

We cracked up...it's the only word he knows how to spell - but it's a good one to know!