There is nothing like

a little greens & a good game of 'Chess Confusion.'
Oh you haven't heard of Chess Confusion?
My kiddo's created it.
It has rules, and they don't change :)

Caution: Builders At Work

...Supplies...

...A firm foundation is key...

...Concentration...

...A little extra 'glue'...

...Precision...

...Every house needs a pet...

...Marshmallow chimney & A choir of singing gummy bears...

...Proper placement...

...Squeeze...

...Sweet success...

...Perfect little house...

Snow Crafts

I am longing for snow.

.Not rain.
.Belch.

We are making our own snow this week.
You can too!

Aren't these the coolest looking snow globes!
.get instructions here.

We are going to make some beaded snowflakes to hang on a few of our little trees.

.instructions for Beaded Snowflakes.

I personally think these snow globes are too cute!
My kids are going to love playing with them.
image credit outbestbites.com
.instructions here.

Let your little ones color, cut and make their own snowman.
.snowman craft here.

A favorite at our house is making 'gingerbread' houses & igloo's out of sugar cubes.

. my icing recipe & instructions here.

How will you make your own snow this week?

TTT Fall Crafts

Fall explodes with a unique coziness after a hot summer.
I love the smells and activities of the season;
football, bonfires, sweatshirts, hikes, gourds, squash baking, beautiful leaves ...

Fall is a breath of fresh air after a hot sticky summer, which I also love, but only for a season.

We enjoy the addition of fall crafts during our school day.
Below I've highlighted a few.
If you have a fall craft you enjoy with your children, please share in the comments!

Fall Leaves


We are going to try these leaves this week.
photo from Better Homes and Gardens

Maple Flavor Leaf Cookies

Paper Pumpkins
photo from Martha Stewart

Owl Paper Puppet
photo from While She Naps

Fall Trees
photo from 1+1+1=1

Our Rocks

Remember last week when we painted?

These are the Rock Friends we made.

They line our porch, waiting to greet all who arrive.

What we did...

• Gathered rocks from the creek.
  
• Washed and dried them in the hot sun.
• Painted the rocks.
• Let the rocks dry overnight.
• Using a hot glue gun, we applied: feathers, pipe cleaners, glitter, & googly eyes.
  

Summer fun

Tuesday we painted!

.our faces.

.our toes.

.the cardboard.

and
ROCKS!

Really, who knew painting rocks could be so fun.

My children painted rocks for nearly two hours :)

Today we are going to add googlie eyes & pipe cleaners to finish our creatures.
.Can't wait!.

Can you guess

what we did yesterday?

A little Creek Play

I remember as a child playing at our creek for hours on end. To get there, we had to walk through a field. It took 15 minutes to get to our favorite part. It seem like a secret place, fully enclosed by trees and steep banks. There was always an adventure to be had. My children don't play in the same creek I did, but are no different, they love playing at our creek!

They love to dig for 'treasures' aka cool rocks with sparkles & fossils.

Wading in the water never gets old.

Our creek winds around for acres, making exploring new parts a must.

It was a blitzen hot afternoon when we went, but the cool creek water felt great!
We all had a fun time.

Summer Ideas to keep your kiddo's busy

• Make a weekly or biweekly trip to the Library. Many have summer reading programs you can sign up for.
• Stay up late to Star Gaze.
  
• Pack a picnic and head to a park, lake, timber... spend the morning hiking, playing, fishing... then have lunch. Invite another family to join you!
• Take a Night Hike to observe the creatures of the night.
  
• Camp! Pitch a tent in your own backyard or at a local campground. We've even pitched the tent in the living room before :) Make Hobo's over the fire, roast marshmallows, cook breakfast.
  
• See if the area conservation center has offers summer day camps.
• Are you headed on vacation? Print Free Road Trip Activity pages to take with you.
• Go swimming in a lake with a beach. Pack plenty of beach toys!
• Make a kite. Then have a kite flying contest.
• Try to fry an egg on a hot side walk. We did this as kids ;)
• Relax on a steamy hot day with a bowl of popcorn and a movie.
  
• Paint rocks.
• Host a neighborhood bike wash. Complete with buckets of bubbles & rags. Serve Popsicles with the bikes have been washed.
  
• Host a backyard scavenger hunt. Hide little treasures for the kids to find.
• Bake, then deliver some goodies to a neighbor.
  
• Recycle broken crayons.
• Pick flowers from your yard, display them on your dinner table. Use the good dishes for dinner that night.
  
• Make your own bubbles.
• Volunteer at an Nursing Home. Elderly people LOVE to visit with youngsters.
• Enjoy your children.
  

It won't be long until your children have summer jobs and are all grown up.
Let the dishes go, allow the floors NOT to sparkle.
Embrace this time in your life!

Spring is in the Air

and in her step.

(ABOVE: humm, no that is not a diaper, it is a sock!)

This past week was
G.L.O.R.I.O.U.S

We played & played & played
O.U.T.S.I.D.E
It was delightful!

Bubbles
Swinging
Slides
Jumpin
Riding 4-Wheeler
Shootin' hoops
Roller Skating

We loved it!

Spring officially arrives on Sunday,
Yippee!

white chocolate party mix

Ingredients

1. 1 - 14 oz box corn chex
2. 1 - 14 oz box rice chex
3. 1 - 16 oz bag pretzels
   
4. 2 1/2 pounds white chocolate or white almond bark, white chocolate is so much better, but a bit pricey!
   

Mix dry ingredients in a very large bowl.

Melt chocolate and pour over dry ingredients. Stir or mix with your hands until all of the dry ingredients are covered.
Spread out to dry.
Store in an air tight container or zip lock bag.
We normally freeze ours until we are ready to eat it.