Cause When It's 100 Degrees Outside- We Paint.

It's been years since I've blogged or posted anything about Noah doing crafts or painting and since the weather has been brutally hot lately decided to stay indoors and pull out this ceramic dragon tile that has been tucked inside my scrapbook bag since last summer and have Noah paint it. He's a lover of dinosaurs and dragons and to be honest don't want him to outgrow all the things he used to do since he was six, but he will be 13 in three months and so I have to come to terms that eventually he won't be so much into crafts (unless he becomes some sort of decorator LOL) but he's such an agreeable kid that he will pretty much do anything that we suggest-and if he's in the mood to paint he will do that! It made my mama heart happy to see him doing something that reminded me of the time when he was two and painted with his sister Chelsea. Such sweet memories. And to especially watch him enjoy doing it. There's a difference. He truly enjoyed painting it! Just watch this little reel I made of him painting it and you can be the judge and tell me whether you think he liked painting it or not! Ha ha!

Rainy Days Are For Crafts.

With summer approaching I have been finding meaningful ways to have my kids entertain themselves, and educate their minds with their hands. So many kids today are constantly seem to be on their phones playing video games, and what not. I am grateful to have my tube tv from 1998 still in good working condition where the only shows I get are ion television, and pbs. We don't own a Wiii, or xbox, or whatever the current game station is out there. I'm especially grateful to have a husband who is artistic, and crafty and loves to build things.

our "winter" Valentine's day weekend.

Is Valentines day a weekend for lovers? Yes and no. Some of us may be single with many friends to share it with, and some of us may have a significant other to celebrate it with. Fortunately I have a love in my life along with four children to make this holiday very special. Valentines day is one of my favorite holidays specifically because of the kids. Exchanging valentines with other kids at school was one of my favorite things to do when I was their age. I love teaching them about loving their fellow man no matter what, & that giving out valentines day cards to their friends at school (even to the kids that are mean) is teaching them unconditional love. 

Valentines day is not just for adults. It's also for the little people & these two had a grand time making valentines. Noah's art may not be mastered but he has the right concept when he draws a picture. We mailed cards, dropped off treats, and after a day of thinking of others it was our turn to have a date night. 

The day we saw The Saratov Approach movie we saw the trailer for Winter's Tale, and the fact that Jessica Brown Finlay (who played Lady Sybil in Downton Abbey) stars in it along with Colin Farrell made my heart swell, and I was sold! I had been counting the days till valentine's day for this magical looking movie to open. 

First of all I had no idea that this movie was going to be about angels & demons. Without giving too much of the movie away it was beautiful & absolutely stunning. There is a lot of love, hope, magic, and miracles in this film. It's an unabashedly love story with an ending that makes you realize what could possibly happen to us when we die, and in my opinion was an interesting rendition of good verses evil.

If you liked the movie "Ghost"...you'll definitely love Winter's Tale! 

*****

Attending the temple the day after was perfect! It was Valentine's Day weekend, we had just seen the perfect movie the night before, and we had our cute kids with us. We made it a priority to just take off and "run" to the temple! I felt so emotional this day. Winter can bring out the "blues" for some of us, but when you're at the temple no matter how busy, tired, or stressed your week, life is/was going to the temple takes all of that away. I know I write a lot about our trips to the temple, and that is because I have such a strong passion for it. The seasons pass us by way too quickly, and knowing that I made it to the temple this winter makes me extremely grateful that I made the time to go. 

Spring is coming pretty soon, and I look forward to the flowerbeds filled with different colored tulips, but on this day seeing the temple grounds covered with snow was a sight to see. It's amazing how looking at this timeless building in the winter brings me a different, but "fresh" perspective at my life right now.

This picture makes me so happy. Seeing these two hugging while the cold air is blowing with smiles on their faces gives me a surety that no matter how much they bicker they truly do love each other. Noah was too cold to stand outside for a long period of time, and so I quickly managed to capture this photo of him while cuddling on papas shoulder. Stubborn little boy wouldn't put his coat on. I asked him if he wanted his hat, and he said "I am wearing my hat mommy...it's my hoodie!" Silly boy.

Our lives seem so much calmer, peaceful when we leave the House of The Lord. Our feelings don't get hurt, and any offense made by another person whether it's family, a friend, neighbor, or even a member of our own congregation just passes us by. Nothing matters to us, but the love we share for others, by being a good example to those we meet, and come in contact with. Whether they feel our love for them is real is their choice. But I know that my love for each and every human being that I meet on this earth is real.

And that...my brothers and sisters is what the temple brings. Love, joy, & fulfillment. It truly makes us a better disciple of Christ, mother to my children, wife to my hubby, and friend to others.

Now two things you need to tryyyyyy to do this week..go watch Winter's Tale and attend the temple if you can! There's over 100 of them, and there's bound to be one where you live! If not...I don't think you'll have to wait much longer.

Happy Monday! 

the cutest little snow globes

A few weeks ago I had an itch to make homemade snow globes with the girls and we absolutely love them! There are numerous tutorials on pinterest in which we found, but this tutorial was our favorite. 

I have to give credit to my husband for sanding all the lids for me, and to Lexie for adding the perfect mixture of glycerin, water, and glitter. All I did was find trinkets, trees, plastic Santas, and animals to put inside the globes. 

Having these decorated all over the house makes it festive, and Chelsea loves shaking them.

Making these globes was so much fun. I hope they will last a lifetime. So far the water is still clear, and all the trinkets are in place.

The smaller globes from baby food jars are the sweetest. I was lucky enough to find tiny little animals just for that size of a jar.

This was their favorite Christmas craft this year, and I think they all turned out great! Aren't they just the cutest little snow globes you've ever seen?

I think so!

An accordion book

These are accordion books. In our church I am what you call 'the go to girl for crafts'. I don't mind because I actually miss having a scrapbooking club, and so this gives me the opportunity to keep up my craft and scrapbooking skills. 

We have been having a lot of families moving in and out of our ward lately, and so every time a family is about to move out, I make one of these. I am not a perfect scrapbooker or crafter, but I love to make things out of cardboard and card stock. Give me that glue gun and I am on a roll! 

If you think these are cute, and you would like to make one for someone for a baby shower, a wedding book for guests to sign, or even as a birthday card (you can even add pictures in it) for all your friends and family to write something inside...here are the steps into making one.

*You'll need at least three pieces of card stock, different types of scrapbook paper, ruler, scissors, a glue stick, at least 18 in. of ribbon, and this should match the colors you use for the book. 

*Cut three pieces of card stock so that you have three perfect squares. Most card stock is 81/2 in. You can make your book any size, but it needs to be equal on all four sides. 

Glue the three pieces together, overlapping one square on each paper. The corner diagonal folds should be parallel to each other. 

Once you have these glued together, then you start decorating the individual squares and triangles. Leave the squares on the far ends as your cover pieces so don't glue any paper to one side. You can glue a square to the other side. You will need six squares and the rest are triangles. After all these are done you need to do the covers.

For the covers I just cut out cardboard from a box (2-6 in. squares) Then glue the cardboard on the center of the paper square. Fold up the edges and work in the corners. A squash fold is the best way to go. Glue the ribbon at the mid way point on the book. The square without any paper is where you want to glue it. Then glue the cover over the top of the ribbon and the cover on the other side.

 I love this card stock with the birdies on it! 

I obviously wrapped it like you would a Christmas gift. I used hot glue so that it will last a lifetime!

Glue the ribbon at the mid way point on the book. The square without any paper is where you want to glue it. Then glue the cover over the top of the ribbon and the cover on the other side.

TA!DA! Hope y'all can make one for whatever occasion!

Harry Potter Day

Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.

~Prisoner of Azkaban, 2004. Spoken by character Albus Dumbledore

My girls are huge Harry Potter fans. My husband read the books way before the movies came out, and it's all his fault. Sierra was about 10 when she began to read the series. I have to say she has probably reread those books at least five times in her lifetime...she'll be 16 in two weeks!!! Alexandra has followed in her footsteps and also loves the books. She is 11 and just recently read the series twice...in a matter of a month!! Chelsea doesn't know too much about Harry...only that he has a lightening bolt on his forehead. She still wanted her sisters to make her a shirt though!

They decided to make T-Shirts in honor of Valdemort's death. We went to Michael's craft store and bought black t-shirts, red and gold puffy paint, stencils, & paint brushes. They made them before we left for Boston last week, and wore them yesterday. They were so diligent in making them and really took their time in designing them.

Team Gryffindor-Members of Dumbledore's Army

Don't they look great? I think so. 

They look forward for the final movie in the series. I think they'll be a little sad when it ends. At least we have the books and movies where they can see and read them over again...and pass them on to Chelsea and Noah as they get older. 

*Are you a big Harry Potter fan?

*Have you read the whole series of the books?

Cascarones...An Eggcellent Tradition

Noah trying to assist Chelsea in filling the confetti inside the eggshell.

Here is something my tejano friends in Texas can appreciate. Making cascarones. Why do I insist on making cascarones every year? Oh yeah...because my mom and grandma used to make them every year when I was little. That was another fun thing I remember during my childhood. My sister and I cracking them on my brothers head. Now I am carrying on the tradition of making cascarones with my kids. They look forward to this every year. They may be time-consuming to make, but in the end...cracking them on the heads of friends and family, and those you just want to give a good smack to on the head is all worth making them. Oh...how I miss my friends and family both in Utah and Texas right about now. However, I can think of plenty of heads here in Jersey I would love to crack one on. 

I'm reading to crack some heads.-Noah

We are ready for some fun this weekend. You can read about how to make cascarones here.

*Do you have any easter family traditions?

*Have you ever made cascarones?

Tissue Roses

A couple of weeks ago for the Faith In God activity, Sister Trace taught all the activity girls from church how to make flowers out of Kleenex and tissue wrap. I thought they were so pretty and they almost look like real flowers.

Here's how to make them...
You basically need at least four pieces of Kleenex, tissue wrap, and pipe cleaners. You can mix in four pieces of different colored tissue paper to add color. You lay them all out in different ways and put your index finger in the center of the paper, and wrap the pipe cleaner around the stub of where your finger was inside the tissue paper. (Sorry, I have no tutorial for this so just do the best that you can.)

In each tissue there are two layers, pull apart the layers and then fluff them out to make them look like a real flower. Lexie sure had fun making these.

What a cute craft idea! I would accept these flowers any day...and the best part is...they'll last a lifetime!