december daily foundation...

I first posted about my December Daily album here. I have more to show you...

I wanted to spruce up the plain green cover....so I used some scrap paper, cut outs and a few stickers.

Then for the inside pages I took inspiration from what Ali is doing. I just cut white cardstock to fit the binder and punched the holes. Then freehanded black lines all around the page to create a border and box at the bottom part of the page. Then using rubons I added numbers in the lower corners.

Then I placed all my paper scraps, stickers, accents, memorabilia, etc. in this turquoise tin. So I am ready to create pages as I get my pictures.

...Some of our holiday traditions start in November so I have actually started taking pictures for my album! Looking forward to putting it all together!

Menu Plan Monday

Monday ~ bbq chicken, sweet potato fries, salad

Tuesday ~ honey teriyaki salmon, green beans, ramen noodles

Wednesday ~ chicken noodle soup, salad

Thursday ~ ham & beans, cornbread

Friday ~ pita pizzas, salad, apples slices

Linking up with Org Junkie and Fit Meals Monday...check them out for more recipes!

gobble, gobble...

Happy Thanksgiving to you all! {Thanks for reading my blog...it is such a fun creative outlet for me!} We are thankful to be sharing some time and wonderful food with our families over the next few days....hopefully you are doing the same.

I thought I would share a few Thanksgiving books and activities we have done the past week....

Books:

10 Fat Turkeys by Tony Johnston

Thanks for Thanksgiving by Julie Markes

Thanksgiving by Miriam Nerlove

Thank You Bear by Greg Foley

Thank You, God, For Everything by August Gold

Activities:

...turkey pumpkin...pictured above {We used one of our pumpkins we had out as fall decor and turned it into a pumpkin! We glued all the face pieces on but used thumb tacks to secure the hat and feathers.}

...thankful banner {Using leaves I cut out with my Cricut, Little Bit told me things she was thankful for and we wrote them on the leaves. Then punched a hole in the leaves and hung them on some twine in her room so she could see them everyday.}

...handprint turkeys {I have done this every year with Little Bit...trace her hand and turn it into a turkey! She loves getting her hand traced and trying to do it herself!}

...turkey dot to dot

...turkey shape counting sheet

...thanksgiving bracelets {These bracelets help children learn the story of the first Thanksgiving. Check out this post and get download the instructions on how to make your own!}

laundry activity...

I thought this was too cute and such a fun looking activity, I finally created one for Little Bit.
I found the white wire shelf at Meijer for a few dollars and then started cutting mini clothes out of felt scraps I had leftover from other projects.

Here Little Bit is trying out the activity, using the mini clothes pins {from Michaels} to hang the clothes.

She had fun sorting by size, color and item!

get out your {scrap box}...

As I was going through my paper scraps box...{looking for paper to use in my December Daily album}...I came across this cute dot paper and thought....why is this just sitting here. So I created this card using those scraps, the Ippity set What Matters Most and the Martha Stewart 3 in 1 butterfly punch! Sometimes I love challenging myself to use a limited amount of supplies to see what I can create...

Menu Plan Monday

Hope you all have a wonderful week and a happy Thanksgiving!

Monday ~ orange-ginger tilapia, green beans, brown rice, garlic bread

Tuesday ~ veggie noodle soup, toasted cheese sandwiches

Wednesday ~ pita pizzas, salad, apples slices

Thursday ~ Thanksgiving part 1

Friday ~ Thanksgiving part 2 ;)

Linking up with Org Junkie and Fit Meals Monday...check them out for more recipes!

holiday photo cards...

Christmas is literally just around the corner...{how did that happen so fast?!}...so that means it is time to be thinking about what Christmas cards to send. I usually make handmade cards and the last few years we have been incorporating a photo. I have printed wallets to attach to cards in the past but this year...thanks to this wonderful opportunity through Shutterfly, I will be sending holiday photo cards! If you are a blogger, check out how you could get 50 free holiday cards too!

There are so many different cards to choose from, I don't know how I will finally decide which ones to order. My favorite style is the flat stationary cards. Several are really catching my eye....here, here, and here. I think this one might be getting close to the top of the list...just depends on how many photos I want to include!

I am always pleased with the great quality products that Shutterfly provides. I have ordered a variety of photo items from them...4x6 prints, folded photo cards for Christmas, flat photo cards to highlight Valentines Day and Birthday photos, and several photo books.

Photo books are one of my favorite gifts to give our parents and grandparents....and they just love receiving them! I love doing traditional scrapbooks but have become a huge fan of the digital version you can do on Shutterfly. I have put together several of the photo books over the years and tried a variety of sizes. I think the 8x8 size is my favorite. Doing one of these ABC albums for Little Bit was especially fun...just love all the digital paper and embellishments that make it look like a "real" scrapbook!

Personalized mugs are another great gift idea. There are several different styles of mugs to choose from but I think this one is super cute! What grandparent wouldn't love drinking their morning coffee or tea while catching a glimpse of their grandkids!

So...take a moment and stop by Shutterfly to check out their great selection of photo products. If you do decide to take advantage of any of their great photo gifts, remember to use the coupon code SHIP30 for free shipping on orders of $30 or more.

Here's to a photorific holiday season!

december daily project...

I just love reading Ali Edwards blog. I especially love her idea for doing a December Daily album! The main concept is to have the album bones ready to go so all you need to add are the pictures and journalling.

I so look forward to the holidays...all the decorations, traditions and events that lead up to Christmas Day. So why not make a special little album to record all those memories! Last year was my first time doing one. I started out small though...I didn't record something everyday of December, I just highlighted a few special things. I used a small acrylic album with varying page sizes. It was different for me but I loved it! So this year I plan to do another one. I'm going to try and do 25 days of Christmas....recording 25 things we do or love that lead up to Christmas.

Deciding on what type of "album" to use is my first struggle. I like to be a thrifty crafter so I try to find something that is fairly cheap. I saw a couple ideas using mini binders and liked that idea...so off I went in search of the perfect cheap mini binder. I didn't find anything at the local craft stores so I took a quick look in the dollar store and this is what I found...

This green little binder is about 6x9....just perfect! And the price couldn't have been better....$1.00!

I also decided to try and use up supplies that I already have on hand. Here is a sampling of my paper, leftover stickers and accents.

Now off to get started creating the foundation of my album!

Letter Jj

"J" topics...jump, jet, jelly beans, jaguars

{Circle Time}

Calendar...Talk about the month and days of the week and put sticker on the day we are discussing.

Reading...days of the week book...Pigs to the Rescue by John Himmelman {...a fun one!}

...theme books...My "j" Book by Jane Belk Moncure

The Giant Jelly Bean Jar by Marcie Aboff

Sheep in a Jeep by Nancy Shaw

Jaguars by Julie Guidone

Jamberry by Bruce Degen

Songs/Rhymes...The J says..., 10 little jelly beans

{Letter Craft}

J is for Jaguar...inspired by this blog

{Activities}

Coloring...Letter Jj

Letter Identification...

find the letter worksheet

...do a dot letter printables

Spelling...We worked on spelling JET this week. I wrote the word and drew a picture on our dry erase board. Each day I had Little Bit spell and sound out the word.

...tray with magnetic letters and cards with words {JET, JAR, JAM}. Little Bit placed the corresponding letters over the letters on the cards...while sounding out each letter.

Dot to Dot...jack-in-the-box. This is a great exercise for getting letters in the correct order and drawing lines!

Activity Shelf...marble transfer to suction mat; felt clothes line; color shade matching; nuts & bolts {matching sizes & threading nut on bolt}; counting jelly beans; sorting blocks by color

Exercise...jumping!

Computer time...Starfall {we worked in the ABC section with the letter J} and Fisher Price{they have some great learning games and online coloring pages}.

...Little Bit also loves to get in some computer time when we go the library. They have computers set up in the children's area with games, stories, etc. Her favorite one to do is Just Grandma & Me by Mercer Mayer. She puts on the headphones and watches/listens to the story! Another one she is getting into is Jump Start PreK.

Creative Corner...Scrap Club

Here are my Scrap Club layouts for October...

We used the title AUTUMN and it was perfect for pictures I had taken of Little Bit at the park. {I meant to write "in the park" after the Autumn, so I will have to go back and do that!}

For the second layout I had lots of pics of fall activities so I tried to squeeze as many on as I could....and I still need to do a trick or treating layout! There are so many great outings this time of year....what are you capturing in your scrapbook layouts?

Veggie Noodle Soup

This soup is really yummy and so simple to put together!

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef (or turkey)

1 46 oz can tomato juice

1 can mixed veggies

1 packet onion soup mix

1/2 cup uncooked elbow macaroni

Directions:

In large pot, brown ground beef and drain off fat.

Add tomato juice, veggies and onion soup mix and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer about 10 minutes. Add macoroni and cover, continue cooking...stirring occasionally until noodles are tender.

Menu Plan Monday

Well we finally had the chicken caesar burgers tonight!...After 2 weeks of having them on the menu....things just get crazy, plans change and you just roll with it!

Monday ~ chicken caesar burgers, tater tots, corn, grapes

Tuesday ~ apricot pork chops, green beans, ramen noodles

Wednesday ~ green pepper turkey chili, peanut butter sandwiches, apple slices

Thursday ~ pasta, salad, garlic bread, pineapple

Friday ~ orange-ginger tilapia, green beans, mashed potatoes

Linking up with Org Junkie and Fit Meals Monday...check them out for more recipes!

Christmas planner...

I totally copied this idea from Dawn McVey. She is so creative and has wonderful cards and projects! I loved the idea of having something cute and compact to keep all the gift ideas, notes for the holidays and gift receipts together in.

I made 3 books....one for ME, one for my mom and the third for my mother in law.

Here are some sneak peaks inside...I just used some random Christmas paper that I had on hand. The cover is made from My Mind's Eye Life Stories paper pad.

The "WISH" and "december" stamps are from Unity Stamp Co. and the "25" is a clear stamp from JoAnns.
I printed some sheet music off to use as accents in the planner. Here I punched some with the new large label punch from SU. Then punched a scalloped circle from blue cardstock, cut it in half and mounted it behind the label.

Here is a full sheet of the music paper. I used some chalk ink to give it an aged look. I included an envelope in the back to hold gift receipts!

Letter Ii

"I" topics...ice cream, iguana, instruments

{Circle Time}

Calendar...Talk about the month and days of the week and put sticker on the day we are discussing.

Reading...days of the week book...Pigs to the Rescue by John Himmelman

...theme books...My "i" Book by Jane Belk Moncure

Wemberly's Ice-Cream Star by Kevin Henkes

Ice Cream Everywhere! by Marjorie Blain Parker

Isaac the Ice Cream Truck by Scott Santoro

I Wanna Iguana by Karen Kaufman Orloff

Manana Iguana by Ann Whitford Paul

Songs/Rhymes...The I says..., Itsy bitsy spider

{Letter Craft}

I is for Iguana...inspired by this blog

{Activities}

Coloring...Letter Ii

Letter Identification...used craft sticks to build the letter I

...find the letter worksheet

...do a dot letter printables

Spelling...We worked on spelling ICE this week. I wrote the word and drew a picture on our dry erase board. Each day I had Little Bit spell and sound out the word. {This one was a little tricky with long I sound and the "ce" combo.}

Dot to Dot...ice cream. This is a great exercise for getting letters in the correct order and drawing lines!

Activity Shelf...shape matching with buttons and ice cream printouts; counting pom poms; ice cream sensory box; open/close containers; nuts & bolts {matching sizes & threading nut on bolt}

Instrument...We made a tambourine using 2 paper plates. Little Bit decorated them with her do-a-dot markers. Then we put some beans in between the plates. I stapled them together together adding some ribbon hanging from the bottom. Little Bit is loving playing with her new instrument! She shakes it and sings....so cute!

Computer time...Starfall {we worked in the ABC section with the letter I} and Fisher Price{they have some great learning games and online coloring pages}.

...Little Bit also loves to get in some computer time when we go the library. They have computers set up in the children's area with games, stories, etc. Her favorite one to do is Just Grandma & Me by Mercer Mayer. She puts on the headphones and watches/listens to the story! Another one she is getting into is Jump Start PreK.

alphabet {art}

I posted about the new activity shelf we added to our learning area in the basement here. It has been a great addition to the space. Little Bit is always checking out the activities to see what she is available for her to do!

I don't know if you noticed the abc art on the main shelf. Here is a close up...

I wanted to add something to the shelf that was educational but also fun to look at! So I took a 12x12 cork square and adhered some chipboard letters to showcase the whole alphabet. Then I added a bit of scrapbook paper and a picture of Little Bit. A few buttons in some of the blank space add a little extra pop! I had everything on hand for this project! It feels good to use supplies in my stash!

juice OR {bowling pin}...

OK....pop quiz...what's the first thing that comes to your mind when you see this pic...

Juice, right? Well how about the 2nd thing that comes to mind? Did you say bowling pins??? I did! I was rinsing out an empty container last week and thought, is there anything I could reuse these for...and bowling came to mind.

With winter quickly approaching we are going to be spending more time indoors, so why not have a new bowling game to play in the basement! I am still in the process of collecting containers but plan to use 5 for the game. I am removing the labels, using goo gone to get the sticky off and then washing them up. I think we will try tennis balls as our "bowling ball"....will let you know how it goes!

Menu Plan Monday

Today is my hubby's birthday so dinner tonight is all about him. The meatloaf is his favorite! I have a cake ready....just needs some icing. Hope you all have a yummo week!

Monday ~ meatloaf, green beans, mashed potatoes, bread

Tuesday ~ bbq, tater tots, salad

Wednesday ~ chicken caesar burgers, tater tots, corn

Thursday ~ pot pies, fruit

Friday ~ dinner out

Linking up with Org Junkie and Fit Meals Monday...check them out for more recipes!

Cheesy Bacon Potato Soup

Ingredients:
4 slices bacon

4 Tbsp. butter
1 medium onion, chopped
3 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp steak seasoning
3 c. chicken broth
3 c. peeled and diced potatoes

1/2 c. chopped carrots
1/2 c. frozen corn kernels
1 c. milk

2 c. shredded cheese

Directions:
Chop bacon into small pieces. In a large pot, cook bacon until crisp. Remove with slotted spoon to drain on paper towels. Add butter and onion to bacon drippings and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour, salt, and steak seasoning; mix until smooth. Gradually add the broth, then turn the heat up to medium-high and bring the soup to a boil. Add the veggies. Reduce the heat and simmer the soup, covered, until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Once veggies are tender stir in the milk.

Remove from heat and stir in cheese until melted. Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving. Ladle soup into bowls and top with cooked bacon pieces.

Enjoy!

owl hat...

I have been seeing owl hats everywhere lately....Children's Place, JCPenney, blogland....so I decided to try and make one. I was inspired by this cute one but went pretty simple with mine...{and it only cost me a buck!}.

I started with a brown hat from the Dollar Tree. I took some brown embroidery thread and wrapped it around gathered sections at the top of the hat to make little ears. Using some scrap fabric and felt I cut 2 sizes of flowers out for the eyes. I sewed a button in the center of each eye. Then using another scrap of fabric for the beak...I cut a triangle out with pinking shears. I hand stitched around the beak and outer eyes.

Here is a close up of the finished product!

shopping spree...

Were you lucky enough to receive a $10 off any $10 or more purchase from JCPenney's recently? I think the coupon goes through Monday...so you still have time to get in there and use it...if you got one. I didn't really need anything but who can pass up FREE money?! So Little Bit and I stopped in there yesterday to browse. I found $1.97 racks in the womans and juniors sections. SCORE!

I love getting the most bang for my buck! Here are the items I came away with....6 pieces for only $1.96 out of pocket! {My receipt said I saved a total of $196.18} Thank you JCPenney!

E - H Review {Fall & Halloween}

{Circle Time}

Calendar...Talk about the month and days of the week and put sticker on the day we are discussing.

Reading...This week we incorporated fall and Halloween themes...

Halloween Mice! by Bethany Roberts

Boo! Made You Jump by Lauren Child

Footballs and Falling Leaves by Rebecca Fjelland Davis

Trick or Treat by Stan & Jan Berenstain

Bats at the Library by Brian Lies

Songs/Rhymes...Five Little Pumpkins

{Activities}

Coloring...scarecrow page, princess Halloween painting kit

Dot to Dot...pumpkin. This is a great exercise for getting letters in the correct order and drawing lines!

Leaves...We made a toilet paper tree. By wrapping the toilet paper roll with brown construction paper we had a trunk. Then I cut a tree top shape out of green paper. Little Bit stamped leaves all over the tree top and then colored them in. I cut 2 slits directly across from each other on the top of the trunk and we slid the top in place.

...I took a paper plate and cut a circle out of the center. Then Little Bit glued silk leaves all the way around to create a paper plate wreath!

Activity Shelf...check out this post for more fall/halloween activites Little Bit had fun working with.

Outings...Fall fest and trick or treating!

ink pad holder...

I recently moved my ink pads out of a 3 drawer unit I was housing them in, so I could use the drawers for Little Bit's activity shelf. So for a few days the ink pads were just piled up on my desk until I found them a new home.

Goodwill to the rescue! I was just browsing in there the other day and my eye happened to catch this wooden unit. I immediately thought of my ink pads! {...and for $2 I couldn't lose!}

So I took it home, cleaned it up and cleared a spot on my desk for it.

I mostly have the old style of Stampin Up ink pads...which fit perfectly in the slots. The few large ones I have stack nicely on top. So far my ink pads are loving their new home! ;)

thankful {leaves}

Can you believe it is November already?! This year has just flown by. Once November hits I start really looking forward to Thanksgiving. It is my favorite holiday! I just love the family time, yummy food and fall in full swing!

I saw this idea today on The Activity Mom and just love it!....so I decided that Little Bit and I will do it as well. I have printed out these leaves and will cut them out on colored cardstock. {I found a leaf image on one of my Cricut cartridges...so I cut my leaves out that way instead.} Then each day this month we will write something we are thankful for. This will be a fun way for Little Bit to learn about being thankful and give her a way to express it!

Menu Plan Monday

Monday ~ cheesy potato soup, salad, bread

Tuesday ~ honey teriyaki salmon, green beans, ramen noodles

Wednesday ~ cheese rigatoni, salad, garlic bread

Thursday ~ chicken caesar burgers, tater tots, corn

Friday ~ pot pies, salad

Visit Org Junkie for more recipes!