Butterfly Crafts

My grandsons were great sports with this cabin craft. I had purchased two craft kits to have on hand to help keep the grand kids busy when they visited. They were both glitter art kits. I had purchased one of birds for the boys and one of butterflies for the girls visit. Well on the boys visit I could not find the bird kit that I had purchased for them. They willingly and beautifully completed the butterfly project. Being the boys they are they would not touch the pink glitter that the kit included! They insisted that they were making all boy butterflies. They were very proud of their artwork and they were as tickled as they could be to be doing crafts with their grandma.....even if they were butterflies!

The birds have still not turned up. I know they are hidden somewhere in the house to stay safely hidden as a surprise for the boys. I will be the surprised one now when I finally happen upon them!

Yummy Fireside Treats

All of my grandchildren love helping to build a camp fire. It is a must do (and a well supervised) activity when they come to visit us in the mountains. This night we roasted marshmallows and the kids made S'mores for their treat. The adults enjoyed a really yummy pineapple upside down cake that my daughter and her husband baked in their dutch oven. It was perfectly baked and sooooo good!

Peek-A-Boo

All of the school age cousins peeking out of McDonald's Playland. I thought they might enjoy the play time as cousins with Papa and I. They ended up LOVING it! Simple things, great times, precious memories. What a wonderful gift for both grandchildren and grandparents!

Grandkid's Back to School Party Favors

Pencil boxes (with their names printed on them) filled with a few school supplies were the party favor for this years Grandkid's Back to School Party. The items included new pencils, erasers, a pencil sharpener, a bottle of glue, some stickers, a back pack package of Kleenex, a box of crayons, and some sweet treats.

Before the party started I had a list of rules. (much like you would see in a classroom.) Each child's name was listed and there was a box to check off for each task or rule. The number of tasks or rules matched the number of things inside the gift boxes.

I showed them the boxes at the beginning of the party and we talked about the rules. I explained to them that broken rules would result in a loss of an item or items (of their choice) from the gift boxes.

With Papa and I being so outnumbered and with an outing planned we needed an incentive to help us. Some of the items included following directions the first time they were asked, no fighting, buckling up in the car, being helpful, staying with our group in the parking lot and in McDonald's, eating good, cleaning up, and participating in all of the games and activities. The incentive plan worked like magic. They were quick to remind one another of their potential loss or losses. At the end of the party everyone had earned their complete gift boxes!

The box had to be packed just right to get it all in there. They all loved going through their gift boxes and then the challenge of getting everything packed back in. I was so proud of them as they worked together, assisting one another to get their gift boxes filled again.

Outing to McDonald's with Grandma and Papa

These pics are from our Grandkid's back to school party this year. Believe me, Papa and I got the looks, and all heads turned when we arrived with our seven little ones who were all talking up a storm and all very anxious to hit the playground.

A trip to McDonald's netted hours of fun cousin time of unlimited play, ice cream and food. I don't remember why the raising of the hand but what an adorable photo to catch at a back to school party!

Ice Cream Before Dinner?

A highlight from the back to school party that ended up being all the chatter to their parents when they got home was that; "Grandma let us have ice cream before dinner!"

It's true! But, not really planned that way. I reversed the party plan due to Papa getting home to go with us to McDonald's earlier than expected. The plan was to play our games at the house, and have an early dinner of grilled cheese sandwiches, chips, and a drink at home before going for an ice cream treat and some play time at McDonald's.

We instead, went to McDonald's and had ice cream. They were having so much fun playing we decided to stay and have dinner too.

So, completely by accident, a fun, "naughty", and long lasting memory was created!

Grandkid's Back to School Party 2009

I fudged a bit on the back to school party this year but it was still a wonderful success!

The party began at my home in the afternoon just a few days before school was to begin. I had seven guests this year. The oldest is going into the fourth grade and my youngest guest will be starting preschool this year.

The party started with a few rounds of ABC Bingo. We then loaded up for a trip to McDonald's for an ice cream treat and some fun cousin playtime. They were having so much fun playing with one another that they worked up quite an appetite. We ended up ordering dinner too before we left.

After we returned home we did our traditional Hokey Pokey dance and I ended the party with party favors of some back to school supplies and a few treats!

Invention Crafts - Working Elevator

On a recent visit to my home three of my grandsons pulled out my invention crafts tub for some crafting fun. This tub is where I store all kinds of things for my grand children to recycle into their very own one of a kind inventions.

This is not a time to worry about the clutter that fills the kitchen counters and floors as their very creative minds began to quickly gather items that are needed for their inventions. It is amazing what ideas can be sparked by the treasures that are found in "Grandmas invention craft tub."

Above is photos of the finished elevator system, it's inventor, and his younger brothers who marvel at their big brothers invention skills. The invention has an elevator car with opening doors, a pulley system that can lift and lower the elevator car for more than six feet. Even the balance of weight was considered by this young inventor. Vegetable cans were borrowed from the pantry to give him the weight needed for the invention to work safely and properly!

4th of July Gift Boxes

I created these small gift boxes for my nine grandchildren for the 4th of July. I found the boxes in the dollar store "Dollar Tree" in the wedding section. They were 12 for a $1. They are solid white and they could be used for any occasion or holiday by adding your own decor to them.

I decorated the boxes using patriotic stickers that I found in a Michael's Craft Store. The stickers were adorable and a great price. The book had 316 stickers for just .70 cents! The regular price was only $1 which is still a great price.

I also like getting the small white bottles of bubbles from the same section of the dollar store. They are 9 for a $1. I added a patriotic sticker and they became a 4th of July party favor for the small gift boxes. The boxes are a perfect size for a few goodies and favors. These boxes were filled with candy, party poppers, a light stick, a bottle of bubbles, and a red, white, and blue tinsel necklace!

4th of July Necklaces

When I have all nine of my grandchildren together I like to do things to make them feel united. This year we are all attending the fireworks together. I was in the dollar store recently and I saw some red, white, and blue tinsel garland that was really thick and shiny. Like always, I found inspiration in this glittery dollar find.

The strand was nine feet long. I have nine grandchildren, so I cut it into nine, one foot lengths. I added a bit of clear tape to the cut wire ends to keep it from possibly unraveling. I tied 24" lengths of blue yarn about an inch in on each end of the cut tinsel.

I had created nine very festive 4th of July necklaces for a buck! The necklaces ended up being part of a small gift box that I made for each child. The shiny thick tinsel necklaces made the perfect topper for the patriotic gift boxes!

Popping 4th of July Fun

Every 4th of July I treat my grandchildren to some kind of small gift, goodie, or activity to help celebrate our time together at the fireworks show. This year I put together small gift boxes for each child.

The small patriotic decorated boxes include a few Tootsie "Pops", kid safe TNT "Pop-its", always fun Party "Poppers", a glowing light stick, a small bottle of bubbles that will provide lots of "Popping" action, and a glittering red, white, and blue necklace which also serves as a eye "Popping" burst of color and shine to top of the gift boxes!

To add to the fun I will arrive with their gift boxes in a large basket lined with patriotic linens and some festive red, white, and blue tinsel party picks. I will also have the supplies for face painting. Face paint, glitter, patriotic stickers, and sparkling stars will provide some holiday fun while they are waiting for the fireworks to begin that I am sure they will enjoy.

This project and these ideas are all very simple and inexpensive but they help to make the time you spend with your grandchildren just a bit more fun, festive and memorable!

Make sure to watch the 4th of July clearance sales and you too will find inspiration for just pennies on the dollar that can be stored away for the year and used to create your own memories in helping to make the 4th of July holiday "Pop" for your grandchildren too!

Have a happy and safe 4th of July !

Hungry Campers!

The camp out menu called for pancakes, ham, and milk. It sounds simple, doesn't it? I first asked how many of them wanted ham. Only one wanted ham. So, I browned up a small batch of ham in a skillet for the one child and Papa and I. I then mixed up the pancake batter. When the kids entered the kitchen they all seemed to be starving and definitely had minds and tastes of their own. There were orders for Mickey Mouse pancakes, some with chocolate chips some without, some with extra big ears, some with small ears, regular round pancakes, round pancakes with chocolate chips in the batter, round pancakes with chocolate chips added after they were cooked, pancakes with butter, pancakes without butter. It was a pancake frenzy.

As the pancakes came off the griddle the yellow trays had to be taken out of the dishwasher and hand washed so that they could use them again at their request. The Camp Out is all about the grandkids so we were as happy as we can be to add that simple element of fun and tradition to our breakfast.

Everyone wanted warmed maple syrup on the side in a dipping cup because that is just how you do it at "grandma's house". Once they saw and tasted the ham they all wanted it adn then wanted seconds so two more batches were browned in the skillet before everyone had had their fill.

It was fun, and exactly what the camp out is supposed to be. They were all hungry campers and they all ate a good and hearty breakfast.

As a follow up....My son said that when he asked his five year old son about what he had had for breakfast at the camp out he said pancakes and meat! My son asked what kind of meat? He described it as really good "orange squares of meat!"

Grandkid's Camp Out 2009

The trick to hosting a successful camp out for seven little campers is pre-planning and organization. Our Camp Outs always begin with an indoor gathering craft and a snack to hold them until dinner.

The table above is set and waiting for their arrival. A "Welcome Campers" sign has been posted on the front door. A printed schedule has been made to keep my little campers and myself on task until we say good-bye late tomorrow morning. All of the supplies needed for our activities have been gathered and are waiting out of sight until needed.

Soon the front entry will be filled with sleeping bags, pillows, backpacks, overnight bags, favorite stuffed animal sleeping partners, and seven really excited campers!

Grandkids Camp Out Invite 2008

In my preparations for the upcoming Grandkid's Camp Out I came across this invitation that I did last year that I had not shared here before. The kids were all thrilled to see pictures of themselves at the camp out from the year before in their brochure invitation. They also loved the personal write ups about each of them. Giving them a camp out schedule created a lot of excitement and anticipation for all of the fun things they had to look forward to.

The Helping Hands of Friends

Last Evening we hosted a dinner party  for a group of friends from our church. Some of our guests  brought the salads, breads, and desserts. I did the meat, two potato dishes, and a roasted vegetable dish for 30 . I am in my element with this type of thing so my day had gone pretty well by doing what prepping I could,  pre-cooking, and the tables earlier in the day. 

The last thirty minutes however was a different story. My menu, presentation, and table scape required a lot of last minute work. I had a pot of potatoes that I had cooked. It was the biggest pot I have and it was filled to the top with about 20 pounds of hot boiled potatoes. They had boiled over and had made a huge mess on the top of my stove. The stove top  WAS sparkling earlier in the day. It was time to mash the potatoes with two tubs of sour cream, butter, and cheese and I could not find my masher. I knew I had given it a new home in my kitchen just the day before and I could not remember where it was.

My last minute solution was to use my electric mixer. The beaters were not long enough to reach the bottom of the pot so you can only imagine the last minute mess I was creating on my apron-free self, the counters, the walls, and the kitchen floor.  The stove had a big boiled over cooked on spot too. I had everything hot and plated in time but I was left with a very last minute mess in my kitchen as the first guests arrived at the door. I was using my kitchen island and counters as the serving space so the mess I had created was NOT the look I was going for!

When I opened the door I saw the faces of friends and out of my mouth came "I am so glad to see some friendly faces and helping hands." Without hesitation they willingly and generously pitched right in. Some filled the sink with dishwater and washed up my cooking pans and wiped up the counters, another tackled the stove top, and others filled water pitchers and set the tables with last minute items. They pulled some quick tricks just like I would have done by quickly cleaning my counters and kitchen of unneeded items and placed them out of sight in my walk in pantry. 

Within minutes my friends had saved the day. As the evening continued so did my friends with their willing and helping hands as the tables were cleared, desserts were served, and the clean up completed.

It was a great evening with friends and it left me feeling very grateful for the new friends that I have made since moving here. I love coming together as friends with a common goal and seeing it completed. Although this time it was very last minute and unplanned the joy I experienced was just as sweet!

St. Patrick's Day Cupcakes

Not a great picture. Not a great presentation YET!. But, these cupcakes are going to be used in a great presentation later today. I am assisting with an activity for girls 8-11 at my church.  It is going to be a treasure hunt with clues along the way. The clues all have a bit of "Irish catch words" in them to add a bit of holiday fun. 

The girls will be divided into two groups. One will be looking for nine golden coins, and the other for nine green coins that have been hidden and have the clues attached to them. Before they are able to read the clue they have to complete a task of some sort. The theme of the activity is "Count your Blessings, and see How Lucky you Are".

The tasks require such things as naming blessings of family, home, education, friends and such. We will meet up at the very end for the final clue to be read. This clue will require listening to their leaders and working together doing the hot and cold game to find the hidden treasure. 

The cupcakes will be the treasure and the treat for this activity day. They will be hidden inside a really, really cute Treasure Trunk. I cannot disclose the location yet since it is still a hidden treasure! It is going to be fun.

Saint Patrick's Day Tic-Tac-Toe Game

 I created this fun Saint Patrick's Day Tic-Tac-Toe game for the children's singing time activity at my church. It was a group activity with two teams. Each of the squares on the game board were numbered. When they (one child from the team) placed their colored coin on the board the entire group would then sing the song that matched the number. After singing, it would be the next teams turn. The next team would place their coin of the opposite color on the board trying to get three in a row. The entire group would then sing the song matching the number of their choice. The goal was to get three in a row with the prize being getting to sing a song of their choice.

The base is a foam core board from the dollar store. Scrapbook paper cut in strips created the 12" game lines. The computer generated shamrock tic-tac-toe header is placed on a backdrop of matching scrapbook paper. Everything was put in place using a glue stick.  The coins can be found in party, craft, or maybe even dollar stores. I used blue painters tape on the back of the coins so they would easily peel off the board without damaging the game.

This idea could be used for a Saint Patrick's Day Party or a family activity. Instead of singing, you could have the children to do something silly, answer a question about themselves, or just take turns playing a BIG game of Tic-Tac-Toe.

This idea could be used for any holiday by making up the game board and the game pieces to fit the holiday.  

Holiday Table that Seats Sixteen!

Here's a tip that I do for a BIG family dinner. I enjoy having everyone sit at the same table so we can visit while we enjoy our meal. I used our regular dining room table and an eight foot folding table pushed together. Two matching table cloths covered the joint. I used benches on two sides to seat eight (mostly grandkids), and chairs on the other two sides for eight more.

Another idea I have heard of is to purchase a piece of plywood to add for a table top when a larger table is needed. The plywood can be easily stored in the garage between uses. Protect your table with a a piece of felt or something before putting the plywood on top. A sheet would be a great option for an oversized tablecloth.

Safety Tip: If doing the plywood method I would suggest rounding the corners a bit and glue or tack a cushion of some kind on the corners. This would make it safer for your linen and any precious little heads that may be running by.

Creating a Formal Dinner

When my oldest granddaughter is over at dinner time she loves setting a formal dinner table. She begins by choosing a tablecloth and candles are an absolute must. I allow her to use my stemware glasses and special occasion dishes too. She adds extra flair by doing something fancy with the napkins.

It turns an ordinary dinner into a happy memory for all of us. She wants to do "cheers" all through dinner by toasting one another with ice water. She is in heaven with our willing participation.

The menu does not matter. We have eaten hot dogs and pork n beans by candlelight!

Homemade Soup and Bread Bowls

Homemade bread bowls, two or three different homemade soups and a big salad are the makings for a family gathering that we enjoy. Sometimes we share this meal when we are celebrating another occasion but most of the time it's just another opportunity to share in a family tradition.

We all contribute in the cooking and preparations. It is a fresh and hearty meal that is enjoyed by everyone.