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.  

A Treasure from Mother Nature

Mother Nature has brought a wonderful treasure to my grandchildren and I. A species of bird that I was not aware of has made her nest of sorts in our dry river of landscape rocks in our front yard. What an educational gift this has been for our family. 

As soon as I learned what kind of bird they were I emailed a link that told all about the birds to my children to share with my grandchildren so that they could learn all about the birds. I then invited  all of the children to come and see the wonderful treasure that Mother Nature is sharing with us.

The birds (mother and father) are called Killdeer. They lay their eggs on the ground usually in rock or gravel. They do not build a nest so that the eggs will blend into the surroundings to keep them safe. The eggs are speckled and they do in fact blend in very well. The parents take turns sitting on the nest and they are very vocal and protective if you approach their eggs.

When you approach the nest you are first warned with aggressive chirping. When you get too close they get up and run away from their nest and pretend to have a broken wing hoping to distract you with their injury. Both parents will get into the act to lead you far away from the eggs. Once they feel you are a safe distance away the wing miraculously heals and they fly off and circle around to return to the eggs.

There is a lot of information on the web on this species of bird. It is amazing to see how text book their behavior is. As an added bonus, the baby birds will hatch with their running shoes on. As soon as they break out of their shell and their feathers dry they become self feeders and run around following their mother like baby chicks do. In my reading it said that they will stay in the area for at least two weeks until they learn to fly!

It will take 24-28 days for them to hatch. We don't know for sure how long the eggs have been there but suspect about 10 days or so. We'll be watching and waiting. The grandchildren and I can hardly wait to see the fuzzy  little guys!

I Love Spring

Although Spring isn't official until March 20th, I have to say that Spring is in full bloom in the deserts of Arizona. I took a walk around my acre yard last evening at dusk to enjoy the incredible rebirth and growth that the Spring weather has brought to our growing landscape. I love seeing the trees budding out, the bright green new growth on the shrubs, the flowering of heat loving plants, and to hear the beautiful songs of the birds that seem to know that it is Spring too!

To add to my marvel .... our acre lot began as an acre of un-irrigated dirt and rocks just three years ago. There were no birds to hear because there was no tree in sight for them to even perch in. Every single plant and tree has been planted, cared for, and nurtured by my husband and I. This was no small task. We have over 150 living plants including 24 shade trees. A couple of weeks ago we worked together to cut back our shrubs and plants in preparation for the new growth that spring and summer brings.

Landscaping our new place from scratch has been a very rewarding. We created our own design, we selected our own plants, and as I said we have been "hands-on-dirt-lovin- do-it-yourself-er's" through the entire process.

Although we are still far from done, the empty canvas of landscaping space we have left keeps our minds actively thinking of our future hopes and dreams for our little corner of the earth that we call home.

Invention Crafts

These boys were in heaven with an afternoon of invention crafts and snacks at grandmas house. I had arranged it with them the day before. Before they arrived I pulled all of my resources out. These are items that most would throw away that I know are very useful in the minds of my young inventors. 

A variety of boxes, bits of wire, paper rolls, plastic bottles, and anything that I think may inspire an invention filled my kitchen island (their lab) when they arrived. I could see their minds working the minute they walked in the room and they began grabbing their resources.

With lots of tape, glue, string, paper, and grandmas helping hands occasionally the items quickly took form to create an airplane, and a remote controlled rocket. An old ink pen was turned into a joist stick for the remote control and the antenna was finished off with the inner spring of the pen. An applesauce cup into a cockpit. Plastic parmesan cheese bottles were turned into powerful rocket boosters and Pepsi bottles into booming airplane engines. 

The boys have a great time creating and I love seeing their creative minds in action. Most important of course, are the memories created for everyone in the lab!

Distraction Worked!

This little guy has been having a surprising new problem with separation anxiety. He used to beg to come to my house, loved his nursery class, and he would leave his mommies side with a great big happy "Bye Mommy!"

Now when he comes I have to peel him off off his mommy and he is very sad during the separation from his mommy portion of the stay. On this particular day I was ready with a distraction that worked well. Kid safe scissors, glue sticks, and colorful paper did the trick. The tears and anxiety stopped within seconds.

Another surprise .... when mommy returned he wasn't ready to go and it took a bit of pleading with him to get them on their way.  Since then, the anxiety continues. His mommy stopped by my door with him the other day to drop something off and he just kept saying "bye grandma" every second. I assured him with my own good-byes every second too!

Craft Stick Animal Puppets

This is a very simple craft to do with kids. I used craft sticks, construction paper, string, buttons, crayons,  googly eyes, and pompoms to create different animals. The only tools needed are kid safe scissors and a glue stick.

Once they are done you can create stories with the children using their new animal puppets.

A Day with Grandma and Papa

One of our grandson's has really been wanting to spend a day with us without his baby brother. He had a day off of school today for President's Day so I had arranged about a week ago for him to come and spend the day with us until bedtime. He arrived with great excitement and wanted to start our day doing some crafts. So, that is exactly what we did. We went to my grandkids craft drawers and pulled out some supplies to create a project. We decided to create some craft stick animal puppets.

We worked on our crafts until it was time to go to lunch. The restaurant of his choice was the "star" place. Carl's Jr. where he loves their star chicken nugget kids meal! After lunch we went to see the movie  "Hotel for Dogs". He loved it. We then went and spent about an hour walking around PetSmart looking at all of the fish, birds, reptiles, cats, and rodents!

We then headed for a local water machine to fill our water bottle. He was thrilled to help his papa put in the quarters and fill the bottle. Right next door was a new donut place. I asked him if he liked donuts? I know that he loves donuts. His eyes lit up and he squealed a big yes!  He searched the entire donut case before making his final selection. We sat  in the donut shop and enjoyed our donuts together while having some great conversation.

He was anxious to get back home and work on our craft project again. We had a bit of outdoor play time then back to crafts. His boy cousins dropped by and they had a great time playing together outdoors until dinner time. 

His choice for dinner was "sucky noodles",  which is ramen soup  on his favorite plate at grandma's house and a cup of chocolate milk. After dinner he hit the shower and papa helped dry him off and get on his pajamas. He finally finished up his craft project just in time to leave for home so he could be home in time for a school night bedtime.

When he got home he told his mommy and daddy all about his day. Papa and I got a big hug and thank you as we left.  We know that this day meant a lot to the little guy and us ..... we had a really great day too!

A Gift From My Valentine

My Valentine and I have been married for nearly thirty-four years. My bridal bouquet was made of yellow roses (my favorite) and since then he has always remembered that despite the holiday or occasion it's yellow roses that I love to receive. Thank you my sweet Valentine!

Happy Valentine's Day

My Valentine goodies and cards are ready to be delivered. I had a great time baking mini cupcakes in Valentine wrappers, whipping up a batch of delicious butter cream icing, and hand frosting and decorating a bakers dozen for each of my grown children and their families.

Once the icing was set I wrapped them in festive pink cellophane and tied them with a Valentine ribbon for a fun presentation. The Valentine cards have been sealed and I have prepared  a cute heart shaped container with a few candies inside for each of my grandchildren. 

My gifts aren't much but a little something extra to say  "I Love You" this Valentine's Day.

A BIG Valentine Surprise!

I promise this was NO set up. Just before I left on my trip I posted about "Heart Attacking" someone for Valentine's Day. Papa and I found a very happy surprise waiting for us when we returned home from our trip.

Our first clue was a long hallway that leads to our bedroom was scattered with hearts. Our bedroom door and doorknob, the bedroom walls, furniture, lamps, shutters, bathroom walls, shower walls, mirrors, my bathtub, and even the toilet were all covered in hearts of  all sizes and Valentine colors. Precious personal notes had been written by our nine little Valentines to let their grandma and papa know how much we are loved.

The welcome home surprise brought a big smile to our faces. I laughed and smiled as I read their little notes and as I pictured them in my mind choosing all of the very creative spots they had chosen to stick their hundreds of handmade hearts. 

They were all very excited to hear about our surprise and how much we enjoyed it. They all asked if we saw this one and that one that they had carefully chosen to place. They had been anticipating our return and reaction for a couple of days. Today when we all spoke after school it was very clear that they had had a lot of fun creating this very special Valentine memory for Papa and I!

It is indeed a "Heart Attack" that we will long remember as a very special time. 

Heart Attack Someone for Valentine's Day

This is a fun thing to do anytime of the year to let someone know that they are appreciated and loved. It could be a big surprise for your grandchildren or you could help your grandchildren do it for someone else.

You first cut out dozens of hearts out of colored construction paper in all different sizes. You can have a color theme or you can use all of the colors of the rainbow! 

To "Heart Attack" someone you take all of the paper hearts and cover the space while the receiving person is away. You could do the bedroom of a child, the bedroom door of a child,  a front door to a home, or a garage door. It could even be Dad's office, Grandpa's shop, or the inside of a car.  The options are probably endless. One of my granddaughters once "heart attacked" my husbands bathroom vanity and mirror area as a surprise for him when he returned from a long day at work. It looked adorable and imagine her Papa's surprise!

You can write little notes of appreciation and love on some of the hearts too. This is a really neat thing to both give and receive. So why not give it a try this Valentines' Day?

Hint: Use the blue painters tape to hang the paper hearts. It won't damage paint, furniture, fabrics, or finishes.

For My Nine Little Valentine's

I have hand selected a Valentine for each of my grandchildren. I plan to take them with me this week on my trip and use some of my driving time to handwrite each of them a personal note.

Some of them are duplicates this year because I thought they were so cute....but never duplicates to siblings!

I sure love my nine little Valentine's!   I'm a very blessed grandma.

Grandma Shelley is Headed to Hollywood

My husband and I just pulled together what we think is going to be a really fun trip. It is something we have never done before. After being unsuccessful at getting a last minute cruise we had hoped for, we decided to head to Hollywood for some Television show tapings. After doing some research on the Internet we have tickets to three shows. 

First on our agenda is The Price is Right. I tried to talk my husband into making ourselves shirts that read "Oldie-weds....Newly-retired" to wear to the show.  No such luck! We have had fun talking about what we would like to win on the show and playing the game of would you rather win this or that questions. I learned he would rather win a new truck over a long romantic trip!

 The following day we are going to the taping of the sitcom Gary Unmarried. We have never seen the show so I hope it is appropriate and funny.  The  following day....can you believe it? Dr. Phil!  Who would of thought I would ever get my husband to the Dr. Phil show. I guess it helps that he won't be on stage. We may also be able to squeeze in the Tonight Show one of the nights.

We lined up hotels using Hotwire to get great deals  and we "mapped quested" some of the restaurants we want to eat at.  It is amazing what you can do from your home computer these days!

Talk about spontaneous....We'll be in Hollywood with about 48 hours notice. Sooooo not like us, but very exciting!

Collecting Ideas for My Next Grandkids Camp Out

To keep a favorite tradition going I am in the creative stage of planning my next grandkids camp out. It usually happens in April before it gets too hot to sleep outdoors. I have been on the look out for fun activities and a new camping or outdoor skill of some sort to  teach as part of our time together.

We have a few things that we keep each year as part of the tradition. Those include a night hike, roasting s'mores (over our gas bbq), helping Papa put up the tent, creating personal hand washing stations,  and making their own foil dinners that we cook in the indoor oven. 

I would like to add dutch oven cooking but that would require a very watchful eye to keep all of my little campers safe from the hot coals. Perhaps, my new camping skill could be fire safety & dutch oven cooking.  I'm just wondering if I'm brave enough to give that a try.

The camp out starts in the early afternoon on a Friday once all of the kids are home from school. The kids then go home late the following morning usually for a much needed nap. Please share your ideas on any craft, activity, or cooking idea that would work for a camp out.  I would love to hear your ideas!

Made From Scratch Pasta Dish

What shall I call my creation?  "Garlic Bow Tie Chicken Alfredo" How does that sound?

I have to say it turned out delicious and it could easily rival any dish at the Olive Garden!

My entire life as a homemaker I have shopped the grocery ads weekly and then I plan meals around what I have on hand. This practice has always served us well and we have eaten very well over the years on a modest grocery budget. This night was no exception. I wanted to find another way to fix chicken. So, looking through my pantry and in my produce drawers I came up with this combination and it really worked well. Three of us ate at home and we had leftovers the next. That was six meals  for probably under five or six dollars. ( a $90 dollar value at Olive Garden.)

Because it was my first time and from scratch I don't have an exact recipe to share. I can only tell you my process and ingredients. I cooked my 1 pound box of bow tie pasta as directed. I cut up zuchinni, red pepper, carrots, spinach and three boneless skinless chicken breasts. I sauteed the vegetables (except spinach) in a small amount of olive oil just until tender crisp. I then added the chicken strips, stirring and turning for a quick cook. I then added the spinach and cooked until just a bit wilted. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

Sauce: One stick butter, minced garlic, flour, and four cups milk to make a garlic white sauce. Once thickened season with a tablespoon of chicken bouillon, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and lots of parmesan cheese (I used canned).

The first night I put the drained hot pasta on the plate, topped with the chicken vegetable mix, then topped with the sauce and sprinkled it with more parmesan cheese. It was a beautiful presentation!

For leftovers the next night, I combined it all together in a skillet and heated it through. It was just as good but not quite as pretty. 

The photo is of the leftovers the second night. I didn't know yet on the first night that it was photo and blog worthy until we had all cleaned our plates!

A Grandmas Box

I heard a great idea this morning when reading another blog that I thought I would pass on. Another grandma shared that she has a "grandma box" where she keeps many of the things her grandchildren give her such as rocks, drawings, school programs that we attend, cards, and all of the little odds and end things (treasures) that they give us. I know we all make a fuss over these things when they are presented and maybe display them on our fridge or bulletin boards.

This grandma who shared her idea of the "grandma box" is thinking about making a strong impact on her grandchildren even after she is gone. She wants the box to be found by her family after her passing. She wants the things in the box to show the love she has for her grandchildren and the importance they were in her life. She also hopes that the box will bring back many memories of the time they shared here on earth.

Stay tuned: I will be creating my own "grandma box". I think it is a wonderful idea.

Blueberries "A New Favorite Thing"

A few months ago I added blueberries to my diet. I eat at least one half cup a day. I love them on a bowl of cold whole grain cereal or mixed into a bowl of hot whole grain cereal. Both ways are absolutely delicious and I know I am doing something really good for my body and brain! 

I decided to add them to my diet after my mother was diagnosed with dementia. In my reading on dementia I learned that they are a super food for the brain and that they have even been shown to repair brain damage. So, I added them to my diet as a preventive measure since the threat of dementia is now in my genes. Who knew I would fall in love with them!

I buy them frozen from Costco. They are a great deal compared to fresh in my local grocery stores (5 pound bag for just over $10). On my cold cereal I pour them on frozen. They thaw quickly and they make the milk very cold and oh so yummy. When I add them to my hot cereal I warm them up first in the microwave so that my cereal stays nice and hot. 

Do you have any other healthy ways to add blueberries to your diet?

Blueberries are in fact "a new favorite thing!"

Forbidden Love

Our male inside kitten Izzy ( a very large 7 month old) has been receiving a nightly visitor. She sits outdoors looking as pretty as she can just hoping he could join her outdoors for a bit of romance. I'm sure Izzy would love to join her but it is a forbidden love. We as cat owners don't want to be responsible for adding to the cat population and Izzy's mother (who is half the size of her kitten) strongly agrees with us. She is sitting right behind him on one of the chairs growling her disapproval of the nightly interest in her baby boy!

Boost Immune System and Go!

My daughter's family has been sick for a week. High fevers, vomiting, sore throats, body aches, severe coughing, and sleepless nights. She had managed to stay well to take care of her husband and four children until it caught her too. Things quickly turn from bad to worse when the mom gets sick too. Reinforcement was needed! 

They didn't want to ask for help because they knew it was highly contagious. Despite the risk, they needed outside help badly. I gladly offered my help and they accepted.  I have always been very lucky in that I can take care of sick people and not catch it. (I just knocked on wood, just in case my luck in running out.)

In preparation for my day of active duty in the trenches of coughs, runny noses, fevers, body aches, sore throats, and vomiting I did all I could do to boost my immune system before going. I had  a tall glass of orange juice with a high protein breakfast. I boosted my immune system with a multi-vitamin, Vitamin C, Zinc, and a heavy dose of Echinacea before leaving home. When  I got home for the day I added a "nap" ...  for an added boost to my immune system of course!

Although everyone was sick, it was nice to see my daughter able to rest and to take care of herself. The kids were very sweet. They were good at taking turns with "grandma" as I honored their requests to rub their feet, tickle their backs, fill their sippy cups,  and to adjust their blankets and pillows.

I'm going to go visit my vitamin cabinet again before bedtime and wash them all down with another tall glass of OJ!  I'll keep you posted on my how my string of luck is going.

No Pecking Order This Day

We had this little guy for two days and a night to help out his mom and dad. I can't think of another time when he has had his Grandma and Papa all to himself. He was absolutely perfect during his stay with us. He slept good, he ate good, and he was as happy as he could be. He is number eight out of nine grandchildren and when all of the grandchildren are here together he is usually near the bottom of the pecking order for the toys, the treats, the favorite sippy cup, and for his turn to sit on the coveted stepping stool.

I have a bottom drawer with all of the plates, bowls, and cups for the little ones. I don't think he could believe his luck in getting any one he wanted. He got all of the toys to himself and even his choice of the blankets for bedtime. Bringing the step stool out was like a dream come true for the little guy. ALL of my grandchildren love this well used step stool and there is a clear pecking order (within the minds of the grandchildren) of who should get to sit on it. It was really fun to see him climb up and down and spend as much time as he wanted sitting on his thrown for the day.

Papa and I really enjoyed our two on one time with our adorable #8!