Thanks teach!

At the end of school last year Isabelle and I decided to gift her teachers a little thank you. Well, all of the teachers and aids at her school actutally! (It was a pretty smll school, I think 13 ladies total!) Anyhow, we had just gone strawberry picking and so freezer jam it was, all in all it turned out cute and yummy-the teachers loved it and we were happy! Here is how it turned out:

Later this summer we went blueberry picking and I made some blueberry freezer jam for the girls I visit teach. I like how it turned out a bit better! Enjoy!!!

-Casey

Hi Ladies! Okay, so, as you know, I've started taking classes again.....my last attempt a obtaining my never-ending degree. One of the classes I'm taking this semester is a Diversity in Education class. Our professor has required us, throughout the semester, to submit Video Responses. Meaning, he asks questions, and we have to video tape ourselves answering them. It was actually kind of fun (beats writing a 5 page paper the first week of class!), so I thought I'd share. Enjoy! ;-)

-Jessica

Toybox treasures

We have a few favorite toys around our place. These toys are here for the long haul and hopefully will make it to the day when our grandchildren can play with them. I had a friend growing up who had all her mom's barbies. Maybe it's just that I was HUGE into barbies, but I thought it was so so cool and I wished my Mom had saved some of her toys for us. To be fair, my Mom did save a lot of stuff but moving from Australia to the USA didn't allow her to bring a ton of stuff and most of the few things she brought got ruined in a shed that wasn't waterproof. :(

But, on to the topic at hand, toys:

I-play Fairyland House



Anything from North American Bear Company




We LOVE Mercy Watson Books!

We have a fun new family toy that I am in LOVE with, it was a bit pricey but has been worth it for us. A Madsen Bucket Bike! We are loving hitting the trail by our house and riding into the sun/wind/rain.

These are some of our favorite toys, I highly recommend them all! Enjoy!!!

-Casey

TOYS

This post is dedicated to all of the toys that I, the mom, just can't bear to get rid of! You all know what I'm talking about, right? No matter that your children no longer have any interest in them, they are just so stinkin' cute that you'll keep them until....forever!

La-Di-Dolls

I found these while visiting my parents in Salt Lake City, UT at Mormon Handicrafts.....waaaaaaaaaay back when Kami was about a year old. She really didn't quite understand the concept (it's like paper dolls, but with felt clothes and wooden bodies) until the next year. But, I love them so much, I bought one for AJ, too. Yeah. That's right. I bought a doll for my son. It's a boy, no worries!

Woodboard Puzzles

You know, the kind you can usually find at WalMart or Target? These puzzles bring back a lot of memories of my kids. Watching my kids put together a puzzle has prepared me for how their individual personalities learn. Kami is very vocal with her frustrations. Most times she growls, cries, wines and tells me, "It's too hard, I can't do it!", but, never once does she give up and walk away. She keeps at it until the puzzle is done. Then she does it again. And again. And again. And before you know it, she's an expert. AJ, on the other hand, will watch. He'll watch me. He'll watch Kami. And just when I think he's not the kind of kid who's interested in puzzles, he stops me in the middle of taking a load of laundry to the wash and says to me, "Look mom! Look what I did!" And there in the middle of the table will be a perfectly completed puzzle.

Little People Toys

They were super cute and a classic when I was growing up, and they are still going strong! I remember spending many a days playing and imagining with my Little People, I hope my kiddos will have happy memories with theirs as well!

Books, Books and Books!

Oh yes, aaaaaand, did I mention the books??? I love Children's Books! This is where true imagination begins! With TV and Movies, everything's all played out for you; there's not much left unsaid. But, aaaah. With books? The possibilities are endless! I hope my children love them as much as I do!

-Jessica

What time is it? It's nap time!

Okay, so this might be a little more extravagant for a Saturday Afternoon Craft with the Ladies, but, it's a super cute and easy Tutorial. It was intended for Kami to take to school with her to use as a nap mat....then I noticed that her school supply list stated "plastic" nap mat. Ooops! Maybe I can convince the teacher to let her use this one anyway.....

Anyway, maybe you could use it to send your kiddos on a trip to Grandma's or a best pals house. Jenny Garlands's ultra cute and super easy, free Nap Mat Tutorial can be found here: Nap Mat Tutorial

-Jessica

Go Mama Go!

Although our most frequently played with toy is for certain the little Mattel Disney Princess figures and their accessories, I must say my most favorite and recent toy is this Plasma Car.
While visiting my sister in Utah, Kate was introduced to the Plasma Car. Her and her cousins drove on these things for hours and kept themselves quite occupied! Then my sister said, "Try it out, it can hold 250lbs." Say no more. Momma and Aunt Chelle were racing around with kids protesting. It was so much fun! After our trip home, Justin's parents wanted to buy Kate a bike or ride on toy and I suggested this little beauty. (We had been to Toys R Us and tried so many ride on things, I wasn't liking any of them.) I know I have been on it just as much as Kate. Avery LOVES ridding it with me and I'll say it is quite the toy.

Cute little things

So, I too am blogging from the "road". The road in this case is my sissy's home in San Diego a block from the beach. Pretty rough accommodations I tell you what! ;)

Anyhow, I have a few fun little things to make, the first being cute fabric rosettes for clips or headbands. I really like this tutorial and the ideas for ways to use the rosettes. They're pretty easy and can be made into so many cute things, these are a must try. A girl I went to high school uses these to make some fun headbands-maybe a little too busy but certainly fancy!

Next:

I made these for the 4th of July and they turned out pretty darn cute, and they were super easy. I think they'd make a great addition to any party! Tutorial here.

AND last but not least pie in a jar.

I know this is more recipe than craft but it's sooo cute and can be used for gifts in so many ways/times of the year. Go here to learn more about these cute tasty treats!

So, none of these are my own creation but it's the best I could do right now, and they're all super cute/simple so give em a go! As a matter of fact let's give them a go together, when shall we craft ladies???

-Casey