Personalized Glass Stone Magnets

I've had the materials to do this project for awhile, and with Mother's Day on the horizon, I thought it would be the perfect time to break out the Mod Podge!

Here's the materials you need:

Glass stones ~ from Dollar Tree:  $1/bag
Magnetic Tape ~ around $2.99 for the whole roll
Mod Podge, Paper Scraps ~ on hand!

There are so many things you can do with these, but since we were making these for Mother's Day presents for the grandparents, we wanted to personalize them a bit.  Jackson drew some hearts and faces, and wrote names. 

After he drew the pictures, I would place a stone on top, trace around it, and then cut it out.  Then it's time for the Mod Podge!  Brush a light coat of Mod Podge on the top of your piece of paper, and press it onto the bottom of the stone.  When you look at the front, it will look gluey, but don't worry, it dries clear!

I stacked some heavy books on top of the stones to make sure the paper dried flat, and then when they were dry, I did another coat of Mod Podge on the back.  After it dried, it was time for the magnets.  Just cut the magnets to the size you need, peel off the backing, and stick them on!  Again, I stacked some heavy books on top just to make sure the magnets stuck on nice and tight.

When Jackson finished his part of the project, I also made a few more versions using family themed scrapbooking paper, cutting out words like "love" and "family."  We made enough to give out several to some special people.....here's one of the sets....

Please pretend you don't see the smudges on my fridge!

Quick, inexpensive, and personalized....nice!  I think we're going to make some more for Teacher Appreciation Week or end-of-school presents!

Linking these up to some of my favorites!

What is Cinco de Mayo?

I really like to celebrate pretty much any holiday.....Cinco de Mayo included ~ simply by having a little fiesta with mexican food.  But what is Cinco de Mayo - besides the literally translated Fifth of May?  (and also besides one of my college besties, Althea's birthday!)  Contrary to what I assumed, (sorry if this shows my total ignorance) it is NOT Mexican Independence Day!  In fact, it is not even celebrated much in Mexico!
According to the always trustworthy (*wink*) Wikipedia, Cinco de Mayo is a holiday commemorating the Mexican army's unlikely victory over France at the Battle of Puebla in 1862.  The first people to celebrate it were actually Mexicans and Latinos living in California in a show of support for freedom and democracy during our Civil War.
Now that I know all the facts, what will we do?  Probably the usual - a yummy feast of delicious Mexican food!  I just made the Pioneer Woman's enchiladas a few weeks ago but I could definitely eat those again already......delish!  Or maybe I'll be a little more adventurous and try her brother's tacos....

I want to eat these NOW!

There's also lots of fun kiddie projects and other activities you could do....here's a few links to lots of great ideas!
Cinco de Mayo Crafts at Kaboose
Recipies and other ideas at Delish

How about you ~ do you have any Cinco de Mayo traditions?

Container Garden Attempt

When I was growing up, my Grandma used to have a huge garden with many different kinds of vegetables.  Many we ate fresh, and many she canned or froze.  Her homemade sweet pickles were the best!  I have always dreamed of having a garden someday....alas, we live in a very shaded area.  Not many parts of our yard get enough sun to even consider a garden.  Last year we tried a Topsy-Turvy tomato plan hanger that resulted in a bountiful crop of exactly one tomato.  (Although I think that was less the sun problem and more the problem of going to the beach for one of the hottest weeks of the summer and not having anyone water it).  This year I decided that we will re-attempt the topsy-turvy and also try our luck with a small container garden. 
I browsed a few websites and decided that we would start small this year and plant tomatoes, peppers, and a few of my favorite herbs - cilantro, basil, and chives.  It's not quite safe to plant tomatoes in the ground here yet, because there's still that chance of frost, but being in a container, I can easily bring the pot inside if it gets too cold at night.  Even though my mouth waters at the idea of big huge beefsteak tomatoes, I chose to plant cherry tomatoes since they typically do better in a container.  Jackson is a big fan of yellow peppers, and the specific type the lady at the gardening store recommended for container growing wasn't quite ready to come home with us, so we'll get those at a later date.
For now, here's our little garden...

I bought the cheapest pots I could find at Christmas Tree Shop, and the chalkboard decals I had on hand from GroopDealz awhile back.  To actually pot the plants, I made sure there were some drainage holes in the pots, then put in a layer of gravel, and then filled the rest with potting soil. 

I'm really hoping for success.....and already contemplating adding a few types of peppers and maybe some mint??  I hope to be able to share pictures as my garden grows, and maybe some recipes using my fresh ingredients!!

Here's a few of the websites I used for advice:

Container Gardening Tips (very thorough with TONS of information)

Guide to Container Gardening

How about you??  Do you have a container garden?  What have you grown successfully?  I'd love to hear your words of wisdom!!

Earning Coupons with Recyclebank

Way back in December I posted about a few online group deals and savings sites, and today I wanted to share another one with you!

*Recyclebank is a great site that allows you to earn points and use them towards rewards.....lots to choose from, but my favorite is always the coupon for a FREE latte from McDonald's!  If you are lucky enough to live in one of the areas eligible for the home recycling program, you can earn points simply for putting out your recyclables to be collected.  If not (like me), there are lots of quizzes and codes and other ways to earn points.  Currently there are many points available in the "Green Your Home" section.  I'm almost ready to get myself another iced caramel latte  :)

This link will take you to Recyclebank's sign up..... in the interest of full disclosure, I do earn points if you sign up..... so if that's not something you feel comfortable with, please feel free to go to their homepage directly!  Hope it helps you get some great coupons!!

Cupcake Liner Flower Bouquet

Jackson loves to do projects and wanted to do something special for his Nana's birthday a few weeks ago.  We brainstormed and decided we'd give her a bouquet of flowers.  This is one of those super easy kid projects that they can do mostly by themselves and be so proud of the end result!

Materials needed:  white cupcake liners, green chenille stems (aka pipe cleaners), watercolor paint.

Step 1:  Decorate the cupcake liners using the watercolor paints.  For optimum performance, your child should still be wearing their jammies and also have bed head.

Step 2:  Allow liners to dry completely.

Step 3:  Roll one end of the stems a few times, then gently push the other end of the stem through the cupcake liner and pull all the way through.  The rolled end will catch, and you will "bunch up" the liner around it to create the flower.

Step 4:  Gather into a bouquet and enjoy!

We made these as a birthday gift, but they would also be perfect for Mother's Day, Teacher Appreciation, or even a 1st Day of Spring activity!  You can get as creative as you want....adding construction paper leaves would be another easy option.



Linking up to a few of my favorites!

So happy to be featured!!

Tiptoe Through the Tulips

One of my favorite things about Spring.....tulips!  Tulips are some of my favorite flowers and they are currently in full bloom, so after church on Easter we had a little photo shoot with Carly and the tulips.  Jackson was spending time with his grandparents, so he missed out on this photo shoot....but I don't think he was disappointed :)

Why Easter?

Easter is just plain fun.  You usually have a few days off - at the very least a long weekend.  You get to decorate eggs, hunt for them, give your kids Easter baskets filled with goodies - maybe even get one yourself (thanks to my in-laws, I still do!!)  And let's not forget, Easter is really the only day of the year when it's perfectly acceptable for your breakfast to consist of Cadbury eggs and marshmallow peeps!

But along with the fun and the food, the reason we celebrate Easter is because of the death and resurrection of Jesus.  It is to remember that...
"Jesus had risen, just as He told them He would. After a criminal does his time in jail and fully satisfies the sentence, the law has no more claim on him and he walks out free. Jesus Christ came to pay the penalty for our sins. That was an infinite sentence, but He must have satisfied it fully, because on Easter Sunday He walked out free. The resurrection was God’s way of stamping PAID IN FULL right across history so that nobody could miss it."  (Tim Keller on The Resurrection).

So thankful that Jesus conquered the grave!  Have a blessed Easter, everyone!