Computer Withdrawls

I am having computer withdrawals....my computer all of a sudden had a break down and stopped working and would not load. I have an iMac and kind of had the idea that my computer was invincible. I didn't back it up to an external hard drive. I have ALL if my pictures from birth to present of my lite girl on this computer.

To make a long story short all of my information was spared but I will be without my compurer for another 3-5 days. So with that being said, I am typing on this super tiny iTouch and it is very hard. I don't know how texters do it. I can't get my pictures on to my blog so unless I have something verbally creative to talk about, I won't be blogging for a couple of days.


I hope to be reading some though!!

I hope you all had a blessed Christmas!!

Alyssa

Cute Christmas/Winter Craft

Before time runs out and Christmas is actually here, I wanted to share this incredibly adorable craft to do with you kid/s. It's called Hand Print Snowmen Ornaments (or for cards) and I found it at Uncreate with Kids and plan on doing this with Hannah as soon as she recovers from out HUGE craft today.

She created presents for Grandma & Grandpa and Grana and her friends Charlie and Grady. I can't post about it today just in case they read my blog before Christmas. I can tell you that any child can look a true artist. I'm so excited that Hannah can give her grandparent's a present that is truly from her!!

Merry Christmas Give Away

While looking at Etsy this morning, I saw that I could do a search in the treasuries section for my shop. So, I did not thinking that I would see my shop. Well, I was in 6 treasuries! And this ring was in most of them.

I would love for this giveaway to go to my followers...so the way that you can enter your name:
1. Follow my blog by clicking the link to the side (Mandatory)
2. Post this giveaway in your blog
3. Post this giveaway through Facebook
4. Post this giveaway through Twitter
5. Leave a comment saying what you love about the holidays

(Make sure that I can find your email address to let you know if you won. Each thing that you do above, make sure you leave a separate comment for each thing saying what you did. If you are already a follower you can still leave a comment saying that you already follow me.)

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!!

I will announce the winner on Christmas day!

Handmade Christmas Art

I'm always amazed with people that can take something that is worth nothing and turn it into something functional as well as beautiful..

And example would be this bottle wreath...made from plastic bottles. I found this on Michelle Made Me.

This is a wreath made from recycled Christmas cards from previous years taken from Good Housekeeping's website.

I found these Ice Lanterns on Ordinary Life Magic. They seem to be very easy to make. Check them out!

This is from the blog Let's Go Fly A Kite and she has a description of her Pom Pom Pine Cone Forest that would be fun with your kids. (Looks like I need to start drinking some wine. ;-))

I found this fun little craft on Domestifluff.com. Haven't you ever wanted to make Yarn Pom Poms and not know how? I did!

Do you have any buttons lying around? Hopefully not lying around but somewhere in a secure place in your home? Look at what you can do!! A Button Wreath!

Who is this girl?

Before the weather got fa-reezing, I took Hannah out in her Christmas dress and took some pictures of her to send out to family...and friends. Here are just couple of the many ones I got.

Grrrrrrrrrrr!

When I see this picture that I took of Hannah, I think mysterious, or a scary movie.

Sparkle Box Learning Website

I'm wondering if anyone else has found out about this GEM of a website! SPARKLE BOX. It is filled with down-loadable information for kids regarding teaching "stuff". Here is their index of pages:

Literacy
Numeracy
Topics
Signs and labels
Class management
Miscellaneous
Sharing Zone
Photo Gallery
Books
Welsh
Australia
Parents
By subject
New resource

They also have a blog. It doesn't seem like they update it as often but their information is still very helpful!

PlayDough Christmas Tree

This was such an easy and fun craft to do with Hannah. I put some glitter on a plate and Hannah rolled the play dough in the glitter. Then I helped her to shape it into a tree. And then we put some bells and and cut up pipe cleaners in the tree. You could probably focus on one color but with a colorful girl like Hannah...nope more the better!

Playdough (green preferably, which we didn't use. Ours was a swirl of many colors)
Glitter
Pipe Cleaners (cut about an inch)
Other objects (Rhinestones, bells or anything else small enough to stay)
(You may need to hot glue the piece after the play dough dries.)

The idea came from Counting Coconuts. And she has quite a few other Christmas Crafting and Learning ides!

Put 'Em Up!

You're scared right??

While shopping at the mall yesterday with my Dad and Step-mom, Jonathan decided to give her a foot stocking to put on her face (FYI-this is a brand new stocking. No one else has worn it). If she wasn't wearing a super pink dress with a butterfly tattoo you just might think she is a dangerous robber...ay?

Can't Pick More than One Color?

If your child is like my child...and LOVES a certain color (for her it is PINK!!!) then you will love what Crayola has to offer. A Custom Box Creator. You get a 64 crayon filled box of your choice of 4 colors! They even have Metallic choices (with glitter). So, go on over there, asap, because after December 9th you may not get the box of crayons in time for Christmas!

MOM.....I'm Bored!

Do you ever go through a "funk" where you don't know what to do with a kid?...specifically YOUR kid? My creative juices have been failing me lately..

This post is coming from desperation to NOT turn on the tv or computer at the drop of a hat. We have limited Hannah's tv time to 30 minutes a day. (If your child watches more than that, there is NO judgment here. Us, as a family, are going through a season of wanting to limit tv time and do more engaging things with each other) Maybe she will watch it but maybe she won't it just depends on what we have going on that day. She loves "The Electric Company" and watches that at 5pm. But I don't want to just turn on the tv because she loves it. She would watch tv ALL day long. Seriously.

So, what are some things to do with your kids when you don't know what to do with them.....or they are bored and they don't know what to do. This is my small list:

1. Read books

2. Draw pictures

3. Play dress-up

4. Cut pictures out of a magazines

5. Write a Funny Story

6. Build with blocks/legos

7. Make someone a card

8. Listen to music and dance

9. Go on a nature hunt

10. Make homemade play dough

11. Play a Board Game

12. Organize Photos

13. Make homemade Christmas Ornaments

14. Help a neighbor with raking leaves, shoveling snow, serving a meal, etc.

15. Build a Fairy House

16. Make Rainbow Jello

17. Crafts related to the current holiday

18. Homemade Sidewalk Chalk

19. Build a Baking Soda Volcano

20. Make Chocolate Banana Pops

The "Mommy, I'm Bored Box" from Unplug Your Kids website.

Even though we are not in Summer, currently, this website lists 200 things to do with your bored kids.

Here is a website that lists 100 more things to do when you are bored

Why Parents Should resign as Boredom Busters

Hand Sanitizer at Church

Funny stuff!

Happy Tofurky Day!

We give Thanks to God for His LOVE!!!




I had to post this picture. Isn't it CUTE!?

It's been over a year now that I decided to stop eating eggs, meat, chicken and turkey. I was vegan for about half of that but it is hard. And if I do some more researching I might just go back to that. But as of right now....I eat fish and some dairy. I have significantly reduced my dairy intake, though. I have never thought to myself if I made a mistake in not eating meat. I enjoy NOT eating it actually! I am SUCH an animal person, it's crazy. I will almost completely stop my car if I see any kind of animal crossing the road. This goes back to childhood. If I was in my mom's car and she was driving, I would scream if I saw an animal even close to the car. SO....this sort of diet fits me well!

Fish, on the other hand, I don't have a real attachment to them. Maybe I should, but I don't. I grew up mainly down in the Florida Keys and we had our own boat and fished every other weekend. We caught everything. So, maybe that is why I don't have a love for "Saving the Fish". (Dolphin are a different story.)

Anyway, so why am I writing this post? I got an email about Adopting a Turkey. This holiday season, Thanksgiving Day, pretty much makes me sick. A lot of focus is put on that poor turkey that is now hanging out on the table waiting to be eaten. Well, it's not waiting to be eaten but there is SO much focus on it. There is more to Thanksgiving than that little turkey! It's thanksgiving...there were Indians and pilgrims and thankfulness. It's not just about the turkey.


I'm probably not going to get a lot of love emails about this but this is my blog and I've been up since 3am trying to keep my husband from having a seizure due to his SUPER low blood sugar. And now I am wide awake thinking about Turkeys...oh well...


back to the story... so I clicked on the Adopt a Turkey link and then went to the main website. It's called Farm Sanctuary. And I think it should be looked at. You SHOULD know where your food is coming from. You SHOULD be aware of what happens at the farms. What the farmers do to their animals. I am totally NOT a fan of eating meat, but if you do, researching what you are eating and where it is coming from.

On this crazy note, I'm off to drink some coffee to stay awake for the rest of the morning....and off to make some jewelry. I am thankful for jewelry orders!!! And then off to Trader Joe's to pick up some food for Thanksgiving!

I love being with family! I get to be with my in-laws and my mom and her boyfriend at the SAME house!! Wooo hooo!!!

(If this post seems butchered (no pun intended)....it probably is. I'm not usually doing much at this time of day besides sleeping.)

Buy One Get One Free...STARBUCKS!!

Who can beat this great Stabucks deal!!

Giveaway WINNER!!!

True Random Number Generator
Min:1

Max: 31

Result: 18
Congratulations Chrissy!!

Chrissy said...

I love the Faith. Hope. Love Bracelet, but the Eternity Necklace is high up on the list too!

November 14, 2010 8:02 AM

Free 8x10 Canvas for your Print!

I just got word that the Canvas People are giving away a free 8x10 canvas print! You only pay for shipping. So hop on over there and get yours free!

Welcome Jayden

Jayden David Macfarlane
Born 11/08/2010.
7lb 2 oz. 20 in

(this makes me an aunt of 17 nieces and nephews!....craaaazzy!)

Fran, Johanna and baby Jayden

My dad & step-mom and Jayden.

My niece, Aaliayh and Jaden. She is a big sis now!

My Brother, Fran and his wife, Johanna, had their baby a week ago! Congratulations you two! He is beautiful and I can't wait to meet him. Unfortunately, they live in Miami, FL and I am not sure when we will get down there. Most likely next year...oooh, maybe during snow season here! They just grow so fast right now and change SO much in the next 3 months. Praying for much rest for the two of them right now!

A Giveaway from my Etsy Shop!

I have been thinking lately about having a giveaway from my Etsy shop, AW Jewelry Designs. I am not sure which one is the perfect one to give away so I am choosing this pair of brass earrings! They have great texture and the color combo of brass and silver are very pretty together.

These are my Circular Brass Earrings. They are circular brass discs that measure just about 1 inch round. I hammered them and then oxidized them to give it an antique look then hand-buffed it to bring out the texture in the earrings. I also added a hand forged sterling silver hook ear wire.

I will announce the winner of the giveaway on Wednesday, November 17th at 9pm. Just leave a separate comment for each thing you do.

1. Go to AW Jewelry Designs and let me know which piece you like best

2. Follow my blog

3. Announce the giveaway on YOUR blog/Facebook/Twitter

(Don't forget to leave your email on the comment!)

Reading a Book

Last night Hannah and I were reading books before bedtime. I read the first two books, Ballet Sisters and A Day with No Crayons. Both I had never read before and enjoyed a lot! Especially A Day with No Crayons. It talks about a little girl who wrote on the walls with her crayons because she used up all of her paper and coloring pages. Her mom came in and saw the damage that she did and took her crayons away. The little girl was sad but went outside to discover how she could use nature to produce beautiful art. A must read for any child who is creative or likes to color.

The next book we read was Ballet Sisters. This was good for Hannah because she LOVES to dance. And the book is about an older sister who takes her younger sister to her dance class, which she later signs up for dance class herself.

The best thing about reading last night....Hannah READ this book mostly by herself. There was a great interest in doing it too! I just went along with it. I have been talking to her about learning how to read but this was a non-structured, non-planned time of her reading. It was pretty cool! And I am very proud of her taking initiative in trying even though this is all new to her! Go Hannah!!

A Box Turned Into A Castle!

It looks like this could use a little something something. I will take ideas....please?

The HAPPY princess playing with her Pink Princess Castle! Who needs to spend money when you can make something for your child that they will equally like or maybe will like better?

This was came from one of my frequent thoughts, "I can't get rid of that, it could be used for something". Well, this was a box that I just cut apart and used all of the pieces until there were shredded scraps. How that single box on it's way out to the recycling container turned into a castle...I'm not sure how it happened. My ideas come on full force and I have to do it..right then...or else they go bye-byes from my mind forever.

Hannah loves it and that's what counts. She was playing with her little princess figures without a castle. And this was the missing piece. :-)

Have you done a project for you or your child with something that could have made it to the recycling? Do you have any pictures?

Thanksgiving Count Down Chain

First we cut up strips of fall-colored paper. They are about 12 inches.

Then we used pieces of tape to connect the ends together. I put a piece a tape on the end of the paper and then Hannah wrapped it around the rest of the link. She insisted on doing this part.

Keep linking until it's done.

Afterward, it was a great opportunity for her to work on writing her numbers. So, from 4 to 25 I wrote the number on the link and then she copied it until she felt comfortable enough to try writing the number on her own. This chain is kept by our calendar and at night before bed or in the morning she will make an "X" on the calendar and tear a link off to complete the previous day.

A Baby Shower for Gabriel! (...and the cookies)

This post is dedicated to my Sister-In-Law, Jessica and her husband, Kevin, and the celebration of the adoption of their son, Gabriel!!

This is Kevin and Jessica and Keeper.

They are actually on their way, RIGHT NOW, to go pick up their son! It's a funny thing about adoption as in Kevin and Jessica's story. They had been trying and trying to have a child of their own and to no avail they decided to go down the very long route of adoption. I'm not sure about every story but the ones that I heard of, the road is long and can be painful.

It seems like you are supposed to hurry up and get everything together to then wait....and wait. And then hurry up and get some more legal things done and then....wait...and wait. And it goes on like this until the day that there is a child ready for you to take home. Then you have to wait. Jessica and Kevin's story involved them going to Ethiopia, Africa a couple of weeks ago and meeting their son, Gabriel. They spent a week there and while they were there they went to the courts and Gabriel was legally theirs.

So....then they had to leave their precious little child and go home and....wait....until they were allowed to come back to pick the little guy up. Well, with their story it wouldn't be a surprise that they were to wait a lot longer. But they didn't have to. It seems like they had been back 2 or so weeks when they found out they could go back and pick him up.

So, here they are today on a plane to Ethiopia to pick Gabriel up and bring him home for an awesome homecoming welcoming party by his family next Sunday! We are all so excited!

...............................................................................................

The cookies..

I used a vegan sugar cookie recipe that I used back in February during the snow storm and for Hannah's birthday cookies in April. The two hearts signified Jessica and Kevin and the one green heart signified Gabriel.

I printed off a template of Africa and cut it out to size, then just drew a pencil line around Africa on cool African paper (then cute it) that I got from Michael's Craft Store. I then wrote a sweet little message to people who came. So, over 60 cookies!! Phew!

A part of the beautiful spread of food!

The woman with the pink-ish scarf gave a talk on her experience in adoption.

The group of women who attended Jessica's baby shower!

A sweet hug!

Does she look beautiful with her sweet face, her pink sweater and the lovely white cake!?

Jessica and Anne Marie cuddling.

Monica, Jessica, Suzanne & Mary

Monica, Jessica, Grace, Suzanne & Mary.
(These are all of my husband's sisters and mom!)