Candy Cane Poem

A significant symbol of Christmas

Is the Simple Candy Cane.

Its shape is the crook of the Shepherd

One of the first who came.

The lively peppermint flavor is,

The regal gift of spice.

The White is Jesus' purity.

The Red is sacrifice.

The narrow stripes are friendship,

And selfless brotherly love.

Eternal, sweet compassion,

A gift from God above.

The Candy Cane reminds us all;

of how much our Father cared.

He sent his Son, Jesus Christ

The greatest gift declared.

Turkey Day

In honor of the November/ Thanksgiving season I would like to share the blessings I am especially thankful for.

1. My husband - Jason

'A good marriage is like a casserole,only those responsible for it reallyknow what goes in it."

2. My husband good job (so I can stay home with Tyson)

"Winners take time to relish their work, knowing that scaling the mountain is what makes the view from the top so exhilarating."

3. My amazingly fun family

Families are like fudge - mostly sweet with a few nuts.

4. All the friends and loved ones who care so much for us

"A faithful friend is the medicine of life."

5. Gospel and Jesus Christ

"Faith makes all things possible. Love makes them easy."

Great tip for Halloween

So Halloween is right around the corner! Happy Halloween in advance! but I wanted to share this tip my sister in law told me!

If your Jack-O-Lantern has been carved for a while and may look droopy just let it soak in water and it will look as good as new! Cool huh?

Frugal Fall Centerpiece Ideas

Here are some fun ideas I saw online and thought I would share!

This one is super easy. You can use real or silk sunflowers (silk will last longer unless the centerpiece is for a specific occasion then go for the real touch). And place on some ornate plates!
This one is almost the same as above. you will need to buy some small pumpkins from the grocery store. I think you could also use gourds. I think for the embellishments you could use flowers including sunflowers or even some dried fall leaves.
I really loved this one! If your crafty enough you could paint on the design or if you don't think you could paint then try a sharpie! You could try some fall leaf designs as well or whatever you could think of. For the pedistal you could use a ornate candle holder or if the pumpkins big enough try a cake server.
Branches in lemon water. I love how they used branches with acorns on them! Easy as pie and looks cute as ever!
Ok, whoever thought of this is truely creative and I vow to use this idea sometime in the future. The small pumpkins can be found at stores such as Walmart or I've even seen them at the dollar store. We all have stem wine glasses from our weddings that we all want to use someday! I think when I do this centerpiece I will use walnust or smaller pinecones or maybe nothing at all.

Either way these are all easy and cute centerpieces! Let me know which one was your favorite!

Fourth of July

Happy Fourth of July in advance! Here's some projects I'm up to today. Feel free to share any good snacks or crafts that your up to and have a safe and fun Fourth!

Snacky Sparklers

long rod pretzels

white chocolate, melted -or- white cake frosting

sprinkles (red, white and blue) or star cake decorations

Directions:

Melt the white chocolate. Dip the pretzel rod halfway into the melted chocolate then sprinkle the sprinkles over the wet chocolate. Lay on waxed paper or place in a cup to dry.

http://www.practicalkitchen.com/holiday/July_4th/pretzel.shtml

Sticker Star Spinner

(now say that 10 times fast)

CRAFT MATERIALS:
Plastic coffee can lid
Craft knife
Thick rubber band
Paper clips
Sticker stars
Flexible plastic straw
Time needed: Under 1 Hour
1. Use a craft knife to cut a small X in the center of a plastic coffee lid.

2. Push one end of a thick rubber band up through the opening and stretch it around the center of a paper clip to keep it from pulling back through. Decorate the lid with sticker stars.

3. From a flexible plastic straw, cut one 4-inch straight length and one 4 1/2-inch length with the bendable portion near the center. Shape a second paper clip into a small hook. Then slide it into the straight straw length and use it to pull the free end of the rubber band through.

4. Insert one end of the bendable straw length through the protruding loop of the rubber band for a handle.
http://jas.familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts?page=CraftDisplay&craftid=11482

Fourth Flag Fan

(I have no idea why I made these all tongue twisters!?!)

CRAFT MATERIALS:
17- by 5 1/2-inch piece of white paper
Ruler
Pencil
Red and blue markers
Pushpin
Plastic drinking straws
Paper fastener
Tape
Time needed: Under 1 Hour
1. In the upper left-hand corner of the paper, measure and mark a rectangle that's 8 1/2 inches wide and 3 inches high. Draw rows of stars within the rectangle and then color around them with blue marker.

2. Divide the rest of the paper into stripes and color every other one red. Now fold the paper accordion style.

3. Create a frame for the fan by using the pushpin to poke a hole through each straw, 1 inch from the bottom. Then, join the three straws with the paper fastener.

4. Spread apart the top of the straw frame, fit the flag onto the frame, and tape it in place.

http://jas.familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts?page=CraftDisplay&craftid=10381

Happy Earth Day

History of Earth day-

"In the Beginning...In 1963, former Senator Gaylord Nelson began to worry about our planet. (A senator is a person that the people of the United States have chosen to help make the laws.) Senator Nelson knew that our world was getting dirty and that many of our plants and animals were dying.
He wondered why more people weren't trying to solve these problems. He talked to other lawmakers and to the President. They decided that the President would go around the country and tell people about these concerns. He did, but still not enough people were working on the problem.
The IdeaThen, in 1969, Senator Nelson had another idea. He decided to have a special day to teach everyone about the things that needed changing in our environment. He wrote letters to all of the colleges and put a special article in Scholastic Magazine to tell them about the special day he had planned. (Most of the schools got this magazine and he knew that kids would help him.)
The HolidayOn April 22, 1970, the first Earth Day was held. People all over the country made promises to help the environment. Everyone got involved and since then, Earth Day has spread all over the planet. People all over the world know that there are problems we need to work on and this is our special day to look at the planet and see what needs changing. Isn't it great?

Ideas for Earth Day-

1. Reduce electricity- Explain to your children that lights, computers, televisions and furnaces use energy, and that energy is in short supply. Jessica Altman of Buffalo, NY, encourages her 3-year-old to always flip off the light when she leaves a room and shut off the TV when she’s no longer watching. Now the toddler even reminds others: “Turn off the light!”
Appliances like DVD players use energy even when off, so cutting the power totally is the only way to conserve. Go shopping together to buy power bars and plug your electronics into them (watch little ones closely so there are no shocks).

2. Take small steps- There are dozens of small things your kids can do every day to save energy and keep the world cleaner and greener. Your kids can:
Shut off the water when they brush their teeth
Walk, ride a bike or take the bus instead of traveling by car
Take faster showers or baths in just a small amount of water
Help hang clothes on the line instead of putting them in the dryer
Choose products that are not over packaged

3. Recycle- Explain to your kids that every bottle and can they use is waste that just sits in a big pile at the local dump if we don’t recycle. Get them involved by making it their job to sort recyclables and take them out for pickup. (Remind them to watch out for broken glass and ask for help if this happens.) If there’s no recycling collection in your area, find out where you can drop off items.

4. Make a reusable bag- One of the first projects Poe and her friends did as pat of Kids FACE was to make fun bags for grocery shopping. Plastic shopping bas are a big garbage problem -- it takes 1,000 years for a bag to break down! Here’s how: Have your kids help you choose some heavy fabric and sew it into simple rectangular bags with handles. Or, buy some canvas bags at a craft or environmentally friendly gift shop. Then use fabric pens to draw pictures on them. (Check out our Canvas Grocery Tote bag craft for detailed instructions.) Take the bags out with you every time you shop."

Recipes for Earth Day-

http://holidays.kaboose.com/earth-day/earth-day-recipes.html

Crafts for Earth Day-

http://crafts.kaboose.com/holidays/earth-day/recycling-or-reusing-materials-to-make-new-crafts.html

These ideas and more are from http://holidays.kaboose.com/earth-day/index.html?source=holidayslnv&kw=earthdayholLN