Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Light Sabers outta Pool Noodles

 Thanks be to Pinterest for this wonderful idea. I really would like to thank the inventors of this beautiful site. It has allowed me to not use any brain power to create the most amazing birthday parties the last few years! This is a genius idea and not one I would have thought of. I went to the Dollar Tree and bought 7 pool noodles for $7. Using my bread knife---because, lets be honest, when do I make bread? I sliced those noodles right in half. 
I had duct tape--who doesn't have duct tape--and already had black duct tape from crafting the Valentine Batmobile box, so I was set. All I had to do was wrap them up. I insisted the Jedi Knights help me with this project as they would be the ones using them. It was around 11 at night when we started this project and they were a bit goofy and a bit tired and a lot cranky.
After you cut them you have to cover the end. I used two pieces and covered the ends in halves to ensure I could cover the entire end. Once you do this, I used four more strips of duct tape to get the right amount of silver. We two 1" strips of black to wrap near the top and the bottom. We then put three "buttons" of black on them and called them done. Super easy. Took less than 30 minutes to make 14  light sabers! You can see the final product in the top picture on the left. 

Thank you again Pinterest.


Monday, April 25, 2016

Gliding Along Above the Ohio


On our way to soccer last Saturday morning, J-Bird and I saw nine hot air balloons floating along the sky. It was a beautiful morning--around 60, no wind and just beautiful. Seeing this majestic balloons gliding through the skies was breathtaking. With the crazy drivers here and the amount of traffic, I knew I shouldn't be taking pictures while driving. I relinquished the power to J-Bird and he kept telling me to slow down. Okay, sure on an interstate with people passing me going 80. I will just slow down so he can get a picture. Honestly, I'm surprised he even got this one. 



Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Scholastic Book Fair 2016 Teacher Preview

 So here is what is consuming my life right now. Cupcakes for teachers. I barely had time to complete the Jedi Academy Party and it was on to Book Fair. I cannot wait to share ALL the work I have done with this. So excited. Tomorrow night is family night. I will post more then! :)


Monday, April 18, 2016

Jedi Mom

Hey! So, I got a new shirt off of Etsy. It is pretty fabulous. I'm not going to lie--it is amazing. I had never bought anything off of Etsy before and I'm totally in love with this new concept of paying someone to craft for me. SugarCoatedDreams is where I will get fun shirts from in the future. Fun times. (Or as we say in Kentucky....EARLY TIMES!) More to come on the Jedi Academy 9th Bday party! :)

I wanted this shirt in time for the Jedi party, but it showed up two days late. Not the fault of the Etsy person as I didn't order it until too late, but now I can wear it and feel like I rock. Just wish I would have smiled for the selfie!

Sunday, April 10, 2016

The end of the Flight Unit means a visit from Amelia Earhart!

Cover art
Amelia Earhart came to town to help the kids finish off their flight unit and while she was in town she stopped by and read a story to the students. This is a fabulous way to make history come alive for the kiddos. 

I make sure when I go into the classroom I am ready to give facts and answer questions about the life I am reenacting. I had NO idea how many records Amelia Earhart made for women in the field of aviation. It was truly remarkable. The book by Brad Meltzer highlights Amelia's triumphs, but it does not discuss her disappearance or her death. I appreciated this when reading to the younger audiences--Brad's book was perfect for my kindergarten and first graders! 

The older kids got a 20 minute reenactment of Amelia's life--the 4th graders even got me for a full 45 minutes acting out her life. It was a great day to kick off Spring Break.


Saturday, April 9, 2016

J-Bird Turns NINE!

 J-Bird turns nine today! Enjoy the pics of his life---almost a century old! :)


Patiently waiting for J-Bird's Arrival--at the park with Obe Wan
He is coming....my water broke. It is only a matter of time.
A LONG wait as it had to be a C-section as this boy didn't want to come out.

Proud Daddy! He is here on April 9th, weighing 7'4"
That's my brother? Where is his nose?
Meeting people for the first time! How young we all look!
Auntie Trista, Sydney & Addie were still in town from Easter!
Meeting his Nana
My sister and brother






I had never noticed that I was sleeping in this pic! Funny.
Mimi & Papa meet their last grandbaby.
Soon to be Aunt Cristin holding J-Bird



Big Boy is ONE! 

He's a farmer now and ALWAYS wearing
those boots. Both boys wore them. Nasty things.

We're three now and we LOVE to be without a shirt. 

Happy 4th Birthday! This is our cowboy phase. His party was at CowTown.

This is the the Movie themed party! He is now five.


Woo-Hoo! Turning 6 in kindergarten and looking forward to summer time!

Family party at age 7! 
Friend Superhero party age 7. 


Gotta love the new dooo! He is eight here! 
Walking Dead party--age 8
 And now, we skip to current day and a picture I took of him over Spring Break.


Can you believe he is 9? Look how big he is getting. WOW.
Happy Birthday my awesome kid!


Friday, April 8, 2016

A trip to Natural Bridge, KY

My Dad, StepMom & the four of us
What a great way to spend spring break---in a cabin in the middle of NO where! It was only for 3 days and two nights, but it was fun. We enjoyed time with my Stepmom's family. They are very different from her, just as there are times when I can be different than my siblings. It is fun to hear stories from the past and there were plenty of stories to share! We spent one day just the four of us. We thought we would go on a Zipline tour. I was even mentally prepared to spend a small fortune, but thanks to J-Bird's weight we couldn't go on the tour. Oh DARN! You had to 70 pounds and the poor guy is only weighing in at 62 right now.
There's my Dad waving at those of us who hiked!





J-Bird adored StepMom's nephew--he is 17 and graduating this May. He was super patient and kind with J-Bird!

Yep, so the grandparents, Ryan, and my boys all rode up on the Skylift. Suckers.
While Jennifer, Jared and I walked.

Never far from work that one. Stupid phone.

Natural Bridge is in the far left side. You can see it if you squint.


The group of us. Stepmom and her sister are in this shot. Night & Day different! :)
J-Bird kept getting super close to the edge. He was really freaking out his father!