Tending the Eclectic Kinder-Garden

…that my students and their parents ~*know*~ me:

A gift tin full of cookie-makings…

…and multiple batches of coffee, Starbucks goodies, Pampered Chef items, hot chocolate mix, sparkly ornaments, and my magic-teaching-vitamins: peanut m-n-m’s. Also received (but the photos turned out blurry) nummy smelling candles and bath treats~

Yep, my Stars and their parents see *everything*!

Merry Christmas Super Stars and Super Star parents- thank you for making me feel so special!

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Need some holiday inspiration or just want to look at pretties that other bloggers have shared?  Take a peek:

~ A Storybook Life shares the most beautiful cupcakes (could you ever really bite into these without feeling guilty?)…

~ The Pioneer Woman Cooks fruit and crumbled left over chocolate chip cookies- should there ever *be* left over cookies in my house (um, never), this is the recipe I would try.  Those of you with better self control than me, give it a try and let me know how it turns out…

~ Check out Motley Mutton and the Gangly Goat’s felt animal necklaces (VERY CUTE!) at Etsy…

~ Saucy’s bake sale goodies at Bloggedy Blog Blog just might convince me to pull out the ol’ parchment paper one more time this month…

~ Should you ever want a strawberries and cream colored Christmas, head over to Everyday Beauty’s Pretty Little Christmas for ideas…

~ Heather Bailey shares a flower pinwheel pattern over at Hello My Name is Heather- check out the poinsettia!

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Tomorrow is my 39th birthday and I am THRILLED!  Wonderful husband and kids- *check*.  Terrific family and friends- *check*.  Awesome students and colleagues- *check*.  Roof over our heads, clothes on our backs, and food in our bellies- *check*.  Hope, optimism, healthy bouts of laughter, with some quiet time for myself thrown in- *check*.  Master’s Degree… uh…

Guess it’s time to start the New Year’s Resolutions.

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~ A Little Blog of Art features art/illustrations by Emma Block- my favorites so far are her holiday watercolors featuring ice skaters (along with some cute banners and ornaments), which you can find here…

Tags: Christmas, links, students

Thank you, Cactus Cuties.

*****

Tags: holidays

…*exactly* what you need to get you in the mood for tomorrow!

If it’s blurry, go here and click on “watch in high quality.”

~Martha has some terrific patriotic craft videos…

~Michelle at Scribbit shares a great nature walk idea!

~You know how to melt down broken bits of crayon to make new multi-colored cakes, but check out these recycled crayon SHAPES shared at Haute*Nature- wow!

~You still  have time to make your own 4th of July banner- take a peek at Candice’s for some inspiration…

~Or adapt this project from Fancy Pants…instead of making fairies, dress up your subjects in red, white, and blue to make your own Yankee Doodle Dandies!

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What are your plans for the 4th of July?  I’ll bet you dollars to doughnuts that I’ll still be unpacking and getting the house settled, but perhaps we’ll stop to cook on the grill, enjoy some potato salad, and watch fireworks later in the evening.

…to my Dear Husband!

You’re a wonderful Daddy!

Father’s Day is this weekend, and the kids have had fun making some artwork for Daddy! All they needed was cardstock, paint (washable, of course!) wet wipes, paper towels, and their hands and feet!

We’ll add this poem to one of Daddy’s cards, or print it up in a cute font and frame it next to a photo of the kids:

Footprints

“Walk a little slower daddy,” said a child so small. “I’m following in your
footsteps and I don’t want to fall.

Sometimes your steps are very fast,
Sometimes they’re hard to see;
So walk a little slower, Daddy,
For you are leading me.

Someday when I’m all grown up,
You’re what I want to be;
Then I will have a little child
Who’ll want to follow me.

And I would want to lead just right,
And know that I was true;
So, walk a little slower, Daddy,
For I must follow you.

*****

I cut out the hand/foot prints, chose some fabric (tan), and let the kids choose some ribbon to coordinate with the paint colors:

Added some glitter stickers (silver since we chose a black frame):

Added “Happy Father’s Day” and “2008″ in glitter stickers and adhesive-backed blue felt:

…and framed it all for Daddy’s new office:

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I’ll be spending this afternoon figuring out how to load photos onto a digital photo frame for Grandpa’s Father’s Day gift, wish me luck!

Feliz Día de las Madres!

…most especially to ma mère, who will appreciate the tri-lingual touch!

Tags: Hi Mom, holidays

Hello, my name is Michaele, and I’m an addict. A Vera Bradley Addict.

What’s surprising is that I wasn’t aware of the extent of my addiction until today, as I went through the hutch in our dining room to find Easter-ish or Spring-ish place mats or tablecloths for this weekend.

I kept pulling out set after set of VB place mats and realized that there were still *more* sets packed away with the Christmas decor! In fact, the photos I’m sharing today don’t include my VB tablecloths, napkins, table runners, purses/handbags, or clothing items… and the sets shown above aren’t ALL, since I’m using several sets in our barrister bookcases and throughout the living room and kitchen for spring accents:

I’m guessing my love of Vera Bradley table decor is linked to my love for quilts- each of these place mats are quilted with a coordinating fabric on the back. I’m always on the look-out for retired patterns and colors on Ebay, Petit Point, Black Walnut, and Maison Blue especially:

What’s not to love? They’re machine washable, patterned enough to hide a small stain here or there, and instantly dress up a table or other surface beautifully. With a toddler and busy family, EASE and FUNCTIONALITY are essentials in our home, but in case you were wondering, no, I simply cannot resist PRETTINESS.

No, no, I’m NOT a Vera Bradley salesperson or store representative- though I wish I were if it would get me a discount on the new line of RUGS available online! Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous!

If you’d like something a bit more romantic, “foofy” even for table decor, try April Cornell, another favorite of mine!

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Easter/Spring Projects:

~Kelli at There’s No Place Like Home has made some beautiful egg-shaped pocket cards and walks you through, step by step…

~ Lisa at Celebrate Creativity in All its Forms shows us how to decorate a new vase, just in time for those spring bouquets, though I think I’ll use her techniques and advice on a few storage containers I’ve been saving up lately for my desk…

~ Terry at Bent Objects expresses some Easter humor with a chocolate bunny, some raisins and Raisinets, a nice change from the deluge of Peep dioramas that many others have produced this year…

~ Laura Rebecca’s Kitchen tells us how to make perfect hard boiled eggs (still on my to-do list for today!)

~ Angry Chicken shares a recipe for birds’ nests (edible!) that kindergarten teachers, their students and families are sure to enjoy!

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Recent Blog Discoveries:

ModernJune

Tammy Gilley Studios

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I forgot to mention that while I was playing with Scrabble tiles and tongue-twisters the other day, I also made a Scrabble rack to go with my Easter decor in the epergne:

Happy Spring!

Tags: Easter, links, recipes, Show and Share

… why husbands and children don’t close what they’ve opened. Closet doors, dresser drawers, kitchen cabinets…

… why as I get older, inconveniences come in threes: fungal nail infection, bronchitis, allergies… boom (gross), boom (cough/hack), boom (sneeze).

… which Master’s Degree Program I should look into once we are finally relocated. Curriculum and Instruction (will I get to implement something non-scripted?), School Administration (not only no but heck no), Early Childhood Education, Child Psychology, or Advanced Glitter-and-Glue Applications?

… if there’s anything better than a duckie blankie on a chilly morning during cartoon time? (Special thanks to Rissa!)

… which wreath to make next (Easter? Patriotic? Floral?)…

… how many parents of students in the Bordertown really read the school district’s “report card” info, considering it’s a document of 400+ pages. I certainly found Daughter’s school info, and knew enough to shudder at what it did and *did not* report. I haven’t heard any other parents asking things like “how, when the school’s scores have dropped two to twenty percent in writing, math and science from 2005-2006, does this school earn a rating of ‘academically acceptable’?”

…where all of these bunnies and eggs will go…

Tags: Bordertown, Easter, family, home decor

I’ve been doing “the mom thing” today. All day.

I’m going on a trip on Friday- a*four day* trip- back to Oz to see friends, their new babies, and do some treasure hunting. Yes, only four days. Get there on Friday afternoon, and leave around Monday, lunchtime. But to visit Oz, I am leaving my dear husband, my thirteen year old daughter, my toddler son, and my cat here in the Bordertown. For four days. Without moi. So the “mom thing” that I’ve been doing has included:

~anticipating any and all grocery needs/emergencies/cravings

~ shopping for said groceries

~making sure the laundry is done

~making sure Daughter puts all of her school and social activities on the calendar

~making sure Daddy knows to *check the calendar* in case he has to pick her up from school (and he WILL have to)

~ watering the plants

~ and any other housecleaning-type-jobs that I just won’t feel good about leaving undone before leaving.

So when do I pack? When do I figure out what toiletries to take, clothes, shoes, etc? Eh, the night before. Packing doesn’t stress me out- I’ve told friends I’m not a “panic packer.” If I forget something, I know how to stop at a store to correct the situation. No, what to wear, what to bring, how much room I’ll have to bring stuff home…these things don’t bother me.

Imagining the state of disarray the house will be in upon my return…THAT bothers me. While secretly grateful that my husband will have a smidgen of a taste of what I’ve done for years while he’s been TDY or deployed, I still know Daughter will end up taking up the slack. A lot of it. The toddler has entered a Destructo-Mode recently, requiring much more hands-on time, and exponentially more clean-up time, and the cat has begun to feel more comfortable expressing her displeasure with the boy whenever he chases her under the beds or couches. I fear the phone calls I’m going to receive. I’ve had nightmares for the last two nights in a row. I know, I’m over-reacting, but hey, it’s “the mom thing.”

More “mom thing” related documentation:

Daughter’s Valentine Treat Bags are almost done (just need cookies and the pecan/rolo/pretzel nummies added, then bows tied on), as are her cards:

Cookies? What cookies? Oh yeah, I need to make cookies! Red and pink sugar was added later:

While cleaning out the fridge, I found a lone pie dough roll…oh darn, I guess that means I’ll just *have* to make date and marmalade pastries:

For a pick-me-up, I enjoyed a snack, er, “taste test” of the cookies:

…and then right as I was wandering back toward Worrysville, darling husband appeared with these:

Okay, so maybe I shouldn’t worry about him, the kids, and the cat…

Maybe.

Tags: crafts, family, military life