Fall Play Book

So you may remember my Summer Play Book...you know the one we failed miserably at?! :)  I figured that we'd give it a go for the fall as well!  We are out of school for 2 1/2 weeks for fall!  (I love our schedule here! ) So I wanted to come up with some memory makers!  Where did I go?  Why Pinterest of course!

I've compiled a list of 25 different activities, recipes, crafts, and games.  There is a little something for everyone!  I'm planning on giving myself through Thanksgiving to get these all done.  :)

Fall 2013 Play Book

1. Baked Pumpkin Donut Holes (My most favorite recipe from Pinterest of ALL time)
2.  Pumpkin Jar-o'-Lanterns
3.  Roll a Pumpkin Game
4.  Paint a Pumpkin Rock
5.  Make Apple Butter
6.  Paper Plate Spider Web
7.  Candy Corn Bark
8.  Googly Eye Halloween Wreath
9.  Mummy Jar Lights
10.  Pine Cone Spiders
11.  Paper Plate Owl
12.  Paper Bag Scarecrow
13.  Salt Dough Leaves
14.  Pumpkin Pancakes
15.  Craft Stick Scarecrows
16.  Pumpkin Fudge
17.  Glow in the Dark Spider Web
18. Carve Pumpkins
19.  Roast Pumpkin Seeds
20.  Color by Letter Turkey
21.  Thanksgiving Bingo
22.  Thankful Tree
23.  Indian Corn
24.  Hand print Turkeys
25.  Paper plate Turkeys

I hope you make some great memories with your family this fall!

~Enjoy!
Kristee

Club House Decor: Spray Painted Glass

So I have a slight obsession with glass. Glass vases, bowls, jars (don't even ask about my hoarded stash of salsa jars), pitchers, plates....I love it all.  The cheaper, the better!  I browse garage sales and Saver's, hoping to score a fabulous deal.  The problem, once I "score" the deal, what do I do with it?  The solution...spray paint!

My most favorite type of glass is milk glass!  I adore it!  Every time we go to antique or junk stores I have to buy at least one piece.  Lucky for me, it's cheap, because it's usually junk!  But I don't care, I love it!

So on Pinterest I've seen where people spray paint random pieces of glassware with white spray paint, making their own "milk glass".  I've been hoarding for quite some time to acquire a worthy enough stash to give it a try!

I used the cheapest, glossy white spray paint that Walmart had and turned this.....

...into this! 

Love, true love!

I grouped them together and put them on top of our bookshelf (which I'd really love to paint!).

I'm not a great spray painter, so the top of the bookshelf is the perfect place for these to go.  You can't see the streaks and splotches!  

I also painted this one for our bedroom!

I am very pleased with how they turned out.  I think spray paint may be my new favorite thing! :)  

~Kristee

Fall Play Book: Fall Trees

Fall is here and I couldn't be happier!  Fall is my most favorite season.  After spending 9 summers here in Arizona, when September hits, I.AM.DONE! :)  Of course true fall doesn't really hit here until October.  But we are already having some beautiful weather in the mornings and evenings.  These next 6 months make the hideous summer months totally worth it!  

I have been in the mood for fall since school started. (Mind you, that was July!)  So I am so pleased it's here.  The cool weather, fun decorations, all-things-pumpkin, yummy smelling candles, and all of the outside activities you can squeeze in...it's all PERFECT.

Jonah & I made some fall trees the other day.  I'd seen both of these versions floating around Pinterest and I wanted to try them.  

The first one was a "Fall Hand Print Tree".  We just traced his hand, glued it on paper and then he glued some tissue paper squares (from our crafting stash) on for leaves.  Pretty easy...and he seemed to enjoy it!

The second one we made was even more fun.  It was a "Q-Tip Tree Painting".  I traced a tree shape in pencil and he filled it in with paint dipped Q-tips.  He really liked this one.  Q-tips are the perfect size to hold for his hands.  It was great to help him practicing his "finger hold" for writing, without dealing with the frustration of holding a pencil!  He had a lot of fun with this one.  We will be painting with q-tips a lot in the future!

These were both very easy crafts that didn't require a lot of prep time or supplies.  They are a very easy way to have your kids get your house ready for your fall festivities and let you get your kitchen cleaned while they are doing them! ;)  Double duty craft!! :)  

**Keep your eyes open for my upcoming Fall Play Book!

~Kristee

Recipe Review: Crockpot Hawaiian Chicken

This one got thumbs down all-around.  It was a quick meal to throw in the crockpot, but not one we'll be making again.  It was too sweet and the pineapple got too soft.  I served it up with brown rice and broccoli.  We just weren't fans of this one.  

Here's the recipe in case you feel like trying it anyway!  I'm sure somebody out there likes it!

Crock Pot Hawaiian Chicken 
(4-5 servings)

• 4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• ½ cup white sugar
• ½ cup vinegar
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
• ½ cup of pineapple juice (use what’s in the can)
• ½ can of large pineapple chunks

Add all the ingredients to the bag. Cook 4-5 hours on high or 6-7 hours on low. Serve it over rice and enjoy. While I am cooking the rice I like to shred the chicken and put it back in the juice before I serve it.

~Kristee

Trainer Notes: Catch UP

Hey friends!

You might have noticed that I've been MIA for a little while.  That's because I've been spending time with these cuties!

Ahhh...they are SO HANDSOME!  :)  Micah is starting to interact with Jonah more now!  I expect that the two of them will be best buddies before too long! :)

I've really been spending my time these last few weeks trying to get myself into a schedule.  I've been being more intentional about getting things done and being more self-disciplined.  If I don't, things get CRAZY fast! :)  I've trying to be a "keeper of the home" as described in Titus 2.  I'm not necessarily obsessed with keeping things clean, rather I've been more focused on keeping things comfortable, functional, and homey!  

The boys are all doing well.  Eli & Noah are both doing great in school, and have just begun their soccer seasons.  Jonah and Micah are having fun together at home.  I'm enjoying this special time with Jonah doing fun projects without big brothers taking over! :)  

~Many Blessings,

Kristee

Game Film: Wrestlemania

Oh these boys!  They kept me entertained for quite a while this afternoon.  Noah & Jonah were engaged in quite the wrestling match.  They were doing pretty good.  They were just wrestling.  They weren't hitting or kicking or strangling like what normally happens.  Just good old-fashioned wrestling!  I think Noah has some pretty good moves.  Check out this video!  Jonah plays dirty as you can tell by the cliff-hanger ending! :)  I'm one proud Momma!

~Kristee

Trainer Notes: It's the little things!

It's the little things in life that make me happy!  What about you?

I went to Walmart for groceries last night.  (That's always fun.)  Guess what I found?  Major clearance items!  Nothing can truly beat tank tops for a mere $3.  I loaded up my cart.  I found a pair of pants and a cotton dress too!  Jackpot!

It's amazing how good a new $3 tank can make you feel! :)  I'm not sure if it was because it was new or because it was a good deal.  I won't lie, the thrill of a sale is pretty awesome.  Sometimes I wonder if I have what it takes to become a hoarder.  Not the dirty, "won't take the trash out kind of hoarder".  More like the "crazy old lady who has 20 lbs of flour in her pantry even when she doesn't have kids at home anymore" kind of hoarder.  (That may or may not be me now, I'll never tell!)

Like I said, sometimes it's just the little things in life that can bring a smile to your face! It could be a $3 tank top, a big hug and "thank you" from your son because you bought him Duck Dynasty folders, a snuggle with your four year old while watching "UP" for the millionth time,  scratching your 5 year old's back at bedtime because that's the only time it's itchy, letting your baby scratch up your face because that's his way of loving on you, and sharing your life's story with new friends with laughter after tears.  Those were my little things yesterday!  I pray that I always remain thankful for those little things.

These little things bring so much joy do my day!  I think that God blesses me with these "little things" as a reminder of just how much He loves me.  I just have to remember not to become so focused on the "big things" that I miss the little blessings that pop up in my day.  I just might miss out on some of the "best things"!

What are some of  the little things that bring a smile to your face?
What are those little things that God places in your day as blessings?

If you look, I bet you can find some! :)

~Kristee

Summer Play Book: Rock Candy

So as much as I would like to say our Summer Play Book was a success, I can't! :)  We did complete several activites and trips but there were SO many that we didn't get to.  _______________-(insert excuse here!)  We will save them up for our fall, Christmas, and Spring Breaks.  My guess is we will have some things left to do for next summer! :)

We did try the Rock Candy.  It was a lot of fun!  The boys enjoyed making it.  Check out the fun! (You can find the directions on my Summer Play Book post.  Just click the link above.)

Soaking our sticks

Mixing up our sugar

Cooking it up

Rolling our stick in the "starter" sugar

Our sticks ready to go in

Picking out our colors

Adding our sticks

TA-DA (That's a dirty sock on Noah's head.  Why?  More like why not? )

My crazies!

So we let the rock candy sit for a LONG time.  When I say LONG, I mean as in over a month!  LOL  We kind of forgot about it. :)  It didn't seem to matter.  They turned out fine and the team sill loved them.  

They turned out pretty!

This was a fun activity!  We will definitely keep this on our Summer Play Book for next year!  Give it a try!

~Kristee