Easy Baked Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Have you been as busy as we have this holiday season!?!?  This recipe is great for those nights when we just need something fast to put on the table for dinner or for a quick lunch. 

Ingredients:
16 slices of cheese (you can use all one kind or two different kinds)
8 slices of bread
butter
You can also add things like tomato slices, bell pepper slices, olives, mushrooms, leftover turkey, or lunch meat to your sandwiches

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450
Butter one side of each of the bread slices
Place 4 slices of bread, butter side down, onto a cookie sheet
Place one slice of cheese on top of each slice of bread
Put any other fillings you want to use--like tomatoes or ham--on top of the cheese
Top with another slice of cheese
Add a slice of bread to the top of each stack, with the butter side up
Bake for 4 to 5 minutes
Flip
bake another 3-4 minutes until done

This recipe isn't glamorous, but it is definitely a keeper!  You can add extra bread and cheese is to make the number of sandwiches that you need for your family.  And play around with the fillings!  I love mine made with turkey and tomato slices.  Yum! 

'M' is for Moose

I hope that you and your family had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year!  This week, we will be learning all about the letter 'M' and about a family favorite for us, Moose!  Jay's papa's nickname is Moose, so they have always held a very dear place in our hearts.  :0)

This week we will cover:
The letter 'M'
'M' is for Moose
The number 13
Crescents
The color Gray
Right And Left

Monday:  The Letter 'M'
-color a Letter 'M' coloring page
-while you are coloring, watch this, this, this, this, this, and this
-have your kiddo trace the Letter 'M' on their coloring page with their finger
-glue your coloring page to a piece of Gray construction paper and hang it on the wall
-make a set of Letter 'M' memory cards (one with a Letter 'M' on it, and the other with a picture of a Moose on it)
-go through the Letter 'M' section of Starfall
-do this Letter 'M' worksheet
-Letter 'M' book hunt (go through your stash of children's books with your kiddo and look for things that start with 'M' (You will be surprised at how many things you find!  Mountains, muffins, magnets, movies, mirrors, men, monkeys, etc)
-talk about right and left hands.  Did you know that your left hand makes the letter 'L' when you hold it up?  Show your kiddo that their pointer finger and their thumb make the letter 'L'.  Your right hand is the one that goes over your heart when you say the Pledge of Allegiance. 

Tuesday:  'M' is for Moose
-color a Moose coloring page
-while you are coloring, watch this and this and this
-glue your coloring page to a piece of Gray construction paper and hang it on the wall
-work this cute online Moose puzzle
-make a Moose paper bag puppet (print the head and antlers and body templates, let your kiddo color the pieces, and follow these directions for assembly)
-right and left hand print poster (trace your kiddos left hand onto a piece of green construction paper and their right hand onto a piece of red construction paper. Cut out the hand prints and glue them to a piece of construction paper, making sure that the hand prints are in the correct order of left and then right. As your kiddo decorates the paper, talk about left and right.  On your poster, the left hand is green because you start at green and the right hand is red because you stop at red.) 
Hang your hand print poster somewhere on the wall where it is easily visible!

Wednesday:  Fun Day
-have fun with your kiddo today!  You can take a trip to the zoo to watch some Moose if the weather is nice, or watch a movie with Moose in it, like Brother Bear, and snack on some Moose Munch.  Or if you are fortunate enough to live in an area that has Moose in it, go on a nature hike and look for one.  Be creative, and, regardless of what you do, make it fun!
-learn this fun rhyme:

This is my left hand, I'll hold it up high,
(Raise left hand high.)
This is my right hand, I'll touch the sky.
(Raise right hand high.)
Left hand, right hand, roll them around.
(Roll fists over each other.)
Right hand, left hand, pound, pound, pound.
(Pound fists on each other.)

Thursday:  The Number 13
-color a Number 13 coloring page
-while you are coloring, watch this, this, this, and this
-have your kiddo trace the Number 13 on their coloring page with their finger
-glue your coloring page to a piece of Gray construction paper and hang it on the wall
-count to 13 game (choose an item like leaves, toy cars, blocks etc and put them into a basket or bucket one at a time.  Count them as you go, and stop when you get to 13.  You can do this with several items.  If the weather is nice, we'll probably head outside to collect leaves, rocks, sticks, and pecans.)
-make a 13 point set of moose antlers.  (draw a set of moose antlers with 13 points on them and let your kiddo decorate them.  You can even turn them into a hat by attaching them to a strip of construction paper formed into a circle.)
-talk about and practice left and right again

Friday:  Crescents
-color a Crescent coloring page
-have your kiddo trace the Crescent on their coloring page with their finger
-glue your coloring page to a piece of Gray construction paper and hang it on the wall
-What can you think of that is Crescent shaped!?  How about the moon!  Talk about the moon with your kiddo.
-Moon craft (cut out a crescent shape in yellow construction paper and let your kiddo decorate it.  You can then glue it to a piece of black construction paper, or hang it from the ceiling!)
-Read Goodnight Moon

I hope you have fun learning the Letter 'M' with us!  If you have missed letter, you can find past lessons under the ABC Lessons tab at the top of this blog.  And remember to check back next week for 'N' is for Nail.

Christmas Kids Crafts

Hooray!!  I can finally start thinking about Christmas crafts and decorations!!!! 

Ha ha in case I haven't mentioned it, I LOVE the holidays!!!  Thanksgiving has its place, but Christmas has my heart!  Our month of December will be packed with Christmas cheer!  We'll be going to tree lightings, listening to Christmas Carols, taking a trip back in time to walk through Bethlehem, taking a train ride to the North Pole, and singing our hearts out at our church's candle light service...just to name a few things.  But in between all of the bigger events, I want to make sure that Jay has lots of fun making crafts and ornaments and helping decorate our home for the holidays! 

I know there are way too many to do them all, but here is a list of links to all sorts of fun crafts that you and your kiddos can check out this year:

-Make a Santa Advent Calendar
I generally prefer a religious base for our Advent calendars, but this little Santa that you glue cotton balls to each day is pretty darn cute!  Maybe this year we'll have two calendars...

-Here is a more religious Advent Wreath that is also pretty cute

-Oh, and check out this Hand Print Countdown Calendar it is pretty cute too!

-Color and do this fun Christmas Tree Shapes Worksheet (Ha ha you know I have to throw in a few educational things for Jay)

-Trace your kiddos hands onto some construction paper to make an adorable Hand Print Wreath to hang on your front door

-Make a fun Hand and Foot Print Reindeer

-Use paper plates to make this Paper Plate Angel

-Make a Christmas Stocking, or make several smaller stocking and use them as ornaments on your tree!

-Let your kiddos make and decorate their own gift boxes this year.  You could even use poster board and make a larger box.  :0)

-Make some Crystal Snow Flake Ornaments to hang on your tree

-Or Use yarn, glue, and glitter to make some Yarn Snow Flakes to put on your tree

-Pick up some glitter glue from the dollar section in Target and make these Snow Flake Window Clings or ornaments

-Make some Glass Ornament Snowmen--but I would actually use plastic ornaments instead of the glass ones.

-make Bubble Wrap Ornaments with bubble wrap and some washable paint

-Make your kiddo a fun felt Elf Hat to wear around town

-Make little wreaths out of pipe cleaners to hang on your tree or around your house

-Color and make this Nativity Scene

-Make a Hand Print Angel ornament to hang on your tree, or to send to a grandparent or loved one

-Make a Santa Hand Print ornament--or make a bunch of them and turn them into a garland

-Make Beaded Candy Canes and Wreaths.  This link shows them as pins, but we just made them as ornaments for our tree.  Oh, and I wouldn't buy the little "kit" they sell either.  Just grab some beads and pipe cleaners at the dollar store or Walmart to use.

-Make Drums for your little drummer boys--or girls.  This link uses lids, but you could just use an old oatmeal container or something.   

-Make Beaded Snowflake ornaments for your tree

-Make Glitter Ball ornaments with some glitter glue and a few plastic ornament balls

-Make a Santa Windsock to hang on your porch

-Make and eat this cute Snowman on a Stick with your kiddos

-Be sure not to leave the birds out!  Make a fun Pretzel Wreath for them to much on, or make garlands of popcorn to hang in your yard for them to eat!

-Make a Stained Glass Angel for your window.  Print and color the angel in the link.  Then rub baby oil--or any oil--onto the picture.  The oil will make the paper transparent.  Cut out the angel, punch a hole through it, tie string through the hole, and hang it in your window. 

-Do this fun "Find the Difference" worksheet

-Print out and color this Christmas Alphabet book

-Follow this link to check out some fun online games and printable Christmas activities.  The printable things would be wonderful for road trips or to have on hand for long lines to see Santa...

-Make your very own Snow Globes

-Make these non-edible Cinnamon Applesauce Ornaments.  My mom used to make these with me when I was a kid, and they really do smell wonderful! 

-Shake some glitter onto construction paper to make these White Glitter Ornaments

-Print out the template and make these adorable Felt Birds

-Use paper to make some Paper Drop ornaments

Whew, there are just TONS of Christmas craft ideas out there!  And I know Jay and I are going to try our hand at a few of them for sure!  But make sure that you also take time to do the usual Christmas fun things like bake cookies, sing Christmas carols, read lots of Christmas books, and just enjoy the wonderful holiday cheer with your family this year!   

And, now, for my trip down Mommy Memory Lane:

Here is Jay sitting on top of our Christmas tree for his first Christmas:

 

Here is Jay "helping" The Hubbs put up our tree for his second Christmas--last year. 

 And here is Jay on his favorite gift from last year--a little battery powered four wheeler that Grandma got for him.  He still LOVES that thing!  Ha ha and yes...that IS snow!  Woo Hoo!!!! 

And, just as a disclaimer, Christmas is definitely NOT all about the gifts for us.  I just really love this picture of Jay!  :0) 

So here's to hoping that you and your family have a very blessed, safe, and wonderful holiday season this year!! 

My MIL's to Die For Chocolate Cake

My husband grew up eating this chocolate cake, and his family expects if at every family gathering.  I didn't get it at first...and then I got pregnant with Jay. 
After being sick with "morning" sickness for months on end, The Hubbs' birthday rolled around and one of these beauties showed up at our house.  I am ashamed to say that he didn't get very much of his birthday cake that year! 
The frosting is like fudge, it is SO yummy!!  So give this chocolate cake recipe a try, it is sinful, and by NO means healthy, but it is SO good!!

Cake Ingredients:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 stick butter
1/2 cup shortening
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup water
2 eggs--beaten
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla

Cake Directions:
In a small sauce pan, melt and bring the butter and shortening to a boil.  Remove from heat while you measure and mix the dry ingredients
In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, and soda
Add the water, buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla to the butter mixture
Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and stir to combine
Bake at 400 (or 390 if you are using a dark nonstick pan) and bake for 20 minutes
Remove to a wire rack and cool completely before frosting
You actually leave this cake in the pan to serve--trust me, don't try to take it out of the pan! 

Frosting Ingredients:
1 1 pound box powdered sugar  (or about 3 3/4 cups if you measure it out)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 stick butter
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
6 tablespoons milk

Frosting Directions:
In a small saucepan melt and bring the butter to a boil over low heat
Remove from heat and set aside while you combine dry ingredients
Combine sugar, and cocoa powder in a mixing bowl
Add the vanilla and the milk to the butter
Add the wet ingredients to the fry ingredients and mix well
Spread evenly onto cake

Mmmm my mouth is watering just typing this recipe!  I hope you give it a try and love it just as much as we do!

I'm an Aunt (again)

Isn't this just the absolute cutest baby ever!?

 We welcomed this tiny bundle of joy to our family this Wednesday, November 17th.  And I would like to add that it was the day that I guessed for his birthday.  Ha ha so I think that is his way of saying that I am his favorite aunt--that's my story and I'm sticking to it!!  

My Grandmother's Pecan Pie

My Grandmother makes the best pecan pies!  I have grown up eating them, and watching my dad and granddaad tease each other over who gets the last slice of pie.  And when I say tease...they will even go so far as to hide the pie from each other.  It is quite a spectacle, and my holidays just would not be the same without it!  :0) 

So I thought this year, I would share my grandmother's famous recipe with you:

Ingredients:
1 unbaked 9" pastry shell (you can use store bought or make your own)
3 eggs
1 cup white corn syrup
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter--melted
1 teaspoon vanilla (use the real stuff not the imitation)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup pecans
1/4 cup orange juice (fresh squeezed is best)

Directions:
Beat eggs slightly
Mix in corn syrup, sugar, butter, vanilla, salt, and orange juice
Fold in pecans (I prefer to grind some of my pecans into little pieces and then top the pie with whole pecans, but you can just leave them all whole if you prefer)
Pour into pastry shell
Bake at 400 for 15 minutes
Reduce heat to 350 and bake another 25 to 35 minutes
The filling should be slightly less set in the center than around the edges

**taste your filling after you add the orange juice.  If your oranges were tart, you might want to add a little more sugar to sweeten up the pie a bit**

Ha ha I hope this pie recipe brings the same kind of joy to your family that it has brought to mine!  It is something that I will always cherish, and be thankful for!

'L' is for Lion

So did you have fun flying Kites last week!?  I was SO looking forward to it with Jay, but he got sick with a cold.  :0(  I guess we'll have to fly our kite another time!  This week is all about Lions...roar!

This week we will cover:
The letter 'L'
'L' is for Lion
The number 12
The color Gold
Diamonds
Different Tastes

Monday:  The letter 'L'
-color a letter 'L' coloring page
-while you are coloring, watch this, this, this, and this
-have your kiddo trace the letter 'L' on their coloring page with their finger
-glue your coloring page to a piece of gold paper (or a piece of white paper colored or painted gold) and hang it on the wall
-go through the letter 'L' section of starfall
-make a set of Letter 'L' memory cards (one with the letter 'L' on it and the other with a picture of a lion on it)
-Make a maple Leaf turkey or if you don't have maple Leaves, make this oak Leaf turkey 
-do this letter 'L' worksheet

Tuesday:  'L' is for Lion
-color a Lion coloring page
-while you are coloring, watch this
-glue your coloring page to a piece of gold paper and hang it on the wall
-make a paper plate Lion (a fun way to add a colorful mane is to use fall Leaves.  Just glue the leaves around the paper plate.)
-do this fun online Lion puzzle
-sing We're Going on a Lion Hunt

Wednesday:  Lion Day
-talk about these fun Lion facts
-if the weather is nice, head on over to your local zoo to spend a while watching the lions
-if the weather is not so nice, watch a lion movie like The Lion King
-learn about spicy foods (talk about things that are spicy like peppers, salsa, black pepper, Mexican food, Indian food, etc.  Choose a milder form of spicy food for your kiddo to try such as a very mild salsa or just adding a dash of pepper to a bite of their dinner.  Make sure to have some milk handy just in case the food is too spicy!)

Thursday:  The number 12
-color a number 12 coloring page
-while coloring, watch this, this, this, and this
-have your kiddo trace the number 12 on their coloring page with their finger
-Collect 12 (go out into your yard and collect 12 of something.  You can collect leaves, nuts, pine cones, etc.  Count the items as you collect them and then count them all again once you have all 12.) 
-talk about the number 12.  It is one dozen--you can always count 12 eggs.  Use blocks or any group of toys to show your child the number 12.  Use the blocks to make one group of 12, two groups of six, and three groups of four. 

Friday:  The color Gold
-watch this
-talk to your kiddo about the color gold.  What makes it different from colors like yellow or orange? (it is metallic)  Where does real gold come from?
-go digging for gold (you can use a sandbox, some rice, or even play dough for this activity.  Cut out pictures from magazines of things that are gold, or use small gold colored objects from around the house.  Use things like costume jewelry, jar lids, gold crayons, small picture frames, belt buckles, etc.  Bury them and have your kiddo "dig" them out.)
-review the different tastes you have learned.  What did you like the best?  What did you like the least?  etc. 

I hope you have fun learning the letter 'L' this week!  and just to give everyone a heads up, we will be taking the week of Thanksgiving off.  So I won't post a lesson plan on the 21st, the next lesson plan will be posted on the 28th on November.  Thank you all for understanding!  If you have missed a previous lesson plan, you can find it under the ABC Lesson Plans tab at the top of the blog.  And be sure to check back on the 28th for 'M' is for Moose! 

Thanksgiving Craft Ideas

I LOVE the holidays!  Ha ha and I can't wait to get started on some fun Christmas crafts, but in the mean time, here are some cute Thanksgiving craft ideas to keep your little ones occupied:

-Print out this Thanksgiving book:
in color or in black and white

-Sing a Thanksgiving Song:
Pick one, or several of these songs to sing.

-Play Pin The Feather on The Turkey:
I don't have a link for this one, but it is really easy.  Draw, or print out a turkey and cut out some construction paper feathers.  Blindfold your kiddos and have them try to stick the feathers to the turkey.  Use rolled up pieces of tape to stick the feathers on.

-Make Butter
The link makes this look way more complicated than it is.  You just need to fill something like a baby food jar or other small jar about half full with cream and shake shake shake it.  But here is the link with more intense instructions.


-Make a fun Hand and Foot Turkey

-Make a cute Paper Scarecrow to hang up in your house:

-Make this adorable Pine cone Turkey

-Make a Thankful Turkey
I think this would be fun to do on Thanksgiving day.  Everyone could write what they were thankful for on a feather and add it to the turkey.

-Play Turkey Bingo
This would be SO fun to do on Thanksgiving day with a group of little kiddos!

-Make Pilgrim Hats

-Make Framed Hand print Turkeys
These would be SO cute to make every year and hang up as a grouping on your walls.  :0)

-Make Finger Puppet Pilgrims and put on a puppet show!

-Print and play this Thanksgiving Matching Game

-Use Fall leaves, construction paper, and some paint to make a Picture Frame

-Make Thanksgiving necklaces (or garlands) for your kiddos to munch on--or hang them in your yard to feed the birds

-Make a Handprint Wreath to hang on your door

-Use Lifesavers to make these neat Pumpkin Lolly Pops
This would be really fun for Christmas too.  You could make candy cane, or wreath, or stocking shapes!

-Make Finger Print Corn
This would be a great family activity--one ear of corn made from each person's finger prints!

-Make a craft Stick Turkey
If you don't have craft sticks, you can buy a pack of them at the dollar store.  They are the natural wood colored ones, but you can just color or paint them.  :0)
-Make a Family Hand print Turkey
I think this would so great to make for parents or grandparents that live out of state.  You could glue the hand print turkey to some paper folded to make a card, and write a sweet note inside!

-Have Mini Indian Corn Snacks

-Make a cute little turkey from a pair of gloves

-Make Mayflower Hats
It would be so fun to make different hats for each kiddo, like the Mayflower, Pilgrims, Indians, Turkeys etc. 

And just to take a walk down memory lane, here is a picture of Jay on his very first Thanksgiving:

Ha ha in my eyes, he is still this little...

I hope that at least a few of these crafts look like fun for you and your family!  Try them out, and let me know what you think!  I know that Jay and I will be giving a few of them a try for sure!  But whatever you do, take some time to make sure that your kiddos understand what Thanksgiving is really all about.  :0)

Mini Ham and Egg Pies

This recipe is easy peasy, and it allows you so much freedom to experiment with ingredients.  I have made these with ham, turkey, and even ground sausage.  It is fast and easy to make, and even freezes well.  The Hubbs has taken these to potlucks on more than one occasion with rave reviews! 

Ingredients:
12 slices of ham or turkey
7 eggs
1/4 cup of milk
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 medium sized tomatoes--diced
diced onion or chives to taste
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350
Spray a 12 cup muffin tin with cooking spray. 
In a bowl, combine the eggs, salt, and milk.  Beat until well combined.
Place a slice of ham (or turkey) into each muffin tin cup.  You want to use the sliced meat as a mock muffin tin liner, so let the edges peak out above the top of each cup.
Put a little bit of tomato and onion into each cup--try to divide them equally. 
Pour the egg mixture into each cup, but do not fill the cups all the way.  Leave about 1/4 inch unfilled.  Do not worry if some of the egg mixture goes under the sliced meat, it will be just fine! 
Top with shredded cheddar cheese.
Bake for 18 minutes, or until set.
Let cool five minutes or so, and then enjoy!  .

You can pretty much use any fillings that you would like to.  Things like diced bell peppers, salsa, mushrooms, and olives would all work great.  If you ever want to use ground sausage in place of the sliced lunch meat, just put the sausage into the muffin tin cups first followed by your other fillings. 

'K' is for Kite

I don't know about you guys, but we have been enjoying some absolutely gorgeous Fall weather!  So I am very excited to spend some time out enjoying it this week! 

This week we will cover:
The letter 'K'
'K' is for Kite
The color Gold
The number 11
Diamonds
Different Tastes

Monday:  The letter 'K'
-color a letter 'K' coloring page
-while you are coloring, watch this, this, this, this, and this
-have your kiddo trace the letter 'K' on their coloring page with their finger
-glue your coloring page to a piece of gold paper and hang it on the wall (if you don't have gold paper, use a gold crayon to color on a white piece of construction paper, or use gold paint to paint the edges of a piece of white construction paper)
-make a set of letter 'K' memory cards (one with the letter 'K' on it, and the other with a picture of a kite on it)
-go through the letter 'K' section of Starfall
-do this letter 'K' worksheet
-talk about the letter 'K' and the sounds it makes
-for a fun snack, make mini Kabobs out of pretzel sticks and fruit.  (While you are making the Kabobs, your kiddo can use the pretzel sticks to make the letter 'K' too!)  This is a great time to introduce the concepts of sweet and sour!  Make most of the kabobs with sweet fruit, but sneak in a few tastes of sour like lemon, lime, or grapefruit slices.  Talk about the difference between sweet and sour.  What makes food sweet? (sugar)  What makes food sour? (acid) etc. 

Tuesday:  'K' is for Kite
-color a Kite coloring page
-while coloring, watch this
-glue your coloring page to a piece of gold construction paper and hang it on the wall
-talk about these fun Kite facts
-Kite craft (Cut construction paper into a diamond shape--to be a kite.  Use yarn, streamers, or ribbon for the string.  Decorate your kite with stickers and color it.  You can pretend to fly your Kite by holding it up in the air and running around your yard with it.)
-sing Lets Go Fly a Kite

Wednesday:  Kite Flying Day
-buy or make a kite to fly at a local park today.  Take a nice picnic lunch, and enjoy some Fall weather! 
-While you are out and about, search for other things that start with the letter 'K'
-for your lunch, use a salty and sweet theme.  Pack foods that are salty like nuts or trail mix and foods that are sweet like fruit leathers or cookies.  Talk about the different tastes.  Talk about what makes food sweet (sugar) and what makes food salty (salt).
-If you really want to delve into things, talk about how both sugar and salt are good for you in moderation, but both things can be really bad for you if you eat too much of them!

Thursday:  The Number 11
-color a Number 11 coloring page
-while you are coloring, watch this and this
-have your kiddo trace the Number 11 on their coloring page with their finger
-glue your coloring page to a piece of gold construction paper and hang it on the wall 
-Number 11 Sorting Game (Put groups of 11 different items into a big tub--or just pile them in the floor.  You can use things like blocks, crayons, cars etc.  Have your kiddo sort them and count them.)
-Leaf Hunt (Go on a hunt in your yard for 11 pretty fall leaves.  Once you have found them, you can string them together, glue them to a piece of paper to make a collage, or glue them to a paper plate with the center cut out of it to make a wreath--just have fun!)

Friday:  Diamonds
-color a diamond coloring page
-while you are coloring, watch this
-glue your coloring page to a piece of gold construction paper and hang it on the wall
-make a set of diamond memory cards (both with diamonds on them)
-talk about the difference between a square and a diamond--I know it is tricky to talk about angles with preschoolers, but just give it a try.  :0)  They just might remember it someday...and if they don't that's OK too. 
-make a diamond collage (cut diamond shapes in different sizes out of different colors of construction paper.  Glue them to a piece of white paper to make a collage) 

I hope you had fun learning the letter 'K' this week!  If you have missed a previous week, you can find it under the ABC Lesson Plans link at the top of this blog.  I hope you will check back next Sunday for 'L' is for Lion! 

Add some Fun To Store Bought Curtains

I bought two packages of these plain white curtain panels for like $10 a package. My original plan was to use them in our spare bedroom...

But when I found my inspiration fabric for our living room, I decided to go another route with them.  I added about 15 inches of fabric to the bottom of them, and now they really are a fun addition to our living room!  And I am a big fan of the fact that when I decide to change up our living room, I can easily take the current fabric off of them and switch it to something else!  Fun huh!?

Anywho, here is how I did it:

Figure out how many inches of fabric you want to add to your curtains.  In my case, I wanted to add 15 inches.  My curtains were 80 inches wide.  So I cut my fabric into approximately 19x84 inch sections--I like to leave myself a lot of extra room because I am still SO new to sewing.  

My curtains were tab top curtains, but I wanted a solid top...so I just flipped them over.  The bottom hem was large enough for my curtain rod, so it was really easy to do.  But when you look at these pictures, you will see the curtain tabs sticking out here and there...just ignore them!  :0)  

Pin the wrong side of your fabric to the wrong side of the bottom of your store bought curtain.  I used two rows of pins in mine just to be on the safe side.  Then sew a straight seam across your fabric.  This will attatch your fabric to your original curtain.      

On the back side of your fabric, measure from the seam you just sewed, down your fabric, to the length you need to add to your curtains and make a mark.  You are measuring to what will be the bottom of your new curtain.  Do this every few inches all the way across your fabric. 

Fold over the bottom of your fabric and iron a crisp line where you want the bottom of your curtain to be.  I am sure you could pin it too...but this way works better for me.  :0)  Then just sew a seam all the way across the folded up section that you just made.  This will be the bottom of your curtain. 

For the sides of your curtain, fold your fabric over the edge of the original curtain fabric.  Iron the fabric to create an edge that matches up to the original curtain fabric.  This will ensure that the transition from your store bought curtain to the fabric you add is seamless. 

Sew a straight seam, starting at the bottom of your fabric addition and ending where the fabric meets the original curtain:

Iron your new curtain panels and you are good to go:

I love the way mine turned out!  I think I might use this same idea, with different fabric, in our sunroom!  Ha ha that is if I ever manage to get our living room completed...  

   

Easy Sugar Cookies

I love the taste of sugar cookies, but rarely make them because of the amount of time they take.  All of that rolling and cutting is generally more than I am up for.  So last week when I needed to bake cookies for my Sunday school class, I was thrilled to find this recipe.  After a few modifications, I think it is a real keeper!  And the best part is that you just drop them onto the pan and bake...no rolling or cutting required!

Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter
1/4 cup crisco shortening
1 1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour  (I used slightly less than 2 cups to make softer cookies.)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
fun sprinkles to roll you cookie dough in (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350
Combine butter, crisco, sugar, egg, and vanilla. 
Add flour, baking soda, and salt to the butter mixture and mix well. 
Use teaspoons (or a cookie scoop) to shape dough into 1 inch balls.
If you want to use sprinkles, lightly roll each ball in the sprinkles--but do not coat the part of the dough that will sit on the baking sheet.
Place dough balls about 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 12 to 14 minutes. 

I think they turned out pretty darn cute!  I also made some plain cookies to decorate with icing for my Sunday school class, and the kiddos really loved them!

 

Halloween Fun

How was your Halloween!?  I hope it was lots of spooky fun!  This year, we had two busy weekends of Halloween fun.  Here are some pictures of our adventures.  Enjoy!

My boys decorating their pumpkins:

 Jay found a huge pumpkin for us to carve this year...but we never got to actually carve it.  The Hubbs and Jay prepped it on Friday night so that they could carve it on Saturday after Trunk or Treat.  But the pumpkin must have gotten too hot in the car because by Saturday evening it was full of gross mold.  Ick!!  So it never actually got carved, but it still looked great sitting on our porch for all of the trick or treators!  You win some, and lose some I suppose.   

Here is Jay decorating his medium sized pumpkin:

 The finished pumpkin:

Ha ha Jay went with a googly eye theme! 

Trunk or Treat:

Our church has the best Trunk or Treat!  We are truly blessed!!  This year I literally threw our trunk together in about five minutes because I just had SO much going on that day.  But I used things from around our house and yard, and I think it turned out pretty cute:

One of the reasons I had so little time to decorate was our UMW book trailer.  The wonderful lady in charge of our 2010 fundraising organized a book drive, and instead of candy, we gave out books!  It was such a wonderful thing to do, and I LOVED the idea!  I hope it becomes a tradition for our group!!  Anywho, I got to help decorate the trailers for the books:

Here are some fun pictures of Jay at Trunk or Treat:

Here he is in our trunk:

Ha ha he had a blast just running around:

And being chased by The Hubbs:

He had his arm painted, with a picture of Spiderman (of course!)

Jay and his little friend from church were both Spiderman this year:

Jay and this little girl have literally grown up together in our church nursery.  :0)  Ha ha we joke that she is Jay's church girlfriend!



Boo At The Zoo Pictures:

Here is Jay all ready to go to the zoo.  He is showing off a spider ring that he got at trunk or treat. 

This picture was taken just inside of the zoo:

I never remember to get a picture of Jay with me, but The Hubbs is awesome and managed to snap a quick one:

We got to watch a neat little animal show that Jay thought was really fun:

Jay was too tall to get into the toddler section (no surprise there), but he still managed to rock the big kid games!  I think we have a future athlete on our hands!  :0)  

We celebrated Halloween for a couple of wonderful weekends, and it was so much fun!!  Ha ha And if anyone has any tips for convincing a two year old to stop wearing his spiderman costume...they would be GREATLY appreciated!