Emerson 2013

Emerson, our Elf on the Shelf, flew back from the North Pole this year to add some fun to our holidays.  Last year he brought the girls matching pjs and this year he didn't dissapoint.  There are a few days that I don't have pictures of.  One day he was coloring a picture but was bumped and needed to a dark quiet room with Christmas music playing to save his magic.  Thank goodness it worked!  When the girls had a sleep over at Grandmama & Grandpapa's house Emerson followed them and I think gave Grandpapa a scare.  The best part was that Livi really got into it this year.  She loved finding him each morning & if you asked her where Emerson was- she would take you right to him.  Precious.

Day One: He was playing Candy Land with a couple of Barbie friends.  

Day Two: He made his own sleigh using My Little Ponies as reindeers.

Day Three: He was attacked by stickers...

Day Four:  He knows how much Natalie's loves Rice Krispies...

Day Five:  He was swinging from the light in the play area & had Christmas lights around him.

Day Six: He made Natalie's lunch for Daddy.  A nice balanced meal of hot chocolate, peanut butter, goldfish, nacho cheese, brownie mix, sprinkles & syrup.

Day Seven: He hung ribbon up to display his favorite drawings Natalie did and a few of his own.  He was drawing in green pencil...We opened the fridge and he dyed our milk GREEN!

 

Day Eight: He tried to really hide from the girls this time.

Day Nine:  He was showing all of his friends our Golden Key.

  

Day Ten:  He played a game of scrabble with Cheez-Its.

Day Eleven:  This one was cool.  He hung by his feet from a toy helicopter with a note from Santa.

Day Twelve: Sitting in our wreath by our table.

Day Thirteen:  He used streamers and decorated all around.  We think he got caught up in it...

Day Fourteen: We planned to go to see Frozen after Breakfast with Santa and Emerson decided to build himself a snowglobe with Anna, Olaf, Kristoff & Sven inside.

Day Fifteen: He showed up at Grandmama & Grandpapa's house.

Day Sixteen: He was showing Santa & Gator Nutcracker his reindeer riding skills. 

Day Seventeen: The reindeer didn't like him riding on them last night so they taped him up.

Day Eighteen: He & some of his friends were ziplining from the play area light to the Christmas tree.  (OR a Circus act like Natalie thought)

Day Nineteen: He was coloring a picture for Natalie.

Day Twenty: Decorated the girls' hallway but tangled in it.

Day Twenty-One: This one got a lot of giggles.  He put on a big moustahce and drew mustaches & beards on some of our pictures.

Day Twenty-Two: SUPER EMERSON!  Or a Teenage mutant ninja elf (as Natalie thought).

Day Twenty-Three: Mema (My Mom) bought a bag of candy while we were out and Emerson decided to help her out with them.  The bag was empty.  We were all a little worried he was going to have a "Llama llama tummyache".

Day Twenty-Four: THE BIG FINALE!  He was busy all night long wrapping gifts that he got a little confused and wrapped things in our house.  He needs a well needed nap.

Hope this holiday season was magical in every sense of the word.  Now I'm off to hibernate.  This Momma (and Daddy) need a nap!

Maggie & co.



Kindness Week 2013

Most of you know my connection to Newtown, CT & Sandy Hook Elementary School so it only made sense starting a Kindness Week at my school that fell on the week of the anniversary of the tragedy.  I was amazed with what my kiddos told me about being kind or when someone is kind to them.  Warm my heart to know I was spreading love and kindness. 

Day One:  I asked the kiddos what it meant to be kind.

Day Two:  We wrote a letter to Ms. Henny who cleans to K POD.  They helped me write it and all the K POD kiddos signed it.  She loved it!

Day Three: Found this on Pinterest.  I love how the empty space makes a heart.  They decorated their hands with kind words we listed together, kind pictures & symbols.



Day Four:  A Kindness Chain.  I had them write about a time they were kind to someone.  Next year I am starting this at the beginning of the year and added a chain everytime one of our friends is kind to someone else.  I love the Kindness is Contagious sign.  So true!



 Day Five:  I wrote "We Are Kind" on chart paper and everyone signed it.  I have a picture of it but the kiddos are in it.  All of these things (Except Henny's note) is on our kindness wall.

Evil may have visited the village of Sandy Hook last year but love will always reside there. 

Do a random act of kindness today.

Maggie & co.

#newtownstrong

Proof I Didn't Fall Off the Earth...

So I've been MIA on CraftyFamily the last 6 or so months.  Don't worry I haven't gone dormat- just frantically crazy and everytime I would tell myself to sit down and blog about the project I just completed- it would be weeks later... So here's round up of the last few months and the crafts that have resulted from them.

My friend, Jenn, requested a couple of subway art pieces.  The first is an original.  She needed a camping piece for a baby shower.  I have 2 girls so I know nothing about camping.  Thank goodness for google.

 

The second is a re-make of something she found on Pinterest.  Blogger won't let me upload the final piece but you get the idea.  I love how they both turned out. 

I stole this one from my sister (Thanks, Jenny).  It's a filing folder crate from Staples with a file for each of us, one for coupons, and of course one is miscellaneous.  I keep school pictures, cards from Aunts, articles from friends at school in them or just the junk that piles on the kitchen counter.  I googled printable claendars and found this one.  Voila!   

My friend, Lauren, had a Pinterest party at her house and we started the next two crafts at her house.  Imagine this first one stapled to a post with a beautiful burlap bow (Thanks Jenny again).  I hate my freehand writing and stenciling & I are no longer talking.  So, thank goodness for DJ Inkers font, my laptop and the projector.  I wish Andy took a picture of me tracing the letters.  It was super ridiculous but turned out amazing. 

This next one is a mason jar & candle stick glued together.  I'm not big into Halloween decorations but this I can handle.  And I mean it holds candy...

Every Halloween since Natalie was born I give candygrams to a few people at work & Natalie's teachers.  This year we made a Frakenstein foot.  Black toes, green foot, googly eyes, sharpie marker & ribbon.  Done.

This Halloween I set alot of high goals for myself.  Natalie wanted to be a mermaid so naturally Livi would be as well.  My friend, Michele, found a towel mermaid tail on Pinterest and it was all down hill from there.  So I bought to towels, ribbon, batting, and procrastinated for about 2 weeks.  Thank goodness my mother-in-law is good with a sewing machine!  I traced the shell bra out of beige felt & made a starfish for their hair and ribbon belt.  They looked super adorable!     

I had to stay home with Livi one day so instead of doing something around the house or finishing something I started I thought I would go to Joann's...  I came back with 2 projects to complete.  I really love how this wreath turned out.  I love making these felt flowers.  The s is just a wooden letter wrapped with twine.  It's not pretty up close and I think I only have 4 viable fingerprints left but I love it.

  

This next one started out as a Christmas picture prop but when it was made and stored on the tree then left in on the driveway when we went to take our pictures- it permanently became a tree decoration.  Which is fine because it would have clashed with the girls' bathing suits.  Everything happens for a reason...  I think i adjusted it everytime I would walk by the tree but it did look nice. 

How I love and loathe Pinterest at times...  This is a family thumbprint ornament.  I love the scalloped edges and the size differences in our thumbs.  I just wish I did it last year for our first Christmas as a family and that there were less cracks in it...  BUT I LOVE IT.

Ok so that should catch you up to present day.  Won't do that again...

Maggie & co.