DIY Burlap and Cardboard Initial

Here it is, my burlap and cardboard initial for our front door. It was very easy to make (other than the blisters on my fingers from the hot glue gun) and the decorations on the letter can be changed with the season.





What I Did -



I cut 3 letter Bs out of cardboard and hot glued them together to make them thicker and sturdier.

Next, I cut out 2 pieces of burlap using the letter B as a guide.  I made them large enough to overlap on the edges.

Then I cut out pieces from a Halloween print and hot glued velcro to the backs.

I made bow and glued velcro to it as well.

Then I hot glued the burlap to the letter, overlapping it.

Lastly, I used some black, shiny rickrack to tie to our front door!



It was very quick and easy! :D



I wanted something that I could change with the seasons/holidays without having to keep recreating it. ;)





Let me know if the directions are clear or not.





HAVE FUN CRAFTING!!!!

Busy Homeschooling Days

I know, I know.... It's been almost a week since I last posted. I am SO SO SO sorry! I have been extremely busy and extremely TIRED! LOL



Here is just a glimpse of what has been keeping me so busy!!







Lowe's Build and Grow, SUCH fun!!!!!!









Craft Day with our new homeschool group! :D











Learning about Ancient China (among other things).










A field trip to a local fire station!



We have even more things coming up! SHEW!!!! Did I say I was exhausted???? SIGH.... But it's SO MUCH FUN!!! CFS and Fibro be darned!!!





I have a craft coming up that I can't wait to share with you!! I am also working on some more unit studies!!! And before too long I will need to get started on C & C's Halloween costumes!! YILES! So much to do and so little time to do it all!!





HAVE FUN HOMESCHOOLING, CRAFTING and SEWING! ;)

Fly on the Wall - September

Welcome to a Fly on the Wall group post. Today 14 bloggers are inviting you to catch a glimpse of what you’d see if you were a fly on the wall in our homes. Come on in and buzz around my house.

Buzz around, see what you think, then click on these links for a peek into some other homes:



http://BakingInATornado.com                                     Baking In A Tornado  - Queen of ALL Things Bloggy!!

http://www.justalittlenutty.com/                                Just a Little Nutty

http://followmehome.shellybean.com                          Follow me home . . .

http://stacysewsandschools.wordpress.com/               Stacy Sews and Schools

http://thesadderbutwisergirl.com                              The Sadder But Wiser Girl

http://menopausalmother.blogspot.com/                   Menopausal Mother

http://mooreorganizedmayhem.blogspot.com/            Moore Organized Mayhem

http://hypnoticbard.blogspot.com/                            The Insomniac’s Dream  


http://themomisodes.com/                                      The Momisodes

http://spatulasonparade.blogspot.com/                      Spatulas on Parade

http://singlemumplusone.blogspot.com                     Searching for Sanity

http://www.therowdybaker.com                                 The Rowdy Baker

http://www.bethteliho.wordpress.com/                        Writer B is Me

http://sorrykidblog.com/                Sorry kid, Your Mom Doesn’t Play Well With Others













OH, BOY!! Do I have some GREAT stuff for you this month!!! I remembered to write it all down AND I kept up with the list!! Am I on top of things or what???? LOL











Let me set the scene for you....

Deanna has gone out the front door to put the trash bag in the can. I am sitting at the dining room table typing away on my laptop.

She opens the front door to come back in the house. She then slams the door and has a look of absolute shock and horror on her face like she has just seen a horrible accident.

Me - Are you OK? What happened?

Deanna - I almost DIED!

Me - OMGOSH! Come here! Are you OK? What HAPPENED???

Deanna - I was.. I was... ATTACKED BY A SQUIRREL!!!

Me - Wha?????

Deanna - OMG!! I think it was rabid.

Me - WHAT happened???

Deanna - I was just minding my own business and taking the trash out. I heard a scratching sound but thought it was a stray cat. I tossed the bag into the can and then a NINJA SQUIRREL jumped out. It almost got me. It jumped on the tree all upside-down and ninja-like! I could have DIED!!!

Me - *hysterical laughter*

Deanna - What's so funny???? I was nearly killed by a psychotic squirrel!!!! LOOK! It's still out there??? What was it doing in the trash can anyway??? Squirrels are herbivores! It was DEFINITELY rabid!

Me - We do eat vegetables on occasion.....

Deanna -  Not that often.

The next day -

Deanna comes running through the door.

Deanna - It's still out there! It's trying to get me! I saw it trying to get into the chimney by my room!!!









Deanna - Every since I had that dream about Big Bird, I just can't look at him the same.

(She apparently had a nightmare that Big Bird tried to kill her.)

Me - At least you didn't dream that you had to shoot Dan Aykroyd with a crossbow in a biker bar!

Hey, he was trying to kill me!!!







So, I'm scrolling through Facebook and I happen to see a similar ecard to the one above. Only, this one didn't have the German on it. I had to look that up.

ANYWAY, I start shouting "ICH LIEBE DICH!" Scared Deanna half to death. It was awkward for a moment.

Afterwards she got into the spirit and we freaked the rest of the house out. ;)









Cailey loves all animals and I do mean ALL. She came in from outside one evening with a handful of slugs! She was having a good ol' time playing with them.... UNTIL she realized how hard it was to get all the slime off of her hands.







Deanna and I were watching America's Cutest Pet when she says, "OMGOSH! I am so dumb!"

Me - What?? You're not dumb!

Deanna - Oh, you have NO idea! You just have NO idea about what I almost did!

Me - Well, now you have to tell me.

D - No way!!!!

Me - Oh, yes! You can't just say something like that and leave it hanging. Nuh, unh! You better spill!

D - Well..... SIGH..... OK..... I saw that cute little kitty and I ..... umm.... was getting ready to try to call it out of the tv....

Me - *hysterical laughter*  FLY ON THE WALL!!!!!





Jacob and Joshua were playing Timesplitters.

Joshua - I kept shooting and shooting! I couldn't figure out why I wasn't getting any points! THEN I realized.... I am ON the red team!!!









Joshua - I still can't get over the name that Live gave me. SIGH..... Crabbyblock ***????? REALLY????









Setting the scene -

Cailey and Colin have a friend (we'll call her K) over and they are running all over the house playing. I am sitting at the dining room table (yep, on my laptop) and Jacob and Joshua are in the living room playing a game.

K - Spell i puppy.

Cailey - I p u p p y. HUH???

Then the giggles start.

Jacob - What?? i-p-u-p-p-y???  (his voice holds a note of bewilderment) i-p  u-p-p y??? (you can hear his eyes rolling at this point)

Jacob to Joshua - That's not even close! When we were kids we were cool. It was spell I cup. HA! MUCH better!

Me - *hysterical laughter*

The boys continue on in this vein for quite a while.







Joshua - Googley Elmo invented the radio.

Me - What?????

Joshua - Yeah, Googley Elmo.

Me - Marconi invented the radio.

Joshua - Yeah, Googley Elmo Marconi.

Me - OH, you mean Guglielmo Marconi.

Joshua - That's what I said. Googley Elmo!









We are traveling back from Hilton Head when we see the above sign.

My Dad - Hey! Look! There's the Bat Cave!

Colin - Na na na na na BATMAN!!!!







Sooo... Jacob and Joshua were playing against each other on Just Dance 4 the other night.... They actually got into an argument over who did better. Joshua seems to have skunked Jacob on Rick Astley's Never Gonna Give You Up, while Jacob trounced Joshua on Selena Gomez's Love Song. Yeah.... It was a strange, strange night.







The Fog at the Cabin in the Woods on Friday the 13th.... That's where you can read the full story. Here are some of the parts that I left out.



Me, practically standing in the creek while yelling up at my phone - JOSHUA, IF YOU CAN HEAR ME, WE CAN'T GET OUR CELLS TO WORK. CAN'T CALL YOU!!!

Me, putting the worms on the hook for Cailey. Yes, I can bait my own hooks. I just don't like to if I can keep from it. BLECK!!!!

Me, the look on my face the ENTIRE time we were there.......

Deanna  when she realizes no cell phone reception also means no wi-fi.

Cailey and Colin when they realize no cable.

Deanna's face when she realizes that I was NEVER exaggerating about the humidity in Nashville.

The Hubby's face when my mother-in-law pulled out a TON of baby pics of him and started passing them around. My fave was the one with him on the toilet. ;)

Poor Cailey at my mother-in-law's house when her dog realizes that she is the only one scared of him. Poor Cailey was shaking like a leaf! Thor wouldn't leave her alone.

Oh, and Thor looks like this



He's at least part Min Pin.









Sooo, it was a little late when we started heading back home. Deanna was riding up front with me and we may have had a little too much caffeine...... Everyone else was asleep, which just proves my theory that they can sleep through ANYTHING!

Anyway.... We were listening to the radio and getting a little loopy and silly. We did the opera voices to "We Are the Champions." Pretty soon things got out of hand and we started changing the lyrics to all the songs to stuff about pie. Yeah, pie..... Deanna outdid herself. ;)





So, did you make it through all of that? Still with me?? Then you most definitely want to check out the other blogs on the list. They are AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!

T-Shirt to Bag Tutorial

I had this really cute t-shirt that I love so much BUT it shrank to about 2 sizes too small. I sat around and thought about what I could do with it. I really wanted to still use it for myself so I went with BAG!! :D







Here is how the shirt was before! SO CUTE!!!





STEP 1 -





Cut off the sleeves!





STEP 2 -





Cut off the bottom, leaving plenty of room for the bottom seam, according to how big you want your bag to be.





STEP 3 -





Cut off the sides, going straight down from the edge of the shoulder.





STEP 4 -





Cut off the shoulder seams.





STEP 5 -







Take the bottom of the shirt that you cut off and cut in half. Then take each piece and cut at the seams so that you have 2 long strips. These will turn into the handle.

Actually...... You just need to cut it at the seam, now that I think about it. LOL

When I started making the bag, I wasn't sure if I would make one handle or two. Since I just made one, cutting them in half isn't necessary.  You will just fold in half long ways and press.



SO, just cut it at the seam for one long piece! ;)



STEP 6 -















I cut a piece of black fleece and pinned it to the wrong side of the back piece of the shirt.

Then I zigzag stitched it on making an inside pocket.





STEP 7 -







Take the long piece for the handle, fold it in half and press.  Next, pin it and sew just the long side seam, making a long open ended tube.

Turn it right side out and press.





STEP 8 -









Place the handle on the RIGHT side of the back piece and pin the ends to the shoulders.

Now, pin the rest of the handle out of the way of all the edges.





STEP 9 -







Take the front of the bag and place it face down over the other parts. Line it up and pin.

Now, sew all along the edges, leaving the neck part open.

Turn it all right side out and press!!!







Now you have a great bag and you didn't have to give away your cute tee!!! :D



















I found that the handle was a little too long for my liking so I just tied a knot in it. ;)



Let me know what you think!

Was this easy to follow???

If you have any questions, just leave a comment here, on Facebook or Twitter OR use the Contact Me button at the top the of the page to shoot me an email! :D



HAVE FUN SEWING!!!!

The Fog at the Cabin in the Woods on Friday the 13th

THE FOG





at



THE CABIN IN THE WOODS







on



FRIDAY THE 13TH









Soooo, Deanna and I decided that our adventure last week deserved a name.... The Fog at the Cabin in the Woods on Friday the 13th.

We went for an overnight trip to see some family and friends. Instead of staying in a hotel like some of us (ME) wanted, we stayed at a cabin in the woods owned by a business associate of The Hubby. BIG BIG BIG mistake.

Before we left Thursday morning we were already making jokes about how it was going to be Friday the 13th and we would be staying WAY out in the middle of nowhere in a cabin..... We really didn't know how close we were to the truth.....



Thursday started out great. We left early in the morning and got to the in-laws house around 9 their time. Pretty good. We had a very lovely visit and then headed further west.

This is where things start to get interesting.....

It was hot as blue blazes in Middle Tennessee that day. The humidity was AWFUL!! So, we weren't in all that great of a mood to begin with. We stop and see some friends. THAT was good. Then we are going to have The Hubby's business associate show us the way to the cabin. Well, he decided to take us on the scenic tour.... SIGH.... We started out going northeast. I start asking The Hubby, "Didn't you say the cabin was at such and such???" Yes, he says. "Well, we are going in the COMPLETE opposite of such and such!!!!"

Then we went east. Then north. Then WEST!! And finally south!! GOOD GRIEF!!!

We keep getting further and further away from civilization. I mean the DEEP boonies!! BFE!!!!

THEN we pass the sign. The sign that said, "Welcome to CAMP blah blah blah!"

WHAT THE???????? WHAT did that sign say??? Yep. That's what it said.

Unh, hunh....  Tomorrow is Friday the 13th. We are in the middle of nowhere. Next to a defunct summer camp. Just GRRRRREAT. Oh, and now the cell phones won't work.

Yep. No cell reception whatsoever.

Sound familiar??? It did to me, too.

The Hubby says, "Good thing I brought my gun!" NOT HELPING!!!!

We finalllllly make it to the cabin. The air isn't on. No central AC. Just 2 window units for a large cabin.  Great.

SIGH.... Is it too late for the hotel???

The Hubby keeps telling me to not worry, I'm going to LOVE it.

Yeah, right!

Now, I have to admit that the cabin was lovely. All antique iron beds and quilts and stuff.

The original log cabin parts are very prominent. Nice. Lots of history.

Also, lots of GIANT SPIDERS!! HUGE GINORMOUS HAIRY SPIDERS!!!!!!!!!!

We go down to the creek for fish for a little while before it gets too dark. The fish just loved all worms but none of them were actually big enough to catch. YAY, worms guts in my fingernails. BLECK!!!!

We get driven back into the cabin by night falling.

Now, to keep the kids occupied until bed time. SIGH........ NOT EASY!!!

FINALLY it's time for bed. Everyone gets washed up and in to their jammies.  Time for bed!

UNTIL............

Colin, "ARRRRRRRRGH!!!!!!!!! There's a monster spider over the bed!!!!!!!!"

Kill the spider but the kids are completely spazzing out.

Is it too late for that hotel????

Colin is crying and keeps asking if we can just go home now.

We get everyone calmed down some and get ready to crawl under those pretty quilts.....

UNTIL...................

Me, "ARRRRRRRGH!!!!!!!!!!! MOUSE POOP ON THE BEDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

I continue to lose my mind for a while. Talking about some of us (ME) had wanted to go to a hotel.......

OK, there's a comforter folded over the bottom of the beds. Maybe we can just spread those over the beds.

Except that the comforters are covered in at least a couple inches of dust.

SIGH.................

There's an armoire in the corner. I find some relatively clean blankets in them and spread those over the beds.

Ok, nighty-night!

We crawl on the beds, put our heads on the pillows and smell mold.

REALLY????? REALLY??????????

SIGH....

Grab towels from the bathroom to cover the pillows.

Crawl back on the beds. Lie down and...............

Cailey starts crying. She's scared of mice and spiders.

I finally convince her that they are all gone but by then it's after midnight and we are getting up at 5 am.



I can say that sleeping in the van crossed my mind several times that night. The only thing keeping me from it was the thought of psycho killers roaming the woods.





THE NEXT MORNING (now Friday the 13th)



One of The Hubby's friends stayed at the cabin and we were to follow him out the next morning.

THAT is when we encountered fog like I have only seen in the movies.

Deanna, "This is horror movie fog!"

Me, "Well, we just lived through a horror movie of sorts. At first it was just The Cabin in the Woods on Friday the 13th. Now it's The Fog at the Cabin in the Woods on Friday the 13th."



THE END!



I swear that all of this is true. You may ask if The Hubby lived through it. I can assure you that it was a VERY close thing. I thought of killing him several times that night while trying to go to sleep while thoughts of mice, spiders, snakes and psycho killers flitted through my mind.















I hope your Friday the 13th was MUCH MUCH MUCH better than mine!!!



There's more to this story (MUCH MORE) but you will have to wait until Fly on the Wall. ;)

Oh, and if your Hubby ever tries to convince you to stay at someone's cabin, RUN!!!!!!!!!!!!

Elephant Animal Study w/FREE Notebooking Pages

My newest unit is elephants! This would go along with the India study very well!

As always, I try to add resources for all age ranges.

All the printables are free unless otherwise noted with $$$.



ElephantNotebookingPagesSSaS 













































































































Elephant unit study and lapbook - Homeschool Share

Coloring pages, crafts, printables and videos - Activity Village

Coloring pages and crafts - DLTK Kids

Coloring pages and activity sheets - School Express

Coloring pages - Coloring.ws

Printables, activities, crafts - Scholastic

Printables and crafts - Craft Jr., Classroom Jr.

E is for Elephants printables and activities - Confessions of a Homeschooler

Printable curriculum and info  - Elephants.com

Worksheets and coloring pages - Education.com

$$$

Currclick -

Elephants! A Fun Study

Elephants - Speedy Lapbook

Elephants - An Animal Unit Study and Lapbook

Understanding Animals - Elephants











Lesson plans and crafts - Crayola

Elephant quiz - Squidoo

Elephant info - Squidoo

Indian Elephants - Squidoo

Carnival of Animals - Elephant - Squidoo

Elephant unit study - Homeschooling.About.com

Elephant facts - Defenders.org

Elephant info - WWF - WorldWildlife.org

Activities and crafts - Education.com

Elephant cam - elecam.org

Facts, videos, photos - BBC

Facts, videos, photos - Nat Geo Kids

Elephant videos - YouTube

Elephant crafts and activities - Danielle's Place

Elephant crafts - Busy Bee Kids Crafts

Elephant crafts for kids and adults - Squidoo





Hope there's enough here to get a great study out of!!



HAVE FUN HOMESCHOOLING!!!!