Desperately Seeking Simplicity

Harry Potter Party

2011-05-23T09:22:00.000-07:00

My little lady turned 9 in May. She is currently reading Harry Potter so we went with a Harry Potter theme. It was magical. Here are a few of my favorite things from the party.

When our guests arrived we sorted them into their houses. (The girls chose a house sticker from a hat.)

After the sorting the girls were able to decorate a wand. (I purchased dowels and let them use a hot glue gun to add dimension around it. Then we spray painted the wands silver. After we spray painted the wands the girls could add more color by painting their wands with nail polish. The favorite nail polish was the "bullet proof" titanium nail polish.)

I had the girls start with potions class. I filled a glass containers with a variety of gross looking items.

(They were all edible.) Then I passed out labels and they had to match the label with the item.

Next it was off to transfiguration. The girls made a dream catcher outside. They also learned how to finger crochet. It was a hit.

After transfiguration we played a quick game of quiddich.

Then it was off to Care of Magical Creatures.

I had hidden capsules of growing animals in the backyard. The girls found two capsules and then placed them in water to grow. It was fun to see what kind of animal they had found.

We also had the girls go to Charms class. I made my own bubble solution and it worked like a charm. I took a half gallon container filled it with water, added 1/3 c. Dawn Liquid Detergent, added 2-3 Tbsp. Glycerin and voila. The best bubbled solution ever. The girls competed to see who could blow the biggest bubbles. It was fun to see Lincoln trying to pop all the bubbles in our backyard.

The final class the girls attended was transfiguration. Have you ever transfigured coke into a geyser? We did and it was awesome. We took a bottle of diet coke, drilled a hole in the lid, drilled holes in 2 mentos and suspended the mentos on a wire that was threaded through the lid. The on the count of three we had the girls pull the wire to drop the mentos into the coke. The coke went spraying out like a geyser. Of course my husband was the engineer behind this experiment. He made a Daddy sized geyser. It produced a spray that was 20 ft high and lasted for about 15 seconds. It was such a fun memory.

Next it was the girls turn....

After our classes were done the girls had owl cupcakes and butterbeer. I thought the cupcakes were so cute. I think that was my favorite thing I made for the party.

Playdough Cookies

2010-04-14T21:08:00.000-07:00

I had so much fun experimenting with sugar cookie dough. I added food coloring to the dough and let the girls create some funny cookies.

Ballerina

2010-04-14T21:05:00.000-07:00

Bella had costume check and I couldn't resist taking a picture of her cute dimple. She looks so elegant in her ballet costume. I can't wait for the performance! I love dance. It's worth all the battles I have with the girls to get them to go and participate.

YW Bag

2010-04-14T21:04:00.000-07:00

I had so much fun making this bag. I love all the colors. It is so happy!

Rainbows!

2010-04-14T20:54:00.000-07:00

Whenever there are rainbows in the sky I love to call the kids and enjoy looking at God's beautiful creation. Rainbows give me hope.

Tradition!

2010-04-14T20:52:00.000-07:00

I had so much fun creating Lincoln's Quiet Book. I made one for Bella and Hannah when they turned one. I can't believe how nice it is to google and get fun ideas from other crafters. I love all the creative ideas I found out there in cyberville.

Giving

2009-11-19T21:43:00.000-08:00

"There is no joy in possession without sharing"

Russ and I were invited to attend a M.D.A. fundraiser at La Caille. There was a silent auction and a live auction to raise money for kids with muscular dystrophy. The theme of the evening was "Beaujolais Nouveau". Russ googled the theme and it turns out there is a region in France that produces a red wine and it is released on the third Thursday in November. Needless to say there was a lot of wine floating around. During the live auction the first item up for bid was to donate money to send a child to MDA camp. The cost to send one child to camp is around $600. The auctioneer started the bidding by sending 4 children to camp $2400. Nobody was biding on this so the auctioneer cut the number of children to 2 children to camp $1200. It was at this time one of Russell's colleagues bid. I was shocked. It was so generous. During the rest of the live auction there were some really cool things that you could bid on like a Safari Photo Shoot in Africa, diamond earrings, helicopter ride to a mountain top for a picnic. One person bid on quite a few of these and probably spend over $8,000. But here's the thing that impressed Russ and I the person who donated the most was the one that did it to send 2 kids to camp. There was no expectation of a cruise, or diamond earrings, or a trip to Africa. It was a gift. I hope one day when Russ and I are in a position to give we will follow the example of our friend.

American Expeirence 1930's

2009-11-18T16:25:00.000-08:00

"And then the dispossessed were drawn west — from Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico; from Nevada and Arkansas, families, tribes, dusted out, tractored out. Car-loads, caravans, homeless and hungry; twenty thousand and fifty thousand and a hundred thousand and two hundred thousand. They streamed over the mountains, hungry and restless — restless as ants, scurrying to find work to do — to lift, to push, to pull, to pick, to cut — anything, any burden to bear, for food. The kids are hungry. We got no place to live. Like ants scurrying for work, for food, and most of all for land. "
— John Steinbeck. The Grapes of Wrath, 1939

Last night Russ and I watched American Experience. Well, I watched and Russ snoozed on the couch. It was late, the kids were in bed and I was enthralled by this documentary. During high school I read The Grapes of Wrath which helped me understand the plight of farmers during thie 1930's. I was in awe of what the families endured leading up to the great migration to California. I've never had to worry about my child dieing of "dust pneumonia". I've never had to wake up in the morning to shovel dust left by dust storm. I've never had too look into the hungry eyes of my child knowing there is no food. I've never had to support my husband while he is unable to provide for our family. I've never had to go without. I think at times I am a very selfish person and I expect too much and give too little. As I look back to the past and what others have faced I realized that I need to stop complaining and start counting my blessings.

Itsy Bitsy Spider Shirts

2009-11-15T20:54:00.000-08:00

Items Needed

****black paint***paint brush***googlie eyes***puff paint***willing hands****patience***candy

The result?

Sugar Cookies - A Halloween Tradition

2009-11-15T20:33:00.000-08:00

On Halloween I crave a batch of homemade sugar cookies. I got this recipie years ago from a friend who taught me alot about cooking. (Thanks Jenni) The recipie makes the softest moistest sugar cookie! Add to the cookie a generous dollop of butter cream frosting, some sprinkles and a tall glass of milk and you have a delicious treat for Halloween. Yumm!

Halloween Costumes

2009-11-15T20:11:00.000-08:00

I'm not a simple person. A perfect example is Halloween. I can't assemble a costume for my kids from things at home. (Not FUN enough.) I can't go and buy a costume for my kids at Target. (too cheap) I make the costumes. Now if I were going to keep things simple, I would make the robes for Hermine, the cape for Dracula, and the wings for an Owl. But instead I search thrift stores, scheme and sew until I have concocted the perfect costume. It was unfortunate that the week leading up to Halloween I was sick, Bella was sick and Lincoln was sick. Nevertheless, I persevered stayed up late Wednesday night and voila perfect costumes for my kids. I loved the finished results.

HERMIONE GRANGER

DRACULA AND FRIEND

HOGWARTS MESSENGER OWL

Dumb Dog

2009-10-23T14:57:00.000-07:00

I hate to admit it but we have a dumb dog. I don't know if the phenobarb she is on makes her slow or she is just so famished that she will do things that get her into trouble. Today she managed to get the beautiful pumpkin bread that I had received and ate the top right off. Out she went. Late in the afternoon I took pity on her and let her come into the house. As I was blissfully sewing a hooded towel for Lincoln she managed to locate a silly mouse trap that I had hidden in the basement bathroom. I heard her clicking around with something so I called her and I got no response so I went to check out what she was into. There she was with her front and back paws stuck to the mouse trap. I had to pull her paws off the sticky trap which was no easy task. Then she needed a bath and a de-sticking. What are we going to do with her? Any suggestions?

Pumpkin Bread

2009-10-23T10:27:00.000-07:00

What could be better than pumpkin bread?.....

Receiving it from our neighbor, fresh from the oven, when I am sick with the flu.

Thank you Steve!

Rainbows

2009-10-23T09:10:00.000-07:00

Tuesday Bella and I saw a double rainbow. She was so excited and said that she was lucky because she saw the rainbow. She told me that her friend Abby has been to the end of the rainbow. I thought it was so cute! When we got home from running around and Bella went downstairs to watch a show. Little did I know she planned to write a book to read to Lincoln. At dinner she showed us The Rainbow Book. It was so sweet.

When I look at a rainbow I have a sense of hope and gratitude for the beautiful sign. As a child I learned that the rainbow is a sign from God that he will never flood the earth again. As an adult it means much more. I know that the rainbow is a sign of God's plan of happiness. He provided a way for me to repent and return to live with Him. It symbolized the Savior and the pain that he went through in Gethsemane atoning for my sins. Yes Bella you and I are very lucky.

Haunted Gingerbread Houses

2009-10-19T10:58:00.000-07:00

As I was making a late Saturday night run to the grocery store to get food for Sunday dinner I saw the pre-baked Halloween cookie house to purchase. I thought it would be so fun to do this activity with the kids but I didn't want to pay the $15 to purchase the kit. I did purchase some candy and raced through the store as hubby and the kids waited for me in the car. On Sunday after church I was contemplating making gingerbread and I realized I had to simplify. I whipped up a batch of frosting, got out some graham crackers and we decorated our houses. It was fun regardless of the house being constructed of gingerbread or graham crackers. I hope the girls will have happy memories of decorating houses and having fun together.