tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89083158813652410892024-03-18T02:48:08.421-07:00Blue Skies AheadLookin for the good in every dayToniihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253171633800258452noreply@blogger.comBlogger636125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908315881365241089.post-76101863681607955002015-11-02T19:37:00.001-08:002015-11-02T19:37:20.757-08:00Blessing Bags Family Home Evening {Family Service Projects} Hello my friends! It looks like one new post a month is what we are shooting for right now...maybe I will be an overachiever this month and even do a few more ;) Today I wanted to share with you a service project that my kids absolutely love, making Blessing Bags! Now this idea is not original, I have seen variations all over, but this is what we have done and had success with :)<br />
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To kick off the night we sung one of my favorite Hymns, Because I Have Been Given Much, I Too Must Give. I made this printable up that we framed to keep up for all of November, so we pulled that out and spoke about what this song means. Heavenly Father gives us so much, and in return he expects and asks that we do what we can to take care of our brothers and sisters in need.<br />
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After our mini-lesson we got out our supplies. For our Blessing Bags we just got out ziplock freezer bags and filled each one of them with a pair of socks, gloves, protein bar, toothpaste and toothbrush, shampoo, deodorant, soap and a pack of gum. Each kid was in charge of two items and we did an assembly line where everyone got to participate in putting the bags together.</div>
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Then we printed off these darling name cards from Caravan Shoppe and the kids got to write little notes of encouragement and love.</div>
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Now that our Blessing Bags are put together we keep them in our car and anytime we see someone in need we can quickly pull out a bag and hopefully share a little goodness!</div>
<img align="left" src="http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r640/toniij/sig-1.jpg" style="border: 0;" />Toniihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253171633800258452noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908315881365241089.post-77579084518376363402015-10-07T10:19:00.000-07:002015-10-07T10:19:19.892-07:00Fall Leaf Relief Painting One of my absolute favorite fall activities is driving up to the mountains and collecting beautiful leaves with my family. <br />
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This year we were lucky and found a few beautiful spots with loads of leaves! We brought them home and decided to do this really simple craft, Fall Leaf Relief Painting!</div>
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Relief art projects are so great for little kids because they don't have to be exact or complicated. All I did was stick a piece of tape on the back of the leaves and then let my kids mix red, yellow and orange paint to use all around the leaf. </div>
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Of course, my 2-year old turned it into a finger (or whole hand;) painting project ;)</div>
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Once your paint is dry you just pull off the leaf and you are left with this beautiful outline in perfect fall colors!</div>
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I don't even know if anyone looks at this little blog anymore, but if you do thanks so much for stopping by and have a fantastic fall day! :)</div>
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<img align="left" src="http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r640/toniij/sig-1.jpg" style="border: 0;" />Toniihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253171633800258452noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908315881365241089.post-49859451058875975032015-10-05T13:49:00.000-07:002015-10-05T13:49:49.752-07:00General Conference Family Home Evening!
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Hello my long lost blogging friends! I don't know about you, but I cannot remember a General Conference that I enjoyed and learned from as much as this one! I want to keep the conference goodness going at our home, so I made up a simple matching game for my littles with some of my favorite quotes and who said them.</div>
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It is a true testament to how amazing conference was that it took me almost an hour just to narrow the fantastic quotes down to 8!</div>
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All you need to do is print out each page and cut out the squares. Then flip them over and let your kids try and match up the conference quote with the speaker! (If you are not sure yourself, you might want to listen to some of these talks again! ;)</div>
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Then for a simple activity I thought it would be fun to print out some of these quotes and let my kids use watercolors to paint them. I got the idea from Danielle at Blissful and Domestic...the woman is genius I tell you! </div>
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Just right click on each quote, save to your computer, print, and then let your kids make some beautiful, inspiring art for your home!</div>
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<img align="left" src="http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r640/toniij/sig-1.jpg" style="border: 0;" />Toniihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253171633800258452noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908315881365241089.post-36111273643143247942015-05-28T10:09:00.001-07:002015-05-28T10:09:41.130-07:00Personalized Library Bags {Summer of 100 Books!}<div style="text-align: center;">
We are SO close to school being out...just one more day!! One thing we are really trying to focus on this summer is reading more. In fact, I have dubbed this summer the Summer of 100 Books! We will be doing all sorts of activities and incentives to try and read 100 books before we start school again. The first thing I thought we would do, is make our very own personalized Library Book Bags!</div>
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These were such a simple craft, my older girls did them before they went off to school yesterday. For our bags we used plain canvas tote bags from Walmart (found in the craft section), fabric pens (found in the same place), and some really neat chipboard stencils I grabbed at Target the other day.</div>
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Once you have your supplies ready let your kids imagination go as they decorate their bags to reflect them and their personal style! </div>
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My older girls did great with the stenciling, for younger kids though you may want to tape down the stencil so it doesn't move all over the place. I did NOT do that for my 4-year old...but I actually love how her "abstract" flower turned out anyways ;)</div>
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Make sure you get enough bags to have one for yourself...nothing my kids love more than when I craft right alongside them!</div>
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Easy-peasy, and now my kids are asking daily when we can go to the library and use our new bags :) The possibilities really are endless with this craft, you could also add glitter, stickers, poms, iron-on...anything!!</div>
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Do you struggle with keeping your kids reading over the summer? I would love to hear what great ways you use to inspire reading in your home!</div>
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<img align="left" src="http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r640/toniij/sig-1.jpg" style="border: 0;" />Toniihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253171633800258452noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908315881365241089.post-83615982101689256692015-05-22T13:50:00.001-07:002015-05-22T13:50:17.691-07:00Flower Science Experiment for Kids<div style="text-align: center;">
Happy Friday my friends! We are SO ready for this long weekend...and then only one more week of school! We are wrapping up our week on Flowers by sharing a really fun and simple experiment we do every few years that my kids completely love. </div>
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This is so simple and easy to put together, but the kids get a kick out of it and learn alot too! All you need for your own Flower Experiment are some white flowers, plastic cups filled with water and food coloring.</div>
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Now our flowers have only been in the water for a little over a day, and already you can see the major changes taking place! This is such a fun way to show your kids how plants absorb water, and also a great way to learn about predictions and graphs as well. Check out how our flowers are doing so far:</div>
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Orange</div>
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Red</div>
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Green</div>
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Yellow</div>
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Blue</div>
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I plan on keeping our roses as long as we can to see how dark they will get and to see if our predictions came true! Most of us thought the blue and red would show the soonest and be the darkest, but the green and orange aren't throwing in the towel yet! ;)</div>
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Thank you so much for visiting Blue Skies Ahead today! I hope you found something you liked and that you have a wonderful weekend!</div>
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<img align="left" src="http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r640/toniij/sig-1.jpg" style="border: 0;" />Toniihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253171633800258452noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908315881365241089.post-67749486157457503642015-05-20T12:45:00.001-07:002015-05-20T12:45:28.773-07:00Resist Watercolor Flower Paintings!<div style="text-align: center;">
This week we are studying and learning all about plants and flowers. We have a few science experiments cooking as we speak, so today we did a really fun and simple art project that my kids (and myself!) completely loved!</div>
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For this fun Resist Watercolor Painting all you need are a few pieces of cardstock, watercolors, and a white crayon.</div>
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If you are like me and have VERY suspect artistic skills you can search on Pinterest for how-to's on drawing flowers. Or you can just draw the same simple flowers you have been drawing since grade school ;) Either way, just take a white crayon and draw flowers on white cardstock. Once you have done that give your kids some watercolor paints and let them have at it!</div>
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My kids absolutely loved watching the flowers appear on their papers right before their eyes as they painted away. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig7-HEXjBg1PtN5mRFWfgl-DUDMlLy6ZMHDu-ca3TYVkCQCOe8CqZjRhuLv5Qx5WVSpvy8Sl4hpHAv2PqiOJTjAH6a_v4kEiQ1QuSKrMTuDSJsR7ykGq2tt_3js1F5cD6UIN1u8SZS3wtP/s1600/resist4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig7-HEXjBg1PtN5mRFWfgl-DUDMlLy6ZMHDu-ca3TYVkCQCOe8CqZjRhuLv5Qx5WVSpvy8Sl4hpHAv2PqiOJTjAH6a_v4kEiQ1QuSKrMTuDSJsR7ykGq2tt_3js1F5cD6UIN1u8SZS3wtP/s400/resist4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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These abstract works of art turned out beautiful, and I love hanging them in our family study. The kids were having so much fun I had to join in with them ;) </div>
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Have you tried any resist artwork at your place? The possibilities really are endless from tape, to crayons, glue and even stickers! Thanks so much for stopping by today!</div>
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<img align="left" src="http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r640/toniij/sig-1.jpg" style="border: 0;" />Toniihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253171633800258452noreply@blogger.com50tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908315881365241089.post-30677780962491909352015-05-19T12:16:00.000-07:002015-05-19T12:16:10.736-07:00I Love to See the Temple Family Home Evening
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Today we are sharing a VERY simple FHE we did last night all about temples!</div>
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I was inspired to talk to my kids about the importance of temples since we have the very awesome opportunity of attending the open house for the Payson Utah Temple later this week. I wanted them to understand the importance and hopefully get really excited for their chance to go inside, see, and mostly FEEL what makes the temple such a beautiful place.</div>
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To get started I made this printable to put up in our living room. If you are new to our blog, I like to make printables every week that focus on our FHE. Then we can display them and remember all week long what we are focusing on!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuXLczAw736XM7yJosxTkPX_j5HvqJY0GlnT53Rrv3zRceIc2du3vnfiaQgCvpNWdtr3x1DoD4xAu3KgOhzEdRVcOo7bJvytfHk8ZrCIUCuQ0br9Hy6tyD6VSXKCI-4mg99LT4VfJjLl50/s1600/temple1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuXLczAw736XM7yJosxTkPX_j5HvqJY0GlnT53Rrv3zRceIc2du3vnfiaQgCvpNWdtr3x1DoD4xAu3KgOhzEdRVcOo7bJvytfHk8ZrCIUCuQ0br9Hy6tyD6VSXKCI-4mg99LT4VfJjLl50/s400/temple1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I actually made another one too, to put up in my girls room ;) Feel free to right-click, save to your computer, and print one up of your own!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiACSxEjPsAfFYmH6bvJa_q4Fv1uWkLm7Bym3X_BSBx9tiDebgB9v_T-yg6uRUmbr3DiSa1P483IZrdS9qk51N91ZA9QNv0UtqMEC66h0KrkXElZqj7Icye0gHlaYkXcpZLCybw7wwIljBs/s1600/temple2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiACSxEjPsAfFYmH6bvJa_q4Fv1uWkLm7Bym3X_BSBx9tiDebgB9v_T-yg6uRUmbr3DiSa1P483IZrdS9qk51N91ZA9QNv0UtqMEC66h0KrkXElZqj7Icye0gHlaYkXcpZLCybw7wwIljBs/s400/temple2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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After we sang I Love to See the Temple, we read from <a href="https://www.lds.org/bc/content/ldsorg/magazine/Friend/2015-May/ConferenceCoverage_May2015Friend.pdf?lang=eng">The Friend</a> magazine some quotes from President Monson as he spoke in General Conference last month about temples. If you don't get your own copy click on the link and it will take you right to it! The kids loved adding up all the temples, from those already completed, those being restored, to those newly announced. They were amazed to think that by the time ALL the temples are finished that have been announced we will have 178 temples all around the world!</div>
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At this point in FHE my younger kids are always starting to get more than a little antsy so we played a really fun game I found forever ago on Pinterest that I have been planning on using for Singing Time. I figured out it would work just as well last night, and my kids totally loved it! And I am SO sorry to whomever first came up with this idea...some of my Pinterest boards got hacked into and I lost lots of pins. I have tried again and again to find the original source, but I cannot anywhere! </div>
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All you need to play Human Spinner is some sort of office chair that can spin around, like so :)</div>
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Then I put up numbers 1-5 all round the room. Have one of your kids sit in the chair and stick out their legs, the legs being the spinner part ;) Then let another kid spin them around and see what number their legs are closest too when they stop!</div>
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Then have them answer one of these questions about temples that corresponds to the number they landed on!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIFlbdjuyajJH7Vc0elX-sCagGiQigff5Tky8I20GUx7Ll74YgG2DagSGSuo-NoJ4IPGFbxmqoQSYYXwAuPi3CF2cu9gZEXjv1rMGCtvb5ibIbHZxvbqw7kSdNwCNMINuFXG0X1_WNtsY8/s1600/temple.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIFlbdjuyajJH7Vc0elX-sCagGiQigff5Tky8I20GUx7Ll74YgG2DagSGSuo-NoJ4IPGFbxmqoQSYYXwAuPi3CF2cu9gZEXjv1rMGCtvb5ibIbHZxvbqw7kSdNwCNMINuFXG0X1_WNtsY8/s400/temple.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Since I have young kids these questions were pretty simple, you could change them up, add more, or do anything you think would benefit your family! The kids LOVED spinning around and answering questions, they wanted to play again and again so we had to keep thinking up more questions ;)</div>
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One last thought :) Our FHE last night went about like they usually do, one kid was crying and got sent to his room, two sisters were fighting and had to be separated, the 2-year old figured this was a great opportunity to destroy the house while we were all in a different room, and mom felt a little defeated when it was all said and done.</div>
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BUT! This morning the kids came down and saw this printable in our living room.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdx6bHvXP1tkl-njOjQCAHk5kl3jvniFcNPOQoGCYjc5DR9_OE8YZkis4py0PgqAWCV0liKMUE3p68NCDUNwIskPpo-3skcDTV7cowttEslSqqYtP3BCBeFqt3A34Tcf4zcp6q-PvlBSy2/s1600/spinner3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdx6bHvXP1tkl-njOjQCAHk5kl3jvniFcNPOQoGCYjc5DR9_OE8YZkis4py0PgqAWCV0liKMUE3p68NCDUNwIskPpo-3skcDTV7cowttEslSqqYtP3BCBeFqt3A34Tcf4zcp6q-PvlBSy2/s400/spinner3.jpg" width="375" /></a></div>
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They immediately started talking about how cool it was that we have 178 temples in progress or done around the world! Then one said they couldn't wait to go inside the Payson Temple. Then my little guy said he was so happy we were sealed in the temple, and that we were a forever family.</div>
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I teared up as I felt the Spirit teach, "Don't give up on family home evenings!!" It is hard. Lots of times I just want to throw in the towel and put on a movie so I can have a minute of quiet ;) However, these little tender mercies remind me its all worth it. We are doing a sacred work as we raise these children, and the Lord will bless us in this work. I know it. I feel Him with me as I strive to teach them something, ANYTHING, that might possibly strengthen them on their journey in this life. Most fhe's aren't going to be Pinterest-worthy...and that is totally fine! Sometimes the message will click, and sometimes it just won't. Sometimes no one will get anything out of it...but sometimes someone will. And if one child receives one answer to a prayer, or gains a testimony of one gospel principal, or has one experience where they KNEW they felt the Spirit...then it is worth it. </div>
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<img align="left" src="http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r640/toniij/sig-1.jpg" style="border: 0;" />Toniihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253171633800258452noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908315881365241089.post-80332146950660895272015-05-15T10:26:00.000-07:002015-05-15T10:26:11.070-07:00Bird Feed Snacks and Feather Fruit Cups {Bird Week}<div style="text-align: center;">
Happy Friday everyone! I don't know about where you are, but here it is RAINY! Since my kids all have major spring fever and its too wet to play outside, I figured a fun, bright movie would be the perfect way to end our week all about birds. Of course, that meant we are watching Rio, and I took a few minutes to throw together a fun snack they can munch on while we all snuggle up on the couch and watch the movie together.</div>
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First up we used our leftover feathers and googly eyes from our Paper Bag Bird Craft to make these Feather Fruit Cups!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8urazMb__8KPcyBSqe4nTLLRXC_3vQbBo0Xjl3eN_4fk4rHxYMcPMcPO5q7qMsh1QltibQjCSSbUlM_kSUXhNy48eUWQEwn3VDVA5o2QEhLQHE1fFbj2Vk8jegmS4xWPjdpvYGrJ3J2LJ/s1600/snacks3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="373" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8urazMb__8KPcyBSqe4nTLLRXC_3vQbBo0Xjl3eN_4fk4rHxYMcPMcPO5q7qMsh1QltibQjCSSbUlM_kSUXhNy48eUWQEwn3VDVA5o2QEhLQHE1fFbj2Vk8jegmS4xWPjdpvYGrJ3J2LJ/s400/snacks3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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We just glued feathers, googly eyes, and paper beaks to these plastic cups and filled them with mandarin oranges. You really could use any kind of fruit you want, for lots of different, fun-colored birds!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ks5V-k-FENVgmmpjIkAElAJjm24lkugStqtzAKgKAVKRPM83Gflj931tXmxWR1NFE_QffEnkkXehXKMitWTb1arElvh2t8jJ9bd4ulecYpIKNgUNTQ-G2Er9v4Oz__kYCSeIF9KyeTG0/s1600/snacks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ks5V-k-FENVgmmpjIkAElAJjm24lkugStqtzAKgKAVKRPM83Gflj931tXmxWR1NFE_QffEnkkXehXKMitWTb1arElvh2t8jJ9bd4ulecYpIKNgUNTQ-G2Er9v4Oz__kYCSeIF9KyeTG0/s400/snacks.jpg" width="338" /></a></div>
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We also threw together these fun Bird Feed Snacks...simply put popcorn, almonds, M&M's, and of course gummy worms in some cute snack bags and you are good to go!</div>
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Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!!</div>
<img align="left" src="http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r640/toniij/sig-1.jpg" style="border: 0;" />Toniihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253171633800258452noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908315881365241089.post-14249712657436241792015-05-14T13:07:00.000-07:002015-05-14T13:07:12.499-07:00Paper Bag Bird Craft {Bird Week}
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I am totally in love with this fun craft we whipped up today, hopefully you and your kids will enjoy it too! I completely spaced going to the store this morning so we had to improvise, but I love what we came up with. Here are our simple and silly Paper Bag Bird Crafts!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJpylUqOLReFIi9PSyX8FkFD1MYKK36xhPckFlHcJIAu5qzRh74sN4ZTKwo0MYAvf9AA0isqfFUS9Tic_vhO2iBz4z-4PVu0PS7To_IBuY_giFWSoHS6p5048tXdizZBBBxHevnIyPD1i-/s1600/birdbag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJpylUqOLReFIi9PSyX8FkFD1MYKK36xhPckFlHcJIAu5qzRh74sN4ZTKwo0MYAvf9AA0isqfFUS9Tic_vhO2iBz4z-4PVu0PS7To_IBuY_giFWSoHS6p5048tXdizZBBBxHevnIyPD1i-/s400/birdbag.jpg" width="322" /></a></div>
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All you need for this fun craft are paper bags, paint (I found some great paint brushes with the paint inside at WalMart the other day that we used), feathers, googly eyes, and orange paper cut into triangles.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb8upM4g7XLIcC0gJFN0HYqu6dM0IL0F-DhWoV7G0QFeviwy_DYoD5V9U4UVYop6ZV4sQDoJl5xVo5a_pOfWnx7frPkd5Oe5XPpkGqGLpDAvPlxTQxp6BFR_W_iPiEKjaVvREx5ccFB_vi/s1600/birdbag2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb8upM4g7XLIcC0gJFN0HYqu6dM0IL0F-DhWoV7G0QFeviwy_DYoD5V9U4UVYop6ZV4sQDoJl5xVo5a_pOfWnx7frPkd5Oe5XPpkGqGLpDAvPlxTQxp6BFR_W_iPiEKjaVvREx5ccFB_vi/s400/birdbag2.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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Once you have your paper bags ready let the kids go crazy painting them any colors they want. One tip-try and make sure your kids don't use TOO much paint, otherwise it will take hours to dry ;) I had to get a paper towel and wipe off excess paint on most of ours after we were done...the other one I didn't wipe is still drying ;)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6e2YpYFuyfnHgmGZvXoA2W27NrRVrwWW84fJ2ohJczeo2EPzUehi6WJBk9vfkJvlpIxfuSkpj2IME6Vfq7i2A3Oc_e6JHf4m9B0WHJIabSfqSALvil_pu20uFfQpdE1gkZk5RNUyfJ3oo/s1600/birdbag4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6e2YpYFuyfnHgmGZvXoA2W27NrRVrwWW84fJ2ohJczeo2EPzUehi6WJBk9vfkJvlpIxfuSkpj2IME6Vfq7i2A3Oc_e6JHf4m9B0WHJIabSfqSALvil_pu20uFfQpdE1gkZk5RNUyfJ3oo/s400/birdbag4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Once your bags are dry, just glue on googly eyes, an orange triangle for the beak, and feathers on the back for wings! Your kids will LOVE their new Paper Bag Bird Puppets...mine sure did!</div>
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Thanks so much for checking out Blue Skies Ahead today, hope you have a great day!</div>
<img align="left" src="http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r640/toniij/sig-1.jpg" style="border: 0;" />Toniihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253171633800258452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908315881365241089.post-79603896388476613592015-05-13T14:07:00.000-07:002015-05-13T14:07:00.057-07:00Homemade Bird Feeders {Bird Week}<div style="text-align: center;">
This week we are learning all about birds at our house, and I found a fantastic idea from the gals at <a href="http://eighteen25.blogspot.com/2011/08/bird-feeders.html">Eighteen25 </a>that I knew would be the perfect activity for my kids...</div>
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Homemade Bird Feeders!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5yZLJ8tX8eXgKHO142OkAWQuMJenVrKlhiRw7y9mPkQMO0hNf7z_FXG2SdaycsnhgrvwUrYu0RnUzq5EiF8IFkpVR0Vvq9DYrNk7MCnYXvdq6WT4XQEo00V4q9f4f1Ri0QgJr4XoPOa7O/s1600/birds5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="393" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5yZLJ8tX8eXgKHO142OkAWQuMJenVrKlhiRw7y9mPkQMO0hNf7z_FXG2SdaycsnhgrvwUrYu0RnUzq5EiF8IFkpVR0Vvq9DYrNk7MCnYXvdq6WT4XQEo00V4q9f4f1Ri0QgJr4XoPOa7O/s400/birds5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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These were the perfect quick and fun activity to fill up our morning before my kids went to kindergarten, preschool and nap time ;)</div>
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All you need to make some of your own are bird food ( I got this bag at my local grocery store), gelatin packets, wax paper, twine or string, and cookie cutters.</div>
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To start off you simmer 1/4 C water with one packet of gelatin. Once your gelatin is dissolved you take your pot off the heat and let cool for a minute. Once its cool add one cup of bird seed and mix well!</div>
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Then you just put your cookie cutters on some wax paper and fill them up about halfway. Cut a piece of twine and push it down in the middle, then fill the rest of your cookie cutter and pat it down hard!</div>
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This little cutie loved picking out her cookie cutters and packing in the bird seed...the hard part was waiting for them to harden ;) The original post said to wait overnight...we were way to impatient so we only waited about 3 hours and then stuck them in the fridge for about 30 just to make sure they would hold together.</div>
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Once they were ready we popped them out, and ran outside to hang them up!</div>
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Thanks for stopping by and checking out our homemade birdfeeders, hope you are all having a wonderful week where ever you are! :)</div>
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<img align="left" src="http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r640/toniij/sig-1.jpg" style="border: 0;" />Toniihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253171633800258452noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908315881365241089.post-9789927227177962782015-05-11T13:03:00.000-07:002015-05-11T13:03:21.257-07:00Conflict Resolution Family Home Evening<div style="text-align: center;">
Hello everyone! I hope you had a wonderful weekend, and great Mother's Day! Today I quickly wanted to share a FHE I prepared, that we are actually going to be using tonight...so if its a total flop I apologize in advance ;) </div>
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We could not be more excited for summer at our house, however, there is one thing that happens every summer at my house that drives me crazy. The fighting!! The kids seem to get bored easier, annoyed quicker, and it drives me crazy! To try and combat this yearly craziness I thought we could do a family night addressing different ways to resolve conflict. First up I found some great information on Pinterest, and put it together on a simple printable we are going to hang up permanently in our family study :)</div>
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBwy_kmpa8Y7I9MiXEXrmYJAQGv71GlY_OGffEBRMGmTYg5vSazuxStCZ-p1yD4H6pTjekmxOl1haIDkkJUhV_2RrsbPmBXFr87SdYojAyojG0CtmWyiVssDbUJS_9-gma1aj0H4HE47ko/s1600/conflict.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBwy_kmpa8Y7I9MiXEXrmYJAQGv71GlY_OGffEBRMGmTYg5vSazuxStCZ-p1yD4H6pTjekmxOl1haIDkkJUhV_2RrsbPmBXFr87SdYojAyojG0CtmWyiVssDbUJS_9-gma1aj0H4HE47ko/s400/conflict.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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One by one, we will go through the different ways you can resolve conflict. Some are pretty simple, like ask for help, share, take turns and apologize. Laugh means to just find humor in the situation and be able to laugh at yourself. Chance means to either flip a coin or do rock, paper scissors to make a decision. Avoid means sometimes there are fights that are just not worth fighting, and its ok to just walk away! Finally, compromise is where you both give up a little, but you also both get something you are happy with.</div>
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Then for our activity we are going to talk about different situations that "bug us", and then decide what tool we can use to resolve that conflict.</div>
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I made these cute little bugs that we cut out and taped up on our big chalkboard.</div>
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On the back of each bug I wrote down a real-life scenario, something my kids have encountered recently. The kids can then take turns hitting a bug with a fly swatter, and then taking it off the board, reading the scenario, and finally deciding how they can effectively and kindly resolve the conflict. Some of the scenarios I used were:</div>
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My little sister takes my things without asking</div>
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My friends want to jump on the tramp, but I want to ride bikes</div>
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I do something silly on accident and everyone laughs at me</div>
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I lose my temper and say something mean</div>
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You get the idea ;)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIqO17hyRpgcZWHo8-MmadJNn6Wm0JAWu25rpcu9B1IFbPxZ6jLrOaV_YBV_uekJAAUQPmVpLUE_2V2dD8n0tV7vqP9so1_Sg8s8syUCbUc4CDVRk9cPfpQteTHDJGbo-mPWFaP8KR3A2D/s1600/photo+2+(24).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIqO17hyRpgcZWHo8-MmadJNn6Wm0JAWu25rpcu9B1IFbPxZ6jLrOaV_YBV_uekJAAUQPmVpLUE_2V2dD8n0tV7vqP9so1_Sg8s8syUCbUc4CDVRk9cPfpQteTHDJGbo-mPWFaP8KR3A2D/s400/photo+2+(24).jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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To finish off the night we are going to read one of our families favorite books, Enemy Pie. If you haven't heard of it, I totally suggest it! It is an awesome story about a boy whose dad helps him find a creative way to resolve his conflict with a neighbor boy. I love that if focuses on kindness, that is what I really want my kids to try and get out of this FHE. No matter what, there is always a chance for us to be kind!</div>
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<img align="left" src="http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r640/toniij/sig-1.jpg" style="border: 0;" />Toniihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253171633800258452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908315881365241089.post-9238258415390016582015-05-06T12:58:00.000-07:002015-05-06T12:58:51.113-07:00My green front door So about two years ago we bought a lot right next door to the home we were renting with plans to build a new home. About six months later we actually got moving and started construction on our lot. It was BEYOND overwhelming...mostly because I really didn't know what I wanted and there were so many choices.<br />
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Although I was really in over my head, there were a few things that I knew I wanted...basically a white kitchen with blue subway tile, a dark navy blue exterior on the house, and a bright, fun door! My husband was with me on everything...except for that bright fun door ;) It took some serious compromising to avoid another plain white door, but I finally got him to give! (Just in case your are wondering, I had to give in to the ridiculously big shower he wanted that I thought was a total waste of space. Now I absolutely love it so it actually worked out all right for me ;)<br />
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I remember posting the paint swatch I wanted to use on FB and asking all my friends what they thought. Everyone seemed to love it, and really...I had already make up my mind and was just looking for some positive reinforcement ;) For YEARS now I have been loving the blue and green combo, so I figured a funky lime-y, apple-y green would be a great compliment to my dark blue exterior. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_g1W4kdDR7ferEp9PEAUE5DHX9Z3yl9_e7A692N0Yx6Pk4LUM1Ix1BSFtCeUGaMqUUyV6Z_vCMzGURnZtdBAQxpJEds_TPd9fYVwiTqBcksh1z4wCEmfCQDLfyHOiv-2yhIkM6ELnBUt8/s1600/front+door2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_g1W4kdDR7ferEp9PEAUE5DHX9Z3yl9_e7A692N0Yx6Pk4LUM1Ix1BSFtCeUGaMqUUyV6Z_vCMzGURnZtdBAQxpJEds_TPd9fYVwiTqBcksh1z4wCEmfCQDLfyHOiv-2yhIkM6ELnBUt8/s1600/front+door2.jpg" height="640" width="459" /></a></div>
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Honestly, it turned out even better than I imagined! I love how it brightens up my entryway and shows off a little bit of our family's crazy personality too.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYlQrsYq7asR7xjGt3s2SJFHjyuTgeMfdqZCQlz-rg4wiLXKvO5Im8esLncGiy949K186TqD7ZInXCxTp_ij7E7Om-9_2Gvq4-a9HgEyfp-MNUQD9ijXghyge0tQH5-Ti2LOSNKcL4HUye/s1600/front+door3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYlQrsYq7asR7xjGt3s2SJFHjyuTgeMfdqZCQlz-rg4wiLXKvO5Im8esLncGiy949K186TqD7ZInXCxTp_ij7E7Om-9_2Gvq4-a9HgEyfp-MNUQD9ijXghyge0tQH5-Ti2LOSNKcL4HUye/s1600/front+door3.jpg" height="640" width="492" /></a></div>
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I have also loved how easy it has been to decorate for the different seasons. I just threw this wreath together a few nights ago with some hydrangeas, floral sprays, and ribbon from Hobby Lobby. It took under 10 minutes to glue everything together and I love the finished product. </div>
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According to <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/255579347580828278/">Pinterest</a> a green front door evokes feelings of peace, health and growth. These are ALL feelings we strive for in our crazy, loud, and exciting family of 7...especially the peace part ;)</div>
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So what do you think about the painted front door trend? Do you have a fun front door, or do you prefer something a little more classic? Thanks for checking us out today and have a lovely Wednesday!</div>
<img align="left" src="http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r640/toniij/sig-1.jpg" style="border: 0;" />Toniihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253171633800258452noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908315881365241089.post-89279121212373453492015-05-05T10:37:00.000-07:002015-05-05T13:29:37.103-07:00Cinco de Mayo crafts {Homemade Maracas and Eye of God Craft}<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Happy Cinco de Mayo! I know its last minute, but thats how we roll around here ;) Today we are sharing two really fun and simple crafts your kids will love...young and old!</div>
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First up are these adorable Pinterest-inspired Homemade Maracas! I saw a pin<a href="http://www.danamadeit.com/2012/04/tutorial-easter-egg-maracas-for-cinco-de-mayo.html"> HERE</a> and knew these needed to be a part of our celebration.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrsD4bd8NpsmFy5iPezsgQ6f-_P6Y9iOHDAvfWENj68JifjB7ndtNebo88I3S6RYXCbHxK3hNK1MrzflH8RpS6HHfAHUXQhHo37joGktS5CKFPhnsXM4D6fhUVxzlB4njN3BW9_oM0RQQ6/s1600/maracas5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrsD4bd8NpsmFy5iPezsgQ6f-_P6Y9iOHDAvfWENj68JifjB7ndtNebo88I3S6RYXCbHxK3hNK1MrzflH8RpS6HHfAHUXQhHo37joGktS5CKFPhnsXM4D6fhUVxzlB4njN3BW9_oM0RQQ6/s1600/maracas5.jpg" height="400" width="362" /></a></div>
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These maracas are easy, the kids can do them mostly by themselves, and they will love playing with them all day long. To get started you need some plastic spoons, plastic eggs, rice, and washi tape.</div>
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All you do is fill up your eggs with rice, and then place two spoons around your egg.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisqsOCYv_EB13ZIEALiu9YZhyphenhyphenBT6cNPRxvbo1tItJPSv90P2pem-TNzCy4zXL1euklRrsEMFYDnkUPKFT1PTdFcpcIgzyy_OMXVQptFJyIaPYQlRDkrtXfJlx8RaLZEAlZiGMCt2U-LhLd/s1600/maracas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisqsOCYv_EB13ZIEALiu9YZhyphenhyphenBT6cNPRxvbo1tItJPSv90P2pem-TNzCy4zXL1euklRrsEMFYDnkUPKFT1PTdFcpcIgzyy_OMXVQptFJyIaPYQlRDkrtXfJlx8RaLZEAlZiGMCt2U-LhLd/s1600/maracas.jpg" height="400" width="386" /></a></div>
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Then use your washi tape to secure your egg and you are ready for the best part...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1axxLXhHYXg55gZqzz7gJPRgDN4NkSTFRwH8NPnmWlZJ-R1TVgKJiW8tgvNTAjaqFq_n8KIMl7tZp5bGksubVNGVehyp_R0PBoHYiPtEAjNMGiydT5D1YOkocZq-h7xBcTkhVcd16PrdG/s1600/maracas4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1axxLXhHYXg55gZqzz7gJPRgDN4NkSTFRwH8NPnmWlZJ-R1TVgKJiW8tgvNTAjaqFq_n8KIMl7tZp5bGksubVNGVehyp_R0PBoHYiPtEAjNMGiydT5D1YOkocZq-h7xBcTkhVcd16PrdG/s1600/maracas4.jpg" height="400" width="297" /></a></div>
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To SHAKE IT!!</div>
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(And yes, this is how we roll. Dirty shirt, no pants and a crumb-covered floor ;) </div>
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The next craft we did was creating Eye of God's. My older girls really loved these, in fact they spent an hour making them with their friends last night...after they had worked on them for an hour after school :)</div>
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All you need for this craft is popsicle sticks, tape or glue and yarn...easy-peasy! To make them as colorful as possible I used multi-colored yarn and colored popsicle sticks. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_99DzQ7qj3IDCG7nQTkKlPyzPyechCczA4eQEAnT57n8G9VBTELutM59H0kOUBTC0ek_xOtm42oY4iouNyIM9g67xjPmEkP3eSdTzUx2lwwf7BcWFDeumYXnNKo3UTiam-oiG_iNHRar7/s1600/maracas6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_99DzQ7qj3IDCG7nQTkKlPyzPyechCczA4eQEAnT57n8G9VBTELutM59H0kOUBTC0ek_xOtm42oY4iouNyIM9g67xjPmEkP3eSdTzUx2lwwf7BcWFDeumYXnNKo3UTiam-oiG_iNHRar7/s1600/maracas6.jpg" height="400" width="357" /></a></div>
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To show my kids how to wrap the yarn around your sticks to make this cool design we watched <a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Make-an-Eye-of-God">THIS</a> tutorial, they explained it all beautifully.</div>
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I hope these gave you some fun, last-minute ideas and ways to enjoy your little ones today! Thanks so much for checking out Blue Skies Ahead!</div>
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<img align="left" src="http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r640/toniij/sig-1.jpg" style="border: 0;" />Toniihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253171633800258452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908315881365241089.post-21942451980074115172015-05-04T08:54:00.001-07:002015-05-04T08:54:55.147-07:00Salty AND Sweet Cinco de Mayo Snacks!<br />
Happy Monday everyone! We had quite the eventful weekend. Let me just say it involved a two-year old plugging the tub and leaving it running for HOURS, and a disaster clean up crew ;) Even though there is lots of damage, I am so incredibly grateful no one was hurt...and that we have homeowners insurance ;)<br />
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On a happier note, today we are sharing some tasty Cinco de Mayo snacks you can easily whip up to satisfy your sweet tooth OR you craving for something salty!<br />
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First up we have our Salty Cinco de Mayo snack. All we did for this bad boy was layer salsa, sour cream, and avocado in a clear cup with some tortilla chips on the side. Its a fun chance to teach your kids about the Mexican flag, and the perfect after school snack.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlIHp85T736tCT_TTbO3jJBCVD63hvg1qbM4igjFVoVL1YPkCr4qrSW9Qp4GC0wTOJdWc_HfIREhV2PISf_yraHMZwMhEQqDssFJM-VqrlmgpQZgaZoh5vb1exa2IJFMvYGqdz7uPAi0V3/s1600/mayo2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlIHp85T736tCT_TTbO3jJBCVD63hvg1qbM4igjFVoVL1YPkCr4qrSW9Qp4GC0wTOJdWc_HfIREhV2PISf_yraHMZwMhEQqDssFJM-VqrlmgpQZgaZoh5vb1exa2IJFMvYGqdz7uPAi0V3/s400/mayo2.jpg" width="362" /></a></div>
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I would choose a salty snack EVERY single time over sweet...but I can't say the same for my kids ;) The sweet version of our snack is just sliced strawberries, then a layer of whipped cream, topped off with a layer of halved green grapes.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhEv4fF8b5pb84DW9Nw0_Fqt9-G-WiVY78FbJYbX8d_UiMeH5N3G4_rsuWAudxaBixowRkPro6axVaCsbyWgxT_MXzorfo6JuQWBNiLG2o5LMWRjMGrHl2xq7oarXNO-ynAPHy8uj5T6o3/s1600/mayo3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="397" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhEv4fF8b5pb84DW9Nw0_Fqt9-G-WiVY78FbJYbX8d_UiMeH5N3G4_rsuWAudxaBixowRkPro6axVaCsbyWgxT_MXzorfo6JuQWBNiLG2o5LMWRjMGrHl2xq7oarXNO-ynAPHy8uj5T6o3/s400/mayo3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The kids gobbled this right up along with their breakfast this morning, it would make a great side dish or dessert for your Cinco de Mayo celebrations tomorrow too :)</div>
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Does your family celebrate Cinco de Mayo? If so, I would LOVE to hear your favorite traditions! Have a great day!</div>
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<img align="left" src="http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r640/toniij/sig-1.jpg" style="border: 0;" />Toniihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253171633800258452noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908315881365241089.post-3827128232254299212015-05-01T13:40:00.000-07:002015-05-01T13:40:08.591-07:00Cinco de Mayo Tissue Paper Craft<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
So here we are again! After a 4 month blogging hiatus I really thought we had put this whole blogging thing on the shelf, but then my kiddos changed my mind. The other night we were looking for a recipe on the blog and we ended up spending over an hour pouring over past posts and remembering SO many fun things we have done together. I realized what a blessing this blog has been, even if for NO other reason than I have preserved some wonderful memories I have had the chance to share with my kids. </div>
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So there you have it! I hope to be able to share with you just a tidbit of our lives, things we do that add a little bit of joy or laughter into the sometimes mundane world of a stay-at-home-mom. There are good days, and there are bad days...but this blog is dedicated to focusing on the good, even with its imperfections and challenges!</div>
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Next week we are going to be doing a few simple things to celebrate and learn about Cinco de Mayo, so I thought today would be the perfect opportunity to make a craft we could display while we do all our activities, a Cinco de Mayo Tissue Paper Craft!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNwrTDRcca1N6R06RDytaufLB_uhmVr7sZYSWhD0nDPEZVTOSbnLBzDmJKcHA1QEG2wFnJEIlmc1gChxz9YQu_6bK4GJhlphcBYAaQg2SE-bQNiubvpd5qd4RA3V-ArHRb2bpLoPCZWn8X/s1600/cinco4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNwrTDRcca1N6R06RDytaufLB_uhmVr7sZYSWhD0nDPEZVTOSbnLBzDmJKcHA1QEG2wFnJEIlmc1gChxz9YQu_6bK4GJhlphcBYAaQg2SE-bQNiubvpd5qd4RA3V-ArHRb2bpLoPCZWn8X/s1600/cinco4.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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This craft was great fun for the kids, and took about 5 minutes of prep from me :) All you need to make your own are a bunch of different colored tissue paper, some glue, and a 5 template cut out.</div>
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I just googled printable 5 template and then printed and cut them out for my kids. </div>
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Once you have your supplies ready to go, let your kids go CRAZY ripping their tissue paper into pieces...my kids enjoyed this part. Especially my kindergartner...what is it about ripping up papers and 6 year old boys?! At least this time it wasn't one of my 9 year olds song lyrics or 7 year olds drawings. Yeah, it happens a lot at this house ;) </div>
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Once you have a good pile of tissue paper, you just spread glue around your 5 and squash those tissue paper slips down until your 5 is FULL of tissue paper. </div>
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Did I mention this was a messy craft? Well...it is :) Luckily my kids still think sweeping is a novelty and something quite fun to do.</div>
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The kids loved the finished product and said they looked like number pinatas. I thought after how cute it would be do some in the colors of the Mexican flag, we may have to make a few more later ;) We hung them up in our family study and can't wait to enjoy them as we continue with Cinco de Mayo fun into next week!</div>
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Thank you so much for stopping by. I have had so many wonderful comments, followers and friends over the years of blogging, it has truly been a wonderful experience for me. I love sharing and learning from others as we navigate this crazy and wonderful stage of life...have a wonderful weekend friends!</div>
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<img align="left" src="http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r640/toniij/sig-1.jpg" style="border: 0;" />Toniihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253171633800258452noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908315881365241089.post-2498400451299530682015-01-13T14:37:00.000-08:002015-01-13T14:39:26.157-08:00January's Service Project: Mini-craft Bags for Children's Hospital {Serving with young children}
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Today we wanted to share with you a really fun service project that we put together last night! It is always kind of hard to find something that our whole family can participate in, and also something that the kids can really get passionate about...this service project was fun, simple and the kids loved every minute of it.</div>
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A while back one of our sweet nephews had an accident and ended up at Primary Children's Hospital. It was pretty scary for a while, and we were just in awe of the amazing people that took care of him. When we went to visit we were able to go to this amazing craft/playroom they have for patients and visitors. Aside from all the really cool, fun toys they had an amazing arts and crafts area. My kids are STILL talking about the silly putty they made there :) I was really touched and asked the volunteer there if they accepted donations. She told me the majority of what they are able to provide comes from donations, and I have been thinking about that ever since! </div>
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I finally decided to get my bum in gear, so for our Family Home Evening last night we put together these simple, mini-craft bags to donate to the children's hospital.</div>
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The fun thing about this service project was the kids got to make all the crafts and then assemble all the different pieces in bags. After that I made instructions that we printed out and stapled to each bag. We made about 10 bags of each of the 3 crafts, and we were able to stay under $15, also using supplies we had on hand, for the entire project!</div>
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These are most of the supplies we used to make our 3 fun crafts!</div>
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For our Beaded Hearts we just used red and white pipe cleaners with white, red, and clear pony beads. Print out the above instruction sheet and you are good to go!</div>
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Our heart chain craft was really simple as well, all you need for this one is strips of red, white, and pink construction paper and a stapler :)</div>
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Finally, my kids favorite, were the Love Bugs we made :) I find the inspiration for these<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/53058101836297255/"> HERE</a>, and I think they are just adorable! For these you need clothespins, poms in pink and red, googly eyes, and pipe cleaners. </div>
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Now we have our craft bags ready to go and we will be delivering them to Primary Children's tomorrow night! If you are interested in doing something for Primary's too feel free to check out the information <a href="http://intermountainhealthcare.org/hospitals/primarychildrens/donations/pcmc-foundation/ways-to-give/service/Pages/home.aspx">HERE</a>...there are some great ideas and things that CANNOT be donated as well.</div>
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Thank you so much for stopping by today...and please share! What are some of your favorite service ideas for families with young kids??</div>
Toniihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253171633800258452noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908315881365241089.post-32603438114726813732015-01-08T20:26:00.001-08:002015-01-08T20:26:05.227-08:00Johnson Family Theme 2015!Hello, hello! I am so happy to finally be getting another blog post up :) It seems like no matter how good my intentions are, I just cannot seem to find the time to sit down for a few minutes and compose a few scattered thoughts into a blog post. However, as soon as I do, I remember how much I enjoy this little place of mine to share a few rambling thoughts and pieces of our lives. <br />
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Today I wanted to share with you what we have chosen to be our Johnson Family Theme of 2015! (Doesn't that have a nice ring to it?;)<br />
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Deciding on a theme turned out to be a really cool experience for my husband and I. I mentioned that I wanted to pick a theme, and asked him to think and pray about what he thought our family needed this year. I told him I would do the same, and we went on our separate ways for the day. That night, before bed, I asked him if he had any ideas that he felt strongly about. He said that one thing kept coming back to him, that we needed to teach our kids more about SERVICE, and the hymn Because I Have Been Given Much. The interesting thing was, I had been having similar thoughts, about service but also about different types of giving as well. I kept having a scripture come to me, where King Lamoni's Father is praying to Heavenly Father in the Book of Mormon and he says "I would give away my sins to know Thee". From our two thoughts and the guidance of the Spirit we came up with our theme:
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I just LOVE this theme! In the short week that we have shared this with our kids we have already seen some great things and small blessing every single day.</div>
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We introduced our theme on Monday night for Family Home Evening, and did a fun activity to go along with it. </div>
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I decided we needed simple ways to help the kids serve in little ways every, single day. To help them get in that habit, we created a Simple Service Jar! </div>
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All we did was tape this printable around a mason jar and fill it will slips of paper. On every slip we wrote small, simple acts of service we can do for one another. They were anything from giving 3 compliments that day to helping mom with the baby while she makes dinner. Shoveling a neighbors driveway to writing letters to missionaries from our family and ward. The whole point of this jar to help the kids see that serving can become a way of life, that a little bit of effort on our part can greatly bless the lives of others. </div>
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I am happy to say we have already pulled 4 or 5 papers out of our service jar when the kids are bored or grumpy, and it really is amazing how doing something kind for someone else can change the attitude and spirit in our home! </div>
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Going along with our theme of Giving this year we will be doing monthly service projects and as many other things as I can possibly think of. Hopefully I will be on top of it enough to share some of those things here ;) Thank you so much for stopping by and please share: do you do a family theme in your home? If so...what is your family theme for 2015?!</div>
<img align="left" src="http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r640/toniij/sig-1.jpg" style="border: 0px currentColor;" />Toniihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253171633800258452noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908315881365241089.post-15541626365262384082015-01-05T12:28:00.001-08:002015-01-05T12:28:11.163-08:00Primary Balloon Birthday Gifts
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Happy Monday everyone! I am still lucky enough to get to serve in our wards Primary as chorister, and we did something new for birthdays I thought I would share today! These turned out so cute, and when we did them for the first time yesterday the kids seemed to really love them.<br />
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I actually saw this cute idea<a href="http://onceuponafirstgradeadventure.blogspot.com/2012/06/made-it-monday-okay-its-tuesday-but.html"> HERE</a>, but I made my own balloon printables to include lyrics from our favorite Primary birthday song. Once I had my balloons printed and cut out I just taped them to the top of a silly straw and they were ready to go!<br />
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I just went to my local dollar store and was able to get a six pack of silly straws for $1, not too shabby! In our ward we also have the kids show their balloon to the bishop after church and he gives them a treat as well. </div>
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Feel free to right-click, copy and print away with these balloons and make some Primary Balloon Birthday Gifts of your own! :)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3zGiWm30EEKWUr0lWBne8ixkLyjai1Vi1FNcCKc1mX7lxqfIQTqhqw92a-jAjx_7FyMR8OEt1OBkdlZjzTi2cNzU-iyb_raexF8GsyvhUaMPW4z3NS7BkdCFfzaJHyIU_QYWWJpUIZ8To/s1600/primarybdays.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3zGiWm30EEKWUr0lWBne8ixkLyjai1Vi1FNcCKc1mX7lxqfIQTqhqw92a-jAjx_7FyMR8OEt1OBkdlZjzTi2cNzU-iyb_raexF8GsyvhUaMPW4z3NS7BkdCFfzaJHyIU_QYWWJpUIZ8To/s1600/primarybdays.jpg" height="640" width="512" /></a></div>
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<img align="left" src="http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r640/toniij/sig-1.jpg" style="border: 0px currentColor;" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3zGiWm30EEKWUr0lWBne8ixkLyjai1Vi1FNcCKc1mX7lxqfIQTqhqw92a-jAjx_7FyMR8OEt1OBkdlZjzTi2cNzU-iyb_raexF8GsyvhUaMPW4z3NS7BkdCFfzaJHyIU_QYWWJpUIZ8To/s1600/primarybdays.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3zGiWm30EEKWUr0lWBne8ixkLyjai1Vi1FNcCKc1mX7lxqfIQTqhqw92a-jAjx_7FyMR8OEt1OBkdlZjzTi2cNzU-iyb_raexF8GsyvhUaMPW4z3NS7BkdCFfzaJHyIU_QYWWJpUIZ8To/s1600/primarybdays.jpg" height="320" width="256" /></a>Toniihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253171633800258452noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908315881365241089.post-34586617189403361352014-12-31T11:34:00.000-08:002014-12-31T11:34:02.656-08:00New Years Resolutions Printable...For the Kids!
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Hello my long-lost blogging friends!! I have missed this little old blog of mine, so I thought I would share something you may enjoy doing for New Years with your family :) We had our kids fill out these resolution pages last year, and it has been so fun looking at them as this new year approaches, seeing how much they have grown and changed in one little year!<br />
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To do this fun activity with your family just have your kids either glue a recent picture of themselves in the middle square or draw a picture of themselves. Then have them answer all of the different questions in each bubble. I love how the questions all focus on different goals, things the kids can give, see, learn, try and become!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUwItWF_ayvLvhPmjvBSfzfaLeg2Kprvz5AGAZ0aQyMVw7jJsO5SN3TU6kHxz3BlBXt4t_rsLJVwlsJLT6DZWRbybIAd8r4TSw5Yr9vd2DF9HpvejSn_aWlm6sqi1jlXsPUfBc7uc9cjnp/s1600/happy2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUwItWF_ayvLvhPmjvBSfzfaLeg2Kprvz5AGAZ0aQyMVw7jJsO5SN3TU6kHxz3BlBXt4t_rsLJVwlsJLT6DZWRbybIAd8r4TSw5Yr9vd2DF9HpvejSn_aWlm6sqi1jlXsPUfBc7uc9cjnp/s1600/happy2015.jpg" height="400" width="320" /></a></div>
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Just print off as many as you need and then sit back and enjoy all the cute things your kids come up with!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIq-XGsOsECrcnXBo_8UtP3_AuCHu45iz6dZOa4tqMJ2qqRhalFq-MYgAt0Qn0j3VdJytAiAj524XEQC1N1nLiyTxctxpOxbZAgXqGwtca2ECtuA6rMKL4jXQHcjWNLk29TUgDxwmtyhQy/s1600/photo+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIq-XGsOsECrcnXBo_8UtP3_AuCHu45iz6dZOa4tqMJ2qqRhalFq-MYgAt0Qn0j3VdJytAiAj524XEQC1N1nLiyTxctxpOxbZAgXqGwtca2ECtuA6rMKL4jXQHcjWNLk29TUgDxwmtyhQy/s1600/photo+(1).JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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And make sure once they are filled out to save them for next year so you can look at them in 2016! ;)</div>
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I hope this New Year's Eve finds you and your families happy, save and full of love!</div>
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<img align="left" src="http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r640/toniij/sig-1.jpg" style="border: 0px currentColor;" />Toniihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253171633800258452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908315881365241089.post-61010996351438365462014-11-05T12:23:00.002-08:002014-11-05T12:23:58.612-08:00Chalkboard Thankful Tree<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hello my friends, how is your November going? This is one of my favorite months of the year, and we always try to do some activities to help us be more thankful and cultivate an attitude of gratitude.</div>
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Unfortunately, more often then not, I come up with a super cute and super unrealistic activity that takes lots of effort and usually fizzles out by the second week of November...can anyone else relate?! This year I decided to simplify, and thank goodness I found <a href="http://keephomesimple.blogspot.com/2013/11/our-chalkboard-thankful-tree.html">THIS</a> genius idea on Pinterest...</div>
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A Chalkboard Thankful Tree!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKrw6DzNY7l1R4-WZAVBxsOtrJVGyXs0XHfXeWlxuIt6yehere9C7W7sEdtWDRCU61abzzNs_Ir-9M1hYQMuLOBrVyXDhVT-uM8f-aSbkG5GBWY_D4uKskLOXNCy4j8PYkYp4D6ocJO7qS/s1600/photo+2+(10).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKrw6DzNY7l1R4-WZAVBxsOtrJVGyXs0XHfXeWlxuIt6yehere9C7W7sEdtWDRCU61abzzNs_Ir-9M1hYQMuLOBrVyXDhVT-uM8f-aSbkG5GBWY_D4uKskLOXNCy4j8PYkYp4D6ocJO7qS/s1600/photo+2+(10).JPG" height="640" width="448" /></a></div>
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In our study I knew I wanted a HUGE chalkboard, and since I could never find one that I wanted we just slapped some chalkboard viny on the wall and framed it with this great Ikea frame. We have used it tons already, but it really came in handy for our Thankful Tree. As you can see, we just drew lots of branches on our tree and every morning after breakfast we go into the study and take turns saying one thing we are thankful for. Some are silly and some are serious, but I LOVE that for 10 minutes out of the day we are thinking of nothing but ALL we have to be grateful for. </div>
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We just started this 3 days ago and our bare tree is really starting to already fill in!</div>
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How do you help your kids show more gratitude this month? Keep checking back, we have a few simple service projects we are doing and as always some yummy treats and crafts...have a fantastic day!</div>
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<img align="left" src="http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r640/toniij/sig-1.jpg" style="border: 0px currentColor;" />Toniihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253171633800258452noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908315881365241089.post-12837358777618373502014-11-03T11:14:00.000-08:002014-11-03T11:14:11.161-08:00Making Oatmeal Monday...Funfetti Cake Batter Oatmeal!<div style="text-align: center;">
Hello friends!! It has been a LONG time since I posted something on here...is October as crazy for everyone else as it always seems to be for me?! I cannot believe it is already November, time is flying by like it always does!</div>
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So it seems like every Halloween we have so many treats leading up to the big night, and then SO much candy after, that I am always trying to get back some healthier habits come November. One thing that has been driving me crazy lately, but I have been too lazy to do anything about, is that my kids are eating sugary cereal pretty much every day for breakfast. This bugs me on many levels. They are filling themselves with sugar immediately as they wake up, they stay full for approximately 7 minutes, and they get completely addicted and go crazy if I try to have them eat anything else! I decided to cut it out, except for the occasional weekend treat. I knew this would not go over well, so I am trying to do some fun things to introduce different breakfasts to my kids...and one of my favorites is oatmeal!! I love how filling it is, how many different ways you can make it, and there is nothing better on a cold fall morning ;)</div>
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I told the kids every Monday we would try a new oatmeal recipe, so today we kicked off our Making Oatmeal Monday with something I KNEW my kids would love...</div>
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Funfetti Cake Batter Oatmeal!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh31SJU6nH5jOg6z3cC8zEBDvTz2NMUiz4RWM1TUd3x0CR14O7glDi2y-PW6x1v1zh-2zn72cMndrVX6UIIh-jIhX687UQC_W5AsB38Cpl_M39QgG19jQjPbNI1aYKgiuhhkGQz7pHFZFTR/s1600/photo+2+(9).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh31SJU6nH5jOg6z3cC8zEBDvTz2NMUiz4RWM1TUd3x0CR14O7glDi2y-PW6x1v1zh-2zn72cMndrVX6UIIh-jIhX687UQC_W5AsB38Cpl_M39QgG19jQjPbNI1aYKgiuhhkGQz7pHFZFTR/s1600/photo+2+(9).jpg" height="313" width="400" /></a></div>
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Seriously, how fun is this?! I found this recipe at <a href="http://amyshealthybaking.com/blog/2014/02/20/skinny-funfetti-cake-batter-oatmeal/#.VFWbLi-9LCQ">Amy's Healthy Baking</a> and knew my kids would love it. I mean, sprinkles for breakfast?! And, its actually pretty healthy too!</div>
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The key to making this oatmeal taste like cake batter is using butter extract. I had never heard of it before, but it made the oatmeal taste exactly like cake mix and I was able to pick some up this morning at WalMart in the baking aisle. Here is the recipe in case you want make some for your family too! :)</div>
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1 1/3 C rolled oats</div>
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2 2/3 C skim milk</div>
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1 tsp butter extract</div>
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sweetener to taste</div>
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Cook oats and milk on the stovetop at medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until most of the liquid has been absorbed by the oats. Then let stand until the oatmeal thickens. Stir in your butter extract and sweetener of your choice (I just used about a 1/4 C of brown sugar) and then add a sprinkles to the top!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBRSsbhlmBbR31LhgB0LGWHXBtrn9Mp1wx7ow7yQV1d0_OcqgTRC2_Af1zshSeczrh6l8pkslYEZxl6tJ18dBUyp6L-8RVHAFCoW7ZDXYM4PCFlKTc4no8eSCZ4e-vagiCKXxfLU4j-o5A/s1600/photo+1+(8).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBRSsbhlmBbR31LhgB0LGWHXBtrn9Mp1wx7ow7yQV1d0_OcqgTRC2_Af1zshSeczrh6l8pkslYEZxl6tJ18dBUyp6L-8RVHAFCoW7ZDXYM4PCFlKTc4no8eSCZ4e-vagiCKXxfLU4j-o5A/s1600/photo+1+(8).JPG" height="400" width="395" /></a></div>
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This was a HUGE hit! The only thing my kids said for when I make it next time is that it was a teeny bit TOO sweet...so you can add less sweetener and it will probably be even better :)</div>
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Make sure you stop by next week for another Making Oatmeal Monday, we are trying something tasty....and if you like pumpkin you won't want to miss it! </div>
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<img align="left" src="http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r640/toniij/sig-1.jpg" style="border: 0px currentColor;" />Toniihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253171633800258452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908315881365241089.post-52298035420629529862014-10-07T14:05:00.000-07:002014-10-07T14:05:06.299-07:0011 Fall Favorites at Blue Skies Ahead!<div style="text-align: center;">
Before we get to all of our Fall Fun, I need to announce the winner of our Styling Cents Ebook Giveaway! Thank you so much to everyone that entered...and Rach is our grand prize winner! Look for an email coming your way to hash out all the details ;)</div>
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Today we wanted to share 11 of our favorite fall activities, snacks and crafts. This is our favorite time of year here at Blue Skies Ahead and we hope some of these ideas can help you enjoy it to the fullest!</div>
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Make some delicious <a href="http://www.ptskjohnson.blogspot.com/2013/09/fresh-apple-cider-floats.html">Apple Cider Floats</a> with your family...the perfect treat after an evening of pumpkin picking :)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkJajId3K990dRynwM2KxU020CG9b6zdSSQPsSX3Ky8prI1oRu5onR2G8iDxdoDgQ8DpCMse4o41PT4VcvxIcEoopnRPTwY54IegaYLLc1z6Y0jzlp0IaXSEyPdRvCQSqY_vuFccY7G-dp/s1600/036.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkJajId3K990dRynwM2KxU020CG9b6zdSSQPsSX3Ky8prI1oRu5onR2G8iDxdoDgQ8DpCMse4o41PT4VcvxIcEoopnRPTwY54IegaYLLc1z6Y0jzlp0IaXSEyPdRvCQSqY_vuFccY7G-dp/s1600/036.jpg" height="400" width="260" /></a></div>
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Looking for a simple, fun festive gift to give this time of year? Try these homemade <a href="http://www.ptskjohnson.blogspot.com/2012/10/candy-corn-bath-salts.html">Candy Corn Bath Salts!</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc-9wK5cnOu942FL5GLtWFzxZ9KYkqma8eMoOnSE5ObsmNv8x6N253mD3cB-7I8iazg72xoSlnN3JoxQ4QbBmLWDmcy_FDEAkaLU2osiPr6QSuVfb7yG-ITF9XG2Ydsh0XhRfhl2q6GdYr/s1600/270.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc-9wK5cnOu942FL5GLtWFzxZ9KYkqma8eMoOnSE5ObsmNv8x6N253mD3cB-7I8iazg72xoSlnN3JoxQ4QbBmLWDmcy_FDEAkaLU2osiPr6QSuVfb7yG-ITF9XG2Ydsh0XhRfhl2q6GdYr/s1600/270.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
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And if you still want a little more candy corn, check out these <a href="http://www.ptskjohnson.blogspot.com/2011/09/candy-corn-cupcakes-in-jar.html">Candy Corn Cupcakes in a Jar</a>.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyt2jmtxhatmmMMEci5gzqtRqFYow9NpMF2p0MEpj3yHk3qtsylJHtdC1GZh73845KLdHnfCd8dt_xp7wtQ9HKZfOTodZ5Bh-Nne9bOfbNlOUrzx8El2XMVJRnEOdeRCUdDdrBasU2M_rq/s1600/IMG_5454.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyt2jmtxhatmmMMEci5gzqtRqFYow9NpMF2p0MEpj3yHk3qtsylJHtdC1GZh73845KLdHnfCd8dt_xp7wtQ9HKZfOTodZ5Bh-Nne9bOfbNlOUrzx8El2XMVJRnEOdeRCUdDdrBasU2M_rq/s1600/IMG_5454.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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Maybe you are looking for a little bit of a healthier treat? These <a href="http://www.ptskjohnson.blogspot.com/2011/09/orange-pumpkin-treats.html">Orange Pumpkin Treats</a> are perfect for parties or just an afterschool snack.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAxTDp-OWCpx4JrdP8KpvDBa811_uCD1wcAgy2r1bNTRh9jq7V8sCIYqGHTn-1D9CLle2gVA59Abd3o2lKmm7vYVyySt7x_arE8lgM3TfxUDHmQhnWBGcvYXDO484gj1nGp_NGP8hnKCZb/s1600/013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAxTDp-OWCpx4JrdP8KpvDBa811_uCD1wcAgy2r1bNTRh9jq7V8sCIYqGHTn-1D9CLle2gVA59Abd3o2lKmm7vYVyySt7x_arE8lgM3TfxUDHmQhnWBGcvYXDO484gj1nGp_NGP8hnKCZb/s1600/013.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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Maybe you need some fun new Fall decorations? These <a href="http://www.ptskjohnson.blogspot.com/2012/10/washi-tape-pumpkin.html">Washi Tape Pumpkins</a> may be just the thing for you!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_B4Rea0M62-tp0iya6TAM3-facEMzib4UNPKpAB9CbARIibHljklYdXeN9syXurDa0O8lFSlPWR5WuLA5CbMY1ELl1hlccSZRrEcRhgS_PMZV80T8rgtDjvoiLOJHnHJm74lgU-kt9wj3/s1600/012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_B4Rea0M62-tp0iya6TAM3-facEMzib4UNPKpAB9CbARIibHljklYdXeN9syXurDa0O8lFSlPWR5WuLA5CbMY1ELl1hlccSZRrEcRhgS_PMZV80T8rgtDjvoiLOJHnHJm74lgU-kt9wj3/s1600/012.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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My kids and I LOVE making homemeade playdough, and this <a href="http://www.ptskjohnson.blogspot.com/2012/10/pumpkin-playdough.html">Pumpkin Playdough</a> is perfect for October!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGVcoQoQw_4kbkQnNbH0Jb5t8lGnKwIXA8OzFRtemIbtbVxNwLu0Y3NjGUAYFth27ln_4YLCB7aw4D9ut-mbRqfkS6kKhS8a9LYAzOAwjjrWIUfT9C5H0NaADT91sUdAUV_c_YE6RHrodp/s1600/IMG_5465.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGVcoQoQw_4kbkQnNbH0Jb5t8lGnKwIXA8OzFRtemIbtbVxNwLu0Y3NjGUAYFth27ln_4YLCB7aw4D9ut-mbRqfkS6kKhS8a9LYAzOAwjjrWIUfT9C5H0NaADT91sUdAUV_c_YE6RHrodp/s1600/IMG_5465.jpg" height="275" width="400" /></a></div>
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My kids beg to make caramel apples every year...switch it up by making a <a href="http://www.ptskjohnson.blogspot.com/2011/09/frankenstein-caramel-apple.html">Frankenstein Caramel Apple</a> your kids will get a kick out of!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgayabvDcmcIzWFUd_WfUw5eAyC-IufXVowXQMVGt7qs__xqcHPUqtF49nRWgv4YTyo-pjdrbvo_R1o5hNKlOIATahWTiIPR1e3Tk8CQvvELoJgvBGGTZPfV78QOMPO8Xr233WRTJ_YpSLD/s1600/059.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgayabvDcmcIzWFUd_WfUw5eAyC-IufXVowXQMVGt7qs__xqcHPUqtF49nRWgv4YTyo-pjdrbvo_R1o5hNKlOIATahWTiIPR1e3Tk8CQvvELoJgvBGGTZPfV78QOMPO8Xr233WRTJ_YpSLD/s1600/059.jpg" height="272" width="400" /></a></div>
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If you still need more Fall food inspiration, make sure you try these <a href="http://www.ptskjohnson.blogspot.com/2011/11/pumpkin-cinnamon-rolls.html">Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Caramel Frosting</a>, they really are amazing.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx4kqc6WcbcfseHyEZ7w4G141qdhRUEu4Z9Enwm2eFX4ow_MsLYpYtB1l51_xcNxRYHWhqbtixaeo7vxonSbkdLwyJ4jQ93hWTtzb3_Qrlt4Tk1vuyfFp2hek_2vqwlWjC90bak0WDrzEi/s1600/soup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx4kqc6WcbcfseHyEZ7w4G141qdhRUEu4Z9Enwm2eFX4ow_MsLYpYtB1l51_xcNxRYHWhqbtixaeo7vxonSbkdLwyJ4jQ93hWTtzb3_Qrlt4Tk1vuyfFp2hek_2vqwlWjC90bak0WDrzEi/s1600/soup.jpg" height="400" width="275" /></a></div>
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Do you have a free afternoon with your kids? If so, read them this darling book and make your very won batch of <a href="http://www.ptskjohnson.blogspot.com/2011/10/pumpkin-soup.html">Homemade Pumpkin Soup</a> with all your little helpers :)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg1mHEXIlIB47fR4gVoEuvu3_gROzXN8diQ5H-32KudJr5x2IlIngdQRxfA4cakhGQSDNMs4WHp6TNQ0QhEYL6O3QoH0AryYPdq0-JghgmKabIjzrag2eKAg874YmCH8NSZ3idT7Hv01_m/s1600/076.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg1mHEXIlIB47fR4gVoEuvu3_gROzXN8diQ5H-32KudJr5x2IlIngdQRxfA4cakhGQSDNMs4WHp6TNQ0QhEYL6O3QoH0AryYPdq0-JghgmKabIjzrag2eKAg874YmCH8NSZ3idT7Hv01_m/s1600/076.jpg" height="327" width="400" /></a></div>
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Your kids will love burning some down-time making these <a href="http://www.ptskjohnson.blogspot.com/2011/10/pumpkin-bracelets.html">Pumpkin Bracelets</a>, and all you need to provide are some pipe cleaners and pony beads.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU9yPQf38jx_EQNpmD5v71r2cExzKyCSi6PNXvDM0enKcRGBVev8QRHJ__p9MOIZyPOCu2KsVPbTP_YdDpp5eEux_tqpKHGSqhVhM6EnpQRgl6Bo3KfInXeFdgkcxDcRih16scvSXkKdqg/s1600/143.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU9yPQf38jx_EQNpmD5v71r2cExzKyCSi6PNXvDM0enKcRGBVev8QRHJ__p9MOIZyPOCu2KsVPbTP_YdDpp5eEux_tqpKHGSqhVhM6EnpQRgl6Bo3KfInXeFdgkcxDcRih16scvSXkKdqg/s1600/143.jpg" height="400" width="273" /></a></div>
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Finally, these <a href="http://www.ptskjohnson.blogspot.com/2011/10/wax-paper-leaves.html">Wax Paper Leaves</a> are not only a great activity, but they make beautiful decorations to hang up in your windows too!</div>
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<img align="left" src="http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r640/toniij/sig-1.jpg" style="border: 0px currentColor;" />Toniihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253171633800258452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908315881365241089.post-46888305745415458482014-09-25T15:30:00.000-07:002014-09-25T15:44:51.035-07:00"Styling Cents" Ebook {Giveaway!!!}
I have a treat for you wonderful readers today...a fantastic giveaway you will NOT want to miss!<br />
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I am a lucky girl that has an amazing family, not only the family I was born into, but the family I married into as well. Besides just being all-around fantastic people, they are super-talented too! One of these super-talented people, my sis-in-law Camille, teamed up with her friend Shelly and they have created an AMAZING Ebook that will completely change the way you look at decorating<a href="http://www.slipcoversbyshelley.com/2014/09/learn-decorate-budget.html">..."Styling Cents" - Reuse, Repurpose and Revive your space!</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhei99cXxjRGnapuNUM-lcnUzgukbE5wHmj92oheMFS4Ph_QQMNySqsZgm_pK0p0Mj3jZiEgEI8cGsZ14Y6mzZ5Gg1-CgsF3tRivrQ9y2w5IbgQnlLBJb89l7sT_4q_vo2Zmzf0ZB9I1LKD/s1600/room5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhei99cXxjRGnapuNUM-lcnUzgukbE5wHmj92oheMFS4Ph_QQMNySqsZgm_pK0p0Mj3jZiEgEI8cGsZ14Y6mzZ5Gg1-CgsF3tRivrQ9y2w5IbgQnlLBJb89l7sT_4q_vo2Zmzf0ZB9I1LKD/s1600/room5.jpg" height="400" width="308" /></a></div>
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Take a look at some of these ridiculous before and after pictures once Camille and Shelly worked their magic!<br />
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Before:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDK3ERe7oHeVV5rGo-D6wJ1CG2DHty6MhrQrK1cx8lkXEbcQqwVH4Q_8nr15aoP-IcGGkoZ-qrAfp5UsS9Rj4ekxrn3NHa4uFX4axk07K47_z7jxecEBW7o8aOdYI7GKhofLKgQM2_XSf9/s1600/room1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDK3ERe7oHeVV5rGo-D6wJ1CG2DHty6MhrQrK1cx8lkXEbcQqwVH4Q_8nr15aoP-IcGGkoZ-qrAfp5UsS9Rj4ekxrn3NHa4uFX4axk07K47_z7jxecEBW7o8aOdYI7GKhofLKgQM2_XSf9/s1600/room1.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
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After:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg64mBchRjRxkxLf4QshFDICmemogN9b57-S-ghXH0S4aVdd_MjEydfuRKHcQNYgDppoUQukG9LtN6lyiKExllAE1suiJDixP3qK15dTKRMj_2yfLH1zUXqCsuqUSSNhyoLquin5QqscAMo/s1600/room2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg64mBchRjRxkxLf4QshFDICmemogN9b57-S-ghXH0S4aVdd_MjEydfuRKHcQNYgDppoUQukG9LtN6lyiKExllAE1suiJDixP3qK15dTKRMj_2yfLH1zUXqCsuqUSSNhyoLquin5QqscAMo/s1600/room2.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
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I mean, seriously! It doesn't even look like the same room!</div>
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Before:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyIMMLi88mH65Amm4VtMNYapjSw5JhzM9MUG1OPaJAvy0kRZOHKcJM_T36NY7fM3KVAfEd9mCS7EO_Squ5FiMOp7Jad2t5p3m4kFhatZP1Wl0kfALvvpoQvY6qEhcloRjX9hVnt1YhDS_a/s1600/room3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyIMMLi88mH65Amm4VtMNYapjSw5JhzM9MUG1OPaJAvy0kRZOHKcJM_T36NY7fM3KVAfEd9mCS7EO_Squ5FiMOp7Jad2t5p3m4kFhatZP1Wl0kfALvvpoQvY6qEhcloRjX9hVnt1YhDS_a/s1600/room3.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
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After:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJZGf5AB3WN3fOdkdHG_JqgX8PR76yz2DcI2GPeJmnD5CB7WhTq_dUek55S-Ecl9AHrfmggpvvpLH61lnjJZSUvEyXGPGCU3ifY5oVFYhy-FLxVWpHzIn29YN-lPYxWU9Hz4LtQwNXuBYm/s1600/room4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJZGf5AB3WN3fOdkdHG_JqgX8PR76yz2DcI2GPeJmnD5CB7WhTq_dUek55S-Ecl9AHrfmggpvvpLH61lnjJZSUvEyXGPGCU3ifY5oVFYhy-FLxVWpHzIn29YN-lPYxWU9Hz4LtQwNXuBYm/s1600/room4.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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I told you they were amazing!</div>
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<a href="http://www.slipcoversbyshelley.com/2014/09/learn-decorate-budget.html">"Styling Cents"</a> is PACKED with amazing ideas and inspiration, including:</div>
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<li>Decorating Myths</li>
<li>Process for decorating a space</li>
<li>Shopping Tips–where to go to find the best deals</li>
<li>How to shop at a thrift store</li>
<li>Used furniture pricing guide</li>
<li>How to negotiate on pricing</li>
<li>Advice on choosing paint</li>
<li>How to paint and stain furniture</li>
<li>How to buy a rug</li>
<li>How to hang a light fixture</li>
<li>How to choose fabrics</li>
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Sounds pretty great, right?! Well here is the fun part! The gals at Styling Cents have generously agreed to give away one FREE Ebook to a reader here at Blue Skies Ahead!! All you have to do is leave a comment telling me what room in your house is in the most need of a makeover :) Oh, and if you just can't wait and risk not winning the giveaway, Styling Cents has graciously offered to give any of our readers a 30% discount when you enter the code "BLUE" at checkout! Just go <a href="http://www.slipcoversbyshelley.com/2014/09/learn-decorate-budget.html">HERE</a> to to get a copy of your very own!<br />
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So let's hear it...which room in your home is in most desperate need of a makeover?! And a huge thank you to the girls from Styling Cents for making this giveaway possible!</div>
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Toniihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253171633800258452noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908315881365241089.post-57102341354475726812014-09-24T14:14:00.000-07:002014-09-24T14:14:00.624-07:00The Little Red Hen's Homemade Bread {Farm Week}<br />
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Hello friends! This week we are learning all about one of our favorite things...this is Farm Week! In an effort to read more with my kids I thought it would be really fun to read the classic The Little Red Hen, and try making our very own homemade bread to go with it!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2D79ede2po8Tv0BTq4nGJhdQpk9KFWN7U1R0dm2sID_m_Kjl4EOI5ziMgAIwdGIonE9kuW6JhPnClf5r3xq_hfqDDWviDr9IGIBSJAiyYs3UFxNdW40Ul12RwL5-IV30r5S7uyrrmFmxZ/s1600/bread.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2D79ede2po8Tv0BTq4nGJhdQpk9KFWN7U1R0dm2sID_m_Kjl4EOI5ziMgAIwdGIonE9kuW6JhPnClf5r3xq_hfqDDWviDr9IGIBSJAiyYs3UFxNdW40Ul12RwL5-IV30r5S7uyrrmFmxZ/s1600/bread.jpg" height="400" width="335" /></a></div>
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This was such a fun morning activity to do with my kids! First up, we got to sit down together and read The Little Red Hen. This book is not only fun for the little kids AND teaches a great lesson about hard work, but it also explains all the steps that go into making bread. Starting with sowing a seed all the way to grinding up wheat to make flour and finally baking bread, it was cool to see the kids understand how the wheat we saw growing at the farm last week becomes fresh, warm bread!</div>
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Once we were done reading we made my favorite white bread recipe. This recipe is not only delicious but it is SO simple, my kids really did most of the work.</div>
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<u>Amish White Bread Recipe</u></div>
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2 C warm water</div>
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2/3 C white sugar</div>
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1 1/2 T active dry yeast</div>
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1 1/2 tsp salt</div>
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1/4 C vegetable oil</div>
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6 C flour</div>
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In a large bowl dissolve the sugar in warm water, then stir in the yeast. Allow to proof until the yeast resembles a creamy foam.</div>
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Mix in salt and oil, then add flour one cup at a time.</div>
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Kneed dough until smooth and then place in a well-oiled bowl, turning to coat. Cover with cloth and let rise for one hour, or until double in size. Then comes the best part...split your dough in half and let your kids go wild punching and kneeding!!</div>
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Britton's face kills me :) Once you are done punching, shape into two loaves and put into well-oiled pans. Allow to rise for 30 more minutes and then bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.</div>
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Once our 30 minutes were up I let Avrie butter the tops and then the hardest part...waiting for it to cool enough to dig in! ;)</div>
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There you have it, a seriously fun way to bring books to life with your kids and learn a little bit more about the farm! Thank you so much for stopping by Blue Skies Ahead today, hope you have a fantastic day!!</div>
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Toniihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253171633800258452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908315881365241089.post-68764698753308179702014-09-17T13:35:00.001-07:002014-09-17T13:35:59.660-07:00Building Your Faith Family Home Evening {Alma and Amulek}<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Well, here we are, sharing another Family Home Evening idea with you :)</div>
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This week we were back at our Book of Mormon lessons, focusing on the story of Alma and Amulek and how they used and built their faith to sustain them through their trials and hardships.</div>
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I made a printable to put up in our home with one of my all-time favorite sayings...</div>
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We spoke about how important it is to be true to yourself and the things you believe in, even when you have hard or scary times in your life. I told the kids we were going to learn about 2 men who used their faith to stand up for what they believed in, even when it would have been so much easier to turn their backs on that faith.</div>
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For the bulk of our lesson we just read Alma's Mission to Ammonihah from the Book of Mormon Stories. Then we spoke about how Alma and Amulek relied on their faith multiple times: going back to teach the people and meeting Amulek, contending with Zeezrom, watching the women and children be burned because of their belief, and finally the walls of the prison falling down and being freed.</div>
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After our lesson we did an awesome activity that the kids really enjoyed and my husband and I got a kick out of too ;) We played Build Your Faith Jenga!</div>
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This was a great game to play because it obviously kept the kids attention, but it was so wonderful to hear some experiences from my kids, times they have felt their faith grow, or ways they want to gain more faith. It is also always a bonus to review the lesson to make sure something actually sank in ;) </div>
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After we went several times around the table and each child picked a few blocks and shared different experiences our tower came tumbling down. We were able then to relate our game to how the walls of the prison came crashing down as Alma and Amulek exercised THEIR faith. An awesome visual for the kids, and an activity they begged to do again and again :)</div>
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Thanks so much for checking our fhe out, hope you guys all have a great week!</div>
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<img align="left" src="http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r640/toniij/sig-1.jpg" style="border: 0px currentColor;" />Toniihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253171633800258452noreply@blogger.com0