Girls Camp Menu

Project 17 of 52

I am all about structure. Having the schedule posted at girls camp was a must for me. We wanted to encourage the girls to go to all the activities and lead the younger girls. Knowing the schedule of activities and menu allowed them (I hoped) to step out and lead with minimal adult intervention. 

(At least that was the plan)

We had each of the girls list their top menu choices for each meal. Then we compiled them for the weeks menu. It was simple. Most of the girls wanted the same things. We adjusted a little to stay on budget. Here is what we came up with.

 

This is the daily schedule set by the stake camp leadership. Tomorrow I will be sharing my idea for posting the menu and schedule each day. It turned out to be one of my favorite ideas. So helpful.

Recipe Organization

Project 9 of 52

Ever notice how much of a difference even little things can make in our lives. The crazy thing too, is sometimes it doesn't take that much time to accomplish. It's more a matter of just sitting down and doing it.

Well, this is the dilema I have been facing for a while. I love to try new recipes. You know the down home kinda cooking recipes. The ones with ingredients I have in the pantry; NORMAL ingredients. I print them off and give them a try. Most of the time they are successful. There have been a couple that we tossed and ordered pizza but hey, we tried something new. And my boys are great sports about it too. They have their favs and eh, not so favs but all in all the taste it all.

I toss the recipes that are anything but a big hit. I just put them in a sheet protector in a 3-ring binder. Until recently that binder was quite a mess. I didn't have enough sheet protectors and too many untried recipes. So I sat down one day, soaked in the vitamin D and fixed my problem. I didn't take a before picture but trust me...it wasn't pretty!

 I added the sheet protectors....tossed unwanted recipes...added page dividers and labels....

 I even typed them up in a fun goofy font.

 

 Such a simple thing but ahhh, it feels so good to have my recipes neat and tidy. It makes me smile to pull it out and use now.

 

I also love to plan my menu. I always have, even before we had kids. It frustrates me to start a recipe and find out I am missing 1 ingredient. Not to mention how it helps the budget and grocery shopping. 

I found these menu plans on Pinterest. They are 4 weeks at a time and slip in the front of my binder. 

I put the current menu plan on the fridge and leave the blank ones in the binder to be filled out next time.

I even color coded it with corrdinating tabs. I had to make it simple for my hubby and oldest son. They help stick with the plan more if I make it easy for 'em. ;-)

Now I just have to grab the post it for that week and do my shopping.

LOVE IT!

Bathroom organizing

Project 8 of 52

One of my goals for this year it to get organized. You know how it goes. You organize then the kiddos come behind you and undo your lovely work. Yep, well, it's time to re-do that work. Each room of my home needs a little attention. I live by the motto "a place for everything and everything in it's place". I hate having to search for something. That is probably because I am so incredibly busy but I digress. 

I have a few problem areas to focus on first. The rest will come throughout the year. One blogger put it nicely that it takes time to learn organization (mostly for the boys) so doing it all at once won't help to KEEP it organized. Hey, sounds good! We are giving it a go this year.

 First up...under the bathroom sinks. Mine was a mess. I don't have a lot under there but it still looked a mess.

I know there are deals at the Dollar Store but I liked these bins from Walmart.

Taking care of hygiene stuff made a HUGE difference. I tossed a lot of stuff too. 

These bins come in different widths that stack nicely together or separate. I plan to get a couple of narrow ones for the other side but they haven't come in stock yet. (Our Walmart is the only game in town and they are slow to restock). The pipes got in the way of my original plan but I am still happy with the results. The real test? My sweet hubby was pleasantly surprised at the improvement. He always comments on my projects but he was extra excited about this one. Huh, who knew. ;-)

A Jayne Cobb hat for a Sci-Fi Fan

Project 7 of 52
So a while back my sweet hubby greeted me at this door like a kid begging for ice cream. He is a fan of the show Firefly. On it is a character named Jayne Cobb. He apparently wore this home knit hat that my sweetheart decided he wanted to wear to the next Comic-con. 

 

He begged me to make him one. He had even found a couple of patterns I could use (yep, he was begging). He knows how busy I am so he was ready to pull out all the stops.  Lucky for him, his wife is crafty and loves him enough to spoil him. Unlucky for him, I don't know how to knit. I tried but uhm, no, it wasn't happening. We found some crochet patterns but I liked the knit look better, I just couldn't get the hang of it fast enough. Still, the crochet pattern turned out great. I actually used 2 different patterns. The first I didn't like the earflaps on and the second I didn't like the crown portion. Here is the result...

 He was like a kid at Christmas.

 He loved it.

 Even the twisty earflaps. He said it was perfect.
Glad you like it dear.

Pinewood Derby

Project 6 of 52

We had a wonderful Pinewood Derby this year. I used Disney's Cars as our theme. We talked about positive attitude and the difference you can have. 

Once again we had Pit passes. You can find the download for them here.

For concessions we had safety cones.... (bugles)

Spare tires....(donuts)

And running boards....(waffer cookies)

I printed the signs and just laminated them. Then wrote on it with dry erase marker. That way I can use them again next year. Click on the picture for the download. 

(I don't remember where I got these but when I find out I will give proper credit)

My pit crew was hard at it again this year too...

My sweet hubby manned the "crew" not only during the ran but days leading up to it. We had the official scale so dads were stopping by all week to get a pre-weight check. The derby always brings out a bit of healthy competition among the dads uhm, boys. ;-p

I put a note out to my leaders to bring any spare tires or car signs they may have. Lucky for us my committee chair used to work at Goodyear. He brought some amazing signs that really set the scene.

I picked up 20 balloons to add around at each of the tables. We had a table for treats, pit crew, check in, and the medal stand.

Once the cars were checked in they had to be placed on the table. We had the boys write their name on a numbered paper plate. That made the order random, as the boys finished weighing in, and helped us to keep track of how many we had. With all the cars lined up we were able to assign the various awards. 

Aren't these cars AWESOME! I love to see what each of the boys come up with.

After the race each boy recieved a ding-dong medal and a certificate.

1st, 2nd, and 3rd place also got a trophy. 

(Can't believe I didn't get a picture of them but hey, it was a bit crazy).

The boys all had a fantastic time. Parents too. It's always a lot of work to pull the derby off but I love to watch how excited the boys get. They are so good about cheering each other on. It makes it all worth it.

Here are the Pit Passes if you want to download them.

Have fun and good luck.

Cars Pit Pass Printable

Project 5 of 52
I have been working on this years Pinewood Derby for my cub scouts. It is THE event of the year. I think the dads get as much of a kick out of the race as the boys do. Any of you in cubs scouts know just how true this can be. Still we have lots of fun. I decided to go with a "Cars" theme this year for our pit passes and awards. I found these award tags on Pinterest and decided to use them instead of doing new ones. Click on the picture to see the pin....

 

 They are smaller than what I usually use but I plan to have a ribbon on it and the boys can put it with their pit passes. It also saves on ink and paper which was a side plus. I plan to write the boys names in and laminate them to make lanyards. Since it is always lovely to find the work already done I am sharing this printable with you. It doesn't say "cub scouts" so you can use it for birthday parties too. Just click on the picture to get to the download.

Have fun!

I used RLR creations digital kit to make the passes. You can find the digital kit HERE.

Warm Fuzzy neckerchief slides

Project 4 of 52

These are the neckerchief slides I made for last months pack meeting. It went perfect with my thought on warm fuzzies and our core value of compassion. I shared the story of a small villiage that gave warm fuzzies out all the time but decided to stop for fear of running out of them. Soon the villiage became cold and sad. Generations passed. One day a little boy found his grandma's hidden warm fuzzy and asked what it was. His grandma's first thought was to run and hide her warm fuzzy so no one would find it again, tucked safe away. But then she remembered the join giving and receiving her warm fuzzies gave her. She was sad to realize her grandson had never had this feeling. She shared her warm fuzzy with him. Both of them were filled with warm joy. The villiage started sharing warm fuzzies again and regained the joy they had lost.

These were so simple to put together. Just a shiny pom-pom, a 1 inch pipe cleaner, 2 smaller pom poms and a back of some sort (I use cut up milk handles). Of course don't forget the googly eyes.

My little man loved them. I had to make him a blue and red one. Such a funny kid, he played with those the rest of the day. Turns out, giving warm fuzzies really does spread warmth and joy.

Pikichu hat #4

Project 3 of 52
A couple of months ago I set out to make a special hat for Mr. Matthew. 

A Pikachu hat. 

If you don't know who Pikachu is I have one word for you....

Pokemon!

The pattern I found on Pinterest only had 1 size to it but said by using different needle sizes I could easily adjust the size. Well, 4 hats later I finally got one close to his size. I had to make a few more adjustments.

The other hats all went to his brothers. I finished 3 rather quickly but you have to know that my attention span with the same craft wanes over time. By the time I'd finished 3 I just drug my feet to finish the last one.

Matthew reminded me regularly that he was still waiting for his hat. 

Finally just before Christmas I finished it!

What a happy boy he was that day! Of course then mom had to listen to "Pi-ka-CHU!" for the next couple of hours. Still, it warmed my heart that he loves his hat so much. 

Gotta love that cute little man!

~oh and the hat isn't too bad either ;-)~

Santa ornaments

Project 2 of 52

Have you seen all the fun things you can do with pop tabs? 

The list is growing longer and longer. 

Here is another....

 They were a bit messy but easy.

Gather your tinsel, bulbs, ribbon, pop tab, and a bit of glue.

Turn on your favorite movie and enjoy while you mindlessly stuff the tinsel into the bulb. 

I tried different "tools" to help with this but ultimately it came down to my fingers. Tucking, tucking, twisting and tucking. When the bulb was full I just cut what was still sticking out the top. 

Put the cap back in place.

Then tread the ribbon through the pop tab and glue around the belly of the bulb.

See, nice and cheery.

I made several up one night while hubby watched old Star Trec episodes on Netflix.

I used these for teachers gifts this past Christmas. They all loved them.

Tassle ornaments

Project 1 of 52
One of the best parts of Christmas is decorating the tree and sharing stories with each of the ornaments. Ours are all from childhood, family trips, or significant events. Each year the boys get a new ornament, something that signals what that year was all about. This idea was perfect to add to our collection. Plus I already had bulbs waiting to be used up.

Here is the original pin.

I ran into a couple of snags. My date tags are too big to get inside the bulb. I took it off and reattached it to the cap of the bulb on one and through the string on the other.

I was thrilled with these. So much better than having them collect dust in the closet, never to be seen and enjoyed. 

What a great way to share our memories of school with the boys. 

I had my tassel from college and my sweethearts from High School (still looking for the other 2)

Yep, I'd call that a Pinterest success!

Kicking off 52 Projects in 52 Weeks!

How was your holiday season? Ours was busy but great. 

We enjoyed a smaller (yet still abundant) Christmas and visiting with family.
Now I am looking to the new year. 

I am excited to restart my 52 projects. 

Last time it started out as a way to focus on my wish lists of projects. So many ideas and so little time. In the end, I found great success in just doing 1 project a week. By the end of the year I could look back at all that I had accomplished. What a great feeling! As a obsessive list maker it felt good to see my completed projects and check them off the list.

 That was in 2010.....I miss it.

More than I realized.

So this year, 2014, I am revisiting my 52 projects in 52 weeks challenge.

All those fantastic ideas on Pinterest.....

and all the failures as well....

I am going to tackle them and share my results with you....

1 week at a time. Join me for another grand adventure!

 

Beaded Fun....

So I started playing with some beads. There are so many great, fun beads in the store it was just 

SO. HARD. TO. RESIST!

So, I admit.

I gave in.

Do I regret it?

HECK NO!

I started simple. With just some earrings.

Green to match some of my scrubs for work.

Plus I love the color.

Now I wish I had a bit more green to wear these more.

Then came Sunday.

I had some pins with beads that I used to wear all the time.

Then I lost one of the blue ones.

Hmmm, got to looking at that lone blue pin.

It looked easy enough....

I'll bet.....

Yep, I could make some myself.

So I did. I just wrapped the cording (it's fancy crafting fishing line but hey) around the pin in between threading each bead. Just tie it off nice and tight. I threw this together 10 minutes before leaving for church one morning.

I wore my hair in a sideways braid and got so many compliments.

Yeah, made me smile.

And then the broken watch band that helped to start it all off. Well, not this one specifically but.....I still needed to rethread this band. It popped apart on my rush to get ready for work one morning.

Thankfully I retrieved most of the beads.

Now I have my watch back.

Nice and pretty.

Beading is fun but the tiny pieces get me a tad tense.

I'll leave the serious jewelry making to my lovely sister in law.

I'll just take the occassional fun project!