Boys Building Stuff

Just another Saturday....

Bubba building stuff with his Big Bro. 

If you're curious as to what it is they actually made....it is a tube for Bubba to hold all of his little Lego men. 

-Karla

Half Way to Christmas

Last Monday, we had a few friends over for a Half Way to Christmas Party play-date.

What better way to stay cool in the summer, than to celebrate the moderately cool (in Florida) month of December?

source

We kept cool with this awesome Frozen Hot Chocolate (recipe from Serendipity's).

And kept our tummies full with yummy semi-homemade "pop tarts," cut into fun holiday shapes.

To make your own tarts, you'll need:

store bought pie crust

preserves or other filling

cookie cutters 

Cut the pie crust with the cookie cutters, or use a knife to cut into small squares. Spread the preserves on one side of pie crust. Top with the second piece and crimp edges with a fork. Bake at 400º for 9-12 minutes, or until golden brown. 

Top with your favorite frosting, or make your own...

1 cup powdered sugar

1 Tbs milk 

1/2 tsp vanilla

-Karla

Dear Daddy,

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Even though you can't be here today, 

I just want to say....

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

I love you so much!

You're the best Daddy in the whole world!

I can't wait for you to come home!

Love & Kisses,

Bubba

Counting Goldfish

This activity was part of the Letter F pack I put together for Bubba.

I cut out 10 fish bowls on construction paper, numbered them 1-10, and laminated them. Then gave Bubba a small box of goldfish to count with.

For every one fish he put down on a card, he would put one in his mouth.

Check out some of the other fishy activities:

Rainbow Fish CD Suncatcher

Ocean in a bag

-Karla

DIY Wedding Day Emergency Kit

I put together this handy Wedding Day Emergency Kit for my friend JJ, to give to her at the bridesmaid luncheon the day before her wedding. I intended to make a cute little tag for it as well, but you know how I am. Maybe it will make it on Moni's kit in a few months...or not - we'll see. Either way, it is quite a handy little bag. 

JJ swore up and down she did NOT need an emergency kit. But, she was wrong. As I knew she would be. Which is why I made it anyway. 

Of course you can pick up a pre-made kit {you can also find M.O.B/M.O.G survival kits, bridesmaid's kits, and even a cute Hemergancy kit here}. Funny fact: I saw the survival kits I linked to on the Today Show the other day - while I was writing this. 

I'll be honest, making it yourself and purchasing it off of the website is about the same price. However, making your own version is much more meaningful, you can pack it with any specific products that your bride uses, and you can pick out a pretty cosmetic bag that you know your friend would like. 

Here is what I included:

Sewing kit

Small scissors

White chalk (for masking stains)

Clear nail polish

Mints

Bandages

Blister protection

Antacid

Pain reliever

Blotting Papers

Cotton balls and Q-tips

Tweezers

Emery board

Nail clippers

Lip balm

Tissues

Lint Roller

Lotion

Bobby pns

Comb

Small Mirror

Baby wipes

Wet Ones

Makeup remover wipes

Stain remover

Baby powder

Razor

Deodorant

Straws (so the bride doesn't mess up her lipstick)

Toothbrush/paste

Toothpicks/floss

Tampons/panty liners

Snacks

Matches

Krazy glue (for shoe heels, decorations, even jewels, etc.) 

Not included in my kit, but equally important:

*Static-cling spray or (my favorite) Dryer Sheets

*Double-sided fashion tape

*Eye drops

Contact lens solution 

Extra earring backs

Smelling salts

Nail polish in the shade the bride is wearing

Hairspray

Hair ties 

Scotch tape

Safety pins

Linen handkerchief

Corsage Pins

I went through my house first, and found quite a few things on the list - including the snacks. Then, I went to Walmart's travel product section and found nearly everything remaining. What I didn't find in that section was in the surrounding area. I picked up the cosmetic bag at Target. 

I also created myself a "Matron of Honor Emergency Bag." Which included the dryer sheets/fashion tape/eye drops {mentioned above}, sand paper (to rub on the bottom of slippery new shoes), flat iron, hair dryer, headbands, a clothes steamer, and bottled water. I'm the kind of person that likes to be over-prepared...can you tell? You just never know what you might need. 

Although, we didn't use everything from the kits, they were EXTREMELY helpful for those unexpected emergencies. Moral of the story, don't let your bride try to tell you that she won't need an emergency kit....because she {and everyone else getting ready with her} will need it. 

-Karla

Lots of Succulents and a Wedding

One of my besties, JJ, got hitched last weekend. 

And yes, you read that correctly...I just said "got hitched." 

She LOVES succulents. So it is only natural that they were incorporated into every aspect of the wedding. 

Succulents? At a wedding? Really? Oooohh, that girl's cray cray....

JJ and her mom, DD, made these bouquets together. JJ's looked very similar to mine (the one above), just bigger, because ya know, she was the bride. 

I promise they looked nicer the day of the wedding. I waited a week to take this picture, so they look kind of dry. 

The day of the wedding, JJ, DD, and I made these hair clips. The small ones were worn by the flower girls; and the large one was worn by the blushing bride.

They were surprisingly easy to throw together. I cut a piece of ribbon to go over the barrette and clips. DD and JJ trimmed the succulents down so they would lay flat. Then, I hot glued the succulents to the clips. It only took about 20 minutes to make them all. And the only reason it took that long, was because we were debating which succulent pieces to use. 

While I was hot gluing away, JJ and DD were putting together this boutonniere for JJ's groom. 

JJ and DD made the centerpieces. And each guest went home with their very own small potted succulent. 

 And, of course, the whole succulent theme would not have been complete without her cake being covered in large plants.

Obviously not succulents related, but I just had to include a picture of the groom's cake. Can you tell that he is a fan of Natty?

So there ya go. If you were ever wondering how to incorporate succulents into your BIG day, now ya know. 

-Karla

It's better than a real hammer and nails...

Such an awesome post title, don't ya think?

But seriously, golf tees, foam, and a toy hammer are wayyyyy better than a real hammer and nails. At least when it comes to my little guy...and this is coming from the person who lets her child play with just about anything in the house (with supervision of course). 

And it is at the very least 45 minutes of fun, with only 2 simple steps:

(1) Poke the golf tees in the foam

(2) Hammer them in 

Another plus...you don't have to worry about your little one whacking a finger with the hammer because the tee will stand up on it's own thanks to the foam. 

I helped Bubba make this (what is supposed to be a) fish design. We were doing activities related to fish/sea animals that week, so it seemed fitting. 

(Check out Rainbow Fish CD Suncatcher and Ocean in a bag for more fishy fun.) 

Then he just did his own thing, and proceeded to cover the entire piece of foam in golf tees. 

Whatever floats your boat, dude.

-Karla

Fun Friday - Fort Building with my boys

I wouldn't call myself an expert fort builder, but this ain't my first time at the rodeo

I think I can throw a pretty decent fort together with a little rope, a few clothes pins, and a couple sheets....

We hung one piece of rope across the room, from the sliding doors to a closet door. Now I say "we," but let's be honest, I did the majority of the work - even with a capable 8 year old sitting in the room. 

He did help set up the two poles that held the other piece of rope. 

We hung the second sheet from the middle rope to the t.v. - that is conveniently located at fort building level. 

Then Finding Nemo became faaaarrrr more interesting than setting up our most amazing fort. 

{It would have been better to run a 3rd piece of rope over the t.v. though. I think the fort would have held up a bit better. But we'll save that for another rainy day sleepover.}

-Karla 

{certified fort contractor since 1993}

For more fun fort building ideas, head over to All For the Boys and check out all of the Fort Friday posts.

All of Those Rainy Days...

Hurricane season is officially upon us...

With the weather not really cooperating with us, we've been stuck indoors a lot the last week. We usually get a small window of time to sneak outside, but it is short lived. So, here are a couple things we've been doing to keep ourselves entertained...

Small Objects and Alphabet Cards

This activity is done on a daily basis; but they really come in handy when it's raining. 

These items are just small toys we've collected from around the house. I've tried to represent every letter of the alphabet {I'm still working to find objects for Q, I, and X}, so that he can match the item to the letter card. However, you don't have to use the cards; sometimes Bubba just likes to play with the toys instead. 

Cardboard City

We've recently purchased a few small Lego City sets, and since I'm not ready to invest in the larger sets, I was inspired to create our own cardboard city. 

 So I whipped up a few buildings out of cardboard shipping boxes and cereal/cookie boxes. 

Then, it was time to put all of Bubba's emergency vehicles and rescue workers to good use.

The fireman rescued the lady off of the burning building....such a hero. 

Baking 

I also decided rainy days are the perfect excuse to stuff our faces with cinnamon buns.

I'll confess now that these are not made from scratch. All the props go to Immaculate Baking Co. They are delish....go get yourself some!

-Karla