A Scattering of Seashells...

"We are like seashells upon the beach ~ beautiful and unique ~ each with a story of it's own to tell."  - Unknown

I can tell you if our family was a seashell, it would have quite a story to tell right now as we navigate through the cold of winter (YUCK!), the start of Miss B's competitive dance season, L's first year in show choir and C embarking on undoubtedly the greatest adventure of his life (to date).  I thought I would take a moment to close my eyes and "pretend" to breathe in the salty air of the ocean while sharing a "scattering" of what has been happening in our world.

Like every other family, we received the game Pie Face for Christmas.  While L & C have so far opted out of the fun...the rest of us (my mom included) have enjoyed taking a shot of whipped cream to the face.  It's all fun and good until some whipped cream makes its way up your nose!  I was sneezing Redi-Whip forever!!!  LOL!

Waiting is half the fun!

And hence the sneezing, right up my nose!!  LOL!

Brave Grandma didn't even stand a chance!  :)

It has brought countless hours of fun to our house ~ when we can get our hands on a can of RediWhip.  Now with this game out, finding a can on the shelves at the grocery store is like finding gold in a mine!!   :)

We have been lucky enough to only have had one major snowstorm this year (remember I prefer the sand to the snow), so we had to take full advantage of it and take the kids sledding. I am embarrassed to say this was the kids first time down a "big" hill, because apparently the slope in our backyard doesn't count.  It had also been awhile since Honey & I had played in snow, because just like the slope ~ shoveling doesn't count either.  For not being a cold weather girl, I will say that we all had a blast!  

Ta-Da!  He made it over the jump and down the hill (backwards, I might add) without falling off the sled!  So proud!!

Just in case you were wondering, that is L underneath all that gear.  :)

Only drawback to sledding, is having to carry the sled ALL THE WAY back up the hill.  Poor L!  

Miss B & I even got to make beautiful snow angels.  

It was such a fun afternoon, it almost makes me wish it would snow again ..... hmmmm ..... no not really.  I still prefer the warmth of the sand, but the laughter and smiles as they slid down the hill warmed my heart (and toes) to make it all worthwhile.  :)

Honey & I watched the first of my three classic movies from my 40x42 list, Casablanca.  I never doubted why it is considered one of the greatest movies of all time, but now after seeing it ~ I have a whole new understanding.  Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman are fantastic! And I am finally able to place all the infamous lines I have heard over the years!  I didn't realize how many had come from this movie!!!  (insert embarrassed blush)  "Here's looking at you, kid."  :)

Finally, in a previous post I mentioned that I had added a few pieces of Holiday decor to our new beach themed area downstairs.  As with all my decorating, I don't rush it.  So while it may be a small start, I look forward to adding to it over the years.  That's half the fun!!

I even included my Christmas turtle in the space.  He finally feels right at home with the mini seashell tree.  These are all shells picked up from our trips to the beach.  I used hot glue to attach ribbon to the back so that they could hang from the branches.  I also filled the base with additional shells.  You can never have enough shells, in my opinion.

Finally, I added this wreath to the window ~ the view looks underneath our deck & no one really wants to see that.  :(  I purchase the wreath pretty much as is from Michaels using a 50% off coupon then added the 3 large starfish to create a more beach-inspired vibe.  I am very pleased with how it turn out!  A little piece of Coastal Christmas in the Midwest...

And there's a small look into the story our family seashell would tell right now as it "scatters" across the beach and through the waves of life.  Until next time . . . 

Love ,
N

12 Days Until Winter Break

I have worked with our PTO (Parent Teacher Organization) at the elementary school for several years and it has always been such a joy for me.  Whether it's planning an event, reading with the kids, or simply making copies...I love every minute of it!  I have gotten to know so many of the kids as well as the teachers and staff throughout the years.  We are very blessed!  It is such a fabulous school filled with people that I not only trust to teach my children to read and write, but also create, explore and ask questions that will lead them down the path toward higher learning.  Our school's motto is "Be Respectful, Be Responsible and Be Safe".  I think that speaks volumes to the time and effort that the teachers and staff put into making our school the very best that it can be.  I couldn't be more proud to have called it "our home away from home" for the last 17 years.  It has been my honor to be a part of a special tradition that we do for the teachers and staff to show our appreciation for all they do year 'round especially those hectic days leading up to Winter Break.  :)

I realize this post is well past the holiday season, but in my defense...I didn't want to give any of the surprises away.  :)  So having said that, we start by counting back 12 days before the start of Winter Break.  Starting with Day 12, each day we count down til break with a small gift or treat in hopes to make the time go by just "a little bit" faster.  (If you've ever been in a classroom on the days leading up til Break, you know exactly what I mean.  LOL!)

Here's an idea of what we did this year...

Each morning we would set up their daily gift along with a catchy little poem to hopefully brighten their day.  So without further ado... The 12 Days of Winter Break 2016!  (I promise, no singing will be attempted during the remainder of this post.)

Day 12: A Set of Holiday Plates and Napkins

12 Days til Winter Break,

The party seasons here!

We hope you enjoy these daily gifts, 

That bring you Holiday Cheer!

Day 11: Pocket Size Package of Kleenex

11 Days til Winter Break,

Cold season in full bloom.

Here's a pack of Kleenex,

To help you in your room.

Day 10:  Bottle of Hand Sanitizer

10 Days til Winter Break

The weather's turned to freezin'

Some sanitizer for your hands

To keep you from a-sneezin'!

Day 9: OREOS in a Decorative Elf Shoe

9 Days til Winter Break,

It's the last day of the week.

We hope that you enjoy

This "Elfish" special treat!

Day 8:  A Package of Post-It Notes and Pen

8 Days til Winter Break,

Some sticky notes and a pen.

To help you with the holiday lists 

That never seem to end.  :)

Day 7:  Hot Cocoa Bar ~ We set up a station with hot water and cocoa packages along with many yummy treats for them to add to make the perfect cup of hot chocolate.  (marshmallows, PEPPERMINT marshmallows!, chocolate chips, candy canes, etc)  I apologize but I didn't think to take a picture of the set up.  But we used beautiful glass containers to display all the toppings and make it as fanciful as possible.  This coincidentally corresponds with our Winter Sing, where they are transporting our kids to the high school auditorium in the cold weather.  Warm Teachers = Happy Teachers :)

7 Days til Winter Break

Today's a special day!

The kids have been so hard at work

To sing in a merry way!

Day 6:  Bottle of Hand Lotion

6 Days til Winter Break,

The air is dry and cold.

Soft and smooth your hands will be

With this lotion made of gold.

Day 5: Hersey's Kisses in a Decorative Tree (idea and directions for a similar tree from Qbee's Quest blog)

5 Days til Winter Break

This special tree for you

Filled with yummy chocolates

That make even Santa say "Woo-hoo!"

Day 4: Code for a Redbox Movie Rental and Popcorn

4 Days til Winter Break,

The weekend is in sight.

A movie and some popcorn

Relax and enjoy the night!

Day 3: Small Bottle of Soda Decorated Like a Reindeer

3 Days til Winter Break,

8 Reindeer pull the sleigh.

We thought you might need a little drink

To help you through the day.

Day 2:  A Pair of Gloves

2 Days til Winter Break,

The weather's oh so bitter

These gloves should help to keep you

From freezing cold this winter!

Day 1: (A fan favorite!)  A Roll of Wrapping Paper, Tape and Gift Tags

Since November you've been shopping,

Barely sleeping, hardly stopping.

Now it's late, you're in a scrape,

Out of paper, out of tape.

Hope this wrap helps save the day.

Have a Happy Holiday!

As I said earlier, we are extremely blessed to have such a wonderful group of teachers and staff.  We hope these daily gifts leading up to Winter Break show them just how much we appreciate them and all they do.  

Love,

N

Moana's Marshmallow Treats

We FINALLY got to go see Moana over Winter Break and I have to say that it immediately made it into my Top 3 Disney movies of all time!  I loved everything about it!!!  The characters, the animation, the music...all of it.  Absolutely fantastic!

While on one of my many trips to Target during the holidays, I stumbled upon this special limited edition Moana cereal.  I immediately grabbed a couple of boxes in preparation for a special snack for when we went to see the movie.  Now I don't know about you, but my family LOVES Rice Crispie Treats so I revamped the recipe a little to create "Moana's (or Maui's ~ depending on which side of the box you are looking at) Marshmallow Treats".

Here's the recipe I used to make these yummy treats ~

Moana's (Maui's) Marshmallow Treats

• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 4 cups mini marshmallows
• 5 cups Moana Cereal

Spray 9 x 13 pan with non-stick cooking spray.  Set aside.  Melt the butter on medium heat in a saucepan. Gradually add marshmallows until melted, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and add cereal.  I found adding a little bit at a time makes it easier to stir.  Finally, press mixture into greased pan.  Let set until firm and enjoy!  ** I doubled the recipe to make the bars a little thicker**

We all had our favorite characters.  But Miss B and her friend Miss S loved the chicken Heihei most.  LOL!  He was pretty funny!

Dwayne Johnson is the voice of Maui the Demi-Guy ~ wonder where they got the inspiration for all those tattoos and not to mention the muscles...Whew!  (I maaay have a little crush on him that goes way back to his days as a WWE wrestler... insert blushed cheeks here.)  But boy can he sing!  The song "You're Welcome" is not only amazing but gets stuck in your head like "It's a Small World" ~ but in a good way of course.  I've even caught Honey whistling it on several occasions since we saw the movie.  

So in short, we all loved it!  But what else can you expect from a family that loves the beach and all things ocean related.  We give it 2 thumbs up or in this case a "Hang Ten"!   

Love, 
N

Gingerbread Houses ~ Bringing Back a Childhood Tradition

I realize that it is January & Christmas is over, but it would be a shame for me not to share with you another one of our fun, family activities that we did over the holidays.  Growing up making Gingerbread houses out of graham crackers was an annual tradition.  My siblings & I created what we considered to be GRAND masterpieces out of candy canes, gumdrops, M&M's, and whatever other sugary treat Mom laid out on the table.  Now while we have done this a few times with our kids, it's yet to become an annual tradition.  But since we were all together this Christmas, there seemed like no better time to bring back an family favorite.  :) 

So we each started out making our frames with graham crackers and frosting.  Some more elaborate than others....

The kiddos had fun being creative in their own unique and interesting ways...

Some family members took the construction and design very seriously. (I believe I have mentioned that competitiveness and OCD run in my family before, right?)

While others....ummm....not so much.  LOL!

But after it was all said and done, the houses were built, decorated with as little or as much creativity and candy as we wanted.  Eight wonderful Gingerbread houses stood.  Each home to a Snowman Marshmallow Peep, in representation of my dad as these were his favorite.

Honey and my sister's significant other T sat out of the festivities to then be deemed judges of our Gingerbread masterpieces.  They took great pride in coming up with just the right award for each of us.

The award for Most Innovative went to L.

Miss B received the award for the Most Colorful.  (It once stood proud and tall, but due to an unfortunate graham cracker situation ~ what was once a split-level became a ranch style home in a matter of seconds.  But none the less it was indeed full of color!)

The award for Most Technical Difficulty went to my nephew P.  "It just needs more candy," he said.  :)

C received the PETA Award for his bunny inspired home.  Love the ears!!

The award for Best Theme went to my sister for her UNI house.  Go Purple & Gold!!

My brother received the Tallest Building Award for his 2 story extravaganza with marshmallow shag carpeting, no less.

I received the award for Best General Appearance due to the color coordinated Chicklet roof.

And last but certainly not least was Mom's.  She was given the Most Modern Award for her rounded roof.   (That alone was comedy in the making, literally! LOL!)

We all had so much fun!  It brought back such fabulous memories of when we were kids AND we got to share them with our own children as well.  I definitely foresee it being a tradition that we continue in the years to come.  I want to extend a special thank you to our judges, Honey and T, for their construction expertise.  We are sure glad that we impressed you with our candy covered creations.  :)

I'm not sure why but I have a sudden urge to watch Wreck-it Ralph ??  Hmmm....candy covered race cars!?!  That's what we should build next year! Gingerbread Race Cars ~ YES!  :)  Until next time, my friends....

Love, 

N