Puppy popsicles

If you don't already know... I have the world's most spoiled dog.

But, that's because he is the world's best dog. :)

Anyways, Frankie had a weekend sleepover with his "girlfriend," Ollie. And what sleepover would be complete without treats?!

I have had my eye on the "doggie ice cream" at the grocery stores, but they are pretty expensive. Plus, who knows what's in there. So, I found a recipe on Pinterest that I knew would be perfect for Frankie. They're healthy, simple, and he loved them.

The ingredients - peanut butter, plain nonfat yogurt, honey, and banana baby food.

Blend it all up in the blender...

... pour into small cups and stick in a dog bone "handle."

Freeze overnight...

... and enjoy! The plastic cups come right off. They were the perfect treat after a long afternoon of running in the yard. 

Reusable "green" sandwich bags

If you pack your lunch everyday like I do, you probably use tupperware or Ziploc bags. I hate how bulky tupperware containers are... and I hate how wasteful Ziploc bags can be.

Enter: reusable sandwich bags!

I have been eyeing these on Etsy for a while now. But, they were just a little too pricey for me. I knew I could make them myself with my own fabric choices. Plus, I love sewing, but hardly ever make anything for myself.

So, I looked a couple tutorials, and while they gave me great ideas and inspiration, none of them were exactly what I wanted. Plus, I knew that some of these tutorials were just making it more complicated than it needed to be. I ended up using techniques from two different tutorials to make the bags I wanted (from Clover Creek Baby and Crafty Staci).

I ended up with something I love -- I can't wait to use them! I decided to post a photo tutorial. Keep reading below for pictures and step-by-step directions.

Recent favorite things

Best part about snow days and extra days off? Lots of time for baking and sewing! Here are some of my recent favorite things...

Insulated Casserole Carrier

I made this as a birthday present for a friend over the weekend. I had to talk myself out of keeping it. :) Turned out beautiful, and the best part? She loved it. I'll definitely will be making these for everyone on my Christmas list!

Check out the tutorial at 2 Little Hooligans.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

These are sinful. So good. They take up the whole morning, but it was the perfect recipe for a snowed-in day. Amazing without frosting... but the cream cheese frosting is to die for!

Check out the recipe at Six Sisters' Stuff.

P.S. -- use heavy duty thread to cut the rolls! They keep their shape this way!

Simple Shredded Chicken

We eats tons of chicken in our house. But, I seriously hate shredding chicken breasts. I recently saw somewhere that you can use your Kitchenaid mixer to shred hot chicken. Worked perfectly! I literally threw the hot chicken breasts in, turned it on for 1 minute, and it was perfect.

T-Shirt Quilt - Part 1 of 2

I am beyond excited about my weekend project. I have been wanting to make a t-shirt quilt for a long time now. My drawers are full of soft, comfy t-shirts that I just can't part with. Perfect solution - make an uber-soft t-shirt quilt.

However, I did not want a traditional 12x12 square quilt. I know I made it more complicated than it needed to be [typical me] - but I absolutely LOVE the patchwork, hodge-podge of this quilt. PLUS -- the fabric was FREE!

Next weekend, I plan to add batting and bind it. Since I can't get soft fabric large enough to back this -- I think I will use a flat flannel queen-size sheet (and it will be super soft like the t-shirts!)

I prefer to *tie* my quilts instead of *sew* my quilts... but I think it's because I had a tied quilt when I was little, so I have a special place in my heart for them!

Once I have this one fully done... then it's time to make one from Tyson's old t-shirts! One day when we have little Andersons, they can cuddle up in our t-shirt quilts and we can tell them the story that goes along with each one.

I can't wait to see how it comes together next weekend!

Monopoly Jr. -- coin practice

Well, I love revamping board games for my kindergarten class. It's cheap, fun, and the kids love it! I can change any game to provide practice for any skill. When I found Monopoly Jr. at a garage sale for $1, I knew this would be a perfect game for coin practice. I plan to use this game during small group instruction (I will facilitate).

   

I know Monopoly Jr. already provides money practice. But the amounts used in the game ($1-$5) do not provide the practice I wanted. During the 4th quarter, my kindergartners always need extra practice with MAKING sets of coins. So, I simplified the game to practice from 2 cents to 26 cents. 
Keep reading below for more info AND the documents to make your own game!

Sorry! game -- revamped for kindergarten!

I love garage sales. They're a great place to find classroom treasures. One of my favorite things to buy at garage sales are board games. You can usually pick them up for $1 or $2 -- and I love turning them into educational games! They are perfect for small group practice... and way more fun than plain-old flash cards!



A couple weeks ago, I picked up a Sorry! game for $1. Keep reading below for 3 Sorry! games for the kindergarten classroom -- Sight Words, Double-Digit Number ID, and Over 100 Number ID.

Travel Map

When I saw this idea at C.R.A.F.T. - I knew I had to have one! I love to travel and I thought this would be a perfect way for Tyson and I to mark where we have been together. Mine is a little simpler, but I love it just as much. I've already made two more as gifts... so make one today! 


Keep reading below for a photo tutorial.

Parent volunteer gift

I wanted to do something different for my 2 parent volunteers this year. Something for them AND their child in my class. So... we did this. "We need S'MORE volunteers like you!" The students LOVED it, and the volunteers were so thrilled.

Kindergarten Round-Up -- Hungry Caterpillar theme

Yesterday was Kindergarten Round-Up... one of my favorite days of the year! I absolutely loving seeing the looks on their faces. It always rejuvenates me for the coming year, and reminds me exactly why I teach kindergarten!

This year, we went with "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle for our theme. It's a simple, but well-loved story -- and lends itself to cute decorations!

Here's a "round-up" of highlights from our day:
It's always difficult to find an appropriate art/craft for our little pre-kinders. Many of these little ones have never been to pre-school, so scissors are out of the question on this day! :) 


To make this cute little caterpillar, the kids simply glued strips of paper into a circle and added pipe cleaners for antennae. My favorite part was the counting practice. Together, we held the ends of the strips together and counted to 10 or 20 each time. 
(Thanks for the inspiration ABC & 123!)

We wanted our incoming families to become familiar with important people they will encounter at our school. So, my teammate made this cute caterpillar with photos of us, the principal, P.E. teacher, counselor, etc. It turned out looking great, but also served a great purpose at our entrance.

(Thanks for the inspiration, Project Project!)

An important routine we have added to our annual round-up is the "family photo spot." We found that when discussing observations of the kids and making class lists, it was often difficult to remember which name belonged to which child! So, upon arrival, families have their picture taken at our decorated photo spot. This way, we have a picture of each family to make our discussion more productive -- and the families get a picture as souvenir! Here is the "photo spot" we used this year (aren't we cute?!)

 It was a GREAT day... and we will probably be using this theme again next year. It was wonderful!

Easy fabric letters tutorial

I love letters -- I'm a kindergarten teacher! And, I've always looked longingly at all the cute decor letters sold in stores. So, today, I decided to make some myself... and they turned out great! WIth only 3 materials needed!



I knew exactly what I'd use them for, too -- to personalize a whiteboard for our kitchen.


Keep reading below for a photo tutorial. (Thanks for the inspiration A Girl and a Glue Gun!)

Quick and easy picnic placemat tutorial

I love placemats. And table runners. I just do. I think they make every meal special, and they add just the right amount of color to a room! Since it's getting warmer out, my husband and I are planning on taking picnics to the archery range at our local state park. So, I decided to make a cute, thin, and easy-to-pack set of picnic placemats.

They do not take very much fabric (use leftovers!) and can be made in about an hour. You could use them on a table, too! But, they are just perfect for packing away. Keep reading below for more details and a photo tutorial.

DIY $2 Goodwill cake plate

I love cake plates. Even though it's just Tyson and me at home, I always put cookies, breads, and sweets on cake plates. It just looks special - plus it looks great when you have people over! I only have one, go-to glass cake plate. I've always wanted more, but they can be pretty pricey.

Well not any more! Meet the 4-step $2.00 cake plate! Yes, TWO DOLLARS!!! (Plus it's kind of funky and unique!)


Keep reading below for the steps and a photo tutorial. (Thanks for the inspiration Elm Street Life!)

Easy raggedy flannel blanket

I love flannel. It's soft, affordable, and versatile. Everytime I go to Joann Fabric, I come home with an armful of patterned and solid flannel. I'm always looking for new ways to use flannel - and I love this blanket! It's perfect for a baby shower gift or for a special little girl/boy in your life. AND it's sooooo soft (and easy!)

Keep reading below for all the details and a photo tutorial. (Thanks for the inspiration Oly Momma!)

More fun than homework

I'm not going to lie to you... I mainly did this because I wanted to procrastinate doing homework. But, I'm so glad I did! It turned out so darn cute and I can't wait to show it to my kinders in August. They will love playing with the cars and other toys on it. And what a great way to encourage language while playing! I can't wait to see the stories they come up with. 
A view of the whole "Kinder Town"

Every town needs a few of these...

and these... 

and a farm, of course! (Named after my dog...)

My favorite part of the mat is the baseball field.
I have lots of leftover felt (probably twice as much as I needed), so I'm already planning on making an "animal mat." It will be a great way for the kids to apply our science unit on animals -- and a fun activity before we go on our field trip to the zoo!
Thanks to this blog -- Girl and a Glue Gun  -- for the great idea!