Personalized Barrette Holder

I recently made two personalized barrette holders and I'm thrilled with them!

I found 2 unfinished photo frames on clearance at Michael's for $1 each. I painted them white and attached pink and green ribbon (paint and ribbon free from my craft cabinet). I then added an already painted "Princess" sign to the top, again, found at Michael's for 99 cents each. I wanted to make them sparkle, so I added flashy pink and silver rhinestones (Michael's for $1.50 after using a 50% off coupon). I glued the rhinestones to the Princess topper and the sides of the picture frame. Back near the unfinished frames, I discovered a shelf of lacing beads and objects for children necklaces. I loved the frog and flowers packet. Each packet ($1) came with one frog, two flowers, several beads, and a necklace string. Finally, using puffy paint (free from craft cabinet), I wrote the names on the bottom. The total project cost $7. 50.

Now, all is needed is a picture for each frame and barrettes!

I was inspired by Annette's barrette holder at Live, Learn, Love.

Our Summer Bucket List

Summer is officially here!! So, to celebrate, I sat down with Izzie and we came up with our Summer Bucket List...

We go to the beach with family every summer and this is the first summer that Izzie is anticipating the trip. She talks about the beach everyday, at least a hundred times a day. She was super excited to put build a sand castle and find seashells at the top of the list! We hung the list on the refrigerator and can't wait to start checking off our activities.

Did I mention that Mac is included in the fun too?

Blowing bubbles....check!

I was inspired to make a Summer Bucket List after seeing The Shafer's Family Bucket List.

Happy Birthday!

You're Our Super Hero! Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Love, Izzie and Mac

Where have we been?

Now, that the weather is getting warmer, we seem to find ourselves at the park, a lot!

Mac recently learned to go down the small curvy slide completely by herself!

We've also been spring cleaning and doing a little painting around the house, which is quite the adventure with two little girls, who think they are painters too! Unfortunately, I haven't made blogging a priority...there may be very few posts throughout the summer. I find comfort in blogging during the "school" year and truly enjoy being "unplugged" for the warmer weather.

Enjoy your summer!

Bargain Finds!

I admit, I'm a bargain hunter! I clip coupons, I'm addicted to Craigslist and Ebay, and I'm a hungry predator at yard sales! I get so excited when I get to tell my husband how much money we saved...then, with a smile, he always responds, "Sweetie, we're not saving money, if you're spending money." He's a smart man, but doesn't quiet understand my ability (obsession).

Saturday, I came across a yard sale with a lot of used curriculum! I'm the most excited about the books...

Teach Your Child To Read In 100 Easy Lessons
I've heard about this book with mix reviews, but thought at $5, it was worth a try. I'm curious to know if anyone has used this book and with what type of success. Izzie knows her letters and the sounds that each makes and has started to become interested in retelling stories. She has memorized several books that we read, so following her lead, I may start this book over the summer with her.

What Your Kindergartner Needs To Know
At first glance, I thought this book would give me a detailed list of things that Izzie needed to know before/during kindergarten. Instead, it's a book that contains fundamentals that she needs to be prepared for kindergarten. I haven't read the entire book, but it looks very interesting and it's filled with age-appropriate questions that I hope will stimulate Izzie's thinking skills.

Helping Your Preschool Child
Contains a lot of activities for children from infancy to age 5.

Service Projects Preschoolers Can Do
Contains 44 service projects that are age approprate for preschoolers. I'm really excited that the projects are related to a specific Bible story/theme, with a step-by-step lesson. These will be a great addition for Bible Study.

Backyard Scientist
I was excited to find a science activity book for preschoolers, but after looking through the book, I'm not that impressed. However, there are several good experiments in the book.

So, are you curious to know how much money I saved?

A lot! I paid $8.50 for all the books!

If you found a great bargain last week, feel free to share!