Oldie but goodie spring posts and links

I don't know about you guys, but here in AL it's been a big spring tease.  On and off again warm weather.  If it's nice out, it's really really nice.  If it's not it's nasty, cold and wet.

Still it's spring.  So here's a collection of some of my fav spring posts.

Bunny alphabet preschool favors...making these again this year for Maressa's class.

Adorable felt chocolate bunny.  More goodie links in this post too.

Homemade chocolate marshmallow bunnies and other Easter marshmallow treats.

And a few more links here.  :)

A rainy day weekend

This last weekend it was rainy rainy rainy, build an ark kinda rainy here in the deep south.

We didn't have much planned anyway, except a cancelled baseball practice.

So we played all weekend.  Not a stitch of laundry touched.  

Stayed in our jammies all day Saturday.

I made a large homestyle breakfast that morning (hashbrowns, biscuits n gravy, sausage and eggs).  

We watched some cartoons, played board games, hide n go seek and painted.

Art project from here.

Zachary made one too, but 'messed' up and never finished it.

Micah did some indoor tball practice with daddy...and a very squishy ball, though the thud I would hear on my wall made me wonder how many dents I would find later.

Kalla and I sewed both days.  

She made this pillow and worked on some simple scrap squares that we will use for a garland.  

The scrap squares was a great project she could do alone to help her get more used to using her machine...more on that later.

Sunday after church and lunch (and a little nap by me while some of the big boys watched basketball) we sewed some more.

Then the boys go into it.  They wanted to use these cool machines too

I helped them make these Peanuts pillow cases.

I taught Kalla how to braid with this simple necklace project (I'm so making me one of the 3 tier ones).

Then the big kids learned how to use mommy's big camera and proceeded to take silly pictures of each other.

And of their pets.

And that was our weekend.

Now this coming weekend.  Chaos ensues.  

Opening weekend for Micah's tball and Zachary is in a large tournament over an hour away all weekend.

Blessings that it is supposed to be perfect baseball weather though.  :)

Gonna get my peanuts and cracker jacks ready!

What do you guys do on rainy weekends?

What keeps you busy busy busy this time of year?

Special snack: Fluffernutter candy

Do you call those marshmallow fluff and peanut butter sandwiches fluffernutters??
Or is that a regional thing?

Anyway, I bought some marshmallow fluff the other day for no particular reason but that every time I have a recipe that calls for it, I don't have any.  Course I ended up using pretty quickly.  I was brainstorming a special snack for the kids as I was about to leave for a ladies retreat that weekend.  I thought of making peanut butter ritz cracker sandwiches dipped in chocolate.  Then I thought how marshmallow fluff would make them that much more awesome.

So I spread some peanut butter on some crackers and marshmallow fluff on the other.  

Then sandwiched them together.

Then I melted down some chocolate bark and spread it on top.  I wasn't sure how the cracker sandwiches would dip.  Thinking next time I might thin out the bark with some shortening and then try dipping them.  But to be honest I wasn't going for the cutest snack award, but for quick and easy and delicious.

And delicious they were.  Made many friends at the retreat handing these puppies out.  ;)

Today's special snack I made these.  One of my favorite cookie bars. 

 My house smells so yummy right now I'm not sure I can wait for the kids to get home.  :)

Treasures

My newest treasures......

I've been meaning to share all my wonderful thrifted finds over the last months...I think some from before Christmas.  Most still are in their 'potential' form.  I've not decided what I wanna do with them all yet, so don't judge their raw form. Sometimes it takes months or a year before I really know especially since I tend to move them around  until they meet their semi-permanent home (let's face it we rarely leave something in the same space forever...and you shouldn't!)

I admit I'm guilty of mostly painting everything white.  I'm trying to get more fun/gutsy. 

Maybe this needs to be turquoise instead.  :)

Thinking this vintage file cabinet might need a decoupage treatment.

This super cool vintage dressser/cabinet will be white though.  It's going beside my bed.

Look at how the lower 2 compartments have hinged doors.  The top 2 are shallow drawers.

Got this sweet school desk at Goodwill...Micah LOVES it.

This red star glass lantern is thrifted, globe from Good will, 'HOME' is from clearance Hobby Lobby and little owls are Target dollar section.

I have some more things that are in a closet waiting to find a perfect home.

For now I'm still trying to get my orange laundry closet finished.  :)

Happy St Patricks Day~I'm starvin' are you starvin'?

Best version of the history of St Patricks day ever~Veggie Tales style.  :)

Special Snacks

Doesn't take much for huge smiles around here!

All I have to say the words "special snack today!"

Sometimes it's something baked. 

Favorites are homemade cookies, homemade granola bars, homemade salsa and chips,

freshly baked Fiber One blueberry muffins and popcorn.
Other times it's just something simple and sweet.

These vanilla pudding cups with smashed oreos on top were a huge hit!

Just minutes to make.

Got a big "thanks mom!" for this one!!  :)

Will be sharing some more of our yummy special snacks in the future...like our fluffer nutter candy. :)

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On another note.  I've been yet again MIA.

As a brief explanation, I've been back at my sister's house, went on church Ladies Retreat, been fighting the stomach bug for the last 2 weeks in our house (I was the lucky one to get it twice.)

Among all that I've been lazy with the blogging. 

 I don't know if other have the same problem, but if I can't post regularly I kinda lose my blogging mojo. 

 I have the hardest time getting back.

Instead I am usually using the time to keep up with laundry, reading with the kids, writitng cursive letters with the older two and helping Maressa to learn to write her name. 

As for me and my house

I made this little picture for a girl's night craft.  I was hosting a dinner group at my church that gets together once a month and was asked if we could craft too.  So of course I was happy to come up with a craft! :)

I love this verse and wanted to use it in some art for my house and had actually been meaning to make something soon.

To make it I used craft papers and some fabric scraps.  The frame is a 8.5"X11" document frame from the Dollar Tree.  It can be painted or decorated but I liked the natural look against all the bright colors.

I used a denim fabric to make the house and I had the adorable vintage mushroom print and cut around a couple of mushrooms.  I simply used double stick tape to attach them to my green paper.  The mini bunting I used bakers twine and bits of fabric and used double sided tape again.  The Bible verse was printed on cardstock and torn out.  :)

You can use this same idea for your favorite verse or if words/verses aren't your thing, just make a big initial letter and decorate it up with bits of fabric, buttons, ricrac and pompom trim.

Favorite clothes: a Tea Collection review

Tea Collection is one of our favorite catalogs. So when they asked if they could send us a few things and post a review I said yes! and yes!  :)  We are already BIG fans.   They sell girls clothing, boys, babies and even womens.
We fell in love with the girl's clothing at first sight.
I love first that they sell comfortable, modest, fun clothes for the girls.  It is SO hard to find clothes especially for seven year old Kalla.  I want her to still look like a little girl without all the cutsie.

Bonus is that my VERY picky Kalla loves them.  Pretty much everything they sell.

If her Tea sets are clean they are always first to be picked out to wear.

No more fights getting ready for school in the mornings!!

The dress above was sent to us and it is just adorable and she loves it.

LOVE that it comes below her knees.  ;)

Maressa loves her new dress too.  Wore it all day!

If it doesn't  twirl, she won't wear it!

And this yellow top and skirt with pockets are just adorable.  I know this will be one of our very favorite outfits...now just for spring to come for good and we can put it in our regular rotation.  :)

Loving this green dress.  Kalla wore it to school layered with tee and some jeans.  As it warms we'll do leggings and in the summer heat just by itself!

And the last thing I love is that the quality is excellent which is very important when everything Kalla gets will be handed down and the style will never go out.