It's a bird, it's a Christmas tree...No, it's feathered, tinsel hair !!

I am the first to admit that I grew up in the 80's and loved the bangles, mini skirts, leggings, clogs, and very high bangs.  I also admit that I have never been very good with hair.  I am sure my Mom still has a photo of me from Glamor shots circa 1980-something which is a clear example of how not to style your hair and makeup in any era.  Hairstyles and clothing styles definitely come in quickly and go out just as fast.  That is why I did not pay much attention to the latest hair trend, hair tinsel, nor did  I have a clue about feather hair extensions.  Not to mention I am at an age where I should not entertain wearing tinsel or feathers. If you haven't seen it before, here is a picture of the hair feathers: 

 and the tinsel 

Nevertheless, I have 3 daughters who keep me up to date on these things. Brooke had mentioned it to me as something she was wanting to do in the summer and when Ally's birthday came around, she decided to buy it for her as a gift. Before I knew it, we were on the way to one of the only salons in town that had any in stock (they are a hot commodity in these parts). We were lucky that the salon we went to had just received a shipment the day before and they had a whole display of feather bundles and individual feathers. Paige picked her set first which were hot pink feathers with a pink tinsel (which combines the two crazes) and Ally picked the same type of set in purple. Brooke opted for two individual feathers which she combined. It took less than 2 minutes to have them attached and after watching it in person, I wish I had come up with the idea myself. I also think it would be very easy to do on your own if you bought the feathers and had the rubbery clips to attach to the hair. Who knew that a fortune was lurking in unused Christmas tree tinsel? Did you know that fly fishermen have been experiencing a shortage of flies as a result of this craze? Maybe I will dig through my craft box to see what I can come up with as the next hot hair craze. Just kidding. (sort of ) Happy Tuesday!

I Spy......

Small items around the house - sorry for the lighting in this photo

My poem which is below

The filled jar

I got this idea of "I Spy" from the Magic Onion which can be found here:  http://themagiconions.blogspot.com/2009/05/eye-spy-jar.html

I adapted it for my kids who are older. I found small objects that were lying around the house and filled a mason jar with them items as well as rice, leaving enough room for the contents to move. I then made an explanation sheet and a guessing sheet and left them on a table in our entryway. I let them find the game on their own.  We will see who guesses the correct amount of objects in the jar at the end of the weekend.

The explanation says the following:

I Spy
I won’t tell my secret but revealed in this jar,
A number of items found near and far.

Record the number of things there you find,
In your head, on your hand or even in your mind.

You may lift, you may shake but never do cheat,
as the winner will get a prize for their feat.

Work as a team or work on your own,
you may even rely on a friend, via the phone.


I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! 

Friday Night Swim - A Birthday Celebration!



Friday night we celebrated Paige's birthday with a swim at a famous indoor water park and hotel.  She had a wonderful time.  We went for the cheapo package and ended up with an upgraded room which was fabulous.  I should have taken more pictures of the room itself but after a few minutes in the room with several girls, it never looked the same as when we checked in  Here are the pictures:

                                         

The best part was that the weather was nice enough today that they opened the outdoor pool area in addition to the indoor pool so we got to enjoy both.  I hope everyone also has a great weekend! 

Happy Wedding Day!!!

Here is a look at our morning (very early) in pictures:



BBC on TV



His Highness Tigger



Brooke



Paige



Tea and Scones with Cream



Ally's UK outfit for school

Have a wonderful day!  And if we are all lucky, a late afternoon nap. 

Clay Figurines by Ally

Today I am featuring some of the recent art work that Ally made on her own. I bought her some colored clay for a science project and it wasn't needed. She came up with these figurines by herself and you can tell from the picture with the dime that they are very small. She definitely has an artistic side.

Lizard and a Dime

Bluebonnets

Birds Nest

Schnauzers

Have a Happy Wednesday!  Tomorrow I will be posting Royal Wedding links and watching party ideas.

Easter Recipes - Stained Glass Jello

Green jello (lime)

Blue jello (berry blue)

Orange jello (orange)

Yellow jello (lemon)

What can you make with green, blue, orange and yellow jello as well as unflavored gelatine and sweetened condensed milk?  It's a treat that your kids will love.  They are colorful and look almost like stained glass. 

You can make this with up to 4 different colors/flavors of Jell-O.

• 4 small boxes (3 oz. each)  or 2 large boxes (6 oz. each) of Jell-O or store brand gelatin  (I used one box of 3oz. lime, one 3 oz. box of berry blue, one 3 oz. box of orange, and one 3 oz. box of lemon)
• 1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk (NOT evaporated milk)
• 2 envelopes unflavored gelatin  
• Water

Dissolve each small box of jello in one cup boiling water. Chill at least three hours, until firm.  After chilling all of the flavors, cut them into small blocks.

Carefully mix up the cubes of jello in a 9"x13" pan, using your hands to gently toss the colors together.  I didn't do a very good job with mixing the cubes as mine were not as firm because I followed the recipe on the box instead of the one cup total of water that is suggested.

In a separate bowl measure 1/2 cup cold water.  Sprinkle 2 envelopes unflavored gelatin on top.  Let the gelatin "bloom" or thicken for a few minutes, and add one and a half cups boiling water and dissolve.  Add the can of condensed milk. Stir and allow to cool to room temperature.

 

Pour cooled milk mixture over jello. Make sure the milk mixture is cool enough or it will cause the colors to run.  Chill overnight, and cut into blocks.  Enjoy!  Have fun mixing the colors and flavors.  This can be stored in the fridge for up to a week. 

 

Brooke in Pictures

Brooke in Hawaii

Brooke Cheering at a Football Game

Homecoming Mum

Homecoming Dress and Hair

Tonight turned out to be a busy night so the recipe post will have to wait until tomorrow. Driving home from work, Don spotted a little lost dog.  The poor thing looked groomed but was exhausted from walking in the heat.  We brought her inside, gave her water and let her cool down while we worked on finding her owner.  I took her photo and printed up a Found Dog flyer. Luckily, it worked and a neighbor spotted one on our mailbox and called to pick up their little dog.    They had given her a bath last night and had forgotten to put her collar back on afterwards. We were glad that there was a happy reunion for both owner and dog!  Our two dogs and cats were also glad that the little fluffy stranger found its home. 

Paige in Pictures

Paige in the Bluebonnets

I hope everyone is happy that it is finally Friday. What a week! I would like to think that we will be relaxing all weekend but instead, we will be spending our time shopping for prom dresses for Brooke. Please say a small prayer on my behalf. We did a little shopping for a dress last weekend and I was woefully unprepared for the dressing room of prom dress establishments. They have no circulating air, they are the size of a stamp and there are three to four female friends per potential prom dress client. That doesn't even count the mounds of satin, sequins, and shrills of excitement. It's a lot to take in especially when I realized that I may have to repeat the process next year. I should have taken pictures of the dresses from last weekend but it was all a little too much. This time I will be prepared.

I was going through pictures the other day and decided I would pick my favorite pictures of each of the girls so today is Paige's day. Happy Friday everyone!

Paige at Fossil Rim Wildlife Park with a Giraffe

Paige and the Snow

Paige at Beavers Bend in the Lake

Paige in Hot Springs, Arkansas pointing to an amusement park below

Paige at the Science Museum in Dallas

Indian Paint Brush in the Spring

Bunny Dumplings

Tonight dinner was "if you can find it, you can eat it night" which is actually a great marketing tool for leftover night. The kids like it because they can get creative with leftovers and I like it because I don't have to cook as everything is reheated. It's a win-win situation for everyone. The meal that Paige chose was chicken with dumplings and a side of cheese tortilla wraps. She used the yellow and orange carrots in the dish to make the bunny eyes and nose and the wrap is the bunny's ears. I thought it was ingenious and it would make a great idea for an Easter lunch.

It's National Scrabble Day!!

It's 4/13/11 and that means it is National Scrabble Day! Don't worry if you didn't know that handy fact, until recently, I didn't either. I also didn't know that Sunday was National Siblings Day.

I also didn't know that 4/16/11 is National Eggs Benedict Day either.

But I am really sad that I missed No Housework Day on 4/7/11. Whatever day it happens to be today, I hope yours is a good one. Happy Wednesday!

National Honor Society Induction Ceremony

Tonight Brooke was inducted into the National Honor Society for her Senior year of high school. We are very proud of her and we are looking forward to everything that she will accomplish in the year to come. Way to go Brooke!