Broken wicker baskets leave me so sad.  I use them for so many things.  I story stuffed animals in them, use them for toting toys back upstairs, and they serve a mighty purpose with laundry around our house.  Sometimes they get tired and worn out like this one...

Advent Calendars are one of our families favorite past times.  My children love when I bring out our little nutcracker because they know behind every door is a little adventure for the evening.  I wrote out 25 little cards that they have loved opening each year.  They're free for you to download as well.  I hope you enjoy...

As a foster mom with little ones and an educator at heart, I'm always reading into ways to help my babies deal with the trauma they go through.  I used these in my classroom years ago and they help children extend their focus, give them a sense of calm, and they enjoy finding these treasures among their toys.

A friend of mine and I started a ministry to help foster families and we were recently asked to represent at an event with a booth and a game for kids as the come around. We have our prizes for trying and hand major prize for winning but winning...well...we made it a little difficult. This game was attractive and fun and the kids loved it.

It was simple to make and I'll walk you through it.

​I saw this idea here and loved it.  It was much easier to make than it looks and saved me TONS of money this year on gifts.  I found these miniature wash tubs for  3/$1 and bought little hand towels to go with the soap 18/$4.  I'll let Amy from The Idea Room tell you how it's done.  My total cost for each gift was $2.22 per teacher.  

This is a fun bag for anyone who is learning to sew and wants to make something super functional.  The bag itself is easy to make and can be made in different sizes.  It's one of my very favorites to make in almost any print or pattern.

I had this pattern saved from long ago from a sweet little blog called Wee Wonderfuls.  You have to check out her other patterns.  I went ahead attached her pattern below but you have to check out her adorable creations.  It's been years and years since I made this little guy and gave it away as a gift.  You will love making this one.

​The last few weeks I have taken the time to do a few fun things with the boys.  One of them that I wanted to share was how we made our own terrarium.    I try to look at everything before I throw it away to see if it has a new life.  This cookie container from the grocery store looked like a perfect container for the kids to make a terrarium.

Sometimes kids come up with the cutest ideas.  How can we roast mini marshmallows?  With the help of an adult, candle, toothpicks, and...

When I was trying to come up with some cute and very cheap party favors for the little pirates coming to the birthday party, I searched high and low and finally found some little items but I needed something to put them in.  I remembered my little one coming home from church with a felt pouch they made to put stones in.  So, I called on a friend who came through and brought me the left overs from the lesson and boy was I excited.  These are super easy to make and take very little time and are PERFECT for giving away their favors in.

Design Your Own Planner Cover.  Instructions are now available in the store.

A dear friend shared an idea of writing something you are thankful for every week all year long on a little sheet of paper and putting it in a jar to reflect on at the end of the year. I immediately thought of how fun this would be for my kids but with a twist.

Once upon a time I used paper stars in a jar as incentives for my first graders. They loved it when I handed them a little paper star for doing well. I could whip on up fast and their eyes would glow. The could keep them or add them to a jar we were filling for a party day or cupcakes for good behavior. This is a twist on the stars those babies loved.