Little Piles Everywhere

cakes

2013-06-11T11:52:00.000-04:00

It has been quite a while since I posted pictures of cakes.

Thought I'd do a little cake round-up from the past year.

This was for big sis' birthday when she turned 14.

She is a HUGE Hunger Games fan.

So this seems kind of fitting.

Simple three layer cake with buttercream frosting.

I cut the mockingjay out of fondant and lightly detailed it with some black food coloring.

You have to look closely to see the details.

I call this next picture "Cake on Fire"

This was lil sis' birthday cake.

She really wanted a doll cake.

I took this picture while we were driving 45 minutes away to my parents house to celebrate the girls birthdays. (They are only 8 days apart)

I had posted this on facebook, because I sat it on the floor of the van and it kept sliding around.

I was nervous the cake was going to tip over.

Luckily it survived the drive!

I made this super cute cake for my super sweet niece who turned 2.

Her birthday is right between my girls birthdays.

So we had one big super party.

Everyone has to have their own cake though.

Those are real googly eyes on the front.

I thought they made the cake look super cute!

Lil Sis had to take a treat to her class for being star of the week and it was right around Valentine's day.

I just piped two hearts on the top of a giant white swirl and let her add some red sprinkles.

We placed the cucpakes inside clear plastic drink cups and wrapped them in a baggie with a fork.

This way the kids could eat them with minimal mess.

This final cake was a school project.

Instead of a book report Big Sis was allowed to make a 3D project.

She decided she needed to make it out of cake.

Can anyone guess what it is?

If you guessed the arena from Catching Fire you are right.

We used three layers of 14" cakes.

Stacked them up.

This cake is probably 7" tall.

She covered the outside with pretzel sticks to look like trees.

It's kind or hard to see all the details, but each section was divided according to the zones that were talked about in the book.

The white stuff is cotton candy that is suppose to represent the deadly fog.

It's kind of rough, but she recieved an A+ for her hard work.

For the record this cake was sooo heavy.

But she didn't bring any home and that was all that I asked.

Apparently the teachers enjoyed it in the teachers lounge!

Here are some of the products I used to make this cake.

Superhero Birthday Party

2013-06-07T08:03:00.000-04:00

This past year Lil Bro turned 5 with a superhero themed birthday party.

I thought I would share a few pictures from his super fun party!

Lil' Bro ready for the party to start.

Superman and Batman cake.

I had to search high and low on ebay for these cake pans.

They are vintage and actually came with the face and chest symbols.

Woohoo!

This is the backdrop I made for the cake table.

Just a simple tri-fold presentation board.

The buildings are made from black poster board and tissue paper.

The finished cake table.

Bro has the giant hulk smash hands.

I thought they worked great as balloon weights.

This game is made from the thick foam board.

I cut out the leters and other designs.

There are three different sized holes.

The kiddos threw bean bags through the holes.

I made all the kids masks and capes.

I didn't get a picture of the capes.

I cut them from t-shirts.

You basically cut off the front of the shirt and the sleeves, but leave the neck in place.

They just slipped right over their heads and there was NO sewing involved.

T-shirt material is perfect for this, because the edges don't unravel or fray after cutting.

I made red for the boys and pink for the girls.

We played two other games that I didn't get pictures of.

One was smash the villain.

I cut out villain eye masks and taped them to balloons.

The kiddos had to smash (pop) the villains.

The other game I printed out pictures of different villains.

I taped the pictures to cups and lined them up on the piano bench.

The kids threw small plastic airplanes at the cups to knock them off the bench.

Overall we didn't spend a ton on the party.

I made everything including the cakes, food and decor.

So that saved us a ton.

I usually only let my kids have a party every other year.

The next party will be for Lil' Sis.

No idea what that theme will be, because she's always changing her mind!

I am going to post a few more cake pictures of other cakes I made next week.

Happy weekend everyone!

One Lucky Mom

2013-05-31T07:56:00.002-04:00

We recently had some family photos taken.

They were taken by Kelly Lindsay Photography.

I'd like to say Lil' Sis and Bro are hard to photograph.

Well mostly Lil' Sis is.

She's my rebellious child who finds it hard to do anything anyone wants her to do including smiling or even looking at a camera when asked. So these pictures are no small accomplishment.

All these pictures were taken in my grandpa's yard in front of his barn.

They turned out beautifully!

All three kiddos together. Looking at the camera at the same time. Woohoo!!

This picture is classic Bro. Trying hard to impress with his hands in his pockets.

Such a little man!

Big Sis! What can I say she's BEAUTIFUL!

Only 14 if you can believe that.

Can't wait to watch her grow up to the awesome women I knows she will be!

Oh Lil' Sis.

How I love you.

Don't let this sweet face fool you.

This girl will outsmart you at every turn.

I think she has a future as a world class spy.

I have some new projects in the works.

Watch for new free printables soon!

Sharing some pictures

2013-05-15T09:53:00.002-04:00

In an effort to blog more often I thought I'd share some pictures!

This is little sis.

This is how she dresses on a daily basis.

She will only wear skirts and dresses.

She loves knee highs.

When left to her own devices she will pull her knee highs up over her leggings.

She beats to her own drum!

This is my entire gang with their great grandpa.

We are a dance family.

This means that we spend the majority of our time at a dance studio.

This was after their annual recital.

We are so thankful to have great grandpa in our lives!

This is my entire gang with my niece and nephew!

This is by far the greatest picture the five of them have ever taken together.

Talk about an almost impossible task.

This picture was actually taken in front of my great grandpa's barn.

there you have it. I hope everyone is having a great Wednesday!

Teacher Appreciation Gift & a little give-away

2013-05-09T15:02:00.000-04:00

Howdy Friends!

It's been a while!

I'd like to blame it on a whole list of things...

but it's really just me not taking the time to mind my blog like I should.

I thought I'd take a minute to share my teacher appreciation gifts this year.

A little classroom subway type art.

They include all the kiddos names from each class along with the teacher names, year and grade.

I uploaded them to Wal-Greens photo center and printed them as 8 x 10's.

Including frames the gifts cost less than $10 each.

I know it's the end of Teacher Appreciation Week, but the first person to e-mail me

I will gladly design one of these bad boys for you.

I will post back here in this very spot once someone has emailed me.

Congratulations to Laura!

She is the winner of the classroom subway art!

Broken Heart Puzzles Revisited

2013-02-01T08:39:00.000-05:00

I posted this Broken Heart Puzzle Game two years ago.

So I thought I would go ahead and re-post it in case you are new to the blog and have not had a chance to download it yet. It was one of my most popular downloads.

My latest download is a Broken Hearts Puzzle Game.

There are numbers 1 -10.

Cut out the hearts, then cut them along the dotted line down the middle.

Your kiddo can count the dots on each half to match the puzzle pieces.

I hate to waste paper, and there are only two puzzle hearts on the second page.

So I added a small heart shaped match game to the second page.

You get two games for one with this download.

Print two copies of the second page to have a set for matching.

Let me know if this is useful.

Do you like that I included the same number of dots on each half of the hearts?

The Link

Broken Hearts Puzzle and Match Game

Site Word BINGO - Traceable

2012-12-21T12:04:00.000-05:00

Um....I know I started talking about this months ago.

I finally have it finished.

I have included 11 unique pages with this BINGO pack.

Not sure why I stopped at 11. That's an odd number right?

This is the TRACEABLE version.

I am working on the non-traceable version and will have it available after the first of the year.

I forgot to make an instructions page.

The first page of this document includes "cards" of all the site words.

These are for you to cut out and pick from a hat, a bucket, or a shoe.

Or you can print the sheet, leave it in tact, and read them off in any order you see fit.

I'm always a fan of lamination, because you can use them over and over again.

Or if you have unlimited printing resources you can print them over and over again to your hearts desire.

The Link

Traceable Site Word BINGO

I hope everyone has a Happy Holiday!

See ya next year!

Sorry I couldn't resist!

You can find this post linked here:

and here:

Hey Mommy, Chocolate Milk

Weekly Library Link Up

I can't get this link to work right now.

You can visit the site by going here:

http://www.heymommychocolatemilk.blogspot.com/2013/01/moms-library-link-up-12.html

Site Words BINGO

2012-10-18T09:21:00.000-04:00

So I have had multiple posts asking me to make a BINGO game with Site Words.

I am happy to announce I am currently working on this.

My ABC lowercase BINGO has been downloaded over 1,000 times.

Obviously very popular.

Here's my question.

Would you like to see the site words traceable like the ABC BINGO is or would you just like to see the words listed? As in not traceable.

Also, would a numbers BINGO game be useful?

I was thinking I would create it with the actual numbers and number words.

All are in the works.

I will hopefully have it finished by the end of the month.

I would love any input!

Thanks!

2012-09-04T10:01:00.002-04:00

Howdy!

Just a quick note to say that it looks like my files are active again.

Honestly I am not sure how they were re-activated, but I am 100% super happy that I am able to share them again.

Kids Lunches

2012-08-16T09:11:00.000-04:00

Lil' Sis is starting kindergarten this fall.

For some reason this sent me into a panic thinking about her trying to manage lunch.

First of all she is SUPER picky.

Second I wasn't sure she could open containers.

We've been practicing lunches with the babysitter.

I thought I would share some of the lunches.

I found these ziplock divided containers.

Apparently they are super hard to find.

I may have gone overboard and ordered 20 of them at

www.drugstore.com. Here's the link to the product.

I see they are now out of stock. Hopefully they'll be back in stock soon.

I know some people use the Easy Lunch Boxes which look very similar.

Above are two lunches.

One is Lil' Bros and the other is Lil' Sis'.

Bro's has a bologna ( I just sang the oscar meyer jingle in my head to spell that) sandwich on whole wheat bread cut into the shape of a pumpkin.

You can find the cutter set on Amazon.

Cookie Cutter Stencil Set

Bro's lunch also includes red grapes, graham crackers, fish crackers, pretzels and some leftover spaghetti noodles.

Lil' Sis' lunch has a peanut butter and strawberry jelly sandwich cut into a butterfly and cat shape. I cut both from the same sandwich. The butterfly is a pat of the set I mentioned above. The cat cutter I picked up at a local craft store for 50 cents.

Sis' has cantaloupe instead of grapes, because most days she pretends not to like grapes.

The eyes and nose on her kitty sandwich are sprinkles.

These lunches are about the same as the above lunches. Bro has a cutie peeled and sectioned.

I also cut up some left over pizza into bit size pieces.

For their dessert today they received one cookie and some craisins that are tucked into the corner.

I should note that my kids do not mind cold food. They will eat noodles, pizza, rice, whatever cold.

The cookie cutters I used above are a unicorn, heart, and a stegosaurus.

Sprinkles make up the eyes.

In case you were wondering what I do with the extra bread.

Well I try to use as much as posslbe. Sometimes that means the point of something gets cut off, or a foot of a bear is left behind. I like to save my extra pieces to make homemade croutons.

Sometimes if I'm feeling lazy, the dog gets herself a nice snack.

She loves bread and can hear me open the bag from a mile away.

I am working on adding more veggies to their lunches.

They aren't big veggies eaters, so this will be a challenge.

If anyone has suggestions I am totally open.

Products I use frequently.

Printables problem

2012-08-15T08:49:00.000-04:00

My 4Shared account has been ":froze" due to a complaint that I did not follow copy right laws for one file. Honestly I have no idea why. If I had to guess I believe that this was possibly an error on my part in the way that I saved the file. Unfortunately 4Shared does not allow me to view the complaint or see who filed the complaint so I have no idea what the real issue is. I have permission from all of my clip art sources to use their material. I assure you this was not intentional.

I have already received a couple of emails asking me what was going on with the site. I am unable to email files to you at this time until I figure out the source of the problem. I take copy right laws and agreements very seriously and I don't want to put myself at risk.

I honestly don't see myself continuing with new designs. As much as I would LOVE to, it really is becoming very cumbersome. There are so many steps to preparing the files and making sure you are meeting the requirements. And apparently even when I am diligent I still mess up. I know other awesome designers have given up their blogs. I was trying my best to not fall into this category...but it's not looking good a this point.

I apologize for the inconvenience.
I know I have said this before, but if whoever reported my file is reading my blog, please please please contact the author before you report it. It may have been one simple step they overlooked/forgot or you may not know the full story behind the source of their material. I find it's always best to communicate with someone before you do something drastic like shut down their entire 4Shared account. That account had a lot of my own original artwork that I was sharing. I can't even access that now. The only thing you accomplished was leaving me in the dark wondering where I went wrong with no option to correct it. Not cool.
I am open to any suggestions that anyone has with continuing my blog. What would you like to see? More of my at home activities, art projects, craft projects, cakes, recipes?

It's never too cold for a day at the beach!

2012-03-12T09:11:00.001-04:00

So it's March here in Northern Ohio.

I know, it's March everywhere.

Yesterday the weather was in the 60's.

What's that mean for this family?

Well a trip to the beach of course.

I believe I have said it before that we are beach lovers.

I snapped this picture with my iphone 4s.

The camera is awesome!

Much better than my old blackberry.

We feel so lucky to live so close to Lake Erie.

We are itching for the warm weather.

We've already declared it the summer of the beach.

We're dorks like that!

Yesterday's weather was like a giant teaser for us.

Here's hoping the next few months go quickly!

4 Leaf Clover Puzzles & Memory Game

2012-03-09T11:18:00.001-05:00

Howdy Friends!

I know it's been a while. Shame on me.

Just an FYI.

Designers of the clip art you see in the printables all over the net

are really cracking down on how you can use their art.

I have ALWAYS asked permission before I use anyone's clip art.

I know there are some sites that don't do this, or that think because they pay for the art that they can use it however they want. This is not the case. Most designers have strict Terms Of Use (TOU).

That being said it has become increasingly difficult for me to source clip art.

One of my previous sources has updated their TOU and no longer will allow their clip art to be used for FREE printables. My old or already posted items have been grandfathered in,

but anything new would fall into this category.

So after all that negative stuff, I created two games for you.

I also created the art myself.

This is something I have been trying to do more of.

In one download you will receive 9 Four Leaf Clover Puzzles and 1 Memory Game.

I would love feedback in the comments on what you would like to see more of.

Letter recognition games, number games, writing practice, etc.

The Link

Four Leaf Clover Puzzle & Memory Game Link

A+ Teacher Gift - Free Printable

2011-12-12T09:01:00.000-05:00

I always like to make a little teachers gift for my kiddos teachers.

This year my kiddos have 2 teachers each.

So I searched pinterest and found the cutest little post-it-note holders.

I thought I could make something like that.

Below is my version of the finished project.

I designed the 4" x 6" insert using a Digital Scrapbook Goodies from a shop I found on Etsy.

You can find the shop here:

Piccadilly Lilly

The set I used is the Apple a Day 12" x 12" set.

Here are the supplies I started with.

A 4" x 6" clear frame and a post-it-note.

I contacted Monika at Piccadilly Lilly and she gave me permission

to share a version of the insert with my readers.

I personalized mine with the teachers name.

Obviously I can't do that for everyone.

So I made a generic one that I hope you will use!

Click the link directly below the sample picture to download.

There are two 4" x 6" printouts per page.

A+ Teacher Gift Download

Don't forget to visit Monika's shop at Piccadilly Lilly Etsy Shop.

Happy Holidays!

You can find this in here:

2011-12-06T16:01:00.001-05:00

Howdy folks!

I know I have been MIA for quite a while. I am working on new activities and hope to be back in full swing after the new year. I had some hiccups over the past few months and just needed to step back and gather my senses.

If you haven't already found it, you can download my Christmas package from last year.

Christmas Package 2010

Looking back at this package it almost makes me cringe. This is one of the first I put together.
Some popular activities from it are the Christmas BINGO, Christmas Tree Match, Letter Tracing Cards and Snowman number match!

And just because I try to live by the rule that you should always include pictures in every post...here are a few of my kiddos...who by the way have all turned a year older over the past month!

Little Bro' Age 4

Big Sis' Age 13

Lil' Sis' Age 5

So until I get my act together and start posting more often I hope everyone has a fabulous holiday season!

Cheers,
Kaci

Number 4

2011-09-13T10:26:00.002-04:00

Worksheets for the number 4.

The Link

All About Number 4 - Candy Themed

Official stuff about the clip art used:

My clip art comes from the cutest little Etsy shop.

peachpopsclipart

I do have to say that my FREE printables are not for

commercial use or to be resold.

But they have given me permission to use their clip art in my

printables and share them for FREE with my readers!

Some more official lingo for the clip art:

What's The Number

2011-09-09T09:46:00.002-04:00

TGIF.

Here is a little break from the number sheets.

Two sheets of What's the Number.

Have your kiddo count the pieces of candy in each box and match the number that corresponds.

Simple as that.

The Link

What's the number

Official stuff about the clip art used:

My clip art comes from the cutest little Etsy shop.

peachpopsclipart

I do have to say that my FREE printables are not for

commercial use or to be resold.

But they have given me permission to use their clip art in my

printables and share them for FREE with my readers!

Some more official lingo for the clip art:

All About the Number 3

2011-09-07T14:34:00.002-04:00

Happy Wednesday!

Here are the worksheet sets for the number 3.

They are just like 1 and 2...only with 3 instead!

Enjoy!

The Link

All About Number 3

Official stuff about the clip art used:

My clip art comes from the cutest little Etsy shop.

peachpopsclipart

I do have to say that my FREE printables are not for

commercial use or to be resold.

But they have given me permission to use their clip art in my

printables and share them for FREE with my readers!

Some more official lingo for the clip art:

All About Number 2.

2011-09-02T10:32:00.002-04:00

All about number two today!

These are the same activities that were included with the number one worksheets!

Have an awesome Labor Day Weekend!

The Link

Number 2 Worksheets

Official stuff about the clip art used:

My clip art comes from the cutest little Etsy shop.

peachpopsclipart

I do have to say that my FREE printables are not for

commercial use or to be resold.

But they have given me permission to use their clip art in my

printables and share them for FREE with my readers!

Some more official lingo for the clip art:

The Number One Candy Themed Worksheets

2011-08-31T15:06:00.001-04:00

Howdy friends!

I am continuing with my number theme this week.

Today I have worksheets that focus on the number one.

A lot of these activities are things that I have done for the first time.

If something seems off or needs tweaked let me know.

I'll fix it right up!

I have a sheet to practice writing the number one.

I will be releasing the D'Nealian version of the first page soon.

Please check back if you are interested in that.

There are two versions of addition.

The first uses ice cream cones instead of numbers.

The second version uses the actual numbers.

Two more sheets will help your child recognize the number one and practice counting.

I have a set for numbers 1 -10.

They will be released over the next two weeks along with a few other math or number oriented pages.

The Link

Number One Worksheet Set

Official stuff about the clip art used:

My clip art comes from the cutest little Etsy shop.

peachpopsclipart

I do have to say that my FREE printables are not for

commercial use or to be resold.

But they have given me permission to use their clip art in my

printables and share them for FREE with my readers!

Some more official lingo for the clip art:

Numerical Order LolliPops

2011-08-26T07:59:00.001-04:00

We are working on counting at our house.

My kids seem to struggle with numbers.

So I put together a set of lollipops that are numbered from 0 - 10.

The pops get bigger as the number gets bigger.

Did that sentence make sense?

Zero is a teeny tiny pop.

10 is the biggest pop.

I liked the idea of putting them in order like this.

I hope you do too!

More numbers next week!

The Link

Numerical Order LolliPops

Official stuff about the clip art used:

My clip art comes from the cutest little Etsy shop.

peachpopsclipart

I do have to say that my FREE printables are not for

commercial use or to be resold.

But they have given me permission to use their clip art in my

printables and share them for FREE with my readers!

Some more official lingo for the clip art:

You can find this linked here:

Cotton Candy Number Cards

2011-08-24T07:58:00.002-04:00

Everyone loves cotton candy right?!?

I mean my kids each ate a bag last week at the county fair.

Bad news, they stayed up until 2 am.

Good news, they slept in with me until 10:30 am.

Cotton candy for everyone!

Each card features the number spelled out for tracing.

I also added the actual number on the cone.

You will find numbers ZERO through TEN.

Is TEN high enough?

Would you like to see numbers through TWENTY included?

Just as I was putting this post together I realized that I didn't include a D'Nealian version.

I will get that put together and add the link later this week.

Sorry, I didn't mean to leave you D'Nealian lovers out!

The Link

Cotton Candy Number Cards

Official stuff about the clip art used:

My clip art comes from the cutest little Etsy shop.

peachpopsclipart

I do have to say that my FREE printables are not for

commercial use or to be resold.

But they have given me permission to use their clip art in my

printables and share them for FREE with my readers!

Some more official lingo for the clip art:

You can find this here:

Candy Numbers Memory Game

2011-08-22T07:46:00.001-04:00

Welcome to the wonderful world of Candy and Numbers.
Those are a perfect match right??
Of course they are.
I am starting out this unit with a memory game.
It's been a while since I included a memory game.
You will find numbers 0 - 12.
Question. 0 is important when learning the numbers right?
It feels strange including it, because I have noticed a lot of worksheets and activities don't.
Well I am :)
Anyway....

Cut out each individual card.

Turn cards facedown.

Kiddos should turn two cards over at a time trying to find matches.

If they find a match, they get to keep it.

If they don’t find a match they turn both cards back over and select again.

If they are playing with another kiddo, the kiddo with the most matches win.

If they are playing alone you could keep track of how long it takes them to find all the matches.

Have them try to beat their time the next time.

You could also set a timer and give them one minute to find as many matches possible.

Have them beat their number of matches in one minute the next time!

Wow. This is a terribly long post for a simple memory game.
Have I mentioned that I over think most things.

The Link

Candy Memory Game

Official stuff about the clip art used:

My clip art comes from the cutest little Etsy shop.

peachpopsclipart

I do have to say that my FREE printables are not for

commercial use or to be resold.

But they have given me permission to use their clip art in my

printables and share them for FREE with my readers!

Some more official lingo for the clip art:

You can find this here:

10 random things about me

2011-08-21T07:27:00.000-04:00

I totally stole this idea from another blog.

You can see her original list here:

Bouffe e bambini

So anyway here are 10 random things about me.

1. I am a super nerd with a bachelors degree in History and Sociology.

2. I hate TV. I rarely watch it anymore.

3. I love the internet and wonder how I survived research papers in college without it.

4. I have two favorite treats. Number one is tricuits with the squirt cheese in a can. The second in Hersey bars with peanut butter from the jar. Yes I am aware that they make these scrumptious little treats called peanut butter cups...but there is something deliciously wonderful about peanut butter straight from the jar slopped on a Hersey bar.

5. I once went 2 full years without eating fast food, one full year with no chocolate and 2 full years with no pop of any kind. All of these things took place because of my tendency to binge eat/drink all of the above.

6. I love to make lists. It really makes me happy. I love finding a little pad of paper and using it to make lists. Then I tape them to my kitchen cupboards so that I can find them easily. I love it when I can scratch through all the things on my list. How fun!

7. I always have grand plans in my head...or on my lists. But most of the time the final results are mediocre at best. I'm okay with that :)

8. I can watch a movie and get up and leave in the middle of it and not have to pause it or hurry back. If I miss 20 minutes, I just ask the hubs what happened. This might slightly annoy him...but it doesn't bother me one bit. I have no attention span for movies...plus I have too much to get done to sit and watch a movie for 2 hours! Who has that kind of time? Apparently my hubs!

9. I am a Scorpio. This means I can keep secrets forever and distrust every single person I meet.

10. When I drive I like to make the sound effects of a fast car and screeching brakes. This cracks my kids up. I rarely do this when I am the only person in the car.

Happy Sunday!
And because the rule of blogging is always include a picture...here's one of Big Sis that totally cracks me up!

Sea Creature Trace the Letters and Numbers Cards

2011-08-19T09:27:00.000-04:00

So I have a template for my trace the letters and numbers cards.

I can drop any graphics in them.

I make these every time.

I am kind of over them.

So I might take a break from making these.

Unless there is an overwhelming request to keep making them.

Next week I am introducing my numbers unit.

My graphics are used with permission from Kirsten at Digital Doodles!

Visit her Etsy shop for great service and awesome graphics!

The Link

Sea Creature Trace The Letters and Numbers