Sapucha Pucha

Old Socks

2012-01-08T15:37:00.000-05:00

Here is what we do with our old white socks! Upcycling into snowmen (snowgirls). Kami and Rian's friend Emily came over for a visit during the Christmas holiday and we whipped together these crafty snowmen. Super easy - no sewing and not overly time consuming for those with shorter attention spans. Their insides are stuffed with a small ziploc bag of beans to give them a little weight and the rest is fiberfill. We cut off the socks just around the heel, stuffed them and then used a rubber band to close the top. Hot glue was what we used to keep the little fabric hats on and a piece of white embroidery floss was tied around their neck to give them circular snowball shape. After the body was done the girls went to town decorating faces and putting little scrap fabric scarves around their necks. Here is a pic of the finished products.

Halloween 2011

2011-11-18T09:39:00.000-05:00

So it looks like I'm running almost a month behind on a consistent basis here for posting happenings around our house. We had a blast on Halloween with our good friends the Allens. The kids were dressed up in such fun costumes - Kami was a cheetah, Rian was a black cat and Drew was a "wobot" (aka robot). The weather was pleasant so our trick or treating lasted longer than past (coooold) years. Here are some pics of the trick-or-treaters and our pumpkin carving!

Link to a Great Give-Away!

2011-11-08T16:31:00.000-05:00

Looking for some great holiday ideas to give as gifts? Follow this link to a great blog offering a give away for some great Christmas gifts. One of the items will be from my shop! Good luck - please leave a comment letting Karen from mommysmoments.net know you found her blog through mine!

Erin

Rian's Birthday

2011-10-27T17:35:00.000-04:00

Better late than never, right? Well since it has been almost a month since Rian's 5th birthday I thought I'd post some pics from her party. She has a great birthday and enjoyed many great gifts, a cool cake and some great time with family and friends. Thanks to all who came to the party or send her a card/gift! Here is our sweet 5 year old in action! Oh, and by the way if you look closely at the last two pictures you can see Drew blowing out Rian's candles! We had to relight them and cover his mouth so she could blow out her birthday candles!! Silly little brother.

Time with Madelyn

2011-08-26T18:37:00.000-04:00

This weekend we are having the pleasure of spending some time with Gary's little cousin Madelyn. She has been so much fun! Here are some things we did on her first full day here:

Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings (ok after we get some ice cream tonight!!!!) Enjoy Sarah & Dan!

xoxo

Gift of Life

2011-08-05T10:30:00.000-04:00

Unfortunately Gary and I have a friend who will be placed on the organ donor list soon because she has a disease that is destroying her liver. She is a wonderful person, mother of two, wife, friend and most importantly a follower of Jesus Christ. Her struggles with her health are a true testament to her faith. She has remained positive through all the difficult times and has turned over control of her life to the Lord. I'm amazed by her faith and at the same time encouraged.

Just recently we were chatting on the phone about her recent medical/testing results from U of M, which was good news since the test was to see if she had bile cancer! The doctors continue to monitor her to determine if she is eligible to be placed on the donor waiting list for a liver. Fortunately and Unfortunately she is just below the level (measured by certain chemicals in the liver) needed to be on the waiting list. In the meantime she is asking that friends and family share information about organ donation and encourage everyone to sign up to become an organ donor. If you are a Michigan resident and have a MI drivers license the process to be a member of the organ donor registry is EASY!! Just follow this LINK. Along the left side of the page click on Organ Donation and follow the simple instructions. Please don't wait! Sign up NOW. Thanks! And please add the Brandt family to your prayers.

Oh, and here are some facts about organ donation that might interest you:

Organ Transplantation and Donation Facts at a Glance

People of all ages and medical histories should consider themselves potential donors. Your medical condition at the time of death will determine what organs and tissue can be donated.

Organs and tissues that can be donated include: heart, kidneys, lungs, pancreas, liver, intestines, corneas, skin, tendons, bone, and heart valves.

There is no national registry of organ donors. Even if you have indicated your wishes on your drivers' license or a donor card, be sure you have told your family as they will be consulted before donation can take place.

All major religions approve of organ and tissue donation and consider donation the greatest gift.

An open-casket funeral is possible for organ and tissue donors

Super SEVEN

2011-07-25T14:39:00.000-04:00

Kami turned 7 (last week)! She had a great birthday party with her family and friends. It was carnival style so there were fun games to play and prizes (mostly candy) for anyone who tried to play one of the games. What a better way to spend a 100 degree day!! Gotta love those summer birthdays. Here are some pics of the party and the birthday girl. Thanks to all who attended!

Solar Oven

2011-07-21T17:28:00.000-04:00

This summer has been nice and warm with lots of great sunshine - a great opportunity to do a little "summer school" and build a solar oven. The kids are always asking how hot it is outside and I always say "hot enough to fry an egg" which they then give me a silly (yeah sure mom) look. So after doing a little googling and finding some great instructions and recipes we went about building our own solar oven. Instead of a pizza box we used a USPS priority box and just used one of the front openings to insert our cookie sheet with peanut butter cookie dough. Don't you just love the pink duct tape! The girls and Drew checked the solar cooker every 10 - 15 minutes to make sure the sunlight was properly reflected into our oven for maximum heat. After awhile (I lost track of the time!!) we brought in the solar oven and using an oven mitt extracted a tray full of solar baked peanut butter cookies! Since we propped up the solar oven in the beginning the cookies kind of ran together but they still tasted great! Here are some pics of our summer science experiment!

SAHM of Etsy Blog

2011-07-21T08:07:00.000-04:00

Check this out!! I was featured on the SAHM of Etsy Blog.

Have a good week!! More belated postings to come in the near future!!

Rian and the Worm

2011-06-21T08:12:00.000-04:00

For those of you who were hoping to see the video of Rian and her worm Kayla I apologize that it is no longer posted here. Gary and I sent the video to America's Funniest Videos (AFV) and one of the requirements per the agreement we signed with them was to remove the video from our blog. I am happy to report however that Rian is no longer traumatized by returning rescued worms to their natural habitat. She is actually the best worm saver on our block and I bet if worms could talk they would be cheering her on for all of her heroic worm rescues this spring (post rain storms!). Her trained eye can spot a wiggling worm a block away!! We will keep you posted on her infamous video and if we hear that it will be aired on AFV.

Go Fish Felt Fishing Game

2011-06-17T21:56:00.000-04:00

As a member of the Etsy community I've had a great time meeting other creators and getting their input on the items offered in my shop. Recently I was approached by a super sweet homeschooling momma who was interested in my Go Fish Felt Fishing Game. After sending her a sample and allowing her youngsters to play with this fun toy she wrote a review about it on her blog. You can check it out here. These felt fishing games can be found in my etsy shop Sapucha on Etsy.

Thanks!

Mom & Me Camp 2011

2011-06-14T08:37:00.000-04:00

The girls and I just returned from a great weekend at Camp Newaygo where we participated in the Mommy & Me weekend camp program. My cousin Meg O'Brien and her daughter Claire joined us for the second year. Meg and Claire drove to Grand Rapids on Friday to spend the night and then on Saturday morning we packed up and headed to camp! The "excitement meter" was OFF THE CHARTS and the girls were ready to get to camp. Our weekend was packed with so many activities - tye dying, rock climbing, archery, swimming, water wonder (study of the lake), canoe trip, GaGa Court (hand ball type of game), shelter building, scavenger hunt, bonfire, cookout, hiking, nature trail exploration, zoo school, fencing, singing camp songs...WOW I think I covered most of the activities but I'm sure there were more that I left out. Anyway I think you get the picture and can see that we were busy and having a ton of fun! Here are some pictures and short videos highlighting our experiences:

Soccer Chick

2011-05-27T17:27:00.000-04:00

Since Rian took a ballet / hip hop class (see previous post) Kami chose to sign up for spring soccer. She had a great time and really improved her skills. Here she is in action on the field. She is the one with pig tails and in a lime green shirt with black shorts. I also added a second video so I didn't leave Drew out of all this blogging. The video with him shows how he occupies himself while his big sis plays soccer.

Hip Hop Ballet

2011-05-27T17:14:00.000-04:00

Rian just completed a five week ballet & hip hop class for 4 & 5 year olds. She really enjoyed the portion of the class dedicated to the hip hop dancing. Here she is in action! (sorry you have to tilt your head to watch these!)

Birthday Boy!

2011-05-02T16:57:00.000-04:00

Drew turned 2 on April 30. He has grown so much over the last year! He is all boy, loves throwing anything he can pick up, likes cars, dumping sand from the sandbox onto the patio and playing on the swing set. He is a great little brother who can't resist a big squeeze from his big sisters. Here are some pics from his birthday party. Happy Birthday Drew "Bear" - we love you!!

Blog Hop - Check this out

2011-05-01T21:27:00.000-04:00

Below is a link for a blog hop. What is a blog hop you ask? Well it is when a bunch of different blogs post the same code (html) for the same pics/info and that info/pics appears on all of the participating blogs. Basically it is a way to get a lot more exposure to what you want to showcase (like Etsy shops!). Here is my first attempt in participating in a blog hop. Hope it works!!

"X" marks the spot - A Treasure Hunt

2011-04-16T23:38:00.001-04:00

Treasure Hunt

I'm so excited to announce the SAHM of Etsy Treasure Hunt! It's a great way to explore what the members of the SAHM of Etsy team have to offer! It's also a fun way to earn a really great prize!

The idea is simple. Participating members of the team will have the logo above hidden somewhere in their Etsy store, on their Facebook page, and on their blogs, you just have to find the logo, and tell us where you found it via the this form . For each logo you find, and tell us about you'll be entered into a drawing to win a gift box filled with lots of goodies made by members of the SAHM of Etsy team! You can find a list of participating shops here.

The Treasure Hunt will begin at midnight April 17 and end at midnight April 30. The winner will be announced here on the blog on May 1. Happy hunting!

Rules

-Three winners will be drawn and announced on the blog on May 1. Winners have 24 hours to claim their prize by writing "claimed" in the comments section under the blog announcement

- To enter the drawing you must fill out this form giving the link and position of the logo (for examplel [X-link] fourth product pic, or [X-link] left side half way down), and your name. The information entered on the form goes to a private spreadsheet that only the administrators of the team will have access to.

- You can find as many logos as you want. Your name will be entered into the drawing once for each logo you find. The more you find the better your chances are of winning.

- By entering the drawing, you agree to pay for the total cost of shipping the prize basket to you, should you win.

Good Luck!! Happy Hunting.

Orange You Glad!

2011-04-04T19:47:00.000-04:00

Knock, knock

Who's there?

Banana.

Banana Who?

Knock, knock

Who's there?

Banana

Banana Who?

Knock, knock

Who's there?

Banana

Banana Who?

KNOCK, KNOCK

Who's there?

Orange

Orange who?

Orange you glad I didn't say banana!!

This is EXACTLY how Kami and Rian told the joke the other day - including their very own props!! Brought new life and laughter to an old old knock knock joke! Hope you enjoyed!

Maple Syrup in March

2011-03-21T22:45:00.000-04:00

We are so lucky to have Blandford Nature Center right down the road from our house. It is a great place to take the kids for a nature adventure and hike or to see some injured animals being cared for by the staff at the nature center. This time of year however is especially exciting as it is the time when sugar maple trees produce sap which can be turned into maple syrup. Blandford has an entire hiking patch well marked for visitors to see the process, tools and equipment used to harvest the sap, strain it, store it and boil it to turn into maple syrup. They even have a sugar house where you can watch volunteers/staff working to turn the sap into syrup. It smells amazing in the sugar house by the way!! The kids learned a lot, got to taste the syrup and eat some maple sugar candies. Overall it was a great way to spend an afternoon. Here are some pictures of our gang out on the trail.

Sheep Shearing

2011-02-28T17:49:00.000-05:00

This past Saturday we enjoyed a field trip with our great friends, the Allen's at Shady Side Farm in West Olive. I heard about the shearing day via the West Michigan Etsy Team of which the owner of Shady Side Farm (Lona) belongs. This is just one of the great opportunities I have come across while becoming an active member of this team! The kids were encouraged to use all of their senses to learn about the process of shearing sheep, feeding sheep, observing new lambs and experiencing the barn as well as learning what people do with the fleece after it has been taken from the sheep and cleaned. They just loved squishing and smelling the freshly sheared fleece and watching the newly sheared sheep leap up and run down the length of the barn back to the herd. They had to pay attention so that they weren't knocked over by any of the sheep! The baby lambs were absolutely adorable! The girls begged to take one home as a pet which I said when they grow up they can live on a sheep farm and have as many baby lambs as they want - Rian has already named her future lamb "Flower".

After the girls had enough time in the barn we headed across the farm to another building where fiber artists were hard at work showing off their beautiful items crafted with wool. The kids saw socks being hand cranked on an antique sock knitting machine as well as wool being felted by Barb of Pit Bull Lady Designs. Barb was so patient as she was practically attacked by 5 super excited and curious little girls all wanting to watch/touch/see her in action as well as look at her finished products. (Thanks Barb!!). The balls of colored roving were amazing! We all enjoyed feeling the soft colorful texture of the roving and the yarn. The girls also had an opportunity to learn how the roving was turned into usable yarn by watching three women expertly spin the roving with a spinning wheel. They even got a chance to "help" spin a little yarn themselves.

Little Jenny the fairy

2011-02-16T09:03:00.001-05:00

My fabric scrap pile has started to grow lately and even though I'd love to use the scraps to make a little quilt of some sort I opted for a quick new project resulting in little Jenny the fairy. She is a cute little gal who loves to play, snuggle or just hang around as a small companion. She is for sale in my Etsy shop http://www.sapucha.etsy.com/ and some of her friends will hopefully follow. I'm leaving the naming of these little ones up to my girls who love being included in this process.

Homemade Finger Paints

2011-02-15T13:16:00.001-05:00

I realize I'm losing my mind since I already posted this fingerpainting activity....but hey maybe you didn't see the original posting or just wanted to see it again- SO consider this a re-run posting!! Sorry!

Looking for a quick and easy craft to do on a rainy or snowy or sick day? How about homemade finger paints! We painted with our finger paints on freezer paper since one side is coated in plastic and the other is paper plus you can tear off large sheets for them to use. Freezer paper is found by the tinfoil and saran wrap sections of your local grocery store. If you don't have freezer paper any paper will do. Here are some pictures of the kids and the recipe for finger paints that uses items you already have on hand in your own cupboards:

2 T. sugar
1/3 c. cornstarch
2 c. cold water
1/4c clear liquid dish soap (optional)
1 Mix together sugar and cornstarch in a small pan, then slowly add cold water.

2 Cook over low heat, stirring until the mixture becomes a smooth; almost clear gel about 5 minutes.

3 When it's cool, stir in clear dish washing liquid.

4 Scoop equal amounts of the mixture into containers and stir in food coloring or, for even more vibrant colors, use food-coloring paste. (if you want to add "scent" add a little bit of powdered cool aid)

Gymnastics

2011-02-15T08:49:00.000-05:00

The girls just completed a 5 week beginners gymnastics class that they took together. It was a great way for them to experience gymnastics without a lengthy commitment and have a whole lot of fun trying out the equipment! Here are some pictures from their class.

Heidi

2011-02-15T08:45:00.000-05:00

The kids and I just recently finished reading the book Heidi which was part of Kami's school program. I promised them that once we finished we could watch the movie so they could really see the landscape of the Swiss Alps and mountain meadows. During our study of this book we discussed what the food must have been like for the characters in the book versus what they are used to. The kids asked if we could have a "Heidi" lunch on the day we watched the movie. Here is a picture of our homemade bread (ok - just half since it smelled so good we couldn't resist!). Heidi's grandfather served her melted cheese on thick slabs of bread with fresh milk. (Not sure if she had apples but we needed to add a little fruit to this lunch). Yummy!

Finger Painting Friday

2011-01-22T14:25:00.000-05:00

I stumbled across a homemade recipe for finger paints and couldn't wait to try it with the kids. For those of you looking for a great rainy/snowy/sick day project this one is for you!! This is a super simple recipe and could be used for a variety of purposes - practicing cursive writing or printing letters, mixing primary colors to make endless other colors, opportunity for artistic expression (big title that means it is messy fun!). Here are some pictures of our finger paint Friday! (recipe for finger paint to follow pictures)

Finger Paint Recipe:
1/2 c. corn starch
4 Tbsp. sugar
2 c. water

pour all ingredients into medium size sauce pan and cook over medium heat stirring constantly. The mixture will thicken (takes about 10-15 minutes so be patient). Remove from heat and separate into smaller containers. Add food coloring and any "scents" such as kool-aid or vanilla extract and stir. I opted not to add "scent" or flavor since Drew was going to join us and I didn't want him to eat it. I used freezer paper for the kids to paint on since the backside of the freezer paper has a thin plastic lining and would prevent the paper from becoming too soggy.