Insect Challenge - Unplug your kids

Last weeks challenge at Unplug Your Kids was Insect.

Easy for us.. my girls love insects!! we always have some sort of bug or lizard sitting in my tupperware... hmmmmmm ;)

First we made coffee filter butterflies - Seen on The Crafty Crow from Two straight lines I was happy to see this one using the cone filters as this is what I have, and I haven't used them because all the other filter butterflies use the round filters - I have seen this craft on the net for ages, but as I don't drink coffee, I have never seen these filters ever in my life, so had no idea about them.... but my husband picked me up some one day from the grocery store - cheap! like 40 for a couple of dollars!!

We used a medicine dropper to drop food colouring onto the filter.

We made a butterfly mobile

I saw some cute things made from a salt dough recipe on Whimsy Girl that reminded me of some lady bugs made out of plaster of Paris on Scribbit so we had to make some dough insects as well.



And lastly I saw this ant activity on No time for Flash cards a few weeks ago and had mentally filed it for another time and thought it would fit perfectly with this weeks challenge

Finished Product


Enjoy these insecty ideas!

This Weeks Challenge: Soft

Sabbath

Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven ~ Matthew 18:4



We participated in a Helping Hands service project of scrubbing, scouring and cleaning the navy boat on dry dock at the Maritime Museum that my husband organised. I didn't do much but chase the children around the 6 levels of the boat ;)

River Fire

3000 tonnes of explosives from three bridges, six barges and nine rooftops all set for Queensland's biggest fireworks event culminating with the mighty F-111 Dump and Burn finale. QBE Riverfire makes a stunning impact over the city skyline as Brisbane's most anticipated annual celebration launches Riverfestival for another year
Click Riverfire Flickr group to see real professional pics - lots better than mine.

Had the usual family gathering pot luck and off to see the fireworks we love it! See you next year ;) oh how I love fireworks - I have about 100 pictures... most blurry.. but my fireworks setting on my camera is my best friend :)

The dump and burn... you could see it for ages

Shadow Shot

Here is my shadow shot go see Hey Harriet for more shadow shots... and I was lucky to get one this week as all 3 of my girls were sick this week.. I didn't leave the house for 5 days!!! That nasty flu/virus thing going around.. eeeewww!!

Ya'll probably know this.. but hey.. I'm slow

Ok... so I was reading Chasing Cheerios and she was lamenting about running out of space on her blog because she has too many photos...

Each time I see that little percentage thing go higher.. I had similar worries.. what's the point of having a blog if you can't have pictures??!! I have used up 34% of my photo allowance in only 5 months of blogging?? you do the maths.. this blog will be full and dead within a year...

so my investigations have led to this for anyone who is a dumbo like me~

I thought when I chose small medium or large that blogger was shrinking them for me.. whoops.. NO!!

So now I have a new folder in my pictures.. I copy the photos I want to use for my blog and leave the originals in their folder at full (Big) size.

I have photo manager so I click on that then edit photos, then compress - I compress to Web Page size - this took a photo from 700 KB (!!!!) down to 52 KB - NO wonder I was running out of space!!!

So now do I go back and reload every photo from the last 5 months or just do it from here.. with this new way... it should be years before the picture quota is full - and you all can go on enjoying me!!!

Photo Memory Tealights

I found this easy and beautiful craft at inspired ideas check out their tutorial.. these would make wonderful gifts for your loved ones, or just to decorate your own home =)

I finally got all the suplies together to try it.

All you need is contact adhesive paper, black and white photo - photocopied or laser printed, and a small glass - candle holder


Stick copy side of photo onto sticky side of contact


Rub using popsicle stick or similar


Rinse under water - wetting the paper thoroughly


Gently rub off the paper


Leave to dry - stickiness will return once dried


Voila!! Your own professional print that can be stuck anywhere!!


Add Candle for effect


Small glass candle holders are the best, but since this was my practice run, I used a spaghetti sauce bottle - I am off to Ikea to find some small glass containers!! Watch out world.. our likeness will be everywhere now!!

Cylinder Challenge - Unplug your kids

Last weeks challenge at Unplug your Kids was Cylinder.

I saw this idea on a blog only a week before so I knew it is what we would do - but I have forgotten which blog - please tell me if you know!

Cylinder (cardboard roll) Painting!!

Gather Supplies - including anything cylindrical


Paint on your cylinder - we tried stripes, dots, smiley faces



And "roll out" your artwork



Finished Artwork


This Weeks Challenge: Insect - my girls love bugs!!

Sabbath

And Peter said unto them, Repent and be baptised every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the holy ghost ~ Acts 2:38




I have to tell the story this week!! This is Shoto - he was one of our homestay students. He lived with us for 3 months. We never push or expect students to live as we do. We just carry on our normal lifes and most students love to join in with Family Home Evening, Prayers and the many activities we attend at church (esp when my husband was the YSA Bishop!!)

Many students feel something stir in their hearts. We get comments like this is the best family, I wish my parents were like this, I wish I had been taught good values in a Family Home Evening, and when a student was late one night - Oh no I missed "Singing Night!!" (FHE!! hee hee)

This is the first person I have had the priveledge of introducing the gospel to that has eventually come to baptism. I was so happy.

I wish Shoto the very best as he returns to Japan and hope that he finds much happiness, peace and friends in Japan as he has had here.

Balloon Sendoff for NieNie

AT NieNie's sisters blog CJaneRun she has asked those who care for NieNie to give their prayers, fasts, money and today Balloon Releasing. Regular readers of NieNie know that her family release helium balloons with messages in them regularly for birthdays and anninversaries.

The worldwide send off is 5pm Arizona time Saturday. I won't be doing it in the middle of the night, so we did it today (our saturday) See NieNie tribute Video here

Prayers from Australia!



We let them go near the Temple


The Temple overlooks this view


Best Wishes and love being sent from Australia



Best Wishes in Recovery NieNie and I hope she loves all these balloons from all around the world in her behalf!

Pudding in a Cup

Take Ingredients


Mix in a cup


Cook 2 mins in Microwave


Eat


Now for the instructions

I got this idea from Chasing Cheerios and thought it would make the perfect after school snack. The girls loved making their own puddings :)

You need: a mug, 4 tbs of sugar, 4 tbs of flour, 2 tbs of cocoa, 3 tbs of milk, 3 tbs of oil, and an egg. Combine the dry ingredients, add the wet ingredients, and mix WELL. Put your mug of cake mix in the microwave, and cook it for 3 minutes. Pour it into a bowl and enjoy.

Mistakes I made :
I didn't have any cocoa and thought milo would be an ok substitute ( it was OK, but cocoa would be a lot better!1)
I thought less sugar would be better for the kids (but it wasnt sweet enough) and
3 mins in my microwave was too long - it went rubbery, so the next cup I did 2 mins - which turned out much better

Enjoy!

Wordfull Wednesday - Inner Beauty

Chocolate on my Cranium has come up with the Wordful Wednesday Challenge. On a Wednesday a topic will be posted and the following wednesday post your view of the topic and add it to Mr Linky so everyone can read. This sounds like a good companion for Wordless Wednesday - so we will be taking alternate weeks. This weeks topic:

Inner Beauty

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

Some times I think it is all well and good that we are taught it is what is on the inside that counts. But then I think - what is on my inside? What type of person am I? Am I beautiful INSIDE AND OUT?

We are all different and these days with beauty products and hair dye and cosmetic surgery we could all look the same if we wanted to. We could create copies of what we think beauty is. However I think some differences actually can make a person more appealing more exotic. After yesterdays post about Nie Nie and her plane crash where she has sustain terrible burns, I have been thinking would I love myself the same if I were physically injured? Would I love my husband or family members the same if they were severely disfigured? This has lead me to think we could all do well with improving our inner beauty and being able to see the inner beauty in others as opposed to outward looks/beauty.

Things I want to do to improve my inner beauty

to be a better listener
( I can/do listen but my desire to talk too much overides it ~ and I fear that people get sick of me because I talk too much and might think that I am not listening to them ~ I just can't help it honestly, but I am going to work on it)

give more

take more time to help/listen/serve others

read more/learn more

learn to have more fun with my children

Laugh daily

Inner beauty is something that just radiates out of people - I know the people I admire and I hope that I too have a personal glow an inner beauty radiating to those around me. Outside looks can't last forever but characteristics of love, service, patience, acceptance, humour and fun are timeless.

The blogging world is getting smaller

Is it normal to cry about a fellow blogger whom you have never met??

One of my favourite bloggers Nie Nie was in a very serious plane crash on the weekend. The Pilot instructor was killed in the crash. Nie Nie and her husband are very seriously injured.

See media report here on Arizona news and see updates here on her sisters blog C Jane Run

Prayers and fasting are being requested at the moment and currently a monetary fund is being set up to cover medical costs (which I imagine will be ENORMOUS)

I cried reading the 100's of comments left on her sisters blog. Nie Nie has touched 100s if not 1000's of lives. Just a few weeks ago we exchanged emails about mosiquito bite remedies for her daughter and she said to me that she has always wanted to come to Australia and can she come and stay with me

Muffin Tin Monday

As I missed last weeks Muffin Tin Monday I went all out this week... with a Muffin Tin Dinner

Then Last night I went to post and saw that the theme was BREAKFAST!!!! So this morning I was up early making a yummy muffin tin Breakfast.... YUM!! So two muffin tin meals in a row.. thats it for me this week... The kids love it!

apricot crumble slice, banana on toast, porridge (oats)
cereal, yoghurt, fruit salad

Tree Challenge - Uplug your kids

Last weeks challenge from Unplug your Kids was TREES. I like these ones - a Noun makes it so much easier for me.

Of course we climbed some Trees



I was sick during the week and while I rested (ignored the children)they turned a lovely patch of grass into mud!! (arrrggghh) so since I trying to "live in the moment" instead of getting angry, I suggested they make toilet roll and tissue paper trees, to go with their mud!


And lastly for a quiet sunday activity I suggested they make a Family Tree. I printed off family photos and we put them in order. Child, parents, grandparents, great grandparents. We have family history that goes even further and even have some photos of great great greats, but they aren't organised, and I need to get some photos from my mother in law (I know you are reading mum - so if I could have some photos on a disk that would be great ;)

Getting ready to make a family tree.


Working on her TREE


This Weeks Challenge: Cylinder