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Teacher Appreciation Wreath

17 Feb

I was in charge of the Happy Buddy’s Valentine Class Party this year and I really wanted to make a special gift for his teachers.

So I put together this simple Teacher Appreciation Wreath featuring all of the precious littles that these amazing women minister to each week!

First, I wrapped a styrofoam wreath form in a roll of pink and white polka-dot ribbon that I picked up at the Dollar Store.

Then I cut out a bunch of paper hearts, glued each child’s picture to the heart, added some stickers, and hot glued the hearts around the wreath.

It took some time, but it was easy as pie and incredibly cheap to make.

Plus, the teachers LOVED it. :-)

I think Teacher Appreciation Week is in May, so ‘pin’ this project for future reference if you get in a jam and need a quick/frugal idea!

Or, you could make a wreath featuring the people in your own Happy Home and display it proudly for all to see!

Happy Teacher Appreciation Wreath-ing! :-)

Valentine’s Day Recap

15 Feb

So, Valentine’s Day didn’t go exactly as I had planned…

I spent most of my day with another man besides my husband!

First, I decided that I would wake up early and make a special Valentine’s Day breakfast for the Happy Hubby.

I decorated the kitchen with banners and hearts and a table dressed to the nines in pink and red.

When my alarm went off (at 5:30!), the Happy Hubby was already heading out the door to study for his morning class.

We had just enough time to exchange a quick Valentine kiss and then he was off!

So the Happy Buddy and I dined on some pink oatmeal. :-)

Then the Happy Buddy and I drove to his preschool where I was in charge of his Valentine’s Day party.

That went great – except I forgot to bring the camera.

We did a small craft (I transformed all of the Happy Buddy’s classmates into Valentine Bees – click HERE to see directions for this project).

We ate lots of red food (pizza, strawberries, raspberries, and apple juice) and all of the Happy Buddies decorated sugar cookies with pink frosting and Valentine sprinkles.

I caught my own Happy Buddy dipping his plastic knife into the icing can and then licking it.

This happened about 3 times.

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We also read a wonderful story about God’s love.

After school we came home and gave our neighbors’ Happy Home a Heart Attack.

There’s my little accomplice.

Later, I went about fixing a lavish romantic dinner (steaks, homemade macaroni and cheese, roasted asparagus…) for the Happy Hubby to come home to… but then when we chatted on the phone he reminded me that he had another class that evening until 9:30 pm.

Haha!

I tell you.  I have been having the worst case of pregnancy brain EVER. :-)

So I asked the Happy Buddy if he would be my Valentine’s Day Dinner Date.

We made a heart-shaped cake using THIS simple technique.

We decorated it with M&Ms.

I think he liked it.

I’m pretty sure that kid had more sugar on Valentine’s Day this year than he has had in his entire 2 and a half years! :-)

He kept giggling and saying, “I love Valentine’s Day.”

When the Happy Hubby finally made it home that night, I had a trail of Hershey’s Kisses leading him to a plate of some super fancy leftover frozen pizza (of which I plucked off the pepperonis and cut into hearts). :-)

Then we snuggled on the couch and watched our favorite TV show and ate way too much chocolate.

I happened to be celebrating the fact that I only gained 1 pound since my last appointment with the OB. :-)

It didn’t go exactly as I had planned, but I can’t think of two more amazing men (albeit one is a little short) I’d rather have as my Valentines!

I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine’s Day celebrating with your Happy Homes!

Happy Valentine’s Day-ing! :-)

Valentine’s Day Dishes, Drinks, and Desserts!

12 Feb

Are you planning a fun dinner with your Happy Home for Valentine’s Day??

Here are a few last minute dish, drink, and dessert ideas to make it truly special.

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Bless This Mess featured this sweet little idea if your Happy Buddies are Snapple lovers. :-)

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At Second Street made this special Love Juice for her Happy Buddies by giving them a decorated bottle of water and a packet of Hawaiian Punch powder drink mix.

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I love these happy little Pink Milk Heart Cubes from A Subtle Revelry.

What a fun thing to pop into a glass of milk and serve alongside some homemade chocolate chip cookies as a dessert!

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At the Workman Family’s Valentine Dinner they enjoyed homemade French Bread Pizza with the pepperoni cut into little heart shapes.

Don’t have time for homemade?  Simply pick the pepperonis off of a frozen pizza, cut them into hearts, stick ‘em back on and bake!

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Or, if pizza isn’t your thing, then your Happy Buddies might get a super kick out of this Valentine Spaghetti from Kitchen Fun With My 3Sons.

I laughed for like 5 minutes straight when I saw this!

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The Happy Buddy would love it if we served these fun Heart-Shaped Hamburgers from Happy Little Art.

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And these Heart Dogs from Family Fun would be a great addition to your Valentine Dinner as well!  They are sooo easy to make!

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Bakerella shows how a box of Oreo Cakesters and a heart-shaped cutter can become extra cute and extra delicious.

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Oh, and don’t forget that everyone attending your Valentine Dinner must wear one of these easy peasy Paper Plate Heart Hats from Alpha Mom.

To end the evening, why not hide some of these FREE Printable Love Bible Verse Cards under everyone’s plate at the dinner table?  Go around and each person can read aloud some of the great truths of His love for us.

That’s what Valentine’s Day is all about!

Happy Valentine’s Day Dish, Drink, and Dessert-ing! :-)

A Marriage Moment :-)

10 Feb

This post is all about you and your Happy Hubby.

In honor of Valentine’s Day, here are a few websites/articles that have really blessed me in my pursuit of honoring God with my marriage and having some fun!

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The one piece of marriage advice that keeps ringing in my ears is to date your spouse.

This article featured at How Does She? has 8 Dating Tips that will spice up the time you two love birds spend together.

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Once you’ve brushed up on your dating techniques, check out this post at Six Sisters’ Stuff that has the BEST list of 50 Fun and Cheap Date Ideas.

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You might be thinking – as I so often do – it’s HARD to actually GET OUT when you have a little one under your roof, so here is a fantastic list of creative things you and your Happy Hubby can do together – all while your Happy Buddy is sleeping in his bed!

This list has really helped me to be intentional about that precious time I have with the Happy Hubby after the Happy Buddy is sweetly dreaming.

Check it out at Simply Modern Mom!

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Another fabulous thing you can do at home is whip out this Emergency Romance Kit from Happy Home Fairy.

Just what you need to regroup after a long day!

Plus, you could make a few for your friends to enjoy with their Happy Hubbies! :-)

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When we CAN get out on a date, I am definitely going to try this Bookstore Date from The Dating Divas!

The Happy Hubby and I both love to read, so I think he will have a blast with these super fun (and totally free) activities.

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Blessed Mommy posted 101 Ways to Tell Your Husband “I Love You.”

I agreed with everything she said and think that if you choose a few to do each day – your marriage will blossom into something so sweet and so strong and so pleasing to Jesus.

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Print this FREE Printable from Just Make Stuff and stick it in an 8×10 frame.  Use a dry erase marker to answer the question each day for your Happy Hubby to read and be encouraged.

They need to know we are on their side!

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Or pop one of these FREE Printable Love Notes from Crafts and Sutch into random places around your Happy Hubby’s things for him to find.

I personally like to stick notes for the Happy Hubby under the toilet seat lid – haha!

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And, finally, I really enjoyed this article about Valentine’s Day Expectations from one of my favorite daily reads, The Generous Wife.

Her wisdom will really help you make sure that Valentine’s Day is a blessing for you both.

Now go give your Happy Hubby a call or a text and let him know how much you love him!

Happy Marriage-ing! :-)

“I have found the one my soul loves…” Song of Solomon 3:4

7 Beary Good Valentine Ideas

9 Feb

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, here are a five ideas that I thought were beary worthy of their own post.

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Family Fun starts things off with a mixture of gummy bears and Teddy Grahams in a plastic bag all held together with a cute “Bear Hugs!” tag.

A frugal and delicious Valentine!

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Instead of sweets, why not hand out some bookmarks with your Happy Buddy’s beary special thumbprint?

Sweet and Lovely Crafts has all the instructions for this easy keepsake.

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Skip to My Lou features these FREE Printable Bear Lollipop Covers.

All you have to do is print them, fold around a lollipop and add some ribbon!

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You can find another FREE Printable over at My Owl Barn.

This cute Bear Valentine Card would be a sweet thing to attach to a new little plush teddy bear at your Happy Buddy’s breakfast place on Valentine’s Day morning.

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Many Happy Homes are zeroing in on 1 Corinthians 13 this month – aka the Love Chapter in the Bible.

I had to giggle at how Almost Unschoolers celebrated the ‘“Love bears all things” part of the Scripture. :-)

LOVE it!

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The Happy Hubby and his family looooove them some Honey Bear.

There are seriously almost table wars over who gets it first for their biscuits at his family’s Thanksgiving dinner.

This FREE Printable Bee Mine Tag from Make It Do would be a great Valentine’s Day gift for him.

Maybe on the back of the tag I could write, “I can’t wait to get my paws on you!”

Teehee. :-)

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And, finally, when I saw these easy peasy Bear Plates from Meet the Dubiens, I got beary excited!

How cute would it be to present your Happy Buddy’s after school snack on one of these???

I wish I could give all of you a big bear hug this Valentine’s Day!

Happy Bear Valentine-ing! :-)

A Valentine Recipe – Applesauce Jell-O

7 Feb

When I was a little girl, one of my favorite recipes that my mom would make was Applesauce Jell-O.

It was just the thing that made me feel better when I was sick, cheered me up when I was sad, and tasted really great alongside those chicken patties we ate so many of. :-)

Now I make it for our Happy Home and I can’t even tell you how much the Happy Hubby loves it.

Applesauce Jell-O couldn’t be easier to make, but the 4 hour chill time might drive you crazy as you wait for its deliciousness!

Ingredients:

  • Large (6 oz) box of Strawberry Jell-O
  • 1 large (24 oz) jar of applesauceStep 1 – Pour the Jell-O powder into a large bowl.Step 2 – Pour 2 cups boiling hot water into the bowl.Step 3 – Stir for 2 minutes, or until Jell-O is completely dissolved.Step 4 – Pour the jar of applesauce into the bowl.Step 5 – Stir and then put the bowl into the refrigerator.  Chill for 4 hours or until Jell-O is firm.Step 6 – Scoop the Jell-O into a bowl and serve on Valentine’s Day as special part of your Valentine’s Day dinner! Happy Valentine’s Day Applesauce Jell-O-ing! :-)

Fun Games to Play for Valentine’s Day

6 Feb

Are you in charge of your Happy Buddy’s class Valentine Party?

I am.

So I have been busy collecting some fun game ideas to make it a blast for everyone!

1.  Heart Treasure Hunt – Pick up a package of heart-shaped erasers (I saw a pack of 50 Valentine-themed erasers in the dollar bins at Target).  Hide the erasers around your house or classroom.

Then send your kids out for an un-BEAT-able treasure hunt!

2.  Licorice Race – Have each family member (or player) put the end of a long piece of red string licorice in his/her mouth.  Then everyone must put their hands behind their back.  The first person to eat the whole piece of licorice – without using their hands – WINS! 

*This is quite hilarious.  You better video it. :-)

3.  Spin the Bottle – Not what you think! :-)   Wayyyy better than that version you played in middle school!

Play the game as a family, but change the rules…  Whenever the bottle points to someone, the spinner must say something nice about that person.  Then they can give that person a Hershey’s Kiss.  So sweet. :-)

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4.  Paint Yourselves Red – Give a prize to the family member who can wear the most red and/or pink to a special Valentine’s Day dinner.

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5.  Heart-a-Stack – Making a tower of hearts isn’t as easy as you think!

Buy a few bags of small conversation hearts.  The object of the game is to build the tallest tower in an allotted amount of time (like 30 seconds).  When the time is up, the players counts their hearts to see who is the winner.  This is so much fun!

6.  Matchmaker – This fun word game tests your knowledge of famous pairs.  Divide players into 2 teams and form two rows facing each other.  The first player on one side begins by asking the first player on the other team to complete this famous couple:

“Romeo and …..” the opposing player says “Juliet”.

Continue down the row of players and then the other team starts…. “peanut butter and …..” – jelly.

“Cookies and…….” – milk.

“Eggs and……” – bacon.

“Cinderella and …..” – Prince Charming.

“Samson and …..” – Delilah.

And so on.

I played this game at my birthday party last year and we had so much fun.

Here’s a video to understand how it could work.  We divided into two teams and whichever team finished going through the list of pairs provided was the winner.

Here are the printable sheets of pairs we used in case you want to play this with your Happy Home. :-)

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7.  Valentine Present Pass – Here is a fun poem to read while passing special Valentine presents.

Every time the word ‘pink’ is read, a present gets passed around a circle of players.  The person holding the present at the end of the poem gets to keep it!

Pink, pink!

Our favorite color

Is pink, pink, pink!

And we always write letters

with pink, pink ink!

We like our lemonade

to drink, drink, drink,

but especially when

it’s a pink, pink drink!

We always use dishes

that are pink, pink, pink!

And wash them all clean

in a pink, pink sink.

If we had some pink paint

we think, think, think

we would paint the whole world

in pink, pink, pink!

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8.  Love Pox – This last game is my FAVORITE.

Sassy Sites has all the instructions (and some adorable pictures of her Happy Buddies all covered in Love Pox), but the idea is to stick Love Pox (red and pink circle stickers) on another person and at the same time tell them something you love about them.

This would even be a fun game to play in the bedroom with your Happy Hubby…

Wink, wink! :-)

Now I hope you’ve got all the fun you can handle!

Happy Valentine’s Day Game-ing! :-)

A Bushel and a Peck

5 Feb

I often sing the song “A Bushel and a Peck” to the Happy Buddy, making sure to shower him with lots and lots of kisses throughout.

Today we are celebrating the kiss.

But not just any kiss… Hershey’s Chocolate Kisses – a Valentine candy essential.

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How fabulous are these FREE Printable Kiss Stickers from Shindig Parties To Go?

You just print the FREE file on adhesive paper and then use a circle punch to cut them out.  Stick on to the bottom of a Hershey’s Kiss and voila!

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I’m loving this easy Valentine Ring Bling craft from Mom On Timeout.

The perfect little gift when you can’t afford the real thing! :-)

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If you’re watching what you eat, instead of dining on Hershey’s Kisses, why not make this adorable Kiss Craft from Meet the Dubiens?

These little guys are so easy to make, you just need a few supplies.  Get the instructions HERE.

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Isn’t that a sweet image?

Craftaholics Anonymous came up with this simple way to make a big visual impact when serving Hershey’s Kisses at your Valentine’s Day party.

Think scrapbook paper and toothpick… Check it out HERE!

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This idea is for the Happy Hubbies out there. ;-)

Peanut Butter Fingers made a Trail of Hershey’s Kisses leading all over her home for her Happy Hubby.  He found the above poster at the end.  What a great treasure!

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These little Valentine Pretzel Dots from Waltzing Matilda are too cute and too yummy and too easy not to make this year for friends and family.

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Send your Happy Buddies to school with these sweet Hershey’s Kiss Mice from Floral Showers.

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Or you could make a troop of these Hershey’s Kiss Gnomes that I found HERE.

There’s Gnome-one like you! :-)

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Another great Kiss idea from Mom on Timeout… Make a beautiful bouquet of Hershey’s Kiss Roses for your Happy Buddy’s teacher this Valentine’s Day.

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With just 3 ingredients, Bakerella shows how to whip up a batch of Oreo Kisses that will satisfy the sweetest of tooth-s! :-)

I don’t know about you, but after this post, I am going to be doling out plenty of kisses this Valentine’s Day.

Both chocolate and real.

It’s going to be a delicious holiday!

Happy Kiss-ing! :-)

“Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth— for your love is more delightful than wine.” Solomon 1:2

“You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet.” Luke 7:45

Heart Crafts for Valentine’s Day

4 Feb

I’ve been compiling some seriously cute and seriously easy and seriously cheap Heart Craft Ideas for you to do with your Happy Buddies this month.

I’d love to know which ones you will try!

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How CUTE are these little Walking Finger Puppet Hearts from Family Fun?

I picked this craft out to do with our church’s Sunday School classes this week. :-)

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Decorate your Happy Home’s windows with these simple and beautiful Stained Glass Hearts from All Kids Network.

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Finally!  A craft from Martha Stewart that doesn’t intimidate me! :-)

These Felt Heart Button Covers couldn’t be easier to make.  Just take red or pink felt, cut into heart shapes, and make a small slit in the center.  Slip over the buttons on your Happy Buddy’s shirt for a sweet little Valentine Fashion Statement!

I think it would be even funnier to put a bunch on your Happy Hubby’s shirt for work as a surprise. :-)

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I saw this in Family Fun this year and thought – BRILLIANT!  An easy way to create an Adoily-able T-Shirt for Valentine’s Day with your Happy Buddies!

Simply take a T-shirt, a heart-shaped doily, a sponge and some paint.  Then put some paint on the sponge and paint over the doily and onto the heart.  When you peel the doily away you will have a fancy heart design!

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Blissfully Domestic has a wonderful way to recycle all of those old snack and cereal boxes by using them to make a Cardboard Heart-Shaped Garland.

I think these would look adorable hanging around everywhere to bring some Valentine cheer!  Frugal and cute!

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This Paper Heart Wreath from The Hybrid Chick is soooooo simple to make and what an adorable Valentine decoration.

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This idea is so clever!

A Mom With a Lesson Plan cut out several paper hearts, numbered then, and then had her toddler Happy Buddy do a Heart Hop from one numbered heart to the next.

A great activity that is sure to bring about a good nap later! :-)

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No Time for Flashcards took the Heart Hop a step further by adding activity suggestions on the hearts instead of numbers.

She played some music and had her Happy Buddy hop from one heart to the next.  Whenever the music stopped, her Happy Buddy would perform the task of whatever heart he landed on.

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I shared this idea last year during our 25 Days of Love Fun.

Give each person in your Happy Home a Heart Attack on their bedroom doors!

You can read more about this fun tradition HERE.

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The cross… The very place that the Greatest Act of Love happened.

The Crafty Classroom featured this sweet art project where you take a white crayon, draw a cross, and then paint over it with watercolors.  The precious symbol will be revealed with each stroke of the paintbrush!

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Here is another fun Heart-Shaped Water Color Resist Valentine from BHG that reveals secret Love Notes. :-)

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And, finally, these Love Goggles from Make and Takes are so funny, so simple, and so perfect for Valentine’s Day that I had to buy 300 red pipe cleaners and teach all of the women at our MOMs group yesterday how to make them!

Just what you need to greet the Happy Hubby when he comes from work!

Here’s a pic of some of the mommies and their festive eye wear. :-)

Happy Heart Craft-ing!

A Paper Hug

3 Feb

Doesn’t this little guy just make you want to say, “Awwwww” ??

Now just imagine if you packaged him up in an envelope and sent it to a far-away relative for a little Valentine Hug in the Mail!

Here’s how we made it (based on inspiration from this post at No Time for Flashcards)…Materials Needed – Piece of cardboard (we used the back of an old cereal box), Red paint, Paintbrush, Pink paper, Googly eyes, Marker, Scissors, and Glue (not shown – pregnancy brain).Step 1 – Draw 3 hearts on the piece of cardboard, 1 large and 2 small.Step 2 – Let your Happy Buddy paint the hearts red.

Let dry.

Step 3 – When the hearts are dry, cut them out.

Step 4 – Cut two arms from the pink paper and fold them accordion-style.Step 5 – Use glue to add googly eyes to your large heart and draw a smile with the marker.Step 6 – Glue the small hearts to the pink arms and then glue the arms to the large heart.Step 7 – Write a little note to someone who you want to ‘hug’.

(Rita is the Happy Buddy’s favorite employee at the grocery store where we shop.) :-)

Step 8 – Send it off in the mail – Express Delivery!

We had a lot of fun making this craft and I think the recipient will love it too.

While nothing beats a real hug, any hug is a good thing, in my opinion!

Happy Paper Hug-ing! :-)

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