Tissue Paper Pom Poms

We made some New Year's Eve party decorations from a Martha Stewart Kit I bought after Halloween on sale. I thought silver and black would work for the New Year. I love them. But you don't need the kit to make them. They are super easy, you just have to be careful not to rip the tissue paper (at least not too much)

Supplies: You'll need tissue paper and floral wire.

Here are the steps:

Stack eight 20-by-30-inch sheets of tissue. Make 1 1/2-inchwide accordion folds, creasing with each fold.

2. Fold an 18-inch piece of floral wire in half, and slip over center of folded tissue; twist. With scissors, trim ends of tissue into rounded or pointy shapes.

3. Separate layers, pulling away from center one at a time. (Be gentle and patient, the tissue tears easily)

4. Tie a length of string or fishing line to floral wire for hanging.

As you can see you can do any color. I think these would be darling for a birthday party!

Ideas, PLEASE!

I recently got a new calling, Stake Camp Director. Not sure what they were thinking, but that is beside the point. This year we are going to a new camp and doing everything differently. They want the Girls Camp more stake oriented. We are going to be dividing the girls by levels. But they also want to schedule ward time.Has anyone ever done it this way before? Does anyone have any ideas on how to do certification, how to use ward leaders, etc, etc? Suggestions? ideas for a theme? I really am a little lost right now, so ANY thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Hot Chocolate Cones

We have made these for the past three years. They are really easy and turn out really cute. They make great little gifts. I often get asked how to make these, so I thought I would post the steps. Here you go:
Supplies: (for one hot chocolate cone)
1/2 C hot chocolate - any kind you like

2 T mini chocolate chips
1/2 C mini marshmallows (aprx)
1 red Hot Shot candy (this is a generic brand candy at our grocery store, its like a giant red hot. If you can't find it a regular red hot will do)
2 cone shaped cellophane bags (I buy mine online)
2 clear hair rubber bands (you buy these on the same aisle in grocery store where hair clips, hair bands, etc. are. They work well because they are smaller than regular rubber bands and easier to conceal. )

Steps:

Fill cellophane bag with the 1/2 C of hot chocolate and tie off with one rubber band. Next, cut off the top of the cellophane bag just above the rubber band Next place the cellophane bag filled with the hot chocolate into the other cellophane bag Then fill with the 2 tablespoons of mini chocolate chips Top off with the marshmallows and the red hot Finish by securing with another clear rubber band, then add ribbon and/or tag, etc. Each cone serves at least two. You can make these super fast if you enlist the help of others and do it like an assembly line.

Sneak Peek

Here is a sneak peek of all the goodies the girls are selling. We set up our display at home to make sure it looked OK and we had everything we needed. Here is a list of what was made: Hot Chocolate Cones (Amy)$3.00 Hairbands(Abigail/Lydia) $3.00 Ornaments(Eliza)$3.50 Pocket Mirrors (Abigail/Lydia)$3.00 Magnets (set of four) (Abigail/Lydia)$2.50 Earrings (Abigail/Lydia)$3.00 Although the girls had their own items to sell, it really was a collective effort. And yes, I did end up helping A LOT! Tomorrow night the Bazaar starts. I will post some "how to's" in the next day or so, plus some other ideas I had, but just never got around to.

Boo!

Okay, before I say anything about my silly cookies you really must see Melissa's cookies for Christian and Stephanie's benefit concert this Saturday. Most of you have probably seen them, but if not take a look. Unbelievable!

Anyway, if you are not quite as talented as Melissa (like myself) in the cookie department - try this. Steve's mom, a cookie master herself, made these with the kids one year. I thought they were so cute. Plus they were so easy. And if something is easy and cute, I am all for it! However, doing anything with a 2 year old really isn't that easy I've decided. My quick, clean, easy project turned into a little more time, mess, and work with the help of my dear, sweet Ruthie. Note the hands in the picture - she attempted to snatch the cookies while I took a picture. The little stinker! You gotta love her. So here it is:

Ghost Cookies

1 package of Almond Bark (could use white chocolate, or white chocolate chips - Almond bark is just cheaper)

1 package of Nutter Butter Cookies

Mini chocolate chips

Melt the Almond Bark according to package directions. Dip the Nutter Butters in the Almond Bark with a slotted spoon. Place on wax paper, parchment paper, or a cookie sheet (whatever you have) Use mini chocolate chips to make eyes and mouth. Allow to set.

ICE

Maybe you already knew this, but ICE is an acronym for In Case of an Emergency. I just learned this not too long ago. (I'm a little slow) Apparently, you should have an ICE number on your cell phone. Well today I have been working on an ICE folder. Since I handle most financials at our house, get the mail, pay the bills, etc. I sometimes worry that if anything happened to me, would Steve be able to figure everything out? We always discuss our finances, so I am sure he would. However, I imagine that if I was unable to handle those things, something incredibly stressful would probably be happening at our house. And maybe this folder would help. An ICE folder would be a place where someone could look and find all the vital information they would need in case something happened to me, Steve, or the both of us. There is a great article in the NY Times about getting your documents together in case of a natural disaster, but the same information can be used for "hit by a bus" scenario. If you read it, don't let it overwhelm you. This is what is going to be in my ICE Folder: (for now)

• Information about reaccuring bills we receive, how we receive them (for example some of our bills are automatically deducted, some received in the mail, and one even by email)the amount the bill usually is and when its due.
• Employment information
• Where to find important documents such as: Life insurance, Wills, SS cards, birth certificates, passports, etc.
• Retirement and Life Insurance information
• Account information for Checking and Savings
• Usernames and hints for passwords since I use online banking, bill pay, etc.

This is just start. Who knows maybe I will even get technical (since that is Steve's expertise) and have it all digital someday. Maybe. Someday

Lunch Labels

I should be folding laundry, but instead I am making lunch label stickers. I found these on Martha Stewart, you can find them here. I thought they were cute and the girls love it when I do things like this. - one of the many advantages to having so many girls.