Giraffe from the Planet Neptune

We finally got some Sculpey Clay.

 I have wanted to do this art project since before Christmas!

 I was inspired by a Nativity set made out of clay by a blogger around that time. My future goal is to make the whole nativity. Here is the tutorial post from the great crafty blog Then she Made. In my post we wanted to make our own creations, but we used her post as a guide through the process and it was very helpful.

Here is our whole zoo of animals, along with the zoo keeper!

 

Here is the giraffe from Neptune!

Pants' Mole and Bunny joined the giraffe for this picture.

We learned that you shouldn't make the necks on your creatures quite so long. We had to give the giraffe a scarf to help his neck stay in place. We are learning as we craft.

 

 

Here is a close up of the mole Pants made.

 

 

Here is our cute bunny. I think the color looks like bubble gum!

 

 

Pants showing off her buddies!

 

 

Here is Pie Pie's masterpiece: A hippo from Jupiter! She added a very pretty bow.

 

 

We had lots of fun playing with this clay!

It is also relaxing working with the clay, so if you need a break from daily school life get some Sculpey clay and start creating!

Molly McIntire: An American Girl

At our local library they often have brochures for interesting places you can visit. I happened to see a flyer that had information about a Molly Play. I love American Girls! (If you don't know who American Girls are you can check them out here.) My daughters have recently begun to love them too. I thought this would be a fun trip that we would all enjoy.

 

 

This was a fabulous show. It was performed by kids from The Rainbow Theatre. Pants loved the part when they put on a pretend radio show. It was very funny! Can you believe thay didn't watch T.V. then?!

 

 

I liked the part where they got pretend water dumped all over their Halloween costumes.

 

 

 

After the play we got a chance to talk to the cast as they served us drinks and yummy treats. I think Pants loved her brownie just as much as the play. I wasn't complaining either!

 

 

Pie Pie chose a delicious cupcake.

 

 

After the play we had a chance to explore the museum. There was a room with all kinds of historical items you could touch and play with.

 

 

The girls had a lot of fun in this room!

 

 

I had some fun too!

 

 

Have you heard the latest?

I like to take silly pictures of myself and put them on the Internet!





In Be-Tween the Pages of a Great Book

I started reading tween books for my daughter,

but I have continued to read them because I love them!

In the beginning of my search for great tween books I thought there weren't any good books left. Boy, was I wrong. I have found some great books to read.

  

The first book I am sharing today is A Dog's Life by Ann M. Martin. My daughter loves animals, so I decided to give this book a try. It is written from the perspective of a wonderful female dog named Squirrel. It starts from when she is born and goes all the way to the end of her long life. She learns how to live on her own in any place she lays her head at night. I love how this story ends with her finding the perfect owner and place to call home. I just found another book in this series about the brother of Squirrel. His name is Bone. I am very excited to read his adventure too!

The second book I would like to share is The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo. When I borrowed this book from the library, my first thought was how is the book going to live up to it's title! I did love that little white bunny with the red suit on the cover, so I went ahead and borrowed the book. I had also recently read another book by this author that I didn't particularly like. It just goes to show just because you don't like one book by an author doesn't mean you won't like one of their other books.
This rabbit's journey WAS truly miraculous. I loved every word in this book. From his first owner to his last. He spends some time in the ocean, riding the rails with a hobo and even gets all spruced up in a fancy doll shop. He learns how to love and be loved all along his journey! This book is a favorite of mine!
I only have two books for you today, but if you would like to see my first post about Tween books just look right here.
 

Smiles

At Easter

 

 

The princesses.

 

 

Pants getting ready for the AWANA egg hunt.

 

 

She found lots of eggs.

 

 

Pie Pie found a prize egg and was awarded a giant chocolate bunny!

 

 

We got a chance to color some eggs with our friends.

 

 

Hunting for more eggs!

 

 

Our beautiful Pie Pie.

 

 

Pants swiped a daffodil!

 

 

I couldn't get Pants to look at me!

 

 

Pie Pie in her funky Easter dress with her new wicked shoes!

 

 

Pants know how to pose when she wants to!

 

I love taking pictures and these Smiles posts are a way to share them and remember all that I am grateful for in my life!

 

Smiles,

Nikki!



Craft Support for the Less Than Crafty

I am one of the less than crafty Moms.

 I admit it.

 I need a craft that is easy to do and doesn't take a lot of supplies to get the craft done. I like the craft to mostly be done by the child. I don't mind a mess as long as you get to have fun in the process!

Pie Pie recently went to an event where she made a craft that is for Moms just like me! It is very simple and my kids liked it.

 

A Zebra made by Pie Pie.

 

You only need a few supplies to get the craft put together.

1. card stock

2. clothespins (the ones with the springs in them)

3. scissors

4. markers

 

You start by drawing an animal shape onto the card stock. You want to leave off any part where you want to use a clothespin. Then you cut out the shape and draw on animal details. Don't forget the clothespins! They need faces and colors too.

 

Animals made by Pants.

 

Your child can use their imagination to make whatever animal they would like. We used a clothespin to make the neck of a giraffe, clothespins for ears of a rabbit and/or a clothespin for a trunk of an elephant! These can be used for almost any study where animals are involved. I am planning on making these the next time I teach children's church!

 

 

I do not know who came up with this nifty craft, but it was not me. I just wanted to pass along the fun to all the other Moms out there who needed a little craftiness!

 



Smiles

At Ballet Class

 

All of the families had a chance to visit dance class this week. It was fun to see what the girls do and watch them have fun with their friends.

 

 

Here is Pants galloping.

 

 

They showed us what they have learned of their recital dance.

 

 

At the end they played Freeze Dance with scarves.

 

 

All tuckered out and ready to go home!

 

 

Smiles,

Nikki!

 

 

 



Art Class is (ALWAYS) in Session

Pants has been drawing a LOT lately. I decided it was time to get some more pictures of her artwork and share them on the blog. I also just did a post exclusively about Pie Pie, so I have to even things up for them!

This is a picture of a creature Pants has been very fond of drawing recently. It is a Roadrunner! I love the very colorful beak. There is also a ghost and a turtle. The roadrunner sees a BIG shadow and he is scared.

 

This is another picture of a roadrunner and a turtle. There is a mole too. They are planning a birthday party for butterfly. All of the little circles are the speech bubbles of them talking.

 

I saved the best for last! This is a picture of our family. I love the way she draws Daddy's hat and my long legs. We also are apparently very smiley and lovey.

 

I'm sure there will be more drawing soon!