My first Meme by Antoinette

This is my first Meme. I hope you think it's as funny as I think it is.

Xoxo,

Antoinette

Stuck

Just finished watching the movie Stuck in Love. In the first scene that Kristen Bell shows up I can't stop thinking to myself “Princess Anna of Arindelle what are you doing?! Get off of Greg Kinnear!"

Disney Movie Lover Problems!

But really I actually really liked the movie and it has inspired me. It's a family of writers and it has me thinking maybe, maybe I can be a writer too!

I think I need to just write just for the sake of writing. That's how I'll start, just write to write, not to be read because I think that's what's stopping me. I have this fear or embarrassment that someone will actually read what I write and then they'll somehow know everything about me, every deep dark secret, every skeleton will be on display.

That is scary.

So writing for a tiny bit there was so scary to me that I hated it, it became my enemy, and I've decided that I need to get to know my enemy. “In that moment when I truly understand my enemy,  understand him well enough to defeat him, then in that very moment I also love him. - A.E. Wiggins" - Orson Scott Card, Ender's Game.

Maybe I'm not scared to write this because I don't think anyone will read it. Or maybe I'm freaked out of my mind. Either way, more to come! Dun dun duuunnn! (Say it out loud with your hands playing the air piano.)

P.S. Air piano is cooler than air guitar.

This is a very late post. We did this craft a little bit before Thanksgiving and used the turkeys as centerpieces on our Thanksgiving table.

What you'll need:
Pincones
Construction paper
Scissors
Glue
Googly eyes (optional)

Collect a few pinecones, as many as you want turkeys. I suggest picking out slightly smaller ones that have opened up already. These will be the body of your turkey.

No prep on the pinecone is necessary other than picking up ones that aren't wet or sticky.

Depending on the age of the person doing the craft an adult may have to do a little prep for they other materials before you get to creating.

Feathers are just cut from construction paper. Draw the shape on one piece and then layered and cut several at a time). If your kids are handy with scissors this would be fun to let them do. They could cut one out at a time if cutting several pieces of paper is too hard.

Bodies are made in a similar fashion, layering several pieces of paper together and cutting a bunch at once. They are shaped like a peanut. If your only doing two you can cut them each out individually to give them each their own uniqueness. Turkeys are like snowflakes, no two are identical.

Cut a diamond shape for the beak.

The a squiggle shape for the waddle.

Now you are all set to get your kids creating.
Let you kids use a glue stick to glue the beak, waddle, and eyes to the body. Then move onto the cone part.

Have them put elmers glue on the tips of the "feathers" and then they push it into the cone while you hold the sections open. The glue will not hold forever BUT then you take hot glue to glue the peanut shape to the cone and shore up the "feathers" by adding hot glue into the sections.

And bamm! You have a beautiful pinecone Turkey. This was so fun and easy my girls wanted to make more. I will definitely revisit this craft for years to come.

Happy crafting!

Negative Space Painting with Kids

Auntie Cece was babysitting the munchkins this summer and creative genius that she is, she did an art project with them.

She brought over a plain canvas for each of them and placed an M in the center of each canvas with painters tape.

She then gave the kids paint and let them have at it.

After they were finished painting she let the paintings dry then removed the painters tape. Voila! Beautiful negative space paintings done by toddlers.

My angels are so sweet and decided that they had painted their paintings for eachother. They switched painting to have them displayed in eachothers room.

Quotes...

A few quote pics that I ran across recently that just struck a cord in me.

-Be picky with who you invest your time in, wasted time is worse than wasted money.

-Next time when you think of Beautiful things, don't forget to count yourself in.

-Be gentle with yourself, you're doing the best you can.

-Never underestimate the pain of a person, because in all honesty, everyone is struggling. Some people are better at hiding it than others.

-Respect people who find time for you in their busy schedule... But love people who never look at their schedule when you need them.

-Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always.

-Sometimes people try to expose what's wrong with you, because they can't handle what's right about you.

-Always pray to have eyes that see the best in people, a heart that forgives the bad, and a sould that never loses faith God.

-A smart person knows what to say, a wise person knows weather on not to say it.

Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words, sometimes a a picture of words is worth a thousand thoughts. Introspection is never a bad thing. Think before you act, talk, or make assumptions. Ooo that just made me think of another great quote. 

Gobble Gobble

My older sister is a big wig at a swim school and she decided to make thanksgiving decorations for around the swimming pool with the help of my little sister. They're so crafty! Here's how they did it.

Materials needed:

Tacky glue or felt glue

A variety of colors of felt 

Directions:

Big sister free hand cut all of it. Don't worry too much about perfect cutting. All turkeys are different. Start with cutting out the body, just a general turkey shape in a dark brown felt.

Next cut out the head and neck in a tan felt.

Position the neck on the body and fold back where it overlaps. Apply the glue to the neck where it overlaps. This helps you glue just the felt and not the table.

Cut out the beak and glue it on in a similar manner.

Then cut out the eyes in white felt and eye pupils out of black felt and glue on.

She then cut out a snorkel mask out of blue and the top out of green felt (it is a swim school after all). Glue the pieces on.

Cut a waddle out of red and glue it under the neck.

Cut out two crescents to form the shape of the wing.

Next cut out tail feathers in a variety of colors.

Make a line of glue along the edge of one feather and place another on top of the glue line.

Continue until you have completed the tail and glue on the back of the body. 

Then cut out the legs and glue on.

And you're done!

They made 5 of these and voila! Swimming turkeys!

You can decorate these turkeys in any manner you like. You could put a pilgrim hat on them or any theme that works for you.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am thankful for my wonderfully creative sisters and my whole family. What are you thankful for?

Monsters University Costumes

My little sister is incredibly talented, so are my big sister and myself, but lil sis thought up and carried out the idea to create custom stencils for our Monsters University costumes. Check out these great costumes that were put together with simple shirts and Greek letters stenciled on and some fancy headgear made with dollar store supplies.

My girls and I are sorority sisters from the sorority PNK, Python Nu Kappa.

I couldn't find plain pink shirts on short notice so I dyed some white shirts pink. My lil sis made the stencils and we painted the letters on together. It was a simple process. I wish I had done step by step pictures. I think I'll have to revisit that craft again. I sewed the skirts and leg warmers and paired it with pink leggings.

My dad was in the fraternity OK, Oozma Kappa. 

I really wanted him to grow out his mustache and be Don Carlton, but apparently mustaches don't grow in overnight!

Here are my sisters! Big sis, on the left, isn't in a sorority, but she is clearly a college student at MU! Lil sis, in the center, is in HSS, Etta Hiss Hiss. She has pink and purple streaks in her hair and pink and purple dots all over her.

My husband is definitely not the fraternity type of guy, but he does attend MU and is wearing the shirt to prove it. He is modeling another of lil sis's creations. I wish I had a better picture of him wearing it. It says MU. I think I'll just make him wear it one day and snap his picture. ;) 

The below picture could totally be in one of those "When you see it..." feeds. LOL

AJ is part of ROR fraternity, Roar Omega Roar.

And last but not least is my mom!

She was in the sorority EEK, Slumga Slugma Kappa.

Thank you so much Chantelle for all your help. Everything was amazing!

I love my family!