My new blog is HERE. I won't be blogging on this any more.

Paper Snowflakes

Wednesday night we made snowflakes out of paper to tape to our front window. I had forgotten how to make them, but I found THIS tutorial. I had the kids use little scissors to make their own little shapes after I had already folded it. It was almost like opening a Christmas present when you unwrapped the paper! Every snowflake was different. Which made for a great conversation on being unique. Plus--This is one decoration I won't have to take down in 3 weeks! Awesome!

Quick Question...And I'm trying to blog again!

One of the reasons I stopped posting on this blog was because I had things that I wanted people to be able to print off, but I wasn't sure how to do that. Does anyone know of a way to do that with blogs? I'll keep searching.

I have so many things I'd like to post, but now that we're in to Christmas stuff, I think I'll just start there rather than try to catch up.

Planning on writing one tonight.

Cracker Whacker/ HooDoo

If you need a fun summer game that is great for all ages, this one is for you! We played this at a family reunion on my side of the family, and it was great. So great, in fact, that when we were asked to do an activity for the family reunion on my husband's side, we knew just the thing.

We called it "HooDoo" after driving to Bryce Canyon and learning about their "HooDoos", someone in the family said that they didn't want to get hit in the "HooDoo's" during our family reunion game! :) So, the name stuck. We were also calling it Cracker Whacker because it's fun to say. Whatever you call it, it's good old fashioned fun!

To start, all you need are saltine crackers thread with dental floss, and swimming noodles cut into 3rds (I think).

Everyone playing needs to tie a cracker (or safety pin) to their pants. Then on "go", everyone tries to break each other's crackers. You are still in the game as long as some part of the cracker is still on the dental floss. The winner is the one with the most cracker still remaining.

We divided the game into two groups. 10 and under and 10 and older, mostly because there were about 50 people there. The video clip below is of the 10 and under group. They had such a good time!

As a family, we played this on Family Home Evening and it worked, even with only four players! We played with two crackers instead of one to make the game longer. This will definitely be a favorite summer game for years to come!

Garden Inspiration

My Dad has an amazing garden this year. I pulled up their street and was greeted by beautiful, green rows of vegetables. They have peas, corn, different types of squash, soy beans, black beans, cherry tomatoes, large tomatoes, different varieties of pumpkins for the grandkids, brussel sprouts, onions, peppers, and zucchini. (I'm sure I am forgetting some!)

My Dad's wife, Georgie Ann, is one of the most ambitious women I have ever known. She will be canning most of what she doesn't use. She cans just about everything from salsa to fruit juice, and is always kind enough to share the bounty! They also have fruit trees in the backyard, so she is busy, busy during the harvesting season.


This little piece of land has become such a treasure to me. Before my Dad started taking care of this garden, it belonged to my Grandparents. (My Grandpa says he gets more compliments on it, now that my Dad is taking care of it! :) I learned many lessons in this garden while growing up, many of which I hope to pass on to my children.


I tried to label what he has growing here, but I think I did a poor job. I think what I labeled as beans is actually peppers, now that I look at it. Oh, well. You get the idea. It is so attractive without a weed in sight, which is a testament to my Dad's dedication.

A little slice of heaven.

What a Couple of Weeks Can Do

It's amazing the growth from my garden in just a matter of about 2 weeks!