Thursday, May 31, 2012

Weekly School Summary - Last Week of School! (May 21-25)

I respectfully ask that you not pin pictures of my children to Pinterest. Thank you!

 School's Out for Summer! We finished our very last week of school! We got our evaluation done so all that's officially left is to take our portfolio to the school district. Then we'll be ready to prep for next year. (But I'm not ready to think about next year quite yet!)
Here's what we did during our last week:

Math: Back to our regular schedule. Tenor had 4 days of math lessons to finish up Saxon 54. Soprano had 2 lessons to complete Saxon Math 2.

Reading and Language Arts: Soprano had a final evaluation for "The Little House in the Big Woods" from 'Across the Centuries'.
She's finished her third Phonics book with several reviews. She also completed her English. She only had a final test to wind up Spelling by Sound and Structure 2, and a few pages of handwriting to finish that book as well.
Tenor finished his 'A Reason for Handwriting C'. He also completed his writing workbook.
He finished 'The Family Under the Bridge' from 'Across the Centuries C Level 2' with a worksheet, some discussion questions, and a story sequencing activity. English and Spelling (Rod and Staff Level 4) both finished up this week too. 

Electives:
Typer Island for their typing instruction and completing their SOS Elementary Spanish.
Tenor finished all of Spanish while J did a half year of lessons.

Phys Ed.: Just Tae Kwan Do and outdoor time.

With all those 'finished', 'completed', and 'winding up's, the kids both did all their scheduled work for the school year! Huzzah! I found some promotion certificates online which I printed for each of them.
I was able to take time over the holiday weekend (since M's mom was visiting with us) to finish compiling their portfolios in preparation for our evaluation. PA state law requires that we meet with a qualified (as outlined by the PA state law) evaluator at the end of the year. We met with the aunt of a friend who was super nice and did a good job going over our year's work.
Other things we need to do at the end of the year to fulfill the law:
Submit a portfolio of samples of the child's work
Submit a log of work done
Submit a log of books/media used
and Submit any standardized testing scores (if required for the child's grade level)
We also needed to show our evaluator proof of our attendance but that's not required in the portfolio that gets turned in to the school district.
Thanks Granny for keeping the kids occupied!
 So now, the bulletin boards are cleaned off....
the work log clipboards are empty...
the file sorter got cleaned out and filed....

and we had a party! After pizza and a movie, I gave the kids little end-of-the-year gifts.
A new pack of Craz-Erasers

A lego set
and a new Dollie and Me outfit for Soprano and her 18" doll


Now, I think we're all excited for a break!
Somehow it doesn't feel quite right that a year's worth of work can be summed up into 2 binders each. But it is nice to have completed so much wonderful work this year! I'm so proud of my younglings.

50s Housewife Bridal Shower Part 5 -- Party Time!

I respectfully ask that you not pin pictures of my children to Pinterest. Thank you!
 Here's part 5 and the wrap-up of my sister's 50s Housewife themed bridal shower. Her wedding is going to have a vintage modern flavor with a coral and blue color scheme and lots of lace. I wanted to incorporate some of those elements into the decor of her bridal shower. We also wanted to use her milk glass collection to add to the vintage theme. (Check out more shower posts here: Pennants and Poms, Coffee Filter Wreaths, Lacy Mason Jars, and Games and Decor)

To sum it all up:
Theme: 50s Housewife
Invites (designed with free digital scrapbook kit elements, Macromedia Fireworks, and MS Publisher; free fonts: fontdiner.com Sparkly and Cherry Cream Soda; some of the personal info has been blanked out):
Games and Door Prizes
Prize for Best Apron (She won for borrowing an apron, hat, and beaded necklace from her 2-year old!) 
 
and "1950s Price is Right"
Our lovely Bridal Shower Beauty --- modeling the product up for bid.
A few of our willing contestants with the  bride-to-be.

Yummy Food:
Dishes, Napkins, and Flatware on Server
Menu: Turkey and Ham Wraps, Veggies and Dip, Fruit Salad, Strawberries and Chocolate Fondue,
Cheese Ball and Crackers, Deviled Eggs, and Pillow Mints (all served in milk glass or on white platters with coral chargers)
Drinks: Raspberry Punch, Iced Tea, and Water
Desserts: Hershey Kiss Pretzel Treats, Hard Candy, and Couture Cupcakes
Decor: milk glass, lace, mason jars, coral and blue, gerbera daisies, 50s housewife clip-art, and pics of the happy couple
Fun: Guests in aprons and pearls, lots of laughing, lovely gifts, and a happy sis!
A gift for the groom? :)
My mom, my sis, and me! I made the apron for my sister as part of her gift and
loved it so much I had to make one for me.
The happy couple (and Soprano) in their aprons
 Linking up to these great blog parties:
Sunday: Sunday Showcase at Under the Table and Dreaming; Show Me What Ya Got at Not Just a Housewife;
Tuesday: One Project at a Time at A Bowl Full of Lemons; Tuesday's Treasures at My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia;
Wednesday: Wicked Awesome Wednesday at Handy Man, Crafty Woman; It's Overflowing at Overflowing with Creativity; Whatever Goes Wednesday at Someday Crafts;
Home Decor & Organizing at Organize and Decorate Everything;
Thursday: Delightfully Inspiring Thursday at Delightful Order; Thrifty Thursday at Thrifty and Fabuless;  Transformation Thursday at The Shabby Creek Cottage;
Friday: Frugal Friday at The Shabby Nest; Flaunt it Friday at Chic on a Shoestring;

Monday, May 28, 2012

Make a Card Monday - Do the Robot


I've got a birthday boy in the house who's turning the big 1-0! Double digits. :) To celebrate, he'll get a grown-up but not too grown-up kinda card. I mean, really, don't boys of any age love robots?



Details:
cardstock: Georgia Pacific (white), DCWV (base and mat)
patterned paper: DCWV (layer)

embellishments: tickets (unknown)
color: Palette Noir ink, Tombow markers
tools: Fiskars edge punch
stamps: TAC Robots

Friday, May 25, 2012

Frugal Tip Friday - Kitchen Week 10

Saving in the kitchen...
  • Buy basics in bulk (ex paper towels, garbage bags, even sugar!)
  • Grocery shop without the kids.
  • Don’t shop when you are hungry!
  • Stick to your shopping list.
  • Rinse the bag from a cereal box and use as wax paper. Also can be used to wrap meat in-wrap in bag, then in foil for the freezer.)
  • I love the convenience of single serving products but hate the expense.  Split large jars of applesauce, big containers of yogurt and cottage cheese into smaller portions using 4 oz. baby food jars or use Ziploc's snack containers available in a 4 oz. size and create your own snack cups.
Happy Saving!

Thursday, May 24, 2012

50s Housewife Bridal Shower Part 4- Games and Decor

Yummy couture cupcakes

Here's part 4 of my sister's 50s Housewife themed bridal shower. Her wedding is going to have a vintage modern flavor with a coral and blue color scheme and lots of lace. I wanted to incorporate some of those elements into the decor of her bridal shower. We also wanted to use her milk glass collection to add to the vintage theme. (Check out other shower decor in these posts: Pennants and Poms, Coffee Filter Wreaths, and Lacy Mason Jars)

When you walked in, we had our first game set-up: "Name That Famous TV Housewife"
I made a collage of famous TV housewives and had it printed on 12x18" paper. Then I mounted it to some foam core from the craft store. I had postcard sized answer sheets printed for guests to make their best guesses. To add height, I set it up on two wrapped boxes like I had seen here. We put little pencils in a milk glass piece and put door prizes in a lace wrapped hat box. (The hat box is a vintage piece that I wrapped with lace from my mother-in-law's bridal gown. We used it to hold cards at our wedding reception.) I also snagged a bunch of coral, pink, and yellow gift bags from the Target dollar spot for guests to corral their door prizes to take home afterwards.
In the living room, we had all the chairs set-up facing the bridal settee. Over the sofa was our tissue pom and lantern chandelier. I also hung the lace doily bunting behind it over the backdrop.
 To the side of the sofa, we put a vintage tablecloth (from our great-grandfather) over a small coffee table to hold all the gifts.
The gift table just as guests started arriving
On the other side of the sofa, I set up all our "products" for our second game: Price is Right - the 1950s version. I found 10 products that were available in the 50s and found their 50s prices. We 'called down' 4 guests to be our contestants and had them guess the 1950 price. The closest bid 'won' the prize. Just like the TV show. Once a contestant won, I'd 'call down' a replacement. We played until all 10 products had been won. (To keep my prices straight, I cut scalloped circles in coral and blue, covered it with paper doily, and glued a housewife pic on the top. On the back of each circle, I wrote the product name along with its 1950s price and the current price.) 
Our focal point in the living room was the piano on the display. I printed a couple pics of my sis and her fiance and framed them. (I had all the frames in my yard sale pile but they were a hodge-podge of finishes so I painted all the frames with some white spray paint.)  Other decor on the piano:
a bunch of lacy mason jars with tea lights with some vintage handkerchiefs,
a milk glass vase with faux coral gerbera daisies
a framed 1 Corinthians 13 print (a wedding gift that is usually in my master bedroom)
and their initials that I made like these (I used a papier mache letter base. Then I cut tissue paper circles and glued them with the same technique as the coffee filter wreaths)

In the dining room, we decorated the top of the hutch using milk glass, housewife clip art, a vintage doily, and another vintage hatbox.

The server held the flatware (in milk glass), coral napkins, Fiestaware plates (from my mom's collection), old cookbooks, lacy mason jars, and a gerbera daisy in a milk glass pot.
Above the server, I hung an old window turned memo board filled with housewife clip-art and pics of my sis and her fiance.


The buffet was where we set up all the dessert! Above the buffet was an old window and one of the coffee filter wreaths I had made. We used 2 glass cake stands and a coral cupcake holder to display the couture cupcakes that the matron of honor chose for the shower.
We also set aside a special cupcake for the bride-to-be and put it on its own cake stand and covered it with a cloche. Other decor: coral napkins, 2 glass hurricane vases with candles, 2 milk glass taper holders, a Keep Calm sign (printed and mounted on foam core), apothecary jars with color-coordinated hard candies, and a dish of Hershey Kiss pretzel treats.
Yummy cupcakes

More yummy cupcakes

Keep Calm and Have a Cupcake --- wise advice! LOL
Apothecary jars with sweet candy


The dining room table held all the food (which I didn't get a picture of!). In the center, I covered a tray with coral patterned tissue paper. Then we arranged milk glass vases and pots with coral gerbera daisies and carnations. We used white Fiestaware, my white serving dishes, and milk glass for all the food. The table was covered with a lace tablecloth my great-grandmother made years ago.
We set the drinks up in the kitchen. I put a collection of Fiestaware mugs on a metal Coke tray by the punc bowl. We also had iced tea and water in pretty glass pitchers. The backdrop for the drinks was my shutter screen and fall rag wreath. In front of the screen we had pics of my sis and her fiancee in a photo holder stand, lace wrapped mason jars, and a potted gerbera daisy.
Raspberry Punch

We had a few more gerbera daisies in the family room but didn't do too much decorating in there since the main party space was the living room. The only other place we set-up was the table by the front door. I used another memo board window. On the table we had the party favors (Clark bars since that'll be the bride-to-be's new last name), a vintage Clark Bar ad that I mounted on foam core, and a framed housewife clip-art.

Lots of coral, blue, lace, milk glass, and treasured family pieces helped set the stage for this vintage modern 50s Housewife bridal shower!


Linking up to these great blog parties:
Sunday: Sunday Showcase at Under the Table and Dreaming; Show Me What Ya Got at Not Just a Housewife;
Tuesday: One Project at a Time at A Bowl Full of Lemons; Tuesday's Treasures at My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia;
Wednesday: Wicked Awesome Wednesday at Handy Man, Crafty Woman; It's Overflowing at Overflowing with Creativity; Whatever Goes Wednesday at Someday Crafts;
Home Decor & Organizing at Organize and Decorate Everything;
Thursday: Delightfully Inspiring Thursday at Delightful Order; Thrifty Thursday at Thrifty and Fabuless;  Transformation Thursday at The Shabby Creek Cottage;
Friday: Frugal Friday at The Shabby Nest; Flaunt it Friday at Chic on a Shoestring
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