School Giving Tree

The PTO decided to create a Giving Tree for the teachers this holiday season. I know we all rack our brains to try to find something to give them that is meaningful and that our teachers can really use. Well enter...The Polk Elementary Giving Tree!

Our tree covered with ornaments

Close up of the ornaments

One of our moms created the tree, laminated it, and got it up on the wall, while a few of us created little paper ornaments to tape to the tree. Each teacher was given 5 paper ornaments to start off with. They wrote their name and a gift item they would like for their class. Then they attached them to the tree. Parents can then come in and find their child/children's teacher and pick an ornament off to go shop with. 

Our district is under some major budget cuts, so the basic things are often hard to come by. The teachers listed things like sidewalk chalk, markers, pencils, staplers, construction paper, playground balls, board games, flash cards, and gift cards. 

Not only did it turn out very cute, the parents have really been using it. It is a great way to grab a few things for the teachers that you know they can use. 

Merry Christmas to our hardworking teachers!

Mustache cake

One of my bestest friends, Carmela's son is having a birthday party today. He is the big 6! 

His party is at the world famous Chuck-E-Cheese and his mother has a lot of really cute mustache details going into it. I offered to make a little mustache cake to bring to the party. 

please excuse another crappy phone photo

It's pretty cute if I do say so myself. 

Our Christmas yard....

My husband has gotten a new job within his current block. It's sort of a promotion, of sorts. Currently, he is an outside operator for our local chemical company. Now he has taken the position of Outside/Inside operator, which means he is going to be learning "the board". He tends to be a workaholic, and works a lot of overtime, which means he is not home very much. With this new job, he will be training on his days off...which are few and far between, meaning that he will be training until June 2013. For real. 

Instead of complaining about it, we are just trying to make the time that he IS home, as special and meaningful as possible. Well, this year, that includes him spending less time putting up lights and coordinating them to music, so that we can just put up the kids' favorite inflatables. 

So, this is what my husband came up with last week on his 12 hours off :)

Jansen imitating the sock monkey

Personally, I would have switched the Santa and the Snowman so that the biggest inflatable is on the left....but my husband did it and wasn't changing it, so I am not complaining since it got done. 

The kiddos next to the giant Santa!

The kids are happy, and while I wish there were lights included, I am not getting up on that roof with my bad back...so I love it! :)

We are blessed that my husband has this new job opportunity as he works his way up in the company. I am thankful for the moments he is home with us. We are thankful for his hard work and dedication to his family, that has allowed me to stay home, and now to return to nursing school. 

Happy December everyone! This is the end of Hurricane Season 2012!!!!!!!!

Christmas decor....

Black Friday for most people means waiting in line in the freezing cold at 2 am....just to get a percentage off of the hottest toys and electronics.

There is nothing in the world that could be discounted enough for me to get out in that madness. I value my personal space and don't really feel like going to jail right after Thanksgiving. 

Instead, while my husband was sleeping off his graveyard shift, the kids and I put up some Christmas decorations in the house. 

YAY for the holidays! I am excited to hit up the stores to get some new ribbon and wrapping paper and wrap up the gifts while the kiddos are at school this week!!!

Personalized Wrapping

Last night, I started wrapping a few little Christmas presents for the kiddos in our family. 

This year, I am wanting to do something a bit different. My goal is to wrap presents in solid color paper, use all different types of ribbon, and make gift tags using pictures of the recipient. 

I started with my two baby cousins, Isla and Caroline, and printed out cute pictures of them. Then I used green paper to fold and cut a little picture frame....glued the picture on the inside, and wrote our names on the back of the picture. In my craft closet, I found 3 types of ribbon so I started with a cute candy cane pattern for Isla's and a sparkly pattern for Caroline's. 

They turned out so cute...especially since the kiddos are so cute. I can't wait to do this with all of the presents I wrap....although 2 presents in, I am almost out of paper and ribbon. Darn....I guess that means I have to go shopping!

Happy Thanksgiving Y'all!

I am thankful for each and every blessing in my life!!!!!!

And I am thankful for the TEXANS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I hope your day is filled with family, food, and fun!

Homemade penguin costume for school program

The 2nd graders at our school always put on our holiday program and this year, it is all about penguins. This means that the PTO and the music teacher have to come up with some quick and easy costumes for about 80 kiddos to wear (my kiddo included). 

The children will wear solid black, long sleeved shirts and jeans, and will wear a penguin bib and hat...custom made by yours truly and 7 other PTO moms. A huge thanks to Cindy, Jennifer, Denise, Cassandra, Crystal, Sonya, and Lupe for coming over this morning and putting almost 80 of these together in true assembly line style. 

We had a hat station and a body station....with one person cutting, one person folding, one person gluing, one person tracing, one person hole punching....it was an adventure! I made some blueberry muffins and a breakfast casserole and Denise brought some drinks. If you offer food...they will come to help!! That's my theory at least. 

Here is what they look like....

The bodies are made of white poster board (two bodies from one sheet) and the bows are simply colored paper, accordion folded, stapled, sprayed with Diamond Dust glitter spray, and hot glued onto the poster board. The hats are black card stock and various colored paper glued together, and then a handwriting strip stapled to the ends. these will be given to the teachers to staple together as they fit each child's head. 

I can't wait to see how my cute little penguin looks in this costume!!!