Easter Craft with Leftover Halloween and Valentine’s Candy

Easter basket craft made of candyMy youngest daughter and I made up these cute little Easter baskets to set by each plate this Sunday. They were super easy and used items we already had in the house; leftover candy! We used little paper cups (the kind you use in the bathroom) and hot glued candy on them. Obviously I used the hot glue gun, but she enjoyed picking through the candy and handing me pieces. When we were done, we added a line of glue on the top and dipped them in sugar, then added the handles. We took them outside and sprayed several layers of clear polyurethane over the whole thing to make them shine and help hold things in place.

Please share your Easter craft ideas. I’d love to hear from you or post a link if you’ve posted a related article!

Happy Easter!

Reading Therapy Dogs

Reading therapy dogs, mcleod county, hutchinson, mn library
I didn’t even know such a thing existed until I read about it two years ago in a local publication. I made a call and found out that our area in Hutchinson, MN has actually had this program available for quite some time. Reading therapy dogs are trained to read with young children who need the extra practice. For kids who love animals, it is a major incentive and a highly anticipated activity each week. There is no cost to the program in McLeod County, but there can be a waiting list to get a time slot with one of the dogs. We go to the Hutchinson Library each week for about 20 minutes. My daughter gets special time “alone” reading the her dog, and has had the pleasure of reading to three different dogs, some of which give her high-fives (or high-paws) after reading. Some put their heads in her lap or close to her leg while she reads, and they are trained to pay close attention and not be distracted. If this is something that interests you, give the library a call. I can’t say enough wonderful things about this program and the volunteers who keep it going! For more information on programs at the library, visit the City of Hutch Library Page.

Creative Commons License photo credit: kyz

Nine People and One Destination

Several months ago my parents, sister and brother-in-law, and all of us decided to head to Florida in lieu of a family Christmas celebration. The kids, having never been there before were so excited. For weeks before we left, we were hounded with questions like “When do we leave?” and “Will it be hot in Florida?”

Of course, it will be hot in Florida. Wrong!

playing with dolphins, petting dolphins, and feeding dolphins at SeaWorld in FloridaThe evening we arrived, Florida was experiencing some of the coldest weather in a long time and frost warnings were out. To amply things a bit, we left sunny Minnesota where people were experiencing record breaking HIGH temps for this season. So when it was 60 degrees in Minnesota, it was only about 40 degrees on our first day in Florida. Instead of spending a day at the pool as planned, we headed for SeaWorld. This decision ended up being a great one, as we all loved SeaWorld. The crowds were low, the middle of the day was sunny, and the interactions with the Dolphins ended up being a trip highlight.

Traveling with nine people was a blast, but we quickly experienced one of the week’s major destinations; the bathroom. It seemed like someone always had to go, so we became experts at scoping out  and “touring” all bathrooms along the way. [Read more...]

Somebody Paid My Heat Bill for the Winter

Indeck Wood Pellets for my Magnum Countryside pellet stoveI have an exciting story to tell. It starts a while ago when we went to pick up a few bags of wood pellets for our pellet stove.  We switched to an alternative heating source a couple years ago to save money on our heat and allow us to burn whatever fuel is available. We burn wood pellets during the fall because they burn clean, are in expensive, and readily available. With corn prices higher right now, wood pellets remain really affordable. Later in the winter we begin mixing wood pellets with corn,  during the coldest months because of how hot the mixture burns. We’ve been so lucky thus far in January with unseasonably warm temperatures, but we know that won’t last. [Read more...]

Wordless Wednesday: Disney ‘Nuf Said

Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse at Walt Disney World