Blog Book Index

To the past, the present, and the future, I dedicate this book.  To the past because I came out of it, to the present because I live in it, to the future because my children shall inherit it. ~Ruth May Fox

Create
Sewing
Homemaker's Must-Have Apron
Learn Something New This Summer:  Cross-Stitch in 5 Minutes
Easy Hats to Sew Gift (beginners)
Fruit Basket Liners
Kitty Cross-Stitch Sampler (show and tell)
Retro Yo-Yo Quilts
T-Shirt Quilt Tutorials

Pioneer Crafts
Pioneer Day Posts
Clove-Studded Fruit
Old-Timey Button String and Bracelet
Star-Spangled Shelf Paper
Pioneer Rag Dolls
Corn Husk Dolls
Yarn Dolls
Pioneer Handkerchief Dolls
Pioneer Chick Lit
Children's Pioneer Recipes
Flip Over Old Fashioned Games
Children's Pioneer Day Event
A New Twist on Pioneer Hay Sticks
Achievement Days Book Review: Sarah, Plain and Tall
Achievement Days Country Fair
Pioneer Children
CopyCat Magazine Little House Unit
Pioneer Day Toy
Native American Culture Activities for Kids

Camping Crafts
Swaps:  Some Favorite Campy Things, camping part 2
Fabric Scrap Flip Flops (YW colors):  camping part 1
YW Theme Shelf Sitter:  camping part 1
YW Value (water-proof) Matches:  camping part 1
Young Women's Camp

Seasonal
Winter
Christmas
  Snowman Soup Gift:  Christmas traditions, part 4
  Pinecone Fire Starters Gift: Christmas traditions, part 3
  Wrapping Gifts and Making Bows
  Paper Snowflakes Decorations: Christmas traditions, part 3
  Wooly Sheep Ornament: Christmas traditions, part 3
  Santa's List Ornament: Christmas traditions, part 3
  Rudolph the Paper Reindeer Decoration: Christmas traditions, part 3
  Countdown to Christmas Craft
  Applesauce Cinnamon Cutout Ornaments
  Christmas Pageant
  Cookie Tea (Exchange)
  Red-Hots Crock Pot Cider
  SpaRific Bath Mixes to Give
  Candy Cane Reindeer Ornaments
  Retro Christmas Stockings
  Fragrant Vintage Ornaments
  Festive Fruit Basket Liners
  Natural Angel Ornaments
  Christmas Coffee Cake
  Snow-Couple Bell Ornament
  Homemade Chocolate Covered Cherries
  Quick and Easy Piping Bag for Gingerbread Cookies (White Frosting)
St. Patrick's Day
  St. Patty's Day Family Night

Spring
Easter
  Bird's Nests and Jelly Bean Poem
  Boo Boo Easter Bunnies
  Easter Games
  Resurrection Eggs
Senior Tea
Mother's Day
  Bath Potpourri "Tea" Bags
  Mom Mix

Summer
Relaxation
  Active Meditation for Serious Relaxation
  Spirit Soothers
  Scents that Soothe
  Aromatherapy Bath Potpourri "Tea" Bags
  Meditation Made Easy
Big Fish Book Review (commemorate Dad by
reading the book or watching the movie on Father's Day)
Favorite Fourth of July Traditions
Origami Earrings
Chick Lit for July
Crystal Garden
Old Fashioned Travel Games
Jello Popsicles and Kool-Aid Playdough

Autumn
Trick or Treat Family Night Idea
October Traditions: Fun with Cookies
October Traditions: Chicklit, Songs, Activities
October Traditions: Autumn Days
Boys Like to Dress Up Too!
Better Than Potpourri Brew
November Traditions
Simple Oktoberfest Family Meal (foil cooking)
Fall Fun
When There's Nothing Else to Eat (leftover turkey salad)

April Traditions: Boo Boo Bunnies

Place a "surprise" in a plastic egg and tuck it into the Boo Bunny for a special Easter gift.

1.  Remove any tags from wash clothes.  Lay the face cloth flat, turning at one corner, roll it to the center.

Place something heavy, like a book, onto the rolled-up facecloth, so it won’t unroll.  Beginning at the opposite side, tightly roll it to the end.  You now have a long sausage with pointy ends.  The pointy ends will be the Bunny’s ears.

3.  Fold the facecloth in half, so that the sausages are together and the smooth side is outside. 

Tie a piece of string around the end of the folded facecloth.  Tie it in a bow, as you will need to remove it later.

4.  Glue the pompom tail to the facecloth, where it is bent.

Allow glue to dry.

5.  Fold the facecloth again, at the string.  The pointy ends should point toward the tail.  Wind a strong rubber band around the facecloth to form Bunny’s neck.

6.  Untie and remove the string.

7.  Tie the ribbon around Bunny’s neck just behind the rubber band, making a bow on top.  Remove the rubber band.  Trim the ends of the ribbon, if you wish.

8.  Make eyes with two dots of T-shirt paint, (or embroider on).

April Traditions: Easter Games

Easter Egg Games 

The following is from a clipping I saved from Southern Living Magazine, sometime in the 1990's.  Lots of fun!

"Egg Roll:  Create a few racing "lanes" by laying rope or twine on the grass, and mark start and finish lines.  Brighten the finish line with festive helium-filled balloons and an Easter basket of inexpensive prizes.  Give each child a dyed egg and a kitchen spoon, and blow a whistle to start the race.  Declare each child a winner with a prize at the finish line.

"Egg Hunt:  Section off a small spot in your yard, and spread fresh pine straw (or hay) over the area.  Conceal dyed or filled plastic eggs in the straw.  Let children in, a few at a time, for two or three minutes of hunting.  Hide more eggs between groups.

"Egg Race:  Using the same lanes created for the Egg Roll, place a dyed egg on the starting line in each lane.  have children kneel at the starting line, hands clasped behind their backs, and push the egg to the finish with their noses.

"Storytelling:  After children have played games, serve them refreshments and read them a story.  A few suggestions:  the Peter Rabbit series by Beatrix Potter; The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown; Max's Chocolate Chicken by Rosemary Wells."

*Teach the real purpose of Easter by making and sharing Resurrection Eggs.
*See my Boo Boo Bunnies adorable, (and affordable) Easter craft tutorial.

April Traditions: Birds' Nests and Jelly Bean Poem

Don't forget to watch the Sound of Music this Easter!

Birds' Nests 

1/3 c. corn syrup
3 c. miniature marshmallows
2T. butter
5 c. crisp rice cereal
jelly beans
Stir together corn syrup, marshmallows, and butter in a Dutch oven over low heat (may want to spray Dutch oven with cooking spray first), stirring often 8 min. or until marshmallows melt.  Add cereal, stirring until well-blended.  Spoon mixture evenly into 16 lightly greased muffin pan cups.  Press with wax paper to compact.  Press an indentation in centers, forming a nest, and let cool completely.  Remove nests, and fill centers with jelly beans (I love chocolate so I use Cadbury mini eggs).  For Peanut Butter Birds' Nests:  Reduce marshmallows to 2 cups, and substitute 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter.  Proceed as directed.  Yield:  16 nests.

We discovered a fabulous, super-easy recipe from an old Friend magazine that we used as Bird's Nests this year.  They worked great!  They were even easier than the one above, albeit probably more fattening!
Peanut Butter Clusters (follow nest directions above to turn them into Birds' Nests)
1 c. butterscotch chips
1/2 c. peanut butter
3 c. cornflakes or puffed rice
Slowly melt butterscotch chips in medium-size saucepan over low heat.  Stir in peanut butter a spoonful at a time.  Remove from heat and stir in cereal.  Place by spoonfuls onto waxed paper, and cool in refrigerator until firm.

If you want a much healthier version of Birds' Nests (this is why Utah is one of the skinniest places to live-she uses fiber one), go to one of my favorite blogs: http://beinglds.blogspot.com/2010/03/easter-treat-bird-nests.html.

Jelly Bean Poem Handout (with a little bag of jellybeans!)

April Traditions: Resurrection Eggs

Resurrection Eggs
This might have come from Christy’s Clip Art, or Sugar Doodle, or the Idea Door—but I got it when two of my children were still in Primary, so that was a while back! 


This is a great Family Home Evening Activity. We also did this as a Primary Party Activity (we have a small Primary). Each year we do this with our children, even though they are nearly grown. Dad hides the eggs indoors (since this is Family Home Evening and Dad gets home late); we have an egg hunt and then open the eggs in numerical order. Each egg has candy for the child who found it. We read the scriptural reference and discuss the object. By the time we are through, we have completely discussed Christ’s resurrection. As I was typing this up, I was reminded of how special this activity has been for our family and how much the Savior means to me.

Egg 1: Plastic egg with #1 written on it and three dimes and Matthew 26:14 written on a piece of paper inside the egg.
14 Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests,
15 And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.

Egg 2: Write #2 on egg and place a sacrament cup and Matt. 26:39 written on a slip of paper inside.
39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.
Egg 3: Twine with knots in it (I used the thick garden twine). Slip of paper with Matt. 27:1.
1 When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death:
2 And when they had bound him, they led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor.


Egg 4: A piece of soap and slip of paper with Matt. 27:24 on it.
24 When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it.
25 Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.
26 Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.


Egg 5: Square of red fabric and slip of paper with Matt. 27:28 on it.
28 And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe.
29 And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!
30 And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head.


Egg 6: A cross (made with toothpicks) and slip of paper with Matt. 27:31 on it.
31 And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him.
32 And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross.


Egg 7: Two dice and slip of paper with Matt. 27:35 on it.
35 And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.
35 And sitting down they watched him there


Egg 8: A tiny bag of crushed rock (the kind extra shirt buttons come in), and a slip of paper with Matt. 27:50, 51 & 54.
50 Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.
51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;
54 Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earth quake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.

Egg 9: Strip of white cloth and slip of paper with Matt. 27:58 on it.
58 He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered.
59 And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,
60 And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulcher, and departed.

Egg 10: A stone and slip of paper with Matt. 27:65 on it.
65 Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can.
66 So they went, and made the sepulcher sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.


Egg 11: Bayleaf spice and a small piece of paper with Mark 16:1-4 on it.
1 And when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.
2 And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulcher at the rising of the sun.
3 And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulcher?
4 And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.


Egg 12: An empty egg and a slip of paper with Mark 16:5-6 on it.
5 And entering into the sepulcher, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted.
6 And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.