Mosaic Frame

 

Beads I chose at Michael's.

 

Sanded down the frame a bit so it wasn't so glossy.

 

Added Adhesive for the beads to stick.

 

A few hours later I added in the sanded grout.

 

Done with the grout! 

Cleaning off the beads.

 

All dry so I added in a picture. 

I wasn't sure which picture to go with so I put the second one in and the first one is behind it in case she wants to switch it out. 

All done and ready for Cassie!

Best Wishes!

My best friend for the past 4 years is moving down to South Carolina on Friday. Her going away party is tomorrow night and this is the card I made her. I scanned it in so it's crooked and kind of cut off, but that's not how it really looks! It turned out really cute and I love the color scheme I went with. I also made her a Mosaic frame. I'll post pictures of that soon. I need to run to Target and print off some pictures of us and see which one I like best with the frame. I still can't believe she's leaving, it hasn't hit me yet. I wish her the best of luck and I can't wait to see her over Christmas!! 

I follow this page called Positive Outlooks and they just posted this a few minutes ago. Kind of relates to how I've been feeling and I think it's really true so I thought I'd share!

Banana Bread

  

 Mashed Bananas!

Ready to Bake!

 

All done!

YUM!

The last time I made Banana Bread I forgot the butter...

I tried it again today and it was delicious!

Girls

 

So True! :)

The Mayonnaise Jar

My church posted this on Facebook earlier this week and I think it's something we can all appreciate so I thought I'd share.

The Mayonnaise Jar

When things in your life seem, almost too much to handle,
When 24 Hours in a day is not enough,
Remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee.
...

A professor stood before his philosophy class
And had some items in front of him.
When the class began, wordlessly,
He picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar
And proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students, if the jar was full.
They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar.
He shook the jar lightly.
The pebbles rolled into the open Areas between the golf balls.

He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.
Of course, the sand filled up everything else.
He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous 'yes.'

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively
Filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

'Now,' said the professor, as the laughter subsided,
’I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.

The golf balls are the important things - family, Children, health, Friends, and Favourite passions –
Things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, Your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, house, and car.

The sand is everything else - the small stuff.

'If you put the sand into the jar first,' He continued,
'there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.
The same goes for life.

If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff,
You will never have room for the things that are important to you.

So ...

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.
Play With your children.
Take time to get pamper yourself.
Take your partner out to dinner.

There will always be time to clean the house and wash the windows.

'Take care of the golf balls first.
The things that really matter.
Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.'

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.

The professor smiled.
'I'm glad you asked'.

It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem,
there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.

Lasagna

I have never been interested in learning how to cook up until recently. Yesterday, I ventured out and made my first Lasagna ever! I found the recipe for Bolognese Lasagna with Porcini- Ricotta Filling in a magazine called, Ultimate Italian. This is the same magazine I found the recipe for the Aglio E Olio pasta I made earlier in the week. There are still a few other dishes that look good so my cooking adventures aren't over yet! 

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip

 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 8-ounce block of cream cheese, softened

3/4  to 1 cup powdered sugar (*to taste)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup mini chocolate chips, plus extra for sprinkling

Directions:

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the brown sugar until it dissolves and the mixture starts to bubble. 

Stir in vanilla and set aside to cool. 

In a separate bowl, cream the cream cheese and powdered sugartogether for 6o seconds. With the mixer on low speed, add in brown sugar and butter mixture. Mix until combined. Stir in the mini chocolate chips. 

Garnish with additional mini chocolate chips. Serve with animal cracker, nilla wafers or graham crackers. 

*Let refridgerate a few hours before serving.

**Next time I make this I am going to try using a little less cream cheese as the taste was dominate.

Recipe was taken from www.whatmegansmaking.com

Take It Outside

Take it Outside Week

Young children and the outdoors just go together – naturally. That's why Head Start Body Start National Center for Physical Development and Outdoor Play (HSBS) is promoting Take it Outside Week October 16 – 22nd, 2011 – to encourage educators, families and caregivers to make time outdoors an important part of young children's daily lives.

Did you know:

• Today's children spend less time outdoors than any generation in history?
• American preschoolers watch 32 hours of television a week?
• Outdoor play provides more opportunities for moderate to vigorous activity (MVPA) than indoor play?
• Current research indicates that children who regularly play outdoors are healthier, smarter and happier than children who do not?

With benefits like that, what are we waiting for?! Let's commit to give young children the opportunity to move, play and learn outdoors every day. It's time to expand the playroom and classroom walls and Take it Outside!

Why not host a Take it Outside event at your center or in your neighborhood?!
Event Ideas:

• Host a Family Play Day filled with lots of outdoor games and activities
• Host a Family Gardening Day and plant fall flowers and shrubs and grasses to enhance your outdoor space
• Host a Nature Play Day – go for a nature hike, build forts and dens and dig for worms

http://www.aahperd.org/headstartbodystart/news/take-it-outside-week-2011.cfm

It's Just A Bad Day, Not A Bad Life

Aglio E Olio pasta I made for dinner tonight! I don't cook, but this turned out and it was delicious!

Today was a long and yet interesting day at work. My supervisor called me at 6:30 saying my opener wasn't coming in. That girl went downtown last night and was able to update her status and Facebook pictures at 5am, but apparently coming to work was a bit much. Oh well, we survived and thankfully not too many babies came in this morning. When we were in the gym today this three year old came over to me and said, "I need a hair dryer." I'm like, "What, a hair dryer?!" and he said, "Yeah, my hair's all sweaty." It made me laugh, I love the funny things little kids say. My day got better as the day went on and I hope my coworkers did too! Below is a picture I found on a blog I follow called Positive Outlooks. I thought this saying applied to many me and a few other of my co-workers this morning.

100 Ways To Praise

I have run across this once before and came across it again today while doing research for a homework assignment. I love it and am definitely going to be referencing back to this time and time again throughout my career as an Early Childhood educator!

If a child lives with encouragement, he learns confidence.
If a child lives with praise, he learns to appreciate.
If a child lives with approval, he learns to like himself.
If a child lives with acceptance and friendship, he learns to find love in the world.

About Me

Hello,

My name is Liz, and I have a been wanting to start a blog for awhile now. Odds are its going to be full of all sorts of odds and ends as I would like to use it as a spot to gather my thoughts, vent, and share things I have read or found online. Instead of e-mailing all these things or posting them on Facebook I'll have them all in one place and won't have to go back and forth looking for something in particular. I am 22 and an Early Childhood Education major. I work at the YMCA with children ages 6 weeks through 10 years old and babysit quite often so I wouldn't be surprised if my blog revolved a lot around that. I am big into children's literature and love talking about books I have found- meaning book reviews to come! I also love quotations and motivational posters.

That's a little bit about me, hopefully you enjoy what's to come! :)