Day Seven: Here Comes the Bride

Day number seven is one of my favorite crafts. It is super easy and you can make any number of fun shirts, bags, etc...
HeatnBond can be purchased at JoAnn Fabric. Then select whatever fabric you'd like - one that fits the theme. You iron your adhesive to your fabric, then your fused fabric to your t-shirt.
It took longer to create this post than it did to create the shirt....but I had fun selecting the font and the ring! (A special thanks to my model...who made me a bride almost 4 wonderful years ago!)

Day Six: The Cone of Many Colors

Since W has mastered banana, bubble, dog, da-da, and the sign for milk, it was clear to me that the boy needed more of a challenge. I decided that this cone of many colors would be a nice addition to our playroom...and to prove that I am a forward thinking mother who is always on top of learning trends (ahem), I decided to write the colors in both English and Spanish. This one was labor intensive for sure and I had to run up to A+ Learning to get it laminated, but...I'm pleased!



You can find your own cone to teach numbers or letters by clicking here!

Day Five: Lesson Plans

Starting on Monday, I will be teaching an adult ESL summer school class at Vickery Meadow Learning Center. I teach there during the year and help out with various projects.
It is a very rewarding volunteer job and I am so glad that I am a part of it!

VMLC is an outstanding organization that promotes adult literacy in a densely populated and underserved part of Dallas. If you need a donation spot, I can't recommend VMLC enough, and they will definitely put the funds to good use. VMLC runs morning, afternoon, and evening classes for enrolled students and even offers childcare so that the adults can get the most out of their class time.

Here are some of my amazing students from the fall at our Christmas Party:

So serious! During the year, they are all smiles!

The summer school program runs 4 weeks long. There are three different beginning levels, an intermediate level, and an advanced level. I will be teaching the intermediate students. Our lessons this week focus on pronouns, grocery shopping, on the use of too much/too many, and on days of the week/months of the year. I put together my lessons and created my crafts. A large part of the lesson is fostering interaction with folks that are not quite confident of their English skills.
I am very excited to greet my students tomorrow on their first day of summer school, and I am so pleased that I have created some solid lessons to help us get started!

Lesson plans: the text, the activities, the outline of activities! Ready-Set-Go!
My assistant - helping me type up my lesson plans! So helpful!

Day Four: Sock Puppet

When I was a kid, I remember sock puppets and paper bag puppets being so fun. Of course, I'm pretty sure our sock puppets were nowhere near as COOL as this one I made. ;) JoAnn Fabric had googly eyes for $0.49 a pair, I had the old sock and the orange button, so...I created this guy with a little fabric glue and a needle and thread. (Sewing the nose on was a good call because that is what Dub was most fascinated with/tried to pull off the most.)

Before
After

I think Dub was only mildly amused.
I guess I'll have to work on giving the sock puppet a name and a voice.

Day Three: Creating a Taco Party

"Helping" me get ready

For day three of 30 Days of Creativity, I wanted to create a fun experience for my neighbor friends! While browsing through The Store in Lake Highlands, I came across this sign, and an idea was born:

I had been wanting to do a Taco Party since we moved back in February - it's pretty easy on the hostess. You just ask everyone to bring a fixing or two, lay it all out, and enjoy. My role: brown some beef and make some sangria.

Mmmm...sangria. This is mom's recipe: cut up an orange, a lime, and a lemon. Add 1/2 c. sugar and 1 1/2 c. rum and let it meet and greet for 2 hours in the fridge. Then add the mix to a large punchbowl, along with a bottle of cab and 1c. orange juice. Sangria success!

I also tried this cilantro lime recipe that I found on the allrecipes.com site. It was decent. I don't love rice, so it's hard for me to be a real judge. I will say that I think it would go marvelously with some black beans as a salad. Maybe later!

The Spread



Frosted Brownie Bites -another Libby Garrett find - from Tom Thumb's Bakery. You have to ask the bakery to frost the brownie bites, but it definitely transforms something boring into something party worthy! I served the brownies in cocktails clear plastic cups with a scoop of ice cream on the bottom.

I think that everything went off relatively well. Twenty people dined and visited. I feel like that is a successful party! Thanks to everyone for making it such a simple summer event!

On to DAY FOUR...

30 Days of Creativity: Day Two

Today's endeavor: a list of my favorite children's books. Now, this is MY LIST of favorites, so I realize that some things, including classics, may not have made it on there. I'd love to hear about your favorite book! I also think this is a two-for...because while I created a list, these are all books that I've read to Dub...so I am creating a brain!!!

We have been reading to Dub since he was born and it has been fun to see him get more involved with the stories. Now we are to the point where he will grunt and bring us a book, then sit down next to us or in our laps and demand a reading - sometimes the same book 8x in a row.


Emily Cassady's Top 50 Children's Book List - June 2011

1. The Quiet Book by Underwood 
2. The Loud Book by Underwood 
3. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Carle 
4. Forever Friends by Berger

Reading The Fathers Are Coming Home by Brown - 1 month old

5. Our Children can Soar by Cook 
6. Verdi  by Cannon 
7. Stellaluna by cannon 
8. Tuesday by Weisner 
9. Kittens First Full Moon by Henkes

Reading Ten Little Bears at Gabby's - Christmas - 8 months old

10. Any of the "how do dinosaurs" series by Yolen 
11. The Lion & The Mouse by Pinkney (only this author bc of the art) 
12. Llama Llama Red Pajama by Dewdney 
13. Bark, George by Feiffer 
14. Alexander & the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day by Viorst
15. LMNO peas by Baker 
16. The Fathers Are Coming Home by Brown 
17. Any of the pigeon books by Willems (Don't let the pigeon stay up late)
18. The Night I Followed the Dog by Laden 
19. Who Loves You Baby by Laden

Aunt Katie reading a Christmas book to Dub - December - 8 months old

20. Duck and Goose Find a Pumpkin by Hills
21. Punk Farm by Krosoczka 
22. Swim Swim by Lerch 
23. Goodnight Gorilla by Rathmann 
24. The Snowy Day by Keats
25. If I Built a Car by Van Dussen 
26. Pat the Bunny by Kunhardt  
27. Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse  by Henkes 
28. Brown Bear, Brown Bear by Martin
29. Peek a Who by Laden

Reading Discover the Day with Dad - February - 10 months

30. In My patch/In My Pond/In My Jungle Book set by Gillingham
31. The Gruffalo by Donaldson
32. Bats at the Beach by Lies
33. Traction Man is Here by Gray 
34. Beautiful Oops by Saltzberg
35. Alphabeasties  by Werner 
36. Corduroy by Freeman 
37. Sweetest Fig by Van Alsburg 
38. Where the Wild Thing Are by Sendak 
39. Bread and Jam for Frances by Hoban

"Reading" Put me in the Zoo by himself - April - 1 year old

40. The Kissing Hand by Penn 
41. Olivia by Falconer 
42. The Napping House by Wood 
43. Goodnight Moon by Brown 
44. The Mitten by Brett
45. Time for Bed by Fox 
46. The Dot by Reynolds 
47. Millions of Cats by Gag
48. Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb by Perkins 
49. Good Dog, Carl by Day
50. Color Zoo by Ehlert

30 Days of Creativity: Day One

30 Days of Creativity started today. For 30 days the goal is to create something every single day. Now, with a toddler who is a dynamo, that is definitely going to be a challenge plus plus. I'm taking it easy on myself and offering a pretty broad definition of "create".
For example, tonight for dinner I created beer can chicken. And it was fab.

I only had beer in a bottle, which wouldn't work in the oven, right? So I poured out a soda, filled it with beer, and set the chicken on top of it, making sure to sprinkle carrots around the bottom of the disposable pan. I gave the chicken an olive oil, thyme, garlic rub down, then I stuck it in the oven for an hour and a half.

Before


After


If you want to follow the movement, power to the people, you can link up here and you can search the hashtag #30daysofcreativity on Twitter.
I don't know how it will all turn out, but the challenge to my brain and the fun ideas of things that I can create with Dub is definitely worth giving a try.

Day One: Check!