Valentine's Day Crafting Extravigana!

So, it's Valentine's Day, and I'm exhausted.  You know how sometimes you have a "simple" idea that sounds so awesome in theory, then it turns out to be not as simple as previously thought?  Yeah, well that happens to me all the time, and this past week was no exception.

I have an adorable design for Valentine's Day lollypop holders in the shape of Conversation Hearts.  It seemed like such a simple plan.  I already had the design, and it would use up scraps of ribbon and fabric, so would cost me nothing to make.  Great, right?  Even better, when I made a couple of test hearts, I found that they would be a fantastic way for me to use up some really crappy embroidery thread.  The thread worked great in the bobbins, and I needed colored bobbins so that the back would look as finished as the front.  The only catch was that I would have to babysit the machine, because the thread twists, knots, and tangles so badly that it won't go through the machine without me manually holding it as it comes off of the spool.  It is time consuming, but very easy to do, so I thought it was no big deal...until after I had been doing it for hours on end.  I had somehow forgotten to take into account that since my daughter has also started school, and they are in the same class, that she would also be needing Valentine's this year, so instead of around 20 hearts, I needed to make 40 (44, to be exact).  Also, I did not start on hers until Tuesday, so I did all 22 of hers, plus the last couple for my son, in just two days.  Never again.  By the end, I had given up on my "using up the crappy thread" plan, and was using my good stuff (so I could leave the machine unattended), with the crappy kind in the bobbin, and just hoped that they matched close enough that no one would notice.

On the other hand, they did turn out really cute.

Dorothy's hearts.  The kids "wrote" little notes that I folded up and slipped through the button holes.  The school has a no sugar policy, so we couldn't send lollypops.  I thought about doing pencils or something else, but decided the notes were good enough.  The kids used stamps and markers to decorate the paper.  I wrote Dorothy's name on hers.

There are ribbons sewn into the top, so they can be used as ornaments or decorations of  some type later.

I tried to make some of Malcolm's more "boyish," but I'm not sure that it matters at all at this age.

They also needed some sort of box to collect their Valentine's in.  I saw this cute suitcase idea online, and stole it.  I used cereal boxes, specifically, Cracklin' Oatmeal boxes.  They were a good size that the kids could handle, but still wide enough to accommodate cards. 

Both boxes together, and full of Valentine's from their friends.  The hardest part was the construction paper hearts I wrote their names on.  I had to redo them three times because I made them too big to fit on the boxes.  The paper is just Christmas wrapping paper that is red and white and the ribbons were left over from when I made Dorothy a bow holder.  The handles were easily my favorite part.  The kids could carry them easily as we walked to and from school.  In the past, the boxes were awkward and difficult to handle.

Just Malcolm's box, a little worse for wear.  It got splashed with a little slush on the way home, and the opening got ripped a little getting cards in and out.

Dorothy's box also had a little trouble before we got to school.  She slipped on some ice and a corner got dented and some tape came undone.  She was fine, but she was worried about her box.  It was fine too.  I wiped off the slush, and pressed the tape back down, and it was all better.





Valentine's Day also happened to be our assigned snack day.  I wanted to something themed, but couldn't send any of the cute ideas I saw that included sugar.  I saw something similar online, but the centers of the apples were not filled with anything.  Dorothy wanted to take apples, so I sliced them into thick-ish rings and used the same cookie cutter to cut out cheese to put in the centers.  Many thanks to the very nice lady at the deli counter who sliced the cheese for me and didn't think I was a crazy person with my odd requests. 

How cute are these?  Both of my kids denied having any snack today though.  Malcolm assured me that lots of other kids had snack though.  OK, but why do you not eat it when it is something I make and that you request? 

Now, I am very tired and am going to nap for the next few days.

School Lunches VI

Another installment of what my son takes for lunch.  He has been slowly expanding his tastes a bit, so some of his lunches are starting to look a bit more traditional and less creative than when he first started eating lunch at school.  He still doesn't like to have a sandwich more than about two days in a row, but I'm making them more often, and more importantly, he seems to be eating them.  Hooray!

1.  Goldfish crackers
2.  mango chunks
3.  chocolate mint stick
4.  blackberries
5.  goat cheese*, sun-dried tomatoes, and spinach pinwheels
6.  1/4 of a home made pretzel (thicker than it looks)

*I found a spreadable goat cheese at the store and decided to try it.  These pinwheels came home almost untouched and he said they didn't taste good.  I thought it was odd, since he really likes all of the things I put in them.  Then I tasted the goat cheese.  It had no flavor whatsoever.  I will try these again sometime, but will use real goat cheese to make them.

1.  Mandarin orange
2.  two prunes
3.  Cheerios, freeze dried bananas, and roasted pumpkin seeds
4.  Caesar salad
5.  Croutons
6.  cheese cubes and  mini pepperoni

1.  milk
2.  cream cheese and strawberry blackberry jam on wheat bread
3.  jumbo raisins
4.  baby carrots
5.  Goldfish crackers and roasted pumpkin seeds
6.  mango chunks

1.  yogurt with blueberries
2.  granola
3.  cheese and pepperoni roll-ups
4.  mango chunks
5.  Chex mix
6.  two dried apricots
7.  pumpkin muffin with butter

1.  cottage cheese
2.  fortune cookie
3.  green bell pepper and baby carrots
4.  ham and cheese sandwich on home made wheat beer bread
5.  apple slices
 

1.  cheese, mini pepperoni, and green olives
2.  blueberry banana yogurt
3.  granola
4.  baby carrots
5.  strawberries
6.  fortune cookie

1.  cheese chunks
2.  baby carrots
3.  strawberries
4.  sandwich of cream cheese, sliced strawberries and honey on home made whole wheat beer bread
5.  home made granola bar
6.  mini fruit roll-up

1.  Swiss cheese sandwich with mustard and ketchup on tomato basil bread
2.  apple slices
3.  baby carrots
4.  Goldfish crackers (in pouch)
5.  home made granola bar

 

1.  blueberries

2.  half of a cinnamon raisin bagel with cream cheese

3.  cheese cubes and mini pepperoni

4.  pretzels and roasted pumpkin seeds

5.  half a package of animal crackers

1.  pear slices and pomegranate
2.  cream cheese and blackberry strawberry jam on Goldfish bread
3.  pretzels and Snap Pea Crisps

1.  honeydew, cantaloupe, grapes, and banana
2.  garden herb Triscuit crackers
3.  ham and cheese with ketchup and mustard on Goldfish bread
3.  red and yellow mini bell peppers

1.  raspberry yogurt
2.  apple slices
3.  Cracklin' Oat Bran cereal
4.  Munster cheese
5.  garden herb Triscuit crackers

 We had just gotten home from a trip, late, the night before.  I had not been to the grocery store yet, so I scrounged this up from or extensive snack that we travel with.  I go a little overboard, but if we ever get caught in a snowstorm on the road, our family of four could easily survive for 3-5 days on just the "snacks."

1.  peach apple sauce
2.  cucumber and baby carrot slices
3.  ham and cheese roll-ups
4.  cottage cheese
5.  garden and herb Triscuit crackers
6.  blackberries

1.  cucumber slices and cherry tomatoes
2.  granola with raisins
3.  strawberries and blackberries
4.  blueberry yogurt