Snow globe how-to's

What you will need:
A small or medium sized glass baby food jar (cleaned and the lid could be painted)
Florist clay
A small item to be highlighted in your snowglobe (we used minature trees)
Distilled Water
Glycerin
Glitter
Glue Gun

1. Place a small piece of florist clay onto the inside of the lid. Press down but be sure not to cover the entire lid top, or the clay pushed to the sides may make it hard to close.
2. Press your decoration into the florist clay. Set aside.
3. Fill baby food jar almost to full with distilled water, a drop or two of glycerin and 1/4 tsp of white glitter or glitter snow.
4. Carefully attach the lid onto the jar and tighten.
5. Turn over and make sure that the water level is right. If it is where you would like move onto the next step.
6. Hot glue the around the rim of the lid - this will create a nice seal.
7. Enjoy your snowglobe.

How to make the cutest paper snowflakes!

Here are the step by steps on how to make the darling snowflakes that decorated my sons classroom for his class party (see those pictures in the post below). I hope they aren't too confusing. If they are drop me a comment and I will try to explain it better.

You will need 6 pieces of paper (mine are 8.5 x 11"), scissors, tape and a stapler.
1. Begin by making each of the 6 pieces of paper a square. Fold one corner down to make the square and then cut the 2.5" that is at the bottom. (I sqribbled on one side of the paper so it would be easier to see the different size).

2. Fold down top right corner to make a smaller triangle piece of paper. 

3. This is the tricky step and I will do my best to explain it. You will then cut 3 slits up to the folded "spine" starting at the bottom (which is where the 2 folded pieces come down on top of each other, not the point that is created when the paper was folded to make the triangle [See picture 3a. You start your cuts on the edge that can open the paper up to the bigger triangle from step 2). It is important that you not cut all the way through the spine.

Picture 3a (you will make your cuts to mimic the lines I drew on the paper)

Cut piece

4. Open the paper to the square.

5. Take the inner most cut pieces and fold them towards each other, overlapping. Tape them together.

6. Flip the square over. Take the next cut pieces, again working from the next set of cuts from the center - out and fold them towards each other, overlapping. Tape them together. This fold should be on the opposite side from the first fold.

7. Continue taping the cut pieces, being sure to flip the square to the opposite side before taping the next overlapping cuts. Repeat Steps 1 - 7 with all six pieces of paper.

The finished piece of paper

8. Take 2 pieces of folded paper and attach them together at the center with a stapler as shown below.

9. Staple the two bottom tips together as shown below.

10. Continue adding pieces 3-5 of the folded paper by following steps 8 and 9. (Pictures below are of the 3rd piece being added).

11. With the last piece of folded paper, attach the middle section with a stapler to the 5th piece of paper. Connect the bottom point to the bottom of the 5 stapled bottom pieces. Then finish the snowflake by stapling the 1st piece to the 6th piece at the center.

Attach to the 5th piece of paper at the middle section

Staple the bottom of the 6th piece to the bottom of the other 5 stapled bottoms

Complete by stapling the 6th piece of paper to the 1st piece.

The finished snowflake!
Now I just need a few more to add to my boys bedroom.

Note: You can adjust the size of the snowflakes by the size square you begin with. I hope the directions weren't too confusing.  Let me know if you made one and how it went for you!

Class Party

Today was Big D's class party and we had so much fun...

making snow globes,

Christmas caroling to the school secretaries,

and eating the candies that were to adorn gingerbread houses! YUM!

(might I draw your attention to the darling paper snowflakes that are hanging from the ceiling. My best friend, Lydia, made those. I will post the "how to's" in the next few days)

Dina, myself, and Lydia (we're the room mom's and we enjoy planning these parties)

Mini water bottles that I decorated with these red and white polka dot labels that read "Happy Holidays"

Mr. Barnes and the entire class with the red scarfs that he and his wife gave to each student. I am glad that he let's us go a little over the top to make these parties fun and hopefully memorable!

Some of my favorite things...

Christmas Tag

1. Do you like hot chocolate or egg nog?
I prefer hot chocolate

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just put them under the tree?
A little of both

3. Colored or white lights on tree/house?
I like white lights. They are so simple and beautiful!

4. When do you put up your decorations?
Usually the Saturday after Thanksgiving!

5. What is your favorite holiday dish?
Swedish Pancakes

6. What is your favorite holiday memory from your childhood?
Singing christmas carols with the whole family

7. Do you open a gift on Christmas eve?
At the Kanzler Christmas Party I do.

8. How do you decorate your Christmas tree?
White lights, red berries, red ball ornaments, white snowflakes, and fun wood ornaments that friends have given me through the years. Next year I want to decorate the tree in seashells (hopefully they will make me feel warmer, thinking about the beach and all)

9. Snow! Love it or dread it?
Dread it - I do not like being cold. I'm too big of a whimp.

10. Do you remember your favorite gift?
Oh golly. I will never forget the stereo I got from Santa one year. I love music and that was such a neat gift! Thanks Santa ;-)

11. What is the most important thing about the holidays for you?
Being sure my little ones understand why we celebrate the holiday.

12. What is your favorite Holiday dessert?
I don't have a favorite. Any dessert is truly my favorite. I LOVE sweets!

13. What is your favorite holiday tradition?
Reading a Christmas story Christmas morning before we open the gifts.

14. What tops your tree?
A star!

15. Which do you prefer: giving or receiving?
I'm not gonna lie, a little of both!

16. What is your favorite Christmas song?
O Holy Night and What Child is this (listen to my music below)

17.Candy canes?
They are good on chocolate covered pretzels and in hot cocoa

18. Secret Santa?
So much fun

19. Favorite Christmas movie?
Oh I don't have a favorite.

20. Can you ice skate?

Yes, not well but I can manage. Now rollerskating, look out! I love rollerskating!

You're turn. Tag, your it!

Happy Holiday's

I have been a little preoccupied with the busy-ness of this month: from parties, to helping in Big D's class, to sewing a few (well okay a lot) of Christmas gifts, to all the other fun things that make December so fun and chaotic. Hence the lack of blogging!

I just wanted to take a moment to share with you the love that I have for our Savior, Jesus Christ! I remember the first time I knew that Jesus was indeed the promised Messiah. I was about 16 years old and it was around Christmas time. I was in the midst of some serious spiritual searching and came to the realization that our Heavenly Father indeed loved us and that the Plan of Salvation, the whole reason we are here, was so simple and complete. That the pinnacle of this plan was the need for us to have a savior, someone who could live a perfect life and show us how we should be and ultimately to take upon himself our sins, sorrows, trials and to seal it all with his death and his amazing resurrection. How grateful I am that Jesus agreed to do that for us!

I absolutely love this time of year when, as a world, we

celebrate the birth of the greatest man to ever walk the

Earth. He is the comforter, the Prince of Peace, the Jehovah

of old and the Redeemer of all! My greatest hope is that the

promise of eternal life will motivate us to do our best in all

areas of our lives - that we are trying our very best! May

you feel the miracle of our Savior's birth, life, and his amazing

death and resurrection throughout the coming year!

Your blogging friend, Megan

Amazing Free Giveaways

Design Mom is celebrating the 12 Days of Christmas with a giveaway for each day! Go to her website and enter a giveaway or two - the gifts are amazing! Thank you Gabrielle (Design Mom) and my friend Debbie for sharing the exciting giveaway! Happy Holidays!

Tell me the stories about Jesus

I love the month of December, although I can't believe it is already that time of year!

I just wanted to share something fun we are doing and I can't take any credit for it.

Many thanks go out to the "Friend" magazine. The "Friend" is a magazine geared toward children and it is published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

So here is the great idea, can you feel the suspense.....

In the December 2008 Friend magazine you will find an activity that will have you turning to the scriptures each day with your family. Here is how the activity is done: "Each day during December look up the scripture reference on that day's set of small scriptures and read the stories of Jesus. Then color the set of scriptures for that day. Each day also lists a picture from the Gospel Art Picture kit (GAK) that can accompany the story. Share your favorite stories of Jesus with your family." Friend, December 2008, pgs. 10-11. Click here to be taken directly to the article.

So tell me - what are your favorite stories of Jesus.

Some of my favorites are:

The parables of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37); the parable of The Ten Lepers (Luke 17:11-19); Jesus Praying in Gethsemane (Matt. 26:36-45; Mark 14:32-42); and His Resurrection (Luke 24:36-43; John 20).

Thank you

Thank you to all who left comments regarding our family pictures. I really appreciate your opinions! You are all great!

HELP!!!

We took family pictures last week and there were so many good pictures - thanks to our friend Denise. So many that I am having a hard time deciding which family shot to use for our annual Christmas cards. Leave me a comment and let me know which one you like:

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