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Paper mache is a wonderous thing. I have been using it a lot lately. These paper mache maracas are a great crafts to help celebrate Cinco De Mayo.




YOU WILL NEED

• Balloons
• Newspaper
• Dowels
  
• Elmers Glue or Flour
  
• Warm Water
• Uncooked Rice
• Duct Tape
  
• Paint
  
• Paint Brush

DIRECTIONS

1. Blow two balloons up and tie them off. Remember to not make them too big.
2. Mix the glue paper mache paste. This paste is a mixture of half glue and half warm water. You can use a traditional flour and water paper mache paste but your maracas might not last as long. If you use flour the mixture will be twice as much water as flour.
   
3. Cover your work surface with newspaper to make clean up easier.
4. Dip strips of newspaper in paper mache paste and then cover your balloon in two layers.
5. Leave your maracas to dry over night. Keep your paste in a sealed container or wrap with plastic wrap.
   
6. The next day cut a small hole at the tied end of the balloons. Carefully pull out the broken balloon and pour in some uncooked rice.
   
7. Place your dowel in the hole and gently attach with duct tape. You do not want to crush the maracas.
8. Now you can add two more layers of paper mache to your maracas. Make sure to cover all of the tape.
9. Let dry over night again.
10. If your maracas do not feel sturdy enough you can do more layers.
11. After you are finished and your maracas are fully dry you can paint them.

Now find some Mexican music and have fun dancing around and playing your beautiful maracas that you made yourself!

This simple pinata is easy for small children or the not so crafty mom. The paper bag pinata would be perfect for a Cinco De Mayo celebration.




YOU WILL NEED

• 1 brown paper grocery bag
• Tissue paper in what ever colors you choose
• Crepe paper streamers or tissue paper in red, green and white
• 24” green yarn
• Hole punch
• Stapler
• Newspaper or other lightweight filler
• Small trinkets and candies
• Scissors
• White glue

DIRECTIONS

1. Fill a normal brown paper bag with treats and cheap toys from a dollar store.
2. Fill any extra space in the bag with balled up newspaper.
3. Fold the top of the bag down so that you have a thick enough fold to hang it from.
4. Staple across the fold to keep the bag closed.
5. Punch two holes in the fold so you can hang your pinata when you finish.
6. Place the bag on top of a sheet tissue paper and tape the sides so the bottom is covered.
7. Cut tissue paper into strips.
8. Cut fringes by cutting half way up the strips.
   
9. Starting at the bottom glue the tissue paper strips around the bag. Be sure not to glue down the fringes.
10. Thread string or yarn through the first hole and knot it at the bag. When you have chosen a good length cut the string, put it through the second hole, and knot the end.
11. Hang the paper bag pinata somewhere to dry.
    
12. While the pinata is hanging you can glue strips of tissue paper or streamers to the bottom.
    

Will the bad economy cause a spike in crime rates? There has been a big debate on that very topic. Some say that good and honest people will not change just because they are out of work. Others say that losing a job and facing a foreclosure is exactly what will cause good people to commit crimes. In some areas crime has already risen.



I believe that everyone is born good. There are then many factors that can change their lives. How many times have you seen people on the news stating that a criminal was such a nice person or "seemed so normal"?

So what can you do to protect yourself, your family, and your possessions?

Start with the obvious things... Keep all doors and windows locked. Always keep a light on at night if you are not home. Outdoor motion sensor lights are great too. I have motion sensor lights that cover the front and back of the house.

If you will be away for awhile, a light on a timer would be a good idea. You could also have a television or radio on a timer. Next turn down the ringer on your phones so people outside can not hear that no one is answering the phone.

Don't go around advertising your expensive possessions. When you are not home that big screen television in the window looks great. The box it came in sitting on the curb on trash day may not go unnoticed either.

This is a big one... Look around your yard and see if there is anything around that people can use to climb into windows. Trees and bushes can be used to climb too.

Also remember that some things that make your life easier also makes the life of a thief easier too. Things we use to create privacy in our yards also allow thieves to break in unnoticed. Spare keys left under mats, above door frames, or in fake rocks are the first thing thieves look for.

If you are really wanting to keep everything safe you may want to go even further and get a home security system. It may even lower your home owner's insurance by 20%.

There are many systems out there to choose from. The are a few very important things to think about when choosing a home security company.

Does the company have 24 hour monitoring? Some companies rely on just a loud alarm but if no one hears it and makes a phone call it is worthless.

Is it a well known company that has been around for years? You do not want to have the company close down and leave you with nothing.

Is there a warranty period in place so that if you are not happy with the system after you get it you can get a refund?

Is there free relocation? If you move a few years down the line you do not want to pay for it all again.

Next do some research and shop different companies online. Some companies have great deals that are available only online. Right now ADT has an online only deal that gets you a home security system for only $99 plus $33.99 a month for monitoring. That is a pretty great deal.

Kids love using straws. Through the years we have had many types of crazy straws in our house. Now there is a build your own kit so you can create a really crazy straw.



James and Nicole went on a field trip yesterday. One of the locations was selling these great straws named Strawz. The girls had a blast last night playing with them and drinking out of them. They even drank plenty of water which they seldom do. Who knows maybe these cute Strawz will keep them drinking more water each day.


This is what comes in the set. It allows for as many types of Strawz as you can imagine. The girls have made really tall ones, two person ones, and ones that wrap around the glass.

They would be a great gift for kids or even an adult that likes "geeky" type gifts.

So what do you do with all of those Easter egg shells? Kids love coloring eggs but the fun does not have to end there. Recycle those egg shells and make art.





All you need is paper, colored egg shells, and some glue for this one. The rest is up to you. You can print a coloring page, draw a picture, or let the kids draw their own picture. Next fill the area you will be working on with ordinary white glue. Now the kids can add the pieces of egg shell to the paper to make the picture.

This art project will need to dry for awhile on a flat surface.

These are tough economic times for many people. Many companies are downsizing or laying people off. On top of that, everything is getting more expensive. What do you do when you get behind and there is no money tree?
Times are tough and many families do not have a safety net.



In a perfect world everyone would have money saved for emergencies. The reality is that many families do not. Now add to that the fact that many families have lost jobs or have been laid off. This means that whatever savings they had is already being used to pay bills.

Now is the time to simplify. Sit down with all of your bills and look at them realistically. Can you really afford them all? Do you really need them all? What can you downsize? Choose cheaper plans for things like phone and cable. It does not have to be forever, just until you get caught back up.

Spring is here so garage sales are starting. Get rid of some of the clutter and make money too. What else do you have in your house that is not needed? We recently sold our third vehicle. We could not drive them all at once and it just took up space in the driveway.

There are many ways to cut back so you can get caught up on bills but what happens when you are faced with an emergency? You get in an accident or your car breaks down. You need money for repairs and there is not any money left.

First look into quick ways to get money that do not incur interest. You do not want to end up further in debt trying to pay off interest. Are there family members that could help? Can you sell something? Maybe sell something to a family member with the intent of buying it back when you have the money. This is a nice way to get a loan with no interest.

Do you have an IRA? You are allowed to take out an IRA Loan from the money in your IRA once a year. It is tax free as long as you pay it back within 60 days. Make sure you do not take out more than you can pay back in 60 days. If you are not over 59 and do not pay back the loan on time you can end up paying up to 40% in taxes and penalties.

If you have gone through all the steps and still have no options you may be stuck taking out a payday loan. This should always be a last resort. Always try going to your boss and asking for an advance first.

Many people are faced with no other option when an emergency happens and they must do a payday loan. You should always go into it with open eyes. Read all of the fine print and really see what you are getting into. There are many companies out there and they vary greatly.

It can be very embarrassing to go into a cash advance business. It is a loan after all so there will be paper work and it could take a long time. One option is to do it online. You do still need to look into rates, flexibility, and if it is a reputable company.

Let's look at one such company. Payday One is an online payday loan company that is based in the United States. You are able to look at the terms and rates according to the state you live in. You are then able to look at a table that shows you how much you will have to pay back. Every state has different regulations so the terms can be very different from state to state.

An important feature to look for when choosing a company is how fast you have to pay it back and what happens to the interest the longer it takes you to pay it back. Many companies charge you huge fees and interest rates if you can not pay it back right away. Make sure you actually look at all of the fees and schedules before you do anything.

These edible Easter baskets are an adorable addition to any Easter table. We love edible crafts so this one is a big winner in our family.




For this tasty treat you place waffle sundae bowls on a baking sheet and pour in any cake batter. Remember to leave room for it to rise while baking. When the cupcakes are cooled start by frosting them. You can then tint some coconut green by mixing it in a bowl with some food coloring. After you add the green coconut grass you can decorate with some egg shaped candy. All that is left now is to poke some licorice in to make a handle for the basket.

Spring is here and summer is soon to follow. Many of us have lost track of those New Years resolutions to get fit and lose weight. Now is the perfect time to get back on track and do it for a great cause.



Bumble Bee foods has a great website named BeeWell Miles . When you sign up you can log your miles walked and they will donate money to the Breast Cancer Network of Strength. You get healthy and closer to your goal and you are helping a great charity that helps women that have breast cancer.

I got pretty excited when I got the email asking if I would like to be involved. It was like a sign. I have been thinking about getting healthier but kept putting it off. Now I have that extra push to do it and for a good cause. They even gave me a pedometer for being involved and telling all of you lovely readers about it. We finally got it in the mail so I got some friends and their kids together to start walking right away.


I love the website. It is much more than just logging in your miles for charity. It has some great features that you would expect to find on diet websites that charge you a fee. Their website has all kinds of resources and is completely free.

Some of the great features are articles written by a fitness coach and two women that talk about nutrition. You have a personal account that allows you to keep track of the food you eat, the miles you walk, and the calories that are being burned. Plus they have forums to help you meet and talk with other members.

I absolutely love the "Map Your Route" feature. When you sign up your map shows your home address. You can then create a walking or running route and easily find out the distance. You can also use this when you get back from a walk to find out the distance so you can log the miles walked.

I am looking forward to some great walks with my girls and I hope that you will all join me in getting a little healthier and helping a good cause.

These chocolate bird nests are super easy to make and they make a great looking addition to your Easter. All you need is chocolate and chow mein noodles.



This treat is made by melting chocolate and mixing in chow mein noodles. That is it, no real directions needed.

You can use chocolate chips or a block of chocolate. I like to microwave chocolate in a bowl a little at a time. This keeps it from burning. After you melt the chocolate start mixing in the chow mein noodles until you have as much as you can coat with chocolate.


Spoon little amounts on to a baking sheet covered with wax paper. Form a nest shape with you fingers. Make sure to oil your fingers so that the mixture does not stick. When the nests have cooled place some egg shaped candy in them.

You can also make these in white chocolate if you prefer or both for some variety.

Rice Krispies are an all time favorite among kids. These are an adorable way to make them for Easter. I will show you three great Easter ideas to choose from. Your family will love them all.




This first idea is the one pictured above. All you need is some pull apart plastic Easter eggs. Make sure you spray the insides really well with cooking spray. Use the eggs as molds and when they cool decorate them. You can use frosting, chocolate, or even just colored sugar.

Another idea would be to use an egg shaped mold like a cookie cutter. This would create a flat surface to decorate. Place your cookie cutter on a baking sheet and press the rice krispy mix into the shape. When they are all cooled you can decorate them.


The last ones are rice krispy bird nests. Simply form little basket shapes with your hands when the mixture is cool enough to handle. Make sure to oil your hands well first. You can make them brown with chocolate cereal if you would like. After they have cooled make grass out of green colored coconut or green frosting. Then add some egg shaped candy. You could even place a Peep on top.

Now that the girls are getting older plain old colored eggs just will not do. We will be trying some new techniques this year. The girls are really excited and can't wait to get started.



DOTS

You can create very cute dot patterns using those hole punch reinforcement stickers. You dye your eggs in a light color and let dry. Then apply the stickers to the eggs and dye again in a darker color. When the eggs are dry remove the stickers for pretty spotted eggs.


MARKERS

Remember all those great Crayola nontoxic products? They can be used to decorate eggs and you will still be able to eat them. You have many options with these. Dye the eggs like normal and then when they are dry let the kids go nuts with markers. They can be as creative as they want.


Paint

Crayola Kid's Paints are also nontoxic. Your kids can paint designs and patterns or anything they would like. Another very pretty painting idea is to do sponge painting on your Easter eggs. You can come up with many color combinations .

These adorable bunny wash clothes have a convenient hole in the middle. They can be used to hold an egg for Easter. Wouldn't they be a cute surprise during an egg hunt? Plus after Easter they can be converted into a boo boo bunny. Just place an ice cube in the hole.



These cute bunnies are simple to make and require very little items.

YOU WILL NEED

• washcloth - a large baby washcloth is ideal
• rubber band
• two small black pompoms or plastic, movable eyes
• one small pink pompom
• one medium white pompom
• small amount of thin ribbon or yarn

DIRECTIONS

1. Lay a washcloth on a table. Roll one corner, diagonally, into the middle. Roll the opposite corner in the same way, so that both rolls meet in the middle. Fold the rolled washcloth in half.
2. Hold the two sides together and fold the two ends backwards, over the top. Fasten a rubber band around the front area to form the head. Fluff out the two ends to make bunny ears. This photo shows a side view of the bunny so far.
3. Glue the white pompom to the back, to make the bunny's tail. Glue two small black pompoms in place as eyes. Glue a small pink pompom below the eyes as the nose.
   Fasten thin ribbon around the bunny's neck and tie it in a small bow.
   

Check out these adorable Easter Lilies! They are a simple and cheap craft for Easter made out of construction paper cut to the shape of a hand.



YOU WILL NEED

• construction paper (green for leaves and any colors for flowers)
• drinking straw
• scissors
• pencil
• scotch tape
• OPTIONAL: pipe cleaner and floral tape

DIRECTIONS

1. Have child trace their hand onto a piece of construction paper, rounding out the palm.
   
2. Cut out the hand print.
3. Roll the palm into a cone and tape. Don't worry about the hole being too small, you can snip it open a bit if needed.
4. Cut pipe cleaner into 1/4s and fold into a V shape.
   
5. Push V into end of straw and put a piece of tape around. Curl the ends a little.
6. Put end of straw into flower and push through so the pipe cleaner is inside the flower.
   
7. Wrap each finger around a pencil to curl.
8. Cut a long leaf shape out of green construction paper and tape onto the straw. Two leaves looks best. Curl the leaf like you did the fingers.
9. Place flowers in a vase. An odd number of flowers always seem to look nicer.

Look at this hot dress! Sears is having a huge clearance on Fall & Winter Apparel so this dress is only $17.99...and we thought there were good deals after Christmas!


I was looking at all the clothes that are on clearance at Sears and I was really drawn to the dresses. When we lived in Arizona I wore more dresses. Of course I was thinner then. The more I looked at the dresses the more I missed the thin me. I used to wear such cute little outfits.

Summer is coming and I think I need to actively work on getting back into shape. There are so many great deals on clothes right now and I want a whole new cute wardrobe. I am thinking that I will get Noelle to join me on a health kick. At times it is nice to have a teenage daughter she is a great partner in things.

I am thinking that buying an outfit or two might help get me motivated. Seeing a hot new dress in the closet might make me work to fit into it. I guess I will have to get Noelle something too since I want her to workout with me.

The Sears huge clearance is 75-80% OFF ORIGINAL PRICES ON FALL & WINTER APPAREL from now till April 18th. That gives us a little bit of time to pick things out. There are a lot of things to choose from. Knowing Noelle she will take forever to decide on things.

There are so many options with this craft. Not only are they fun to make but they can have many uses. You can use them as a decoration or even fill them with some treats or cheap toys. How fun would an Easter egg hunt be with these extra large eggs that have surprise inside.



We have done a lot of paper mache in our house lately. It just seems like a great way to create less waste and save money on craft supplies.

To make these large Easter eggs simply paper mache some balloons. Mix flour with twice as much water to create the paste. Dip strips of newspaper in the paste and carefully wipe off the excess. Cover the balloon with the strips until you have around 4 or 5 layers. It helps to have the balloon resting in a bowl while you make it and it dries.

After the paper mache Easter egg has dried you can start painting it. If you want to use the large eggs to hold special surprises just make a small X cut on the bottom and carefully place the surprise inside. Then you can tape the cut closed.

I have so many funny memories of past April Fools Days. I have known many pranksters and I may have done a few pranks myself.Here are a few cute pranks.


Many years ago I was 18 and worked at a deli with man named Jeff. He was always full of pranks. He worked on the opposite side of the store but he had a perfect view of my phone from his. Most often he would call me with fake voices and ask me if we had something in stock. When I had finished looking for whatever he asked he would pop up from under his counter and laugh away.

Another one that he did often was put peanut butter on the earpiece of my phone. He would call my phone and yep, you guessed it, I would get an ear full of peanut butter. I must warn you that it could ruin your phone. He stopped doing that prank after he almost broke the phone. The peanut butter got into the holes and he had to take it apart and clean it really well.

There are many cute pranks that you can do with your family this April Fools Day. A popular favorite is putting a rubber band around the button of the sprayer on the kitchen sink. When people turn on the sink they get a wet surprise.

A childhood friend of mine had a coin superglued to the ground at their house. Every time someone went by they tried to pry it up. If you have a busy sidewalk or parking area this would be a fun prank. You could just sit back and watch the action.

There are even some cute computer pranks. You could tape paper over the bottom of the victims mouse. Just make sure to write April Fools on it for when they check their mouse. You could also change the screen saver to Marquee and type a funny message. You could also go into the control panel and change the mouse settings to left handed. They will go nuts trying to figure out things are not clicking right.

Have you done some funny pranks or had pranks done on you? Feel free to share them with us.