Pencil Cake Banner

For Evelyn's last day of school, I made her a cake with this pencil cake banner.

Supplies:

- text you want, 12pt, with double spaces between each letter

- long pencils, preferably sharpened

- string, light weight and any color you want

- scissors

- washi tape

- plastic snack bag or plastic wrap

-double stick tape

- Put double stick tape on the back of your letters and cut them accordingly.

- Measure the distance you need/want for the top of your banner

- Cut three pieces of string, I made each subsequent half an inch shorter to angle the pencils for my small cake.

- Tie the strings to the pencils.

- Add your letters and washi tape.

Wrap the bottoms of your pencils with plastic and double stick tape.

TADA!

Complete!

I'm sorry I didn't get pictures of everything.  I was trying to beat the clock.  I finished this just in time to put it in the cake before I needed to get Evelyn from her last day of school.

Hope y'all liked this.

It was my second cake banner I made, and it turned out better than my last.

I'm getting better!  I hope y'all keep trying to improve also.

Hope to hear from y'all soon!

Thanks for visiting!

Raven is 2

Today, my youngest turned two.

Raven on her second birthday!

She is growing up so much!  Raven says so many different words, and it seems as if she adds new words every day to her vocabulary.

Just today, Raven said, "I don't know."

Her first sentence.  In response to Daddy asking about her doll.

Her party won't be for another ten days, but we took her to McDonald's for a special lunch.

She went up to the top all on her own.  Not the first time, but it was the first time without encouragement from us.

The girls had lots of fun!

Happy Birthday Raven!

Love you so much!

Our Texas Storm

Down here in South Texas, we recently had a crazy storm blow through, having my hometown wake up to the first day of hurricane season with no power.

Our town was hit the hardest, with a tornado touching down a block away from us.  It wasn't one of those crazy mile wide ones, but it was enough to pull a roof off a house and rip apart many trees and fences.

The storm happened at night, lights went out, the rain confined us to ovens we call home, and many were praying nothing would fly through their windows.  A tree fell in our back yard, pinning down our kids' trampoline.  The trampoline actually held it up.

The next day, my mother in law brought the chainsaw, and Tom and I cut and dragged brush around the yard.  Before she brought it, we went to the store to get a few things to make on the camping stove.

We saw our town.

STARS' sign was blown over.

The high school tennis courts' fence was complete pushed over on the east side.

The covering over a corner store gas station blew off completely, pillars and all, flew over an empty lot, and nearly crashed into a bank's drive thru pillars.

Now that I have shown you our Texas storm, I want to talk about how to be prepared for crazy storms, such as these.  Even if you don't live in Texas, these are rules to follow for any natural disasters you have in your area.

First: You should have an evacuation plan.

This is number one, and must be practiced, especially if you have children or elderly you watch over. Time yourself, make it a game.  One family night, draw out a plan and practice it.  Everyone in your household should know the plan and be ready to execute it.

There are different types of evacuations.  It can be evacuating to a storm cellar, center room of the house, or even, a different town.  An evacuation plan is a planned path that will lead you and your loved ones to safety.

Second: Let others know of your evacuation plan.

This is a crucial component to your evacuation plan.  You want several people you trust to know where you evacuate to and when you do.  Be care of whom you tell.  An empty home is an invite for looters after a storm.

It's important for others to know if you have left your home.  If a large tree falls on your house, your neighbors should know if you are stuck inside and need emergency care.  They could also let you know if something like that happened to your home after you have left.

Third: Have 72 hour kits.

This is a large backpack, with basics, that you can grab on the way out the door as you evacuate.

Things to include

• food (such as protein bars, trail mix with fruit, crackers, cereal, canned tuna, canned beans, canned veggies)
• a reliable can opener (or just have cans with pop tops)
• camping utensil kit
• water (at least 1 gallon/person, it's used to drink, cook, and clean)
• canned juices (not pouches, they can bust in your bag by getting smashed.  If you'd rather have pouches, put them in firm sided plastic containers.)
• change of clothes
• extra underclothes and socks
• rain poncho
• blanket
• hand warmers (if you live in cold areas, we have little need for these in our area)
• flash light
• extra batteries
• flares
• radio (with batteries or a crank)
• pocket knife
• knife sharpener
• rope
• duck tape
• solar panel phone charger
• disinfecting wipes
• travel sized shampoo, conditioner, body wash
• extra hair ties
• toilet paper
• toothbrush
• travel toothpaste
• travel sized dish soap
• Tylenol
• Ibuprofen

Extras per Condition

• diapers
• wipes
• formula
• powered milk and extra water
• prescription medications
• maxi pads

You should also have a binder with personal information.

• personal information on each family member with recent photos and specs
• recent photo of family together (you want to be sure and have this, it might be the proof you need to show everyone in your family)
• list of medical conditions, needs, and allergies
• marriage licenses, birth certificates, immunization records (copies if you have them in water and fire proof safes or security box at a bank)
• insurance polices (life, health, auto, home, RV, ATV, any and every kind you have)
• cash and change
• phone cards

Three things you can do for you and your family to be safer during large storms and evacuations.

Did I leave anything out of the 72 hour kit?

What do you do to prepare for bad weather?

I'd like to hear from y'all.  I welcome new ideas that help keep my family safer.

Thanks for visiting y'all!

Last Day of School

Thursday was the last day of school for Evelyn, and I continued the tradition we started last year.

I made a much smaller Summer Adventures poster for a much shorter list,

but more on that later.

While Evelyn was at school, I made her a chocolate cake and iced it with more chocolate.  

I made a cake banner out of pencils, craft twine, and washi tape.

Evelyn loved it!  At least a month before school was ending, she asked if I would be making a cookie for her this year.  I decided to do a different dessert.  She came in and was surprised by it.

It was a great last day of kindergarten.

Do y'all do any special end of school things?

Hope to hear from y'all soon!

Thanks for visiting!

Never Too Early: Planning for #3, Part 2

In the previous post to this, I showed a picture of my start of lists for Baby #3, but I made no mention of it.  This post will be about my start of baby preparation.

I always start with a notebook of some kind.  My dad has a box of composition books, so that is what was easiest for me.  My favorite notebooks have the spiral on top, but these are second best.

This is my Baby #3 Planning Composition Book

It's nothing fancy, and I don't indent to make it fancy.  I picked the simple dot print to remind myself that I need to keep things simplistic with this baby.

With Evelyn, I wanted it all, with the first, you usually do.  When Raven came around, there were still many things I wanted to try that I had learned about after Evelyn.  Now that I am preparing for #3, I know what I like best since I've tried most things.

I know that I love carrying baby in a carrier, I prefer this over strollers.  I love that I finally have a jogging stroller!  I like kids in jeans, they are the cutest thing ever on little kids.  Dresses with pockets are the best for a girl toddler and I will breast feed again.  I always want to use a wipes warmer for at least the first three months of Baby's life, and white crib sheets are the best and easiest.

There are other things I have learned over the years of being Mama, and my lists are what that is all about.

My first list is "What We Have."

I am still adding to this as I remember what we have stored.
When my sister in law had her last kid, she gave me all her cloth diapers and slings.  I have yet to use a sling carrier, but I still use the mei tai and soft backpack style she had already given me, all the time.  One of which she made herself!

My second list is "Want/Need to Get."

Later, this list will be split up and details will be give for each item.  I give myself reasons, so when I look back later, I can determine if the need or want is worth it.  Stepping back and coming again can give a fresh perspective, or at least, a better one.  While I have "want" and "need" together, I mark them with a "W" or "N."

Next list is "Things To Do."

I will not be sharing this list!

I have a few surprises on it for you to see in the future.  

I don't like ruining surprises.

This list also includes things that need to be done with the girls to get them ready for baby.  Raven getting into a big girl bed and Evelyn getting used to the top bunk, are a few things on the list for the big sisters.

What have you done to get ready for baby?  I always love learning how others prepare for baby!  Hope to hear from y'all soon!

*Wait for an upcoming printable version of my baby list!  It will have just the basics and a few extras for happier mamas and babies!