Printable Card

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This printable card is from Ginger & George.  So colorful, so simple and so sweet.  

Happy Friday :)

Free Printables: Alphabet Tracing Sheets

Miss A started preschool 2 mornings a week this fall and loved it at first.  Now she's experiencing a little separation anxiety that I'm hoping is only temporary.  She loves all the things they do in school (painting, drawing, singing, dancing, listening to stories, etc.) and her teacher is so sweet and fun.  I thought I would try to reinforce some of the concepts she is learning at school at home too.  She's learning to write her name and letters so I found these adorable tracing sheets for her to practice with from Lawteedah.  I plan on printing them on card stock and laminating them so we can use them over and over again with a dry erase marker.  She's got the capital A down so now we have to work on the v and the a.  Doing these kinds of things with her makes me miss teaching.  However, I'm so blessed that I can stay home with my little ones and teach them!

Show 'em Some Love

Source eighteen25

Source The Twinery

May 2-6 is teacher appreciation week.  Being a former teacher, I can tell you how much the appreciation is appreciated :o)  Here are a couple of cute and easy ideas to show your appreciation for the people who teach your kiddos.  Thanks to all those who work so hard to make sure our kids have the best education they possibly can.  

Easter Goodies

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The ladies over at We Love to Illustrate have done it again.  Super cute printable freebies just in time for Easter.  There are more over on their site to browse but these were some of my favs.  I especially love the middle printable.  This one will be right up Ava's alley.  You get to search for eggs and then color.  These are also great to let little one practice using scissors.  They can completely butcher the paper but you can always print another.  Happy printing :o)

Printable Freebie & Book Club

Images from Lemony Squeezy's blog

I'm always a sucker for a freebie and these are so adorable!  Lemon Squeezy has these little goodies on her blog.  I always manage to misplace my bookmarks so the idea of having free ones that I can reprint as many times as I need to is great.  

I know I haven't posted lately about our book club books but we have read a couple good ones.  The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot was a great non-fiction read that was extremely interesting.  Without her consent, Henrietta's doctor took some cancerous cells from her body.  Those cells have been sold and used for research throughout the world.  Her cells helped with the polio vaccine and many other medical areas.  I'm not a science-y person but it was so interesting and a little scary to read about the medical practices and ethics not that long ago.

We also read The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton.  This was last months book but I am still reading it.  Shhhh, don't tell my group!  Having a newborn has really cut down on my reading time.  Go figure!  I would much rather sleep than read.  Anyway, I really liked this one as well.  It's about a young girl who was left on a dock in Australia.  Years later this now woman decides to look for her roots after she is told that her parents are not her biological parents.  The story is told from 3 different perspectives and generations.  I would highly recommend this one, too.

Naturally Sweet Valentine's Idea

Images: Twig and Thistle

We go through a lot of fruit around here.  Right now our big kick is anjou pears which have been really, really good in the stores lately.  When Ava wakes from her nap she usually wants a small snack and instead of reaching for Teddy Grahams or pretzels, she wants fruit.  I'm happy to oblige her.  We share with Simon, our bun, too.  He couldn't be happier with that snack option either.  

As I was reading through some blogs, I ran across these stickers which are adorable and a nice departure from the sickeningly sweet candy that most people are forcing in your face around Valentine's Day.  Go check out her blog, Twig and Thistle to download these and several more stickers for a healthier holiday.

Free Desktop Wallpapers

Super cute and free January wallpapers for your computer over at We Love to Illustrate.  The adorable little mice are now gracing my computer for the month.  Such a talented group of ladies who share their work with us.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Happy New Year & a Freebie

I think almost everyone's New Year's resolutions (if you make them) have to do with eating more healthy, exercising, etc.  I know my body is craving fruits and veggies after all the obnoxious eating of sweets I did over the holidays.  

While browsing the blogosphere the other day I came across this amazing calendar that highlights what fruits and veggies are in season each month.  This artist designed a new font and drew each image herself, and they are stunning.  Go check out her wonderful blog, Cottage Industrialist and free calendar for the new year.  Here's to keeping those resolutions for longer than a few weeks!

Trafalgar's Square Giveaway

These prints just makes me smile.  I love all Kit's work.  I have 3 of her prints for Ava's room.  She's illustrating some children's books now that I can't wait to see.

Trafalgar's Square has all her items 15% off right now but if you're into freebies head over to her blog and leave a comment for a chance to win both of these prints.  Good luck!

Free Holiday Tag Printables

 

Seriously cute *FREE* tags to print off at www.welovetoillustrate.com.  Just in time for all that wrapping you have to do this holiday season.  I just started wrapping this past weekend and with a 2 year old helper it takes just a wee bit longer than usual.  Oh well, she's having fun wrapping and that's what matters.

Freebie from Lemon Squeezy

Sharon over at Lemon Squeezy designed this adorable holiday card and you can print it out for FREE.  My kind of holiday cards!  Her style is always so clean and simple.  Love it!  

We're off for a play date and some mommy chat time.  Hope your Wednesday is off to as good of a start as mine is.  The little is spending the night at my parents house so the hubs and I are off tonight for a solo dinner and then Potter.  I'm so looking forward to it :o)

PS:  Our family pics are in and I am completely in love with them.  I'll post some of my favs soon.

Thanksgiving Printable Freebie

Image Source: Paper Glitter

The very talented Linnette over at Paper Glitter is offering up a free downloadable Thanksgiving/Fall set that is so adorable.  She has thought of everything from menus to place cards, cupcake toppers to activity sheets.  This gal even made up a water bottle wrap.  How cute could the kids table at Thanksgiving look with all these little touches.  Go check out her adorable blog/website and all her other free printable goodies she offers.  What a talent!

"Arrrrggg, Mickey"

Steve took the day off today and we are all still in our jammies.  Great way to spend the day after Halloween if you ask me!  Halloween was busy and fun.  Carter (aka: Elmo) and Ava ran around the yard to get pumped up for trick-or-treating.  When we finally headed out with the wagon, she gave the first 2 houses we went to candy out of her bucket not yet understanding that they were going give her candy.  Little Elmo did the same thing.  So cute!  Our little pirate went around saying, "Arrgg, Mickey" all night no matter how many times we said it should be matey.  When we got home the two littles ran around the house on their little sugar rushes.  Overall, a very successful Halloween with friends and family.  

PS:  Simon (the bun) wouldn't go near his costume and was not at all happy about me putting his ears through the hat.  Hopefully I'll have better luck next year.  

Printable Freebie From Vale Design

*Image from Vale Design

My wee one loves these coloring pages from Vale Design.  Break out those crayons, markers and colored pencils and let the creativity start to flow!  

I've been busy putting the finishing touches on Ava and Simon's Halloween costumes.  Yes, the rabbit has a costume but will I be able to get the two of them in a photo together with their costumes on?  Your guess is as good as mine.  Wish me luck!

Freebie From Good Gravy

So just how cute are these?  Lelan over at Good Gravy has a design style that I adore.  Clean lines, great colors and she's always coming up with free printables.  I've already printed these off and can't wait to put them in my books.  Go get yours here.  I love this gal's style so much she did the invites and thanks yous for Ava's butterfly party and I couldn't have been happier.

Quiet Time Coloring

More super cute coloring pages over at Vale Design.  Her coloring pages are always so cute and just the thing for a few quiet moments for mommy.  These work great while I'm trying to fix dinner.  If I give her some stickers too, she's in heaven and quiet for a whole 10 minutes...15 if I'm lucky!

Screensaver Freebie

*Photo from Real Simple website, Craig Cutler

I have this clock as my screensaver, and I love it!  How About Orange blogged about it a little while ago and I read it about it in Real Simple.  It's a great idea so I thought I would pass it along.  Go check out her blog (if you haven't already).  She has lovely taste and always passes along good finds and great ideas.

Printable Easter Goodies

These two ladies posted adorable Easter Freebies on their sites.  Check out Lelan over at Hello, Good Gravy to get her printable seed packet tags.  I'm going to whip up some of these for the little ladies in my life for some non-sugar fun for Easter.

Photo from Lelan's Blog

Then head over to Erin's site, Leo on the Loose, for some coloring sheet fun.  Ava is at the age that she could color for hours if I let her, so I know these will come in handy the next few days.

Picture from Erin's Blog

So, so cute and such generous ladies for sharing their talents with us...for free!!

Snow Day Activities

We got a couple inches of snow here in the Lou, so that means we're staying in.  I know, I know...it's not the end of the world to get a couple inches and we could get out if we really wanted to but there really is no reason to.  I'd rather stay in and be warm and cozy.  We might get bundled up and head out to play in the snow for a while though.  Although, Ava's cough is still hanging on like a champ.  Poor kiddo :o( 

This morning during my daily blog cruising, I found these adorable Valentine print outs from Vale Design (images are hers too).  These are definitely on our agenda for the day. Along with some cleaning, reading, baking, and of course dancing.   Should be a busy snow day for us.  Hope you are all staying warm!

Printable Freebie

My mom has given me a subscription to Good Housekeeping for the past few years and I love it. They always have practical and useful information. I have numerous pages dog-eared to come back to later. In the February issue, there was an article on how to organize and keep your books from taking over your house. Very useful read for a book junkie such as myself. The article was helpful and even offered a printable freebie which I love!! They are these adorable bookplates and they even come in 3 styles. I think I'm going to print them out on full sheets of adhesive labels (8 1/2 x 11) and cut them out.