Homemade Toys And Gifts

Homemade is big right now.
I can't imagine why. :)

Here are some ideas for homemade toys and gifts for children.


First, from TennZen, homemade marshmallow shooters.
These look really neat, we'll probably make a couple for our children.


Make Baby Stuff.com has several tutorials with patterns for sewing to woodworking and more.

Wooden toys:
Homemade Birdie Toy Tutorial

Wooden Puzzle Instructions

Doll Cradle Plans

Wooden Memory Tile Tutorial

Make Wooden Building Blocks

Sewn toys:
Doll Pattern & Instructions

Soft Blocks Sewing Tutorial

Felted Sweater Mouse Puppet

Waldorf Doll Instructions

Recycled toys:
Cardboard Playhouse Plans

Recycled Wallpaper Blocks

Even more toys:
Homemade Playdough

Kool-Aid Dyed Playsilks

Homemade Stickers


All Free Crafts has quite a few ideas for sewn, knitted and crocheted toys.

Teddy Wolf

Stuffed Hound Dog

Crocheted Frog

Amigurumi Bunny

Corker Knitting Spool


This next one is not a toy but a book on toy making for children, from Homeschool Freebie of the Day.

"Home-Made Toys for Girls And Boys" (available today only)


Finally, if you're like us and think children have too many toys, I have an idea for you.

You can buy plain canvas totebags, purses, and aprons from Hobby Lobby (or make your own, but last year I paid less than $2 for a pack of three).
Decorate with fabric paints; freehand, with stencils or rubber stamps.

I have also used acrylic craft paint in place of fabric paint, it just has to be heat-set with an iron before washing. Be sure it's dry (it takes about 24 hours), use low heat and don't put the iron directly on the fabric, copier paper works well.

You can also use this idea for your children to make "handprint" T-shirts, pot-holders, or aprons for their daddy or grandparents.
We made my husband a T-shirt one year with both our children's handprints on it and "We love our daddy" written in freehand.

Happy crafting. :)

Website Update

Good morning!

I can understand why people pay someone else to build their website, it can be very confusing to "newbies" like me!

When I bought my hosting they gave me a choice between Windows and Linux and I thought that meant the type of operating system I have. I have Windows, so that's what I picked.
I even went with GoDaddy over my first choice, HostGator, because they had Windows and HostGator didn't.

Come to find out, it's the host's servers they give you a choice on, not your computer's software. I'm sure I'm not the only one who didn't know that.

Anyways, I wanted to use WordPress on my site and you can't with GoDaddy if you pick Windows. Thankfully, it wasn't too much trouble to switch to their Linux server, which has a WordPress plug-in, it just took an awful long time to do it. GoDaddy is VERY slow once you log in to your account, it takes about 30 minutes to load a page! Of course I do have dial-up, which is slow anyways, but 30 minutes is ridiculous! Thankfully, I only paid for two months of hosting so I can switch to HostGator, if GoDaddy doesn't work out.

I did get WordPress installed, which was very easy, and now I can actually start building my site. With WordPress you can work from your site itself, not your hosting account, so maybe it will go a little quicker.

Well, that's my progress so far and I'm going to try to work on it some today. Stay tuned for further updates!

And all you techie people out there, go ahead and laugh. I am! :)

Thank you Penny Raine for your help. :)

Book Giveaway

I just had to tell you all about a new book giveaway.

Renae, over at Life Nurturing Education, is giving away a beautiful, hardcover book, "O Holy Night", full of stunning photographs of the land Jesus traveled, poetry and hymns.

Comment by 11:00PM Friday, December 5 to enter.

Free Holiday Recipe E-Books

Good morning!

Here are some links to free holiday recipes e-books.

The first two, "Classic Christmas Cookies" and "Classic Christmas Candy and Fudge", are from Homeschool Freebie of the Day, and you can only get them today!

Next on the list is "Healthy Christmas Recipes Mini Ebook" from Free-EbooksOnline.com.

Would you like to have a cookie-exchange party but don't know how?
Partybluprints.com has a free e-book, "The Holiday Giving Party Cookie Exchange", with instructions, recipes and tips on how to host one.

And finally, another free e-book, "Recipes and Writing 2008", can be downloaded from Gregory A. Kompes.
This free e-book is full of holiday recipes, stories, essays, and poems from nine authors.

Happy cooking!

Free Gift-In-A-Jar E-book

Thanks for stopping by.
This link has been moved to Gift In A Jar Recipe Links at PawpawHollerHome.com.

Gift-In-A-Jar Recipe Links

Thanks for stopping by.
These links have been moved to Gift In A Jar Recipe Links at PawpawHollerHome.com.

Free Christmas Audios

Here are three Christmas audios to download, all in mp3 format.

Download an audio of the story of the song "Silent Night" at Homeschool Freebie of the Day.
Don't forget, you can only get this today!

Join Homeschool Radio Shows for week one of their "Dickens Christmas Festival". This week's audio program is "The Cricket on the Hearth" by Charles Dickens, originally broadcast on December 24, 1945.
Available for one week.

Another old-time radio show episode, "Christmas Party" from Gene Autry's "Melody Ranch", can be downloaded from OldTimeRadioFans.com.
You can get this one anytime.

Enjoy. :)

More Giveaways!

Good morning all. :)
I found some more giveaways!

$500 Kmart Gift Card
Chris Brogan at Dad-O-Matic is giving away a $500 gift card from Kmart, with 2 ways to enter!

1. Comment on his blog and include a description and SKU or item numbers of items on your holiday wish list that total $500 or less.

-or-

2. Use Twitter to tweet the message found on his blog post. (a lot easier than #1)

Deadline to enter is 11:59 p.m. EST on December 16.


Dirt Devil Kwik
During the Dirt Devil 12 Days of Cleaning Sweepstakes enter each day for a chance to win a Dirt Devil Kwik, the desktop vac for electronics that charges from your computer!

To enter, go to dirtdevil.com/12daysofcleaning/ each day through December 12 and complete the form.

Thanks go out to Wendy at Shopping Gems.


Free Domain
Wendy also has another site, Twitter!Tweet!Win!, with a great contest from NameCheap, The Great NameCheap "Twitter Trivia Contest" 12/1/08 - 12/25/08.

NameCheap will be posting a trivia question every hour on the hour starting on December 1, 2008 until December 25, 2008 on Twitter.

The First three people to reply to the Tweet with the correct answer will get a $9.69 credit to their NameCheap account (a free domain). To make it fair, each contestant can win only one domain per day.

At the end of the contest, the three tweeters who have posted the most correct answers will win an iPod Nano.

Thanks again, Wendy. :)


Avon
Beth at Tea and Thee is giving away a set of Avon's Liiv Botanicals skincare products.

To enter, leave a comment telling what your favorite Avon product is. You can also Twitter and blog about the contest for extra entries.

This contest is open until 11:59 pm December 7, 2008.

Thanks Beth. :)


Well, that's all for now. I'll post more as I find them. :)

A New Meme

I've been tagged by Alexandra for a new meme!
The rules are, I have to post six things that make me really happy ... and pass it on to give six more people a reason to be thankful!
Thank you Alexandra.

My six things are...

1. My husband, he keeps me laughing. I am so blessed.

2. My children, two blessings I thought I'd never have.

3. Helping others anonymously.

4. Hearing that my family and friends are all well and getting along.

5. Gardening. Any kind, as long as I'm digging in dirt.

6. Working on our cabin.

It's hard to pick just 6!

I need to pick six blog friends...

Connie

Becky

Kristina

Tipper

Penny

TennZen

It's your turn, ladies. :)

Giveaways Galore

Giveaways, giveaways, giveaways!

First, Crystal at MoneySavingMom.com is having a 24-Hour Giveaway Extravaganza with 5 different giveaways of e-books, gift cards and more.
Enter before 11:45AM tomorrow!

Next, head over to My storyART and comment with a favorite holiday memory for a chance to win a "Holiday Surprise" goodie package.
Deadline for comments is Saturday, December 6.
HT to my mom at Artistic Inkspirations.

Now let's go north to Alaska and see Michelle at Scribbit.
She's giving away a Tupperware gift package today and something else every day this week! Giveaways end Sunday, December 7.
HT to Jyl at Mommy Gossip via Twitter.

And finally, Sheri is giving away 2 copies of "Our Christmas Journal" e-book at To Teach What is Good.
Deadline to enter is Monday December 8.

Homeschool Freebies

Homeschool Freebie of the Day is back with a new freebie, "The Boston Tea Party" by Josephine Pollard & H. W. McVikar. This is an old time picture book, originally published in 1182, that tells the story of the Boston Tea Party, which occurred 235 years ago in December of 1773.
Don't forget, this is available today only.


CurrClick has a several new free products.
Dan's Doodles Coloring Book is a neat little collection of "doodle art" to color.
Apologia Physical Science 1st Edition Lapbook Journal FREE Module 1 is module 1 of "Exploring Creation With Physical Science" 1st Edition, by Dr. Jay Wile and Apologia Science. Designed for middle and High School students.
Velociraptor Worksheet is worksheet for use with the Velociraptor book by Elaine Landau. Also includes dinosaur links.
Check out the freebie page for more.


Get a free Christmas Theme Unit from SchoolExpress when you sign up for their newsletter. Free Thematic Unit eWorkbooks and Activity Fun eWorkbooks every month.

Snow In The Holler

Is it white at your house?


We woke up to snow this morning!
It started sticking about 5:30am and we have about a 1/2 inch so far.

It's wet snow, too...great for snowballs. :)
Snow day for my children, Hooray!

Lighter Blog Color/Website Update

Good morning!

As you can see, I've lightened up my blog a little.
I was trying not to do a whole lot more with blogger as I'm working on getting my own site up and running, but my momma was having trouble reading it.
I wanted it lighter anyways, it was just too dark.

As far as my website progress...Arrrrrgh! :)
It's a little confusing since I've never had one before, but I'm learning!
I found a lot of good information at thesitewizard.com.

This is what I've done so far:
1. Bought my domains.
I bought mine from GoDaddy.

2. Purchased hosting.
You can get free ad-supported hosting but you can't do as much with it and hosting doesn't cost that much, I got mine for $4.24 a month.

3. Creating my site.
I don't have the money to pay someone to design a website for me or to buy design software so I searched the web and found 2 open source alternatives, NVU and Kompozer.
I decided on NVU and I just downloaded it last night, so I'll be figuring it out today.

Stay tuned for further updates! :)

Events and Activities in Townsend This Week

Here's what's happening in Townsend this week.

Daily

Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center
Open from 10am to 5pm, Tuesday through Saturday and 1pm to 5pm on Sunday.
Admission:
Adults (18-59) $6
Seniors (60+) $4
Children (6-17) $4
Under 6 Free
Admission Free with Membership

For more information please see their website or call (865)-448-0044.
Go here for information on school field trips.

Cades Cove Heritage Tours
Offers guided tours of Cades Cove, in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, that showcase the history and resources of the area. Tours generally run 2-3 hours.

Tour Schedule:
Tuesday-Saturday
8:30 am (subject to change)
1:30 pm

Sunday
1:30 pm

Ticket prices:
Adult: $13.00
Senior (60+): $10.00
Child (6-17): $8.00
Under 6: FREE

Ticket Price for Members of the GSMHC:
Adult: $11.00
Senior (60+): $8.00
Child (6-17): $7.00
Under 6: FREE

Combination Ticket: Tour and Entrance to Heritage Center
Adult: $15.00
Senior (60+): $12.00
Child (6-17): $10.00
Under 6: FREE

For more information please see their website or call (865) 488-8838.
Please note: They recommend booking in advance as the buses usually book up a day or more ahead of time.


Sunday November 30
Holiday Photos by Mary Grace McCaffery
From 9am to 4:30pm come have your family holiday pictures made in front of the hearth at the Townsend Visitors Center. Prices and packages vary.
Open 9am-6pm. For more information call 865-448-6134 or 800-525-6834.


Monday December 1
Townsend Visitor Center
Woodturning by Tom Sciple
Open 9am-6pm. Event is free. For more information call 865-448-6134 or 800-525-6834.


Tuesday December 2
Townsend Visitor Center
Woodturning by Tom Sciple
Open 9am-6pm. Event is free. For more information call 865-448-6134 or 800-525-6834.


Wednesday December 3
Townsend Visitor Center
Woodturning by Tom Sciple
Open 9am-6pm. Event is free. For more information call 865-448-6134 or 800-525-6834.

Mary E. Tippitt Memorial Library
Join us this week at the after-school program and help decorate the library's Christmas tree on Wednesday from 3:15pm to 4:15pm. A Christmas movie will also be shown.
Please call the library at 865-448-1441 to pre-register your children no later than Tuesday. Children in grades Pre-K through 5th are welcome and this is a free program.The Mary E. Tippitt Memorial Library is located at 120 Tiger Drive in Townsend.


Friday December 5
Townsend Visitor Center
5-7: Stained Glass-Larry & Paula McLainArt Exhibit-Steve Norris
Open 9am-6pm. Event is free. For more information call 865-448-6134 or 800-525-6834.

Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center
Smoky Mountain Christmas
Blount County Days
December 5 – 6
Show proof of Blount County residence and get in for only $3.00 plus 20% off all gift shop purchases!
* Prior sales and Guild cookbook excluded. Not good in conjunction with any other discount offers.
For more information call 865-448-0044.


Saturday December 6
Townsend Visitor Center
Stained Glass by Larry & Paula McLain
Art Exhibit by Steve Norris
Open 9am-6pm. Event is free. For more information call 865-448-6134 or 800-525-6834.

Holiday Photos by Mary Grace McCaffery
From 9am to 4:30pm come have your family holiday pictures made in front of the hearth at the Townsend Visitors Center. Prices and packages vary.
Open 9am-6pm. For more information call 865-448-6134 or 800-525-6834.

Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center
Smoky Mountain Christmas
Blount County Days
December 5 – 6
Show proof of Blount County residence and get in for only $3.00 plus 20% off all gift shop purchases!
* Prior sales and Guild cookbook excluded. Not good in conjunction with any other discount offers.
For more information call 865-448-0044.


Sunday December 7
Townsend Visitor Center
Stained Glass by Larry & Paula McLain
Art Exhibit by Steve Norris
Open 9am-6pm. Event is free. For more information call 865-448-6134 or 800-525-6834.

Holiday Photos by Mary Grace McCaffery
From 9am to 4:30pm come have your family holiday pictures made in front of the hearth at the Townsend Visitors Center. Prices and packages vary.
Open 9am-6pm. For more information call 865-448-6134 or 800-525-6834.

Townsend Christmas Parade starts at 2:30pm at Nawger Nob in Townsend.

Technorati Challenge Experiment

UPDATE FROM BROWNIE MOM: With every experiment there is a conclusion. This one ends with the knowledge that Technorati does NOT like this kind of activity. They have asked me to discontinue this experiment. I have agreed. This experiment ends today. Thank you to all who jumped on board.

Technorati Challenge Experiment!
It's pretty basic and straight forward. If you want to join from the beginning to get maximum results, here is your chance! :o)

1. Copy The List Below into a blog post on your blog(s).
Don't forget to comment on Brownie Mom's Original post!

2. Add Your Link(s) To The List on your website.

3. Comment On This Post stating the blog address(es) you want listed so Brownie Mom can update the list to include your link(s).

(Comments on this blog are moderated. She will add all of the waiting links once per day so go back to be sure you have the full list and your blog is listed on your blog as the correct number)

4. Watch Your Authority Rise!

Your Gold And Silver Is Cankered...

Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.

James 5:3