Make A Winter Snowflake

Snowflake

4 Popsicle Sticks
Paint Brush
Glue
Glitter, White and Blue


Glue two Popsicle sticks together forming an X.

Do this to the remaining two Popsicle sticks and let them dry.

(Hint: Use a clip or clothes pin to hold the X while it drys)

Glue the two X's together forming a 8 pronged snowflake and let this dry together.

Take your paintbrush and paint glue all over the Popsicle stick and then shake glitter all over it to give it sparkle.

Hang them in a window for decoration or string them together to hand on the mantel.

Winter Questions

Is it safe to eat snow?

Snow forms when water vapor comes in contact with cold air. The vapor, gaseous water molecules, will often connect to a small particle, such as a tiny piece of dust. and form a snow crystal. Clusters of the snow crystals make snowflakes. However, eating snow in city areas are prone to all of the particles in the air, like pollutants.

Why does cooler weather make your face and nose red?

The body will divert blood to maintain the body's temperature. The first place it diverts blood to the inner part of the body, to keep that warm. But, progressively, as it gets colder, it also diverts blood to the extremities. It is a protective mechanism to keep warm and protect those exposed areas.

If you lick a pole will your tongue get stuck to it?

A cold metal pole and your warm, wet tongue can become a conductor and actually get stuck to a pole. It's not that your tongue becomes frozen, only the moisture from your tongue becomes frozen. But, do not pull your tongue from the pole, because if you do the skin from your tongue will likely stay with the pole. The best way to remove your tongue is to pour warm water, slowly over your tongue and the pole to loosen it.

What can I do to keep my hands from getting dry and cracked?

The cold, winter weather along with the washing of our hands can take it's toll. The most common answer would be to use lotion frequently. But, one of the best suggestion we have would be to lather your hands in a fair amount of Vaseline and wear socks over your hands . The heat from your body in the socks really allows the Vaseline to penetrate the skin. Do this at night while you sleep and in the morning you will have the softest hands.

Wreaths Across America

In 1992 Morrill Worcester, owner of Worcester Wreaths, donated 5,000 wreaths in which his company adorned the headstones of the soldiers in Arlington National Park. Every year Mr. Worcester donated these wreath in relatively quiet until one day someone captured a picture of the headstones on a snowy Christmas winter day, which was circulated around the internet.

The picture got so much notice that people began to request the donating of wreaths. Mr Worcester couldn't fill the requests and came up with the idea of Wreaths Across America, and a non-profit organization was born.

Unable to donate thousands of wreaths to each state, Mr. Worcester conceived the idea of sending 7 wreaths (one for each branch of the military as well as POW/MIA). In 2006 with the help of the CAP and other civic organizations, over 150 locations held wreath laying ceremonies simultaneously, which is held every December 13th simultaneously.

Mr. Worcester, we salute you for your kindness and giving heart. If you are interested in sponsoring a wreath you can read about it here.

Christmas Tree Handprint

O' Christmas Tree

White Paper
Tempura Paint:
Green, Brown, Red, Blue, Purple, Yellow, Orange

♥ Paint your child's hand with the green paint and place it on the white paper in the lower, right hand corner .

♥ Paint your child's hand again and place it right next to the first hand print and continue to build the tree upward using one less hand print on the third level of the tree. Remember to add more paint every time you print your child's hand.

♥ Wash off the green paint and take the index finger and the middle finger and paint them brown. Keeping your child's fingers together place them at the bottom of the tree creating a trunk.

♥ Wash your child's hand again and give them a Q-tip to dip in the remaining colors to dot the Christmas tree, creating a lighted effect.

De-stress the holidays with these tips!

♥ Make lists
A. A list of thing that need to get done at home
B. A list of all of your personal errands
C. A holiday shopping list
D. A list of things you will need if you are traveling

♥ Map out your drive to do your errands so you aren’t back tracking and wasting time.

♥ Do your shopping and cleaning at your highest energy time.

♥ Keep all your holiday receipts in one place at home or in an envelope in your purse.

♥ Call the store ahead of time to see if they have the item in stock.

♥ Consider giving the older kids gift certificates.

♥ Shop online

♥ Have the entire family decorate the house all at once or decorate one room at a time.

♥ Wrap gifts as you go.

♥ Buy already made pies, rolls, vegetable platters, cookies

♥ Make short cuts and prepare things the night before.

♥ Have large trash bags to the side for the collection of all the wrapping after gift opening.

Christmas In America

Christmas has always been my favorite time of the year. I have so many reasons to love it. The colder weather, the cozy feeling of home, spending time with my family, church, Christmas morning, but what always has been a big part of my love for Christmas has been my mother's spirit and what she made life like for us during this time of the year.

When I was growing up my family didn't have a lot of money, especially at Christmas time, to spend on presents between six children. We never really noticed it because of my mother. Christmas was more about the things we did with each other than the gifts we received. Decorating the tree was an all day affair in which everyone took part. The outside of the house was no different. When we would pull into our driveway at night our house was always so beautiful to me. I would sit on the sofa and stare out of our big picture window and gaze at our Christmas lights. I would do it for hours. I still do it now. It brings me back to a time in my childhood and all the feelings that come along with it. I too, like my mother, will take days to decorate my home from top to bottom. I am exhausted when I'm done, but I love the end result.

Candy Cane Lane, Woodland Hills, California

One of the many things we did every year was go to Candy Cane Lane. It was an eight block area in California where every house on the block was decorated with lights and ornaments and every street had a theme. My mother would announce to the family when we were going to see the lights and the anticipation of all of us going was so thick you could cut with a knife. We would eat dinner, take our bath, slip into our pajamas with the feet (who didn't have these as a kid), grab our "blankies" and hop into the car.

Candy Cane Lane, Woodland Hills, California

If you've ever decorated your house with the simplest strands of lights or if you have over 20,000 lights on your house, I say thank you! Thank you, for being a memory for me, thank you for taking your precious time to decorate your home for others to enjoy and thank you for keeping a long time tradition in America alive to light our world at Christmas time!

Candy Cane Lane, Woodland Hills, California

Candy Cane Lane, Woodland Hills, California


Christmas In America

Dallas, Texas

Little Rock, Arkansas

Metairie, Louisiana

Hollywood, Florida

Parsonage, Washington, D.C.

Merry Christmas!

Toliet Paper Roll Menorah

8 Toilet Paper Rolls
1 Paper Towel Roll
Paint, Blue and White
Yellow Tissue Paper
Paint Brush
Glue or Stapler
Glitter, stickers or personal messages *

Make sure all of the rolls are clean of toilet paper or paper towels residue.

Paint the toilet paper rolls blue and set aside dry

Paint the paper towel roll white and set aside to dry.

Once the rolls are dry you can either glue them together or staple them together, leaving the white roll to be the center of the menorah.

Cut the tissue paper in squares of 5" x 5".

Take the tissue and place them inside each of the rolls at the top making them look like flames.
You can secure the tissue with glue or by just placing them in the rolls.


*Add glitter, stickers or your own personal message to finish the look to your menorah.

Happy Hanukkah!

Its A Wonderful Life

Every holiday season there is that one token movie you always make sure you watch. It just doesn't feel like the holiday season until you've seen the movie, that movie, your movie. I have several movies I feel that way about, but there is that one movie I have to see every year that makes the difference.

It's A Wonderful Life

What would the holidays be like if I didn't see it at least once? Sure, I could play the DVD, but the anticipation of knowing it's going to be on TV and waiting for it come on TV that makes it so much more fun. I love It's A Wonderful Life. It's the basic story of the George Bailey we all know or the Mary we happen to be ourselves, or the children that come along with the marriage and the normal pursuits and pressures of life that makes us relate to this story.

If we had the chance to see what our lives would have been like, like George did, would we still choose the life we know now all over again? Yeah, I think we would.

Today, I had the wonderful opportunity to meet Karolyn Grimes, who played ZuZu, Georges' youngest daughter, in It's A Wonderful Life. She had the iconic line in the movie, "Look Daddy, teachers says every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings." Karolyn's list of movies as a young actor had her acting along side some of the biggest players in Hollywood at the time. From 1945 to 1952 she made over 16 films acting along side the likes of Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, Betty Grable, Gary Cooper, Cary Grant, Glen Ford, Maureen O'Hara, John Wayne and, of course, Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed, to name just a few.

My family has a long history of being in the movie business so, I don't get too excited about seeing a movie star, but because this movie means a lot to me and reminds me of my childhood and my mother during the holidays, it meant a lot to me to meet her today.

Though I was not able to take pictures of her, (the venue would not allow photographs) I was glad I got to spend ten uninterrupted minutes talking with her. I did take home a token of our visit, an ornament with her signature, which now hangs on my Christmas tree, and a memory that means a lot to me.

It truly is a wonderful life!