School starts TOMORROW!

Gasp!  How did this happen?  Sissy starts KINDERGARTEN tomorrow!  She went to bed tonight, like a kid on Christmas Eve - she can't wait!  And that makes me so happy...

Friday night was Meet the Teacher, and I was in my typical mode... I didn't want us to show up empty handed, but I've been even more swamped (overwhelmed?) than ever.  So... mr. fix-it was on popcorn duty (that guy is THE sweetest... ran out last second and got the cutest popcorn gifts in these little teacher gift boxes - I was so crazy I didn't even get a picture, but they were super cute.  Way to go, dad!!)

Anyway, the night before, I had Sissy write both her teachers (her English teacher and Spanish teacher - she's in the Dual Language program!) notes about how excited she is for the school year.  I found these from Cut & Create and they were PERFECT!

Gotta run - my chocolate chip cookies are done in the oven and I'm writing more thank yous to the little kids' teachers.  This is their LAST WEEK at the school we've been at for 4 years - and the only school the little kids have ever known!  We're moving them to the same town where Sissy's elementary school is (and where we moved in December).  I've got alot of love to put into these cards!

Happy Back-to-School, y'all!!

2-4-6-8, who do we appreciate? TEACHERS!

Well, this momma has been a little busy (I had forgotten how all encompassing nursing a newborn is!  Add in 2 big kids and it's a miracle I'm showering these days!)... so these Teacher Appreciation gifts were a week late!  But school is still in session... the teachers are still there... so I figure we're all good (esp since they all have met the baby so they're aware of my new pasttime!)

I love all the Thanks aLATTE gifts out there, but I'm unsure if my kiddos' teachers are Starbucks people (gasp, right?)  ;)  But who doesn't love some Sonic Happy Hour?  This is a super quick gift idea, but still fun and summery, and the teachers loved them!

For each gift, you need:

a plastic cup

candy (I used a Hershey's bar and a bag of MnM's)

shredded paper or something to put in the bottom of the cups (I had some leftover from Easter!)

giftcard to somewhere fun & summery

tulle (duh!)

cardstock

Just add the filler to the bottom of the cup... throw in some candy and a gift card... and tie some tulle around the top of the cup.  I whipped up the tags in photoshop and taped them to the cups.

Here are the tags!

Much thanks to all you teachers out there!  Time to get back to the couch with a certain newborn and a burpie... ;)

Semi-Homemade Teacher Gifts - Snowman Snacks & Suds

Okay, so this year was way more SEMI than HOMEMADE.  But....get ready for this, don't fall outta your chair.... I got them delivered to teachers last week!  Yep, ME!  Mainly because I knew if I didn't get them out, they would get lost in the shuffle of the move, and y'all know how much we love our teachers!

Both kiddos have new teachers that I haven't yet appreciated (Gman moved up after school started... and Sissy recently moved into a new class, which is a story all it's own - more on that later!)  In other words, I could resort to a tried and true idea and not worry about it!

So.... fancy gourmet popcorn from our favorite nostalgic shop downtown (total plus that I had purchased a Groupon from them!) and some foaming holiday soap from Bath & Body Works (had a fab coupon for that AND a giftcard, so these gifts were super cheap!)

Threw them all in bags... added some tulle and this tag:

This week is THE MOVE!  I'm so excited I can barely stand it.  And so overwhelmed that at any moment I think I could puke (nice, right?)  Mainly, I've got to figure out how, in the next 6 days, I can:

*  work about 50 hrs, possibly more
*  attend an ornament exchange party at Mrs. Everything's house
*  finish Christmas cards and mail them before they get lost
*  get my hair did (just covering the greys might ease some of this anxiety!) ;)
*  finish packing this entire apartment
*  try to get the major move check list started - mainly getting tv/internet and our mail!
 *  squeeze in 2 more runs for c25k wk 7 (got the first one in today - woo hoo!)
*  MOVE into our new dream house!

But Sissy's 5th birthday party went off without a hitch and was THE easiest birthday party I've ever even thought about throwing.  I'd recommend this semi-homemade party to anyone and will fill y'all in soon!  New house pics soon, too!

xoxo,

Back to the basics - it's SCHOOL time!

The kids have been back to school for 2 whole weeks... so I'm finally getting a chance to show you the big day!  We started the year with appreciating our new teachers (y'all know how much we love teachers!)

$3 fun clipboard from Walmart

+ oh.so.yummy popcorn from our local shoppe

+ a handwritten note (I used the apple notes from The TomKat Studio!) 

+ tulle

= several happy lead teachers!

And we love assistant teachers, too!  For them:  a bag of savory popcorn with a candied popcorn ball and a note about how much we appreciate them.   Big Sis and G-man loved picking out the flavors!

Here's Big Sis on her first day of Pre-K - I can't believe it!  She's so grown up... when I picked her up after the first day, she showed me her pencil case and composition notebook and everything!  (When did she get so grown up?!?)

Big Sis with her onery brother on their first day of school

I'm surprised to say... but I just love my pretty girl in a UNIFORM!  Being the girly girl that she is, we didn't waste time with shorts/pants/skorts... so nothing but jumpers Mon-Thurs!

But watch out for Fridays - when her true style comes out.  ;)
Happy back to school, y'all!

Teachers are the Sunshine - it's Teacher Appreciation time!

Y'all know how much the Semi-Homemades love our teachers!  And this week is Teacher Appreciation at school - woo hoo!  Tomorrow, each kiddo is bringing a flower for their teacher.  By the end of the day, each teacher will have a vase with a beautiful and unique bouquet!

I grabbed these tulips tonight.... added the tags below.... and some tulle (duh!).... and ended up with a turq and red design with a thanks from Big Sis and G-man!

If you want to see any of our past Semi-Homemade Teacher gifts, check 'em out here!

And be sure to visit Joy at Mommas Kinda Crafty - she's featuring lots of ideas, including the Semi-Homemade Smore's Kit I did last summer!  Enjoy!  And appreciate those teachers - they rock!

Semi-Homemade Valentines: Apple for the Teacher

I love to use pretty much any holiday as a chance to appreciate my kiddos' teachers. Wow, the job they have! And the results they've gotten with my kids (and all the others) are just so impressive! I decided to surprise them with Apple for the Teacher gifts!
Above is the tag I tied to Big Sister's teacher's apples! But first, it all started like this...



I played around on photoshop and creative a few designs. Then I just printed, cut, and tied on with some tulle! I wanted to go for a pink & green boutique feel, something girly and fun!




Then it was time to move on to the kids! I had several fun ideas that all incorporated candy. Fast forward to last Fri when a note went up on Big Sister's door, stating they could bring NO candy (because of food allergies!) So, at the last minute, it was back to square one....
But thank goodness for The Celebration Shoppe! They had a fun appreciation gift for their friends and customers - these adorable cello bag toppers! I customized with Big Sis's name on te front and photo on the back. They have a little owl on them and say You're a hoot!



I filled with fun non-edible treats - a glow stick bracelet, note pad, stickers, pencil and heart slinky! Most of these items were from the $ section of Michaels or equally cheap from CVS!
The cello bag toppers really got me thinking.... so I designed my own topper so that I could give some of the assistants and administrators some love, too! These treats are filled with hershey kisses and the topper says
Hugs & Kisses from Big Sis & G-man



I flat out ran out of time and resources for G-man's valentines (and figured the babies wouldn't notice!) So he just did a card....





Hope these ideas help inspire you (although at this point, maybe for Easter or St. Patrick's day, lol!) Here are a couple pics from yesterday's festivities...
Only in Texas, do they combine Valentine's day with a Square Dance! There's Big Sis stompin' and clappin' - she's the TALL one!




She was taking that 'swing your pardner' to heart!

The toddlers were all about the food! Anything covered in frosting was fair game!

These kiddos were on such a sugar high when they got home.... but it was cute! Lots of ticklin' and laughin'!

Happy Valentine's Day, y'all!

Part of:

Semi-Homemade Holiday Teacher Gifts

Merry, merry Christmas to everyone from the Semi-Homemades! We hope you enjoyed the holidays as much as we did! We've done it all.... left TX in a rush to beat a blizzard, got snowed-in in Oklahoma, and even experienced life with no water and very little heat. But you know what? It was one of the best ever! Pics and stories later....

So, I realize I didn't get around to this til AFTER Christmas... but I know there are those of you (like me!) who start thinking of NEXT year/holiday/birthday/etc, the day after the other is over, so... this is for you. ;)

For the teachers, I wanted to put together some semi-homemade sweets with some custom touches, so our teachers would know how much they mean to us! I started with some Peppermint Bark (got the recipe from one of my faves - The Idea Room!)

I have the recipe at the bottom, but basically, you melt some choc.... then put it in the fridge to firm up!


And then melt some white choc (I kinda put together a semi-homemade double boiler... but next time, I'll just do it in the microwave, I think!)


It's a tricky recipe only in that you have cooled the chocolate bottom layer... so you've got to cool the white choc enough that it won't melt the bottom layer.... but not so much that you can't spread it. Well, I'm impatient. And I guess I didn't wait long enough for the white choc to cool.... and the milk choc started bleeding thru. So, my tip for all the impatient gals like me:

Drip a few drops of red food coloring onto the white choc as you're spreading it.... swirl it around. It hides the bleed thru and looks really pretty & festive!


You'll put crushed candy canes on top and throw it back in the fridge to harden.... then break it up into pieces (and honestly, you just don't want the pieces very big - it's rich!)



I used the leftover take-out boxes from Big Sis's Nutcracker Birthday party..... added the Peppermint Bark.....

and a gift card to Sonic (a little Sonic happy hour, anyone?)....

Then for the cusotmized part - I tied on a couple tags with some red & green tulle!

I loved this pic so much, I decided to use it for our teacher gifts! And I love this verse and thought it fit the picture and was a good thought, as we go into a new year. The front tag looked like this:

And on the back tag I listed the recipe, in case they wanted to make more! (And it was good, if I don't say so myself! A coworker who is addicted to the Williams Sonoma version said this semi-homemade recipe was just as good. Wow!)

Hope everyone is enjoying their holiday weekend! I'm on vacation all week (and home with the kids!) so I'm hoping to catch up on a few blog posts that are half written.... but for now, I've got to go! We're still in OK and about to take Big Sis to see the Chipmunk movie for her birthday!

Semi-Homemade Holiday Teacher Gifts

I always say: Teachers cannot be appreciated enough! What a tough job. They spend the day, shaping the minds (and manners!!) of our future. Wow! The holdiays are one of my favorite times to show our appreciation for the teachers in our lives.

I'm still working on my ideas for this year's teacher gifts, but here's a peek at last year's gifts for inspiration, as well as the semi-homemade 'how to!' I had 7 teachers and 3 director/administrators I wanted to appreciate, so 10 total gifts. The recession had begun... so I had to come up with 10 gifts on a budget. But I still wanted big impact, as these teachers had a big impact on our kiddos.

The container: I started at the mecca for semi-homemade budget-friendly greatness... Hobby Lobby. When they advertised glass containers for 50% off, I grabbed 10 cylinders. (I want to say they cost about $2.50ish each.)

The layers: This is where you can go from the semi-homemade to the totally homemade - whatever suits you!

1. Mnm's - My vision was to use red & green Christmas mnm's.... but apparently, I didn't share that part of the vision on my grocery list.... and Mr. Fix-It came home with the regular ones!

2. Brownies - If you've been reading awhile (or if you know me!) you've probably gathered
that I LOVE brownies. That I pretty much make them for every event. (Made some last night for the kids' school Thanksgiving dinner!) I've even gotten pretty good at them over the years, and my brownies draw their fair share of compliments!
So, I made these brownies.... but you could easily buy the brownie bites and use those!

3. Soft peppermints - I LOVE these! Mmmmm.... so minty and creamy! AND they take up lots of space, so they're an affordable filler!

4. Cookies - again, lots of wiggle room here for how time consuming you can go! Me? I bought some bakery cookies - shhhh!

Other layer ideas: nuts, craisins, red and green gummy candies, chocolate covered pretzals, homemade bread (I'm thinking cranberry orange or pumpkin), homemade fudge - I could go on all day!

The custom touch: I love personalization and giving gifts that custom touch! Remember the gift tags I made for all our presents last year? I used those for the teacher gifts, too! (This year, I like the "sweet" tag on the top picture!) And I tied it on with.....

....tulle, of course!! It's time to restock the Semi-Homemade tulle supply for the holidays and the new year! I get all my tulle at Nashville Wraps. They have THE best color selection at THE best prices right here. I need red, pink and green for Big Sis's bday gifts & decorating.... shades of blue for Christmas.... orange & black for OSU graduation gifts and bday gifts for my fav alums.... and a rainbow of colors for all the fun kiddie bday gifts! (Their ordering can be a little tricky, but you can email me with any questions. It's so worth it!)

The final touches: I wrapped the whole thing in cellophane (you can buy it in a roll, like wrapping paper!), so the yummy layers could shine thru! I added a personal note to the back of each tag and let Big Sis hand them out to the teachers. They were a huge hit! And at under $6/each... I felt like I was showing my appreciation in a BIG way... even though I wasn't spending big.

Have a great idea for semi-homemade teacher gifts? Email me at oursemihomemadelife at yahoo dot com with your ideas and photos. I'd love to share them here on Our Semi-Homemade Life!

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Don't forget to vote for me in the Design Dazzle contest! You can see G-man's Pirate Nursery here. Leave a comment and YOU will be entered to win $500 in super cool prizes for you and your kids!

Semi-Homemade Teacher Gifts

School is out - woo hoo! Okay, so when you have a preschooler and a baby, summer isn't quite the fun it is when you get older! But... to set the record straight, the ice cream truck did come to school on Monday to signal the beginning of the summer session. Fun is here and learning is on hold - even for 3 year olds!

Got a special teacher and you want to let her (or him!) know how truly appreciated they were?
This idea is sooo easy, so semi-homemade, so cheap and SO CUTE! I just know you'll be ready to do it yourself! It's a S'Mores Teacher Appreciation gift!

As with anything, I picked the color scheme first. I was thinking coral & turqoise, but settled for red and turq, since I was doing this on the cheap and couldn't be picky!


The easy supplies & their costs (this made 6 gifts):
Bowls $1.50 -- the plastic ones at Walmart that come in packs of 4s
Hershey bars $6 (but I got them at CVS and got $5 back!)
Marshmallows - 2 bags $2.80
Graham crackers - 2 boxes $5
Tulle & cellophane = freebies! They are staples at my house... I could go on and on about my love of tulle....
Total cost: $15.30 or $2.55/gift
-- but even cheaper if you take into account my$5 ECB! ($1.72/ea)

Okay, for the quick how-to. And when I say quick... I even had G-man playing in the dining room with me while I threw them together - in under 30 min!

First, fill a baggie with marshmallows. I like the ones you have to use a twisty with - not the ziploc - because they're cuter. Tie it shut with tulle. Duh. ;)



Then put the sleeve of graham crackers in the back of the bowl as your anchor... toss in a couple Hershey bars (I won't tell if you have to sample them to make sure they're 'okay' - just buy extras like I did!) Put your marshmallows in the front.

I did an assembly line and got all 6 done. Then just wrap in cellophane. You cut it like wrapping paper... gather the ends, making sure the excess goes in the back so it's not bunching up in the front and blocking the view... then tie with MORE tulle!

YUMMY!!! (Ignore the bad lighting on the finished product! Trust me when I say they turned out CUTE!)

But the cutest part - that really personalizes these -is the tag! This idea is from no fuss fabulous and it's just so darling (the funny thing is that the color scheme even matched what I'd picked for my gifts!) I threw it into photoshop and added Big Sis and G-man's names to the tags and tied on to the packages with tulle. Aren't these the cutest?

I hope you liked these super cute (and cheap!) semi-homemade teacher gifts! Okay just thought of this! To make it even EASIER... just throw the 3 ingredients in a cute solid colored gift bag (you know, the cheapies!), attach the tag to the front of the bag, and done! (I'd add a tulle bow to the handles. I'm just saying..)

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Tomorrow I'm going to OK to help my sis with her new baby (be watching for pics, as I help her decorate Carter's Semi-Homemade Nursery!) My mom-in-law will be picking up Big Sister for the beginning of Magaw Camp 2009 (that's Big Sis's version of Granny Camp). I won't see her from tomorrow to the next Friday and I'm kinda freaking out! That's a LONG time when you're 3. Or when you're the mom of the 3 year old! I'll keep you posted....