Need tips on making strawberry jam?.......Don't read this post!

Last year, I made strawberry freezer jam and it was very easy. I even used my bread maker. This year, I decided I would try canning. This is my first attempt at canning anything! I had the Ball canning how to book right beside me the whole time. 

Unsure that I could do it all myself, I persuaded 2 young professionals to help.

I put one in charge of cutting the tops off the strawberries.

The other helper was in charge of smashing the strawberries.

I think she took her job seriously!

They eventually swapped.

Once they were finished cutting and smashing, this is what it looked like.

We prepared the strawberries according to the Ball Blue Book. 

I think we may have had a little too much juice or not enough pectin. It seemed to be runnier than normal.

Runny or not.........IT WAS DELICIOUS!

I can't wait until we pick blackberries, peaches and blueberries!

Ella's Field Day

I know Ella's already graduated but I want to share her water field day.

The teachers who planned it came up with some really cute games that I thought would be great for your next field day or just at home.

 The first game was Laundry Day

Each child had to get a wet shirt from the bucket and race to hang it on the fence to dry.

A few of Ella's friends

 

Next game was Holy Water.

They had to get a cup of water and race to fill up the 2 liter bottle. The challenge......there was a hole in the cup.

 

Next, we moved onto Water Bottle Freeze Tag.

It is just like freeze tag except you do not touch the person......you spray them with water.

 

I taught Ella right....here she is spraying a teacher!

Marble Pick Up

They had to pick up a marbles with  their feet and put them in a bucket.

This was probably the favorite!

Human Bowling

 

After a fun filled few hours, it was time to cool off with a freezer pop!

 

This is not what I meant when I said, "give Chewy a bath."

Mother's Day

For Mother's Day, we made a quick trip  to my parents. Except for an ER visit( ATV accident....no broken bones just bruises), we had a great time!

One of the best gifts I got was this....

The first 2 were my favorite!

Our First Graduate!

Last Friday, Ella graduated from Kindergarten. Since I was her teacher....and I like to go big when planning events, her graduation consisted of

a program where Ella was Little Miss Muffet. 

My mom made her costume and did a fabulous job!

While we left the auditorium to go change into the cap and gown, parents were kept entertained with a slide show from the year.

Ella dressed and ready to graduate.

She passed!......Way to go Ella!

After being introduced as first graders, I gave each child in the class a flower to give to his/her mom.

Since I was the one to pass the flower to her I got a kiss instead.

After graduating, there was a reception to follow.

We had cake and punch.

I put together a table where each child in the class had their own personal cupcake, a framed picture and a copy of the slide show.

Ella loved her cupcake!

We are so proud of you Ella!

Reason #132 why it's great to have a son

I can even overlook the fact that he did not know where the spare was and he almost put it on the wrong way. I did not have to do it and we made it home......that's good enough for me!

Teacher Appreciation Week

Did you appreciate your child's teacher last week? 

I know I was spoiled everyday last week. I received many wonderful gifts from my class and the PTFA. We were treated to either breakfast or lunch everyday. I am glad it's only for a week or I would blow up like a balloon from all the yummy food.

I thought I would share how my own children treated their teachers last week. We have 5 teachers (not including myself) to appreciate. Although, I wish I could send each of them on a relaxing cruise but that is impossible. Don't forget I am on a teacher's salary as well! We tried to make them all feel special in a wonderful but less expensive way. 

We had themes each day.

Day 1 = Flower Day

We brought each teacher a flower to plant.

Day 2 = Healthy Day

We brought a water bottle with a drink mix attached to it. 

The bottle read, "Thanks for quenching my thirst for knowledge."

Day 3 = Sweet Day

We brought M&M's that were attached with a note that said, "For a Marvelous & Magnificent Teacher." On the back was a dot of each M&M color and  cute little sayings. I got this idea and printable off of pinterest.

Day 4 = Note Day

We made note day a little more special by typing up a few kind words.

We then put the notes in a cute little box along with mints.

 

We closed it up and attached a note to the outside that read, "Here are just a few of the things I "mint" to tell you all year.

Day 5 = Vacation Day (No... we did not get the day off! Boo!)

This was probably my favorite idea. If you did not know already, coffee is apparently a must when it comes to teaching. I used to hate the stuff until I started back teaching 2 years ago.  I would probably fall asleep at my desk if I did not have a cup of Joe in the mornings. On the weekends, I am more of a iced coffee and frappuccino girl. I know I am WILD!

I bought each teacher a gift card to Starbucks. I found this printable online and thought it was way too cute not to use.

When I bought the gift card, I asked the guy if I could have some frappuccino cups. They gave me 6 for free!

Here's what I did with it.

I put brown shred paper for baskets in the bottom and white on top to resemble whipped topping. The note was rolled up and placed in the cup to look like a straw.

You may be wondering where's the gift card? It's hidden inside the cup!

I had fun putting these together and the teacher enjoyed their daily surprises!