Another End of the Year Gift!

 "Have a totally 'KOOL' summer!"

These are something else we made for all of the third and fourth graders as an end of the school year gift.  They really liked them!!  :-)  It was super cheap and easy too.  The Kool-aid packets were marked down from $0.29 to $0.14 each and that saves a little money when you buy 65 of them!  It doesn't sound like much, but it saved us almost $10!  :-)  The crazy straws were in packages of 6 for $1.  I got both items at Target.  One of the other teachers in our grade level team had ribbon left over from her son's graduation, and we printed the labels at school and laminated them (after we signed them of course).  When all was said and done, each gift was just about $0.30 to make! 

Lake Living

Under the Lake Living tab I will be posting pictures of the lake and all that comes with it.  I think we have seen every bug imaginable living here out in the woods and on the water... makes for an interesting nature combination.  :-)  Stay tuned for more lake pictures!

Home Sweet Home Progress

This is a picture of our house taken from our boat.  As you can see, the outside structure is done, but the inside and also the grounds outside need a lot more work.  We have been doing 95% of the work ourselves, so it gets done a little at a time.  Now that it is summer, as we are both teachers, more tends to get done.  We are always doing SOMETHING to work on it... I will have lots to share.  Stay tuned...

Baby Gift

I crocheted a blanket for our friends that recently had a baby.  This blanket is just a straight double crochet with chaining one time between to create the holes.  Along with this blanket, in the gift bag there is also a package of 50 diapers, two containers of baby wipes, two dresses, and baby clothes hangers.  Thought that made a cute little gift all put together.  :-)

Going away presents

Even though it has passed, I wanted to show you what my grade level team did for presents for the fourth graders who were leaving our school to head to the middle school in the fall.  The kids LOVED them!  One of my teacher friends and I just completed our master's program and had learned about Wordles (www.wordle.net) during our classes.  I had seen an idea to use them as year end student gifts on Pinterest.  The third graders (that share a homeroom with them) listed words two of three words that described each of their fourth grade classmates.  We compiled the words to make the Wordles for them.  The more times a certain word was said about someone, the bigger the word gets.  Also, we typed each student's name 10 times to get it to be the size you see in the picture.  We wanted their name to stand out.  We then printed and framed them. The third graders, the teachers and Ed Techs signed the back of the frames in silver Sharpie.  They were so proud of their gift they help create for their fourth grade friends and the fourth graders absolutely adored them.  I can't think of a better gift for the students leaving our school!

Foil Pack Chicken

This is what I made tonight for dinner.  I got the idea for Foil Pack Chicken from Pinterest.  It is very simple.  

You will need:
Chicken
A box of Stovetop Chicken Stuffing
Broccoli
Bacon pieces or bits
Shredded cheddar cheese
Ranch dressing
Foil (the non-stick kind or use non-stick cooking spray)



The recipe I saw was for four pieces of chicken, but I modified it to be two.  First, you need to lay out fairly large pieces of foil.  (I used non-stick, but if you don't, be sure to spray your foil with non-stick cooking spray.)  Next, you will need a box of Stovetop Chicken Stuffing.  Mix it in a bowl with a cup of water.  Place a layer of stuffing in the middle of each piece of foil (If you are cooking for two, depending on how much you use, you probably will have some left over).  Next, place a boneless chicken breast on top of the stuffing.  I have made this recipe with full sized pieces and I have also cut them diagonally.  It makes for a smaller serving size and less cooking time if you decide to cut them.  Next you put a layer of broccoli.  (I use the $0.89 box of frozen Hannaford store brand broccoli.  I just rinse it enough so that I can cut it into pieces.)  Next, sprinkle some shredded cheddar cheese.  Then, sprinkle some bacon pieces on top.  (I use the bags of Oscar Mayer Real Bacon Bits.)  Then, finally, drizzle ranch dressing on top.  Fold up the sides of the foil to be airtight and also so there is room around the chicken so that air can circulate.  Place on a cookie sheet and place in a preheated 375 degree oven.  If you cut your chicken breasts, or they are smaller, it should take around 35-40 minutes.  If you are using whole chicken breasts, it will take about an hour.  Be careful opening the foil, the steam comes out quickly!  Enjoy!