Sweet and Spooky spiders

SWEET AND SPOOKY SPIDERS!
Before we began I would like to share a photo of a really creepy spider web about half the size of our house! (I am kind of exaggerating) But seriously this thing was huge! I was looking for some awesome inspiring message written in this thing....well probably not so inspiring as it conveniently showed up for the Halloween season but none the less it was right up there with Charlottes Webb for sure!  My husband and grandsons thought it was just the coolest thing they had seen, I found a black widow about the size of my thumb the week before in the same spot, every time I tried to kill it, it ran from me and hid, I never did find it.....  and then this appeared....ewwwww.

 Well  here are some spiders you can make your self and they won't show up unannounced at your house! They are easy to make and adorable.  The beads are up to you, so decide your size, shape and color for your own spider project! I have used a variety of large and small beads in all shapes and sizes. Recycle some of those 80's earrings you have hangin around by using the beads .... we all know how scary those could be!

You will need:

Beads ( 1 large and 2 medium for the body.  1small for the head
( I used the cute beads with a black dot in the middle that looks like an eye)

 


I used medium beads for the legs

 

 

 

8 to 10  gauge wire

 

 

Wire cutters and needle nose plyers
 

Tape measure

Ribbon for the bow if you would like one that is!

 

Step 1:

Line up your body of beads then cut the length of wire to the length of your beads. Leave about 1/2 inch extra on both sides ( this can be trimmed later)

 

 

Step 2:

Place your beads on the wire 

 

 

 Do a loop closure with your needle nose pliers. This is done by placing the needle nose plyers on the end of the wire and rolling the wire to the bead. After pulling our the needle nose, just give a quick pinch on the curled end to flatten it

 

Step 3:

Cut 4 -12 inch pieces of wire for the legs. I measure and cut one 12 inch wire and ....

use it as a guide for the other 3 pieces of wire.

 ( see photo below)

 

 

Step 4:

Wrap 2 of  the wire pieces in between the 1st and 2nd beads on the body, just like your tying a knot.

 

Wrap the other 2 in between the lower bead and the body bead the exact same way, then spread your leg wires out  just like the photo below.

 

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Step 5

If you have a bead spinner, place your bag of beads for the legs in it now

 

 

 

 Start spinning it and loading your beads on the leg wires.




It will look like this now

 

 

 

If you don't have a spinner,  just hand load your beads onto the leg wires in what ever color combination you prefer leaving about 1/4 inch of wire at the end so you can close it off. 
After the leg is loaded with beads, do a loop closure like the photo below with your needle nose wire. Just grip the end of the wire and start rolling up the wire, then pull out the needle nose plyers and pinch the rolled up end flat.

 

Continue to do  the same with the other 7 legs

Your spider legs should look like the photo below at this point

 

 

 

Step 6

                                           Now bend the wire to shape the legs like this:



 

                             Your spider is now complete! 

 They can be bent and positioned however you like! Here are some nifty ideas for placing them around the house.

She is on a mirror on the wall

 

Now she is hanging out with the mummy on the speaker box

 

These are on the dining room table! Which is decorated for Halloween by the way!

 

You can do any color combinations you would like, here are a few more I made, the curly feet can be done easily by lengthening your leg wire by an inch or two.

 

 

 

 

 

Watch the "Spider" stigma go from creepy to adorable with Valentines and Spring  colors!

 

 

 

 

You can even do a caterpillar!



Kids love to make these as well! Have a safe and fun holiday!!!!

 

 

 

Lunchables? No Way Jose'

 

Lunchables? No Way!!!!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

You don't have to read the book on ingredients ....but you get my point right?

 

Pizza Crust: Wheat Flour (Enriched Bleached Wheat Flour (Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Whole Wheat Flour), Water, Sugar, Glycerin, Soybean Oil, Contains 2% Or Less of: Wheat Gluten, Yeast, Salt, Mono- And Diglycerides, Guar Gum, Calcium Propionate, Natural And Artificial Flavor, Sorbic Acid, Enzyme. Contains: Wheat. Pizza Sauce: Water, Tomato Paste, Sugar, Contains Less Than 2% of Modified Food Starch, Garlic Powder, Salt, Onion Powder, Spice, Citric Acid, Dried Basil, Sea Salt, Potassium Sorbate Added As A Preservative, Xanthan Gum, Natural Flavor. Pasteurized Prepared Mozzarella Cheese Product: Pasteurized Part-Skim Milk, Water, Milk Protein Concentrate, Salt, Cheese Culture, Whey Protein Concentrate, Sodium Citrate, Milk fat, Sorbic Acid As A Preservative, Enzymes, With Cellulose Powder to Prevent Caking. Contains: Milk. Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product: Pasteurized Part-Skim Milk, Water, Whey Protein Concentrate, Milk Protein Concentrate, Milk fat, Sodium Citrate, Salt, Sorbic Acid As A Preservative, Apocarotenal (Color), Enzymes, Cheese Culture, With Cellulose Powder to Prevent Caking. Contains: Milk

THE END.......

COULD BE IF ALL YOU FED YOUR KIDS WAS THIS!

My 4th grand daughter has been asking her mom for pizza lunchables to take to school on a regular basis since she started school, and every time she asks... my daughter in law responds with the same reply:
ABSOLUTELY NOT, NO WAY!" " Do you know what's in those?"
Wow, just read the above ingredients and you might.... well, still not know. I have to admit, although I have been trying to enrich my word power, there are still some biggies up there I am having a hard time pronouncing and defining. Really? That lunch able box is what, about 7 inches square? To house what? A small crust, some sauce and a few sprinkles of cheese? I would have to agree with her on this one!

 My grand daughter is in second grade now  and a few days ago her mother had a thought.... "why can't I create my own lunch able?" 

 So She did, in fact she just told me about it yesterday, her daughter was thrilled by it, and that's why I have this blog idea! 

This is a really fun way for your kids to prepare their own lunch in the evening for the next day. The combinations can be left up to the imagination, and YOU can be in control of the sodium, sugar, fat and preservative levels!

 First, buy a glad plastic container, the three ways are great!

And always keep these handy healthier sandwich thins to use for your pizza crusts, on hand.

 

 

Here are a few combinations that we came up with!


First combo: Strawberries, Peanut butter, and Crème cheese

 

Just place the cream cheese in 1 section of the glad container, place your peanut butter in the other one, and your strawberries in the third. Place your Pizza crust in a baggy, pop it all in the fridge and it's ready to go for the next school day! Your kids will have fun and feel like a chef as they prepare their own personal pizza! You follow this simple protocol with each of the combos. Who knows what cool combos your kids will come up with on their own! Well maybe not so cool.

Second combo: 

 

 Sliced seasoned Turkey, Mixed Peppers, Mozzarella cheese and a mixture of hidden valley dip mix with sour cream!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Third combo:

 

 Prosciutto, Spinach leaves and black olives. Use Organic tomato sauce and your own seasoning to   make a healthy pizza sauce and put some mozzarella cheese in a baggie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fourth combo:

 Seasoned Chicken breast, sliced Cucumbers and sliced Tomatoes. Use the Sour cream and Ranch Dip Mix for this one too! Slice the meat in small strips!

 

Fifth combo: 

 

Tuna mixed with mayonnaise, Boiled Egg slices, and Celery slices. Season to your taste!

 

 

I'm pretty sure you won't need a book to list the ingredients in these home made lunchables!

 The combinations are endless and these are kid tested and approved!  So do some experimenting of your own. Choose from  healthy protein, carb, and fat choices.  Drop me a line and let me know how this works out for you? I think I'm gonna go make me one right now!

Bon Appetite'

 

CAN WE REALLY BELIEVE WHAT WE SEE?

I was browsing through my face book page one afternoon, and an app popped up. See what famous celebrity you look like! I was curious, so I clicked on it, making sure of course that it would not come up on my timeline...after all I wouldn't want  anyone else to know I actually had time for that.  I waited... and finally up popped my profile photo, and there she was.... the beautiful  look alike celebrity "Britney Snow".  I don't know what I was thinking, or where I was imagining they would pull my photo from, obviously it is your profile photo that the app uses... if it wasn't......well that would be just plain creeeeepy wouldn't it? As I gazed at my profile photo, which happens to be my 3 adorable little grandsons, I realized they did a darn good job morphing each of their little male faces, and finding their look alike....well even if it was a woman.

 You know, my oldest brother has been told periodically throughout his life that he resembles the likes of  "Leave It To Beaver".  

 And After browsing through a lot of his photos when he was young, and there are a lot... I am quite convinced he was the "Beaver" double stand in and I can prove it.  I have gone through some archives of the show, and lo and behold here they are:

This is the beaver that you thought you always saw.....



 

 

 

 

But sometimes........there was this little Beaver, you know the stand in...for whenever Beaver would have to sing or play a guitar.... as you look close you will see...... by golly that's my big bro

.
 

 

 

Remember this one? Aww.... little  Beaver isn't too happy about the fishing.....
 

Not my brother.... why  he knew just how to give enough smile to bait the consumers...pardon my pun!
 

 

Beaver had quite a knack for getting into trouble and it showed up all over his face.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not my brother, he always stayed cool calm and collected, he didn't care, no matter how many times the director would tell him to look upset.......there it would come.... the smirk.

 

 

 

 

Beaver......upset...and....

Stand in? ..... not so much

Here are some family photos of the cast. Actually Beaver looks pretty happy in this one....

 

 

 

My brother? I think he was looking at the wrong camera!

 

 

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Here's another one..... why.. they all look upset....

 

Not my brother....he got the arm position down, but just couldn't resist that smirk could he. And ....he is looking at the camera ...again.

 

 

 

 What is this? did someone forget their lunch pail?

 

Yep....Beaver did...but does my brother looked concerned ....absolutely not.

How about Beavers cool look when he hung out with his friends on the show, and yes you will have to get the magnifying glass for these.

 

 

My brother didn't care..."cool look" he would ask...."don't think so".

You see.. I was really young when all of this was going on, and even though my family won't admit it. I know it's true, so next time you watch an old re run of the "Leave It To Beaver" show, look real close...... you might just see..... my big brother?