Popsicle Stick Puppets

Ok, I couldn't leave today without some toddler fun--so here it is!!

Hazel brought me one of these puppets we made back in November and asked if we could make some more. I of course said yes since they were mostly Christmas themed back then. So this morning before she went to Nonni's house for the day, we made some.

Hazel's Princess

To make them you glue a popsicle stick across a tongue depressor stick and then decorate with felt clothes and draw on a face. Then we decorate them with yarn for hair and glitter glue and ribbons, etc. Hazel wanted to make a princess. I cut the dress for her and she did the gluing and cut the yarn herself. Oh, and I cut a crown for her princess. Unfortunately, our fingers and other things kept hitting the glitter glue and thus smudging it. She also got the hair over the face I drew on it. Oh, well. It is her creation.

I made a leprechaun and an Easter Bunny. I even gave my Easter Bunny an Easter egg to be sure it was the Easter Bunny.

These are a simple craft to do with a toddler that can be played with some more.

Now that Hazel is gone I have been catching up on reading my magazines. I am loving the latest issue of Country Living. The craft section has some great Easter ideas. Unfortunately my favorite ones did not make their website so you will have to wait until we try them or put our spin on them.

Now I'm off to knit and rest before I have to go to work tonight. Hope you are having a great day!!

Ways to Celebrate Pi Day!

As a former math teacher, I am definitely an advocate of Pi Day which is on Wednesday this week--March 14 or 3.14. Math teachers don't always get the fun part of teaching so we have to take it whenever we can get it. Pi Day is one of those times.

Vegetable Baked Ziti

Since my husband is Catholic, he tries not to eat meat on Fridays during Lent. Since neither of us eat fish, this makes Friday meals a bit hard. Here is a recipe for baked ziti I came up with adding as many vegetables as he will tolerate. If I wasn't making this during Lent I would add a pound of ground turkey breast to the recipe.

Vegetable Baked Ziti

Your Recipe

6 PointsPlus Value (Weight Watchers)

Prep time:  20 min

Cook time:  30 min

Serves: 8

Ingredients

	1 pound(s) cooked whole wheat ziti
	1 cup(s) uncooked zucchini, chopped
	1 clove(s) (medium) garlic clove, minced
	1 pound(s) fresh baby spinach
	3 tsp olive oil
	1 cup(s) Carrots, pureed or grated
	29 oz canned diced tomatoes, 2 cans
	24 oz canned tomato sauce
	2 cup(s) fat-free ricotta cheese
	10 oz shredded fat free mozzarella
	1 oz parmesan cheese
	1 tsp dried oregano
	1 tsp ground basil

Instructions

• Cook pasta. While pasta is cooking saute zucchini and garlic in oil. Add spinach and carrots when zucchini is looking basically cooked. Add tomatoes and tomato sauce and herbs and parmesan cheese. Turn to low. After pasta is drained, combine in pan with ricotta. Mix. Then stir in sauce. Pour into 13 by 9 inch pan. Sprinkle mozzarella on top. Bake at 400 for 30 minutes. 

 Enjoy!!

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Sharing Saturday #10

Thank you to everyone who shared with us last week! We are always amazed at the wonderful ideas you each share with us. If you have not checked them out you should!!

Ok, now onto the features!!

St. Patrick's Day Cards and More Spring Fairies

Our First Spring Bulb Has a Flower!

Today we decided it was time to make the St. Patrick's Day cards to mail to our family. I am part Irish--Hazel is named after my Irish grandmother and her godmother is Irish, so we will do a small celebration for it.  I bought her a shamrock plant at Trader Joe's the other day. We took some of the shamrocks off to paint with them.

The prints did not come out exactly as I had planned, but we tried.

Then we decorated with stickers and we stamped the insides with a Happy St. Patrick's Day stamp.

Hazel wanted to do a rainbow on one, so I gave her some heart stickers for it.

And the insides:

Yesterday at school the teacher had a beautiful bendy doll fairy that was much smaller than what I have made, so I tried some. If you don't know what a bendy doll is there are several tutorials around. They are made of pipe cleaners wrapped with embroidery floss and usually a wooden bead for a head and more embroidery floss or yarn for hair. The tutorial I first used is at The Enchanted Tree. I still need to add some wings to my fairies, but thought I would share them anyway.

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