Ramblings of a Crazy Woman

 I had company this year for New Year's Eve. The decorations looked a lot prettier than the pictures shows. Our dining room table: Kitchen:  Love the midnight kisses:  Our mantle with clocks:  We went to the Japanese restaurant for dinner with some friends  The kids always love to watch the cooks:

I am really busy this week, so I am taking a bloggy break. Here are some New Years crafts from the past. GO HERE

Since crickets are considered good omens in many countries, I thought we would make some to help bring us some good luck for the New Year !!!! Plus they are easy to make, cute and the kids like playing with them. We used: Doll clothespin (round head), paint (green or yellow), chenille stems (green), small wiggly eyes, paint brushes and glue. First, paint the clothespin and allow time to dry. Place a small amount of glue on the chenille stem, insert it into the clothespin split, and bend it into legs. Repeat making 2 more sets of legs. Glue on eyes.

I have been taking it easy this Christmas vacation and have not been doing any crafts or blogging. I am still recovering from Christmas. We had a great Christmas but I am ready for some down time. We did this simple but pretty fireworks craft last year. All you need is black paper, glue and different colored glitter. Make the glue lines on the paper and sprinkle on the glitter. Allow to dry. It turns out really pretty, a lot better than the picture shows. Here are some other crafts New Year projects from last year.

I found this idea on the Family Fun Web site. It is a Wish List for 2008 for kids to do. I put five different headings on a piece of paper and then numbered 1-4 under each. My headings were Places I Want To Go, Books I Want to Read, Movies I Want to Watch, Foods I Want to Try, and Things I Want to Learn to Do. I did this with my 8 year old, 6 years old and 4 year old. It turned out to be a real interesting project. Some of Cody's answers were: Places To GO- Fishing, Books To Read- Sharks and Bats, Movies to Watch- Batman, Under dog and Super Babies . Foods to Try- Indian Slap Jacks and he Wants to Learn to cook. Caity's- Places to Go- Mall, Park, Fishing and the Movies, Books To Read- Dogs, Cats and Fish. Foods to Try-Peanut cookies, tomatoes and Tomato Cake. And things she wants to learn about- Books, Bionicles, crafts(of course), and Jesus and God. Colton's list- Books to Read- Batman and Underdog. Things he wanted to Learn was to Read and add numbers...

These turn out a lot prettier than the picture shows. You will black piece of construction paper, glitter and glue.

You know it can not be a holiday at my house without a craft involving a toilet paper roll. It is sad, the other day a friend's Mom told me that every time she throws away a toilet paper roll she thinks of me. I am not sure if that is good or bad. The first craft is a toilet paper roll New Years horn: You will need a toilet paper roll, wax paper, rubber band, glue and construction paper. Cut the construction paper to fit around the roll and decorate. Glue on the construction paper. Next cut a piece of wax paper and rubber band it around one end. Then with a pencil poke a few holes into the wax paper. Blow or hum into the open end to make sound. I thought this was a kind of dumb craft but my kids really enjoyed playing with them. This next craft can be a confetti holder (I am sorry, I can not even conceive the idea of confetti in my house), surprise (like candy or a little toy) holder or use it for a game. Fill the roll with confetti, candy or a little toy. Take a toilet paper ro...

This is an easy noise maker. Take a paper plate and fill it with bells, dried beans or rice. Fold it in half and staple together. Decorate any way you feel. Shake on New Years Eve.

If you have kids, you are probably saying,"Why do I need to make a noise maker? " True. But it might be fun for the kids. I used a pipe stem cleaner, bells and beads. Let's ring in the New Year.

Make your own 2008 Glasses for the kids with pipe stem cleaners.