I Hate Reading

I Hate Reading

About the Book:

Title: I Hate Reading | Author: By Arthur & Henry Bacon as told to Beth Bacon | Publisher: Pixel Titles | Genre: Beginner to Intermediate Reader | Pages: 112 | Ages: 5 - 11

Book Description:

Winner of Library Media Connection Editors' Choice Award

A laugh-out-loud funny book for beginning to intermediate reluctant readers. Two brothers who hate to read offer hilarious tips on how to get out of their daily reading requirement. Their outrageous plans involve shoestrings, bathroom breaks, and man-eating animals. Guaranteed to get kids giggling as they learn how to read. Kids from level one beginner readers to intermediate high-low readers will laugh out loud as they discover they, too, can read on their own.

Purchase on Amazon Kindle

(Sorry, this eBook is no longer for free.)

My Review

I Hate Reading will entertain the reluctant and non-reluctant reader. Amanda, age 9, read the book easily to me in one sitting. Even though it's not a picture book, the pages are bright and colorful with only a few words on each page. She laughed out loud a couple of times and told her dad her favorite parts from the book. She liked it so much that she feels it deserves an extra star to the five star rating that we're giving it on Amazon.

Disclosure: We got a copy of this book when it was for free on Amazon Kindle. This is our honest review.

Read More

No Cook Glitter Playdough Recipe

Welcome to my weekend blog hop -

Make My Saturday Sweet #149!

Last weekend, Amanda and I made glitter playdough. The recipe was given to us by her teacher. It's very easy to make and safe to do with children, since no cooking is required. If you are making it for little children who still put things in their mouths, then leave out the glitter. All the ingredients we used were edible, except for the glitter, but you could try using edible glitter. I think that would work fine.

My blog is best viewed in Google Chrome.
Click on the images to view them larger.

No Cook Glitter Playdough

Ingredients:

2 cups cake flour
1/2 cup salt
glitter (optional)
1 Tablespoon oil
1/2 cup water
food coloring

Method:

Mix flour, salt, and glitter in a bowl.
In a separate bowl mix water, oil, and food coloring.
Add the flour mixture to the water mixture.
Knead dough to bread consistency.
Add water if needed, but don't let it get too sticky.
Knead until all ingredients are well incorporated.

Note: If your child still puts things in her/his mouth,
then don't add the glitter (unless it's edible).

*********************

My Latest Book Review
Life is Beautiful:
How a Lost Girl Became a True,
Confident Child of God




A True Story about
Dysfunction, Addiction, Loss,
and Self-Discovery, Living Life
with Purpose, and Finding God

*********************

*********************

Make My Saturday Sweet is a weekend blog hop for all family friendly blogs. You are welcome to link your favorite post from the past week(s) and to visit the last link before yours and leave a sweet comment. It's a really easy and fun way to make new friends and to catch up on old acquaintances.

Now on to my blog hop...

It's time for another Make My Saturday Sweet blog hop!

Join me (your host) for this fun and easy hop.

All family friendly blogs are welcome!

If you host your own blog hop(s), then feel free to

link them on my Blog Hops page!

I would love for you to follow me on

Google+

Pinterest 

Twitter 

Facebook 

I'm also now on Instagram!

Here are the easy rules:

• Follow Tina (your host) on one or more links listed above.
• Link up a post from your family friendly blog.
• Please try to add my hop button on your post or side-bar.
• Share about this hop on Twitter, Google+ or Facebook.
• Visit the last link before yours and leave a sweet comment.

Blog Button Code:

<center> <a href="http://abooksandmore.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img alt="Amanda’s Books and More" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWaX10yWr7xxEQ5BBMhOqdZxobJ0omJBq-v8ENFn3YNNebsnsYBHwcGyje-XzSlHSJOIlZ1rEOp89LyNI97XrPFZtdeH_AvaNV3F8hOvHfsuwe29ALNQw75ibK34buYq7nhpGGZJ8UTnoB/s150/Make+My+Saturday+Sweet.jpg"/></a></center>

Weekend Linky

This is a blog hop!

Visit my Blog Hops page to see
what link parties I take part in.

Read More

Easy Chocolate Sauce Recipe

Welcome to my weekend blog hop -

Make My Saturday Sweet #136!

My blog is best viewed in Google Chrome.
Click on the images to view them larger.

The other day, Amanda helped me make an easy chocolate sauce recipe that I got from my mother-in-law. It uses ingredients that you probably have at home. That's actually why we made this recipe, because it was already nighttime and the items we needed were on hand.

Easy Chocolate Sauce Recipe:

Ingredients:
100 g (3.5 oz) dark chocolate
100 g (3.5 oz) milk chocolate
1 cup sugar
1 cup water

Method:
Add all the ingredients into a medium sauce pan.
Heat until everything melts.
Allow to simmer until thick like pouring cream.

Notes:
I left ours simmering for an hour.
It really only thickens nicely once it has cooled.


Steps:

Please pin any photos that you like to your Pinterest boards and you can follow me on Pinterest too. Also, make sure you visit me on Instagram. Sometimes I capture some neat photos with my mobile phone that I haven't shared on my blogs.

*********************

*********************

Make My Saturday Sweet is a weekend blog hop for all family friendly blogs. You are welcome to link your favorite post from the past week(s) and to visit the last link before yours and leave a sweet comment. It's a really easy and fun way to make new friends and to catch up on old acquaintances.

Now on to my blog hop...

It's time for another Make My Saturday Sweet blog hop!

Join me (your host) for this fun and easy hop.

All family friendly blogs are welcome!

If you host your own blog hop(s), then feel free to

link them on my Blog Hops page!

I would love for you to follow me on

Google+

Pinterest 

Twitter 

Facebook 

I'm also now on Instagram!

Here are the easy rules:

• Follow Tina (your host) on one or more links listed above.
• Link up a post from your family friendly blog.
• Please try to add my hop button on your post or side-bar.
• Share about this hop on Twitter, Google+ or Facebook.
• Visit the last link before yours and leave a sweet comment.

Blog Button Code:

<center> <a href="http://abooksandmore.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img alt="Amanda’s Books and More" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWaX10yWr7xxEQ5BBMhOqdZxobJ0omJBq-v8ENFn3YNNebsnsYBHwcGyje-XzSlHSJOIlZ1rEOp89LyNI97XrPFZtdeH_AvaNV3F8hOvHfsuwe29ALNQw75ibK34buYq7nhpGGZJ8UTnoB/s150/Make+My+Saturday+Sweet.jpg"/></a></center>

Weekend Linky

This is a blog hop!

Visit my Blog Hops page to see
what link parties I take part in.

Read More

Our Day in Pictures and #WW #Linky

Welcome to my Picture Perfect
Party Linky #115!

My teenagers have grown up without Halloween and trick-or-treating. It's not really celebrated in South Africa, so I decided for the first time to do something for Amanda. I surprised her with clues and a treasure hunt. We've got this little maze at the Botanical Gardens near us and I made her wait while I ran through it hiding little gifts. Her favorite gifts were the pink hair spray and the black slime. At least she wasn't inundated with candy.

This is our Halloween in pictures.

Click on the images to view them larger.

Amanda spotted this tortoise on

our way back to the car.

A huge rain spider came to visit.

Check out Amanda's pink hair spray.

We made caramel popcorn balls.
The recipe is below.

Boy and Spider in Neon

Boy and Spider in Pencil Sketch

Yes, we had a very interesting day!

Easy Caramel Popcorn Balls Recipe:
300 ml (1 1/4 cups) sugar
250 ml (1 cup) golden syrup
1 packet (about 80 g) Jell-O (choose your favorite flavor)
3 liters (about 13 cups) plain popped popcorn

Heat the sugar, syrup and Jell-O until melted (about 5 min.) stirring gently. Then pour this syrup over the popcorn in a bowl and stir it in with a spoon (don't use a plastic spoon or bowl as the syrup is very hot). Once it's cooled enough to handle, oil hands well and shape into balls. Please be extra careful with children helping as the syrup can seriously burn a person. These popcorn balls are sticky. You can try to dry them out in the oven, but I just wrapped ours in cling wrap.

***************************

Have you ever seen an eco pool?

Visit my latest post on

1camera1mom!

*********************

My Latest Book Reviews

A Mother's Love Conquers All Fear

and a $25 Giveaway!




Sweet T and the North Wind

*********************

Now you can order your own personalized
blog buttons with HTML, Facebook covers

or collages (example: Pinterest-ing pins)!

Just visit my page: Blog Buttons to Order

***************************

Now on to my blog hop...

Come link up your Wordless Wednesday

(with or without words) or any picture post

at this Picture Perfect Party Linky.

Join me on this fun and easy blog hop!

If you host your own blog hop(s), then feel free
to link them on my Blog Hops page!

I would love for you to follow me on

Google+

Pinterest 

Twitter 

Facebook 

and

Here are the easy rules:

• Follow me on one or more links above or via email.
• Link-up your post with a picture and follow as many new blogs as you like.
• If possible, copy the button code below and add it on your linked post or blog's side-bar.
• Tell others about this hop on Twitter, Google+ or Facebook.

The Button Code:

<center> <a href="http://abooksandmore.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img alt="Amanda’s Books and More" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitS14XLc-z2uSUW00dIvyZc7lEfLP2tkPgO3qmU3NWi_UObDs_d7XqpYhjp0BBeROyZot-8YlEFU9rguELrZYu3arN1qHHNpB4_ezrb-TlBlfHRSOvP7pBA0VI-j1RkUkF77wJxUc7M7ye/s150/Picture%2520Perfect%2520Party%2520Linky.jpg"/></a></center>

This is a Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Read More

How to Make Mixed Media

How to Make Mixed Media:

Christmas Symbols Theme

Making mixed media is a fun and easy art project

for the Christmas season. You don't have to be an

artist to make it look good. Some of these items you

will need to buy and some will come from your

Christmas scraps. You can use your own ideas too.

I chose to make a mixed media series on Christmas

symbols and their meanings.

The materials I used were:
Canvas Panel Primed for Oil and Acrylic Painting 9x12" (229x305mm)
my own photos with text printed on regular paper
acrylic paint in sap green, yellow ochre and white
brayer (that's the foam roller or use your fingers)
gold glitter paint
Christmas wrapping paper
Christmas stickers
Christmas card
ribbon
mod podge
paint brush
and cup of water

Note:
You will need to let your canvas dry
between stages. Thankfully the acrylic
paint and mod podge dry quickly.

Here's an example of what you will need.

I mixed sap green acrylic paint with some water to thin it.

I applied the paint evenly over the canvas.
I like to see the canvas texture through the paint.

I applied the mod podge to the area I wanted to stick the paper to
or you can apply it directly to the back of the paper. After doing it
the first way, I later chose to do it the second way from then on.

I pressed the paper down evenly using
a brayer (or use your fingers).

I applied a second coat of mod podge over the paper
to protect it. My paper went kind of see-through after I
did this, so I chose not to with my other ones.

My scrap piece of Christmas card was too bright
for what I wanted, so I painted over it with a thin
layer of white acrylic paint.

 I wanted the large star to shine brightly, so
I avoided painting that area.

I then spread glitter paint with my fingers over my photo image,
but I decided later that it was not to my preference.

I added glitter paint for a border.

The glitter paint didn't work as a border, so
I painted a border with my yellow ochre.

I painted another border with my yellow ochre.

I added some ribbon and a Christmas scrapbook sticker.
I used the mod podge for the adhesive.

Here are my 6 original Christmas symbols
on canvas using mixed media.

Here is an example of my variety of 6 disposable Christmas placemats at the dinner table.

I am selling a pack of 6 disposable Christmas
placemats with one of each inside a pack.

I will take orders until Dec. 4.

They are printed on A4 poster board.

A variety of 6 disposable placemats costs $14

with standard shipping and handling
(overseas shipping included)

and $22 if you buy two packs of 6.

To order:

Contact me via email at

morleychristina@gmail.com

I got my ideas for making mixed media by looking at these sites:
DIY Bluebird Painting by Jenny Hall
Gift Canvases - Think Crafts by CreateForLess
Mod Podge Monday: Mixed Media Tutorial "Freedom", Bird in Cage - A Creative Life

Read More