Primary 2016 Year Plan

Yay, A New Year!!!!!!!

I am determined to be more prepared this year in my church responsibilities as the children's music leader.  I was called in the summer last year and felt very scatter brained working off of someone else's plan, to have the children ready for the Presentation in sacrament meeting.  This year I feel SO excited to be able to start from scratch and make it mine :)

I scoured online looking for an organized plan I could work off of and found this GEM at Kami's Primary Music Ideas :)  Here is her file from 2015.  Thank you, Thank YOU Kami!!!!!  An excel spreadsheet is a woman after my own heart :)

It has old information that I have updated and changed a bit to suit my needs. You can download my updates HERE.


I attend a Branch with about 18 children so our Junior and Senior Primary's are combined.  I also am so lucky to be able to go into nursery for music time as well.  I have included my Nursery Plan Rotation (which I will make a separate post about).  I found most of the ideas here at Camille's Primary Ideas. Check her out... she is AMAZING!

Please comment with any questions you might have regarding the plan and Happy Singing Time :)

Jen

Handbells "The Nativity Song"

I am excited to share my first post about my new Primary calling.  I have included a free .pdf print of the handbell music and ask that you would please PIN or reference back to this blog post if you pass it on :)

The handbell music for this song mainly follows the melody.  I used the 13 bell kit that includes low C to high C with F sharp.  As I don't yet have the higher range set, the music excludes those notes below and above the C's. This song needs to be accompanied by another instrument in order to fill the missing high/low notes or it will sound funny.  We will be singing in Sacrament meeting with a harp to accompany us.  A piano, or flute will also sound beautiful!

Within the music the F will have the sharp symbol on the .pdf and the high C is identified with a box around the top of the C.

This is the sheet music for "The Nativity Song" on page 52 of the Children's Song Book by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

You can find the remaining verses to the song HERE. 

You can download 'The Nativity Song' .pdf file HERE

Thank you :)

I'm BAAAAACK!!!!

It has been toooooooooo long!

It is time to dive back into this blog-o-mine as the craftiness continues.  There will be a new addition to the blog as I start posting my Primary music time ideas :)

This summer I was asked to teach music to the children in my church.  I  was so excited as I have always wanted to do this :)  I have already been able to try out numerous ideas I found online and look forward to coming up with some of my own variations!  AND what is right around the corner?  CHRISTMAS!  I'm prepped with my handbells and will be posting colour dot music sheets to go along with the Kids Play bells.

Keep your eyes open :)

Jen

Sugar Cookies too GOOD to be called just sugar cookies

I promised the secret family recipe from my mother ;)  Well I was never told it was a secret... I just love to hear people tell me how tasty my cookies are!!!!  It is tempting to hoard the recipe and never let anyone else have it... but in all truth when I do make these... they are far too good to give away.  So if I want the world to experience the joy of my mom's Christmas Cut-Outs (aka Sugar cookies) then I will share away.

Susan Laycock's Christmas Cut-Outs (please give credit where due :)

1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg

• cream together until smooth... it helps to have room temp shortening.

2 tsp baking powder
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt

• combine in a separate bowl.

1/2 cup milk
1tsp vanilla

• Combine these two ingredients together.  Add dry ingredients, creamed ingredients and milk alternately.  Dough WILL be sticky.  Chill in fridge one hour (this is important and makes it easier to work with the dough).  The milk is the 'extra' ingredient that makes such a huge difference from a normal sugar cookie recipe.  Here is where you will begin to roll your dough... BUT BEFORE YOU CAN ROLL IT you will need to ADD A LOT MORE FLOUR!  It was never really in my Mom's recipe but is something I have learned to do.  You can use the whole portion of dough at once or small amounts at a time.  You will need to add flour until the dough won't stick to the counter/rolling pin... or your shapes will just be a mess.  Perhaps add 1/2 cup of flour at a time.  I'm not sure the exact measurements as I usually quadruple this batch to make a ton.  Keep kneading the dough and adding flour until it can be rolled and cut.  I like to roll my cookies thicker which makes for a softer cookie.  Recipe says Roll out 3/8 inches thick on floured surface.  Cut with cookie cutters.  Bake 10-12 min @ 350F until just barely brown on the bottom.  Cool on rack.  Ice cookies.  Make about 2 dozen.

Take the cookies out of the oven just before you think they might be done.  I usually time exactly 11 minutes and unless they are extra thick they should be done.

They are my FAVOURITE cookies!  I usually eat far too many of them which is why I only make them twice a year... Christmas and Valentines for my love, who also loves these cookies :)

Let me know if you have questions... I have been making them for so long that it seems foolproof to me.  I could be wrong?

I just use the regular buttercream icing recipe from the icing sugar bag!  Perfection!  I'm going to eat one now!

Jen

Pul Training Pants Shell

I used some leftover pieces from the fitted sheet to make training pants.

This is just a shell with no absorbent layer. I like to use the waffle training pants with extra fabric layers to prevent big puddles on the floor when potty training begins (found them at Walmart). Now with this extra shell I won't be worried about Q being on the carpet during training time :)

I followed this tutorial but made the pattern larger to fit my 2.5 yr old. I think it still might be too small in the legs but won't find out till I try them on her tomorrow.  

•  *Tragic, it didn't fit in the legs.  I should have known.  When I made the pattern larger, adding more seam allowance to the leg areas, it was actually making the leg holes smaller. NOTE: If you increase the size of the pattern add the extra space around the exterior but not in the leg holes.  Cut them in to the size of the initial pattern.

The next pair I will add an absorbent layer so they can be used on their own. 

Waterproof fitted sheet

I finally got around to sewing a waterproof fitted sheet for Quinn's toddler bed (I have only been meaning to do it since we first bought the bed for hailey 2 yrs ago).  

The bed has a foam mattress (purchased at ikea) that of course is a different size than any other toddler bed and they don't sell a waterproof sheet for it. 

I purchased this pul material probably last year and made it all in one day. It is an easy project (which I managed to make more difficult). I followed a tutorial I found on Pinterest but changed the measurements to fit our mattress. 

Now I don't have to worry about the mattress being ruined by pee or puke (or worse ;) or having the old waterproof mat shift around rendering it useless. 

Happy camper over here!

Oven mitts

I made some little oven mitts to match the girls aprons. The first pair is just big enough for Quinn. I will have to make the next set a little larger for Hailey. 

I was thinking about giving it to them as a Christmas present (along with a pretend cookie baking set) but it isn't November yet and I'm too excited to wait. 

I had to piece together enough scraps to make them but hopefully I will have just enough for the last set. 

If I decide to make the chef hat I will have to use different fabric.