IT'S A WONDERFUL DAY!!

Today my dear friend and neighbor organized a day of making bagged lunches to be donated to the local LUNCH BOX..a center that feeds the hungry of our area.  The best part of this is that the neighborhood children were the ones who put over 350 bagged lunches together.  We then drove with the kids to deliver them. Once there, the children were told by one of the volunteers who these meals would be going to.  As we stood there listening,  school aged children were eating at the facility.  What a lesson for our very fortunate children to see firsthand...we are truly blessed in so many ways, but so honored to be friends with families who make doing things like this a priority!

PREPPING!!

OVER 350 BAGGED LUNCHES WERE MADE BY THE KIDS!!!
WOOHOO!!!

Thanks once again to our friend Doris for coordinating this tradition now in its second year with many more to come....

xo, Mariaelena

MAKING A GIANT CHALKBOARD...

THE MAKING OF A CHALKBOARD

Last week I painted and my husband trimmed out a giant chalkboard on our playroom wall for our youngest daughter...we waited for it to cure, seasoned it up and TADA....it's finished...below is a pictorial of how we did it!!  

All done!!

before

We used painters tape to mark out the size....

We used Rustoleum Chalkboard paint...

After 3 coats...

All trimmed out....

Hannah Mae seasoning the board....
a very important step...

Piles of chalk dust collected EVERYWHERE, LOL.....
as you can see....

And that's how you do it!!

xo, Mariaelena

Cookie time!!!

It's cookie time!!   

Every year I host a big cookie swap...my cookie contribution to the party has been my almond/cranberry biscotti for the past few years...It's also a big hit with my family....had to whip up a double batch last night for my husbands work luncheon!!!....

HAPPY BAKING!!!

xo, Mariaelena

2014 Family tradition Christmas craft!!

Hi friends.  Every year since the girls were little, we have a family tradition...as soon as Thanksgiving dinner and dessert are over and the kitchen is  all cleaned up, we crank up the Christmas music and make a craft...it has evolved over the years....now the older girls are 21 & 19 and so it holds special meaning to me that we still so do this together after all of these years.  Our 9 year old especially enjoys it!!  

Take a look at what we made this year...

We used the clear glass Christmas balls from Michaels and got our craft on!!

We spent Thanksgiving at the beach house this year but I brought these beauties back to the burbs to display...

This is all we used....

They have found their place in this years Christmas decor & I'm thinking they'll be here for years to come!!

Have a happy day!!

xo, Mariaelena