Saturday, January 5, 2013

A Grown Up Kind Of Pretty by Joshilyn Jackson


I am in a book club and for the month of November we chose to read A Grown Up Kind of Pretty by Joshilyn Jackson. This book is about a young girl named Mosey who is raised by her mother and her grandmother. We find out right away that Mosey's mother has recently had a stroke and she cannot communicate well at all. At the beginning of the book, Mosey's grandmother decides she wants to build a pool in the backyard to help with Mosey's mother with therapy. When they dig up a tree in the backyard, bones are unearthed. It is soon after that that Mosey must go on a search to find out if her mother is really her mother, and if not, who is?

I really enjoyed A Grown Up Kind of Pretty. I love books that have some mystery in them and this one sure did! I also liked the way Joshilyn Jackson wrote her book - each chapter is from the viewpoint of a different character. I think a lot of authors are doing this lately, but Joshilyn Jackson does it quite well. She also jumps back and forth between past and present while the reader is trying to piece together the mystery. An excellent read and I would recommend it to anyone!

Airplane Magnet

Wow, it's been a while since I last blogged. Sheesh! It's been a busy year. I got engaged :) and I got a new job. :) So needless to say, blogging hasn't been the first thing on my to-do list. But now that the holidays are over and I THINK I have some free time - ha! I am going to post some things I have been meaning to post!

So first off: A cute little airplane magnet for you to make with your kiddos. Or if you're like me, you make multiples because you have to make examples for your job. (Yes, I have an awesome part time job - crafting!)

I first saw this craft at this website. There weren't directions that I could find right away, so I will make some for you. :D

You need for this craft:
-2 regular sized popsicle sticks
-1 mini popsicle stick
-1 clothespin
-A small piece of craft foam
-Magnet strip
-Acrylic paint in colors of your choice
-Tacky craft glue or a hot glue gun
-Scissors
-Paintbrush

First, paint your pieces - 2 sticks, 1 mini stick, and 1 clothespin. If you are using acrylic paint, remember that this does not easily come out of clothes. I think acrylic paint works the best though. Let the pieces dry for a few minutes. As you can tell, I was making 5 airplanes.


Once your pieces are dry, take the 2 longer sticks and glue one of the top of the clothespin and one of the bottom. Like so:

Take the smaller stick and glue it on the top toward the back. Like this:




Take the foam and cut a small piece for the tail of your plane. I cut a piece that looks like a quarter of a pie, but you could be creative and cut whatever you like! Glue it in the middle of the little stick on the back of the plane.

Once your glue has dried, stick a strip of magnet on the bottom, below the popsicle stick. I used a strip that was about an inch to an inch and a half long. Then stick it on your fridge! Or wherever you want! Remember, it opens and closes so you can easily stick papers or pictures in it! Have fun!


Happy New Year!
Tracy