DIY Bird house

Diy bird house  @ the library this Monday. 

Milk cartons makes fun and inexpensive bird feeders. With paint, decorations and bird seed . 

For smaller kids you may need to cut the cutouts 

Simple milk cartons 

Painted with flowers and cut out for bird seeds .

Blue beach house 

Star FAMILYfeature 6/15/26

 

Welcome to week#3 of the June 2026 "You're the Star" Blog Hop!

Before we continue onto the Linky party I wanted to share this post from my blog

Fudge recipe for National Fudge day 

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WELCOME to FAMILY feature week of the
June 2026 "You're the STAR" blog hop!
Meet your hosts 

This week is FAMILY feature week
Swing by the hosts' blogs:

Michelle @ Moms Are Frugal

Lisa @ At Home With Lisa

Kris @ Kris and Larry . com

Angie @ God's Growing Garden

Colleen @ Butterfly in the Attic

This is a month long Linky party featuring YOU!

There will be 4 different features each week and 4 different feature categories.  Just to be clear - this is NOT a themed party - you may link up ANY family-friendly blog posts any day of each month. 

The "theme" occurs in our weekly features:

WEEK#3 FAMILY - parenting, fitness, health, finances & inspirational (this can include anything about children like: education ideas for children, also self help, beauty etc -  anything family friendly)

(These features were chosen from the May 2026 "You're the STAR" blog hop)

Way To Go Graduate!  Our GRAND Ideas for Gifting Cash by Our Grand Lives

Memorial Day by Cindy's On-Line Recipe Box

Parent's Day Celebration by Debbie-Dabble Blog

Our Mother's Day Weekend by Amy's Creative Pursuits

If you've been featured then please grab a STAR button below:

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All Hosts/CoHosts will post this blog hop on every Monday of each week.

Please link up your family friendly blog posts below!

It wouldn't be a linky party with YOU!

(IMPORTANT NOTE: by linking up you understand that you might be featured next month and if so, we will use some of your photos from your post - rest assured - we will always link back to your lovely blog.  We might also share your fantastic posts on social media.  Also, you may link up as many family-friendly posts as you like & YES - other blog hops &/or giveaways are welcome {giveaways and blog hops will NOT be featured though}  Thank You & ENJOY! )

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Easy Fudge Recipe

 Tomorrow is National Fudge day: so let's make some easy fudge to celebrate.

Ingredients

• 3 cups chocolate chips either semi-sweet or milk chocolate (18.6 ounces) 
• 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

• Line an 8 inch by 8 inch baking dish with aluminim foil or two pieces of parchment paper overlapping to make an X.
• In a medium saucepan, combine the chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk.
• Place the pan over medium low heat. Stir consistently until the chocolate is partially melted. Stir in the vanilla extract.
• Continue stiring until the chocolate is fully melted and the mixture is smooth and starts to turn shiny.
• Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. It will be very thick – if it doesn't pour well because of the thickness, don't stress, you're still on the right track. Once it is all in the pan, you can gently shake the pan back and forth to help it settle. You can also use a rubber spatula to spread it.
• Allow the fudge to completely set. This can be done on the countertop and will take about four hours.
• Remove the fudge from the pan and take off the aluminum foil. Trim off the rounded edges from the pan. Cut the fudge in half one way and then the other to make four equal squares. Cut each small square into 9 equal pieces by cutting into thirds one way and then the other. This will result in 36 equal pieces of fudge.
• Enjoy right away or store in an airtight container for up to two weeks. 

Flag Day : History and Fun

 The early colonists displayed Union Jack, the British flag, which is blue with a red cross and a white cross. In 1775, the colonists decided to make a new flag. They wanted to express their frustration with British taxes and laws, but they also wanted to show some loyalty to the Crown. The Grand Union flag had red and white stripes. In the upper left-hand corner was a small Union Jack.In 1777, the colonists decided that they needed a completely new flag. They chose one stripe for each of the thirteen colonies. They added stars to symbolize a new “constellation,” or new government in which people could be free to make their own laws.

The first flags varied. On some flags, the stars were placed in a circle; on other flags, they were scattered or placed in a line.The story goes that Betsy Ross helped design the first flag. We know that she sewed American flags, but we’re not sure if she designed the very first one.In 1817, as new states were joining the Union, Congress decided to add a star for each new state. During the Civil War, eleven states left the Union. Some people wanted the stars representing those states to be removed. Abraham Lincoln refused, insisting that those stars remain on the flag. He was determined to reunite the country and he succeeded. 

Betsy Ross :.

Born the eighth of seventeen children in Philadelphia, Betsy Ross lived in a time when the American colonies were yearning for independence from British rule. Ross worked as a seamstress and was eager to contribute to the cause, making tents and repairing uniforms when the colonies declared war. By 1779 she was filling cartridges for the Continental Army. Did she sew the first flag? That’s up for debate, but Who Was Betsy Ross? tells the story of a fierce patriot who certainly helped create the flag of a new nation.

Flag Day activities:

http://allfreeprintable.com/flag-day-trivia

Paper Plate wreath : with paper stars and paint with striped ribbon hanger. 

• paper plate
• ruler
• pencil
• scissors
• red and blue paint
• paint brush
• white star stickers
• hole punch
• string

Using the ruler and pencil, draw a flag on the paper plate. Cut out the center of the paper plate.

Paint the corner of the flag wreath blue.Next, paint red stripes. Start with the top stripe red and then paint every other stripe red. Let dry completely.Then, put white star stickers on the blue corner.Using a hole punch, put a hole in the top center of the flag. Put string through the hole and tie in a loop.Hang your paper plate American flag wreath on the door and enjoy.

Strawberry Shortcakes: Recipe

 Strawberry Shortcakes: 

This recipe uses Bisquick mix but you can use any type of biscuit mix or make your favorite from scratch. 

• 1quart (4 cups) strawberries, sliced
• 1/4cup sugar
• 2 1/3cups Original Bisquick™ mix
• 1/2cup milk
• 3tablespoons sugar
• 3tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/2cup heavy whipping cream
• Heat oven to 425°F. In large bowl, mix strawberries and 1/4 cup sugar; set aside.
•  In medium bowl, stir Bisquick™ mix, milk, 3 tablespoons sugar and the butter until soft dough forms. On ungreased cookie sheet, drop dough by 6 spoonfuls. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.
•  Meanwhile, in small bowl, beat whipping cream with electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form. 

• Split warm shortcakes; fill and top with strawberries and whipped cream.
• 
  

What is a Shortcake? 

A “short” cake is one that has a high ratio of butter to flour and sugar. Stir the dough just until the dry ingredients are moistened and a soft dough forms. The shortcakes shouldn’t stick to the pan, but you can use baking parchment or a silicone baking mat if you’d like.

1 Samuel 3 : verse 8-9

Sunday's Bible journal : 

  …Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘, for   .’

God wants to speak with us

In this moment of time not many people were hearing God speak, ‘The revelation of God was rarely heard or seen’. We often think that the reason people weren’t hearing God speak is because God wasn’t speaking. The reality is though that God is always looking to speak with his people. In fact the Father’s desire to connect with us is greater than our desire to speak with him.

Cherry coffee cake to share.....

Kids classroom...

It's National Flag day...

 

Book Review : Murder at the Stitch and Sail

Adult Summer Reading program 

A glittering gala, a knitting cruise… and a killer who knows how to tie the perfect knot.

When Blakely Monroe inherits the oceanside Oceanspray B&B, she expects fussy donors, tangled yarn, and Grandma Rose’s “helpful” matchmaking—not a dead celebrity, Celeste Marlowe, on the first Stitch & Sail outing. With her mind latching onto every crooked detail (and her knitting needles working overtime), Blakely can’t ignore the small things: a VIP gift that doesn’t match, a sharp scent in a teacup, and a “MEDIA” tote that keeps appearing where it shouldn’t.

Her gossipy best friend Morgan collects whispers, Bobby Zion reads the dock like a map, and Scout—Blakely’s tan, nose-first detective—won’t stop circling the sponsor boxes. Captain Noah Rowe was the last man Celeste cornered about off-the-books runs, and Marina Kline’s fund paperwork has holes big enough to sink a boat.

Now the town’s reputation—and Blakely’s future—hang on one last stitch before the killer cuts the line.

 Book Review 

Kaylynn Smith continues to author wonderful mysteries. All of the books in this series is great and this one is no exception.

"Mystery at the Stitch and Sail" will keep; you on the edge of your seat all the way through the story. If you are not familiar with her work, you are missing a series that leaves you wondering almost to the very end before you can untangle all the clues. Do yourself a favor and pick up this latest in the series or better yet start from the beginning.

Our challenge... travel themed books