Wednesday - Details

Fetch
Boy, Maggie loves to fetch!
That is all.

Slumber

Up-cycle
Caleb has been attending Camp Invention this week.
He's been creating new things from miscellaneous recyclables and office supplies.
He's taken apart a VCR to explore the components and later build something new.
He's been learning about atoms.
He's been in little boy heaven.
(Not that girls can't participate; there's about a 50/50 split between boys and girls attending.)

Normal

Hearing the Wii Fit tell me "That's overweight," is less than desirable.

Rude is more like it.

Today, victory was mine!

That condescending little voice said, "That's normal."

Organic
I usually pass up on organic produce.
It's not that I don't see the value.
It's just that my priorities place cost above quality in some cases.
I took a double take at the store today when I was looking for strawberries.
Of course, I noticed the 300% price difference between organic and non-organic.
But the starkest difference was in the color and smell of organic versus non-organic strawberries.
Organic wins hands down!

Independence Day - Details

Handprints

Family
We spent the better part of the afternoon with Jadie's mom and sister at Grandma's house.

Pool
Jadie's mom recently bought an above ground pool, so we were water-logged by the end of the day.
Norah is our little fish.
With a pair of arm floaties, she is fearless!

Face-plant
It was bound to happen.
She had been going up and down the 3 steps from the house to the patio all afternoon.
And she finally face-planted.
It still looks pretty sad this morning.
Poor baby!

Fireworks
It was a last minute decision, so I don't have any spectacular photos.
We parked near the golf course to catch a glimpse of the fireworks show over the lake.
As fireworks always are, they were spectacular!

Budding Artist

Sarah has drawn her first rendition of our family!  

From left to right: Norah, Sarah, Mommy, Caleb, and Daddy is lying down at the top.

I'm so thankful that I thought to take a picture before it was erased.

A Story

The Cactus
by Caleb Freeman

Once upon a time, there was a little cactus that was really healthy, but there was no water.  The next day, it looked like a baby cactus.  And then, it grew all day.  Then somebody found it and they watered it.  And then the next day, the cactus started to look like a real cactus, but it wasn't.  It was a half-sized cactus.  And then it was growing, growing, growing, growing all day.  And then the next day it was a real cactus.  The end.

Further editing and hand drawn pictures to come.  Stay tuned...

Long White Bones With The Skin All Gone

Remember that lovely little song?  

Something about the Ghost of John...

Anyway, we did a skeleton craft for Halloween.  

It was easy peasy.  

I painted the skulls and cut the q-tips.

The kids glued them on while using an example from the internet as a guide.  

I helped Sarah position her q-tips.  But I'll give her the credit :-)

These lovely bones now grace our front door...scaring away anyone who dares to ring our doorbell.

School Library Pumpkin Contest

Caleb's school library is hosting a Pumpkin Decorating Contest.  You know I love creative outlets, so we jumped on board.

A few of the ground rules:

Your pumpkin is to be decorated like a character from a book.

You may not puncture your pumpkin.

Pumpkins may be decorated by the child or as a family.

Caleb chose Clifford The Big Red Dog.

I let the kids paint the pumpkin completely RED.  This was a pretty tame activity, but we did have one mishap.  Dusty (our dog) stepped in a puddle of red paint!  Thankfully we caught it before he exited the tiled area.

I brainstormed about what to use for Clifford's snout and ears.  I settled on foam sheets.  They were easy to work with, but tough to attach to the pumpkin.  I think the slick surface of the pumpkin hindered their ability to stick.

I let Caleb help with the eyes and hair.  We used Sharpie and white paint.  Done.

Budding Artists

CALEB

Caleb and Collin, a friend from school

101 Dalmatians

SARAH

I'm a ghost. Boo.

That's what you'll be hearing Sarah say over and over and over on Halloween.

I copied Sarah's Halloween costume from a Pinterest find.   It looked simple enough, and it was.  Except for the skirt.  I can't get the tulle to fluff up like I want it to.  But it's still adorable.

Here's the original:

Toddler Girl Ghost Costume

And my completed version:

Cute, but my ghost face is HUGE!

Show and Tell: The Letter S

What Am I?

Show and Tell: The Letter A

(Actually from last Friday)

What is it?

Technology Tickets

So, I saw this idea somewhere...probably through Pinterest, considering it's my new addiction.  I cannot find the source now, but here is the scoop.

I printed these tickets meant for DIY lottery scratch-offs.  I wrote "30 minutes" on each one.  I laminated them at Mardel.  I made holders for them by cutting, then folding scrapbook paper in half and stapling up the sides.  Then I used painter's tape to mount the holders. Done.

I wanted Caleb to be more aware of his TV/Wii/Computer time, so I printed out tickets worth 30 minutes each.

On Monday after school, he will receive 10 tickets (5 hours) for the week.  He keeps his tickets inside the cabinet of the entertainment center.

I keep his spent tickets on the wall behind the TV.

To use his tickets, he hands one to me and I start a 30 minute timer.  He knows to turn off whatever he's doing when he hears the timer or that he has to give me another ticket.

I have set a 3 ticket maximum for any given day and I reserve the right to refuse technology time for the day.  This might be due to other activities, behavior at home, or behavior at school.

So far, I love how it's working out.  He's much more aware of the amount of time he's watching TV and I haven't heard any whining when it's time to pull the plug.

But then again this is only the 3rd day.  We'll see how long this works so beautifully.

I may consider giving 12 tickets on Monday instead of just 10.  Also perhaps extra tickets for rewards.

To Do List: Thurs, Sept 8

1. Quiet Time (Beth Moore's Breaking Free)

2. Make Laundry Detergent using a recipe from Great Oak Circle (dot com).

3. Create our fall mantel using inspiration from Sweet Something Design.

4. Finalize a pattern for Advent calendars or banner to place in my Etsy Shop and my booth at the Spring Valley Craft Bazaar.

5. Plan a few meals for the next week or so...you can tell how ambitious I am.

On Second Thought...Christmas Fabrics

I'm kind of digging these instead...

Michael Miller's Quarter Dot Red

Christmas Candy Diagonal Stripes Green

Christmas Candy Damask Green

Christmas Candy Damask Red

Michael Miller's Little Flakes Green

Michael Miller's Holiday Yule Trees Aqua Tree Trimmers Multi

]

Michael Miller's Play Dot Santa Red/Green

Moda Flurry Wonderland Evergreen

Moda Flurry Frost Chill

Moda Flurry Glitter Gumdrop

Kid's Table and Chairs

Could I even do this myself?

Of course, it would wait a few months until I am settled in with Norah...but I think I could get really excited about a project like this!

What am I saying?  I AM excited about this project!

Kid's Table and Chairs

Fabric Picks for Christmas Projects

Amy Butler's Lotus Wall Flower Cherry

Amy Butler's Lotus Full Moon Polka Dot Lime

Heather Bailey's Pop Garden Sway Brown

Heather Bailey's Pop Garden Zag Stripe Red

Heather Bailey's Pop Garden Sway Ivory

Heather Bailey's Pop Garden Peonies Red

What are your favorite Christmas fabrics?