Chalkboard Fun!

C is gracious to so willingly go with all of my teacher-like minded ideas.  Especially the ones that necessitate his planning and building…like this.

Little A’s interest in anything crayon, chalk, pen etc. initiated this pinterest project thought in my head…and when I couldn’t shake it, I asked C if he could help make it a reality.

Side note, I wish I oculd explain B’s wardrobe choice…though I am without words, bottom line he is safe, cared for and happy…trying not to sweat the smaller things!

It is my earnest desire to have our neck of the woods be as kiddo friendly and family welcoming as possible. God provided this little spot in the world for us to inhabit and I want others, especially our kiddos friends, to enjoy it as much as we do…so if you’re in the neighborhood, please come out to play!

Thank you C!

Happy coloring.

Be blessed.

My Birthday Gift

When C asked me what I might want for my birthday, I told him I thought I wanted a piano.

Let me explain…

Several months ago I saw this photo (yes, I admit I found it while perusing pinterest). So began my search for a piano and my research for painting a piano.

I told C that I wished that we had a piano that out nuggets could play and pound on…something that I wasn’t worried about getting ‘hurt’…simply something to provide their little hearts, hands and ears exposure to.

See, I often regret ever quitting my own piano lessons... Yes, I can remember the days of feeling like I was in a ball and chains expected to be practicing when I felt like all my neighborhood friends were outside playing…but oh, how I wish that I had kept on and not talked my parents into letting me quit. I know I may be romancing slightly (well probably a lot)…but wouldn’t it be so neat to be able to sit down at any piano and simply be able to tap out a worship song…a Christmas song or even a little one’s favorite melody?

When C asked if I might play one if we had one, I mentioned trying to take ‘lessons’ from a friend’s 11 year old daughter who lives down the street and sort of re-learn so that I could teach our kiddos.

So for my birthday, C and the kiddos took me to Keys for Kids to look at pianos. We found one that needed some love…but seemed to have pretty good bones and fit our budget.

A few weeks later, the piano was delivered…Little A and B were thrilled to watch the truck pull into our driveway and watch the delivery men bring the large and heavy instrument into the house.

Both B & A were quick to try the black and white keys out…A stood on her tip toes as she tried to play alongside her brother. They giggled and giggled as they played…my heart melted as I realized that my ‘wish’ had come to fruition!

A few days later, I set out to paint the well loved instrument to provide it with a little bit of a face-lift.

Before…

Sanding…

Taping…

All finished…

After the move and face-lift, one of the sharp keys is sticking.  We are hoping that that can be fixed/adjusted once we have it tuned…but other than that are so happy with how this little project came together.

My sincere hope is that our nuggets will take to the piano and that we’ll be looking to ‘upgrade’ in the years to come…if not, we haven’t invested too too much in this nugget-friendly instrument plus it’s a definite conversation piece that’s been added to our living room.

This gift goes down in the books as one of the more random and large gifts I’ve ever received…it is also one of the sweetest.

Happy playing.

Be blessed.

Sensory Table

B’s teacher has mentioned (repeatedly) B’s interest/infatuation with his classroom’s sensory table. He isn’t much into coloring or the craft projects but is always eager to play with whatever stuff be it sticky, gooey, gritty or doughy that he might find at his favorite spot in the classroom.

Remembering Mrs. F’s comments is what gave us the idea to create our own little mini sensory table for B’s birthday party.  The table was a hit both during the party and afterwards. 

These two played and played and played…

So much that we decided to keep the fun going and build a sensory table for our backyard!

C made the table out of scrap wood from a pile in our garage and I painted it with left over paint from the myriad projects we have tackled over the past several months (the under the bed storage bin was left over from our former house)…the entire project was spontaneous and cost nothing, making me even more excited about it.

(The helmet is just a glimpse of the shenanigans taking place in what is our backyard…oh the joy of being 3 years old!)

My goal for the spring/summer is to rotate whatever resides in the table each week or two….right now we have rice (left over from the party)…I can only imagine what might we might play and explore with next!

Ella makes sure chaperone all the new sensory table happenings as they develop.

Happy Playing.

Be blessed.

Completed and Hung.

I have been working on this project since our little Pinterest craft night. 

The project initially caught my eye because it seemed to be one that wouldn’t cost hardly anything.  I assumed I could use scrap fabric left over from other projects I’ve started and hoped I might even get C to build me a frame to stretch the fabric around using scrap wood from our bathroom renovation. 

I’ll be honest, I never imagined I would ever see this frugal project through to completion…and assumed the states would collect dust and be forgotten amidst the myriad other projects waiting to be completed in my sewing bin.

To my surprise (and delight) with the help of some extended afternoon naps (and a couple late nights) I actually completed it without spending anything!

A couple of the women at the craft night asked what I might do with the map when it was complete. One suggested using it as a way to remember different trips our family has taken.  Being one who loves to memorialize special happenings in our family’s life, I ran with the idea and printed little flags to attach to the map (with the help of buttons) to remind us of places we’ve been together since our wedding in 2006.

The project itself was really quite simple…I’ll be honest, I didn’t follow the tutorial to a tee and really just did it how my little brain thought it might work .

1. Trace the states onto tissue paper from a large map

2. Cut the tissue paper states out and pin them to random scrap fabric

3. Lay fabric states out

4. Find a large piece of backing fabric

5. Iron states onto backing fabric (it’s like putting a puzzle together) with iron on adhesive

6. Once the states are ironed on sew around each state…it doesn’t have to be perfect (the edges fray and look really neat)

7. Ask someone handy to make a wooden frame

8. Stretch fabric over frame and stable with a staple gun

9. Enjoy!

It is fun to imagine what little flags might pop up over the next several years…I look forward to being reminded of lots of future memories and am grateful for the memories we already have.

Happy crafting.

Be blessed.

Thank You…Pinterest!

I was recently invited to a Pinterest Night…i.e. craft night. To my heart’s delight the night included some of my favorite things…dessert, company of other mom’s in my life stage and peace and quiet. To each of our surprise, we crafted/talked until close to midnight…seeing that time is a rarity in my life, but totally worth every minute of sleep lost.

The plan was to bring various projects that had caught our eye on none other than pinterest. We simply sat around a kitchen table, enjoying tasty pinterest recipes that had been made and chatted as if we were old ladies collaboratively working on a quilt or in a knitting club.

One of the recipes was delicious chocolate chip cookies…I will be honest, they were delicious. I tried my hand at the recipe and it was as easy as the blog describes them. This will undoubtedly be my new ‘go-to’ recipe when it comes to making an easy dessert (I think the secret is in the corn starch).

I worked on this project…thinking it would be a fun way to remember where our little family has traveled together…(it is still in the works, but I hope to have photos of the finished product soon). My plan is to hang it on the wall and sew/glue buttons onto the places that we visit.

Some of the women worked on this project.

I was so impressed that later I made one for a special someone’s birthday (wink wink).  I can’t post a photo because I don’t want to totally ruin the surprise…but it actually turned out, which I am quite excited about.

Another project created was this t-shirt scarf/necklace

Which again, I later made…only this time I’ll be honest, I made it for myself (I totally copied my friend down to the color of the t-shirt and the multi-colored ‘pom pom’)…I am hoping that she thinks that imitation is the best form of flattery .

It has been awhile since I’ve rolled up my sleeves and tried my hand at creativity. It really is therapeutic and fun to see fruit from simple projects.

Happy crafting.

Be blessed.

Pinterest

I don’t often jump on technology band wagons. I haven’t gotten much into facebook. I don’t carry an iphone.  I have no idea what twitter is/does.  I pretty much only use our computer to download photos, email and blog.

So it was with initial hesitation that I even began exploring the world of pinterest. Friends raved about it, but I hesitated because I knew I didn’t need another ‘time waster’ or distraction.

Then someone mentioned pinterest being like a free magazine of ideas that never ends…something you can pick up when you have time and glance at. Something that can help you sort random things you wished you could remember like how to get your bathroom tile sparkling or fun toddler activities that don’t cost hardly anything.

So I sent a request for an invitation…and upon accepting realized that it is quite simply fantastic! Yes, it can be a huge time waster…and is something I feel like I need to ‘limit’ myself to, as I could spend hours looking at other peoples’ fun, pretty, functional, organized, crafty, tasty, creative ideas etc. ideas. But with moderation, I have found myself quite enthralled (and impressed) by what others are able to think up.

C challenged me to try some of the things that caught my eye, to make it a little more productive…so in true pinterest fashion, I created a ‘board’ of  “things I’ve tried”…and this activity is one I recently ‘pinned’ to that board.

To my surprise and B’s delight, the crayons actually turned out…but even more, B and I enjoyed time together in a fun out-of-the-ordinary way.

Thank you pinterest!

Be blessed.