Back In The Saddle

Summer has been flying by around here! Rather then wright it all out, better to show it in pictures. Being back home has given me the crafty bug, and the kids are in need of some fun projects as well. I am at the kitchen table planning out some summer fun at home with kids and get my crafty shopping list in order!

Whew!

  I cannot believe how neglectful I have been of this poor little blog. We have been busy with finishing up the school year, birthdays, and starting our garden plot in the local community garden.  Of course there have been crafting projects going on around here.  For a quick project, the boys and I have been working on our friendship bracelets.  For a fantastic HOW-TO ( in case you need a refresher...) check out the link from Honestly WTF. 

My most favorite little invention is this floss winder that I found at the local craft store.  Perfect for getting all that floss in order! The kiddos even helped out with all the winding we had.  Love that!

 The end result. A lovely rainbow of color.  Hoping to have a bunch of fun bracelets to share with friends and family!

He's The Doctor

 

You know you are a fan of a show when your kids make you a Lego figure.  My oldest made me a Doctor Who Lego figure.  I think he is supposed to be the 10th doctor, hence the stripy suit. I love the sonic screwdriver. That is how the kids bring joy to my life while we are in the middle of crazy home improvement stuff and family coming in from out of town.  

There has been little crafty stuff going on lately.  As we get closer to finishing things up around here, I hope that changes soon!!

School Days!

  School has started!   The oldest is in 1st grade.  One may think that things may seem more relaxed around here, but that has not been the case.  Actually I feel more busy and pressed for time.  Why is that??  He seems to be liking school, but going all day long is a big adjustment.  Next week the youngster' will start preschool.  Wow! Wow! Wow! 

In the meantime we were able to enjoy our final weekend before the school bell rang.  Nothing like being with friends, enjoying good food, and laughing until it hurts.

 I am hoping to return to a regular crafting program once things settle in.  The weather has turned a little cooler and thoughts start to wander to yarn and knitting. Projects are starting to form in my head. Stay tuned!

Push and Pull

  The days are starting to get noticeably shorter and there is something in the air.  These past couple of weeks have been very strange ones around here.  It is that back to school vibe and it puts me a push/pull mood.  I want to covet these last few days with everyone at home.  I want to try and get in some last minute day trips to enjoy the summer.  I want to slow down and enjoy every little minute.  At the same time we begin to get bombarded with appointments, open houses, and back to school shopping. The oldest is a little quicker to put on his "I'm board" routine.  I have to admit the boys are ready for a little time apart.  While they love each other and play well together (for the most part), they are getting tired of the same ol' thing.

My crafting has taken a bit of a backseat in order to enjoy these days a little more.  My head is full of ideas, but when it comes to actual execution, well, other things just seem a little more important right now.  However, I feel there will projects to share very soon!!  

A Day In The City

A day in the city is always a good time. Took the train to Chicago with the family. Spent the day on Michigan Ave. at the Lego store (of course). My favorite part was just walking with looking at the amazing architecture. It was a bit of a challenge to get good pics and take the time to really admire the buildings, we had some pretty excited kiddos ready to hit the store!

I love to ride the train. The people watching is amazing! This older woman on the train sat in quiet contemplation with her devotional and rosary for a while. It was her moment of meditation, until her cell phone started to ring like crazy. I guess it is hard to escape modern life even on the train.

A Rumbly Resuce

 Meet the newest addition to our family.  We could not be more happy or excited to have him become part of our lives.  His name is Rumble Belly or Rumbly.  Why such a name?  Well, this kitty purrs like he has swallowed a V-10 engine. It is fantastic.  Also, he came to us weighing around 15 lbs.

This summer we searched all the rescue shelters looking for our new pet.  Then we saw this guy up in the very top cage at the West Olive Humane Society.   I think it was love at first sight.  We spent some time with him at the shelter and he did great with the kids.  He is 5yrs. old and a mellow jello kind of guy.

It was a good experience for all of us. The folks at the humane society were so nice and very helpful.  It tugged at your heart to see all these animals in need of good homes.  It was a great opportunity to talk to the boys about responsibility and loving your pet for the rest of its life.  It is hard thing to wrap your head around for an adult let alone a child.  However, happy faces prevailed when we found our "brother".

So welcome to your new home Rumbly! We are so happy you are here. 

Blueberry Fields Forever

A summer must here in Michigan is blueberry picking.  The berries are large, sweet, and juicy.  We pick plenty to enjoy now and then some to freeze for later.  There is nothing like pulling out some berries in the middle of winter and baking some muffins.  After our hard labor, we rewarded ourselves with some blueberry ice cream!

The Boys Of Summer

   This past weekend  was very busy with a big family wedding.  I am so sad at the lack of picture taking on my part.  We were so busy with both J. and myself being in the wedding. On the day of the ceremony I did manage to grab a picture of the boys.  Everyone had a fun weekend, but we were exhausted on the final day.

Now that we are back home, things are coming together.  It is a slow process, but getting back to cooking and off the road food has been a great start. For lunch yesterday I had tomatoes and basil from the garden. There was real mozzarella cheese in the fridge to add, YEAH!!  Simple and so very satisfying.

 

An Adventure To Remember

  Our first camping trip out this year was very adventurous.  On our first night at the site we had to survive an impending thunderstorm.  While we went out for dinner (and to stay dry during the storm) our tent came out of the stakes and flew up a tree. Tents DO FLY! Our nice camping neighbors grabbed our tent and held it down with the picnic table while we were out.  One thing about camping is everyone is always looking out for each other, it is so wonderful!!  We were fortunate that my mom lives close by and we were able to bunk with her during the night.
  We made day trips to the camp site and where we were still able to enjoy good camp cooking, fires, the beach, and all the other things that camping has to offer. Just not staying in the tent. LOL! 

Learning Continues...

The official school year may have ended last week, but we like to keep things going.  It just may seem more fun because you are not in the classroom. This would be our version of music class. We took the boys to the park where one of our favorite Michigan bands was playing a free concert.  The Ragbirds are a band from Ann Arbor who have a folk/world music feel.  You gotta love it when your kiddos get to see lots of different instruments and get to dance in the grass.

There was also our version of gym class. There was a particular hill that they found fun to run and roll up and down, up and down, it was pretty funny.  I let them each have a turn with the camera. A little bit of  technology and art class for them.  Their work is featured below....

The Weekend

The Freezer Paper Experiement

 Over at Cheri's blog, she has lots of fun and crafty ideas.  One of her most popular crafts is to use freezer paper and stencil on a cool design to a kids shirt or pants.  Her projects always look so cool and modern.  I thought why not give it a whirl with my own boys and see how it goes.....

 The actual project is pretty easy!  (tutorial here)  I think I might need to use a different brush to get a more solid look, but overall I think the shirt turned out pretty cute.

Of course getting your 3 yr. old to stay still for a picture is something else of a challenge!  The shirt was pretty simple, maybe next time we could add some embellishments or words.  If you want to be inspired check out the flickr group!!  Seriously puts mine to shame, but hoping with more practice they start to look better and better!

Much Goings Ons.....

  The house has had a busy buzz feeling these last few days.  The weather is getting warmer (maybe 70's this week!!) and spring has sprung. One thing we like to stop and enjoy with the kids is on Sunday night watching the new series, LIFE on Discovery.  The show brings back memories of my childgood.  My sister and I would watch the animals on Discovery or Wild Kingdom. Then we go off into our imaginary worlds and play "animals".  We were snakes, lions, polar bears, pandas, sharks.  Silly, but fun. Of course our shows never looked as beautiful.  The images for LIFE are truly amazing and almost the entire time, I ask "How did they film that?!"

  It was so great to watch the boys enjoy some of the same experiences.  They thought the Venus Fly Trap was cool.  Then one of the boys (or one of us parents) would become the fly trap and the boy(s) would be the fly.  We would have to catch them and hold them.  These fly's usually would escape.  Last night my oldest said something that is always wonderful for a parent to hear.  We asked the boys if a certain scene was to scary or intense (Hyenas Vs. Lions), and my oldest says "No mom, I want to learn something new".  Awesome!!!

My B-Day In Photo Form (It was a good day!)