Puddle stomping

I decided to revisit walnut boats with the boys. Last time we made them, we were limited to a kitchen sink boat launch because of weather.

But yesterday evening, the warm spring air and the morning rains had given us perfect waterways in the rutted driveway of the vacant driveway next to ours.

The boys each made their own sail and Ethan helped me fill the walnuts with dripping hot wax.



They lined up the fleet at some sort of prearranged starting point.



After that, we were all a little unclear how these boats might "race" each other. The boys decided they would blow on them to get them going.



It was pretty intense.



Within seconds, boats were tipping and sinking and hopes were dashed.

Sadly, one unfortunate walnut was even stomped on in a fit of rage.

Then came the natural progression of chaos and splashing and mud in the eyes.





And, not much later, bath-time.

Plans

What may or may not be included in this day:



::Christmas projects
::Decorating giant gingerbread man (Trader Joe's was sold out of the house kits)
::Homemade pumpkin spice latte (info here)...without pumpkin puree
::Comforting sick, fussy baby
::Skipping soccer

How to spell Thanksgiving

I've been looking forward to the Thanksgiving season.  It's good for my mental health.  Actively replacing all my natural discontent and worry with the reality of what's good.  So many good things. 

We plan to do the ol' listing of blessings at some point, whether I find an original way to do it or not.  In fact, we do a daily version of this but it does become pretty rote. 

Recently I came across the word "Obrigado" in a book and it brought back a flood of mostly-repressed memories from intern days in Rhode Island.  A time when I carried around Portuguese flashcards in my scrubs, hoping to communicate with patients.   Really, it was my supervisor I should have worried about.  Sadly, there were no flashcards to help me speak petty tyrant.

This, with another post I'd seen recently using pasta letters to make name-cards, gave me an idea.

A banner with "thank-you" in several different languages.  Good for the fine motor skills, pre-reading skills and more!



 

 

 

 

Yarn it all

I recently tried my hand at dyeing yarn for the first time.  I wanted to make duck feet for Sadie's costume but had no yellow yarn the right size.  I did, however, have yellow food coloring and an old skein of white yarn.  The transformation was so satisfying, I knew it would be something the kids would enjoy.

With the long weekend in mind, I bought several packets of Kool-Aid.   Each of the boys picked 2 different colors, Ethan found directions for dyeing on Knitty and we were off.  Some of the process in pictures, both low and high resolution:


 


 






 

 

 

Wax on

Thank you, kind readers for your words of support. I just meant to post a photo and it turned into a whine session. Guess I needed to vent.

This weekend I was able to squeeze in some craft therapy, between soccer games and parties. Thanks again to pinterest for inspiration.


While on a walk last week, I even stumbled (almost literally) on a large supply of crayons at a yard sale. Brand new and dirt cheap. With this project in mind, I snapped them up quite happily.

In fact, Keith stopped by a flea market later in the week and brought home even more crayons for me. Total and irrefutable proof that this project was meant to be!

I had an old canvas of Grandpa S's in mind. I'm quite sure this was not one of his intended uses for this surface. Definitely more Bob Ross than Degas. Sorry, Grandpa!



Ethan wielded the hair dryer for the first five minutes or so. The boys gathered round and oohed and ahhed.



The wax cooperated and began melting quickly although it took many minutes more to melt the whole crayon. I taped rather than hot glued the crayons on because I wanted to remove them after the melting. This had the effect of insulating them which prolonged the process.



Next time (!), less dark colors (as suggested). When the melted colors mixed, they turned out a little darker than I really like.


Otherwise, a masterpiece!

Lonely as a cloud

By some freak of nature, I actually won a book this summer. Kids' Crafternoon Sewing, part of a craft series for kids, thanks to a giveaway on Floating Ink. Pretty exciting stuff!



It's a colorful, fun book full of great beginner projects and ideas. Hopefully it will inspire Sadie to try out her nifty sewing machine someday.



Or the boys, if they so desire. It's just easier to think of in a far-off, dreamy sort of way. Everything is possible in the future. Just don't ask me to teach anyone to sew TODAY. I can barely wrap my brain around tonight's math homework.

I did give the cloud pillow a whirl. Just looked fun to me. Whimsical and weird enough.



I like to use 100% wool stuffing rather than the poly-fill stuff for some projects. It feels a thousand times better. I buy mine from a Mennonite farm in PA. Over the phone (how quaint!) but they are reasonable and shipping is quick. (Earl Woolen Mill: 717-859-2241)

It looks like what clouds are made of.

Angry Birds come to life

I saw this idea on Pinterest several weeks ago and had to pin it for future fun. Pure brilliance, I tell you! Since then, we've been on the lookout for rocks the right size and shape. We picked up one or two in northern Michigan and a few more in NH.

We started painting the rocks this week. Ethan helped draw some of the pig faces.




While out shopping today for last-minute school supplies, we stopped by a dollar store and were excited to find the same water-toy slingshots used in the original post. They worked well, once the boys got the hang of them.



Elaborate structures for the pigs were soon springing up.





Angry birds began flying.



Kingdoms were destroyed.



The only thing missing, that distinctive mumbo-jumbo battle cry of the vigilante birds and their piggy nemeses.

A curious ancient pastime

Goal: Freshen up this old, incomplete croquet set, found free beside the road in our ol' Birmingham days. A little crazy. Just an aside, people make their own toilet paper. I'm not so bad.



And nothing's crazy when you are stuck with four kids and no car for far longer than is decent. With the possibility of many more car-less days. Thank you, competent people of the mechanic world.



Although I actually kind of like the old muted colors, I thought some fresh paint might be fun. Transformation brought to you by paintbrushes, a rag and a rubber band.












Next step: learn the fine points of croquet. And make some hoops.

I didn't go overboard

For Sadie's birthday, I had visions of tulle and flowers and all things nice. I've never been a girly, frou-frou type and do not get me started on child beauty pageants. But. After three boys I seem to have this need for a little glitz.



On the way home from soccer practice, I stopped by Jo-anne's with four sweaty, red-faced, muddy children to pick out some tulle. I considered a lovely shade of purple or green but the boys insisted on pink. No lie.

I was going to use this tutorial (sewing required) but eventually chose the no-fuss, no-sew one here, bookmarked sometime during my pregnancy with Sadie. I'm glad I did.

At the craft store, I also found the perfect flower edging which helped finish the waistband. I made a headband to match. The flowers are just strips of white fabric sewn on elastic in a circular pattern.



Not a hit with Sadie.



It didn't help that she was miserable and sick on her birthday. She wailed and squirmed and yanked at the torturous accessories until I finally took pity on her and removed them.



Will save them for another day.


Browsing through other people's rejects at a thrift store a few days before Sadie's birthday, I noticed a particular candle-holder and remembered another project I've had in the back of my mind for a while. (Check out her other awesome DIY ideas)

A cakestand! I've been wanting one and there was the perfect candleholder for $1. I searched for a plate that seemed to match and found one for $2.


Glue them together, let dry and you're done.




Adds drama to any cake.

Just add paint

We had a giant concrete canvas and kids itching to make a mess. We had sunshine (finally!) and a hose for washing up the mess (and cooling off.) We had the internet for ideas and a three-day weekend to fill.







What more can you ask for?



It didn't take long before paint was being applied to body parts. I'm here to tell you that food coloring does not wash off skin as easily as you might think.




Sidewalk paint recipe here. Cornstarch, water and food coloring are all you need.