Homemade Birthday Gifts

Bay's birthday is approaching (turning 7) and since he is not a regular reader of this blog, I think I am safe to give you a sneak preview of what Eric and Leah have created for his gifts from them. I have wanted to do freezer paper stencils with the kids for a long time, but just didn't have the occasion, or maybe it was the time, or was it the organization and pre-thought? Anyways, I buckled down and got all of the materials ahead of time and we did it! They were sooo much fun and I think are a wonderful way for the kids to showcase their artwork. It required a bit of help from me with the exacto knife and ironing, but other than that, it is their work.

If you would like more detailed instructions, there is a great photo tutorial here.

It started out with a drawing. This is Leah's sketch in her journal. I then traced the presents onto freezer paper and spaced them out just a little to fill up the front of the shirt. Then I marked the parts that would be painted and cut them out with an exacto knife.

Next step was to iron the freezer paper on the shirt and then get to painting. Once the painting was done, we let it dry. Then I used silver fabric paint to fill in the ribbon. I did this part because it was a little too detailed for Leah's hands.

Here is Leah's, all done! I think it is adorable.

Eric's went much the same way, except he just had to be so much more complicated. I had all kinds of teeny tiny pieces to cut out of the space ship and the lettering. But I exacto knifed it, ironed it on, and he painted. Then we peeled off the paper and here it is. Front side is the green alien.

Back side is the alien's space ship heading off to his planet!

I think Bay will love his shirts and will appreciate being able to wear the artwork of his brother and sister!

Comfort in Routine

We got out of our routine last week for a couple of reasons, but are thankful to be back in the routine starting today. There is something comforting to the kids and to me with our daily schedule, with the regular chores and school assignments. I have found that it is good for them to have free, unstructured time, but it is almost as if they need to first earn it. After a good day of work, to give the boys some free time makes it so much more valuable to them.

Leah (above photo) worked very hard to pick up her room today. It had gotten quite messy. And once it was all cleaned up, she was able to enjoy herself in there and spent the rest of the morning entertained by her favorite things---her little animal toys.
Of course for Eric, the demands during the day are much more: school assignments, practicing violin and piano, chores, etc. So when he was given free time this afternoon, he quickly retreated to his room to chill. What a difference I see in his attitude when he has been productive beforehand. Last week we had such problems with bad attitudes, and I can almost certainly say it was because we were out of the routine.

Science experiment-pH indicators with homemade test tubes!

Bay LOVES having his desk in his room. I used to keep all of the kids together in the school room, and it still is the central point from which we do things such as social studies, and keep all of our stuff. But when it's time for concentrated work in reading and math, it seems to help the boys to have a space without the distractions of each other to get their work done.

It is getting to be that time of year where I start planning what we will do next year. It is my favorite time...I'm pretty sure that I get more excited than my kids about school at this point in the planning stages.

What a Steal!

I like to visit our local thrift store on occasion. Normally I might find something small that is a good deal, but I have never really ever found anything I would consider a steal...until now. Tucked up with a bunch of fishing rods and cheap curtain hardware was this bolt of fabric. There was no price, which is usually a good sign. I asked one of the ladies in the back about the price, and she said it has been sitting there for a long time and she'd give it to me for $5.

FIVE DOLLARS!!!!

I did not know exactly how much fabric was on this bolt, but even if there were 2 yards it would have been a good deal (though I could tell there was much more). This kind of fabric goes for anywhere between $10 and $20 a yard at the fabric store. So I took it home and unrolled the whole thing....19 yards later I can totally say that this was a STEAL. I am so excited because now I have something that I can use to make some type of curtain for the sunroom/dining room. We love the windows and view in that room, but in the summer, those windows let in sooo much heat that there has to be some way to cover them when I want to. Now I just need to figure out what I want to do with it! I am so super excited!

I also found this oak chair that just needs a new cover on the seat and it will be beautiful. It wasn't such the steal, $10, but still a great deal for a nice chair.

Easter Day Fun

Archery buddies

Toothless Bay in the sandbox

Easter egg bread

Happy to be finding eggs

If you're not sure how many eggs are up in that tree, just shake it and they will all fall down!

And if you can't reach that egg up in the swing set....

Toss a stick at it

And climbing up into the rafters is okay too

Garden Fairy

A garden fairy visited our house this weekend....
She planted peas, lettuce, spinach, carrots, radishes and onions

and then she went on her way...I hope she comes back to help us weed!!!

Easter at Sunrise

Church service on the waterfront
Rejoicing and remembering Christ's sacrifice for our sins and power over death

Egg decorating

Eggs...symbol of our new life
Two handsome young men

We have been blessed this Easter weekend to have gorgeous weather...usually it is rainy or cold or both. Happy Easter!