shadow boxes

Among the many projects I have waiting for me (yup, many, many, many) is a shadow box I found at a yard sale a couple weeks ago. Bloggers have been talking about pinterest.com where people stick pictures of projects or ideas that they like so they can remember when they get around to the many, many, many projects they have waiting for them. So anyway, I went to look through shadow box ideas there (I didn't see them all--there was over 45,000. Whoa.) and here's some favs:From Martha Stewart

Really like this one, and I don't think it's just the prego hormones.

DIY and Crafts from etsy.com

from houseofhepworths.com
Love the idea of skeleton keys, but I'd have to find some first!

from lexisworks.tumblr.com
I really like the yellow bird one. And the bottles. And the stuff set on top.

From aperfectgray.com
I've been wanting some funky silverware art for my kitchen. I'd have to find some funky silverware, first, though.

From poppytalk.blogspot.com

This could be such a cool family project, perfect for a mother or mother in law gift.

from bystephanielynn.com
I'm a sucker for any project with books. If I ever have a library room, just give me a soft chair and some of these projects with a steady supply of books to read and I would "neglect my duties." ;)

OPtions, options. What will I do?...well, I've got plenty of projects to do before I can decide! Including baby, baby things and moving (maybe). More on that tomorrow.

Freezer meals

I just found this post...and I think it's brilliant...but I'm not sure I can do it. Have any of you tried something like this? Any tips or ideas or recipes that work well for this? I hate the hour long cooking time most dinners, that's when kids seem the most needy and I'm the most tired, which adds up to the most hollers per minute of the day.

http://aturtleslifeforme.blogspot.com/2011/06/freezer-meals-on-cheap.html

Playing with Wordle

From this post http://kimboscrafts.blogspot.com/2011/06/do-you-wordle.html by A Girl And A Glue Gun, we found Wordle. Want to play with words? Here's one we made for Felicity:



Fun huh!

The last couple weeks

A lot has been happening, which I guess is what happens when school gets out and kids begin to go crazy with pent up energy...errr...I mean when kids are home all the time. This year, as most summers, I have A Plan. I've tried to keep it simple, knowing how Plans tend to fall by the wayside after a couple weeks, so basically I'm spending time in the morning trying to teach the kids the right way to do simple chores around the house and then have them spend time reading and doing other school-ish things to keep their minds from melding into the computer or tv over the summer. Felicity had a rough time with her multiplication tables this year in school (I did at her age, too, so I'm sympathetic), so we've challenged (yes, that means bribed) her to have them memorized by the time school starts in the fall. We made flash cards and she's working on it. Caleb is very science-y and I'm trying to find simple experiments we can do with him. Any ideas? We tried our hand at making sugar crystals, but they don't seem to be doing much, so we're going to have to do more research. I'd like Joseph to be a little more prepared for Kindergarten, so we're working on letters with him. Seth has been very involved with his cars and toy dinosaurs and Felicity's princess figurines. The last I saw he had the princesses lined up against the door with a line of toy cars pointed right at them. Yup, he's a boy. So far our Plan is going well, with a few disruptions that have been fun.
Last week my mom ans sister came from Idaho and we met them at my aunts house (well, actually In N Out, but then we went to her house) and had a fun time with cousins. On Saturday my other sister came up so we went yard selling, and then to the Utah Festival of Books. We got there for just the last hour, so we didn't get to meet Brandon Mull or any of the other authors, but we did meet Curious George, Madeline, and Tigger. So cute to see Joseph give Curious George fist bumps and then dash back for a huge hug around George's knees. They also had bounce houses and other inflatables, crafts--Felicity and Caleb made their own books, balloon animals and face painting. Next year we'll have to get there a little earlier, there was a lot we missed.

The biggest news this week has to do with our cats. Farris has had an on again, off again cold for awhile and finally went to the doctor to find out what was wrong. Luckily nothing serious, but he's allergic to cats. I put them on KSL, and within an hour we had a family call for them. They picked them up on Friday. We didn't want the kids to be mourning them for days, so I told them a few hours before the family came to get them. Felicity and Caleb were especially sad. Caleb cried at bedtime because the cats would always sleep on his bed, he loved it. I know how it feels to lose a pet, so I feel bad...but on the other hand, I'm relieved. I was getting worried about having two cats and five kids. They were really good with the litter box, only occasional accidents (yuck) but they both had long fur and it was everywhere, and I didn't want to be cleaning up after them and taking care of brand new baby and everything else. They've also be slowly destroying things around the house, knocking things off shelves and tables, poking holes in the curtains, ripping up rolls of toilet paper and paper towels. It was like having another two year old. I wasn't looking forward to cleaning out the litter box, potty training Seth and changing newborn diapers. I know, I know, it can be done and I'm a wimp about it, but I'm glad I won't have to. Joseph has already decided he is getting a dog and naming it Jack. Not sure where the name came from, but I'll let him name the dog before I'd let him name the baby sister.

We've also planted flowers, planted our garden (not too big this year), done other yard stuff, watched a hot air balloon (didn't get there early enough to ride in it =( ), had dentist appointments, played with friends, took off Joseph's bike's training wheels (that kid took off with no hesitation. It's the stopping that's still a problem), learned how to make beds, clean and wash counters, sweep, do a quick straighten of bedrooms, sort laundry, the correct way to fold clothes (!!!), and rinsing out dishes so we don't have food all over the kitchen sink and counter. Yes, we're still working an all that, and Joseph is doing better with his bike than with the broom. At his size, it's to be expected, though. I'd like to get them pretty efficient at all that so the house won't fall completely apart when the baby comes. I've been trying to do deep cleaning too, so I won't have to worry about it when I'm waddling too bad. Also, it's been wonderful weather outside, not too hot or too cool so we've been enjoying having a lawn. Awwww, love the grass.

All in all it's been a pretty good beginning of summer. What's going to happen the rest of the summer? I have no idea, we're taking it one day at a time for now!

Funny Joseph quote: He fell down and came to tell me about it, sobbing the whole time. Then he brightened and said "But I didn't sustain any serious damage!"

Mini-challenge: Gratitude list

I'm slipping behind on my wellness challenge...sick kids and all that have kept me from exercising as much as I should. At least that's my excuse. And the fact that my stomach is growing at an alarming rate, and my hips don't enjoy bending, jumping, moving, climbing, even laying down. But this is supposed to be a grumbling post, so I'm not going to think about that and here's my mini-challenge to complete today:
At the end of the day, write down ten things you are grateful for.
Which is really kind of daunting. Only ten things? Farris did this challenge today, too, but he did ten categories of things. So I think I'll be general in my list, and add my explanations. Because I always make my posts as wordy as possible. Sorry about that.

1. Family. Of course, of course. I'm thankful for Farris, that he works so hard and still comes home to play with the kids and help me and do things around the house. I'm thankful for my kids. They're still cuddly, they're growing and learning so much it's amazing, they make me laugh and remind me to slow down. My family and Farris' family: my best friends are my sisters and sisters in law, they are all fun to hang out with, they teach me things, inspire me, help me, laugh with me (and sometimes at me, but so do I), my parents and Farris' parents are amazing and fun and love my kids and are good sounding boards (all that wisdom!), my brothers and brothers in law, every one of them, would all come help with anything at anytime, they are all good, honest, hard working, loving fun guys. How amazing is that! My last grandparent passed about ten years ago, but I inherited some wonderful grandparents from Farris. His grandma Rachel is how I want to be for my future grandkids. She's gracious and beautiful, hardworking and loving and still has the guts to de-pants her grandson when he was wearing his baggy pants too low. My nieces and nephews? Only the smartest little (and big, too!) whips on the planet, and good for a dozen funny stories a week. It'll be wonderful to see them and all they accomplish in their lives. Then there's my extended family...how can I even begin! My aunts and uncles and cousins are incredible people. Love 'em. My Aunt Ellen is dripping with creativeness and talent for everything art and is my mom-on-call if I need one before mom or Judy can get here. There's more than ten blessings all just from family!

2. The Gospel of Jesus Christ. Don't even know how I would get through a day without it. Knowing that I can pray to Someone who knows everything about me and what I need to do, how I need to be, how I can become better, and He still loves me! Marvelous. Just tonight during scripture study Joseph asked what Repentance was. We explained, and then talked about how Jesus made it possible for us to repent, and how He wasn't forced to do it, He did it just because He loves us. It's amazing being reminded of that and seeing the kids understanding it.

3. Our home. It might not be the cleanest, it might occasionally (ok, more than that) have screaming and yelling and not sharing going on inside it, and it's definitely not going to be featured in the Parade of Homes, but it's more than just shelter to us.

4. The outside world. Growing up, we'd probably spend only about an hour inside all summer long, sleeping, eating, and playing outside. "What are men to rocks and hills?" That's my massacred quote from Jane Austin. Sure, Elizabeth was a little bitter when she said it, and I do appreciate the men in my life, but I love being outside.

5. Modern conveniences. No running water? No running hot water? Couldn't be a pioneer, sorry. Medicine, cars, phones, internet, pens that we don't have to pull off a chicken, I enjoy all these things.

6. America. Everyday there is something else I hear about on the news or where ever that makes me glad I live in this country. I know, there's craziness here, but at least our president was elected cleanly and he doesn't walk around with umbrellas during riots, ordering death to anyone who opposes him. Grateful for the freedoms and that people still care about the freedoms--no matter how pessimistic you feel sometimes about how people here don't care any more, really, they do. We do.

7. Our physical bodies. I hear scientists saying how our bodies aren't designed very well, the legs and the back and the organs fall apart and age. I complain about pain and how I'm getting old. But you know what? Our bodies are amazing. Every time this baby kicks inside me, I am reminded how truly awesome our bodies are. Combined with our minds and spirits, Heavenly Father has created the most wonderful things in the universe.

8. Friends and neighbors. We live in the coolest neighborhood. Before we even moved in we had two people at different times stop by to introduce themselves and see if we needed help. We have people watching out for our kids and we watch out for theirs. If a kid wanders, everyone drops what they are doing and looks. I love our friends here, and I love the friends from my past. I've known some great people, and none of them are famous, but they are the salt of the earth and give savor to my life.

9. Music and art and literature and the beautiful things people create. I know why science and math and geography are important, and I support them wholeheartedly. But I can't forget about what people create, where would we be without Michelangelo, Rembrandt, Monet, O'Keeffe? Austin, Twain, Hugo, Lewis? Handel, Beethoven, Mozart, Pachelbel, even Elvis and the Beatles? We need to create to remember and to share and to feel. I know, I'm getting touchy-feely now, but even President Uchtdorf says we need to create.

10. Sleep. Need I say more? Oh, one more word: goodnight!

Once upon a time...

Once upon a time...it stopped raining and the sun shined down on us all. And there was much lawn mowing, weeding, trimming and general busy-ness in yards across the Wasatch Front. And there was much painting, which brought much rejoicing. The following day was filled with more rain, but the sore, tired people were grateful for a day off.

How was your rain free Saturday?

(We finished painting the trim, doors and shutters on our house, it looks so nice! Much better than the "half done job with tape still around everything" look we had for a week. Rejoice, rejoice. Now we just have the foundation and the shed. I'm excited!)

In other news, Felicity and Caleb both had their class programs this week. Felicity was part of a dance, kind of a Charleston thingy, very cute and she did a good job. Caleb had a small speaking part for the program, which I didn't know about until that morning. Never fear, he had it memorized and could say it all in one breath. His teacher told me all the kids memorized their parts by themselves so they didn't send any home to parents. What good little first graders! Both the kids had a good school year with good teachers. But I'm really ready for the end of the year, it's getting harder to get up every morning and keep the kids on top of homework and other assignments. Three and a half more days! Joseph keeps asking if that means he's starting kindergarten. He's like a little pistol waiting for school. He's a pistol anyway.

Seth story: After the kids were in bed for the night, I left Seth in the kitchen by himself (mistake #1) and went into the living room with Farris. When we washed the dishes after dinner that night we had put one of my Pyrex casserole dishes on the counter to dry (mistake #2). You can guess the rest: a large smash, a kitchen filled with small pieces of glass and a Very Wide Eyed little boy sitting on the counter, looking over his devastation. Farris picked him up and put him to bed and the first thing Seth said to me the next morning: "Breakable. On the floor. Daddy put me in bed." Yup, that's pretty much it. But I needed an excuse to get a bigger one, anyway.

Joseph and Seth story: I opened the bathroom door earlier this week and found a beach party in progress. Joseph was in his swimsuit sitting on the counter with his feet in a sink full of water and all the rubber duckies surrounding him. Seth was on the other side, fully clothed and soaked from his socks to his sweatshirt. They had laid out about five towels on the floor to try to collect some of the overflow, but like keeping sand out of the car at the beach--it's impossible--there was water everywhere. I think my kids need some sun. I think I need my kids to get some sun.

The world didn't end. Although I did get most of the mopping done, almost an end of the world event. Maybe in Heaven we'll have a little more carpet?

grumble, grumble

I've blogged a bit (or a little more than a bit) about how we're painting the outside of our house. It's been kind of a long, long, wet, cold, long spring, but it gave us time to buy and then paint and then buy some more and then paint the seven samples on our walls to choose from. We had a beautiful weekend and got most of the painting done, and then we bought (three...we're funding our local Home Depot with just sample paint colors) more samples for the trim, shutters, and doors. Saturday was supposed to be another wonderful day with a storm moving in on Tuesday, so we got taping and painting and I loved the paint color. It looks like chocolate pudding. Which might seem kind of weird to you, but it looks just right with the main paint color. So we're painting away...and I see clouds moving in...and I paint faster...and then Farris, who is the practical one in our family, says that we better stop. So our house is still taped and half painted. Grumble, grumble. Our neighbors must think we're crazy. Well, I think they knew that after the first Joseph in his underwear incident. How embarrassing to be standing in the driveway lecturing a three year old on the necessity of clothes when your sweet neighbor comes out to put her trash in the dumpster. Oops. Anyway, moving on. I love rain. We never had quite enough growing up in the desert-y part of Idaho, and we'd get a little giddy when it came. The smell of rain on sage brush! Can't even explain, you just have to experience it. But I want just a few days of sun, please! I just want to finish the painting and then I'll gladly stand outside soaked with rain just to look at our pretty (ier) house. Just a wish, Mr. Weatherman. And next time: get it right!

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