Our Mother's Day Project

Our Mother's Day Project

Sunday, June 2, 2013 / No Comments

I know, I know... Mother's Day has come and gone.  Fortunately, we managed to sneak in a little project as gifts to grandmothers and great grandmothers.

I have had stepping stones on our list of projects for a very long time.  A few weeks before Mother's Day, Elora and I stopped by Home Depot and chose a bag of cement.  I picked one that had a faster drying time.  However, I read enough tips on the Internet ahead of time to know that the fastest drying ones generally dry too fast for the kids to work with it.  The one I selected was right around $5.  Lifting an 80lb bag is harder than I thought it would be.

Next came the decorations...
I already had some lovely table scatter hearts from Target's dollar bin.  I also ordered some seashells from Amazon and found cheap glass beads at Wal-Mart.

I was thrilled when I found this post from Pink and Green Mama.  I had intended to purchase molds and honestly, they weren't that economical.  I never dreamed that cardboard boxes would be sufficient.  I was able to procure a number of smaller ones.

Mixing the concrete wasn't as bad as I imagined.  For those who are handy in the kitchen, it's similar to making frosting.  It seems like the liquid you add isn't doing much at first but keep mixing.  I eventually reached the desired consistency which was a bit wetter than cookie dough.  The entire 80lb bag filled 10 boxes.

Filling the boxes.

I only had to jiggle the boxes a little to get a smooth surface.

The kids went to town decorating the stones.  Elora does well sticking with projects but William occasionally loses focus.  This activity held his interest the entire time.  We also had a lively discussion about what concrete is and why it hardens.

William is decorating his set.

Both children are hard at work.

Elora was very meticulous about her decorating.

Each one was unique and beautiful.

As they finished each stone, I used the end of a metal shish-kebob stake to write on them.  I think it would have worked a bit better if I had waited until it had hardened a bit.  In fact, I fixed the writing on a number of them about an hour after they had been poured.

I added the name and year to each one.

They were fairly set the next day, although it is best to leave them in their boxes for a day or two.  Make sure you place them in an area where they will not be disturbed by little hands that are all too eager to visit their creations.

And of course, make sure you clean your supplies thoroughly afterwards.  Always put your mixing bin away, lest someone would trip on it and fall inside.

Lockelan took a slight tumble into the clean bin.  And don't worry, he wasn't hurt or I wouldn't have whipped out the camera.

I am amazed at how lovely they look.  We received rave reviews from the recipients.  I'm fairly certain we will attempt this project every year.  As the years pass, I think it will be interesting to see the designs get more complex.

I snagged these beauties for my garden which needs weeded.

And in case you're wondering what I recieved; well, here is the best Birthday, Mother's Day and Anniversary combo gift I ever received!

Better Late Than Never

Better Late Than Never

Tuesday, January 22, 2013 / No Comments

My husband had four solid days off work this past weekend.  We decided we would make the most of that time and try to tie up a number of projects around the house.  The basement project has been on our radar for a very long time.  I kept setting goals to complete it and they would always blow past.  It became a constant source of frustration.  Well, the extended weekend was a wild success!  We managed to clear out the art area, tidy the gross motor area and setup the music area.  There are still a few more things to tackle.  However, the areas are now usable and I think the remaining tasks can easily be completely in a solid day of effort.

This is the new art area.  I have to organize the supplies on the shelves but it's a great start.

But finished or not, the kids wasted no time drawing, cutting, pasting and creating.

This is the music area.  Yes, everything is basically thrown on the shelves at the moment but it's there.  It's already a very popular area.  Even I enjoy sitting in the area and playing along with the gang.

This is the gross motor area.  The kids can play in this area for hours on end.  The cabinets hold games and puzzles.

This is a view from the other side of the gross motor area.  I still need to take down the mirrors and put up the magnet board and chalk board.  The art area is on the back side.

And this is the remaining mess.  Ugh.  I know it's probably not as bad as it looks.  Once cleared out this will give the kids a place to ride tricycles and such.

Once we finish the areas up I'll post more details and give formal tours.  We also have plans to put a dress up area underneath the stairs.  I'm not sure when that will happen.

And in the main part of the house....

This is the visual prayer board I have been planning to do for a while.  The project was less than $15.  I love it.

New verse in the kitchen above the french doors.

And the final project completed is one I have been very excited about.  In case you can't make out the verse in the photo it says:  And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9

I was having a rough day a few weeks ago and a friend posted this verse on my Facebook wall.  It stuck with me.  A lot.  I decided it had to go on my real wall as well.

When my great grandmother passed away several years ago, she left each of the great grandchildren a small amount of money.  I have saved it back since receiving it because I always knew it had to be spent on something special.  I immediately realized that this is what I wanted to spend it on.  I wasn't surprised when the grand total was within pennies of what she had left me.

My great grandmother was a godly woman.  She prayed for me every day of my life, even before my birth.  I feel so honored to have known her.  I felt that this verse was a great tribute to her as well because I think it is something she would have said to me in our situation.  So now not only do I get a critical reminder every time I'm in my kitchen, I'm reminded of her as well.

Valentine's Day and Other Surprises

Valentine's Day and Other Surprises

Friday, February 17, 2012 / No Comments

We had a lovey Valentine's Day.  I finished the activity wallets for the kids just in time.  These are the laminated cards I made to put inside.  There was a mix of family photos, learning cards and some fun items. 

This pink wallet was for Elora.  I have added a notebook and pen.

Here are more cards and extra paper.  I added sheets of stickers to the zipper pouch.

The kids got special treats from Grandma and Gaffer.

William wasn't pleased when I wouldn't let him eat it all.

We made salt dough ornaments as inspired by Little Wonders' Day.

Elora tried even rolled her own dough.

She decided to make her own shapes with cookie cutters she had in her play kitchen.

I found this bottle of sparkling cranberry juice on clearance.  It was a hit.

We had "breakfast" for dinner.  I cooked the bacon in the oven at the same time as the ornaments.

And of course we had heart shaped pancakes!

Since we spent the last two weeks talking about love, I wanted to finish with the greatest love story of all!  We talked about what sin does to our hearts and how Jesus Christ came to wash us clean.

I never could have imagined how much she hung onto the story.  She wanted to tell it again herself.  She painted the heart and recounted times she had been unkind to William.

Then she washed the heart and made it clean.  She told me how unfair it was that Jesus had done nothing wrong.  She wanted to do it several more times.

When we were finished we gave the kids their special baskets which included their busy wallets.

As if the week wasn't lovely enough, Matt ended up with two surprise days off work due to a recent project completion.  We did a number of fun things as a family... some of which I will discuss on Monday.

The kids received  some money from Me-maw and Pa-paw for Valentine's Day.  In the past we have always put money directly in their savings account.  We thought it would be fun to let them spend it just this once.  It's very rare for them to pick out their own toys.  They each got to carry their money, which they were excited about.  We helped them figure out what they could afford and how much money they had left.  They checked out individually and were so excited to pay.  Elora picked out a Littlest Petshop playset while William got an RC Train and a tub of large plastic bugs.  I generally can't tolerate Toys R' Us but it was worth it. 

They decided to pool their leftover change so that each of them got a ride before they left.