I found this idea here at Ten kids and a Dog. Head on over there for her tutorial and stay awhile at her cute blog. It's got some great ideas!
We love to paint here in this house. This is basically a tape resist on canvas.
I couldn't find my masking tape, so I used some clear tape that I found floating around. I don't know what it is designed for, but tape is tape, right?
We'll see...
So, I got some cheap little canvasses. I have a ton of them, because I love them. You never know when the mood to paint something will strike.
I taped off the shape of some snowflakes.
Can you see it? Instead of one big one, I gave the girls a bunch of little ones.
Then I told them to paint away.
And they did!
L didn't want me to take pictures of hers, but she got a really nice blend of yellow and white (she chose the colors...yeah, it was basically just light yellow).
O chose blue and red.
It took her a while to understand that we were going to be taking the tape off. She initially just painted where the tape was and I had to explain a few times that she needed to paint the whole thing because the tape we were putting on the tape was going to be taken off. She got it in the end, though.
After our paint had dried overnight, we took the tape off.
Then we decided to add glitter.
Everything is better with glitter.
And chocolate.
Anyway...
I gave them a little plastic cup filled with Elmer's glue and they each got their own bowl of glitter. They were instructed to paint the glue on the snowflakes and then sprinkle the glitter over the glue.
O was very careful about the whole process.
She sprinkled the glitter very carefully and very precisely...but she still managed to get it over the entire painting. I'm not sure if she did that on purpose or not.
L, on the other hand, was not so dainty. She globbed the glue on and then dropped the glitter on top in fistfuls. And look how seriously she took her work.
Here is O's finished project.
(L didn't want me to take a picture of hers, but it was lovely too, trust me.)
My Mister is on a much needed break. He has been in nonstop school for the last year and now finally is in the midst of an almost 4-week break.
And what does he want to do with that break?
Well, we've been spending a lot of time at the park. We've been eating dinner as a family. He and I have been staying up late catching up on movies and favorite TV shows (Psych, anyone? Grimm? Once Upon a Time? Survivor?...). We've been hanging out with friends. We've been talking a lot. We have maybe been laughing a little. I haven't been cleaning the house as much as I used to. He's been doing the dishes! =)
It's been exhausting! The good kind of exhausting, of course.
Oh, and we've also been looking for a new house. Yeah. Remember when I mentioned the sudden rush of things to be taken care of? When the Mister finishes his PA classes at the end of summer, he will be ready to start his rotations: the last step of his education before he has to take a big scary test and enter the real world as an official PA.
We had anticipated that he would be assigned to do those rotations in a city that is about half an hour from here...the city we do our shopping and stuff in. You would think that I would have learned by now that when I make plans something always changes them! He was assigned instead to a city that is about an hour and 15 minutes north of here...much further away. For convenience (and money) sake, we have decided to move up there. It's just easier.
Here's the kicker...he starts his rotations on August 27. Baby boy (W) is due on August 19. Mister's finals are August 13 -17. It's a little crazy.
But, no worries. Arrangements have been made to induce labor and we are hoping to move in July. All is well, and we are excited for a change of scene, but expect a little craziness now and then. (Do you like how I say that like that would be something new?)
Anyway, I digress. I was talking about how nice it has been to have him home. It makes me think how nice it would be to have this set up all of the time. Of course, that's not how life works. We have to be responsible.
Have you ever seen Into the Woods? It is one of my all time favorite musicals. It is full of so many little life lessons and it is super fun to sing along with.
Here's a song from it that has been on my mind:
Now, please don't assume that I'm trying to say I would like a "prince for...whatever." Really using this song is a reach for the point I'm making, but it was a good excuse to listen to a good song. =)
Still, If our lives were only made up of beautiful and extraordinary moments, would we appreciate them as much? Do we give the not so beautiful moments of life enough credit?
Life really is made up of little moments. Sometimes they can seem so boring and ordinary and we forget to see how beautiful they are. I have to remind myself to step back and look at the moments of my life. The things that make up me...the things that make me happy, or even sad for that matter...the things that make me feel and try to appreciate them for the gifts that they are.
So, I'm starting my Moments series.
And in honor of Mother's Day (which I know I'm late for), here is a moment of mommyness from my life.
L is 2 years old and lives up to that in every way possible. She is a feisty little fireball with a beautifully sweet personality. She is a joy.
This is our tradition. I am cooking dinner and cleaning up the house.
She comes in and assumes this position:
Then she says, "Again, Mommy!" and I say, "Ready...Set...Go!"
And she goes!
From the living room a few seconds later, I hear "Again, Mommy!"
Her blankets were beautiful and it wasn't long before I wanted to play too.
I don't remember if she taught me the basics or not, but I know that at some point she helped me figure some things out. For the most part, though, I used a book to learn crochet. It was a skill that I caught on to quickly and easily and I like to think that is from watching her for so long. (crochet by osmosis?)
It has now become a source of relaxation for me: something for my hands to do when they are bored (if that's the right word...boredom is something I very rarely experience lately), but also a focus point to calm my mind when it gets overwhelmed and stressed.
When my grandma passed away, I inherited some of her crochet hooks and pattern books. I feel close to here whenever I bring out my yarn and hooks.
I am so grateful for the skill I have and for the connection to Grandma.
They are some of the most amazing people I know. They are my best friends.
I have been through my toughest times with them by my side and I have supported them through their hard times.
I love being close to them. We have so much fun together and we always have! I miss them, but knowing that they are part of me and that they are thinking of me fills me with so much gratitude and love that I have a hard time finding words to express myself.
It is my prayer that my own family will share the same kind of closeness and love and joy that I grew up with.
