Field Trips!

This fall has been full of fun for McKinley at preschool.  His class took two field trips over the last few weeks, one to a local apple orchard, the other to a local fire station.  I was lucky enough to have my Mom join us at the orchard and Cary at the fire station...I'm getting pretty big and my balance is thrown off, so having the extra hands are wonderful. 

We all enjoyed the fire station as much as last year.  This year the station had a brand new ambulance, state of the art, and McKinley and his buddies all got to take a tour.  It was pretty exciting!  Equally as exciting was the city bus ride to and from...especially when one rider decided she needed to exit the bus and would rather walk than to ride with one big happy preschool family!  Her loss! 

The apple orchard was great too.  It had gotten cooler, the perfect fall day.  We enjoyed hearing about the picking process of the employees and seeing the entire process of how the clean, separate, bag and sell the goods.  All the visitors got to take home a nice bag of apples, we added some gourds and butternut squash to our stash before we headed home.  So much fun, it's nice to have some really great opportunities in McKinley's preschool.

I've also included a photo below of the "About Me" poster project we completed together.  Homework!  No, really, it was so fun to gather all the stuff then build it with McKinley.  I LOVE how it turned out! 

Loving the fall!

Lynn

Story of a Toy Box

If you REALLY know me, you know I am obsessed with Pottery Barn and Pottery Barn Kids. This company has LONG been an obsession of mine, heck we practically replicated one of their nurseries for McKinley. So, it should come as no surprise that I frequently scour the websites just to see what I see. Well, just before Christmas I saw something that immediately caught my attention, a sweet toy box. Ever since we decorated McKinley's Big Boy Room we just had not been happy with a particular area that was not functioning well. I am all about function in our home - if it's non-functioning then it drives me bonkers until I make it...well...function. So, when I saw this toy box I KNEW it was perfect for that crazy little space, and what a pop of color! The thing was bright red! I showed it to Cary who agreed it was pretty sweet, but I just could not bring myself to pay nearly $300 for something I felt would be simple construction and easy to make. I waited...and waited. It went on sale! Still way more than the materials would ever cost, but better than $300. I finally convinced myself to suck it up and click "add to cart"...and as I did so a big, ugly red sign came up and said the item I selected was no longer available.

WHAT?

I literally closed the laptop and walked away.

I checked back regularly. Yep, still unavailable until November 2011. No way.

Then one day I was casually perusing through a new magazine, Fresh Home, where I found an interesting woman with an equally interesting website: knockoffwood.com. Very cool. Something made me turn on the computer and check out this site. I was instantly hooked! Such beautiful things she was GIVING people the plans for! HELLO!

And then, I happened on something that made me yell out loud: plans for a toy box, on legs, just like the pottery barn kids box!

When Cary got home I showed him the plans and cooked up my own...we were going to have wood shop 101 that Sunday!

On Saturday we gathered all of our supplies (the wood was roughly $25...no kidding) and took them home with plans to make the box Sunday. I could barely sleep. I had a dream about that toy box - weird!

Sunday morning we were both all ready to whip out the woodworking materials! It was really cold so we totally set up our 'shop' in the entryway, complete with a work table, clamps, drill, jigsaw and vacuum (because I was the vacuum girl, determined to NOT have sawdust throughout the house).

In no time at all we had the entire piece together! I was shocked! I took it outside (brrrrr!) and sanded the entire thing down, then back in to prime and paint (with no voc paint, of course!). All this, in ONE DAY! The last step was the hardest though - the special "Toys" decal that we wanted to replicate with my Mom's talented, artistic hand (see McKinley's nursery where she free-handed scrollwork on around the entire room). That was a process...lots of steps, but today the piece is finished!

Well...maybe.

I may add an aging glaze over the entire piece to 'rough' it up a bit. It's a little bright, needs to look a little more worn in ---- BUT SO AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so proud of the work we all put into this piece. Cary (and a few of my Mom's friends) think we need to sell these suckers. It would be adorable as a planter, or small sandbox. The possibilities are endless.

The best part - the little unused and non-functioning space in McKinley's bedroom is now a full functional area that he LOVES. Though we don't keep many toys in his bedroom, he has a few that find their way in there from time to time and they have a happy little home now.

All is well!

Lynn

P.S. Please excuse the messy book stack. Still working on just how I want all those books set up!

Keeping up with May...

We have sort of been turned upside down lately...good, bad and crazy. In the meantime, I'm trying desperately to catch up with all the fun we've had! ***side note: CANNOT get over how smokin' hot my handsome hubs is in the pic to the left. He's always hot, but YOWZA!!!!! Holy Hot Husband, Batman! ;-)

Mid-May we gathered at my Godparents' home to celebrate Shelby's 13th birthday (pics at the bottom of this post). McKinley had so much fun playing with all the kiddos and swooping his new Mickey Light Sabre around the house --- thus making Mommy a nervous wreck!

Cary was on vacation for a week near the end of the month. We had such a great time together! Got lots of landscaping projects finished and love the results. The coolest thing was that Cary got to take McKinley to his Lowe's Build & Grow Clinic! Just the boys! They had a great time making the catapult - so cute! Wish I could have been a fly on the wall, but I'm so glad they were able to enjoy their manly time.

During that week we also had a wonderful family picnic on a beautiful, warm day. McKinley seriously enjoyed having both of us with him to play his little games of chase.

We've also finished up another round of renovation...a GIANT, Mammoth-sized WINDOW!!!!!!!!!! It's gorgeous. Now to find window treatments that we love...fingers crossed.

Finally, BIG NEWS! We are currently pondering our preschool choices, McKinley will be attending preschool in the fall! WHOA!!!!!!!

This has been a super busy month for us! Gotta keep up!

Lynn

A Little Dirt Won't Hurt

I believe I have previously posted about the Terre Haute Community Garden and my cousin, Judie's involvement in it as a charter member. Well McKinley enjoyed visiting and playing in the garden last year, so this year she again signed up for two fun plots for all of us to use together. We have been so very busy and have only had a chance to visit once when we planted some great veggies and herbs. In the meantime, taking a cue from Family Fun Magazine, McKinley and I set out to make these adorable plant markers/garden stakes. Ours vary slightly from the magazine's, but I think they turned out perfect! Instead of using old caps (because our local recycling places do not accept caps, so we have to throw them away) we used craft foam, milk jugs and flower picks (in place of floral wire...which definitely stands up better to the Indiana elements than the flimsy floral wire as suggested by the mag).

We finally finished enough of the stakes to take a nice bunch of them out to the garden...and how cute they are peeking out, like little colorful bees, from the dark dirt and green plants! McKinley definitely felt a sense of accomplishment and pride in seeing the plants grow and putting our cute little stakes beside them. At the end of our time there today we even discovered a little friend among the beautiful lettuce: a sweet little ladybug (look closely in front of my fingers!). If you know me, you know I love ladybugs and think of them as a little sign from God that my grandparents and my Dad are watching over me from heaven. There's a whole history to this - including the day Cary proposed, the two ladybugs that were resting on our car when we got back in...they were watching! Anyway, today I'm sure that was my Dad. It has been a wonderful time lately...which I will share soon, but it was my sign that he was there, was happy for us and would always watch over whatever we do! Deep for a little ladybug...humor me.

We have a few more stakes to make and a few different plants to get in the ground, but all in all, today was a great learning experience for McKinley --- and fun too! Not to mention the fact that there is a railroad crossing nearby and a train passed while we were toodling in the garden! I have a feeling I'll never have to beg him to go there...

Aside from the Community Garden, together Cary, McKinley and I planted a few things in our own back yard. A few posts down from this one (back in April, I think) we started some seeds together. They quickly sprouted and threatened to take over my kitchen, so out they went! We are eagerly watching a few sunflowers, a couple of watermelon plants and an already vining pumpkin take off for our viewing pleasure. McKinley LOVES to go check on his little plants, where we also placed some of our little bee markers so one wouldn't forget where they were when mowing/weed eating.

Can't wait to see the yummy goodness we reap from this year's garden!

Lynn

Another Great Project!

Today I took McKinley to our very first official Lowe's Build & Grow Clinic. Since our first project was from Zoo Boo (FrankenSTRING Project, see post below) and it was too crowded, we brought it home to finish. This time, we signed up very early for the clinic and secured our place in line.

McKinley and I got all settled on the floor with our little carpet square, put on the adorable apron and safety goggles, laid out all of our supplies (everything is provided!) and set out to build a nifty garage, complete with car and Jimmie Johnson decals to boot.

Truth be told, I was a bit worried at first. I am confident that I can do a lot of 'handy' things, but I was concerned about having to concentrate on reading instructions in the midst of banging hammers and many, MANY kids and adults doing their own projects. Thankfully, these projects are truly built for little hands; everything was so easy to figure out and complete. McKinley got totally lost in building his garage (including garage doors! His favorite!), he enjoyed it so much. On several occasions he looked up at me with those gorgeous, dark brown eyes of his and smiled from ear to ear - showing me every tooth in his little mouth. That was a face of pure joy. It warms my heart...and yes, makes me cry. lol

I've decided whomever came up with this idea for Lowe's is a GENIUS. Seriously. I mean, not only are the projects current with colors and trends, they're fun, they provide a nice challenge while still being easy enough to thoroughly enjoy (uh hem...easy enough for parents too), and they are totally free. And we certainly can't forget the famed Lowe's apron and safety goggles that come with - these people even thought of patches and certificates you are awarded with once you have completed your project! I sent the patches and apron home with Mom today, she'll sew them on for us and I can't WAIT to see McKinley's TWO patches of completion on his apron!

Without being all down and depressing, obviously the economic downturn has changed a lot of things for people, communities, companies and just about everything else around us. Somehow Lowe's has continued doing these projects, plus they're actually doing a total of FOUR clinics this month. It's nice to see such a large company doing something that can make ANY kid smile - no matter their income bracket. That's pretty priceless these days. I'm so impressed.

McKinley has yet another fun toy for his playroom, but this one took a little effort and learning. I know he'll play with it for a long time and will truly always know that it this garage is something WE made together. Add that to the long list of beautiful lessons learned!

Lynn

Fall Projects, Part I

McKinley, Daddy and I have put our heads together to do some fun fall projects lately. We're nearing a time where we will have to stay inside a LOT more than some little boys want, so I figured now would be the opportune time to start creating some fun!

I'm a long-time crafts lover...I fondly remember many things I did with my family growing up, and now that I am a mother I can appreciate keeping little hands and brains busy - plus it's fun for us too! Some of the things I remember doing are painting ceramics with my Mom (I even painted a LARGE ceramic Christmas tree and two nativity scenes, holiday napkin holders and lots of other fun stuff), dipping candles with both of my parents, and making "stain-glass fall leaf displays" with my Grandma every autumn. I could hardly wait until McKinley was old enough to do the leaf thing - I remember that being such a BIG deal when I was little, I knew he would enjoy it. So, that's just what we did! Earlier this week, McKinley and I took a walk around our neighborhood to gather some lovely leaves. When we had plenty we headed home to get started. Below are the instructions:

*gather lots pretty fall leaves

* sharpen old crayons in pencil sharpener (I bought some cheap crayons so we wouldn't have to use McKinley's good crayolas. I also used an enclosed sharpener with a lid to catch the shavings)

*cut two equal-sized pieces of wax paper to desired size

*lay one sheet down on ironing board or heat safe surface and randomly place leaves across paper

*sprinkle crayon shavings all over paper and leaves

*carefully top the page with the second sheet of wax paper, move carefully and line up the pages

*with a warm iron (and adult supervision...duh), start in one corner to test heat. Press the pages together and watch the crayon shavings melt on contact.

*allow to cool

*wipe iron off after it has cooled - or else you'll wind up with a crayon colored shirt next time you use your iron. Or use additional sheet of wax paper and wipe wax side across cooling iron that still has a 'little' heat to it. This will clean the plate very well!

I punched holes in the sides of the stained glass page and hung it with a string or ribbon. It also looks nice on a fridge! I didn't take a picture of the one we created because we delivered it down the street to Jodi, who needed something like that to make her smile. I'm sure we'll create more - we loved working on it together!

More recent projects are our tie-dye pumpkin t-shirts. I think I had the most fun with this, but that's okay. McKinley got a real kick out of handing me all those rubber bands (and there were a LOT...). I haven't taken a pic of the finished product here either, but I will...and will repost soon.

McKinley & I also made paper-bag-pumpkins, many Halloween coloring projects and even some Halloween mail to deliver while trick-or-treating. And, the three of us worked together on McKinley's Lowe's Build-and-Grow Frankenstring project from Zoo Boo. We all had fun with that...matter of fact, I've already signed McKinley up for another project at Lowe's!

I'm sure the crafting fun will continue...I've already got a fall leaves placemat and turkey napkins in the works. Can't wait!

Lynn

Pasting 101

Since our big decision to wait another 6 months to begin McKinley's preschool (see post below), I have made a commitment to myself to give McKinley the opportunity to have some play and learn sessions with me that might prep him for what is to come. McKinley is such a curious child, eager to do any and everything - this was a must! ***plus I am hoping it'll be a great thing to transition inside to keep our boy pleasantly occupied and away from too much television when the weather turns cold***

Today was our first lesson! My lesson plan is pretty tough; it consists of a lot of free play to promote McKinley's creativity and an endless array of projects and learning moments. Pretty tough, huh? I'm no home-schooler, so I'm winging it...we'll see what happens.

So, Welcome to Pasting 101! I've done a little research on age appropriate crafts and basic skills, the easiest place for us to start was Pasting 101! Thanks to my scrapbooking obsession we have an ample (and near endless) supply of paper, glue, cards, boards and lots of paste-able stuff to work with. So, I set off to cut out some shapes and squiggles with solid and patterned paper and set it up on the patio (pasting with a 2 year old inside...not good) and off we went on a new adventure!

At first I guided McKinley on what to do but gave him complete creative license on where to paste his glued goods. Pretty soon he had the whole thing down pat and was off to pasting and patting down the papers. It was darling to watch because he was really enjoying himself and his new craft and the finished product is the perfect little treat to stick in the mail for those grandparents he loves so much!

Can't wait for next week and a new lesson!

Lynn