Mozart & Shrinky Dinks!

My friend Susan has the BEST craft ideas! I'm always looking on her blog for new things to try out. The other day we got together and her daughter was wearing this really cute necklace. I asked her if she made it & of course she said yes :0). She said it was Shrinky Dinks & she told me all about them. My kids thought the idea sounded really fun, so the next day I went up to Michael's to get some (I was in a desperate need of something to keep them occupied for the afternoon). After searching the kids section for 20 minutes, all I could find were the preprinted ones that you color. Finally, I asked someone there and she showed me them over near the scrapbooking section...really?!?!? This is what the package looks like. They come in sheets and range from $4.99-$12.99.

That afternoon, we got to work. I cut circles (wishing I had a 3" paper punch) and let the kids get creative. I printed out a sheet of easy graphics to help the kids (and me!) and gave them sharpies to draw. Then I turned on some Mozart to set the creative mood. It was amazing to see how quickly they settled down and focused on their work. The dinks turned out really cute and the kids thought it was awesome to see them shrink before their eyes.

I had fun making them, too!!
I even put a few with beads on my key chain :0).

New Post is Hiding~

Sometimes I get so frustrated with Blogger! Grrrrrrrr... I published a new post, but for some reason, it put it under 'Danny is My Hero'. If you want to read my latest entry 'The Power of Christian Rock', scroll down under it to view :0).
Have a great day~!~!

Danny is my HERO!!

Danny took the girls and Calvin camping for 2 whole days so I could have some quiet time at home. Isn't he amazingly wonderful, awesome, & fabulous???? I had a really stressful few weeks and I think he sensed I needed some time by myself. I was hesitant at first, but definitely intrigued by the idea. I also felt guilty having him go alone. Ultimately, I knew it would be beneficial to have some time to think & rejuvinate, so I said okay. Did I tell you he also surprised me with a certificate for an hour massage?!?!?! Ahhh...

Let me tell you, when they first left I cried. So did Sadie. Elise looked a little concerned and Anabelle had a bad stomachache. I was really worried this was going to make Danny run for the hills, but he said it went great!

After the initial shock of quiet in the house, I grew to enjoy the peace. I read almost two books, walked many miles, reflected, listened to lots of good music, prayed, and even took a trip to the reservoir to sit and soak in the view. It was a beautiful two days. The weather was in the low 80s, the sun was shining, and I was free. Free to think, relax, and be. I have to admit though that by day two, I was really missing my family. When they got home, I was all smiles and recharged. I even had a little sun glow. It's amazing what two days can do. I'm so grateful for my wonderful husband and for his thoughtfulness, his caring ways, and his courage to face a campout alone :0).

Here are some pictures from their adventure together including Sadie's first fire!!! She was so proud of herself!

Calvin looks like he had a relaxing few days as well!

Calvin is one serious digger!
Yay Sadie!!!

The Power of Christian Rock :0)

Elise has always listened to music when she goes to sleep. Ever since my girls were babies, I would put on Enya or Baby Beethoven or Mozart. Well, in the past month, Elise has discovered the radio stations on her cd player. Once, I walked by the stairs after putting her to bed & heard some rough rap music coming from her room. I ran up there & discovered that she had the dial on 106.5 "The Beat" which is a local rap station. I was shocked by what she had been listening to!!! I told her that the words in those songs were inappropriate and I had her put in one of her cds. Well, a few weeks later, I heard some hard rock music up there. Again, I rushed up the stairs & as I approached her room, I heard 'Jesus' in the lyrics. I stopped to listen more & realized she had found a Christian rock station. Hmmmm...I guess that was okay...I mean, she was supposed to be falling asleep to it, but it's about Jesus...right? What could be wrong about falling asleep to that?

There's been a handful of nights I've tucked her into bed after she's fallen asleep & she's had that same station on. I didn't think much about it until I opened her closet one morning & found these messages written on her mirror with a dry erase marker :0). You might have to click on it to read it. Too cute~

Pocohantas State Park

Calvin went on his first hike on Sunday & loved it! We had him off of the leash most of the time (which made me nervous), but he stayed very close to the family. He also took a swim and met some new lab friends. It was a beautiful day with blue skies and puffy white clouds. There was even a creek to swim in (you know how the girls love that!). Calvin was doing well in the water until he got trapped in a whirlpool that was trying to suck him under a bridge. Danny came to his rescue, but he wasn't so sure of swimming after that. Poor guy~ The girls found a bridge with lots of lily pads & lilies. There must have been hundreds of them. It was a great three mile hike, but toward the end everyone wanted a piggy back ride...even Calvin :0). Thankfully, he's still small enough to carry!

Wading in the Creek

It was such a perfect summer activity (and something that was dog friendly)...we took a trip to a creek nearby to play. It was so nice to watch the girls frolic. They brought their buckets and nets hoping to catch some fish. They were screaming with delight when they caught a few, but learned an important lesson when they got home...fish don't survive in tap water. They painted rocks earlier and thought they'd give them a pretty & clean environment by dumping the creek water & placing them into their new beautiful habitat. As I write this, their last surviving fish, "Hero", just started floating on the bottom :0(. Sounds like we might be taking another trip to the creek this summer~

Stormy Afternoon Creations

Last week when it was raining, I gave the girls some scrap wood, nails, hammers, and string. I taught them how to use a hammer safely and they went to work. They wanted to hammer their nails in circles and came up with their own individual designs. It was like our own little shop class. Yes...I got my fingers smashed a few times, but it was worth it. I love teaching my girls that tools aren't just for boys. When we first started Sadie said, "Are there more nails in Dad's toolbox?" I said, "Dad's toolbox?? Mom uses it just as much as Dad...if not more!" Our next lesson will be how to use a drill & screwdriver :0).

Celebrating the 4th~!

The Fourth

Oh CRASH!

my BASH!

its BANG!

the ZANG!

Fourth WHOOSH!

of BAROOOM!

July Whew!

By Shel Silverstein (I love his poems!)

One Berry Two Berry Pick Me a Blueberry!

Remember the book...Jamberry? We were singing the story on our way to the blackberry fields at the Chesterfield Berry Farm. What a perfect summer day it was. Nothing like picking while dripping in sweat :0). The sky was beautiful though and I loved listening to the humming of bees & the peacefulness of the almost empty farm. The blackberries were HUGE! We picked enough to freeze and used a bunch to make blackberry cobbler. Yum!

A few days later, we picked blueberries! Nanna came long with us. It was another perfect summer day! I love Swift Creek Berry Farm. There's a beautiful old house there, locally grown plants & veggies, and row after row of blueberry bushes. We picked over 7 lbs! There were so many you could just grab a branch by the handful & pull off a nice clump. They were SO delicious & sweet. We froze a lot and used fresh ones to make blueberry bread. The recipe called for orange marmalade & pecans which I thought sounded interesting. It was super yummy.

Happy Birthday B~!

Today is a little sad for us. It's Buxton's birthday & he would have been 12. Danny took Calvin to the vet today & they put him in the room where Buxton passed. I was so glad I wasn' t there. I think I would have had to leave.

We miss you so much B and we think about you every day. If you were here, we'd give you two frosty paws!!

Hugs & lots of wet kisses~

Your Family