A little of this...a little of that

Update: The crayons all wrapped up, and the owls did

need a set of wings.

~~~

It's been a busy week, here with Little Guy and Emmy.

In between the field trips, volunteering, and Christmas crafting, here's a little of

what we've been doing.

~~~

Emma and I took a box of perfectly good Crayons, peeled off the wrappers and

made six fun heart Crayons.

It's very simple to do. Make sure you use a Silicon pan,

bake for 30 minutes on 200 degrees. Let cool...




...and then try them out.


Emma's in the beginning stages of making her paper plate snail.

Ryan...all decked out for Scouts.

It's easy to tell, even with his hat on, that he got a haircut between when this photo was taken

and the choir fieldtrip. I was beginning to think that I had two daughters!

Yep...Ryan gets that look a lot!

Doesn't she look sweet?!

~~~

So, for your viewing pleasure, here's what happens when

Emma gets ahold of the camera.

(My favorite...so Emma!)

~~~

While the boys were at Scouts Thursday night, Emma and I did a little bit of sewing.

We made our pattern and cut out the pieces.

Next we sewed on eyes and a beak.

Basted the feet in place,

Sewed most of it together, leaving a hole for stuffing.

Stuffed it.

Sewed up the hole.

All done!

It's hard to see in the photo, but one is purple and the other is pink.

I'm thinking they might need some wings...we'll see.

Fieldtrips

Each of the kids went on a fieldtrip this week.

Emma went to see the musical "Cinderella" on Tuesday.

Since cameras were not allowed inside, this is the only photo.

Here she is on the bus with her best Kindergarten friend, Anneliese.

Ryan's school choir went to the Capitol on Thursday to sing holiday songs.

Here's the view looking down on the poinsettia tree.

The architecture is amazing!

It was neat to hear Ryan sing at the Capitol.

The last time I was inside the building was when my high school

choir came at Christmas to sing.

Smile!

I went up a level...the kids looked so little!

There were still a couple of levels above me.

Looking down...

Ryan with his friend Harrison

...with their friend George Washington

One last goofy picture on the front steps of the Capitol.

~~~

Before going back to school, the choir stopped at one of the local retirement centers and sang for the residents. They sure enjoyed it! It was so nice to watch the 4-6th graders

go around afterwards and shake each person's hand and wish them "Happy Holidays."

"Warm Winter Wishes"

I saw this idea at a bazaar this fall, so I had to give it a try.

I already had three pairs of Bob's worn jeans set aside, so I cut the

pockets out of them and went to work. The remainder of the jeans I'll

cut into squares and start a collection for a denim quilt.

Just before I gave this little guy away, I realized that I hadn't give him any arms!

Whoops!

That's better!

(Totally off subject, but I love how the color of our accent wall in the

living room changes colors. The 1st photo was taken

this afternoon with the sun coming in the windows. The others are this evening

with just the lamp light.)

"It's in my blood!"

"Momma? I think I was born to sew.

It's in my blood!"

~Emmalee, Age 5 and 11/12's

~now I get it~

My mom has always been a sewer. I remember way back when Max and I used to share a room...yep...waaaaaaaay back. Her sewing machine was in the living room just outside our bedroom door. While we were in our beds, bickering and causing trouble while we were supposed to be sleeping, I remember being able to hear the start and stop of the machine. It was such a comforting sound...to know that Mom was right outside our room. Back then, she sewed for necessity. She made beautiful dresses for both me and her...she made shirts for the boys and Dad. I remember our family picture when I was around six or seven...she made every particle of clothing in the photo except for the boys' jeans. I thought it was pretty cool.

It wasn't until much later that she started to sew for pleasure.

~~~

I've always admired quilts and enjoyed looking at them. However, I could never understand why someone would take the time to cut apart several pieces of perfectly good fabric and then sew them back to together. I even recall making a few jokes about it. It changed, though, when I was in college in La Grande and Mom made me a beautiful lap quilt. It was so comforting to be far from home and away from my parents, but to be snuggled under something that was made with love by my mom.

~~~

Now, as I sit at the machine and sew...whether it be clothes for Emma (Ryan's not to anxious to have homemade clothes and it really is cheaper just to buy his) or a gift for someone...I understand. As I'm making something, whether it's something quick or something that makes me several days, I'm thinking of whomever it's for. I remember things we've done together, how much they mean to me, and (hopefully) how much enjoyment they'll get out of

what I'm making for them. I know it's a been said before, but there literally is love

in every stitch (Disclaimer: Unless it involves sewing stick covers for an airplane. That's

just plain work!)

Is March the only month that can come in like a lion?

First...a couple of pics of my favorite holiday cookies...

white chocolate chip cranberry cookies and

big, soft ginger cookies. Yum Yum!

We went to bed last night with a couple of inches of snow on the ground...

and woke up to six inches. When it finally stopped snowing, we had

10 1/2 inches of pure fun! All of the valley schools were

closed, so the kids and I spent most of the morning out in the snow.

There as no wind today (it's been quite windy lately) and

it was pretty warm...a perfect day for playing in the snow.

The snow was falling on her face, so she didn't stay like this for too long.

Shoveling snow for their snow fort.

Ryan's spy hole in the fort.

Mr. Snowman

Emma thought she was safe here behind the snow wall. She didn't even know

this one was heading her way.

Here it comes!

Trying to hide from the incoming snow.

~~~

the forecast now calls for warm temps and rain...the next pics you see, we might all be in

swimsuits!