A little do-dad

It's a finished Unina!



(well, except for the mini rice warmer bag because I like the idea of it being scented, but where do you find a small affordable amount of something like lavender?)

Best of "Color Shading" in crayon

B's masterpiece

me

S's only attempt

T's

A1's favorite

A2's

A Little of Everything, and Too Much of Me I'm Sure

The children are all off track for three weeks. It's been kind of nice to laze in bed for 15 minutes or so after I wake up rather than jumping up immediately to get them up for school. It's been a lot noisier, but as the weather improves I am sure they will love to play outside (Landon rides his bike snow or shine, however).

I've become hooked on a puzzle of sorts. It's on the Lego website (ahem) where you move legos around in a certain number of moves to get a robot to where it needs to be. Last night I became so frustrated with one level (I could only do it in eleven moves, not the 8 that is said to be possible) that I was grumpy putting the children to bed. Sheesh.

We're finishing up the color shading, I think I will post the best page from each person when we are finished. Some are pretty good; Amm-'s are all monochromatic, Ad's all have some purple, Big T's are supprisingly good and vary in color, and the two youngest have rainbows of scribble, but they sure have fun. One of my best impulse buys and cheapest continuing family activities I have to say.

I've finished up the last row on my second Mystery Quilt. Pictures soon!

We went skiing with EarthTouch again Friday. Mann, it was too long since my lesson. My first few runs were hilarious! I was so nervous. Amm- and Ad' took a lesson this time and when I saw how fast Amm- was going I decided I was being silly (and had made enough turns on my snowplow-almost-the-entire-way runs that I trusted myself a little more) and I was able to go pretty dang fast my last two or three tries- of course then it was time to go, and by the time we go again (next year) I will probably start out hilariously slow again, especially at the "top" (yes, I am talking about the baby hills, ha ha ha ha) because I am afraid I will accidentaly turn too hard and end up going down the steeper looking baby hill. Hee hee haw. I think if we don't go again until next year I had better start with a lesson again. We had better go again, though, I love it once I get over my initial psycho fears, and I really want to graduate from the "Little Cat".;)

We have a quilt group started up in the ward and it has been really fun. I enjoy visiting (o.k. so maybe listening to the visiting is a more apt description of my involvement), it really is refreshing to have contact with adults in an unrushed atmosphere (and having a reason to be together besides just visiting is also a little less stressful for the conversation breaks and all). The children have the run of the gym and we bring toys to share. So far that has gone really well. We've tied one quilt and we're quilting a baby tricot quilt, it is going to be so cute. We will probably tie the next one again. Some ladies want to learn to piece, so it has been a little bit of a dilemma to me on how to fit that in. I think next week I'll try to have both going on. Piecing and tieing (spell check doesn't seem to think that's a word?), see how that works. Maybe every other week do piecing and the other weeks do quilting/tieing? Or would people be more likely to forget if they come to only one or the other? Or should we do another day altogether so those that can't come at the time it is now could come? (Someone make a desicion! Who- me?).

Crayon color shading "class"

Big T suddenly loves coloring and I realized we were low in the crayon department so I headed to the store for another craft stocking mission (woot! I love paper, pens, notebooks, crayons even)for crayons, coloring books, tape and glue, and also came away with a kit that teaches "the magic of color shading" with crayons. Here is the result of the first two lessons:

Everyone except Amm- was enthusiastic and want to do more. Amm- says he doesn't like to color. I remember in Kindergarten he would refuse to do the color the picture part of his homework. He does, however, love freehand drawing. Which side of the brain was that supposed to come from?
We had conferences for school today and the children are all doing really well. Big T's teacher, however, says if he doesn't stop reversing letters and numbers before 2nd grade we will need to worry and maybe do a tutor thing. Anyone have ideas to work on this other than repetitive writing that might bore him to death and thus possibly be ineffective?
Maybe it is the snow, but I am totally in the mood to do a difficult puzzle. I should have gotten one while at the store, dagnabbit.

Those suckers!

o.k. so we wrapped them in the plastic just for the picture. The children ate them up immediately afterward. It was pretty fun to do, although without the hovering, impatient, younger children it would have been less nerve wracking, but considering that, it really went amazingly well.
We are, however, not candy artists and this is the best we could do. They were yummy though.

What fun!

We had a nice visit with megglee the other day. It was so quiet and peaceful, even the boys were fairly well behaved. Lando- with his forays into the pantry (he has a thing for food, this one), Byc-ie in and out to the 'park' (the playground in front of their condo), and O' so mellow, it all went smooth.
Megglee sent us home with some treasure! For my birthday this cute little doggie in my window...

And just for fun this weaving kit from Klutz. Ad' took off with it the first night (I think she will post pictures of her finished purse on her sight):



So the next morning I had an excuse to go to the craft store to find more loops (the Klutz ordering wasn't working and I am impatient), and Bryce and I had fun making this:

Even Lando- got in on the fun!

Big T became a potholder fiend:

And Amm' thought the checker board was clever - he wants to do another so I need to get some more already :).

If that isn't enough for you I bought a strawberry shortcake sucker kit (melt the colored chocolate sort of thing) when I came across it at the craft store, and Ad' and I are going to do that today. What fun! Guess I better get crackin' on those dishes...

Well Said.

Adrift! A little boat adrift!
And night is coming down!
Will no one guide a little boat
Unto the nearest town?

So Sailors say—on yesterday—
Just as the dusk was brown
One little boat gave up its strife
And gurgled down and down.

So angels say—on yesterday—
Just as the dawn was red
One little boat—o’erspent with gales—
Retrimmed its masts—redecked its sails—
And shot—exultant on!

--Emily Dickinson