Joyfully Weary

It's been crazy windy here lately, and since we just finished up a weather unit  I thought it would be fun to make a wind-theme craft. We go through a ton of orange juice in a week and I have started to save some of the cartons for crafts. They'll make great buildings or boats someday but we started out with wind-spinners.  Our Supplies: orange juice carton, spray primer, x-acto knife, acrylic paint, brushes, twine Step #1: prepare carton by applying one coat of primer. Once primer has dried use an x-acto knife to cut a door in every side (make sure all doors open in the same direction). Also use x-acto knife to cut a small string hole at the top of the carton. *this step should be done by an adult Step #2: paint all sides of the carton Step #3: once paint has dried, thread twine through hole and knot, then hang your wind-spinner.  Here is a closer look at our finished wind-spinners. The kids have really enjoyed watc...

It's become a tradition to kick off our summer with a Lindsey family gathering at Jeremy's Aunt Tonya and Aunt Patsy's place. They open their beautiful home and pool to us and we split meals and clean-up duties. It's become a highlight of our year. It's a great time to catch up, there are always tons of laughs, and the food is amazing.  it was a bit cool this year but that didn't stop us from enjoying the pool even pippin couldn't resist going for a swim this girl knows how to relax her brother is still a bit confused auntie em and lily, however, have it down to a science bow and arrows were a new addition to festivities this year after some training from uncle kyle big buddy used daddy for target practice we also enjoyed aunt tonya's newest toy - a mini bike *don't worry it only goes 10-miles-an-hour and we stayed in the back yard we had a couple fires, one with s-mores mini man...

I found this skirt in a thrift store in Boston  last spring. It was in the vintage section and looks to be homemade. Either way it was a great price and I love fun colors and prints.  cardigan: gap , shirt; old, skirt + shoes: thrift, belt: gift  I got this  dress  at Old Navy several weeks back and debated between sizes for awhile. I ended up going with the larger size. It's a bit loose but I was looking for an everyday summer dress and the extra room makes it easier to wear when chasing after kiddos.  hat: target, dress + belt: old navy , shoes: florence  I think you can tell in the pictures that this skirt is actually a maxi dress. I found it on crazy clearance (under $4!) this winter. It's strapless and thus I would have passed it by if it wasn't for the price, not actually for modesty reasons. I think length/strap rules are a little silly. Just because something is strapless doesn't necessarily make it immod...

A weekly reflection inspired in part by Bob Bennett's song "Small Graces". " these are the small graces, the little moments when the miracles come... they are a reminder to the heart there is more to life than meets the eye... ... sometimes they slip by without notice sometimes they are very hard to see other times it's very clear when they are happening to me"   the privilege of being their mommy watching her practice her mommy skills seriously, sometimes watching her makes may heart feel like it's going to burst *random but if you are looking for a first baby doll the disney princess babies are great. little lady has been given quite a few babies and this one is by far her favorite. it's also fairly inexpensive and durable.  their adoration for their cousins little cousin-friends, mixed prints, and pretty dishes. it's fun to watch these two bond over the same things their...

For the grandmas' gifts on mothers day we went the traditional route - a handprint craft.   These were inspired by this "tin ceiling tile craft " I did with my VBS kids last summer.  Our Supplies: cardboard (trimmed to size/shape preference), pencil, tacky glue, heavy duty aluminum foil, shoe polish, tissues, packing tape, scissors, and ribbon.  Step #1: use pencil to trace hand onto cardboard Step #2: cover hand prints with tacky glue. i also had the children add their initials. the boys also added claws - i almost said 'no' but figured their grandmas would get a kick out of it.  Step #3:  once the glue has completely dried, cover cardboard with foil and use eraser end of pencil to press foil around glue lines. Step #4: smear shoe polish on top of foil. use a tissue to remove any excess polish.  i found this shoe polish (in a pack of 3) at dollar tree Step #5: if you wish to hang your tile, cut a pi...