Glittered Acorn Wreath

My friends think I'm nuts. And I feel squirrley like an acorn-hoarder. :-P

Acorns!

When we went camping a few weekends ago, the boys and I started collecting acorns. They were huge and beautiful, and well...if you're *my* son, apparently you can't resist collecting them. My mom and dad's oak trees are producing bountifully this year so we collected some more...and I was bound and determined to actually DO something with them instead of letting them sit in a plastic grocery bag for a few years.

Some of these dandies were HUGE!  Love it.

I've collected so many now, I've become picky. Only choosing the BIG ones...or just the caps....

Caps!  Are you on acorn-picture overload, yet?

...Because...with a little styrofoam, paint, Mod Podge and glitter...look how pretty those acorn caps turn out!

You can make a wreath, too.

Here is what you need: Styrofoam wreath, brown paint, acorn caps, hot glue gun, Mod Podge or glue (optional), glitter (optional) and ribbon. 

Step 1 - Paint your Styrofoam wreath brown. You don't need perfect coverage since it will mostly be covered.

Step 2 - Start pressing the acorn caps into the wreath. Some of them would stay just fine without glue, but it is best to just go ahead and hot glue every single one. :-)

Continue, continue, continue!...

...until you have the whole wreath covered. I went as far down with the caps on the inside and outside of the wreath as I could go without disturbing the wreath's ability to lay flat. Did you know that wreaths have abilities? Ha.

Step 4 - Glitter, baby! Apply Mod Podge or glue just to the top edges of the acorn caps and sprinkle away. Small children are helpful in this endeavor.

I debated whether to add glitter or not. I think the wreath is very pretty and natural-looking without it and could be finished off beautifully with some flowers, grass, and ribbon...but I went for glitter!

Step 5 - Add a ribbon hanger and bow, and wish you still lived with your mother so she could tie a pretty bow for you.

I can't decide if I like the wreath better hanging on the door, or inside the house. :-)

First Days of Preschool

Both Emory and Marin started preschool this week--Marin in the 3-year-old class and Emory in the 4-year-old class.  This means I will be running up town every single morning...double the tuition...double the fundraisers...double the fun! :-)  It will be a busy school year.

Marin's birthday is at that point in the year where we're like...should we send her?  Should we not?  I have to admit that unfortunately, I have been very judgmental of those who send their September babies to school "early," assuming that those kids just aren't ready.  But the more I have thought of it, the more I think that a birthday one day is really no different than a birthday a week prior. It is up to the individual child as to whether or not they are ready for school.  Well, it's not the child's opinion...but you know what I mean!

And Marin was raring to go! :-)

Could she be any more excited?  I don't think so.  She watched her brothers go to school her whole life and FINALLY she gets to stay. :-)

Emory was just as excited for his first day of school!

Compare last year's tree picture...

I think both the tree and the boy have grown! :-)

In addition to always taking a picture by the tree on the first day of school, I have tried to get the kids' pictures in front of the water tower at their preschool:

Wait...where's the water tower?!?!?  Ha. It was very foggy today.  As you can see, Marin was fully ready to go to school on Emory's day, too.

Emory was very ready to be back with his buddies. Before we even got to the door, his friend Addison came up to him and said, "Hi, Emory!  Remember me? It's Addison! Want to play Scooby-Doo with me?" :-)

Not quite ready for that last pic, huh?  This was at the end of school and the children were patiently waiting for their parents to come in and get them.  The parents were patiently waiting behind me as I popped in to snap a pic.

I am excited to watch this school year unfold!  These two have great teachers who prepare the kids so very well for kindergarten. Preschool is a fun bridge to kindergarten.  I was just thinking today that in one year my Emory will be gone at school all day and it made me sad. All the more reason to make each moment count!

A-Dora-ble Birthday Girl

I can't believe my baby girl is THREE years old!  Time seems to be going faster and faster...I guess because with three kids it's just busy, busy, busy around here!  

Marin chose to have a Dora-themed birthday party. I feel like I soooooo dropped the ball on this party in regards to planning...but, we just had family over, so I think it was fine. The kids basically just wanted to play with their cousin, Anna, which is what I planned on happening!  Ha. So, I guess I did plan one thing.  You kids---play together!

Marin was so sweet when we would ask her what she wanted for her birthday. Each time she answered, "Cake," and "a Choo-choo." We nixed the choo-choo idea since we have plenty of those already...but I am so happy to report we made Marin's day by serving her cake. ;-)

My mom did the cake and cupcakes since I don't do cakes. Ha. They turned out fantastic!

Marin reeeeeeeally loves deer. Her favorite stuffed lovey is a deer she got last year for her birthday...and this year, she got a baby to go with it!...

...and a deer family to play with.  I was just listening to her play with these this afternoon--too cute to hear her make them talk.

She got an awesome backpack to take to preschool. She pretty much screamed and squealed when she opened everything...Dora...deer...princesses...such a happy girl!

Marin just absolutely loves her cousin, Anna. :-) Here they are laying on the corn hole board, I've yet to finish painting, while we were trying to play!

Marin wore her Dora dress that she got from her Popper and Cinder. :-)

BIRTHDAY QUESTIONNAIRE (I put her answers in quotations...mine are not)

Marin, Age 3

Nicknames: 

Baybuh, Baby Girl, Sweet Pea, Pumpkin Pie Sweety Baby Face, Loo Loo

How old are you? 

"Two" ha "Three!" She corrected herself.

What is your favorite color? 

"Cutest Lilo. Ummmmm...purple!"

What is your favorite animal? 

"Kitty...and deerie."

What is your favorite book? 

What is a Princess?

What is your favorite TV show? 

"Dora." and Doc McStuffins

What is your favorite movie? 

Any one-hour special on Disney or Nick

What is your favorite song? 

"Happy birthday" but I catch her singing Our God and any and every other song she knows ALL of the time. :-)

What is your favorite food? 

"Pizza!!!!"

What is your favorite drink? 

Orange juice

What is your favorite breakfast food? 

Hot bread

What is your favorite snack? 

"A cookie"

What is your favorite outfit? 

Any pretty dress that Anna wore

What is your favorite game? 

"Ms. Julie says not to go round and round and I cry."

What is your favorite toy? 

She really loves her dollhouse, ponies and play kitchen

Who is your best friend?

 "Anna."

What is your favorite thing to do?  

"Play the iPad. Stay in my bed and get a sticker!!!!" Glad to know her *favorite* thing is staying in her bed. I will remind her of this.

What is your favorite thing to do outside?

"The swing!"

What is your favorite holiday? 

"Miss Julie. Holiday at school."

What do you like to take to bed with you at night? 

"With kitty. With deerie. My mommy! My blankie."

Where is your favorite place to go? 

"Playground"

What is your favorite restaurant? 

"Pizza"

Where do you want to go on vacation? 

"Arizona"

What do you want to be when you grow up? 

"A baby!" 

What did you do on your birthday? 

"Cake!"

Marin---I love your sweetness and how lovey you are and willing to give hugs and kisses. I love how you love your brothers.  I love that your face is full of expression and excitement. I love how you sing. I love that you love pizza...and hummus...and feta cheese...and olives...and salad...all the things that I love to eat. :-) 

I feel so blessed to be your mommy and I love YOU!

First Day of First Grade

*Sniffle sniffle* Our boy keeps growing up.

That, of course, is both happy and exciting and sad all at the same time.

Ugggggg....no one ever told me that being a parent would just be a never-ending ball of emotions. :-/

Evander in his cubby at open house

Cereal by fingers, not spoon ;-)

Watching for the bus about 30 minutes too early

By his tree. Who is taller?

See you later, Lilo!

Still waiting excitedly for the bus

It's time! 

Evander---I miss you when you are gone. I am sad that time is moving so quickly and you aren't as little as you once were. I am thankful you are growing healthy and strong. I am happy you have a thirst for knowledge and can pursue that with great people who will guide you while away from home. I am excited that you will be discovering new things. I look forward to seeing all of the doodles and art work you will bring home. I enjoy that there is less teasing and fighting in the house while you're at school. I enjoy watching your brother, the middle child, be the "big kid" in the house. But mostly, I think I just miss you while you are away at school. I pray for you while you while you are gone.

You, Too, Can Win a Ribbon at the Fair...

...if you enter an item in an obscure category! ;-)

Well...the County Fair is over, which means that summer is o-o-o-o-ver, too.  I know there are fair-haters out there, but I like to think of the negatives associated with it (increased traffic, increased foul smells, increased interactions with questionable people ha) as just something that only needs to be tolerated ONE week out of the year!

I think I am a bit sentimental about the fair. It reminds me so much of being a teenager and just running around with friends (hello!? No bills! No stress of child-rearing! No big responsibilities!). Nick and I went to the Lonestar concert at the fair as one of our first dates 11 years ago! Phew. Time flies.

After strolling through the craft barns year after year after year and saying, "I should enter something!" this year I did for the first time.  It was an afterthought, so I was not thinking that these items would be judged while I was making them.  Next year, I will plan a little better to fit into the specifications of each category.

I entered my granny-square quilt and it didn't win anything:...

My favorite part of this pic is the little hands grabbing for Momma.

...An apron, and it didn't win anything:...

Nicely displayed there, huh? ;-)

...My balloon wreath, and it didn't win anything:...

...and a stocking, which won 1st place!  First out of one in its category. Ha.

Again, I am so impressed how they display these!  I am also so sarcastic.

I have to tell you, that the most fun part of it all was waiting in line to pick up the items at the end of the fair.  It was chatty time between the ladies, "What did you make?" "Oh that's beautiful!" "How do they judge these things?" The most joy came in receiving my quilt back, and unfolding it to show the ladies in the line. One woman said and I quote, "Aren't you a little young to be quilting?" and I felt like answering Phineas and Ferb style, "Why yes. Yes, I am." ;-)

The fair volunteer who took my claim tickets said that I did great and to "PLEASE" enter next year. Hmmm....I wonder if she was a judge whose opinion got vetoed by the other judges. ;-) She probably says that to everyone, but it really made me feel happy.

My thoughts are that the judges are likely old ladies.  No offense if you are an old lady!  It's just...they have very different tastes.  I noticed throughout the craft barn that the judges favor the traditional over something that looks fresh and more modern. But that's okay...it *is* a county fair after all where traditions run deep. I'm guessing, too, that the judges are sticklers on sewing quality after one of the ladies said she heard they use a magnifying glass!  Not sure if that's true or not...but *that's* why I didn't win! ;-)

One of the best surprises was what I found on the back of my quilt ticket:

Well, thank you!

Of course, no trip to the fair is complete without a visit to this booth:

Other fun fair pics:

Birthday Skirt

It's my sissy's birthday today.  We got to celebrate this past weekend with family at Maumee Bay State Park...we swam A LOT with the kids and played around, but mostly we "celebrated" by eating Mom's chocolate cake. :-)

Oh, and I made this skirt for her!

Sorry for the picture quality...I just downloaded it off of Facebook. :-)

I made the comment to my sis that she is so easy to make things for.  She has strong passions and likes, one of them being hippy-type skirts. Ha.

I love scrappy pieces (and by "scrappy," I mean the fabrics used are what I already have...things I've used in other projects) because you can look at the finished piece and say, "Hey...I remember that fabric!  I used that for that person."  Mere's skirt includes older fabric that our grandma crafted with, and fabrics that I used on an apron for our mom.

The skirt consists of four rows of 8" squares.  The top row has eight squares, then 12, 16 and 20.  The rows are ruffled and then sewn together.  There is a waistband and tie at the top that you cannot see in the pic.

Again, poor picture quality from ripping off of Facebook...but it's also poor because I was using a fancy smancy camera, that I obviously don't know how to use.

Can I just inject here that photography stresses me out?!?!?  Ha!  For one, with the camera...I just want the darn thing to work.  Just work for me, please.  I do not want to work for you to work.  (Wow, it's personal...I'm referring to the camera as "you.")  Secondly, I am burdened by pictures.  Burdened over the "need" to take pictures...the guilt of not printing pictures or hanging pictures in my house...the burden of discarding (putting away in a box) old pictures....the burden of all of the emotions that pictures elicit.

Phew!  Glad I got that off of my chest. ;-) Does anyone else ever feel this way...or is it just Crazy Michelle?

Subway Art

You've probably seen subway signs all over magazines and Pinterest...large black signs that list the stops of a subway or bus line: "Broad St.," "Euclid Av.," "Coney Island," etc.

I knew I wanted to make one that was personal to us to hang up in the "new living room." I keep calling our living room new since I painted, but haven't really managed to put decor back on the walls. I hope I get my act together soon! ;-)

I considered painting the letters for my sign, but opted to use my Cricut Machine.  I ordered super cheap vinyl from Wall Words Crafter Supplies.  I was so excited to dive in as I had never cut vinyl with my Cricut before.

And here is the final product:

I am SO incredibly pleased with how it turned out!

I bought the 15" x 30" canvas from JoAnn for $7.99 (yay for 50% off coupons!) and painted it black.  I knew I was dealing with nine words, so I marked the middle of the canvas lightly with pencil to place the word "Clinton."  The rest of the words are spaced about an inch from each other.

To aid in the process, I bought a small roll of transfer tape off of Amazon. Transfer tape is definitely not necessary for vinyl applications...but it is especially helpful when you are working with words.  All of the letters line up nicely and evenly because you can apply them all at once, not individually.

If you haven't used vinyl on your Cricut...I highly recommend it. I might just go crazy vinyling everything in sight!  There are several YouTube videos that demonstrate how to cut vinyl with your Cricut.

You can see how beautiful the letters look

I used the Printing Press cartridge for Cricut and kept my "Real Dial Size" button on. Which means all of the letters would be cut the same height, even though normally some of the letters (like "G" and "Y") would go below the line with this font.  The "G" and the "Y" and the "A" and the "R" ended up different-looking than the rest of the letters...but I like it!  I tend to like things a little different...a little wonky...a little imperfect. :-)

If you know what all of these words have in common, then let me give you a generous virtual pat on the back.  Better yet, how about a hug?

Here is a pic of Subway art from Restoration Hardware:

Baby Poop Dip

Sounds yummy, huh?

I haven't posted a recipe in a while and I made this tonight, so thought I would share.

It's actually called "Raw Spinach Dip" and the recipe can be found here: Raw Spinach Dip.  The times I have made it, though, it has *never* looked as white as it does in the picture.

If you are looking for a healthier-than-ranch dip for your raw veggies---this is it!!!  I've been pounding down the raw broccoli due to this dip.

If you like guacamole, then you will definitely love this.  I would venture to say that this dip is less fatty and has fewer calories than guac, just because there is less avocado and spinach is added.  You just can't go wrong with spinach, right?

And this is all you need!  Yum, yum and yum.

Okay, you will need more spinach than what is pictured, but this was a pretty amount. :-)

1 box of organic spinach (5 oz. maybe? I forgot to look)
1 avocado
1/2 c chopped red onion
1 clove of garlic
juice of one lemon

Place it all in a food processor and process, baby.  The first time I made it, I processed it too much and it was a little too runny...so don't do that!

Ploop and plop!  Did the baby eat peas or green beans?

In addition to "Baby Poop Dip," I've also called this "Hulk Happy Dip" in an attempt to get the kids to eat it.  This was Evander's reaction when I placed the bowl on the floor where he was playing for him to try:

He backed himself under the kitchen table!  Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!  He did try it, though, and so did the other two.  :-)

Enjoy!