February 27, 2014

A Teachers' Yearbook, by Dr. Seuss*

Posted by Ethne~

*I am not trying to be a ghostwriter for Dr. Seuss.  I cannot rhyme that well and I think he is not, in fact, writing books anymore.  I actually do not even like rhyming greeting cards.  But if you read on, you'll see why Dr. Seuss has authored a teachers' yearbook, of sorts, for my girls.

Well, we've got parent-teacher conferences this week for our kindergarteners.  I'm a little nervous.  It's almost like a test day.  You should probably pray for us.

I'll be packing my two copies of Oh the Places You'll Go by Dr. Seuss, from bff Slags.  She had read somewhere about a dad giving his daughter a copy of the book, signed by all her teachers, when she graduated from high school.  (I may have seen this since on Pinterest, too.) [See, the teachers sign it every year for the kid, making it a teachers' yearbook.]

As an English teacher, it probably tugged at Slags' heart a little.  That story is really, really sweet.

And as a fellow English major, having read all of the literary classics, I must admit I have a new appreciation for Dr. Seuss of late.  KD read the entire Green Eggs and Ham to us the other day (it took her two nights because it's longer than you'd think when you're sounding it out).  I was bursting at the seams.  Turns out, his Seussian repetition and rhyme is very helpful for my beginning reader.

Regardless, I will be giving the girls' teachers a big pat on the back for teaching them to read, write** and do impressive math*** already by the middle of kindergarten.  And, if you please, would you sign my her yearbook?

**By writing I mean, they sound out words phonetically, so sometimes the spelling is atrocious but the sentences are usually legible, i.e., 'sory' = 'sorry' because the double-r doesn't make much sense if you're 6.  Also, KD keeps telling Shaun he's "m-e-n, mean".  What 'a'?

***The girls can count past 100, and can count in segments such as 5's, 10's, etc.; they can do basic arithmetic, too.  In fact, while KD was reading Seuss, Easy Mac was writing her numbers straight from 1 to 105.  What?!  I'm not joking.

Are your kids doing crazy things now too?  I bet a lot of you are as proud as I am at how far they've come in the few short years they've been on this planet.

February 25, 2014

FREE BOOK OFFER!

Posted by Lori~

I LOVE  a free book offer!  Crafty G-Ma (AKA my mom) found a sweet deal on some Kellogg's cereal boxes.  


Collect three codes and receive a FREE book.


I typed it in and am waiting for my FREE offer!  I can't wait.





We LOVE reading at our house...especially free books.  Mur-Man is still enjoying  his Imagination Library books.

February 24, 2014

BASEBOARD SCRATCH COVER--AMAZING!

Posted by Lori~

Most of my baseboards in my house are white.  I love white trim, white paint, white kitchens...I LOVE WHITE!

However, my 1930's house came with some very beautiful trim in the living room and dining room that has yet to be touched with paint, and I do not want to cover it up!

Some of the baseboards had scratches, scrapes, and were looking a little beat-up.




Honestly, the entire process was simple.  I decided to use Old English Scratch Cover for dark woods.  Using a clean cloth, I rubbed it on.  Using another clean cloth, I wiped off the excess Old English.


I can't believe how great it looks!  My baseboards look like brand-new!  The entire process was super affordable.  I just wish I did this sooner!



 

February 19, 2014

PUSH PIN UPGRADE!

Posted by Lori~

I found some wooden push pins in the dollar section of Target.  (I LOVE THAT SECTION).  Immediately, I thought they could use a little upgrade (for free)!


First up, I put the push pins in some foam packaging I had laying around the house.  Perfect for the painting step!


Using spray paint I already had, I sprayed paint into a cup and then applied the paint to the push pins using a paint brush (unfortunately, it was too cold in ND to truly spray paint outside).



Using my gold rub n' buff, I decided to upgrade the push pins. a little more.





I am in the process of upgrading my work bulletin board (photos coming soon).  These push pins will look fab!

February 18, 2014

Temporary Road Block.

Posted by Ethne~

Hey dudes.

You may have missed me around these parts.  It's possible you didn't notice since Lori's been doing awesome projects.

Anyway, I thought I should let you know what's up.

We've been having some trouble with K & E.  They're not sick (thank goodness), but we have been dealing with what's up full-time (for their privacy, I'm not going to get into it ad nauseum).  This hasn't left me a lot of time for blogging and projects.  And by the time they go to bed at night, I just about pass out.  Parenting is hard.  Good thing I love them so $%& much.

Consequently, I also haven't been my sassy self.  I keep trying to think up a good post about nothing for us to all laugh at, and I haven't really had it.  I did swear a whole bunch at Bode Miller's competition (the a$$holes) the other night, though, so it's deep down in there, promise.

I will keep up wom-ing.  I love and am really proud of this blog.  I have a post about making almond milk all photographed except the first part, which I keep forgetting to snap before I do it.  Grr.  I have lots of other posts running around in my head.  Plus, we're still doing a gluten-free diet, so there's loads to talk about with that.  Mostly the meals are going well.  {Mostly.}

Until next time, I sure do love Lori - and y'all.

xo, Ethne

February 17, 2014

VOLCANO--IT'S SCIENCE!

Posted by Lori~

We've been on a science kick in our house lately.  My hubby and Mur-Man and have been performing "experiments".  Most recently, they created a volcano.  It was quite the process!

Painting the volcano...We crashed my paint stash and Mur-Man painted it on.



Mur-Man busy making trees.  This is the "science" book that Mur-Man and Steve are following!

Mixing the vinegar potion.

Lots of baking soda was required.

And lots of vinegar.  One cup didn't do it!


Science ROCKS!


HEY WOMS...What science projects are you whipping up?

February 14, 2014

V-DAY TEACHER GIFT (and a little more)!

Posted by Lori~

We are LUCKY to have good teachers in Mur-Man's life.  We have 2 teachers in his pre-school class, 2 teachers in his daycare room, and 1 teacher at his other daycare.

Steve and I wanted to show them a little love, so we whipped up some valentine hand sanitzer gifts for them.

Super affordable and super cute!
 


Mur-Man had a fun Valentine's Day party at school, and he even got his face painted!



Have a GREAT day everyone!  I got flowers--I feel blessed!  We went to the Lego Movie last night...it is a MUST SEE!
 

February 12, 2014

VDAY CARD FUN!

Posted by Lori~

My initial idea for Valentine's Day cards came from after Christmas shopping.  I found a toy top foam kit at Hobby Lobby for 90% off!

Mur-Man helped me whip up 24 of them.






I asked Steve to create a v-day card to go with the "top" theme!  

24 valentines wasn't going to cut it (with pre-school, daycare, and friends)!  So, I needed more ideas and more inspiration.

I was able to purchase silly straws for 97 cents/6 pack.  



I also found an airplane party favor kit!  



We plan to spend tomorrow having a family dinner out and then it is off to the Lego movie!  Can't wait!


February 11, 2014

MINI V-DAY CRAFT TUTORIALS!

Posted by Lori~

As you know, I work at a university (used to be a college) in my Little City, ND town.  Recently they had a Pinterest craft night and this "old" lady decided to crash!  It was awesome...and I was able to whip-up some great Valentine's Day decor.

First up, I have been eyeing the gold spray painted jars...I have seen them as bookends.  Why not make my own?

It was super simple.  Basically spray the inside with the spray paint of your choice, roll it around, and let it dry!

I am fairly certain this is an old ranch jar from Target!  MY FAVE!



Next up, was nail art.  I knew right away I wanted to make LOVE for my mantle.  It was a fairly simple project.

First, I traced my design. (Prior to this step, using Modge Podge I applied craft paper to my wood base.)

Then I started pounding in nails, trying to keep even spacing, but ensuring the letters would make sense.


Next up, I wrapped the nails with red crafting floss.  I prefer thicker letters.

I continued to wrap the floss until the letters were thick and easy to read (knotting at both ends)

 
For now, I placed a few paper straws in my gold vase.  I am in LOVE with my LOVE SIGN! IT POPS!

February 10, 2014

UNDER BED DRAWER STORAGE!

Posted by Lori~

I am thrilled to post about this project...honestly one of my all-time faves!  And this project cost me under $3.00!  WOW!

My goal is to get storage under Mur-Man's bed and eliminate some of the room clutter.  First up, I was on the look-out for FREE DRAWERS!  I found them at a hotel that was updating their furniture.  They had the old dressers outside--I simply called them and they were free!

My girlfriends and WOM-MOM followers Holly and Steph decided to have a Modge Podge party to cover the interior of the drawers.

Holly opted to use full sheets of fabric.  Steph and I opted to cut fabric into squares to cover the drawer interior.

For my drawers, I used scrap fabric I already had and Modge Podge/sponge brushes I already had.




To apply Modge Podge, using a sponge brush you simply apply it under the fabric, press it down (smooth out any wrinkles), and then apply Modge Podge on top of the fabric.  Once the interior of the drawer is completely covered, you will want to ensure that all areas are smooth and have Modge Podge covering them.


 

Once the drawers were dry, we attached the wheels using stainless steel screws.  I was lucky to pick-up the castor wheels at IKEA for ONLY $2.99/pack! 


Now it was time to paint the drawers.  We first used primer (which I already had in my paint stash).



Once completely dry, we added our paint color.  Holly had purchased a metallic blue paint that I LOVED!  I used it too--thank you Holly!





I ended up using three coats of the blue paint--I did use a sponge brush for the final coat to eliminate any brush strokes.  
 


I also decided to use silver Rub 'N Buff on the handle and the drawer trim. 


It fits perfectly under Mur-Man's bed.  I am ready to create more drawers and eliminate more CLUTTER!


Here's Holly's drawer!  ADORABLE!


Here's Steph's drawer!  LOVE IT!



A few things we recommend from doing the project--take the handles off prior to the Modge Podge.  We forgot and then were stuck with the handles!  Thank goodness they were not too ugly.

Also, using smaller pieces of fabric was easier.  This makes it easier to attach the Modge Podge without wrinkles.