A New Friend for the Wee One

We had Olivia today and she loves being outside. Fortunately, this morning was beautiful and we took the opportunity to get some fresh air. Our backyard is a pretty good size yard and watching her trek all the way to the back using those little legs is entertaining. Toddler energy never ceases to amaze me. Olivia seemed to have a destination in mind and she made a beeline right to her new little friend.

And here he is. Just the right size to be a little friend to an 18 month old.

"Oh, aren't you a cute little fellow?"

She likes to kiss her friends....

and again....

Stepping back to see what he thinks of her little kisses....

and going in for another one for good measure.

He's a good little friend and doesn't mind wet baby kisses, AKA drool. It seems he doesn't even mind
when she decides that his honker would make a great little handle.

She held on to his nose for quite some time while she picked up sticks and various other debris.
He was so very patient and stood perfectly still.

She even switches hands...she's ambidextrous like that.

Yes, being a friend to a wee one is rough stuff.

K's Room Makeover, Pt 2

Now, for part 2 of the Room Makeover. Things to note first, K's room is small, but she's packed a lot of her personality into the room. We've pretty much let her pick everything out. Some things she knew exactly what she wanted and some we've discovered along the way. Or sometimes she knew kind of what she wanted, but didn't know where to get it or exactly what it would look like. So, I'll show pictures and share a little of her thought process....or just how it was thought out.

Ready for a lot of pictures? Let's open the door....

When you open the door and look straight ahead this is what you'll see. K's family picture collage and a vinyl quote that I picked up for her for Christmas. You can also see two of the three colors she picked for her room. She chose a dark brown, a green and a blue. She said it was like the dirt, the forest and the sky.

For this wall, she took the three framed postcards that she had hanging in her "old" room and put them in black frames. Then she took some actual photos and a couple of calendar pages to finish the grouping she wanted. Her grandma took the picture of the hawk in the middle.

The birdhouse hanging was another added touch. She loves birds and likes to keep bird feeders right outside her window so she can sit and watch them. So, it only made sense to add some inside bird decorations. This one has a little bluebird watching out the opening.

Here we step back so you can see the whole wall and her bookshelf. All of her furniture is from IKEA. The blue flowerpot is waiting for the perfect plant. She's still researching that.

Mike built a shelf above her windows years ago. It was originally white. So we pulled that down and Kristin painted it black. She likes glass bottles, so she's been keeping her eyes out for different ones. These bottles have been found at various yard sales. The empty space on the right is about to have a neat project on display. I'll share that tomorrow in the final installment.

Now, if you remember from a picture of her old room, she had a white shelf with pegs and ladybug paper on it. Well, that wouldn't do in the new design. So, they pulled the pegs out and Kristin learned to fill the holes and sand them.

Then the shelf was painted black and we put cork board on the back. There was a seam from the cork board, so she picked out a ribbon to cover it. I think it turned out rather well.

On top of the shelf you see a mason jar with rocks and fake flowers. That was one of her inexpensive projects. She also made one for the top of her dresser.

Now, we'll step back and look at it from the doorway. Her desk gives her a great view of the birds at her feeders. One of the features she really liked about her dresser was the mirror that flipped up and the jewelry tray. She can close it for more flat surface, but she likes the mirror up. I can't blame her!

For our last view, we walk in the room and turn to look at her bed. So much to talk about here. First off, K knew that she wanted some posters of animals that you could find at Yellowstone. We had no clue what or where...but we were looking for affordable. We had done some looking online and I had to remind her to be patient and that her room may not be done in two weeks. Well, just a few days later we went to Bass Pro Shop to look at camping stuff. We walked right by a section that had canvas photos of wildlife. Jackpot!! For around $20 each, we picked out two which were pretty much exactly what she had envisioned! How perfect was that?

Another tough piece to the puzzle was the bedding. We searched many places online for ideas and nothing really jumped out at us. I had picked up some really nice sheets a few weeks before, but that wasn't going to be enough! Again, we found ourselves in a store (this time Target) looking for something totally unrelated and walked right by the perfect bedding. We have the brown, the green and the blue and it has the requirement she had of having a "nature" design. It looks like she found this first and made the room around it.

A week later, she found the bird picture (also at Target) that fit with her colors and love of birds. It was an amazing design project that just came together so easily. Now that months have passed, we still find a few things here and there that would just be "perfect". Sometimes we get it and sometimes we pass. In the meantime, she's enjoying her Yellowstone National Park room and being surrounded by all her special things.

For tomorrow's post I'll share the newest updates in her room.

She has a few photos and decorations that she needs Mike to put up and has that little project that we're working on. I'll also share her idea she came up with to solve a little problem in the room. I imagine that will be completed sometime in the spring.

K's Room Makeover, Pt. 1

This past year K decided that she was due for a more grown up room. Her room still looked nice, but it had been that way for over 7 years and she associated it with being a little kid. She was after all turning 12 this year. Fortunately for her, we decided that yes, this would be the year of the K room makeover. As an added bonus, her American Heritage Girl handbook had a badge for Interior Design. This was a cinch for K to complete, because she had the new look all mapped out in her head. We did this back in April and May, so I apologize for just getting to sharing it now. Honestly, though she has been adding little elements to get it "perfect" ever since! The photos will share the transformation. Since there was a lot of detail, there will be a lot of photos and I've divided the post into three parts!

First, we need to look at a few snapshots of the "old" room.

Over the years, the toys and toy bins were swapped out with a small antique desk.

These framed postcard pictures would actually be the inspiration for the "new" room!

I told you the room was designed when she was much younger!

Now, before we look at the new shots let me explain a little about the whole makeover. This was pretty much a total makeover. The theme was Yellowstone National Park. She wanted something that was earthy and would remind her of nature, especially National Forest type animals. She desperately needed a new bed and she asked for new furniture. That was chosen from IKEA to keep it affordable so that we could do everything she wanted. For paint she picked out three colors. Yes, three colors. Scared me...but she had a vision.

She learned during the whole project that sometimes you just need to keep an eye out for inspiration and for pieces that will fit your vision. You just never know when the right thing will come along and help tie the room together. I'll share examples of that in tomorrow's pictures.

She also learned that sometimes you can make things that will help decorate your room and add a personal touch to your room. Best part, inexpensive projects were chosen!! We'll look at a few of those later.

Lastly, she learned that not everything has to be done at once. Over the past few months of her living in her room, she's discovered some needs or touches that would really be nice. We've bounced around ideas and have come up with some good solutions and just need to wait for a few extra dollars and time. They aren't expensive projects by any means, but with the holidays here we've put it on the back burner for now. I'm sure I'll be sharing more pictures before Spring.

Tomorrow we will look at her "new" room, but I'll give one sneak peek.

Here is one of her personal touch projects. She made a sign for her bedroom door using a little chalk board, small river rocks and a white pen all from the local craft store. It fits the theme and gives you a clue about what you are going to walk into. You can also see a glimpse of two of the three colors and she's sitting on one of those "special finds" that pulled the room together. Can't wait to show you the whole thing tomorrow!!

Edible School

The one thing that I really enjoy about schooling is being able to take different avenues to reinforce information learned. This can be done many ways. One example would be taking a field trip to a historic site that you just recently read about. I love how this brings the lesson on paper to life. Fortunately, we live in an area that is close to so many opportunities to use this particular avenue. Another would be perhaps learning about an artist, looking at their work and then attempting to recreate their work or style. It may not look like the original, but it's often a true masterpiece and the child gains an appreciation that just reading wouldn't have conveyed.

While those all bring a richness to the education process, I'd have to say one of our favorites would be heading to the kitchen to make something edible that somehow ties into the lesson. This often means dessert for everyone. Of course, it is not always a "sweet", but those are certainly the most popular!

Here is the latest...

An edible bird nest complete with grass, twigs and mud.

A little fruit to represent bird eggs....and to make the whole thing healthy!
Yea, right!

Nope, she's not a ham at all!

Enjoying the lesson!

How to make your own bird nests:

Grass - Shred 2 large Shredded Wheat Biscuits into a bowl

Twigs - add 2 cups of chow mein noodles

Mud - Melt over low heat 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1 cup of peanut butter

Mix together. Place the mixture, divided into three piles, on wax paper. (you can make 4 if you need them or make a bunch of mini ones) Form each pile into a nest. Refrigerate until hardened. Add grapes to represent eggs and serve.

FYI: K says one whole nest (we made 4) was too much to eat at one time.

Why English Will Have to Wait

We've recently returned from a much needed two week vacation. We were out of town from September 16th to October 1st. Our homeschooling began early in August and we worked extra hard to get ahead. I knew the week before we actually left it would be futile to even attempt any traditional lessons. Instead our lessons that week were more on the line of how to plan, pack, clear out the garden, and budget time. Being the 'smart mom', I knew also to allow us the week AFTER vacation to get back into the routine. We had groceries to buy, clothes to wash, things to put away, spaghetti sauce to make, people to visit, etc. It sure made what I call "re-entry into the real world" much easier!

Yesterday was our first day back to our "regular" homeschool lessons. It went well and hardly seemed like we had been away for a month. We have naturally fallen into a pattern of Bible, History, and Science first. Then a break for brunch. (because neither of us really dig eating when we first get up) After the break we get back to Language Arts and Math and whatever else needs to be covered for the day.

Well, that's the "plan" of our schedule.

Reality??

Not necessarily so...but that's alright with this homeschooling momma!

Why?

Because all around us we can find learning opportunities. I happen to believe that there is more to life, learning and schooling than what we find in our textbooks. So, today when K was eating her lunch she heard all sorts of noise and rustling out the front window. She discovered that our dogwoods were full of robins and a few other feathered friends that were snacking on the red berries. Being birds without hands and manners, they were just landing and jerking the berries right off the branches in a frenzy. Then, K remembered that she bought peanuts for the chipmunk and the squirrels. So, she grabbed the bag and made a large pile in the middle of the garden and a small pile on the rock. She sat down and waited. Eventually our little chipmunk stuck his head out of his hole and stared at her. She just sat still making little chirping noises and quietly telling him it was safe. He mustered up his courage and came out to start stockpiling for winter. K has been sitting outside for about 45 minutes just watching him and the birds. Quite the nature show for my animal lover and a front row seat to boot.

She was so excited, she asked me to join her. Which I did, with my camera, of course.

click for the larger image...he really is rather cute!

English will wait a bit longer than "scheduled", but it will get done. K will have a story to share with her dad and her brothers and whoever else will listen. In my mind, it was the better choice.

Healthy Must Try Treat....

No, this isn't a bowl of sauteed kale!

It's actually Kale Chips and they are so light and crispy...with a touch of saltiness. Such a simple recipe that I just couldn't resist trying. They even passed the Miss K test with flying colors! In case you didn't know, that is a HUGE endorsement. I do NOT expect this to make it past dinner. You know what? I'm excited about that! Have you checked out the nutritional benefits of this amazing leafy green??

To make life even simpler, I used the 10 oz bag of washed and trimmed Kale from Trader Joe's. (love that store) There were a few rib pieces to sort out, but mostly it was all good to go.

Want the "recipe"?

(you can hardly call it a recipe, it's so easy)

Click below for the details and put Kale on your shopping list!

Crispy Kale Chips

Getting Spoiled.....

So, my birthday is tomorrow. My plans?? Well, I actually made a point to make no plans. A weekend of doing nothing sounded good. My parents are at the beach and I told them not to bother coming home early for my birthday. My oldest son, daughter in law and grandbaby are also at the beach this weekend and I sincerely hope they have a wonderful time.

Really, this no fuss birthday weekend sounds so good. I'll do some garden work, maybe shop a little and probably read a bit. I'm sure there will be some time spent trying to get the skin on my legs to at least match the skin color on my arms....which isn't even all that tan. (but compared to my legs my arms look like I'm a bronzed goddess) I bet we'll even watch a movie or two over the weekend and grill something yummy. So, for doing nothing it sounds like plenty.

The other day, J & T gave me an early birthday present since they knew they would be out of town. I was surprised because I wasn't really expecting a thing.

Our last name means rooster.
Now, I have a cake/dessert plate that matches our decor....in theme and color. I even have a recipe in mind to "break-in" my new plate.

(The recipe just happens to be dairy free/gluten free and all chocolatey.)

Like I said, this gift was unexpected and really I didn't expect any more "unknown" presents. I had already given my mom a specific item to get me and I planned to spend some birthday money getting two more things. (all three items have me excited but would probably cause quite a few women to roll their eyes since I'm not a bling type of gal.)

Imagine my surprise when Mike got home today and changed into comfortable clothes and said, "Are you ready for dinner?" Considering that I hadn't even gotten off my chair to start the meal, I thought that was an odd question. So, K started laughing and told me that we were going to....

Well, that was music to my ears! For one, as much as I love cooking I really can't stand cleaning up after it. Secondly, there are times that a good steak just really hits the spot and I was feeling the need for some iron. Let's just say no one needed to ask me to move to the car more than once.

However, on the way to the door I found more gifts.

Yes, I do LOVE flowers!

All varieties of flowers of all colors.

So, these made me smile.

However,

next to the flowers was a gift wrapped package.

I unwrapped the box with absolutely no clue as to what could possibly be inside.

WOW, this was a REAL shocker!
They got me!!

All this conspiring behind my back took place over the week.

I live with some seriously sneaky people...

Happy Birthday to ME!!