Gettin' my CRAFT on!

I've been busy crafting lately, preparing for our Youth Camp at church.  Here are a few samples of some crafts I'll be doing with the kiddos:

chalkboards

8x10 canvas art

painted water bottles "Faith: Just Do It"

"design your own" coffee tumblers

duct tape wallet

wooden frames - design your own

It oughta be lotsa CRAFY FUN!!

chef day - summer journal entry #2

This was another attempt at a 'purposeful' summer activity.  I declared it CHEF DAY and the kids made breakfast, lunch, & dessert.  If I had known they would enjoy making their OWN food, I would've been doing this a long time ago (ha).  We had a few friends over at lunch time by the pool, so they joined in on the fun.  When the day was over, I asked Jake & Ben to draw a picture or design a menu.  I'll take pics of their journals & try to remember to add them.  Jake said it was "the best day of his life." Now isn't that FINDING JOY IN THE LITTLE THINGS? 

I made 8 1/2 x 11 placemats for all the kids. 

(front view) 

back view

pizzas by the pool!

ingredients we used:

flat pita bread for crusts

pizza sauce, divided into individual containers

pepperoni, bacon bits, shredded chicken, pizza cheese

proud of their pizzas!!

cookie! cookie! we all scream for cookie!

(sorry..pic is sideways, but you get the idea)

they ARE creative, aren't they?

summer journals

This summer I have decided I want to be more 'purposeful' about my time with my kids.  No sitting around watching tv, no mindless trips to the mall, etc. -- BUT -- I want them to have FUN!  So, after a little suggestion from Jake's kindergarten teacher, I've decided to do one "fun" activity each week and have them write journal entries about it.  Last week, I took the boys to see "Percy Jackson & the Lightning Thief" (I think the title might be a little longer, but you get the idea).   Ben actually read the book months ago and we celebrated the start of summer with a trip to the $2.50 movie.  When we returned, I had them write in their journals "If I had super powers..."  I was super-amazed at how eager they were to get started.  Having just finished kindergarten, I know that Jake's will be a lot of drawing, but he's done a great job at inventive spelling.  Jake's story is about a man who can turn into a gorilla (he's our monkey boy - loves them).  Ben's story was, as many of his creations, very imaginative!  The highlight of Ben's character is a helmet that translates languages for the character to understand, which also translates his speech so others can understand.  Wow...truly amazed!  Below are pics of both their journals:

Williams Wednesday

It's been 2 weeks since our Little Miss had her tonsils & adenoids removed and she's been such a trooper! She has truly missed her chips, popcorn, & pretzels and says the FIRST thing she wants when the dr. says she's "ok" is PRETZELS! Don't you know Mama's taking a baggie of pretzels with us! We're going for her 2 week post-op check up today.  Many prayers have been spoken over our Ally-boo and we just couldn't be more grateful for wonderful family, friends, and folks!

food cozy tutorial

I am sooooo addicted to finding FREE tutorials on crafting & sewing blogs. Here's one I found recently on Pea Pod Creations and CANNOT wait to make one:

You can find the tutorial here