Filling Up Our Buckets

JUNE 30, 2017

 

The kids and I have been so very busy and I’m extremely excited to share it all with you! Our summer is quickly flying by and it’s hard to believe that tomorrow is July 1. Where did the days go?

I realize it’s been awhile since I’ve posted anything. But we’ve been making new friends, reuniting with old ones, getting our hands dirty and enjoying every minute of it. That’s where the days went.

Our local library has some really awesome summer events! One of them was gardening. Bring in your containers and plant some flowers. I’ve had this sea shell planter sitting in my basement for probably 6 years, LOL, it was time to use it. The sun was so bright and it was sooooo hot, but, we enjoyed it! My Tootie is growing to be quite the little gardener. What really surprised me though is Heater, he got in there, got dirty and was so proud of his flowers! ❤

The other event at the library was The Barefoot Hawiian . After seeing a particular movie… I’ll give you a hint, it’s about a girl who saves her island and starts with “M”, my Tootie is all about Hawaii and dancing. So this was absolutely PERFECT! Granted it’s not as big as what you see on their website, it consisted of two lovely ladies and an emcee. They showed dances from each island of Hawaii. They had audience participation and Tootie (who clearly informed that “if they do dancing I’m going up there because I know how now,” from watching the movie).  She didn’t go up. I had to beg her for this picture, LOL. Look at that little face, I could squish it all day!

We also spent some time with my parents. We played at a park that I spent many days at when I was little. When I was just a tad older than Heater, I’d ride my bike down this HUUUUGEE hill (right behind this bridge a bit) and fly over this bridge. It’s knows as the wiggly bridge. It’s my favorite bridge in the whole world, so I had to bring my kids to see it. They thought it was so much fun walking on it and feeling it sway and move underneath their feet. I’m glad they got to see a part of my life. Plus, they look super cute here 🙂

Tootie is all about board games now. I may have created a monster on this. Her favorite used to be Candyland. Now, it’s Sorry. She’s getting bigger and her game play, is ON. Heater’s hit and miss if he wants to play, but this time, he did and he was BRUTAL to his mom!

Our homeschool group got together on a gorgeous day and did rock painting and sticky nature murals. It was so perfect! Heater was too busy playing with a new friend, so Tootie and I rock painted.

After rock painting our group took a nature walk and collected some items to put in a sticky mural. If you would like to create your own here’s what you’ll need:

MATERIALS

Clear contact paper
Scissors
Scotch tape or washi tape (if you’d like some color)

We picked up some bark, twigs, flowers, feathers, weeds, grass, you name it, our group found it. Simply take your awesome findings and place them between two pieces of contact paper (the sticky sides). Place the tape around the edges to seal it all up. Hang as you’d like.

Have you seen those cement stepping stones made out of Rhubarb leaves? I think they are beautiful! Our group decided to try our hand at it and it’s so simple!

MATERIALS:

Quickcrete (found at Menards, Home Depot)
Play sand (also found at Menards, Home Depot)
Cardboard
Bucket
Hoe (to mix)
Disposable gloves
Tape
Water
Leaves (Rhubarb, Hosta, Oak, any really that you prefer)

Simply follow the directions to mix the Quickcrete.  Lay down some cardboard, put sand in a pile (if you want a feeder, or bird bath), put plastic wrap over sand, lay your leaf down and pile on the cement (please find an appropriate link for directions, they are everywhere) and wait for them to dry. Ours are still in drying mode. But here’s some pics of us attempting the leaf stones.

I’m so excited to see how these turn out!!!

And the most exciting news……we are also about to overflow our buckets!!! My sweet little Heater, Tootie and I are going on vacation! A plane ride (their first plane ride)!! I cannot even begin to tell you how excited they are. Each and every day they count down. We are down to 3 days before we leave. The suitcases have been packed, the backpacks are filled, and now…. we wait. And waiting is hard!!!! So please keep us in your prayers for an uneventful flight, good weather and tons of memories to be made!!! See you when we get back! ❤