Yeah, I'll admit it...

We LOVE Angry Birds around here.  I mean, we really love it.  I haven't bought any merchandise or anything, but I will play.  A LOT!  And the girls love it too.  I don't mind them playing, but they will veg out in front of the computer forever if I'd let them.  Now I'm not a huge fan of them having tremendous amounts of screen time, so they don't get to play very much.  So, to satisfy their need for destroying questionably stable structures inhabited by pigs, I decided to make them a table top (or floor) version.  Actually, they started building their own Angry Birds games using blocks and dinosaurs and dollhouse people.  So, technically this was their idea.  I just spruced it up for them a little bit.  The pigs are just some little wooden balls that I had in our craft bin and the birds are rubber balls from the dollar store (they came three in a bag).  Total cost for this project?  $1 (plus tax) and about an hour total of painting.   I will post pictures of them playing when the sun comes up.  It's too dark in our house right now for my little point and shoot to get a good picture.  But they are playing happily, I assure you.

And completely off topic, I have been having trouble posting comments to my own blog (probably me doing something wrong), but I always want to respond when you all comment.  Know that I do read and appreciate whenever I get comments!

Little Reminders

I am a big fan of little reminders for the kids to help them remember the things that need to get done each day - particularly the younger kids.  So I thought I would share a couple of the little reminders I have for the girls.  These two just happen to be in their bathroom.  I used to have two that couldn't read (now I just have one), so the reminders have to have pictures.  Here's our potty reminder for Zion.  They are just little drawings that I made in some frames I had in the garage (spray painted red).

This is our reminder for the all of the girls.  Since I've started working, I'm not here to make sure that everyone is taking care of those basic needs in the morning.  This way, they can still see what needs to be done each morning and evening.  Sharpie works really well on mirrors and comes off easily with alcohol.

Some day I will get a really good camera and learn how to take really good pictures and then these pictures won't be blurry, but you get the idea.

2011 Recap

I know it's been 2012 for almost a full week now and I am late with the whole "year in review" post, but I am nothing if not an avid procrastinator. So it brings me great pleasure to bring you (a week late) my favorite moments from 2011.

The first real snow that the kids ever experienced.  It was the greatest thing they'd ever seen.  I spent more time in snow that day than I have in YEARS.

Zion's trip to the ice cream/candy shop.  I just think this is the sweetest picture of all of my ladies.

The little girls' room makeover.  Granted, it has been revamped since this picture, but I still think they're room is pretty awesome (when it's clean)

Our little garden, which looks much nicer in this picture than our actual harvest looked.  We did not get much, but the kids did their best.  We'll try again in the spring.

Jena's final birthday party.  I can hardly believe that she is 10.  There was a grand rainbow-y time had by all.

Ashni's introduction to the decanomial.

Our bed/bookcase.  Still one of my favorite things that I made this year.

There's no particular order to these pictures, and we did a lot more fun stuff this year, but of course we were without computer access.  Anyway, we're looking forward to the upcoming year.  Jena is moving on the 5th grade (her last elementary year!) and Ashni is moving to 4th.  Bijou has requested that she start 1st grade this month.  She's learned to read, add and subtract, so I don't see why not.  I don't know what this year brings for me, but I'm excited to find out.

The little ladies doing some work

Just thought I'd share some pictures of the little girls doing some school work this morning.  Zion is really, REALLY good at coloring and loves coloring this same page of shapes almost everyday.  I'm really impressed with her ability to color neatly within the lines.

Bijou wanted to do some math this morning after her reading, so we pulled out the addition strip board and she worked on adding numbers to nine.

Cardboard Playhouse Makeover

I don't know if anyone remembers this cardboard playhouse that I made for Bijou and Zion a while back.  While incredibly economical (it cost me next to nothing to make) and easy to move, it did not get used as often as I would have liked.  It get HOT here in Mississippi and playing out in a cardboard house that's been sitting in the heat was no one's idea of a fun afternoon.  So the playhouse got retired to the garage and there it sat for awhile.  I decided that all was not lost for our little playhouse and with some tweaking, it could still be a really awesome toy.  So, I scaled the size down a bit and attached some Velcro (to stand up to rough play a little better) and brought it in the house.  I have this strange obsession with paint chips from the hardware store, so I literally have every singe one that Home Depot has (thanks to a very patient cousin who helped me collect all of them one afternoon).  I used one stack (of many, many) paint chips to cut apart and make "bricks" for the outside of the house.  I also added a little chalkboard (actually just a rectangle of chalkboard spray paint framed with wood grain contact paper) for them the draw or write little messages.  Now it's cheery and colorful and when I want to free up the floor space, I can just take it apart and store it under their bed.

Bijou's Dinosaur Tea Party

Bijou is five years old today.  I know I say it every time a birthday rolls around, but I can hardly believe that she's five already!  She has had such a big year.  She learned to ride a two wheeler, tie her shoes, got glasses and learned to read.  So what better way to celebrate such a big year than to have cinnamon pancakes, scrambled eggs and hot chocolate for breakfast and then a dinosaur tea party? And that's just what we did.  The party is over and Bijou and her friends had a great time.  I'm tired and glad it's over.  Here are some lovely pictures for you to enjoy!

I made fossil shortbread cookies.  The cookies kind of puffed for some reason while they were baking, so the fossils weren't as defined as I would have liked.  I dusted them with a patina of cinnamon to make the edges stand out a little better.

Dinosaur birthday cake (white cake with raspberry lemon buttercream frosting) surrounded by chocolate rocks.

Thanks to our local Goodwill, we are now the proud owners of a bajillion tea cups.  I am sure they will be put to good use.

Dinosaur garland...

The entire spread.  There were cheese sandwiches, jam sandwiches, fossil cookies, chocolate rocks, peppermint tea, pink lemonade and birthday cake.  Oh and of course a multitude of prehistoric table dwellers.

The birthday girl.  We had a Cosby Show moment before getting dressed for her party.  Remember the episode where Rudy wants to wear the summer dress to the fall party and her mother wouldn't let her?  That was us this morning.  But just like the Cosby Show, it all worked out in the end and she looked perfectly cute in her sweater dress.

Last, but not least, I thought I would share the gift that I made for her.  She'd been bugging me forever to make her a wooden camera.  So I gathered a few blocks from her room, some other random wooden bits and some paint.  Voila, homemade camera.  Nothing like a present that doesn't cost me a dime.

Bijou is turning 5!

Bijou's fifth birthday is just around the corner and the addition of a full time job makes the time I have available for birthday party prep very limited.  This one feels like it's sprinting up on me way faster than I am prepared for.  BUT, I know that things will come together in time.  This year, Bijou is having a dinosaur tea party.  Yes, a dinosaur tea party.  The girl still loves her dinosaurs and what better way to turn five than with a tea party.  This year's party will boast fossil cookies, tea sandwiches, tea, pin the bone on the dinosaur and a variety of other dinosaur/tea party related activities and decor.  So, without further ado, here is Bijou's dinosaur tea party invitation. 

I got the floral frame from Graphics Fairy which I think adds a cute vintage, girly touch.  I also think it's super funny with the ferocious "tea-rex" in the tiara.