Houses

Nola's dream house includes a sewing room and an airplane. Kira has lots of purple, a monkey and a very large toilet...

Crafty Birds - Making a Scarecrow out of Repurposed Materials

As soon as we saw the scarecrows at Cheekwood Botanical Gardens, both the girls and I knew we had to make our own...

Materials - all repurposed
Wooden stake and stick
Burlap rice bag
Old clothes - trousers and top
Wing
Hat (with elastic to keep wig on)
Plastic bags (I'm not proud that I have these, but somethimes I forget to take my cloth ones)
String
Permanent markers

Step 1: Use a wooden stake for the vertical support and tie and small stick on horizontally for the arms.

  

Step 2: For the head - turn a burlap rice bag inside out, cut off zipper, and fill with plastic grocery bags.

Step 3: Dress scarecrow with shirt and attach stuffed rice-bag head with string.

Step 4: To hold trousers up - make suspenders by attaching string to belt loops.

Step 5: Stuff trousers with plastic bags and tie the ankles with string.

Step 6: Add wing, hat and draw a face.

Step 7: Drive scarecrow into the ground and decorate with flowers.

This is by far our favorite project yet!

A Visit to the Botanical Gardens

The scarecrows gave us an idea. You'll have to wait for tomorrow to see...

Namesake

Nola has a namesake. A beautiful cat was abandoned at my dear friend Gwen's business - Camp Kitty.

Nola is beside herself with joy and Kira is eagerly waiting a kitty named after her (not that we condone abandoning cats.)

Camp Kitty, by the way, is a new cat-only boarding facility in Atlanta, GA.

Horsing Around

For the Birds

We have a new Saturday ritual.

For the last month we have woken up to a Farmer’s Market in our park. We race to get dressed so we can join the merriment, visit with our neighbors, and buy local produce.

We eat lunch on our porch to the gentle sound of folk music as I ponder what to make with the season's harvest. By the afternoon, the stalls are cleaned up and there is no trace of the hustle and bustle of the market. But, we are left with a relaxed and satisfied feeling that makes our whole weekend feel more focused on family and home.

Differences in Identical Twins

I don’t understand how my children can be so different. They share the same egg and sperm, the same DNA.

Yet, today Nola gave me a to do list before going to bed. And how very Nola it was:

1. Put the pizza in the fridge
2. Do the laundry
3. Start the dishwasher

There is no way Kira would ever care or dream about any of these things.

Crafty Birds - Watercolor Painting and Tissue Paper

I was inspired by an art project over at The Artful Parent and wanted to try it with the girls.

The idea is simple - the kids glued tissue paper and then painted over it.

Nola and Kira LOVED playing with the glue - Kira put a little dab in each corner.

d

Then the girls continued gluing and started sticking (they took their work very seriously).

d

When it came time for paint, neither girl wanted to paint over their beautiful creations. We got new paper and a funny thing happened...

d
Nola started to paint with her mouth. Pretty soon, both girls were painting using only their mouths.

d

This mouth painting by Nola is one of my very favorite.

Spencer Combs Photography

These pictures were taken by an incredible photographer and super nice guy - Spencer Combs of Spencer Combs Photography.

I am blown away by how well Spencer captured the girls' spirit. I look at these pictures and gasp. This very special time in our lives has been captured so beautfully.

Enjoy...

Crafty Birds - Wooden Braclets

These braclets were fun to make and the girls love to wear them... They also make great gifts.

Materials:Wooden beads
Elastic
Paint
Paint brush
Sissors

Step 1: Paint the beads and let dry (we waited overnight)

Step 2: Thread onto elastic and tie

At almost 3, the girls were able to paint the beads, loved choosing which beads to thread on the elastic, but needed a little help with the actual threading.

Weekend Fun

I hope your weekend was as yummy as ours.

Crafty Birds - Sticky Letters

I am starting to teach the girls letters and figured their names were a good place to start. These sticky letters were quick and fun.

n

I cut out fun colored pieces of paper and drew a big N and K on the card stock of their choice. I gave each girl a Prit Stick and let them go to town.

Iraqi Bundles of Love

The concept of Iraqi Bundles of Love is simple - use left over fabric to bundle up sewing supplies and send them to Iraq.

I feel very heartened to be able to help someone so directly. I hope our green material, scissors, needles and thread are beneficial, and the girls purple fabric and ladybird buttons give someone a chuckle.

Please visit the Iraqi Bundle of Love website and consider participating.

Buttercups

Today the girls and I went to our first day of Waldorf play group. Our class is called the Buttercups!

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Eric's family always took a picture of his first day of school and I am proud to carry on the family tradition.