Friday, September 28, 2012

Family Night: Do a Show!


This week's idea was courtesy of David! As we were talking about what to do for Family Night, he pointed out how our children are always wanting to do shows and put on programs. We took the idea and ran with it!

The littles and I made programs and we decided to have the program on our screened porch as it has lights strung on it right now from a shower I had recently (pictures coming of that!) It was so fun!


We also prepared snacks and I printed out the little treat boxes found here. I made these sugar cookie bars so we could decorate a fun First Day of Fall treat (this was last Saturday!) and I didn't have time to do rolled out cut outs. A great substitute! With the bars, just use a cookie cutter to cut out the shape after they are baked and enjoyed pumpkin and leaf shapes! I didn't try the frosting recipe provided, but made our family favorite icing.



Let the show begin!

We really didn't have rules for what they could do in the show - Samuel demonstrated how to put on a football helmet and how to kick a soccer ball :) Rachel is behind the puppet show and Emily sang two songs using a play guitar and the air pump for a mic!





Mama and Daddy got in on the action too - I wrote a short puppet show about the First Day of Fall and David led charades!

It was a fun success!

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Fall Mantel


Fall is in the air - not so much outside yet, after all we do live in the Deep South! But, in my heart and home - Fall is definitely present!

A couple of weeks ago, I had fun bringing out the Fall decorations and the only thing I've finished so far is to decorate the mantel and fireplace area for Fall. As I was pulling things out of the Fall boxes, and moving things around again and again - I just needed a couple of new things to pull it together.

It was a Sunday and I didn't want to venture out, plus didn't want to spend anything - so had fun using what I had on hand!



The first thing I made was a bunch of these paper flowers!  They were easy to make and just used brown paper bags! The only difficulty I'm having with these is getting them to stay up on the bricks - any ideas or suggestions for how to hang them? 

I used the tutorial found here


Next I needed something with a little height for the other end of the mantel - and I thought I might make a sign, but it evolved into a chalkboard! 

Wondering what I could use for a piece of wood, I saw this cabinet door laying out on my porch from the kitchen re-do when I removed a couple of doors and left some of the cabinets open. Perfect! I painted and distressed the edges of the board using the same Annie Sloan Chalk Paint I had used on the kitchen cabinets and then painted the middle with chalkboard paint. 

Chalkboard paint is a wonderful thing to have on hand! I bought one quart of it years ago and have used it for probably a dozen projects!

Next, to figure out what to write on the chalkboard - after much deliberating and re-writing, I came up with this:

Oh, Lord of the harvest
thank You for the changing of the seasons!
Just as the earth enters renewal, rest and transformation,
draw our hearts into this season as well.
Let the coziness of home
shine the light of Your love.


 
Have you been decorating for Fall?

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Slow Day












Tuesday, September 25, 2012

A Special Lunch!



Mommy-friends have been going together to this lovely lunch spot for years! And, I've only taken my children one other time - I don't think Samuel had ever been. What a treat to be able to bless them with tea cups and real china dishes and a tea pot of lemonade for their very own! Scones and shortbread, fruit and edible flowers - the tinkling of silver and china - all so lovely and special!

It was even a sweet blessing and lesson when we waited over an hour for our food (and the children were so well behaved!) that we ended up receiving our lunch for free! Love stories like that which allow me to point to God and His generous provisions for us! And, which show how we should respond during those times.

They loved it so much we had to re-enact at home on our next Slow Day (which you will see tomorrow) at Mama's Tea Room! I've always admired that wall of jars of tea!







Monday, September 24, 2012

The Roundhouse


Sometime within the past few months, a friend mentioned a train and roundhouse museum not too far away. It sounded like so much fun and we made plans to go! There was so much to explore, train cars to climb through, a ride by a steam engine and more - lots of fun!




This was my kind of place - everything was old! Chippy paint, old wood and old equipment, vintage trains abound! The light was just dreamy for taking pictures and it was so sweet to see how excited our littles were! I know you are used to it in my posts - but warning: lots of pictures ahead!































And, a few pictures my friend Melissa took ~ so my littles know their Mama was with them in all these adventures too!