Catching Up

I've wanted to post for a while, but it's just been one of those weeks where I couldn't spare the brain cells. February has been pretty good so far though. We've filled in the hole where frigid air was blowing into our basement (and straight onto our pipes) and we've re-drywalled that spot, so things are feeling somewhat normal down there again. The only problem is, we still have issues with freezing pipes, so we've learned our lesson and keep a small stream of water running constantly when the temperatures really drop. Old houses - charming and all - can really be a pain.

Earlier in the month during a snowy day, I convinced the kids (Peter is less impressed these day, and needed convincing) to go to the butterfly house. It was a lovely escape to a tropical climate, even if for just an hour or so.  

 I got invited to a "Favorite Things" party, which was a lot of fun! The idea was that each person would bring five things that are their favorite valued at or around $6 (all five had to be the same). We drew names, exchanged our gifts, and came away with some great ideas and new friends. I am not much of a nail polish or hair product kind of girl, so I brought five postcard sized paintings that I just duplicated.  

 I felt they were a fair representation of my favorite things. :) And I came home with fun new beauty products and gift certificates and even a cute milk jar.

 Lydia figured out how to climb up the stairs this week. I happened to capture her moment of triumph as she surprised us with this new trick for the first time. She doesn't go down, and is amazing at just waiting at the top of the stairs for someone to carry her. Somehow with four kids, we've managed to never need a baby gate. Knock on wood!

 We've had snow on the ground for weeks, but it isn't great packing snow at all. And, it is way too cold to play usually, so we've been cooped up inside a lot. One morning, I gave the kids some spray bottles full of colored water so they could play in the snow. There really isn't much more you can do with it!

 I had been meaning to get  a Valentine's Day wreath made for years now, and finally crossed that off my list. I used a pool noodle, yarn and a few fat quarters of fabric for the flowers. I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out!

 Benjamin's class had to bring Valentine's boxes this year. His teachers in past years have never asked them to do these, so I was all over it. We came up with a hobbit hole, and made it with some cardboard, fabric scraps and Modge Podge. I wanted it to be something they could play with even after Valentine's day was over, and I think we achieved that.

 

For a preschool Valentine craft, I had the kids do "pricking work," something that I learned from my kids old Montessori classroom.

 The idea is that you draw out a simple shape, lay the sheet on something soft like a rug, and let them poke holes to trace the image.

Once they've finished, you can tear it out. Nora was so proud of the hart she made!

And finally, just a cute picture of my baby bear. Her hair is getting so long now! I'm not sure what to do with it.

So that's what we've been up to. Lots of crafting, staying warm, and hanging out. Can I just say- SPRING IS IN JUST ONE MORE MONTH!!!