School

Isa started First Grade last week and is now totally enamored with her new teacher. Yay, Mrs. Bates! After her first day, when asked how it was, her response was, "Great!" The second day, she said "Fabulous!" The third, "Better than the first day and better than the second!" I missed the fourth day when Marcus picked her up, but on the fifth, her answer was, "Wonderful!"

 Cade, Amelia, Nathan, & Sydney also started "school". However, I discovered that Cade was enthusiastic about playing together with his cousins, but not about calling it school or sitting down at the table with pencil or crayons. Baby steps. I do remember that one of my favorite challenges as a teacher was to come up with a variety of ways to engage the little boys' minds--lots of games and hands-on activities and less paper and pencil. So, game-on Little Man!

 Little Syd was fun to watch in the Czy Coup. She would open the door, climb in the seat, pull her feet in, close the door and place her hands on the steering wheel, and then wait for someone to push her. And she would definitely let you know if you were not responding quickly enough with your part of her plan!

One of the favorite games with Amelia and Cade is Hide and Go Seek. This is the 2 of them laughing wildly when I threw open the closet door and took their picture. 

 After school the first day, Isa tried on a pair of Jill's heels. Not to be left out, Cade then appeared wearing a
 pair of "Mommy's Coyboy Boots".

Dancin'!

Check out the Dance Party in Grandpa's room....

There are some "moves" going on, baby!

Sydney Is One!

Our Little Livewire turned one on August 7!  Jill and Marcus hosted a "Hungry Caterpillar" party for our Sydney Lee. Take a look at Jill's blog for additional pictures: Sydney.



Singing Happy Birthday....

  

<>

I think Syd actually liked the watermelon better than the cake and frosting!



This Gramma had fun adorning this white T for the b'day girl!



Braided Headbands

I'm off on another tangent project (meaning instead of the ones on THE LIST), but I can't seem to help myself from veering off of the list! These are braided headbands, but with 5 strands instead of the usual 3. At first it felt very awkward trying to figure out how to hold them, but after a little practice, it goes much faster.

What made it so easy to start on this was that all I had to do was go find a cotton t-shirt in my closet that I didn't mind cutting up. Each of the 5 strands are either 1 or 2 inch widths of the shirt.

Then I sewed (stapling it works, too) the 5 ends together and taped the end to my desk so I could pull it taut as I braided.

Oh, go ahead. Take a walk to your closet and find a t-shirt. You know you want to try it! (Hints: The thinner fabrics are a little easier to braid. Fabric needs to be stretchy) Here's the link for the directions: http://www.makeit-loveit.com/2011/06/repurposing-tshirts-into-5-strand-braided-headbands.html

Bird VS Cat

This old cat has pretty much a life of leisure. In his younger days, when we lived on an acre lot with empty fields still around us, he was quite the hunter. We never knew what kind of critter we would find on our doorstep. Boots would often find his personal play toys that he could chase, capture, and bat around--mice, lizards, toads, and every-so-often a gopher. (The prized gopher catch would elicit much praise from Mike, since the gophers were constantly popping up in the yard. Think "Caddy Shack gopher scene", as to how he felt about them...) .

But now, his roaming is limited to the backyard. The poor Old Hunter is half blind, almost totally deaf, and has very few teeth left.

Enter Mr. Bluejay.

  

Or should I say, Mr. and Mrs. Bluejay.

Mr. and Mrs. Bluejay have a nest in one of the trees behind our wall, and they perceive Boots as a threat to their family. Well, little do they know that nothing could be farther from the truth. Ten years ago he would have been up on the wall after them. But now, the 2 jays are bewildered as to why all of their squawked warnings do not even budge this cat. He's the picture of non-chalance---NO, BIRDS, HE'S DEAF AND BLIND!!

At first he really didn't even know they were around, so they kept getting closer and closer. They would dive-bomb at him and land within 3 feet, all the while squawking over and over. Seriously, the cat hears nothing, but they are driving me crazy with the noise!!!

He finally did notice them. Once, I saw him do a little creeping toward one, but he soon realized he didn't have a chance and stopped to pretend he was cleaning himself in order to save face. So now he just watches them. Well, as much as he can see. I think he feels somewhat empowered by unsettling them. Usually, as soon as he comes back into the house, the noise stops. But they have even spotted him through the glass of the patio door and continued squawking.

Give it up, birds!! You're not budging this Old Hunter! (Mike and I have snickered over his idea of going down to borrow Jill's cat, Chachi, and putting him out in the yard in place of Boots.) Hopefully, those baby birds will hatch and take flight soon!

Saturday Sundae Blessings

As part of Isa's birthday present this year, I hunted for an activity or outing that I could take her to. What I came up with was SO fun! Log Cabin Florist offered a Kids' Design Class. The project was to make an ice cream sundae with flowers.

 They started the morning with brief introductions of the staff and their responsibilities and then a demonstration of how to build the sundae. All of the needed supplies were already placed at each station. They even provided step stools for the younger gals, like Isa. (5 and older could participate).

Then it was Isa's turn to build her sundae. The first step was to fill the glass with pink, then white iridescent shred. Then she wrapped a chunk of water-soaked foam in more shred and placed it into the glass. The pink carnations were trimmed and poked into the foam like strawberry ice cream and then the white carnations were inserted on top like the whipped cream. One red rose was then placed at the top like a cherry. The last step was to tie a bow around the glass (Gramma's contribution) and insert a straw. Tada! A yummy-looking sundae!

But the class wasn't over! Next we took a tour of the shop, including the cold storage room and a large C-train in the back yard where they keep the bulk of their flowers and stems. It reminded me of Costco's cold room! Brrrrr!

  To top off the morning, we were then invited to make real ice cream sundaes with our choice of a variety of toppings.

And finally, we went outside to take pictures with the class of students and their sundaes. Each of the kids also received a t-shirt and a kit for growing sunflowers.

A morning well spent and a sweet memory for both Isa and Gramma!

Rapunzel, Rapunzel!

Isa is 6!! I blinked and 5 is gone.
Her party this year was "tangled" with Rapunzel and lots of fun.
My first assignment was to braid 12 long strands of yellow yarn for decoration. Is 10 yards long enough? The braiding part goes really fast. It's the straightening of the remaining strands that is challenging. The Technique?....Tie the strands on the bathroom door, drape them over the top of the ironing board, and stretch them out across the room.

Jill did a great job of making yummy cupcakes, jello boats, and Rapunzel's tower (of donuts, a muffin, and a sugar cone on top).

Pascal favors

Jill painted the Rapunzel cutout!

With the water slide, hamster wheel, and painting, the kids had a great time!