::melted crayon canvas:

 Look what we made!!!  

My blog friend from Pink and Green Mama came up with this idea and I am so happy that she did.  What a smart lady. 

It's been way too long since this pretty lady and I have made something together. 

So we made this stunning art for the babies room.  It is the first thing we have for the new baby and I love it. 

We tested it out first by hot gluing some older crayons to a piece of old poster board.  Then we got out my heat gun and got crazy.  This should work with a hair dryer too, but my heat gun melted these puppies pretty fast.  

 Then we pulled out our canvas and got crazy with the hot glue. 

 I liked it just like this.

 But what fun would that be?

Se we got to melting.  We did it outside because it drips off the bottoms and can splash around a little. 

 Here you go little baby.  

Just for you.

   It cost us $18 for canvas and 48 crayons and this took about an hour to make.

::new party plan - drive in movie::

 After along talk with Josh from my party budget and funding department I had to make some major changes to Lily's party.  My total budget is going to be $150 and not a drop more.  That sort of funds is not going to work for the bubble party.  So after throwing a mini fit - followed with looking at the calender and realizing Disney World and unpaid maternity leave were coming up - I came up with a new party plan.  

A Drive In Movie

I will gather up boxes from the hospitals (for free)

The kids will arrive at 6pm.  They will spend about 1/2 hour making these boxes into cars.  I will already have them started with wheels, lights and the tops cut.  The kids will add stickers, decorations, etc.  I will also have little snack baskets strapped to the side.  

Then I will have a concession stand set up.  When the kids get there they will get a little paper wallet with some coins in it.  The kids can buy popcorn, sodas, and little candy bars.  I will then play a movie on a sheet posted against the house.  Just something like a collection of Mickey Mouse cartoons.  I am borrowing the projector from my brother inlaw.  

After about 45 mins or so of cartoons we will stop and do cake and presents.  (Which I really want to make it a no presents party.)  Then I have one little craft for them.   They ink their hands and place prints on a star.  Then they sign their names.  Just like in Hollywood. 

Budget:

     Box's - Free

     Car decore - $30

     Candy/food - 40-50

     Craft = $10

That puts me WAY under budget.  I can't WAIT!!!!!  Here are some of my inspiration images.

Image from here

Here

::luna - RIP::

Over a month ago Luna died.  I just couldn't even write about it till now.  Loosing a puppy was just terrible and of course I really think the kids have been through enough - thank you very much.  

She was having a wonderful day the day before she died.  She was running around our farm and was having a blast treeing a raccoon with our two other big dogs.  What we didn't know is that she had gotten bitten by a raccoon that day. That night late she was a little lethargic but nothing drastic.  The next morning when we got up she couldn't stand and was barley breathing.  We rushed her right to the vet.  Before they could even get an IV in her she died.  The only mark that we could find on her entire body was two puncture marks inside her mouth on her upper gums.  The vet felt that they were from a mammal, not a snake.  He felt that she had got bitten by a raccoon and had gotten something called Coon Dog Fever.  I'm not sure if that's correct or not, but we were so traumatized by her death we just wanted to bring her home and bury her.  

She was a great dog.  I wish we had more time with her.  

Hold me to this - no more dogs.  Not for a long time.  We need to just stick to what we have and focus on the meat eaters on two legs. 

::cottage garden today::

 I loved the mist this morning.  Stunning.  We have had nothing but brutal sun for weeks and this mist seemed so soft and welcoming.  

The soybeans grew in great and then one morning they were just dead.  I have no idea why.  I am going to have to figure this out for next year.  

 When do I harvest these pretty babies?  I have been digging online about it, but any tips would be welcomed. 

Why are sunflowers so pretty?  I just love them.  

 This gourd is HUGE!

Some of my crazy orange tomatoes coming in.   

Isn't he so handsome?  He was hiding in the mist. 

::Lily hits the second grade::

kindergarten

first grade

 Second grade!!!

 She was so excited!  I told her, "It feels like magic today.  It's your chance to start off on the right foot with your teacher.  All the ways are wide open to you."  She agreed. 

damn road dust - oh well

This is crap.  Every year I think she is too big and then the next year she is even bigger.  I can't take it. 

::sukkah progess::

This project has been on semi hold.

This has been a peaceful pregnancy but it still has taken all my extra energy, which means that the side projects just get ignored.  But Josh spent an entire day digging out the floor of the Sukkah.  We have decided to go with brick pavers but that means a level base.  (Damn weeding - but it is finally cool  outside today so I think I am going to at least weed the cottage garden)

 He had lots of help. 

But with a day of digging and a load of stone it is getting somewhere.  Now were to put that load of average soil?  It's not good enough for my gardens - so what do I do with it?  We'll find a spot.  That's one of the glories of 16 acres. 

I have been online looking for inspiration images and have found zero.


Ideas - 
Brick pavers but in a really bizarre pattern
Round table for at least 6 - custom make out of treated wood, attach to stump
Dog proof chairs - which means no cushions and not wood (they seriously ATE an entire   out door set once)
Baby grapes are started on the corners - eventually wires and bracing on the top to hold them Sprinkle lights on the edges


I don't think this area need to be crazy over done.  It speaks for itself. 




 

::how are my melons?::

 Like finding Easter eggs - I am going on daily melon hunts.

(Insert your favorite joke about my melons here - Josh always does.)

But the three sisters garden is nothing but a hot mess.  Terrible.  A weedy overgrown mess.  I am actually planning on just mowing it over.  I picked out a few corns for the chickens but the rest is just trash.  Bummer.  I am going to work on this again next year but I call it a waste this year.  

 My pretty little small watermelons came up so cute in my front garden.  And they tasted amazing.  Till some one else got the memo about how yummy the are...

 And ate ALL of them.  Guess who it was?

These things.  Who will now stay locked up till fall.  

They also developed a taste for my cucumbers.  Which I don't really care about since I don't like them that much anyway.  But eating the watermelons really ticked me off.  

We are still getting TONS of melons.  Look at these pretty babies.  Delish.  We eat at least one a day right now.  (And I give the rinds and scraps to the chickens - in their coop.)

::Max's first day of school::

 This kid went to preschool yesterday.

 Here he is right before we loaded up to head in. 

Lily doesn't go to school till Friday so she was my helper.  

 

 Don't you just love his new shark shoes that he picked out?  

This is his daily sheet.  Something I will keep forever.

Link here to watch his end of the day video.  

He told me his teachers name is Mrs Beautiful.

She said that he was really good all day.  No crying and no rule breaking.  

::goat transport::

Josh rigged up a chain frame to his truck bed that held the goats on short chains to get them to fair.  

 But Shealyn wanted to ride in the back to the fair.  I followed along behind. 

Then we had to wait to unload.  How CUTE are these kids?

::lily and mini 4H::

 Lily was so proud of her 4H project.

She did mini 4H this year.  This is an adorable program for kids in kindergarten through second grade.  It lets them have some kind of participation in 4H and get to know the format. 

The projects are "judged" by 4H members.  The cuteness factor was so high.  I had to tear up and Lily's proud little face.  

But - She wanted to make it clear to me that she thinks it is a "total rip off" that she isn't old enough to be allowed to show a goat.