Crafts Gone Bad

Our projects do not always go as planned. Some of them seem can get pretty messy. I have lost count of how many times I have turned away for a second only to discover that during that second mass chaos happened. Usually I don't think to grab a camera but here are a few of the instances where I did.

(Check out my new ink!)

(What do you mean I was supposed to paint the popsicle stick?)

(Check out my new cast!)

(I didn't splatter the paint!)

Footsie Painting

Check out my blog post over on momaha.com today!

 Alivia had so much fun painting with her toes. This was the craft paper left over from this project last spring. I guess I had better buy more craft paper since painting it has been such a hit and the holidays are coming up.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Melissa & Doug Printable Menu for Felt Food Sandwiches

Last Christmas Alivia received a felt food set from Melissa and Doug (sandwiches to be exact). She loves playing restaurant with this set by putting something together and sending it to us on a plate.

When I came across this printable from the Melissa and Doug blog I knew that it was meant to be. This was perfect for Alivia's "restaurant" and I loved that each item had a picture along with the word.  Also, this seemed like such a fun way to practice matching things and making patterns.

Click for the:  Melissa & Doug Printable Menu Cards

This project was so easy and Alivia loved it! First I printed the menu off of the website. The blog post suggests laminating or placing the paper in a plastic sleeve. Neither option was available to me so I improvised and used packing tape to cover the front and back of the menu. I think it will last and works perfectly!

Next Alivia and I had to locate all of the pieces that were on the menu. Against all odds we found every single piece of felt food. I am still pinching myself in disbelief over that one!

And then we were ready to play! Multiple sandwiches were made and Alivia had a blast making sure everything that was checked on the menu was in the sandwich.

There are also menus for a felt pizza and taco set. If you are curious as to where you can purchase these sets I found all three on Amazon for a reasonable price. I have a couple of birthday parties coming up and I think this might be on the list. I am also really contemplating purchasing the pizza set. My kids love pizza!

House Progress Part 5

The last time I posted a house update it looked like this...

 

And although two months later we still have a long way to go it is getting better and looks like this...

The building process has been frustrating at times. I am hoping to be able to move in by December but often joke that we will be moving in February right in the heart of tax season. I picture myself spending next summer trying to figure out where my husband put everything.

A lot of our setbacks have been due to our contractor not having the supplies to the builders on time. When the builders run short on supplies they move onto other jobs and come back once those jobs have been completed (which I don't blame them). I am guessing that of the five months we have been at this, our builders have averaged 3 days of work a week. 

We did contract out some of the jobs ourselves (heating, foundation, septic, and insulation) and my husband has done all of the dirt work and helped with other jobs to help alleviate some of the costs. 

My husband is definitely ready for this build to be over. He is constantly working with the crew and on the house. Our motto has become "One year of h*ll for a lifetime of bliss." You have to laugh when things are stressing you out right?!? 

But in the last week things have really started to come together.

All of the equipment was installed last week. Don't ask me what all of it is. All I know is that is will turn our hard well water soft, take the rust out of our water, and allow our water to be safe for drinking.

Our geothermal unit also arrived last week and is ready to go. The pipes have been laid and hopefully they can get the system up and running soon.

Our fuse box was set up last week and we have some "live" outlets and lights throughout the house. Our electrician should be back this week to finish things up then things can can be inspected.

Also, a couple of weeks ago our plumbing was started. Here is a snapshot of our 3/4 bath.

But the best thing to happen since my last update is that all of our windows are in. They are Marvin Integrity windows and I love how they look. I also love that I no longer have to hang on to the kids when we go up to house for fear they might fall out. They love looking out the windows!

This is a shot from our future kitchen looking into our future living room (photo was not possible prior to windows!).

Here is a shot looking from the living room into the kitchen and dining area.

And today I was greeted with actual siding on the house! Something that was slated to be done two months ago.

 The siding is 4" double dutchlap in Clay by CertainTeed. They started in back and have most of it finished.

The front and side visible to the front will have trim around the windows and doors in a lighter color for some contrast (to much of an upgrade for the entire house). Here is a shot of the trim. I cannot wait to see more of it tomorrow!

So we are making progress. Just not at lightening speed. But both Liv and Bennett are enjoying their time in the dirt (always a silver lining)!

Candy Apples

It is hard to believe fall is just around the corner. I absolutely love the fall. Last year my sister got married and for her wedding souvineer she wanted to give candy apples. So a few days before the wedding my entire family got together to dip close to 200 candy apples. I of course was very apprehensive that this would be possible. However, we did it and they were a hit at the wedding.

Now I am going to admit we learned a lot along the way. Especially since nobody in our family had attempted to make more than 5 candy apples in one sitting.

So if you are wanting to make a mass quantity of candy apples on your own let me give you a few pointers that we learned along the way.

1. Use a crock pot to melt your carmel. You can purchase a block (think a velveeta cheese size block) of carmel which works great. Definitely easier than opening a ton of individual pieces.

2. Place plastic wrap on your table so the apples do not stick while drying. We used wax paper and had to grease the wax paper with butter because the apples kept sticking!

3. Visit a local orchard if one is available to you to purchase your apples. You will save a ton of money.

4. Enlist a ton of family and friends because although the task seems daunting it is well worth the end result!

Zoo Day Scavenger Hunt

Visit momaha.com today to view my post about our recent trip to the zoo and our scavenger hunt adventure.



If you would like to try this on your next trip you can print out the scavenger hunt for yourself just ignore my amateur drawings :) Have fun!!

Google Drive Version