Busy, busy, busy

It has been nothing but crazy over here lately.  I got a cold, which turned into a sinus infection, that I have been battling all week.  I'm definitely on the upside, but I still sound gross and am all snuffly, plus I seem to get worn out somewhat quickly. Then, Emily was sick for one night, miserable with a fever, which I thought was because she had gotten what I had.  Instead, it turned out she was getting four teeth in (all of her canines).  Poor baby.  She's fine now and has a mouthful!

In spite of this, it's been a really busy week.  I have started doing yoga this week, and have done three days thus far (I skipped three due to illness).  It's kind of kicking my butt, but I guess that's a good thing.  As of yesterday, I'm down 2 1/2 pounds.  Not bad, not bad.

Also, I've been cleaning and organizing trying to get my house back into some semblance of order.  Not an easy task, might I add.  Too many vacations and other events where I had stuff packed up and never really unpacked, lots of laundry in piles that I wasn't willing to wash, and a giant explosion of a toy room.  But it's mostly done now, and we can actually *live* in our house again.

And now, some pictures that never got posted during my summer hiatus:

Doorway Puppet Theater
Strawberry hasn't really figured out to keep her head down behind the curtain.

I made this SMU pillowcase for my brother,
who is attending the university  beginning this semester.

Monster Hunter Alpha

Monster Hunter Alpha
by Larry Correia

8 out of 10
Adult Science Fiction / Horror

This is book three in the Monster Hunter series.  Larry Correia does not disappoint.  Incredibly well-written and well-paced.  His books thus far show the promising trend of improving with each new release, leaving readers excited for more.

That was really more of a review of the author than the book itself.  But to be honest, I would read anything Larry Correia puts out and have yet to be disappointed.  Caveat: this is NOT young adult fiction.

That being said, this book didn't receive higher marks for one reason: it was missing my favorite characters.  Learning more about Earl was really awesome, and I agree that showcasing Earl precluded having Owen be the main character.  The fault was neither the author's nor the book's; I think the problem is that I have developed a teensy crush on Z.  Of course, as a glasses-wearing sci-fi fan who likes to imagine herself as being as rockin' as Julie, I suppose it was inevitable.  Now Correia comes along and makes Earl as awesome as Z, and what's a girl to do?

Update! And Invites!

Okay, so much has been going on in my life, and I haven't been blogging at all.

First of all, a status update:
I am NOT teaching at Antelope this year, although I am volunteering in order to help Kurtis out with Calculus.  I have been staying at home, and I somehow seem so much busier!

On Wednesdays, we go to the library for storytime, then our friends who meet us there come back to our house for snacks and some preschool activities.
On Thursdays, we have a Ladies' Craft Day, in which I pick a craft I have been wanting to do (or one of the other ladies suggests), and we get our craft on.
Fridays and Saturdays Kevin is home, so we do family things.  Meanwhile, I also have started a Mary Kay business, and I do a lot of appointments on those days.
Sunday, of course, is church and family day.

Also, I have two activities I would like to invite any of my blog readers to.
1: Online Book of Mormon Book Club - This is going to be a combination discussion group and institute-like class.  I will be using the BoM Institute manual (at least, the one they had back in the day when I took it) as well as some supplementary articles.  It will have an emphasis on Hebrew, historical, and Biblical connections.

2: Artist Trading Card Club - This is not my brainchild, but I read about it and thought it would be a really fun thing to do for kids.  Each Art Trading Card is 2 1/2" x 3 1/2", and they can be decorated in any way imaginable.  Then, cards are traded and collected in much the same way that baseball or other trading cards are (but not sold!)  I think this could be a really fun alternative to penpals, and a great way to keep in touch with other kids, both friends and family.

Note: I am considering an ATC for adults, too: favorite trading cards would make great gift tags or could even be added to the front of a blank card for great handmade cards.

If you're interested in doing any of these activities with us, let me know (comment me!).

As for my writing group, plan on starting back up September 1st!  Summer is over, let's get to work!

Memorial Day

My littlest brother loves the armed forces. His entire room is decorated in camo. He takes it very seriously, though. To him, being a soldier isn't just about shooting people and having fun in battle (which I imagine any real soldier would agree with). He believes it is a duty to protect the people and the nation, and he honors and respects any who put their lives in the way of danger to do so.

This is a picture of the mirror in his bedroom, and I think it says a lot about his personality. I don't know who the trooper is in the picture, but Jared was proud just to be in a picture with a soldier.

I am proud of my brother, and I am so grateful to all the soldiers. I know I'm a little behind on posting, and it's not Memorial Day anymore, but I still want to post my thanks to all the soldiers who have laid their lives on the line to save mine. There is a special place in heaven for these men and women.

Book Reviews--Children's Edition

We got some new kids' books in the mail this week and had a great time reading together.

Freight Train
by Donald Crews

4 out of 10

In spite of this being a Caldecott honor book as well as a Mulberry book, I didn't really love it.  I didn't particularly dislike it, either, but it was just blah.  We read it once and I feel no great desire to read it again.  It's a train.  Each car is a different color.  The end.  Not so exciting or interactive.

 

In the Town all Year Round
by  Rotraut Susan Berner

9 out of 10

This is a wonderful look-and-find book.  It's large enough that one girl can sit on each side of me and feel like they have plenty of book to look at.  Many of the characters are named, and my four year old especially likes to make up stories about them.  There are lots of silly things, like a magpie who likes to steal interesting items and hide them in her nest. The pictures follow a pattern, which makes it possible to make up sensible stories with beginning, middle and end.  My two year old gets quite a kick just trying to find some of the funny things, like a penguin hiding by a nun or a motorcyclist who turns out to be Santa.




Jump!

by Scott M. Fisher 

10 out of 10

This is such a wonderful book.  We love it.  It has a great rhythm and is really fun to read.  The story falls into a pattern, so the girls can guess what is coming up.  They get very excited when it is time to shout, "JUMP!" and, of course, jump up to say it.  There are great sound words, really cute illustrations, and it's just so much fun. There are also a lot of rhyming words, which is something we're working on.  Both my two year old and my four year old love this book. 

A Flower Garden for You

This is a card inspired at this site, which gives instructions on creating lots of neat things.  I used KR Floral Color Me 2 font to make and print the flowers, which I then cut out and colored with pencil.  The card was made with paper scraps cut according to the very good instructions previously mentioned.  It's been a while since I made a pop-up anything, but I'm really happy with how it turned out.

Stained Glass Tutorial

A few weeks ago, my niece was baptized shortly after her eighth birthday.  I like to make something special to commemorate the occasion, and I stumbled upon the perfect idea a few days before the baptism.  I found this tutorial for making stained glass windows out of glue and acrylic paint.

Unfortunately, I was out of clear glue (read: I didn't even know they made it).  So I mixed some watercolor paint  with watered down white glue.  That being said, I'm going to tell you how you should do it, because it will turn out better.

Step 1:  Before you get started, prepare your materials.  You will need:

glass and frame (aka cheap photo frame)

white craft glue (elmer's type glue works great)

clear glue (again elmer's clear glue)

acrylic paints in desired colors.  You need black.

White paper and pen/pencil.

Craft knife (you only need this if you're sloppy. I needed it)

Small paintbrush

Step 2: mix black acrylic paint in with your white elmer's glue until it's black.  This is the only color you need white glue for.  It needs to be in the bottle because you will want a fine tip for the black glue.

Step 3: Mix other desired colors in a muffin tin or on disposable plates.

Step 4:  Clean your glass.  You need some clear glass and a suitable frame for it.  I took a dollar-store frame and removed the back for mine.  Perfect.

Step 5:  Get out some white paper and pencil.  Now, draw the line art for your stained glass.  I drew some watery waves, a dove, and some light shining on the water as a representation of baptism.  You could do any number of drawings.  My 4 year old has requested a mermaid stained glass for her birthday.  

Step 6: Now place the glass from the frame over the line art.

Step 7: With the black tinted glue, carefully trace over the lines.  If you make a mistake, don't worry.  You can use a craft knife to clean up any smudges once the glue is dry. Allow to dry completely, preferably over night.

Step 8: With your tinted clear glue,  brush a healthy amount of the tinted colors where desired.  I should have taken a picture of this step, but I was having too much fun.  If you use the clear glue like I didn't, then your finished colors will be more transparent and shinier. I went out and bought clear glue for the mermaid.

Step 9: Again, allow to dry completely, probably overnight again.  Slide the finished product into the frame and glue in place.  Hot glue will probably work, I used E6000.

Step 10: Done!  You can place a suction cup hanger on the back to hang on a window or just prop it against a window.  The type of hanging you do will depend on what kind of frame you choose.

Not bad for a first try, but I'll be trying again.