Y'all have to check this out...
Monday, May 3, 2010
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Gran'dad is this many...
A few years ago, I ran across a gift idea in a Family Fun magazine and made it for my dad's 67th birthday. The original idea was to use kids' handprints to make a "Gran'dad is this many..." shirt, with the kids' fingers representing the number of years. I thought something along the lines of this formula:
so I modified the idea a bit. I decided to trace each child's hand and use fabric paint to outline the handprints on the t-shirt.
On Saturday, we celebrated Dad's 70th birthday (as well as some of the other May birthdays in the family, like my son Robert, who will be 13 in just a few more days). I decided to make this t-shirt for his birthday again.
Step 1: Trace each child's hand. I traced the patterns onto cardstock to make them sturdier. (Plus, I can write the date on these and keep them in case I ever want to know exactly when Robert's hands grew larger than my own...April 2010.)
Step 2: Wash and dry the t-shirt before beginning your work. This might be a good time to make enough "handprints" of the appropriate sizes so you can lay them all out on the shirt to know the exact placement.
Step 3: Let each child choose the color of paint for his or her handprints.
Step 4: Convince your daughter that purple would be a lovely color for her handprints. We had 14 handprints that needed to go on a medium t-shirt, so I knew I would use a lot of Grace's handprints; I figured my dad wouldn't really want that much pink on his t-shirt. ;)
Step 5: Place a large piece of cardboard, layers of newspaper, or anything else that works inside the t-shirt, just to make sure nothing bleeds through. (I also place the whole t-shirt on top of a large piece of cardboard just in case it needs to be moved before the paint is dry.)
Step 6: Write "Gran'dad is this many..." across the top of the t-shirt with a Sharpie. I knew I needed the space above the words for handprints, so I already had those placed before writing the words. Use a piece of paper, ruler, etc., to be a guide as you write.
Step 7: Figure out the placement of the handprints
and get started tracing the handprints. I traced the cardstock handprints and then replaced the (less exact) other handprints with the cardstock patterns before tracing. I lightly traced with a ball point pen during this step.
Step 8: Trace the handprints with the fabric paint. I am right handed, so I started at the top left corner and worked left to right and then down from there, kinda like a haphazard typewriter. Be careful to avoid where you have already painted.
These are the fabric paint pens I found at Michaels. They have lasted through both t-shirt projects, and were just as fresh this time as they were three years ago.
Step 9: Admire the finished product while the paint dries for 4+ hours:
~~~~~
What are the grandparents known as in your family, either yours or your children's?
(fabric paint + bathroom sink + not enough scrubbing + bathroom towels) x 3 kids = huge mess for Mom
so I modified the idea a bit. I decided to trace each child's hand and use fabric paint to outline the handprints on the t-shirt.
On Saturday, we celebrated Dad's 70th birthday (as well as some of the other May birthdays in the family, like my son Robert, who will be 13 in just a few more days). I decided to make this t-shirt for his birthday again.
Step 1: Trace each child's hand. I traced the patterns onto cardstock to make them sturdier. (Plus, I can write the date on these and keep them in case I ever want to know exactly when Robert's hands grew larger than my own...April 2010.)
Step 2: Wash and dry the t-shirt before beginning your work. This might be a good time to make enough "handprints" of the appropriate sizes so you can lay them all out on the shirt to know the exact placement.
Step 3: Let each child choose the color of paint for his or her handprints.
Step 4: Convince your daughter that purple would be a lovely color for her handprints. We had 14 handprints that needed to go on a medium t-shirt, so I knew I would use a lot of Grace's handprints; I figured my dad wouldn't really want that much pink on his t-shirt. ;)
Step 5: Place a large piece of cardboard, layers of newspaper, or anything else that works inside the t-shirt, just to make sure nothing bleeds through. (I also place the whole t-shirt on top of a large piece of cardboard just in case it needs to be moved before the paint is dry.)
Step 6: Write "Gran'dad is this many..." across the top of the t-shirt with a Sharpie. I knew I needed the space above the words for handprints, so I already had those placed before writing the words. Use a piece of paper, ruler, etc., to be a guide as you write.
Step 7: Figure out the placement of the handprints
and get started tracing the handprints. I traced the cardstock handprints and then replaced the (less exact) other handprints with the cardstock patterns before tracing. I lightly traced with a ball point pen during this step.Step 8: Trace the handprints with the fabric paint. I am right handed, so I started at the top left corner and worked left to right and then down from there, kinda like a haphazard typewriter. Be careful to avoid where you have already painted.
These are the fabric paint pens I found at Michaels. They have lasted through both t-shirt projects, and were just as fresh this time as they were three years ago.
Step 9: Admire the finished product while the paint dries for 4+ hours:
Happy birthday, Dad/Gran'dad!
~~~~~
What are the grandparents known as in your family, either yours or your children's?
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Spring: Part 2
I don't know how I missed it, since the You Capture theme was (nearly) the first thing I thought of as I snapped these photos, but I completely forgot about this when I posted my Spring photos. (So if you came by way of the You Capture blog carnival, please let me direct you to my official post here.)
This little guy bird ended up on our front porch last week after falling from the nest. (Ouch!)
Oh, excuse me. Grace always reminds me that this little guy is actually a girl.
Josiah and Grace worried over her until I gently scooped her up with a rag and placed her back in her nest where she belonged.
I assured the kids that the mommy bird would come right back and started feeding her baby again.
And then I hoped that the mommy bird would return. I kept hearing the baby calling out from the nest, but didn't see the mommy bird for the longest time.
But she did come back. I finally caught the mommy bird feeding her little one as I watched the nest from the kitchen window. And the baby bird is growing quickly, just as she should.
~~~~~
On a related note, how much of a homebody do you have to be for a bird to build a nest in the wreath on your front door? This is what we found last May. We, of course, added a bird of our own briefly before removing the nest.
This little guy bird ended up on our front porch last week after falling from the nest. (Ouch!)
Oh, excuse me. Grace always reminds me that this little guy is actually a girl.
Josiah and Grace worried over her until I gently scooped her up with a rag and placed her back in her nest where she belonged.
I assured the kids that the mommy bird would come right back and started feeding her baby again.
And then I hoped that the mommy bird would return. I kept hearing the baby calling out from the nest, but didn't see the mommy bird for the longest time.
But she did come back. I finally caught the mommy bird feeding her little one as I watched the nest from the kitchen window. And the baby bird is growing quickly, just as she should.
~~~~~
On a related note, how much of a homebody do you have to be for a bird to build a nest in the wreath on your front door? This is what we found last May. We, of course, added a bird of our own briefly before removing the nest.
Well, at least he's developing study skills
My oldest son (age 12) has found that typing a summary of a section in his science book helps him prepare for an upcoming quiz or test. I happened to read the first paragraph in his latest typed pages:
He used to title his science notes files as "Boring Science Stuff," and now it is simply "Module 14" or whatever section he is currently studying. That's an improvement, right?
I think I'd better print and frame this post by my friend Dawn that I ran across today. My favorite quote from her article? “God has a plan for your child and you won’t mess it up.” I'm holding onto that...
The human circulatory system transports nutrients and other vital chemicals around the body. It also picks up wastes, such as science books much like this one, to be expelled from the body.
He used to title his science notes files as "Boring Science Stuff," and now it is simply "Module 14" or whatever section he is currently studying. That's an improvement, right?
I think I'd better print and frame this post by my friend Dawn that I ran across today. My favorite quote from her article? “God has a plan for your child and you won’t mess it up.” I'm holding onto that...
You Capture: Spring
This week's photography theme for You Capture is Spring...which, around here, brings to mind pollen.
But let's not talk about that.
It also brings to mind baseball...
Josiah in the batting cage
Josiah at 3rd base. He made his team's only run in during last night's game! I told Jason the score was "only 9 to 1"...he laughed and said I was such a Mom. ;) Gorgeous sunsets...
Sunset at the ball park And flowers.
My newly updated $2 wreath...$2 worth of flowers, and a handmade wreath I made years ago from branches off a bush. (I won't do it again, so don't ask!) It may not be fancy, but I like it. :)
Grace was tickled to get the leftover flowers to put in her very own vase.Visit Beth at I Should Be Folding Laundry to check out other You Capture entries!
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Overheard: Flashbacks
Sometime before Christmas last year, Grace (age 3) made an announcement out of the blue to Jason and me...
Grace: You two are on the naughty list 'cause y'all spank me!
Jason: Daddy doesn't spank you.
Apparently Jason was afraid of remaining on the naughty list. ;)
~~~~~
During the month of December last year, Grace began asking me what I would like for Christmas. I always replied, "obedient children." Then Josiah (my 7 year old) asked me the same question one day...
Josiah: Mom, what do you want for Christmas?
Me [without skipping a beat]: Obedient children.
Josiah [pausing, and then turning to Grace]: Hey, Grace--can we wrap you up?
I'll let you draw your own conclusions on that one...
~~~~~
Today Grace (now 4 years old) again asked me her question:
Grace: What do you want for Christmas, Mommy? And ya can't say "obedient children"!
That was my request anyway, but she protested.
Me: OK, children who show that they love each other by doing nice things.
Grace sighed, exasperated, then immediately brightened up.
Grace: I have 100 children who do that. How many do you want?
Me: Just three...one named Robert, one named Josiah, and one named Grace.
Grace: OK! You can have three.
My question is, do I have to wait until Christmas?
~~~~~
I showed Grace the huge piece of paper and crayons I had placed on the kitchen floor for her...
Grace [in a matter-of-fact way]: It's to keep me busy while you do school with Josiah, isn't it?
She was also suspicious of her infant swing at a very young age. She knew she was being "parked" there to keep her occupied.
Grace: You two are on the naughty list 'cause y'all spank me!
Jason: Daddy doesn't spank you.
Apparently Jason was afraid of remaining on the naughty list. ;)
~~~~~
During the month of December last year, Grace began asking me what I would like for Christmas. I always replied, "obedient children." Then Josiah (my 7 year old) asked me the same question one day...
Josiah: Mom, what do you want for Christmas?
Me [without skipping a beat]: Obedient children.
Josiah [pausing, and then turning to Grace]: Hey, Grace--can we wrap you up?
I'll let you draw your own conclusions on that one...
~~~~~
Today Grace (now 4 years old) again asked me her question:
Grace: What do you want for Christmas, Mommy? And ya can't say "obedient children"!
That was my request anyway, but she protested.
Me: OK, children who show that they love each other by doing nice things.
Grace sighed, exasperated, then immediately brightened up.
Grace: I have 100 children who do that. How many do you want?
Me: Just three...one named Robert, one named Josiah, and one named Grace.
Grace: OK! You can have three.
My question is, do I have to wait until Christmas?
~~~~~
I showed Grace the huge piece of paper and crayons I had placed on the kitchen floor for her...
Grace [in a matter-of-fact way]: It's to keep me busy while you do school with Josiah, isn't it?
She was also suspicious of her infant swing at a very young age. She knew she was being "parked" there to keep her occupied.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Overheard: What I Learned This Week
I'm joining Julie at From Inmates to Playdates for What I Learned This Week, which I haven't participated in in a while...not because I haven't been learning anything, but because I've busy learning how to set up and facilitate a Facebook group for our women's ministry, and then having guilt over not posting frequently to it to keep the I think I have a lot more guilt in my future. But on with what (else) I learned this week.
~~~~~
There is a song in a ministry video Jason found that the kids have loved to see over and over...and over...again that is to the tune of the "Boom de yada" song. It's called "I Love My Church," and Josiah and Grace have been singing the words they've memorized (or almost memorized) for days now. Grace still occasionally forgets the words:
Josiah [correcting Grace's misunderstanding of the lyrics]: No, Grace. It's "I'm part of something big." Ya see, it's a big church and if you mess up, everybody's gonna know about it.
Well, I really wish I hadn't learned that. ;)
~~~~~
I learned that Grace will eat bats. Not that she has actually eaten bats, but she's not against the idea. Jason gave me a case of dark chocolate bars (with cacao "nibs") that he bought online, and they have a photo of a beady-eyed bat on the wrapper because the sale of the chocolate bars support endangered species. We've been calling them bat chocolate, because...well, why not? These are actual conversations I've had with Grace about the bat chocolate, who
Me [gesturing to the bat on the wrapper]: Isn't this a cute bat, Grace?
Grace [ever mindful of the importance of tact, and not wanting to be rude and say that the bat is ugly and has beady eyes like her mother will]: Ummmmm....well...it's a yummy bat.
Me [slightly shocked but laughing]: Doesn't it bother you that you're eating a bat?
Grace [coolly]: No, it doesn't matter to me.
Ewwwwww!
~~~~~
~~~~~I learned that if you eat dark chocolate and then soon after that eat a lemon Starburst, you will have a taste like lemon-scented cleaner in your mouth. It's going to be a while before I can eat lemon Starbursts again...
~~~~~
On Sunday, as some ladies were setting up tables and tablecloths in preparation for a bridal shower, they noticed stains on the white tablecloths. Our friend Steve said that what they needed to do was to spread flower petals or something else on the table; this would create "texture" and draw the eyes away from the flaws on the tablecloths.
So that's what I'm calling the clutter in my house now: texture.
And that's what I learned this week. Click over to see what others have learned this week, too!
If you are on Facebook, be sure to read what I've written about what I've learned (so far), especially if you use the "Friends of Friends" privacy setting. I also tell how you can easily clean up your home page by "hiding" the apps like Farmville, etc.
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