Craft of the week

Over at the 4 Real board, members are hosting the craft of the week every Monday. Guess what? It's my turn! I am so grateful for the ladies at the 4 Real board and all the support and inspiration they have given me this last year. So in the spirit of gratefulness, here we go.....

You will need: big paper, paper plates, scissors, pencil, fall colored paints, paintbrush, sponges, clothespins, and some sort of leaf template. I made mine from leaf rubbings glued to cardboard. Not pictured, but needed, is fall colored paper (red, yellow, orange).

First, draw a rough tree trunk shape and paint it brown. Then, clip a clothespin onto a piece of sponge, and use that to stamp "leaves" onto your tree. Just be random about it. (You can click on the picture to see the "sponge brushes" better).
Trace and cut out lots of leaves. We used 3 per person.
Lay out the leaves on a towel and spray them with water, front and back. Don't soak them, just a spritz will do. While they are wet,crumple them up in your hand, then carefully smooth them out again. This gives them a realistic look, and the kids think it's cool, too! Let them dry.
Have each person write something they are thankful for on a leaf, and glue them to the tree. We hung ours on the wall to enjoy. Other years, I have given a leaf to each guest to write on, them clipped them to a twine garland strung across a doorway in the dining room. Either way, they are fun to make and pretty to look at.

I hope you all have fun with this craft, and I hope you all have a Blessed and

Happy Thanksgiving!

Jacket factory

Finally I have finished all the jackets. Actually, I have made 5, but one child, (whose identity will remain secret), didn't like the original color choices. There is a happy little girl out there wearing a pink and orange version of the aboove jacket, and there are 4 happy and warm kidlets here.

Also, please note the denim jumpers the girls are wearing. I made those last night, and they found them hanging in their closet this morning before mass.

Lap book information

AfterI posted those pictures, I thought maybe I should have been more explicit. All the little books inside the lap books open to reveal the information we learned. Later I'll take more pictures and you can see what I mean. Anyway, there's a lot of stuff in each one!

More lapbook photos

Amy's, completely opened.
This shows Marty's and Theo's at the first opening. TBird's, completely open.
Marty's, completely open.

We had a lot of fun with these, and learned a lot. The kids are putting on a play on Thanksgiving, using some of what they learned. With a little math everyday, we cover it all.

We love this kind of school!

Thanksgiving lapbooks

We have been busy the last 2 weeks studying the Pilgrims and making our Thanksgiving lapbooks. This shows the fronts of all 4.

Top: Marty's and Amy's

Bottom:

Theo's and Sarah's

This is Amy's as first opened.

Sarah's, opened.

Amy's , completely opened.

Sarah made these cute pilgrims and indians with her fingerprints.

Scenes from our lives this week

Theo's part of the conversation with Aunt Lynn on Sunday night.
This is "the boat."
Apparently they like the bread I baked...
It was cinnamon bread and Sarah liked it!
And finally--What is wrong with this picture?

Well, let's see. Could it be that there are kids making mud pies? No, that's pretty normal kid stuff. Could it be that they are wearing a mixture of summer and winter clothing? No, that's pretty normal around here, too. Hmmmmmm...................................

Oh, yeah, it's November 14th and it's that warm outside.

That's just too weird.

Just me, again.

Please note: no prednisone for 9 days; 2 hives. Pretty good totals, huh? By the way, that picture of me eating bread is referring to spelt bread, made in my kitchen, by myself. It was soooooo worth it.

Tonight we started the "boat." As in, the Mayflower. The kids are putting on a play for Thanksgiving, and naturally, we needed a boat. It is large--it is very cool. It has a gold anchor. We are proud. We aren't necessarily true to life--you know, the gold anchor bit--but, we are proud. Photos and maybe even a movie to follow in the future. Please, try to remain in your seats.

Me

Eating bread. First time in 27 days.

Enough said.