Suitcase Stack

Months ago I saw this idea in a Pottery Barn magazine...old suitcases stacked up along a wall.

My quest that summer was to find suitcases at yards sales for less than $5.

It's amazing how many I found in one summer!

The key is to find the suitcases that are rectangular and strong. 

(I made a mistake and bought a few that tapered down....not a good idea for stacking.)

Maybe this summer I can find a few to replace the ones that aren't really my favorite...

but overall, it is a look that I like...especially for the price.

 We had a few extra so we made night stands out of them...

my current night stands are getting a new coat of paint...

these do pretty well 'till my real ones return.

Valentine's Day Mantel

                                        Happy Valentine's Day! 

 

Tuesday - GAME night!!

Clue, Mastermind, Rummikub, Go Fish, Battleship, Memory, Scene It, Blokus...

One of our goals for our family this year is to play more games together.

SO...we have decided that Tuesday is GAME night!!

Clue...it had to have been Mr. Green, with the Revolver in the Library!

No, we aren't eating crackers and cereal...we are just hiding our clues behind those boxes! 

E-Man...you play the best game of Battleship...

 he likes to tell when you have a "splash"... (that means something that is close to a hit!)

Love it, cause it makes the game go a little faster!

What games does your family like to play?  Any new games we need to make sure we add to our closet?

Aprons and Bonnets

K-K is so excited to learn how to sew.  Her friend is letting her borrow her "perfect size" sewing machine,

Grandma Dyksterhouse is giving her sewing lessons,

and I am trying to teach myself (and her) how to sew. 

Our homeschool lessons have been so amazing this month! 
We are reading the Little House on the Prairie

books and also learning in history about the pioneers and the 1849 California Gold Rush. 

The kids are so excited about our Gold Rush party we will be having and they thought it would be fun to make some bonnets. 

I found a great apron/bonnet concept online...and we went with it. 

I had to tweak the directions...mainly because I couldn't figure them out.

(I even had to have my mom come and help me...thanks Mom!)

But, I thought they turned out so cute!

K-K and Adi in their bonnets.

(and yes, Adi is in her tutu!)

Bonnets are now cute double pocketed aprons!

So fun and practical for cooking!

Cutting out the fabric.  (Adi loves to take pictures!)

Let me know if you would like to know how to make these EASY aprons.

I would be happy to help.

I promise...if I can do it, you can too!

We made this cute little pin cushion using a small canning jar, foam batting, and a little fabric.

I like that I can store some of our small spools of string in the bottom.

 



Cute in a Tutu

When Adi opened up a TUTU for her Christmas present I would have never imagined how much it would be loved, worn, torn, treasured and thought about in a day.

 Christmas Eve...the first day of the TUTU.

 She's worn it every day since it was unwrapped.  Here we are at after dinner Tea.  (We were learning about table manners...love the little pinkie out as she is drinking!)

Adi has been a perfect princess in her tutu.  She loves it because,
"It makes me feel pretty and cheers me up!  I can twirl and dance and sing in my tutu. 
I think I should take ballet." 
If we are home and hanging out with no where to go Adi is in her tutu. 
She recognizes that if we are going away she has to put other clothes on...
so far there haven't been any disagreements about that.
She is just cute in a Tutu.

New Entry Light

We moved into our house two years ago and one of my favorite parts of the house was the front entry.  It has an 18-20 foot ceiling and is just "grand."  However, we realized that with ceilings this tall...it would be hard to paint or change the 1980's light that hung so high.  Oh... the hideous chandelier that collected so many cob webs, dust and had 3 lights that were burnt out...you are no longer! 

A friend of ours stopped by this week for a little meeting and while taking a tour of the house the light became the topic of conversation.  Oh...how I hated that light.  The funny part of the story is that we bought a new chandelier to replace it two years ago.  But, we didn't know how to change it out.  Well, this friend is also an electrician.  He jumped on the project and said,

"Let's change it out!  I'll bring my 16 foot ladder over on Saturday morning!" 

I was jumping with excitement!

The light was up in no time. 

Mark, our electrician, was awesome.  No fear of heights, so full of electrical excitement, and even had a great time with our kids.  They learned about light bulbs, did a science experiment with a broken bulb, and even helped by rubbing the bulbs on their noses.  (Did you know if you use a little nose grease before you put a bulb in it's socket that it will go in smoother and will be removed easier too?  Who knew?) 

A little nose grease.

Hubby even dusted the ceilings, washed the windows and cleaned the hard to reach places! 

I had to take a picture of that!

It looks great, doesn't it? 

It only took two years.

Today my favorite thing isn't a new light.

My favorite thing...friends who share their gifts with others.

Homeschooling

My first (and favorite) job is being a mother of three beautiful children.  Secondly, I am a teacher.  This year we felt that God was leading us to homeschooling and it has been a fantastic choice.  Our basement was rearranged into a  classroom this year and it has been a perfect place for us to dive into our studies.  This summer I found these amazing wooden desks at a garage sale, three of them for $25.  There was only one sitting out at the sale and I said, "That desk is so fun, I just wish you had three of them."  He jumped up and hauled out two more.  That's just meant to be.  (I hope to paint them this upcoming spring.)

Here is the view from the other side of the classroom

These lockers were a special find at the Shipshewana Auction House.  The kids love to store their books, their unused "backpacks" and their magnets inside their lockers.  There are a few things from school that are just cool...and having a locker is one of them.  I paid $10 for the lockers...but put hours of sanding the old paint and rust off from these guys.  I wish I had a picture to show you the before and after shots.

(Do you see my Bible?  That is my school Bible from when I was in 5th grade!)

This is our reading corner.  "E", my first grader, is learning how to read.  What a great time this is for me as a mother and teacher.  I love listening to him sound out words and put together sentences.  The look in his eyes and the smile on his face is so rewarding.  We spend a lot of time on this little couch cuddled up and reading little books.

This was a note that our "janitor" left for us one morning.  What a great husband and dad!  After a day of teaching the last thing I really want to do at night is clean up the classroom...so he will often put the janitor cap on.  We all get so excited when there are new notes and verses on the chalk boards.  I am blessed.

This is my favorite thing of the classroom...my teacher stool.  I love it because it reminds me that my job as a teacher is important...and that I want to make a difference in my children's lives.  I want them to be well educated.  Everyday I feel blessed to instruct them in the way they should go. 

Do you know someone who might need or want a teacher stool? 

I have two ready to be created...just for YOU!!



New Headboard

For Christmas my hubby and I decided we definitely needed a new bed. (Our backs were aching when we woke up and the plyboards between the mattress weren't helping!) We have been married for 10 years and the bed was one of our first purchases as a married couple. Out with the queen and in with a king size mattress. With the bigger size...my beautiful queen headboard was too small. For weeks I looked on Craigslist searching for a cheap and perfect headboard...and I finally found something that could work. BUT, it needed a little tweaking. The wood needed a little furniture polish (thanks Hubby!) and the wicker backing needed to be covered with a quilted batting and a little fabric. Then we added a few upholstery pins to jazz it up, a monogrammed "D" and the finished product is something I LOVE! It's a favorite thing...all for just $40.

Pillows...my first favorite thing.

Who doesn't like coming home and falling on a soft bed covered in overstuffed pillows??? Sometimes my lovely hubby wonders why there are so many pillows needed on one bed...but who's kidding...they aren't for resting your tired head on. For me, I love the warmth they bring to a room. These are a few of my favorites. I love the new monogram look that so many companies are using now, so I decided to try and make my own.

If you love the look and would like a few of your own, let me know, I would love to make some for you!!