New Crafts

Before I post the pictures of the new set up I thought I would show April & May.

I made this from toilet paper rolls - not great but it worked

Used the back of a puzzle board Morgan lost all the pieces to and framed it with sticks from outside. The blossoms are from the bottom of a water bottle.

CURRENTLY...

This is our front door decor. The wreath was given to me but 

obviously the "H" is my own touch - Holladay House :)

The new mantle in honor of summer. It was probably the easiest setup to do when compared to all my others because I already had beach stuff and just had to throw it together.

I had a pretty sad looking Christmas wreath that I was planning on throwing out - I'm learning that is always a bad idea because there is usually something I can do with it - so instead tore off all the flowers and bows and glued on the shells from our honeymoon. I have had them wrapped up in a box since we moved from our first place and am so glad I finally came up with something to do with them. I fit almost all on the wreath but the remaining few I scattered along the mantle. I just wish there was something I could put in the middle. I thought about putting the H from the front door here instead, sound like a good idea?

I got tired of coming up with new things each month/holiday/season for this little nook in the dining room (which is practically the first thing you see when you walk in the door) so I came up with a more permanent solution. While going through the General Conference Ensign I selected quotes from each talk (about 160 in total) and typed them up. I wish I had done them bigger but I was trying to put a lot on each page so I didn't have to print so many pages. I cut up and pieced together cardboard from a cereal box, spray painted it and attached half of the quotes (there were too many to do all at once) to it with zip ties - David is always bringing some home because he forgets they are in his pocket at work so we have TOO many. I collected the rocks from outside. It is missing something though right - too much empty space? Any suggestions?

Pressing Onward

Well, we have hit June so now I can say the baby is due next month - thank goodness! Pregnancy is much more difficult when you already have a kid to take care of. I feel bad for Morgan as she is stuck with me every day, all day. As my discomfort increases (which it has recently reached an all-time high in the pregnancy since I now struggle to shift positions or walk without pain) I get more short-tempered and lose patience far easier than an 18-month old probably deserves - of course it doesn't help that she is teething at the same time! So as she and I struggle to find our moments of compassion for one another and in between hugs of mutual tears I made a sandbox... sort of.

I was under the impression that getting sand for a sandbox would be quite simple, however... some manufacturers have strange ideas about what kind of sand is "play sand". I had to return several bags that were more gravel-like than sandbox sand should be. I searched all over websites online but finally found success at Lowe's with a very friendly gentleman that vouched for this kind - paver's sand. Apparently he used this same kind for his grandkids and I must admit that I am very pleased. Morgan and I spent quite some time today playing in it. 

 This is another toy I came across in my hunt for things we can do outside. Morgan LOVES it. She goes up the steps and down the slide, up the steps and down the slide... continuously. Then she crawls back in the sand, plays for a while before returning to "up the steps and down the slide". Once again, I am very pleased.

David is now able to work a full 40 hours each week since school is on hold for the summer, which is a blessing since we have to catch up from the savings setback from buying our car. However, it does leave a lot of time with just me and Morgan (no wonder Morgan gets so excited to see David when he gets home, she's tired of me!). Currently he is TDing (Technical Director) the comedy show Common Room that will beginning airing in October, but shortly preparation for Mission Conference at the MTC will ensue so much of his time will most likely be spent there.

All-in-all things are well. Morgan is healthy, Eli is healthy, David is busy, and I am tired.

The End.