Spider Snacks by Dad

Spiders don't have blue eyes, but Ezra does.  Only heaven knows where they came from.

Spiders don't have brown eyes.  Elliot has brown eyes.  Mom gave him those.

Spiders have chocolate eyes.

Dad gave him those.

Color

Today I found Ezra organizing his chalk by color groups.   He was struggling with what to do with the brown one.  (top left).

I didn't know what to do with it either, so we just added it to the "reds."

On Saturday we made rainbow jello cups for Easter Sunday.  We talked about rainbows, and how they help us remember God's promises, after which Ezra broke out in "Standing on the Promises," since I've been practicing that song quite a bit for an event last weekend.  I didn't know he knew that song, but after having it set on "repeat" in the CD player, I suppose it started to grow on him too. 

I helped him organize the chalk into a rainbow after he had his color groups finished.  Where does the brown one go?

He doesn't get it anywhere strange.  I organize things by colors, like dishes, and clothes, and colored pencils.  I wish I could say it stops there, but unfortunately it doesn't. I like color, and I like organizing. 

I once tried to help organize my mom's sewing room by organizing the fabrics by color, but I ended up messing up all the projects she had laid out.  I wish I could say it was when I was twelve, but it was just a few months ago.

He was very proud of his work, after which he threw them in a bucket, and dumped them into the swimming pool.

He isn't allowed to have them back until they dry out.  Since it is raining outside, it might be awhile.

I love these new BOLD chalk colors by crayola!  But not in the pool.

Baby Tags

One of my favorite gifts we received when Ezra was born was a handmade book with his name on it. It fit in perfect on a shelf above his crib and celebrated the new addition to our family. For some lucky parents, picking a name is easy. For others, it is a struggle. Many parents put a lot of thought into choosing names that their kids will grow up with and grow into.

Now I like to give a handmade gift with the new baby's name, because of how special this was for me. I also like to recycle old things and make them new. These baby tags are created from scrap minkee fabric from blankets I've made and from ribbons I collect from garage sales or gift wrapping. I do buy a few spools of ribbon to help pull it all together.

You can adjust the size and shape for what scrap fabric you have. They also look great with varied textures and colors of ribbon. I reinforce each with a piece of upholstry fabric on the inside, so that they aren't so flimsy and will withstand a lot of wear and tear, but you don't have to. The picture on the right shows how you begin "inside-out" with the rightsides of the fabric facing each other, the ribbons folded inbetween and their raw ends sticking out. After sewing around all but an inch and a half of the edge, flip the right-sides out through the space you didn't sew and use a pencil to push out your corners. Sew the last inch and a half by hand.

Now, Brian and I need to get working on a moniker for Ezra's little brother or sister!