Boxes for the Trip

For the trip, the girls and I made boxes, crayon boxes, and pencil boxes. We used old diaper boxes for the big things like coloring books and stuff. We used margarine containers for crayon boxes, and Lays containers for pencil boxes. We covered them with colored paper, then stickers and their names and finally contact paper secured with packing tape. The girls loved making them and they really helped the car not be so crazy while still allowing them to bring a lot of stuff. Plus it was fun to do together. When we made them, I did each separately and on a different day and it was fun to watch their different approaches to basicly the same project. It definitely was worth it. Here's a few pics for examples:

My Favorite Things About Buffalo #1: Niagara Falls

I love lots of things about Buffalo-- that's why I love to come visit. One of these things is going to Niagara Falls.

When John and I were dating, we rode our bikes up to Bridal Veil Falls and John laughed and said, "That is not a waterfall. Come to Buffalo and I'll show you a real waterfall." I was a little offended because in my life to that point, Bridal Veil Falls was a pretty big water fall. Then when I came to Buffalo, John took me to Niagara Falls. And I had to agree, that was a real waterfall. I've never seen anything like it before or since. It is always a top request from the kids when we plan what we want to do in Buffalo. It is truly beautiful and fun to walk around.

Some day I am going to do the deluxe visit but for right now we just like to walk around with all the kids. Throwing rocks in the water and picking dandelions in the grass surrounding the falls seemed to be the favorite activities this time around.

I also love the statue of Tesla, the man who invented a way to harness the power of the falls and make electricity. It just looks cool.

New Old Dress

A friend gave us some clothes for the girls that her daughter had grown out of. The girls loved them!! Mary loved this dress but it had a small tear. I finally got around to mending it. It is actually the first thing I have mended in quite a while. It was really easy and Mary was super happy that I did it so. So I guess it was all worth it.

Another Tag Quilt

This is the second tag quilt I finished. I have two more in the works. This one was for my next door neighbor who just had a baby girl. I still like it.

Quilt Club Blankets

I go to a quilt club once a month with some of the ladies on my street. We tie quilts and they donat them to a NICU that one of their daughter-in-laws work at. It has been really fun. To be honest, I don't get to help much but it is fun to talk to the ladies. A while back I volunteered to help bind a few of them. It took me a while but I finally finished them. They really don't take that long once I get started, it just takes a little oomph to get started. They turned out great though. The ladies really do great work.

Graduations

May is the month for graduations in Utah. I went to two which was more than enough for me. Congratulations to the two graduates: Ruth from preschool and Devin from Lehi high school. Here are the proud graduates and their families:

The Last Two Tag Quilts

I finally finished the last of the tag quilts. I really liked the way they turned out. They were for my boy and my new niece (who is also named Brooklyn just like my next door neighbor's little girl--it was all very handy). Anyway, I think I will probably make more in the future. They seemed like a great gift and it was fun to do.

The BIG Project

I finally finished my big project. I made an I-spy blanket for a lady in the ward that bought it at a Relief Society Auction. It was really fun to make and I made a little different than the ones I have done before. I put two of each print in the blanket to make it a little bigger. I also did embroideries of each person in their family. The girls helped me pick out the pictures and they thought it was funny. I'm not sure how life-like some of them turned out but they were fun. The family seemed to really like it so that was great. (I only spelled one of the kids' names wrong, oh well, bad information) Here are a few pictures:

Monkey Bars

Kate has diligently been practicing on the monkey bars for months. She has the blisters to show for it. Just about a week ago she finally made it across. Hurray for Kate and perserverance!!

New Artwork for the House

We're doing some renovations on our house and we're picking out lots of things like paint and flooring. But I think I've found the perfect artwork for our new spaces. And the artists aren't bad looking either.