arts and crafts

Just got back from a side job I took over during Reese's maternity leave, cleaning an enormous house that starts out already clean. Naomi and I go every other week, and I need to get in the habit of cleaning MY house from 9-12 on the off weeks, because I come home painfully aware that it needs it, but with no energy left to even contemplate the chore. However, the extra money is going towards a new bed, and I'm ridiculously excited about the prospect of a better night's sleep. My house will just have to stay a bit unkempt for the time being, and I'm okay with that!

He was getting ready to go outside and just being goofy-cute. Seriously, that little elfin face is too much!

Watching small children eat corn on the cob is enormously entertaining to me. Always has been.

Blake asked to go outside, and though he began by throwing snowballs at me through the dining room window, he soon disappeared from the back yard. I went looking for him and found this out the front door.

Industrious little fella. I think he needs a wider shovel.

More recently (the snow comes and goes, but mostly goes), Rob and Blake and their orange R/C car on the sidewalk, enjoying one of the many mild days we've had this "winter."

As promised, here are photos of the results of my "crafternoon," a phrase stolen from Matt's sisters. I fell down the Pinterest rabbit hole and kept seeing things on the home page (I do not have my own account, nor do I want one - I'm afraid I'd never get ANYTHING done). "I could make that! I could make that too!" 

Two trips to Jo-Ann later...

A Valentine wreath for the little birthday party Rob threw for me. It was too windy to hang outside without it being completely stripped of feathers, so I put it in the window. One green floral wreath, two boas, white satin ribbon, a pretty button, and voila!

Originally from Martha Stewart, my friend Jody made these and inspired me. One day later they were in four columns of overlapping hearts. That's what I get for putting them in a window with a heat vent immediately below them: a tangled mess. Also, Martha is a big cheater who clustered a ton in one very small window pane, giving it a fuller look than reality affords.

Nesting (or at least annoyance at bare walls and full boxes) has kicked in. This is the before shot of a wall in the dining area.

And the after. I've had these prints matted for a LONG time, but only recently framed them. I have two calendars full of more like them, each showcasing a different national park or historic landmark, and the graphic lines and vibrant colors just make me happy. These (Glacier and Zion) join the other two I've had framed for quite some time (Great Smoky Mountains and Yellowstone), that are in the living room.

Dan and Erin sent this Spiderman poster to Blake about a year ago. It hung on Dan's bedroom wall when HE was growing up, so I put it in a poster frame to use as a headboard for B. The other stuff is just me putting other stuff on the walls.

I have a few projects still in process, as I've discovered boxes of things we'd removed from the walls in the condo in preparation to sell. Figuring out how to display a collection of family photos (and filling in a few blanks, since families have grown since I took them all down!) and a collection of crosses is my current head scratcher. When I have those figured out, I'll post them too!