Happy Valentime’s Day February 14, 2007

We just went all out this year. It didn’t help that Mad was “studying” love and the like in JK this week. With Valentine hearts a plenty, there were no shortages of paper clippings and ink spots.

To top it off we hosted a Valentine Tea for the JK socialites. Six little lovelies with their pinkies hoisted chatted over cinnamon hearts and sugar cookies. A great success, we all thought.

Mad’s been big on the heart people. They’re her newest thing. There’s one in particular I just love that she did with chalk but this one is named Lolita, she’s done in crayon on water-coloured canvas board. Nice.

Have a LOVEly day.

xox

Heart Mouse February 9, 2007

It was Mad taught me the craft of the day today.

Meet Henrietta Heart Mouse.
With a bit of construction paper and some glue you too could have a mouse to call your very own.
Mad was pretty excited to be the teacher today. It was obviously a pretty fun craft for her to want to share… and it was.
All we needed was two pieces of construction paper, scissors, glue and some yarn… and if you have an extra “googlie” eye kicking around, woohoo for you!

Cut two hearts. One about twice the size of the other.
Cut the large one down the middle and place it so the cut side is toward you.
Glue the smaller heart, right side up, toward the point of the larger half heart. These are the ears.
Give this little creature some whiskers and a tail by trimming the yarn to your favourite lengths and gluing to the underside of the large heart.
Secure them by mirroring the remaining half heart, gluing it into place.
Draw on an eye, or glue on the googlie variety if you’ve got it. Cut out a tiny heart for the mouth, Or draw one if that’s your mouse’s look…..
Have fun. I sure did.
It’s fun being the kid sometimes.

Greatest Grampa February 5, 2007

It’s my grandfather’s 84th birthday today.

This is Mad and Baz’s great grandfather and fittingly they (Mad) call him “Greatest Grampa”.

Every visit they marvel at how big Mad has gotten since the last visit, how wonderful a “baby” Baz is and Mad usually nags for Greatest Grampa to play his “humonica”.

If you ask me, my grandfather is a genius. He has an sixth grade education and absolutely knows EVERYTHING. He knows how to build houses, drive amphicars make maple syrup and play virtually any underplayed instrument. (Harmonica, acordian, spoons…)
He calls Mad and Baz Papoose and Pollywog repectively and Mad loves going up there, just as I did when I was a kid.

Mad loves to play there and Greatest Grampa is always thrilled to see the kids. Mad is totally cool with his sense of humour and not a trip will go by without her asking for a tune of sorts from one of his many instrumental talents. He almost always obliges and Mad will often join in by dancing or playing her own “humonica” she proudly got for Christmas last year.

We say it every time we leave. We have to go up there regularily. It’s such a gift to have my grandparents in our lives and even more so to watch my children exprerience, appreciate them and create their own memories.

Happy Birthday Grandpa, you really are the Greatest!

Groundhog Day February 2, 2007

Fun for all ages.

Believe it or not we found a “holiday” Mad was not familiar with, at first.

She’s now an expert and has informed me she has passed on her new learnings to her classmates by insisting it was added at calendar time.

Like I’ve mentioned, ANY excuse for a party – and this having Groundhog Day fall on a Friday, well, party on, so they say.

I was more apt to a shadow puppet project but after a quick search, I found these. I don’t know if I’d call it adorable and I think I’d try to make it a bit more furry, but either way, we found ourselves laughing all the way to the craft table.

We attempted shadow cut outs of our heads, but some of us moved a bit too much… so we put on a groundhog and dog show instead.

Incidentally, Phil DIDN’T see his shadow and we are among the masses cheering him loudly as we welcome an early spring… nice thought as we enter a deep freeze this week.