September Acres

One of the things we wanted to do this summer was to paint rocks.  Just for fun really.  And living in the desert we have lots of rocks right outside our door.  So today was the day.  LM headed out after lunch to pick out a few rocks and I gathered up the paint and brushes. Paint supplies & rocks.  And the rabbit from "Hop".  Wonder how he got there? I painted one rock for us to keep.  I used rubber stamps and ink to make a little design.  I kind of like it! LM painted a rock for her Grandma who just had open heart surgery in June.  Luckily she picked a small one so it won't cost an arm and leg to mail it. I packaged it up in a cellophane bag with some shredded paper.   I think Grandma will love it! This activity is really fun, creative and very frugal.  Here's what we used: Rocks from the yard Craft paint Paint brushes Rubber stamps  Stamp pad I keep old yogurt containers and the like to put paint in when we do these types of cra

We have two weeks left of summer vacation here.  This summer has flown by faster than any I have remembered.  I guess it's because we've been so busy and have hardly been home.  I really long for the lazy days of summer that I remember as a child. My mom found this free printable called 101 days of summer fun @ Laura Winslow Photography.  We had big plans for these ideas at the beginning of the summer and then life happened: a quickie trip to St Louis , babysitting class, golf camp, a planned trip to Disneyland with LM's girl scout trip for four days, dentist & hairdresser appointments, a planned road tour of California and the usual household things-like laundry & grocery shopping.  We have also found time to do some of the things on this list.  Like: Family Movie Night (when the McKenna 'American Girl' movie was on NBC) Visit a Museum Staying up late (too many nights) Dance in the rain Make a fort Take a class  Eat Breakfast for dinner

I just spent four days with LM and her girl scout troop at Disneyland so I thought I'd share some do's and don't's with you.  These tips aren't necessarily specific to Disneyland so use them as needed.  I'll spare you the usual 'wear comfortable shoes' & 'don't forget the sunscreen' because I believe these are just common sense.  I won't even mention that I personally think four days is too long to spend at any theme park.  Oops, I just did.  Sorry about that. DO get a park hopper ticket. This is Disneyland specific, obviously.  Even if you think you only want to go to Disneyland, get the park hopper.  You will likely regret being stuck in one park.  And your kids will want to go to 'Carsland' (more on that later), which is in the Disney California Adventure park (also referred to as 'DCA'-see what you learn in four days?) DON'T eat breakfast at the park.  Unless that's the meal you want to splu

I finally painted our guest bath over the weekend.  After much deliberation over which shade of grey to use  , I ended up with 'Silver Leaf' by Valspar.  It's a bit lighter than the 4 original shades I was considering but I really like how it turned out.  It's actually the same color my husband used for his work office.  There was quite a bit leftover from that so I decided to use it and hope for the best.  You know me, always looking for a chance to save $$$! It turned out to be a good decision. Here's a look at the finished room: I wasn't sure how this print, with it's green mat and frame, would look on the wall but it looks really nice.  Actually, it looks better in real life than in this picture.  The grey-ish white of the rocking chairs ties in with the wall color quite nicely. The galvanized, numbered pots work well with the grey walls. This little bath was the last room in the house to be painted.  Not sure why it to