Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Thankful

Thankful for classic toys that we keep taking out as if brand new for each child!
 He loves Potato Head!
 Beads...another classic fun "new" thing for these littles to do!
(you're welcome)
 These dolls were new to our 3rd or 4th
(no, they don't make boys)
Thankful he doesn't care!
"Did you just take a picture of my toesies?"


 I honestly didn't think this til I read it someplace....
but, now, I think it.
 Christmas was fun, mess and all....
and I'm Thankful for another one.
 Thankful January brings Snowflake crafts!
 Right after I took a picture of this,
my one and only master,
my 4 year old cut it up.
to many thousand of pieces.

Thankful for some odd reason, I took a picture of it!
 Thankful our snowflakes turned out pretty....

 My favorite!

 Found this on Pinterest, but the link took me 
to some Russian site, and I couldn't find the snowflakes...
 Thankful for fruit snack sneakers...
(that's how she does it!--little stinker)
 At least she was sharing!
 Thankful our tree is down.
(kind of)
I actually kind of miss it this year. 
We moved our old table into the tree's place.
 Have you heard about the Minnesota Freeze this year yet?
We have been a long stretch of very cold, frigid temps, 
like 20 some below zero with "real feel" temps of 60 below.
Thankful we have lots of blankets to snuggle up with at night
(I had to think really hard on that one, as to why I was Thankful for living in MN)

This is what we do to our front door...tape the wind coming through.
(that's ice on there)
 We Minnesotan's boil water on our stoves to put humidity into the dry air!!
 and we do fun experiments with boiling water....
 like shoot it out the door through a super water shooter!!
It just turns into steam, it disappears in thin air
(or very cold air)
 Thankful for fun winter crafts
I'll have snowmen up next week!
 We water painted card stock white paper
let it dry 
cut out black trees
 and added white snow....
(look at that bonk on her head, I'll get to that later!)
 Aren't they pretty?
 Thankful for cute toddlers that are too wide awake to go down for nap, 
then proceed to fall asleep reading books....
 Thankful these two have each other to play with all day!
 Like the twin egg bumps they got on their foreheads?
She got hers first, on our new wide kitchen chairs...
running--the kids are going crazy inside, it's too cold to play outside!!
He got his a day or two later, on the same stupid chair!!!!

 Another fun winter craft...
White crayon resist, draw on a white circle, designs...whatever
and water paint over in blue (or whatever colors you want)

 Thankful for Barbara's Snickerdoodle Bar recipe
Hit the spot on a COLD afternoon!
 Thankful we can separate all school kids from each other!
3 littles in here with mama....
 Middle in the kitchen....
 2nd oldest in the school room!
Oldest in the office!

Thankful  for little things and big things!
Like:
Our water heater died yesterday.
and we are Thankful it was not our furnace,
and we are thankful the new water heater should last 20 more years.

God bless everyone!

33 comments:

  1. I love your fun winter crafts. Your homeschooling looks so much fun. Glad you got your hot water heater fixed! Stay warm!

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    1. Thanks Deb! Not sure my older kids think anything about school is fun...but the little ones like it!

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  2. I really enjoyed all your pictures and all those fun crafts. I can't believe how cold it get there. We start complaining when it gets into the 30s or 40s.

    How nice that you have so many different rooms to do school in. We have the dining room only.

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    1. Oh, Kari, I still need to answer you about reading....I saved the email, I'll try to get to it today!

      I can't wait til it's in the 30's or 40's!!

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  3. Hi!! Glad I made a few minutes to pop in. (I really need to catch up with you!!!!) LOVE your "Thankful" posts. So many good things here...

    I am thankful that we have sunshine with this frigid weather!!

    Speaking of water heaters and furnaces.... Dec 28 last year our furnace died and needed to be replaced - and one week later it was the water heater!! Thankful it was *only* your water heater and not both. Ouch!!!

    Blessings~

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    1. Oh, gosh, I'm sure our furnace is next...it's working major overtime!!

      You are RIGHT, that sunshine is beautiful. (even though we can't go out into it!)

      Blessings to you too!!

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  4. I love your thankful posts! I'm so glad you water heater was replaced so quickly, I can't imagine that kind of cold and no hot water, but your right - the furnace would have been worse. Praying for you guys in all that cold!
    How did you know I was looking up winter art projects for kids - these are perfect and got my wheels spinning. Mine are in for a treat now, thank you!

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    1. I forgot to add that we watered down poster paint for our water paint...we've done these before and they totally brighten up the kitchen!

      Have fun making fun winter crafts!!

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  5. Good morning, my friend!
    Hope you are snuggled inside with your sweet littles!
    I so enjoyed this post...especially seeing so many of the same sweet toys that are currently being played with in this house!
    Flynn loves those "snappy" babies... And Mr. Potato Head and of course...Little People!
    Little ones playing on cold winter days makes me happy!
    So nice to check in with you...love sharing your days!
    Stay warm! : )

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    1. Good morning!!! Oh, gosh, yes, we are snuggled up and not going anywhere!!
      I usually go to Mass on Tuesdays (and Wednesdays and Fridays) but I skipped it yesterday and will today too...too dang cold out!!

      Aren't those toys the greatest?
      You stay warm too!!

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  6. You are the craftiest person I know! What fun you have created inside when the weather is less than pleasant!

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    1. Well, then you don't know that many crafty people, do you? (hahah!)

      You are the one that is talented!!! Gosh, your yarn creations are amazing!

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  7. Your thankful posts always make my day. I'm thankful for your blog! :o)

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  8. You do so many nice activities with your kids, I'm always in awe. And a very belated thank you for the Christmas card! I accidently threw out the envelope with your address on it, but if you want a REALLY late card from us, I'll happily send it :)
    P.S. What is the necklace that Simeon is wearing?

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    1. In that first picture, he was playing with some old necklaces the girls had...but the amber colored one is just that, an Amber necklace. A friend made it for him, it's supposed to help with
      teething pain...not sure it works or not, but I'm not taking it off, just in case!! Besides, it's cute!

      No need for a card, thanks anyway, I can pull up your bloggy and see all of you!!
      Have a great day Colleen!

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  9. I love the tape. Totally doing that. If only we didn't need one door to let the dog out!

    I boiled two pots of water away the other day (and steamed up all the windows) getting more humidity into the air just so I could breath with this cold. And we have a humidifier on our furnace. My husband did the boiling water into snow thing by throwing pots of it in the air! Such a child.

    I'm glad the kids got snicker doodle bars. Yum. :-)

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    1. Well, we put the tape there, but it still opens...it makes a really loud noise when we open it though!! The kids like to pick all the ice off it all day long...

      Oooh, whole pot? I'd be afraid of it burning the kids...I'd love to try it though!! hahaha!

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    2. We all stayed inside. I was afraid he would burn himself though (my husband did it himself)! It was around zero degrees and it did make snow!

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  10. Holy Toledo, girl! You are starting out with a bang this year :) Way to go recognizing all of these abundant blessings in your amazing life!!! Your kids are so dang cute, but those two littles….the dynamic duo…..they are fun to watch, that's for sure! I love that Andy Rooney quote. Isn't that the truth? The snowflake art is so pretty. Your kids did a great job. Make sure you tell them we think so. I just saw that winter tree craft on pinterest last night. All your crafts are creative. I think I'm going to make that snicker doodle recipe this weekend! Something new and it sure looks yummy! Stay warm and safe up there!!

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    1. Oh, they are the dynamic duo!! Love that!

      I'll tell them you thoughts! I thought I made up this winter tree craft...I do have one pinned that has drawn black trees....similar...

      You'll love the snickerdoodle bars!

      Oh, we have 30's predicted for the weekend, us Minnesotans will be going coatless when that happens, after this cold!

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  11. We have been super cold in Houston as well. OK not nearly as cold as the rest of the world but 20 is very very very cold for this far south. I have thought about you a lot. I am so thankful to see you wonderful pictures. You kids are so cute and you do a wonderful job with all the crafts.

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    1. Wow, Neen, that is cold for where you live! I have a friend in NC and he (Odie) said the same thing, it's been cold there too!

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  12. Love seeing all the pictures of all the kiddos! Cute little girl sneaking snacks and sharing...my fav. Your snowflakes turned out so good!
    I like that in each school room there is a window letting light in. Jedi is especially getting a super dose of vit. D! Thankful for your posts and especially you. God Bless.

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    1. Bridget has been cutting away, since that book you gave her!! She couldn't do the snowflakes though, she just cuts them into confetti!

      Oh, I love natural light, love love your house, that whole back wall--amazing view and light!

      Thankful for you too, God bless you!

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  13. How I've missed your thankful posts! Oh, it did my heart good to see all the great pics- is it me, or have the kids all grown about a foot? Good grief- little Sims is all out of babyhood now! Sweet cutie pie! I hope you all warm up soon!!!

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    1. Oh, good! I should work on doing them more often again! Simeon has grown up all of a sudden, he's not such a baby...

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  14. Glad you're keeping warm! We didn't get quite that cold but close enough. Enough to have frost inside and pipes freeze (all seem to be ok, fingers crossed). We are learning so much about this new house with this extreme weather - first abnormally heavy rain and then arctic cold snap (that's a sarcastic thankful ... but I am thankful because we know what needs doing).

    I am glad it was just your water heater and not your furnace too!!! Boiling water for humidity is a good idea. Our house is sooo dry. My parents always put bowls of water over registers but I hate doing that with cat and kids around.

    I love all the winter crafts. Very easy to pull out and do. I'm going to use them myself. We need something, being stuck inside. It's actually nice out today with temps above freezing but we're all sick. :( But not too sick and for that I'm grateful.

    I've said it and I'll say it again, I love these posts, not only because I get to see you and your family, but it's a wonderful reminder to gives thanks in my own life.

    Our tree is still up... it's in a room where the furnace that died heats and so I've gone in there just to stoke the fire. (The way our house is built, it has two furnaces, crazy.) Thankfully it was fixed yesterday -- hopefully.

    Oh, and those toes? They are growing and changing. :)

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    1. Bowls of water over the registers? Wow, that sounds really really messy!!

      Love your thankfuls too Nicole!

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  15. Oh my. My little Florida kids would love to experience just a little if that. Especially my twelve year old who has a long list of snow and cold weather experiments he is dying to try. I will definitely show him this!

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    1. Blowing bubbles was fun too, but messy, our hands got too cold and gloves got wet and were hard to maneuver the bubble wand with on! The bubbles got rubbery though in the cold, kind of funny!

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  16. Wondering if you had a template for that winter tree...and if so, is there a link for it? Love the craft and being lazy about doing a tree for the little ones. Although, I guess I could give that job to a big kid, huh?

    Looking forward to seeing you this summer at Camp Lebanon. Hope that it works out for your family to be there!

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    1. Happymom--no template....got it years ago out of a mailbox magazine, that's my template I guess...I copied it and put it in my "stencils" box of things to trace!

      It's just a tree with Y branches....you can do it!!

      Planning on Camp Lebanon, but with the new water heater costing 1800bucks...we had to use a credit card to pay for it....not sure a mini vacation is in the budget this year. We'd love to though, I call dibs on holding that sweet new baby!

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