The Great Outdoors...just keeps getting greater.

Well, I have managed to keep my plants alive all summer, guys! I thought I had possibly, maybe killed my 2 Bleeding Hearts...over-watering, under-watering, too much sun- I couldn't be sure. They simply looked sad. I consulted my friend Linz and she informed me that they are actually just all done being pretty for the season, still alive and well.....yippee for nature!

I have also made a few other backyard improvements since we last chatted about my outdoor endeavors.

1. I moved my 'Peace' letters from the back of the garden to the middle. As the plants thrived and multiplied (certainly due to my mad plant growing skillz), the letters became hidden leaning against the fence. That just wouldn't do! I nailed a wooden stake to the back of each letter and drove them into the ground:

I went with a fancy curved layout that allows them to be presented prominently at center stage. They seem more intentional now, and I like it.

2. A Bird Feeder!

Admittedly, this new addition has nothing to do with providing nourishment for the neighborhood birdies and squirrels. It has everything to do with entertaining Mosby...who patiently plans his 'attack' at the garden window in the kitchen as the wildlife gathers to dine:

Watching his new friends is now at the very top of his daily to-do list. It brings me joy that he feels joy.

3. Tomatoes!

 

So, just as a reminder, my darling neighbor planted these for me at the beginning of the summer and just told me to water and see what happened. Well, tomatoes happened! Little ones and big ones (which I am currently waiting to turn red...then I shall eat them).

4. Raspberries!!

This is my most favorite update! They are REALLY growing. So much so that I recently added some wire cages to help support and direct their growth....I foresee much deliciousness in the coming years. If you ask nicely, I might share.

With 1 growing season almost under my belt, I am feeling good about what the future holds for my relationship with nature. I think we might be friends afterall.

Crafty Corner: Dancin' Queen

First of all, I feel some strong sadness that the Olympics have come to an end.

Secondly, do you like to dance? Do you sometimes wish you had accessories to enhance how cool you look and feel when you are busting a move? Well, have I got a DIY craft for you. 

Dancing Ribbons! Ok, in all honesty, this is more for the dancing enjoyment of a toddler type or young-ish person than for grown ups. But I'm not here to judge...so if you want to go ahead and make one for yourself to dance the night away, you have my full support!

My motivation for such an accessory came about in celebration of a little friend who just turned 1! She is such a cutie and is QUITE the dancing queen. I mean, this kid has some sweet moves. I wanted to play my part in the fostering and future development of said skills and know from experience that that my toddler students LOVE to shake stuff to music (ribbons, scarves, instruments, their bodies)- hence, the dancing ribbon plan.

I tried to find one for purchase but came up empty handed. I had no choice but to hit the basement craft closet and gather the right combo of supplies to make my own. Challenge accepted:

1. Ribbon- Any color, thickness, style:

2. A fabric scrap- I cut a rough rectangle and then ironed the edges inward. Then folded in half & ironed once more to make a middle crease. Also note that I cut the corners of the 2 side folds so they wouldn't stick out later when sewn:

3. Place the ribbons- I tried to make a pattern of sorts with the random ribbon pieces that I had on hand:

Once I was satisfied with their placement, I carefully folded the top over and held on tight to transfer to the sewing machine:

4. Sew the Ribbons in place- This was a little challenging to hold them secure over to the sewing machine with my hands and I probably should have used some pins or something. But I didn't. It was ok, I managed...and just sewed that little line as fast as I could. Then another for good measure:

5. The Handle- Once the ribbons were sewn in place, I cut the top edge of the yellow fabric open. That's where the handle would go. More seam ironing/sewing happened:

Slid the handle in between the 2 folded and ironed fabric pieces and sewed it up:

6. Finishing Touches- The ribbon scraps were all different lengths so I evened them up with a scissor trim and then used a flame to burn the ends of each ribbon to prevent future fray:

And that's it! All together it took about 30 minutes from start to finish with scraps I already had at home and it was ready for some little toddler hands to shake, rattle and roll!

I didn't really have a solid plan going in, but just followed my crafting heart and hoped for the best. Sometimes you gotta just see what comes. Don't be afraid to experiment, fail, change your plan half way through, start over...that's what makes creative projects exciting. Happy Dancing:) 

#teamanderson

Still got the Olympic Fever...I intend to make better efforts to return to the real world soon. To make time for crafting/other bloggy (that's a word) content next week when the Olympics have ended (insert loud, over-emotional, uncontrolled sobs here).

Thankfully, I had the pleasure of attending a wedding this weekend and would like to spread the love that is Team Anderson!

So happy for these 2 crazy kids- it was a beautiful ceremony, a perfectly lovely outdoor reception at the farm, and a blessed weekend with many dear friends:

A little time between ceremony and reception to explore the Lake Geneva Waterfront:

The beautiful Bride:

And the PAR-TAY:

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

I Got the Fever!

Friends, I am super busy this week.....busy cheering, and crying, and cheering again and then holding my breath with anticipation, and then watching lifelong dreams unfold right before my eyes and then crying some more because that is just a wonderful thing. I love everything about the Olympic season.

I don't have a moment to spare to even type this post....there are events to be watched and athletes to cheer for...they need me.

And just in case you need a little encouragement to catch the Olympic fever too, I shall leave for you some motivation from a few of my BFF's:

Now, get to cheering! Olympics:)

Work and Family and Friends....Oh My!

It's been a BUSY bunch of days...all good and amazing things to fill my time, but BUSY! I thankfully had last Thursday, Friday and this Monday off - which really helped in allowing for all the events that took place to actually happen!

Thursday- Pretty relaxing with few commitments other than a nap. And then a fun movie date in the evening with my favorite Jaysons:

We saw 'The Secret Life of Pets' and boy was it cute! It was fun to watch the kids giggle with their kid giggles at all the funny parts! It also made me think that Mosie probably has wild dance parties with the neighbor kitties while I am away at work:)

Just for kicks and to also maintain 'Cool Aunt' status, I got some of the characters from the movie (in stuffed animal form) and brought them in a pet carrier to the movie theater...then explained that I just couldn't leave them at home for fear of what shenanigans they might get into in my absence! The kids got to pick the ones they wanted and bring them in the theater to watch the flick:)

Friday- Ran a Wedding Rehearsal, Lawn Mowing and tree branch cutting (no photos- use your imagination).

Saturday- Worked a wedding during the day...and as I was passing the time waiting for the wedding party to take pictures, I sat in the back pew of the sanctuary and cleaned/sanded the tree branch pieces I had cut the day before all smooth and sliver-free. For what purpose? You ask. Well, for my toddler friends to explore nature in the classroom in a new (and safe) way of course:

In the evening, I was very happy to join some amazing ladies downtown for a bachelorette dinner at Rock Bottom Brewery in honor of our Lovely Lindsey:

In case you were wondering, I had the southwest turkey burger with avocado and spicy cheese that I enjoyed to the fullest...it was seriously soooo good.

Then I rushed back home because I still had to clean my house....a party was to happen the following day and my home was in no shape for guests. I'm tired.

Sunday- I had to skip church to go into work (at the Preschool- I am certain that Jesus understood...it was for the children). It just so happened to be Room Change weekend on top of everything else and I had to get my freshly cut/sanded sticks onto their shelf in the classroom. We also did a bunch of other equally amazing things including ramps for matchbox cars and a Velcro picture match game on the table (Mosby may or may not have been featured as one of the picture options to match...ok, he was).

Ran home, last minute house tidying, showered and ate a little lunch and then had a visit from my oldest pal Nate and his girls who flew in from New York:

They were so cute...I didn't really have any kid toys or games to speak of (note to self to get some kid toys/games for future kid visitors) so they used Mosby's basket o' fun to set up an obstable course to roll balls through...how resourceful and creative!

After they left, I ran to get ice and set up the back yard with a variety of lawn games for the shindig to happen later in the afternoon. A long overdue reunion with my old band mates from the college campus ministry days. We have not gathered together in many moons and it was so wonderful to catch up and meet their families...some could not make it and were dearly missed:)

City Celebration/Shades of Grace/Red Letter Day (we had many names and many members over the course of several years):

Phew...what a crew and what a fun night! Could there possibly be any room for more fun to occur in one weekend than this?

Yes.

Monday- I know that Monday is not technically part of the weekend but I had one more day off of work to fill with amazingness...so the party continued.

At the Como Zoo with TT and my girl Miss P:

We also enjoyed some Mac and Cheese, Cheese-its, Watermelon, Cucumbers and Ice cream back at my house after our Zoo adventures came to a close. As an added bonus, sister TT trimmed my hair while Miss P drew a pic of my kitty on the chalkboard:

After all the family and friends had left and all the work had been done, it was finally time for another (much needed) nap. The perfect bookend to a wonderful weekend: