... as I build my house of bricks.: March 2013

Home Projects: Problems and Solutions

Homes have problems almost constantly. Here are a couple of the solutions I've been working on in 2013.

Problem: I love to feel like I'm in my grandma's house sometimes.

Solution: I have a theme going as I decorate my guest room. It is "grandma's house". I have found that I really enjoy having one room where I display heirlooms, family paintings, and old style family pictures. I really enjoy going in there and feeling like I'm back at Mimi and Grandpa's house. This grouping is a Lion House plate, a cross stitch I did as a girl and gave to my grandparents, and a couple prints of my Aunt Erla's paintings.

Problem: Jacob is addicted to handheld devices.

Solution: We have to be stealthy and hide them very often. So I made a charging station from 3 large books. I hollowed out the books, lined it with felt, and made a hole in the side for the cords to go through the back. I love the way it looks and he hasn't found the hiding place yet.

Problem: Our tools were overflowing from a box Chris got as a teenager

Solution: Our workbench got a new addition - I found the craftsman toolbox to keep all of our hand tools in order. That and a set of tiny drawers from Grandma and Grandpa, and we are good to go. I work out there all the time so yes, I get to blog about it.

Problem: Art supplies should be quickly available, but not accessible to toddler hands. I want them to be out in the open so they get used everyday. And I want them to be clearly labled.

Solution: My little brother Brandon (an art teacher in AZ) solved my problem when he gave me these 12 awesome bins that can be labled by sliding a card in the slot. I placed them on an IKEA shelf and on top, I used open tupperware containers placed in butcher trays for my kid friendly mediums. (crayons, colored pencils, markers, glue, etc) I can easily get down 3-5 mediums on the tray and use the tray to dump out one of the mediums for easier child access. Plus I love that when markers are on a tray, they don't roll and the caps dont end up all over the floor. YAY for TRAYS!

Problem: Scritpure study can be boring sometime for kids.

Solution: I made a flip book out of a LDS issued illustrated scripture book. We use it at family scripture time to visualize the scriptures as well as read them.

Problem: I bought these great night stands 2 years ago

Solution: I finally got around to refinishing them.

Rosicrucian Museum

Alex and I spent a Saturday afternoon at the Rosicrucian Museum in San Jose. Of course we love egyptian stuff and mummies, but this museum went above and beyond. It provided lots of things we didn't expect. A game/reading room where we played anceint egyptian games. Covered, and uncovered mummies. And even a 30 minute guided tour of a cave replica built unside (and under) the museum itself. It was pretty amazing.

Family Night Ice Skating

We have been enjoying our Monday nights for the the last couple months at the ice skating rink. It has helped Alex and Aaron to become pretty speedy skaters. And of course, Jacob and I pass the time in various manners.

Aaron lost a tooth...

... and it unleashed the sillies.

Discovery of the day: Just 3 food storage buckets and a 6 year old can touch the ceiling.

Andrew's Headstone

This beautiful place has become home to our most precious family gathering time.

National Cheese Lovers Day

We spent National Cheese lovers day with dear friends and family devouring an epic cheese based feast.

cheese souffle

cranberry almond goat cheese log

cheesecake stuffed strawberries

mini pizzas

grilled cheese sandwiches and PROVOLONE Cheese Its

Happy Hollow Park and Zoo

Its the happiest place on earth for me and Jacob. Everything is so 2 year old friendly - And accessible. I can ride any ride I want with Jacob because they are designed to be so easy to transfer into. Today I did the carousel (and I didn't even get sick).

The first time Jacob did this swing, he laid there swinging for about 45 minutes.

This is the Pacific Fruit Express, Jacob's first roller coaster. Today we went on it and he kept saying "I love this!"

January Around the House

Our most precious moments are spent around the house doing everyday things.

Aaron realized he loves painting walls. As you can see he is so fast, the paint roller disapeared completely in the picture. And we can use all the help we can get with Jacob's "habit".

A bubble gun from Nanny and Papa was well used. Jacob burned through a whole bottle of bubbles in about an hours.

Alex made this "flying disk" out of particle board, using his new tool he got for christmas. We invented a cool game with it where one person rolls it like a wagon wheel across the opening of the garage and the other person tries to thrown an arrow at it to knock it down.

We used our Yonanas machine to make "chocolate ice cream". It tasted good at first, but it was hard to finish a bowl. No matter how much chocolate syrup you add, its still frozen bananas. This machine works much better with a fruity recipe.