Pre-School Loot

Being a first-time mom, I guess I don't necessarily know the proper pre-school holiday etiquette.  For example, Halloween rolled around and the Thursday before the big weekend, I picked Jackson up from school to find his cubby full of goodie bags from his classmates (actually, their moms).  We got a few little trinkets and lots of candy.  Now, all the kiddos in his class are 1-year-olds and realistically, how many of them can actually eat candy?  I figured that due to the nature of the holiday & the fact that candy isn't practical for those who only have 8 teeth, I assumed that classroom trick-or-treats were not necessary.  However, after collecting Jackson's loot, I definitely felt like the slacker mom who forgot the occasion. 

So, ignited with a little prideful motivation, I have gotten a jump-start on Christmas gifts for Jackson's classmates.  I wanted the gifts to be creative & useful, and the best thing I came up with was applique beanbag sets for his classmates.  Each unique set includes three bags, appliqued with numbers 1 through 3.  Hopefully this will make up for my lack of Halloween generosity and get me back on the Good Mommy list for the new year!

Thanksgiving

To celebrate Turkey Day, we headed down to Georgia to spend a 5-day weekend with Oma & Opa.  We were excited that Jon, William, Tinka & Cora (Jackson's 7 year old cousin) were also there.  Bella joined us on the trip and was able to "surprise" Oma & Opa with her very presence. 

We enjoyed the unbelievable 80-degree weather (yes, we wore shorts in November) and did some bike riding, Black Friday shopping and lots of eating! Lill hosted an amazing Thanksgiving feast for 23 extended family members and we enjoyed catching up with relatives we rarely see (some whom I've never even met)! This was followed by a Low-Country Boil on Friday night, with lots of leftovers in between.

Walking along the pier on St. Simons with Oma

Hanging out with cousin Cora.  She's such a sweetheart!

This was Cora's favorite tree.

Brothers & cousins





Part of the crowd at Thanksgiving dinner

Jackson loved being pulled around by Opa!

Playing with his 3rd (?) cousins?

Best quote of the week...
"So, can get one of these [babies] without being married?" - Jon
Ben's response: "You don't want one of these without being married."

Playing with Oma

Fire ants are everywhere down there and of course Jackson loved playin in the grass constantly.  Here he is practically digging in the anthill.  (Its hard to tell, but Daddy put his sandals on the wrong feet)

Posting up in his chair to watch a little football. 
(I must brag that I paid $3 for this chair at a yardsale 2 weeks ago)

The Talbert boys

Love this picture of my baby cheesing it up!

He doesn't get to walk around on the counter-tops often.

Saying good-bye to Oma & Opa after a fun weekend!

Dumpster Daddy

If I'm "Arts & Crafts Mommy", then Ben is "Dumpster Daddy".  Let me start by saying that if I would allow it, and the City of Greer did not have an ordinance against it, Ben would probably have a junk yard out back.  He's been know to rifle through an especially tempting pile of treasures beside a dumpster, which is how we acquired the mauve sectional that was formerly in the man cave.  His resourcefulness has only been intensified by the miscellaneous parts he acquires at work -- a broken dolly, steel posts, metal desks, you name it.

Ben's man-cave furnishings

Inspired by this book I checked out from the library, Ben's been itching to make something for Jackson and/or himself from his treasures.  This book is every man-boy's dream -- how to make floating tree houses, fire-extinguisher powered cannons and other dangerous-sounding boy-scoutish projects that make me cringe.

Last weekend, Ben made a modified version of what we used to call a "shack-a-lack" growing up...basically a little downhill racer made from miscellaneous parts.  Jackson was thrilled to be the benefactor =)  Notice how I piled on fluffy blankets in case of a crash landing.

Well Friday, Ben spied the knobby tires of a green riding toy peeking out of a neighbor's trash can.  Not being one to pass up a little dumpster dive on his way to work, Ben hit the jackpot when he found the toddler-sized John Deere 4-wheeler with only a broken steering shaft.  After fishing his prize out of the trash and chasing down the wheels that incidentally started rolling down the road, Ben loaded his latest & greatest in the back of the truck and continued his commute to work.  That night, Ben set off to not only repair, but upgrade the toy.  Several hours later, Ben proudly showed off Version 4.0, complete with a PVC steering column with hefty spring-loaded shocks, an additional 4-inches of ground clearance and a fresh set of AA batteries.  Just like new, only better.  Now we have to figure out a way to keep the neighbor's kid from seeing his old toy & wanting it back...

Music Man

Ben's harmonica + PopPaw's step stool = 1 little music man



Project: Placemats

I've  been on a seasonal creativity kick over the past few weeks.  In the past, I have not really decorated for Halloween, and Thanksgiving decor consisted only of a centerpiece in the dining room and a ceramic pumpkin given to me by my mother-in-law.  However, now that there is a little one around, I've been trying to come up with juvenile seasonal decorating ideas that are not gaudy/tacky (quite difficult).  So I decided to make turkey placemats using fun fabrics I had on-hand.  At the last minute, I decided to applique a Christmas tree to the back and make them reversible while I was at it.  Now if only I could keep them from getting dirty during mealtime...

Turkey Take-Home Project

So every few months, Jackson comes home with a little project that he & his family are supposed to do together, and then send back to school to display in the hall outside his classroom.  When his teacher initially explained the whole take-home project concept, it was flanked by her saying how much she loves to see what creative things the parents come up with.  Talk about setting the stage...

In September, it was a tree, which was printed in cardstock, that we were supposed to creatively decorate to represent our family.  After much deliberation, I settled on a banana tree (that's creative, right?).  I cut a leafy-print fabric out and stitched it on top of the printed tree, then stitched down a brown canvas trunk and cut some exaggerated bananas from yellow fabric that I let Jackson stick on to the tree.  After all, we were supposed to do it together.  I finished the project by adding a few whimsical birds to the tree and grommetting a cardstock nameplate to the trunk (rather then penning our surname).  I could kick myself for not saving the final result once it was sent back home, or at least scanning it in.

Two weeks ago, the Thanksgiving project was sent home in the form of a outlined turkey to be decorated & "disguised".  Last Tuesday, Mrs. Tonya asked if we had finished our turkey, and I explained that I couldn't decide how to decorate it because I had so many fun ideas.  That's when she made a point of explaining that "the projects are for the parents to do WITH their children, so maybe you should let Jackson participate a little more."  Yes, that's right...I got called out for doing my 1-year-old's homework. 

So armed with the challenge of incorporating Jackson's artistic participation in my Mommy project, I finally settled on the perfect compromise.  I got out my tempura paints and some cardstock and let him go to town.  Once his masterpieces dried completely, I traced, cut & mounted his paintings, then added a bit of felt & black mat board to create our Take Home Project #2.  Hope this scrapes by.

The "Fort"

Jackson has discovered a new, amazingly awesome "toy" that he's been obsessed with this week...the dog kennel.  We set up Bella's old dog crate last weekend for Scout to sleep in, and the minute Jackson spotted it in the corner of the garage, he made a beeline over and crawled inside.  He climbed in & out & in & out, wallowed around on the dingy dog bed and even closed the door once he was inside.  Bella decided to join him a time or two.  He has spent hours playing in that kennel, which we are referring to as his "fort" so DSS doesn't come get us.  I am also considering making a custom foam pad to fit inside to make it a little homier.