Giveaway - finished!

I just finished up this little cutie...

from this picture...

for the Sew, Mama, Sew! giveaway day!  Want one of your own?  Check out my shop here.  (PERFECT gift for dads!  Order by June 2 for Daddy's Day delivery!)

Cucumbers!

Last week was a bit crazy for me.  The school year is coming to a close and it seems like everyone's going a little stir-crazy.  We are definitely ready for Summer break!  Shopping, packing, and planning for vacation have monopolized most of my time lately.  And, I've been attempting to get all of my listings posted on my etsy site for a big shop update (just have to take those pictures!).  I finished up the Sew, Mama, Sew! giveaway and will post the results this week. Jesse went to the principal last week for the first time because he told a little girl he was going to moon her.  (On a side note, that's totally something his Daddy would do!)   And last week, during a failed attempt to have a play date with one of Jesse's friends at the pool (the pool was EMPTY due to some maintenance problems), Micah fell into the duck pond and is now trying to get over a cold, which he has since passed on to his older brother.  (He shares so nicely!)

In the midst of craziness, our vegetable garden is sprouting like crazy.  The cucumber vines have dozens of little yellow flowers on them, just waiting to bring forth more cucumbers.  Here are two beauties we picked this weekend.

Micah got to pick the first one.

He pulled so hard, that he fell backwards when the cucumber finally let go of its vine.

Jesse got to pick the biggest one.

He's so proud.  

Ready to eat

There's no better way to get my kids to eat veggies than to let them grow their own.  Even Jesse, who wouldn't eat a store bought cucumber even if I bribed him with candy, devours one he grew himself.  Soon, there'll be enough cucumbers to start making our own pickles.  (The boys are so excited about homemade pickles!  Do your kids like pickles?  Mine LOVE them!!!!)  And I  know I've been posting about my garden a lot lately, and not much else, but I promise, there is some crafty goodness coming very soon.  

Giveaway Day!!!!

What a great way to start the week!  Twice a year Sew, Mama, Sew! organizes a huge Giveaway Day for their readers, and I'm participating!  Woo Hoo!!!!

Here's what's up for grabs from my shop! 

* One custom felted figure from your child's drawing.

I will construct a one-of-a-kind, 100% wool needle felted figure from a drawing you provide.  It looks great displayed in a shadow box, or on a mantle together with the original drawing.   

Some close-up examples (from Jesse's drawings)

Just leave a comment on a blog post this week, with the answer to this question:

What's your favorite thing about Summer?

The fine print...
One comment per day, per person please.  International participants welcome.  Void where prohibited.  A winner will be chosen at random on May 25th, 2012, at 5:00 PM PST, and notified via email (so please make sure you leave your email address with your comment so I can contact you).  After the winner is contacted, he/she will have 3 days to email me a picture for the felted figure.  Your little felted guy will be shipped by June 1, 2012.  Friends and family are welcome and encouraged to enter, too!  Frames and shadowbox not included.  Check out the bunches of other giveaways here.  Good luck!!!
Can't wait for the giveaway to end?  Check out my shop for updates all week long!

Comments are now closed.  Congratulations, Kate!  I sent you an email.  Thank you so much, everyone for your lovely comments, and for participating in this giveaway!

Funny kid. Funny shirt.

Have I mentioned that my son LOVES Star Wars right now?  On a recent trip to the store, we HAD to pick up a couple of Star Wars tees for the boys in the family.  Jesse was very upset that they didn't have any Star Wars shirts for girls, so he told Jared that he wanted to find one for me for Mother's Day.  And, here's what he picked out...

You too can have one of these darlings by shopping here.

I hope you're having a lovely Friday!

May the "fort" be with you

We love to celebrate birthdays at our house!  We put up streamers and balloons to celebrate the big day.  Then we open up presents while eating a special breakfast on a "Celebrate" plate.

Happy birthday boy!

This is Jesse rocking out to a Star Wars musical card.

Micah was also impressed.

He got a lot of really great presents, including...

Star Wars Legos,  

a make-your-own Muppet kit, 

and even a new big boy bike!

And check this out!  My awesome little sister, Robin, made him a Star Wars themed fort kit. (You can read her blog here.)  She thought of all the coolest details to make it a super-special present for my super-special 6 year-old!!!!

She used freezer paper stencils for the words on the bag,

and added instructions,

and stuffed the bag full of snacks and supplies (Star Wars sheets, rope, clothespins, mini light saber) for fort-making.

Such clever labels on the snacks!

The flashlight reads, "A light, so you never have to join the dark side."

He just love it!  Thanks, Robin!!!!

Growth

I love my little garden!  So far, the peas aren't doing so well, thanks to a bunch of slugs and aphids.  (They also devoured Jesse's flower garden.  We have since planted new seeds, and they're doing well - poppies, nasturtiums, and more giant sunflowers, as well as his snap dragon.)  I was desperate to save my cucumbers and tomatoes, so I have to admit that I caved and used traditional vegetable pesticides.  After I did it, I stopped by the Bluffton Farmers' Market and found our "gardening expert" who gave me a huge list of ways to get rid of pests without spraying them with chemicals.  Well....next time....

One of the 6 cucumber plants

I have never planted tomatoes from seeds, and so far, I'm so pleased with their progress!

18 tomatoes and 6 cukes!

We got our first "harvest" of peas this week - 3 whole pea pods!

Jess was so excited to pick his peas

Proud gardener

This is how he washes off his peas.  Isn't this how you do it?

I am dreaming about the vegetable goodness that will soon be blooming in our backyard!  But, I am also savoring the little moments we can stop and rest, discussing how the plants grow and how God made all plants different, what we can do to help them grow, and just plain sitting and enjoying each other's company...  Because I know all too well, that my garden is not the only thing growing...

Jess and I

Sharing a pea pod with his little brother 

Bite

Yum!

I am so thankful for these little moments with my boys!  Hopefully, I'm fostering a love for gardening, and the Creator who allows all things to grow.

He's 6!

We celebrated Jesse's 6th birthday in full "force" (get it?!) with a couple of his friends last week.  He is all about Star Wars right now, so of course, we had to have a Star Wars party, complete with light sabers (or "life savers" as Jesse calls them), Star Wars cake pops, and episode VI aired outside on the big "screen" of our neighbor's fence.

Chewbacca, Luke Skywalker, Yoda, Han Solo, Ewok, and Princess Leia Cake Pops (Storm troopers not shown...they weren't very good.  hehehe!)

I found these adorable pops on pinterest, and once Jesse saw them, I had to make them.  These were the first cake pops I've ever made, and I learned a lot during the process.  My Mother-in-law bought me this book, and I got to work.  It took me all day, but Jesse's reaction made it worth it!!!  He LOVED them.

We needed light sabers for the kids, so Jesse and I made them out of pool noodles, duct tape, and black electrical tape.  We have been playing with these non-stop since we made them weeks ago.

A barrel of light sabers

My Star Wars boys

I tried to deter this wardrobe choice.  He wanted to wear all black, like Darth Vader, even if it was 85 degrees.  He needed a lot of juice boxes!

Eli and Lizzy, joining the Jedis 

Jared made a cake pop stand by drilling a bunch of holes in a board and painting it with chalkboard paint so we could use it again.

Blowing out the candle sticking out of Yoda's head.

I can't believe he's 6!!!

Enjoying the cake pops

Micah Bean and one of his best friends, Jaime

When it got dark, Jared set up our home theater speakers to a projector he purchased on ebay.  I'm so glad he understands how all of those electronic things work, because you know I have no clue!

Our outdoor theater, complete with concession stand.  We served boxes of movie theater candy, and popcorn with different seasonings

Micah and Jared enjoying the show

This little guy made it all the way to the end of the movie.  Eli and Jesse were the only ones who stayed awake the whole time.

The boys.  It was so funny that the boys sat on one blanket, and the girls sat on the other.

As Jared put Jesse into bed that night, he told him that it was the "best party ever."  :)  I just love that boy (sigh!).