MUMMY ACTION WORDS {kid's craft tutorial}

So excited to share what my third graders did last week to display in the office. 

I wanted our display to have a fun Halloween touch to it, but still be educational.

I found a tutorial on how to make garden wire mummies on Pinterest, and the rest just kind of clicked and hit me like a lightning bolt. Mummy action words!

I found the wire at K-Mart in the garden shop for about 6 bucks. We needed two packages for the whole class.

Each mummy's framework was molded into the basic outline of a man.

Then I used the cheapest Wal-Mart muslin I could find and ripped it into inch-wide strips.

With an occasional dot of hot glue, we wrapped the bodies tightly with the fabric. 

We decided our mummies needed googly eyes too.

Then the class brainstormed action words they might demonstrate with their mummies. 

Their creativity blew my mind.

They were so excited to bring in all of their props from home.

Then we arranged them in the display case for the whole school to enjoy.

And enjoy they did.

This I know because the glass doors are always covered in heavy fingerprints. 

I don't thinkmy kids will ever forget now that verbs are action words. 

Just enjoy the other examples...they were all so cute I had a hard time weeding any out!

Dance.

Hang.

Swim.

Ride.

Sit.

Love. 

(Hugging a sheep?)

Hide.

Climb.

And my favorite: escape. 

We put this mummy on top of the display case instead of inside it. :)

FALL DECOR 2012

We built these shelves to put on the dining area wall. I love the shelves. 

This is my first attempt at trying to style them. Arranging a bunch of pointless knickknacks makes me feel foolish somehow...it almost looks to me like clutter.

But this is how it will stay for now. 

I made the garland over the window several years ago. 

I covered a plain, thrift store grapevine wreath with craft moss I already had on hand. 

I filled an old pickle jar with small autumn-y items.

I tried to pull off a dipped paint look on a squash I knew we'd never eat. 

And Leftover metallic leaves from the garland went in the glass bottles.

Those are the shelves.

In the kitchen, I tried for an autumn look with a mini wreath...

And stacked pumpkins...

The great room didn't get much fall decor. 

That was pretty much it, until I felt inspired on a walk with Andrew, Moose, and CC (yes, CC follows us on our walks). 

A few autumn branches in a vase was statement enough. 

Now, this display is not mine. But it was too fun not to share. This blogger was able to create an autumn theme using the Wizard of Oz as inspiration. Seriously, go check out his post for more pictures and explanations. 

That lion kills me. 

HOUSE UPDATE {exterior trim}

The last time you saw the outside, we had just finished the stone and cedar siding. 

This is what it looks like now. Can you see a difference?

We added white vinyl trim.

First, we added a separating line between the stucco and stone.

Then, we added it around each window on the stucco. The windows surrounded by stone will eventually get dark wood shutters instead. 

Not having trim has been bugging me for a long time. It felt like something was missing. 

Our house was like a woman without eyeliner. 

Much better. It needed that definition. 

Before the trim.

After the trim.

Now all it needs are the shutters and porch columns. And landscaping, of course (but not 'til spring). 

AN INVITATION

It is General Conference weekend! Twice a year, the leaders of my church give a message to the membership of about 14.5 million people broadcasted in 93 different languages to 197 different countries. But the messages are directed to everyone worldwide...Mormon or not. 

I love that there are modern day prophets to speak as God's mouthpiece. God is unchanging in his love for his children. Why would He speak to them only in ancient biblical times? Of course, we would continually need heavenly direction! I definitely need this guidance, inspiration, and comfort for my personal heartaches. Christians everywhere can enjoy the messages from these prophets and apostles as they teach from the scriptures. 

I respect you'all for whatever religion you follow. Just thought I'd share for those who are interested.You are welcome to check it out HERE. 

You are also welcome to read more on my thoughts about my religion HERE. 

JULY GUESTS

In July, Mom and Becca came to visit us in our new house. This was a while ago, but I thought I should still document the fun. 

A few highlights include playing in the river and exploring the forested area behind our house.

Guess who.

We visited the Ashton Balloon Festival (more to come on this later).

Hi, Becca!

And we went Idaho Falls...

...To watch the fireworks. 

We also fawned all over CC, played board games, watched the parade, worked on the house, watched movies, and ate lots of good food. Excited to see you at Christmas!

CONSTRUCTION BIRTHDAY CAKE

I was home sick from work on Thursday and Friday. Thursday consisted of about ten hours of Netflix on the couch. Figuring I would go coo-coo with boredom with another day like that, I forced myself to be somewhat productive despite my miserable state. 

This was the result. I have not decorated many cakes, so it was a fun experiment. I saw a similar cake here and wanted to build one for Andrew ever since. 

I baked a 9x13 chocolate cake, cut it in half, and layered the pieces on top of each other. After spreading chocolate peanut butter frosting, I went to work decorating it to look like a construction site. 

I dug an actual hole in the top of the cake and scooped the innards (eww...that word makes it sound gross) around the top to look like dirt piles. Oreo's, Nestle Buncha Crunch, and chocolate rocks from a local candy shop finished the layered dirt look. 

I personalized it with Andrew's construction company's logo printed on a "sign" from the computer and stuck to the top with a toothpick.

Graham crackers were cut into pieces for lumber, and I sprinkled a few areas with green sugar sprinkles to look like grass or weeds.

The construction vehicles are sold in a 5-pack at Wal-Mart.

Andrew loved the cake, but when I asked him to stand by it for a picture, this is what I got. 

Great, Babe. Now smile.

Very funny. Try again.

Not quite what I had in mind either, hon. 

"Andrew Ashmore!!! Behave your age!"

Eventually, I got what I wanted. Though part of me hates that he looks so innocent in this picture. 

It's all a lie.

But anyway...hooray for Andrew's birthday #28. And hooray for my awesome cake decoratin' skillz. It was a fun way to survive a sick day.

FYI: I got the wooden guy from my dad who has a hobby of making and selling sets of families and historical figures as  kids' toys. This is one I used to play with when I was little that I thought matched the theme. 

We celebrated that evening by stuffing our pockets with Kleenex (we are both sick), and heading over the theater to watch the BYU game (we don't pay for cable channels). 

After coming home and eating a piece of cake, we both sat back from our plates in kind of sugar-induced catatonic stupor. This cake's sugar level is though the roof. Any neighbors are welcome to come by (please come!) and take a few pieces off our hands. Holy heck this cake is rich.