a little ART CAN'T HURT

happy 4th

(circa first grade)

colorific

i've used chalkboard paint many times before, but now there are options other than black and green!

hudson paint has introduced 24 new colors of chalkboard paint!
colors like 'safety orange' and 'genius pink'!
at $24/quart it's not cheap, but that's why we have christmas lists! *wink*wink*

unexpected fun

eating meals has never been more fun around our house.
but then again, in between the meals is pretty fun too.
and homework will never be the same.
we owe it all to one simple thing - our table top.

with three kids constantly crafting, homeworking, cooking, etc. our kitchen table was taking quite a beating. our wooden table top was not pretty.
we don't have a formal dining room - just this table - but i'd like for it to look nicer than a dog's chew toy. it just looked rough.
i mentioned to a friend in passing that i'd seen a metal table top in a magazine....
i came home one day from work and i there was a new metal table top on our table!
(did i mention that our friend is a sheet metal worker?)
it was custom fit to the exact dimensions with softly rounded corners welded neatly into place.
but...
the best part was when i found out that dry erase markers could be used on the surface!
life takes on new meaning when you can write on your table!




such an unexpected creative outlet!
want to do this to your table? call your local trade school to find someone who can do this for you!
i'd love to hear about it if you do! you won't regret it!

coming home

many moons ago i posted these photos of our breezeway - 

not much of a before/after! 
this is our breezeway between the garage and house.
i've wanted it to be a cheerful entrance ever since we moved in here two years ago and we finally got around to painting it a few weeks ago.
here's the finished breezeway -




by now the chalkboard has been written on and erased many times.
once of my favorite quotes is on there right now:
"respect for ourselves guides our morals; respect for others guides our manners" - Laurence Sterne

this space will be fun to fill with the kids artwork.
the grey and yellow feels so cozy and it's so calming to come home to.
already the breezeway looks different with backpacks, boots, flowers & such that comes with life.
sometimes it's the little changes that can help us adjust to things in life we can't change.
feeling refreshed and giving thanks every day!
how do you display your children's artwork and projects? 

 
 

lollies

a perfect rainy day thing to do! the colors make any day better!

 

 

 

how to make LOLLIES
you will need: jolly ranchers, candy sticks, parchment paper, foil & a cookie sheet

1) lay a piece of foil on cookie sheet. cover foil with a piece of parchment paper.
2) unwrap candies and place side by side on parchment paper in your choice of color & flavor combinations. use three candies together for extra large lollies, and only two candies together for regular lollies.
3) heat candies in oven for about 5 minutes at 200 degrees. keep a close eye on the candies and take them out as soon as they've barely melted together. if you leave them in too long they will melt too much and you won't be able to put a stick into the lollie. alter the cook time accordingly.
4) carefully take cookie sheet out of oven. immediately lay candy sticks into place on melted candies. slowly twirl in melted candy to coat the stick and so it will hold in the lollie. they're hot! don't burn yourself but you will have to work fast before the candies harden.
5) let the lollies cool about 30 minutes before eating or wrap up in clear cellophane bags, tie with ribbon and give as gifts or party favors!

 

 

amelia, a penny & a pez dispenser

halloween costumes = homemade fun




the kids worked out what they wanted to dress up as for halloween.
we made our costumes and had a ball!
introducing:
amelia earhart

a penny

a smurfette pez dispenser


we're rationing out the candy the kids collected.
ironically this within a month of halloween all the kids have dental appointments! ha!

first friday crafts

we hosted goshen's first friday free kids crafts a few days ago.
i lost track of how many kids we had but our last one didn't leave the shop until after 9pm!
thank you to all the volunteers! 
we couldn't have done it without you!

thank you to 5orangepotatoes for the mask template! 
i can't remember where i found the recycled pumpkin project but i think it was on the crafty crow.
such fun blogs to visit!



as you can see on the window in the background, i've named our class and studio space 'art at the garage'. we had our first crafting birthday party (for twelve 5 & 6 year olds) last saturday with a few more already scheduled! our studio space is in full swing!
 
december's first friday craft will be a gift you make and give as a christmas present. 
we're also getting ready for a day of making gingerbread houses....
what classes or workshops would you like to see us have?
i'd love to hear your ideas!

 
 

pumpkin carving

no matter how many times you clean out a pumpkin, it's always kind of icky.
  
 
i held a pumpkin carving class that i gutted 10 pumpkins for - but it was worth it!

 

 

who doesn't love to use a drill and make a mess?
it was fun to share and try new designs and have a chatty time!
i tried out something new to make the carved pumpkins last longer:

equal parts pure lemon juice & water

mixed together in a spray bottle you coat the entire pumpkin, inside and out.
kind of messy, but so is the carving process.

the pumpkins will dry overnight but still kind of be sticky to the touch.
they lasted about 7 days kept inside.

i didn't use the lemon juice solution on this pumpkin....

and it only lasted a weekend. 

if anyone has any ideas about how to make pumpkins last longer please share!
 

finish line

So many people have been contacting me wondering: HOW DID THE RACE GO?! 
I did it!

Finished in a better time than I expected and felt great during the race! The course was beautiful and the people I have met along this journey are remarkable. 

With your help I have raised $5,385 for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society! I accomplished the goal that I set out to do and it was AWESOME!

My hubby strategically planned where-he-was-going-to-be-when so he could document this experience with the camera. You can thank him for these pics:

(5 a.m. in the transition area near Washington Monument)

(chatting with a racer from NYC before our wave entered the water at 7:45 a.m. - note the H we drew on my swim cap so hubby could hopefully find me as he stood on Memorial Bridge under which we would swim)

(air horn goes off and the splashing begins! i'm in the center with the long black sleeves with orange logo on the right arm)

(the H worked and he spotted me in the water!)

(i'm the front cyclist in this pic - returning after biking the Clara Barton Pkwy. into Maryland. that's Memorial Bridge in the background)

(running out of the transition area and ready to finish the race with only 6.2 miles to go!)

For anyone curious I finished in 3:25:10.
My knees held up (barely) and the weather that day couldn't have been more ideal!
We called the kids and our parents right away to let them know I'd finished and was fine - it was an emotional day but it was all GOOD emotions!
I would not have signed up for this race had it not been for mom's diagnosis last year so I guess you could say that this is a way I've taken the lemons life has handed me and made lemonade.

This was truly something I could not have done alone. Thank you all so much for supporting me through your donations, your words, your notes (I kept them all - there's a mountain of cards and letters in my TNT notebook!) and your prayers! The words 'thank you' don't seem like enough. You really don't know how each one of you have impacted a cancer patient's life by supporting research and patient care!
THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

This journey has been a blessing to me in so many ways and I love how my family has been able to participate in it with me! My heart is full!

God is Good - All the Time!

more than just the race

Going into race weekend I told myself that this was something I wanted to really experience and not just push through and finish - I'm so glad I relaxed and was able to take it all in!
The entire weekend was amazing!

There was so much more to our weekend than just the swim, bike and run.
As a racer there was preparation and afterwards was recovery.

(wearing my participant shirt the day before the race to rack my bike & attend pre-race safety meetings)

(riding the shuttle to the race venue we passed the Washington Monument. it was September 11th and every flag was at half-staff. it was humbling)

(our bikes were shipped to D.C. without the pedals on so we had to make sure everything was secure and properly tightened before racking our bikes - Doug took care of checking my bike)

(getting 'marked' with my race number & age while taking my bike into the transition area)

(we were the first group in to rack our bikes - the transition area was 240,000 square feet! it was HUGE! a total of 4,700 racers eventually filled all of these racks with their bikes and gear!)

(we attended mandatory safety briefings regarding the swim portion and directions then there was a practice swim opportunity. that is Memorial Bridge in the background that we had to swim beneath and beyond - thankfully the current isn't very strong)

I've been training as a member of Team In Training: Indiana Chapter, but am not a part of a local team that includes other triathletes. The closest team member I have had to train with is Carl, who lives in LaPorte. We've gotten together a few times to swim the lake and bike but really have done our training on our own.
It's a completely different experience than training with a team day-in-and-day-out.
The Indianapolis team was so accepting of us and whole weekend, even though it was the first time we were meeting them.

(Carl did this race in memory of his son Carl Para III, who lost his battle to leukemia in May 2009. He was only 16 years old.)

(the night before the race the Indy tri coach presented every racer with an "award" and here are Carl & I accepting our Rockstar drinks for 'being such Rockstars for doing our training solo')

Each team has an Honored Hero that they race for in addition to someone they may already know personally who has had a blood-cancer. Meet Lauryn - she is the Honored Hero for the Indianapolis team. Her whole family came to D.C. and she had gotten to know all the other racers really well during the last four months of training. It was so sweet to see her smile and play with everyone!
I wanted my own mother there so badly to share this with me but finances just didn't allow it.
I knew she was with me in spirit and I kept reminding myself how blessed I was that she is still with us and continuing to fight the cancer. Moms hugs are the best no matter how old you are!

(here is Lauryn with her birthday cupcake as we sing Happy Birthday to her - she celebrated her sixth birthday a few days after our race. her dad completed the race carrying Lauryn across the finish line with her older sister running beside him! Lauryn is in chemo right now continuing to battle leukemia and just this past week is beginning to lose her hair again)

The night before the race The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society held a Team In Training pasta dinner that we all attended. There were inspirational speakers, fundraising totals & awards and great food!
All the coaches and trainers from across the country lined the stairs and hallway leading into the enormous banquet hall - they were cheering and shouting with cowbells, whistles and horns! It was the best pep-rally ever!

(the banquet hall with 585 Team In Training racers plus countless spouses, coaches, children and trainers! team Indiana raised over $85,000!)

(Team in Training: Indiana Chapter along with family & friends that came with them to D.C.)

The morning of the race had the most beautiful sunrise!

(the spectators view of the swimmers from on top of Memorial Bridge as we begin rounding the buoy and heading back beneath the bridge toward the exit to transition)

After the race it was crazy trying to find people. There were long lines to get gear out from the transition area but we were in no hurry to go anywhere. It was great to catch up with Carl and a few others from team Indiana before heading back to the hotel & heading out to see D.C. with my hubby.