{Our Books Are Here!}

We've been slowly collecting the books we need for our new school year. So far, we've schooled lightly, year round. So now that we finished up last years curriculum, we're ready for our new books. I've also been buying used texts as much as possible. (And recently found HomeschoolClassifieds for really great deals on used homeschooling resources).

Yesterday, all the consumables and books I couldn't find used arrived. It's always such an exciting day! The box gets ripped open like its Christmas morning and books are scattered everywhere as Belle and Boo check out all they'll be learning in the next 12 months. I hope they always feel this way about learning. Whenever a box arrives, I know this is one reason why we homeschool.

Belle decorating her new History Notebook cover.

Here's what we are using this new year:

Belle, 1st grade (but using Adventures in My Father's World):

::US History & Geography: Exploring American History & Pioneers and Patriots with My Father's World Teachers Manual -this also includes Bible (all via Homeschool Classifieds)

::Science: Apologia Exploring Creation with Botany (via ChristianBooks when Apologia went on sale & offered free shipping)

::Music: Celebrate America CD & Intro to Tchaikovsky & the Nutcracker Suite (via My Father's World)

::Math: Singapore Math Primary Mathematics 2A & 2B

::Language Arts: Primary Language Lessons (Homeschool Classifieds) and Spelling by Sound and Structure (MFW)

Boo is 3, but he is one-third of the way through Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons! It is such an amazing book, if you have never tried it.

Mr. Smarty does a lesson with Boo in the evenings or on the weekend.

Just found this graffiti on our little school table...how can I get mad at that?



Speaking of graffiti...my mom cleaned her students' desk of graffiti for the last time yesterday. I know it was a bittersweet task for her, but I am so selfishly happy for her retirement...we have years of math to learn here and we're hoping she can substitute teach more often in our home school now! Congrats, Mom!

{Flower Hair Clips}

Think I need to go back on my craft-spending diet again! I also want to do something to end my and Belle'shair rut. Time to get creative! This is what I came up (for Belle) with using only what we had on hand:



I started by pulling the green end off an artificial carnation from my mother-in-laws old dining table centerpiece. It leaves a nice little hole to thread anything through. Think buttons, beads, pearls (oh, how I wish I had a pearl...).



Belle had a bead set with this green bead. The color combination reminded me of watermelon. I threaded it through the carnation.



Flip it over and thread it through a bobby pin. I also took my needle through the carnation petals to add more stability, and added a dab of hot glue (not shown).





Check our Kristin, the Faithful Fashionista's post on hair accessories. And don't forget my other flower accessories-I may hot glue a pin to a carnation and where them this way.

One more plug, then I'll go. Check out Lewa's Designs. She makes very clever vinyl wall art and is GIVING some away this week!!! Stop by her blog for details or A Soft Place to Land, where I found out about the FREE caterpillar I'm ordering! Now where should I stick him?...

{Staining Tabletops}

Thanks again, Joy, for yesterdays post! I love the ideas and reading others' suggestions in the comments. I got several ideas yesterday that I want to pursue in our family-and hope others did too! I'll keep checking the comment section, so if anyone has more to add the the discussion, Please Do!

Okay, now on to lighter things...

Memorial Day weekend was fairly typical at house. Flew our flag, ate enough hot dogs (Smart veggie dogs) and watermelon to get us to the next summer holiday, watched three Hitchcock films after the kids went to bed and used our credit card three times in 1 hour at Lowes....It was a great weekend.

I bought and had cut to size a new piece of plywood for the boys traintable (Lowes purchase #1). Mr. Smarty planted a blueberry bush and apricot tree (Lowe's purchase #2). And during naptime, I painted the legs of our old coffee table and stained the top (Minwax Chestnut). Thought we needed one more can of almond spray paint...Lowes purchase #3.

Before:



Memorial Day Makeover After:



The kids and I found this little stool at a garage sale for $1 last week. So I stained it to match:



I also stained the traintable, but want to sand, spackle and paint the plywood...so I'll post that makeover, ummm, later. Hope you got to your three day weekend tasks,

{Guest Post: SAH Missionary Joy Fourney on Missions Minded Kids}

-Joy is the proud wife of a missionary pilot, as well as the blessed mommy to five. She and her family live on the island of Tarakan in Indonesia, where they serve as missionaries. Joy has a passion to encourage women to find contentment in the "mission field" right inside their home--their family. You can visit Joy at her personal blog, The SAH Missionary.

The Bible commands us to "Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel." How do we teach our children to catch this vision? How do we teach them to be missions minded?

I believe Matthew 5:16 is foundational to all that we want to be as Christians, and all that we want to teach our children about missions. It says, "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and praise your Father in heaven."


If we want to reach the world with the Gospel, and subsequently teach our children to do the same, we need to let our light shine in everything we do. How does this translate into thinking about missions?


Look no further than your own neighborhood. America is just as much a mission field as the jungles of South America, the cities of China, and the suffering tribes of Uganda. We can show our children the hurting people right in our own neighborhood that need to see and hear God's love.

::Pray for unsaved neighbors, friends, and family members with your children. Let your children see your burden for these people. Take a loaf of bread to the neighbor you've never met, invite the lonely elderly lady from down the street over for lunch, or simply smile warmly at the cashier when you shop. As you begin to look around, you will have no lack of opportunity to share God’s love!


::Learn about the missionaries that are supported by your local church. If you don't know the missionaries, find out about them! Take your children to missions conferences and spend time with furloughing missionaries. Then, find one or two missionaries you are particularly interested in, and get all their information! Ask for their prayer card, their prayer letter, and any other information about their ministry. Get your children involved in reading about the place the missionaries serve and what they do there. Cook a meal for your family from the country where the missionaries serve, and talk about the culture of that country. Pray for the missionaries as a family, and allow your children to watch as these prayers are answered.


::Read great missionary stories. There are many excellent stories about missionaries who served in America as well as overseas. Vision Forum has an excellent book entitled, The Adventures of Missionary Heroism, that might be a good place to start. Fill your children's minds with stories of those who have "gone before".



::Find out about other children living around the world. There are excellent resources such as Compassion International, that allows you to "adopt a child" by supporting them each month and thus, changing their life forever. I believe that it can also do the reverse. As your children receive letters from a child across the world, suddenly it becomes personal! Their understanding of the world is expanded, and their heart and life are changed. There is also a wonderful website for children put out by Voice of the Martyrs called Kids of Courage. They have a magazine they send out that is free of charge and it will show your children what life is like for Christian children around the world, and the things that they go through that some may take for granted.


::Give sacrificially. It may be fairly easy for you and your spouse to write a check of support to an organization or a missionary family. However, if you want your children to see and get excited about giving toward missions, you need to bring it down to their level. Pray and talk together about a missionary or a project that you would like to support. Then, come up with a plan of action with your children. It could be as simple as deciding together to eat a simple meal of rice and beans once a week, and donating the extra money to your cause. Or it could be as elaborate as hosting a bake sale, garage sale, or some other sort of sale , and then giving the money away.


::Lastly, and most importantly, pray for your children's hearts to be softened to the things that your discuss with them. Pray for your children to rise above the status quo and become world-changers, wherever they may be. If we want to see the next generation sold out for the sake of the Cross, we need to be on our knees each and every day, praying for them.


In all these things, we need to convey to our children our love for those who are lost. We need to tell our children over and over that missions is not something that's just done on some foreign field, but rather it begins right here--right where we live, and in whatever we do. And, you don't have to wait. God is ready to use you and your children right now, today.


"Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity." 1 Timothy 4:12

Thanks, Joy, for sharing your ideas! Be sure to stop by The SAH Missionary for more by Joy!

How do you encourage your children to have a vision for missions and reaching the lost? I'd love to hear what ideas you are implementing in your home.

{Teaching Our Children About Missions}

I have yet to meet a mother who does not desire to expose her children to the needs of others. Very well intentioned parents take their children to serve a meal at a nearby shelter. Some even plan family mission trips.

I love these ideas, and plan to do the same with our family as they get older. It is truly my desire to lean our children's hearts toward loving others and counter their natural selfish bent. And perhaps, to encourage them to consider missions as a life-long pursuit.

But an article in last month's U.S. Center for World Mission's publication, Mission Frontiers, changed the way I think about teaching my children about missions.

A common myth Christian parents believe about exposing their children to missions is this:

Children's hearts are so tender, and if we just help them visualize the needs in this world, they will respond unselfishly.

The truth is that our little ones are self-serving and more often than not, immune to others' needs.

A second but most important truth is that:

"Missions is first of all about God, His redemptive purposes and His intention that there be worshippers at His throne from every people group on earth." Nancy Tichy, Mission Frontiers 31:2)

So how do we teach our children to put God's glory first while teaching them to show mercy and compassion? I covet your ideas!

Pajama Mama's Note: I asked my blogging friend, Joy at SAH Missionary to continue the discussion. Check back here tomorrow to hear (or read) her ideas for teaching our children about missions!

{Feelin' Feminine Challenge}

I took the challenge! Kristin at The Faithful Fashionista encouraged her readers to take the Feelin' Feminine Challenge-Wear 7 dresses or skirts for 7 days to inspire us to rediscover the treasure of dressing femininely modest.

For me, this challenge could have been get dressed for 7 days straight, after all, I am The Pajama Mama, no? But this was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed being a feminine mom every day this week. It may have been my imagination, but I felt my inner Donna Reed come out. It may have also been the great books I'm reading this week, maybe more on them later?

I also realized I am in a hair rut, because the challenge also included wearing your hair differently each day. And does anyone how to make Nike's look good with a knee length skirt? Anyone? Please tell...

Besides the footwear, it was just as easy to get down on the floor with the kids, or sit on the couch...whatever duty calls for. I'll definitely be looking for more skirts and sundresses for the summer. It was so easy to look put together without much effort.

So, without further ado, here's my week in photos...notice I even wore a skirt for my Saturday run.




And for my frugal friends, the dress in the last photo was thrifted last week!! Such a find-perfect fit! The Express brown cardigan in the third photo was a .99 eBay purchase, too!

{Imagine}

Just watched this minute-long clip at Miss Melissa's. It's only a minute, come on....click the triangle....do it...



wasn't that worth it?

Happy Memorial Day Weekend,

{Window Box and Container Gardening}

We've been in our house for 5 summers now. Each year I seem to make one gardening or outdoor goal-one year I put in a raised bed, one year we added a fig tree. Last year, I extended out front flower bed and added a flag holder (rather delegated the tasks to my FIL). This years one goal, I am proud to already have achieved. Again, my FIL made my day, or summer, by drilling into our brick window sill to attach a window box.




I LOVE LOVE LOVE driving up or walking up to our house and seeing it!

Since it's still early in the season, the plants are still getting bigger, but already they look fantastic. I used the same plants that I have in large pots at the front door and on the back patio. For a really full and dramatic look, I like to pick about three plants per container. Each one brings a different element to the look.

One plant cascades, or drapes over the side. My favorites are purple and green sweet potato vine. I also like vinca vine.

Another adds full color. In two pots this year, I'm using lantana because it thrives in the heat and lasts till late fall. In another pot I have dianthus because in our part of Texas it's a perennial and often blooms all year.

The third plant adds dimension-a spiky, tall plant-like an ornamental grass. And if I was a real planner, I'd plant bulbs for surprise height in the spring and fall. Maybe since I'm on a such a roll with achieving my goals, I'll add that one to this years list!

I found a BHG container garden plan that looks JUST LIKE what I've got. I'm wondering if some BHG photog snuck over here last summer...seriously, come back in August, and this is exactly what you'll see:

A. Canna 'Pretoria' -- 2
B. Lantana 'Lucky White' -- 4
C. Coleus (Solenostemon 'Dappled Dawn') -- 1
D. Coleus (Solenostemon 'Dark Frills') -- 2
E. Vinca major 'Variegata' -- 3
F. Melampodium paludosum -- 1
G. Sweet potato vine (Ipomoea batatas 'Margarita') -- 1
H. Maidengrass (Miscanthus sinensis) -- 1

Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. Romans 1:20b

If you're visiting from Kimba's Garden Party-thanks for stopping by! Stay for another 30 seconds and check out today's post!

{FREE Burda Sewing Patterns & $5 Southern Living Subscription}

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this cape! Must make it sometime before fall...



Do you believe it's simple and a free download? Printable patterns for all three pieces-and a ton of others, are here!

And have you signed up for the $5/year subscription to Southern Living from Grandin Road? It can be given as a gift, too!

{How to Run Without Breaking a Sweat}

or How to Run for 30 minutes in 10 weeks

But did I get your attention? Well, maybe I shouldn't make any guarantees. I sweat every time.



If you've never run before, or it's been awhile, let me share my 10 week plan to get into good running condition, running continuously for 30 minutes. From there, you're well prepared for a local 5K, or beginning a new plan for a longer race. I used this basic plan the very first time I started running eight years ago. And after each pregnancy, I've dug out my tattered copy of this plan and started over. Although, each time I've restarted the plan, it has taken less than 10 weeks.

Start slow and comfortable. Comfortable=conversation pace. You should be able to talk while running, but not sing. If you need to stay on a week, stay on that week, even if for just another day or two. You'll catch up. Follow the plan for each week 3 times a week, preferably, with a days rest in between.

Week 1: Run 2 minutes, walk 4 minutes. Repeat 5 times
Week 2: Run 3 minutes, walk 3 minutes. Repeat 5 times
Week 3: Run 5 minutes, walk 2.5 minutes. Repeat 4 times
Week 4: Run 7 minutes, walk 3 minutes. Repeat 3 times
Week 5: Run 8 minutes, walk 2 minutes. Repeat 3 times
Week 6: Run 9 minutes, walk 2 minutes. Repeat 2 times then run 8 minutes 1 time
Week 7: Run 9 minutes, walk 1 minutes. Repeat 3 times
Week 8: Run 13 minutes, walk 2 minutes. Repeat 2 times
Week 9: Run 14 minutes, walk 1 minutes. Repeat 2 times
Week 10: Run 30 minutes!!!!




Want more running plans, like the one I've used to train for marathons?:

Hal Higdon's Training Plans for Novice Runners to Ultra Marathoners, and all distances

Jeff Galloway's Training Programs -I am a big Galloway fan for his firm belief in walk-breaks!

This is a great time of the year to start a running program! In the coming months, there are so many fun runs and events. Want a sneak peak at the race Mr. Smarty and I are gearing up for?

{Rice Pads and Sleep Masks}

For my Mother-in-laws Mother's Day gift and my sister-in-laws birthday gift, I made these simple rice-filled heat pads. They can be heated in the microwave (the pads, not my in-laws) for a minute or two, and will stay warm for 45 minutes. They also can be kept cold in the freezer for a cold pack.

I have a cheap sleep mask that I cannot take a nap without. So with the border of my HomeGoods clearance zebra print towel, I was able to make three sleep masks. The border was a striped pattern, so I really liked the contrast.

Okay, Mom & Christi, avert your eyes, cuz I'm gonna break it down for my peeps:

The towel was $5. With this size bath towel, I can get 4 decent sized rice pads. One would think a small rice pack is nice, so a BIG rice pack, better, right? WELL, Rice is kind of heavy, so too big a pack is not so comforting, unless your spleen is craving compression... I used the serged edges as my handles, no extra sewing needed! I also got the three eye covers out of the same towel, with on-hand elastic.

The rice for 1 pack is about 4 dollars~ roughly 7 pounds. I bought Walmart's white long grain rice in the 10 pound bags.

A scent can be added to the rice, like dried lavender, or my favorite, peppermint. I've also added vanilla to some. These I left pure, since scent can be a very personal thing-some like it, some don't, and I wasn't sure how they felt.

Grand total= I'm not good with math. But for each gift of an eye mask and rice pad, I spent less that $5. Not bad. They also were very quick sews! This is quickly becoming one of my go-to gifts.

What are some of your go-to gifts?

{Composing Personal Psalms}

If I were to continue with my list of little-known-Kristen tid-bits, number 9. could easily be: I am a little scared of poetry.

Yes, poetry...not like dark poe poetry but just the art form in general. In reading it, I worry that I am not "getting" the author's entire meaning. In writing it, well, I just don't write it. I stick to writing blog posts and to-do lists.

But lately, I've been attempting to re-write some of the Psalms. Not in a way to re-do something outmoded, or to improve Scripture, but as a template to personalize some amazing pieces of poetry. To pray with fresh words. To find comfort in common emotions. And the psalms are full of so much emotion. Optimism, despair, joy, frustration, peace, anger...no matter what our circumstances are today, we can open up to the book of Psalms and relate.

Re-writing what is already written takes the Psalm from being relatable and makes it personal. It moves us from bystander to poet. We are able to appeal directly to God, the same way David did when he originally wrote so many of these verses.

So here I am, exposing why I am not a poet, just a small blogger who wants to talk to her Creator personally. Here is a portion of my Psalm 51, written recently, for this time in my life:

Have mercy on me, O God
because You have an infinite amount of love.
Because You are so compassionate,
forgive little me.
Restore my innocence
take away all my guilt.

Because, I know how pathetic and guilty I am,
I remember it at night.
It has only been against You that all my sin hurts.
I deserve Your judgement.

From my birth, I have done wrong.
But You require honesty,
to teach me wisdom.

Forgive my sins, cleanse me
because only You can.
Give me joy that comes with
a restored relationship.
Let me SING, unabashedly,
of all You have done.
Look at me with fresh eyes, eyes that only see
the pure heart You've planted.
Give me the Holy Spirit to lead me
in desiring obedience.

Whew! I need to do that more often!

Have you tried this? Do you compose your own psalms, or sing scripture or pray back God's Word? How do you make it fresh and personal? I'm new at this, so tell me what works for you!



I'm linking this to Like a Warm Cup of Coffee. You definitely want to head over there each day this week-its her Blogaversary and there are PRIZES, ya'll!!!!! Like really good prizes!!!!

Oh, and I couldn't end this weekend without saying Thank You to Mr. Smarty and my three little smarties-they made my birthday/Mother's Day weekend ridiculously wonderful! Thank you, family! I am blessed!

{Another Year Older}

It's my Birthday weekend! Did you know that? Well, in honor of, well, ME, let me share with you a few more little tid-bits about me-eight is a "few," right?:

1. This is a new revelation, but a lifelong condition: I hate being barefoot. I've always been aware that I prefer to have socked feet. I thought this was because I love socks. But I have just recently realized my appreciation for socks stems from the solution they offer to bare feet. What it is is this: I don't like walking on floors, carpet, grass, or any surface without something covering my feet. I like my feet to be clean, and I cannot trust the ground to be clean. And at the end of the day, I have to change my socks because I cringe at the idea of sticking dirty socks into my clean sheets...clean sheets...that's a whole other tid-bit...

2. I fantasize about singing backup for someone. anyone. I don't want to be center stage, just someone sashaying in the back harmonizing at just the right moments. I've dreamt about this for as long as l can remember. And for my birthday last year, Mr. Smarty paid for voice lessons for me. Don't think they really helped much, but it was a sweet gesture and I still dream. Maybe someday my uber talented bro-bro will write a song to highlight the way our sibling voices mesh.

3. I make two specialty pizza recipes. One is a NY style, hand-tossed crust that involves the usual kneading, rising, and using my make-shift peel to slide the pie onto pre-heated stones. This is my favorite. Mr. Smarty's favorite is much quicker and easier and has a very different taste. It is an oat-bran crust with milk, e.v.o.o., and a touch of s+p. Don't know where my deep love for the pie came from, but I remember eating pizza forever with my family as we rang in the weekend. For years my mother made her own, then we started ordering from a nearby pizza place. Later I took a job, (one of my most favorite jobs) at Little Caesars. This was in high-school when I packed unclaimed pizzas for my lunch almost daily.

4. I love peanut butter. Now I have never binged or overdosed on pb, like some true pb lovers, but if I had to eat a pb&j sandwich for every meal for the rest of my life, this would not be a problem. I may gain the weight of a small child around my middle section, but I wouldn't complain about lack of variety. Variety I like, but peanut butter I love. Of course I am particular about my kind of peanut butter. It must be the natural kind, like Laura Scudders or Smuckers Natural. Either Crunchy or Smooth is fine, as long as the only addition is salt. Again, I don't know where this stems from, but one of my other favorite jobs (I have 3 if you're wondering) was as a lab technician at the Southwest Peanut Flavor Lab. We tested for aflatoxins in peanuts for companies like M&M/Mars. One of the tests we conducted was a flavor analysis...this was really hard work. I was a poor college student and the job was fun and the money was appreciated. Maybe in my twisted mind I equate the taste of peanuts with provisional money. okay, nuff therapy, let's move on to no. 5.

5. My parents grew up in North Jersey. So growing up, whenever we made the trip "home" that was where we were driving. My grandparents were there, my cousins were there. New York was just a hop, skip and toll away. And growing up, I always pictured myself making my home there, either in the city or the suburban life made so appealing in Mary Higgins Clark suspences. If I could just get an apartment or home there, I'm sure the housekeeper/cook/groundskeeper are included in the utilities.

6. During one of my trips "home" in the fourth grade, I had my appendix removed on or near Christmas day. My memory is fuzzy, but I do remember it was taken out at Englewood Hospital of Englewood, NJ. And for some unknown reason this memory is permanently linked to John Travolta. After pondering this for a few moments I think it is because a few years later, John's character in Look's Who's Talking claimed Englewood as his hometown. Yes, I called him John. We are practically neighbors. I had my appendix removed in Englewood, he played an Englewood resident in an early 90's family movie...see, anything but John would be waaaay too formal.


okay, two more to go, how ya doin? still with me? or are you just salivating for more juicy facts about yours truely? either way, here they are:

7. In college, I played intramural sports. Is that too generic? Let me tell you which ones. I earned t-shirts for basketball, football, softball and rodeo. Rodeo gave me the most shirts. I finally let go of most of them at a garage sale, but they were for events like (why does this make me cringe?) calf-roping, hog-tying and anything else that most 20 year old girls would have more respect to try. Don't read too much into that last statement...let's just move on and pretend that never happened...

8. okay, I guess I'll share my final favorite job. My last job ever was as a 6th grade student teacher at a small Christian school in Austin, TX. These 6th graders were the oldest in the school-which seems to make a huge difference...6th graders who are the youngest in a Jr. High are a whole other breed. But I loved these kids and I loved the job. I realized this one morning as I was walking them to specials in another building. I walked with 20 plus 10 year olds trailing behind me, and I noticed it was 9 AM on a Monday and I was working at a job for which I received less than $200 for the entire semester, and I was smiling. Genuinely smiling. I was really happy leading those kids to PE or music or wherever they were going on that particular day. I never thought I would have had such a job let alone enjoy it, but there I was...smiling.

But now, (sigh) I am smiling in another classroom on a weekday morning...only we usually call this room the kitchen and there are only 3 trailing behind me...so far.

Okay, nuff about me...tell me something I don't know about you...come on...play along, it's my birthday, remember?

{BHG Simple Six Pocket Bag}

Did you know Better Homes & Gardens online offers FREE sewing patterns? Well, instructions, really. But instructions with pictures.

I tried their Simple Six Pocket Bag pattern for my Mom. I've made her a couple of bags, and she always gushes way more than she should over them. But I love her gushing, so I made her another one. Happy Mother's Day, Mom, it's in the mail! (I also cannot keep gifts secret-I'm hopeless that way. oh well.)



The instructions we're very easy, as the bag's name implies, although the finished bag was smaller than I expected from the photo on BHG. They did list the finished dimensions though, so really that is my problem, and now that I've done this one, I can easily adjust the pattern to make a larger one next time. And I'm sure I will make more this way.



I'm going to try and not post my mother-in-laws gift until AFTER Mother's Day. Are you making anything special for the moms in your life? (or yourself, like I did when I made this last week?)

{$1.37 Embroidered Cloth Napkins}

Went garage sale-ing last Friday, and found these blue striped cloth napkins. 8 for $1. Brought them home, washed them, embroidered everyone's initial into a napkin, then assigned them to the family. We'll see how we do with using a single napkin during the course of a day. At present, the kids use about 3-4 dozen per dinner. I'm excited about teaching a little conservatism.



Did you get any finds this weekend?



Check out Rhoda's Linky Thrifting Show & Tell at Southern Hospitality!

And in case you're checking my math...the .37 was for the red embroidery thread

{The Penny Pot}

Yesterday we read The Penny Pot by Stuart J. Murphy. We found it at our local library when we were looking for stories teaching money concepts. This is the story of a little girl who wants to find fifty cents to have her face painted at a fair. After we read it together, Belle counted different coin combinations to arrive at fifty cents. And after all that hard work, I let her "paint" her face with washable marker.

She's a cat.


Baby wanted to paint his too, but for some reason, ran away whenever I tried to take his picture.


Would you judge me if I told you we went ot Lowes like this? Would you feel sorry for me if I told you we ran into our neighbor?

Check out more Kid Friendly Fridays at I Blame My Mother and more Frugal Friday ideas at Life as a Mom!

Have a great weekend.