A How-To Project.....

I honestly love & am so {THANKFUL} for those that are called to teach & educate children.....

All that said, since I love to be inspired by someone elses creativity...I thought I'd share a little project with you....it could totally be adapted into something else but this one was for teachers. 

1st step:get a pot, tape off the rim. 

2nd step:paint it black with chalkboard spray paint... do this outside...the fumes are YUCK. I did 2 coats to make sure it was good and "chalkboardy" (not a word but you know what I mean). Also choose a pot with a wide rim, you'll see why in step #4

STEP 3: paint the rim yellow.

STEP 4: make flower pens, you wrap the stem of a fake flower & a pen with floral tape all the way up & down it to make the whole stem look green

BEFORE/AFTER
STEP 5: Mark the sides of the yellow rim like a ruler. Start with 4 lines on what I'd call North South East West {3 in. 6 in. 9 in. 12 in.}...that way you have a good chance of making the spaces even. Then add in 2 inch marks between the N.S.E.W.  Then the little marks so it looks like a ruler.... CUTE huh!
B.T.W. I totally eyeballed the marks  & DID NOT use a ruler :)
STEP 6: Put in your pens & fill the pot with dirt a.k.a. black beans :)

Don't forget to cover the whole in bottom... 

Now write some sweet sentiments to you teacher on the chalkboard.... like

TEACHERS RULE!

Appreciated. Check.

My favorite part of Teacher Appreciation Week:

Here are the kids delivering with me to the teachers lounge. Let's just say it went well... 

Below is Abbie & Parker on their way with the goods in the wagon-the beauty of walking to school....

NOPE that's not the favorite part....it was Abbie telling me "Whoa Mom...I've never been in here, it's kinda creepy!!" HA! I so totally remember seeing the teachers lounge for the first time....or seeing my teacher away from school & being ASTONISHED! "What she doesn't live there???? Holy COW!" It was so funny to recall & watch her have the same astonishment.

Anyway, check mark & now off to create their gifts...

I'll post it later!

Appreciate....

folks I have a task...to appreciate my teachers. You know I do. Cause without them-I'd be doing it! OK, so since this week is teacher appreciation week at both schools I thought I'd make these. Can you say "YUM", I mean "I feel appreciated" :)

This pic is my first try at a new recipe about a month ago & it was terrific so I'm making a double batch & leaving them with coffee in the teachers lounge. Think it'll work?

A.Maz.ing!

For Mother's Day, my oh-so creative sweetheart knows it's best to get me outta the house...or else it's just like any other day. Last year (old post) he surprised me with a Clam Bake on the beach in Pismo. Super cool! This year it was a surprise day trip to San Francisco where he had little stops mapped out along the entire peninsula. We made our way around from Giants statium to Pacifica, and lots in between.
First STOP: Coit Tower. It's a landmark high above the city, it has views all around. The kids thought it was cool. You can take a tour and go up up up inside the tower but we didn't. Kept it free & low "history" so kids could enjoy and not be SHusH'D!  Abbie & I are so cute :)

This was actually our last stop in the city.....it's called Fort Point. Nothing short of AWEsome. More later...
They are why Mother's Day is Happy. I adore my 5......

Kids running around the fort. SO, if you follow the road below Ghiradelli (spelling?) Square, it leads you down to what you think it a dead end. It's not, keep driving....the water side has a long grassy area that Sunday was full of picnic-ers . Crissy Field is where he (Toddy) used to go, but we kept driving to see how far we could go and how close we could get to Golden Gate. Welllll....we could get to it! The red part in the previous photos of the Fort IS the bridge. This fort is under it! And it's from 1800's, so fun, very very windy you can walk all through it. Free :) ON the top it looks out over both directions of water-Bay and Pacific. Breath-taking folks. 

Quite a day, loved it all.....I am so blessed. 

what makes my day....

Being a Mother of course!

She's my girl. Of course, duh. But I mean she's me only "ditto" & now that we see more eye to eye (literally not figuratively) she also likes Iced Tea & I like D.Coke. We're a pair, we are....more to come on that one. 
I adore this picture, which says a lot b/c I don't use that word with my own face involved often. However, when you see your son change before your eyes it's dramatic. Maybe it's not the picture I adore but the kid. 
Sweet thing. Oh I LOVE her age. She's totally fun & still thinks momma is the best thing in the world. That will change, and it breaks my heart so I am filling it up with her notes, drawings, cuddles, hugs, treats, cards while I can. Family cheerleader & she's mine. 
My Yiyine, My Madeline. She just wanted to sit on the floor in my lap & have a popsicle.... how could I not? I love that we get to hang out all day...I'm gonna miss her when she's off to kinder-darn school takes away my sweetTHINGS.
The end of it all, the lil man, the baby, the caboose. What's not to wanta squeeze about this kid! He is just yummy....

Thanks guys for making me who I am & I love you------>~Momma

Inside peek to our living room.

OK- for the 2 people that regularly check my lil blog. TY, I don't post often because I don't know what is interesting to these broadband wires. 

But I read an adorable mom's blog in Arkansas of all places... and she is hosting a SHOW US YOUR HOMES FRIDAY. This friday is living room week. 

-----so here's mine. It's cozy, it comfy, it's not decorated but lived in. Our home is small, cottage size really... but we love it. Small house, big yard, full hearts.
Living room 101 our house is old ( like 30's) so we have lathe & plaster (spelling??) which has great texture. I painted it a few years ago to my favorite neutral (Sherwin Williams used to carry Martha colors, this one is Shortbread)

In the photo above the bookshelf----YUP , all cookbooks. And I've recently thinned them out. Jeez-O.  I love love love this book case. It came from a store in Pacific Grove, CA that is closed now & I OH SO WISH I had the builders name. It has slight distressing and movable shelves to whatever size you want. Love that. The lil rocker used to be mine :) but got painted white around 10 yrs ago. 

As you can see, its night time. No one awake to bring out more stuff to play with....like I said we live in our house, nothing is just to "show". 

Chairs-one from IKEA love it. Cheap & replaceable slipcover for about $40. The other is Dream Rocker from PotterybarnKids that my sweetie bought me when we had baby #5. I loved it and got the Damask slipcover on ebay. For 1/5 the price in PB. :)

The back wall view. Next to the fireplace.....

Big black mirror that was painted not matching. A huge pile of magazines underneath. I LOVE to read magazines....they make me happy. Seriously, relaxed & happy.  So I save lots of them & sort through them regularly to purge! Favorite ones keep sending notices that they've stopped publishing....sad. So, I'm glad I kept a few. Like Cottage Living, Wondertime, Country Home, Simple Scrapbooks. I still have Real Simple & Everyday Foods. Love those. 

This is the table by the door. Our entry way if you will.....

Photos of us all, a book or two and  a note from my sweet girl Abbie about being a Mother that Rocks....seems appropriate for the holiday & I usually have seasonal stuff on here. I tend to rotate around my things quite a bit. 

I love seeing kids handwriting. Another special way to affirm how what they make is precious. And how girls love to write notes! :)

ok, that's it. I didn't shoot the back wall because the rooms is a bit outta balance right now. We have a HUGE canvas of Todd that was displayed when he was showcased at Pebble Beach Food & Wine event. It's gigantic & cool, but not fitting for show it off Fri. Unless next fri is show off Mr.? I think not!

Already???

still wrapping my head around it....he's 2. BIG. Two is waving goodbye to toddler. No, not graduating but lookin more and more like 3 blinks and college. EEK~ 

He loves his breakfast ASAP in am. OR ELSE!

See my airplane

spoon?

So, we couldn't celebrate. Not an offical birthday party. Daddy had work, all day, all weekend....but good work. So instead of having a single mom party(bah HUMbug), our party of 5 went out to play

! Boston's gift was an annual family pass to MYMuseum in Monterey. Really it's the best of his worlds, play + my bro & sissys=Boston's favorite anything! 

This is his favorite part. It is quite hard to take an impressive picture but here's the run down....

Balls all over the floor, picked up by lil guys & put in a cylinder then churned up, with a wheel, roll down through shoots, then seperated into conveyor belts into bins then rolled into another hole where another wheel churns them up to a slot that falls into a tube on the ceiling that rolls them to a grid high above a tractor with a rope that eager "farmers" pull to have the balls drop on to the floor again.....repeat. Several times. Get sweaty, hear chuckles of glee as balls fall from the sky. Perfect.

Then there's golf. Balls in holes. Putting, pushing, even dropping in allowed. After all it's a kid zone, then the "par" balls make their way to a hole in the wall below to get gather up for another round. Fun. 

Inside the play house dinner/ lunch/ snack/ breakfast/ tea/ spying/ cooking/ eating (plastic spaghetti) 

is served. 

Splendid.

There is also a random create with bizarre items zone. Parker made a portrait of the birthday boy-cute & creative. What more can you ask for?

Ahhhh, the theater. Costumes, cameras, an audience, backstage, sound effects & much more. Delightful. 

There were many more things including wildlife underground, treehouse, boat, firetruck with turn-outs, ambulance with patient, hospital emerency surgery (think OPERATION game large) workbench house, giant bubble machine that fills you inside!! So much fun to be had. 

Especially a lil guy that makes the rest of us grateful he is here. Even if he is 2 & growing.....