Build And Grow: Gingerbread House!

This week at Lowe's, a classic:  The Gingerbread House!  I get the feeling they dragged these out of storage because a few things are different than previous kits.

The kit!


Chance certainly likes this part.


Atrus is doing a good job following directions.


Chance doesn't really care what he gets to hammer, so long as he gets to do so.


He's doing well, though.


Atrus has a slightly different approach, but he gets the job done.


The gingerbread house is starting to come together.


A check back at the instructions.


Chance thinks there are other sticker options.


Chance's, stickered.


Oh, this needs to go inside.


Atrus gets to stickering.


He wants to get it like the picture.


Yes, I do believe this should also go on here.


Right here.  Told you.


Almost there.


Atrus's is looking great!


A moving vehicle caught Chancellor's attention as I was trying to get him to show off his gingerbread house.


Atrus showing his off.  This is the only not blurry one I got.  That bruised-looking eye?  That's from a couple days ago when he and Chance bonked heads.  Oops.  Thankfully, those don't last long.


Aren't those cute?  The boys had a great time making them and then playing with them.  Chance dropped his, so part of the top of his came off, meaning the hinged part is toast, but he can still play with the rest of it I think.

So how's your holiday going?  Any traditions that you're looking forward to this year?  I've already wrapped the presents for the boys, and the presents are staying hidden until Christmas Eve after the kids are in bed.  Between Chancellor and ever-curious Tea Cup, we figure the presents won't stay wrapped for too long, thereby ruining the surprise(s) of Christmas.

I should be taking more pictures before the end of the year, and I will also be sure to post them here, so keep a look out.  I hope you like the pictures you saw here.  Comments are always welcome, so leave me one!  See you soon. :)

Geometry and a Lady Bug

I had fun recently pulling out a game we keep around.  Sadly, the version we have doesn't seem to be made any more, but this one is still around I gather.  We have the Izzi 2, which has colored tiles.

I found that I tend to get mesmerized by the geometry, shapes, and optical illusions that form with the resultant shapes.  The idea is to create the final shape by putting yellow to yellow, blue to blue, etc.  Some challenges don't seem that hard, others are seem to be difficult, but there isn't one right answer to any of them.

Challenge 2.


Challenge 3.


The lady bug.  She showed up on my desk.  Tea Cup occasionally goes after bugs, and she likes lady bugs, too.  I saved this one for a while from her.  Not sure why she is so fuzzy, though.


Next post:  Build And Grow Gingerbread Houses!

Decorating the Christmas Tree

While I was out with the boys yesterday, Alex took the time to get down the Christmas tree and set it up while we were gone.   Atrus and I decorated today.  Chance would have helped, but he didn't exactly want to put ornaments on the tree, more or less just wanted to run around and move things from here to there.

Pre Ornaments.


I want to put this one .... here.  Yes, here.


And this one goes here.


This last one goes here.  Ok, we're done now.


 I don't have really nice pretty pictures of the tree yet, but I will.  One of them is going to be part of the Christmas card this year.  I got a few names/addresses from coworkers and Farkers on Facebook to add to the list this year of those I'll be sending Christmas cards to this year.  I like the whole Christmas thing, so I'm looking forward to being able to send some Christmas cheer/greetings to a few people more than previously.

Next up:  Geometry and a Lady Bug.

Build And Grow: Sandy's Plane

So I mentioned a few posts back that Lowe's teamed up with Dreamworks to promote the Rise Of The Guardians movie, and I also posted a link to a movie review about it.  This is part 2 of the kits.  Like the other Dreamworks titles over the summer, two projects per movie.  This was Lowe's holiday train this year.

I'm not sure if I mentioned this bit, that I took Atrus to see it.  Just me and him.  We had a good time (oh my word movie snacks are expensive!!).  He definitely enjoyed the movie.  I printed off some coloring pages after we got home and he's had fun with those.  He also sort of won't stop talking about, especially now that he has North's sleigh and completed also Sandy's plane.  He keeps asking about dreams.

This week, I took both boys.  Alex/Husband was going to work on his car, but it proved cold, and somewhat fruitless as what he was trying to do didn't work anyway.  He needs other parts and his car needs some more significant work.  Blah.  Anyway, on to the building!

Getting the kit out of the bag.


Chance loves this part.


He doesn't care what he hammers, so long as he gets to bang the hammer on something.


Completed plane ... without stickers.


Atrus is figuring out how to put on one of the parts and keep it stable enough to nail into place.  I believe I helped him stabilize it.


He's putting Sandy in the plane.  He really likes Sandy.


Hi Sandy!


Now both boys have a plane, but only Atrus really gets what its about.  Chance is just happy to come along and help build something.  And also happy for the time out.  Maybe I can get Dad to come along on one of these and help Chance build so I can see those two together, which I'm thinking will be epically cute. :)

Next post:  Setting up the Christmas tree!

I hope you like the pictures, so leave a comment to tell me what you think!  See you soon.

Painting Suncatchers

I got a pack of 8 suncatchers for Atrus and I to paint so we could give them to Alex's Grammy to help brighten her room up a bit.  She hasn't been able to live by herself for a while, and I admittedly haven't been all that great about taking the boys to go see her or sending her cards, but its not too late to start something.  With that in mind, I thought she could use some color in her room, especially made by Atrus. 

So here's the start.  I put paper bags down because we don't get the newspaper, but we do on occasion bring home groceries in paper bags, and I thought it would be a decent substitute.   Just some flowers and butterflies.


I had Atrus put on his glasses so he could see things more clearly.  I had him select some, and he took all of them but one.  Thanks...  We each did four.


Chance wanted to be in on it as well, so I put him in his chair with some play-doh.  Apparently, the molds are tasty.


The concentration to get it right.


Still not sure of play-doh, but at least its not freaking him out any more.


Atrus's finished four.  They dried overnight and I cut string to hang them on suction cups with.


My four.


They have dried and are currently in a bag waiting delivery.  When last we talked with Grammy, she wasn't feeling well, so we're hoping next time we go she'll be feeling more like herself.  And we do hope she likes these.  I'm hoping Atrus will also like giving something to someone that he made, or helped make.


And a quilt.  Alex wanted to replace the comforter on our bed.  It has gotten worn and also he didn't think it was warm enough any more, so I set about making a quilt.  He tried a while ago, but didn't get very far.  I chose to continue with the cloth he had gotten, and there was enough to make the checkerboard quilt.  He wanted to use a gray fleece we had as backing.  I did some simple math after getting dimensions and then cut squares (yay for rotary cutter and cutting mat!), and then took my time sewing the pieces together.  Some of the seams need to be redone, but that's okay.  Its my first quilt.  After I got the top done, I handed the reins off to Alex and we worked together one Friday night to get this put together.  We sewed the quilt top onto the fleece right sides together on three sides, then flipped it right-side-out and did the hem all the way around.  As it stands, its technically not a quilt, but its comfy and very warm and I think we'll be putting more love into it with a bit of time anyway and getting it all fixed up.



Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you like what you see here.  Comments are always welcome, so let me know what you think!  Next post:  Build and Grow: Sandy's plane.