More Paper Love

I once read another mama's blog about putting together a "when the mama's sick" box, and I thought it was a great idea. It was something about putting things in the box that would make your day run smoother when you are sick....like a few activity books or small new toys or a movie and some herbal tea and things for the mama too. It sounded cute. ha.

Today when I woke up feeling like my nose had turned into a faucet overnight....I at first thought I wish I had a magic box that would make my day go smoothly! (or perhaps a friend to help out! but alas, all my willing friends have little ones themselves....) But after a few hours with my boys I remembered that my kids are incredibly imaginative. And they can keep themselves busy with artful or useful things for hours if I only let them. :) And as my nose kept me occupied all the morn, this is what the boys did.

Badger made this lovable little guy out of the empty mineral water box and a few empty cans.

Badger also made a digger for Owl, which he painted.

That's his "concentrating" face. Isn't he so stinkin' cute!

This unfinished work will be a castle with functional drawbridge.

And here is a rather sturdy cardboard sword strengthened with popsicle sticks.

If little Hen had been able to join in the fun, I think I would've actually had a pretty easy day. But of course he kept me busy. His favorite things lately involve naming birds at the feeder. He says "chi....chi" when he sees a chickadee. :) And of course pulling things off the counter and throwing various items in the garbage. Oi. I'm just thankful he hasn't discovered that the toilet flushes yet. ;)

Signing off for now...so I can rest my weary head.

-reba

In the tomatoes....

Sometimes you don't have to go far to find something truly amazing. Look what we found today in our very own backyard.

A tobacco hornworm. Isn't he a beauty? Now before you get all freaked out and stop reading...let me tell you that this gorgeous fellow will soon transform into something even more amazing....a hummingbird moth! Have you ever seen one of those? They are really big and kinda furry and they can be found at evening time drinking nectar from flowers. Sometimes they are called hawk moths.

(underside view)

Now, I'll admit that I was a little freaked out to see this in my garden, because it had eaten two of my very large tomato plants. Grrr. It had eaten most of the leaves and even had taken giant chunks out of several large green tomatoes. I thought at first that the deer had somehow gotten into the fence. But upon closer look I found these.

Three of them. That big one is about four inches long.

Anyway...we've decided to keep them. No, really. Because wouldn't it be cool to see them turn into moths?
We're feeding them, and have put them into an aquarium filled with several inches of dirt, because when they're ready they'll fall to the ground and bury themselves while they pupate. Then one to three weeks later they should turn into a moth (i read they have a 5 inch wingspan!) And we'll release them. I hope it works. At any rate it's better than squishing them. Or feeding them to the chickens. Which one of my boys may have wanted to do. Sensitive isn't he?
And as a treat for making it this far in a post all about a giant squishy looking worm.....

Take a peak at these sunflowers that grew naturally under the bird feeders. I love watching things grow.

Sick days

Here's what we've been up to lately....

playing chess

drinking cold care tea

painting with watercolors....oh look at his dear little frowsy head.

and drawing. Lots of drawing.

We're a little under the weather here. And today it rained and rained and rained and then rained some more. So it definitely was an indoor quiet sort of day. And besides the myriads of snot and coughing it was actually quite nice. I love these boys. They are such good company and I know I am blessed to be in such a comfortable house, home here with them. One more thing to be rememberful about. God is good.

Badger's Paper Projects

Badger, our eldest boy, is a uniquely introverted person. Whenever he needs some "down time" I can expect him to be doing one of two things....reading....or making something. He's been doing some really neat things with paper lately and I thought you might like to take a peek.

These first few are from a Star Wars lift the flap book that he is making. (all of these are totally his idea and independent work)

see the little ewok tree house?

He's also been exploring the world of Pop-ups. This one may be my favorite....
It's a mummy. And it was taped shut to the wall in the dining room. And in the other corner of the room was another piece of paper folded closed that had a secret message that helped you find the mummy. It was written in hieroglyphs which is also one of his hobbies. (I couldn't find that paper to photograph it, sorry...)

scary scene with bat

treasure chest that opens with the card

And a field of sunflowers. Apparently there is a message on this one too...see the hieroglyphs hiding between the stems....free points to whoever can figure it out. I'd have to go grab the book and look them up, because even though I faithfully decipher most of his codes I can't remember them to save my life. It's rough having a seven year old that is smarter than you. :)

Fun Family Times

J's brother and his family are in town for a visit! They spent the day with us yesterday and it was so great! We had a nice brunch together, followed by a walk to the park.

I can't decide which I like better....seeing the brothers together....or watching all the cousins play....

And as an added bonus the cousins just happen to be girls. Look. A dress, a pink shirt, and those darling bare feet. But don't get me wrong, they might actually be more busy and energetic than my boys. (maybe) :)

We decided to have them stay for even more fun, so we put up the tent and started a fire.

Yeah, I know this picture may not be exciting to you, but look at those brothers. :)

Getting ready for the fire.

There were smores and stories, followed by the two uncles and the 5 children sleeping outside in the tent. They had so much fun! And don't worry, the aunts "rescued" them from the storms this morning, bringing them indoors for breakfast just before the rain began. It was such a refreshing storm that blew in. The kids continued playing for the rest of the morning, just enjoying each others company. Hurray!

More fun times to come soon hopefully. (And if you want to see more pictures of our adventures you can check out my sister in law's blog. her pictures are great!)

Us Lately

The Sale

This past weekend we had a rummage sale! And I'm pleased to say that it was indeed a success! Phew! It's so much work going through everything and getting everything set up, even without four littles "helping". :) The boys were awesome though, and with the help of two good friends that also had some things to add to the sale, we were able to make a little money and clear out our home of unwanted or unneeded items. Hurray!

The boys had a lemonade and cookie stand. (chocolate chip of course) Friends and neighbors supported them in their efforts and they made almost $10. I was impressed.

Our friend, Sioux, stopped by. I think she may be one of the boys' biggest fans. :)

And today, we did quite a bit of this.

Oh, you can't tell what she is doing? Yeah, nothing. Well, perhaps dreaming about the birds and squirrels outside the window....but mostly nothing. :) We are in need of a little down time. Our sweet nieces are coming for a visit soon and we want to be ready! So we are saving up our energy and cleaning up our home in anticipation. We can't wait to see you girls! (and the mama and papa too!)

Signing off for now....time to dish up the spaghetti and meatballs with vegetable marinara (the tomato season has begun!)