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Here's a little bit of what we've been up to lately.



What you see above are the last two "guys" I've made for my boys. They're guys, not dolls. "Dolls are for girls" apparently. I've made about four of these guys and some outfits and hats based on patterns that Josh designed. My mom made a hat for one, then I used her idea and made another. This is Indiana Jones awaiting his own hat. He has a satchel and a whip, too.




These are some goodies I've been collecting this last year. Aaron Brothers had a 1¢ sale, so I rushed over and with Josh's help, picked out the perfect frames for each piece. In the top picture is a beautiful bird print by the fascinating artist, Genine Zlatkis. It's part of her 20 birds series. The small pix is a gift enclosure by Becky Kelly.

The bottom photo shows an exquisite drawing by Marsha Robinett. It was a free gift for signing up for her email newsletter. We gave it to my golf-loving husband for Father's Day. The small print is by Diane Duda. It's so cute! The big print is of a collage by Cori Dantini. I love it!!!!



Josh is learning to embroider with the help of Gramma and her "Quilt Ladies". He went to quilting with them and got lots of help. He's making his first quilt top for a pillow for his new surfer bedroom.




I just had to have a vegetable garden this year. Our yard has gotten pretty shady now that our trees are teenagers, so we had to squeeze them into the little bits of full sunlight. I'm so excited. We'll be able to make our own home grown salsa. We also have butternut squash, watermelon, beets, and a cool looking squash/pumpkin whose name escapes me.

by Hazel Booth

As a kid today, you’re usually so busy with school and other activities that sometimes when the action stops, and you’re stuck indoors on a “snow day” from school, you’re at a loss for what to do.

But don’t settle for dull and boring.

Next time the snow piles up outside and you’re stuck indoors, pull out your creative stops and see how much fun a snowy day can be.

Here are five activities to try:

1. Write a play. When I think about snowy or rainy day activities, I think of Jo and her sisters in Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott, and the delightful afternoons they passed in making plays.

Gather your friends and family and act out a well-known story or, like Jo, write some of your own. Laughter will draw you closer, and you may discover a hidden talent. With the advent of handheld video recorders, you can record your antics for future entertainment.

2. Devise a treasure hunt. Conceal a prize (it can be as simple as a chocolate bar) in an unlikely spot and write a series of clues to lead the treasure-seekers to the booty.

To extend the activity, wrap the prize in multiple layers of paper and string before hiding it, and when it is found, play the Hat Game: Sit around a table and attempt to unwrap the prize using only a knife and fork. The person wielding the knife and fork must don a hat, scarf, and gloves before beginning. All the while, the person to his right is rolling a die, hoping for a six. As soon as he rolls a six, the knife, fork, hat, scarf, gloves, as well as the die, pass to the next person on the left.

Continue in this fashion until the chocolate bar is unwrapped. Then share it.

3. Create an inspirational collage. Gather some old magazines and catalogs, a pair of scissors, and glue. Look for words, sayings, and pictures that speak to you in some way. Choose a theme, like sports, animals, or furnishings you’d like for your bedroom. Include inspirational quotes and words of encouragement.

Feel free to use your computer to scan and print items you don’t want to cut, or play with different fonts to emphasize or change the look of printed words. Compose your collage and embellish with lace, ribbon, feathers, stickers, buttons, etc. Hang it where you’ll see it and smile.

4. Plan a meal. Pull out the cookbooks, especially ones with pictures, and look for some tasty new recipes. Scan the list of ingredients to make sure it sounds as good as it looks. Bookmark it or make a list of recipe titles and page numbers for each book. Choose a recipe, make a shopping list, and schedule a time to help make it.

5. Make crayon rubbings. Gather an assortment of textured objects from around the house. Examples might be a cheese grater, a piece of screen, a comb, string glued to a piece of paper, corrugated cardboard, or a crumpled piece of foil.

Choose one item at a time, lay a fresh sheet of paper on top, and rub over the surface with the side of a crayon. Try not to shift the item, and watch the pattern emerge. Rub over each textured surface with two colors of crayon.

Try to fill the entire sheet of paper with different textures and colors. Then, take a fat paint brush and a set of watercolors and paint colors of your choice over each rubbing. Use your finished paper for cards or wrapping paper, or cut it up to include in a picture or collage.

Armed with creative ideas like these, you might find yourself looking forward to your next snowy day when you’re stuck indoors.

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Hazel Booth is a freelance writer and a student of the Institute for Children’s Literature. She reviews picture books for the National Writing for Children Center and is currently working on nonfiction articles for kids.