Grahams Crackers

Merry Christmas!!!

2010-12-10T16:57:00.002-05:00

Happy holidays everyone!

What can I say, another year of exciting times and growth for the Graham family. I don’t expect to remember everything we’ve done this year, so I would recommend you looking up Stephanie or myself (John) on Facebook to keep up on the Graham happenings.

This Christmas, there won’t be presents under our tree, but the kids will be o.k. We are trading the traditional Christmas morning for a trip to Florida, visiting Disney and Universal. This was Jackson’s first trip to Disney and the entire family’s first trip to Universal studios to experience the magic of Harry Potter. We were there December 1st until the 10th (we got back today) and we all had a great time.

On another Christmas note, this is a big year for me as I published my Christmas children’s book, No Sweets For Santa. This story has been an important part of our family Christmas tradition for over a decade and I worked with a professional artist to create a special hardcover edition. I’m very pleased with the response I’ve received and have sold quite a few copies. It has kept me quite busy over the past few months getting everything ready for the printers. If you didn't get your copy, let us know, and we can ensure that you do.

Other things happening in my (John’s) life this year include many comic book conventions, lots of work (still at Target on the weekend shift), and trying to stay healthy. JT and I had a great visit with my mom in Phoenix this summer, which included a side trip to San Diego for Comic Con International. We had some wonderful father/son moments, particularly when we dressed up as Mario and Luigi one day at the convention.

Jackson has evolved from a cute playful 1 year old to a cute, independent, and often demanding 2 year old. He has become a big fan of the Playstation game, Little Big Planet, and loves to play it over and over. He is currently obsessed with Jimmy Neutron, and we made it a goal to visit the Jimmy Neutron blast ride in Universal Studio's just for him.

He is a very intelligent boy, and continues to amaze us with the things he knows, and the things he can do. He has known all of his ABC's (upper and lower case) since before he turned 2, and he has a knack for figuring out electronic stuff. We have high hopes for his future and the endless possibilities available to him.

JT is eleven and turning into quite the young man. He’s still into Origami, Legos, and drawing various pictures. Since the movie, How To Train Your Dragon, he’s entered a dragon phase and tends to draw more of those than other things. Here’s his written paragraph:

This year I did a lot of cool stuff. I went to California with dad over the Summer for a comic con and we saw my Nana in Arizona, (it was hot). We are having a Harry Potter party this week for the new movie, it should be fun.

Mackenzie is now a teenager. She turned the big 13 in August. Next year she will be in High School (EEeek!!) She still loves art, and music, and always manages to have good grades. Here is her paragraph:

Hi I am Mackenzie Rahne Graham. I am creative, crazy, and smart. This
year I am in 8th grade. My subjects are Language Arts, Algebra
(advanced math), Physical Science, and Social Studies. At my school I
am also in chorus, and I am in the elite singing group that I tried
out for and made it, we are called "the Accidentals". Another thing I am a part of
is our school band. I play the drums. This year I've had a lot of fun
with new friends and old friends and meeting them again. This year has
been fun but I can't wait for next year.

Stephanie went back to work this summer for the bank she was working at before Jackson was born. She works part time, but the hours are sometimes more than that. Her craft time has been severely limited, and that is difficult sometimes. She has also joined a book group this year, and has read a number of great books. She leads the music for the primary kids in church, and enjoys singing with Mackenzie in the church choir. She really enjoyed the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studio's, and is greatful to have been able to spend some time there.

We all had a great time on our vacation. We spent 9 days straight in theme parks, 6 days at the Disney parks, and 3 days at Universal and Islands of Adventure parks. We decided that 9 consecutive days is a little much, and we need the next few days to recover from our vacation!
Stephanie will post some of our pictures in the next few days.

We are ready to finish out this month with the Christmas spirit, and enjoy each other, and serve others for the holidays.
We hope that all of you have a great Christmas, and wish you all a very Happy New Year!!

Love to All!!

Fabulous Fall!!!

2010-10-17T19:57:00.008-04:00

Today was the PERFECT fall day! The air was warm, but a cool breeze would blow, the leaves were very colorful, and the smells were amazing. It was even better because we spent it together as a family, enjoying nature. Today was the 2nd annual Pine Grove Furnace Fall Festival in the Michaux State Forrest. The festival had live music, pumpkin carving, candle making, apple cider pressing, and hayrides, and the best thing is that it was all FREE! John had a few extra hours before work today, so we decided to enjoy.

Enjoying a little hayride through the woods.

Kenzie has totally embraced being a teenager, she doesn'twant her picture taken, so I have to take what I can get. This is what she does....

She is beautiful even when she is being stubborn!
She is flashing me the loser sign behind her back....how rude!!

They were pressing fresh apple cider in some antique presses, Jackson got to help turn the handle, and then drink the results.

We still love each other after all these years!

They had a candle making booth, where we could dip our own candles, and see how they used to be made. (Just like Wheeler Farm, do some of you remember that?)

They had a bunch of carved pumpkins on a raft in the lake, apparently the night before they lit them and set it afloat in the evening. That would have been cool!

We are so fortunate to live in such a beautiful place, that offers us such great experiences, and opportunities. We will look forward to this again next year!
Happy Fall Y'all!!!

Don't forget to pledge for John's book, it is open until Oct 31st
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/577061553/no-sweets-for-santa-a-childrens-book

Awesome video!

2010-10-06T08:06:00.003-04:00

Check out this awesome promo video made by the artist Mark Mariano!
No Sweets Promo

No Sweets For Santa is back!

2010-10-01T22:22:00.007-04:00

Do you remember my very talented husbands Christmas Children's book. Last year he self published it in a coloring book format......well, he is back at it this year trying to get it published in a hard back form. This book is going to be awesome! It is the same great story, with FABULOUS new art, and a ton of extras included....

The thing is, WE NEED YOUR HELP! John is trying to raise funds to get this book printed. Check out his fund raising site on kickstarter.com, watch the video, and make a pledge! It is worth it, and will be a great Christmas gift.
PLEDGE NOW!!

Kickstarter >> No Sweets For Santa - A Children's Book by John Graham

kck.st

I am Alive!!!

2010-10-01T22:16:00.001-04:00

I know it has been months since I have posted anything, but I wanted to let you know that we are all alive and well, and more posts will come soon!!

Another whirlwind weekend

2010-06-17T22:31:00.005-04:00

Last weekend was very busy. We left right after school got out on Thursday, and didn't stop until Saturday night. We went to Philly, then had a little jaunt down to Baltimore before heading home. Now my pictures are backwards, so we'll start at the end and work our way back from there. ( I'm too tired, or lazy to fix it)
Daddy and Jackson taking in the sights.
Saturday morning we drove to Baltimore to see a They Might Be Giants family concert. We went early enough to spend a little time in the Inner Harbor. We didn't really do a whole lot in the Inner Harbor, but it was a great place for lunch, and a little fun.
The kids have always wanted to do a paddle boat ride, so we decided they were old enough to go for a spin. I think they enjoyed it.
We had to take a picture at the Rams Head stadium where the concert was held. They Might Be Giants has always been one of John's favorite groups, and he and I have been to numerous concerts ourselves, but they have been geared toward children's albums for the past few years, and their concerts are geared to please the whole family. I honestly think that Kenzie and JT were the oldest kids there. There were tons of toddlers, and I think the average childs age was probably 4. Jackson enjoyed it too. He asks to listen to Giants when we are in the car, and he even sings along with the songs. Their songs are educational as well as fun.
The real reason for the trip to Philly was for John and JT to attend another comic convention. Kenzie, Jackson and I spent time sight seeing, and shopping. The whole family did have time to see some of the historical sights together as well. We spent some time in the gardens at Liberty Hall, and admired the buildings. We also saw a couple of other gardens near by, a rose garden, and magnolia garden.
We went to see the Liberty bell too. Pretty cool.
We took a stroll through China Town, and stopped in a few shops.
One of the best parts of Philly, is Liberty Park. It is a gorgeous park, with mini golf, a carousel, fountains, and an awesome modern playground.
This playground had an area for the littler kids, and some really cool jungle gym type equipment, that really looks like modern art. JT and Kenzie had fun spinning on this thing.... I am not sure what to call it.

Jackson just loved the slide, and I love what it did to his hair.
He also learned to swing himself on the bars. He is getting so big, so fast.
Everyone enjoyed the carousel. Kenzie picked the Elephant and the eagle (The nice lady let them keep riding multiple times)
Jackson and Daddy rode the seal, and the bench seat.
JT rode the eagle and a dragon horse thing. He made friends with this boy, whose mom ran the carousel.
John made friends too. It was a fun filled trip, hopefully one of many this summer!

The many adventures of the Graham Fam

2010-06-17T21:55:00.004-04:00

The end of our school year was filled up with many, many activities. There seemed to have been something every few days,keeping us hopping.
Here is just a quick peek at a few.....
Band concerts. Both Kenzie and JT had concerts for us to attend.
Chorus concerts. This is Kenzie and Natasha after their chorus concert.
Meeting new friends. Jackson had the opportunity to meet some big fuzzy friends, and he loved every minute of it!

Loads of play! We went to our friends pump it up play place for a fun family jump and slide on giant blow up things
This is where Jackson spent some quality time with Elmo!

He also learned to drive. Scary, I know, he is only 2.

But you can tell by the giant smile that he had a blast.
School talent shows. Kenzie and her friends sang "Seasons of Love" from the Rent Broadway show. They did a great job, even after a few technical difficulties.
Testing out the new water toys on Memorial Day. Very important to make sure it works for the summer.
Girl scout closing ceremonies.
Memorial Day Parade. The middle school band marched in the parade and Kenzie played the cymbals.
We had many other activities, but I can't remember them all right now. This is just a beginning of our summer. We have many activities planned for the summer too, I can't promise to document them all.

Lawn Art

2010-05-26T14:33:00.003-04:00

John decided to get creative with his mowing today. Can you see it?
JAY

Just because...he is so cute!

2010-05-26T14:24:00.002-04:00

Arrow of Light

2010-05-26T14:18:00.003-04:00

Walking the bridge to join the BIG boys.
JT and Clayton officially became Boy Scouts yesterday. I am so proud.
Receiving their Arrow of Light pins.

This is what happens when kids and charcoal mix...

2010-05-26T14:16:00.000-04:00

Busy, busy May!

2010-05-26T13:13:00.005-04:00

May has been a very busy month so far, and it isn't even over yet. I was fortunate enough in the beginning of the month to get away for a week with some really great women. It was my Mother-in-law's 63rd birthday, and Mothers day in the same weekend. What a great way to celebrate. We went to Pella, Iowa. Yes, I said Iowa. I know you are thinking "why Iowa?!" For the Tulips, of course!! We went for the 75th annual Tulip Time festival. Iowa has a huge Dutch heritage, and the Graham's have a profound fondness for all things Dutch. After all they did live in Holland for 8 years.
Now I can't say that everything about this trip was ideal, but we had a great time anyway. First of all it was cold.We had to shop at the local Walmart and find anything long sleeve, thick or warm. Gloves were even purchased. Luckily, all of the winter type clothing was on clearance. One day I even bought a winter ear/head band, because it was so cold.
The second bad part was that the tulips were past their prime. A lot of the gardens had what I call headless flowers. The petals had all fallen off. The tulips that were still there were pretty, but starting to look like these...
Even though we had our trials, we did get to see a lot and experience some great sights, and foods. We all joked that next time we need to bring our "eatin' pants". There were all kinds of great Dutch treats, Dutch pastries, and cheeses. the best were the fresh hot stroopwaffles and pooferjes. Delicious!!
The little town of Pella is really a beautiful place. They have the only working grain windmill in the US, they still grind grain there. They are also the home of Wyatt Earp's birthplace, and the Pella Window corporation.

We had to get our pictures taken in the little Dutch people shapes!
This was our whole group. My MIL, Carol, and SIL Jen, her friend Kim, and her mom Marilyn, and sister Kelly, and Millie Furlin, and friend of the Graham's who lived in Holland at the same time.
Millie and Carol.
Me, Carol and Jen

We visited a museum where the founder of Pella lived. We also saw the parade, and many other things. We watched a klompen maker make wooden shoes.
This was in the gardens of the Scholte Museum.
These were some of the prettier tulips. It was too bad that they weren't at their best while we were there, but they were still beautiful.
And no Dutch experience would be complete without a windmill, or two, or three. This is just one of many.
We stayed in some rustic cabins right at the edge of a lake near Pella. They were very nice, and had a lot of room. The rustic part meant that they had no dishes, utensils, linens, towels or anything. We had a kitchen, but only cooked breakfast once. I am looking forward to my MIL's 65th birthday, we decided we would go somewhere warm!

Unwinding from the long trip...

2010-04-29T17:55:00.002-04:00

not the best picture quality, but cute none the less!

Weekend in Steel Town

2010-04-29T07:41:00.004-04:00

This past weekend we took a little trip to Pittsburgh. It is about a 3 hour drive from our house. We left in the morning and arrived just in time to have lunch at the famous Primanti Brothers. Primanti Brothers has been featured on many food network programs. They make the best sandwiches! Just look.

The best thing about the Primanti Brothers sandwiches is that they are stuffed with whatever meat you choose, coleslaw and french fries, all on freshly baked delicious bread! I know it sounds weird to have french fries and coleslaw on a sandwich, but they are very tasty.

They are also huge! Just take a look at this half of my sandwich. I had Kielbasa and egg on mine. Yummy! Adding egg to one of their sandwiches is another popular thing to do.
This is the only way to ever see John eat coleslaw!!
Our next stop was the Carnegie Science Center in downtown Pittsburgh. It is located right next door to the Steelers stadium. It is a great children's museum.
There is a submarine docked in the river right out side, where they give tours, and you can see how it is to live aboard.
Tight sleeping quarters.
Small doorways. A real tight fit for a big guy like John!
It also had a lot of tiny eating quarters, and bathrooms. It makes me wonder if you had to be small to join the Navy?The 4th floor of the Science Center was my favorite! It had a huge area geared for ages 3-6 where they could just play and explore. Jackson is only 2, but it was perfect for him! They had a place to make your own garden, build with blocks, play with ABC mats, or just read a book.
They had a big water table area where the kids could float balls, boats, or play with funnels and cups. It was multi leveled so you could start at the tall end and have a boat float all the way to the bottom. You could also go under the table and put your head in a bubble, like Kenzie did.
Th 4th floor also had a section for older kids too, they had their own water table, different activities, and a place where you could complete a circuit and make a lightbulb light up through currents running through your body. It was pretty cool!
The 2nd floor was all about robots and trains. They had a huge section with train tracks and toy trains running. They went through tunnels, hills, mountains, and every season was represented. It was a tiny model of old day Pittsburgh.
The other half of the 2nd floor was Robots. They had all kinds of robots, doing different things, and they showed different types of things that robotics are used for in every day life.
They also have a huge sports complex with the Science Center where you can climb rock walls, become a human yo-yo, jump on a bungee swing, and a ton of other great activities.

That was all great fun, but the real reason for taking us to Pittsburgh was the annual Pittsburgh Comic Convention. I know geek ville right. But it was fun.
John has gone with JT for a few years now, and Kenzie even went too, but this was the first time we made it a family affair. They even wore costumes! We used the Super Mario Brothers theme for everyone. I chose not to wear a costume, to the disappointment of my husband. (I am just not ready to embrace my inner geek) Everyone loved the costumes!
They even participated in a skit for the costume contest. (I'll link the video when I figure it out) They didn't win, but they had fun! This little boy with Jackson won the children's prize He also wore a bumblebee mask (from transformers) and he became "Super Bumble Bat" . It was so cute.
After a trip like that, this is what you end up with! It was a fun filled quick weekend, which I hope we do again. Who knows, maybe next time I can learn to embrace my "inner geek"too!

Mulan Jr.

2010-04-19T09:11:00.004-04:00

This weekend our middle school put on the performance of Disney's Mulan Jr. Mackenzie was a part of that. It was fun to see her and all of her friends doing something they really enjoy! It was even more fun to see how proud her thespian father was of his little girl. John is an actor in his own right, and was so happy to see one of his kids follow in his footsteps.

The whole cast did a really great job, and the play was very entertaining! Here are just a few pics.
This is a picture of Mackenzie and her boyfriend Luke. ( I know, it is very frightening that she has a boyfriend!)
There were 6 kids from our ward in the play. That is unheard of to have so many mormons together in PA. It was great to see them all, and even more fun to see the audience full of mormon supporters each night.
The kids from top: Nathanael Lyman, Zoey Kramer, Mackenzie
Sarah Lyman, Hannah Kramer and Audrey Goates.
This little Mushu was so good, he was really funny!
Mackenzie, Hannah, and Natasha!
I am so proud of Kenzie and her friends, they all put in a lot of work, and a lot of time preparing. They all did fantastic!

Cherry Blossom Lovin...

2010-04-13T09:55:00.004-04:00

We are fortunate enough to live so close to to many beautiful places here. We took advantage of it over Easter break and spent a glorious day in DC at the National Cherry Blossom Festival. We have been a number of times in the past, but this was the best trip so far. The weather was gorgeous, the company great, and good times were to be had by all.

The blossoms were in their peak bloom, and love was in the air.
We enjoyed our packed lunches in our favorite grove of trees. Plenty of photo ops were available.

We went with our friends, the Dobbs. It was fun for the kids to have other kids to be with. This is Natasha and Alena.
I always love to get a picture like this. Look at what Jackson has to look up to, both physically, and personally for guidance.

Absolute Deliciousness!!

2010-03-26T08:59:00.002-04:00

I have a new favorite dish! I have made this a few times now, and everyone loves it (me more than some).

Sweet Pork Taco's with Cilantro Lime Slaw

Now in my opinion, the meat itself is good, but nothing to write home to mom about (Mom, you should still try it), but what really makes this meal is the coleslaw! It gives it just the right POW that it needs! You should really tell your mom about this, and everyone else you know!
My family doesn't eat the slaw, because they are all picky, that just means more for me!!
When I eat this together it is like that sequence in Disney's Ratatouille when the Remy is describing the flavors to his brother, and when you put 2 different flavors together it is like fireworks. It really is that good!!
I found the recipe here at one of my favorite blogs, Make It And Love It

It looks really pretty with the red cabbage, but I usually use the green packaged coleslaw, because it is easier. I also add a little jalapeno and green onions to the slaw, and more lime juice, and my family eats the taco's with cheese. I like to have a little avocado and sour cream with mine too.

I highly recommend giving this recipe a try! It is DELISH!!!

Are you hungry?

2010-03-26T08:22:00.004-04:00

How about some donuts?
or a little bowl of popcorn,
PB&J with chips?
or do you prefer a nice deli sandwich?
How about a breakfast for champions?
or a nice fruit tray
And of course, no meal at the Graham's house would be complete without pizza!
you just need to decide between cheese or combo, or maybe just pepperoni and mushroom?
And if you wish, you can pack it all up in a nice picnic lunch for on the go fun!
Are you hungry yet? This is some of the felt food that I made for Jackson's birthday gift. He loves to get it out and cook with it. I found some small utensils and bowls in the dollar sections at Target and Joann's, so he has some nice tools to use.
He also has a banana,with a removable peel, some carrots, a whole orange and a few other small pieces. So far it has been loads of fun! I feel much better with him playing with this stuff rather than the cheapo plastic junk that you get at the store.
Besides, it was all cooked up with love!

Look Who's Two!!

2010-03-20T17:04:00.004-04:00

Can you believe it has been 2 years since this little ball of energy came into our lives? Today we celebrated his birthday with friends. We had a really fancy party with Hot dogs and cupcakes. These weren't just any cupcakes, but cupcakes shaped like dinosaurs and vintage cars. (the crown was a little big, but he looks cute with elf ears!!)
Jackson had a special crown for the occasion. I matched his birthday shirt, and banner.
It is kind of hard to see, but this is a pretty cool banner that says HAPPY BIRTHDAY. It was fun to make.
This is Jackson's birthday cupcake. I found a really cute pan that has vintage car molds, and also one with dino molds. They turned out awesome!
Jackson playing with his gifts. The best was his own set of pots and pans, and a set of felt food that I have been making him. (I will post better pics of the food later)
You also get a better picture of his birthday shirt here too.
All of the guests got to decorate their own cupcakes. That way the could have a custom car. (and I didn't have to decorate them all myself)

This one belongs to JT. Talk about sugar overload!
Jackson enjoyed himself, especially the cake, and the oreo cookie wheels!

More monsters.

2010-03-20T16:58:00.002-04:00

One more project for the monster bathroom. Who could resist going potty on this seat?
Looks good in the whole ensemble, don't you think?

A little bit O' green

2010-03-20T16:54:00.003-04:00

Lunch for the kids on St. Patrick's day had to be green. Homemade green bread, green grapes, green snap peas, and green vanilla pudding with green sprinkles and little cookies in the green hearts!

What can you do with $1?

2010-03-20T16:22:00.008-04:00

Hello, My name is Stephanie, and I am a clearance shopper. I never was a clearance shopper as a young person, but then I married Him, Mr. Clearance shopper himself, (aka Mr. cheapskate). Now it is my mission to browse the clearance racks at every opportunity I get. I have certain rounds that I make at my regular shopping haunts, places I know where I can find the best deals.

My latest find was a bunch of long sleeve T-shirts for the little guy, and they were only $1. Now That is a bargain, but who wants a plain old T-shirt when you can jazz them up a bit.

Right?

Admit it, you like jazzy clothes too.

So, I took these plain T-shirts, and made these....

front is an appliqued robot.
and back is freezer paper stencil painted
More freezer paper stencil painting.
And more appliques, and the back of the owl shirt says this...
And lastly, we have to have a cool shirt for our birthday,

And our favorite number is 2 of course!!
Now what will you use your $1 for?

Spring is coming!!

2010-03-10T16:37:00.002-05:00

I spent some time outside today with my little tree hugger. (he was literally hugging the tree) He loves being outside!
We cleaned out our front flower bed and unearthed these little pretties.
It is so nice to see some color other than white and brown, and after all of the snow we have had this year, I was getting a little sick of winter. (OK, a lot sick of it) I know that all of the cold isn't gone, and the warmer weather we have had in the past few days is really just a tease, but it does bring the promise of things to come.
So,my little nature lover and I (kissing the rock) wish you a happy Spring to come!!

Monsters everywhere

2010-03-10T16:21:00.004-05:00

Remember the monster bathroom that my boys got for Christmas. Well, I am still trying to finish up a few projects to go into the bathroom that I didn't get done in time.

This first picture is really awful, but I couldn't get my model to hold still. I made a hooded towel that is just like one of the monsters on the shower curtain. It is really way too big for Jackson, but he is a growing boy.

Next up we have a monster bath mat. I am really pleased with how this turned out. It really adds some fun in the bathroom.
I made the bath mat using this........A fuzzy trick or treat bag,and this......leftover linoleum from the new basement bathroom, along with some scrap fabric.
Jackson thinks it looks like Cookie Monster so he calls it cookie all the time.

They grow up way too fast!!

2010-03-10T16:20:00.000-05:00

another snow day.....

2010-02-26T16:40:00.004-05:00

.......another craft.

These floral barrette's and headbands are all the rage lately. I see them all over blogland, and have a few other friends that have made them too. They are super simple to make. Just take some synthetic fabric (organza, acrylic, satin,etc..) cut out circles of different sizes, run the edges over a flame of a candle or lighter, and assemble. The edges melt and naturally curl into a cup shape, then you stack the cups together in descending sizes, and they make beautiful frilly flowers. Then if you like, take beads or sequins and stitch to the center. Wala... pretty flowers. You can stitch the flowers to barrettes, or headbands, or even to a shirt, or necklace. They are very nice and add a cute feminine touch.This is Natasha's finished barrette.
And Alena's.
Kenzie was trying to thread her needle.
Here is just a few of our finished frillies. Perfect activity for yet another snow day!

Do not be decieved....

2010-02-22T09:19:00.002-05:00

This little face, this cute grin, the infectious giggle, and the funny little words he says, It is not what it seems. This boy is trouble!!
Jackson is such a little smarty pants! He has so much energy, and he is so very smart. He looks innocent enough, but that little mind of his is thinking about what he can get into next.
He won't be 2 for another 3 weeks, but he is already perfecting the art of temper tantrums.
He can point out many numbers and letters by name, and he can throw like a pro ball player.
The other 2 kids are smart too. JT is a math and construction genius, and Mackenzie has been on the honor roll for a year, but this little guy is very, very advanced for a nearly 2 year old.
I can't decide if he keeps me young, or makes me feel really old. He definitely keeps me on my toes!!
No matter how much trouble this little guy is, you can't help but love him! He really is the center of attention at our house, and he brings us all so much joy!

All done!!!

2010-02-22T08:39:00.004-05:00

Do you remember the snow day projects that I started during the great "snowmaggeddon" that we had in the last few weeks. Well there is still snow outside (how long will it take for 3 feet of snow to melt),
But the projects are finally done.

Here is Jackson's new table and chairs, chair pads and all. I painted them, and then sanded the edges for a more rustic look. The table started out brown, but I decided that color wasn't right, so I used leftover blue from Jackson's bedroom walls, and painted the table blue, but the inside is the same green as the chairs. I am debating about painting a chalkboard on the table, but John doesn't like that idea. He thinks it will encourage him to draw on the furniture. I still think the table top needs something.
I did a little detail stitching on the chair pads, and made a cute felt applique that matched the fabric print. I did 4 of each turtles and snails. The chair pads are reversible, with yellow and snails on one side, and white and turtles on the other.

Here is a look at the chairs, one with each side of chair pad showing.

The chair has a shelf on the bottom, and a storage cubby under the seat. Jackson likes to put all kinds of treasures there.
Yesterday, Jackson enjoyed his first snack at the table. The furniture turned out quite large, his feet don't even touch the floor. He should be able to use these for a long time. JT even sat at the table with him yesterday.
As long as I can keep him from climbing on top of the table, we should be fine. I think he likes them!!

Happy love day

2010-02-14T17:04:00.002-05:00

This little icicle was our little Valentine miracle hanging outside our bathroom window this morning. I thought it was perfect for the day! I hope you all have lots of love today.

Last night our church had a progressive dinner for the adults. It was a ton of fun. appetizers at one house, main course at another with different couples, and dessert at the church with everyone, and games to boot. I do believe a great time was had by all, and I hope we do it again!!

We came home from church today to heart and lip shaped sandwiches from daddy. It was all yummy, and extra special with the love.

What did you do for your snow day?

2010-02-12T16:13:00.003-05:00

This was my snow day project this week. I spent a couple of days playing carpenter
We got this table and chair set from a neighbor. It has 4 chairs, and pretty hearts allover it. Nice, and perfect for the little girls it came from, but a little too delicate for our rough and tumble rowdy boy. I was just going to replace the backs of the chairs, and give it a new coat of paint, but they are old, and a little wobbly.
So I made a new base for the table using these plans here , from Knock off Wood. I used the existing table top. and the base has a storage bin in the bottom.
I also used the plans for this chair here, but I changed it a bit, and added a hinges seat with an additional storage bin.
Jackson seems to like them, and they are quite large and he will be able to use them for a long time. They still need some wood filler, sanding, and a good coat of paint, but they turned out pretty good! I may have to sew some chair pads too, who knows, there are endless possibilities to think of.

Round 2

2010-02-12T15:58:00.003-05:00

Round 2 of the "snowpocalypse" or "snowmaggedon" hit us Tuesday afternoon. After the 21" that we got on Saturday, we got another 12" this round. This storm was enough to cancel school and all church and other activities for the rest of the week. (they could have had school, but they have Monday off for Presidents day, so I think they wanted an extended weekend)
This is what the street looked like on Wednesday morning. It snowed from Tuesday afternoon until Wed. at 9 pm.

JT and his friend Justin spent the day building snow caves and a tunnel system. It was really quite large and roomy.
I think I have had my fill of snow for the year, but unfortunately it is supposed to snow again in a week. So much for global warming.

Blizzards and Stone Soup

2010-02-06T16:12:00.007-05:00

Winter here in Pennsylvania is often very cold, and usually snows, but nothing like this!! PA has been declared in a state of emergency today due to the wonderful blizzard that we had last night. I think we totaled around 15-18 inches in our area(Ok officially it was 21"), but there are drifts up to 4 1/2 feet. I also so a pic of some near us that measured 22 inches( they have dubbed this storm "snowpocalypse 2010). John works weekends, and tried to go to work this morning, and after shoveling the car out of our driveway, he made it about 4 houses down the street, before getting stuck in a neighbors driveway.

This is what Jackson looked like in a shallow drift, and below is me on our back deck. It is past my knees.

So, What is a kid to do with snow like this? Make an extensive cave and tunnel system of course!! All of the kids on our street congregated in front and built some pretty cool snow caves!
This is the snow drift up the side of the van.
The girls were all cold, so they huddled together and all tried to stand over the heat register together. So what are cold kids supposed to eat on a day like today? Stone Soup!! I invited them all to participate and bring something to donate to our soup, I even added a real stone!!
Jackson was my little Chef's apprentice, and helped me put the chopped veggies into the pot.

We enjoyed our soup with homemade whole wheat bread (with red swirls for Valentines day). One kid told me that he doesn't usually like wheat bread, but mine was good, and I have to agree, it is pretty darn good!
All of the kiddies enjoyed their meal. I think all but one had multiple bowls of soup and pieces of bread. One of the moms down the street made chocolate chip cookies and brought to share too. Not a bad way to spend a snow day!!!

New Jammies!

2010-02-04T08:55:00.003-05:00

This fall Kenzie's band played with the Shippensburg University band at one of their football games. At the game they were handing our these free T-shirts. They were plain except for this saying on the back.I decided to use these to make something else.

New Jammie for the little guy. Now trying to get him to hold still long enough to take a good picture of them is a real challenge, but they turned out cute!

I used the existing neckline and collar so that part was easy. I also used the bottom hem that was already there for the ham on the pant legs, so less work for me there too! I just traced around some pants and shirt that we already had, and cut out the basic shape. I traced the sleeves separately, and then sewed them on after. As for the saying on the back, I added this green stripe with some scraps from a different project, and then I used some scrap orange to make the snake. The snake kind of wraps around to the back of the shirt too.
It turned out cute, and only took me about an hour to sew all together. The best part is that it was all FREE!!!!

My Musical genius!!

2010-02-03T22:05:00.001-05:00

Jackson playing the electronic drum set!

Bronze Award

2010-02-03T21:57:00.002-05:00

Last year Kenzie's girl scout troop worked hard on earning their Bronze awards. They did a lot of community service and put together a small garden area in a local park. They recently had their ceremony, and were awarded their awards from the local ladies VFW group. It was a big deal for them, and they were all really proud of themselves.

Farm Show Fun

2010-02-03T21:37:00.004-05:00

A couple of weeks age we attended the Pennsylvania Farm Show. This is a BIG event here in our area. Basically it is a fair with a ton of farm animals, and all aspects of farm life. It was quite an event! Tons of people.
We saw a lot of different animals. Jackson pet a lot too, and he promptly stuck his fingers up this cows nostril. I know, gross!! To make it worse, he sucked on his fingers the rest of the day without them being properly washed.
This is the famous butter sculpture. Every year they have a different one, all made out of butter.
We saw a lot of Alpacas.
JT wanted to "pet a cow, hug a sheep, and poke a pig" I think he did all three.
I think the kids all enjoyed it. Don't they look thrilled?

Family Photo's

2010-01-13T14:53:00.009-05:00

Isn't that just the cutest family you have ever seen?! Well I think so! This is the first real family photo we have had taken since Jackson was born. We had them taken by a young lady in our ward when she was home for the holidays from college. She is really quite talented.

Jackson wasn't very cooperative that day, so there aren't too many of him.

Both Kenzie and JT's photo's look great!

I wish Jackson was in the above photo, but he was being difficult!
And of course we had to have a picture of Nana too!!

It was fun having them taken at home. A lot of them were taken on the bean bags and the rest out in the yard. I would like to post them all, but I think 92 photos is a little excessive!!

My new fabulous bag!

2010-01-09T18:40:00.004-05:00

Today I made this little beauty just for me!! After making bags for other people, I decided it was my turn. I am very pleased!! It is gorgeous!

It has 2 outside pockets, and long enough straps to put over your shoulder. (forgive the photo's taken in poor lighting)
If you look on the side of the pocket you can kind of see my steffistuff labelThe inside lined bag has a drawstring to close it up, and 3 pockets on the interior.
The best part is that the drawstring liner is removable!! That means I can use the liner for baby friendly activities, and carry around diapers, toys etc. Then if I ever get a day out baby free, I can remove the liner, and just take the bag part, and I don't need to transfer everything!!
It turned out great! I must brag a little and say that my sewing skills have greatly improved, because this is Fabulous!!
These photo's just don't do it justice. It truly is beautiful! I enjoyed making it too! If you want one, let me know, I'll make another!!

Future chef???

2010-01-05T17:29:00.004-05:00

Maybe not.......

Hmmmm....

2009-12-29T16:56:00.000-05:00

Just checking out my new signature. What do ya think?

Handyman Jackson

2009-12-28T19:50:00.002-05:00

After the many household projects that John did around the house this year, Jackson found himself fond of tools. He wants to be like Daddy! So for Christmas Jackson got a tool set, and I had to make a tool belt and accessory bag to go along with it.
This little bag holds all of the little miscellaneous pieces that came along with the set.
The tool belt has pockets to carry all of the tools.
It even has a little hammer loop. And of course, it has to be personalized with his name. Now he is a regular tool man, just like Daddy!!

Jackson's Busy Book

2009-12-28T17:00:00.007-05:00

This was one of the Christmas gifts that I made for Jackson. It was a lot of cutting and little pieces, but it was worth it. It will be great for church, and may even keep him from visiting our neighbors in the pew behind us.
The cover encases all of the pages and still has room to add more. I also added a pocket on the back for treats or tissues or whatever.
The pieces of the traffic sign comes off, so that the colors can be matched.
The flag swivels, and the letter inside is removable and addressed to Jackson.

My favorite is the farm. It turned out so cute, and inside is animal finger puppets.
The apples can come off and go into the basket. The puzzle pocket holds a fabric puzzle that is 2 sided.

The alien has face pieces that can be changed around and stored in the pockets.
The rocket slides up and down, and the robot has bendy arms, stretchy legs, and a zipper pocket belly.
Again, the balloons are matching colors.
This was fun to make, and I am pretty proud of myself.

Did Santa visit you?

2009-12-27T21:33:00.004-05:00

He definitely visited our house!! We had an excess of gifts on Christmas. It took Jackson 3 days to open all of his gifts.

On Christmas Eve, we did our family tradition and made pizza to leave for Santa, and read John's book, No Sweets For Santa. The kids all got to open a gift, new Jammie's, and then sleep!

Nana came for Christmas again this year, and we had a special year as her brother Bert flew in from Florida, and her sister Barbara drove in from Connecticut. It was the first time they had all been together since their mother passed away nearly 20 years earlier. It was a great experience to have them all here.
Jackson stole Great Aunt Barbara's glasses, and decided to wear them.This is What the tree looked like after putting all of the gifts out, they are all stacked and shoved in there pretty good. Our boots, and stockings took up the whole couch, and were overflowing with gifts also!This is the aftermath, we were overflowing with gifts on the floor and taking over the table and spilling onto the floor. It was an unbelievable sight!Jackson's favorite gift was this barnyard and tractor set from Great Aunt Barbara. It is very cute, and it makes all of the animal sounds, and tractor noises. He has played with it non stop! (He also got many other toys and gifts which I will post later, because I made them)
We all got a Turbie Twist hair towels from Aunt Barbara.

The Yavorske siblings, together again!

Our Christmas was amazing! We all had a great time together, and way too much stuff and food. The only thing we weren't counting on was the bug we got that had us all vomiting and diarrhea the day afterwords. We are all good now, and hoping you all had a great Christmas too!

Bathroom re-do

2009-12-27T21:08:00.002-05:00

This was my boys bathroom. Kind of icky, I know. The walls were a minty sea foam green, and made me nauseous every time I was in there, and the shower curtain had the same shades of green mixed with some blues. So anyway, I decided to re-do the bathroom to a more kid friendly, less nauseating, fun room. This is what it used to look like...
This is the new bathroom that the family woke up to on Christmas morning. Cute huh!!

The towel rack and hooks are made out of plumbing parts that have been spray painted black, and I also spray painted the light/toilet paper fixtures too. The best thing about this bathroom is that it was done very frugally! The monster shower curtain and other things were clearanced at Target during Halloween. The towels were clearanced from Walmart at back to school time, and plumbing fixtures are cheap! The black frames were clearanced at Kmart, and I cut apart a plastic monster place mat (Target) to put into the frames. I used a Halloween monster pillowcase and cut it apart to trim the towels so the match the monster theme. It all came together great! I still have a few other things I want to put in there, but for now, I am happy!

The first snow

2009-12-05T17:11:00.004-05:00

Today was the first snow of the season. We had to take advantage of the fluffy white stuff and play outside a little, and of course take some pictures. The kids built a snowman too, but I didn't get a photo before it got too dark.
Jackson enjoyed eating the snow. I caould barely get a pic without him putting his handful of snow in his mouth.
The kids are getting so big. I can't believe how grown up they look.

This may end up being our Christmas card photo, so if you see it again, don't be too disappointed.

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

2009-11-27T12:57:00.007-05:00

For Thanksgiving this year John decided that we needed to go to New York and see the Macy's parade. I was a little shocked at his decision because he is very crowd phobic, and he usually turns in to a pumpkin at around 8 pm, but I agreed and we went anyway.
This was the only shot I could get of the two older kids together without fighting continuously.
Jackson was a great trooper like always. He travels easily and is great about being carted around wherever we go.
We stayed at the Hyatt regency in Jersey City, it is right across the Hudson river from the city, and there is a Path train station next door, where you can take the train either under the river directly to the World Trade Center subway stop, or further down into the city. It is a great way to travel into the city, and really inexpensive too.
We ended up about 2 blocks away from the parade route, but we were close enough to see some great balloon action. We did see some of the bigger floats too, but mostly we missed most of the parade action. This spot was on 33rd and 6th ave, right next to the train stop.

We had originally walked down to 7th and 34th, (7th ave being the main drag for the parade), but all of the balloons were turning the corner about 4 blocks up, when all of a sudden we saw spiderman come peeking around the corner. It was great! He was only about a block away.
We didn't escape the crowds entirely, but it could have been a lot worse.
Jackson fell asleep on the train ride into the city. He had the greatest time being carted around in the stroller or on Daddy's neck.
The night before Thanksgiving we went into the city and spent a little time in Times Square, at Toys-R-Us, and walking around a little. We also went to the Macy's inflation Celebration, where they blow up the balloons the night before the parade. It was a little wet (not really raining, but schvitzing, my original word), but it was fun to see all of the balloons at ground level. That night we couldn't escape the crowds at all. It took us about 20 minutes to cross the street at one point.
Times Square

This is the view across the river from our hotel room. It was a cloudy, yucky day, but on a clear night when all of the lights are lit, it is a gorgeous sight to see. We have stayed in this Hotel a few times now, because it is so convenient, and a great view.
All in all, we had a good time, and can now say that we went to the Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. That box is checked off now, but I think in the future, I'll watch it on T.V.

Oops!

2009-11-27T12:42:00.002-05:00

This is what happens when the big kids leave the cereal out on the table without closing it up properly and putting it away. Good thing Jackson likes rice krispies!

Howdy Partner

2009-11-27T12:40:00.003-05:00

Doesn't it just look like he is saying "Hey little lady".

HMMM...

2009-11-04T16:53:00.002-05:00

What do you think?

Autumn Joys

2009-11-04T16:36:00.003-05:00

After church on Sunday, it was so nice out side, and the leaf pile was so inviting that the kids just had to jump right in. (actually we couldn't get Jackson to go in the house)
I don't know why this is underlining everything, and I don't know how to change it, but it really annoys me!!
Jackson really likes to whip the leaves with a stick. He is pretty quick, and they just fly all over.

Don't you just love the pure joy on his face.

Oh to be a child. The simple pleasures of a Autumn afternoon.

Jackson and his whipping stick.

Spooky Fun

2009-11-04T11:48:00.005-05:00

OK, I know that Halloween has been over for a few days now, but I haven't been able to update this yet. We had a lot of different activities going on for Halloween, so the pictures are from all over the place.

Jackson had a good old time trying on the wigs, he thought it was super fun. He would make a really cute girl, don't ya think?

This is Mackenzie (The Ice Princess) and her friend Natasha (the dark princess), They went trick-or-treating dressed like this. They were the opposite sisters, one white, one black, the yin and the yang, dare I say good vs evil, (NO Natasha isn't evil)
This is Kenzie and J.T.. He was a scary skeleton with a silly hat. I don't know why!!
Our ward had a trunk-or-treat for the kiddies, and the youth all decorated different rooms for them to go to, the beehives room was "Nightmare Before Christmas". Hannah is Sally, Natasha is Jack, and Kenzie is the ghost dog, Zero. It was a really cute room.
Jackson was Darth Vader, (as opposed to his Yoda Last year) It was hard to get a good picture of him because he wouldn't stop moving. He wasn't quite sure what was going on, but he finally figured out that these people were giving him candy, and he liked that. He really likes lolli pops and can eat it all (paper too).
Can't wait to see what we'll be next year!!

Marching band and football games

2009-10-26T20:42:00.004-04:00

Mackenzie is in the middle school marching band, and they get to play at all of the middle school football games. This game they actually did a half time and marched on the field. They are pretty good for a middle school band. We all went to the game and watched their performance. (Kenzie is the one in the middle)

In the picture below, they are in the stands playing. Kenzie plays the cymbals in the marching band, and the snare drums in regular band.

Jackson and Daddy are watching the band on the field.
Jackson had more fun playing in the stands than anything else. He liked sitting on these little steps, they were just his size.J.T. was a good baby chaser, and didn't let him get too far away. I think Jackson liked the snacks the most.

The Graham Lounge

2009-10-26T20:20:00.006-04:00

Remember this ?
All the wonderful messes we had in our basement, well we aren't completely finished yet, but now we have this...
and this... (new carpet)

(new cabinets, still some to be put in)
And in lieu of putting our big bulky furniture back in, we have these. 2 ginormous been bag chairs, and 1 small one. One is 7' and the other is 6'. The kids just love them, and both big kids have asked if they can sleep in them instead of their beds. John also said he wants to sleep in them. John also made a built in DVD bookcase to hold all of our movies. Now we have a nice lounge in the basement where we can watch movies and hang out. I also have a nice crafty area down there where I can work on different projects.
Mackenzie's room and the bathroom haven't been done yet, but the rest of the basement is once again functional.

There is still a lot to be done, (like recovering this chair) but it looks like there is an end in sight!!

Fall time fun!!

2009-10-12T21:44:00.004-04:00

Today I wanted to go to the pumpkin patch because the kids were out of school, but I got lost. Don't use mapquest for directions, it is often wrong. We ended up going to a corn maze instead. (We will try for the pumpkin patch another time) We had a great time anyway. There were 5 vouchers that we had to collect throughout the maze, and if we collected them all, along with our admission voucher, we got a free small ice cream cone. The kids had fun trying to find all of the voucher boxes throughout the maze. They also liked to play Marco-Polo to see if they could find each other, or me and Jackson. Jackson had fun wandering around, picking up rocks and corn stalks, and tasting them. He decided that muddy rocks don't taste so good, but corn stalks rattle when you shake them. It was a good time had by all, and our ice cream reward was delicious!!

This tree is in my neighbors yard, I just thought I would share the PA colors. Gorgeous!!!

Doin' Business

2009-10-12T21:16:00.004-04:00

So a few weeks ago I posted a picture on my facebook account of those little bags I made for my friends daughters birthday, (remember these) anyway, another friend that we know in Texas, is getting married next week, and she emailed me and wanted me to make a few for her wedding party gifts (you know, bridesmaids and flower girls). It started out as 5 bridesmaids, and 2 flower girls, but then she decided she wanted more for the rest of her friends and herself. Another 5 were added to the order. Then she added 1 more friend. Now other than the original 7 for the wedding party, the rest didn't have to be finished before the wedding, but being as good as I am (haha) I finished all 13 purses, and had them shipped by Oct 6th.
These are bigger than the tiny goodie bag size, and they all have zipper closures. They are all made out of different fabrics, so each one is unique. 11 of them are 9x12 size, and have 6 outer pockets, and 1 or 2 inside pockets. 2 of them are about 8x10 (for the flower girls) and also have the same pockets.

It was a lot of work, nut I enjoyed making them, and selling them.Thus one is for the bride. I sent pics of all of the fabric I already had, and she let the girls all pick their favorite pattern. They didn't know what was being made out of the fabric though.
I even had scraps, and enough time to make each one a luggage tag that matched. I printed their names on a card and of course added my business card as well.
I must say, I am pretty proud of myself!

Pick-up-sticks or rockets?

2009-10-01T14:25:00.003-04:00

So as I was getting ready this morning after my shower, Jackson was hanging out in the bathroom with me, and he found a few new toys in the bottom cabinet. (good thing we don't keep chemicals down there) Anyway, he ran out of the bathroom with them, and when I came out into the kitchen he had them all lined up on the kitchen table.

I guess he opened one and realized it wasn't a treat.Maybe they are pick-up-sticks?
Maybe it's a rocket?

I guess he'll figure it out one day!!!

Braggin on the Man

2009-09-22T17:42:00.003-04:00

For those of you who don't know, I am married to a very talented and brilliant man!! My darling John (JJ) has just printed his first children's book. This story has been written for years, and has gone through many revisions and fine tuning processes. and now John has created his own publishing company, and had printed his very own book. His Publishing company is called FIGID Press (Finally I Got It Done). He has made a deal with a local restaurant here to exclusively sell his books through the holiday season. If you are local here in Pa, you can go to Pat & Carla's throughout the holiday season and get your own copy for $5. If you aren't local, you can email me and I can get you a copy.
This is a great book and is has spurred our family tradition for pizza on Christmas eve.

John has also written a comic book. It will be available next month Oct 10 and 11 at the Baltimore comic con. But again if you would like a copy, email me and let me know. This is an ongoing series, so this book is only the first. Get your copy for $4.I can't express how proud I am of the wonderful talents that my husband has put into use. He is quite the man!!
Order both of your copies now!!
stgraham73@gmail.com

Funny Boy

2009-09-18T11:15:00.001-04:00

Just thought I'd Share

Outdoor living

2009-09-18T10:38:00.010-04:00

This Summer John has been working on building a treehouse for the kids. He is finally done!!(almost) It is a 2 story treehouse that is 6 ft wide by 10 ft deep and it is 16 ft at the highest piont.
He designed and completed the entire thing from start to finish.
It turned out great.
It even has some great yellow shag carpet for comfort.
It has screened in walls on the top part for air ventilation, and it will eventually have a window cut into the front panel. There is a rock climbing wall on the right side, and a built in ladder on the left.
I think he did a great job!!
Next project. Basement repair (damage estimates from the insurance agent: $15000)

Busy, busy, busy!!!

2009-09-17T21:58:00.011-04:00

So I have been sewing like crazy lately. I am gearing up to do a craft show with some friends in a couple of weeks, and I have been trying to get things made to sell.
These first bags are actually what I made for a friends little girls birthday party. They are 41/2" goodie bags for her spa party. I made 15 of these.

Next I have pencil rolls. These each hold 12 colored pencils and roll up nice and tight and fasten with an elastic and button. they can be stowed in a backpack, or diaper bag, and don't take up much room.

These 2 purses I made for my friends daughters. They both have birthday's in September, and she wanted them each to have one. The insides are lined, and they have a total of 8 pockets.

This first bag is a lunch bag I made for Mackenzie. It is made with insulated batting to help keep her food colder longer.
I made a bunch of travel pillows. They are about 12x 16 and have a handle for convenient carrying. They also have a pocket that is big enough to hold a paperback book, or nintendo DS. These came in really handy for my kids travels this summer.
I am making travel checker boards to go along with the Tea sets and race tracks that I made earlier. These will fold up into a cute little carrying bag, and have coordinating wooden checkers to go with them.

My friend Valerie's baby boy Reuben just had surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his shoulder. He needed some "easy on" shirts to wear, so I made a couple of Kimono style tops for him (Bottoms for 1).
I liked the Kimono tops, so I made a pair of jammies for Jackson. I used the leftover fabric pieces to make this quilt top and pillow top. The backs are made of extra soft plush minky fabric. I haven't decided if Jackson will get the blanket and pillow too, or just the jammies. I call it the "Crazy Turtle" set.

Anyway, I was sewing so much, that I killed my sewing machine, and had to buy a new one. So now I can sew even more.
I have been sewing on and off since mom taught us as youngsters, and learning in 4-H and Home Ec, but I have never considered myself much of a sewing person, but I have decided to accept that I am good at it, and maybe I can utilize this talent to benefit my family some. I have opened an online shop (www.steffistuff.etsy.com ) and am starting to do a few craft shows, and such. If I can earn a little money to help my family out, then I will become that "sewing person". Help me out and check out my shop.

The most wonderful time of the year

2009-08-31T21:35:00.004-04:00

You know that commercial, where the dad is taking his kids shopping for back-to-school, and they are in the office supply store and he is dancing all around, and they are playing that song. "It's the most wonderful time of the year", I can relate to that dad!!
My kids started school today. Yeah!!! I love summer, and I love my kids, but they are exhausting. After trying to do something educational, and stimulating all summer, I really have a new respect for teachers, home schoolers, and anyone in the child care industry. God bless them for all of the great work they do.

Anyway, I can't believe how big my kids are getting. JT is starting 5th grade this year.
Mackenzie is starting the 7th grade. She is becoming a little woman right before my eyes. She has always been kind of a jeans/sweats an t-shirt kind of a gal, but this year she wanted to "dress nicer". She now has a whole wardrobe of cute, girly clothes. We bought more school clothes for her than we have bought for the 2 of them put together in the past. She also got a lot taller this year, and her feet grew 2 sizes since the first of June. Jackson likes to watch the school bus pick up JT. He runs to the couch so he can look out the window, and watches it go all the way down the street. We will be doing some learning of our own with him this year.I have decided to do kind of a bento box lunches for the kids this year. It is a much healthier way to eat, and they won't be taking a lot of junk food. They both enjoyed their lunches today, and finished every last bite.
Today's lunch was whole grain biscuit pizzas, grapes, carrots and celery with ranch (in the little containers), sugar free vanilla pudding (the only pre packaged thing) and some pretzel goldfish, and a little jelly candy from Japan.

Tomorrow, these contain 2 corndog muffins, strawberries, carrots, celery, cauliflower, and broccoli and ranch (the little containers), cheese cubes, dried fruit trail mix, and puffed rice krispy treat.
They helped make everything and pack it, so they can be a part of the whole process. So far, so good. I hope they continue to enjoy this process. I think they are kind of fun too!!!

Back to school prep

2009-08-21T19:47:00.004-04:00

School time is rapidly approaching, which means that the kids need to pack lunches, that means Mom has to hear the ever present question of "whats for lunch today?". I want them to eat a little healthier than they did last year, and not have so many prepackaged convenience foods, but on the other hand I enjoy convenience. My kids also are not huge fans of having a sandwich every day, so we needed to solve that problem too.
My solution, utilize my muffin tins and freezer to their fullest abilities. So I have been cooking a lot this week. Here is a little of what I made.

Corn dog muffins: cornbread muffins with cut up hot dogs and cheese (I used turkey cheddar sausages instead) yield 36
Mini zucchini muffins with mini chocolate chips: yield 136
Bacon swiss quiches: yield 24
Ham and swiss quiches: yield 24
Biscuit pizzas: yield 24 ( but the family ate some for lunch today, and I only ended up with 6, so I have to make another batch to freeze)
Taco cornbread muffins: yield 24

All of these items can be eaten cold, and when paired with some fruit and veggies, should make a nice little lunch. I have really been fascinated by Bento Box lunches lately, so I am going to try a little of that this year. We'll see how it goes.

I also made 20 breakfast burrito's for the freezer (this is a regular thing) so that John has something nice for breakfast when he has to get up at 3:30 for work. Nuke them for a few minutes, and you have a nice hot meal.

Jackson's new blanket

2009-08-21T19:42:00.003-04:00

Jackson got a new fuzzy blanket like the bigger kids have, so we spent some quality time playing hide and seek and peek-a-boo under the blanket.

Rainy Day Fun

2009-08-21T19:36:00.004-04:00

This has been a pretty wet summer in our area, so the kids have perfected the art of building forts to entertain themselves. They spend time in their forts playing with their DS games, or just being silly. Isn't it great to be young.

Living in Shambles

2009-08-21T19:17:00.004-04:00

We have had a little leak in our basement. Our a/c had a build up of ice on the outside of the unit, and when we turned it off, it thawed. Now, our basement floor was built up about 2 inches from the concrete, so all of the water went underneath the flooring, so it was not visible to us from the beginning. We noticed it from the inside of a closet that was not built up. Luckily our insurance will cover it, but we do have our deductible to pay. Anyway, it turns out that our house is on somewhat of a slope, and all of the water ran down to the corner of Mackenzie's room and puddled there. We have had a company in tearing apart our basement, trying to find all of the wet and dry it out. So we have these giant fans blowing in the basement, and Mackenzie will be bunking with Jackson for a while. Our insurance adjuster can't come out until the 1st of Sept, and I don't know how long the fans will be here. Doesn't it just sound fun!!

Mackenzie's room.

The hallway.
The big room. All of Kenzie's belongings are shoved in there too.
Where the trouble began.

Birthday with an Asian flair

2009-08-15T18:10:00.005-04:00

Today was Mackenzie's birthday party. Can you believe she turned 12 last week.
Anyway, we chose to have a party with an Asian theme. It was a lot of work, but it was a lot of fun too. We had Bento box lunches with a combination of Japanese and Chinese cuisine. The girls didn't eat a lot, but it was meant to be for them to just try something new anyway. They tried steamed dumplings, egg rolls, soba noodles, and fruit. I also made some California rolls, but no one dared try. They also had Japanese Pocky sticks (biscut type sticks dipped in flavored coating) They ate with chopsticks, and became very goofy.

Then we made some glass tile necklaces, rings, and magnets. Not really and Asian craft, but we did use Japanese papers, and what little girl doesn't like jewelry, right.
Audrey came a little late, but she still got to do the fun too.

These were what they made. Pretty,huh.The girls had a fun time playing Rockband for a little while. It was quite funny listening to them trying to do all of the parts.
Then they had a pillow fight with the bum cushions that I made for them to sit on.

eating their Bento's.Kenzie opening gifts
I made each of the girls and individual cake. The Japanese Kanji is the symbol for friendship. They were tasty as well as pretty!
These were takeout boxes with a chocolate dipped fortune cookie in them. The also had another takeout box full of Japanese candies.
It was a lot of fun, but I am now exhausted!!!

Natures Bounty

2009-08-15T18:00:00.003-04:00

I have been doing a little canning lately. So far this year I have preserved or frozen the following.

9 Quarts and 3 Pints of peaches
33 Quarts and 18 pints of pickles (Split with my dear friend Carla)
22 Pints of Zucchini bread
5 Quarts of frozen green beans
5 Quarts of frozen raspberries
8 Quarts of frozen cherries
3 Quarts of cherry pie filling
30 ears of corn frozen, and 8 Quarts of corn cut off the cobs frozen

It is only the beginning of the season too, so I am sure there will be a lot more to come.

Hair

2009-08-06T17:08:00.004-04:00

I just have a few comments on hair. I am to the point of just wanting to shave my head bald and wear a wig. My hair is so thick and heavy, and in the summer it gets really hot and sweaty. I am ready for a haircut, but I hesitate until it cools down, because at this point I can at least pull it up off of my neck, but that is part of the problem. I always pull it up in a ponytail. That seems to be my standard hairdo as of late. I have resorted to constantly having "mom hair". Now there isn't anything wrong with an occasional "mom hair" day. but when it is an everyday occurrence, there seems to be a problem. I don't even have bangs left, just really long hair that all gets pulled back. I even seem to have it pulled back for church, or other outings (my outings mostly consist of church). No one gets to see my hair down anymore. It is just too hot, and on top of that, the humidity here makes it a little frizzy, so my beautiful straight hair, isn't really straight anymore.
I am thinking of cutting it short, but that brings another issue. Short hair requires more work. You wouldn't think so, but it does. Depending on the style, you have to primp and preen and blow dry, where with the long hair I can put it in a ponytail while it is still wet. Of course they wet ponytail will still be wet when I take it down at night. I am in a no win situation at this point, and I just don't know what to do.
Break out the razor!!!

The many moods of Jackson

2009-08-06T16:53:00.002-04:00

Jackson likes to eat! He is a really good eater, and isn't very picky. He will try just about anything.
He has taken to running away when you change his diaper. He is a quick and slippery little guy.He finds the sensation of letting the blood rush to his head, I guess, exhilarating.
He likes to play in puddles made by our many rain storms. They almost make him float away.
He likes being buried in a pillow fort. He and JT do this for hours sometimes.

Jackson is a very silly child. He likes to do things with his eyes closed, like walk around or try to eat, or play with his toys. I have never seen another child his age do something like that. I didn't take a picture of it, but it is very funny. He definitely has a mind of his own and his own distinct personality, and we wouldn't change it for the world!!

I am still here!

2009-08-06T16:34:00.004-04:00

Wow I didn't realize it had been that long since I posted last. I guess the business of summer has taken over.
Last week we drove to Indianapolis to switch kids. We picked up Mackenzie from her 3 weeks away with Nana, and dropped off JT for his 2 week adventure. We were also able to visit friends while we were there. It was great fun to visit and see how big everyone's kids are getting.
We saw a wonderful park that we used to go to when we lived there. The Park is so much better now, it has rockin' new equipment, wooded walking trails, and a pond, plus fields for volleyball, soccer and other sports, and I think I saw tennis courts too.
We visited our friends the Honey's Alpaca farm. and Jackson Loved playing with their son Kade (he is 3 months older than Jackson) He also enjoyed loving the alpacas, and dogs on the ranch.
He was very snuggly on this trip and he would hug and love every stuffed animal he could. He also loved playing with the bubble machine at my best friend Jennifer Stumpf''s house.
It was all good fun, but it is always nice to come home!

Old Mac Jackson had a farm

2009-07-19T17:39:00.003-04:00

This is another fun project that I have been working on for my little farmer boy. The barn was a lot of work, but the animals weren't too bad. They are the perfect size for his chubby little hands. If you ask Jackson the cow says "Boooooo"

Keeping Busy

2009-07-18T23:22:00.008-04:00

Last week Mackenzie and John flew out to Denver to Aunt Jen and Uncle Scotts house. (Kenzie is starting her 3 week road trip with Nana from there) So anyway, the boys and I tried to stay busy. Here is just a few of the things we did.

We went to the park and played in the wading pool. Jackson mostly stood in 1 spot and stared at the water. We played hide and seek in the laundry. We ate muffin tin meals (JT's new favorite). We played in the sprinklers. We dressed as cows and went to Chick-fil-A on cow appreciation day, we got free lunch, and Jackson loved the cow.

We made Terreriums in empty soda bottles. We did a bunch of science experiments, like seeing if a hard boiled egg will fit into a jar that is too small for it, and seeing if we could blow up a balloon with a rotten banana. We also picked some Queen Annes Lace and put it into different colored water, and watched as the flowers turned colors from sucking up the water. We did some other experiments too.
We played monopoly a few times too. We used special dye and sun dyes some bandanas and shirts,(I'll post pics of them later).

We did a lot of other things too. It was a busy week, but Daddy is back now to help with the entertaining. (I need a break)

Paper Beading

2009-07-18T23:18:00.002-04:00

This was one of our many activities this summer. We made our own beads out of paper, and then made our own bracelets.

My Little clown

2009-07-18T23:15:00.001-04:00

I am so proud! He isn't even 2 and he has already found his calling in life.

Hootenany Pancakes

2009-07-18T23:12:00.000-04:00

Just for you mom! Yummy!!

Not just for the birds

2009-07-18T23:01:00.004-04:00

At a recent BBQ we attended, Jackson decided that the birdbath wasn't just for the birds. He wanted to splash too. He talked this little girl into splashing with him. (I don't think her mom was too happy about it.)
They emptied out the birdbath (mostly Jackson did).

Craftapalooza

2009-07-04T12:36:00.008-04:00

These are a few of the crafty items That I have been making lately. I have been trying to use up some of the fabric that I have had hanging around for years.The top two photos are of seat belt strap covers. Now the straps will be padded, and not dig into our skin. The froggy ones are for Jackson's straps, and the dragon one is JT's. I also made some for Mackenzie and John and Myself, but they were already in the car.
These two adorable items are my own design of children's travel games. The car one is a "Race & Stow" portable race track. It is a quilted 12x12 mat that folds up to 6x6 (takes up little space) and has 2 pockets to hold hot wheels size cars. It has handles to carry around. It is a great item for a Dr's office visit, or to take to church. The girly version I am calling the "Tea to Go" It is the same size as the race track, but it has a cloth tea cup, 2 fabric cookies, and a matching napkin that all fold up and fit into the pockets. They are both very cute if I may say so.
The next one is a water bottle sling with a strap. As we were doing our nature hikes, we needed to carry water bottles, and if I had these made it would have been a lot easier. Hands Free!! It holds many different sizes of bottles, to accommodate everyone. It is being modeled by the lovely Mackenzie, in her jammies.

John thinks I am crazy, and we both agree that I have Artistic ADD (I have so many crafty ideas that I can't focus on just one), but he will be happy when you all buy one of these from me for Christmas gifts for your loved ones. When you are all interested, let me know!!
I am working on a few other gifts that you might like. I will post them when they are completed.

Our Nature Walk

2009-07-04T12:24:00.003-04:00

We have been keeping up with our summer activities. Although we don't have photos for everything we have been doing a few things. We have made homemade ice cream in plastic baggies, and made a few little crafts. We have gone to our library every Monday for activities, and taken a couple of Nature Walks. On one such Nature walk,each of the bigger kids had their own camera, and took photos from their own view. We haven't developed the film yet, but can't wait to see what they saw. We also had lunch at Caledonia State Park, nearby, and Jackson loved the cheesepuffs. (I think his favorite food is cheese)

Toddler Treasures

2009-07-04T12:14:00.004-04:00

We recently went to a party for some friends of ours that are moving to Arizona. The kids swam and got to ride in go karts. They thought it was way cool.

Jackson spent time collecting treasures from all over the ground. (Sticks and rocks are a particular favorite.) Later, he shared his treasures with another little boy. I hope he doesn't ever learn the concept of "MINE". I like it when he shares!

Friendship bracelets

2009-06-28T21:37:00.009-04:00

This was a quick activity that we did on an extremely hot day. It was too hot in the afternoon to play outside, so we stayed in. Who better than friends to make our friendship bracelets with, right?
Alaina made a cute headband, and the rest of us made bracelets, or anklets. We had a good time,(and it is a great quick craft that doesn't make a huge mess)!!

Nature Journals

2009-06-28T21:29:00.003-04:00

Remember the paper that we tea stained, and the leaf prints that we made? Well this is the result we got when we combined all our pieces. The kids and I punched the papers, and tied them together with a cardboard cover, and some natural twine, and then we decorated the covers with our leaf prints, and some loose twigs. I think they look great.

Pool Party

2009-06-28T21:08:00.003-04:00

We attended our first pool party of the season with a group of Target people. The kids had a blast goofing off in the pool (especially the big goofy kid). Jackson liked the pool, but was more interested in playing with lincoln logs and eating cheese balls. He also found rocks, which is a favorite for him. Everywhere we go , Jackson finds rocks and sorts and carries them around. Maybe he will be a Geologist when he grows up?

Ruby Red Deliciousness

2009-06-24T21:57:00.003-04:00

I love my neighbors. They have the most beautiful garden. Every year Theo tells me that she isn't going to have a big garden, because it is too much work, but every year it seems to get bigger.
I love the fact that they go on vacation this time every year, and I have garden duties. The best part of these duties include picking the great produce that is ripe. This time of year it isn't much, but I did get about a quart of peas, and the best part of all I picked about 2 quarts of ruby red delightful, delicious, lovely little raspberries. I get all giddy and excited to go into their garden and come out with this beautiful reward (my kids think I am crazy).
I can't wait to go back tomorrow and pick some more.
My dinner tonight consisted of a handful of freshly shelled peas, and a bowl of delectable red beauties with a little cream (left over from our butter making). What a great summer meal.
I even wrote a haiku about raspberries.

Ruby red beauties
Growing in the garden sun
Raspberries, oh yum.

I am content!!

Cherrific Day!!

2009-06-24T09:30:00.005-04:00

I can't believe how much fun the kids had with the cherries. They not only enjoyed picking them, but they also fought over who's turn it was to pitt them. They thought it was fun. We froze a bunch and ended up making little cherry cobblers with some too. (we still have more to do).
Kenzie even wore her cherry dress for the occasion.
The little bird bowl was made by me, and the mini cake stand was a gift from a good friend.

Cherry Pickers

2009-06-23T14:26:00.004-04:00

Today's activity was a field trip to a local orchard for some Cherry picking. We participated in a pick your own outing. Both the big kids were saying "yuck, I'll pick them if I don't have to eat them", but after tasting a few, they decided that they really like cherries (minus the pitts).
They really enjoyed this activity, It was a lot of fun to see who could get the most in their buckets, and who could find the biggest cluster of cherries. JT climbed the tree and found the ripest cherries at the top.
Even Jackson got in on the action. He enjoyed eating some too, the evidence is all over his face (top photo). We are looking forward to going back in about 2 weeks to pick Apricots (yummy) Later we will be baking some delightful treats with our well earned rewards (not sure what we will make, but we will let you know).

Homemade Yummyness.......

2009-06-23T14:02:00.016-04:00

Yesterday we made homemade bread and butter. We each picked a fresh herb from the garden and mixed it into our whole grain

French Bread.

We used Basil, Sage and Oregano.

We also made our own butter.
It was so creamy and sweet. Delicious!!!

The neighbor girls came and made butter too. The girls tried rolling their jars on the floor to see if it would go faster, it didn't.

The results were very tasty!! All of the kids got in on the action, even Jackson.

The boys were the best shakers!!

Evil Pests

2009-06-22T09:05:00.003-04:00

I had a great garden going this year. I had 3 beautiful heads of broccoli that were ready to be harvested, as well as some other plants that were growing nice and big.

This is what I came home to. My broccoli and cauliflower, completely gone, and most of my other plants eaten down to just nubs.

This is the culprit. Nasty groundhog. He liked the peas too.

Philly

2009-06-22T08:28:00.006-04:00

This weekend we took a trip to Philadelphia. It was john's Fathers Day gift. He wanted to go to the Philly Comic Con. Friday night we explored a little of Chinatown and has some scrumptious food. (however the many choices were overwhelming) John and the kids tried a variety of baked items that were all a little interesting.

Saturday Kenzie, Jackson and I went to see the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, and Ben Franklins burial place in the morning. I would have liked to spend more time in the historical areas, but it started pouring rain on us, and our plans were thwarted.

Our Hotel was right next door to the famous Reading Terminal Market. You can find just about any type of food you want there, so that is where we had Breakfast, and lunch. It is really kind of a cool place if you can get past all of the people.

Chinatown Arch
Saturday afternoon, John took the boys back to the comic con for the kids costume contest. Jackson was Yoda again, and JT made a Mega Man costume (I'll have to post the other pics later, they are on a different camera) Jackson won 2nd place and JT won 3rd. I think a great time was had be all. Philly was nice, but we are happy to be back to our tine home town. We just aren't big city kind of people.

Tea Staining

2009-06-22T08:17:00.003-04:00

On Thursday, JT and I tried our hand at tea staining paper. We will be binding our own "Nature Journals" to use with some of the other nature projects we have been doing. (books will post later) We just used regular cardstock for a thicker sturdier paper. (My kids need durability) When we cover our books and bind them, we will be putting one of our leaf prints on the covers.

JT enjoyed crumpling the paper and trying to make it as messy as possible.

We hing it through the kitchen so that it could dry. It was kind of cool to see all the papers hanging there.

Summer Activities

2009-06-16T09:50:00.008-04:00

This summer I am determined not to let go to waste. I don't want the kids to just waste their time, so I decided to do at least 1 educational activity every day (excluding weekends) So this is what we have done so far.

We did leaf prints by covering the plant pieces with muslin and hammering the pigments out. Some turned out great, others, not so much.

Jackson liked to hammer too.

Next we made a flower press. I cut the wood to size, and drilled holes for the large screws. JT helped to cut the cardboard pieces, and I cut some newsprint paper to size too. We assembled it all with paper in between the cardboard pieces, and wood on both ends, fastened it with wing nuts, and it is ready for flowers.

Not a bad start to the summer I think. Check back to see what comes next!!

Peaceful Slumber

2009-06-16T09:47:00.002-04:00

To tuckered out to finish lunch.

Images of Summertime

2009-06-16T09:33:00.005-04:00

My birdhouse. (It mill be much better when the daisies behind it bloom)

Lilies from my garden.

Playing Children

Mushroom fairy house.

Our fairy village. Mushrooms galore.

Summer Lovin

2009-06-16T09:31:00.001-04:00

What could say summer more than running around barefoot in the grass.
Aahhhh!!!

Splish Splash....

2009-06-16T09:18:00.003-04:00

We have a common area in the back of our house. It is maintained by our backdoor neighbor. He is a baseball player, and therefore set up a batters and pitchers mound. They are very nicely done and covered in tarps(the plastic collects rain water). Jackson found the puddle of rain water and proceeded to make the most of it. He was a hoot to watch. All was good until he tried to drink the water.

Greatest Place on Earth

2009-06-03T21:35:00.008-04:00

Jackson Hole, Wyoming is one of the most beautiful places on the face of the earth.(our baby is named after this place) The beauty of nature there is immeasurable. We have been very fortunate over the years to stay at a beautiful cabin at the base of the Teton mountain range. The photo above is a view from the back porch. Imagine waking up to that every morning.

The wildlife is amazing also. We have often seen many different types of animals, but this visit was special, we saw our first bear. He was only about 30 feet from the road grazing on some grasses.

John and I took the kids for a walk down to the river near the cabin, and we saw 2 moose.(a bull and cow) Now we have seen moose in the past, but this time they were really close, and heading in our direction. They wanted to come to the river, but we were blocking their path across a little log bridge. They were kind enough to allow us to pass, and we watched them from a respectable distance.(about 20 feet) We have never been so close to the animals. It was a great treat.

"Big bumps"
Every time we go to Jackson, we take the "bump on the log" photo's. This log is on the slope near the swimmin' hole. It is our family tradition.

"Little bumps"

If I could choose any place in the world to live, this would be it! I love Jackson Hole, and will always remember the wonderful times spent there.

Saying Goodbye

2009-06-03T21:00:00.004-04:00

We just returned from an amazing trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where we paid our respects and said goodbye to our dear Papa and father. John wanted his ashes put into "the swimmin' hole". In the Grand Teton National Park, there is a place called Jenny Lake, and on the hike up to the lake there is a beautiful spot where the river has some falls that go into a beautiful pool that looks out onto the lake. This has been a special sot for the Graham family for many years. We always hike there and swim in the pool. Could you ask for a more beautiful spot for your final resting place?

John was a rock collector. whenever he found an unusual rock, or one from a special place, he would cart it home. In that tradition we all carried a rock from our home to throw into the swimmin' hole when we said our goodbyes. A friend also etched the large stone with his name and dates on it. John always wore baseball caps too. On our hike, each of us wore one of his many hats in his honor, and got to keep them to remember our Papa.

We couldn't have asked for a better day to honor him. The weather was perfect, and it was John's birthday, and the whole family was there to share in this special day. We loved John Graham and miss him, but he will always be in our hearts.

Melon Lovin'

2009-06-03T16:23:00.004-04:00

On Memorial day we had a picnic at local park with some friends of ours. Jackson couldn't get enough watermelon. He ate 3 wedges in a row, and cried when it was gone and I took the rind away from him. He was stuffing the whole rind in his mouth along with everything else.

After finishing his melon, before I could wipe him off, he promptly went to the sandbox and dug right in. Very messy. He only stuck the sticky, sandy hands in his mouth once though. I don't think he liked the taste.

1st haircut

2009-05-23T20:49:00.004-04:00

before it is all cut

after shot

Jackson had his first haircut this week. He was starting to look a little shaggy, and he was growing a baby mullet. I always procrastinate on the first haircut, because it means that my baby is growing up, and sure enough he looks like a little boy now. I am not the best hairdresser, so it isn't the best cut ever, but it turned out ok. He is so cute!(don't you love the little bruise on his forehead, the signature of toddlerhood.)

Ham and Cheese

2009-05-23T20:46:00.002-04:00

Jackson has realized that we smile for the camera. He is starting to become a little ham, and really play it up. This day we were learning to say cheese for the camera. Don't you just love the grin!

Its BBQ Time

2009-05-23T20:36:00.003-04:00

It's that wonderful time of year again when the Grahams start their outdoor festivities. We love to have BBQ's and get-togethers. We have a great huge backyard that is ideal for outdoor games, and we have a firepit in the back that we love to use for roasting smores. This was the 1st of many for the season. We plan to have many more outings this year. Come on over and join us!