Summer activity jar...

I have seen various forms of this project in the blog universe over the past few weeks-summer activities &/or ideas jars, summer checklists, summer to-do lists, etc...we decided to go with the jar idea it's very exciting for the twins to reach in and pull out a "surprising" activity of the day than to just check off items on lists.
We have everything from crafty at home activities and outtings to local places to food projects and outdoor fun games listed on little slips in our jar.
Today on our first day of summer we plucked out "make friendship bracelets" from the jar and I was instantly teleported back in time to long lazy summer days with friends at home or at summer camp spending hours twisting, turning and knotting various strands of embroidery floss!
The boys loved it and have already asked if when they get bigger if I'll help them make "daddy" sized bracelets!

Dumas birthDAY pics...

This small (and simple) 4 x 6 mini is going to hold birthDAY pictures of the dumasfam4 throughout 2011. Mike has been photographed on the 7th of each month, myself on the 8th and each of the twins on the 11th. I'm looking forward to looking back on how much we do (or don't) change from month to month this year!

Flat Stanley...

...documented!
I made this little mini from one sheet of 12 x 12 scrapbook paper-cute into (3) 4 x 12 strips-I scored, folded and lined them up to make one pint sized mini accordion album documenting Flat Stanley's Chesapeake visit.

I printed off a few "wallet" sized pictures, used up some bright "boy" colored scraps and bright colored strips of tape for journaling.

Valentines decorations...

These glittery hearts were originally on picks that I bought two bags of at the Dollar Tree with he intent of cutting down the picks and inserting the hearts around a styro ball-it was an epic fail on so many levels. So I put a sheet of patterned paper into a 5 x 7 frame I had on hand and glued two hearts on-super cute! L-O-V-E blocks-I spray painted 2 x 3 square blocks red before adding a piece of card stock and the letters I'd cut out with my cricut.

Flat Stanley

The son of an old friend of mine back home in Upstate NY is reading "Flat Stanley" by Jeff Brown. He writes in his letter that "it's a humorous tale about a boy who becomes FLAT when his bulletin board falls on him. Stanley realizes there are several advantages of being flat, such as the ability to slide under doors and yes, being mailed in envelopes for long trips." Ethan mailed Flat Stanley to us to go on a few adventures with the twins and I before we pack him up and send him back to Ethan and his classmates.
Here are a couple of pics from Stanley's first two days with us in Virginia...

Flat Stanley arrives!

Braden taking Flat Stanley into the Bat Cave at Jumpin Monkey

Connor taking Flat Stanley on the merry go round at Jumpin Monkey

Connor, their BFF Addie and Braden taking Flat Stanley down the slides at City View Park

PIF crafts on facebook...

a few weeks ago on Facebook there was this post going around about pay it forward craft projects. You'd post it to your status and agree to make one homemade gift for the first five people to comment as long as they promised to post the same status and pay it forward as well.
I mailed out my first two PIF craft gifts today...
One of my rag-a-muffin wreaths is on it's way to a fellow police wife friend of mine in IN.

One of the felt circle wreaths I just started making this year is on it's way to another police wife friend in AL.

I can't wait to see what Jennifer & Jana think of their gifts!

52photos in 52 weeks: week 4...

...Shadow
The trees casting their long shadows across one of the trails I jog at one of our local parks.