Monday, March 19, 2012

Loud Neighbors!

As soon as it's dusk, these loud neighbors come out and party all night.
The other night I grabbed my camera and captured a few shots of them.
It was dark. The only way I could see these guys was by the flash on my camera.
I probably looked like a creeper out there, all crouched low to the ground taking photos of God-knows-what.

IMG_7348

IMG_7352

IMG_7372

IMG_7404

IMG_7406

IMG_7421

IMG_7429

IMG_7431

IMG_7453

IMG_7449

Ribbit!
IMG_7464

Anyway, despite their loudness- I think I like the new neighbors. I'm not sure what my other neighbors think of them...
If I had to guess, I'd say they hate us. :S

Sunday, March 18, 2012

More Spring!

We set a record high temperature in the St. Louis area yesterday! I hope everyone is enjoying spring!


IMG_7329

IMG_7332

IMG_7334

IMG_7335

IMG_7338

IMG_7340

IMG_7470

IMG_7467

IMG_7475

IMG_7478

IMG_7479

Hello Pup!

Saw this cute pup at the gas station the other day. I'm not sure this is the safest thing ever, but isn't he cute?

IMG_7327

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Beautiful Weather!

If you're in Missouri, the weather has been pretty nice! Vincent and I had a little more than an hour before we had to go to the dentist the other day, so we ran to the grocery story and grabbed some bread for our lake's resident ducks and geese. It was so much fun, even though it was a tad bit windy.

IMG_7041

IMG_7042

IMG_7045

IMG_7047

I like his little tongue sticking out.
IMG_7074

IMG_7056

IMG_7063

IMG_7071

IMG_7072

Now I know why they say people get "goosed."
IMG_7073

IMG_7077

Coming in for a landing.
IMG_7084

They're playing.
IMG_7087

IMG_7109

We're playing too!
IMG_7107

IMG_7094

IMG_7092

This brown duck is cute.
IMG_7116

Vin likes ducks with puffy hair.
IMG_7120

IMG_7117

IMG_7124

To me, there's nothing better than being outside!
I hope you guys are finding a way to enjoy yourselves!

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Fruity Crayons!

The other day I saw this super cute idea for recycled crayons. I used to make recycled crayons when I was little, but they were never this fancy. Anyway, I haven't made them in ages. I thought it would be a fun project for me and goose.

I found it on the Little Blue Boo blog, which I've been reading a ton lately since it was suggested by Lauren @ LaurenDarlings.

In case you didn't see my first link:

We already had a ton of broken crayons and a silicone mold, so we gave it a try.

If I could make a suggestion, it would be to follow these tips... that LBB published on the Blog. I totally didn't, but wish I would have.

A few tips!

1. The smaller the bits of crayon….the better the result. It will take less time for the crayon bits to melt and the colors won’t mix as much. Chop them up using a sharp knife.

2. Using the lowest heat possible on the oven is ideal…..you’ll just have to be REALLY patient for the bits to melt. 150 to 175 degrees is recommended.
3. Allow ample time for the crayons to cool so they won’t break as you remove them from the mold.
4. Stay away from washable crayons….they have a wax in them that will float to the top. I use them anyways just in very small amounts.
5. Don’t mix too many colors….in case you end up heating the crayons too much you’ll keep the colors brighter. Mixing across the color wheel results in brownish colors!
6. Quality of crayon can make a difference! I had some cheap dollar store crayons that took too long to melt and left some large chunks. The color seemed duller too.

My oven was set to 150 degrees and it took a REALLY long time for them to melt. Even after more than an hour they still weren't melted all the way.

I cranked up the oven to 180 and they started melting a lot better, but looked soupy. I wasn't sure if they were supposed to look that way. I thought all of our crayons were going to be brown.

Also, a lot of our crayons didn't have wrappers, so I couldn't tell if they were washable or cheap or what. But LBB is right. The washable ones do have wax that floats to the top and it's colorless. And they don't melt as well.

Anyway, V was thrilled with our crayons and took them to show-and-tell at preschool. I think they turned out really, really cute for a first try and I can definitely see making them again.

IMG_7140

IMG_7142

See the back? They wouldn't melt for anything! Next time I'll make the chunks smaller. I even had an idea to melt a color, pour it in the mold, let it dry, melt another color, pour, let dry, etc. to get a rainbow crayon. But that's a lot more time consuming then throwing them in the mold and sticking it in the oven.

IMG_7143

Be sure to check out the Little Blue Blog for the tutorial and for tons of fun ideas, and inspiration, as well as an amazing outlook on life.

I have some more fun projects to show you and stuff to post, but that's it for now! Happy Sunday friends!

Friday, March 9, 2012

Outdoor Project

A few weekends ago, G got it in his head that he needed to redo one of our ponds- make it bigger and better. So, he did. I can't wait to show you what it looks like once the flowers start blooming. But for now, here it is.

G is cutting the liner.
IMG_6768

IMG_6772

Next, I watched a ferocious pup fight.
IMG_6778

We had to go pick out some rocks.
IMG_6779

IMG_6782

We had a big helper.
IMG_6791

He's very strong.
IMG_6787

I liked this sparkly one, but G said it was too jagged.
IMG_6793

IMG_6805

IMG_6803

IMG_6802

Another helper?
IMG_6800

IMG_6796

I don't know what happened to the camera at this point, but the next photos I have are all finished.

IMG_6888

IMG_6889

IMG_6890

Here is our other pond.
IMG_6894

IMG_6892

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...