Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Resurrection Cookies


As you are preparing for Easter with your family I just wanted to remind you of one of our favorite Easter traditions.  I share last year about Resurrection Cookies.  As you make these cookies with your kids you teach them about Jesus's Death and Resurrection.  It has been the best tool for our kids to really start to grasp the reality of Jesus's death and the miracle that HE ROSE from the grave!  These cookies do not take long to make.  It is a great way to slow down the Saturday before Easter and really focus on the meaning of Easter.


You can find the recipe here.


May you have a Joyous Easter Weekend



Monday, March 25, 2013

Flat Stanley

Whew...

we survived Spring Break!
When you are an Irish Dancer, you are in high demand on St. Patrick's Day!
Thank goodness St. Patrick's Day fell at the beginning of Spring Break!
After the 8 performances over the weekend, yes 8!, we needed the rest of Spring Break to recover!
Miller did not love being in the same room as the bag pipe.

Ella's class just finished reading the book Flat Stanley.  So, as a Spring Break project each student made their own Flat Stanley to share their Spring Break adventures.  This week they will be writing their own Flat Stanley adventure books.

Our Flat Stanley had quite the week.
 Not only was he in the St. Patrick's Day parade,
 he got to drive the float.
 Throughout the weekend, we had lots of friends and family come and cheer on Ella
 And if the parade was not enough, Flat Stanley made his way to the Harlem Globtrotters!

After Flat Stanley finished his St. Patrick's Day tour around Birmingham, he got to help clear our lot!
Yes, that is right!  We are finally starting to build!!!  Our lot is now cleared and hopefully foundation will be poured this week!
I know Flat Stanley thought after the busy first part of the week he was going to get to relax for the rest of the week.  But Flat Stanley quickly learned that there is always a project (or 2) before the Lee's relax.
Do not be fooled by those bare feet and rolled up sleeves, it was 45 degrees!!!!

After a day of scrubbing and scrubbing and scrubbing, washing and washing and finally waxing, we made a 26 year old boat look brand new!!!

It may have been too cold to go for a ride in the water, but we sure did go for a ride behind the truck!
Oh, and it was FREEZING!!!
Flat Stanley did not know what he was getting himself into when he came to spend the week with the Lee's!  Not a boring moment!
The Little ones just had to grab a nap where ever they could.
Fitz fell asleep under a table while he was playing hide-and-seek.
Sara Wells fell asleep before we were out of the neighbor hood with a half eaten 
granola bar in her hand!

I hope you all had a great Spring Break with your families!

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Parade News

If you live in Birmingham, 
are not going away on Spring Break and are looking for a fun family activity this Saturday, 
join us downtown for the St. Patrick's Day Parade at 1:30!
(starting at the Alys Stephen's Center, continuing up 20th Street and then up 13th Street) 


Ella has been practicing hard all week long preparing for her big weekend.
(I am going to be honest, I am a little embarrassed by all that laundry, but that is life!  The laundry just seems to NEVER go away!!!)

And I have been taking every opportunity I can to squeeze in work on Easter dresses!  
I figured this might be this last year that I could make an heirloom(ish) dress for both of the girls and they would actually both be excited about it, so I am doing it.  I thought I was giving myself plenty of time, but I am starting to feel the pressure.

I hope you all enjoy your weekend!

I am sure I will have lots to share about ours!



Monday, March 11, 2013

Bouncy Balls


Miller has been begging and begging to do "messy science."  I don't really know where he got this idea, but I have kept my eyes peeled for science projects that might be up to Miller's standards of being messy and up to my standard of not being too messy:)
So, of course where do we all go now in search of ideas???  Pintresest.  I actually just saw this as I was scrolling through all the recent posts and tucked it away.  Thursday both Miller and Sara Wells had a cold and we needed to stay home so it became our "messy science day."  

When I saw the pin for making your own bouncy balls, I knew it was perfect for Miller!  What child would not be thrilled to make their own Bouncy Balls.  
I will warn you.  All the pins make it look like the bouncy balls you will be making will end up like a real bouncy ball.  That is not the case.  But your kids will have a blast making them and playing with them!!!


The secret ingredient is BORAX (found in the laundry detergent aisle)

What you will need:
borax
cornstarch
glue (I used clear, but white glue would be just fine)
warm water
plastic cups
plastic spoons or something disposable for stirring


1.  In one cup mix 1/2 tsp borax powder with 2 tablespoons warm water.
 Stir until dissolved.  (For a more opaque/lighter bouncy ball add food coloring to this mixture.)

2.  In a different cup, add 1 tbsp of glue, 1/2 tsp borax mixture and 1 tbsp cornstarch.  Do not stir and let sit for 10 to 15 seconds.  Then add food coloring.
 3.  Using your plastic spoon, stir
 and stir until you cannot stir anymore.
 4.  Here comes the messy part...

Remove the mixture and start kneading and then forming into a ball with your hands.
 It starts out very, very messy.


 But by the time it has formed into a ball, most of the messiness is gone.

Make as many as your little ones have the patience for
And then let the fun begin!
The fun lasted all afternoon!

 In the end, this is what my kitchen counter looked like.  Not too bad for an afternoon filled with fun that got their minds off how crummy they really were feeling.










Thursday, March 7, 2013

Bubbles

It was a big day in the Lee House.
Both Ella and Miller learned how to blow a bubble!
Ella was first.  I heard excited screaming as Ella sped into the kitchen.
"Mommy, Mommy!!!  I did it, I finally learned to blow a bubble!
This is something they have been working on for a long time.
I thought Miller was years away.  
But oh no!  He was not about to be outdone by his sister.
He tried and tried and tried and finally got it!
If you look really close you can see that tiny bubble.
But it was a bubble!
It counts!

I see lots more bubble blowing in the Lee House!