Garden Sitting

We took care of our friend's garden while they were gone for a week. All the advantages of a garden without really planting one. The girls loved running down there to work in it.

Cousin Clay

Polymer clay is one of W's favorite crafts. Her cousins enjoyed learning some clay techniques during cousin week. L to R: Piper, W., Alethea, Sojourn

Above: W's creatures and habitats.

Above: Piper's creations.

Pounded Flowers

One day during cousin week, we made storage bags decorated with pounded flowers. This was a craft I had never tried before.

We picked flowers from the yard and placed plastic bags behind the fabric so the color would not leak through to the back layer of the bags. Another plastic bag went on top of the flowers and we pounded until the color was transferred.

Olive

Piper

W.

 A little cooling off break on the trampoline.

 I had to try some designs too.

 I used a fine line permanent marker on top for detail.

Summer Snowflakes

We did some crafts during cousin week. I pulled this book off of my art shelf and the kids each chose an animal to cut out. Afterwards, we picked colors to mount them on. I think they look great.

Owen did this great dragon one.

I cut this tiger. We sent it to Olive because she was not out that day.

W. did this sitting kitty. See it? His tail goes toward the center.

Piper made these darling elephants.

I cut these simple monochromatic dragonflies.

M. cut out these fun giraffe silhouettes.

The artists. We got the book by artist Marion Nichols at City Museum in St. Louis.

Tea

Ah, my friends, they know me. Both mugs are recent gifts from friends.

Cousin Week

My cousin Julie's family moved to a town 1 1/2 hours from us from across 1/2 of the country. Then Cousin Piper came to stay for a week at the same time. We had a great time during "cousin week".

Sunday we had 30 people of our extended family for lunch 

with Julie's fam and Piper and her mom. Sweet corn and pulled pork. YUM!

The cousin's kids are angels. Proof right here.

Crafts happened all week. Clay play.

Jules, Selah, Ariston, Alethea, Sojourn

Piper and...

 W. and ...

Cousin Owen love the kittens.

W.and Piper helped serve at our ice cream social before she and her dad headed back home at the end of the week.

Cousin Olive spent a day playing and making things with the girls.

More crafts-animal snowflakes.

Foghat/Kansas

A great concert for the price of admission to the fair.

$7 per person!

photo by Jordan