It's for the birds.

This Spring we have been attempting to make our yard a friendly environment for birds. Mara is the one that has really put some effort into it and here are some of her projects.

She made a birdhouse out of a dried gourd. This gourd I bought at a farmer's market in Ottumwa, Iowa around the time she was born. I had the intentions then to make it into a birdhouse but instead it got incorporated into my decorating in other ways. It moved with us to Kansas and then up to Minnesota where finally Mara was old enough to do the job herself.

To make it into a birdhouse she:

1. Used a sharp knife to cut a hole in the front.
2. Then she used a knife and a stick to break up the membrane inside and dump it out.
3. Next step was to decoratively paint it.
4. Now to put some varnish on to seal it.
5. And finally some little holes in the top to run a wire through so it could be hung up.
6. As I was writing this I realized I should have had her also make some drainage holes in the bottom. If it isn't inhabited yet we had better do that still.

Another project was inspired by a Family Fun Magazine (we really enjoy them!). This is a little bird feeder and it has been pretty well used. Just a little wreath with a little container inside and some strings to hand it up.

This project was thanks to Home Depot (and thanks to Denise for taking her as Ken and I were busy that Saturday). This little birdhouse hangs on a window and the back side is clear plastic so in theory you can watch the bird's in their nest. It is a pretty cool idea. So far we haven't had any birds try it out but just recently something else decided to take up residence- a wasp. We were trying to figure out ways to kill it but now aren't so sure we want to as it is rather fun to watch too and it might be quite educational.

This hummingbird feeder was a gift from some dear friends of ours. (Isn't it classy?!) Yesterday I finally got the "nectar" made for it (Mara had researched the recipe online) and it is ready to go. Mara saw a hummingbird at it for just a moment this morning but I haven't seen one yet. It is hanging just outside our dining room sliding glass door so we hope to see a lot of activity. We have also planted a lot of flowers in hopes of attracting them.

Do you have any special projects you do for the birds? Do you have any bird identification books to recommend? We have a couple small ones but I want to get a better one. I would love to hear your bird stories or just have you say hi. It has been feeling a little lonely on this blog lately.

It's for the birds.

This Spring we have been attempting to make our yard a friendly environment for birds. Mara is the one that has really put some effort into it and here are some of her projects.

She made a birdhouse out of a dried gourd. This gourd I bought at a farmer's market in Ottumwa, Iowa around the time she was born. I had the intentions then to make it into a birdhouse but instead it got incorporated into my decorating in other ways. It moved with us to Kansas and then up to Minnesota where finally Mara was old enough to do the job herself.

To make it into a birdhouse she:

1. Used a sharp knife to cut a hole in the front.
2. Then she used a knife and a stick to break up the membrane inside and dump it out.
3. Next step was to decoratively paint it.
4. Now to put some varnish on to seal it.
5. And finally some little holes in the top to run a wire through so it could be hung up.
6. As I was writing this I realized I should have had her also make some drainage holes in the bottom. If it isn't inhabited yet we had better do that still.

Another project was inspired by a Family Fun Magazine (we really enjoy them!). This is a little bird feeder and it has been pretty well used. Just a little wreath with a little container inside and some strings to hand it up.

This project was thanks to Home Depot (and thanks to Denise for taking her as Ken and I were busy that Saturday). This little birdhouse hangs on a window and the back side is clear plastic so in theory you can watch the bird's in their nest. It is a pretty cool idea. So far we haven't had any birds try it out but just recently something else decided to take up residence- a wasp. We were trying to figure out ways to kill it but now aren't so sure we want to as it is rather fun to watch too and it might be quite educational.

This hummingbird feeder was a gift from some dear friends of ours. (Isn't it classy?!) Yesterday I finally got the "nectar" made for it (Mara had researched the recipe online) and it is ready to go. Mara saw a hummingbird at it for just a moment this morning but I haven't seen one yet. It is hanging just outside our dining room sliding glass door so we hope to see a lot of activity. We have also planted a lot of flowers in hopes of attracting them.

Do you have any special projects you do for the birds? Do you have any bird identification books to recommend? We have a couple small ones but I want to get a better one. I would love to hear your bird stories or just have you say hi. It has been feeling a little lonely on this blog lately.

Grandsons celebrated their birthdays together

Janis did an excellent job of baking/decorating 'THE CAR' birthday cake!

Jackson turned 2 on the 29th and Christopher turns 7 tomorrow....'the family party'

celebrated the two birthdays together and then Christopher has his

own party with his friends after school today!!!

It was a very warm day on Sunday for the family 'double party'...notice the icing sliding down the cake..the car's front tire is sliding down the side of the cake!!!

Hello June. Welcome!

Aren't new months fun and exciting? You never know quite what will take place but there are always special things to look forward to and anticipate. I am so thankful that God made the seasons which makes it so each month is a little different from the rest in the type of weather we have and the different things we will find outside. Here are some of the things we are looking forward to.

The month of June brings....

~Weddings. We have both friends and clients getting married which should add some beauty and fun to this month. A couple of friends are getting married in Southern MN. We are looking forward to traveling down there. Not only will it be neat to witness their vows to become one in God's eyes but we will also enjoy seeing and visiting with the many other friends that will also be there. We have other friends getting married in Malaysia. It would be so fun to go but that is not to be. We will shower them with our prayers however.

~Open windows. I love having the windows open and letting in the fresh air, the songs of birds and the sweet sounds of my children playing.

~School Vacation. That doesn't mean we won't still be learning (I have quite a lot of fun educational hopes for the summer -come visit on Wednesday for some details) but the workbooks are done and we are enjoying the break (We actually started a couple of weeks ago).

~Iris blooming! This being one of my very favorite flowers it is always exciting to me when they burst into bloom.
~The picking of Strawberries. And eating. And red, sweet juice dripping done my cute kids' chins. Oh and making some of them into yummy, yummy jam!

~More working on and hopefully finishing the tree fort! We are quite excited and have all sorts of plans for the finished product. The kids are hoping that lots of our friends (especially those with children) will come to visit.

~Weeding, weeding and more weeding. We have the garden nearly completely in and next will be to try to keep it weed free. I have never done that yet but I can always dream can't I? I actually do enjoy weeding too, I just never seem to have the time to do it all.

~T-ball and Little League. This will be our first summer to try this out. I have to admit I was not very welcoming to the idea but some (lets say ALL) boys in our family really thought it would be neat and so starting next week we will be leaving home 4 mornings a week to go spend time at the ball fields. I am still a little apprehensive but also a little excited. I think I should be able to get a lot of crocheting and knitting done!

~Lilacs, apple trees and so many other beautiful things blooming. It is so much fun and we just love seeing everything looking so lovely.

There are many other fun parts of June but those are some of the highlights I can think of right now. What are you all looking forward to this month?

Hello June. Welcome!

Aren't new months fun and exciting? You never know quite what will take place but there are always special things to look forward to and anticipate. I am so thankful that God made the seasons which makes it so each month is a little different from the rest in the type of weather we have and the different things we will find outside. Here are some of the things we are looking forward to.

The month of June brings....

~Weddings. We have both friends and clients getting married which should add some beauty and fun to this month. A couple of friends are getting married in Southern MN. We are looking forward to traveling down there. Not only will it be neat to witness their vows to become one in God's eyes but we will also enjoy seeing and visiting with the many other friends that will also be there. We have other friends getting married in Malaysia. It would be so fun to go but that is not to be. We will shower them with our prayers however.

~Open windows. I love having the windows open and letting in the fresh air, the songs of birds and the sweet sounds of my children playing.

~School Vacation. That doesn't mean we won't still be learning (I have quite a lot of fun educational hopes for the summer -come visit on Wednesday for some details) but the workbooks are done and we are enjoying the break (We actually started a couple of weeks ago).

~Iris blooming! This being one of my very favorite flowers it is always exciting to me when they burst into bloom.
~The picking of Strawberries. And eating. And red, sweet juice dripping done my cute kids' chins. Oh and making some of them into yummy, yummy jam!

~More working on and hopefully finishing the tree fort! We are quite excited and have all sorts of plans for the finished product. The kids are hoping that lots of our friends (especially those with children) will come to visit.

~Weeding, weeding and more weeding. We have the garden nearly completely in and next will be to try to keep it weed free. I have never done that yet but I can always dream can't I? I actually do enjoy weeding too, I just never seem to have the time to do it all.

~T-ball and Little League. This will be our first summer to try this out. I have to admit I was not very welcoming to the idea but some (lets say ALL) boys in our family really thought it would be neat and so starting next week we will be leaving home 4 mornings a week to go spend time at the ball fields. I am still a little apprehensive but also a little excited. I think I should be able to get a lot of crocheting and knitting done!

~Lilacs, apple trees and so many other beautiful things blooming. It is so much fun and we just love seeing everything looking so lovely.

There are many other fun parts of June but those are some of the highlights I can think of right now. What are you all looking forward to this month?