Such Things

Summer Projects

It has been a productive summer of various projects, especially at our beach house in Pt. Roberts.  Among those activities, we took down a dead tree in our backyard, which was chopped into some much-needed firewood.

Mark also took out a window that looked out onto our back patio and replaced it with french doors that now lead right to the porch.  We picked up the doors second-hand and I refinished them by using a heat gun to remove the old paint.  Then I sanded and repainted them.

So here is the before...and the after:

Mark and I might not have been the only ones with a few projects up our sleeves this summer!

Using cardboard instead yard cloth as a biodegradable option

Have you ever wanted to stop those weeds from creeping in or had an area of your yard that you would like to transform into a garden?  Or do you simply want to clear an section of your woody yard from bushes and weeds?  Consider using cardboard as a base instead of yard cloth.  It is free and easy to come by and it will decompose throughout the year, leaving the ground clear of weeds and unwanted growth.  We started using this "cardboard" technique at our beach house where we are starting to add gardens to what used to be over-grown areas.  We put cardboard around this bush that we planted in the fall.  This was an area that was normally full of weed, including that nasty morning glory vine that winds around all the plants and their branches. 

By Spring the cardboard had desintigrated and we were able to start creating this new garden space. Recently, we built some garden boxes to grow vegetables, and cut back a lot of blackberry bush and other shrubs that grew right behind.  

I recently put down cardboard over the places that we cleared and added some ground cover on top, as well as some old bark.  We may add more bark mulch soon.  

I also put down cardboard to stop weeds and blackberry from growing between the garden boxes and plan to add mulch over top of that as well.  We were excited about the idea of using cardboard as an alternative to yard cloth, and hope that you will find it useful as well!

Building Bridges

During the month of April, the students completed the "bridge challenge" which was a summary of all of our learning about Structures.  

They made a plan to design their own bridge, based on some samples of bridges that we had discussed in class, such as suspension bridge.  

The bridges had to span at least 30cm and hold the weight of two cars.  

The students were provided with some materials and were also asked to bring in some materials from home if they chose to. Many of them worked with their parents on the projects at home.  The final bridges were on display for our student-led conferences 

and the students were very proud and excited about what they had designed and created.  All of them met the criteria too!

Cupcake Decorating for Kids

One of the easiest and least expensive birthday cakes we ever served at a party were cupcakes decorated by the young guests themselves. 

We bought cupcake icing in an aerosal container in a couple of different colours and then supplied M&Ms, coloured candy stars, sprinkles and other toppings found in the cake decorating section of the grocery store.

The girls were extremely focused as they shared and added the decorations to their cupcakes.  We let them make several and then put them all on a desert platter when finished.  You can also buy pyramid-shaped cupcake holders as well.  When we sang Happy Birthday, we brought out the cupcake platter with candles on top.  To add to the desert, we used a floral foam in the bottom of a vase and skewered some fruit to make our own fruit bouquet. 

The girls were excited to eat their own cupcake and the skewers as well.  A great idea for a home birthday party!

DIY Rustic Shell Mobile

I have a bit of a hobby collecting shells and making shell mobiles while we are staying at the beach house. 

I got the idea for this mobile from a photo in House and Home magazine. 

I thought I could make more of a Westcoast version of that style of mobile.  I collected larger oyster shells, crab shells, sand dollars and driftwood.  Starfish could be used as well and purchased from Micheals.  I also used a foam, rope-covered ball that I'm pretty sure I purchased at Michaels.  I used a thick cone shaped grinder bit on the drill and carefully drilled a hole in the center of each item.  I had a couple of the shells crack on me and the driftwood even started to smoke, as I was drilling with the grinding bit, so I quickly switched to a regular drill bit for the wood.  Apart from that I managed to finish the drilling quite quickly and easily. 

All that is left to do is tie a knot in the rope and string all of the items on. 

And then something beachy to hang and enjoy!

Summer Days

It seems that our days have returned to the slow, summer schedule, with the kids at their camps and Mark and I puttering around the beach house.  Here are some snapshots of our week:

Lots of family outings, sometimes with just me and the kids.

We took down a wall in our beach house between the kitchen and livingroom! 

I live for the Pt. Roberts libary for summer reads. 

Lots and lots of natural play as well as with favourite old toys.

Hope you are enjoying the beauty and goodness of each summer day!

Making a Pumpkin Graveyard

Munching on pumpkin seeds and looking through our photos is a great way to end a wonderful Halloween.

This year we borrowed an idea we saw in a magazine

and we decided to make a pumpkin graveyard in our front yard for the trick-or-treaters. 

Mark cut and painted the boards,

and we added in our jack-o-lanterns with a few other store-bought decorations.

Hope you had a very Happy Halloween!

Refinishing an Adirondack Chair

Sometimes projects come full circle.  Last September I posted about refinishing this chair the following summer.  I am so glad I had this before photo, because we lost all of our July photos in a computer crash:(

I had some photos of me sanding down the chair and painting it with paint left over from our front door.  But thankfully, I have the after photos.  The amazing result of just a little care, attention and a bit of paint.

Next summer, I'll show you the entire front porch...

Point Roberts Garden Tour

It's been at least three years since we've attended one, so I was excited to see that it was on this year.  It was one of the cloudiest days we've had this month, but still enjoyable.  Here are some sights and corners that inspired me:

Lots of ideas for the new deck that Mark is building. 

Hope you are enjoying your July!

Happy Birthday and Happy Mother's Day

The mother's day part is just to wish all the moms out there a wonderful day. 

I want to celebrate an amazing girl that turned ten this weekend. 

We had her sleepover party last weekend, including a silly string fight, some crafts and sleeping in a tent downstairs.

There happened to be a super moon that very night and the girls were so excited to see it together.

We are so proud of the wonderful young lady that you are:  full of spunk, sensitivity, creativity, intelligence, fun and spontaneity. 

Happy, happy, happy birthday, Miranda!!!