Pinterest Made Me Do It

I just realized that I never made a post to document the loft bed that Lee built for the girls in August.  And really, Pinterest didn't make me do this one, but did inspire us to talk about him making this.  Same thing, really.

I'd like to say that I helped make this awesome thing.  Truth is, Lee did it all by himself.   We found an inspiration photo on Pinterest (they wanted $6,000 for their bed!) and he created the entire plan from scratch--and it only took him about two weeks.  I did help move the monstrous thing from the patio to the bedroom, and that was no small feat. It's a good thing my hubby didn't marry a sissy woman.

I was going to do a photo collage here, but decided to show the photos in order.  You can also see more detail this way.  And more naked Girl Twin.

We are all so happy with how the bed turned out.  The kids can definitely use this for many years to come; I'm sure it will get passed from kid to kid as they get older.  We are still using the temporary rail until we decide if/how to put on a permanent one.  With the landing of the bed being so much larger than the size of the mattress, that is making a rail design more difficult.  And, oh yeah, the second step is hinged to open up as a storage area for toys! 

And now for my favorite photo throughout the whole process:

  (no kids were harmed in the staging of this photo)

Pinterest Made Me Do It--Easter Edition

During Easter weekend, I got a double dose of Pinterest Made Me Do It.  I'd pinned a couple of cute ideas and just waited for the perfect time to try them out.

First, our Easter Peeps cake.  It turned out beautifully and was fun to make.  Just remember, with little helpers, everything takes longer than it should.

Here's our cake:

And, here's the original link where I got the idea:  Peeps Cake

Our other project of the day was coloring our Easter eggs with Kool-Aid.  I'd seen this floating around Pinterest and Facebook, and really wanted to try it.  I grew up using the traditional dye and vinegar to color eggs, so I was interested to see if the Kool-Aid would work.  And, I wouldn't have to worry if the kids drank it or spilled it. 

The kids were totally into coloring the eggs.  Girl Twin was over it quickly, and went to take a nap. But everyone else liked using the Kool-Aid.  We give it two thumbs up!  If you want really bright colors, you have to leave the eggs submersed for a long time.  We, of course, are not that patient.

Here's the LINK.

Supplies needed:  Kool-Aid packets, water and cups or bowls to dip in.

Even the big kids like to color eggs!

Some of the finished product!

Gingerbread House Building

Before Big Sister's school let out for holiday break, they hosted a gingerbread house-making night for students and family. Dad stayed home with the little ones, so I got to take a crack at my construction skills.

Here's what we learned:  

--Neither of us have very good construction skills

--Other people cheated by bringing in their own gingerbread house building kits

--Sometimes it helps to just let your house crumble and start over

--It's always fun to call in extra help!

Big Sis hard at work.  See that focus!

Our "extra help" that came to our rescue.  My friend Keisha, who is always up for a creative challenge!

Mama and Big Sis with the final product.

Surprisingly, we got this done in the one hour time frame we were allotted.  Also surprisingly, the gingerbread house made it home without falling down.  Once home, it was all we could do to keep Boy Twin from taking it apart, piece by piece.  We sure had fun and got messy.  This was my first attempt at making a gingerbread house...I think it turned out great.  Nice teamwork and great kindergarten memories!

Our first Advent Calendar

I've been wanting to get an Advent calendar for a couple of years, but realized that most of the cute ones were not cheap. Then, I thought about making one but I was too busy being pregnant and then busy having infants to look after.  Not sure what happened this year, maybe just the sheer luck of being stuck at home for the long Thanksgiving weekend.

Luckily, I've become acquainted with my new friend Pinterest, who made this project very easy and manageable for me.  I'm also lucky that I have Big Sis around, who never turns down a chance to use glue and Sharpie markers.  So, off we went to Hobby Lobby for our crafting extravaganza.

Instead of giving the kids candy every night leading up to Christmas, I chose to write special activities on each card.  Some of them are:  look at Christmas lights, drink hot chocolate after dinner, make a Christmas craft, etc.

We are having fun with it! And Big Sis is really enjoying the countdown to Christmas.  And the best news? We can use it year after year!  Score.