camping

Well ... we did it. 
It was only one night, but it was a great night!
The weather couldn't have been any more beautiful. There was no chance of anyone being too hot and the campfire was completely enjoyable with a cool breeze blowing. 
The waves crashed against the shore and it was a beautiful sound to fall asleep to and wake up to. And toss and turn for much of the night to! 
There were sausages and a pot of baked beans in the campfire. There were lots of roasted marshmallows and a few smores. There was even some hot chocolate to end the evening with.
The kids were happy, helpful & enthusiastic campers. We're looking forward to a peaceful sleep in our beds tonight, but we loved every moment of our camping on the beach and may just have to do it again one day.

art competition

Siena was excited by the idea of an art competition. The boys .. not so fussed. Until they saw that first prize is an iPod touch. Then they were very excited! They were all hard at work on their masterpieces from the moment they woke up. Made for a nice, quiet house on a holiday Friday.  

eggs

I cannot boil an egg. 
I can cook up a reasonable meal, and the occasional edible baked good from scratch, but ask me to boil an egg and it never fails to present a challenge. In one of my recent Pinterest visits I stumbled upon a 'bake your eggs in the oven' idea and it was brilliant! This morning I popped 24 eggs in muffin tins into the oven and 30 minutes later had hard 'boiled' eggs with no drama. Wonders never cease!
Once they'd cooled, it was time to add the colour. The kids had a great time, though the dyes were somewhat disappointing - just the usual kit from the grocery store. Still, it was fun watching them trying the different colours and testing theories and discussing results amongst themselves. Sharpie markers added additional fun & colour to the eggs ... the kids were happy & the mum cleaned up. 

sunday

It was a busy Sunday morning ... just us at home, with a variety of things to do. Siena has been wanting to use the pottery wheel she got for Christmas. Not sure where the time has gone, but now that the Easter Bunny is about to visit, I figured we really should get it out and going. So we did, and she worked hard on a practice piece. Clay, water, some pottery tools, a spinning wheel and a good, happy mess. Once the piece has dried she is going to paint it. And no doubt it will be good for something. She did a great job and had a lot of fun with it. Wonder what the next creation will be ....

From the pottery wheel, it was on to the solar-powered boat
building with Declan. Yet another kit that has sat collecting dust (not earning mother-of-the-year here!). He got a good way through the instructions by himself, which was great to see. We finished it up together and then sat the boat outside to charge. Hours later, no go. Finally out some batteries in, tweaked the wheels and off it went .. slowly. Still not had luck with the solar panels, but will give it a go again this week. Was fun all the same, and there are many other models to build with this same kit.

Siena wasn't quite finished creating, so she got out her sewing kit and started on the large owl. The owl that will be for her, and not the smaller one for her American Girl Doll. I have zero ability in the sewing department, so the sewing is typically a granddaughter-grandmother activity. But we had to make an exception and we have done okay so far, with the help of the instructions of course! She is just about done and soon enough it will be ready for the stuffing and the final stitching. She is very pleased with herself with the progress so far, as she should be. It is so wonderful to watch her putting the time and effort in and finding the patience to keep plugging away at it.

bracelets

It started last summer. Though the enthusiasm wasn't enough to make it through a whole bracelet. Or even past the first few knots.
But the bracelet-making gadget {I remember safety pins & any possibly pinning surface from my little-girl days} has been pulled off the shelf in recent days and the enthusiasm is more than enough! 
She has powered through a total of 4 bracelets so far, though the 1st was only practice. And the 2nd wasn't long enough. But the 3rd & 4th ... displayed proudly on her wrist. 
Her brothers are wanting one, and she's got friends at school wanting one. And I would happily wear one. So she is going to be a busy little girl for a while.

baked donuts

Yesterday's attempt at baked donuts was an epic failure. Not even the most powdered-sugar loaded strawberry glaze could convince the little ones that the donuts might be worth eating. 
They were awful!
So in the bin they went.
After a somewhat frustrating morning, I attempted a second batch. When I pulled them out of the oven and put them on the cooling rack, there was a hint of success. Or at least a hint of slight improvement over yesterday's batch. 
It may have had something to do with the butter that did not get left out of today's batch. Hmmmmmm.
The glaze was once again a deliciously {ridiculously} sweet concoction of powdered-sugar & fresh berries.
And the verdict ... some pretty enthusiastic thumbs up from some very happy little people this afternoon.

{original recipe: Whole Grain Strawberry Donuts}