Seriously Simple DIY Necklace

                                        

Supplies: beads, 20-gauge wire, jump ring, and necklace

The title of this post says it all. This is a super simple necklace to make. And when I say simple, I mean it took me less than 10 minutes to make and used all materials I already owned. The beauty of this project is that it doesn’t have to be perfectly shaped. Modeled after a bird’s nest, this necklace gains character with every imperfection. That’s what I love about nature—its imperfections create beauty.

I take no credit for the idea. Like most of my crafts, I found it on a blog. This one, actually, was found through Pinterest (a daily obsession of mine). The tutorial for the necklace is found on a blog by the talented Sarah Ortega.

So what do you think?

Grandparents’ Day

Today was Grandparents’ Day at Jack’s preschool. It was a special day where Jack got to bring his grandparents to school and do some special activities with them. The look of pride and excitement on Jack’s face was pure evidence of the importance of this day to him.

Jack with his grandparents.

They made a Thanksgiving turkey out of a pinecone in his classroom.

Then they enjoyed music, chapel time, and brunch in the gym with the rest of the school.

It brings me such joy to watch days like this. I love that my boys have grandparents who are so involved in their everyday lives. Thanks, grandparents, for being such a wonderful presence in Jack and Emmett’s lives!

Writing

In the past few weeks Jack has taken an interest in learning to write. It began as a special activity for Jack and me during Emmett’s naptime. We began with Jack’s name, and have now made it all the way through the alphabet and the numbers 1-10.

We even created a little writing space for Jack in his room (his idea). He brought a chair from his little table in the kitchen and put it with his nightstand. It is the perfect writing desk!

Tom created a writing folder for Jack, complete with lined paper, pencils, and the alphabet. Jack loves to write in his folder, especially before bedtime.

It is such a joy to watch him learn this new skill. To see the pride he experiences when he creates letters, is equally thrilling for me. Now when he comes home with art from preschool or Sunday school, it always has Jack R. scrawled across it in the cutest little penmanship imaginable. I love it!

The Symphony

Emmett has been going to the Symphony with Grandma and Grandpa, just the three of them. This is such a special time for Emmett. Here are some shots of the little guy on his special days!

playing some of the instruments before the concert

coloring and reading pre-concert

at the concert

and a special lunch afterwards!

Halloween Festivities

Halloween was no one-day event for us. Instead, we had a whole weekend of festivities! The fun began with trick-or-treating on Friday night at the local businesses in our area. Despite the downpour, the boys still had fun collecting treats, especially the free donut from Top Pot!

On Saturday we headed to Grandma and Grandpa R’s house for some Halloween fun. We decorated cookies, played football, and checked out the local pumpkin patch!

Jumping in the hay at the pumpkin patch.

Checking out the cows.

A hay maze just the right size for Jack and Emmett. And a giant corn maze over a mile and a half long!

On Halloween day, Jack’s preschool had a parade. The masked Spiderman is Jack. Unfortunately, I only was able to take two pictures before my camera’s battery died! :(

During Emmett’s nap, Jack and I carved a few pumpkins. Jack drew the faces on the pumpkins for me to cut out.

And then it was FINALLY time to go trick-or-treating. Spiderman and Superman were in good superhero company with an extra Spiderman at their side!

The spooky neighborhood was no match for our two superheroes!

The boys lasted about 45 minutes trick-or-treating before they were ready to come home. We made a huge bowl of popcorn and Jack was thrilled to pass out the candy to the kids who knocked on our door. A great end to a fun weekend of festivities!