Holiday Vacation

I was ready for vacation this year.  So ready.   Super Hubby traveled for business a lot this year.  My Etsy store was incredibly busy from August until December.   The Boy was navigating the exciting world of Montessori preschool.   We all needed a break - and preferably someplace away from the steady cold drizzle of the Pacific Northwest.

Florida would be perfect.

Our vacation was a two parter.   One week in the Florida Keys, one week in Disney World.   The longest vacation we've taken with our 4 year old yet, and we were ready.   We took too many pictures to share with you all - the majority will find their way into a special edition family vacation photo book - but I wanted to share some highlights with you.

 Out on the boat.

 Catching his first fish.  He wasn't too sure about the whole process. 

 Visiting the Turtle Hospital in Marathon Key, Florida.

 Swimming with dolphins.  A favorite for sure.

 Watching the chickens and roosters run around Key West.  It should be noted that we also saw Hulk Hogan while we were in Key West, but he literally rode by us so quickly on his motorbike that we couldn't snag a photo.

 Hanging out with Micky Mouse....

 And Phineas and Ferb....

 Taking a break from Disney to swim in the pool...

 Eating - it seemed we were always eating somewhere....

 Waiting to see the Toy Story characters

  Meeting Woody and Jessie.

We had such a wonderful time we almost gave serious consideration to the idea of leaving our home with the house sitter and just staying in Florida permanently.


Planning our next getaway.

Simple Mama.

Silent Sunday - Marathon Key, Florida

More pictures from our vacation coming soon...

Simple Mama

Pictures from Our Thanksgiving and Trip on the Polar Express

I'm thankful that I have wonderful extended family who always welcome us into their home.

I'm thankful that my son loved putting up their Christmas tree. He was so earnest in his unwrapping of the ornaments.

I'm thankful for an Aunt who suggested we take a day trip as a family to ride The Polar Express in Hood River, Oregon.

I'm thankful for the best friends who joined us,and hot cocoa,


and wonderment,


And a Great Grandma who is still young at heart.

I'm thankful for Elves.

and Santa Claus.



But most of all, I'm thankful for believers.
Can you hear it? The sweet silver jingle of that bell?

Simple Mama.

Happy Thanksgiving

Live long, and prosper. From our house to yours this Thanksgiving day.



Simple Mama

Christmasing...

Already? Lots of Made-in-China decorations in the stores. Christmas music on the radio.

What's a girl to do?

Start in on the Christmas crafting of course by making some walnut shell jingle bell ornaments.
The Boy loves these. They jingle softly when you shake them. They're natural, beautiful, and simple.

You can buy these at my Etsy store, Green Baboon Designs.

Or...make your own. Carefully open up a walnut (we use a butter knife to pry open the shell), and remove the meat. Place a small jingle bell inside one of the empty halves and use glue (white or super glue, depending on how little the hands are that are helping) to glue the two halves back together. But don't forget to add your ribbon loop before closing it shut.

And remember....


Simple Mama

New in the Shop Today

Our home is fragrant with the lovely scent of beeswax this week. We've been cracking walnuts and washing acorn caps.

Aren't these darling candles adorable?! We float them in a shallow bowl of water with a few brightly colored autumn leaves for ambiance and charm.
Walnut Shell Candles
Don't forget that during the month of October, $1.00 from every sale in my store, Green Baboon Designs is donated to the Susan G. Komen Foundation for breast cancer research.
Acorn Cap Candles


Simple Mama

Make It! Apple Print Bunting

Wow. I have no idea where the time has gone. I looked at my calendar and then looked at my yard and realized autumn was well and truly upon us. Leaves are falling, canning is complete, the garden is tucked away for the winter, and somehow we've managed to go weeks without doing any organized crafting, save a few random crayon colored pictures.

You might remember earlier this year when I managed to score a car load full of burlap coffee bags for free. I used the rattiest, dirtiest bags as weed barrier in my garden - I even planted potatoes in one, which worked out well and will be repeated in the garden next spring. I pulled the nicest bags - the ones with interesting prints, clean burlap, and fewest tears and placed them carefully in a pile in our garage, thinking I might do something crafty with them.

As I was sharing an apple with my son last week, I remembered seeing an apple print project on
Martha. I knew as I watched juice dribble down The Boy's chin, exactly what we were going to do with that burlap.

For this project you'll need:

Burlap - free is best, but you can buy it from a fabric store as well.
Red, black, and green tempura paint
Paint brushes
Shallow plates to hold paint
Scissors or a rotary cutter
An apple
Fork
Newspaper.

I pulled out my fabric mat and my rotary cutters and made short work of a burlap bag. I cut twelve 6"x6" squares and placed them in a single layer on some newspaper to catch drips. Slicing my apple in half, I used a fork to pierce the skin and create a handle.

I filled two separate plates with paint. One red and one green. I had The Boy liberally paint the apple with green paint and start stamping.


After the apples were dry, I took some black tempura paint and a small, fine brush to add some apple seeds and a stem to each print. Using hemp cord, I found that my coffee burlap bags had a weave open enough that I could just thread the string through. We alternated red and green apples and hung it from our fireplace mantel. The perfect autumn bunting for our living room!


I love how rustic and simple this project is. And the total cost for us? One apple, tempera paint and string, which we already had on hand.
Taking time to notice all the seasons,

Simple Mama