Friday, May 27, 2016

Bird feeder project

I don't know if you are familiar with the web site Ana-White.com, but we are big fans.  She has a ton of different do-it-yourself projects with step by step instructions on how to build stuff.  Everything from a bird feeder to a bunk bed or fort!
Trigg wanted a project to do, so I found him plans for this bird feeder on her website
 Trigg worked through the plans marking out all the cuts.  First, I showed him how I measure and mark...
 ...then he tried it on his own!
 Garrett supervised the project!
 Once the measurements were made, I made the cuts.  Safety first...ear muffs to protect those ears!
 Next, it was time to assemble.  It was Trigg's choice if he wanted to use nails or screws.  He is a fan of the hammer, so he chose nails!  I pre-drilled the holes and he hammered everything together.
 Here is the assembled bird feeder!
 Another successful project!
 Then Trigg wanted to add some color, he had a method for his painting, each color was for a different bird that he hopes would come to the bird feeder.
Red - Cardinal
Orange - Oriole
Blue - Blue Jay
Yellow - Gold finch
We hung the feeder in the tree and filled it up with bird seed, so far it has only attracted sparrows, but they are still fun to watch!

Thursday, May 26, 2016

Catching up...welcome to summer!

I haven't posted much to the old blog...so I thought I would catch up with some pictures from the last few months.  
This is one of my favorites, the boys playing together...and if there isn't a chair to sit on, a bucket will work just the same!
 Trigg made everyone Valentines this year...including Riley, she got two heart shaped Valentines!
 With the basement finished, we have been playing down there more and more...
 This time, we happened to be Ninja Turtles!
 Exploring the woods!
 And of course, plenty of projects to work on!
 We've been playing outside a lot...
 G has found a strong interest in building towers...
 lots of towers!
 And he is pretty proud of his work!
 T has been working on his own creations...this was a crane built out of his magnet shapes!
 We do a lot of painting at the counter
 We have two promising artists on our hands!
 This is his "cheese" smile!
 Art show at school! Balloon print
 and a kite
 And this one is called "Race Track"
 We took a weekend trip to Kansas City to check out Legoland! Trigg built a tower taller than himself!
 Both boys enjoyed sitting in the huge pool of Legos, building cars and then racing them down the test ramps!
 We also went to the aquarium
 and had lunch at Fritz, they deliver the food by train!
 The big transition this spring has been moving the boys into the same room...and bunk beds!
G has been loving his "big boy bed"...and is slowly getting used to the idea of sleeping in it!
 Of course we saw the tulips at tulip time!
 and have been on lots of bike rides!
 More painting, sometimes the boys don't want to wear a paint shirt and this option works just as well!
 Planting flowers with Mom.
 Inspired by Legoland, we built our own "test ramp"
 Spring has sprung and our peonies are in full bloom!
 Coach Nic and Coach Seth taught 12 four and five year old's how to play soccer this spring!  We all had fun, including the coaches!
 ...and Trigg wrapped up his first year of preschool!
And just like that, it's Memorial Day weekend and summer is about to begin!

Craft Desk

Basement project continues to wrap up and this project tackled this far wall.
We bought 2 wardrobes from Ikea for each side and then I built a desk in between...2 small helpers chipped in on the work too!
 We found some reclaimed wood to use that had the look Heather really likes, old wood with faded white paint!
 The desk starting to take shape.
 Heather found these two chairs that fit the space perfectly.
 I had Des Moines Metal Fabrication make a galvanized steel top for the desk.  They did a great job fabricating the top, I think it looks great!
 The desk is finished, the top is 8 feet long and 3 feet deep, so it should hold plenty of projects!