On the tree 2013

So how long ago was Christmas? Because honestly folks, Will's little blue tree is still the nightlight in the boys' room and the ornaments are still boxed in the hall waiting to be stored. Despite it being 303 days until Christmas 2014, I wanted to share what Aunt Catherine made for us in 2013.

You guys love what Aunt Catherine does. My "On the tree" post from Dec. 2011 is my second most viewed post ever. She didn't disappoint again — those "snow cones" are pretty darn cute!

I realized a little late that it would be a great idea to take a picture of the boys with the ornament (or Mother's Day gift or Valentine's card) they made to easily answer the "how old were you when you made this?" question. So here is Joseph, age 4, with a very cute thumbprint Rudolph.

Will actually made this last year in first grade. It's now my favorite nativity. Does it get cuter than a  black-eyed pea baby Jesus? No, no it does not. 

Pictures! Cool pictures!

Oh, I've been waiting for a cool family photo shoot. One to make everyone go "how awesome" and "love it." Because thanks to the internet, I know everyone out there is having fun photo shoots but me. Just google "cool family photo ideas" and come back in a couple of hours. But now, thanks to a friend and some graffiti, I've got photos that make me grin every time I look at them. These are just a sample of the awesomeness. (I shouldn't have to say it, but these are copyrighted.)

Here's the background on the background: I've driven past this long-abandoned, graffiti-decorated submerged railroad bed near downtown for years and every time I pass I think it would make an awesome background for photographs. Over the years there has been talk of renovating the area known as the First Avenue Cut into a nice little walking trail. Then I saw they were actually moving forward with the work to connect Sloss Furnaces with Railroad Park. Great for the city but crap, I knew I better move fast before they paint over the awesome. 

So I called my friend Kristina O'Quinn because she's just crazy enough to scheme with me and I knew she wouldn't bat an eyelash at graffiti. Now, Kristina is what you would call an amateur photographer — 90 percent of the time she's got a camera with her to document what's going on in the city around her. I've seen the beautiful pictures she's taken of her kids. She's doing it for kicks. When I asked her to take the photos, I expected we'd go down, take a few shots and that would be that. I kind of forgot who I was dealing with. Kristina scouted the location, sketched ideas, helped me decided what to wear. My friend didn't show up, a professional photographer did. I'll certainly recommend her to anyone who asks. And I should mention, my kids didn't make it easy for her but she handled them. 

I look forward to the new walking trail. It would be nice if the planners kept the graffiti -- it's not your "typical" graffiti of initials and nicknames but lots of inspirational sayings like the above "Don't Worry." I may have to go down again soon and document more of the site before it's gone. I suggest you do the same. Take a Kristina with you too.*

*Does this sound like an ad? It's not. It's just me being totally impressed by my friend's skills. However, she'd be happy to set up a photo shoot with you. I'll introduce you. 

Halloween 2013

What's that you say? Halloween was two weeks ago? It ain't over until I document it. Which means Halloween 2012 is still going strong. I sure thought I had posted pictures. There is at least one photo of Will.

Halloween this year was ... interesting. The four-year-old took full control of his costume. While Will always picks his costume, Nana or Mommy are the ones that make it appear. Not so with Joseph. He had an idea and told me what he needed to be an American Striped Fox.

You may ask, what is an American Striped Fox? It's a fox with stripes. It eats wild chicken, wild pigs, wild cows, pretty much anything wild. It can come in several color combinations — red and black, orange and black, orange and yellow and black. They are friends with bunnies and kittens. If you want to know anything at all about American Striped Foxes, just ask Joseph. 

No, it's not a real animal. See Joseph got a stuffed tiger for his birthday back in May. Striper immediately joined Baby Bunny and Joseph on all their adventures. About a month ago, Joseph declared Striper to be an American Striped Fox. (And no, he had not seen "What Does the Fox Say?"). Forget the Batman PJs already picked out, Joseph was going to be an American Striped Fox too. So basically, Joseph dressed up as his favorite stuffed friend. Sweet, I know.

Blurry but American Striped Foxes are very hard
to photograph in the wild! Good view of the tail.

But Halloween was coming fast. How could we pull this off? I told Joseph I would be happy to make his mask (I'm thinking felt, thread and a couple of nights in front of the TV) but Joseph ran to his room bringing out the mask he decorated at Art at Avondale Park the week before. I got red sweatpants and a turtleneck at the big consignment sale. Joseph helped paint stripes of yellow, orange and black. The tail — oh, I love the tail — was sewn in five seconds by a willing friend who knows her way around a sewing machine. It is a red T-shirt stuffed with polyfill. She sewed the tail to another strip of T-shirt so it was easy to tie around Joseph's waist. He decided not to paint it. Again, he knew what he wanted. 

Joseph asked for a costume for Striper  — 5 seconds
before trick-or-treating!

Will's costume was a little easier. Nana got him some skeleton PJs (PJs are the best for costumes —you're already dressed for bed!). But to make it a little more his style, Will wanted to be a Minecraft skeleton. Not familiar with the computer game? Just ask any little boy ages 8-12 within 30 feet of you (and probably their dads too) and they can tell you all about it. (If you are curious, Will only plays the creative mode, no mindless destroying of things/animals is allowed, and a majority of the time Will is playing next to a parent with a watchful eye. We like Mindcraft for the building aspect. Dad and son are working on an elaborate town — it even has an art museum.)

I got the bow printout here but made the grayscale pattern for the
head myself using InDesign when I couldn't find a ready-made one.

Like Halloweens past, we hit the school Harvest Festival the day before and then on actual Halloween night we walked our street with our neighbor pals and then headed two streets over to walk a few more streets with a longtime friend that has a street as nice as ours. Meaning the neighbors know the kids are coming and have goodie bags or full-sized candy bars waiting. Both boys got plenty of candy! The night ends back on our street at Mavis and Shea's annual Harvest party complete with apple bobbing and hot funnel cakes. After inhaling a bunch of sugar and maybe two bites of apple, the boys go to bed and then mommy does the importing job of "sorting" the candy. One of the best nights of the year!

Trick-or-treaters on our street always know to stop at Mr. Ed's house.
He's got the full-size candy bars!

This mini Stig and Mindcraft skeleton have been
trick-or-treating together since 2006.  

The candy is not even all gone and Joseph is already thinking ahead to next Halloween ... 

He's going as a Beetle Slug!*

*I'm told they wear yellow pants and like to use their amour 

to defend themselves from big brother attacks.

Well, did you?

I really do remember how many times my mom asked if I washed my hands when I was little. Because it was a lot of times. Heck, she still asks me every now and then! And now, I sure do grab my little guys' hands to see how wet they are and if they smell like soap. 

The sticker labels of the Wal-mart brand hand soaps come off very easily. I thought about getting a friend with a vinyl machine to make the letters for me but then I thought, what can't I do with a Sharpie?! A few minutes later, voila! Less than $2 for custom mommy nagging. And, it's refillable. 

Now these directions make me laugh every time: "Use ... to wash hands as you would use any liquid hand soap." What if I don't know how to use any liquid hand soap?!!!! Seriously, what is the point of these directions?

Made by You Monday

Goodbye box

Do you remember this box? It came into the living room in January after a neighbor took delivery of some large furniture. After eight months it was starting to fall down and wasn't played with as much. It was time for it to go. Several times I told the boys the box was going to go and there were small protests or I would think in my head, it's time, and then come in the room to find Joseph playing in it. For it was Joseph's box — he claimed it and didn't really want to share with brother. So if Will played with it, he was usually doing so with Joseph and not on his own. Will did try to sleep in it overnight a couple of times. Attempts that were quickly abandoned because hey, that floor is hard!

It was a jail, a helicopter, a hospital, a snuggle spot — it stretched the imagination! Which is why I let it "clutter" the living room for so long. Our house is not big and the box made it even smaller. After seeing how much fun the boys had with it, I think it was me who was having a tough time letting it go.  Because when they came home one day in September to a much larger-looking living room, they paused for a second and moved on.

The box was moved to the backyard where it lasted for a few more days. Then moved to the curb for recycling. But the memories will remain hopefully for the boys but definitely for me ... I'm going to go now before I get too weepy about watching their childhood pass, that it's going too fast. 

Goodbye box.

Final days -- the paper taped on front told
a story at one time. Inside it had become
 a storage spot for more boxes and stuffed
animals while stuff accumulated on top. 

Snuggle time with Baby Bunny.

Friends loved the box too. 

Cooking and a battle? Yeah, I think that's what's going on in this picture.

Boys are in school — what now?

There's a new level of chaos in the morning routine around here. Instead of one boy to get ready, there are two. Joseph has joined Will at St. Rose, moving from his 3-day-a-week half-day preschool to a full school schedule. We expected tears in the morning but he walks in ready to start the day. It's not all smooth sailing but he's doing all right. We miss his old school and would still be there but the opportunity to have both boys in the same school was too good a decision for the whole family.

When I tell friends that both boys are in school full time this fall, the first comment is how great for Joseph. The second is, what are you going to do with all that time to yourself?!

I'll be here more. Well, that's the idea at least. But I started writing this post almost a month ago. Several weeks were the boys have been out of the house and still not much writing from me. It's not that I don't want to write and share what I see and do. I just need to schedule the time, write down my ideas, make a posting schedule. You know, do it already!

Exercise. I put on some pounds after last year's job loss. And I enjoy Christmas treats. Drink too many Cokes. I know less in + exercise works and that's the goal. Both boys did not like the babysitting room at the gym (one of the main reasons we had joined!) so no excuse now — I can go while they are at school. Guess how many times I've gone? Twice. Ugh! Must go more!

Clean house/clutter out! One reason I haven't been writing or going to the gym is I have plenty to do in the house. Laundry, dishes, ironing, mopping -- it all falls on me. And I'm not the greatest house cleaner -- I would much rather play with the boys than swish the toilet. So if I get it done while they are gone, I'll have more time for them in the afternoon. It may not always work out, but it's a good plan. Competing with the cleaning is the clutter. We have now lived here eight years and it's time to look around and see if the stuff we have accumulated really does work for us and our space. Maybe say goodbye to toys we've outgrown? And books that we want to read but haven't touched in more than 10 years? Less stuff in our small house would make everyone happier and make the house easier to clean. Now to talk the rest of the household into this ...

Get back in touch with friends. I've got some great friends scattered around the country. Facebook is good for keeping in touch but I want more. More phone calls and e-mails, maybe even letters. I want folks to know I am thinking about them and that I care.

Volunteer more. We've got some great events in town. But the hours they needed help didn't always fit around the schedule of taking care of little ones. Now I can help while the boys are at school. And I did just that recently for Artwalk, helping to set up tents and move stuff around during the day for the event that night. It was fun. I got a cool T-shirt. Now I want to do more.

Especially at school. I'm very involved at the boys' school. Yearbook editor and room mom. I love the community of parents and staff/faculty that is fostered by our principal. Happy to spend more time there. But I'm behind on my yearbook deadlines. Again, do it already!

More time with me. Also competing for attention is all the books and magazines I haven't read for the last seven years, the TV shows I'm several seasons behind, crafts that I would love to make and even sell for profit. But I'm still on the back burner until I get the house straightened out.

Here's the REALITY — by the time I get going after my caffeine, run one or two errands (so much faster without kids but still time killers) and do one or two basic home chores I look at the clock and it's time to pick up the kids. Where did the day go? It can only get worse because I am starting to look for a job. Maybe something seasonal as stores gear up for Christmas or maybe something real and related to my profession.

Overall, you can see I've got to start writing some major to-do lists and get better at managing my time. Right after I beat level 125 in Candy Crush ... well, maybe deleting games off my phone just went to the top of today's to-do list.

It's 2nd grade for Will

          

May he be greeted warmly by old friends while being nice to the new kids. May the new teacher see the good and sweetness inside all the kids as they take over her classroom (13 boys in that class! 13 boys!) May he learn and grow and eat that lunch that I packed with care frantically this morning with no doubt that 90 percent will end up in the trash. May he be awesome!

And 4K for Joseph

          

May the teachers appreciate your creativity and imagination while dealing with a rather wide stubborn streak. May you make new friends as you run in and out of the tunnels on the playground. May you say please and thank you and act like you were not raised by wolves. Look out St. Rose, Joseph has arrived.

God of Fire

Summer holds a few traditions for us. One of those is we go to Memphis. Then Memphis, in the form of Nana, comes to us. After all these years of visits, some how Nana (who I do claim as my mother) has never been up close and personal with our naked statue. That would be Vulcan. As landmarks go, you really can't go wrong with a naked statue.

We took Mom to visit Vulcan yesterday. At 56-feet tall, he is the world's largest cast-iron statue. Our god of fire was commissioned for the 1904 World's Fair to show off the magic happening then in Birmingham (the magic being we were really good at digging money, i.e. iron ore, out of the ground). Now after a long and colorful life, he towers over the city atop Red Mountain as we go about our daily errands and is what welcomes us home after any journey away. He moons the folks that have moved into the suburbs or as we call it, live "over the mountain."

A regional map at the base of Vulcan shows were the various iron ore producers were once located. Joseph's right foot is actually pointing to just about where Chris and I lived when we first moved to town. We had a lovely third floor loft with an awesome roof-top deck. Very pre-kids! 

School's out for summer!

Splash pad at Birmingham Zoo

Once again, it's time to make a list for summertime fun. We've got eight weeks until school bells ring again. Eight long weeks filled with whining unless we keep our days somewhat structured. I'd much rather a year-round school schedule at this point, c'est la vie.

So far we've been to the lake for Memorial Day, the pool for swim lessons, enjoyed a week of Vacation Bible School (it was Will's 5th but Joseph's first time!) and read the first two Harry Potter books.

Things that got to be done are 1. Will needs to learn how to tie his shoes 2. and ride his bike. 3. Get both boys to the dentist 4. and the hairdresser 5. Mr. Shoes needs to visit the vet for a little snip. 6. summer reading book reports for the soon-to-be 2nd grader 7. de-clutter house and backyard.

We'll head to Memphis to 7. visit my family. Other possible road trips I'd love to make — 8. Anniston for its Museum of Natural History, 9. Atlanta for friends and IKEA and Fernbank and Aquarium, 10. Huntsville for family and U.S. Space and Rocket Center. And the beach, I really want 11. to go to the beach! It's been too long.

Closer to home we've enjoyed one Birmingham Barons game but 12. I'd like go to at least one more 13. make ice cream and popsicles 14. Splash in Turkey Creek 15. bowling 16. skating rink 17. big cookout with the neighbors 18. free movies all over the place 19. summer reading programs at the local libraries 20. pool, pool and more pool!

Inspired by Melissa at Julia's Bookbag, I asked the boys what they would like to do this summer. Joseph saw the splash pad picture and wants to go back to the zoo for the water and a train ride. He was just telling daddy tonight that if you ride the train, you can see all the animals. Will's list was a little bit longer. He wants to ...

eat at Chick-fil-A
play legos
summer reading camp at local library
go fishing
have a sleepover
stay up all night
throw a party
visit Splash Adventure water park

I think we can make some of that happen. What about you, how's summer looking?

No more diapers for this ducky (or rabbit)

Of course Baby Bunny learned to use 

the potty too!

Boy, potty training took FOREVAH with Joseph. I thought it would be easier with Joseph since he had big brother to mimic. I was wrong. When Joseph showed the right amount of interest, we got out the little potty. It was a novelty for a few days, then he just stopped. Not interested and very, very resistant. I was asking the pediatrician when should we start to worry that something else medically was going on and the magic number was Age 4. So about two months before his fourth birthday, Joseph got with it and stopped screaming every time I merely suggested he might need a potty break. We're still having more accidents that I would care for (especially at his age) but he has passed the "long car trip" test and the "shopping in a store" test. He might even this summer pass the "get of the water and not pee in the pool" test. We all joke the baby pool is warmer for a reason. (No, no it's just very shallow and therefore less water to warm up in the sun. At least, that's what I tell myself!)

No presents, just your presence

We're gearing up for two birthday parties, back to back. Will's birthday is in April followed by Joseph's in May. The invites for Will's party are in the mail.

I was going to put "no presents please" on the invite but my inner dialogue sounds more like ...

No presents please. No really, he's got plenty. Just by being born in America, he's got more in his book bag than some children will have in a lifetime. And we don't need more stuff. Have you seen my house? It is crammed full of stuff crap. And hey, you just might not have the money to spare this month on a present for a classmate. We understand that. Keep your money. But hey, if you've known Will all his life, then yeah you might want to get him a present just because you think he's a great kid. I get that. I think your kid is great too and I want to get him/her a present. And just like that, we're all back to buying presents.

In the end, I forgot to put "no presents please" and in asking the question — do I go back and fix that? — Chris' reply was "everyone loves presents."

Yes, yes we do.

Now I'm off to make two dozen superhero capes as party favors ...

A cup of cheer

What? You say it's February 2013? I'm still catching up on my December posts ... 

Besides, are you only thirsty in December? I think not.

I'm big on tradition, especially Christmas traditions. So every year I make Ruby Wine Punch. Sometimes for an event but usually just for me. Two Christmas-es ago I made some, bragged about it on Facebook and had two friends ask for the recipe. I thought, hey I'll just post about it and they can get the recipe off my site. So I did it the very next day. Here it is, finally. 

I haven't shared many recipes on Pretty Little Nest because I haven't felt enough ownership to claim the right to publish. But this recipe for Ruby Wine Punch has been in the family now for three generations. My thanks to one Mrs. Morrisson for sharing it with my grandmother.

Ruby Wine Punch

3/4 cup water

3/4 cup sugar

6 inches of cinnamon sticks

1 tsp whole cloves

dash of salt

2 cups burgandy wine

1 quart cranapple juice

Combine water, sugar, cinnamon, cloves and salt in a saucepan; bring to a boil stirring constantly. Reduce to simmer 10 minutes until clear like syrup. Chill (wine and the cranapple juice should be chilling in the fridge as well). Combine with wine and cranapple juice. Serve. If serving in a punch bowl, go ahead and get fancy with an ice ring of cranapple juice. It is rather sweet so you can add ginger ale/sprite or cut back on the sugar. 

Notes from me: I made 2012's version with a cheap dry red and cran-pomegranate juice. Not the same so sticking to the recipe next time. Try to strain the punch while pouring into a cup. No need to ruin Christmas by choking on a clove. AND if you put the punch back into the cranapple juice container CLEARLY MARK the container before someone pours the "juice" into a cup for your four-year-old. Just saying. 

Do you like those wonderfully vintage Christmas glasses? Score at the thrift store! Even better, got six of them marked way less than they should have been. Double score!

Sticky Will Toast

A long Random Thought ago, I mentioned Sticky Will Toast but without pictures.

 How about we fix that with some Instagram love. 

Ingredients are simple — bread, peanut butter and marshmallows. 

Toast until toasty. Wipe sticky mess off happy little faces. 

On the tree 2012

What? You say it's January 2013? I'm still catching up on my December posts ...

Here are the ornaments the boys received from Aunt Catherine this last year. Still one of the traditions of Christmas that I look forward to the most. Past ornaments here and here.

By far, this was my favorite ornament on the tree this year! Will made this nativity at school with his "seventh grade buddies." (I remember making fun crafts with my "eighth grade buddy" when I was Will's age.) So the big bean at the bottom is Joseph, the middle bean is Mary and that teeny-tiny black-eyed pea is the baby Jesus. So adorable! I love just about everything the boys create and will be hanging this one on the tree for years to come.

The not-a-box disco party box

It feels like it's been raining forever! At least every day this week and last. The only thing that has saved my sanity is THE BOX. I spied the box at a neighbor's house. Seems they got a delivery. We're all tight on my street so I immediately asked for the box, dragged box to my house, barely got it through the door and then rejoiced in the peace and quiet the box brought to my house. Not so much the quiet because jailers and prisoners can be rather loud when an escape attempt is ongoing. The day after I got the box is when it started raining and raining and raining. (Good Lord, when will it stop?!) Which is sad because I had dragged the second big box to the backyard for more fun and it's now a sad pile of damp cardboard. 

Now when I first spied the box, all kind of ideas ran through my head. Ideas that I had pinned just waiting for the opportunity to show up on the curb. Should I make a playhouse? A reading nook? 

Holly/Life as a Thrifter

Come on, isn't this amazing?!! What a lovely little house. My hats off to this mom for all the love she put into making it. Wallpaper! A mirror! But before my fantasies ran away from me, I stepped away from the craft supplies and decided to just let my boys decide where the play led. So the box is unchanged expect for some markers and a barred window in the back for the prisoners. EXCEPT for the Christmas lights which hey, they were still plugged up so not too hard to add them to the box. I got the idea here. It's fun listening to the boys and their friends play or for us all to pile in to read books. 

To be honest, while I love the occasional rainy day best spent reading in bed, these days of damp are starting to get to me. We're promised some sun on Friday but that's after a chance of snow Thursday. Which at my house, will more likely just be more rain. Time for an inspirational quote: 

Download your own copy at Addicted2Decorating

Top stories of 2012

Marie Leech

-30- usually marks the end of a story. In this case,  

it marked the end of 125 years of daily newspapers 

in Birmingham. The fact that someone put this in
the paper makes me smile every time I see it. And yes,
I do know that someone!

I don't think I've ever been so happy to see a year go. 2012 sucked. Just plain-old sucked. 

1. We found out in June that Chris' last day at The Birmingham News would be Sept. 29. So he had to go to work with 60 other laid-off folks for THREE MONTHS with them all knowing it was their last days. Morale was awful at work and at home. I hated sending Chris off each day knowing how low everyone felt. But come October 1, things got better. For starters, we had daddy at home every night for dinner (as a page designer, Chris worked nights). That took some getting used too for everyone but we started to feel like a "normal" family by November. Despite still having some talented folks, I say the paper has suffered moving to a three-day-a-week publication schedule. 

2. Being free from the paper has let Chris focus on his other job — one full of fast cars. He's an internationally-known automotive journalist for Autoblog, one of the largest automotive sites on the big ol' Web. And now he has a title — social media manager. So go follow these fine folks on Facebook and Twitter. There is a standing agreement that if he goes the Paris Auto Show, I go to!

3. I stepped way out of my box this year by making and selling stuff at a craft show. And people bought the stuff. Then, I approached a local store with some of the leftovers and people bought the stuff there too. I guess I'll be making more stuff in 2013. Especially since there was a Dremel under the tree.

Sure there are more things I could write about, like a big trip with my side of the family to Oklahoma City to see a cousin get married. But most of the year was spent in daily routines and little things. I dismantled the nursery because it was time. Will was an Indian in the annual school Thanksgiving play. Joseph loved many, many trips to our science museum. Dishes were washed, clothes folded. Here's to the new year. Whether it is filled with big or little moments, it has got to be better!

Feel free to go back in time for 2011 and 2010 highlights. 

Happy Christmas to all!

At the last minute Santa could not make it to Joseph's school Christmas party. The kids didn't let it phase them ... they ate cookies and ran around drunk on sugar like always. After a few laps, I threw the boys in the van and headed down to the local Bass Pro. Built like a huge log cabin, Joseph declared it was the North Pole. Whatever kid, let's go see Santa and get our free picture.

Here's Will with Santa. A very nice Santa who tried to get Joseph closer with a candy cane bribe. Joseph wanted nothing to do with Santa or getting his picture taken. After forcing Joseph last year and getting the classic money shot, I had promised not to do that to him ever again. Oh well.

Joseph did however draw a picture of what he wanted and mailed it to Santa. He asked for some kind of bad shark thing that eats cars (what?!). Before we left, I demanded the kids pose for pictures hoping to get at least one decent shot for the Christmas New Years cards.

Success!

Wishing you the joy of the season and a happy new year!

B is for building blocks

When Will was still a wee lad, one of our fabulous neighbors handed down a rather well-loved and rather big block set their boy had outgrown. By big I mean when one of those blocks lands on a toe, you know it! I was worried about such injuries at first but not many have occurred. What has occurred is many, many hours of creative play. Forts and towers and roads and castles ... learning about balance, cause and effect and a whole bunch of other skills along the way. I now love the big size of the blocks. I think they are easier (sturdier?) for building. I tried pricing a set like ours and they are not cheap. If you are handy with a saw and sander, make your own. 

But really, this post is just an excuse to share a cute picture of Joseph. Look at that concentration!

More acorns — clay and candles

Chris and I marked our 8th anniversary in October. I like the traditional gift list so up this year was pottery. I love pottery. I've collected a good bit — yard sales and thrift stores are great places to start a collection — but I'll admit, I'm not always sure how to decorate with it. But that doesn't keep me from admiring the craftsmanship of my friends Julie in North Carolina and Wade right down the street. Chris got together with Wade to create a one-of-a-kind piece for our anniversary. I know my No. 1 fan (Hi Mom!) wanted to see pictures ...

Wow! It's gorgeous! And what makes it even more special, Chris wrote a sweet message on the bottom. Once again I am very impressed with how much talent lives on my street (musicians, actors, sculptors and more). If you want your own pretty piece, Wade exhibits at various annual shows — Moss Rock, Magic City Art Connection, Gulf Shores Shrimp Festival to name a few. 

Now, what to do with it? Right now it is filled with finds from a nature walk — acorns, nuts, pinecones. I've been wanting to make floating acorn candles forever. At least since I saw the idea on Pinterest. But I told myself I had to wait until after the craft show. I decided yesterday I had waited long enough and my new bowl was a perfect vessel for the candles.

Didn't really follow any directions, very much winged it. I basically did it the same way as Tonia at The Gunny Sack if you want to make your own. I found it easier to light a taper and then let the wax drip into the acorn cap. My second batch I melted an old beeswax candle in a double boiler which took forever and was not easy to pour into the caps. 

Sure they don't burn for long but aren't they pretty?!

Do not leave these beauties unattended! We found that as the flame got closer to the acorn caps, they did have a tendency to catch fire. Made for an exciting dinner!

(Linked to the Creative Me party at The Southern Institute)