cool tools

getting into the online tools theme over at SPC, love the flickr tools, which is how this image was put together. of course you can do this with any image editing tool, however using the flickr tools makes it easier - I also enjoy the randomness of the cropping of the images.

fishing

The kids were so excited to catch their first fish. Rob is a fishing nut. I don't know what he sees in it (and I am sure he feels the same about some of my hobbies too) but it is relaxing lying under the trees while the kids hook a fish and leave me to my book.

cool means...

in our house looking cool means jutting out jaw and looking out the corners of your eyes while flexing your muscles and standing in an awkward pose.

boys bag

Image: boys bag for a birthday present. I am sick of the pressure of birthday parties, the giving of bits of plastic crappy toys that are broken or lost very quickly. I have made a vow to make something for the kids friends birthdays from now on. Mostly this is a bag of some sort with a book or drawing supplies inside. These bags are nothing special, very simply made but I like them and so do my kids so hopefully others will too after the initial shock of a handmade present.

Mosaic pavers

Image: Mosaic pavers the kids and I made for the garden. Lots of fun this project, easy but not exactly stress free.

To make mosaic pavers you will need:
1. paving stones (we used old ones which we cleaned)
2. outdoor tile glue/adhesive which comes either already premixed or as a powder that you mix with water to a thick porridge consistency.
3. tiles or pebbles (we used a combination of tiles which we smashed up, glass mosaic squares which are expensive but beautiful, glass pebbles that are really cheap - you buy these from the pet or garden section of the hardware store - they are often used in ponds or fish tanks, and river stones in various hues which are relatively cheap and quite lovely).
4. grout suitable for outdoors, these come in all sorts of colours, we used a creamy colour which we had leftover from another project, but when the kids did this at school they used a dark grey which looked fantastic.
5. various tools such as a spatula and sponge

skateboarding boy

I love this photo (in fact the several hundred I took that day) but this one especially says it all. Orlando is learning to skateboard and is obsessed with practicing.

I have just this second had word from Amy, one of the contributors at SPC, her house was destroyed by a Tornado today. ... thoughts going out to Amy and her family.