My Review of SUN & MOON MAT

Originally submitted at UncommonGoods

Welcome guests day or night with this cheerful mat featuring a dual image of a sun and a moon. Hand woven from all-natural coir. Coir is a durable, absorbent fiber made from real coconut husks that is naturally resistant to mold and fungus. Stenciled with permanent fade-resistant dyes. Vinyl back...

SUN & MOON MAT

Great gift

By She likes unique gifts from Murfreesboro, TN on 1/3/2011

 

5out of 5

Pros: Cleans Shoes, Unique, Durable, Attractive Design

Best Uses: Decoration, Side Door

Describe Yourself: Midrange Shopper

This rug was a Christmas gift for my aunt for her outdoor patio. She loved it! It arrived very timely, and the colors are vibrant. It truly made a great gift!

(legalese)

Happy Birthday Carter!

Carter was born on New Year's Day two years ago! My how time flies! He had a fun 2nd birthday on Saturday with pizza, cake, balloons and gifts. We plan to continue celebrating this week with the Lewis side since it's hard to get everyone together at one time, and we figured what a better gift to him than a private audience with some of his favorite people on different days. He had a lot of fun!

Happy Birthday Carter!

And Happy New Year!

Carter visits Santa

Since Monday, Carter has been like a sinner going to confession over needing to see Santa. He was scared when we saw him Sunday, so at the Co-Op on Monday, I asked when Santa would be there so we could try again. The clerk, with a momentary lapse of judgment promptly asked his coworker, when will "Joe" be here to do Santa. Really? Whatever his name, I'm sure he's a great Santa, but a 2 year old is listening! They all just laughed. Carter was not satisfied with waiting until Saturday. All the way home he chattered about needing to talk to Santa, he continued convincing me with "he not scary, nice, Thomas Train, trucks, racecars and combines." He really felt the need to tell him exactly what he wants for Christmas! He didn't stop Monday, but continued Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday...he'd talk about it when he woke up, when we ate, and when he was getting ready for bed. We have a short video clip of him reminding us of how urgently he wanted to see Santa, assuring us he would go talk to him, "not scary, Santa nice," he said.

So Thursday night, off we headed to Belk. Susan said he was a good one, and she was right! He turned out to be a great Santa! First Carter stood at a distance explaining in his best details what he would like for Christmas. Santa as so attentive and patient! As Carter inched closer, Santa offered a high five, which Carter thought was cool. They ended up having a nice little chat while we snapped some pictures. He got a candy cane, and they wished each other Merry Christmas! What a great visit!

Turkey for Thanksgiving

(Carter feeding berries to the bird)

Did you ever think about what a moose eats? I didn't until Carter & I read his new book last night, Turkey for Thanksgiving by Eve Bunting. The general plot is moose and friends go in search of turkey for Thanksgiving. The whole time the turkey thinks he is the main meal until the last few pages when turkey (just as the reader) realizes he is an honored guest, not the main dish. They eat leaves, grass, acorns, berries, moss and bark. The illustrations are detailed and colorful. It's a really sweet little story, but I'd never really thought about what the animals eat. I just kind of thought they just eat what is outside, right? So today Carter and I searched for and gathered up some of the items from their table in our own backyard. He made a colorful little buffet on a piece of bark we found, and fed all his stuffed wildlife friends including the turkey. If you have kids, this is a fun little book to enjoy together this week!

Haystacks and Train Tracks

Wow, already mid-November! Why did it just occur to me this morning that next week is Thanksgiving? Already? I guess because Beth & I were thinking of next week's playdate when it hit us both that we'll be busy most of the week!

I just wanted to share a picture of Carter from last week playing on our neighbors' haystacks and tunnels. This is what fall is all about right here! We really enjoyed being with Jimmy last week. He took the picture from on top of a haybale. He likes to take a few days off in the fall for a little work and a little play. The Clarks (our country neighbors) set up some haybales and tunnels for their church kids and grandkids and invited us to play on them, too.

Carter is also crazy about Thomas the Train, so through those tunnels he would say, "Choo choo." He wakes up in the mornings asking to watch Thomas. He only has 3 plastic (like bath toys) trains, so Christmas will be super easy this year! Santa load up on some train tracks and trains for our house!

Happy Halloween!

Tractor Costume

So last year I was way more on top of things with Carter's outfit purchased sometime in the middle of September, on a hanger in his closet so the wrinkles would fall out, and ready to go. This year, not so much. Thankfully this idea came to me slowly with still enough time to get it finished, so I wanted to share the process in case anyone else feels inspired to make a Halloween costume. (It was inexpensive. We figured less than $10!)

It started with a picture of a dozer/digger cardboard costume on a website I saw. When Jimmy & I decided the implements were too much to handle, I searched again and tried to copy a Kubota tractor picture I found, also using Carter's toy tractors and our real one (in the background below) as inspiration.First some different sized boxes that came in the mail with the Birthday & Christmas gifts I ordered started to resemble a tractor when they were sitting next to each other, so I cut them and taped them together. Then I remembered Jimmy had a can of spray paint for touching up our own (real) tractor.I used the whole can.

Then I painted some bowls and plates, a yellow stripe and piece for the grill on front. Jimmy bought some stickers. I added a triangle and red tail lights to the back. We found some touch lights at Wal-Mart ($1.50 for two, hard to beat!).

Then all the pieces jumped on the box and Wah-lah! Ready for one kid, insert in hole in top. Just kidding, there's really a lot of duct tape, Gorilla tape and hot glue on this little tractor! Carter loves it! It's just a little front heavy, so we're going to try clipping it to his overalls on Halloween night. Happy trick-or-treating!

(Photo of Carter in his costume to come Sunday.)