Still Driving

We are getting ready to start our 6th day. We are all feeling very rested after a good night of sleep. We are going to play in the awesome play land in our hotel in Winnipeg, Manitoba. We will be heading to Regina, Saskatchewan tonight.

Drive Drive Drive

These photos are a bit our of order, but I think you can still enjoy them! Here is Hollin looking over the edge at Niagara Falls.

Waylon contemplating a rock on a roadside beach (Lake Superior). Niagara Falls was our first stop. Fun town, amazing waterfall. We loved just watching the force of the water as it falls over the edge.

Moving Day! Anyone who knows Waylon can imagine how much he liked that truck. Hollin thought it was pretty cool too.

We are 4 days into our 12 day drive from Maryland to Alaska. We are driving an average of 350 miles a day, which comes out to about 5 or 6 hours of driving and many stops to keep the kids (and ourselves) sane. I think that by the end of this trip I may just be the world's authority on road tripping with little kids. I am actually amazed at how well they are traveling. Western Ontario is beautiful and very desolate. More trees than you can imagine, incredible lake views, rocky cliffs...there are hiking trails, parks and picnic areas everywhere. I wish we could stop more. We don't dare slow down if Waylon is asleep. We even managed a bathroom break stopping only for a second so I could jump out and Jonathan could jump in and continue driving around the parking lot. Hollin likes to switch cars and has been really fun. She loves a good adventure.

Art Eyes

We are in between homes right now. We are with my parents for a few more days then we will start our drive to our new home in Alaska. Making art with the usual materials is not really an option for us. Luckily, art does not need to be created with anything. In fact, it can simply be something you talk about and see. It does not even have to be "art" at all. Take a walk and look for beautiful things. Talk about what you see. See if you can find beauty in things that are worn down and broken such as cracks in the pavement, a patch of weeds, in insect or a rusty pipe. Look for decomposing leaves that look like lace and stains on the sidewalk made by berries. Talk about the colors that you see. Are tree trunks really brown? Look at how many shades of green color the trees and bushes. Collect some samples and line them up. Talk about objects made by people and objects created in nature. When you read a story to your child, ask him or her how they think the pictures were made. Were they photgraphed? Painted? Cut and pasted? Artists are observers, so put on your art eyes and see!

A Few Cute Dresses

A few months ago the Artful Parent inspired me to make dresses (for little ones) from old t-shirts and some new fabric. I have adapted that concept to make dresses using old t-shirts and old dresses and have not stopped. The entire process takes less than 30 minutes and is as easy as sewing a straight line. The best part is that I have been able to extend the life of some of our favorite dresses, ones too precious to part with, but too small to keep wearing. I am anxious to make a few more long sleeve and turtleneck dresses for the winter. I love this, and more importantly, Hollin loves it.

This particular dress was a too-big hand-me down. So, rather than wait for her to grow into it, I made it fit now. You need a dress and a shirt...

Decide how long you want the shirt portion and the skirt portion. Then cut off the excess material...

Pin right sides together and stitch...

Turn it right-side-out and trim. So easy and so cute.

A few of these were slightly more complicated in that they had a zipper or buttons to work around. I removed the buttons or zippers and sewed up the space. I was even able to keep the sash on a few. I am thoroughly obsessed!

My Favorite Trees

Getting excited for birch trees!