This pre-fall overcast day is quite welcome with the smell of rain in the air.
The forecast is 50% chance of rain . . . and the temperature was at 78° F. It may get a bit warmer . . . and maybe not.
The pre-fall weather and the early fall weather has been a bit stubborn for several years. I always have hope that fall will come and stay. I do seem to be surprised . . . but there is nothing we can do about the weather except enjoy it.
It’s always good to get out and enjoy the morning. Everything is relatively quiet in my neighborhood. At one time I thought it a bit eerie . . . like a sci fi movie — remember the pod people? I wondered if pods were behind the closed gates and garage doors . . .
Yes, I have an overactive imagination at times.
It does seem like the perfect day to dig out a jigsaw puzzle. Since my brother moved to Alaska, I’ve been thinking of nature and the wildlife he sees. This 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle by SunsOut is a beautiful Forest Collage you and your family may enjoy putting together.
The artist, Jim Hansel is a premier wildlife, nature and landscape artist.
The completed dimensions of this 1000 piece masterpiece is 20 inches by 27 inches.
This seems like a sensible way of kicking off the pre-fall season.
This jigsaw puzzle is challenging enough for adults and not too discouraging for children. I think it’s a great family project.
You may also enjoy:
I could go on and on with the selection of jigsaw puzzles I’d love to put together with my family and friends . . . This is enough to get you started selecting the jigsaw puzzles you and your family would enjoy.
This cute book will have your child counting through a haunted house. What could be more fun than that!!
This is a delightful Golden Book by Kristen L. Depken and illustrated by Claudine Gevry. It’s excellent for preschoolers and maybe a bit older, too.
It is the perfect size for toddler’s little hands and is especially entertaining with the flip up flaps revealing all kinds of surprises.
The concept is excellent. The problem is with the flaps. Many people have complained that the flaps have been ripped off by their children. I’m wondering if this is a manufacturing problem or a problem with parents not teaching their children to be gentle with the book.
I was thinking this book would be excellent to read with your child and have an interactive story time. And an excellent opportunity to teach a child how to care for books.
As always, it’s up to you whether you want to purchase this book or not. I have some links below you may find helpful.
I could go on and on and on with my Halloween book selection, but it is better for you to enjoy finding the perfect Halloween book for your child.
As much as I love blogging . . . I did get side-tracked with the Downton Abbey series.
I can hear you say, “I watched that ages ago!”
I hear you. I’ve never claimed to be on top of the latest and greatest trend. I guess I was in the mood for something different. Maybe an escape from reality for awhile . . . going back in time . . . where there was tradition and a proper way of doing things and behaving. It does seem quite outdated and a bit peculiar . . . but I believe it has its place.
By no means would I give up my computer and the other modern conveniences I can’t live without, but, there could be something to be said about politeness and kindness. Yet, this series does go a bit overboard with the rich and those in service to them.
I did like seeing the changes that were taking place in the 1920’s Great Britain and how difficult it was for people to embrace those changes and to think about their future. One thing was consistent — needing to work and to make one’s money work for them when it was time to retire.
It was quite refreshing to see how those who were in service to the wealthy were thinking of bettering themselves . . . through education and investments.
It’s important for one to have the confidence in themselves to move forward and taking responsibility for their future. They could see how the grand mansions with their lavish parties was becoming a thing of the past . . . with many wealthy and titled families no longer being able to afford their lifestyle.
Well, most of us aren’t wealthy and don’t live in mansions, but we do work and want to provide the best for our families. I just thought this series was a welcome break from the August heat and the news of the day . . . just an escape to another time . . . and seeing how a family, no matter the amount of privilege they seemed to have been born into, were really no better off than the rest of us. They made wrong choices and experienced heartache and sorrow . . . as well as joy . . .
I think there is a lesson to be learned from this series . . . or maybe it was the particular mood I was in . . . Regardless of the setting and the social classes involved, there was truly a sense of “family” that was consistent throughout this series.
If you haven’t seen it, you can get the DVD complete set or sign up for Amazon Prime and watch it . . . if this interests you at all.
You may also enjoy:
I do love being a Prime member. I have watch movies, listen to music, get free shipping . . . it’s worth checking out. And, of course, I’m going from Downton Abbey to Harry Potter . . . but you may have other interests. Just click one of the images above and you’ll be able to shop for whatever you find interesting.
I love the title and subtitle. It’s good to read aloud and discuss this book with your children. Spaghetti in a Hot Dog Bun: Having the Courage To Be Who You Are by Maria Dismondy and illustrated by Kim Shaw.
This is a heartwarming story about a little gir, Lucy,l who is teased relentlessly by a boy named Ralph. She wanted to do the right thing as her grandfather told her: “When you treat others with love and kindness, you’re doing the right thing.”
But it was difficult when Ralph made fun of her constantly.
Then, one day Ralph needed help . . . would Lucy do the right thing?
Here’s a reading of the story you may enjoy before purchasing the book. Some people thought the message was clear, but they were disappointed that the title said nothing about bullying and how Lucy stood up to the bully rather than it being about having the courage to be yourself.
What do you think?
All in all, I think it is a delightful story with a good message. It may be a good story to discuss with children before school starts up again. It’s always good to be prepared for a possible unpleasant experience.
I may have reviewed these stamp sets before, but they’re worth revisiting! I absolutely love them!
They’re from Art Impressions and they’re called “Girlfriends.” I believe most of you can relate . . . if they don’t remind you of you and your friends . . . maybe your mother, aunt . . . grandmother . . . or those ladies you see out shopping everywhere!
Yes, the creators of this set have it all together . . . they always make me laugh.
It doesn’t matter what they’re doing, they’re having a good time!
Something I need to remember. Everything can be fun . . . even housework with the proper outlook. I don’t mind dusting as much as I used to . . .
It’s always fun to add a bit of humor in everything you do . . . Yes, even going to the dentist.
These are quite popular stamps. They’re at the movies wearing those funky 3-D glasses and at the beauty shop and acting like kids . . . which we enjoy doing from time to time.
I do encourage you to check these out . . . some other ones may catch your eye:
I could definitely go on and on . . . Sorry the links show a sideways picture, but that’s how they’re packaged . . . I believe you’re in for a real treat while looking through these stamp sets. You can make some lovely cards and art projects with these . . . good enough to frame and put on your wall or give to a friend or relative. Oh, you’ll need some markers and stamp mounts and stamp pads . . .
These Copic Markers are all the craze with stampers! I added them so you could check them out! I like colored pencils — the ones can be brushed with a damp paintbrush and blended out nicely. If you go that route, maybe some watercolor paper would be helpful.
I saw these cute boxes on-line and thought what a great idea.
They’re great for a 4th of July BBQ or picnic. You could put some fun goodies in them.
I thought they’d be exciting to make and fill with candies. Or they could be keepsake boxes for a summer day at the beach and put some shells in them after they dry appropriately. Maybe some beach sand . . . and little keepsakes from a day in the sun.
They would be great to put in some sunscreen or chapstick, a pair of sun glasses. Depending upon how big you make your boxes, they would hold quite a few pictures of your day at the beach or what you did during summer vacation.
These sandals are usually worn throughout the summer and you’ll have plenty of opportunities to take lots of pictures to put in your keepsake flip flop sandal box..
This is a purchased SVG file. All you need to do is click the image and you’ll be taken to the website to purchase.
I know I find a lot of free printables for you, but this time it is a paid one I believe is worth the price. And, if you have a Silhouette Cameo you can get this file quite a bit cheaper from the Silhouette Store.
And, if you don’t have a Silhouette Cameo . . . why not?
The Silhouette Cameo is an electronic cutting machine that can cut a variety of materials up to 12 inches wide and 10 feet long. This new model has a responsive touchscreen, a handy on-unit cross cutter and built-in accessory storage.
I love mine, especially the Print and Cut feature that allows me to cut precisely around designs and images I have printed on my home printer. I’ve made lots of stickers, iron-on, cut-outs for scrap book pages and mini-albums. I’ve also made cupcake toppers and lots of boxes from my collection of templates. It does save me considerable time to have the Silhouette Cameo cut things out for me.
It includes a 12 inch cutting mat, a cutting blade and 100 preloaded designs. It also includes the Silhouette Studio, which is the powerful software program which allows you to create your own designs using your own fonts and images.
As I said, I love mine and I also bought:
This is a wonderful machine that I truly love using. There are things to learn, but you’ll find plenty of instructional videos on YouTube that will help you out. And you can figure things out with the on-line manual.
Some people choose the new Cricut Explore Air Wireless Cutting Machine and others like the Brother ScanNCut2.
It’s nice there are alternative cutting machine available for different people who want a cutting machine for different purposes.
Well, enjoy your summer . . . take plenty of pictures . . . and make some paper crafts during the heat of the day.
I know I find a lot of free printables for you, but this time it is a paid one I believe is worth the price. And, if you have a Silhouette Cameo you can get this file quite a bit cheaper from the Silhouette Store.
