Crafting: 'WRITE' Banner

As summer has progressed I have been thinking more and more about my classroom and how I should set it up / decorate it. There are definitely other things I should be worried about before simply how my classroom will look but lets face it, this stuff is way more fun!! I have endlessly looked on pinterest for ideas and one that jumped out at me was this 'WRITE' burlap banner that can be found here: http://www.buzzfeed.com/peggy/clever-diy-ways-to-decorate-your-classroom?sub=2478949_1642465 

So cute! Am I right? I thought it would be so cute at the top of my language arts bulletin board, or above a writing station I have been thinking about setting up in my classroom. You could purchase them from a store on etsy but I promised my husband I wouldn't spend any more money on stuff for my classroom, plus my mom gave me a bunch of burlap a while ago so I figured this would be a great project to use some of it on. 

I started by cutting strips of burlap. I made them twice the length they needed to be so that I could double them up. Then I glued the two layers together using some craft glue. Finally, I let them dry and applied the paint. Simple as that! All in all it probably only took an hour. I still need to thread them so that I can hang them on my bulletin board but I think they turned out alright.

      

Journaling: Weekend in Edmonton

This weekend Matt and I were able to go to Edmonton for Austin and Becky's wedding. The wedding  was on Friday so we left Lethbridge after work Thursday night and stopped at Brad and Sarah's house  (Matt's brother) on the way.

They have a daughter named Afton who is convinced that Matt is her very best friend in the whole world. About a month ago she HATED Matt, like really hated him. She would scream and cry whenever he touched her or tried to play with her. Out of desperation he showed her a video of them playing together saying "See Afton, we're friends!". The video made all the difference because she realized that they really were friends, in fact, he was her BEST FRIEND!! When they left Taber at the end of that weekend she cried because she had to leave her best friend so Matt promised he would come visit her.

This weekend when Brad told Afton that we were coming she was so excited to see Matt. She had her bath and when she got out she came into the living room and said "Dad, Matthew doesn't want to see my messy hair, so I'm brushing it." hahahahaha It is almost weird how much she loves him. She even starred out the window waiting for us to show up saying: "I think Matthew will be next!!" We love visiting them and I'm sure Matt loves Afton almost as much as she loves him! haha

Austin and Becky's Wedding was so beautiful! I was able to be in the Temple for their sealing and I have to say it is one of my favourite things. I love being reminded of Matt and I's wedding and our eternal marriage. They had my Aunt Bev do the food for their family dinner and it was delicious as always. Matt didn't even complain about staying for the reception because they had Marble Slab cater the desserts. All in all it was the perfect day, the weather even cooperated.

   

 

Of course we always love playing with JUDE THE DUDE!! He is such a happy boy and has the most adorable smile to prove it!!

Food Friday: Blueberry Muffins

I am a chocolate chip banana muffin person so I have never made blueberry muffins before. I always get them when I'm at school, they are one of my favourites. Matt also loves blueberry muffins and always asks me to buy the pre-packaged mixes from superstore. A couple of weeks ago I decided to try them at home. I have always loved the recipes on 'Our Best Bites' so I used their recipe. in about 40 mins I ended up with these... 

I think they turned out really good! I loved them, especially with the little bit of lemon in them. Here is the recipe from 'Our Best Bites': 

It can also be found here: http://www.ourbestbites.com/2011/02/streusel-topped-blueberry-muffins/

Journaling: Day Trip to Waterton with Osmonds

Today we decided we wanted to take advantage of the rare day when both Matt and I have the day off work. We decided to head to Waterton for some hiking and relaxing. It was super last minute.. it's a good thing that the Osmonds are always up for a good time because they jumped right on board.

I really wanted to do a good long hike but a lot of them are still in pretty rough shape so we settled for Bears Hump. I was alright with it because I haven't done it since Matt and I were dating. It used to be my family's go-to hike when we were little and I guess back then we didn't realize how steep it is (or maybe I'm just getting old... yikes!).

We also played a lot of fetch with Bronce (Osmond's black lab). He was fearless when it came to jumping in the freezing cold water. I guess I didn't mind the water either... Sometimes Matt likes to suggest I do things that he would never do himself just to see how much I take after my brothers. He told me I could get a really awesome picture if I climbed a tree that was coming out of the water. I pulled up my shorts and walked to the tree and all was good. Once I started climbing I slipped and got soaked from my stomach down. It was FREEZING!! Maybe it was worth it because Matt got a good kick out of it and it did make for a pretty good picture.

All in all it was a pretty awesome day!