Hope everyone has the happiest 2011! It's been a wonderful and relaxing holiday season. Sad to see it go.
Earlier in the year we put up a white board in our hallway that we wanted to have filled with quotes reminders, charts, etc that we wanted the children to see as they were passing by the area. I attended a class last year that talked about having a board that had these types of things on it in an area that children will regularly see. One of my friends has it in the bathroom, another one has it in their kitchen, and doesn't Bill Gates have something like this in his garage that he can look at when getting out of the car and walking into the house?? Or was that someone else? Anyhow...
Since this hallway was the biggest place and an area they regularly passed by, we used it. For our wall, we took two sheets of white board material that we purchased at Lowe's or Home Depot (look in the molding area) and attached them to the wall. To make them more decorative, we added molding and a shelf to it. The shelf was narrow so we added the canvas pictures to the top of it. The pictures are their school pictures or pictures from the year. See
here to know how to make your own.
Yesterday my husband had us all set goals for how many books we want to read in a year. I know, mine was quite low compared to everyone else's but accomplishable at least for me.
I love how he gathered all the children around to discuss their goal in the reading department. We also have some quotes up there and a job chart. More items will be added if needs this type of reminder.
I don't know if the older children were excited but those young ones sure seem to be. (And yeah - the Capitols won!!) What fun way to you remind yourself or your children of important goals, quotes, plans, etc?
Here in the desert where I live, fall is a beautiful season - not because it is filled with autumn colors, (the leaves never do turn here), but because fall means that the long hot summer is finally over. The days have just a touch of cool and the nights are heavenly. Everything is green and the flowers bloom gloriously. Yes, fall in the desert is beautiful - it just isn't very fall-like, which means that if you want fall color you have to do it yourself. So that is just what I did - I brought a bit of autumn splendor right into my home, starting with a pile of pumpkins (real and otherwise) in and around an urn by my front door.
In the living room a leaf made out of twigs and a pair of mini wreaths hang from the screen with the same luxurious satin ribbon.
More glitz in the dining room where the table is strewn with more fall foliage, satin ribbon, and the fruits of the season, a few of which I have sprayed a brilliant shiny gold for a festive punch. But the centerpieces of the arrangement are several turkeys that I have also sprayed gold - my pride a joy! (Thanks for that idea, Martha Stewart!)
A couple of leafy garlands lie on top of the china cabinet and the clock in the room facing it for another punch of orange and red.
The jars serve as a modern cornucopia, each displaying a different fall bounty: glitzy beaded acorns, stacks of mini squash, ears of colorful Indian corn, and tufts of wheat, a few of which have been sprayed gold. A tiny mercury glass bird watched over it all.
