purple quilts

I made this full size quilt a couple of months ago with the intent of gifting it to a friend. However, once it was done I just couldn't give it away. It looked too much like something Alara would fall in love with. I was right. Purple is her favorite color and now this quilt is currently on her bed, next to Hundley with her special blanket. 

With the leftover scraps, I put together a doll size version of the purple quilt. I'm not sure which one I like more...the full size or the doll size. 

Watching Alara swaddle her dolls (and storm-troopers) in her little quilt, while wrapped up in her big quilt makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. And since it is about 40 degrees outside that's saying something. Cheers to staying warm and cozy.  

mystery books for early readers

As a kid I loved a great mystery book. I wanted to be Miss Marple, or Mandie Shaw when I grew up. Often I would stay up all night reading my favorite mystery series because I just had to know who did it. Mystery books are great for kids because they encourage readers to use logical thinking and deductive reasoning. They're also fun to read! This month, Lucas and I picked out some of our favorite mystery books from the library to share. Some of the books he was able to read, but mostly I read aloud to him.  Overall, he enjoyed reading/listening to the stories and tried to solve the mysteries right along with the characters.

1. Nate the Great by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat is the first book in this fantastic series about a pancake loving boy detective. In this book Nate is working on the case of the missing painting. He takes detective work seriously. This was a favorite for Lucas. He could relate to Nate's love for pancakes and enjoyed trying to solve the mystery of the missing painting. These books are clever and funny, and are perfect for early readers.

2. The A to Z Mysteries Series by Ron Roy was also a favorite for Lucas. As the name suggests..A to Z.., the book titles in this series follow the alphabet..The Absent Author, The Bald Bandit, The Canary Caper..etc. In The Absent Author, readers are introduced to detectives Dink, Josh and Ruth Rose. In this story the three friends have to figure out what happened to their favorite author!  This series is well written, the clues make sense and the author wraps up the mysteries in a way young readers can understand and feel good about solving. 


3. Miss Nelson is Missing by James Marshall is a favorite of mine. I used to read this book to my students when I worked as a substitute teacher. It is a fun read, and a great way to talk about classroom expectations. In the story, Miss Nelson's students have gone a little crazy! They won't stop talking, they won't do their homework and spitballs are flying everywhere!  Miss Nelson has had enough. She calls in sick and brings in the horrible, Miss Viola Swamp as her substitute. Miss Viola Swamp cancels recess and gives out lots of homework. When the students try to find Miss Nelson, no one knows where she is! After Miss Viola Swamp whips the class back in shape, the sweet Miss Nelson returns to a much better behaved and appreciative class.

4. Young Cam Jensen series by David Adler is a great series for early readers. In Young Cam Jensen and the Library Mystery, her father's shopping list has gone missing! Cam and her friend Eric put their brains together and solve the mystery of the missing shopping list. Out of the four books we read, this was the one that Lucas could read himself. He enjoyed the story, and illustrations that went along with the book. We are looking forward to reading more books from this series. 

little grey swing dress

January always sneaks past me. One minute it is December 31st, and the next it is February 1st. Someone is guaranteed to get sick, either from spending time with cousins and family during the holidays or at school. We get up in the dark, it is cold and the days are short. I have a mountain of to-dos that get pushed aside for the holidays, and bedtime can't come soon enough!

To combat the January blues, I decided to test out my new sewing chair that my husband gave me for Christmas. I had this super soft and comfy grey knit fabric that I had purchased a couple of months ago.

After eyeing several swing dresses in the store, I decided that I should try and make one myself. It didn't look complicated and honestly my super soft grey fabric was of a better quality then most of the swing dresses I found in the store.

Turns out that swing dresses are super easy to make and now I'm on the look out for a fun and bright fabric to make more for summer.

Please ignore the award posing in these pictures...I am not photogenic and I'm super awkward in from of a camera. 😄

updated diy dinning room and living room

My husband and I kicked off the new year with one little and one big diy project. I love the look of picture frame shelves. After searching the internet, I quickly realized that buying the shelves in store in the size that I needed would be costly. My husband made these shelves in one afternoon for about $20. I'm seriously debating about adding one more shelf under the bottom one. 

The wainscoting project was a lot of work. I love how the project turned out. My husband did a beautiful job. However, unless you love to measure and sand for hours, I wouldn't recommend this diy. Also, skip any and all pinterest tutorials that suggest "shortcuts," "getting the real look for less" and "do it in one day." Installing wainscoting correctly takes time. 

In the end, I am in love with both projects. Can't wait (although I'll probably wait a few months before suggesting the next project) to see what else we do in the near future. 

thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving

This year our family has been truly blessed! Last year at this time, my husband had just accepted a new job, we were in packing mode and I wasn't sure what life would be like in Arizona. Thankfully, the job worked out and I've seen so much growth in my husband's career. He is happy. My children have adjusted and have made some amazing new friends. They are happy. We are where we are meant to be and for that I am thankful. 

early chapter books

Over the past couple of months, Lucas and I have been slowly diving into chapter books. Some he reads, some I read and some we both read. He especially enjoys reading books from the Pete the Cat series and books about Superheros.  As his reading improves, I have been encouraging Lucas to branch out and try new books....it keeps things interesting and honestly I can only take so many stories about Pete or Batman before I go crazy!!!  Here are a few early chapter books that we have enjoyed this month.

1. Pete the Cat by Eric Litwin is a series favorite for Lucas. I've been reading Pete the Cat at bedtime since my kiddos were little. Now, Lucas is able to read Pete the Cat and he loves it! The stories are perfect for beginning readers, with an upbeat message and colorful illustrations to keep readers engaged.  Between our home library and local public library, I think Lucas has read every Pete the Cat book. 

2. Charlie the Ranch Dog by Ree Drummond is the perfect book for young dog lovers learning to read!  Charlie is the lovable, bacon eating ranch dog with floppy ears and short legs. He takes ranch work seriously! I love that Charlie is a Basset hound and  isn't your typical ranch dog. My daughter loves listening to Lucas read Charlie the Ranch Dog out loud...especially when Charlie howls.

3. Stinky Spike the Pirate Dog by Peter Meisel was a new find for us. This book was challenging for Lucas, however he did enjoy the story and was able to answer comprehension questions.  When Spike slips on a piece of seaweed and gets lost at sea, he is rescued by the Captain Fishbeard and his crew of stinky pirates. Spike stays with the pirates as their official super sniffer.  After a few misadventures the pirates soon realize how valuable Spike's super sniffer is for finding lost treasure.

4. The Magic Treehouse by Mary Pope Osborne is a fantastic book series!  This is my first time reading the Magic Treehouse books, and I'm enjoying the stories right along with the kiddos. In the series, Jack and Annie find a magic treehouse. The treehouse belongs to Morgan Le Fey and is able to magically transport Jack and Annie back in time. In each book, the kids experience a different time and adventure.

Halloween 2018

Happy Halloween from Little House of Harrison! This year the kiddos went as Iron Man and Sky from the Paw Patrol/Princess Elsa. This was our first Halloween in our new neighborhood. It was a fun night, and packed with kids and families. I bought the biggest bag of candy I could find and we passed it all out! We had perfect weather for trick-or-treating and got to know more of our neighbors.  Now, I gotta figure out what to do with all of the candy we collected!!!