Camp Butler: Week Two - Cooking

The second week of Camp Butler was devoted to cooking. Georgie and Jack went to Nana and Papa's church for Vacation Bible School this week, and their theme was "Shake It Up." It was a natural fit for us to learn about cooking since they were already learning about cooking at VBS.

Jack, Georgie and Elizabeth with Mrs. Heidi (Mrs. Heinie as Georgie called her...HA) on the first day of VBS.

Chef Jack

They made these darling refrigerator magnets.

Chef Georgia Anne

We also went back to the library and checked out more books pertaining to cooking. We found this neat little book about the foods that were served at the White House when Abraham Lincoln was president.

We decided to try out this recipe...
which was very good. We also learned a little history about this dish (which is basic fried chicken with a yummy gravy). President Lincoln was not much of a meat eater and for their first ball at the White House, he requested this chicken dish be served. It was the only meat dish he liked. We also learned that their two sons were sick with typhoid fever upstairs in the White House while the ball was going on.

We also baked a homemade cake for Michael for Father's Day. They really enjoyed this, especially the icing. Georgie was in charge of spreading the icing, while Daniel and Jack were in charge of licking everything in sight. (One thing is for sure, I don't think I could in good consciousness offer a piece to anyone other than us after all the licking.)

Thrift Store Find Redos

I thought I'd share a few thrift store redo projects I've been working on the past week. I LOVE finding something cheap (and usually ugly) and re-purposing it to fit my needs or decor.

I found these two lovelies at the Salvation Army. The wooden, footed bowl was $1 and the basket was only 50 cents! I haven't figured out where I am going to use the basket yet, but here is what I did with the bowl....

It got a coat of antique white paint and then I distressed it. I have been looking for something to go under my cloche and I think this is perfect.

I also found this picture at Salvation Army for only $3.25. I bought it not for the watercolor, but for the frame, since it had been professionally framed. (I actually bought 6 of these. I'll show you later what I did with the others.)

Michael and I bought this pen and ink drawing of the U.S.S Constitution when we visited Boston over a decade ago. It sat in our closet for that long and now I am glad it has a home and a new frame.

I forgot to take a before picture of this lamp shade. It was pretty boring, basic white, but it had a great shape. I cut strips of broadcloth, ruffled them, and then glued them to the shade.

And last, but certainly not least, I have been wanting a pair of antlers for a while now. I have seen them in local antique stores for upwards of $50 to $100. Well, needless to say, I didn't purchase any of those. I found these at a local flea market. My Dad made the plaque out of tiger maple and mounted them for me. I love the way they turned out! At $16 they didn't break the bank either (thanks to Daddy contributing the wood and his talent).

I've got lots more to show you, so be on the lookout!!

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

Just Plain Tuckered Out.......

Tallassee Now!

This weekend was the Tallassee Chamber of Commerce's Tallassee Now BBQ, Cook-Off and Music Fest. We went Saturday evening to see Paw Paw and his friend, Charles perform. They did a wonderful job and the kids loved seeing Paw Paw "on the stage."

Georgie and Ella had a good time playing together.

Jack and Noah "sword fighting" with their balloon swords Mr. Bush made for them.

Jack, Georgie, Noah and Nic had the best time together!!

The BB&T Nascar was on site and the boys LOVED this!

Carl Wayne and Daniel

K-K, Joey (and Baby Girl Scarborough)

Fun at the Lake

Yesterday we took the kids to visit Michael's grandparents and enjoy a little swimming in the lake. The weather was perfect (hot, but not as hot as it has been) and the water was still somewhat cool. We had a lot of fun and the kids had a good time visiting with Grandma and Grandaddy Butler.

Just pretend Daniel isn't wearing a pink and purple life jacket/swim suit. You know he is the third child for sure. Not many first time (or second time) parents would let their boy wear this, but by the time the third one comes along, you just go with it!

Lady enjoyed watching the kids play in the water.

Camp Butler: Week One - All About Fish

This summer I am trying something a little different at the Butler house. It is called Camp Butler. Each week we pick a theme to learn about and we do activities based on our theme. This week's theme has been fish.

We started out by going to the library last week and checking out books that fit within our theme. We also have gone through our books and read ones we had that were related. We even have read a few Bible stories that were fish related.

We also added a new family member....a beta fish named "Swimmy." Georgia has been wanting a fish FOREVER and she finally talked Michael into getting one....since we were learning about fish (she's sneaky like that!). My dad gives Swimmy a week at the Butler house, but I hope we prove him wrong.

I printed off fish coloring pages from the internet that they colored with markers....

We made whale sun-catchers when Georgie's friend, Andy came to play. I must say they loved this craft! Georgie and Andy did great, but Daniel and Jack made a huge mess with the little plastic beads you use when making them. Anyway, it was worth all the mess, because they really had fun making them.

We did a fun Q-Tip painting. They wanted to paint Swimmy, so I drew out a simple fish drawing for them to paint with Q-Tips. They also really liked this one. Georgie was very particular about hers being just perfect. The boys on the other hand, turned theirs into finger painting. Thank goodness for washable paint is all I have to say!

We still are planning on going fishing one afternoon. We are going to cut some bamboo and make old fashioned cane pole rods. I'll be sure to let you know how that one turns out!

Summer Fun: The Library & Pool

Now that summer is here and school and Mother's Day Out are on summer break, all three little ones are with me 24/7. I have decided to take the summer off from painting so we can spend the days doing fun things together. When we stay home ALL day EVERY day, they tend to fight a lot. So I have tried to come up with a loose schedule of activities for us to do to try and bring a little order to what could be chaos during the days while Michael is at work. Thursdays are going to be library and pool day and I thought I'd share our first trips of the summer.

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer so far!

Wordless Wednesday