Tie Dye (DIY): the results

So, here are the results. Don't get too excited because they fade drastically, as you will see in the last series of pictures.

pillowcases

The directions on the kit said to wash them separately in water on the hottest setting. Some other how to's tell you to wash in cold. Although a lot of the color came out, I think they still look good and now they really won't bleed because I washed them in hot.

Here's mine. It's a little wacky, but still fun I think.

Tie Dye (DIY)

I have wanted to Tie Dye for a while now, but always thought it was such a big project. It turns out, it wasn't so bad, but it's definitely a summertime outdoor activity for me.

I bought a kit from Joanns and used this video to figure out how to make the pattern. We tie dyed pillowcases and shirts. Had I known I was going to like the results, I would have planned ahead and dyed shirts and pillowcases for Christmas presents. I may still do that.

Gloves are definitely a must; I took mine off for a short period of time and my fingernails were green for a week.

The kit came with these bottles with coloring powder in each bottle. I simply had to add water. They were great; I preferred them over the "dipping in bucket" method.

We stored our creations in plastic bags for 12 hours.

....and you'll have to wait until the next post to see the results! Sorry, but we had to wait 12 hours for the results, it seems only fair to make you do the same. It's more exciting that way. Happy Friday to all!

At the farm

We went to Davis Farmland about a week ago. Mom won tickets for four and we traveled a little over an hour to get there; well worth the trip!

We saw animals REALLY close up.

This cow was eating the hay we were sitting on for the hayride.

Mom bought each of the five kids a $2.00 cup full of feed for the animals. It lasted ALL day...maybe we didn't need five cups.

The kids were able to hold baby chicks.

They could pet and brush the calves. Yes, E's backpack is huge, but he wanted to carry it. He had it on most of the day.

OH....so cute!

The funny thing was you couldn't tell if the animals were inside or outside their pens because the entire farm had fences around it. For the most part, all the animals walked around freely.

I walked into this chicken coupe to see E petting a chicken.
We saw lots of this too...
I wish I had pictures to show the result of actually bringing the feed into this pen. Two of my nephews were not pleased with what happened, but we adults found it a little amusing (after the kids stopped crying of course!)
This is a rare breed of donkey (sorry, can't remember the name). It is one of only 40 in the United States.
Pony Rides for all.

ARRGH!
My oldest nephew painted his own face...pretty great if you ask me!
The other two had theirs done by their Memere.

Ahhhh yes, and our two youngest artists!

My favorite was the big farmer's sink for the kids to wash their hands in after being slimed on by all the animals.

We even did a little scavenger hunt!

The kids spent a good 30 minutes riding these bikes around the track...even the two little ones.

This farmland also has a splashpad area with a spot to get full of bubbles!

“The essence of childhood, of course, is play"

-Bill Cosby

Random Thursday

This post is more like a preview of what's to come. Despite what it seems, blogging can take a lot of time. I have ideas of what I want to blog, but I just haven't pulled it all together yet. So... these pictures are my blogging goals for the week. If all goes well, you'll see posts about each one of them in the days ahead.

Picture of the Week (very late)

We spent 3 days in New Hampshire and spotted a moose, a real live, huge moose. It's really strange seeing such a big animal in the wild, but really cool!

Random Thursday (a date late)

Most of our yard is looking a little overgrown and dry these days as summertime comes to an end, but I'm quite proud of these two planters, one of which I managed to keep alive all winter. Can I do it again this winter? Only time will tell...

One of the best things about my new point and shoot camera is that I can actually reach to take photos of myself with the kids. I don't always get us in the frame, but it's fun anyway.

And sometimes, I even manage to get a decent photo.

Little Miss does not like loud noises. This is what she does. Generally she loves carousels, but this one is a little loud for her.

SMORES...probably the last of the summer. Refrigerating the marshmallows seemed like a good idea at the time, but I think it made for some pretty sticky smores.

Random Thursday postponed

Stay tuned tomorrow for a belated Random Thursday post. We had a busy day today at this place. What a blast! See you tomorrow.

Picture of the Week (One Day Late)

My favorite picture from the week.

Although you can't see their faces, I really like this picture of Little Miss and her "best friend". After taking a bath, they were waiting to have their hair done by best friend's older sister.

“Truly great friends are hard to find, difficult to leave, and impossible to forget.”