Last week I had the wonderful opportunity to spend some time with my son and his family. They were spending a long weekend in Colorado while my daughter-in-law interviewed for a job she is interested in. Since moving and changing jobs is a huge decision, the kids wanted time to look at the area without the added help of their two year old daughter. So I got to be the nanny for a few days.
I had not been to Denver until this trip. Denver is at an altitude of nearly 6,000 feet and I usually avoid high altitudes because of my issues with migraines. But it seemed like a reasonable decision to go and spend time with the kids and hope for the best with my head.
Fortunately, it was a wonderful trip and my head only gave me a bit of grief one evening. We stayed in an Air BnB in the perfect location. We were walking distance to a little park and coffee shop. Across the road and just down a little ways was the Denver Zoo and a great natural history museum. We kept ourselves very busy!
Right before I left, I put together a little project for my grand daughter and I to do together. I wanted to make a Christmas ornament with her using what I had around the house. I gathered some green felt and a little piece of green velvet. From these, I cut some triangles to make Christmas trees. Then I went outside to find a branch that might work for the trunk of the tree. I topstitched the triangles together and put the tiniest bit of stuffing inside. Then I used hot glue to affix the branch/tree trunk. I had a container with an odd mix of sequins and shiny things in it which would make perfect decorations for the trees.
We had so much fun decorating these little trees. I squirted a pool of Tacky Glue on a piece of waxed paper and gave my little one a q-tip to apply the glue to the tree. Then she carefully picked out a sparkle or sequin to put on each spot of glue. I was impressed with her attention span and how carefully she chose her decorations. It was so hard not to tell her where to put something!
When she was done, we had four sweet trees.
I kept one to hang on our tree here at home and she took the other three back to Vermont. I just love this age. We really had a wonderful time together.
Now I am back at home and catching up on things. I am also enjoying a cold that I caught during the trip. Yuk. Doesn’t it seem like this happens all the time – fly somewhere and then catch a bug?
Thanksgiving is this week in the US and I am getting ready to cook. Julia came home last night on the train. Yahoo!! We are hoping to spend lots of time baking and hanging out over the long weekend. She will also be studying a lot – end of quarter projects are due soon and then she has her first round of final exams. Busy girl!
Finally, make sure to come by the shop this weekend! I will be holding a 20% off sale starting on Small Business Saturday lasting through Cyber Monday. All yardage, precuts, patterns and notions are all on sale! This is a great time to stock up for yourself or to choose some gifts for those special people on your list. All orders of $10 or more will receive a free fat quarter tucked in with your order. Happy shopping!!
What a lovely time, Happy Thanksgiving!
I’d love to do this with my granddaughter. She is turning 3 in December and I think she’d be able to sit for a spell and do this. Thank you for the idea and instructions. 🙂
Sounds like a great idea. I hope you both enjoy the time together. 🙂
You come up with such fun things to do with little Miss H. The trees are so fun, and will be a neat memory for years to come. Glad Julia is home, and equally glad she’s the one with the finals and not you! Haha. Enjoy your time together. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours, Bernie!
Thank you Wendy. I am also very happy Julia is the one with all of the deadlines, not me! I remember those days!
What a wonderful visit and wonderful activity! I am seeing nephews Friday and maybe I should bring something for them to do… Anyway, happy thanksgiving to you and yours.
There are so many little crafts the kids might want to do. Good old Pinterest is sure to help you think of something! Enjoy the long weekend Kathleen.
Oh my goodness, those trees are so cute, I want to drop everything and make a few. But Miss H is the cutest!!! Hope you have a great Thanksgiving with food and family. And remember it does not have to be perfect to be enjoyable.
Thank you Preeti. She is lots of fun for sure. I hope you and Paul enjoy your holiday weekend. 🙂
Little H looks so very pretty and sweet. Do you think they will move to CO? Glad you weren’t plagued with headaches. I used to get a headache and feel light-headed when I went to New Mexico or Colorado, but my body would adjust by the 2nd day.
When I read about your project, I immediately texted my daughter to see if my granddaughter can “play” with glue under my supervision. They are coming Friday (we will celebrate Thanksgiving on Saturday with all our family), so I will start gathering supplies – thanks for the idea!
I know you are having a wonderful time with Julia – Happy Thanksgiving!
Hi Linda, I don’t know where they will end up. She has opportunities in Vermont, Seattle WA, and (probably?) Colorado. She is interviewing in New Mexico next week and then she is done with the interviews. They have a lot of thinking to do! Have fun with your kids and your grands.
What a sweet little project for a sweet little girl! You’ll treasure that ornament forever 🙂
What a sweet idea. Be sure to put her name and the date on the back of the one you took home. It will become a nice reminder for her when she’s grown. They are so much fun when they’re little, aren’t they? I’m glad you got to go to Denver and see her. It’s an awesome city, and just think how much closer to you they would be! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and I hope that Julia emjoys her time at home.
She’s a real sweetheart! Lucky you!
What cute trees! Great craft idea! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
What a wonderful project with your sweet granddaughter! You really planned it well to make it a good experience for her — love the idea of pouring out a bit of glue and having her apply it with a Q-Tip. Wish I’d thought of that when my kids were little. I remember Lars dumping huge gobs of glue coming out way too fast, soaking through the paper or whatever and sticking his project to the surface underneath…
Doing crafts with a grandchild is just the BEST!!! I have one planned for Brady and me (making a bookmark or two) to do in about an hour once he’s done finishing up his fidget spinner he designed and made with Grampa in the garage! I love those little trees and the photos of her deep in concentration. My she’s a cutie, and Colorado is a lot closer to you than Vermont, so hope all bodes well. 🙂 I haven’t let myself shop (yet) but your sale sounds pretty sweet!
What a fun trip for you, Bernie!! I love Colorado, but it does not agree with my sinuses at all, so I’m glad you were able to visit without too much trouble. You always have such fun projects ready to share with H. I need to keep this one in mind. It will be interesting to see how this all works out for your families, but in any case, it was a great daycare/vacation for you. I hope you are enjoying preparing for the holidays. I would imagine a certain daughter will be home soon. Whee!
She is home!! Got home late Friday night – She had her last final exam on Friday night from 6pm to 8pm. Who the heck scheduled that? Seems cruel to me. 😉
Colorado is nice but the kids chose Seattle WA. I am so excited! That is an easy flight or even a 14 hour drive from here. Hurray!! They will move in July. Isn’t that the best?
I love my little tree ornament. I kept one of them – I bet your littles would love making these. So easy! My favorites were the little velvet trees – really sweet.