My Summer Pinterest Project!

C'mon, you know we all had at least one! I Modge Podged me some letters and managed to hang the photos within half an inch of accurately...I need to swap out one photo ( the one with Santa) but that was some user error on cropping the beach photos too much to enlarge, so I went with a "stock" photo.  Each child was supposed to have their own, but one of them didn't have a presentable solo picture because he was hamming it up non-stop, and I love the one of ~him~ with his oldest son so there you go!  This was the first time we had all six for a week and the first time the oldest son had spent this much time with dad in years, not by dad's choice.  Turning 18 has been liberating and I will stop this story there.  To other blended families, have faith it will get easier because regardless of how challenging another parent can make it the kids know who cares and supports them, and when it comes to the point they get a real say and the courts don't have to be involved we have two that have spoken loud and clear about who they consider their family.  Our kids have truly embraced the idea and we know the nuclear family was the ideal we all started with and hoped for, but when life didn't work out that way we really think we have a good thing here all around!  Counting the days until our New Year's trip to the Outer Banks, and hoping the oldest two don't get better offers before then!

Give Me an A (& an H & an M & an L & 2 J's)!

So here I go on a special "blended family" project!  Did I mention that in our blended world all 3 sisters are from different misters, and all three brothers are from different mothers? In the end, however, we share them all.  The letters are traced onto paper, and I am working on 2 coats of black paint on the edges of the large letters (Joann Fabrics).  Later I will Modge Podge the paper to the letters, a first for me.  My end goal is each child's initial, which will hang over each child's close up black and white picture I will hang (either will get this summer or will go retro and do pictures from age 18 mos or younger).  I got the frames, 11x 14, I have the blank wall, so now it just time to get the letters and photos done.  In the end I will have unique and personal artwork in our home, representative of our blended family.  I think I will also do a birthday sign in the middle, with all first names and dates of birth.  This will all hang in our favorite room (besides the kitchen if I am cooking!), the gathering room...a great place to spend the day in your pajamas :).  I love only working part time in the summer so I can do fun stuff like this!  Will post when I get the letters completed and eventually a picture of the whole wall completed.