Picking out our Christmas tree

Last weekend was our annual trip to the tree farm. A few years ago we were looking for a place to get a tree that would shake it out (because we'd had two unfortunate issues with infested trees). Not only do we get a great tree with all the crawlies shaken out, but usually there is a horse-drawn ride. Sadly they weren't able to acquire horses this year, so it was a tractor ride, but we still had a good time. 

{the girls: my sister Amanda, Aurelia + I, and my mom Tami}

The weather was perfect, not only dry but actually warm! After these photos I tossed my coat in the car. 

{because, why not?}

{My girl's first tractor/trailor ride}

The tractor ride was decidedly more smelly and bumpy than the horses so we got off at the first stop. Just before stopping my mom spotted this bright green beauty and we snagged it without having to look at any others, which is ideal when young children are in tow.

{our sad attempt at taking a photo with our chosen tree}

{I love this little illustration of our tree coming down}

After walking back to the main entrance we settled in by the fire for hot cocoa and candy canes while Ben took care of the tree shaking and bailing business. 

 {sticky, sticky, sticky}

And we headed back home in record time...

Indoor fun

Oregon summer weather is always a toss up. We've had a lot of wet and overcast days lately, but I don't mind it much.

Today I decided to sort through some pins and actually try a new activity with Kai. Lately we've been coloring with crayons or the aqua doodle, doing puzzles, building towers, and watching an undisclosed amount of PBS Kids.

I remembered some things I pinned for homemade finger paints and homemade cloud dough. I gave Kai a choice and he wanted to make dough. The recipe I had called for 8 cups flour and 1 cup baby oil. We did NOT need that much, so we made it with 2 cups flour and 1/4 cup baby oil. I just love it when I can make something fun with things I already have on hand.

I found a wire whisk to be the best tool for mixing all the lumps out and distributing the oil evenly through the flour. Kai helped mix and we tried not to worry about the mess (Des was napping so he wasn't around to crawl through it). It took 2 minutes to make and now Kai is busy making "castles" in his big bowl of "cloud dough".

What pinterest successes have you had lately? I have had quite a few fails recently so I was pretty happy that this actually worked.