How to Make Stepping Stones - Crafting with Noah

This is a wonderful craft to do with children.  We had an extra bag of concrete sitting in the garage and I thought it would be great to get rid of it in a fun way.  Most of the supplies we used to decorate I had already and just had to dig them out of my craft room.  We used beads, broken china, decorative rocks and decorative glass.  I also added some Korean coins and pieces of chilbo (Korean enamel).  This stepping stone was done by Noah, our 6 year old grandson.  I love his creativity!!!

It was even better that Grandpa was home.  He really did a great job of mixing the concrete.  Noah helped too.

                                                He was really interested in the process.

                                                 We also had to keep an eye on the little guy.

I had inherited a bunch of tin lasagna pans and they made a great form for the stepping stones.  We just used an old plastic bowl to fill each pan with concrete.  We let it set for a half hour to hour and then we decorated.

                                         Noah really got into it and had so much fun.

Later, we had the kids imprint their hands in a couple of the stepping stones.  I added their names and the date.

                                                                These are Noah's.

                                                                   More of Noah's.

                                                                 These were mine.

I added some Korean chilbo (enameling) and Korean coins to this one.  I'm going to use some at the base of my gutters where there always seems to be a gully from the rain.  They take a few days to set but they were easy to remove from the lasagna pans. 

The grandkids went back home today after a week with us.  We really enjoyed them and Noah was so excited to show them all the things he made this week.  I'll be posting more projects in the next few days.

This project really is easy and inexpensive.  I also loved that it created something you could use.  My daughter is going to put their stepping stones in their garden.  It is a wonderful keepsake that can last forever.

Crafting Days with Noah - Part 1

The first full day Noah was here we did a kit I had bought at JoAnn's.  It was only $3.99 and was pretty easy to do.  The craft we did today I can't show you until next week.  It's a surprise for his parents.

The kids are really enjoying eating "Korean" style.  I just wonder if they will love it for an entire week.  Tomorrow we are going to the Minnesota State Fair.  Can't wait!!!

I Miss Dollhouse World!!

I was scheduled for one last class at Dollhouse World in Suwon and was so looking forward to it.  Unfortunity, the owner, Jung-Mi's father-in-law had fallen gravely ill and as the wife of the eldest son, the hospital vigil fell on her shoulders.  She spent every hour of every day at the hospital keeping me informed (through my Korean girlfriend) his status and the possibility of still having my class.

But he ended up passing right before we left so I was unable to have that class.  But I did stop in one more time to pick up a few supplies.

 While her sister (who owns the coffee shop adjacent to the shop) scurried around collecting items along with some phone calls to her sister looking for things, I took some photos of all the talent.

                Then I stayed for lunch and had a bittersweet meal with her.  Her shop is so cute.

I just love this bagel sandwich of hers.  It had egg, bacon, lettuce and mayo.  Yummy.

If you every are in Suwon near Sungdae Station, stop by.  She has kits available too.  If you have two full days, have a Korean friend give her a call and see if she can schedule a class for you.  It will be one of the best things you ever did in Korea.  To get to Dollhouse World:  From Sungdae Station, walk West for a few blocks until you past a gas station.  Take a right at the next street, its' a steep one and walk.  You will see the coffee shop and Dollhouse World on the left.  You can't miss it, it's the first building when you take that left.

There is a huge miniature show in Chicago every year and she would love to go.  I'm trying to convince her to go and that I would drive down and help her with the show.  I'll let you know if she ever takes me up on it.

Up North With Noah!

We used to rent a cabin for a week most summers up on Leech Lake when the kids were young but it had been a good decade since we had done that.  I thought this year would be a great year to do that again.  My folks would be going with us as I had heard my Dad more than once talk about all the fun we had up North.

We were able to bring Noah with us and we also had visitors like our son and his girlfriend and my sister and her husband.  This photo is Noah's first boat ride on Leech Lake.

We went up on a Saturday and by Monday we were sitting in a doctor's office with Noah.  He hadn't been feeling well and was running a 102 degree fever.  But when he started crying about his throat hurting we knew we were in trouble.  I was lucky enough to find a clinic (the only clinic) willing to squeeze us in.

The poor little guy had strep and the doctor wanted to know where we were from.  He had seen a lot of strep that week and all from the Twin Cities.  He called in Noah's prescription and we made our way to the pharmacy.  Thank goodness for my IPhone.  I was able to call Laura and she sent me copies of her insurance card through our phones.

Noah wasn't himself most of the week but that didn't stop him from having a ton of fun.

He would have bursts of energy only to crash and burn quickly.  We just catered to whatever he needed and by Thursday he was back to his old self.

Our resort is off of a winding road going around Leech Lake.  We noticed one morning about 30-40 Native Americans in the woods digging.  We saw a hearst there also and that's when we realized that it was a gravesite.  They were still there that evening having spent the entire day there.

              I had never seen anything like it so I grabbed my camera to take a few pictures.

It reminded me of the tombs I would see dotting the landscape in South Korea.  It was similar except in Korea they would use bricks or stones to make a dome and the body would lay under the dome.  It was then covered with dirt and grass.

Every Tuesday there is a flea market in Hackensack.  It had really grown since the last time I had went. Both my Mom and I love a good flea market.  We brought Noah with us too.

I did get a few things including this cool bag.  Noah got a few things too and so did my Mom.

Smoretime!

Noah also learned how to catch crayfish.  A couple of brothers really took him under their wing and were wonderful swimming buddies.

                  We also went into Walker and did a little shopping.  They had a lot of cute shops.

                                          Noah picked out this t-shirt for his little brother.

This was our cabin.  We chose a large one because we weren't sure how many people would be coming and we wanted plenty of room.

                                                                     The Kitchen

                                                                  Family Room

                                                 My Folk's Room and yes, that is a jacuzzi you see.

                                                                       Noah's Room

                                                                    Our Room

Our son is kinda famous around these parts.  When he was 12, he caught a record muskie off the dock.  The resort owners had a replica made of his catch and also a plaque made.  He still holds to this day the Minnesota State Record and the World Record for 16 and under.  He is quite the fisherman.