The Worlds Best Bubbles

Jackson lovs bubbles. Well, he loves watching bubbles as i play with them. The problem is, a lot of the bubbles we buy are just junk, they're small, and don't last long enough for Jackson to chase them down. Here's a recipe for awesome bubbles. Way better than the cheap-o ones you buy at walmart.

The World’s Best Bubbles

1 1/2 quarts of water

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1 cup liquid dish soap

Mix water and corn syrup until completely blended. Slowly stir in soap. Will last several weeks in an airtight container.


Entirely unrelated pictures:

Jackson being shark boy after his bath. Thanks to Auntie Nicky for the adorable towel.

Man oh man, i fall more in love with this sweet man every day!

My Latest

Here are a couple of projects I've been working on.

I already had the letters, so this one was easy. I sanded down an old piece of wood siding. (Sanded A LOT because i was worried about Jackson getting a sliver) Then i stuck the letters on, and had hubby hang it. This cost about $10 for the letters, which I've had for a while. i plan to stencil it at some point, as I'm not a fan of the fake look of the vinyl letters.

And this frame, I've had forever, but was sick of the bronze look of it. This took about 1.5 cans of spray paint to cover. i kid you not. I love the look of things painted white, but man it's a lot of work!
My next project involves these colors:

And my bathroom/ bedroom walls. When i get around to it. Who knows when that will be. Have i mentioned that painting with a toddler is hard?

A Stairwell.

You can do a lot with a stairwell.




Jackson started this project for us, back in december, when he peeled a piece of wall paper off, at the top of our stairs (there is a landing, and a baby gate, safety first) The previous owners apparently wallpapered over a few holes in the walls. Ugh. Once Jackson had exposed the hole, i decided we had pull up the wall paper, and start fresh (also, we couldn't fix it, we didn't have any of the paper)

After peeling back all of the wallpaper, which came off pretty easily, i realized there was no chance i could just paint the walls. They were so mangled, they would at the very least need a skim coat. I decided to fix all the major dents and bumps, and re-apply wall paper. I chose a Wall Doctor brand, it looks like bead board, and it is specifically made to hide imperfections. You can even put it over cinder blocks, or panelling. It was very easy to put up, it took Mr.H and i maybe two hours.

I left one wall paper less, because i've always wanted a chalk board wall. Since the wall was rough (old plaster) we covered it with a very smooth piece of plywood (i have no idea what kind, that is up to the Mr.) I used Rustoleum chalkboard paint in Moonstone. It took 3 coats to be smooth enough to write on, i assume because i painted over wood instead of the usual drywall. The chalkboard will be great for Jackson also, when he is a bit older. It is safe, because it is on the landing, and we have a "top of stairs" baby gate there, which is extra tall (it comes up to my hip, and i'm 5'6") So if/when he is able to climb over the gate, we probably won't be using it anymore.

Since we have a fairly small house, and i like to use every available space, i decided some shelves were in order. There is so much wasted space at the top of the stairwell after all. I wanted some vintage crates, but after deciding that they might not be strong enough for shelves that would be hung above our heads, i asked the Mr. to make me some, from barn board.

I think they turned out fab, and are the perfect way to use the space. I only put things in them that are for display only, or we rarely use (the top two shelves are accessible only by ladder). It's a great space for things that you want to keep, but don't need access to often.

And that folks, is our stairwell makeover.

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas...

Around the Henderson home.

Our pretty yet semi-tiny and lame Christmas light set up is done.
(you did a good job dear, we just need more lights is all)



The tree is set up and decorated, the stockings are hung in the picture frame with care, and my diy bunting and snowflakes are all done. This is really the most decorating I've ever done. I usually don't see the point in anything besides the tree, putting decorations up for just a month is strange to me. Now we have our wee Jackson Graeme, and it all seems worth it. Every little thing i put up, he notices, and stares in awe. he especially likes the snowflakes.
Surprisingly, he doesn't bother with the ornaments on the tree. Our colors this year are green, white and silver. I'm also really into making decorations now. I can't wait till Jackson is interested in crafts. Maybe next year our house will be filled with his creations. For now I'm just waiting for Christmas morning in anticipation of his first Christmas. The joy of the season is really increased ten fold when you are seeing it through a child's eyes.

It really is the most wonderful time of the year!

Diy: Pinecone Wreath

The cost of theis project was $5.00 for the grapevine wreath, and $2.00 for the white pinecones (i think it looks better when you use a variety). I found the rest of the pinecones, in my back yard. I saved, about $25.00.
Now i just need to paint that icky mailbox, but it's too darn cold and rainy here.

Diy: Headboard

Mr. H made me a headboard this weekend. I LOVE it. It's actually made our of an old door, and super easy to do.
I didn't take any pictures of the project to show you, but it's simple. He just cut a 2x4 on a 45 degree angle, he attached one piece of the 2x4 to the wall, and one to the door. It works like a hook, so he just rested the door on the 2x4 attached to the wall (it's very secure) The best part about this project, it was free! We already had the door, stored at his parents house, and we had the 2x4 and screws here.

Art Inspired By Said Favorite Poem

Diy: Urn Insert

Being the frugal shmugal lady that i am, i'm SO not about to pay $30+ for a pre-made urn insert. They're super easy to make. Most of the ones sold in stores are cedar, but i preferred the evergreen. (also, cedars in the forest, only have branches about 30+ feet up in the air, so unless you buy time, they are hard to procure) You can purchase the greenery, if you don't have a forrest. After i obtained my pine branches, i headed over to the dollar store, to get some colorfull accents. I chose red and gold. Obvi. Then, all i dod was stick a bunch of trimmed pine branches in my urn (which is full of dirt), then i added my decorative sticks. I think i'm going to get some tall, plain branches, and spray them white, to add some height to my urn. This project cost $4.00. I heart saving moolah!

(i do need to repaint my urn, after only 1 winter the paint started to flake. it is too cold here now to spray paint though)

Diy: Paper Mache Letters

Easy to make, and a lot less expensive.