The BEST School Project EVER!

What what Hunter making? The BEST homework assignment EVER, that’s what!


Thursday night Hunter called to let us know that he had to make a WWI trench to bring to school. Instantly he and Hubby started planning how to make this thing come alive!

We started with the spray foam (the white stuff in this post) and made sure that he had a great base to build off of.

He built little artillery buildings out of mini popsicle sticks that he painted brown and glued together.

He made Army Guys out of molding clay since the only ones we could find to buy came in packs of a million. Didn’t need that many.

The one above is in No Man’s Land, Hunter said he was dead, I said just sneaking up on the enemy.

Not only did he have to make the trench, he had to label everything too! There was No Man’s Land, Artillery, Communication and Support areas in his trench.

Even a flag…

This was by far the coolest school project he has ever had to do, and so much fun. He did it all himself, except using the hacksaw.

What homework would be complete without a hacksaw…

I will be a sewing machine!

Last weekend when Ma and I went to the Home & Garden show, we found the sewing area. I love walking through the sewing sections of craft stores, it is such a calming craft, and can produce some great results. A local sewing store was at the show, one that Ma had been to many times over the past few years. They have 4 locations, and are a small run operation.

I haven't really sewn in years. Sure I have mended some things around the house, but never started a project with a sewing machine and finished it through, at least not since I was in middle school.

So Ma and I were wandering around looking at the machines that do designs, and I told her that I had been wanting a machine for a while. I wanted to be able to make the curtains I wanted, start a quilt I have been saving memorable bits of clothes for and even decorate the house with my own work. So many of my friends are crafty in that way, and I am jealous.

As we wandered through the exhibit we found the "normal" machines, and stood drooling after them. They had great sale prices for the show, almost 40% off! The most basic machine (which is all I could possibly need) was only $89! I was amazed at the cost of the machine, and tried to figure out what it all did.

Ma asked if I wanted it. Of course, but it was out of the budget for a while yet. She asked if I wanted it. Yes.

She put $10 down to lock in the sale price, because seriously we did NOT want to lug the machine back to the car through downtown.

Yesterday I went in and picked up my machine.

The Janome Magnolia 7306. Look at the flowers! I love that it is a pretty machine!

The Magnolia 7306 is dubbed "the perfect starter machine", with the basic 6 stitches and the 4-step buttonhole. Moving from stitch to stitch is as simple as turning the knob, and threading is so very simple.

Yesterday afternoon I had my machine lesson, it came free with my machine! While it was a lot of information the woman helping me was patient and as excited as I was. This is the machine she started on, and still uses it more often than her new fancy machine. Plus, this machine came with all kinds of accessories that most machines don't, even a seam ripper.

Once the lesson was over, she showed me around the store letting me know that the only things I would need to start out was thread and pins. AND, since I got my machine from them anything I bought in the next year was 10% off! How wonderful!

I can't wait to start a project, and it took all I had not to run to JoAnn ETC to buy fabric...must resist! So now I am on the Google hunt for some simple patterns that I can learn with. I can't wait!