Galileo and Gumballs

These are the two designs I came up with for the kids' t-shirts but didn't get to use.  If anyone is interested, you're welcome to take them and use them.  Please link back to me if you do!  I found a few great tutorials to learn how to make these in photoshop.  Here are the links:
Creating a custom shape and  Fitting text to your shape 

I had always wanted to learn how to make round text.  Turns out it was much easier than I thought.  Here's another great tutorial.  The words surrounding the earth are from Jane Yolen's Earth Day poem.

I Love You to the Stars!

We had a joint Earth and Stars birthday party for Lauren and Jacob last Saturday.  Lauren told everyone that she had to share her party with Jacob because he doesn't have any friends of his own.  It made me so sad.  I think perhaps I need to join a "MOPs" group right away!  Anyway, we had a great afternoon with all our friends.  The kids were so much fun.  They were also very busy and very loud exuberant.

My neighbor Hiedi and I put together this star mobile.  Even though the party is over, I don't want to take it down.  When the air comes on in the house, the mobile spins and flutters and twirls.  The kids and I all get a big kick out of it.  Our friend Amanda helped me make the constellation sign in the back.  The lights are actually in constellation form although you may not be able to tell.  Again, I don't want to take it down either.  It's fun watching TV at night by "star"light. 

Inspired by Miniature Rhino, I made gift bags for all of the kids and embroidered the constellations on the front.  We had Orion, Taurus, Andromeda, Perseus, Cygnus, Canis Major, Ursa Major, Hercules, and Pegasus.  I found some vintage constellation illustrations from the book "Urania's Mirror" and attached those to the drawstring.  We placed a personalized stargazing chart inside each bag along with some hot cocoa and marshmallows to keep them warm while they're checking out the heavens.  I found some giant roasting marshmallows and my friend Courtney used a star-shaped cookie cutter to cut a star out of the center of each.  My kids had fun with this as they kept sneaking the star leftovers.

Each of the wee ones also received another little gift in their bag; glittered star bobby pins for the girls...

And gloves for the guys with stars stenciled on the palms.

I made a little picture for the front door using wood, chalkboard paint, wooden stars, and craft rings.

For crafts, the kids painted the stars on small canvases.

They also painted Earth balls.

While half of the kids were inside painting, my brave friend Courtney was busy outside making terrariums with the rest.

I had planned to make t-shirts for everyone and had put together two designs: an Earth for the boys and a star for the girls.  Unfortunately, my printer couldn't get them done and so at the last minute (literally at 3:30, the party started at 4:00) I printed out two pictures of Einstein and stitched them to Jacob's and Lauren's shirts.  Definitely not the best sewing job ever but I was standing up to do it as my chair was already downstairs at the craft table!  Hahaha.   Do you see the gash on Jake's nose?  The day before we were almost positive he had broken his nose.  He was spinning in the living room and fell into the ledge around the fireplace.  It began to bleed and immediately bruised and swelled up, puffier on the left.  The next morning we woke up and he looked like this.  Babies are amazingly resilient!  I'm so happy he's okay!

Miss Caroline was shimmering in her dress.  She told her mom she needed to wear stars to the party.  So cute!

Lauren and her best buddy, Maycee.

We headed in for some astronomy inspired history and food.  We had Kepler Kebabs, Fizeau Fries, Newton Nuggets, and Copernicus Cheese-n- Macs.

We also had Ptolemy Pizza Bites and Halley's Fruit Comets.

Some Hubble Ham and Galileo Granary Bread...

A little Albert's Apple Juice to wash things down...

And some veggie big dippers to finish it off.

I never knew you could fit so many kids around one table. The table is made for four but we managed to squeeze in ten!

                                                                       

These guys were cracking me....and themselves up.  Jacob may have been the baby of the group but he did or tried to do everything they did.

It was apparently a pretty funny afternoon!

Jacob was chowing on the fruit skewers.  I was surprised at how well the kids ate them!

I was just waiting for the juice to come out of their noses.

And this one....don't get me started on this little star.  I just want to run away with him.  Hiedi's legs are longer than mine though and I don't think I could get very far before she caught me.

Our sweet friend and my babysitting lifesaver Amanda.

It was finally cake time.  This one was chocolate with a raspberry filling. I made the toppers with wooden stars, skewers and sequins on a string.

Our babies.  It's hard to believe they're now 6 and 2.  It's also hard to believe that the little one on the far left will be 8 come May.  It's going by too quickly.

After the cake we headed outside to do a little stargazing.  The weather had been a little foggy lately so I was surprised that we managed to see at least one star.  In case of fog, I had ordered some sky lanterns so we would be assured of some twinkling night lights.

I love, love, love the idea of sky lanterns but I was very worried about starting a fire.  I googled it and although they're not illegal in CA, you can still spend up to a year in jail for reckless burning.  Plus it wouldn't be very neighborly to burn down a friend's house or field.  So, I lit them and tied them off.  I think it would be amazing to see hundreds released somewhere.  As it was we only lit two before the rain started and we were done for the evening.

It is tied off here.  I just photoshopped it so you couldn't see the string going through Lauren's hair (shhh!).

Happy, Happy Birthday to our two little ones! (These were the pictures on the invitations.)



I just have to say how much I appreciate my husband and dear friends.  Doug has told me I have a tendency to pull everyone around me into my party mania.  He may be right.  I'm so thankful to be surrounded by so many wonderful people; people who string 1,000s of lights in the trees out back, people who come over and help me make and hang a mobile while 6 kids run screaming through the house; people who help me make a constellation sign; people who hang the sign and help me replace strands of lights, people who help make the food; people who organize craft tables, set up food and create terrariums.  Thank you, sweet friends and amazing husband.  I love you, guys.  To me, you are the true stars!

Earth and Stars

~If I could reach up and hold a star for every time you've made me smile,

the entire evening sky would be in the palm of my hand.~

Busy planning Lauren and Jacob's birthday parties.  I think I need woodshop classes.

These are the pictures that will go out on the invitations.  Jacob's picture was inspired by the amazing Lisa Rostoen of Fotografix Studios.  Her work is beautiful and inspiring.  Well, I'm off to do some glo-in-the-dark stenciling.  Yippeee!