Busy and Fun Times on Friday

 It's Friday, always a favorite day for many.  Link up with some fun folks, click the Random 5 button and join Nancy and the rest of us.  Sorry to all my friends I have nothing finished craft wise to join in on Finished Object Friday today.  Still working on the infamous HUGE Afghan that is Sand and Sea or Sea and Sand, think I keep switching how I type the name.  Which sounds better anyway?

• Having knitting or crocheted as much as normal past couple of weeks, have been working on my SIL, Jan's genealogy...thrilled with how much I've found for her in such a short period of time.  Particularly given one of the family names in Jones!
• On countdown til we leave for vacation with our Darling Daughter...we just don't get to see her enough
• Catching up with my grade school friend last Saturday was soooooooooooo awesome.  We had a great time, took pictures, shared stories and laughed alot.  Looking forward to our next outing.  Will be blogging and sharing some pictures in a few days.  Stay tuned, please!
• Work schedule is about to become wild and crazy, over booked, and double booked...hope I have the umph for it.  I'm not getting any younger you know.
• Hoping to get to Shakespeare in the Park this weekend.  Every-time I think we're gonna go, hubby's too tired, or the weather doesn't cooperate.  We've not made it all this year.

 I mentioned working on my SIL's and Wendy's family tree above, and want to share with you a fun project to do with the kids...big and small.  Join me please over on Flat Stanley's.  The project will be posted later today, just click the tree to pop over.

For those that like blog challenges, pop over to Paula's.  Her June challenge is about to end, but she's having one in July too.  Check it out.  I may only participate here and there, with work kicking into high gear, and I've done 3 month long blog challenges in the past 3 months.  I might not be able to blog daily in July.  But, know she'd love some folks to join her.

Still trying to Memory Monday up and going with more participants.  Please pop back on Monday, and join in.  Linky Love, Meme's blog challenges that are a specific day of the week don't require a huge comment...time wise so they appeal to me...join in.

To do Lists

Happy Sunday one and all.  It's time for another year of projects update.  I've done a cut and paste here of the afghan section of my year of projects list.  As you can see one part of it is complete.  I've assembled 10 afghans from donated squares.  The latest, Blue Jay was posted for finished object Friday, please scroll back one post.  The 2nd portion of the afghan list was to complete the longest work in progress ever........EVER.  I have, as of today officially marked it off the list.  And will insert an 11th ghan made from donated squares in it's place.

My Afghan Goals:
To complete 12 afghans:
10 from donated squares (10 down and 0 to go)
1.. Summers End
2.  Sandbox 
3. My Granny
4. Christmas Time 
5.  Buckeye Blitz
6.  Box of Crayons 
7.  Arapaho
8.  Desert Rose 
9.  Iris and Lillies 
10. Blue Jay

Complete Candy Corn Afghan (longest work in progress project EVER)
Finish the Feather and Fan Afghan (knitted), that finally has a name, Sea and Sand
  **Sea and Sand in the works
WILL BEGIN WORKING AGAIN ON SEA AND SAND, NEED TO FIND MY NOTE ABOUT WHERE I LEFT OFF

So will revise the list on YOP tab to read 11 from donated squares (10 down and 1 to go).
Considering which ghan to work on (have over 20 designed and waiting), between these 3.  Not sure which one I'm leaning on.  Need to check my yarn stash.  Feel free to state which one you think I should work on, why, which one you like best etc.

Pink Persuasion, might use pink or off white/beige to edge and join

Purple Iris, hoping I have purple to edge and join with; but will look at green stash, with fall back beige.

 

 Or maybe this one, called Wee Irish.  Checking to see what shades of green I have to pull this one together.

With summer vacations on folks minds, and school's closing approaching, wanted to take a minute to invite you all to my Flat Stanley blog.  The blog is geared towards things to do with kids to keep them learning, or start them learning for the younger ones.  There's a bit of history, geography, spelling, coloring, puzzles and more.  I give examples of things you can do to help the kids remember certain things.  Recently Flat Stanley completed a month long blogging challenge and traveled the US in the process.  Use the search portion of the blog to insert the states you'll be traveling to or through on your upcoming vacations to see ways to engage the kids.  AND, I invite you all to do a Flat Stanley project with your children, grandchildren, students, neices, nephews, or kids next door.  Sat and Sunday's are days when I share kids Flat Stanley Projects.

Let's Get Social Sunday Time Too, link in meme tab

Projects Projects

Been working on these lovely feather and fan blue lace scarf. As you can see it's grown about 8 inches since last I showed it to you. I love this color of blue and DK weight yarn is awesome. I don't have much left as you can see. So, stopped working on it since I was away from home. Wanted to measure it and see how far this might take me, then decide whether or not I'm going to need a 2nd skein. Looks like I will.
And, since my last WIPW post (2 wks ago), I've started this scarf...the 2nd one actually. Will show you the completed one on Friday. Straight garter stitch with Homespun, always a hit. This is for Bridge and Beyond and is being from yarn donated to me. Worked on while out of town, and the flight...perfect no count type of project.

My other work in progress is an additional Blog, Flat Stanley and Friends. Takes some time, as you probably know to select a theme, move things around, write some posts and begin getting visitors, followers, people to comment etc. Inviting you all to please have a look, leave a comment let me know you were there. This blog is to help parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, baby sitters and Kids look at their spare time differently. To see learning possibilities, even if small in life around them or far away. I'm posting Flat Stanley Adventures with ideas of things to do with the kids with a similar experience in your area. I'm inviting everyone, KIDS included to get involved. On Saturdays each week, I'ld like to post your adventures. I know almost everyone has been involved helping a neighbor, a student, a family member with a Flat Stanley project of some sort. Sometimes they're writing assignments, sometimes history can play a part, sometimes art, geography and well...really there is no limited. Kids can color their Flat Stanley or use one of mine and get involved in something. Send me your Flat Stanley adventures--be they old ones or news ones that you create and I'll post them every Sat. Saturday will be Flat Stanley Sharing Saturdays. Naturally kids complete names will left out for protection., unless you don't see a problem with it. Kids I'm sure would love to see their story, their picture, their adventure posted on the internet.

**Badges and links for WIPW in left side-bar, join us. AND Flat Stanley's Badge and link in upper right sidebar....please join us.**

Flat Stanley

Do you know me? I'm Flat Stanley here to tell you a little bit about me; you might or might not know. I'm a creation, a character out of a series of books brought to life by Jeff Brown. He first wrote about me in 1964, 47 years ago. I don't look that old though, do I?

Jeff Brown wrote a series of books about Stanley Lambchop. The story briefly told is a bulletin board with pictures fell during the night on Stanley, making him flat; but not dampening his spirit. He made the best of things. He still played with his brother, and went on adventures. Because he was flat he could be a kite and sore; or be slid under a door to play with friends. He in fact could go "everywhere". He could visit people by mail. He could be folded, put in an envelope and mailed around the globe, meet new people and have all kinds of adventures.

Some book titles by Jeff Brown: Flat Stanley, Stanley in Space, Stanley and the Magic Lamp, Invisible Stanley.

In 1995 in London, Ontario Canada his life was altered by Dale Hubert, an English Teacher. He got the idea, kids might enjoy and learn more about writing if they wrote letters about Flat Stanley and his adventures. So, a huge project began. Flat Stanley was mailed off to places around the world and returned to his original destination with letters about his travels. The kids learned alot from Stanley and the project spread through out the world in classrooms with kids of all ages.

Through Flat Stanley, students had writing assignments, learned geography and history. The project expands further when the internet becomes part of children's education. They are webpages, blogs, clubs and more filled with Flat Stanley fun. It's a project suitable for kids of all ages, parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles. It's a wonderful way for kids to stay engaged and learn during the summer months when they're not in school.

Here's 27 adventures Flat Stanley has to share with you. Though my Friday series of Fun with Flat Stanley is currently on hold; it will again become active, so please keep checking in. In June, Flat Stanley hopes to launch a new series, and a special contest for kids of all ages. Flat Stanley knows there are many ways to learn about math, art, music, history, geography and life. Join him.

Flat Stanley Project

click on picture to enlarge and see detail

Do you know Flat Stanley?  Has your child or grandchild done a Flat Stanley project at school?  It's fun, it's educational.  A co-worker's nephew is doing a Flat Stanley project and so we're doing what we can to add to his project.  I took my Flat Stanley tailgating last wkend; but due to the old camera only working some of the time.  The pictures I thought I had....weren't there.  Errrrrrrrrr, I so need a new camera.  My regular camera broke while on vacation a couple of weeks ago, thus I've been trying to use the old one.  Very frustrating.  So, while Flat Stanley was appropriately colored to be Buckeye for tailgating, those pictures are non existent.

He also traveled with hubby and I last wkend to St. Louis with a car load of stuff for our daughter.  On the way back we made a couple of stops and Flat Stanley got his picture taken in Indiana, and in Illinois.  These 2 pictures with The Bison and TeePee were taken in Illinois on US Route 70 exit 76.  This is a fun stop for all.  The kids will love the TeePee and The Bison, parents will love the very unique gift shop; and furry friends have some room to roam and stretch their legs.  It's not the first time we've stopped here; nor will it be the last.

Here's Stanley in Indiana, again on US Route 70.  He got his picture taken by a nice memorial to our men and women in service.  The Blue Star Highways were started as a way to honor our military after the close of World War II, by ladies garden clubs all across the country.

If you'd like to join in on the project it would be great.  You can color your own Flat Stanley and take him places, photograph it and email it to me.  Or...you could take my Flat Stanley, print it and go visiting.  It's a geography lesson primarily for this particular group of kids; but the kids learn so many other things as well.  I like to add some history info, they can find locations on the map etc.  It started out as a way to get kids to write letters, to journal; but there are many possibilities.  Let me know if you're interested.  Here's a link if you'd like to color your own Flat Stanley

oophs forgot to add Stanley's picture in case you want to print it and take with you to various locations and email photo's back to continue the project.  Remember, my camera (super old one), isn't taking great photo's).  He looks very faded here...errrr

**for the first time in awhile, I was able to visit, read, and comment on each and every blog on my blog roll (all 28 of them).