Recycled crafts are for the birds

A while ago we made a bird feeder out of recycled stuff. I thought it would be one of those objects that lasts about an hour before it falls apart or gets destroyed as is the fate of many of our crafts here at the Lincoln household. But this birdfeeder is rugged and had stood up to two storms a bunch of squirrels and squads of crows and my two children who like to bash it around a bit before each refilling. So It has stood the test of time and here is the recipe:

-We used a Gallon milk jug
-a pretty tough OJ container
-a lid from a large can of tomatoes
-a rivet
-pipe cleaners
-sparkle stickers
-The milk jug was cut to give a roof over the upsidedown OJ jug.
-cut the bottom off the OJ jug
-Rivet OJ lid to tin lid
-punch holes in milk jug lid and through sides of OJ jug
-cut slits in OJ jug neck to let seeds out
-Use pipe cleaners to hold lid on and to hang it with
-Decorate with sparkle stickers so fairies might come too
and VOILA:

Isn't she beautiful!

We had another bang-up storm yesterday and good thing too as Emma developed a nasty little stomach bug and was out of commission anyway. Zac spent a large part of the day sitting inside his barn so I wouldn't eat him though he did venture out to make a craft with us, which was nice. Later, Emma pulled herself together enough to insist I make a video of her new moves and although we spent the day indoors (Something we never do-drives us nuts to be inside too long!) We had a pretty good time.

Zac's tentacular egg carton creature

Emma's "Earth with a feather in his cap, sitting on the Death Star" ...One can never be too young for Star Wars, right?

Poor, sick Emma. Doesn't stop her from doubling up on the tutus and tap dancing in her clip clops though!

"Zac, do yo want to come out of there and have a snack?"
"No! because you eat me!"
"I won't eat you! You probably taste like boogers."
"No! I'm safe in my barn!...I taste like boogers?" I must add he was delighted by the prospect...

For some reason I can't get videos to upload which is driving me nuts at the moment because I caught a couple of great moments where Zac was accusing me of trying to cannibalise him and another of Emma as she is totally nonplussed by her brother's attempt to sabotage her dance video.
Sometimes I want to be a Luddite and just break the machines that should make my life so easy but really just makes me feel incompetent.

Say! Speaking of incompetent...
I went out to clear the snow today (In the rain-thanks New England.)
We clear the snow away with this:

The big one, not the one with the yellow roof.
We use this Kubota for lots of fun stuff like rock picking, dirt pushing, joy riding, you know, the usual.
By the way, when anyone ever asks why we don't have wedding rings, this is the reason. We got a matrimonial tractor instead.
So here I am today, in the rain, pushing snow around and I am trying to get that last lump of snow...pretty close to the house...But I can get it...just a little bit closer...

OOPS... that is not a board leaning next to my garage entrance. It IS my garage entrance. Delicately peeled away from my house by the blade of the snow blower attachment. It happens so easily, these things. Don't worry, I got it all back together although it will need some proper fixing later.  At least it happened on the same side that my Handsome Husband smashed with the tractor some months ago.
Well there you have it! Another few days gone by at the Lincoln house!