Home School Arts & Crafts — Making Musical Instruments

Making Musical Instruments from Recycled Trash

Forty Something Parents

~~ Shaker Drum from plastic Folger’s Coffee Canister ~~

I’m always looking for fun creative projects for my Nixi; always hoping to re-use, re-purpose, recycle in the process.  Well, our last homeschool art project has touched on all levels of creativity, as far as I’m concerned anyway.  Putting together Nixi’s newest musical instrument was both fun and rewarding!  –Not to mention very useful to our band Gypsy Vin Rose.

Here’s what we used to make our shaker drum, and a brief run-down on the process (though it’s rather self-explanatory).  It’s SO easy to make, you can probably do it with your eyes closed.  :  )

*Make a joyful noise by re-purposing, re-using, and recycling!*

Items We Used —

-Folger’s Plastic Coffee Canister (pop-top kind)

-Variety of beans (small handful)

-Large handful of birdseed

-Masking Tape (to tape lid securely shut)

-Crayola Kids Paint (washable)

-Paint brushes, etc

*Child’s Art/Paint…

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Stuck in Bermuda Triangle

For three years, we’v been stuck in a ‘Bermuda Triangle’ of sorts; spreading ourselves thin between three areas of our lives.  Leaving loose ends at our last stop had inhibited us from moving ahead in our current place.  In short, we were like a racket ball pinging wildly around the court…never knowing quite where we’d land.

But earlier this month…we finally let go of that third anchor that had been close — so close — to our hearts, but weighing us down to the point that our family was sinking.  We just let it go.  Just like that.  And looking back to that day, we both (Nico and I) know that it was the right thing…the BEST thing we could’ve done.

No longer are we stuck going in three different directions at once!  We are down to only two directions in-which we could go from here.  I for one feel much-more free.  And while it was purely heart-breaking to let go of that part of our lives, I know we will have another chance on down the road…when the time is right.

For now, we are still…still.  –Sitting on our little spot where we landed over three years ago.  — Still working on bringing our tiny home on wheels back up to par.  It’s a labor of love, for sure!  But I feel the wind whispering my name; calling me and my family to adventures yet to be had, discoveries yet to be made…somewhere down the road.

Our old Peniki is waning.  She’s seen better days.  But I feel — I know — in my heart that she has a few more journeys left in her rubber band engine.  Her rusty gas tank gets her quite choked up at times; which is no fun for her family…being stuck by the roadside.  Still, being a woman of strong intuition, I know she’s not done just yet!

So I stand strong and firm on my belief that our nostalgic camp mobile will live long enough to see her family down the road to a few more destinations.  When I think of such, my tummy flutters with excitement!  I feel like I’m my young daughter’s age…all over again!  I know, when I get that feeling…it’s the road we need to follow.  And I will follow…where ever the wind whispers.

*Trust your intuition.  Set your spirit free.*

#OneDirection #TooManyDirections #Simplify #SimpleLife

Featured Article on My Children’s Book

Read the featured article about my new children’s book in this month’s issue of Galveston Monthly. Super excited over here! : )

Writing & Wanderlust

I’m so excited about the article about my debut children’s book ‘Monday… Super-Fun Day’; which was featured in the August issue of Galveston Monthly.  This just made my day…week…year!  : )

Read all about it here — http://www.galvestonmonthly.com/Aug2016/#/78/

#NeverGiveUpOnYourDreams @PennyEspinoza @GypsyVinRose #GalvestonMonthly

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