Bring me all the stuff and junk and doodads you can find.

     I made a thing this weekend! And by "I made," I mean "I had the idea and bought parts for, then asked my dad to help me with anything that could end in me drilling off part of my fingers." Technicality. Anyway! 

     So Ollie and Evie are at an age where they've gotten really into....everything. Ollie in particular is fascinated with doorknobs and drawer pulls, and Evie likes to just stare at various mechanisms with her hands up by her shoulders, twisting them around in circles in the air while she thinks about what to do next (I feel you, girl. Me too). So I figured one of these "busy board" type deals would probably be life-alteringly delightful for them. Or at least they'd enjoy smacking things around on it for a few minutes. Either way, worthwhile pursuit. 

     If you're not familiar with the concept, a busy board is basically just a hunk of wood that you slap a bunch of....things to mess with onto. I picked up two kinds of door locks, a drawer pull, a twisty ring drawer handle doojig (world's tiniest doorknocker?), and a bunch of large washers, then went rootin' around in the garage and came up with a hinge, two wooden handles, and that little...thingzer at the bottom right. Can you tell I'm basically useless in a hardware store unless I'm buying paint? I kick ass at picking out paint. Beyond that, I cannot help you. Once I had all that gathered together, it was basically a matter of sticking it onto something. My dad sanded a spare piece of wood down nice and smooth and took off the eye-poking threats at the corners, then helped me attach everything securely so there's no risk of any choking hazards coming loose. And here's where we ended up! 

     In case you're curious, here's a labeled guide so you can learn something today. 

     Just kidding, told you I was useless.