Liquid Nails Haberdasher

We've known that Heathen #1 had another upcoming school project. He's talked about it endlessly for about a month. We knew it was a project concerning Abraham Lincoln and that he needed to dress the part for the presentation.

As any good parents would, we waited until tonight to create an Honest Abe outfit. His presentation is tomorrow morning at 11 am. I wonder where he learned to procrastinate? Hmmm....

After scarfing down delivery pizza, we headed for the Mecca of school project supplies - Super WalMart. We raced through the aisles and purchased the following items:
black foam board
black foam (2 sheets)
washable mascara
black dress pants
white dress shirt
black belt
metal "I" brackets and screws
black fabric


I'm sure the shirt, pants, and belt are self explanatory. The other items are probably not.

The Asst. Zookeeper created stilts to make Heathen #1 the appropriate 6'4" tall using 2x4s and an old pair of shoes. The black fabric was used to wrap around the stilts so that they looked like legs. The "I" brackets were used as support to keep the stilts from twisting as he walked.

The foam board was used to make the brim of the hat, and the foam was stitched together to create the "stovepipe" part of a top hat. The issue became attaching the brim to the "stovepipe." We had no glue in the house. The idea of sewing them together did not excite me - the foam board would be a pain.

Luckily, the Asst. Zookeeper is currently remodeling the basement playroom. And he happened to have a tube of Liquid Nails laying about. It took a grand total of 2 minutes to stick everything together with that stuff!

Unfortunately, it dried a tan color - which required a coloring with a permanent marker to make it look better.

So far everything on the list is explained, except the mascara. Tomorrow, Heathen #1 and the Asst. Zookeeper will use it to put a beard on my 10-year-old!

I desperately want to go to the school tomorrow to see the presentation. I have a commitment in Indiana, but I may be able to squeeze out early. It will be worth the effort and hurried drive back to town. It's not every day that Honest Abe walks into a classroom.

Now, if I can only get the Liquid Nails off my fingers.....