Simply Together

Happy Birthday!

2012-02-14T07:42:00.001-08:00

Three years, three birthday parties of fun. Growing so big, look how little you were at one.

Getting so big look at you at two.

Sassy and free here you are turning three!

Happy birthday Roo!

Claire demanded a pink castle cake for her birthday. She has seen too many episodes of the cake boss. So I had my work cut out for me.
I made fondant for the first time.

Baked a scratch strawberry double layer cake. And began assembling.

Finished!

At the opera

2012-01-17T19:18:00.001-08:00

Fancy frocks for the opera are a must!

We went and saw "Jack and the Beanstalk" performed by our local opera house. It was fabulous. The girls loved it.

Beautiful day

2012-01-06T21:12:00.001-08:00

It was unseasonably warm today. It was 5 degrees shy of making a new high temp record! This is the type of winter I prefer. If I could schedule winter it would be one really good snow lasting three days and then be done.

I love our little walks on the trail. I forget how much we all need the walk. To just be outside, to find the coolest rock, to dig in the mud, and to climb trees.

Enjoying break together

2012-01-05T18:47:00.001-08:00

A little day time drawing.

A little night time light fun.

This week has been such a great part of break. Although part of me is ready for next week and for the routine to return. I am torn, because this has been such a slowed down week of really enjoying time together. We may have watched too much TV, we may have stayed up to late, and we may have over indulged in extra left over goodies, but we have done it all together. And for that, I am blessed.

1.4.12

2012-01-04T20:52:00.001-08:00

A foodie day

2012-01-03T17:56:00.001-08:00

We had so much fun this morning unveiling our dehydrated treats. I think my favorite is the basic apple chip.

Emma likes the pineapple, Claire likes them all, and Dad is leaning toward the pineapple as his favorite. Although, as soon as his jerky is done the fruit chips will be ignored.

Kiwi is an interesting one. We aren't sure of if we like it or not, but it was fun to try.

I then made salted caramel creamer for my coffee. I love this and doubled the batch this time.

Some little mice got to the gingerbread house today. I am pretty sure we heard a witch cry, "Nibble nibble little mouse, who is nibbling on my house!"

Hello Monday

2012-01-02T21:07:00.001-08:00

Hello, dehydrator!

We welcome the crunchy goodness that you are creating!

Hello, science.

We are checking on our fruit and watching how it changes ever hour. The shrieks of amazement,"It's shrinking!" are so delightful!

Hello, new year.
I hate resolutions, and I feel that if I make one I will fail. So no resolution this year, but I will have a goal. A goal seems less threatening. But what shall it be? I would love to lose weight, and become stronger and healthier. I would love to develop my ashtanga practice. I would love to become a better more attentive mother, and wife. I would love to become creative again, and create my art. I would love to develop the skill to manage my time better. However, I think most of all I would love to do these things while living simply and fulfilled.
So, I think my main goal will be to live simply and fulfilled. If the other ideas develop into realities that would be great too, because they do work with the main goal.

Slumber party

2011-12-14T18:33:00.001-08:00

We have hosted family before but last weekend was our first extreme cousin fest. I have to admit I was anxious at first. A total of 9 kids in our little bungalow made my heart race, but once they were here it was awesome. Everyone fit right in!
There was a dance party.

Some video game playing.

And a movie with twinkle lights.

It makes my heart dance to think of all the fun they had, and to remember those awesome moments of my childhood. I hope we can host again very soon!

Winter festival

2011-12-14T18:24:00.001-08:00

Our local community had a nice winter fest, and Patrick was invited to play.

There was face painting

And fun with cousins

Free carriage rides

"hi, dad."

And a visit with Santa!

A great event for everyone, and hopefully we can make it next year.

Our Black Friday

2011-12-02T09:41:00.001-08:00

Patrick had a solo gig on black Friday. It was even in a family friendly pub, and at a family friendly hour. We had a great time, and I love when we can go as a family to listen and have a good time.

Elfie our elf

2011-11-30T06:54:00.001-08:00

Elfie is our elf on the shelf. This is how we found him this morning.

He was circling cool things in the toy advertisement. He even picked all the things the girls loved!

It was a long, long, long, long, long way home

2011-11-30T06:48:00.001-08:00

Patrick unfortunately lost one of his college friends. So yesterday we drove to the showing. The trip should have taken 2.5 hours one way, but it took us four hours to get there because of the weather. Starting off it was just cold and wet, and no signs of the doom ahead.

The rain quickly turned to snow. The snow led to "are we there yet."

White out.

Heading home was much better. Patrick was disappointed that he battled the snow beast and it was gone by the time we got home.

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-25T07:35:00.000-08:00

This thanksgiving I made a spinach galette. It was yummy, but I think next year I will have to go back to the traditional green bean casserole. Need to remember to save back more beans from the garden next year.

The kitchen was in full swing. A busy and happy place to be cooking. Grandma looks like she is yelling in the bottom, but she totally wasn't and I love that oxymoron.

Littlest kids table. You know the family is big when you have a teen table, a kids table, and a littlest kids table.

And after dinner there was music.

And some super late night crafting, note it was almost eleven pm in this picture.

We crashed hard that night!

Refrigerator Raider

2011-11-23T21:22:00.001-08:00

I find myself repeating, "Claire get out of the refrigerator!" I love her determination and her new found independence. I especially love her joy in whole carrots for a snack, but goodness the constant opening of the door will be my demise.

Dia de Los Muertos

2011-11-01T20:59:00.001-07:00

In remembrance of those that have passed in my life, may they be lifted up with love and light and that their memories alway stay warm in my heart.
We celebrated the day of the dead on Saturday.

We attended a great event, and Emma really loved the crafts.

Claire on the other hand was not thrilled and was content watching from her stroller.

Feliz Dia de Los Muertos a tí

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-01T20:37:00.001-07:00

Emma was a starlight fairy and Claire was a care bear.
We had such a great time trick or treating.

It was a perfect night to be out.

The big kids had to hike.

While the little ones cruised in style, with the drive thru trick or treating approach.

Happy Halloween!

Making lanterns

2011-10-10T09:21:00.001-07:00

First paint a piece of watercolor paper and let it dry. Then oil it with vegetable oil, massage the oil in until you see the paper become transparent. Gather your supplies. This is a half sheet of 11"x15" paper.

Fold the corner over to get a 7.5" square.

Cut excess off.

Fold diagonally the other direction.

Fold in half length wise, and then again width wise.

Off set the corners, matching the length and width folds with diagonal folds.

Fold the corners down.

Open folds.

Cut the corners off, and now you an octagon.

Make sure you have 16 segments, you may need to half some of the larger segments if you do not have 16.

Fold up a section of four segments matching to the angles.

Continue around.

Open up and do the same to the other octagon points.
Looks the same but you will see triangles in the center this time of the framed area.

Turn over.

Fold down on the line.

Repeat folding down the triangles around.

Finish shaping.

Enjoy!

Science Fair

2011-10-10T08:37:00.000-07:00

We found a science fair on Saturday, and it was free. I decided I would take the girls, and it was awesome. We made slime, brush bots, chap stick. We taste tested popcorn for saturated fats, and tried dry ice cheese puffs. We saw lots of crazy bugs, and even pet a giant beetle. The favorites were the brush bots and the slime.

This was the kit they used for the bristle bot, but I am going to try to see if I can find the stuff locally and do a tutorial on it.
Aren't their bots the cutest!

And the slime! The girls love the slime!

Ingredients: ½ cup glue and two Cups Borax
1. Mix ½ -cup water with ½ cup glue. In a separate container, mix ½ cup water with 2c. Borax (Borax can be purchased in the laundry detergent aisle).
2. Now, stir the Borax mixture while slowly adding the glue mixture.
3. It should immediately come together to make slime. If it isn't quite right try adding more of the Borax and water.

Nap struggle

2011-10-05T11:19:00.001-07:00

Oh the joy of having a toddler that thinks she is too big to nap. Her brain wants to be awake but her body is so tired. And then when she finally succumbs to the sleepiness it is to late to nap, so I have to fight her to stay awake.
Sigh, deep breath because this child is making me seriously consider spiking my coffee.

Hairbow holder

2011-09-16T07:42:00.001-07:00

A frame, some chicken wire, and a staple gun.

Easy and instant! Now the girls will stop making bow trails. I still need to find the rest of the bows, maybe I should check the cats tail or the sock drawer.

Trouble

2011-09-13T15:22:00.001-07:00

Someone has been particularly sour about the fact my recovery has been so slow. In fact she head butted me in the stomach twice today. It is such a good thing she is cute, and it is also helpful that there is a bar of Salazon chocolate with ground coffee and sea salt.

Folk Music

2011-09-12T15:35:00.001-07:00

Papa played a day gig, so we got to go see him play. It was such a good time. Claire loved dancing to the music.

Cheese sticks!

2011-09-01T19:08:00.001-07:00

This is cheese.

Cheese meet apple corer.

Get close, closer.

There you go. You two make a great pair, and even better the two of you combined make cheese sticks!

Hooray for happy lunch boxes!

Emma will tell you she is allergic to cheese, but that the allergy will be lifted if the cheese is a cheese stick. Momma is magical, she can make ordinary cheese into cheese sticks sans packaging! So hooray for happy moms too.

Care package

2011-08-31T18:15:00.001-07:00

A family friend sent the girls' a care package. It was so sweet, and full of craft supplies. The way to creative young girls' hearts is by sending them craft supplies. To top it off send them notes with confetti inside, because that truly is awesome.

Thank you Mrs. Julia!

We want pretzels

2011-08-31T18:09:00.001-07:00

"We want pretzels" does not mean the children want a snack. It means it is yoga time, specifically yoga pretzel time.

This is the partner bridge. Are they not the cutest? I love my little yogis.

Lid brilliance

2011-08-22T12:18:00.001-07:00

I am a genius, and maybe it is only in the eyes of my two year old. I have seen in the blog-o-sphere using jam jars as straw cups. But most often they involved things like drilling holes in the lids. I was not a big fan of the idea of drilling into the coated lids, creating a sharp surface, and well most of all I am lazy. The process required way more effort than my "Veruca Salt" channeling toddler would allow.

1. Get a lid from a child's to go cup.
2. Cut rim off so that it fits in your ring.
3. Place inside your ring.
4. Fill you jam jar with your child's favorite beverage. Screw on lid. Place straw in and enjoy.

Yay!

Acrobats

2011-08-20T20:02:00.000-07:00

Claire is an official acrobat groupie. We saw the Stars of the Peking acrobats at the State Fair, and let's just say we went a few times. Some days we even watched them coming into the fair and then again on our way out. She learned how to say " Xièxiè," which is mandarin for "thanks."

They were so cool. We will miss them after tomorrow when the fair is over. I think we may have to go one last time to tell them "zài jiàn."

Hot Air Balloons

2011-08-19T10:47:00.000-07:00

"The world's a nicer place in my beautiful balloon."

Mule Races

2011-08-18T10:29:00.000-07:00

Off to the races. Mule races that is! What a sight, it was quite silly actually. Claire really enjoyed it. I am glad she is my State Fair buddy!

Left behind

2011-08-17T12:27:00.000-07:00

With Emma away at school Claire needs someone to keep her busy. Unfortunately that someone is me. Hello neglected blog, I am sorry I haven't been around. Claire believes I am her source of complete entertainment. Well that is until she met The Peking Acrobats.

Now if only I could get them to perform in my living room.

Iced Tea

2011-08-16T10:33:00.000-07:00

This summer has been quite hot. Iced tea seems to be the perfect beverage of summer. I like to get up in the morning and brew my tea so that it is cold by lunch time. I really love the bottles the Argo tea comes in, and if finances were infinite I could live off of the carolina honey tea. However, re steeping in the bottles seems perfectly fine for my frugal green mind.

A Kindergartener

2011-08-08T12:14:00.000-07:00

Emma is in kindergarten now. She is so grown up, but still my little babe. I love her teacher dearly, and do not mind sharing my Emma with her. However, the unbalance of life right now is tough. I hope we find our new rhythm soon, because by the end of the night I am exhausted.

Park Explorations

2011-07-25T19:13:00.001-07:00

After dropping daddy at work one day we stopped at the park. It was so calm and almost magical in that early hour.

Emma found a spider web. She was very enthralled by it's beauty.

Claire much like a spider just climbed things.

Can Thief

2011-07-15T10:12:00.001-07:00

The can thief strikes again!

I do art camp

2011-07-14T08:21:00.001-07:00

Emma got to do a preschool Picasso program, and Claire was quite jealous so we got out the finger paints and she got to do art camp too.

She was very proud of her paintings. She is also a talented body artist.

Sidewalk paint

2011-07-13T17:33:00.001-07:00

A fun project is even more fun when it is easy.
Make the paint:
1/4 c. cornstarch
1/4 c. water
a few drops of food coloring or washable tempera
Mix each color in a small container.

Grab some paintbrushes, some sponge shapes, and any other mark makers and head outside.

The sponges were the biggest hit. I need to get some more of those magic grow capsule sponge shapes because they would be great stamps!

Waiting "patiently"

2011-07-12T14:42:00.000-07:00

My doctors appointment yesterday was scheduled at one. At 2 the man next to me started to get concerned he had a 12:30 appointment. Then a nurse called me up to the front desk and she asked if I wanted to leave my number and go to the cafeteria for an hour. Yikes! I had already pulled out my mom bag of tricks for the girls, so we went exploring. The girls had an overpriced marshmallow bar and I got the largest coffee available. Finally at three we were seen and I learned I get to do the surgery again. It was a long day!

3 o'clock

2011-06-30T16:31:00.001-07:00

This seems to be where we find ourselves at three o'clock. It is a rough time in our day when the meltdowns are bountiful and mommy's patience is not.

Shopping Snack

2011-06-28T16:45:00.001-07:00

Shopping really makes you hungry. Especially when you shop at lunch time.

Emma picked orange cream yogurt. I wasn't sure if it would be good. So I had to do the make sure it is stirred up properly taste test I found it was pretty good, a bit too sweet for me.

Claire picked "strawbelly." "It's de-wish-us" she said.

Play hard

2011-06-27T18:13:00.001-07:00

Those who play hard....

Sleep hard.

Wrinkle Toes

2011-06-26T20:20:00.000-07:00

Storms Brewing

2011-06-25T20:19:00.000-07:00

It has been a rough spring and summer of storms this year.

Trail walking

2011-06-25T18:23:00.001-07:00

It always seems that the girls always get unsettled in the evening right after supper. I have found that if we take a evening walk it really helps to get them to settle down.

Emma found these interesting prints. After a bit of discussion she figures out what animal made them.

Then she compared shoe sizes.

Dye me a rainbow

2011-06-24T19:56:00.000-07:00

We dyed playsilks today. Ok, I dyed playsilks today. The girls were to enamored with the fact that the front door was open so they could swing on the porch. But I needed some silks to showcase my bendy dolls for etsy, and I knew they were short on attention today so I did it myself. I wanted to stick with semi solids, but Emma insisted I dye her a rainbow. So the last one she did a rainbow.

So pretty!

Swim Swim Swim

2011-06-23T17:06:00.000-07:00

Last week was finally hot enough to swim. The girls had so much fun. Emma still needs a confidence booster so I signed her up for swim lessons. She is like her mom and lacks the natural swim skill. Claire however is a fish baby, and moves very naturally in the water.

Every morning Claire calls grandma on her pretend phone and says "Call Grandma swim pool."

When Daddy is away...

2011-06-21T20:21:00.000-07:00

We have breakfast for dinner. I love making breakfast for dinner. It seems like the easiest meal and the kids love it. If the kids are happy then mama is happy. It also seems that breakfast meals have less dishes to clean up, another thing that makes mama happy. Breakfast dishes also seem quick to prepare, and that is nice for the sidetracked mama.
See the happiness!

Yum!

Summer Stylin'

2011-06-09T20:29:00.000-07:00

Emma believes goggles are an important part of summer fashion, and therefore should be worn at all times of the day. She even tried to con her dad into wearing them to bed. We had to tell her that little fishies must rest their eyes while sleeping and goggles would keep our eyes awake. On outings people have been known to ask if we have just gone swimming. Often I do an mhhmmm and move a long, because it is much easier to agree than explaining my five year olds fashion statement. I love that silly girl!

Going Visiting

2011-06-09T20:15:00.000-07:00

Our Memorial Day plans were canceled at home. We had the weekend free for a road trip to visit Papa G and Grandma J and some cousins. Oh were the girls excited.

They woke up extra early, dressed, and were ready to go. I had to say not yet one more cup of coffee. Mama still has to pack. Oh to have that juvenile spunk and excitement upon waking, it would have made packing easier.

We went straight to Aunt Natalie's house because Papa G and Grandma J didn't have power. The girls were a bit disappointed at first because they had jumping on their mind. Aunt Natalie did have a pretty cool park close by though.

We then traveled to my parents, and the jumping began. They started and finished the visit on the trampoline. I hated trampolines as a kid, but the girls obviously do not share my angst.

It was a nice visit.

Quadrilla Fun

2011-06-02T12:11:00.000-07:00

During Claire's nap Emma and I built a really neat Quadrilla set on the stairs. I don't know who has more fun building with the blocks. I was afraid it would be a disaster when Claire woke up but she did quite well with it.
http://www.youtube.com/?v=Ore2X1vpeDk

Pool Time

2011-06-01T12:06:00.000-07:00

Summer is here I believe, and thank goodness for blue plastic containers filled with water. They spent most of the day in the pool.

Can Theif

2011-06-01T11:54:00.000-07:00

Wanted: A small cute blonde little girl. She will steal anything shiny and beverage containing. She often will play innocent, and use her charm to persuade beverage holders. Beware.

Bike Practice

2011-05-28T12:04:00.000-07:00

This lady has been getting in quite a bit of bike time. She got a new shiny big girl bike, but it is a bit to new and big she says. Last year Emma didn't really get the concept of the balance bike, but after seeing a friend with one she has almost mastered the running and cruising. It is really cool to see how she can cruise on it so fast.

The Pretzel Store!

2011-05-27T12:00:00.000-07:00

Our local pretzel store now has chocolate dipping sauce. My kids approve, and I didn't mind making sure it was good enough to eat.

BRAF

2011-05-22T11:58:00.000-07:00

We went and saw daddy in action, at the Art Fair. It wasn't the best weather but we managed to have a good time.

Ramblings of the smallest

2011-05-10T20:25:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/?v=QlsiZSY2I1g

Garden Girls

2011-05-10T19:06:00.000-07:00

The best spring sport is making wishes with dandelions.

Then comes dining on creeping wood sorrel flowers.

Spring Spots

2011-05-10T18:40:00.000-07:00

When Patrick saw these pieces from the best of student show he knew we had to have one. This piece has been a part of our family for a year now. It is loved daily. We have made it a secondary nature spot. It has so many little collection spots. The bigger spots are great because they have secondary vessels to hold water. It is so nice to have a spot for all the treasures the kids find. The artist doesn't have a web site that I am aware of but we do have her contact info if anyone is truly interested.

Groovy

2011-05-09T18:01:00.000-07:00

I found this little girl looking for her VW bus. I knit this tunic for Emma last year. Emma wanted nothing to do with it. Emma really only wears cotton interlock (t-shirts and leggings.) I was so bummed all my hard work was just not loved. Well Claire said she would wear it today, and I really think it fits her style more than Emma's anyways. So it wasn't a loss! Sorry for the blurred picture Claire doesn't really hold still, not even when she is sleeping.

Paging Dr. Claire

2011-04-28T08:05:00.000-07:00

With all the doctor visits and hospital stays. It seems Claire has a career path in mind. All the tenderness of her care givers has rubbed off and she is a great doctor to her dolls and cat.

Welcome Spring

2011-04-27T07:52:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine introduced me to needle felting. I knew I needed another craft skill set like we need more dandelions in our yard. I held off the urge but couldn't contain myself. I made this wee felted bunny. It was rather fun, but I know I need lots of practice.

He then found his way to our nature box.

We do not have the traditional nature table that is popular in many Waldorf families. We used an old wine crate, and hung it on the wall to create a nature box. It suits our small space well, and is nicely contained.

Easter

2011-04-25T07:58:00.000-07:00

We had fun dying egg this year. We tried the silk scarf/ old tie method that is so beautiful and popular.

While it is very beautiful the off bleeding boil time is long and the dye transfer makes me a bit nervous to actually eat the eggs. I think we will try the vegetable dyes next year.
The girls woke up bright and early to see what the bunny brought them. They were very excited about the treasures they received.

Then it was off to near grandma's house for a wonderful dinner and egg hunt. The rain didn't stop these hunters.

Egg carton to Caterpillar

2011-03-31T21:42:00.000-07:00

It was one of those days were the littles were climbing walls and my patience was thin. They just needed to do something. So we turned egg cartons into caterpillars.
I love watching these two work they are polar opposites. Emma gets into her work full body. Claire is more precise and orderly.

Hurray for caterpillars! Now if only King Winter would just go away so we can go caterpillar hunting!

Naptime Prep!

2011-03-31T20:39:00.000-07:00

Today it was a great afternoon for some of "woody's round-up." So we snuggled in and put on Toy Story 2. I think it is my favorite out of the trilogy. Jessie's song "When somebody loves me" pulls my heart strings every time.

Going to the Dentist

2011-03-30T19:45:00.000-07:00

Prepping the night before making sure all the sugar bugs are out of their caves.

She did so well! Usually she is very afraid of the whole dental cleaning and exam, but this time she was so very brave.

Happy Birthday Emma!

2011-03-26T21:21:00.000-07:00

Emma has been wanting a daffodil to bring in ever since they started blooming. She woke up to her very own in a vase.

We made some yummy delicious banana split cupcakes

Looking back

2011-03-25T20:45:00.000-07:00

Five. Five is so big, but still so little. Five years is half a decade, and that just seems crazy.

Oh my look at how much you have grown. Every day you make me so proud. Happy Birthday my bean now sprout!

We love the park

2011-03-18T07:49:00.001-07:00

Happy St. Paddy's Day!

2011-03-17T21:54:00.000-07:00

Woohoo! The luck of the Irish brought us a beautiful day today. We spent our morning at the St. Patrick's Day parade Downtown.
Emma was so excited.

Claire was not really sure of things, and was sheepishly eating her yogurt.

There was a lot of people watching to do, and Emma needed a higher perch.

Claire finally figured out what parades were all about, the candy.

Happy St. Patrick's Day.

May your thoughts be as glad as the shamrocks,
May your heart be as light as a song,
May each day bring you bright, happy hours,
That stay with you all the year long.

Saturday adventure

2011-03-12T18:24:00.001-08:00

Today we went on an adventure. Patrick was asked to jury an art show, and we tagged along for fun.
We happened to find a Rural King while we were out. We watched the baby chicks, and found Papa some new boots. They even had a coloring contest set up and free popcorn.

We then moved on and found a park. It was a rather blustery day, but that didn't stop us from having a good time.

When we got home the ladies were worn out. Let's hope they sleep well tonight since we spring forward an hour!

More Ballet

2011-03-11T07:34:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Michelle of 2 Pedals Photography and her fabulous photography skills, we have some more pictures of Emma in ballet. Michelle's son Noah is in class with Emma so we were fortunate to have her and her super lens power take some shots of our Emma. Take note that there was no lens envy there (said in a sarcastic tone.) Thank you again Michelle for sharing your talents!

Tiny Dancer

2011-03-10T19:48:00.000-08:00

Emma did another session of ballet. While she isn't the most coordinated or graceful student in the class, she loves dancing.

I love how they are all lined up so organized yet so chaotic. I also love that they still lead with their bellies at this age.

The little girl behind Emma is her friend Ella, she is such a character. We love that girl, and Claire has a huge crush on Ella.

More Park Adventures

2011-03-09T21:19:00.000-08:00

This gal could sit here for hours. She still calls them "wees", because we say wee when we swing. We can't pass by a park with out her saying "Mama wees?" We have had another cold snap, and I have had a lingering ear ache, so there hasn't been any wees since this picture early this week.

Oh Miss Emma is still so timid on the structures. I bet by the end of the summer she will be more agile and willing to go to the bigger parts.

However Miss Claire is practically fearless and will climb anything. Peek a boo, it's another heart palpitation. I don't want her to become afraid, so I just have to do some deep breaths and let her experiment.

Easel

2011-03-07T21:26:00.000-08:00

I moved the easel upstairs. It was lonely and unused in the playroom.

They seem to enjoy it much more up in their room, and work happily side by side creating.

Princesses

2011-03-05T19:45:00.000-08:00

We found two of the twelve dancing princesses in our living room the other day. Thanks to some fabulous hand me downs our ladies have been twirling about the living room leaving trails of glitter and laughter. I love to watch them run in circles.

Stringing beads

2011-02-19T19:13:00.000-08:00

Emma wanted to make a necklace for her cousin, and that prompted Claire saying "I too, I too" My gut instinct said no, no she will make a mess, she is too little, but then I told myself why not. Why should she not be able to try? What mess can she make that the vacuum can't handle? Let her grow. Do not stifle her. This is a tough lesson for me to handle to let them discover on their own to be less of the helicopter. So I got Claire a little container of beads and a pipe cleaner, because I figured it would be easier than string. I was amazed at her focus and determination.

I think she even surprised herself.

Friday Wanderings

2011-02-19T09:20:00.000-08:00

Hurray for nice weather, we walked to the library and to the pretzel store. It is so nice to be able to travel on foot. At the library we met a lady that lives one street over, a very sweet and like minded mama. It was very nice to have someone to talk to while the children are visiting with the fish and the puzzles at the library.

If you are local and haven't tried A Taste of Philly they are amazing and you should. If you travel through and want to support local they are a fun little spot to hit.

We're Melting

2011-02-17T06:45:00.000-08:00

Ahhh, we are melting. Thank goodness! Unfortunately I do think it might be a tease, but I can pretend and hope that it is not. We went to the park and it was so nice to get the fresh air into us and burn some cabin fever off. There were also many icey puddles to splash in. It felt so strange to have ice and snow on the ground while sweating in a fleece jacket.

Game Geeks

2011-02-15T21:12:00.001-08:00

We splurged and bough Kirby's Yarn for the Wii. I am not a gamer, I don't like to watch brain cells being depleted by a video game. However, this game has won me over. I admit I even play it. It is yarn after all, and there are cut scenes of knitting, and the embroidered backgrounds. Needless to say it had me at "Hello."

It is such a family oriented game and has parts for everyone. I mean that is some true Pappa & Sprout bonding time.

Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T21:00:00.000-08:00

Hurray it is Valentine's Day!
We made a cute window decoration by cutting our construction paper hearts, with another heart cut out of the middle. And then we layered tissue paper with white glue on inside of the heart. It is super simple and very pretty. I foresee shamrocks, and easter eggs in the future!

I then made some valentine cards for the girls to hand out to the people they saw that day. Blatantly stole this idea from a few other mom bloggers, I can not take credit. It is so cute I think we will have to do this again for school next year!

Hallelujah

2011-02-12T21:04:00.000-08:00

Hallelujah happens to pop up on my Pandora station quite a bit. It has become Claire's FAVORITE song. She sings it with true soul. This past weekend she was standing on a chair giving her best performance, it was so sweet and yet so funny to see such gusto by such a small lass.

Emma's Art Opening

2011-02-11T21:07:00.000-08:00

An art opening of her very own. Emma has been to numerous art openings, some of Pappa's some just to go. After completing a preschool Picasso day camp at the Indianapolis Art Center, we had some work that qualified to enter. Emma wasn't thrilled with the work we entered it was a bit dated, and not her favorite. She said she felt it lacked in color, and needed something else. Already her own worst critic, silly girl. This is her piece entitled "A princess."

She was also very thrilled with the fact I was trying to take her picture, as you can see.

Happy Birthday Claire!

2011-02-10T20:54:00.000-08:00

Claire is now 2! Although she thinks she might be 4 or maybe 25. It is easy to forget she is so little sometimes, because she is trying to rush through these toddler years. Who could blame her, being a toddler sucks.

Yum cake, or is it yum frosting. I went with a box mix and homemade cream cheese frosting. It really is all about the frosting, especially with my girls. And you can not go wrong with rainbow sprinkles, they make up for the cake being a box mix. Which by the way was not any easier than making a cake from scratch, at least in my opinion.

Ice More Ice

2011-02-02T12:10:00.000-08:00

The ice is everywhere you can not escape it! I am ready for the thaw. I am ready for spring. It is time for the frost fairies to go back north. King Winter you have done a fabulous job with making the ice castles, but enough is enough! The poor little ground hog could not even come out because his home has a hard crystal shell upon it.

Ice ice baby

2011-02-01T21:17:00.001-08:00

Ice ice baby, originally uploaded by bsuvalz.

I can not bear to use the cheesy tag lines for this winter storm. It is crazy outside with so much ice. You walk with out leaving footprints, we are literally trapped in the house. It has been a nice change to have to stay home with out plans, with out tasks looming, and just have family time. We built legos, we did crafts, I worked on a quilt and Emma cut my scraps into bandages for her toys. Some days I feel like I am rushing for bedtime, but today was so perfect that it didn't even matter if it was just one more round of games.
I hope everyone is staying safe, and enjoying mother nature's forced time to rekindle and warm the house from the inside out.

Valentine's Garland

2011-02-01T19:28:00.000-08:00

How to:
First you will need to gather your supplies. Old crayons, and a sharp shredding object (here we have a grater in the picture but we found the pencil sharpener to work much better,) and you will need wax paper.

You will need to take all the wrappers off the crayons.

Then lay out a sheet of wax paper and start shredding.

Much better with the sharpener.

Layer with another piece of wax paper

Melt!! I used the polyester setting and that seemed just right. Also you WILL want to put a pressing cloth or towel over and under your project you don't want any leaky wax escaping.

Trace and cut

Connect. I stapled mine together but you could punch holes for lacing string, or you could sew them together. I opted for quick as we were near nap time. Hang and admire, I love the way the light catches the wax it is so pretty.

28 January

2011-01-28T07:07:00.000-08:00

{this moment}
a single photo capturing a moment from the week. a simple, special, extraordinary moment. inspired by soulemama. if you're inspired to do the same, share a link to your moment in the comments...

_________________

this week, i am grateful for...

• the happiness of ballet starting again

• knitting something for me

• toddler sighs

23 January

2011-01-23T17:01:00.001-08:00

The girls are getting a room make over! So they needed a temporary residence.

Patrick hard at work and a sneak peek at the room.

This baby was made for tents, or was it caves?

You can't camp at an electric site with out party lights.

Checking out her set up, and considering she fell asleep shortly after laying down I think she approves.

19 January

2011-01-19T06:17:00.000-08:00

Work in progress Wed.
I made a batch of cornstarch clay
We have had lots of fun sculpting. With Claire's birthday coming up I made a miniature cake for their doll house.

And I have been working on spring figures for an Easter exchange.

16 January

2011-01-16T06:42:00.000-08:00

When all else fails, take a bath.

15 January

2011-01-15T06:36:00.000-08:00

Renewed crayons.
One morning Claire dumped the crayons out. While I was cleaning them up, I realized it was time to condense the shabby color collection.
I happened to have a disposable mini muffin pan that I picked up on clearance. So I chopped the crayons into small pieces, and placed them in the muffin tin.

Then I placed them in the oven at 275* for about 7-10 mins. Long enough for me to make the beds, and almost forget about them. I pulled them out and they were nice and melty and swirly.

I let them cool and popped them out of the muffin tin.

Hurray for new crayons!

12 January

2011-01-12T21:16:00.001-08:00

Work in Progress Wednesday:

I am testing a knitting pattern for a friend. This will be a doll cardigan when it is done.

10 January

2011-01-10T21:56:00.001-08:00

Music Monday

9 January

2011-01-09T14:40:00.000-08:00

Silent Sunday:

8 January

2011-01-08T22:28:00.001-08:00

Saturday, do you not realize you are a day of regrouping. Children are not supposed to be sick on saturday. It is just cruel! But alas I awoke to the sound of a stomach trying to remove it's contents at 4 am. The up side was I caught power yoga on at 6, and did the entire show. That was some what rejuvenating, and managed to settle me back in sleep mode. Which ended way to quickly.
Our morning progressed as Saturday mornings do, lots of errands and a bit of saving Hello Kitty.

Claire is in that beautiful stage of where she thinks she doesn't need a nap. It is torture me

Claire got to exchange a double Christmas present, and picked out a pack of ponies. She loves to tend to her ponies, and brush their hair.

Claire then helped Dad do some lesson planning.

7 January

2011-01-07T21:50:00.001-08:00

This morning was a slow going morning. Claire was up most of the night with a fever, and congestion. Thumb suckers and congestion are not really cohesive, which magnified the sleeplessness from the fever.

Emma then realized that she was prepared for naughty pigs if they were to invade our house.

After aiming the bird at the target you release to kill the pig.

The spectators were amazed to witness such an outstanding sport.

Thank you angry birds for teaching my eldest about the fine art of catapulting.
Catapulting is a tough sport so it requires rest afterwards.

I wish I could say we then took a fabulous winter walk in the lush snowflakes that fell today, but we enjoyed them from the window.

Then it was time for some yatzee! I was surprised how well they picked up the game. They were like yatzee pros.

Of course they had to be, because Claire took it upon herself to be rule referee.

I think Claire took her position a little to seriously, because she became a little diva on us.

We ended our nice Friday with a picnic dinner in the living room, with kids' choice sub sandwiches and chips.

6 January

2011-01-06T18:15:00.001-08:00

Emma's drawing "Tiger stuck in the red sun"

Thanks Aunt Julie for the scented pencils. Claire is permanently sporting a smelly pencil mustache.

Today's morning motivational music rang hits such as Call Me and Heartbreaker.

These songs are perfect for Claire's main twirl moves.

This afternoon King Winter reminded us that it was still winter, and gave us a snowy scene for the littles to enjoy.

5 January

2011-01-05T20:06:00.001-08:00

4 January

2011-01-04T13:06:00.001-08:00

Crazy Hair Blues

2010-12-30T16:09:00.001-08:00

Little and big

2010-12-29T12:59:00.001-08:00

The littlest and biggest in the family have spent a lot of time resting and recovering this holiday season.