Adorable Idea!

I was reading through a couple of blogs and happened upon this blog called "On My Side Of The Room" the other day.  She has some really creative ideas.  One could get lost on that blog for hours, readjusting your whole budget just to make some of the things on this blog.  Not me, of course, because that would be completely irresponsible.    

There was one project that stuck out to me.  It was this jewelry holder (pictured above).  It is adorable!  So, I thought I'd share it with you.  If you're interested in making this, click here for the tutorial.

It's nice to have a little project idea.  I've been feeling pretty uninspired lately.  I feel like I need to do something different in my house, spruce it up a bit.  I'm just at a loss.  I look at some of these blogs and want to start stalking their owners, begging them to come to my house and help me decorate and organize.  Would that be illegal?  

What kind of creative projects do you have in the works?  

If you need more inspiration, check out this blog as well.  

Thanks for stopping by,

  

Caterpillars

Photo credit.  

I was going to take a picture for you but, my 6 year old happened before I got a chance.  Ours looked just like the one in the pic though.  Read below to understand.  

*Disclaimer: This could possibly be a post that only Grandma can appreciate, but I'm going to post it anyway.  

Yesterday, my family and I were working in the yard.  We were getting our gardens ready for the veggies we're going to plant.  As you can imagine, we found lots of worms and one, very green, slightly fuzzy caterpillar.  I have to explain my oldest daughter.  She is a sensitive heart who loves nature and just about everything in it.  She quickly attaches to needy, innocent little creatures. She immediately picked up the little green caterpillar and, after feeling it, named it "Fuzzy".  

The girls took Fuzzy to the tree and laid him on the branches.  Hubby and I continued to dig in the garden as the girls laughed and played with Fuzzy. Five minutes into their bonding, I hear my youngest laugh and say, "Mama, fuzzy just pooped!"  Hubby and I looked at each other and laughed.  Then I hear her say, "Well, I guess we know which end is which now."  That girl cracks me up. I didn't even know she was wondering about that.  

Later on, my youngest is running around the yard with Fuzzy in her gloved hands (there is no way she'd touch anything found in the yard without gloves). Well, what do you get when you have a 6 year old running in the yard with a lightweight caterpillar in her hands?  Yup.  She dropped Fuzzy.  Fuzzy was is green.  The grass is green.  Needless to say, we did not find Fuzzy.  I thought about the fact that Hubby was going to be mowing the grass shortly, but did not voice my thoughts out loud.  

Just as we were sitting down for dinner, I hear my oldest reading her journal to her sister.  It went something like this: "Today I found a caterpillar.  I named him Fuzzy.  I played with him until my sister dropped him in the grass. Then my Daddy mowed.  So, now Fuzzy is probably dead."  I held my breath and looked at Hubby.  Apparently, they all knew what I thought I hid so well. Daddy mowed and there is a good chance that Fuzzy did not make it back to the tree.  My youngest looks at me and says, "Mama, do you think Daddy got Fuzzy with the lawnmower?"  Hubby and I look at each other as he gently replies, "Well, there was a lot of time between when you dropped Fuzzy and I mowed.  So he probably made it back to the tree."  That seemed to appease both of them.  Phew!  

It's amazing to me how kids don't miss a beat.  You think they're not paying attention, but don't be fooled, they don't miss a thing! 

How have your kids amazed you, or made you laugh by something that caught you off guard?

Thanks for stopping by, 

 

Cinnamon Toast

Picture taken by Pioneer Woman

My children woke me up this morning saying, "Mama, wake up.  We're so hungry our stomachs are growling."  I usually just throw cereal in a bowl and hand it over.  But, today I felt like making something a little different.  

I had fresh baked bread I made last night, so I decided to make cinnamon toast.  Ooooh, ahhh.  I know, it sounds unimpressive, right?  But this wasn't just any cinnamon toast, this was Pioneer Woman's cinnamon toast.  Let me just say, my children are bowing at my feet and the aroma dragged my husband's sleeping butt out of bed.  If you know anything about my husband's sleep patterns, (and why wouldn't you?) not even an earthquake would wake that man.    

It tasted really good!  Now, you may try it and think it's too sweet.  But if you have a sweet tooth like mine, it's not possible for anything to be too sweet.  

You can click the link above to view the recipe on PW's site, but if you want to get straight to the point and avoid all her dialogue,  here's the recipe: 

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Cook Time: 15 Minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 16 slices Bread (whole Wheat Is Great!)
• 2 sticks Salted Butter, Softened
• 1 cup Sugar (more To Taste)
• 3 teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract (more To Taste)
• ⅛ teaspoons Ground Nutmeg (optional)

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Smush softened butter with a fork. Dump in sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and nutmeg, if using. Stir to completely combine.

Spread on slices of bread, completely covering the surface all the way to the edges.

Place toast on a cookie sheet. Place cookies sheet into the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Turn on the broiler and broil until golden brown and bubbling. Watch so it won’t burn!

Remove from oven and cut diagonally.  

  
Enjoy!

Date With Mama

It's been a crazy couple of weeks.  Last week, my oldest daughter was sick.  She was home from school for 4 days, finally returning to school on Friday.  I thought we were in the clear, all sick-free.  But wouldn't you know it, on Wednesday afternoon my youngest daughter got a fever.  *sigh*  She has been home from school for two days.  It's now Friday evening and Hubby and I had to cancel our plans.  

Their sickness was interesting because they'd have a fever for a few hours, perk up and be happy for a few hours.  This has been the cycle for the past two weeks.  During those perky times, we'd spend lots of time laughing, making up stories, and snuggling.  It made me realize how little time I actually spend face-to-face with them.  I don't mean mindlessly listening as they tell a story from the day and coming up with a clever response to make them think you were listening when you were really going over your to-do list in your head.  I mean looking them in the eyes, conversing, engaging, laughing, being fully present.  

This realization made me sad.  I know I'm a good mom.  I take care of their needs.  They are loved and they know it.  But, do they really feel listened to?  Do they feel like I make them a priority when they're talking to me?  If my husband listened to me the way I sometimes listen to them, I'd be upset.  This got me thinking about my priorities and how I can do a better job of spending QUALITY time with my girls.  

The idea I had was taking them out on dates, one-on-one.  My girls are only 14 months apart so they often get lumped together in situations or activities. Since they both were sick at different times, I got to spend individual time with them. I was amazed at the difference of our time together without the other sister around.  They love each other and spend lots of time together, but they are still individuals and I think I don't always treat them as such.  

SO, with all of that being said, I want to share a list of date ideas I came up with:

1. Go on a picnic

2. Go to the zoo

3. Go to the park

4. Spend an afternoon snuggled up reading books

5. Create a story with your kids and make it into a book

6. Play dress-up

7. Fly a kite

8. Plant some flowers

9. Paint pottery

10. Do service projects together - teach them the importance of serving others

11. Wash your car - surprisingly, younger kids really enjoy this

12. Create a masterpiece on the sidewalk using sidewalk chalk

13. Go to an amusement park

14. Bake something

15. Go fishing

16. Make bubbles, go outside and blow them till your dizzy

17. Play hopscotch

18. Play board games

19. Play Barbies - be a kid again

20.Use finger paint and let your kids paint all over the shower wall.  When you're done just  wash 'em down.  My kids LOVED this when they were younger. 

21. Create an obstacle course in your backyard 

22. Create a treasure hunt around the neighborhood

23. Visit a farm

24. Go for a bike ride

25. Catch fireflies 

26. Count the stars

27. Have a family camp-out in the backyard

28. Give your kids a disposable camera and take them to a park to take pictures

29. Have a movie night with a picnic on the living room floor

30. Go to a coffee shop

31. Roast marshmallows in the fireplace

32. Make a scrapbook together

33. Make a tie-dyed tshirt

34. Make a volcano

35. You can do what this brave Mama is doing over at Like A Warm Cup of Coffee

I also want to note that when Daddy takes daughter on a date, it gives him the opportunity to teach his daughter how a man should treat her (ie. open doors for her, respecting her, listening to her, etc).  This will stick with daughter as she's choosing her dates and eventually, her husband.  Daddy has already set that bar high and she will expect nothing less (we hope and pray).  

All of these things are a great way to have fun with your kids, but remember, just sitting  with a glass of milk and talking to your kids is a great thing too! Never underestimate the power of talking to your children.  We have a small window where our kids think we're cool enough to hang out with.  Take advantage of it!  

Thanks for stopping by, 

      

EASY Homemade Face Scrub

For the past couple of days my face has been feeling weird.  It's been kind of bumpy, not pimply, just not smooth.  Am I making sense?  Anyway, I decided to make a face scrub.  Not being the very creative type, I came up with this recipe.  Are you ready?  It's a tough one: 

1 Tbsp sugar (any kind will do, however cane sugar would be easiest to spread on your face)

Oil (Melted Coconut oil, olive oil.  Whatever you have on hand)

Mix ingredients together in a bowl.  Gently massage on face and neck.  Rinse off with warm water and a washcloth.  Wash face as usual.  

You have to wash your face when you're done because the oil in the scrub makes your face greasy.  Surprisingly, it worked well.  My face was soft and felt really nice.  

Ok, I'm done.  Go wash your face now.