Colorful, Delicious Spring

I love the traditions and rituals that come with season changes.  Some are the same each year for spring -- sugar cookies, egg dying, egg hunting, chocolate bunnies.  But how we do them is never the same.  And some we change out according to what we see, where we end up, what we're in the mood for.  They're all so good -- I want to eat'em all up : )

This is our very favorite sugar cookie recipe:                                            

2 1/4 cups flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp almond extract

Cream butter and sugar together.  Add egg, vanilla and almond extract.  Gradually add flour and salt.  Divide into 2 disks and chill.  Bake at 375 degrees for 7-8 minutes.

Yummy Frosting

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1 Tbsp milk

1 Tbsp butter

1/2 tsp vanilla

Melt butter and combine all ingredients.  Beat until smooth.

I love this glue batik project that we found. We use it as a tablecloth for our small table. We're dreaming of making some prayer flags, too. I can practically see them fluttering in our backyard.

Can you believe these are made from egg carton cups? I want to leave it this way, Sela says we need to paint it in spring colors.  I'm sure she's right.

Happy May Day!

I made this sweet summer dress for this sweet girl!  It was so easy that I could do it with this sweet girl and a toddler running around.  It's so easy that she and I can make some together!  I can't wait to gather more fabrics and even some pillowcases - the original inspiration for the style.  I'm so happy she likes it because I want to make more more more!

Snow Day!

 Sela has been begging to go to the snow for several seasons now.  We finally got it together this year to give it a try.  To be honest... I didn't have high hopes for our day.  Boy, was I wrong!  It was a truly wonderful day of family fun.

We all loved the sledding.  It was beautiful day.  And, it even snowed on us several times.
And I'll make a plug here for doing things simply. 
We borrowed most of the snow clothes and gear from generous friends.  We didn't wake up early.  We didn't have a definitive plan for where we were going.  And while I packed bags of warm clothes, Daddy packed a lunch out of whatever we had. 
And it was great!
I'm learning...

None of our family outings are complete without a "car picnic."

We all left happy : )

No Time Like the Present, Right?

I’ve wanted to make a granny square afghan for years. I’m not exactly sure why. Something about them feels so… homey. So, cozy and grandma-y, I guess. So, I’ve decided -- now’s the time to learn how! As with all projects here, I don’t expect it to be done anytime soon. But, that’s okay. It’s the getting started -- or the not getting started, I should say -- that bothers me.

Check out this great tutorial on The Purl Bee, even if you already know how to make a granny square. This blog is beautiful!

I’m learning not to let projects get buried; keep them on a tabletop (or where I can see them) alongside all the needed materials and tools -- this is key (which includes any instructions that I will forget while it’s not being worked on and the actual crochet hook I am using, even though this means owning multiples -- that’s ok!). This way, even if I have just a few minutes, it’s all time spent working and not on gathering and prepping. Because, guess what -- time’s up!

Here's my start.  I'm not wild about this shade of green though.  My thought was that the blanket would be a garden of flowers, full of different colors.  We'll see.  It's a work in progress!  I have a feeling these will end up as tiny doll blankets in the dollhouse (and around the house), and my "blanket" idea will morph into something else with granny squares.  That's great, too!


It’s fun to teach Sela to crochet, too. My favorite beginning crochet book is Kid’s Crochet: Projects for Kids of All Ages by Ronci and Corwin. It’s good for kids as well as for adults like me who don’t have time to do complicated projects but want to create a little something. I’m even going to try making their simple sweater sometime! I think I can, I think I can…

Linus is happy playing with the yarn. He likes to be included. Wonder what he’ll come up with…

Valentine’s Day + Math = Fun

We belong to a math co-op where our children enjoy math in such fun ways. No worksheets or flashcards here! They play, they fold, they craft, they discover.
I thought of our math friends when I found these fun Valentine-making instructions. I liked the magic message cards, folding hearts, heart-in-the-fold Valentine, bonbon-filled hearts, and origami hearts.
 

Sela decided to make Gnome Sweet Gnome Valentines. There’s math here, too: fractions, multiplication, measuring, addition, subtraction. It’s all good stuff!


And what Valentine’s Day would be complete without sweets? Cooking is a great way to do math -- wouldn’t you agree? I can’t decide whether we’ll make whoopie pies, cupcakes for Cupid, window pane hearts, conversation heart fudge, or sweet fortune cookies. Hmmm… Or should I say, “Mmmm!”?

 

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

Today marks the beginning of the Chinese Lunar New Year -- this is the Year of the Rabbit.

My friend tells me that the easy-going rabbit will bring more peace and tranquility than the aggressive and eventful Year of the Tiger.

Noodles are customarily served to symbolize long life -- we made these Easy Chinese Noodles to jump start our family time!

Easy Chinese Noodles (from Family Fun)

3 Tbsp sesame oil
3 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp salt
2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
4 Tbsp chopped scallions
1 pkg thin spaghetti or noodle of your choice

Cook pasta according to package directions. Mix sauce ingredients in separate bowl and toss with cooked pasta. You could easily add vegetables and the protein of your choice, but this is the version that gets happily slurped up by the sheep in my family.

And I can never resist a good book : ) We love the first and will be looking at the library for the second!

Lion Dancer: Ernie Wan's Chinese New Year by Kate Waters & Madeline Sklovenz-Low
The Rooster's Antlers: A Story of the Chinese Zodiac by Eric Kimmel

Peace, happiness and prosperity to all!

Cupid's Arrows

It's February 1st, and, boy, do I have Cupid and his arrows on my mind.
Sela was playing with pipe cleaners and brought these to me.  (If you haven't taken out the pipe cleaners lately, you really should!  For silly fun for the whole family try these just to get you started.  Or maybe these funny guys.)

Then I found this cute and quirky Valentine's Day decoration on my new favorite blog, Smile and Wave -- I love it and can't wait to make it!

(The picture would not be complete if I left out the giggling I did last night when Michael Scott called them "Cupid's Sparrows.")

I was not giggling later when Linus woke up all night long because he has a cold.  I was exhausted.  By the wee hours of the morning I decided it was Daddy's turn to try out rocking --rather than nursing -- back to sleep so that I could get a little rest.
Linus: "Mama."
Mama: "Yes, baby?" lovingly & patiently because, although I've been up all night, I am about to get a little sleep.
Linus: "Saaaaaaad."
Mama: "You're sad?  Why are you sad?"
Linus: "Nose.  Nurse."
Thwak.  Shot through the heart again.  I'm his.  We nursed & we both felt better.