Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Cousins, Christmas and cereal :)







Okay, I'll admit it. This post is somewhat random. But that's just how life can be sometimes. Random, wonderful and fun!! Here are some photos from this past weekend. My sister's family came to visit for a little belated Christmas. Nora had a blast playing with her two adorable cousins. Claire had a great time laughing and watching all of the fun. Nick brought home some rice cereal that morning, so Claire gave it a try, surrounded by some very enthusiastic parents, grandparents and aunts ;) It was fun with everyone cheering her on. She loved getting so much attention and some real food finally!

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

P is for Play Dough












P is for play dough!! Today we made our own. We followed the recipe pictured above and had some fun making this stove top version. Nora had a lot of fun with this activity. For the most part she made the dough by herself. I just had to help a bit with the stirring and with the dye. 

For the most part I was happy with the results. The dough is soft and pliable and holds its color well. However there were some things I disliked. 

1) I never realized how messy food coloring is OR how tough it is to wash off. (I definitely recommend wearing gloves to mix it in). 

2) The dough has a funky smell to it. (I blame the cream of tartar). 

Next time I'll likely try something new, like this Kool-Aid Play Dough Recipe.

Despite my problems with this dough, Nora couldn't have cared less. She had a great time making her own play dough and thought her hands looked cool ;)

Claire turns 5 months :)











Claire is officially 5 months old :) And what a fun five months it has been! Since she arrived there have been more laughs, more smiles, more fun and more joy. She is such a sweet, happy lovable little thing. I simply can't imagine life without her. Happy 5 months Claire, and many many more! Mommy loves you so much!!

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

The Stitch That Eluded Me, Until Now


I'm excited to say that I've mastered a new stitch! Until recently, front and back post double crochets (stitches often used to created ribbing in patterns) confused the heck out of me. I would avoid them whenever possible, skipping over patterns that called for them or substituting front or back post stitches for other stitches entirely. But then a pattern came along that was just way too cute to pass up and way too perfect to alter. There was no denying it. I had to learn this stitch.

Over time, I've seen many diagrams depicting this set of stitches. I've read explanation after explanation. I've tried it out time after time with tangled yarn as my only reward. But then, it clicked! In the middle of the night, I got it. Funny thing is, I wasn't even crocheting at the time. I wasn't even thinking about this pattern at all. But all of a sudden, I just understood. And sure enough, the next time I tried it, it worked!! And here's what I've got to show for it :)

Hopefully, you'll understand my determination once you see the finished product. It's probably the toughest thing I've worked on so far...but it's going to look pretty amazing when I'm done.

Monday, January 9, 2012

"O" is for Owl







This week's craft was for the birds, well for the owls actually. I saw these fun feathers at the craft store and knew exactly what to use them for. I'm pretty sure Nora fell in love with them too. She really got into making this craft. She saw it fit to decorate my carpet with the feathers as well ;) 

I give this craft an "O" for outstanding. It was fast, easy and inexpensive to boot. Clean up was a bit obnoxious though. At least the bright feathers were easy to see!

Friday, January 6, 2012

Off to a Good Start



















Wow, the snow sure has been scarce this winter! It's not often that you see temps in the 40's and 50's in early to mid January. Call me crazy but I've been kind of disappointed. I never thought I would say this, but I miss all the fluffy white stuff. 

Last week Nora and I took the chance to get outside and play in the snow. Boy am I glad we did. My mom kept an eye on Claire for me and Nora and I got some much needed mommy/daughter time. Three of our favorite puppies joined along and we had a blast running around together in the snow.