Nanaimo Bars

Oh my. Oh my oh my. I think I might have found an AMAZING dessert.  This is out of this world good. (And really calorie dense, but let's just forget about that, shall we?)


It all started with a sweet girl, dressed as a baker "Mama, can we bake something?"

Seriously, how could one resist?
Found on all recipes here and slightly adapted to fit my palate best.
 





Long story short, I highly recommend. Here's the recipe.
       
  Nanaimo Bars
      
Top
4oz of semisweet or dark chocolate
1 T butter
splash milk       
  • Directions
  1. Melt 1/2 cup butter, add white sugar, cocoa, egg and vanilla.
  2. Combine graham crackers and coconut with the melted mixture. Mix well and pack into greased 9 inch square.
  3. Cream 1/4 cup butter, confectioners' sugar, cornstarch and milk. Beat until creamy and spread over melted base.
  4. Refrigerate till hardened.
  5. Melt semi-sweet chocolate with 1 tablespoon butter and milk and drizzle over icing. Refrigerate. When totally hard cut into square bars.

Easter Ready

Just a little tradition. A branch decorated with miniature wooden Easter ornaments, all thrifted.  It truly feels like spring now we have our Easter tree all set up. Have you done a Spring tree? I recommend!









"Squeaks" Mini Mouse Playset

So...just last minute, I decided to design and whip up a new playset. Meet "Squeaks".  A cute little mouse who come with a pillow, mini quilt, a book and a little paper origami box. I have three for sale and will be up on etsy before the end of the day (is my hope!). It can still be shipped in time for Easter. I still have other miniature playsets that can be shipped in time for Easter too.  A perfect gift if you like handmade, upcycled and small productions.

Anyway, Miss Audra loves miniatures, so this is inspired by her likes of all things teeny tiny.

Here's the etsy description:

Meet "Squeaks".
Squeaks is a cute little bookworm, who enjoys snuggling with a homemade quilt, eagerly awaiting adoption.
Squeaks is hand crafted by a crafty mama and is inspired by my little girl who loves playing with things tiny.  Each mouse has at least some part of her upcycled (such as fabric/felt scraps, thrifted clothing, ribbons from gift bags, the interiors from laundered pillows, etc.), and therefore each may be a slight variation from the picture shown. They are upcycled to be environmentally conscious and to keep the prices down for the adoptive caretakers.
Each comes with one tiny mouse (3 inches long), an upcycled origami box (from paper bags), a miniature quilt, a small pillow and a book with actual pages!
This little mouse likes to be awake during the day, going on adventures with the caretaker is what Squeaks is looking forward to most.Come nighttime, Squeaks loves to be read to before being tucked into bed. It's the perfect set for tiny hands to enjoy.
Imaginative play, simple toys and creativity are such joys of childhood. Adorable moments of play are sure to be in your future with these little gems.
Won't you adopt Squeaks and give this tiny mouse a life of exploration and enjoyment?







Spring?

Little bits of melting, here and there, means we are finding spaces that we focus on, pretending it's spring. Really, there's snowbanks and drifts taller than our heads still. Feet upon feet of snow. But, we focus on where it's been melted and dream of the green that's to come.






Thrifted.

Here I go again. Another month, another play space. I don't even realize how often I do this reorganization thing. I don't really set out to do it, I just randomly get inspired, and before you know it, everything is discombobulated and I am in the midst, wondering what on Earth I did, tearing things apart.

But, once it's all put back together, the newness is so marvelous. My kids play so much nicer, more in depth and more creatively.

I swear it's worth it.

This zone, inspired by $4.00 wooden cubes. These things are brilliant. They are movable and can be separated into 3 units. They can be bedside tables or a single unit. They can stack up or out. They can fit our fabric baskets or they can be open shelving. When we are done with them, they will organize our closets. They really are quite brilliant.

Plus, the price couldn't be beat.

 (Nevermind my seedlings in the back. Which may or may not make it with all the extra TLC someone gives them.)
 I added the BOG made tables and they really have been loving their little desks.
 Another little nook to encourage children to be children by playing. Exactly how we roll.  Now, who wants to create?

Gardening 2015: Take one

It's that time of year. I've started 2 rounds of seedlings. One a 2 1/2 weeks ago. One a week and a half ago. More to come. Did I mention that there's still FEET of snow on the ground, with little signs of it melting away? Yeah, so we'll just ignore that thought.

The fun:

Bits of green popping up get me excited for freshness.

Seeds that expired two years ago are still VERY sproutable. (Not a word, but it works.)

I hate how long peppers take to sprout.

My kids love planting...aka moving dirt around and making a colossal mess.

The obstacles:

I keep meaning to set aside my own compost to use for starting come spring. Only it's all frozen now, as I never thought of it before the snow flew.

The awesome compost I bought last year isn't in stock yet. They said "We won't stock that until there's more snow gone. No one is thinking of gardening with all this snow."  I beg to differ.  Oh well, I found something.

Our greenhouse, aka sunporch, is still too cold. All are in the living room.

I never mark what I grow. Which is ridiculous because then things sprout and I have no idea.

What's planted:

Five types of tomatoes. Two types of peppers. Eggplant. Parsley. Basil. Onion. Greens. Another round of cantaloupe that will probably lead to nothing, like usual. (I think that's it? I can't remember since I never bother to label. Really foolish of me.)

Anyway, come along and see our 'garden' thus far.


 (What, it doesn't look like gardening weather outside?)



What a difference a few days makes!


His project: Dog bed

 
I guess it was March of 2011 when I made the last dog bed.  It was long overdue in making a new one.

Although it wasn't me who did it.  It was Adrian.

Although I sewed the zipper,  he pinned, sitched. pressed and finished the dog bed. Such a great project for a beginner.  It's a $2.99 piece of denim from the thrift store and an old pillow for the stuffing. That's it.

 So proud of his project he is...now to think of the next sewing project that is fun, but not too challenging. Suggestions? I imagine it's just a matter of time before she's going to want to be stitching too.

Thrifted.

A few yards of corduroy. A canning jar. A basket. Wool socks for me. A leather ring for her. A mini bucket for his play cows. $8.00.

I just might make some fabric baskets or some backpacks or jumpers with the corduroy. Decisions, decisions...

Any good deals lately?

Maine Maple Sunday 2015

The actual rundown of Maine Maple Sunday, a true holiday in our book. Cold, cold day. Lots of wool. Pancakes and our own syrup, a racoon hat (as Laura Ingalls Wilder's dad did the same when he collected sap, must play the part), a trip to my kids' fave farm and a bit of ice cream with syrup.  Food holidays are the best holidays.


















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