It just makes me smile....

The love between this dog and this little boy is something special.  So many of my posts have them together...I was just reminiscing here and here. They both seek each other out, for snuggles, for rough and tumble play or just to be by each other. 

Lately, my little guy insists on holding the leash on our walks...which is fine, as I still hold from the top.  The other day, my little guy fell asleep, with the dog leash loosely in his hand.  That dog could have easily walked away, but instead she parked herself right next to her buddy.  They both rested for a half hour or so.  Such a special bond they have, it's so much fun to watch.

A sleeping angel

And his faithful sidekick.

 

And a mama smiling and counting her blessings.

A Pint Size Picnic Table, Mama Made

When it's summer, we eat outside for just about every meal, including breakfast.  We have a full farmer's porch on our house with table and chairs, with a window screen-less for convenient delivery of the meals.  Plus we have the patio out back we installed as well.  Usually breakfast and lunch are on the shaded farmer's porch and dinner is out back...where we can have an occasional fire to toast s'mores after dinner.

On those warm days in March when we had a crew over, I was itching to eat outside.  But, we didn't have enough seating in either space to accommodate multiple adults as well as kiddos.  I was dreaming about a space just for the kiddos to sit.  Since I'm too darn cheap to buy anything, I got to work.  Here's my creation:

What's awesome about it is that we spent a grand whopping total of $3.00 on lumber. Less than the cost of a cup of coffee.  Everything else is either scraps left over from when our garage was built or scraps from our neighbor's woodworking job.  The drawback of using scraps is when trying to use what you've got, it's very tricky save some time by using a pattern.  I thought of doing this pattern, but then wasn't able to make what I had fit in that pattern.  So, I skipped a pattern, did all the measuring and creating on my own, using our adult picnic table as a guide... and here it is! 

Remember, I'm not a carpenter and don't really know what I'm doing.   I'm just either brave enough (or foolish enough) to think that I can create something that is in my mind. Is it perfect?  Nope.  But it's sturdy and functional.  And my little guy loves it.

He, of course, thinks it's another train table, like the other one I made him. 

 But he'll at least stop to give a quick smile. 

The awesome part of this project is that it was truly a family project.  When my little guy was napping, my husband (willingly!) helped make some cuts.  Most of my projects are completed while my little guy sleeps, but not this one. Since his attention span for filling and dumping dirt in the dumptruck is much longer than mine, I just began my project in close proximity to his construction zone.  What happened is he left his construction site and ended up watching and being most helpful with his mama's project.  We created together: he organized the tools, did some markings, handed nails/screws and informed me whenever I made a mistake or a mess.  And I loved every minute of it.

 

 

 

I think it's a hit. 

 

Blueberry Buckle

Maybe it's the pregnancy.  Maybe it's new-to-us springform baking pan a friend gave us that I was dying to try out (Why have I never had one of these before?!).  Maybe it's just my relentless sweet tooth.  But I just couldn't get Blueberry Buckle out of my brain.  It's especially delicious right out of the oven.  Thank you for the recipe, Martha Stewart. http://www.marthastewart.com/317441/blueberry-buckle

 

 

Blueberry Buckle

Ingredients

• • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 5 cups wild or cultivated blueberries

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a springform baking pan, and dust with flour, tapping out excess. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce mixer speed to low, and add egg and vanilla, beating until fully combined.
4. Add reserved flour mixture, alternating with the milk, a little of each at a time, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Remove from mixer. Gently fold in blueberries.
5. Pour batter into prepared pan; sprinkle streusel topping (below) over cake. Bake until cake tester comes out batter-free, 60 to 70 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Remove from pan; cool for 15 minutes before serving.

 Mrs. Kostyra's Streusel Topping

• Ingredients

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

  Directions

  1. In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Using a pastry blender or fork, cut in the butter until fine crumbs form.
  2. Using hands, squeeze together most of the mixture to form large clumps. The topping can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
   

Our winter rhythm

In many parenting magazines and books that I read, there's a lot of talk about the importance of rituals and routines in the lives of little ones'.  Even though there's quite a bit of hustle bustle going on in my mind, particularly on the days I work, I try to mentally slow myself down, to enjoy the morning with my little guy, to create a sense of predictably for him.

I will hold the memories of this winter dear to my heart.  He always wakes up with a "mama".  He'll say it once if I move immediately or a whole string of "mama, mama, mama, mama, mamas" on the days I'm less eager to arise from hibernation. Our house is always cold in the morning, from the fire petering out.  My little guy decides he must find a hat and/or boots.   I let the dog out and start a fire.  He helps crumple paper.  As we're getting toasty warm, he drags over the monthly book basket and we read a half dozen books.  Such a perfect start before the laundry washing/dishwasher unloading/breakfast making/lunch packing/chicken tending/cat feeding beings.  More days than not, I'll hear "up mama" or "carrier", as he still likes to be close to his mama (so thankful for baby wearing!).  Lately, I also hear "mama sit", a good reminder to not be in such a hurry that I miss out on breakfast with my little guy.  Yes, we go about our morning, just the two of us, of course with my to-do list, but with togetherness being the most important goal. 

Soon our mornings will not begin with starting a fire.  Instead, we'll migrate outside to hang the wash on the clothesline.  We'll have our breakfast on the front porch while enjoying the flowers and the chorus of birds.  Just the same that we did last year, although a few toy trucks will likely be joining us at breakfast this year.  There's a magic to the simultaneous newness and familiarity new seasons bring.  And to think, I'll be sharing this winter tradition with two next winter.  How amazing is that?

Fill-able, Earth Friendly Easter Eggs (Free Pattern)

Making fill-able Easter eggs was on my "to make" list last year.  I'm trying to avoid buying plastic as much as possible...which includes plastic eggs.  But, the project was never completed. I guess that's okay, because my little guy wasn't much of a mover last year yet anyway.  I guess it's just fine, as with this project in mind, I picked up Easter ribbon in the dollar bin at Target this year.

I looked on the web and pinterst for patterns, with no luck.  There's quite a few ideas out there, as this isn't an original idea, but I didn't find a pattern to make my job easier. Once I got the egg the right shape, I whipped up 6 in less than an hour. If you're interested in making some, here's the pattern.  Forgot to mention in the pattern that 1/4 inch seam allowances are included. Good luck...and make sure you show me what you make!

This could also be a fun kid project, as you could together glue embellishments on the eggs.

 

Here's what the back looked like.  Perfect opening for little treasures or candy.

 

What's great about them, too, is they'll stack and store for next year much easier than plastic eggs.  It will join the homemade Easter basket I made my little guy last year. 

Thrifting...and pictures of my little guy.

Yes, over my $5 challenge budget again.  But there were just SOOO many great deals this time around.

28 swatches of fabric....sizes ranging from fat quarters to a couple yards.  These were taped together in lots, a buck for 3-5 chunks.  Some fabrics I love, some I'll use for practice.  If you know anything about fabric, this is definitely over $100 worth of fabric.

A book  about babies for the big brother to be.

Plus, clothes, clothes and more clothes! (not pictured)-3 pairs of pants (Old Navy score: cords, jeans and sweat pants) for the big brother
-2 long sleeved shirts and a Roots hoodie for the big brother
-2 dresses, 1 skirt, 2 pairs of paints, 3 shirts, jammies and a spring coat

Plus a pair of socks with trucks on them.  Those were a hit!! (pictured below)

Total:  $10.50

Who would have guessed a pair of socks for a quarter would delight this little guy's world?  I think he likes thrifting just as much as his mama.  Oh, and did I mention he loves his mama made giraffe shirt?  And that he requests to wear it?  This boy has my heart!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love that he loves what I love.  Praying it will last!

NEW and UPDATED! Creating Toys Page

"I have to get this blog organized" is what I keep telling myself.  But you know... computer work doesn't triumph craft time.  The more stuff I put on here, the harder it is to navigate.  Yes, there's the search bar, but if you don't know what you're looking for, it's hard to find.  I am going to try to improve the organization.  One step at a time.    First step...I created a page that's all about creating toys.  Look right above...there's a tab that says "Creating Toys".  Lots of stuff I've done, complete with the links and I'm going to try to keep it up.

If you haven't noticed before, there's also a recipes tab up there too.  I've been *pretty* good about keeping that up.  So go ahead and browse...get inspired to create!  Let me know if any of the links don't work.  I haven't had a chance to test them all.

And...if I can stay motivated, I want to add more pages of usefulness.  Such as a "Stuff needed for babies and kids" with all the diaper stuff and the clothes, hats and bags I've made.  And maybe even a "Creating with what you have" page.  And maybe a page reviewing the stuff I've made for our home.  I guess there's oodles of possibilities...which makes me tired just thinking of all the computer organizing.  It's all on the to do list...as tomorrow I will have a saw and a drill in hand.  Hope my latest project is finished soon, so I can share with you!

And, since a blog post isn't a blog post without a picture, I'll leave with you our engagement photo, from 2004. My goodness, we looked young!  I remember this day, soaking in the warm sun with friends, enjoying the ocean, attending a small cheerful wedding, constantly smiling that I had found the man of my dreams, he had asked me to marry him and I had promised to be his wife.  You know what?  He still makes me smile today.  I'm so blessed!