Number Shirts

I intended to make O a #2 shirt when she turned 2 in July, but I didn't get around to making it until last week :( Since I was making the 2 shirt, I decided to go ahead and make her #3 shirt. So I'm 6 months behind on one, and 6 months ahead on the other :) I used freezer paper to stencil the shirts. Check out Laura's freezer paper stenciling tutorial to find out how to do this. It's super easy and fun! O was thrilled with her shirt, and she wore it for 3 days before I convinced her to wear something different. I've hidden the #3 shirt in the birthday bin (a storage bin with birthday hats, banner, plates, crown, etc), so I won't forget to give it to her in July :)

Guidecraft Castle Table Top Blocks

My dad gave O this set of castle blocks for Christmas, and we have had a lot of fun with them! O likes to build castles for Cinderella and the Prince :) These blocks are very well-made, and I think they will last forever!

They are a good bit smaller than her unit blocks, but we still mix the sets together to make really big castles! Playing with blocks is one of O's all time favorite activities :)

The storage case that the blocks arrived in was cracked, so I called Guidecraft and asked them to send a replacement. Their customer service is fantastic. They were VERY nice and immediately sent out a replacement storage container. I like to buy Guidecraft items since I know I can count on them to replace any missing or defective parts. O's Kitchen Helper is also made by Guidecraft, and they were wonderful about sending 2 replacement Kitchen Helpers when the only thing missing were the screws. I'm still shocked by that!

Family Game Night

Family game night has turned into family game morning, game afternoon, etc. O received lots of fun games for Christmas, and we have been playing them nonstop! Zingo and Keep it Steady are our favorites, but we've also enjoyed Count & Cook by Cranium Bloom, Seek and Find by Cranium, and the Tea Party Game by Eeboo.

To play the Seek and Find game you have to assemble the puzzle first. You then draw cards which give you an item or items to find. Once you find the items, you circle them with a dry erase marker. This game is actually somewhat difficult, and there are a couple of items that we still haven't found!



The illustrations for the Tea Party game are really pretty :) To play this game you spin the spinner to obtain tea party items. The first person to gather all of the party items wins the game. It's fun and simple!




Just so you know...I linked to the games at Amazon, so you could see them if you are interested. However, the prices for the Cranium games are VERY inflated. I paid 3.98 for the Seek and Find game and about 7.00 for the Count and Cook game. Both games were on sale at Target. They are both a lot of fun, but not worth the prices on Amazon :)

Disassembling the Gumdrop Tree

O and I had fun disassembling the gumdrop tree a few days ago. It was almost as much fun as making it :) We threw away the sticky gumdrops and toothpicks and saved the tree form for next year's gumdrop tree.

The 1st Mishap at the Art Shelf

Last night I looked over at O while I was cooking and she was drawing at her art shelf. She was coloring all over the shelf with a marker. I screamed, and the poor child looked terrified. I explained to her that we only color on paper, not shelves. She cleaned it up (luckily, she was using washable markers!) and told me she was sorry. I told her I was sorry for scaring her when I screamed. She looked at me very seriously and said "You screamed too woud (loud), mama! You need use your inside voice. Next time scream like this "ahhh" (her scream was very soft and sweet!) She really doesn't like loud noises, and hopefully she won't color on the shelves again :) She said she colored on the shelf because her paper was full. I reminded her that she can flip to a blank sheet of paper. Hopefully, she'll remember next time!

Unanswered Questions

I know that recently people have asked questions (in the comments section), and I haven't answered them. Now, I can't find the questions because I deleted them from my email account. One person asked where O's glass slippers came from...My mom bought them for her, and I think she found them at JC Penneys. Another person asked what color my kitchen walls are painted. It's basil, and I bought it at Wal-mart about 4 years ago. I think the brand is Kilz, but I'm not sure. I think there are a few more unanswered questions, so PLEASE ask again. I'm not ignoring you, I promise :)

Bye-Bye Gingerbread House!

O and I destroyed our gingerbread house today! 1st we attempted to remove the candy (this was NOT easy) since we didn't think the candy would be good for the wildlife. Then we hammered and broke the house with our hands.
   

After the house was broken into bits, O threw pieces to the ducks and squirrels.



This was lots of fun! O kept running from the picnic table to the lake to get pieces of the house for the ducks. It was really funny because she only got one piece at a time. She must have made at least 10 trips!

DIY Babylegs

I've wanted to make babylegs for a loooong time (about 2 years), but I never found the perfect pair of socks and then I just forgot about it. On the day after Christmas I found several pairs of cute socks that were super cheap, so I decided to give it a try. I used this tutorial. At first I was totally intimidated by the tutorial, and I decided not to even try it. My mom and I cut the feet off of the socks and just hemmed them. Then I decided to look at the tutorial again, and it didn't seem quite so scary :) My mom and I worked through it and made the 1st pair of babylegs (I NEVER would have figured it out without her!). After that it was easy peasy! I LOVE to make babylegs, which are great for my little ballerina who likes to wear leotards or bathing suits even in the winter. O LOVES the babylegs, and she even sleeps with them under her pajamas. My niece also loves them, and I was excited that they fit her (she's 4 and a half). Also, they are MUCH cuter than the leg warmers my sister and I used to wear in the eighties! So...give it a try, but I'll warn you, it's addictive :)

Getting Back into Our Groove

O and I are home after being out of town for more than a week, and we are starting to get back into our routine. We took most of December off from Montessori work, primarily because she wasn't interested, but also because we were so busy with Christmas activities. We both really enjoyed "school" this morning!

A DIY Child's Pouch Sling

One of the most frequently asked questions from this blog is "how do you make the child's pouch sling?" I've always felt like I wasn't explaining it very well, so my mom and I decided to do a tutorial. I hope it makes sense :)

1) I cut a pattern from newspaper. The pattern is 18.5 inches long and 11 inches wide. It has a curve on one end. I pinned the pattern to a folded piece of fabric and cut around the pattern.




2)Use this pattern to cut 2 pieces of fabric. They will end up being 37 inches long with a curve at each end.




3) Pin the pieces together right side to right side and sew around the edges leaving a small opening for turning at one end.




4) Turn the sling right side out and iron it well.


5) Top stitch all around the edges (you will sew your hole closed at this point). I'm still not very good at top stitching, so Guh-guh took over at this point :)




6) Fold one end up to the other end approximately 1/2 inch down from top as shown in the picture. Stitch across the curve to connect the pieces together. Be sure to back-stitch well at both ends.




7) Fold the bottom piece over the piece you just stitched. There will be some fullness that you will need to work in - to produce a rounded end. Be sure to back-stitch on both ends.




8) You're done! Give the sling to a sweet child and enjoy :)



O loves this sling since it's blue :)
Just in case you noticed...yes, she is wearing Halloween pajamas even though it is January, and she's trying out my Annie headband from 1985. My mom saved everything!

Miniature Pumpkin Pies

Guh-guh and the girls made miniature pumpkin pies yesterday afternoon for a special treat :) The girls put vanilla wafers into cupcake liners. They then mixed 1 can of pumpkin with about 4 ounces of cream cheese, a tsp of pumpkin pie spice, a half teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/2 cup of confectioner's sugar, and one egg. Guh-guh poured the mixture onto the vanilla wafers and baked them at 325 for 25 minutes. Yummy!

Gathering Collards from the Garden

Guh-guh and M planted collard greens a few months ago, so we'd have them to eat on New Year's Day. Yesterday afternoon, O, M, and Guh-guh picked the collards. M was thrilled to help pick them since she planted them, and then she got to eat them. Yummy! I was actually surprised that both girls enjoyed the collards. We eat collards for wealth in the new year and black eyed peas for good luck :) What traditional foods do you eat on New Year's Day?

Another Felt Quote

Tonight my Mom put vaseline on O's lips because they are chapped (when she was getting ready for bed). O said "O can't hug baby Emma cause O might get vaseline on her. She's made out of felt, you know." Mom said, "I thought she was made out of cotton." O said "No! She's made out of felt!" She's a little obsessed with felt. She gets it honestly :)

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone has had a happy and safe New Year's Eve. We saw a really beautiful fireworks show that ended abruptly when the grass caught on fire :( We spread out a sleeping bag in the tennis courts next to my sister's house, and the girls pretended we were camping out. Lots of fun, but cold!

I thought I'd share some of my new year's resolutions, mainly to keep myself accountable :)
1) learn to knit and crochet
2) organize my house and KEEP it organized (this is a biggie!)
3) lose my fear of my sewing machine, especially now that I have one of my own :)
4) finish all of my handmade Christmas gifts before December
5) run/walk at least 4 times a week
6) take my new handy dandy grabber with us on walks to pick up litter :) (I'm excited about this one since I like to pick up trash, but I don't like to touch it)
7) learn to play chess
8) have family movie night and family game night once a week
9) spend more time teaching O (and myself) Spanish

Hmmm. I'm sure I have A LOT more, but that's all that I can think of now. What are your New Year's resolutions?

A Suitcase of Dress-Up Clothes

O's favorite Christmas gift was her suitcase full of dress-up clothes, specifically her beautiful Cinduh-ella gown and glass slippers :) I love that the dress-up clothes are in a suitcase and therefore, super easy and convenient to transport. We brought them with us to my mom's for the week after Christmas, and we're taking them to a tea party when O wakes up from her nap. Here are a few highlights:
O and M have been having LOTS of Royal Princess Tea Parties!

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing
Princesses playing with Storytime Felt dolls.

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing