How Tos...from other people and The Quilt

I finally finished the quilt. Yep, I owe you the last step in the tutorial, which is binding off the edges. IT WAS SO HARD TO FIGURE OUT!! (But then again, it was pretty easy to execute.)

I owe a big thanks to the bloggers at DIY Dish, who simplified the process while being adorable at the same time.
After I was done, I thought I would try a tutorial that I saw on Angry Chicken. Ok, now I am obsessed with making reusable snack bags. It was soooo easy. Amy of Angry Chicken uses cotton, so that she can throw them in the washer, but I think I am going to try oil cloth later. In any case, CUTE.And here is Soleil, age 3 months. She is so snuggly!

Apple Blackberry Jelly Tutorial

Ok, so I have had a hard time posting on Mondays. LIFE IS BUSY right now! Ms. Sunshine has decided to sleep only in my arms and I have been really really trying to change that.

Anyway, I have been able to make jelly from the apples from our tree and blackberries that we picked while Paul has been home.

Here is a step by step tutorial:

1. Boil equal parts of blackberries and baking apples just covered with water. (I used about 5 cups of each). Keep the cores and skins on the apples--they have lots of necessary pectin for the jelly to set.

2. Once all of the fruit has cooked down to mush, line a colander with cheesecloth over a bowl and dump mix in to drain juice. Don't smoosh down--it will make the jelly cloudy.
Here is the juice. (I let it drain overnight.)
3. Use a big pot. Add the juice and sugar. Most recipes call for the same amount of juice as sugar, but I used 5 cups of juice and 3.5 cups of sugar and it turned out great.

4. Boil until the mix resembles maple syrup, about 220 degrees F, or passes the plate test (put a little of the mix on a cold plate and see if it sets up after a few seconds.)
4. Boil jars to sterilize for 10 min. Use tongs to extract from water.

5. Fill with jelly--it will be liquid-y. Tighten lids and put in a big pot of water and boil for 10 minutes to sterilize.

ENJOY!!

Texture Craft

On rainy days, we always try to find a craft that is new and different. We found this one on a website that I can't remember right now..

• Cut up pieces of felt, fabric, sandpaper, textured paper, velvet, anything with texture. It is amazing what you can find in your house once you start looking.
• Put the little pieces in bowls, give your child a glue stick and some paper, and let them create.
• For smaller children, Make buildings, and cut out squares of the textured papers and have each building's "windows" have a different texture. Have them feel each one afterwards.

Trip to the Seaside

Ok, I know it isn't Monday (and I said that would be my posting day...) but I actually had a few moments to myself :)

This weekend, we went to Weston Super-Mare. It was cold, as British beaches usually are, and Tate made the request to go to Spain. I still think he had a good time, however.

"Caution Sinking Mud"
Little Soleil bundled inside her buggy.Making Sandcastles.And you can't go to the seaside without stopping for some Fish and Chips!

Monday Monday

I love Mondays.

And for this reason, I plan on making Monday my blogging day. You see, with a newborn, blogging is not easy. If I plan on one day a week I get to post a few pics, say a few words, and read a few blogs, it will make me happy and I will actually get a few postings up.

So until further notice, I will try to post on MONDAYS :)

A few things in my world that currently make me happy:

The first apple of the year off of our tree.

A drawer full of new papercrafting supplies. (Courtesy of MOM)Trying to make my bathroom like a spa. I love fresh white towels stacked neatly. These were wedding presents from our friends, Jean and Rick. I think of them almost every time I reach for one.
Beautiful blackberries picked from the bushes near our house.Foot Scrub from LUSH.

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITES RIGHT NOW??

Lions in Bath

All over town, there are these Lions, decorated in all sorts of ways. It is VERY exciting for a 5 year old boy to find them and then insist that we take a picture of the ones we find.

This is the Monopoly Lion:

Scrabble Tile Lion
Football Lion:
Flowery Union Jack Lion: (my favorite.)

Fun in Bath, UK

Right near our house, you can pick up a boat and take that into town instead of the bus, driving, or walking. It was awesome. It is almost the same price as the bus and you don't have to worry about the 4 hour time limit at most car parks. The boat is called The Pulteney Princess and is a very relaxing way to get into town.

Ruby Slippers

From my friend, Suzzy... SO CUTE!! And the card said " Your very own pair of sparkly red shoes, to keep you safe on life's yellow brick road."

And inspired by another friend, a scrapbook page!!It takes a little longer these days to scrapbook, but it feels good to be creative.

Slowly Blogging

Wow! It is hard to blog with 2 kids. How does Soulemama do it with 4??

A few highlights from the past weeks:

Tate at Sports Day, wearing a shirt made by his cousin, Daniel.
I swear, she is smiling!
The most adorable hat, made in about 20 min flat by Kate from The Makery.
One of my favorite dishes. Shrimp+Garlic+Pasta+Veggies+Olive Oil. I won't be eating it for awhile, since Princess S was very gassy after I ate this concoction. (But it was very yummy...)
My favorite find from the boot sale. A Tea Trolley!! (It was only 3 pounds, and I couldn't pass it up.)

Day 13 with New Baby

On my bedside table to keep things easy for now...

A pretty (non maternity!) dress that makes me feel happy and summery:
Soleil's Baby Journal. I started one for Tate and it is way better than a baby book. I can just write a few things in it when I want, and I store pictures in a separate scrapbook.
My sleeping babe.

Early Days with Babe#2

Hanging out with Dad.Borrowing Mama's Quilt until she gets one for herself.Breakfast. (I am sooo hungry!)
And a simple dinner from earlier in the week:

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil. Add diced zucchini and carrot, salt and pepper. Add white beans and a little bit of chicken or veg broth. Serve over couscous.

She's Here!

Soleil Chloe Schwartz.

June 2, 2010

My water broke at 1:50a, and she was born at 2:18a. We barely made it to the hospital. In fact, I think Paul said she was born within 2 minutes of me laying down on the hospital bed.

Tate has been an angel and asked about her all day yesterday. Time to rest!

Half Term Rainy Day

After Welly WalkPlaying "Puddle Jump"

(Raindrop shaped papers with 1, 2, 3 on them in a box, choose one and it determines how many puddles--the felt squares-- you jump until the end and then how many baskets you make at the basketball hoop at the end.)