V Day and Quick Baby Lunch

Preferably the night before, take butternut squash and cut it into 1 inch cubes. Add olive oil and salt and pepper and brown sugar and put in a container like this. Shake up. Either bake on a baking dish right then, OR you have it ready to go to bake later in the week. I roasted the squash and Soleil ate the soft little chunks and I had it as a side dish with my lunch. Easy!
Satisfied customer.
The night before Valentine's day, we decorated for Tate when he woke up.
And when he returned from school, we had this waiting for him! (Paul had to try it out while watching some kind of sports on TV.)

Some Hearts from Scupley

Can you see the flower texture? This is a little pendant I made from bakeable clay. It turned out pretty cute, though it flips around on my neck. I may have to add proper jump rings and use a necklace rather than embroidery thread.
It made me happy, though.And here is Soleil "helping" with making a quilt.

All about Tate

This weekend, it was all about having Tate to myself. We were a team, the two of us for 5 years. And while we love our little Soleil, it has changed things in the house. Of course, I feel guilty even saying that, but Tate and I needed time to hang out and Paul and Soleil stayed at home during her naps. (Which meant some tv/computer/hang out in underwear time for daddy, which he was thrilled about.)

As I mentioned in the last post, we went to the cafe.

And practiced some spanish while drawing.After a welly walk.Tate's first lost tooth. This is his sister's pillow that she received from friends of ours, but she let him borrow it until I can make him one:)

On Sunday, we went to the Chinese New Year Events and ran into many of our friends. We had such a great time.

I do not want to leave Bath.

Springtime and Clothing

We saw this movie for Movie Night. I LOVED IT. A warning though....I didn't see that it was PG, though, and I did have a little boy afraid in a few parts.

It is set during WWII and a mother is left with her 3 children and 2 cousins in the English Countryside, waiting for their dad and uncle to return. It is a light hearted movie, with the war just being a minor backdrop, and many a lesson to be learned from Nanny McPhee about behaving.

One of the best parts about this movie was how colorful it was. And my favorite part of that was Maggie Gyllenhaal's clothes. It made me want to go out and find pretty, girly, durable day dresses and cardigans. Then again, I feel this way every spring.

Here is my favorite outfit, and this was the only photo of it that I could find. Love the shoes, too. (Notice, she has her coat inside out, which leads me to my favorite moment in the movie...)

The favorite part of the movie is when she answers the door to meet Nanny McPhee for the first time and keeps insisting (with smile on her face) that she doesn't need a nanny. That everything is fine. When she is clearly having a meltdown moment. (I've been there!)

I looked online for similar outfits, but couldn't find a lot of dresses that fit this description.

H&M, only about $20. LOVE IT!

And if I am really desperate, I may have to try and make one.
And another sweet dress I came across. This can be found on etsy under "airmail dress".

Tate and I got away this weekend for a mama and son date. We went to Dick Willows Farm Shop and Cafe and had a great time. He found a sunflower hat that he wanted to buy for sister. Oh, and notice that he has his pajamas on UNDER his clothes. He does this most weekends, and as soon as he is home, peels off the top layer like a slothy superhero to return to his PJ state.

Behind w/ the V Day Crafts

I think this year it will be minimal with the Valentines Day decor. I am accepting this. I did, however, carve out a few moments to make a card.Have you seen Monsters Inc? Don't you think she looks like Boo?

Sleep Deprived but still Creating.

My little Sunny Sunshine is finally sleeping in her crib, but wakes up at least 4 times a night for some milk. Yes, yes I know...I am indulging her, but OMG have you seen her? She is the cutest thing and such a little snuggle bug, it is hard to deny her. We will be on Operation Sleep-thru-the-night this weekend, but until then, ignore the bags under my eyes and stupidity.

I managed to clean my craft room recently. It took 3 days and it is the size of a really teeny bedroom. At Christmas time I had just shoved stuff in every nook and cranny that I could find, just to get it out of the way, and it had caught up with me. So I decided that I couldn't make anything else until it was clean. Here was Stage 1 of clearing it all out.Ok so now that it is clean, I have started to make a quilt (for someone special that I can't mention or I will ruin the surprise...).

And lastly, flowers inside the house make the biggest difference, don't you think? Every time I see these, it makes me smile!

What have I been up to?

Updating and adding to this...Wrapping this...Making this (part of what was inside the package): crayon roll from The Creative Family by Amanda Soule.Helping Tate do this... using Japanese Masking tape to decorate.Eating this....Cuddling this...

happy new year 2011

House is somewhat clean, babe is sleeping.... ahhhh. Even the little guy is outside playing. Ok, more like performing what he calls "High School Musical 11" on the steps in the garden, but still in his little imaginative world. I love it.

Yesterday I was so tired it hurt. But I went into my craft room to make a gift for a friend (needed it by Monday!) and it was so therapeutic. My husband asks why I don't hit the pillow the moment my babe falls asleep, and I say to him, I need a little alone time to create for my own soul. I mean, if you worked any other job around the clock, and slept in the hours that you didn't work, how fun would that be? I need to create to keep going when I am up rocking in the chair from 1a-3a.

Not Yet the New Year

I get this from my mom.

The moment Christmas is over, I want to clean away all the green and red and make the house look sparking. I want all excess clutter gone and this is the one time of the year that I like the minimalist style.

Kind of impossible with 2 semi-ill children and the husband home for 2 weeks.

I even put my Christmas Martha Stewart (that I JUST received) away until next year, because I don't want to even read about Christmas decor. CLEAN. BRIGHT. SIMPLE.

Does anyone else feel like that?

Merry Christmas to ALL!

Yesterday, we had an Open House, Chin-style. (For those of you who don't know, Chin is my maiden name.) Lots of snacks, pop in when you can, stay for a few minutes or for hours....

My parents do this every year, and I have to carry on the tradition.

And the kids have all been cooped up for days due to the cold weather. They made their own fun. This morning.And later this morning.

No fancy Christmas dinner here. We are having leftovers from yesterday, pizza, whatever we can find in the frig and are relaxing ALL DAY.

Best new Crock Pot Party Recipe:

Chicken Skewers for Kids

1. Take chicken breasts, cut into small strips.

2. Marinate in olive oil, salt and pepper.

3. Make sure to soak bamboo skewers for several hours. Skewer chicken.

4. Broil until done. (this takes minutes)

5. Put chicken broth in crock pot. (Homemade or non bullion is best)

6. Put broiled skewers in crock pot.

Chicken stays moist and warm for entire party!!

To serve on the side to make more exciting to parents:

Spicy Peanut Dip

2/3 C peanut butter

2/3 C salsa (don't use mild)

1/4 C lemon juice

salt to taste

Worcestershire sauce to taste --few splashes

Tabasco/Hot sauce to taste

Mix and heat.

Cuz Baby It's Cold Outside

I let him make his own drum set. We used to do this when he was home all day as a toddler, and it is just as much fun when you are 5.
Wrapping, Crafting, School Concerting.... more to come when I get a moment.

Oreo Cake

The William Sonoma Oreo Cake.

Kraft's Oreo Cake

Kevin Sharkey's Oreo Cake
Yum.

Getting into the Spirit

Surprise New Bedding (for Tate)! A few Saturday nights ago, I locked myself in my craft room to make Christmas cards. I heard a little knock on the door, and well...I let a certain boy stay up past bedtime and we made this together instead. (foam wreath+wide ribbon+stars and glue dots+felt reindeer with adhesive on back)Feet are fun.
Got this idea from my friend, Ursula. I think she calls it Muffin Tin Mondays. This was a Thursday, and I wanted something easy for dinner. Just take muffin tins and fill with a (semi) balanced meal using the leftovers in your frig.
Cold weather calls for baking bread. While watching "From Paris With Love". Jonathan Rhys Meyers is so much better as King Henry than he is his character in this movie. J. Travolta--awesome. Cracked my butt up.

Moving Again--Minneapolis

Tate and our Christmas Tree. Yes, it is of the Charlie Brown Variety.

We just found out that we will be relocating to Minneapolis in July. I am soooo sad to have to leave Bath, UK but I am very happy for my husband who unexpectedly got his dream job.

Anyone know anything about the city? Any school recommendations? Any neighborhood recommendations?

I am stressing about this big change. I know it is a great city, but I want to find the right place for us. For the first time, I think I want to live in the 'burbs. I want other kids and moms to play with in my neighborhood and a school as lovely as Batheaston. The only thing that helps as I obsess over this is playing Mall World. On facebook. Because it is a stress reducer!!