Random Blathering Fall 2013

The beginning of the school year is busy.  I love it, but I almost resent it, as I have a hard time letting my boy being away from me all day.  Also, I feel like the days fly by, and I am making an effort to simplify everything I can.  Oh, and I have to eat breakfast or I am a monster by noon.   (Any of you that know me in person, know this to be very true!)  

One great success I had was making mini quiches, freezing them, and heating them for ONE MINUTE in the microwave.  I can't believe how yummy they are, and they have made life easier.  There are a variety of recipes online but basically this is what I did.

1.  Take Store bought pie crust.  Use a biscuit cutter/circle cookie cutter to cut dough.  Put in mini muffin tin with Pampered Chef minitart maker.  

2.  Mix up eggs, milk, salt, pepper. You can add basil, garlic, whatever. 

3.  Add ham, peppers, shredded cheese, whatever you want.  (Make sure bits are pretty small).

4.  Use a measuring cup with a spout and pour some in each pie crust in the muffin tin.

5.  Bake until done.  

6.  Let cool to room temp.  Put on cookie sheet and freeze.  When solid, through in ziploc.  

7.  To reheat, put on plate, microwave 3 for one minute.  

8.  Eat!

Here is my coffee bar for fall.  Another thing I am going to do for fall is to NOT buy any additional coffee or tea for as long as I can.  I need to use up my stash, and I hope to use it all before we move again. 

I need to clean and organize my craft space...  However, every time I go in there, I end up starting to make something, rather than cleaning.

Have you ever used your vegetable steamer to make boiled eggs?  It works great!! I have been doing this for Tate to have a little protein before going to tennis class. 

And I have also been baking a lot.  I get a daily request from my Little-Ms.-Sunshine!

Lastly, go to crockingirls.com.  They have sooo many great recipes and have made my life easier by using the crockpot.  My recent fave was http://crockingirls.com/recipes/quesadilla-casserole/.  It was amazing. I made quesadillas for the kids, since it was a bit spicy, and I used ground chicken and topped with avocado.

Project 52? How about Project 24 instead?

Soooooo I didn't make it to 52 Projects.  I tried.  But with the move and travel, and I guess, just LIFE, that was as many things as I could make.  It was fun, and I liked having a little goal so that I would actually attempt to set aside time to craft.

And I hope to do that this year as well.  (My year begins with the school year:)

However, I will change the format and I think I am going to set aside one night to make whatever I want.  Tuesdays have always been good for me, since I am not as tired as later in the week and well, it isn't Monday.    I won't focus on the number of things completed, but more so just enjoy the experience.  And if I make nothing, but set that night aside to just rejuvenate, well, that works, too.

I think I will start tonight with organizing my craft area...

Last Day of Summer Vacation 2013

We have had fun, and really, I don't want it to end.  But tomorrow, Tate goes back to school.  It is a new school for him, and it is just a few blocks away.  I am ready for the routine, and to meet new people, but I am used to having Tate with us daily. 

We've done a few projects this weekend that the kids loved. 

Firstly, I put out a set of watercolor paints for each kid, a spray bottle, good brushes, watercolor paper, and salt.  The salt leaves a really cool texture when you put it on the paint when it is still wet.  It absorbs a bit of the color, leaving behind beautiful patterns.  

I bought Model Magic for the first time, (Michaels had a deal!) and we pulled out all of the playdoh toys to use with it.  I couldn't stop squishing it!

Soleil will have a hard time when Tate goes back to school.  She does every holiday break, and she asks and asks for him.  I got a few things for her, and have them in her backpack for morning.  Also (not pictured) I found every book we own about school and put it in a little basket for her.

 I set out what I could to make breakfast easier.

We boiled eggs in the steamer (it works great!) for morning.  I would say for the week, but Tate goes through about 3 eggs in a sitting.

I hung garland in the main living area for the kids to see when they come to breakfast in the morning.

And lastly, I took the time to program my Keurig, probably the most important task!

Organizing Home

We rented a home in Norfolk sight unseen.  That means we had never seen it before moving in, and since Paul arrived first, I was calling him frantically asking "how many rooms?  Is it cute?  Can the chaise fit in the living room?"

I tend to hole up until my house is a home, and therefore, have been horrible at correspondence of any sort.  Here are a few photos of what we have been up to, and I will get back to being social once the boxes are all unpacked.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

This took an ENTIRE day.  If something new comes in, something else has to go out!

And because we can't clean and organize the entire time, we have been...

At the beach.

 Making Crock Pot Meals.  Check out crockin girls.   They are my favorite inspiration!

 We found an indoor Farmer's Market.

And the ocean air has given me permanent Mermaid Hair!

The best part of moving for the kids:  The Boxes!!!

Project 24: Moving Kits

We are moving to Norfolk, VA for a year.  We sold the house on the day the moving truck arrived!  I will miss our yellow house with the great covered entrance...  We spent a lot of time out there, and I hope the next family loves it as much as we did. 

Wayyyy before the moving truck arrived, I somehow had a moment to throw together these little kits for Soleil (age 3.)  Inside are little activities that are simple and easy for her to do on her own while we are in the hotel or even in a restaurant. 

Here is what is inside:

1.  Stickers and Circle Cardstock

2.  Little cardboard squares (cut from a diaper box) and artist crayons and sharpener

3.  Matching game made from foam shapes

4.  Pony Beads and Pipe Cleaners

5.  Blank Card, Glue Stick, Scraps of paper, more stickers. (not pictured)

 For the trip, and for the multiple days in hotels, I also put together these boxes.  The Snapware ones are particularly genius.  I put activities for me, and the little kits for Soleil in the bottom, Toys and Bedtime books for Soleil in the top, and Tate had his own box with whatever he chose to put in it.  We can bring the boxes in easily, and the kids know right where to go when it is time to play.  They both also have one small canvas bag that they filled before we left, with whatever they wanted.  (Those are easy to get into while they are in the car.)

My section contains a variety of felt, needles, small scissors, embroidery thread, small ruler, as well some magazines, a small sketch book, and pens.  (I think the pens have been lifted by my children, but they were in there when we started this trip!)

Schwartz Summer Camp: Super Spy Week

As I do for any themed weeks, I go through the kids' stuff and pull out anything that relates.  You would be amazed at all the stuff I was able to find!  The only thing I bought was the Spy Master Book.  Everything else was sourced from toy boxes, office supplies I had, and the library.  (I also ordered a copy of the movie Spy Kids, which we received at the end of the week.) 

 The kids woke up to this, and they played for a good chunk of time.  I later found codes like these all over the house.

 On Tate's birthday, I gave the kids this:

I created a treasure hunt/spy mission with each clue paired with a puzzle activity.  (I had one for each kid that was age appropriate.)  Some of the activities were Tangoes, Hidden Pictures that I found online, Memory game (only a few cards to solve), message written in code from one of Tate's code books, fingerprinting, simple matching game with foam shapes.  The kids loved it, though Tate just wanted the clues, and was willing to do the activity afterwards.  At the end, I had his birthday presents hidden as the treasure.
(My parents did this for me once, and there was bubble gum ice cream at the end, hidden in the grill.  I still remember it fondly!)

Schwartz Summer Camp: Paint Relay

Last year, I had every week of summer planned out.  This year, I am moving, (which means that I don't have summer planned).   And I hate moving.  I am a Cancer Crab who likes to nest and be at home, and when that is disrupted, I freak out.  Like my parents' chihuahua mix Wendy.  Here is Wendy:

With no plan, I still had a few activities that I came up with for the day when I don't want the kids to be in front of the tv, and they are starting to get bored.  

So today....PAINTING RELAY!!! 

Set up four stations, Set the timer for 5 minutes, and rotate through.  (I also recommend starting 2 kids on #1 and #3, instead of #1 and #2 because if the 3 year old wants to linger, no one argues.)

Project 23: Weaved Yarn Basket

My mom gave me these "Yarn Basket Templates" from Clover.  I wasn't really sure about it, but after my first basket, I was hooked.  Ok.  The pink one is really ugly (so ugly, that I left it at my parents' house!) but it is so soothing and meditative to weave the yarn to make these.  

I tried a second basket on the way home from Michigan with prettier, chunkier yarn.  (GREAT cartrip craft project!) After changing yarn, I loved them for the look, as well as the process.  Soleil is using this basket for her stuffed kitty, but there are tons of things you could use it for.

Basket Tutorial

1. Glue fabric or felt on both sides of the bottom of the basket. (in blue)
2. Weave the yarn in and out of 6 holes, then return the other way all the way around the basket.
3. Continue weaving all the way to the holes.
4. Sew the in and out of the holes to secure. Knot and cut yarn.
5. Wrap, with the assistance of clothespins, more yarn around the basket until nice and thick.
6. Sew around the wrapped yarn (from the top to the next hole, as opposed to sewing side to side) and gather the wrapped yarn until it hugs the circumference of the basket.

Once I made one, I realized that you could trace the template on a cereal box and make as many as you want. I have the square basket, and the oval, and the link I attached is for a 3rd style, which looks great as well!

Catie's Candyland Open House

What I have been working on over the past few weeks....  Catie, my niece, has wanted a Candyland theme for her graduation party for 4 years!! We have been planning it ever since she saw another party that was candy themed.  I didn't get a final photo when it was all set up, but I am hoping that someone did!  I will post it, if I get one:)