Summer!

Happy Summer Solstice! The weather may be crazy, but Summer is officially here...

Wishing you all a wonderful start to a beautiful season!

-Lisa

Star Wand Tutorial

With Summer Solstice being tomorrow, I had originally wanted to make a couple sun wands for the kids. Austin, not surprisingly, wanted nothing to do with a wand - it's girly you know. And Hannah begged for a princess wand - so this is what we ended up with. To my delight, it is much loved, and was pretty easy to do.

If you want to make your own, follow the directions below.

What you need:
Felt - enough to make your desired shape twice (we used wool felt)
Cookie Cutter - for making the shape
Colored pencil
1 Small, thin dowel rod
Sharp Scissors
4 (or more) Strips of ribbon cut at desired length (I did 3/4 of the length of the dowel rod)
Embroidery thread in contrasting color
Hot Glue gun
Small rubber band


1) Trace your shape using the cookie cutter and colored pencil, on the felt two times

2) Cut out the shapes, and the ribbon strips.

3) Place your identical shape pieces on top of each other and sew a blanket stitch around almost the entire shape using embroidery thread. Make sure to leave an opening at the bottom so you can insert the dowel rod. Don't know how to do a blanket stitch? Here's a quick tutorial on that.
I didn't have enough of the yellow thread left, so I added the purple at the end to avoid having to start over - oops. Make sure you cut the thread a lot longer than you think you'll need just to avoid this.

4) Layer your ribbon strips on top of each other with top ends meeting, and sew a quick knot or two to secure them in place.

5) Attach the sewn ribbon end to the end of the dowel rod with a very tightly fitted rubber band. We used the tiny bands you find in the hair accessory section of the store, these are nice and small.

6) Add some hot glue around the end with the rubber band, and carefully insert the dowel rod far enough inside the shape so that you can no longer see the rubber band. Squeeze it quickly and hold it down to ensure the glue sticks to everything and won't come loose.

That's it! Now go enjoy your new magic wand!

Simple Pleasures

Sometimes, some days, I have to remind myself that the day is not about how much I can get done. But really about the moments I have with my children. That missing a blog post, or only getting one row of knitting is just fine. A homemade meal, hot and ready on time, three times a day, just is not a reality right now, and that's okay.

These are the times when I seem the most able to relish simple pleasures. Something as small as a butterfly fluttering across a little ones shoulder as it races away. Or an unexpected "I love you momma", right when I think I'm at my wit's end.

Today, right now, the simple pleasure I'm loving the most is this jar of flowers. The entire house smells so sweet and light. And the image itself just makes me smile every time I walk by.

What's your favorite simple pleasure right now?

An Elfy Kind of Hat

I love this hat, I really do. I think maybe I just love hats though too. This is the third knitted hat for the baby, and well, how many hats does a little baby really need? I'm still debating adding the pom poms to the bottom of the ear flaps. I can't decide if they will be more trouble than their worth - oh well, I have time to decide.

The yarn for this project came from www.handpaintedyarn.com (a favorite yarn site of mine by the way). It's a chunky merino wool that varies in thickness, and gives the hat a nice pebbled look. Love.

And yes, I will share action pictures when the little one shows up :)

Tiny Knit Hat

Oh how I wish you could feel the softness of this cute little purple hat. I swear, it's the softest texture I've ever laid my hands on. The yarn is baby alpaca, and was purchased here. The hat has space to thread decorative ribbon along the edge, but I decided against it - I like it just the way it is. You can find the easy to knit pattern here.

I've used baby alpaca before, and nothing is as soft as the yarn I used for this project. In fact, I made our little not-quite-here baby girl a sweater and shoes out of this yarn as well. She'll be born near the end of Summer, so I'm hoping to get a lot of use out of these as the air becomes chillier. The sweater and booties still need buttons, so I will share those another day.

And, when our baby girl out-grows this little hat of hers, Hannah's baby doll will have a new accessory...

Take care!

Gone Fishing

Our family has found a new favorite. Fishing. I was a little skeptical at first, thinking a two year old with a hook adorned stick would be a disaster. Well, we never gave that idea a chance to present itself. I attached a heavy lure to the end of her pink pole (yes, everything MUST be pink) so she could practice casting into the water on her own. She is a very determined "I do it myself" kind of girl.
And Austin, oh my. All he wants to do is fish. We had to drag him away from the pond - and for good reason, the kid is good. He caught 4 fish this day, within an hour. Don't worry, all were carefully put back in the water to swim away.

She caught some algae here...

Have a great day!

Scrappy Summer Pillows

I'm so excited to share these scrappy pillows with you today! Granny Grace generously gave me some beautiful Henry Alexander fabric a few weeks ago. I can't even begin to tell you how excited I was, especially because I had been eyeing some of this exact fabric for a while, going back and forth as to purchasing it (glad I didn't).

Then came the dilemma of what to actually make with the fabric. At first I wanted to make a sundress for the baby, she will be a late-summer babe after all, but it seemed a shame to make something that will only be used for a few weeks. Which led me to the decision to make both. I had almost a full yard of the bright lemon print, and that's plenty for the dress and the pillow.

I followed the scrappy pillow pattern in the book Sewing Bits & Pieces: 35 projects using fabric scraps, by Sandi Henderson. I love this book, and would recommend it to anyone not wanting to waste all the little bits and pieces of fabric from bigger projects. I've made a few of here projects from the book already, and everything turns out so cute.

Again, these don't really match the room, but I don't really care. They add the perfect bright touch that I've been needing in our house lately.

Take care!

Lisa

Summer Trivets

With all the crazy weather here in the mid-west, and the not quite Spring quality to the air, I decided to take it upon myself to bring a little Spring and Summer into my home.

A few weeks ago, I came across some adorable watermelon trivets in a magazine. I fell in love instantly. The problem though, is that all of the pictured trivets were vintage. Meaning I would either have to try my luck this summer scouring lawn sales, flea markets and thrift stores, or find a pattern to make my own. So I searched.

And searched.

And searched.

I almost gave up, because every pattern I came across was either for crochet (which believe it or not, I don't know how to do), or it just didn't look right.

Finally though, I found this. I'm sure you'll laugh, but I immediately bookmarked the page in my phone, ran to the store to purchase some cotton yarn and a few hours later had my very own watermelon trivet. I love it. I love that it's bright, and that it doesn't need to match the rest of the kitchen. The contrast brings a bright and summery feel to the table, and that's exactly what I was looking for. I may have to make a few others too... Orange or lemon anyone?

Take care!

Lisa

Rainy Day

It's terribly chilly outside, and raining. My youngest is fighting off a fever and needing lots of momma cuddles. I'll be back tomorrow with more crafty goodness. Wishing you a warm, sunny, and healthy day.

Handmade Nursing Pillow

The amount of items on my "can't do without" list when it comes to babies is not very large. In fact, after raising my first, I was shocked at how little a baby really needs as far as material things go. Something that I most definitely used on a daily basis for both of my children was a nursing pillow.

My first two shared the same one, but my youngest still uses it. She sleeps with it at night, and actually stays asleep. I couldn't possibly ask her to give it up for the new baby, but I really didn't want to spend money on a new one either.

So, naturally, I decided to make my own. It was sooo easy - almost too easy. Of course, it was easier because I had one to measure from. I do think it would be pretty simple to draft your own pattern for this, as long as you know the shape and size that you want.

To make my pattern template, I just put the old pillow on a large sheet of freezer paper and traced it by holding a pencil between my thumb and index finger. I used my first three fingers to provide a consistent width while tracing (my pinkie was in the air, while the outside of my ring finger followed the shape of the pillow).

I used a pretty thick fabric - think upholstery fabric for the actual pillow. I'm not worried about the drab color because I plan on making a bunch of covers for the pillow out of flannel and cotton, using the same pattern template (I'll post more on that once I can find fabric I love). The fabric I used was actually from a thrift store and it only set me back about a dollar.

I used a half inch seam allowance, and left a four inch opening at the top for the stuffing. These have to be stuffed pretty full in order supply decent support for you and the baby. I already had a 5lb bag , and used maybe a little over a quarter of that to fill it. Just stuff it tight and push down on it as you go along to get a good feel for how thick you want it. Once it was filled, I closed up the seam by sewing along the outside (it's not the most attractive finish, but will be sturdy and the pillow will have covers on it anyway) like the store bought version had.

So, all in all, the project cost me about $4 and took about 20 minutes start to finish. Can't beat that!

Violet Jam!

I have to admit, I was a little sceptical when I came across this recipe a while back. But given the thousands of violets that where growing all over my grandma's lawn, how could I not at least try?

The first attempt didn't work out so well, and I ended up with a syrup, rather than a jam. And of course, didn't think about using it for teas or pancakes until after it was poured down the drain - oops. The second time around, I used similar ingredients listed in the recipe link above, but changed the way it was processed quite a bit. So, here is what I did...

Violet Jam

1 Cup of packed violets (stems removed)
1 Cup of filtered water
1/2 Cup Honey
1/4 Cup Lemon juice (make sure to remove any seeds)
1 pkg of low-sugar pectin (small batch)

1. Rinse the violets well and place in blender.

2. Add 1 cup of water and 1/4 cup lemon juice to the blender and pulse until well blended.

3. Pour blender mixture into a small pot, mix in the pectin and bring to a strong rolling boil that can not be stirred down. Make sure to skim off any foam that rises to the top.

4. Remove from heat and stir in the honey. Bring back to boiling for 1 minute.

5. Pour mixture into hot prepared jam jars, cover with lids and let cool for at least 30 minutes at room temperature before transferring to the refrigerator.

I stored these in our freezer after cooling to preserve. If you want to get a correct seal (which will allow you to store these at room temp for up to 2 years), you would need to follow canning instructions. You can find some helpful info on that here, and the Ball Blue Book of Canning is a great resource as well.


**After posting this, I realized I never followed up with how it tasted. Wonderful! And so sweet.**

Ordinary Monday

**A Monday ritual. A single photo of something ordinary and small in our days, but still filled with happiness and moments worth remembering**

Wool Soakers

With all that cloth diapering talk yesterday, how could I not follow up with my soakers? Wanting to stay away from synthetics, I chose to knit my own wool soakers to go over the newborn size fitted diapers. They are so expensive to buy, ranging from around $35-$65 each. Considering you need at least 3 for each size (or so I've been told), I had to make my own. I used two different patterns, as well as two different brands and textures of 100% wool (it has to be 100% to work correctly). Since again, I really have no way of knowing what will fit and work for this baby, I am playing it safe and potentially saving myself from hours of wasted time. Whichever style works best, I'll just make more as I need them. Both patterns were free, but I'm having a difficult time locating the pattern for the style above. As soon as I do, I will update this post with a direct link.

You can find the pattern for this one here. I used the suggested yarn/roving for each pattern. Each skein was around $7 dollars, and I only needed one for each soaker. That's a whole lot of savings.

Have a great day everyone!

-Lisa

Going Cloth - Diapers That Is

After not too much debating, Chris and I decided to cloth diaper this next baby of ours. Between the cost savings, garbage reduction (which we pay for the removal of), and lack of chemicals on the babes bum, it was kind of hard to not at least give it a try. I had thought about it a lot when I was pregnant with Hannah. The overwhelming amount of information left me too scared and intimidated to give it a go. Thankfully, this time when I started my research, it was a little bit easier. The big difference this time was finding an online community of cloth diapering momma's to take my hand and walk me threw the process.

Once we finally made a decision to do it, it seemed silly to keep spending money on disposables. So, for the last three weeks, Hannah has been in cloth. With the exception of one slightly crazy, eh 'hem - gross, experience (I'll spare you the details - just use your imagination) it's been great.

Even though the diapers I bought are one size fits all, they will most likely be too big for the baby for the first few weeks. So I decided to make a few of my own from materials we had around the house. I obviously have no way of knowing if they will work well until the baby comes, but they are just too darn cute to not share. You can find a ton of diaper tutorials all over the web, and the materials you choose are a personal preference. I didn't want synthetics on my newborn's bottom, so I used flannel and cotton for these. Based on the recommendations of some more experienced momma's, I followed this free pattern and tutorial.

I love this one! It's amazing how small it is too. I forget how tiny baby's are in the beginning.

Take care and have a great day!

Lisa

Tiny Tea Leaves for Hannah

Can I just say, I am sooo excited to be sharing this sweater with all of you. For a few reasons actually. First, I'm just thrilled my crafty/creating motivation finally came back to me a few weeks ago. I was really starting to get worried about that.

Well, the small hiatus created a huge NEED to make things. And make things I did. Over the next week or so, I'm going to share some of my latest creations. I'm excited about all of them. But this one, this is my favorite, so I just had to start here.

Not too long ago, in reference to gift giving (we have quite a few birthday's approaching), I found this saying: "Something you want, something you need, something to wear, and something to read". I love it, in all it's simplicity and ease. This may just be our new motto, especially considering we're about to become a family of five. Well, this was supposed to be Hannah's "something to wear" gift. She, however, couldn't keep her hands off this yarn (neither could I, I absolutely love it!). Every time she saw me working on it, she insisted on trying it on, asking when it would be finished and when she could wear it. How could possibly tell the little girl she needed to wait till August?

Here she is modeling it. And truthfully, it was really difficult to get a picture of it because she kept trying to grab it and put it on. Once it was on, she had to dance and twirl in it, because after all, it is a "dancing sweater".

The pattern is Tiny Tea Leaves and the yarn is Malabrigo worsted in Molly. It was such an easy and quick knit, that as soon as the ends were woven in, I wanted to make another, just like it. I really thought it would take at least a month for me to finish it. I had it completed in just under 10 days - I'm not sure what that says about me, lol.

There is an adult version of this pattern, and I can almost promise that you will be seeing that finished project on here before the year's end.

Thanks for letting me share with you all!

-Lisa

Playsilk Grass

Playsilks, love them. So do my kids. To be honest, when I first heard about them, I thought they were kind of silly. And I really didn't think my kids would actually play with them much. Boy was I wrong. They're just large dyed silk scarves - well, to an adult anyway. To a child, they can become blankets, rivers, capes, magic shields, princess veils, ghosts.... The list goes on and on, and only stops when the creative play does too.

They are also great for covering toy baskets and bins at night, my children seem to sleep better when most of their toys are out of sight (sound silly? Try it, stream line your bedroom to just the essentials, or hide things, I swear, you get a better nights rest).

So, all of that being said, this year we are replacing Easter grass with playsilks. I dyed a few with packets of kool-aid that I picked up especially for this project, but you can also use food coloring, or natural dyes. We are going to dye Easter eggs tonight with food, so I'm going to add a few silks to the pots and see how it turns out - I'll share my findings, don't worry.

Here's how to do it...

You need:
Large pots or stainless steel or enamel bowls (plastic will stain)
White Vinegar
Coloring of choice (kool-aid, or food coloring...)
Kitchen tongs or other similar non-porous kitchen tool
White silk scarves (I bought mine here and purchased 30"x30" Habotai)

1) Put white scarves in a mixture of 3 cups hot water and 1 cup vinegar to soak while mixing your color pot.

2) Mix packet of kool-aid (1 for a pastel effect, up to 3 for bright vivid colors), 2 cups vinegar, and 3 cups hot water. Stir to dissolve.

3) Add the scarf and mix around until fully colored. Use kitchen tongs or some sort of utensil for this, the colored water will stain your hands.

4) Once you have the color you want, rinse the scarf under luke warm water until the water runs clear. Squeeze excess water out and hang to dry.

That's it!

Bunny Prep

If you have children, I'm sure they are eagerly awaiting a visit from a certain big-earred, fluffy bunny. I know mine are.

This year, we decided to invest in a few Bolga baskets, 1 for each child. This way, our furry friend would have one less plastic/disposable basket to buy. My children get to do whatever they want with these until the eve of Easter, when they will be emptied out and left on the table to be filled with fun surprises.

If you've never heard of a Bolga basket, you're missing out, truly. These awesome fair trade, strong carriers are handmade by women in Africa, and have a quality that you'll unlikely ever find from one purchased in a big box store. I love these baskets, I really do. So much so, that I plan on purchasing a few larger ones for around the house as well.

Homemade Natural Deodorant that Works!

For the last six months or so, I've been searching for a natural, aluminum free deodorant that will actually work.

Saying I tested a lot would be an understatement. I actually ended up going back to my non-natural Dove for a little while because I thought it was a lost cause.

Then I came across this super simple (so simple in fact that I thought it would never work) recipe and was shocked. Not only at how well the deodorant actually works, but also how simple and inexpensive it is. I'm hooked!

**This recipe is not mine, however, I've found it in numerous places all over the web, and have no idea who actually created it. If you know, please tell me, and I'll make sure to credit the author**

I have put this to the test, and it has passed with flying colors. It lasts ALL day, has no scent AND keeps me dry. I've worn it during very intense work outs, and all night waiting tables, and so far, I love it.

A little goes a long way, so just use a little bit, or it will feel greasy. It does need to be kept in the refrigerator as well.

What you need:
1/4 C Baking Soda
1/4 C Arrowroot powder (you can purchase this at most health food stores or online)
5-6 Tbsp Coconut oil

Simply mash everything together until you get a solid-like consistency. The mashing will warm up the coconut oil so that it will not be a complete solid until it's placed in the fridge.

I emptied out an old deodorant stick and just filled it up with my mixture, and it works just the same. Love it!

How to Make English Muffins

I've been wanting to make English muffins for a long time, but kept avoiding it because I was intimidated. Well, I finally decided just to go for it, because really, is it that big of a deal if it doesn't work out - of course not. Thankfully though, they were surprisingly simple, and turned out a lot better than I had anticipated. ** I have not provided a bread recipe here, the one I use is copyrighted, however, any bread dough will work as long as it's made with yeast. You will also need a griddle ** To make these, you will need to use a yeasted bread recipe - whichever is your favorite. I can't share mine, because it's really not mine. I use the Tassajara Bread book for our sandwich bread. The recipe yeilds two loaves, so instead of the two, I made one loaf, and used the rest of the dough for the english muffins. That gave me enough dough to make 12 muffins. Here's how to do it... After your dough from your bread recipe has been punched down, and then given time to rise again, dump it out onto a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle a little flour on top of the dough, and roll it flat to about 1/4". To cut out my ciricles (you want them about 3" in diameter for standard size, but it really doesn't matter) I used the rim of a large coffee mug. Place the cut out circles on a wooden board or parchment lined cookie sheet that has been lightly dusted with either flour or cornmeal, and then sprinkle more flour or cornmeal on top. Cover with a towel and let rise until doubled in size (about 20-30 minutes). Heat your griddle to high and cook the dough circles one side at a time. Reduce the heat to medium after a minute, and cook for about 5-7 minutes. Repeat the same process for each side. After this, I couldn't tell if my muffins were cooked all the way, so I placed them in my oven for about 10 more minutes at 350 just to be sure. They turned out fantastic! If you've ever had the desire to make your own english muffins, try it! You'll be surprised at how simple it really is. Have a great day, Lisa

Planning Ahead Series - Part 2 - List Making

Photo Credit

The most important thing I do each week to stay on track and get everything done is make lists. I make about 3-4 depending on the week.

The first list - Meal Plans (I've written about this in more detail, you can view it here). I've simplified the process down to just figuring out what to make for dinner Mon-Fri, and two different breakfast options. Hannah and I are the only ones who eat lunch at home, so we just eat leftovers typically.

Why this works for us: Not having to figure out what to make for dinner every night during the week saves me a ton of wasted time. Compiling it all to one sitting saves lots of time. I do this on Sunday mornings because I can always count on the whole family being together and can get their input. I write the week's menu on a dry erase board on our fridge, and during the week, all I have to do is take a quick look, and make what's written down. This helps my husband too, I work nights, so he just has to look at the board, and knows what to pop in the oven or make.

The Second list - Groceries. Once I know what we're eating for the week, making the grocery list takes 5 minutes tops and again, saves wasted time from wandering around isles in the store, and saves money - we only buy what we need. I also use the dry erase board for this as well. If we run out of something during the week, either myself, or my husband quickly jots down the item, and that's the end of it.

The Third list - What to bake. I try to get most of my week's baking done on Sunday's during my "Catch-Up" day. Though Hannah and I like to make bread during the week sometimes too - but that's usually "extra" bread, like a braided loaf or cinnamon raisin. Every week I usually bake 2 loaves of bread, some sort of muffin and a batch of granola bars on Sunday.

The Fourth list - the odds and ends. I only shop for this list once a month, sometimes less. It includes staples that we use on a regular basis and that I usually buy in bulk. The reason for this is because I have to go to a handful of different places (both online and driving) to get the type of food I want for our family. We do shop at Costco for bulk goods, and they offer a lot of healthy and organic options. During the winter, in order to get local food (ex. ground beef, honey, eggs and so on), I have to drive to a handful of different places around town. I hate driving in circles, so again, I condense it to once a month, sometimes less.

This seems like a lot to do and time consuming, but really it's not. With the dry-erase board, most of the list making gets done on it's own over the course of a few weeks or so, and the actual amount of time I spend on the first three lists, is probably 10-15 minutes a week tops. Those 15 minutes save me hours (allowing me time for more enjoyable things, eh em, knitting), and a lot of money.

Give it a try, see what works for you.

Plan Ahead Series - Part 1

I often get asked how I manage to get so much done. In reality, I don't. I really think that part of the reason it seems like I do so much, is because the things I do are not really mainstream. Making most of our food from scratch, for example. Or having the time to finish a lot of knitting projects, or sewing or crafting. I do have two children, with one more on the way, and yes, I do work outside of the house too, although part-time - about 20 hours a week. So, with that said, I thought it might be fun to give you a little glimpse into my "system", if you can call it that. It really just boils down planning ahead and making lists -which not only saves me a ton of time, but money as well....

Part one of this series is about having a catch up day.

My catch up day is Sunday. First thing in the morning, I start a load of laundry, and I don't stop until all of it's done. I've done up to 8 loads in one day - yes 8. This allows me to only have to wash one or two loads during the week. I think the only nice thing about laundry is that you only have to pay attention to it randomly during the day, and a lot of other things can get finished at the same time.

I also bake my brains out on Sunday. Today for example (yes, this is also the day I do most, if not all of my blogging - after the little ones go to bed), I made two loaves of bread, a batch of banana crunch muffins and a large tray of granola bars. I could have baked more had I started earlier, but we had family stuff to do in the morning, so I had to start at 2pm. But now, I have bread for sandwiches and toast for the week, muffins for breakfast and granola bars for lunches and snacks. I still need to make tortillas, but I decided I'd rather blog tonight instead, and save the tortilla making for Hannah's nap tomorrow afternoon instead of the other way around. She's much more likely to want to help and hang out in the kitchen than she is by the computer.

This brings up another good point. I do all this on my own. My husband was at work while I did everything, and the kids were happy as can be helping me out in the kitchen, or jumping in the pile of clean clothes. When they got bored with that, they played with each other, and then on their own. The whole time they were right by me, and we never once turned on the t.v. or plugged in a game system. We still had time to play outside while the bread was rising, and sit down for dinner together.

I also managed to sneak in small cleaning projects, like the windows, a quick microwave and dishwasher wipe down and things like that. It might not seem like much, but every extra little thing I can do during my "catch-up" day, frees up more time for me during the week - when life is a bit more rushed.

And, last, but most importantly, I make all of my lists on Sunday... More on that soon to come...

Have a great day!

-Lisa

Fat Tuesday!

photo credit

Happy Fat Tuesday everyone! We don't do much over here for Mardi Gras, but I do try to bake a king cake for desert. A traditional king cake has a small plastic baby baked inside of it (which, because of my small children, I leave out).

Last year I made a super simple and quick, however very non-authentic cake. It takes about 30 minutes to make. You can see it here.

Tonight I'm going to try and make a more authentic cake using this recipe. I'll color the sugar in the same way as last year.

Do you celebrate Mardi Gras? Please share what you do.

Austin's Birthday Re-Cap

Well, I definitely won't be getting the mom of the year award. It just dawned on me that I never shared Austin's birthday on the blog. I feel awful. Thankfully though, he's not reading it. But still....

My little man turned six on Feb. 13th, six! It's still hard for me to grasp. He's still so small, but yet so, so big. In the last few months especially, he has grown in not only inches, but also intellect - at a speed that has blown me away. He started reading, and is accelerating at such a fast pace. Within the first week, he went from reading simple to words, to simple sentences. He can finish a book, cover to cover, all on his own. And now, he's reading everything he sees - signs, pictures, mail, trucks, everything.

Back to his birthday though. In an effort to keep everything in our days simple - yes, even special days, we had a simple dinner. We gave him control over the whole event. He wanted it at our house (which is where it would have been anyway, but thankfully it was his idea this time), and he wanted sausage pizza (not made by momma - gotta love him), strawberries, grapes, and a big store bought cake, baked the way he wanted. Simple enough, and that's exactly what we did. It was the most relaxing birthday we've had - and, more importantly, one of his favorites - which made us happy.

It's hard sometimes, to keep things in perspective when it comes to our children's birthdays. It's so easy to go over-board, and try to do everything and anything for our kids, when really, as it turns out for our family anyway, all they want is their own day, in their own way.

Valentine's Day Cookies and Some Rambling

Happy Valentine's Day!

First off, I think I need to apologize for again, the lack of notice that I wasn't going to be around for a bit. A lot has been going on, and I just couldn't seem to drag myself to the computer. In fact, not only did I not turn my computer on for two weeks, I haven't knit a row or sewn a stitch. I haven't crafted with the kids, baked anything (well, those cookies you see up there, that was our welcome back to baking) or read a single page in a book. If you know me at all, then you know something major must have been going on. I even contemplated stopping this blog - wow! But don't worry, I love this too much, so I won't be going anywhere - although the frequency may die down a bit for a while. So what's been going on? Well, first, we found out that we are going to be blessed with a baby this September. And well, my last pregnancies were a breeze, but this one, not so much - between migraines and morning sickness and a total lack of energy to do anything - nothing has gotten done. Add that to a nasty bout of the flu that included high fevers, hallucinations, vomiting and a trip to the E.R. during the height of a blizzard (oh yeah, we had one of those too), for all four of us. So, that's my excuse...

Enough excuses, let's talk about treats!

As lame as it may sound, the old adage "the quickest way to a man's heart is his stomach" most definitely applies to my man. Some of you know him in person, and I'm sure you're getting a giggle from that, but you know it's true, lol.

So this year for Valentine's day, we made him super soft, frosted sugar cookies. These rival any bake shop, I promise. Though, unlike most of my other recipes, there is nothing healthy about these at all. I used organic butter and farm fresh eggs, which made me feel a little better about it, but hey, you gotta live a little, right? So here it is....

Super Soft Sugar Cookies
1.5 C unsalted butter - softened (use real butter or it won't turn out)
1.5 C granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp Vanilla

1 tsp Cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
4 C flour

1) Pre-heat oven to 350

2) Cream together the butter and sugar.
3) Beat in the eggs and vanilla until well combined.

4) Whisk together the dry ingredients, and add a little bit to the batter at a time, mixing well, until all of the dry mixture is used up.
5) On a lightly floured surface, roll out to 1/4" and cut into desired shapes.
6) Bake on a parchment lined aluminum sheet for 10 minutes or until just set (you don't want them browned at all, or they will not stay soft and chewy).
7) Allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 1 minute before transferring to a cooling rack.

Fluffy Sugar Cookie Frosting

2 C powdered sugar
1/4 C butter - softened
2.5 tbsp milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 drops food coloring (optional)

1) Beat together the sugar and butter.
2) In a small dish or cup, mix together the milk, vanilla and food coloring.
3) Gradually beat in the liquid mixture until well combined, and you achieve a stiff but fluffy frosting (2-5 minutes).

Wait until your cookies are completely cooled, and then frost. If you allow them enough time to dry, you should be able to stack the cookies, the frosting will harden slightly so it won't make a huge mess. These should stay soft and last quite a few days if covered.

Take care everyone! I'll be back in a couple days - promise!

-Lisa