cauliflower soup

making cumin cauliflower soup with my two little helpers.  i would post the recipe but it was not that great of a soup.  it is from the web but i printed it in 2008 and i don't remember where i got it from.  sam came home just as it was done and added a few more things to it, not  in any measured quantities, and made it taste divine.  i like to cook, but sam has the skills to make things taste amazing with no recipe.  so luckily he saved the day!

snow days

we have had many many snow days in the last few weeks.  although it is freezing, i have kept my resolution to go outside for at least 15 minutes everyday with the kids (save for a few days when they were very sick and it was very cold out).  calvin is digging out an ice cave/igloo above.

when we are not outside i have been trying to keep the kids busy with some arts and crafts projects.  i pulled out some dinosaur rubbing plates from my box of art supplies, and calvin loved them.  it took him a few tries for him to figure out how to hold the paper still and rub at the same time, but he got it.

maeve is a stickers and crayons kind of girl.  these two things will hold her attention for awhile.  luckily when i taught in california, we used to take a yearly field trip to Mrs. Grossman's sticker factory and they would give me a box full of not-quite-perfect stickers.  so i have an almost endless supply of stickers for her.

we are anticipating another snow day this week.  more snow fun outside and in!

everytime it snows...

i want to make bread.  and we have had a lot of snow.  a. lot.  we have three feet on the ground in our yard least.

so just like we have an abundance of snow... we have an abundance of bread.  but it is oh so good!

luckily i have a hungry buzz lightyear living here that loves homemade bread with a little bit of butter and honey (we call them a honey bunny because that is what calvin's old babysitter called them).

here is a link to my favorite homemade bread recipe, in case anyone is interested.  be sure that your milk/honey/water mix is no warmer than 130.  if it is any warmer it will kill the yeast.  i learned the hard way :(  i changed the recipe a bit... i add more honey (1/3 to 1/2 cup) and i add about 2 tbs vital wheat gluten.  i think that it has a softer more airy feeling with the vital wheat gluten.  

it is delicious... so bring on the snow!

christmas crafting IV: bookmarks

calvin made these little bookmarks for a few special readers in his life.  we made them just like the ones we made here.

i love his little drawings right now.  he adds little details that are very important to him.  after he drew on the linen with fabric marker, he picked out a fabric that he thought the recipient would like and we sewed them up (he sat on my lap).

that is the last of the chirstmas crafting posts.  and it is only january 22...

christmas crafting III

calvin loves to write letters, so when i saw this little letter holder in amanda's book i knew i had to make one for him.

i used a barnyard waffle weave fabric that i have had forever on the outside and an alphabet print for the lining.

i chose to add divided pockets to the original pattern to organize the envelopes, cards and pens.  i got the envelopes and cards from paper source.

calvin loved it and has already written some letters.  in an age where most correspondence takes place electronically, i hope calvin continues to handwrite letters as he grows.  in the last six months or so,  his writing has changed dramatically.  he now can write all his letters (sometimes with a small reminder...) and wants to know how to spell everything.  he also will say or write a string of letters like, "mommllivvvvin" and ask me what that spells.  i love love love watching his sense of language develop.    

more christmas crafting

sam and i have a tradition of giving each other an ornament each year.  we like to search and search for just the perfect, little, sometimes quirky ornament.  this year i found these little houses here and i just couldn't resist.  i took liberty with the idea of an 'ornament' but sam loved them just the same.  

maeve got a stocking this year!  last christmas somehow passed us by and little miss moo did not have a stocking.  i was determined to remedy that this year.  i had pink and green fabric fabric that matched the stocking i made calvin a few years ago so i decided to use it.  i wasn't sure about the whole matchy-match thing but i loved how they looked hanging together on our mantle.  i used the martha stewart pattern found here on her site.

snow day already called for tomorrow!  we are supposed to get 12 inches!  i am looking forward to an impromptu relaxing day at home with the little ones...

christmas crafting: a girlie quilt

this quilt was given just before christmas.  it was really late in getting finished...

it was given to a beautiful little girl named cambria.  she was born in july but with two little ones myself i just don't have the time to sew that i once had.  but the important thing is that it did get done!

although it is not technically a gift given for christmas, i am counting it as one of the handmade christmas gifts i gave this year.

i love the way it turned out.  playful and so pink.  the quilting was freehand and added a touch of whimsy.  love it!

our (homemade) advent calendar

this was one of my very favorite parts of the christmas season this year.  i used this tutorial for the calendar and based our daily acitivties on uncommongrace's advent list.  this is definitely a tradition that we will continue!