We had 4 of my nieces here for the weekend. It was a bit crazy with 6 girls 12 and under but they are so good and my girls were in heaven. Somehow we scraped together enough pairs of mittens and snow pants and boots to send them out for some snowy fun.
(Dan was the one who really held down the fort as I had to work both nights. Such a good uncle.)
Watch out for that tree....That would be Madison sledding right into the tree-she was fine.
Each color was chosen with care. Each line placed just so. To you, to me, she was a little girl painting her face. To her she was a little girl transforming into a cheetah.
The transformation complete, we wandered into the animal hospital. She held my hand and asked with great concern, "Do you think I will scare anybody?"
"Just don't roar" I responded with just as much seriousness.
If only transforming was so still so easy.
She comes home from school, says hello, heads to the refridgerator and looks for an apple. When it is found ...onto the sofa, a bit of tv and down time. The socks are tossed at the door, the sun has started to fade, it is dark and warm and quiet. I watch her and I know exactly what she is feeling because I was once the exact same little girl, tired from school, the sun fading, an apple, the tv and a soft sofa.
I know she is happy.
I laid on the couch and read. Maddie happily glued beads, buttons and rocks to her piece of styrofoam that was soon becoming Hawaii. Each new addition was presented to me and explained, I marveled. Dan and Annie played checkers by the dim light because Daddy "can't see anymore." There were tears over checkers (poor Annie) and beads all over the carpet but it was peaceful and lovely and we were all together.
I had a little procedure done to remove a pain in my wrist. I've been taking it easy and doing lots of napping and a bit of reading (this and this). Not a bad way to spend a weekend. The girls have been playing nurse and doctor and quite concerned. Dan is sweet as always.
Happy New Year to everyone.
I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas. We had a wonderful day of rest and play. Just what this family needed.
A couple of pictures to share.
(starting them early around here)
How about a sugary little winter project? Seriously, Maddie ate one half of one of these and was running circles around the house.
White Chocolate Marhsmallow Snowmen
20 lollipop sticks
2lbs white chocolate (I buy a big block at a local store- about 1.50 a pound- you could probably use chips or almond bark)
About a cup of milk or dark chocolate
60 big marshmallows (plus extra for munching)
20 small marshmallows
Thin pretze sticks cut in half
Assorted candies and chips for decorating
We used what I had:candy corn, chocolate chips cut up, sprinkles. Mini m&m's would be good or mini chocolate chips.
Wax Paper
Melt the white chocolate over a double boiler or using a fondue pot. I used an electric fondue pot and it works great. I can adjust the temp so no burnt chocolate. I melted the milk chocolate in the microwave and rewarmed as needed.
Put 3 large marshmallows onto a lollipop stick.
Swirl in white chocolate to coat. Shake of the excess. 
Lay on a sheet of wax paper and start decorating. Attach pretzels for arms and have at it with the other decorations, eyes, nose, buttons, mouth etc.
Add the small marshmellow to the top and let cool on counter or pop in the freezer. The white chocolate needs to harden before you dip in the milk chocolate. Once hardened dip just the tops in the melted milk chocolate to make the hats.
Again let cool or put in the freezer. Put in a cellophane bag, tie off with a ribbon and done. Super simple, a bit on the messy side but the girls had a blast.
Oh don't forget to eat, maybe while reading Snowmen at Night- one of our favorite winter books.
Hello to those of you that periodically still check-in here. I've been a bit silent lately. Sorry for that. I realized yesterday that I haven't even been taking any pictures. Which means if there is anything going on around her I'm not documenting it at all. So I need to get some crafty stuff going at home so I can start posting here. I'm thinking I need a header spruce up...(and maybe I could get rid of the two pictures that have been up there for awhile.) and a fresh blogging start.
First off... I really love all the comments I get but whenever I go to respond I get the old noreplycomment@blogger.com- have you seen it? Well it means I can't reply so I did a bit of looking and found out you can change your settings so that I (and all the other bloggers you visit) can comment directly.
So here goes
go to your blogger dashboard
go to edit profile
check the box that says show email address.
I think it only shows it on the email I get about your comment.
Okay hope that helps and I look forward to have a bit of a chat with you.
In other news check out the crafty crow for some great winter/christmas related books and projects. I just love that website.
On the kidmade front. I am on an unintentional, unannounced break over there. I hope to get some pics up and get all official with the break soon. I really need to rework some things over there and get some focus.
I also got sucked into the whole facebook thing...so many friends from so long ago.
Since I haven't been taking any pictures or doing much I thought maybe I would show you who as been being creative and taking pictures around here.
Dan has, lots of pictures of his fish. Oh and the "I just want to set up one tank" is now at least 6. The girls love the fish and now when Dan asks me to look at his tanks I just nod and say "that's nice honey" Much as he does when I ask him to look at my sewing or knitting. Acutally it goes more like this.
Dan "oh, that's nice. What are you sewing?"
Mary "Um, I'm knitting"
Dan "Yeah, um what are you sewing"
Seriously, we have this same conversation everytime I knit.
Turkey art
and my computer went on the fritz. I spent the better part of my day backing up all my pictures just incase it really died and scanning and downloading. Hijack this buddy. It looks okay for now and I did get a bunch of knitting done while watching thousands of files being scanned. Seriously, what demented person creates viruses and malware just to annoy a mom that has pies to bake and blog posts to write. Go hug your kids, tell them you love them and hopefully they won't grow up to be hackers (umm do you still call them hackers? it seem so 1990's)
a few hours later including a trip to target....
We never managed to get the Halloween decorations up but we did get the pumpkins carved and finished making the costumes. I love Halloween and the girls had a blast. We must have had 100 kids come to the house. 
Meet Laura Ingalls 
and the Blue Mermaid.
They were originally going to be Laura and Mary Ingalls but Maddie saw a mermaid costume in the pattern book (the most gaudy, sparkly over-the-top thing in there. I think the one we made is actually more over the top!) and had to be a mermaid. A quick search on google and a bit of idea stealing from here and a bit of Mommy-Maddie collaboration and I had one happy mermaid and a very pleased Laura (using this pattern). Most people thought Annie was Holly Hobbie and delighted in telling them she was "Laura, you know from the Little House on the Prairie Books." Hope you all had a great halloween and are getting over the sugar shock.
This picture pretty much sums up the way I've been feeling lately. I wish I was the one taking the big bite out of life, but no I feel like life is taking a big bite out of me. Yesterday was whorl-winded enough to send me fleeing to the computer with one screen searching for a farmette and another looking for a job for Dan near said farm. He walked in and asked why I was looking for a job for him...my response.."Because I really just want to be a homeschooling, farm living, goat milking mama." He just looked at me, said "I don't want to be a farmer" and walked away. A mama can dream can't she.
So you ask what is it that's making you so crazy this year? Well in addition to the normal stuff around here: work, kids, soccer coaching, soccer playing (for me-a girls gotta get some exercise), normal housework-which really isn't getting done, I am back in school. It's only 2 classes but they are online and are really kicking my butt.
Why back in school you ask. Because some young 20 something verison of myself thought it was a great idea to leave school with 2, yes 2 classes left to take. I can just take them online or by mail I said. Ummm, that was 12 years ago. You would think I would have done this when I was foot loose and fancy free with no kids, nope. Or maybe when the girls were babies and I didn't have a job outside the house, nope. I chose to start this when there is soccer, and scouts, and work, and preschool and all that other good stuff going on. Maddie is in preschool 16 miles away from our house at a community college, I thought it would be perfect, she can go to school, I can study on campus and save $12.00 a day on gas (it hurts to type that) by not driving back and forth. It's a great plan but add in the 4 hours I'm gone 3 days a week and it's like another job. And I have 3 more classes to take because I've been gone for so long. The grand plan is for me to start grad school next year in Early Childhood Education.
So yesterday for the first time in I don't know how long we had McDonald's for dinner. We ran to soccer practice,came home did homework, jammies, books bed and a bit of dreaming for mama.
As much as I love the idea of being a farmer I don't really think I could do it. Well, I could but I would be one of those messy farmers, with crazy rigged up fences, rusting tractors and chickens running across the road. So for now I'll keep it as a dream, get up a little earlier each day and finish up my classes, ignore the chaos at home and realize that all of this is really just me taking a big bite out of life.
In other news the new kidmade challenge is up here and to all of my friends and family that have been calling and wondering where I am, there ya go. And there is no intentional slight on not returning call, just not so much time.
spending as much time as I can with these three people. 
Because there is usally nowhere else I would rather be. Sitting in a chair, listening to the waves and watching them all playing together on the beach is about as good as it gets in life.
helping the girls learn how to do this....
Bike rides are so much more fun with no training wheels and no Burley. We've been putting our new found skills to lots and lots and lots of practice.
Sorry to have disappeared with out a word, we are all doing well. There is more of what we have been upto to come.
I'm off to take a little siesta.
I hope you all checked out the link for the Train Stop Dress giveaway by Kathleen of Grosgrain. Not that I want you all to get in on the action I would really love that dress. Can you believe she makes them and then just gives them away. Wow. I have this theory that there are people that have more hours in their day than others...She is definitly one of those.
So onto the other randomness for the day...
A few nights ago I got in the car after work and started to pull out, for some reason I looked at the odometer and what did I see...
Super exciting.
This is Annie modeling another handmade gift. It's basically the same dress as this one but a bit more refined. I shaped the top piece of the bodice and gave the front a bit more fullness, which I love. I used some clearence fabric from Joannes and the ribbon was a piece I picked up in New York here. The fitting was easy on this one, it was for my 7 year old niece, Ally and she is the same size as Annie. I went with criss-cross straps for the back because well I just love them. A few more shots.
I've been really trying to clean-up my act while sewing, paying attention to loose threads and wonky seams. My new found love for this is the french seam, easy to do and no raw edges. I really am planning to do a little tutorial for this dress. The more times I sew it the more I learn. Next one is going to be in linen with maybe some freezer paper stencils or some free motion sewing....hmmmm I do need a darning foot for my machine.
Have a great weekend.
I totally dig the 4th of July. It's all about fun and family and friends and yeah, food. We had all of the above and more. Hope you all enjoyed yours.
The new kidmade challenge is up, a few days late. Oh well, go on check it out. And I added a button for a new flickr goup, all about free or almost free fun for kids.
