skirt for little girls

We have been so busy lately…trips to the mountains, birthday parties, fall parties, adult parties, school, work, Etsy, hanging out with friends…if only I could keep up with this blog and share about all of these things!

Last year I used some of my Christmas money to buy a sewing machine.  I’ve always wanted to learn to sew and many of my Denver friends are really good at it.  So, I’m joining in!

I’ve made a few blankets, but that’s about it and really haven’t had the time to invest in it.  Not that I have any more time now, but I made time for it on Friday and Saturday.  I got the “itch” to do it and had some cute fabric that I’ve been anxious to use.  So, I searched on-line for a little girl’s skirt tutorial…this is what I found…the easiest skirt you’ll ever make.

The first skirt took me awhile because I’m still learning how to sew.  After working on it (with many breaks) for a few hours, I completed skirt #1.  Saturday morning, while all 3 kids were entertained, I whipped up skirt #2 in about an hour.

Here’s the result…

Now I’m going to make matching ones for my nieces.  Won’t that make a great cousins picture!?!  Now I need to come up with something for the boys…

bunny & school field trip

We found bunny!  Thank goodness…  Daddy found her in the toy room.  We had looked there a MILLION times, but   oh well.  The important thing is she was found!!!

Yesterday I got to go with Grace & all the Kindergarteners to Mile High Farms.  When Grace first heard about the field trip she said, “Mommy, can you please go?!?!”  Fortunately, a friend and I had made an agreement at the beginning of the year to help each other out with the kids so we can go on field trips, help with the parties, etc.  So, I told Grace I would make it happen…I was determined to find someone to watch the kids (even if Adrian couldn’t) because in preschool Grace never wanted me to go with her on field trips.

Adrian was able to watch the kids, so I rode with 4 other moms and Grace took her first school bus ride. 

We had a great time at Mile High Farms.  We learned about corn and pumpkins, went through a corn maze, had a hay rack ride, and picked pumpkins.  I really enjoyed getting to know Grace’s classmates and some other moms better.

It was a fun day and I’m so thankful that I got to go.  Before we left the farm Grace ran up to me and said, “Mommy!  Thank you SO much for coming on the field trip with me!!!”  Melt my heart.

For whatever reason, my kids have had really thankful hearts lately.  During dinner they’ve been saying “Thank you SO much, Mommy, for making this dinner!”  The other night (while I was making dinner) Grace came into the kitchen and said, “Mommy, I am so thankful for you because you make us delicious meals.”  WOW.  I’m not sure where it’s coming from or how it started, but I love it.

As moms it’s great to see some fruit from all the blood, sweat and tears that we put into our kids.  We don’t always get a glimpse of the results of our day-to-day labor, but every once-in-awhile when we do…grab it and don’t let go.

 

lost bunny

When Grace was a year old, we visited Nana after her double knee replacement surgery.  It was around Easter time and a friend had given Nana a cute little bunny that Grace was instantly drawn to.  A few months later we visited Nana…and again, Grace was drawn to the bunny so Nana gave it to her.  From then on, Grace had a buddy…or should I say bunny.  The bunny’s name has always been “bunny” …even when I tried to get Grace to give it a “real” name, all she wanted to call it was “bunny.”

Well, in the last couple of days this “bunny” has gone missing.  We have torn the house, the cars…everything..apart to find this bunny.  No signs of her.

Today when Grace got home from school, she asked for some blank paper.  She sat down at her little table and got to work.  Before long she brought me two pieces of paper that she had decorated with “bunny missing” messages and pictures of her and bunny together.  She begged and begged and begged and begged for me to help her hang the signs on the trees in front of our house.  That way, if someone else has seen bunny they could return her to her owner.

It made me cry…seriously.  It was so sweet…so innocent…and so desperate.  And she did it all on her own.

I’ve got to find that bunny!  I’m on a mission and it’s driving me crazy.  I tore the house A-P-A-R-T tonight looking for it.

Tonight Grace prayed asking God to help us find her bunny.

Please, Lord, help us find bunny!!!

granola bars

I have a favorite cooking blog…smittenkitchen.com.  It’s “from scratch” recipes that are sometimes a bit time-consuming, but super fun and very rewarding.  As I use her recipes, I’ll share them because I have quite a few favorites.  I used to make her stuff all the time, but when Chase came along, my time for cooking decreased dramatically.  But, now that he’s almost 10 months old, I’m feeling like I’m getting a handle on life again and ready to get back to cooking and baking from scratch again!!!  I’m so excited. 

Yesterday, the girls and I made her thick, chewy granola bars.  Boy are they yummy!  Not just yummy, but lick-the-plate-and-eat-every-last-crumb yummy!!!

Here is the recipe (with my modifications)…  You can also find her original recipe here.

1 2/3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup sugar                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      1/3 cup oats, processed till finely ground in a food processor
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup raisins                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            1 cup chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 tablespoon water

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8″ x 8″ x 2″ pan in one direction with parchment paper, allowing it to go up the opposing sides. Lightly grease the parchment paper and the exposed pan, or coat with a non-stick spray.

Stir together all the dry ingredients, including the fruit and nuts. In a separate bowl, whisk together the vanilla, melted butter or oil, liquid sweeteners and water. Toss the wet ingredients with the dry until the mixture is evenly crumbly. Spread in the prepared pan, pressing them in firmly to ensure they are molded to the shape of the pan. (A piece of plastic wrap can help with this, as you press down on the back of it.)

Bake the bars for 30 to 40 minutes (it took me 40), until they’re brown around the edges — don’t be afraid to get a little color on the tops too. They’ll still seem soft and almost underbaked when you press into the center of the pan but do not worry, they’ll set completely once completely cool.

Cool the bars in their pan completely on a cooling rack. (Alternately, after about 20 minutes you can use your parchment “sling” to lift and remove the bars, and place them in their paper on the rack to cool the rest of the way. This can speed the process up.)

Once cool, a serrated knife (or bench knife) to cut the bars into squares. If bars seem crumbly, chill the pan of them further in the fridge for 30 minutes which will fully set the “glue”, then cut them cold. To store, wrap the bars individually in plastic or stack them in an airtight container. In humid weather, it’s best to store bars in the refrigerator. They also freeze well.  

I put my individual granola bars in snack-sized baggies for easy, on-the-go snacks.  Grace is excited to take them to school for snack time!