"Pattern Power"

I actually came up with this craft all on my own! No Pinterest needed. So proud:)
Mae was full of energy & I needed something to entertain her before bath & bedtime other than TV. It took her 30 minutes to make a necklace that she wore proudly!
Since she knows her colors I decided to work on patterns with her. She impressed me with how quickly she caught on. It was fun sitting with her & encouraging her. I made 4 different patterns for her to do. When she got distracted or a little bored I would give her a different pattern to follow. This craft also encourages fine motor skills as she had to get the string in the small cereal hole.


You'll need:
string/shoe lace
fruity cereal
crayons & paper

1 of the patterns I gave her

Who knew a simple craft could bring her so much joy?



Love this picture

Happy Homemaker Monday

!!! Days until Florida!!!::: 25

The weather::: Mid 30s all week. Our snow didn't last long!

On my reading pile::: Finished Unglued & next week we start "Let It Go" by Karen Ehman

On my TV::: Nothing, I'm up earlier than Mae!

On the menu for this week:::
Wow, I didn't realize this until now but I will not be cooking dinner once this week?!?!? That makes me sad! Maybe I'll do some freezer cooking :)
Monday - Leftovers
Tuesday - Blessed by a friend
Wednesday - Eating pizza out for a fund raiser for Mom's group
Thursday - Blessed by a friend
Friday - Sunday- Out of town

On my to do list:::

• Target to do some coupon shopping
• Laundry
• Organize new desk
• Pay some bills....Ick I've got to start paying medical bills from my sweet lil thing

My "project" of the week Month:::
February= Evie's room. Almost done!! This weekend Ken finished my new desk & I got blackout curtains. Still need to hang closet organizer & a ceiling fan (both are purchased). Her room will not be finished by the end of the month. But Ken was gone all last weekend & we have traveled 2 other weekends & hey it's a short month! Haha

What I am cooking::: lemon blueberry bread for bible study

Looking around the house::: We are in my bed so I can't see much of the house but what I can see: I am blessed

Highlight of the past weekend::: Evie giving me two 5 hour stretches of sleep!

Looking forward to this week::: A trip to IN to see family- It's jam packed already!

Bible verse, Devotional::: From Sarah Young's "Jesus Calling":::
A grateful heart protects you from negative thinking. Thankfulness enables you the see the abundance I shower upon you daily.
"In everything give Thanks, for this is My will for you" - 1 Thessalonians 5:18.

From the camera:::

Sleeping beauty at 5 weeks

She loved playing in the snow!

Soft Pretzel Bites

One of my favorite snacks is a soft pretzel! I enjoy all kinds savory or sweet! Warm with dipping sauces like cheese, mustard, and/or marinara. Or sweet pretzels with icing or chocolate. Are you drooling yet?

When I was pregnant I craved pretzels & so badly wanted to try a recipe but I just never had the energy so I bought frozen ones instead.Yesterday, I finally tried this recipe. I thought they were super easy but here are a few tips::
-I think next time I'll make them into sticks to make the process go faster.
-When rolling them into desired shape use minimum amount of flour possible. B/c the flour makes the water foam when you drop them into boil.
-Be sure to whisk your egg really well.
-Check on them often. Mine cooked a lot quicker than recipe states.
-If you have a Pampered Chef stone, use it & skip parchment paper step. Works great!
-Add more salt than you would think because a substantial amount falls off when transferring pretzels.

My intentions where to freeze a good amount of these. But after Ken, Cora & I all "taste tested" there was not enough to freeze! So, I'll be making these again for my freezer as a quick & easy snack!

I have since made another batch & they made it into the freezer! When ready to eat pull out desired amount & microwave for 25-45 seconds depending on how many.

Savory bites that we dipped in a mustard/cheese sauce

Sweet bites that we dipped in Nutella









Snow Ice Cream

We finally got a good snow!!! It has been 2 years since we have had a snow that was worthy to play in! I got baby Evie to sleep then Cora & I headed out to play! We did the usual: throw snowballs at Bailey, made a snowman & made snow angels. We found yellow snow compliments of Bailey & I took the opportunity to teach Cora about YELLOW SNOW!!!! Ewww!
We didn't get to play long because baby Evie woke. So we went in & made snow ice cream! Ever tried it? I thought it  was pretty good! Definatly a fun thing to do & we will do it again!

Snow Ice Cream- measurements are approx. because you can add more or less of anything depending on your taste!
Snow approx. 8 cups
Milk approx. 1 cup (I used whole milk)
Sugar approx. 1/2 cup
Vanilla approx. 1/4 tsp.

- In a large bowl whisk milk, sugar & vanilla
-Add snow & mix
-Taste & adjust ingredients to your liking

Enjoying her creation w some chocolate syrup added :)

Pinterest Project- " Rainbow Craft Time"

It has been 5 1/2 weeks since baby Evelyn arrived! We are settling into life as a family of 4 & it is wonderful! The past couple of weeks she has been sleeping better & is more predictable. Since things are getting easier with the baby I feel like I need to get back on track w/ Cora. Since Evie was born and probably even several weeks before, I have been lazy when it came to Cora. I was tired & just getting through the day. I let her watch way too much tv, play too many games on my phone & I just did not spend good teaching time w/ her.But now it is time to be more intentional through out our day again!

Lil Miss Cora absolutely loves "craft time" as she calls it! Although I enjoy sitting at the table spending time with her, I am not crafty! So I turned to a website probably none of you have heard of....Pinterest for ideas!!! ;) {That's right I joined Pinterest--Something I said I never would do.} I found several ideas that I want to do w/ Cora & I hope to post regularly about our progress.

Cora loved making this craft as she  also snacked on the cereal! She did a lot better than I expected at matching the colors. I thought she would just glue cereal anywhere. You can tell by the finished project though that she got bored w/ the craft? Hey, she's only 2 1/2!

It's suppose to be a rainbow :)

Happy Homemaker Monday

!!! Days until Florida!!!::: 32

The weather::: 50 today but low 20s rest of the week!

On my reading pile::: "Unglued" by Lysa Terkeurst & "Real Marriage" by Mark Driscoll

On my TV::: Cinderella 2

On the menu for this week:::
Monday - Blessed by a friend
Tuesday - Tuna cakes (got skipped last week)
Wednesday - Tamale pie
Thursday - Chicken pot pie soup
Friday - Leftovers
Saturday - Chicken paninis
Sunday - Spinach lasagna

On my to do list::: The day is more than half over- so I guess nothing ;)

My "project" of the week Month:::
February= Evelyn's room. I made progress this weekend w/ the help of my niece and nephew. I moved all the baby furniture, bought a desk (its almost put together!). Pictures coming when its finished!

What I am cooking::: Something  for mom's group tomorrow.

Looking around the house::: I need to pick up! It's raining here so its dark. Me & the girls are cuddled in the recliner <3 em="">

From the camera:::

Mae was a big girl & slept w Ally!

Tommy teaching Mae wii



MaeMae loves her sister :) Evie at 5 weeks

Ally learning about baby wearing

 

Highlight of the past weekend::: Having my niece & nephew here to help out!

Looking forward to this week::: catching up w Ken since he was gone all weekend & my mom's group Tuesday.

Bible verse, Devotional::: "As for me & my house, we will serve the Lord" Joshua 24:15

Happy Homemaker Monday

!!! Days until Florida !!!::: 39

The weather:::

 

On my reading pile::: "Unglued" by Lysa Terkeurst & "Real Marriage" by Mark Driscoll

On my TV::: Jake & the Neverland Pirates (MM didn't like this cartoon until her daddy said he did ;)

On the menu for this week:::
Monday - Dinner w/ our small group
Tuesday - Blessed by a friend
Wednesday - Tuna cakes & homemade french fries
Thursday - Coconut curry beef over rice (It got skipped last week)
Friday - Swedish Meatballs & green beans
Saturday - Not sure yet
Sunday - Not sure yet

On my to do list::: Return movies, Bank, pay bills & clean up house

My "project" of the week Month:::
February= Evelyn's room which used to be our office/extra bedroom
I made some progress since last Monday: bought a closet organizer, ceiling fan & hooks. Got rid of the futon. These next few days I plan on cleaning like dusting, mopping floors & clearing out Ken's dresser. Then this weekend my niece & nephew are spending their President's Day vacation here so I hope to get a lot done in there!!!

What I am cooking::: Egg casserole for a kid's Valentine's Day craft day at church tomorrow & banana chocolate chip mini muffins for my freezer= Perfect snack for MM!

Looking around the house::: MM watching TV, Evie is sleeping on my chest, house is pretty tidy :)

From the camera:::

Learning to use a paci

MM w/ her make up from Jenna

Highlight of the past weekend::: Staying awake long enough to watch a movie w/ Ken on Saturday night!

Looking forward to this week::: My niece& nephew coming Friday-Monday :) Love those kids!

Bible verse, Devotional::: I don't have the exact location but yesterday in church our pastor was speaking about the importance of DAILY quite time. He remind us that in the Old Testament God provided manna daily. It was just the perfect reminder that I can't "store up" time w/ God.

Happy Homemaker Monday

The weather:::





















On my reading pile::: Unglued by Lysa Turkurst

On my TV::: Dora

On the menu for this week:::
Monday - Blessed by a friend
Tuesday - Coconut curry beef over rice
Wednesday - Blessed by a friend
Thursday - Dinner w my parents
Friday - Blessed by a friend
Saturday - Tacos
Sunday - Veggie lasagna

On my to do list today::: Laundry-that's it!!!

My "project" of the week month::: (I changed this to project of the month! Each month I am going to do a total reorganize/declutter of a certain room in our home. February is going to be the extra bedroom. I hope to post pictures and progress through out the month...)



















Looking around the house::: Messy. Not dirty just lots of bags to unpack and wonderful gifts to find homes for!

From the camera::: Check out this post for pictures from our past 3 weeks

Highlight of the past weekend::: Traveling to IN to show off our new baby

Looking forward to this week::: My bday today, Mom's Life leadership meeting Tuesday & my folks visiting Thursday!

Bible verse, Devotional::: Philippians 4:11 "For I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am."

Introducing Evelyn Marlo

IT'S A GIRL!!! Evelyn Marlo made her entrance on Monday, January 14th.  8lbs. 1 oz. and 19 in. long!

I am a little late on introduction because she is 3 weeks old today but being a mom of 2 keeps me BUSY! Especially since lil Miss Evie likes to eat every 1.5hours!

We are all adjusting well. Cora Mae is in LOVE w/ her "little baby", as she likes to call her. We have ventured to the store w/ Ken, church alone for bible study and this past weekend we all traveled to IN to visit family. Evelyn is a good baby & we feel so blessed to have another sweet princess to love!

Minutes old

 Hours old

2 days old, day we got home from hospital & meeting Big Sis

1 week old

2 weeks & right where she belongs

2 weeks

Awww isn't she beautiful???

Baby Evelyn meeting Great Gramma Evelyn