Scott's First Paper Doll Craft (79:365)

Scott did his first craft with Jane today.

Really, that means he did the craft 90% on his own, since her attention span is like 5 minutes long.

We got this giant paper doll kit from someone for her birthday and Scott invested his morning is creating stylin' outfits for "Jared".

He is very proud of it and I felt that it needed to be shared.

Good Job crafty daddy!

Rainbow Cake for Dee: Part 2 (73:365)

Dee's party was a smashing success!

For more on that, click here.

The cake went very well.

It looked so pretty up on it's pedestal. 

Dee LOVED it to bits.

And that's all that really matters.

After baking and cooling the cake layers, I then layered them on the cake pedestal, according to Roy G. Biv, and put a layer of frosting in between each one.

Then I frosted the outside. 

Since I'd refrigerated it for a while before decorating it, the frosting was hard and did not want to accept the skittles onto it's sweet frosting coating...have no fear, flaming torch is here! 

Yes, I used a torch to melt the frosting a bit so that I could get the skittles to stick. 

I like to think of myself as resourceful, not insane. 

Thank you.

So, then I decorated it with a skittle rainbow and a number 3.

Doesn't look like a 3. 

I know. 

I was nervous making the rainbow, so I made it too small, it ended up really tight and smushed, and then the 3 just looks weird. My friend Julie told me she thought it was all a cute rainbow umbrella.
She's very sweet.
Let's just pretend that's what it is.

The pretty insides.

The remains of the day.

Here are the steps for making this lovely cake.

1. Prepare two White cake mixes.

2. Evenly pour batter into six bowls.

3. Add food coloring until desired colors are achieved (I prefer the gel type that you can buy at a craft or specialty store, or sometimes Wally-World).

4. Bake each layer according to directions on box, only, more like for 12-15 minutes since the layers are smaller than the box says to do.

5. Let cool completely.

6. Begin to layer the cake on desired serving platter, adding a layer of frosting between each colored layer. (Baker's tip - add a thin layer of frosting between bottom cake layer and the serving platter to help stabilize the cake. Thanks mom!)

7. Frost the outside.

8. Decorate

9. Enjoy!

Recycling Old Crayons (72:365)

For Jane's party tomorrow, I decided to make some rainbow crayons to put into the treat bags. I found this quick little tutorial at one of my favorite blogs, indietutes.

 It's a very easy process that even Jane enjoyed,
helping me the entire time (that is a FEAT I tell you!).

Step 1: Gather all old and broken crayons.
(I am a collector of restaurant crayons, merely for this project.)

Step 2: Tear off paper.

Step 3: Sort crayon pieces by color and break into tiny bits.

Jane really enjoyed this step. Breaking them is the best part!

Step 4 (optional): Take a picture of a cute baby.

If you don't have a baby, you can borrow mine when I need a nap.

Step 5: Spray mini muffin tin with oil.

Step 6: Put broken pieces into muffin tin, layering how you want it to turn out.

Step 7: Bake at 200 degrees until they are melty.

Tip: I'm pretty sure I cooked my for too long because they started to separate, the tops got all oily and they don't work to color from the oily part. I kept waiting for all the chunks to melt down, but I don't think that is really necessary. As long as most of it is melty, they will all harden back up together anyway.

Step 8: Let it cool for a while, then put into fridge or freezer to harden them back up.

Step 9: Tip muffin pan, and they should pop right out!

Stop taking pictures, mom!

Rainbow Cake for Dee: Part 1 (71:365)

Dee will be 3 soon and has been asking for a rainbow cake for MONTHS. I showed her a picture of a rainbow cake here and ever since she has been talking about it, and talking about it, and talking about it...

She even tells strangers about it.

While on our summer vacation she actually picked up the phone in our hotel room and "called" the rainbow cake lady and talked to her about her cake. I later told her that I was the rainbow cake lady (since I'm the one making the cake, not some cake fairy) and that confused her a bit.

So, Phase One occurred tonight. 

Mixing colors.

And baking. 

I'll frost it tomorrow and put skittles on it on Saturday for her little party. I think I'm probably as excited about it as she is!

Jane's first Caterpillar Sighting and my first BOB Jog (68:365)

I'm too tired to actually do anything else today, so this is going to be it.

Lucy has had a stuffy cold for a week or so now and we haven't been able to go to the YMCA daycare lately, so instead we went for a little jog this morning, both girls in my lovely BOB.

We've had the stroller for a while now, but this was the first time I'd really jogged with it (by that I mean for longer than 1 minute. More like 5 minutes, walk, then 3 more, walk.)

It was a good jog, so long as the wind was not pushing against me. When it is super windy and blowing against me, the BOB is like a beast to push. When there is no wind, it is like a dream. I can jog, holding on one-handed without any problem. So, for me, this first official jog went well and I hope to do it again soon.

After the jog, we stopped at a nearby pond where Jane saw her first caterpillar. She was very fascinated and kept crouching down and looking at it.

I also taught her how to make "butter" on a rock by smashing a dandelion, just like my sister and I used to do when we were little. It was a fun memory and it was really cool to share that with Jane and have her enjoy some make believe with me. I can't believe how big she is getting.

Creamy Corn Chowder (67:365)

It was a chili day out today, so I decided to make some soup!

This little number suited me best.

We had not a single potato on hand, so I substituted turnips for

potatoes again. The smell literally had Scott acting giddy (I think it really was the smell  of bacon that did it more so than the soup. Doesn't bacon make you giddy?)

After eating it for a little while, I told Scott that I used turnips in place of potatoes. He response was, 

"I think the turnips have worn out their welcome."

Note taken.

They sure do last forever though and, I think, they work in a pinch

when no potatoes are on hand.

Oh well, soup turned out pretty good, but would be better with fresh  sweet corn and potatoes. We also added a little cheese (yes, Scott DID have about a tablespoon of cheese on his, perhaps just for show for Jane. Whatever, it suits me just fine.
He will become a cheese convert...)

Lucy's First Applejack Festival (66:365)

Lovin' it!

Jane's first pony ride, ever!

 

For more pictures, come visit our family blog here.

Refashioned T-Shirt into a Dress for Dee (65:365)

I found this medium sized adult woman's t-shirt at Goodwill and decided it had potential for a really cute little fall dress for Jane, if it didn't fit me (and I was too lazy to try it on). Well, it didn't fit me, therefore, it is now a preschooler dress.

In all my haste, I forgot to take a before picture...

When I gave Dee (Jane) the completed dress, she looked at it for a minute then looked at me and exclaimed, "I love it!". 

Now that is satisfying.

WARNING: New Dress May Induce Giddiness.

Fish in a Pouch (64:365)

I got this new recipe from Emeril on the Food Network, and some frozen cod (not as good as fresh, I'm a Northwest girl!) and whipped it up for dinner (I forgot to take a picture before we ate it). Scott said he liked it, and Jane wouldn't try it. She did try it the other day when I made Panko crusted fish. 

Jane is learning to like more things, seeming to eat more, and is moving up in her weight class. Today she measured at 50% for her weight! From the time she was a baby she's been as low as 3% and as high as 25%, so today was a big step!

Lucy is currently about 16 lbs. She is getting so big! She follows us around the house all day doing an army crawl. It is so darling.

I'm still working on that little sweater dress for Lucy. It fits her, but is pretty tight. Oh well, I think it will still be cute-ish. Hopefully I can post some pictures of a completed dress tomorrow.

Thanks for stopping by!

Completed Felt Board Project and a Visit to the ER (61:365)

I finished the flannel board story for Family Night tonight and gave it as a lesson. Jane liked playing with it more than anything else, of course. 

Also, we had our first trip to the ER today. Check it out at our family blog.

Seared Cod with Chive Butter and Her First Day of Preschool (50:365)

Well, I forgot to take a picture, but let me just say that it was good enough for Jane to enjoy one bite and not complain (that is a real feat, let me tell you!). 

I followed this recipe (or check out the video here), from one of our favorite The Next Food Network Star's non-winners, Aaron. We haven't had fish in a while, and since I'm a Northwest girl, I crave it so bad sometimes! I recently tried poached cod which turned out really well too. Today's recipe was good and simple. I did have to change a few things due to what was on hand and cost:

- I used only 1 egg for the egg wash, and there was plenty left over

- I used EVOO in place of Grapseed Oil

- I forgot to flip the fish and let the butter and lemon juice cook around the fish

For the Butter Sauce, I halved the recipe due to user comments/ suggestions and I changed the following due to cost 

and what was on hand:

- Substituted Chicken Stock in place of the White Wine

- Substituted Dried Thyme in place of Fresh Thyme

- Substituted Dried Onion for the Shallot 

(Wish I'd had a Shallot instead!)

- I used Half-and-Half in place of the Heavy Cream

- I used Dried Chives instead of Fresh (YUCK!)

It was still a good recipe, despited all the low brow substitutions that were made. I would definately make it again, but work on making the sauce more true to the recipe.

Also, today was Jane's first day of Preschool. She was really excited and told her teachers immediately that "Mommy made my pack pack!", and no, I didn't tell her to say that, she was just so proud of it.

She did well and had a good time. My baby is growing up!

I'm not so cute in this picture, but Jane is just adorable, 

so it had to be shared. Look at her glee!

Toddler Backpack and One Satisfied Little Customer (49:365)

Jane is starting preschool this year and I can't believe it! She was originally going to have to wait until she turned 3 in October to join her class, but today I got the okay to bring her in tomorrow! 

I have been meaning to make her her first backpack for months now and kept putting it off again and again. Well, this afternoon I panicked realizing that she actually needed it tomorrow! So, I neglected everyone just a little bit and sewed like a mad woman all afternoon. Including all the interruptions it probably took me 6 1/2 hours. If you take out the mommy stuff, it was probably more like 2 1/2 because I'm slow and precise and thought a lot about how I was doing everything. (This time I trusted the directions.) I found this simple Toddler Backpack Tutorial on one of my new favorite blogs called indietutes where the blogger is all about cheap ways and things to sew by reusing and re purposing other fabrics and notions. I LOVE her site and hope you can find something there to help you too!

I'm so proud of myself for actually creating something useful all by myself! It's been a long time since I've sewn anything real (besides easy things like burp cloths). 

Jane seemed to like it and her daddy was very impressed. It is just her size and that is what I love about it the most!

A future model?

She actually was trying to be funny and pose.

In the opening I put a purse magnetic snap, like this one, to help keep it closed and yet keep it simple for those little hands.

One satisfied little customer.

Patacones and a Chiffon Rosette (34:365)

Tonight I made patacones for the first time. They are a love of mine that I discovered half my life ago in Costa Rica. I got the recipe here. That blogger also had some good tips. Fried plantains. Yum. I like to use them to scoop up refried black beans.

Jane actually tried a bite and enjoyed them enough for 2 bites, then ate her first taco! (She is a typical picky toddler.)

Scott, my ever sceptical palate, ate them right up!
Here is his happy face.

Lucy is struggling with solids and did not like me trying to get her to eat some before her bottle. Instead, she just played in it for a while.

I also started a project I've been meaning to do for 2 months now. I am making a rosette necklace out of hot pink chiffon with a chain wrapped throughout. This is a TERRIBLE picture because I was feeling lazy, but it will not the be last. Once it's totally done I'll take another and post it.

Lucy's First Time Picking Blueberries (13:365)

Jane, Lucy, my mom and I went to pick blueberries. It was little Lucy's first time and she loved trying to grab all the little berries.
Jane kept asking all summer long to go picking with "just grandma and me", so she was pumped. Ten minutes into it she was done. See her running off? Silly kid.
Didn't help that most of the blueberries were still green.

At least we got some cute pictures, right?

Firsts for the Girlies (10:365)

First time Lucy goose dipped her toes in my grandma's lake
(Phantom Lake~SPOOKY!)

First time Jane fed some ducks, went in a canoe and fished.


Lucy's first Pioneer Day Celebration. She was really into it.