Cooking Up Sunshine

Abby's cooking up sunshine & sending it your way.....

(Don't forget to pause the music display on the right side of the screen when you play the video)

The ABCs of Sisterhood

Take after take, I tried desperately to film Lauren's precious version of The ABCs. By our final attempt Abby was feeling a bit neglected and decided to join in on the action. This 33 second video captures their personalities perfectly.

*You'll need to pause the music display on the right hand side of your screen.

Like it or not, your sister's always there.

With Sprinkles on Top

This morning we invited our neighbor, Olivia, over for breakfast. The perfect excuse to put that bottled creativity to work with our Cézanne Pancakes! I wasn't sure how it was going to go over.... how creative were my little lovelies going to get? They engineered some beautiful creations! All three of the girls a ball decorating their pancakes; more fun, I think than they actually had eating them.

Inviting Olivia to join us was perfect for three reasons:

1. The girls adore her and love just spending time with her. It was good for Olivia, too, who wasn't too thrilled with being up so early, but needs to get back into the swing of things, since school starts for her tomorrow!

2. The girls could watch Olivia decorate her pancakes and follow her lead, since this project is brand new to them! Though it turns out they have quite industrious minds all on their own.

And...
3. They won't ask me to put sprinkles, whipped cream, chocolate chips & marshmallows on their pancakes every time we make them; its reserved for special occasions.

Our pancakes ranged from a bowl of spaghetti, flowers, a butterfly, a cat, a tea pot, an elephant, ice cream cones and an airplane to the different states we lived in. It really didn't matter what the shape, the girls loved it! And that makes me a happy mom.

Abby, Olivia & Lauren pose with their pancakes.

Lauren puts the finishing touches on her airplane.

Abby, as pretty as a flower.

Nostalgia Unhinged

I'm dabbling with a new project that I'm prospecting could pay off: nostalgic pencil boxes. They don't make them like they used to, and neither do I! I've taken this novel idea to a whole new level. Each is hand-crafted and unique, and easily personalized to be used as a child's pencil box, a gift box, a stationary compartment.... the list goes on.

Pencil Box No. 1: Go Your Own Way

Embellished with a number two pencil, designed in an alien/transportation theme that screams little boy.

Measures 8 3/4" x 5 3/4" x 2 1/4"

Pencil Box No. 2: Ice Cream & Polka Dots

Decorated in ice cream & polka dot patterns and tied with a ribbon. Its sweet & cool and plays to any little girl's fantasy.

Measures 8 3/4" x 5 3/4" x 2 1/4"

Pencil Box No. 2: Ice Cream & Polka Dots

The Inside

Pencil Box No. 3: Whimsical School Daze
Lavishly papered in whimsical school days paper, embellished with a 6" ruler and a flower-power punch.
Measures 8 3/4" x 5 3/4" x 2 1/4"

Pencil Box No. 3: Whimsical School Daze
The Inside

The Gift

While I have not yet been ambushed with direct questioning about the birds and the bees, Abby has been very curious as of late about who made her and where she came from. I typically answer the question simply by stating, "Mommy & Daddy made you." Often times I follow up by telling her that she was a gift. And inevitably she asks who gave us the gift, to which I answer, "God."

For days, weeks maybe, she has been going about her business with these thoughts in her head, when today she asked me, "Did you unwrap me when I was your gift?"

"Sort of," I replied. But we'll leave the extent of that explanation to the birds & the bees.

Magic Erasers

I found a cheap and easy way to remove scuff marks from counters, floors, table tops, etc.... Used dryer sheets! I was reading last night in my Parents magazine about a mom who uses them to remove crayon marks. Since all of my crayon marks had previously been removed by my handy, dandy Goo Gone, it was up to me to make my mark.

Very sneakily, I went about the house drawing on various surfaces. And while the dryer sheet worked, it didn't remove the crayon marks with the precision of the Goo Gone. It did, however, remove other misc. marks left behind on my counters.

Voilà! Yesterday's trash is today's secret weapon.

Cézanne Pancakes

We spiced up breakfast this morning with a punch of Cézanne; giving a whole new meaning to the art of food. By pouring the pancake mix into a simple squirt bottle (you can use an old ketchup or salad dressing bottle.... I picked mine up for 97 cents in the kitchen department at our local discount store) it takes nothing more than a little creativity to bring your pancakes to life.

The girls LOVED them. Next time we'll really get creative with chocolate chips, sprinkles, whipped cream, you name it!

Move over, Cézanne!