so thankful...

What a wonderful Thanksgiving! It was a wonderful week with family and friends. I didn't want the holiday to end.

But what am I most thankful for this year? Well I am finally ready to share our news. We are expecting a baby Apirl 10th and I can not express how thankful I am for this most wonderful gift. We have had friends dealing recently with difficult pregnancies and sad news so I felt even more honored and blessed when we finally got the news last Monday that we are having a girl and that she is growing well and healthy. We are so fortunate.

I have already added her picture to our family of photos.

I am 21 weeks and my belly is really popping now and I am feeling her move more and more. She has already gotten the hang of giving her mama some pretty good kicks! Mark and I were sure we were having another boy and I was so excited, but when the doctor told us it was a girl tears of happiness filled my eyes. I have already started to get a few pink gifts and can't help but begin to plan out a sweet nursery for a much loved baby girl.

collage fun...

Here is another very easy craft to do with your little ones. I wanted to make something fun with Gavin today and I thought this fit the bill!

Torn Paper Collage

For Thanksgiving I had Gavin make Indian corn, but you can use the same technique to make anything. Gavin made a pumpkin for Halloween and I remember having him and his buddy Henry make stars for the 4th of July. Tearing is great for little ones who are developing their fine motor skills. Once the paper is torn you can make anything you want.

For Indian corn you will need:

1 piece of yellow paper
1 piece of green paper
Small pieces of orange, brown, white and red paper
Scissors
Glue (I use a glue stick)



Cut the yellow paper and green paper to create the corn and husks. Tear the rest of the paper into little pieces. Gavin is still a bit young to do this. He can tear big pieces of paper, but has trouble with smaller pieces so I help him like this.

It helps to hold the paper yourself tightly on one side and let the child tear on the other or hold onto the child's hand to help give more strength in tearing.

Once you have a pile of pieces you are ready to add glue to the whole piece of corn. Gavin loves to use the glue stick to add the glue.

After the corn is covered in glue, add the small pieces of torn paper as corn kernels.

Finally add the corn husks and...

ta da you have a beautiful piece of Indian corn!

Have fun!

give a little to get a lot...

While Gavin naps I would rather be working on this...

But instead I am working on this...

Ugh... I always joke that I went to school to become an art educator and now I am the bookkeeper for our businesses, but I will never complain. My new found career provides me with the opportunity to stay home with my little guy, and I wouldn't trade that for the world. I may have to sacrifice some happy homemaking, but the weekend is near. Projects can wait. So no more distractions... I must get back to my most hated Quickbooks, but I will revel in the fact that when my little one wakes up from his nap, I will be here.


...and yes... that is my bed... unmade even. I love to work in bed. Another perk of working from home.

little buggers...

I know I should not complain. I just had a WONDERFUL time with my mom visiting the past couple days and feel very blessed in my life... but (you knew this was coming!)... something is bugging me!!! We have ants!!! One BIG pro for Colorado is NO BUGS. I am serious NO BUGS!! But I guess you do have to deal with the occasional bear rummaging through your trash. Now I have to bag, clip or seal everything so tightly closed.

Why does living in the south mean sharing your home with pesky pests? My sister wrote more about this crazy relationship here on her blog. I remember recently visiting some friends who also had ants invading their home. The poor beloved dog had all of his food thrown away because ants had taken it over. We have been battling them here in one cupboard of our kitchen.

I think they are trying to find a way into Gavin's M&M's (used for something I will have to post about soon)!

I apologize for the silly post, but I must vent!!!

pumpkin bread...

My mom is coming this afternoon and I am SO excited. It has been way too long and I can't wait till she arrives! I wanted to make something yummy for us to enjoy while she is here, so once Gavin gets up from his nap we are going to make pumpkin bread. Yum! I craved this recipe while I was pregnant with Gavin like there was no tomorrow. Hopefully he will enjoy it outside of my belly as much as he did in!

Pumpkin Bread

Combine Dry Ingredients:

2 cups sifted self-rising flour (I have to admit, I never sift)
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon allspice

Add:

1 cup canned pumpkin
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup butter or margarine/melted
1/2 cup apricot nectar
1 teaspoon maple flavoring

Pour batter into pan and bake 60-70 minutes at 350 degrees.

** Note: I do bake this in a flower pot bread pan that I have. If you bake this in a normal bread pan I would keep a close eye on the baking time.

Enjoy!

And since I don't have a picture of the bread yet I will leave you with this picture of the little guy who probably is much like this right now. :)

growing...

I had to share this shot of our pumpkin seed we planted at the Children's Garden not even two weeks ago...

Can you believe it!!! Gavin and I planted this the Friday before Halloween and the little thing is growing like crazy! It made me start to think about how, with a little care, things can grow beyond your highest expectations. We are slowly getting settled in and re-acquainted with our life in Florida. The only things left unpacked are the garage and pictures on walls. We have gotten together with friends and have started to make new ones. It is wonderfully comforting to have our family close by and see them often. Life is good and we are savoring its peaceful pace. I feel as if we are finding a new fondness for our old hometown. With the care we are taking in growing our home and life a peaceful happiness is sprouting. Now don't get me wrong... when I heard that it is snowing today in Colorado my heart did pang a bit, but I will focus on enjoying a sweet walk with the family tonight in the nice cool Florida air.

Now I just have to figure out what to do with this pumpkin plant that is taking over my kitchen window!

halloween hauntings...

What a week! I can't believe Halloween was a week ago! The weeks seems such like a blur! I will explain...

We had a wonderful Halloween. Halloween morning we of course carved our pumpkin. Gavin picked out his design from three choices and Mark carved it out. Gavin and I scooped all the gunk out and Mark prepared the seeds to roast. And I think the seeds were the best I ever made (if I can say so myself)! I tossed them with a little olive oil and kosher salt, roasted them at 300 degrees for 45 minutes and they were ready to eat. Yum!

Here is Gavin's completed costume. If you can't guess... he is the bear Corduroy from the classic children's book series. He loves those books and I wanted him to be something he liked.

We took him to the Children's Garden in downtown Sarasota. It was perfect for him because he could walk through the garden and trick-or-treat and got to enjoy seeing other kids in their costumes. There was a scary pirate though that Mark said got too into his part...



calmly running for his life...

He has been talking about this pirate ALL week. The guy was handing out candy eyeballs... so he would say, "do you want me eye". So all week Gavin has been talking about the man with the eye. Geez... poor little guy!
After the garden we returned home to have hot dogs with Mark's family (a tradition of his childhood). We also visited a few of our close neighbors which was fun.

Tuesday was my birthday and I had a great one. Gavin and I went to his class at Forty Carrots together, which I LOVE, Mark brought home my favorite-- Anna's sandwiches for lunch from their shop on Siesta, and Mark and I went to a very nice dinner on St. Armands to Crab and Fin. I had stone crab claws!! And then Cold Stone for dessert!!! Too fun!

After Tuesday things went kindda downhill in our house. Mark and I came down with very bad sinus infections. I know... Mark had to tell a customer he canceled an appointment with andf she said yuck! I have never felt so much pressure in my face. I thought I was going to go insane! All I wanted to do was scratch off my skin to relieve some pressure! It was pretty comical the two of us, so pathetic, going to the doctor together on Friday. Gavin had a sleep over with his Grandma this weekend. I know it was for the best, but I miss him desperately. He is headed home shortly!

Hoping today is the start to a much better... healthier week!!!

yum and fun...

I hope everyone had a very Happy Halloween! I will definitely post more about our night, but today I wanted to share two fun things.

The first is a recipe for the most delicious cupcakes. I made them for our Halloween festivities, but they are just as yummy any time of the year. They are the Barefoot Contessa's chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting. I LOVE the Barefoot Contessa. She makes the best food and her desserts are to die for. These cupcakes taste like a big peanut butter cup. Quoting the Contessa, "How bad can that be!!" :)

Here is the link to the recipe from the Food Network website. I love this site because you are able to select your desired recipe card, print and go. Enjoy!

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Icing

I added peanut butter cups that I cut using a bat cookie cutter for decoration, but totally not necessary for enjoyment!

And I share these next photos to show the truth of how my kitchen looks after I bake...

...and how my son looks...



I don't know how the Barefoot Contessa keeps her BEAUTIFUL Hamptons kitchen beautiful even while she bakes!

I have to first apologize for just sharing this next item now. It is a fun, super easy Halloween craft I made with Gavin, but unfortunately I am just now getting around to posting it. Sorry! I have been busy enjoying the Halloween weekend! Hopefully, if it is something you like, you can either save it for next year or see my note how to possibly vary it for Thanksgiving or other events.

Pumpkin Lanterns

I used to make these when I taught. They are a great simple craft that kids love. I found that my students loved to carry the lanterns around and make them bounce. If you move the lanterns up and down... the pumpkins bounce up and down!

You will need:

• A piece of orange construction paper (I will show 2 completed lanterns in different sizes)
• A piece of green construction paper
• Various other colors of construction paper for decorations--ie. black for jack-o-lantern face/blue or purple for bats/red, orange, yellow for fall colored leaves
• Scissors
• Stapler or glue (I like a stapler)
• And possibly crayons or markers

First, take your piece of orange construction paper and position it portrait style (or as I used to explain to my students, hamburger instead of hot dog style) fold it in half

Cut strips that are about 1-1 1/2 in. apart starting at the fold and ending about an 1"-1 1/2" at the bottom edge of the paper. If you are having your own children do the cutting it is helpful to draw a lite line in pencil for them that can be erased later.

Once cut unfold the paper and role it forming a cone. Staple (or glue) either end. (I do like staples for the project because I found that kids could never wait for these pumpkins to dry before playing with them!)

Cut a strip of green construction paper for the long side of the paper about 1-1 1/2 in. thick. Add this to the top of the lantern as a handle.

Next comes the fun part. You can add any decoration you want. Of course a jack-o-lantern face is perfect for Halloween, but you can also add bats, moons, stars, whatever you desire! To adjust the decoration to fit Thanksgiving you can add fall colored leaves. I could even see these lanterns made out of more sophisticated patterned paper found at a craft store in any color to decorate for any party, even adult. Of course Gavin is way to little to cut, but I let him color the different decorations and then we assembled everything together.

Have fun!!


worst picture ever, but he is having fun!