Valentine’s Day Craft

When we went shopping for Valentines this year, J got ambitious and asked to make little crafts for all the kids in her craft. Luckily, we timed our shopping trip perfectly for Thursday afternoon, so J had an activity all ready for her snow day. They turned out pretty adorable. Target was selling little kits … [Read more…]

More on Our Trip

We had a week of eating too much, baking with Grandpa, shopping with Grandma, and playing with cousins. The Fort of Awesomeness has been equipped with a heater and is now a year-round facility. Planning Christmas morning away from home is challenging. We ordered many items online and had them shipped directly to Grandma & … [Read more…]

Cute Craft to Measure that Snow

Look at this craft J brought home from her school party: It’s one of those paint stirrers that you can get for free at any home improvement store. Just paint it white and add a little felt or fabric hat, scarf, and nose. And measurements, of course. Speaking of scamming free craft materials out of … [Read more…]

More Holiday Crafts

  On Saturday I helped out with our annual Homemade Holidays program at church. Grown-ups made wreaths and there were plenty of simple-but fun crafts for everyone. Kids loved squeezing glitter paint onto glass balls. Glue and glitter made pinecones extra-special, and little circles of pipe cleaner made cute little stands. There were homemade beeswax … [Read more…]

Ringing in the Holidays

Okay, I’m officially in the holiday spirit. It was like a flip that was switched today. At the grocery store, actually. I walked into produce and Christmas carols were playing and I almost rolled my eyes, but I was appeased by a sale on pomegranates. I love pomegranates. Then I was waiting at the deli … [Read more…]

Elf Invasion

So, did I tell you that I got sucked into the whole Elf-on-a-Shelf thing? I know! You never thought it would happen to me, right? I mean, I refuse a single evening of leprechaun mayhem, and now I’m sucked into an advent calendar’s worth of cheeky poses by a plush figure. Sigh. Little J mentioned–repeatedly–that … [Read more…]

Breaking Bread

Over the weekend at church, we had our annual Thanksgiving service, one of my favorites of the year. Several members of the congregation bring bread: a great-grandmother’s recipe, the new recipe that the 4-year-old always requests, the gluten-free vegan recipe, or the bread they always pick up at Perreca‘s because nobody bakes at home. On … [Read more…]

Halloween Preparations

Hey look! I found that picture that I couldn’t find when I was ranting about Halloween costumes before. This is exciting because I can now document the homemade raffia-and-twig broom, but it’s also a little disappointing because she’s clearly wearing the sort of cheap fabric that shows that the broom is the only homemade aspect … [Read more…]