Making Playdough...

Is there anything better than soft homemade playdough?  (Maybe playdough with peppermint extract added, but that could just be my obsession with all things mint.)  Our refrigerator usually has a few different colors, (and scents) of playdough ready to go.  We've found that using a recipe with oil, and cream of tartar, like this one, can result in playdough that lasts up to 6 months, or longer. We store it in plastic bags to keep it soft.



Mix together the dry ingredients..

 In a saucepan heat the wet ingredients.
Careful not to get too hot, you will be sticking your hands in this soon.

 Mix in the dry ingredients..

It will look really wrong at first.  That's normal.

Move to a board to kneed...

Work in any 'clumps' until smooth...

 Like I said, we store ours in plastic in the refrigerator.  This batch we put in a pretty tin to use as a gift for some friends of ours.

 The official recipe

1 c. flour
1/2 c. salt
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 c. water
2 tbsp. oil
1 tsp. food coloring

I usually follow all recipes loosely

(read: I screw up the measurements)

I know from experience that this recipe is very forgiving.

(Like lets say you accidentally add two table spoons of Cream of Tartar instead of two tea spoons.  For example.)

I also want to highly recommend adding scents to your dough.  

Lemon, vanilla, mint, almond extract.
Tea tree, lavender, cedar, or basil oil. 

What ever you have on hand.

Enjoy!

Following Joy...

A joy filled moment.
Pure love.
A baby laughing at his brother.  Watching him jump on the bed.
The moment of bliss followed by a head to head collision, and screaming.
(oopsie.  Arnica to the rescue)
That's the thing about joy.  It's fleeting.
So we'll follow it.
Our days, weeks, months are made of moments in search of that joy.
I am so grateful to find it as often as I do.

O Tannenbaum....

Last year I mentioned my penchant for bizarre Santas.  I'm here to admit that wreaths, and santas aren't my only weakness... I love Christmas trees.  Love them.  There simply isn't enough room in my house for them.  I have one, Ava has one, Cyrus has one, and 'our family' has one.  If I ever live in a bigger place I'll add more to the list.

My table top tree...

 Ava's tree adorned with handmade ornaments, and finger knit garlands...

 Cyrus's tree decorated with his own handmade ornaments...

 

And our family tree, all nine feet of it....

I hope everyone who participates in this, is enjoying their tree today!

Cowboy Cookout....

This year Matt's office Christmas party was a hayride cookout at Ponderosa Stables.  Amazing!  We had such a great time.  So many things to explore, so many adventures to have!  Horses, and cowboys, cats, chickens, and cactus. Hayrides, and fireside cookouts.

(can you see the horse head?)

Our evening finished with one last bit of magic...
As we were heading out Ava was full of questions about horses.  "if only a cowboy were here, he would tell us." she sighed.  Then just like movie magic a cowboy stepped out of the shadows... "here's a cowboy you can ask."  Ava and Cowboy Bill had a great talk about how horses sleep, and eat, and all sorts cowboy talk.  Cowboy Bill asked my children if they would like to take some magic home from the stables, and offered horse shoes.  He gave each of them a real horse shoe to take home and hang above in their bedroom to bring them good luck.  Ava and Cowboy Bill then traded stories of fairy magic, and horse shoe magic.  Bill shared with her his very own experiences with the Tooth Fairy.  What a very special evening that my family will never forget.  Thank you Cowboy Bill.

Gratitude Mondays...

What I love today....

~A little baby who wont tell me what color his eyes are!!!!
(Seriously.  I am certain that they are either Blue, Gray, Green, or Brown.)

~A little boy who loves drumming...
(he's made his own drum kit out of found items around the house)

~A girl who made ornament sewing kits for her brother and me...
(I love all the creative crafting she comes up with)

~A partner who is silly.  And he giggles.
(he also bounces when he walks)

~Enormous christmas trees...
(our biggest tree yet!  More on that later...)

~Hayrides, and Cowboy cookouts...
(more on that soon...)

~Sugar cookies...
(and decorating them with my babies)

~My babies making sand angles in the park...
(when you don't have any snow)

~Jig Zone 
(strangely addictive)

~Indian food lunch buffet with my beautiful friend, and wonderful family...



Here's to a beautiful 3rd week in December...
Do you think I'll get all my gifts in the mail by Wednesday?
Do you think I'll get all my gifts made by Wednesday?
Yikes!!!!

Wreath Mania....

Much like the birth of our Valentine wreath, this years Christmas wreaths were spontaneous.  The teething baby  needed to lay down, my children needed something to do with all their extra energy from cocoa day.

 Enter desperation inspiration.  I have a rather large tote box of bits, for lack of a better word.  Bows, bells, faux greens... a mass collected over generations. (dating back to the 70's)

I opened up the biiiig box of supplies, and passed out wreaths with the instruction of "Go nuts, but please be quiet" (or something like that).  Later, with the baby asleep, I came to find them working so carefully on their own interpretations of the perfect wreath.  The moment was incredible.  

In the end Ava's masterpiece had a focus on flowers, and shine...

While Cyrus was drawn to add more greens, and bells, and bows...

With all their creative energy flowing, I knew just what to make.  Inspired by this little guy, I got out my own wreath, felt and pinking sheers.

 

My wreath was made with strips of  overlapping felt, and held together with one straight pin to finish. It turns out that I just really love decorating with wreaths. (I don't know why I've been in such denial about this) I love the simple shape, and the endless possibilities.  (a little confession, counting the ones I have put away for different holidays I estimate I own approximately 8 wreaths.  At least.)  

A moment of desperation, turned to a moment of inspiration, and the creation of art.  Possibly a tradition in the making.   

Thank you to The Magic Onion for bringing us together in our moments of creating with our children.

Deck the halls...

Things are really coming together this holiday season.
We are almost finished decorating.
Almost.

(Happy Birthday Mom!)

A trip to visit Santa 2010 part two...

One of my favorite things about our trips to visit Santa is the after...

We rode the train....

Decorated cookies...

Sat with our cookies and hot cocoa while we listened to mariachi music and watched the folkloric dance....

The "faldeo", or the movement of the dress while the women dance was mesmerizing.

Full of music, cookies, hot cocoa and fun we wandered through the historic, fragrant, rose garden before heading home...

My favorite was the 'candy cane' rose... (I totally made that name up)

I will carry these memories with me.  Our trip to visit Santa.  Our beautiful day.  Until next year, when we return ready to make new memories!

A trip to visit Santa 2010...

As we have for the last two years, this year we went to the Phoenix Rosson House for a visit with Santa. A truly magical day in a quaint setting.

Ava was thrilled as we made our way to see Santa.  She had written him a really loving letter, and carefully drew a picture of flowers as he "probably doesn't have very many flowers in the North Pole".  Both of my older children were so eager to get there.  There were so many discussions about how much they wanted to see Santa, and what they were going to talk to him about.

 

 Until we got there.  And then...

 Cyrus absolutely changed his mind. 

Santa, Ava, and Sol waited patiently while Matt and I talk to Cyrus about his options.  To be honest, I really do like having the annual 'Santa photo', but I am totally cool with the idea that we are there for the magic.  My concern was that next week Cyrus would regret his missed opportunity.   Ava had plenty of time to chat with Santa about their shared love of all things Christmas, and how she would really like him to chose between a highchair, or a cradle for Lucy. (Lucy is Ava's baby)

 Enter the art of compromise.  (a strength of mine)

 Cyrus stood in front of Santa's cart.  He told him what he wanted for Christmas (a crane), and talked to him a little bit about how they both love trains.

 And I still have my pretty little photo to remember the day by.  (Sans one Cyrus)

I'll save the rest of our trip for tomorrow's post!  Have a beautiful Tuesday.

Gratitude Mondays...

What I love today....

~A baby who can sit on his own...
(for a brief moment, if put in position)

~A little boy who sings in the shower....
(made up songs in the shower are THE best)

~A little girl who wants to sit a bit and watch the Mariachis dance....
(she loves how pretty they are, I love how pretty she is.)

~A partner who lets me take naps...
(don't ever underestimate that power of sleeping)

~Trips to see Santa
(more on that later)

~Snoring...
(I really do love it.  Each of them have their own separate sleep sound)

~Clementines ...

~Trees turning red....

~Trader Joes cinnamon broom....
(Trader Joes in general)

~Cranberry chevre.  So yummy...
(also Trader Joes)

Here's to the 2nd week in December!

One holiday moment...

Sweet sleeping baby goodness.
Thank you to Helena for his lovely little baby doll.

Christmas Tree

Goodness gracious I love this time of year.
I love being her mother.
God I love her.