Anyway, today I came in for a reason. Just before Christmas, I opened a box with a review book, and when I saw the pinkness of it, I stuffed it away to add to my little princess' pile of presents. The Christmas budget was tight this year, so I thought the book would be a nice addition.
Rarely has any picture book been so loved in my house as this one.
or this...
But back to the story...Fanny is upset that she can't have a Connie, but then she takes matters into her own hands and sews her own Connie. When the doll is done, she decides it doesn't look like a Connie after all. Thus, Annabell is created.
Fanny's friends aren't so keen on her little creation, and for a bit, Fanny isn't sure she loves her funny-looking doll, either. At night, Fanny starts to wonder if Annabell is lonely or afraid. She pulls her out of the drawer and snuggles her, feeling how soft and cuddly she is. From then on, they are inseparable.
We read and reread this book over and over until there was only one option left. We had to make our own little Annabell...
But even if you can't sew a stitch, the book comes with a paper doll Annabell, which has also been enjoyed around here.
Know what that says? That's how my Kindergartner wrote "Learn to be fancy" when playing Fancy Nancy yesterday. The kiddos made signs, invited us to sit in chairs made of pillows and blankets, and strutted around talking about fanciness. Apparently there are some very basic rules to fancy living.
Wear high heels.
Put pictures on the walls.
Always make your room fancy...especially your bed.
Wear earrings and other jewels.
Wear fancy clothes.
Always eat ice cream with sprinkles.
Play earring, earring, who's got the earring?
Buy roses.
Walk on tiptoes and swing your hips.
So there you have it. Doesn't sound too hard.
Have a fancy night!
PS...Personally I think my etsy shop, Whimsy Daisy, is looking quite fancy this week. I'm still adding stuff. I'd love feedback on what items you like best!
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pixiechick_sw and her recent successes. (Yay Sarah!) I'm also feeling optimistic because my little sister (another Sarah) has made a great connection in the singing world. (Yay Sarah!) Maybe the luck won't find me though...unless I change my name to Sarah.I've also been working on some craft projects...
Have a fabulous day!
PS...Go SARAHS!
- Mood:
hopeful
I think the best photo is the first one because it has energy, texture, and attitude.
- Mood:
creative
For a girly girl...
For a girly mom...
- Mood:
cheerful
1. I don't try to do it all at once. Yesterday, I crafted quite a bit (more on that in a moment), but I didn't write. I did read and I'm always mothering, but I don't try to write and craft and take my kids on outings and make cookies and visit neighbors and do the laundry all every day. I limit my reading, too. I almost always read books in a day or two, but when I finish one, I make a list of things I have to do before I start the next.
2. I have good kids. Sorry. I know this isn't something you can necessarily choose to have. My little ones were both very hard babies but have grown into relatively easy preschoolers. They play together. They love to draw and create and pretend and read all day. They're even better when I take them out. Even to the store. They're good kids. Now my little princess certainly has her diva moments and she's working on controlling her anger, but for the most part, they play well and spend a lot of time entertaining themselves.
3. I don't mind a mess. I have to make myself care that my house is messy so I'll clean it, but there are many things I put ahead of cleaning when prioritizing. I DO believe it is important, but I prefer making things with the kids, reading, and basically everything else I do. And, yeah, I can be rather sssssssssssllllllllothful. My mom somehow managed to be the most amazing mother and keep an immaculate house. I haven't figured out her secret yet.
And one last thing that helps, I'm pretty easy going.
On to the next question...what Gingerbread recipe I used...I found it on allrecipes.com because the one I have from my family has eggs in it (and my princess is allergic...actually I think she just grew out of it...)
Gingerbread Cookies
1 cup sugar
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup melted margarine
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 cup molasses
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 tsp lemon extract
4 cups flour
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 (Although these were delish, they were kind of crunchy. I will lower the temp next time I make them.) Lightly grease cookie sheets.
2. In a large bowl, stir together sugar, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda. Mix in margarine, evap. milk, molasses, vanilla, and lemon extract. Stir in flour, 1 cup at a time, mixing well. The dough should be stiff enough to handle without sticking to fingers. If necessary, increase flour by up to 1/2 cup to prevent sticking.
3. When the dough is smooth, roll it out to 1/4 inch thick on a floured surface, and cut into cookies. Place cookies on prepared cookie sheets.
4. Bake 10-12 minutes. Cookies are done when top springs back when touched. Remove from cookie sheets to cool on wire racks.
Lastly, I mentioned I was crafting yesterday. I'm really excited about what I came up with. I bought several glass jars of varying shapes and sizes at IKEA. Then I used my new Cricut Personal Electronic Cutter (squee), which is my Christmas present from Husband to cut letters and snowflakes out of adhesive vinyl. Here are the two that are already up at my etsy shop, Whimsy Daisy.
I made a few others that I LOVE, but they aren't listed yet because they need a little extra work that involves ANOTHER trip to the craft store.
- Mood:
Holly jolly
Well, some of the things I've been busy doing have been really fun.
I started an etsy shop. It's called Whimsy Daisy. I only have two things for sale right now.
All Buttoned Up: The Kissing Ball for Button-Lovers...
and this Butterflies Flutter By frame....
We also spent HOURS yesterday making gingerbread cookies and bringing them to neighbors. They turned out cute but crunchy.
Hope your busyness is fun, too!
- Mood:
accomplished
It was always a mystery to me, actually, until last month. In fact, about 6 weeks ago, a friend mentioned that she was so busy. I responded, "That's what my mom always says. What do you do all the time?"
I mean I'm always doing something...blogging, emailing, making pianodillas, reading, decorating, shopping, cleaning, playing, cooking, art projecting, etc...but I don't really feel BUSY unless I have a lot of scheduled activities to work around.
Anyway, this month I have felt busy with scheduled things....playgroup, dance class (yep, for me! I love it!), young women's at church, singing and playing the piano/organ at various functions, Christmas parties, book group...
I'm sure moms with more experience than me are nodding, understanding the busy-ness, but it's new to me.
I've had a few posts I want to write...some even about books, believe it or not. I know it's been too long. I've just been too busy.
I've been crafting, too. I'm actually going to open up a little etsy shop, a la
pixiechick_sw. I only have two things to start it with, but I like 'em.MERRY CHRISTMAS!
PS...like my new userpics? This one is called, The King of Love.
- Mood:
wahoo
I love the traditions-the beautiful lit garland I wrap around the stairs, nativities everywhere, the Festival of Trees, building Gingerbread houses and giving them to people who need Christmas cheer, reading my favorite picture books (like Mortimer's Christmas Manger by Karma Wilson, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Olive the other Reindeer, The Christmas Orange), watching The Grinch with Husband, the special lessons at church, the music-particularly listening to Breath of Heaven by Amy Grant and singing alto on Angels We Have Heard on High, parties, creating thoughtful gifts-making or buying just the right thing, reading Luke 2 and singing by the fire, stockings, and watching the joy.
Yesterday I made some simple stationary for missionaries I know around the world. I put a favorite quote at the bottom of each page and a monogram letter at the top.
Here are the quotes I used:
Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time. -Thomas Edison
Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.
- Dr. Seuss
All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost... J.R.R. Tolkien
I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it~Pablo Picasso
Don't ignore the small things -- the kite flies because of its tail. Hawaiian Proverb
Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.~ Sir Winston Churchill
One can never consent to creep when one feels the impulse to soar.-Helen Keller
Each second we live is a new and unique moment of the universe, a moment that will never be again…Pablo Picasso
If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten. Sasha Cohen
In a room where people unanimously maintain a conspiracy of silence, one word of truth sounds like a pistol shot. Czelaw Milosz
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
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If you can't tell, it's one of these...
The kiddos' craftiness is starting to rub off on me! Crazy. I honestly couldn't sleep last night because I was thinking of art projects for ME to do. That's certainly never happened before!
- Mood: creative
For playgroup recently, I had everyone over for Storytime. I chose the theme--Friendship--ahead of time, and picked out a few of my favorite books that fit the theme. We read Fox Makes Friends by Adam Rex, Leonardo the Terrible Monster by Mo Willems (you'll never go wrong with Mo), Duck and Goose by Tad Hills, and Scaredy Squirrel Makes a Friend by Melanie Watt (as much as I love the Scaredy Squirrel books, I discovered that they are kind of difficult for Read-alouds).
After the stories, we played Musical Pillows with a twist. Instead of having someone lose every time the song turned off, we'd take a pillow out, and the kids would have to share. By the end of the game, all-15-or-so kids were reaching in to get a hand on the last pillow. It was lots of fun, and fit the Friendship theme.
Lastly, we made turkeys as you see above. I found a similar turkey on a preschool crafts website (unfortunately I can't remember which one), but changed it up a bit to fit the theme. I also thought it would be fun to add balloon gobbles (we used water balloons blown up with a little air.)
About our playgroup in general...
Every six months or so, someone in the neighborhood puts together a schedule for Friday playgroups. We meet at a designated location every Friday at the same time, and then go to our scheduled location. I made the schedule this time around. Some of our favorite activities have been Apple Picking/Hay Ride, the Dinosaur Museum, the LDS Museum of Church History and Art, and Picnic at the Park days. I am also excited about a couple activities we have coming up, including the Fire Station tour and the Christmas Festival of Trees.
Everyone who wants to come is welcome to our group. We have children everywhere from 9 months to 4 years old...and the mommies have fun, too.
The schedule I made is coming to an end, so I'm starting to gather ideas for next year. I'm planning to include a farm and the zoo in the schedule.
Are you part of a playgroup? I'd LOVE to hear some of the things you have enjoyed doing in your group!
- Mood: grateful
- Mood: amused
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