Pin It
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Happy 3rd Birthday Kirsten!
Pin It
Today is my sweet little girl's 3rd birthday! I can't believe she's already three. It's kind of bittersweet. I'm sad that she's growing up so quickly, but she is growing into the sweetest, most generous and kind little girl I know. She has an amazing sense of humour and she amazes me every single day with how smart she is. She is a wonderful little girl and I am a very lucky mommy. Yesterday we celebrated her birthday with a butterfly birthday party. She had so much fun. I am so glad I took vacation this past week, or I know I wouldn't have been able to pull this off. The butterfly cupcakes, although beautiful, were quite time consuming, as were the tissue paper pom poms. In the end, it was all worth it to see the smiles and hear the laughter from my little girl. I got a million pictures of the decor, which is great, but I didn't get a lot of pictures of the birthday girl herself. I tried taking pictures, but she was much too excited to sit still for very many. Plus, being by myself, I had to try to take pictures and keep Camden from pulling down the decorations at the same time. This was not easy. Once the party started, I got even fewer pictures. The house was just too chaotic and chasing Camden around is a full-time job. Oh well, I know she had a great time. When James comes home we're going to have a big party to celebrate both his and Kirsten's birthday together as a family. I can't wait. 45 more days!! Here's a couple pictures of the big day.
Pin It
Pin It
Friday, May 28, 2010
yarn bowls
Pin It
This was a really fun craft. Kirsten loves balloons, so any craft that involved using a balloon was going to be a winner. We had made a few of these, but only one made it to the final drying stage. They need 24 + hours to dry completely and Cam found a couple of these before they were dry and pulled them to the ground. Oh well, at least we have one to show you guys.
What you'll need:
Yarn, cut in strips about 8-10 inches long
bottle of glue
balloon
2 bowls
Directions:
1. blow up your balloon and place it upside down in a bowl for stability.
2. in your second bowl, dump an entire bottle of white glue and toss in your strips of yarn to soak
3. one at a time, pull a strand of yarn out of the glue and place it on the bottom of your balloon.
4. repeat step 3 until you have lots of overlapping strands of yarn in a bowl shape.
5. put in a high place (high enough that your toddler can't pull them down) and patienty wait until dry. This step will take at least 24 hours, if not longer, so be patient.
6. when completely dry, pop the balloon and it should detach from the yarn bowl nicely.
7. figure out what great things you'll use your yarn bowl for, we used it for some of Kirsten's beads!
Idea from lulubeans Pin It
This was a really fun craft. Kirsten loves balloons, so any craft that involved using a balloon was going to be a winner. We had made a few of these, but only one made it to the final drying stage. They need 24 + hours to dry completely and Cam found a couple of these before they were dry and pulled them to the ground. Oh well, at least we have one to show you guys.
What you'll need:
Yarn, cut in strips about 8-10 inches long
bottle of glue
balloon
2 bowls
Directions:
1. blow up your balloon and place it upside down in a bowl for stability.
2. in your second bowl, dump an entire bottle of white glue and toss in your strips of yarn to soak
3. one at a time, pull a strand of yarn out of the glue and place it on the bottom of your balloon.
4. repeat step 3 until you have lots of overlapping strands of yarn in a bowl shape.
5. put in a high place (high enough that your toddler can't pull them down) and patienty wait until dry. This step will take at least 24 hours, if not longer, so be patient.
6. when completely dry, pop the balloon and it should detach from the yarn bowl nicely.
7. figure out what great things you'll use your yarn bowl for, we used it for some of Kirsten's beads!
Idea from lulubeans Pin It
Thursday, May 27, 2010
boys vs. girls
Pin It
I don't know what it is, but Cam loves all things messy and Kirsten hates messy things. Now you're probably thinking this has something to do with their ages - Kirsten being 18 months older than her brother. But, Kirsten has never liked messes and has always been upset when she gets messy, even when she was his age. Cam on the other hand lives for making a mess. This little guy is T.R.O.U.B.L.E. Lets take these popsicle pictures as an example. Here's a little photoshoot of boys vs. girls and how they eat their popsicles. I don't know, I think little boys love to be messy! By the way, these pictures were taken about 5 minutes before Kirsten fell and got a black eye and laceration beneath her eye. You see, I was cleaning up this lovely mess that Cam made and Kirsten was singing and dancing in the living room and tripped and fell. She's a little clumsy, just like her mother! My poor little baby girl :-( She may still have a black eye for her birthday this weekend. I just don't want her to get a scar on that pretty little face.
BOYS = MESSY
GIRLS = CLEAN
Pin It
BOYS = MESSY
GIRLS = CLEAN
Pin It
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
healthier popsicles
Pin It
These popsicles are from the Deceptively Delicious cookbook by Jessica Seinfeld, except I add much less sugar (if any) than she does. My kids love these and they are so much healthier than regular popsicles that I actually feel good giving them to my kids, or having one myself :-) These have been so refreshing with all the HOT weather we've been having too.
Ingredients
2 cups frozen mixed berries
2 cups vanilla yogurt
1/4 cup sugar (optional)
Directions
1. place 2 cups frozen berries and 2 cups vanilla yogurt in blender. Blend until smooth.
2. Taste - if tastes good, don't bother with the sugar, if a little tart, add sugar to taste and blend again.
3. pour into popsicle moulds and place in freezer until completely frozen.
4. if having difficulty removing the pops from the mould when ready to eat, just run under hot top water for a few seconds.
Pin It
Ingredients
2 cups frozen mixed berries
2 cups vanilla yogurt
1/4 cup sugar (optional)
Directions
1. place 2 cups frozen berries and 2 cups vanilla yogurt in blender. Blend until smooth.
2. Taste - if tastes good, don't bother with the sugar, if a little tart, add sugar to taste and blend again.
3. pour into popsicle moulds and place in freezer until completely frozen.
4. if having difficulty removing the pops from the mould when ready to eat, just run under hot top water for a few seconds.
Pin It
Monday, May 24, 2010
paper plate turtle
Pin It
How cute is this little guy? You can make so many great children's crafts out of paper plates, it's amazing. This craft is really easy and really cute. Here's the instructions:
What you'll need:
paper plate
green paint
green construction paper
paint brush
scissors
glue
googly eye and sharpie for decorating
Directions:
1. Have your child paint the back of a paper plate green. Also have them paint the piece of green construction paper if you want too.
2. Cut a head, 4 legs, and a tail for your turtle out of the green construction paper.
3. Glue these to the underneath of your paper plate.
4. Glue on some googly eyes and use your sharpie to draw a face and toes on your sweet little turtle!
Pin It
How cute is this little guy? You can make so many great children's crafts out of paper plates, it's amazing. This craft is really easy and really cute. Here's the instructions:
What you'll need:
paper plate
green paint
green construction paper
paint brush
scissors
glue
googly eye and sharpie for decorating
Directions:
1. Have your child paint the back of a paper plate green. Also have them paint the piece of green construction paper if you want too.
2. Cut a head, 4 legs, and a tail for your turtle out of the green construction paper.
3. Glue these to the underneath of your paper plate.
4. Glue on some googly eyes and use your sharpie to draw a face and toes on your sweet little turtle!
Pin It
Sunday, May 23, 2010
swiss chicken casserole
Pin It
Ok, so this may not be the prettiest meal to photograph, or the most gourmet meal you'll ever eat, but it sure is good. This is super easy and delicious. I have no idea where I originally got this recipe from, but I sure am glad I found it. The kids love this and eat up every bite.
Ingredients
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, dethawed
6 slices Swiss cheese
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup milk
1 box of stove top stuffing mix (not prepared)
1/4 cup melted butter
Directions
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
2.Arrange chicken breasts in the baking dish. Place one slice of Swiss cheese on top of each chicken breast. Combine cream of chicken soup and milk in a medium bowl, and pour over chicken breasts. Sprinkle with dry stuffing mix. Pour melted butter over top, and cover with foil.
3.Bake 50 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.
4.Serve with side of your choice, steamed veggies, rice, salad, etc. Pin It
Ok, so this may not be the prettiest meal to photograph, or the most gourmet meal you'll ever eat, but it sure is good. This is super easy and delicious. I have no idea where I originally got this recipe from, but I sure am glad I found it. The kids love this and eat up every bite.
Ingredients
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, dethawed
6 slices Swiss cheese
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup milk
1 box of stove top stuffing mix (not prepared)
1/4 cup melted butter
Directions
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
2.Arrange chicken breasts in the baking dish. Place one slice of Swiss cheese on top of each chicken breast. Combine cream of chicken soup and milk in a medium bowl, and pour over chicken breasts. Sprinkle with dry stuffing mix. Pour melted butter over top, and cover with foil.
3.Bake 50 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.
4.Serve with side of your choice, steamed veggies, rice, salad, etc. Pin It
Friday, May 21, 2010
alphabet craft: H is for hearts
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
handprint tulips
Pin It
This is another great Spring craft. This is really simple and looks really cute. The red one is Cam's handprint and the pink is Kirsten's. Here's the instructions:
What you'll need:
paper
paint
foam sheet - green
scissors
glue
Steps:
1. using whatever shade of paint you prefer, stamp your child's hand on a piece of paper
2. Once dry, cut out around their handprint.
3. Using your foam sheet, cut out a stem with leaves.
4. Glue the handprint to the foam stem.
Idea from Skip to my Lou
Pin It
This is another great Spring craft. This is really simple and looks really cute. The red one is Cam's handprint and the pink is Kirsten's. Here's the instructions:
What you'll need:
paper
paint
foam sheet - green
scissors
glue
Steps:
1. using whatever shade of paint you prefer, stamp your child's hand on a piece of paper
2. Once dry, cut out around their handprint.
3. Using your foam sheet, cut out a stem with leaves.
4. Glue the handprint to the foam stem.
Idea from Skip to my Lou
Pin It
Monday, May 17, 2010
picture overload: fun at camp!
Pin It
Just some pics of my little ones from my parents camp on Sunday. They love going out there and the weather was absolutely beautiful. I even got some pictures of the kids together (for you Grandma kk!). They're not the best, but it is incredibly difficult to get decent pictures of a one-year old and two-year old together. Unfortunately I have very few.
Pin It
Pin It
Sunday, May 16, 2010
step aside graphic designers.......
Pin It
Look what I just made. OK, maybe I didn't exactly miss my calling as a graphic designer, but I'm pretty proud of my little girl's 3rd birthday invitation. I was going to buy one, but in an effort to save some money I decided to try to make one myself. I'm pretty happy with the result. I can't believe my little girl is turning 3 in two weeks today! Where does the time go? Here's the invitation (with personal info taken out for the web) and some of the other picture contenders for the card.
Pin It
Pin It
Friday, May 14, 2010
banana cake with cream cheese icing
Pin It
This banana cake is to die for. It is so moist and delicious. And the icing, well it's homemade cream cheese icing - enough said. Here's the recipe:
Ingredients for the cake:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 large bananas)
Ingredients for the icing:
1 8oz package cream cheese, softened
1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
2 cups icing sugar - adjust sugar to desired thickness/sweetness
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
splash of milk - optional - can use this if icing is too thick
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9x13 inch pan.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the sour cream and vanilla.
3. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a separate bowl; stir into the batter. Finally, mix in the mashed bananas. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.
4. Bake for 30-40 minutes (mine always needs 40 minutes), or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow cake to cool completely before frosting.
Directions to make frosting:
1. In the bowl of your mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix cream cheese and butter until smooth. Gradually add in the icing sugar and mix until smooth and creamy. Stir in the vanilla extract. Add a splash of milk if your icing is too thick. Spread onto cooled cake. Pin It
This banana cake is to die for. It is so moist and delicious. And the icing, well it's homemade cream cheese icing - enough said. Here's the recipe:
Ingredients for the cake:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 large bananas)
Ingredients for the icing:
1 8oz package cream cheese, softened
1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
2 cups icing sugar - adjust sugar to desired thickness/sweetness
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
splash of milk - optional - can use this if icing is too thick
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9x13 inch pan.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the sour cream and vanilla.
3. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a separate bowl; stir into the batter. Finally, mix in the mashed bananas. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.
4. Bake for 30-40 minutes (mine always needs 40 minutes), or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow cake to cool completely before frosting.
Directions to make frosting:
1. In the bowl of your mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix cream cheese and butter until smooth. Gradually add in the icing sugar and mix until smooth and creamy. Stir in the vanilla extract. Add a splash of milk if your icing is too thick. Spread onto cooled cake. Pin It
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAMES!!!
Pin It
Happy Birthday James!! Today is my husband's birthday and he is out of town so we can't celebrate. The kids and I wanted to wish you a very happy birthday and we can't wait until you're home (9 1/2 more weeks!!) so we can celebrate as a family. Just to make your mouth water, he's a picture of your favourite strawberry cheesecake that I can make for you when you get home. Mmmm, now I want one too. LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU!! Have a great birthday.
Pin It
Pin It
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
alphabet craft: G is for Goat
Pin It
Letter G: G is for Goat
What You'll Need:
•brown foam sheet - 2 different shades
•Googly eye
•Glue
How to make the 'G' Goat:
1.Trace and cut an uppercase 'G' out of the lighter brown foam sheet.
2.Using the extra light brown foam, cut out two small triangles for horns.
3.Cut out a ‘beard’ and ears from the darker brown foam.
4.Fringe the goat’s beard with the scissors so it looks more like hair.
5.Glue the ears, beard, eye and horns onto your letter G to make your goat.
Idea from totallytots Pin It
Letter G: G is for Goat
What You'll Need:
•brown foam sheet - 2 different shades
•Googly eye
•Glue
How to make the 'G' Goat:
1.Trace and cut an uppercase 'G' out of the lighter brown foam sheet.
2.Using the extra light brown foam, cut out two small triangles for horns.
3.Cut out a ‘beard’ and ears from the darker brown foam.
4.Fringe the goat’s beard with the scissors so it looks more like hair.
5.Glue the ears, beard, eye and horns onto your letter G to make your goat.
Idea from totallytots Pin It
Saturday, May 8, 2010
flashback: Camden's Very Hungry Caterpillar 1st birthday party
Pin It
As I've begun preparing for my little ladies 3rd birthday coming up, I wanted to share some photos from my little guys 1st birthday. Sure, his birthday was 4 1/2 months ago, but I didn't have a blog back then to share how cute it was. My little guy had a great party and it was such a fun theme to do. The kids absolutely loved making the thumbprint very hungry caterpillars too. It was such a great keepsake. If anyone is looking for ideas for a very hungry caterpillar birthday, I have a lot. Here's the pictures from my little man's big day:
Pin It
Pin It
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
