A package

I finally sent my brother his birthday gift yesterday. His birthday was April 19th. Its just going to be a little bit late... just a bit. I made him the gnome above and some cloth napkins:

He requested cloth napkins a while ago... I thought these fabrics were not too girly and kind of natural looking. Hope he likes them! (And I hope he doesn't read my blog! lol)

And here is Isabel being Isabel. She is getting so big! And she is my needy middle child. Very, very needy indeed. But I need to be needed.

I just finished watching this documentary on You Tube Yesterday: The World According To Monsanto. It is quite scary how this huge company has so much control over what we eat. And its scary that the government just assists them. We don't really know the final results of eating too much genetically modified food throughout our lifetimes. I just know, I don't want to be a test case.

Well... I really should get of the computer, and go build a forest and castle with Anastasia! :)

A is for...

Alligator (who happens to be eating pasta) and apple

(both crafts from No Time For Flashcards) and our "A" lunch:

Apples, almonds, apricots (dried), apple-peanut butter sandwhiches and animal crackers. No one liked my yummy sandwhiches, but the rest was a hit... I cut the almonds and apricots into small pieces for Anastasia. I also made flocked letters:

They are a little wonky, but they are for Anastasia to teach Isabel the letter sounds, and how to draw the letters. They are my homemade take on Montessori Sandpaper letters which you can buy on Etsy here. I am just too cheap to buy them right now... I would rather spend my money on toys, fabric and books... and other fun things. There is also the space issue... we don't have room for any more "stuff" no matter how educational it might be! haha. I plan on buying a little box for the flocked letters, and perhaps little phonics bags with small objects in them. :)

I spent the weekend in a very, exhausted state... it was quite depressing really. I am feeling much better now... and we finished up our "A" activities on Monday, which ended with a baking of Apple Crisp with ice cream! We also did some pages in an alphabet sticker book, we watched movies about the letter "A" on Youtube from Sesame Street, and we even had an egg hunt closer to Easter (We have been stuck on A for a while) with small objects in the eggs that start with "A"! So now I am preparing for "B" with some handmade bears and Goldilocks.... hopefully I can finish the set today! It is nice to be out of the fog... but there is so much I left undone that needs doing! But right now naptime for all sounds like a pretty good idea! Happy Wednesday!

Finding Fairies

Yesterday we took a trip to the State Arboretum with my mom. Anastasia insisted on wearing her wings... and we went looking for fairies. There weren't any in the boxwood... although we enjoyed the little boxwood garden.

No fairies in the lilac bush... but it smelled wonderful... I am sure there were fairies nearby.We checked in the fairy trees along the conifer walk... they must have been sleeping high in the branches.We checked in the little pond... and found tadpoles and snails. We held the neat little snails and asked them if they had seen any fairies around. They didn't answer. But we found these cute little fairy children: And a lovely day was had by all! I am sure the fairies waited until we left, to play hide and seek among the dogwood blossoms and to blow the dandilion seeds into the wind. :) Magic is all around... only take the time to look for it. Life with a 3-year old is so much fun... Spring is new and amazing all over again.

Cake and Milk

My friend Rachel made this cake using some of my gnomes:
It was so cute, I just had to share it with you! I am sure it was delicious too... mmm. cake. And now of course, the wheels in my head are turning with ideas for the girl's birthdays... which are oh, so, far away. *sigh* Maybe a half birthday would be fun! LOL. I always thought, because I have fall and winter babies (and yet another winter baby on the way) it would be neat to have a half-birthday party in June for everybody... and just do small family affairs on their real birthdays. Because we can never invite everybody to our tiny house that we would like Especially when the weather is cold!
I am currently weaning Isabel. I know there is a lot of controversy over wether or not it is healthy to nurse while pregnant, but I personally didn't feel like it was a good idea. I am not eating a normal diet, I am suffering the whims of cravings and severe adversions thanks to the whirlwind of hormones in my life right now. On top of that I was just so, entirely tired and very, very cranky. More so than with either of the girls. I seriously could have laid on the couch all day and it still wouldn't have been enough rest.

I am already gaining more energy, even though we have had a rough couple of nights (after two smooth nights). We just snuggle on the couch instead of nursing to sleep and I tell Isabel stories about our day, and things she loves. She is fine with this, and cuddles until she is in dreamland. It is really sweet. But the middle of the night nursing is a little less smooth. She wants to nurse, and I won't let her. She fusses a bit on the couch before she slowly falls asleep. It sounds fine... except when I try to move her, she wakes up and is generally not happy about it. I give her a snack and some milk to fill her up a bit... but no dice. Last night, around 5am I finally laid her in her crib... crying. She cried for 5 minutes and fell sound asleep until 8:00. That isn't really the solution I am looking for.... but I assume it will get easier in a couple of weeks... when she forgets about that mama's milk she so loves. Like I said, I am much happier, energetic and less cranky... making for a better mama for everyone. It will be worth it! And onto another milky subject... I want a goat. Really bad now. I wonder if it is just this irrational, pregnant lady, desire or if I really, absolutely must have a dairy goat. I am loving the all-white Saanen breed from Switzerland. We are now buying 3 gallons of milk a week. Half of that is raw (I would get more if I could). At $7 a gallon... that is $21 a week.... $84 a month... and that doesn't include the gas, running to get the half gallon of milk after running out. And it also doesn't include the butter, yogurt, cheese and sour cream we go through. I don't even want to think about all that.... but I do want to think about having a pretty white goat in our yard, mowing our lawn, trimming our brush and making us a lovely gallon of fresh milk every day!

But then there is the commitment. For 10 months every year I have to milk the goat every day. Every single day. We go on vacation to see family in Chicago. Who would watch and milk my goat? And I would need a dishwasher to sterilize all the jars and stuff.

But I really, really want one. Perhaps the hundreds of dollars I save per month would give us a little extra money for hiring a goat-sitter. People do that right? Hmm. well it is something to consider. I mean REALLY consider. Imagine all the cream... all the milk... all the savings!!! All the cheese!!!!! Need I say more?

So, that was a really random post for you to read today. Now I actually need to DO something with the rest of this lazy, overcast day! Happy Wednesday! We're half-way there!

Berry Sweet

Its almost strawberry pickin' time... less than 1 month away! So, I made a Berry Gnome Play Set... the obvious thing to do! lol.

I love the little strawberry guy on the right. I need to make one for the girls... maybe before we go pickin' next month.

I have one available in my shop right now! :) A little pricey maybe... but it took me FOREVER... and it really is cute... worth every penny for as much as your little ones will play with it! :)

Three!

One... Two...
Three...

Thats right! You heard it here first (maybe)!! Baby number 3 is on the way!!! I am only 2 months along or so, so we are looking at a December baby. Honestly, I am excited about having another baby, but I am dreading being pregnant for 7+ more months. Thankfully I haven't been as sick as I was with the girls. I have had no appetite, and am turned off to most foods right now and would be happy to sleep all day. I am totally in slow motion and miss my energy SO MUCH. Ugh. Well, I am counting my blessings, enjoying a slower pace, and trying to survive with little caffiene! Woohoo! I am imagining snuggling a new, tiny person all over again and dreaming of all the sweet things I can make for a little baby in the next 7 months! :) Happy Weekend!

Forests Everywhere!

A little over a month ago, I bought a set of Tree Blocks. I ended up getting them for free, because I apparently recieved a "bad batch". But they have become a favorite toy around here... I find myself playing with them, and building neat dwellings with Anastasia! Sometimes I even set up a little scene before I go to bed for her to discover and play with when she wakes up! I find these little forests carefully built in little corners of our house.

They are really fun to make and build... and now I want another set of Cherry Blocks... which I will probably order from Magic Cabin.

This scene has been on her night stand for a couple days now! Somehow, when I see Anastasia playing with her blocks, and the gnomes I have made, and other simple, wooden toys for hours on end, the Waldorf method comes to life, and makes so much sense to me. It transforms an ugly set of cut pieces of wood, into a little wonderland for my 3 year old. Well it is just too pretty for me to sit inside any longer! I have a garden to water, and chicks to tend to! I hope you are all having a beautiful, magical Spring! :)

Chick Love.

Our little chicks came today! Well, they arrived at the Post Office yesterday, and my friend picked them up! We picked them up from her today! They are really, insanely, cute. This one (above) is my favorite. She is quite spunky, but has the best coloring. I want her to be my lap chicken. I am still picking out a name for her.

We have 16 hens, and 2 roosters of 3 different kinds of chicken. The Buff Orpingtons are the yellow ones, that grow up to be gold. The reddish-brown striped ones are Partridge Rocks, grow up to be reddish brown. And the Light Brahmas surprised me, because they are black with a little white, and grow up to be white with a little black! Anastasia's favorites are the yellow Buffs. She calls them "the beautiful ones". lol.

She is not REALLY trying to eat the bird... or screaming in its ear, she is posing for my picture.

Ok, so our neighbors gave us a cage, and the smallest birds can actually squish through the wires and every so often I hear a loud peeping, and usually that means I have some escapees. These ones have successfully killed a dandelion.

Anastasia helped me, as I de-pooped some of them in a pail of warm water. They some times "paste-up" their little bottoms... and if not handled it can actually kill them. Anastasia took the drying, and snuggling very seriously. You can see her patient fell asleep in her arms. They do that a lot... it is so STINKIN CUTE!

And see the chick with his head in the air? They actually take a swig of water, and then put their heads in the air like that, and swallow it down! It is very, very funny to watch.

And Anastasia was certain this chick wanted to join her plastic animal menagerie. She may be right.

This chick is not dead, she really just fell asleep in my hand like that! If you don't hear from me soon, I probably died of cuteness overload! Eeek. I really wish they could stay this small and adorable! And lay eggs. That would be perfect.

Springy thingies

I have taken an unintended break from posting this week. Spring just sort of sprung and it was nice to enjoy not working on my shop, or blog, or having to deal with any commitments at all. We spent a relaxing Easter day at my parents and even had a little egg hunt for the girls! I was so proud of the Easter Bunny this year, only bringing each girl a chocolate egg, and handmade toys! Then, my mom, in her good grandmotherly way made up for EB's lack in the sugar department ten-fold! lol. Thankfully I finally tossed the candy from Christmas... and have a new stash of potty bribes. Isabel's favorite part of the egg hunt was throwing eggs at the cat. I was wondering what all those bright colored plastic eggs were really for.And make sure you have a hiking stick and boots before your egg hunt:Not only does Anastasia refuse to wear anything except dresses because she IS Snow White, but she also has informed me that she will not wear sandals this year. Only her boots. Her winter boots, adequately lined with faux Fur for warmth. We will see if she changes her mind. Isabel feels ripped off that she only got one bunny for Easter... and has decided to supplement with a more appropriate amount of sugar. I think she is just getting back at me for not sharing my coffee. She really loves coffee. It is quite scary. I wonder though, if I give my kids coffee, if it will keep them small forever! I keep telling them not to grow up... but it isn't working!

I made a new pillow last week after cleaning my craft room. It looks fluffy and nice, but it is hard and heavy... because guess what it is stuffed with? My HUGE stash of fabric scraps! I thought it was a brilliant idea! And I still think it is, I just hope my kids don't try and have a pillow fight with this thing! And I planted some Swiss Chard, tomatoes and peppers indoors and they are all actually growing! I took them outside for some fresh air on the 90 degree days we had. I have high hopes for our garden this year!

Today I made the Oliver + S Bubble Dress for Anastasia out of some fairy fabric (you can't really tell in this only picture I took):

It definitely turned out too big... but I am hoping she will get several years out of it, since it took quite a while to make. I made it in a size 4, she usually wears a 3T, but It would probably look nice in a size 2T on her because she is so thin. I have another one cut for Isabel, in a different print and may size it down a little. Hmmm. And, I made this adorable Birthday Play Set for a friend's special order:

It turned out really, really adorable. The colors look sweeter in person! I will have another one up in my shop this week! I also have a couple more new things coming! Whew, I really needed a bit of a break, to refresh my inspiration! So what have you all been up to in my absence? I have hardly had time to check my favorite blogs! I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend... and where the heck did summer go? It was here a couple days ago... and winter is back. AGAIN. ;)

Happy Easter!

Christ has Risen indeed my friends! :) "Therefore there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ has set you free from the law of sin and death." (Romans 8:1-2)

Our table, this Easter morning.

I meant to grow Easter grass like last year, but I didn't think about it until it was too late. So I gathered moss yesterday, but it was too muddy and I knew the kids would get it EVERYWHERE, like on their Easter dresses!! *gasp* So shredded paper grass it was! Thankfully it was 25 cents at Target the other day... and I have a craft project in mind for it!

Everyone loved their Easter surprises!.They are currently being played with... and we are about to dress for church! Then we head to Grandpa and Monie's house, for lunch and an egg hunt. So I wish you all a Happy Easter!! :)

"For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to seperate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39.