Chubby Baby Inspired

Sitting in the office today with my girls watching the pictures scroll by on the screen saver and I thought to myself why not share a few of these.

Here is a very chubby Elly.

Emy

Sweet Emy

The girls relaxing before breakfast



She is always trying to wear my make-up



Emy the summer our yard looked nice.

More Emy

Aww baby Emy, she was always so happy after naps . . . not so much anymore

And Emy again.



Elly is such a HAM!

The many faces of Elly



Sweet Elly making a mess!

And so that's what she did.

The House of Play 1

A few weeks ago on our semi-weekly trip to Costco our family spotted something that we simply could not live without. An adorable wooden, not plastic, playhouse (Kidkrafts Woodland Cottage). Emy fell in love the minute she rang it's real deal doorbell and washed her hands in the simple sink. I fell in love with the flower pots under the windows, the bay window on the South side and did I mention it's wood? I'm not a big fan of plastic play structures. Oh they look great at first but give it a year or even just a few months. I am curious to see how this roof will hold up to the ruthless rays of sun this spot receives in the summer.

We had a little trouble getting her to leave it at the store. As we walked away she asked if we could talk to someone to see if we could borrow it.

So, as is our family tradition, we got a jar and started saving. Momma did some sewing and Daddy did some selling of unused items. Emy found change around the house and then God pitched in and sent us a check or two for the rest.


Saturday morning we hurried through our breakfast and dressing to get to the fun part, heading to the store to bring home our new friend.

Of course Emy insisted on helping Daddy build it. So she read the prints while Daddy built.

Here she is telling me that I need to go in the house because they are busy.




This is to be the girls new homestead, don't worry the chairs will just move down by the fire pit or perhaps back up on the porch I haven't decided.

At first we tried to place it against the rock wall but the Hubby said "No, turn it this way so you can see her from the house as she is running in and out" and I thought my what a smart husband I have and cute to boot. God knew what he was doing when he made this man.

When the house was finished Emy was napping so as soon as she awoke she ran straight for her shoes and wanted to go see her house.

She particularly likes the grill on the open window. She likes to pretend it is a drive-up.

Yes I would like a cheeseburger please. Extra cheese hold the patty.

Now I don't know if you noticed but there is a small piece of land surrounding her little house that is sectioned off from the rest of the yard and boy howdy do I have plans for it. I have visions of an English flower garden, white picket fence and winding paths . . . what? you say there isn't THAT much room? Your probably right but let's see what I can squeeze in, don't forget room to run laps.

And I realize there is a serious lack of Elly pictures in this post. I was holding her during all of the pictures so while she may not be in these shots in body her creative eye went into almost every one (except the ones taken while she napped).

And so that's what she did.

At Home Lately

Sometimes while my children are sleeping, our dogs make the most horrible noises. Well they are only horrible because I don't know what they are and think my children are possibly choking to death in their beds. So naturally I run out into the living room on my way to the girls room only to find the dogs dreaming, whimpering and snoring in their sleep. Not that this has anything to do with anything it just happened right now.

Here are a few fun pictures of the girls and friends.

At the Library:

Helping Mommy:

At Play:

They put themselves in here . . . Honest.

Emy teaching Elly school:

The Drawback

So the drawback to my closet system for my children is that it is Elly's favorite place for destruction.
She likes to empty Emy's bins and try to fit the panties on her head. I tried to get a picture of that but I just wasn't fast enough.

Children's Laundry Day

This is the way we do the laundry around here. Well at least the girls. For their clothes I decided against a conventional dresser and opted instead for a system of bins in a shelf unit. I chose this specifically for this purpose.

When I pull their clothes from the dryer I tell Emy it's time to get out her bins and play our sorting game. She gets hers one at a time and I grab Elly's. We line them up in the same order so it is easier for her to find the right bin.

Then I sit on the couch and fold the clothes handing them to her to put in the correct bin. ( I never said they get put away neatly, particularly when Emy tries to use her teeth to carry them)

Afterward is the push back to the closet. Here Elly's trying to help but is caught on a box of diapers.

And we are done all the clothes are in and the bins are back in the closet.

She loves it, the laundry gets folded and put away lickity split. Happy kiddo, happy mommy.

Valentine Boxes (a day late)

Growing up I remember sitting on the floor with one of my mom's friends from high school while she taught my sisters and I how to make paper boxes out of nice pictures pulled out of a calendar. And while apparently my sisters had forgotten this craft I somehow have kept it fresh in my mind. With money being elusive these days I have taken to making gifts every chance I get. However, around here we like to do things a little late. So here is a craft that you can do next year. Really this is a very versatile project. The boxes come in handy for all kinds of gifts. And who doesn't love candy any time of the year.

First you want to gather your supplies for one box you will need :

2 pieces of square paper I used 12x12 you can use two pieces decorated or one decorated and one plain since the bottom doesn't really show, which is what I did.

A bit of decoration perhaps ribbon, paper hearts, fabric flowers, stamps, stickers, etc.

A pair of scissors

And something sticky (tape, glue dots or glue) is optional but a nice finishing touch.

First thing you do is fold your paper in half

Then open it.

Turn it and fold it in half again

Open it again and using the creases find the center.
And fold your corners to the center.

Fold your sides to the middle, open them, turn the paper and fold the other sides to the middle.

This should create a square in the center.

Open it up again and on two opposing sides cut along this crease to the next crease being careful not to cut too far or your box will fall apart.
You should have four cuts on your box.

Pull out the triangles on the cut sides like this

Add a touch of something sticky to the tips if you would like.

Pull your cut corners together creating sides of your box and looking like a gate on this side

pull up the triangle piece and fold it over the "gate" press the tip into the center. Turn your box and do the same on the other side.

Done.

Do it again with the second page and fill with candy. . .

and some more. . .

Decorate the top, close up your box and be done.

Well almost done, you will have to make one for every member of the family plus a few friends.

(Clockwise: Dave's, mine, Emy's and Elly's)

I hope I didn't confuse you too much and hopefully the pictures will help my poor directions. Have fun and enjoy.