Wine Cork Place Card Holders

I was quite the busy little beaver today.  I had a list of unfinished projects that I checked off one at a time.   I have such a feeling of satisfaction.

Among the projects today was to finish a birthday present.  I actually started this project back in February when I put a plea on FB for wine corks.  It took a few mentions, but sure enough they started pouring in.  My friend Amy mailed them to me, and another local Oneonta friend handed me a whole bag full of corks. 

So what was my project?? It was actually two fold.  First I was making a trivet and needed eight corks for that.  Secondly I was making place card holders. Place card holders??? Let me explain.

I have a relative who shall remain nameless, that sets a beautiful holiday table.  After setting this wonderful table, our seats are designated with post-it notes.  Yes, those yellow sticky notes.  Sigh....so I saw these really really cute place card holders made from wine corks.  I believe I saw them in Williams-Sonoma (one of my favorite stores).  The only catch was, they were $4.95 a piece. 

I needed at least a dozen, and no matter how cute they were, I couldn't rationalize spending that.  This is how I came about asking, begging, pleading for wine corks (the one's made of real cork).

After collecting my stash, it was quite simple to do.  I took craft knife and sliced a thin amount off the bottom to make it flat.  This way the cork won't roll around on the table.  Then very carefully and with patience, start to make a slice in the top of the cork.  This is were the card stock will sit.  You want to work in small cuts, being careful not to split the cork in half.

 After scoring it deep enough and carving out the cork slit, test it with a piece of card stock to make sure the card will stay in place. I printed names of our family and left a few blank ones as well.  I really hope she likes it :)

Cake Pops

So what's been happening the last week or so???  Well, we (meaning the boys and myself) went to visit my family in Buffalo.  We had a great time, and it always seems too short.

We are back in Oneonta. The car has been unpacked, pizza dough is made for dinner, Adam will be going to guitar lessons shortly, and then it's off to the YMCA tonight for open swim.

In between visiting family, friends, and a dentist appointment, I did manage time for creative play.  I finished a few craft show items for next fall.  I also played around with cake pops.

Now cake pops have been around for a while.  I never experimented with them before, but my mom bought a pan and wanted me to try them.  So I did.  I didn't have my camera so I don't have pictures for a tutorial, but I will do them again soon and post it.

The cake pops that I tried uses a special pan and then the pops are dipped in chocolate.  These are not the ones where you crumble the cake, add the frosting, and then form them.  If you want to see how to make them, click here.  The Gourmand Mom gives an excellent tutorial on them. 

The pan that I used is available at Bed Bath &Beyond.  The only downside is it does not come with super detailed instructions on decorating.  However, while visiting Buffalo, I went to my friend's house and low and behold she had a cake pop cook book.  While thumbing through it, I got a bunch of great ideas.  I will be making chickies for Easter....super adorable.

For now here are a few photos.  I will be posting a tutorial soon.  Oh, did I mention how affordable they are to make.  I got 40 pops out of a 99 cent cake mix.   Even after figuring in the sticks and bags to wrap them up, it only cost about $3.00 to make 40.  (While I was at Target, the Starbucks inside the store was selling them for $1.50 each.)

Small Break

Hello there!!  I hope everyone is staying well.  I have been struggling for a couple of days with some sinus stuff.  I plan on resting the next week or so.

The boys and I are going to see my family :)  I am so excited.  So I will be on a small blogging break.  When I return, I should be refreshed and bringing more recipes and craft ideas to the bloggy world.  See you in a bit.

Can't wait to see my mom :)

Fun Shaped Pancakes

Happy Valentine's Day to all my blogging friends!!!!  This morning my boys awoke to a special breakfast.  I made them heart shaped pancakes with a festive table scape.

To make my life a bit easier this morning, I prepared the pancakes last night, then just reheated them this morning.  All you need to make fun shaped pancakes is your favorite recipe and a kitchen squeeze bottle.  Pour your batter into the squeeze bottle, and squirt your design onto a very hot griddle.  Viola!!!

Have fun be creative and surprise your loved ones :)

Fitness Update

It has been a month since Jay and I have been going to the YMCA.  I go five to six times a week, and Jay does about the same.  I go in the morning when I drop Brandon off at pre-school, and Jay goes after work, even sometimes on his lunch.

The point is, we are going!!!  I have noticed a few changes in my own body.  They aren't really noticeable to others, yet.  I  notice how my clothes are fitting.  While I have been in between sizes for a bit, I am finally down to the smaller size.  I have a big bag a clothes for the donation pile :)

I am getting closer to my goal day by day.  I also have to work harder to get my heart rate up, so I know I am doing well.  I have found myself having more patience throughout the rest of my day.  It is also helping in fighting the winter blues.

Both Jay and I are happier with ourselves and each other.  We keep encouraging each other too!  So go and encourage someone today.  Whether it be towards a fitness goal, education goal, or a personal goal, go and encourage someone!!!!

Entertaining With Kids

I think entertaining is fun.  I do get a bit nervous, wanting everything to go smoothly, but overall I really like it.  When I was younger and had my apartment, I would have some friends over with a few appetizers and some beverages.  Then when I got my first house, I started to theme my parties and menus.  Now that I am a mom of two vivacious boys, I keep kids in mind.

When we have friends over with children, I like to have a kid friendly menu and activities.  First the menu.  My boys are the pickiest eaters.  When we have holidays at a relative's house, I come along with their own meals.  It's not uncommon for me to whip out a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or two from my purse. So when we have other kids over, I really try and accommodate their needs.  I always check with the parents for allergies or restrictions.  With that information, I plan the menu.

That being said, we are having over two families tonight.  No allergies, but we will have vegetarians.  Tonight's menu is as follows:

turkey chili with cornbread
vegetable noodle soup
home made Italian bread
salad
cheese platter with fruit
peanut butter sandwiches (kids)
cheese sandwiches (kids)
candy bar cake and ice cream

It is a balance that meets everyones preferences and simple enough to prepare ahead of time.  The children are welcome to have anything on the menu, but I did make the sandwiches knowing that's what my boys will eat.  To make the sandwiches festive, I cut them into different shapes.  Here's how they went together.

First start with really thin bread (this makes it easier to cut).  I used a 100% whole wheat bread.

Spread them with peanut butter, jelly, honey, etc.  I also made some into cheese sandwiches.  Then using cookie cutters, cut the crust off.

Arrange on a platter.  I cut each different kind of sandwich with a different shaped cutter.



After dinner, I planned some craft activities.  When a larger group of kids are at a gathering, it's a really good idea to have some organized activities.  Tonight, I have fun foam door hangers and bookmarks, and sand art.

I purchased the foam door hangers and I already have different shape pieces to adhere.  Then from simple fun foam sheets, using decorative scissors, I just cut out bookmarks.

The sand art kit came with everything the kids need to make their own bottles.  The only thing I did was put the sand in squeeze bottles.  You can find them in the candy aisle of the craft store.  They have a tip that fits right into the bottles and will keep the mess to a minimum.

Finally coloring sheets and my marbled crayons are always a fun activity :)



So the next time you entertain with kids, have a few activities and a friendly menu planned.

Somewhere In The Middle

Everyone has struggles in life.  Whether it's an addiction, family conflict, or just basic unhappiness.  My struggle is and always has been my weight.

I started to notice my weight was at an undesirable number when I was in middle school.  I can remember being weighed in PE class and the teacher telling me, "You better watch it honey or your weight will get away from you!"  I was in the 7th grade and really started to have poor body image.  As I got into high school, you can imagine it only got worse.  My peers were really cruel and at some point I gave up.  I just let myself go.

This behavior continued through college.  In my early twenties I got to my heaviest.  I tipped the scales at waaaayyyy over 200 lbs.  I isolated myself from relationships, and then when I was in a relationship it wasn't healthy.  I finally took charge of my life at about 24 years old. 

I joined Curves, and started eating a healthy diet.  The weight finally started coming off.  I lost a total of 88 lbs. in a period of a year.  I kept it off for several years.  I was finally into single digits in clothing size.  However, I still saw the heavy person in the mirror.  Looking back at it now, I wish I could have been happy about my success.

One of the few pictures at my heaviest

I was a size 8 here and thought I was still heavy

Over the next several years, I got married, had two babies, and put weight back on.  We also moved out of town and with depression I put on even more weight.  I still wasn't at my heaviest, but I was getting there.

So where am I now???  Somewhere in the middle.  I am about 20 lbs heavier than my skinniest, but only about 10 lbs away from my goal weight.  The goal weight was decided upon by my doctors, and what is right for me.  I won't lie, I still obsess about the number on the scale, but more importantly I want to be healthy for my boys.

Somewhere in the middle, this December

I want to teach my children about eating healthy, exercising, and living a good life.  I am happy to report, that both Jay and myself have had a great first week at the gym (we even got a workout in together).  There are some naysayers about this change in our lives.  I won't let it discourage us :)

So why blog about this??? I wanted to share my story and put a voice, name, face to weight struggles.  I will continue to keep everyone updated on our progress.  I would also love to hear about other victories in conquering their own issues, whatever they may be.

Oh by the way, I finally got my "special pans", so I am working on a new bread recipe.  Coming soon, I promise!!!

Snow Measuring Stick

I wasn't going to post this, but I have had a tremendous response from people who have seen this.  I do a monthly craft with Adam's first grade class.  We have done Halloween luminaries, caramel apples, mosaic cornucopias, and gingerbread houses.  This month we are doing a snow measuring stick. 

I originally saw this in a party supply catalog.  They were offering a kit to makes these, but the cost was too high to purchase 18 of them.  So I broke it down, and started looking around for supplies in my own craft bins.

The main part of this is a paint stir stick.  I have an in with the store manager of Lowe's here in Oneonta ;)  So I asked for a donation of paint sticks, and I opted for the larger sticks used for the 5 gallon cans of paint.  Then I painted it white, added a pipe cleaner for the arms, and a fun foam hat.  The scarf is scrap fleece I had, and the rest is done with markers.  I marked inch increments. 

Now when it actually snows here in Oneonta, the kids can measure how much we have.  It's great to help teach Math and using a ruler....but it's really cute too!

Linking to these parties.

Marbled Crayons

Every once in a while, I get an idea that just gets stuck in my head.  Now this idea is not my own, but something that I have seen over and over that last several years. 

When I was a little girl, my Grandma would save our broken crayons.  (She saved just about everything to re-purpose.  She would iron wrapping paper and use it again.)  Every now and then, when we went over to play, she would pull out the "special" crayons.  I never knew how she did it, but we had these awesome rainbow crayons.

Then a couple of years ago, my boys started going to our local library class.  When the teacher would pull out the crayon bags, the kids all flocked to the "rainbow" crayons.  Then a few months ago, I saw a blurb in a magazine about making your own crayons. 

Okay, these crayons are calling to me.  This weekend we made our own marbled crayons.  This was a huge hit with both kids, ages 6 & 4.  I enlisted my older son to help peel the wrappers from the crayons, and my youngest tested out the finished product.  The craft was super duper easy, and costs only pennies.

All you need is a muffin pan, some crayons, and an oven.  We used Crayola crayons.  I also purchased a new muffin pan from the dollar store, so I wouldn't ruin my good pans. 

So here's how you make them:

Peel the paper off of the crayons.  I grouped like colors together.  For example, three different shades of green.  Break the crayons into 3 to 4 pieces and put them into a muffin tin.  (When putting the crayons in the tin, I made sure the different shades were dispersed evenly, to give a marbled look.)

Bake in a preheated 275 degree oven for 6 to 8 minutes.  You just want the wax to be completed melted, no chunks.  Then carefully remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

Once they are completely cooled, turn the tin over on a towel and tap it lightly on the counter.  The crayons will pop right out.

These make great party favors for birthday parties too!!!!

Linking to these fabulous parties!!!

The Nowak's Take Manhattan

You heard of the Muppet's Take Manhattan, well here's the Nowak's version.  We had a very nice trip to the "Big Apple".  This is how it played out:

We are close enough to NYC to drive, but honestly I am not comfortable with the thought of Jay navigating NYC traffic.  So we decided to drive to Poughkeepsie and take the train from there.  Originally we looked into taking the train from Albany, but the price difference in tickets was significant.  We took the trade off of driving an extra hour to Poughkeepsie, for the lesser fare and shorter train ride. 

Everything was going great until we actually got to the train station.  My husband suffers from GPS brain.  In case you don't know what this is, basically if there is a GPS or another driver is in the car his mind goes blank.  He literally will ignore the GPS directions, and turn which ever way he wants, and then starts asking, "Which way do I go???"  How about, the way the GPS told you to!  So after finding the station, it took us about 30 minutes to find the parking garage.  Needless to say, some shouting occurred and there were two very grumpy adults.  Deep breath!

We are settled again, we bought our tickets, and yippee the fares were even cheaper than the computer said.  Apparently traveling "off peak" hours, made our tickets less, Brandon was free for being under 5 years old, and Adam was $1.75 family fare round trip.  This brightened our moods a bit. 

We arrive in Grand Central Station about 8:30 p.m.  The kids are in awe as am I, it's been 7 years since I was there.  Every time it takes my breath away, it's one of my favorite places in NYC.  Ok, my moment of astonishment is soon over and now we need to find the passageway to our hotel.  We were staying at the Grand Hyatt, which is connected to Grand Central Station.  Let me preface this, Jay was in charge of our hotel accommodations, and he did a fabulous job.  He sprung for a fancy hotel, and the location was unbeatable, however, he didn't research how to find it from the train station.  He had left over GPS brain when looking at the big map at Grand Central.  Another few words muttered to each other, but we finally found it.

Grand Hyatt Lobby

After a good nights rest, we ventured out into the wonderful streets of New York.  Our first stop was Rockefeller Center to look at the tree.

 Then we hit some toy stores and found the much wanted, Evil Emperor Zurg, for Brandon and Adam found a new PS3 game.  After a few hours of walking, we opted for subway passes to save the little legs.  The boys were thrilled.  We could've just taken them on the subway and the trip would have been complete.

7 Train to Grand Central

More sight seeing, a carriage ride through Central Park ( I won't go into the scuffle I got into over that), and a few more subway rides and Brandon was done for the night.  He was tired, his asthma was acting up, so we settled into the hotel for the night while Adam and Jay went to the Empire State Building.  Adam managed to call me and my mom from the top and had great "Adam and Daddy" time.  While Brandon and I lounged in the room, watching cartoons, and playing with Zurg.

Carriage Ride

Adam at Empire State Building

Brandon relaxing at the hotel

The next day was my personal highlight, ROCKETTES!!!!!  Jay surprised us with floor seats to the Christmas Spectacular, and I have to say it was spectacular.  I now understand why people go every year.  Adam loved the show, Brandon remarked about their legs, but his highlight was the hot chocolate.  Oh and by the way, you can get any kind of alcohol served at 8:30 am on a Sunday morning at Radio City Music Hall. I guess the liquor laws don't apply there ;)

After the show, we ventured back on the train to Poughkeepsie.  It was a very quiet drive home, as ALL my boys napped in the car.  So, did we have low moments?? Of course.  Did we have a blast?? Absolutely.  Are we going back??? Most definitely!!!

Happy Holidays!!!!

Baby It's Cold Outside!!! (Tortellini Soup)

Yesterday was rainy, windy, and a bit yucky.  I woke up this morning to snow :)  Gotta love New York.  Cold weather, snowy day,  perfect for soup making.

After the kids had a play date, we stopped by the grocery store for a few ingredients. Soup is quite simple to make.  You can add a few ingredients or really amp it up with the whole pantry.  We chose to make a soup with a short ingredient list. 

Adam was my sous chef.  I am really determined that both of my boys will know how to cook basics.  They have been helping me in the kitchen with age appropriate tasks for a while.  Today's lesson had Adam front and center.  While he doesn't eat soup right now, he's learning basic kitchen skills, and someday may try it.

He had the job of peeling carrots, chopping the onion (in the mini chopper, with supervision), and dumping all the veggies into the soup pot.  I stirred, added the stock, and kept a watchful eye on the simmering pot.  Together we made a tasty pot of tortellini vegetable soup, and more importantly had much needed "Adam and Mommy time".

recipe (yields 4 servings)

1 small onion, chopped fine
3 ribs of celery, diced
2 large carrots, peeled and diced
1 large potato, peeled and diced (I used a Yukon Gold)
1 box of vegetable stock, 4 cups
1 lb. bag of frozen cheese tortellini
1 tsp. ground pepper
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dried parsley
Parmesan cheese for garnish

In a large stock pot, heat a tablespoon of oil.  Add chopped vegetables, salt, pepper, and saute for about 5 to 7 minutes.  Add vegetable stock, bring to a boil.  Once the soup is boiling, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 30 to 45 minutes.  The vegetables should be tender.  Add frozen tortellini, cover, and cook another 5 to 7 minutes.  Once the tortellini is cooked through, remove from heat.  Check for salt and pepper, and adjust to taste.  Ladle into bowl and top with Parmesan cheese.  Serve with bread, such as my Italian Bread.

** NOTE: If you are making this ahead or freezing it, don't add the tortellini until you are ready to serve.  **

Chocolate Dipped Oreo's!

Previously I posted about chocolate covered treats.  Well, my wonderful husband wanted to contribute to Chocolate Covered Anything Day at work.  I am very tired this holiday season, and decided he could make the contribution.  Trying to think of his skill level, we decided on chocolate covered Oreo's. 

When he came home from work last night, I had everything set up for him.  I explained what a double boiler was and how to temper the chocolate.  Once he succeeded with melting of the chocolate, I showed him how to dip one Oreo.  The rest was up to him.  I did act as a sous chef.  I moved his trays to the Florida room to chill, and I cleaned up the kitchen.  However, all the hard work and decorating was left up to him.

So, what's the lesson for today???  Don't be intimidated about making chocolate covered treats.  If my husband can do it, ANYONE CAN!!!! 

St. Nicholas Day Is Approaching!!

My house is decorated for the holidays.  I was a bit lazy this year.  The kids helped me put up the tree, a few outside decorations, and of course our stockings.  However, upon pulling out the stockings this year, I decided to buy new ones that all matched.   Up until now we had four mismatched stockings.  While there are certainly adequate and serve their purpose, it really bothered me from a decor standpoint. 

So off to the Christmas decor aisle at our local department store we headed.  I was a bit disappointed in the lack of stocking variety.  (I would really love to have the embroidered ones from the catalogs, but I can't reason spending $80 plus dollars on them.)  We searched and came up with a velvet stocking with a simple detail at the top.  Now the color choices??? Adam wanted red, Brandon wanted purple, I figured Jay for green, and that left me with silver.  Well, Brandon's purple was throwing off my color scheme.  After several minutes of negotiation, Adam and I talked Brandon into green.  So we picked up two red and two green.  Now, Adam posed the question to me, "How will St. Nick know who has which stocking, having two of the same color??"  Good question.  Then a few rows over we found stocking charms.  Simple initials trimmed in glitter, perfect!!!

We are all set for St. Nicholas Day!!  In our home we open our stockings on St. Nick's Day, December 6th.  There are many stories and legends that tell how Christmas stockings came about.  Every culture celebrates it a bit differently, but for us this works out great.  We are reminded about St. Nicholas and how giving and protective of innocents he was.  It also serves as a great introduction to the holiday season for the kids.  It starts a discussion about giving to others, as St. Nicholas did.

For the full history of St. Nicholas, click here.

So what do we fill our stockings with??? Small trinkets, some candy, or even fruit.  However, this year St. Nicholas will put sample packs of K-Cups in the adult stockings ;)

Tune in Thursday for Cookie Corner!!

How do you celebrate the holidays???

Thanksgiving has come and gone.  Now the mad push for Christmas is among us.  In our family we are Christians, however, I am trying to teach my boys that everyone has different beliefs and it's ok.  I think sometimes the wrong message is put upon us during the holidays.  Many people don't even know why they are celebrating, except for shopping and gift exchanging.

Growing up, I lived in a community that was primarily Christian.  I had a few friends who celebrated Hanukkah, and a few friends who didn't celebrate anything.  For the most part, Santa Claus was prevalent at school and possibly a menorah.  We moved to a small town several years ago.  In this town there is a wide variety of religious beliefs.  All the different views are celebrated and my children are educated in different cultures.  I am happy that we are part of a community that shows tolerance for all beliefs.

There are also many interfaith families in our community.  We have friends who celebrate both Christmas and Hanukkah.  We have been invited to various family activities during this holiday season.  So how do we respect everyone, but still share our gifts? 

Something small that you can do, is be conscience of how you present your gifts.  The retailers are on this trend too.  You can find so many gifts bags, wrapping paper, etc. in blue, silver, white.  I like to wrap my gifts in designs that can cross many traditions.  For example, I have snowflake paper that is backed in light blue.  This to me simply says winter.  I also baked cut-out cookies in mittens and snowflakes, decorated simply in blue and white.

Also if you know a certain family has particular restrictions regarding their diet, be aware of any food gifts you may give.  I learned this when I had my gift basket business.  I received many requests for baskets where all the items must be Kosher. 

This time of year is about caring and understanding others.  Of course, we want to celebrate, attend parties, and give gifts.  All I ask of myself and others is to be considerate.  It's also a great lesson to teach the children.  So, how do you celebrate the holidays??? I would love to hear your family traditions.

Caramel Applesauce Cake

Well the last couple of post were all about my little guy's Toy Story Party.  We had a ball that day, but we had another celebration in our family.  As previously mentioned, my father-in-law shares a birthday with Brandon.  It was wonderful that my in-laws made the trip to help celebrate Brandon's birthday. 

We decided to celebrate my father-in-law's birthday the next night.  (I don't think he really wanted a Toy Story cake.)  My father-in-law really likes the spice, vanilla, caramel flavor profiles.  While he will eat chocolate cake if it is the only option, he's more of a spicy kind of guy.  So I made an applesauce cake with a caramel glaze from the Cake Mix Doctor Returns, by Anne Byrn.

This cake is so moist it can be made a few days in advance.  The caramel glaze just seeps into the cake and makes it more moist.  I recommend serving it with a bit a whipped cream to help cut the spicy flavors.  Linking to these parties.

recipe

1 package (18.25 oz) plain spice cake mix
2 c. sweetened chunky applesauce
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1/2 c. buttermilk (I used regular milk)
3 large eggs
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 c. chopped toasted walnuts or pecans, for garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients, and mix on medium for 2 minutes with an electric mixer.  Pour batter into a 9 x 13 pan sprayed with baking spray.  Bake for 40 to 45 minutes.  Check with a cake tester, when it comes out clean remove from the oven an allow to cool. 

caramel glaze

3 tbsp. butter
3 tbsp. light brown sugar
3 tbsp. granulated sugar
3 tbsp. heavy (whipping) cream
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Combine butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cream in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil and boil for one minute, stirring with a whisk.  Remove from heat, add vanilla.  Pour glaze over cooled cake. This glaze will not harden.  Also great topping for a bundt cake or ice cream.

If desired, top glazed cake with toasted nuts for garnish.

Snowman Kits

Last winter I got this great idea to make snowman kits.  A snowman kit, is simply the items needed to decorate a snowman, put together in a cute storage bag.  I thought it would make a fabulous gift idea for anyone who plays outdoors during the winter, and who has access to snow. 

I researched the kits online and was startled to find out they can cost upward of $30.00.  I knew with a little thought, creative shopping, and a bit of craftiness I could make this come to life at a much lower cost.  So here it is, my version of a snowman kit, that cost around $5.00 to make.

These kits are a wonderful gift idea for the holidays, a winter birthday, and a great teacher gift.  I know here in New York State, we have outdoor recess all year, and what a great thing to have the kids do together to promote teamwork.

The reason I am posting this now (in September) is most stores will start to put out the winter hats and scarves within a few weeks.  Stock up on the supplies now, and assemble the kits later on.

Linking to these parties.
Items you will need to assemble your kit:

cloth storage bag or tote
wooden or plastic carrot
hat (found at a dollar store)
scarf (found at a dollar store)
5 medium wooden discs, about 2 1/2 inch diameter
4 small wooden discs, about 1 3/4 inch diameter

Step one:  Decorate a cloth tote bag with a winter scene (let the kids help paint or draw), or sew a simple bag with festive fabric.  I made four storage bags, from one yard of snowflake material.

Step two:  Paint the wooden discs with a black craft paint.  The medium discs will be for the eyes and three buttons.  The small discs will be for the mouth.

Step three:  Print a cute hang tag onto card stock, listing the contents, and explaining the purpose of the kit.  Place all contents into bag.

Birthday Journals

I have had a secret for a long time.  It's nothing too juicy.  Ever since Adam turned one, I would write him a letter on his birthday.  In the letter I would tell him why I was proud of him. I would mention special moments or accomplishments.  I continued to do so for Brandon as well. 

My letters were simply on notebook paper, and put into an envelope.  I put the envelopes in their baby books.  I have never mentioned this to anyone, not even my mom (who I tell everything).  I figured someday when they are grown up, I would give them the letters.  Life is so rushed and sometimes little moments can be forgotten. I never want my children to forget how much I love them.  I want them to know that I took the time each year to write them a letter, because I am so honored to be their mom. I also want my boys to see their lives from my perspective as they were growing up.

So about a month ago, a friend of mine turned me onto a series of books.  One of things in the book that struck a chord with me was the anniversary journal.  The couple would write to each other every year on the their anniversary.  Through hard times and good times, they had those thoughts and feelings documented.  It was reflective for the couple to be able to read the journal through the years.  It helped them to remember the little things that made their relationship. 

I decided to make my letters a little prettier, and more organized.  I bought two journals, one for each boy.  I will put the previous letters in the journal, and will continue to use the journal for the future.  One day I will give the "birthday journals" to my boys.  I hope it will be reflective for them too.  Perhaps it will be a tradition to pass along, as it was in the novel.

Celebrate Your Child's Art

We are back from vacation, and I'm just a little bit tired.  I have a new respect for my parents.  When we were little and wanted to keep going at amusement parks, my parents never let on how tiring it is.  They made it look so easy.  We are planning a Disney trip, but I think I need a few more years to prepare for it!

I had planned on posting this last week, but had some technical difficulties at the hotel with our WiFi connection.  Oh well, so here it is today.

When my oldest son brought home his Kindergarten art portfolio, I was impressed.  He seems to have some abilities when it comes to painting.  Now I will admit, I am probably biased.  However, most of the painting was really good.  One piece that Jay and I really loved was his still life of flowers in a vase.  This is the same piece that made it into the art show for the school district. 

I decided to frame this painting.  I was looking for a new art piece for our family room.  I painted the room several months ago, to a very neutral grayish white.  The walls definitely needed a pop of color.  Then I found myself staring at Adam's painting and it hit me.  I will celebrate him and his talents by framing it and hanging it proudly in our home.

I found an inexpensive frame and with a slight trim, voila!  I hung it up, and just watching the smile spread across Adam's face was priceless.  He kept asking me that whole night, if I want him to paint any other paintings for the house.  He was proud and so was I.

So the little tip for today, is find a piece of art your child is proud of and display it.  It can be a painting, drawing, or a craft.  Use a frame or shadow box to show off your child's creativity.  You can also change it out.  Use a standard paper size like 8" x 10", then when your child has made a new masterpiece just switch it out. 

Displaying their art will give them confidence and encourage more creativity.  Not to mention it is a conversation starter when guests come to visit!

Adam at the art show