Beginning embroidery

Sydney is always interested in trying different crafts. I have been meaning to let her experiment with some hand embroidery for some time now. Last week I let her pick out some fabric and thread from my stash. She picked out some Anna Maria Horner fabric (she is a girl after my own heart) and some pink thread (of course). She decided to add some stitches around the different designs on the fabric. We talked about all different things we could do with her embroidery once she was finished: a shirt, skirt, purse, etc. In the end she decided she wanted to use it as a hankie so that she could start using it immediately.

Baking Bread

I recently discovered a great recipe via The Sky is Pink. I knew right away that a one hour bread recipe was something I wanted to try. We have been making it frequently for the past few weeks. We have made the regular loaf, cinnamon rolls, and cinnamon bread. My favorite so far is the cinnamon bread: toasted with butter for the perfect breakfast...or snack. These two loaves above are for friends.

This is a great recipe to make with kids. Sydney loves making it. The bread has a thick homemade bread texture and a rich taste. I think it is perfect to serve with soups and pastas because it is a great tool to soak up all that extra sauce and juice.

Now that I have made the recipe a few times I am ready to start adjusting and experimenting with the bread. I am going to try using wheat flour as well as adding in some flax seed. I also would love to try pizza. I'm thinking fresh basil and tomatoes would be yummy. Finally, I think I would like to try some sort of nut bread too. I'll let you know how it goes and share our experiments with you.

Beautiful Pottery

I have had my eye out for a nice cake stand for awhile so when I spotted this one that Oh Joy shared I fell in love. Although these are a bit out of my price range, I love them! I may have to save and splurge on a little one in the future. All Jeanette Zeis creations are amazing so go take a look.

Black and White Throw

Here is a black and off-white crocheted blanket for a friend. It is a large granny square crocheted in a soft yarn. These are so quick to make and I always love how they turn out. I have a few more crafts and crocheted projects in the works so I'll share more soon.

First Swimming Experience

Violet and Sydney are different in many ways. Swimming is definitely one of them. Sydney's first experience with a swimming pool did not last long. She started screaming the instant her toe hit the water. Even though she's almost 5 and has had swim lessons she still demands a floaty. Violet is the complete opposite. She was trying to crawl into the pool and laying on her belly splashing away at the edge. As you can guess once we put her suit on she was a happy water baby. I am looking forward to much more swimming with the girls this summer.

Mother's Day Craft

Sydney and Violet made these little pendant necklaces for their Grammy and Oma for Mother's Day. Well, mostly Sydney and Mommy made them. I saw the idea over on The Crafty Crow and thought it would be a great project for Sydney. We just added little Violet's fingerprint too. Now both grandmas have a pendant with the girls' fingerprints. I will say it turned out a bit too big to wear though so these necklaces may become Christmas ornaments.

Happy 29th Shane!

The man I love turns 29 today. I struggled with what to get for him. He means so much to me and another Blu Ray or book just seemed sort of....not enough. In the end, Sydney picked out a record for him (his newest hobbie) and along with a couple small gifts we each made him something. Sydney used some clay that bakes in the oven and made him a pencil holder for his desk. I decided to make him this crocheted yoda to sit and guard the pencil cup. The pattern was a little confusing to me so I sort of changed some things as I went, but that may be because this was my first attempt at any sort of animal or doll. I am happy with the way it turned out and I look forward to trying other creatures in the future.


Shane, I love the way you love me and the girls. You are such a wonderful man of God, an amazing artist, and of course, an amazing father. May your birthday be filled with lots of laughter and fun, and may the Dodgers win today for you! ;)