Yo-Yo Garland

For my little babe's birthday last summer, I enjoyed creating some fabric garland.  It was neat to create something unique for her with my own hands.  I hope to use it in the future too.  So, when it came time to think about a unique decoration for my big girl's party I scoured the internet for ideas.  I wanted to do garland again because it is fairly simple to create and it takes no room to store.

I ended up sewing yo-yos and then attaching them together to make garland.

I used this simple tutorial from none other than Better Homes and Gardens.  Here is another great tutorial.  Fabric yo-yos were very popular in the 1920s - 40s because they required such little fabric.  Old clothes and fabric scraps could be used to create lovely yo-yos that were then, most commonly, sewn into quilts.

Now let me be the first to say, I am not great with a needle and thread.  I get easily frustrated with complicated sewing projects.  Yo-yos are the easiest thing and the results are quite stunning.

At the party, I ended up just using them as sort of a table runner because there wasn't the best place to drape/hang them.

At home, I hung them in our kitchen windows for the week.

They were quite cheerful, especially on this cold winter week!

Candy, balloons and hammering nails...

these are a few of my big girl's favorite things.

Favorite things was the theme of my girl's birthday party this year.  Ever since she was 2 we have been taking her to Home Depot's Saturday morning workshop's for kids.  They are completely free and so much fun.  Fun with a purpose is right up my ally and I especially love that my girl gets to work with tools and building things.  

I don't know about you but planning a birthday in the middle of winter can be challenging.  I have always wanted to have a cozy party at home but I think that might be hard at this age, especially if we can't be outside.  

As we began to think about party places and ideas, my husband mentioned that he saw someone having a party at Home Depot.  At first, I thought that wouldn't be any fun for a girl but after giving it some thought we decided it would be great for a group of preschoolers.  Who doesn't love hammering and creating?

Home Depot only allows one party a month so if you are thinking about it, be sure to call early.

My girl loved it!  She enjoyed getting to build with her friends.  Each kid got an orange apron to wear and build a shelf to take home.

We incorporated a little candy bar for the kids as party gifts.  Right now, all my big girl talks about is candy.  I guess it is from all the holidays we celebrated last fall (Halloween, Christmas, birthdays, etc.).

I purchased these fun scoops because I thought the kids would enjoy scooping candy into their little bags.  The 5 oz scoop worked well in the large cracker jars from Anchor Hocking.

The balloons are the cheapest and easiest way to add color and decor to a party!  They were a mess to untangle though.  The wind was whipping when we brought them in so they tangled very easily.  Many-a-child had to wait for their balloon as we untangled them.  

Overall, it was a fun way to spend a cold, wet afternoon celebrating a sweet girl's birthday!

Angels

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After my children were tucked for the evening, in I was summoned by my big girl.  When I arrived in her room and asked her what she needed she said this:

"Momma, I want to go check on my little sister."
I then asked, "Are you worried about her because she was sick today?"
She responded: "No."  " I want to go see her because she thinks there are monsters in her room."

I then I reassured, "But we don't have any monsters in our house, right?"
She promptly said, "Yes, we only have angels.  They fly around our room and watch us while we sleep."

I sat stunned by her sweet words that were so eloquently stated.  These are the moments I just don't ever want to forget.

Another year...

Another year has passed even quicker than before and we're celebrating another glorious year of our big girl's life.  They just keep getting better as our love grows deeper than we could have ever imagined.  Happy Birthday sweet girl!

I have been inspired by my fellow bloggers to do a little interview on her birthday as well as randomly throughout the year.  It will be neat to see how her answers change.

What is your favorite food?
Cheerios and "Ach-O-mok" (oatmeal)

What is your favorite book?
Builder Bears
Do you mean Bernstein Bears?
yes


What do you like to do outside?
plant tomatoes


What do you like to do inside?
play with toys and with my sister...and take stuff from my sister 


What is your favorite toy?
princesses


What is your favorite color?
purple and pink


Where do you like to eat out?
Chick Fil A and Burger Fries


What is your favorite drink?
Agua con gas and apple juice


What is your favorite dessert?
cake


What do you want to be when you grow up?
a princess, no, I'll be a mommy


What time do you go to bed?
six o'clock


What time do you wake up?
six o'clock


Where do you like to go in the car?
the grocery store because they give me stickers and balloons...
I like stickers, presents and balloons -- presents from Santa and the reindeer

A new favorite

I am a huge fan of children's books that teach a life-lesson, moral or any other hard-to-teach value/manner.  My mother used to read me this German book:

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It is from 1845, yes, that's right....1845!  

It is full of little tales about the consequences of bad behavior, habits and manners.  The lessons can seem a bit harsh but it was a great teaching tool and kept me out of trouble!

Some of the illustrations are quite brutal.  I especially remember this one:

It is the tale about the kid who sucked his thumb and then had it cut off because he wouldn't quit the bad habit.  I was a thumb-sucker and this little tale scared me!

As my girl gets a little older, I expect more of her.  We have found a new book that we are both excited to read each night that goes over manners and being polite. 

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Unlike the harsh German book from my youth, it teaches polite manners in a sweet and pleasant way.

It goes over everything from greetings, table manners, manners at school, with friends, etc.  The illustrations are darling like all the wonderful books by John Bemelmans.   It is a fabulous teaching tool and my daughter seems excited to learn more each night.  I have even found her practicing some of her newly acquired manners in public. {happy, happy, happy}

Warm and Cozy: Baked Apples

I love apples.  They are definitely my favorite fruit.  I especially like the tart taste of a Granny Smith and other baking apples.  I found an easy recipe for baked apples and thought I'd give them a try for a healthy desert.

I modified the recipe a bit based on what we had in our pantry.  This was also a great simple recipe to do with children.

We used:
Granny Smith apples
lemon
raisins
granola
brown sugar
Smart Balance butter spread (I used this in place of butter)

We melted the butter and added it to the raisins, granola and brown sugar in a bowl.

We then cut the tops off the apples and cut the core out.  We then squeezed the juice of one lemon and rubbed on the tops of all the cut apples (this prevents browning).

Next, we placed the apples in a muffin tin and filled them with the granola mixture.

Once they were all filled to the brim with the granola mixture, we placed them in a 425 degree oven for about 10 minutes or until they were soft and brown.

While waiting, my kids licked the bowl clean.

When the apples were done, we let them cool in the muffin tins for about 10 minutes before serving.

My kids ate them like they were candy.

I am happy to find a new healthy desert alternative!

Baking notes:  Next time I would probably add a bit of cinnamon and cloves to the mixture.  I think cinnamon goes so well with apples and would improve the taste.

Eat Cake

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I just love the old British war campaign, "Keep Calm and Carry On."  

Many folks have updated this saying in different ways like this shop.

We have celebrated 3 birthdays in our family in the past 2 weeks and we still have one more to go next week.  January is a busy month around here.  Planning and preparing for birthday celebrations is wonderful fun but sometimes I need to rely on the saying above when things begin spinning.

As you can see, I am abiding by my new mantra for the month.

There is always next month to work on the waistline.