all about o

Santa Picture 2011

2011-12-25T21:14:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!

Finger Painting

2011-12-23T14:10:00.001-08:00

Trying my first post using the blogger app & picframe app. I seem to be too busy for a traditional post these days. I'm sure this picture explains it all.

Raindrops on roses...

2011-12-12T15:09:00.000-08:00

Last night Ozzie and I watched The Sound of Music which is one of my favorite movies, especially at Christmas. Of course, Ozzie loved the song, My Favorite Things, who wouldn't?

Any way, it got me thinking. Just in case my husband, my parents, my grandparents or a really generous friend wants to complete my favorite things wishlist this Christmas.

De Buyer Mandoline Slicer
Breville Panini Press
Le Creuset Deep Saute Pan (or the large oval french oven, really any Le Creuset cooking pan will do!)
Breville Countertop Convection Oven

When did my wishlist go from clothes, boys and make up to kitchen items?

Jack O'Lanterns

2011-12-02T20:54:00.001-08:00

From the patch to the carving table.

Ozzie Versus the Pumpkin

2011-12-02T20:47:00.001-08:00

I loved this series of pictures I took of Ozzie finding "his" pumpkin and carrying it all the way to the wheelbarrow.

Ozzie is victorious!

Pumpkin Patch

2011-12-02T20:29:00.001-08:00

I am really having a hard time keeping up with the blog and my little people but better late than never. Here are some fun pictures from our adventure at the pumpkin patch.

p.s. 4th year in a row that we went to the patch on a beautiful, rain-free, Autumn day in Seattle. I'm just saying...

Baby's First Halloween

2011-11-04T19:45:00.000-07:00

We saved Ozzie's pumpkin onesie knowing that if we had another child we would keep up this tradition. So glad we did. Ozzie was just three months old and Olivia is 9 months old. I'm sure you can tell by how the onesie fits.

I could stare at this picture all day. The loves of my life!

Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T22:41:00.000-07:00

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays for many different reasons. It kicks off the Holiday Season for me, seeing all of the kids in their adorable outfits, pumpkins (I kind of have a weird obsession with pumpkins- pumpkin pie, carving pumpkins, mini pumpkins, pumpkin bread, pumpkin planters, I really could go on) and decorating the house- especially with pumpkins!

This year marks Olivia's first Halloween. We chose a lady bug because it was red, I think red and purple are her colors, and because it was warm. Ozzie chose his Buzz Light-year costume from last year.

Last year, he wanted nothing to do with trick or treating so it was fun that he wanted to give it a try this year. We ultimately called it an early night because Ozzie really wanted to go back home and hand out candy like last year.

As usual, Ozzie was in rare form. He was the funniest trick or treater. Instead of saying, "Trick or treat" he chose to comment on every neighbor's house. Our personal favorite is when he told a girl that her jeans were ripped and he had a pair of ripped jeans at home. He also "thanked" each neighbor by shooting them with his pretend laser on his Buzz costume.

Nothing beats his comments while handing out candy to the kids at home. One little girl happened to ring our doorbell twice. Of course I knew it but ignored it, she was young and probably a little overwhelmed. Ozzie didn't have my social grace:
Ozzie, "Hey you've already been here? Mom why did she come back again?"
Her Dad, "Oh yeah honey I think you've already been to this house."
Me (as quickly as possible to make up for Ozzie's comment), "That's okay, we have plenty of candy."
She says nothing and starts backing up happy that she's gotten away with more candy from the same house.
Ozzie yelling at her as she is walking away, "You don't need anymore candy!"

Ummmm... sorry?! I wish I would've had it on tape, he wasn't mad just telling her how it was. So funny! Hope your day was just as fun.

Here are some of my favorite pictures. Happy Halloween!

Beautiful Babes

Sibling Love

Not sure why Ozzie is eating Olivia's ear.

Miss Olivia

My Ozzie

Livs (Ozzie's nickname for her) thinks big bro is the funniest!

Don't get caught taking more than 1!

Like Father like Son!

Summer Memories

2011-10-21T20:14:00.000-07:00

I spent the summer enjoying my family and did not blog much. Now that it is cold and rainy, I am finding more time in front of my lap top after the kiddos go to sleep. Here are a few of my favorite pictures from this summer.

Ozzie learning to ride his new bike.

Running through the sprinkler.

Jealous she can't run through the sprinkler too.

Miss Olivia learning to sit up on her own.

Enjoying our vacation in Lake Chelan.

Ruffles

2011-10-21T19:55:00.000-07:00

I am pretty sure ruffled panties were one of the main reasons I prayed for a little girl.

Or thunder thighs!

Menu of the Week

2011-10-17T21:54:00.000-07:00

Tenderloin Carnita Tacos

Sausage and Kale Soup

Honey Chipotle Chicken with Sweet Potatoes and Black Beans

Curried Chicken and Potatoes

Turkey Chipotle Chili

Image credits HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE

Autumn List

2011-10-17T21:44:00.000-07:00

I saw this on Pinterest and loved it. What a great reminder of all the reasons to enjoy Autumn and your family!

p.s. Yes I know it says Fall Bucket List and I wrote Autumn. Here's what- it's Autumn people. Since it is my favorite season of the year, I am trying to use the correct name and am hoping it will catch on.

p.p.s. How much fun is Pinterest?! My new favorite time suck.

Big Brother

2011-10-12T21:43:00.000-07:00

Nothing warms my heart more than when Ozzie loves his little sister. This day he decided to help Mommy feed Libs (his nickname for her- he switched the v for a b) lunch.

And a video...

I think she's done.

2011-10-12T21:27:00.000-07:00

I am a little late but here is Ozzie standing outside of his preschool on the first day. We attend a cooperative preschool and love love love our teacher, who has been teaching preschool since 1979 (almost all of those years at the same school). Her wealth of knowledge about preschool aged children is truly remarkable. We are BOTH learning so much!

One Man Band

2011-09-29T14:05:00.000-07:00

My music man!

My New Favorite Quote

2011-09-19T21:30:00.000-07:00

Source: tumblr.com via Debbie on Pinterest

I've loved him since Lloyd Dobler.

Who Are You?

2011-09-02T21:22:00.000-07:00

Have you seen the new blogger lay out? I haven't logged into my blog for a while now and was happily surprised to find the audience feature.

I am flattered that someone other than my Dad actually reads my blog. My only question is, who are you? I'd love for you to leave me a comment sometime.

Right in the Numbers

2011-08-23T06:00:00.000-07:00

Love that he said, "Right on the numbers!" after hitting the ball. So it's the wrong sport. He is still cute!

Sharing is Caring

2011-08-22T21:53:00.000-07:00

Who says three year old boys don't have patience? So proud of our big boy staying calm while little sister attacks him and his toy!

Afternoon Snack

2011-08-22T21:47:00.000-07:00

The kids just woke up from their naps and Olivia is having an afternoon snack in Ozzie's chair. I love the look on Ozzie's face. Is he grossed out or does he think she's funny? Or is he still half asleep?

Must Be A Really Tasty Blanket

2011-08-16T21:52:00.000-07:00

Raising My Son Among Princesses

2011-08-16T21:40:00.000-07:00

I really enjoyed reading this article on Babble. I never thought about the effect of princess movies on my son but this mom makes some great points. Off to teach my children their first lesson on inner beauty and self worth!

Raising My Son Among Princesses

My Daily Entertainment

2011-08-15T21:04:00.000-07:00

This video is older, Olivia is rolling around now, but I figure better late than never since this blog is supposed to be about them.

As you can see from the marker on his face and the couch cushions all over the floor, Ozzie had some energy to burn that day. Here he is entertaining us with a song and dance.

Sharing and Empathy with Toddlers: Why I don’t tell my kid to share

2011-08-14T06:00:00.000-07:00

When Ozzie and I started a cooperative preschool last year, his preschool teacher said something to me at "Meet the Teacher Day" that almost knocked me off my feet. She said that she does not teach toddlers how to share. WHOA! Come again? Doesn't that go against every childhood lesson you have EVER learned? In fact, sharing and other social skills were the whole reason I started Ozzie in preschool at two years old. Being a summer baby and a boy, I figured he needed the head start.

After I picked my jaw up off of the floor, I asked her to explain. She did and it makes a lot of sense to me. She has been teaching preschool since 1979 so I'm guessing her practices work. The article below explains it far better than I can. It is a good read, I hope you enjoy it.

Sharing and Empathy with Toddlers: Why I don’t tell my kid to share

Olivia's Baby Legs

2011-08-13T21:37:00.000-07:00

Remember the baby legs I made for Olivia? So easy! For the tutorials click HERE or HERE.

She is finally old enough to wear them! Here she is modeling a pair for me. Probably too many pictures but I can't help myself!

Foods With Highest Nutritional Value

2011-08-10T06:00:00.000-07:00

I thought this list of foods with the highest nutritional value from Eat Right America and Whole Foods was a simple and organized way to showcase these super foods. Perfect for hanging on the fridge or memory board as quick reminder when meal planning.

Click HERE and HERE for the list and more information.

New iPhone App from FBI

2011-08-09T19:32:00.000-07:00

The FBI has released, Child ID, a free iPhone app that can be used if your child goes missing. "The app provides a convenient place to electronically store photos and vital information about your children so that it's literally right at hand if you need it," according to an FBI press release. Let's hope we never have to use this app, but if we do there is some comfort in being prepared.

Click HERE to read the FBI press release.

Menu of the Week

2011-08-09T19:17:00.000-07:00

Quinoa Salad with Roasted Jalapenos

Lentil Soft Tacos

BBQ Pulled Chicken with Mexican Coleslaw

Beijing Beauty Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Garlic Scallion Noodles

Roasted Chicken with Potato Fries and Corn on the Cob

*photos courtesy Meal Planning 101 and Steamy Kitchen

Ozzie's Birthday

2011-08-07T19:38:00.000-07:00

Ozzie celebrated his 3rd birthday at the end of July. Every parent says this but time really does fly. Ozzie is such a fun loving little boy. We are so lucky to be his parents.

On his birthday I had my own set wishes for him. I wished that he would always be curious, keep his sense of humor and amazing comic timing (for a 3 year old it is truly amazing), grow his love for music, outgrow his clumsiness (sadly he's a little accident prone) and know how much we utterly and unconditionally love him!

Here is quick video of Olivia and I waking him up on his birthday. Yes he is still in his crib. He loves it and doesn't want a bed yet. I am happy to keep him in it since he hasn't figured out how to climb out of it!

Happy Birthday to the best 3 year old boy on the planet!

Words To Live By

2011-07-21T15:30:00.000-07:00

I saw this on Pinterest and just love it so much. I know it sounds morbid but this thought is what I'd like to leave behind with my children when I head for the pearly gates.

Source: imgfave.com via Debbie on Pinterest

Nothing Beats A Good Book

2011-06-24T21:30:00.000-07:00

on a rainy day in Seattle.

Local Fair

2011-06-24T21:21:00.000-07:00

Our town had the local fair in early June. It was the first year we attended since buying our house. Crazy but before kids we really did not have a reason to attend. Now that Ozzie is almost three, he clearly enjoyed himself!

Ozzie called this the HUMONGOUS slide!

Terrified!

Safe to say he was glad that was over and did not want to go again.

Flying the airplane to Paris just like the stork in one of his favorite books.

On the train

Giving his ticket to the conductor

The bumper cars were his favorite.

Olivia and I ate elephant ears and watched from the sidelines.

Summer Is Here...

2011-06-24T20:57:00.000-07:00

... okay summer is here in Seattle some days. When the sun does come out, Ozzie's ready!

Dragging his slow down sign on to the street.

Wait, playing with the flag is fun!

And chasing the neighborhood girls is even more fun!

Olivia and I enjoyed watching from the front porch.

Oscar's Fathers Day Card from Olivia

2011-06-19T21:28:00.000-07:00

I loved our Father's Day cards this year! I received a coupon for free cards from Shutterfly (excluding shipping)and made both Oscar and my Dad personalized cards for less than two Hallmark cards. I just love how they turned out!

Alphabet Blocks Father's Day 5x7 folded card

Send custom cards from Shutterfly for St. Patrick's Day.

View the entire collection of cards.

Oscar's Father Day card from Ozzie

2011-06-19T21:06:00.000-07:00

Happy Day Navy Father's Day 5x7 folded card

Create cute birthday cards, valentines and more at Shutterfly.com.

View the entire collection of cards.

Oscar's Fathers Day Card From Me

2011-06-19T21:00:00.000-07:00

Sweet Script Wishes Father's Day 5x7 folded card

Send Shutterfly Valentine's Day cards to those closest to you.

View the entire collection of cards.

Pepa's Fathers Day Card From Grandkids

2011-06-19T20:36:00.000-07:00

Dad Collage Navy Father's Day 5x7 folded card

Shutterfly custom cards for Valentines Day, Easter & Mother's Day.

View the entire collection of cards.

Olivia's Easter

2011-05-23T20:40:00.000-07:00

Olivia, obviously too young for the Easter egg hunt, got to smile pretty in her cute outfit for her first Easter.

Ozzie's Easter

2011-05-19T20:58:00.000-07:00

Have I told you we have a newborn? Right. So said newborn has single handedly stopped us from partaking in all celebrations and holidays by sheer lack of sleep. Easter was no exception to this.

Here's the catch, the newborn makes you so tired you want to throw in the towel, BUT your two year old is so adorable your level of guilt for not making the effort skyrockets. Enter the grandparents. Thankfully my parents saved the day with a local Easter egg hunt. Perfect for sleep deprived, guilt ridden parents. We show up, Nanay & Pepa take over, and all we have to do is take pictures for evidence in 18 years that baby sister really didn't screw up big brothers life.

So it was a simple Easter without me hosting lunch or dinner for the family, which, for those of you that know me, almost hurts me more than my son's puppy dog eyes. We did sneak in a trip to the park with Ozzie for some Mommy & Daddy time while Olivia napped at my parents. I guess the important thing is Ozzie had fun and I have the pictures to prove it!

The Easter Egg hunt begins.

My three favorite guys!

Pepa helping Ozzie find eggs.

YES!

Refusing to pose with the Easter Bunny after the hunt.

Love, love, love him!

I love that he is chilling on the chair while holding Oscar's hands.

Pure joy!

Braving the big boy swing

Help from Dad

Monkey bars

Hope your Easter was filled with family and fun too!

Menu of the Week

2011-05-13T21:01:00.000-07:00

I am loving all of the recent recipes posted on Meal Planning 101. All of my recipes are from her blog this week. Enjoy!

Coconut & Beef Curry with Noodles- a real treat for the hubs since we almost never eat beef.
Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala & Naan
Creamy Chicken & Black Bean Enchiladas
Pecan Crusted Tilapia & Garlic Scallion Noodles
More Roasted Asparagus- gotta do it while they are in season!

I've been on a curry kick since eating Whole Foods curry red potatoes for lunch the other week. Does anyone have the recipe for that to share? Yum!

photos courtesy Meal Planning 101

Mother's Day

2011-05-13T20:49:00.000-07:00

This year our Mother's Day was very low key. A newborn will do that for you. Oscar made me a yummy breakfast with my new Belgian waffle maker (aka my gift) & the kids colored my cards. All ready for me when I woke up.

The highlight of my day was my profile picture on Facebook. Oscar hijacked my profile and added this awesome picture of my loves. Super fun surprise when I logged on- the hubs, he thinks of everything.

Okay the real highlight of my day was sleeping in until 10 o'clock (a newborn will also do this to you!) ... er... did I say that outloud? Shhh... don't tell my husband. For all intents and purposes the highlight of my day was the photo.

Menu of the Week

2011-05-05T16:01:00.000-07:00

Cheesy Baked Tortellini (except I'll use ravioli)
BBQ Ranch Chicken Tostadas with Corn Avocado Salsa
Best Lasagna
Balsamic Carmalized Onion & Potato Fritata
Roasted Chicken
Slow Cooker Thai Curry (minus the shrimp)
Roasted Asparagus

photos courtesy meal planning 101 & FoodNetwork

Forced to Pose with Little Sister...

2011-04-12T19:45:00.000-07:00

... not sure why she is only wearing a hat and a diaper!

Menu of the Week

2011-04-10T08:00:00.000-07:00

Cashew Chicken with White Rice & Edamame
BBQ Ranch Chicken Tostadas with Avocado-Corn Salsa
Turkey Burger with Basil Aoili
Pasta ai Quattro Formaggi
Tortilla Soup
Goldfish Crusted Chicken Nuggets
Cheater Italian Wedding Soup

photos courtesy Cooking With My Kid, A Year of Slow Cooking, Pioneer Woman, Meal Planning 101

Eight Weeks Old

2011-04-09T21:10:00.000-07:00

I snapped a couple of pictures of Olivia at her doctor's appointment. Her first week of real smiles!

That's Daddy's smile!

Such a pretty girl!

Olivia Grace

2011-04-09T21:05:00.000-07:00

Olivia Grace was born on February 1 at 8:12am. She was a whopping 9 pounds, 8 ounces and 21 inches long. This is the exact weight and height as her big brother Ozzie, kind of a fun coincidence. Life has been very busy since her arrival, which is why I this is my first blog post since January. We are over the moon in love with our little girl.

At the hospital right before she is born

Oscar ready for the c-section

Here she is!

Big brother Ozzie welcoming sissy.

My new favorite picture in the world!

One tired Mommy

Daddy's little girl

Nanay (my Mom) & Olivia

Pepa (my Dad) & Olivia. Ozzie showing her his new car.

Grandma (Oscar's Mom) & Olivia

Make It Wish List

2011-01-30T20:54:00.000-08:00

In my current state of nesting and organizing everything around me, I have decided to use my blog as a reminder of all of the wonderful things I want to make as seen on the internet.

So you will notice the new list on the right column of my blog titled, Make It Wish List. I know it is already quite a long list and I am expecting baby number two any day now but you can't blame me for wishing!

My goal is to make something, post it on my blog, delete it from my wish list and, of course, replace it with something new! Call me crazy but this is what I call fun (said the crazy housewife). I may just throw caution to the wind and make a recipe wish list too. Woot!

Menu of the Week

2011-01-28T21:12:00.000-08:00

Next week's menu of the week is all about preparing for our baby girl's arrival. I really want to have several meals cooked, frozen and ready to reheat during those first few crucial weeks. Like last week, it seems I have been monopolized by one or two food blogs for this week's menu. Here is what I came up with.

Dinners:
Cheater Italian Wedding Soup
Crock Pot Braised Short Ribs
Goldfish Crusted Chicken Nuggets
Creamy Chicken Enchiladas
Ham Bone Soup- the Honey Baked Ham recipe from their bean mix.

Breakfast: typically I don't meal plan for breakfast but with Oscar home on paternity leave, I thought I'd try a few new ones.
Banana Oatmeal Bake- old wives tales say that oatmeal helps breast milk come in and this sounded super yummy.
Jocelyn's Chicken Sausage and Potatoes- my dear friend Jocelyn made this for the bambina's baby shower. Our CSA box included fingerling potatoes this week so I have to make these for Oscar. Recipe coming soon.

And, because I know myself all too well, desserts ready to pick me up from all those sleepless nights:
Crazy Good Chocolate Chip Bite Sizers
Triple Chocolate Banana Bread Muffins
Whole Wheat Banana Bread

I have already frozen a few dishes or left overs from previous weeks.
Slow Cooker Butter Chicken- from last week's menu. This was delicious and made plenty of left overs to freeze for later.
Red Beans and Rice
Turkey Spaghetti

photo credits HERE, HERE & HERE

Menu of the Week

2011-01-25T06:00:00.000-08:00

After attending a meeting with my mom/playgroup where everyone discussed their meal planning strategies, I decided to add my weekly meal plan to my blog. So many of my favorite food bloggers do it I thought I should throw my hat in the ring. It just took me several months to get my first post up!

Meal planning is a great way to take the stress out of the age old question, "What's for dinner?". Now I know what I am going to cook every night and can prepare dinner while Ozzie naps. When I am super organized, I cook a lot of the meals on Sunday & freeze them until they are ready to be eaten. It also has saved us money because we are no longer wasting food. I buy exactly what I need and at the end of the week, the refrigerator is close to empty. I love that the most because I am not spending my entire Sunday throwing away old food that got lost in the refrigerator. It even saves me time in the grocery store because I have my handy dandy little list, which of course is organized by store aisle, and am no longer wondering the store aimlessly trying to figure out what to buy.

Another convenience that I love is our CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) box (the picture above is from one of our boxes- yummy local organic fruits and vegetables) that is delivered every Tuesday. If I am diligent about meal planning, I can adjust our fruits & vegetables accordingly prior to delivery. Another savings of time, money and food!

So one goal for my blog this year is to share my Menu of the Week. Of course I choose the week before my second child is born to take on this new task but fingers crossed I'll keep up most of the time. Oh and I am not organized enough to add side dishes every week. We usually eat a lot of salads but if I make a fancy vegetable side, I will try to include it.

With that said... drum roll please. Here is this week's Menu of the Week:

Slow Cooker Butter Chicken
Creamy Turkey Taquitos
Roasted Chicken with Baby Red Potatoes
Grown Up Mac and Cheese
Turkey Burger with Basil Aioli
Baked Chicken in Tomato Sauce with Olives

Can you tell I'm loving the blog Meal Planning 101? Happy Cooking!

Creamy Turkey Taquitos

2011-01-24T21:30:00.000-08:00

Trying some Super Bowl recipes that are all over the blogs right now. Our little girl should arrive before the Super Bowl so I thought it would be fun to try out some recipes for us to eat on the big day since neither of us will be making any big game parties with a newborn.

Tonight I made these taquitos from Meal Planning 101 except I substituted the ground beef in her recipe with ground turkey. We are not huge beef eaters any more. They were delicious. If you are ever craving the famous crispy beef burrito from Taco Time and want a homemade, lower fat version, give these a try. They scream pot luck or Super Bowl party and will be an instant hit- guaranteed!

Click HERE for the recipe.

photo courtesy of Meal Planning 101

38 Weeks Pregnant

2011-01-23T08:00:00.000-08:00

I was starting to feel guilty about the lack of pictures I have of myself during this pregnancy. It is so cliche but true when they say everything is documented with your first and every child thereafter gets cheated. So I forced Oscar to take a bunch of pictures of me before we ran some errands.

As you can see I am ready to burst! We breed big babies. Ozzie was 9.5 lbs at birth and my doctor thinks this little girl will be right up there. Luckily I have only gained 22 lbs myself. So I am hoping this baby weight comes off easily, like half of it with her after day one, because my thighs are gigantic!

Ozzie decided that he wanted to get in on a few shots too. I will always welcome him actually posing and smiling for the camera!

And this marks when he got bored and left, ending our little photo shoot.

Sewing 101: Learn to Spell Your Name Bean Bags

2011-01-22T21:08:00.000-08:00

In my ongoing effort to teach myself how to sew, I decided to try Lil Blue Boo's bean bag tutorial. A friend's twin daughters turned three and I figured this would be a fun addition to their gift while helping me learn how to sew straight lines. Have I told you that I still can't sew a straight line? Another friend's daughter is close to the same age so I went ahead and made her one too. Along with my little guy. Practice makes perfect, right?

I did make one modification. Since I have no business using the fabric paint she used (I know my limits), I used my handy dandy cricut to cut the letters out on paper. Then I traced the letters onto felt that I treated with fabric stiff. I highly recommend fabric stiff for any of your fabric crafts. It helped with sewing the letters onto the bean bags as well.

That is A LOT of practice!

I thought this was funny because I was snapping picture after picture and didn't realize my pregnant belly was in the shot until after I uploaded the pictures onto my computer. Whoops!

Ozzie loves his bean bags and is constantly throwing them around and I gotta say it has worked. He only knew "O" for Ozzie but now he has "Z" down too! Not too bad for a little boy who refuses to learn his numbers and letters. Yay for learning how to sew!

Recipe Blogs

2011-01-19T21:44:00.000-08:00

I found two new to me recipe blogs that I already love.

Cooking With My Kid- love that she cooks with her son. Ozzie is always my little sous chef and I can't wait for him to do more and more as he gets older.

Good Life Eats- not only are her recipes great, those pictures...yummm....

Next week's meal planning will be easier thanks to these two talented ladies.

*photo courtesy Good Life Eats

Resolutions

2011-01-18T22:12:00.000-08:00

Here are mine for 2011 and every year there after!

Now I just need to figure out how to take this (made using Picnik) and make it into real art to hang in my home a la Lil Blue Boo.

Family Pictures

2011-01-09T20:55:00.000-08:00

Now that our Christmas cards are safely sent out, I can finally share our family pictures from October. An old friend from elementary school recently started a photography business and I was rather impressed with her work so we hired her to take a few pictures of Ozzie after his 2nd birthday; Mom and Dad jumped in on a couple of pictures too. We think she did a fantastic job!

If you are local to the Seattle area and looking for a photographer, check out her website MUM Photography or Facebook page. Her photos are beautiful and she is super fun to work with!

Sewing 101: A Tutu

2011-01-07T15:12:00.000-08:00

When deciding how to decorate the nursery for our daughter, I knew the entire room would be focused around a hand embroidered picture that my mom made for my room many years ago. It is the quintessential picture for a little girls room and I was so glad that she saved it all these years for my baby. I will post it here once it is returned from the frame shop.

In order to stay within that theme, I turned to the internet for other ideas and stumbled on the website Posh Tots. When I saw this dress form and tutu I knew it would be the perfect addition and worked well with the picture.

The problem is it costs $450, which is truly ridiculous for a dress form adorned with a tutu. So the seamstress in me took on the challenge.

I found a dress form on good old Ebay for $50 and spent another $40 or so on the materials for the tutu and flower. Here is my version.

Pretty good for around $100, eh? I am an amateur seamstress. Okay truly I am still learning how to sew a straight line so this took everything out of me. Blood, sweat and tears folks but I love how it turned out and that makes it all worth it.

I used the Lulu Grace tutu pattern. Here are the materials you will need to make this tutu:

- Lulu Grace pattern

- 7 to 9 yards of tulle in your choice of color (I used 7 yards because my dress form is a size 3T/4T so 7 yards made a very full tutu).

- 24 yards of matching ribbon (more if you use more than 7 yards of tulle)

- 1 yard of 3/4" to 1" elastic

-Matching thread

- Fray Check

Instructions:

1. Cut the tulle in half width wise along the length of the fabric so you end up with two long strips of tulle.

2. Pin and sew ribbon along the edge of the tulle with the wrong side of the ribbon against the tulle. Repeat on the other side of your long strip.

3. Fold the tulle, ribbon edges together, length wise. Cut 12" wide sections. You should end up with a ton of tulle rectangles.

4. Apply fray check to all of the ribbon edges on all pieces. Do not skip this step!

5. Cut elastic 2-3 inches shorter than the waist measurement. For example, a 3T/4T waist is about 20 inches so I cut an 18 inch piece of elastic.

6. Seam elastic together. Place the circle of elastic through your leg up above your knee. About mid-thigh area.

7. Begin tutu assembly by taking one section of tulle between your leg and the elastic. Even the edges so the tulle is evenly divided and tie securely twice around elastic, but not so tight that the elastic folds. Continue with each section of tulle until the entire elastic band is covered.

How to make the organza flower.

- Organza fabric in your color choice

- Matching satin ribbon

- 3 pearls for the center of the flower

- Coordinating thread

- Votive candle

Instructions:

1. Cut 5 rough flower shapes or circular shapes if you prefer a round flower to a rose. I may have cut 2 smaller pieces for the center of the flower.

2. Hold cut organza pieces one at a time over a candle flame until it melts to your desired curliness.

3. Assemble flower with your melted organza pieces and sew pearls through all of the layers with matching thread.

4. Sew bottom layer of organza to matching satin ribbon.

5. Pin to dress form.

Good luck!

Parmesan Toast with Asparagus, Prosciutto and Eggs

2011-01-06T14:52:00.000-08:00

My parents were kind enough to take Ozzie on the night before Christmas Eve so that I could wrap all of his presents and prepare for Christmas Eve dinner that I was hosting. To celebrate our kidless morning, I decided to make Oscar a special grown up Christmas Eve breakfast. Click HERE for the recipe. Very yummy for two on Christmas Eve or any other special day.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-04T14:47:00.000-08:00

We brought in the New Year with a quiet evening at home just our little family, super yummy chocolate molten cake for dessert and our homemade party hats.

I forced the family to take a picture for my blog. Here is our final result.

Here is what it took to get there...

Then we tried taking a picture of Ozzie by himself. That was an even bigger failure.

I'm sure you can appreciate the first picture now. Hope your New Year celebration was as fun as ours!

Gingerbread House

2010-12-29T21:29:00.000-08:00

Ozzie and I visited Nanay and Pepa's house when Andy was also visiting to make gingerbread houses earlier this month. Instead of buying a pre-made kit, I decided to make my own ginger bread. I used Martha's Gingerbread Snowflakes recipe and one of her many gingerbread house templates here. I did cheat and buy store bought icing because I didn't have the patience to make her royal icing as recommended. It's delicious but powdered sugar tends to end up all over the kitchen and sometimes I just don't feel like cleaning it up!

It was interesting to say the least. I cut out two houses, one per kid, but Pepa, in his effort to perfect the construction of Andy's house, crumbled it. Must be the engineer in him to want it perfect. So Andy helped Ozzie and I decorate Ozzie's house and gingerbread men. Ozzie contribution was eating one cookie and walking away.

Our house and men

Andy posing in front of the Christmas tree with his house.

Forcing Ozzie to pose in the picture.

I love my parents tree because they still hang up ornaments I made in preschool and kindergarten.

My foam snowman. Must be 30 years old now! These days they aren't giving 4 year olds foam to play with- ha!

Ozzie still not interested but at least Andy had fun.

Next year it will be pre-made kits for sure!

Christmas Morning

2010-12-25T22:27:00.000-08:00

This year, we let Ozzie open all of his presents on Christmas Eve because his Nanay, Pepa and cousin Andy came over to celebrate (pictures coming soon). So on Christmas morning, we only have pictures of him playing with his gifts instead of opening them. We did try to convince him to pose in front of the Christmas tree but of course he refused. He is two and a boy so he isn't exactly jumping up for photo opportunities.

Playing with toys he opened on Christmas Eve.

Fuzzy picture from my phone (my camera battery was dead) but he looked so cute in his pj's that I still uploaded it. Humor me!

There really is nothing cuter than kids in their Christmas pajamas on Christmas morning!

Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T22:03:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd share a few of my favorites around my house this Christmas. If you know me you know how much I love birds and branches or really anything nature inspired. So it is no surprise that birds and birch bark made it into my Christmas decor this year. I just can't help myself.

My Christmas tree full of glitter birdies, snow capped pine cones and flowers.

Dining room table with cedar garland, pine cones and birch bark tubes around candles.

One of my favorite curly winged birdies on my tree.

More birch bark tubes, garland and pine cones on the mantel.

Merry Christmas! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas filled with family, friends, love and laughter!

From Our Family to Yours

2010-12-22T21:38:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas! Wishing you a safe and happy holiday season. May you have health, love and happiness in the coming year!

With Love Blue Christmas Card

Shutterfly Christmas cards

View the entire collection of cards.

Brie En Croute

2010-12-15T06:00:00.000-08:00

Every year my friend, Trinette, hosts a ladies Christmas party/gift exchange. It is truly one of my favorite events of the year. After a few glasses of wine the gift stealing during the exchange can get pretty wild, which makes for such a fun night!

Most years, my contribution is brie en croute via Ms. Martha. It's another one of those recipes that completes the holiday season for me. Although I use crescent dough instead of puff pastry as her recipe calls for because I think the puff pastry is too delicate for rich, creamy brie.

Brie En Croute

1 cup pecan halves
3/4 cup packed dark-brown sugar
All-purpose flour, for dusting
2 standard packages (17 1/4 ounces) frozen puff pastry, thawed (again I substitute crescent dough)
1 wheel (2.2 pounds) Brie
1 large egg yolk
2 tablespoons heavy cream

Directions:

In a medium bowl, combine pecans and sugar, using your fingertips to thoroughly mix; set aside. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper; set aside.

Lightly dust work surface with flour. Place two sheets (one box) of puff pastry on the work surface one on top of the other. Using a rolling pin, adhere the two pieces of the puff pastry together. Continue rolling puff pastry until it is very thin, slightly less than 1/8 inch thick. Using a pastry wheel or a sharp knife, cut the puff pastry into a 13-inch round, reserving scraps for decorating.

Place the Brie in the center of the puff pastry. Top the Brie with pecan mixture, spreading to within 1/2 inch of the edge of the cheese. Be sure to remove any sugar or nuts from the puff pastry, as they may cause holes to form during baking. Fold puff pastry up and over Brie to enclose. The center of the Brie will not be completely covered with pastry. Transfer to prepared baking sheet.

Lightly dust work surface with flour. Repeat rolling and cutting process with remaining two sheets of puff pastry. Drape pastry over the Brie, tucking the edges under to enclose.

In a small bowl, combine egg yolk and cream to make an egg wash. Cut reserved scraps of puff pastry into decorative shapes. Using a pastry brush, gently brush the decorative shapes with the egg wash, and adhere to wrapped Brie. Brush the wrapped Brie evenly with the egg wash. Transfer to refrigerator and chill for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake Brie until golden brown and puffed, about 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake until dark golden brown, 25 to 35 minutes more.

Enjoy!

Kale Chips

2010-12-14T21:10:00.000-08:00

I've seen the recipe for kale chips floating around on the blogosphere for months now and finally decided to give it a try since I always receive kale in my CSA box and never really know what to do with it.

Ozzie and I had a play date with my friend and her daughter, so I served kale chips as our appetizer to lunch. They were good, not great as many people are saying but good. A touch too salty for me but my friend liked them. I will definitely cut the salt in half if I make them again. I did get Ozzie to try one but he never asked for more. Go figure?

Although there are a ton of recipes out there, I went with Smitten Kitchen. She has never let me down in the past. Click HERE for her recipe. I also like her idea of sprinkling the crumbled chips over popcorn.

photo courtesy of Smitten Kitchen

Santa Picture

2010-12-11T21:09:00.000-08:00

He's not happy but at least he's not crying this year.

Adventures at the Christmas Tree Farm

2010-12-08T20:00:00.000-08:00

Ozzie loved our helper Anthony

We couldn't keep up with him

Hope you had as much fun picking out your tree as we did!

Preschool

2010-12-02T06:00:00.000-08:00

Call me the worst mom ever but I forgot to post pictures of Ozzie's first day of preschool. Better late than never!

Oscar and I decided to enroll Ozzie in a cooperative preschool so that I can be involved in the class. Yes I have some control issues. Ozzie is a summer baby, so he will always be the youngest in his class. We figured starting him out one day a week at two will help. So far we love it!

First day of preschool- he was a little excited!

Finger painting on the second day of school. I was in another room doing my assigned duty (we have assigned jobs in coop school) and came back to find Ozzie like this. I think he got more paint on himself than on his art project. I should take a picture of it and post it here- it's pretty funny.

Working From Home

2010-12-01T07:00:00.000-08:00

We love it when Oscar gets to work from home. Ozzie wants to be just like Daddy.

A very important phone call

Love the headset!

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

2010-12-01T06:00:00.000-08:00

I tried a new cinnamon roll recipe last weekend. They were ooey, gooey and delicious- just like a cinnamon roll should be.

Click HERE for the recipe from my Mom's group recipe blog. Yet another reason I love this group!

I did make one adjustment to reduce my guilt level, I substituted half of the flour with whole wheat pastry flour. They still turned out great and were not dry from the whole wheat flour.

This may be a new Christmas morning tradition.

Movember Mustache

2010-11-30T21:52:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned earlier, Oscar and a few of his co-workers grew out their mustaches during the month of November for mens cancer awareness.

My thoughts? Thank God tomorrow is December 1st!!! Here is a photo that the company photographer took of all the participants.

A Walk to the Mailbox

2010-11-30T21:07:00.000-08:00

Later in the day we decided to huff it down the street to the mailbox in the snow. It gave us an excuse to try out Ozzie's sled that we bought last year when it did not snow. He's already outgrown it but it worked on our long (sarcasm) walk to the mailbox.

Snow!

2010-11-30T14:11:00.000-08:00

We had our first snow of the season this November. It was also Ozzie's first real snow experience, last year we didn't get any snow and the year before he was just a little munchkin.Oscar got snowed in from work and the two of them played in the snow all day long!

Throwing snow balls!

Making a snow man

Snow angels!

HELP!

Whoops!

Hooray for snow!

p.s. please excuse my husband's mustache. He decided to join "Mouvember Moustache" with a local radio station for mens cancer awareness. December can't get here soon enough!!!

Almond Sherry Cake

2010-11-30T13:45:00.000-08:00

Everyone has one, that special dish that confirms it is the holiday season. Mine is my Aunt Lori's Almond Sherry Cake. Although I could argue that it is also the sinfully delicious eggnog latte but since Starbucks adds it to their menu earlier every year, I'll stick with the cake.

It is my Dad's favorite cake and I make it for him every year on his birthday (which is around Thanksgiving) and on Christmas. So the first bite of Almond Sherry Cake always commences the holidays for me.

Another great thing about this cake is that it starts with box cake and you add ingredients. It is semi-home cooking at it's best.

Aunt Lori's Almond Sherry Cake
Ingredients:
1 box yellow cake mix
4 large eggs
3/4 c cream sherry
3/4 c vegetable oil (I bet this could be reduced or substituted with apple sauce for a healthier version)
1 package instant vanilla pudding
1 teaspoon nutmeg
Streusel filling (recipe follows)
Toasted almond slices

Streusel Filling:
1/3 c packed brown sugar
1/4 c flour
3 T firm butter
1 - 2 t cinnamon
Mix together with a pastry knife until crumbly
Stir in 3/4 cups toasted almond slices

Sherry Glaze:
2 c sifted powdered sugar
1/3 c melted butter
1 t cream sherry
Stir in 1 to 2 t milk until glaze is desired consistency

Directions:
Grease and flour 10" bundt pan and set aside.
Combine cake mix, eggs, sherry, oil, pudding mix and nutmeg.
Mix at low speed for 1 min scrapping bowl constantly.
Mix for 3 more minutes at medium speed scrapping bowl constantly.
Pour 1/2 batter into prepared pan.
Sprinkle evenly with streusel filling.
Pour remaining batter.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes or until cake springs back when touched.
Cool on wire rack 15 minutes.
Brush with sherry glaze and garnish with toasted almonds.

Yum!

Thankful

2010-11-17T21:20:00.000-08:00

I absolutely love these Thanksgiving printables from Silverbox Creative Studio. I have already finished my Thanksgiving crafts this year but have this bookmarked for next year. Love the paperchain!

Real Airplanes

2010-11-15T15:57:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned earlier, two exhibits we enjoyed at the Museum of Flight were Air Force One from Nixon and Kennedy's presidencies and the British Airways Concorde.

Both planes were parked outside the museum and we were able to walk through them. Of course we did everything we weren't supposed to do. Ozzie sat on, touched and climbed up every thing he could, especially if it was labeled, "please don't touch". At least he enjoyed this part of the museum.

Walking across the sky bridge to the real planes.

Toasted Coconut Cake

2010-11-12T21:46:00.000-08:00

As I've mentioned before I am pregnant. Seven months pregnant to be exact. And all I want during this pregnancy is dessert (except for a short scrambled eggs period earlier on). As a non-pregnant person, I am partial to dessert- okay who am I kidding, I am ALWAYS ready for dessert. So as a pregnant person, dessert is pretty much on my mind twenty-four seven.

In my quest to conquer my pregnancy cravings, I remembered the coconut cake that I had at Mesa Grill, Bobby Flay's restaurant, in New York. It was definitely in my top 5 restaurant desserts of my life- yes it's that good. So I looked it up on the Food Network and made it earlier this week.

It is time consuming, as I'm sure any good dessert is, but so worth it in the end. I did leave out the rum in the custard partly because I am pregnant but mainly because I didn't want to make an extra trip to the liquor store. It's not as pretty as Bobby Flay's but just as good!

My taste tester liked it too! Click HERE for the recipe.

A Fall Walk

2010-11-10T15:04:00.000-08:00

It was such a beautiful day today, sunshine and clear skies in November, so Ozzie and I decided to take a walk after breakfast.

Although my walk was kind of lonely because he was on a very important phone call.

Control Tower

2010-11-10T14:58:00.000-08:00

The one exhibit Ozzie loved at the Museum of Flight was the control tower. He could have stayed there all day.

Watching for airplanes

You have to wonder what he is looking at here considering the binoculars are pointed straight down.

He told us he was talking to Nanay & Pepa, not communicating with the pilot.

Watching a real airplane land with Daddy.

Museum of Flight

2010-11-09T21:33:00.000-08:00

Ozzie has been on an airplane kick lately, so Oscar and I took him to the Museum of Flight in Seattle. We thought he'd go nuts and love it but I think he was a little overwhelmed. He kept looking at the airplanes as if he was wondering why they were so close and not flying high up in the air.

The museum has a kids area where you can climb onto planes and pretend to pilot them. Ozzie wanted nothing to do with this. It's almost as if he thought the plane was going to fly away. Too cute!

So Ozzie had an okay time but Oscar and I enjoyed ourselves. Two exhibits that were fun to see were Air Force One from Nixon and Kennedy's presidencies and the British Airways Concorde. We really enjoyed the World War I and World War II exhibits as well.

We managed to get a few pictures from our adventure.

First up the Space Shuttle flight simulator

Next the view from the space station

Of course I dressed Ozzie in his "A is for Astronaut" t-shirt

The kids Flight Zone

Um is this the exact same hair or what?

The one plane we could get him to sit in.

Planes in the museum

Look Mommy cars!

Totally not where he is supposed to be!

This gives you a perspective on the size of this plane.

A family of astronauts!

Once again I took way too many pictures for one post, so I will stop here. Up next the control tower, WWI, WWII, Air Force One, The Concorde and sitting on a really old airplane.

Fall Decorating

2010-11-09T15:29:00.000-08:00

My two favorite items to decorate every holiday are my mantel, which I purposely hung an empty frame over so that I could transform it to whatever I want, and my branch frame that Oscar and I made this summer.

Last year Sweet Paul made a pine cone swag for Country Living's November issue and I loved it so much that I book marked it for this fall.

My version of Sweet Paul's pine cone swag. So simple yet so pretty.

And the mantel, inspired by the pine cones.

My branch art adorned with two garlands. I found the "give thanks" font and the template for the acorns and leaves online. I did have to minimize the leaves and acorns down to 50% before printing my template. I used old scraps of felt and sewing thread for the garland.

The great thing about these decorations, like my Halloween decorations, they cost me close to nothing.

Cinnamon scented pine cones- $2.99 at Joann Fabrics

Cranberry colored ribbon- $3.49 at Joann Fabrics

Give Thanks garland- paper I already had

Acorns & leaves garland- felt scraps from the craft bin

Leaves on the mantel- old leaf swag from previous years

Pumpkins & gourds- old from previous years

Candles- used from Halloween decorations

Total cost- $6.48

Another decorating bargain- Happy Fall!

Babylegs

2010-11-02T14:47:00.000-07:00

Babylegs, aka baby leg warmers, are all the rage right now. Apparently they help keep baby warm and make diaper changes easier on mom since they eliminate the need for rompers and their tiny little snaps.

I decided to make some for our little bambina. It was a super easy, super quick project and loads of fun. Because there are tons of tutorials on the web, I am going to save myself the effort and direct you to the two I used.

For a step by step video on YouTube- click HERE.

For a picture tutorial- click HERE. This tutorial skips a step and makes a larger cuff (see my solid pink babylegs above). Still cute but I think the smaller cuff will work better on infants.

Happy Halloween

2010-10-31T21:29:00.000-07:00

As much as we tried, we were unsuccessful in getting Ozzie to dress up in his Buzz Lightyear costume and trick or treat in the neighborhood. He was much happier passing out candy to the kids that came to our house instead.

Giving one of the trick or treaters a high five. I have no idea why he's holding a hanger.

Here he is enticing the kids with more candy to come back. Notice he's wearing his build a bear football helmet. This year Halloween happened to fall on football Sunday. Ozzie wears his football helmet every Sunday when watching football with Oscar.

Taste testing the candy.

Happy Halloween!

Carving Pumpkins

2010-10-31T21:18:00.000-07:00

Better late than never! Ozzie helped Oscar carve a pumpkin last night.

Drawing a template to look like Ozzie's mini pumpkin.

Cut the bottom and taking out the seeds.

Cutting out the eyes, nose and mouth. Ozzie inspecting Dad's work- yup looks just like my pumpkin!

Posing with his pumpkin. He decided to add his pumpkin flashlight and little person.

Happy Halloween!

REALLY High Fructose Corn Syrup

2010-10-30T21:43:00.000-07:00

One of the pages that I follow on Facebook posted an article from the LA Times regarding the real amount of high fructose corn syrup in soda. After reading it I was furious and wanted to vent about it on my blog.

I know, vent about soda? Aren't there other more important causes I can find worthy of a good rant? After all, we all know that soda is bad for us and that we shouldn't drink it. Fortunately our family doesn't drink soda or much juice for that matter. We are lucky that Ozzie loves his water. But here is why I ~~was~~ am upset.

"Fructose and glucose are simple sugars. Fructose is sweeter than glucose and has been shown to do more damage to your metabolism. Sucrose – better known as table sugar – is a 50-50 combination of fructose and glucose. The HFCS used in soda is supposed to contain no more than 55% fructose and 45% glucose, according to the Corn Refiners Assn. (Another popular formulation is 42% fructose and 58% glucose.)"

Researchers found that the sweeteners in Coca-Cola and Pepsi contained as much as 65% fructose (and only 35% glucose), and Sprite, the soda that parents feed their kids in order to feel slightly less guilty, registered as much as 64% fructose (and 36% glucose).

Okay so the soda manufacturers lied- big surprise there. BUT here is the kicker- "The U.S. Food and Drug Administration allows for some wiggle room on nutrition labels. Sodas are allowed to have as much as 20% more of a nutrient – including sugar and HFCS – than is indicated on the side of the can. Even Cokes and Pepsis with 65% fructose instead of 55% are only 18% higher than advertised."

Once again the FDA sides with big business, aka big money, at the expense of its citizens. A 20% wiggle room on food nutrition labels? I'll say that again 20%!

Imagine if everyone was able to fudge 20% of their job. Today I will make sure Ozzie gets 20% less sleep than the recommended amount for his age, or give him 20% less milk than he needs for his health, or 20% more food (in the form of sugar) than he should eat- ridiculous!

How long can we continue to allow our government agencies that are supposed to protect us hurt us for their own financial gain? More importantly what, as the average citizen, can we do to stop it? I really do not know the answer.

And that's the end of my rant. Click HERE to read the full article.

Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-28T15:13:00.000-07:00

As I said in my previous post, we went to Thomasson Farm for our pumpkins this year. They have a huge u-pick patch that is fun for the kids to run around while Mom picks out the perfect front porch pumpkin!

"There's a good one Mom!"

"Or maybe over there?"

This is the closest thing I could get to a smile.

Looking for pumpkins is hard work.

"I got it!"

Another fantastic day with the family!

Thomasson Farm

2010-10-28T15:00:00.000-07:00

We went to our favorite local pumpkin farm, Thomasson Farm, again this year for our pumpkins. The farm is loaded with fun stuff for the kids to do along with a huge u-pick pumpkin patch. Once again we were blessed with a warm Fall day. That makes two years in a row. Who says it always rains in Seattle?!

Here are some pictures of our adventure on the farm.

First up were the huge bubbles. Ozzie didn't quite understand and tried to blow the bubbles out of the wands instead of waving the wand around.

After a quick turn down the slides, we moved on to the water table.

Oscar and Ozzie lassoing a calf.

This is as far as we got in the corn jumper. He pretty much hated it and wanted out immediately.

I have no idea why but for some reason Ozzie kept yelling at the farm animals. So we high tailed it outta there before they started yelling back.

Down the huge slide and the toddler sized hay maze.

Oscar and Ozzie in jail. After going in alone, Ozzie asked Oscar to join him. He's no fool, no one wants to be in jail alone. I love the pictures where they are pleading to be released!

Apple and mini-pumpkin sling shot. I don't know who had more fun between the two of them.

Ozzie multi-tasked the tractor ride with lunch. There was way too much going on to stop for lunch.

Playing with the "cows".

Once we hit the sandbox, we had a hard time convincing Ozzie to do anything else. He is all boy and loves his trucks and construction cars.

You can see why this is our favorite pumpkin farm, all of this for $6 (parents are free) and we haven't even got to the pumpkin patch yet!

Halloween Helpers

2010-10-28T14:19:00.000-07:00

Even the boys got into the Halloween decorating spirit this year!

Important Read

2010-10-26T20:53:00.000-07:00

A friend on Facebook posted a link to this article and I thought it was a good one to share. Although the author is talking to dads I think the message can be applied to moms as well. Please read it if you are a parent. It is a reminder that parenthood is not easy but is the most important job we will ever have.

Homemade Halloween

2010-10-20T21:08:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had inspiration just hit you in the head like a ton of bricks? This Halloween for me it all started with some old curly willow I had sitting in my garage for years. I walked past it one day and decided I must make a Halloween tree this year. So next chance I got, Ozzie and I ran to the hardware store for some black spray paint and to our neighborhood Goodwill for the perfect little urn.

I only wish I had taken a picture of the urn before I spray painted it. It was a lovely gilded gold number and was a whopping $.70! I spray painted both the urn and the curly willow black. I fully intended to figure out a way to age or distress the urn but when we brought it in from outside, it distressed all on its own. I'm sure any chemistry genius could tell me why it happened but I was just happy that a step got saved. I added some reindeer moss from the craft bin and my Halloween tree was done. I had originally intended to add some hanging pumpkins or spiders but after seeing it on the mantel, I liked it just as it was.

Last year my friend Brooke printed potion labels from Love Manor's Flickr set. I loved it so much that I book marked it and saved it for this year. Like Brooke, I used items from around the house to fill my apothecary jars.

Graveyard Dust using the sandbox sand.

Earth Worms using potting soil.

Twisted Twigs using the extra black curly willow from my tree.

Vampire blood is a tube of fake blood from the Dollar Store and water.

The mantel complete with candles, black satin fabric and some old trick or treat plates I had from a previous Halloween. I do think it's missing a spider web or bat on the empty frame behind it but with Halloween only 10 days away, I'm hanging up the towel.

I had extra black spray paint and decided to paint some old frames. I saved the tree and boo print from some one's blog last year and I am really sorry that I don't remember who it was to give credit to. Funny thing about the mini-pumpkin, it was fully decorated from a pumpkin decorating play date but after a few weeks of sitting on the table, Ozzie slowly took decorations off until it was bare.

It used to look like this. Ozzie decorated it with orange and black glitter, four eyes, an O sticker and a feather.

And because it is my favorite item to decorate each holiday, my branch frame with vintage Halloween cards.

The best part about these Halloween crafts is the cost. Here is the breakdown:

Black spray paint- $2.99 from the hardware store.

Urn- $.70 from Goodwill.

Potion labels, tree and boo sign and vintage cards- free off the Internet.

Curly willow- free from my garage.

Jar fillers- free from around the house.

Vampire blood- $1 from the Dollar Store.

Black satin- $3.99 from Joann Fabric.

Reindeer moss- free from the craft bin.

Votive candles- 6 for $3 from Joann Fabric.

Total cost- $11.68

You gotta love a good bargain! Happy Halloween!

p.s. I have to apologize for the quality of the pictures. Unfortunately we misplaced our camera charger so I was forced to use my phone to take all of these pictures.

Maui- Part VI

2010-10-20T20:40:00.000-07:00

All the rest!

Lunch at Kimo's in Old Town Lahaina. These are our traveling buddies! Ozzie obviously feels right at home with them.

Posing after lunch with Dad.

What a great lunch spot and the best service we had in Maui!

The boys and the beach!

They made a friend

Aloha!

Maui- Part V

2010-10-19T14:23:00.000-07:00

Dancing!

I love this second video because Ozzie continues to try to get Trey to dance with him and Trey is having nothing to do with it!

Notice how it went from day to night. We stayed at that restaurant for quite a bit since the boys were having fun dancing. I only wish I would have thought to shoot a video earlier.

If the videos weren't enough here are some pictures of the boys in action.

Maui- Part IV

2010-10-19T13:54:00.000-07:00

A canoe and snorkeling.

Ozzie playing in the canoe outside Mama's Fishhouse. If you ever make it to Maui, I highly recommend Mama's. Best seafood we had on the island.

Maui- Part III

2010-10-18T21:24:00.000-07:00

I want to be just like Dad- father and son bonding.

Maui- Part II

2010-10-18T20:58:00.000-07:00

A video...

Ozzie really wanted to try snorkeling after he saw everyone else doing it. Here he is imitating everyone walking into the water backwards. The great thing is no one helped him put on the fins. He walked right over to them put his feet in them and headed for the water.

If you look closely he is saying, "beep...beep...beep", to himself. This is the sound a truck makes when backing up so Ozzie always says it when he walks backwards. Cracks me up!