Winter Hats

So, it is a little early for wearing winter hats, but since I have no other projects to work on while I wait for the baby to be born, I have been crocheting some for the kids.  I made this one for Caitlin last summer and she wore it last winter.  I had no idea what I was doing (and still don't), but I think it turned out really cute!  (The camera phone picture really doesn't do it justice.)

Here is a picture of it now, after several washings.

Here are some pictures of her wearing it last December.

Last summer while I was making Caitlin's hat, Aiden asked me to make him one.  Caitlin's winter hat was the last of several crochet projects I had been working on and I felt a little burnt out, so, since Aiden already had several winter hats, I told him that I would make one for him some other time.  Just the other day, while playing with the children in their room, Aiden pulled Caitlin's hat out of the closet and stretched it onto his almost 3 year old noggin.  He was so comical, prancing around the room, smiling and wiggling his head.  Suddenly, he stopped, as if he had just remembered something.  Aiden:  "Mommy, you make me a hat?  You make me a hat, too, like Tway-lin?" (Caitlin- he can't make the C sound yet.)  It tugged on my mommy heartstrings and I felt a bit ashamed that I had yet to fulfill my promise so I said, "Sure I will, Bud!"  Aiden:  "Yes?  Yay!  You make me a green one?"  I rifled through my stash of thrift store bargain buy yarn skeins and found one skein of dark green.  A few days later, (with my figure-it-out-as-I-go-self-taught-crochet-skills) this green hat emerged.

Aiden was as pleased as could be, and for the first few days, he only took it off when "his hat got sweaty" as he put it.  Partway through making his hat, I got a little tired of seeing green, so I took a little break and thought I would make a tiny hat for Caitlin's baby doll.  I had most of a skein of beautiful multi-colored yarn that I had purchased in February and used to accent Caitlin's birthday invitations.  I soon realized that I was making the hat too large for her tiny doll, so I decided to just make a full sized one for Caitlin.  I finished it last night, and, to my great disappointment, I made it too small!

I am too smitten with it to sell it and none of my close friends have little baby girls, so I guess I will just wait and see if this baby turns out to be a girl, or perhaps the next one.  I really am disappointed that it is too small for Caitlin, so perhaps, if I have enough yarn left, I will try again and make a bigger one that will actually fit her.  P.S.  I just discovered this ruffled edge technique while playing around with how to finish the edge, and I love it!  I am definately going to use it again in the future.  Another P.S.- To Mom (you know who you are).  Someday I will search out and find some more of that neat speckled purple yarn and finish your last-year's-birthday-gift mittens.  I promise!  If not, I might revamp the entire project and just use a different color.  I still have a month and a half until your next birthday! : )

The Pregnant Pooh Bear Lady

Here is the 41 weeks picture that I promised.

Just Kidding!

Here is the real picture.  Do you see the resemblance?

I am officially the Pregnant Pooh Bear Lady (except in this photo- amazingly!) because I do not own one single shirt that can cover the entirety of my now super-sized baby belly.  There was a bit of tugging and rearranging of my shirt and pants to be able to cover everything modestly for this photo-op, and believe me, after taking two steps, my waistband snapped back down, and my shirt started to climb "the belly".  This drives me nuts because it makes me feel like I look unkempt and slovenly.  I have given up caring whilst walking around the house, but it makes me terribly self conscience when I go out and about.

I had my weekly appointment with my midwife yesterday and she said everything seemed fine, but asked "So, do you wanna induce, or do you wanna give it some more time?"  Of course, I am going to wait some more, but she did send me over to the hospital (right next door to her office) to have an ultrasound to measure the level of amniotic fluid surrounding the baby.  I warned the ultrasound technician that we do not want to know the gender, and asked if she could let me know if she was going to be looking in that region, so I could look away.  She reassured me that everything is so squished in there at this point that it is usually very difficult to see the gender.  After a few minutes, she said she was surprised at the amount of fluid I had.  She said that she measured the fluid level at 19.15 (oz.? gallons? who knows...) and that a healthy level is between 10 and 20, but that it usually starts diminishing when you pass your due date.  She continued, "In fact, there is so much fluid that this baby has a lot of room to move around- you should probably look away or you might spoil your surprise."  Then she turned the screen.  So-  I guess that explains the Pooh Bear belly.  My uterus is just a giant fishbowl where my baby gets to practice his/her water aerobics : )

After the ultrasound, they sent me upstairs to the New Baby and Mommy Ward (Family Birth Center) to have a Non Stress Test.  I did this 3 years ago when I was overdue with Aiden, but they were so busy that I got shoved behind a partition in some unknown hallway for the test.  This time, as I walked to the testing room, I passed a few new mommies with their sweet and teeny newborns.  They were so small!  It is amazing that even though I just had a baby 18 months ago (and another one 18 months before that) I forget how itty bitty they are when they are newborn.  Well, it was a bittersweet experience, because I of course want to be holding my little newborn, but I know I can't be pregnant for too much longer (right?) and I'll soon be holding mine.  Anyway, for the NST, they strapped a fetal monitor around my belly and gave me a little button to push every time I felt the baby move.  I was there for an hour before they were satisfied that they had seen all of the activity that they wanted to see, but they did let me go with an appointment to come back on Saturday for another NST, if I do not have the baby by then.  I also have an appointment for another fluid-measuring ultrasound next Wednesday, but seriously, I'll surely have had the baby by then, right?!?

Oh well, I suppose this baby will come when the Good Lord sees fit and until then, as long as he/she is still happy and healthy inside their little fishbowl, I will continue to waddle around the house, making sure everything stays clean and ready for his/her arrival...whenever that may be!

Tasty Treat Tuesday: A Healthy Alternative to Kool Aid

It's so cheap and easy to mix up a pitcher of Kool Aid on a hot summer day, but did you ever wish you had an alternative that was a little healthier (and for us parents- a bit more sophisticated than "Wild & Wacky Cherry Berry?")  I've found a better option that is not as healthy as drinking real juice, but is certainly less expensive than real juice or even frozen juice concentrate, and is just about as easy as making Kool Aid (without the Red Dye #40.)  It is basically the same premise as iced tea, but instead of using caffeinated black tea, you use fruity herbal teas, which are naturally caffeine free.  I picked up a couple boxes of assorted fruity and herbal teas at the store this morning.  The Bigelow Assorted Herb Teas cost $2.62 for a box of 18 tea bags in various flavors such as Lemon, Orange Spice, and Pomegranate.  The Celestial Seasonings Fruit Tea Sampler cost $2.44 for a box of 18 slightly larger tea bags in various flavors such as True Blueberry, Country Peach Passion, and Wild Berry Zinger.  Sweeteners aside, it costs 10 cents to make a pitcher of Kool Aid, and about 40 cents to make a pitcher of fruity herbal iced tea (if using 3 tea bags as I do.)  Cheap, store brand frozen juice concentrate costs around $1.00 at my local grocery store.

Here's my method:

• Steep about 3 herbal/fruit tea bags in 1-2 cups of very hot water for 5-10 min or until tea looks quite dark.  You can mix and match flavors.  Today I steeped Lemon, Country Peach Passion, and Wild Berry Zinger together.
• Mix in desired amount of sweetener (your healthiest option is probably honey- that is what I use.)
• Add enough ice and water to the pitcher to properly dilute the sweetened tea concentrate.
• Enjoy!

My favorite part about this is that I can serve my family something that isn't artificial or loaded with processed white sugar (each 2 quart pitcher of Kool Aid contains an entire cup of sugar!)  Also, there are studies linking artificial food dyes to behavioral issues in children and some people are actually allergic to them.  Early on in this pregnancy, I found I was suffering from unexplained headaches.  I did a little detective work and  discovered that I only got the headaches after I ate/drank something with artificial food coloring in it!  I don't know why that happened, but it is all the more reason for me to steer clear of that stuff as much as I can.  Also, I certainly enjoy the fruity herbal tea flavors better than any of the Kool Aid flavors.  I hope your family will, too!

P.S.  No, I have not had the baby yet, and I am not in labor, either.  Tomorrow I will be 41 weeks and I certainly expect to go into labor at any time!  I will be sure to post an update if that happens.  Today, as my husband kissed me on his way out the door to work, he said:  "Oh, could you please go into labor today?  Think baby thoughts."  I told him I'd do my best!

Fun On Grammie & Grampie's "Farm"

We took the kids up to my in-laws house yesterday which we tease is becoming a farm.  They live in the foothills about 20 min from the edge of our city on 5 acres and they have slowly become what would be classified as "hobby farmers".  They have a chicken house with a fenced in yard, goats with their own house and fenced in yard, a dog (of course- what farm is complete without one?), and most recently, a couple of pigs.  It is great fun to go up and see the animals, and even more fun to watch my children around these quirky creatures.  Here are some pictures of our afternoon.

Here is Aiden sitting on a barrel just outside of the pig pen.  I think that was about as close as he wanted to get to those big smelly guys.

Caitlin had just gotten up from falling down.  She has recently become very aware that when she falls down outside, she gets dirt on her hands, and is quick to show us her hands each time.  Such a little girl already : )

I love this picture.  The children are following Grampie, single file, to the goat and chicken yards.

"Hello goaties!  Can I come in?"  Caitlin loves to "talk" in her baby garble to all animals.  She talks loudly and with an inflection in her voice that makes me think she really believes they can understand her.  I think she will be an animal lover like her mother : )

"Hey!  There are chickens in there!"  Caitlin (both of the kids, really) thought it was neat how the chickens go inside their little house and settle up high on their perch when the sun starts to set.

After it was dark and our outside fun was through, the kids rummaged through their box of toys in the living room.  Aiden decided to sport one of his uncles' old hockey helmets.  Aiden is familiar with hockey stuff since its the only sport that Tim is interested in, so he was very proud to wear a helmet and be a "hockey guy" as he says.

I will close with this news: 

There is no new news.  I am still pregnant with no apparent signs of going into labor anytime in the next century.  Okay, a possible overstatement : )  But, seriously, this kid likes it in there and doesn't seem interested in coming out!  I will keep you posted and also try to get another pregnant picture up soon, now that I am over 40 weeks.  Pray that I don't make it to 41!

The Watched Pot

My husband called from work today, telling me that he'd be finishing at work early and that he has tomorrow off.  He also politely asked me to "get cooking" (the baby) and that his boss had hinted that it would be great if I had the baby soon, since the next few work days were going to be slow.  My mother also called today "just to see how I was doing" and after she was thoroughly convinced that I was not in labor, she quickly scooted off of the phone.

So, I am officially the watched pot.

The other day, I finished the last of my sewing projects that I really wanted to complete before the baby was born.  I switched off my sewing machine, threw my hands up, and said: "Okay, now I can have this baby!"  I have to admit that I sort of expected to go into labor that night (I usually wake up around 3 am in labor.)  I was a little surprised and disappointed to wake up the next morning having no contractions, and still just as pregnant as ever.  Perhaps I was under some subconscious egotistical illusion that I was able to hold the baby back until I had finished my "To Do List."

Well, it appears that I have no control over when the baby comes after all, (although, if I had the baby tomorrow, he/she would be born on my Grandma's birthday and I think that would be a great gift, don't you?)  I'll let you know if that happens, but don't get your hopes up : )  So I am mostly trying to stick close to the home front, and keep myself busy (but not so busy that I get overtired) and keep up with laundry and all of my usual chores so that everything will be in order for when the baby comes.  I have to admit, I can't help but watch the ticking clock myself...

What Will Our Little Baby Look Like?

I have been thinking about different aspects of the impending birth of our new little one and some questions come to my mind such as:  Will it be a boy or a girl?  How big will the baby be?  Will the names we've been considering fit our new little one? (Don't ask me about this one, you will know soon enough!)  Today I am wondering:  What will our baby look like?  While pondering this, I am reminded of a story that I forgot to share with you all:

I created the above layout as my desktop background a few weeks ago.  With our first baby (Aiden) we shelled out the money for a 3D ultrasound and it was so neat to see his little face before he was born.  His ultrasound picture is really a spitting image of my little guy!  With our second baby (Caitlin) we were not in the position to afford a 3D ultrasound, which was fine with us, because we had done it once before.  As I got farther along in my pregnancy with Caitlin, someone in our family asked if we were going to have a 3D ultrasound like with our first, because they had thought it was so neat.  We explained that we weren't and they said they'd really like to pay for it if we were interested in getting it done.  We were right at the cut off for the time frame that you could capture good images (they don't recommend 3D ultrasound past about 33 weeks because the baby's face becomes rather squished looking.)  We quickly scheduled the ultrasound and were so pleased that we were able to have a sweet picture of our little girl's face.  I used it as a focal point and motivator during my labor with her.

This time around, we decided that a 3D ultrasound was an uneccessary expense.  I thought that I wouldn't get to see his/her face until it came out crying.  I felt a little sad that I wouldn't have that 3D image for my focal point during labor, but I felt content that it must be the Lord's will.  When I was about 35 weeks, I went to my prenatal appointment and saw a different doctor than my usual midwife.  He thought that I was measuring unusually large for date, and ordered an ultrasound to be done.  I saw my midwife a week later, an hour before my scheduled ultrasound.  She measured me and everything and was about to leave the exam room without mentioning anything about my size.  I told her what the other doctor had said and asked her if she thought I was measuring large, and she replied that everything seemed fine and on track.  She said I could go ahead and have the ultrasound if I liked, but that she wasn't concerned about the baby.  I had the ultrasound done (I got the results a week later confirming that the baby was measuring right on target) and before I left, the ultrasound technician said, "Oh, just a minute, I'll go print you some pictures of your baby."  When she came back, she brought the clearest 2D images of a baby's face that I had ever seen in any of the ultrasounds that I have had done.  I felt that this was a special blessing from the Lord to me, so that I could have a picture of our Little Baby's face like I had wanted.  The neat thing is that I hadn't complained or even prayed that the Lord would supply us with an image of the baby's face.  I just accepted that it wasn't meant to be.  Well, it just goes to prove what the Scriptures say:  God loves His children and loves to give them good gifts!

Pregnancy At A Glance

17 weeks

18 weeks

21 weeks

39 weeks

This last photo was taken yesterday when I was exactly 39 weeks.  I will try to post another photo if I am still pregnant next week (I probably will be for a while more- my first two were both born more than a week over their original due dates).

Splashy Photo That I Promised and Kool Aid Update

Here is that splashy photo that I promised, which my dad took on his camera phone the other day, then emailed to me.  Well, it's not the best photo, but at least Caitlin is looking at the camera!

Here are some pictures of the kids inside their toy tub at my dad's house.

Rub a dub dub, two babes in a tub!

Kool Aid Update

Okay, I promised to let you all know how the homemade Kool Aid Dishwasher Detergent worked out.  I have used it approximately 6 times and have not noticed any powdery film as I mentioned in my previous post on the topic.  It appears to work great and as long as I wash all of the food off of my dishes before loading them into the dishwasher (I always do, anyway) the dishes come out sparkling clean and not a bit green or lemony-lime smelling.  I think this recipe is a keeper, which is great because it is so inexpensive to make, and I even made up a large jar of it with a nice label and bow, and gave it to some friends of ours.  Yay for frugal homemade recipes!

The Little Phone That Can

My phone has a mind of it's own...and apparently a will to survive. After Caitlin spilled milk on it the other day, it appeared to dry out and make a full recovery, except that the ear speaker didn't work. Two weeks later, the camera stopped working for a couple of days; then it started working again. Yesterday, I forgot and answered the phone normally (up to my ear) & found that the speaker is now working again (although a little faraway sounding). It's the little phone that can!

Death of a Camera & Homemade Dishwasher Detergent

In the spirit of getting back into blogging, I decided to take some pictures of my kiddos swimming yesterday at my dad's house, so that I could blog all about their splashy cuteness today.  I switched over to the camera function on my cell phone (remember I lost our digital camera) and I came up with a black screen.  The view finder and all of the photo-taking options were there, but the lens was displaying absolute blackness on the screen.  Remember that Caitlin spilled milk all over my phone?  Well, apparently my phone's camera function decided to die a delayed death, because it worked just fine for at least a week, and now it registers nothing.  So, I did not get my cute splashy photos, but I did ask my dad to take some pictures and hopefully he can email them to me.  If he does, I will post them soon.  All of this to report....I am now completely camera-less!!!  It appears that I will be unable to post any new pictures for a while, at least until we can replace our digital camera, or my cell phone.  (But how do you like the clip art as a substitution?)

On another note, we ran out of dishwasher detergent and I haven't had the chance to pick some more up at Target, which is where I buy my favorite non-toxic dishwasher detergent that actually works.  If you follow this link, you'll see a price that is actually about twice as much as I pay at my local Target store.  It is still a bit pricey as far as dishwashing soap goes, but it meets my picky standards for dishwasher detergent:  1. It contains no bleach and will not ruin my clothing.  Several times in the past I have accidently sloshed some dishwashing gel on myself and bleached spots onto my clothing.  2. It is non-toxic; in case one of my little ones were to accidentally get ahold of it.  3. It does not have an overpowering "heavy duty cleaner smell" to it.  The grapefruit scent is really very mild and pleasant, and I am not even a fan of grapefruit.  4. Unlike other "green" or "eco-friendly" dishwashing detergents I have tried, it actually cleans my dishes!
So, now I will climb off of my soap box (ha! ha! pun intended : )  and finish my story.  I ran out of my favorite dishwasher detergent and decided to once again look online for a recipe for homemade dishwasher detergent.  I have tried some recipes before, but my dishes always ended up with a powdery film all over them.  I even tried the natural rinse aid alternative that I've seen recommended all over the internet, which is to fill up your rinse aid compartment with white vinegar.  DO NOT DO THIS!  Firstly, it did not remove the powdery film, and most importantly, my rinse aid compartment start leaving rusty streak marks on the inside of my dishwasher door, where it drains out during the rinse cycle!  I live in an apartment and I was mortified that the vinegar was somehow rusting my dishwasher's inner parts, and that the management would make us pay for a new dishwasher when we move out someday.  I sat on the kitchen floor for a good hour one day with a scrub pad, trying to get the stains off, and a nasal bulb (like you use on a baby's nose) trying to suck out all of the rusty vinegar from the rinse aid compartment.  Not pretty.  Not fun.  Don't try it at home.  Okay, back to my recipe search.  I typed into Google:  homemade dishwasher detergent that actually works.  I came up with some recipes that claimed the only way to avoid the powdery film was to include an ingredient called citric acid, which can apparently be purchased at a brewery supply store(?) or ordered online.  Well, I certainly didn't have any citric acid lying around the house, so I next searched for citric acid alternatives for homemade dishwashing detergent.  I came up with this recipe, which calls for unsweetened lemon-lime Kool Aid packets!  My husband loves Kool Aid, so I ran over to the kitchen cupboard, and sure enough, the first ingredient on a packet of lemon-lime Kool Aid is:  citric acid.  So, tonight, I filled up the dishwasher with rinsed off dishes, and some homemade lemon-lime Kool Aid dishwasher detergent.  I will let you know how it turns out.  I only pray that I have not dyed all of my dishes green : )

Let's Play Catch-Up

So, I have not posted in quite a while.  Over a month!  I suppose I have been busy with the children and preparing for our new little one, but for a good portion of that month, our laptop was "out of order".  The culprit was a broken power cord, but my husband fixed it a week or so ago and now I just need to get back in the habit of blogging again.
To catch everyone up, here is what has been going on around here:

• I am nearing 38 weeks pregnant with our 3rd baby (gender is still a surprise, although we have strong parental hunches that it's a boy!)
• I am officially completely packed for labor including a bag for the children for when they will stay with our friends during my labor & delivery.
• Sewing!  I have completed several sewing projects since I last posted and I even took some photos which I promise to post eventually.  I made a mattress for the baby cradle and a water proof slip cover for the mattress, two pillow-case style sheets for the cradle mattress, a cradle bumper, a patchwork quilt for the cradle which matches the bumper, and most recently (yesterday), a nursing cover to replace the one I lost.
• I lost our diaper bag!  This is really not that recent, but I never mentioned it and it greatly affects my blogging, because our digital camera was in the diaper bag.  Also, I recently realized that my nursing cover (Bebe Au Lait which I used with both previous kiddos for at least a year each) was in the lost diaper bag : (  I was really bummed until I thought about making my own.  I did a little research online, thought about how my old nursing cover looked, and made one yesterday.  It was super easy and fun, and I actually had all of the materials already, so it didn't cost me anything!  The best part about making something yourself is customization.  I was able to make it larger than my old nursing cover, which my babies constantly tugged on, threatening to expose me.  (Pictures of the cover later, I promise!)
• Aiden is really maturing and besides his huge vocabulary that blows my husband and I away (and makes us laugh-kids say the darndest things!) he can completely dress himself including shoes, which is such a huge blessing to me.  He is so helpful with Caitlin and holds her hand when we go outdoors, picks things up when she drops them, and talks to her and makes her giggle in the cutest ways.  He is a joy to us!
• Caitlin is not really talking, but she understands almost every command we give her (she doesn't always obey, but that is a training issue, not one of comprehension), she responds and asks for things in baby garble communicating "get down please" (from her seat at the table), "up, please" (to be held), "more, please", etc.  Also, she is beginning to comprehend some of her own diaper activity, which makes me pretty certain that she will be ready to potty train by 2 years old.
• Finally, because it is forefront on my mind, I wanted to share my mantra (actually a scripture verse) that I bring to mind every time I feel anxiety about the trials of child labor:  "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV)  I feel like this verse is speaking directly to me about labor; I feel fearful about the long hours of pain, hard work, and mental concentration that I expect in my upcoming labor.  1. But, behold, God has not given me a spirit of fear!  Instead, He has and will give me a spirit of power.  I feel very encouraged that God is going to be lending me His supernatural power to labor and deliver this baby.  There were definately times when I felt very tired and overwhelmed by my long drug-free labor with Caitlin, and I felt God's presence giving me strength to persevere; I just knew he was with me, carrying me.  2. He has given me a spirit of love.  During some of the difficult times in my labor with Caitlin, I felt God reminding me of the motherly love that I already felt for her, and the reason why I was laboring.  During the long car ride to the hospital (over 30 min) I felt overcome by loving emotion for Caitlin and I remember God showing me (and me saying aloud over and over) "she's so beautiful."  3. He has given me a spirit of a sound mind.  This is really key, because when it comes to pain, extreme concentration, and mental/physical/emotional fatigue, whether in child labor or in any other situation, mind over matter is the way to stay on top of things.  What I do to keep a sound mind during labor:  a) focus mentally on relaxing all of my muscles extremely (allowing my uterus to do it's work), b) think about my labor as one contraction at a time, each bringing the baby closer to being born, so I don't feel overwhelmed, c) mentally visualize what is happening in my body so that it doesn't seem so strange and scary, and d) remember that my uterine contractions cannot overcome/overpower me, because it's a part of me, working for me, to help deliver my baby.  (I learned these techniques from the book Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way, which is what we studied and used for my labor and delivery with Caitlin and have studied again for this time around.) Anyways, that is what I think of when I remember this verse, and maybe now you can see why it feels especially powerful to me at this time in my life : )

So, I promise to try and get some photos of those sewing projects up soon, and if I go into labor, I'll be sure to let you know!  P.S.  Here are a few photos of our lives in the last few weeks : )

Ultrasound of "Little Baby" at 35 weeks

A little race car that I cut out of craft foam and hot glued together for Aiden the other day.  He lost it that same day on the way to the mailbox at our apartments : (

Caitlin loves to be with her daddy and is content even to just sit in his lap no matter what he is doing.

Pigtails with ribbons!  I love doing my little girl's hair everyday, and am so excited that it is getting long enough for girly ribbons and such.

Aiden!  I love my little Aiden, and here he is with a recent summer haircut.  I cut it quite short in the hopes that, besides trimming the back and around the ears, I won't have to give him another haircut until after I am done recovering from childbirth.

Up close and personal!  I took several pictures of Caitlin while she was playing outside at my in-laws', but this photo was taken on the same day that she decided to dump an entire mug of milk right onto the screen of my (very expensive, normally carefully guarded) cell phone.  Apparently there were still some kinks and this is the only photo of her that saved as a complete image on my phone.  Kids!

Parting shot.  Finally, a sunset drive home from my in-laws' house.  Beautiful!

Tasty Treat Tuesday and An Afternoon Craft

I might not get this in every Tuesday, but I am going to try to do this at least a couple of Tuesdays every month:  Tasty Treat Tuesday.  The idea is to share a recipe about something sweet that we are enjoying in our home on or around that particular Tuesday.  Feel free to leave a comment with a recipe for your own tasty treat!

This Tuesday the kids and I enjoyed a family favorite that my husband introduced me to back when we were dating.  It has no special name and very basic ingredients.  This is not a healthful snack, but could be considered a semi-decent source of protein (as far as snacks go).  It is simply a graham cracker, spread with peanut butter, and topped with semisweet chocolate chips.  So simple, but so yummy! 

Did you catch that little hand sneaking in to steal a chocolate chip?

Please pardon that this one has been partially eaten- they are irresistible in our house!

An Afternoon Craft

Some time ago, my grandma gave me a bunch of beads to be used in whatever craftical whimsy I might happen to come up with.  Well, this afternoon while Caitlin was napping (and after Aiden and I had finished our tasty treats : )  I decided that it was time for some one on one crafting with my oldest.  I wasn't in the mood for the usual play dough or color crayons, or even finger painting.  I thought it might be fun to make some pictures by gluing beads onto construction paper.  It really was fun!  We were out of white glue, so to add to the fun, I made some homemade no-cook paste.  Recipe:  Mix some white flour with water and a pinch of salt until you get a goopy, somewhat runny mixture.  Apply it with a paint brush (or you could probably use a squeeze bottle if you made it runny enough) and use liberally to affix your craft item of choice.  It was fun and by the time we were done, there were beads everywhere.  Let me know if anyone tries this recipe, how it goes, and if you have any helpful revisions.

Happy crafting and happy snacking!