Easter Egg Wreath

As Jem says...."easy-peasy,"  that's how I would describe this cute and simple Easter egg wreath.

Find some old plastic Easter eggs and a foam ring, and start hot glueing away....by the way is it "glueing or gluing." hmmmm? 

In our homeschooling news:  Olive just finished the Frog and Toad series and Jem has started, Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lesson.

Homemade Baby Food

If you have a wee one it's worth a try to make your own baby food.  I find that a little work goes a long way in this department.

Pick your vegetable: Peas, Green Beans, Butternut Squash, Sweet Potato, Carrot
Pick your fruit: Apples, Pear, Peaches, Banana, Berries, Avocado, Mango

I have made all of these into baby food and also mixed the veggie and fruit together.  I sometimes add organic rice cereal or oatmeal to the batches.  Example: Organic Frozen Peas- blanch in boiling water for 2 minutes, add to blender with a little breast milk, or pea water, and puree until you reach desired consistency.  For harder vegetables and fruit you'll need to boil longer.

I freeze small portions into these baby cubes.  Haddie will usually down 2 cubes a meal.  If you don't want to invest in any special containers, small jelly jars work well and ice cube trays.  It takes me about 20 minutes to prepare 4 different types of baby food that she'll eat from all week.

And We Have It Hard!

Here is a list of chores that children had to do before eating breakfast on an early turn of the century farm...  This is a constant reminder to me and my girls to be thankful for everything we have, even those smelly diapers because it sure beats what they had in 1901!

It's good to be back blogging and thanks for all your kind comments during the past 3 months.  Nothing could be finer than to be living in Carolina...there is so much to do in the triangle area.  The girls are getting tired of hearing...mommy went to high school here, daddy lived here is college,  mommy went here on a prom date... I am answered with an, "I KNOW!"

We were warmly welcomed into a Classical Conversations community in Durham. Our 24 week cycle ends in 2 weeks and my girls have learned such a wealth of knowledge.  I have learned right along with them.  We finished our human body in January...a full life size picture of what's inside us.

Haddie, is now 8 months old, super mobile, super adorable, and has just popped out 2 bottom teeth.  She is still nursing well and loves all her food.  We try to find veggies and fruits that she "won't" try- it's a little game for us now.  If you have a little one, try making homemade baby food.  It's super easy with just a bit of prep work one day a week.  I'll show you how this week...to be continued....

Valentine Love Boxes

We think it's a lot more fun to deposit cute Valentine's in a fun box, rather than a paper bag.  Here are some our valentine box creations that I think turned out super cute. 

Olive's garden of love:

                                                                    Jem's tissue paper heart:

                                                       This is last year's creation of a kitty:

Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap

The Duggar Family - Duggar Recipes - Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap- Front or top load machine- best value
I have been wanting to try this recipe and finally purchased the three items needed to make the laundry soap. I figure this is one way that I can cut costs in the new year. I have made powered laundry detergent before, but never liquid. I'll test it out and let you know how it works. Happy New Year!

Awesome Christmas Crafts

You will have a blast making these two adorable Christmas crafts this week.

 This cute caroler is made out of a toilet paper roll and
the reindeer is made out of a glove.

Glove Reindeer:
-Poke thumb inside glove
-Use stuffing material to fill 4 fingers and hand
-Use string to tie 2 fingers on each side together
-Tie bottom of glove with yarn and thread jingle bell
-Stick wiggly eyes on face
-Glue berry nose

 Christmas Carolers:
-Wrap and glue construction paper around tube
-Place hat on tube- hat is made out of old baby sock tied with yarn
-Trace a face on oval paper and glue
-Glue mittens to music paper and add it to tube

 Enjoy your weekend, we are counting down the days.
Many Blessings, Karen

Wayfair Review

Yeah, It's the holidays and I received the opportunity to do a review for the new Wayfair.  I am really impressed with their toy selection for both baby and older children.

They have a zillion things for every part of the home.  The Wayfair site is easy to navigate through and has good prices for all your holiday needs.

I am placing an order for a coffee percolator, they make the best hot coffee with out a filter.  I'll post a picture when it arrives. 

Happy Holiday Shopping!

Santa Advent Calendar

 We will be bearding Santa Claus again this year!  My girls adore this Santa beard advent calendar that we found here. 
  Our boxes are all unpacked, but now I am trying to get organized.  After school today we plan on getting out our Christmas decorations.

Thanksgiving Downloads

My girls have really enjoyed planning their Thanksgiving table around these free printables.  The menu planning, napkin rings, and name cards have already been assembled.  Be sure to check out Paper and Glitter for these fun paper crafts.

Count Your Blessings

Count your blessings, big, and small!

We are settling into our new life in North Carolina.  The move went well, the girls have made new friends, and our little pumpkin is just perfect.  We have a lot of fun activities planned during the next few weeks that I will post about soon.