St. Patty's Day 2011

We had big fun celebrating St. Patty's Day this year. We had a party/school with some friends. We graphed, made leprechauns and wrote sentences about them, learned about the holiday, had green jello and lots and lots of fun. I found this idea for the cupcakes online. The rainbows are made out of airheads that you smoosh together and then cut and bend. I searched high and low for the gold coins but finally found some in the Easter section at a dollar store in town. It was great for me to relearn about St. Patrick - one reason I love teaching my kids! Did you know that legend says St. Patrick used the shamrock to explain the Trinity to the Irish? I never knew! I am relearning so many things!

A Fun Apron

I did end up finishing my apron project while the husband was away. I was way too tired by nighttime but was able to sneak in some sewing time while the kids watched an afternoon video. I would put the baby down for her afternoon nap and slip in a movie for the kids and get just a wee little tiny break.

Here's the middle child in her apron. She loves loves anything sweet so cupcakes were very fitting.

I thought it turned out really cute. It definitely has the homemade look but it will work great for helping in the kitchen and all that fingerpainting that she loves! My son's picture will be soon to follow. I still need to pose him!

You can find the how-to instructions by clicking here.

Dan is gone for 5 days starting tomorrow. For the most part, I do not fair well when he is gone. I am, however, determined to have a good attitude about the whole thing. I am truly glad that Dan is going to this year's Shepherd's Conference in California. It's gonna be awesome for him.

I went to a coffee shop today, ordered a latte, and sat down for a few minutes to write out a game plan. I do better with game plans.

Here is a copy of my list:

~I will purpose to be thankful and joyful in my interactions with my kiddos.

~I will remain in training mode where I will try my hardest to consistently discipline for disobedience instead of throwing in the towel because I am "too tired" and I am doing it all on my own.

~I will show much grace, kindness, love and compassion. I will RELAX! Stop freaking out about the dirty counters and messy bedrooms and sit on the floor and play "store" with the kids already!

~When I am about ready to blow, I will STOP, take a deep breath and smile...

~We are going go do something fun every day.

~I will wake up early before the kids each morning to get a little time and read my bible and look over this list. I need to get my day started on the right foot!

And of course, when I mess up (and there is no doubt that I will) I will confess and find forgiveness at the cross. Thank You, Lord, that there is always forgiveness in Christ.

Now that I have these in writing they must be practiced, right? I will keep you posted with the results.

Oh, and I am going to sew. I have to keep myself busy at night so I don't get the blues...I am going to sew some aprons for the kids from this fun blog.

Love the Fabric Store!

It was so nice to go to the fabric store today with no kids. I got to stroll down the isles and look at all the different fabrics without the kids having to go potty or getting bored or hungry or tired. It was awesome! I bought some fabric that I am going to use to make some aprons for the kids when they do art projects or baking. I am so excited to share them with you when they are finished!

I saw some really cute fabrics for some bibs for the baby. She has been needing some new ones and I thought I would make them so they'd look a little more fun. They were super easy. I just used an old bib for a pattern and used flannel on the back. They each took about 20 minutes.

Here she is sporting the bib for dinner tonight! So stylish!

Creating Dialogue after a Sermon

Though, often times our kids are in Junior Church, there are times that they hear the sermon at church. I liked this post by Joe Holland about talking to your kids about the sermon. It was a good reminder that they are taking in more than we realize.

a good quote - "Without an emphasis on Jesus your little saints will grow up thinking that the Bible is all about them."

Read it HERE

Need a Carb Fix?

I posted pictures a long time ago on my other blog when I made homemade bagels. I was remembering yesterday when I was making them that I had alot of requests for the recipe. Well, today is the day that I finally got around to putting it up!! These bagels are positively yummy. I usually use white flour just because the wheat makes them very very dense. Sometimes I will mix in 1/2-1 cup of whole wheat if I am feeling a little guilty! The recipe seems long and tedious but it really isn't bad. It is well worth it when you can smell them cooking and you can pull them out and spread lots of butter or cream cheese on them with a cup of tea - heavenly!!

Homemade Bagels

Dissolve 1 pkg. yeast (or 1 T.), 2 T. honey or brown sugar in 1/4 cup warm water. When it bubbles add 1 3/4 cup cold water. In food processor or Kitchen Aid, mix 5 cups flour with 2 tsp. salt. (I have tried the food processor and have had much better success with my kitchen aid using the kneading paddle thingy.)

Add yeast/water and mix slowly (over 2 minutes) to flour mixture with food processor or blender turned on. Once the dough is sufficiently mixed to form a nice dough, knead just a few times on floured surface. Let rise 1 hr. in covered tupperware or warm place. Punch down and knead again a few times.

Roll into cylinders 6" long. Shape into knots or donut shapes. Moisten ends with water to fasten securely. (I just wrap it around and do a small knot. I've never moistened the ends.) Rise 15 min.

In big pot, bring water with 1 tsp. salt and 2 T. sugar to boil. Drop bagels into water for 3 min. turning often. Take out and set on a wire wrack over a bowl to drain just a few minutes.

Bake at 425 on well-greased cookie sheet about 25 min. (mine usually don't take that long - check after about 12 minutes) or until golden brown.

This batch usually makes between 13-16 bagels depending on what size you make them. In our house, about half of them are gone right away!! Hope you enjoy them.

Homemade Soft Clay

This week our unit in school is the horse. We have had lots of fun doing activities related to horses and reading fun books about them. Here is a picture of the kids making there own horse and the letter H out of some homemade soft clay.

I have a quick easy recipe for homemade soft clay

In a pan, mix:

• 1 to 1-1/4 cups flour
• 1/4 cup salt
• 2 T. cream of tartar

combine and add to the pan:

• 1 cup water
• 1 T. oil
• a few drops of food coloring

Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture stiffens and forms a ball. Spoon onto a lightly floured surface and knead 1-2 minutes. Now you're ready for some fun! Store in an air-tight plastic bag.