A play-dough pallet

This crazy scientist looking table just might be our new favorite rainy day activity around here. Normally when we make playdough we use a bigger recipe that is made over the stove and is more or less like this:

1 cup water

1Tbs vegetable oil

1/2 cup salt

1Tbs cream of tarter ( I used to put this in as a preservative but have since found that the playdough usually dries out from use before it ever goes bad.  I rarely use it now.)

Food coloring

Heat all 5 of these in a pan and then add

2 cups flour

 

I thought it would be more fun for Owen if he could make his own, but heating up ingredients on the stove was not an option.  After trying several smaller batches that ended up way too sticky I found this one (Here).  The link is great.  It shows all the ingredients placed in small child friendly containers which clearly,  is a much better option than Owen carrying a bag of flour across our kitchen floor. 

4 Tablespoons flour

2 Tablespoons salt

1 dropper full of vegetable oil (ours is about .8ml)

2 Tablespoons water

and Mix

We waited to add any coloring until Owen rolled the playdough out.  Once it was rolled out we added two wells for food coloring on each side of the circle.   We used yellow and blue together, one in each well, so he could see  the "change" when he made them meet in the middle. 
This was really fun for both of us.  The smaller portion is just right for him experimenting with one or two colors.  The bigger portion is fun because we can add more colors and have a bigger "painting" surface.  Currently, this is ranking as my favorite rainy day activity.  Days of rain in the forecast for us.  Anyone else have some rainy day ideas? 

Happy Happy Monday

Today was-- a trail walkin', river watchin', rock throwin', puddle jumpin', creek runnin', frog catchin', cold-water-take-your-breath-away-swimmin', family spendin', plain ol' fun havin'--  kind of day.

Garden tote

I suppose if I expect these little ones to do some work in the garden then they really should have a gardening tote to hold all of their supplies.  I looked around and couldn't find a pattern for a small-ish gardening tote.  This is what I came up with.
I would have liked for it to be a little more rigid.  I suppose I could add some sort of stabilizer to the inside to make it more rigid, but at this point ripping it apart and sewing it back together again just isn't appealing to me.  Call me crazy.
I have to say that I am really in love with the fabric.  I picked it up sometime last year at The Will.  That's my new nickname for Goodwill, which I hope demonstrates my incredible fondness for it.  I like to say something like..."yup, I love it.  I picked it up at The Will (pronounced  - The wheel!)  Ahh yes, The Will, where all of my favorite fabrics come from.  The fabric shack, I love. The Will, I love even more.

Back to the garden tote.  I sure like it.  Owen thinks it's a great place for his woodworking tools. This explains why I keep finding the gardening tools strewn liberally throughout the house, the porch and the yard.    So, it's possible I will have a second attempt at a gardening tote every bit as rigid and sturdy as I think one ought to be while this one continues to do its job housing hammers, drills, screws and nails.   

Making Butter

I have been reading here and there about making butter.  Making butter?  I don't know why it has always seemed to me like one of those things people just don't make at home (shoes: that's another one of those things that come to mind).  So after I read a bit about it there seemed no reason why we shouldn't get out there in the sunshine and get to shakin' up some butter.  So we did.

We filled a jelly jar half full of heavy whipping cream, put the lid on it, and started to shake.  All little hands were on the project, naturally.  We took turns shaking the jar for about 7 minutes. At that point it looked like we had whipped cream and then after about another 4-6 minutes of seriously vigorous jar shaking we had butter and something else in there.  I don't know what the something else was but I'm thinking my extremely savvy mother-in-law could chime in at this point and tell me what that liquid is that separates from the butter and if I could use it to make something edible.  Yes?  Maybe?

It had to be played with a bit first before we were actually allowed to eat it, but that was completely understandable.

It was so good and easy.   I can't believe I have never done that before.  Easy.  Fun.  Useful. These are all really good things.  I would like to give it another go this weekend, but I'm thinking maybe it needs some fresh bread or scones to go with it.  

Earth Day 2009

I had originally thought about planting a tree or two for Earth day on Wednesday, but I didn't get around to locating the trees I have in mind to plant.  So instead, I decided we could run around the yard and identify some of the mystery plants (some may call them weeds) we have growing around our house.

I read somewhere in these pages that children are more likely to love and protect the things that they can name (I really wish I could have found the exact quote because I found it very inspiring.  The whole concept of good stewardship and our environment beginning with a name really struck a chord for me) .  So for Earth Day, beginning to give names to the plants growing right outside of our door seemed to be a natural place for us to start.
The goal was to find five plants and give them names:

1.  Ground Ivy, Creeper (Mint family)
2.  Heal-All (Mint family)
3. Coltsfoot
4. Periwinkle/Myrtle (Who Knew!?)

5. Common Blue Violet
6. This one pictures below is still unidentified.  Any guesses???

And of course there had to be an Earth Day cake with accompanying song....Happy Earth Day to you...Happy Earth Day to you....Happy Earth Day dear......planet...

Mmmm.

TV Turnoff Week

I am a little late posting this because, well, I thought it started next week and not this week. Late or not, I'm doing it.  Right, so, we don't own a television but we certainly could use a little less screen time around here.   These past couple of days have really made me realize how much I run to the computer for EVERYTHING!!!  Need a recipe?...computer.  Need a phone number?...computer.  Need to know about rapid oxidation?...computer.

This will be an interesting week.  I can already tell that I need to do some serious screen time modifications.  I wish I could elaborate, but my time is running out here.  I am shooting for one hour a day on the computer and my usual post, this one, AND doing our bills this morning (yes, on the computer for that too)  have all eaten in to my screen time goal for today.  So, with about 30 seconds remaining I have to get off of here.  I sure hope I haven't mispelled anything because there's no time to check.....

Find out more here on Unplug your kids.

Wanna do it too???

Lilah doll

I found the sweetest doll pattern in Alicia Paulson's book Stitched In Time and I had to make it. Actually, I ended up cutting out enough pieces for six (SIX!!!) dolls.  After spending somewhere around 10 to 15 hours putting together my darling little Lilah doll I realized, well, maybe six was a little ambitious.  

Her arms and legs are really difficult to stuff and Paulson even says that in one of the side notes on the instruction page.  Do you think I listened??  No.  "Maybe it would be difficult for someone else but oh no, no, no, not for me," I said to myself.   Ha!

And really, the skinny little arms and legs are part of the charm of this doll no matter how difficult they may be to stuff.  When she was all finished she could stand straight up on her itty bitty stick legs (leaning up against something, of course) and she just looked so incredible cute in her own, slightly strange-looking, way.  

I love her. 

A window of sunshine

Well now, this little valley is greening up rather nicely around here.  It was mostly rain all day today, but luckily the clouds parted long enough to allow a brief hike before the rain set in again. 

How to feel perfectly content at the end of the day:  A little bit of sun, some fresh air and good company.   There isn't anything else I could ask for.

Reasons to smile...

:: a blue sky after several days of gray

:: finding a beautiful flower to put in a vase.

:: not being quick enough about it and watching Carmel eat it.

:: Owen "mowing" the lawn with his scissors.

:: Cutting a salad for lunch with every single item of clothing on inside-out, backwards, or both.      I love that kid.

:: my new thrifted cup reminding me of being 3 or 4 or 5 (I don't really know) and hanging out with my mama and papa...(which is more like mamaw and papaw and not at all like momma and poppa, is that confusing?)..hmm, my grandparents.  They used to have cups like this and would sit in bed in the mornings with a three (or something) year old Jaime plopped down in the middle of them.  They would let me drink "coffee" with them out of a similar cup.  Good memories. Loving the cup.
:: the ducks running around outside and NOT in my bathtub.

Dresses, Dollies and Ducks

So I have been thinking about this totally cute dress and really really loving it.  I found it over on Made where she has a tutorial for creating one.  Is this not the cutest thing you have ever seen? It is recycled from a man's dress shirt and transformed into this perfectly cute little girly dress. It will be a stretch to see if I can get the pattern to work for our teeny little Carms but I think I may be able to do it.  We'll see.  It is really worth the trip over to her website to see what she is making.

{*photo taken from Made}

Meanwhile, I have had this other project in the works and I keep telling myself that I can not...CAN NOT start that stinkin' cute dress until the other project is finished.  So I will wait. Maybe.

So here I am tonight thinking about these sweet little projects when I hear the bath water running and I think..."Ohhhh a bath.  Now that sounds really nice.  Yes.  A bath.  Don't mind if I do." 

I see Andy...  "Heya there Ange.  Are you running bath water?"  Funny look.  Funny look!

Me:  Andy?

Andy:  Yes?

Me:  Where are the ducks?

Andy:  What?      

Me: WHERE.  ARE.  THE.  DUCKS???

Andy:  Hmm?

Me:  No.  No.  Please No!

Me:  Andy!  Do we have ducks swimming in our tub!!???!!!   Oh...Please-Please-No!  Please tell me no.....                               

Sigh.

Funny Bunny

I  have to share a couple of shots from a seriously funny Easter party.

1.  Owen receives his bunny teeth.

2.  Crazy funny bunny with wig. (I'm looking at this thinking I should have made him an Easter cape of some sort.  Crazy funny super bunny.)
I am now on a desperate search for more wigs because...how could I not be?  Look at this!  Yes, wigs and capes.  That's how it must be.

I sure hope everyone had a great weekend too.