The Crafts

For about a year now I have struggled with the issue of toys. Where to store? How to convince Kate to play with them? Etc... Kate doesn't really play with toys. She is 3 and like all 3 year olds her attention span is very short. Kate will play toys with me for a few minutes, but it is difficult to help her focus on an activity for much longer that.  Which means we will get out 10 various sets of toys within half an hour of playing together.  But again she is 3.  I get it.  She is not physically able to focus on anything for too long. I have also been working with her on picking up toys before we change activities.  We have had some success here.  She usually is quite good at this. Kate is also the first child which means she prefers mom to play with her. Is there a way to encourage her to occasionally spend some time playing by herself? I have tried storing her toys in the living room.  Not much difference in the above. I have also tried storing her stuff in her bedroom without

A surefire way to lighten the mood in our house is to crank up the music and dance your socks off. Kate had to take a break to pet torture Baxter. Kate really is sweet to her...in a 3 year old way. Baxter doesn't care for it.  Not one bit. And just like that Kate decided the dance party was over. So she started throwing balls at random things like light fixtures, windows and her sister. I instead directed her energy and created a 'new' game. She had to stand behind the line blanket and throw balls into an empty diaper box. That entertainment lasted all of 4 minutes. Oh, Kate.  Such a short attention span. I just noticed almost all of my Kate pics are of her in pajamas. I have a difficult time convincing her to get dressed. Even the promise of traveling somewhere fun doesn't always do it....story hour, shopping with Grandma, playing outside...nope.  She prefers her jammies. But I can't blame her. Jammies are much more comfortable.

Kate, CJ and I took a shopping trip with Grandma Craft today. We visited some of our favorite stops...all of which can be found on Main Street Cedar Falls. Kate enjoying a chocolate milk with whipped cream and sprinkles! Only at Cup of Joe can you find such a delicacy. CJ had a chance to enjoy a refreshment, too. Although she didn't get any goodies on top of her milk. It's tough being a baby. I love the little chances I get to see the world through Kate's eyes. I was washing up the breakfast dishes when Kate broke out into a dance. She twirled around and said, "Mom! Look at all the sparkles in the air!" Sadly those sparkles were actually dust particles. It is much more fun to think of them as sparkles. I did some dusting this afternoon, by the way.  Ha!

LOVE those pants. I wish they came in my size. CJ digs her new shoes...she enjoys chewing on them, but not wearing them. Chocolate milk break So grown-up looking, don't you think?

Not feeling very bloggy today.

Despite our jam packed weekend, Kate still found some time to explore in the snow. Her lip is healing fabulously, by the way. Like most kids, Kate has no clue what Matt does when he leaves for work each morning. But this morning Kate decided she was going to go to work too...in her heart jammies. Her office is complete with a pen, sticky notes, a spiral notebook, a 'cell phone', keyboard and computer mouse.  She also had the desk lamp on and a paper weight to hold down her 'fancy' stuff. An attorney in the making???

Kate was working on one of her best Walmart shopping performances this morning. Like a all sweet 3 year olds she likes to skip, gallop and spin while walking done the aisles. Hey, I don't blame her.  I bet shopping for her is super boring. And also like other 3 year olds she often trips over her feet, but this fall was ugly. The result: her top lip looks like a celebrity collagen job gone wrong. Of course, Walmart employees and shoppers alike stared at me with one of those "you are a horrible mom" looks. The poor girl was bleeding pretty good from her little lip.  After much snuggling and consoling she stopped crying so we finished our shopping trip. Kate with a swollen lip, red eyes and dressed in her outfit of choice; mismatched pink everything. And me pulling around a super sad 3 year old who appears to be beat up while I have blood all over my coat.  It is amazing no one called DHS. At the check out counter an employee noticed Kate's lip and made me fill out a

Happiness is...a giggly baby. Toothless grins A snuggly, bald head Chubby, squishy cheeks Giant blue eyes Also...did you notice my new blog feature? 'Craft Facts' can be found on the right hand side of the blog above 'Happy Things.' Don't be afraid to comment on here. Be brave!

These french doors can be found in CJ's room. The insulation is hideous but necessary.  So, I have come up with a super cheap plan to hide the insulation and pretty up the doors. Rome wasn't built in a day and this job won't get done in a day either. So, you'll just have to settle for this sneak peek. I'm changing out the curtains to coordinate with the paper. But no worries. The curtains in this pic set us back about $4 bucks at IKEA. AND I just so happen to have some sage curtains to match just sitting in storage. What luck!

No cute CJ pics to share today. She has been an ENORMOUS grump today. She looks a lot like this kid... In other news, below is a fun photo of my Grandma and Grandpa Smith. They went a Caribbean cruise. Yes, I'm jealous as I sit here with cold, blue toes. Finally, I'm starting a new house project. Actually, I started it a month or two before CJ was born but I haven't touch this room since. Since moving in almost two years ago this cute room has held lots of junk. The windows were hidden by crumbling roller shades and sheers. It has gorgeous built-in cabinets and a built-in, fold down table. I have emptied all of the junk and vacuumed the rug.  Actually there are two rugs...one on top of the other.  Hidden underneath is a pretty wood floor. I'm planning to paint the walls and ceiling and transform it into a room of my own. Hopefully I'll have some great transformation photos in the next few weeks.

Below is the recipe for Apricot Chicken. I am going to post the recipe as I prepare it. I will follow it with how the actual recipe reads. Both are delicious and virtually the same.  However, I've found that the original recipe is a little too soupy for my taste. Plus I usually cook for just the three of us so I make a few adjustments. Apricot Chicken 2 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil 2 chicken breasts cut into strips or 1 lb chicken tenders Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 1 medium onion, chopped 2 Tbs cider vinegar or white wine vinegar 6 to 8 dried pitted apricots, chopped 1 C chicken broth 1/2 C apricot all-fruit spread or apricot preserves Heat a large skillet with a lid over medium-high heat.  Add olive oil and chicken.  Season with salt and pepper. Lightly brown the chicken on each side. Add onions and cook, 5 minutes.  Add vinegar to the pan and let it evaporate.  Add apricots and broth.  When broth comes to a bubble, add preserves and stir to combine.  Cover pan

The microwave mug cake was alright. I don't know that we'll make it again. But it was fun to try. Below is a pic of our chocolate, chocolate chip mug cake topped with chopped pecans (didn't have any walnuts).  Before digging in I added hot fudge and homemade whipped cream. The toppings were by far the best part. Oh, and the cakes were sitting atop our nonfunctioning oven and next to a carnation from the Women's Club fundraiser breakfast we attended Sunday morning.  The carnation did have a stem...for a very short while. Someone, who shall remain nameless, had a little too much fun 'smelling' the flower. In other news, I tried my hand at a new project. I used a plain t-shirt, pretty fabric and other tools to make a jazzy shirt for Kate. Below is the shirt after cutting and ironing. I then hand stitched the hearts. I liked Kate's shirt so much that I made a onesie for CJ too. Kate is rocking a chocolate, chocolate chip mug cake batter face. She helped

The girls and I early Saturday A.M. Both girls awoke ready for the day with dances, squeals and giggles. Very cute...but it would have been cuter if I slept in a little first. Kate is wearing her Kindergym shirt. Haven't heard of Kindergym? It is a magical place with stuff to climb and bounce on.  Scooters to ride and songs to sing. Kate loves it and so do I.  It lets her burn some of the pent up winter energy. Posting a second shot of us may seem redundant. But I like Kate's attempt to include Sleeping Beauty in this pic. If Kate isn't applying stickers to CJ's clothes and face, then you will find Kate attempting to balance a tiara on this sweet, innocent head. And this was supper last night.  I was the only one who liked it. Brussels Sprouts with apricots and apricot chicken on top of brown rice. It looked so pretty on the plate so I snapped a quick pic. Matt and Kate did do a pretty good job of eating their supper despite what was on their plate. Being the p

I big puffy heart this recipe.  SO delicious! (Psst...it is also super healthy and fast.) Turkey Corn Chili 1 medium onion, chopped 1 Tbs vegetable oil 2 cloves garlic, chopped 1 lb. ground lean turkey 1 small red or green bell pepper, seeded and chopped 1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels 1 can (28 or 32 oz) diced or crushed tomatoes 3 scallions, chopped (I usually don't add) 1 tsp poultry seasoning 1 1/2 Tbs chili powder 1 Tbs ground cumin (my fav spice!) 1 to 2 oz hot sauce (I don't add, Kate hates it!) Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste Shredded cheese, such as cheddar for topping In a deep saucepot over medium-high heat, saute onion in oil for 3 to 5 minutes Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.  Add turkey and brown 5 minutes.  Add bell pepper, corn and tomatoes.  Bring to a bubble, stirring in scallions, spices, hot sauce, and salt and pepper. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Serve in bowls topped with cheese.

Since the birth of CJ we occasionally find Kate craddling her doll swaddled in her 'pink.'  Pink is her favorite blanket and you can find the two of them snuggling in bed every night. Pink is very important to her.  So when I find Kate sharing Pink with CJ or Baxter I am reminded just how sweet and kind hearted Kate is. CJ got her first taste of rice cereal.  Whole grain, organic, baby rice cereal. Yummo, right?  Blah! I have always wanted to make homemade whipped cream.  I've heard it is so much more delicious than store bought. So, I made the whipped cream and Kate made the pudding.  Hence Kate's lack of clothing. I think she wore more pudding than consumed.