where the heart is

Finally got around to some Valentine's crafting today with my boy...at three, his paintings are still very much in the "abstract" phase (ha!) so together with a few pages of his creations, and my scissors, we managed to create a cheery window in the "heart" of our home--the kitchen. I have a feeling that when the daughter gets home from school, we may be decorating more windows shortly!

yippee! I'm 3!

It was a simple, yet fun, birthday for the boy yesterday.  I felt like it was the easy way out, but he really wanted to do Chuck E. Cheese's, so we had 3 other families join us for a fun and crazy evening.  I had fun making him a t-shirt to celebrate the day--fusible web, a cute scrap of fabric, and some fabric paint, so easy! It says, "Yippee! I'm 3", which pretty much sums up how he felt about his special day!

on the day you were born

On this day, 3 years ago, my baby boy was born.  My darling boy, you have brought so much joy to our lives. Overnight, it seems, this little brand-new baby face has grown into an active, happy boy.  There is so much to love about you. I love your ready smiles, your great imagination, your happy heart.  I love how much "boy" there really is in what you love:  your tools, your construction and fire trucks, your trains.  I love to hear you sing, which you do all the time, even at the dinner table.  I love to go on "adventures" with you. Perhaps most of all, I love how much you love to snuggle, hug and kiss.  I love your "tickle tackle snuggles"!Even when you are testing your independance and trying my patience, I love you.  My dear boy, I wish you a happy birthday and a wonderful year of being THREE!

(birthday photos to follow in a later post!)

our glassmaking adventure

Yesterday the daughter and I went to a Daisy Girl Scout activity at McFadden Art Glass.  It was amazing! Fun for everyone.  The girls each got to make a glass pendant (or two, if mom wanted one too!) and it was really something to see her holding the pipe with the molten glass, to use the furnace and the tools and even wield a blowtorch! The pendants above are her hard work...mine is the blues and greens and hers is blue, red and pink.   Hard to believe a 5 year old could do it, but the girls all did great, and it was an experience neither of us will forget.  The glass studio is associated with a gallery and restaurant next door, I might have to take Hubby there sometime, I think he'd get a kick out of it as well!

adding color to the hot glass with glass bits

melting the glass bits in the furnace

smoothing the glass by rolling after the color is added

shaping the glass

melting the pendant top to shape it into a loop

some of the gorgeous glass in their gallery

winter wonder

Winter wonder finally arrived last night. Icy snow-covered roads made for a good excuse for us all to take a snow day. And now, sitting here, holding a mug of hot cranberry-orange punch to warm my hands, I can't help but think, all is well.

create:: winter warmth

Today has been filled with all sorts of mess from the sky: snow, sleet, cold rain.  Perfect for staying in. Perfect for some oatmeal chocolate chip cookies the kids and I made.  Perfect for my snuggly new cowl that I knit up this past weekend.   Its the Dolores Park cowl  on Parika Mehta's lovely blog, six one seven. I would love to knit with wool and all those other  lovely natural fibers all the time, but my budget loves for me to knit with whatever is on sale at Michael's.  So this one is in their store brand, Loops and Threads, in their chunky Country Loom.  The colorway is Solarium, its a gorgeous mix of leaf and forest greens, together with turquoise and a medium navy.  The pictures can't tell you how soft it is. It's been around my neck all day, and this is the first day in a long time I haven't had to be bundled into a fleece or wool sweater. Wonderful!

 Just for a bonus--here's the recipe (devised from assimilating a bunch of other recipes found online, and picking and choosing what might make for a great cookie: success!)

Yummy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. In a large bowl, cream together 1 cup shortening, 3/4 cup packed brown sugar, and 3/4 cup granulated sugar.

3. Add 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract, and 2 eggs. Mix on medium low (on my Kitchen Aid) for about 1-2 minutes.

4. Mix in a separate bowl:  1 1/2 cups flour, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp baking soda, and 1/2 tsp salt. Add to wet ingredients in 2 portions, mixing on low until combined.

5. Add 2 cups old-fashioned oats plus 1/2 cup instant oats, followed by 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips.

6. Drop by rounded teaspoonful onto parchment lined cookie sheets, bake 10-12 minutes until lightly browned.  Let rest on pan 3-5 minutes before transferring to cooling racks. 

ENJOY!

learning to discipline...and be disciplined

After being a Mama for 5 1/2 years now, I feel like I should have been prepared.  Prepared with consequences, and the right words, so that I would sail through this confidently.  Instead as I am faced with disciplining my oldest this week, I feel like I'm learning right along side of her.  I'm not going to embarrass her with details all over the web, I'll just say that the punishment decided upon was this:  no activities for 4 days.  no television for 4 days.  apology letters to those involved.  and handwriting practice ("I will not...<insert behavior>").  I do believe that she realizes the seriousness of her "crime". 

That was yesterday.  So then comes today, and already I have dealt with kids hitting each other two separate times, and a play time outside cut short due to blatant disobedience.  Sigh.  I should not be surprised.  I understand the concept of SIN.  Its that pull of SELF above all other considerations.  The kids demonstrate it so easily for me...and then I am faced with my own sinful self.  For the reality is, I have that SELF issue too.  ("For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" --Romans 3:23)  Wanting MY way without regard to others, or to God's will.  Wanting time for mySELF, at the expense of other commitments and other people.  We are all born into this world with that drive for SELF foremost in us.  And, lets call it what it is: SIN.

But we also have GRACE.  Grace is unearned.  It is pardon for my wrongdoing, and a restoring of relationship.  I have received grace from God, through Christ whom I have faith died for ME.  And as such, I am also called to extend grace to others.  I extend grace through forgiving my children when they are misbehaving, and loving them through the process.  It doesn't mean that I won't discipline them.  God certainly disciplines me, letting me reap the consequences of poor choices I make, teaching me over and over the lessons I stubbornly refuse to learn.  And so I discipline my children, teaching them (I hope) about SIN, and consequences, but also about GRACE.  And how grace truly does cover them, restoring their relationship with their mama, and with God.  We pray together, and little by little, we learn. 

May Grace be with you, today, too.