DIY Personalized Alphabet Book

My nephew, Tucker, recently turned one! A month or so before his birthday, I spent an afternoon taking photos of him for his gift – a personalized ABC photo book. My sister-in-law (Tucker’s Mamma) had seen this idea on various sites, but I decided to do it my way.

Here’s how:

First, I took photos of Tucker with his “stuff” – one picture for each letter of the alphabet. This was a little challenging with a baby, (and included a nap time break), but it was also very fun! Some letters such as “Q” and “X”, can be a little difficult to find objects for – but see all of our pages below for ideas.

Second, I added the letters and words to each photo using Photoshop. You could, however, use any photo editing program, or scrapbooking alphabet stickers, or you could simply write the letter and word on a label with colored pens and stick them to each photo.

Third, I had the (4×6) photos printed at Walgreens one-hour photo, then had them laminated at my local Office Max for only a couple bucks per 11×17 sheet. I designed a front and back cover (also 4×6), and had those laminated, too. The laminating will help protect the book from dropping, tearing, teething, etc – but, as always, a baby should be watched carefully with anything!! 🙂

Fourth, I cut the photos out of the laminated sheets (leaving at least 2/8 inch around the edges to keep them sealed. I punched a hole in the upper left-hand corner of each page. It can be a little tough getting through the plastic sheets using a hand-held paper punch, so I used an eyelet punch tool with mini hammer to give it some extra umph! Also, using the setting tool, I added an eyelet to the front and back cover for  durability.

Last, I slid each page onto a 2 inch binder ring, and double- knotted some brightly colored ribbons along it for a little extra fun!

Tucker LOVED his special book, and I know your child will, too!

Ahhhh, the beach

So many profound things have been written about the raw and pure beauty of the beach. All I can say is that God must have known that we’d need it. No where else on earth does the softness of warm sand join the cool freshness of rhythmic waves, shockingly blue skies, and friendly, cleansing breezes. The combination exfoliates weeks of tired winter skin, and washes away worries and fears. As soon as I begin to entertain thoughts of appointments, chores, working, or schedules, they are whisked away on a breeze and blown into the distance. I am able to recenter my body and soul to a natural place, a pleasant familiar place that I long to be – always. And the children too, they are beautiful in the sun. Healthy, clean, spirited and free. They don’t have to realize it, they just belong, simply unhindered. Running, splashing, digging, laughing, napping…being. I can only hope that heaven will be one ounce as wonderful as the beach.

Travel kit for my two year old – Just in case!

The kids and I, and a bunch of my family members are heading down to Florida for a Spring Break get-a-way! We have a several hour drive to the airport, and are than taking a red-eye flight in hopes that the kids will sleep :). I am not worried about my 9-month old, he’s pretty easy to get to sleep. My 2-year old, however, is another story. She may very well be too excited to be on an airplane, and not want to sleep at all! Therefore, I have constructed a kit of travel activities just in case we need it.

1. Classic Crayola markers, some fun Spring colors and made from recycled plastic!

2. Some self sharpening Crayola crayons (twist-up in case one breaks!) in an adorable crayon holder that was given to Della as a gift. It’s from The Piggy Story. (Some really fun products on there!)

3. A blank pad of Crayola marker/watercolor paper (for markers – we won’t be watercoloring on the plane!), and a Hello Kitty activity book (or “Hi Cat” as Della calls her).

4. Some foam and paper Easter stickers – she loves the foam stickers! Maybe we can knock out some hand-made Easter cards during the trip!

5. Some good travel snacks: strawberry cereal bars, peanut butter crackers, fruit snacks and goldfish! Mommy and little brother will like these as well!

6. I’ve recently developed a love for binder rings! I bought this stack of “shape and color” flashcards in the Target dollar section. Punched some holes and slid them on a binder ring. This is perfect for traveling because they won’t thrown all over the floor! (hopefully!)

7. Some paint chips (thanks Home Depot!) from the Disney colors collection. These are great for learning colors!

8. A small tub of Play-Do can always come in handy!

9. Anti-bacterial wet wipes for all of those “unknown” surfaces the kids will touch on our trip.

If Della does end up sleeping through our flight (fingers crossed) this kit will make for some great rainy day activities – but hopefully we won’t have any of those until we get home!

Happy Travels!

DIY Easter Tree and FREE Easter Tag Download

As a child, I always remember having an Easter tree. My mamma would cut a branch from a lilac bush or small tree and put it in a pot or vase. We would decorate it with dyed eggs, Easter grass, handmade paper crosses, and anything else we had around. I got almost as excited about the Easter tree as I would the Christmas tree. It meant Spring was on its way. It meant  an enchanted Easter egg hunt in my Grandparent’s apple orchard, and oodles of candy in my Easter basket. I wanted to keep the sunshiny magic of this tradition going for my children.

My daughter and husband went out one snowy morning to cut a few small branches from our lilac tree. (I was hoping the tree would help the snow to melt!) These work well because they have a lot of small shoots which are good for hanging things off of. Also, if you put your branches in water, eventually the buds will begin to open. To add a little more green to my branches, I used hot glue to attach some paper leaves. I just cut-out a simple leaf shape from scrap paper, creased one end, filled the crease with glue, and wrapped it around a branch.

I found these somewhat worn Easter ornaments at a charming little thrift shop in Door County, WI, for ten cents a piece. They needed a little TLC so I cleaned off price tag remnants, glued on a detached wing, and added bows where other parts had worn off. I know there are a lot of these types of ornaments out there. If you don’t want to start scouring thrift shops for these ornaments, (even though you would probably have some luck), craft stores or department stores are sure to have these types of ornaments, or something like these. You can also hang hallowed out died eggs, colored plastic eggs, cut out paper eggs, or anything you have around the house that looks Springy! My daughter loved helping me hang these little ornaments on the tree. (She also enjoyed taking them off and putting them on again over and over 🙂

Next, I printed and cut out these sweet little Easter Tree Tags and hung them with green ribbon. These tags would also be cute hanging from Easter baskets, or little Easter favors.

To finish it off, I tied some simple green-polka dotted ribbon along with some springy raffia around the top of the vase.

This simple little tree brightens my day each time I walk into my kitchen. And, I think it helped melt the snow! We’ve had unusually Spring-like weather the last couple days 🙂

Go play in the snow

 

It snowed this weekend. Really snowed. Large, wet, glorious flakes. You’d think that growing up in Wisconsin, you’d get tired of seeing snow fall, and, there are many Winters that we do – but this year has been different. There’s been hardly any snow up until now, and even these five to six inches are predicted to melt by mid-week. If it’s any indication, when it comes to naming the snowstorms, we’re only up to “Caroline.” I personally have always thought that if the weather was going to stay cold, sunless, and dreary from November through (sometimes) April or May, we might at least have snow. Snow brightens, refreshes, revives an otherwise dry, gray, and lifeless landscape.  Though it is physically cold, it somehow warms our world, leaving insulating drifts along roadsides and on rooftops; blanketing every branch and mailbox. It envelopes me and somehow makes me feel safe while I’m tucked inside watching from the window. My mama, bless her heart, joyfully indulges my two-year old, Della’s, healthy, adventurous spirit. While I sat snuggling William, my 8 month old, I watched as Grandma (or “Ma” to Della) and her little shadow made footprint paths in the smooth sparkling snow, erected a real Frosty complete with carrot nose, and whisked through the yard on a sled, with Della’s laughter and Jack the dog bounding behind. At one point I opened the patio door and snapped this shot with my iPhone, and it just seemed to capture the wonder of the moment. It made me feel proud to be a Midwesterner. A pride that Wisconsin is thriving with full, rich scenery and wholesome, loving families. It made me love my mama, and want to keep this vibrant memory of her for myself and for Della. It gave me a burst of much-needed hope that has wavered in the doldrums of Winter. Thank you mama, thank you Della, thank you Caroline, And thank you, Lord, for sending a beauty that could only come from the heavens.

The “I’m Hungry!” Worksheet

When it comes to meal planning, I want to be one of those completely-on-top-of-things, have-it-all-together, oh-so-organized moms. I DO TRY…but I only have so much time and so much energy. In our house, we’ve been working on eating-out less, and cooking-in more. Even though it takes work – planning, shopping, cooking, cleaning, etc. It’s more cost efficient, it’s healthier, and it’s way more satisfying than calling a take-out number.

In an attempt to help make the mealtime ordeal a little more bearable, I had to come to some realizations about myself and my needs when it comes to providing meals for my family:

1. I need a plan. Going to the grocery store without a list is a recipe for a panic attack, not a great meal. Not to mention random purchases, wasted money, and wasted time.

2. I need help coming up with meal ideas. I am not great at imagining meals, or improvising with random ingredients. I need recipes, how-to’s, step-by-step processes. I need ideas that others have tried, and can tell me exactly how they did it. Cookbooks and cooking shows can help, but the best ways I have found, are by word-of-mouth (i’ve gotten some of my favorite recipes from my friends and family), and by recipe posting blogs. Both are great resources because a mom or person like me has made the recipe, thought it tasted good, and can tell me step-by-step (often with pictures!) how to do it, or how not do it for that matter. More importantly, friends, family, and blogs, give me the opportunity to ask questions, and to have a conversation about the process if needed.

3. I need simplicity. If it takes too much time, needs too many ingredients, uses weird ingredients, or requires some fancy cooking technique, chances are, my family won’t like it, and I won’t like making it, or it won’t turn out right. Don’t get me wrong, I think food is great. I love eating, and I am fascinated by famous chefs and beautiful restaurants that produce culinary works of art; but when it comes down to it, we simply need food to nourish our bodies. What goes in, eventually pretty much comes out – it’s temporary. So, for me and my family, we need simple goodness that fills our bellies.

4. I need flexibility. Our lives are busy. We need to accept that there will be days when we don’t have time to make a home cooked meal, there will be times when we don’t have the energy to clean up after a meal, and there can, and should be moments where eating out is fun, delicious, and completely acceptable. A time to just sit and enjoy conversation with friends or family, without the worry of preparing or cleaning up after food. There are many, many great restaurants, food stands, delis, food courts, markets, food trucks, you name it, to explore with our taste buds. How fun! A night out, or take-out, here or there is ok!

5. I need to accept the fact that meal planning is going to take a little work. It doesn’t for everyone. There are people that have the magic gift of creating their own delicious and successful recipes, and actually enjoy doing it. I am not one of them. I need a plan, I need a grocery list, I need recipes, and I need some motivation to actually make the food! All of that, to me, is work.

So, with all of that in mind, I came up with the “I’m Hungry” Worksheet. Yes, it’s a worksheet because (to me) it takes some work!

• The first sheet contains a spot to jot down dinner plans for each night of the week starting with Monday. I don’t know about you – but I always think of Monday as the start of the week, and Sunday as the end.
• There are also spots to list items that are “available” for other “I’m hungry” moments such as breakfast, lunch, snacks, or dessert. I don’t feel it necessary to “plan” every breakfast and lunch. I just provide things that can be eaten any day. An example of items available for lunch in a give week are: mac n’ cheese, pb&j or turkey sandwiches, chips, string cheese, yogurt, grapes and bananas.
• The last section is for things you will need for “sharing”. This is where you can list dishes or snacks that you need to bring to certain events occuring during that week such as, “Cupcake birthday treats for Della’s Class”, or “Pasta salad for church potluck.”
• Once I have the general meals mapped out, I list all of the single ingredients needed on the “Go Get It” grocery list sheet. The template is broken out into the various sections of a grocery store. I don’t know how many times I am almost at the registers, and then realize I have forgotten something at the complete other end of the store. Rather than writing things on a random list, it helps to categorize them by department or type of food. Each grocery store’s layout is different, but at least you can say, “Ok, I’m in the frozen foods section, what on my list do I need from the frozen foods?”

I place the grocery list in my purse, and I have been posting the “I’m Hungry” sheet on our pantry door so everyone can see what’s available for eating. It’s not written in stone, because inevitably, we end up having dinner at my parents’, or we get invited to last minute event, or I just get too tired to make my planned meal! That’s ok! Things can be shuffled as needed!

Happy meal planning!