{Cowboy Up}

I've been meaning to do a photo session of sorts with Isaiah to try to capture him at age 5. Well, I finally got around to it last night. We went to a park nearby and took a few props. I didn't get everything I wanted, but I few a good ones.

I thought this was appropriate with Kindergarten quickly approaching.

Every cowboy needs a sunset!

He's changing everyday. I just want to capture and enjoy each moment.

We love you, little man!

When life gives you lemons,...

...make an apron

You don't see a lot of aprons much anymore, but most of us have some sort of fond memory attached to an apron. Maybe it was your grandma's, a great aunt's, or even your mom's. I have one of my grandma's old aprons that she wore regularly - I used it as a pattern for this lemon apron. For me, aprons mean love, warmth, comfort...which all come from the person wearing the apron.

I remember as a little girl, having friends over to my house. Mom pulled out several of her own aprons and we each chose one to wear while baking peanut butter cookies. We thought we were so grown up!

When I saw this fabric, I knew it would make the perfect summer apron.....it just makes me happy looking at it ...it's the simple things, ya know!

And it's a little symbolic for me. We've been handed a few disappointing lemons this year. Attitude makes all the difference - it's how you look at the lemons. Make something yummy out of them....an apron, a pie, maybe lemonade from this recipe and let your kids sell it at their cute little lemonade stand.

Summer Feet

Summer has offically begun around here according to these little feet

.....and my kitchen floor, which I can't seem to keep clean.

Hope your summer is filled with good clean feet,....er.....uh...fun!

This stuff is for the birds!

I've been looking for activities to do with the boys this summer...something to keep them engaged so that they don't end up watching videos all day. I'd seen this idea on another blog so I thought we'd try it. Birdseed cookies...that's right - special cookies for the birds. Well, actually it's just a bird feeder of sorts, but the 5 yr old thought it sounded pretty cool to make cookies for the birds, and the 2 yr old just heard the word "cookie" and was on board!




Once we got the ingredients all mixed up the 5 yr old was done...he didn't want to get his hands messy, and the 2 yrs old kept trying to eat the mixture, but abandoned the project once he realized that seeds are a bit difficult to chew up!

So, I ended up making birdseed cookies all by myself (so much for entertaining the boys). They turned out OK, I think... I mean I didn't taste them or anything, but they keep mysteriously disappearing. I don't think the poor birds have even had a nibble due to the pesky squirrels around here. We may rename them "squirrel cookies".

Here's the recipe in case you have some hungry birds, ..or uh, ...squirrels in your neighborhood:


3/4 c. flour
1/2 c. water
3 T. corn syrup
4 c. bird seed (the smaller the seeds the better)

Mix all ingredients together. Roll out onto waxed paper and cut into shapes. Use a straw to make a hole for the yarn. Allow to dry for a few hours, turning once or twice. String yarn through the hole and hang where you can enjoy watching the birds (or squirrels) savor their treat!

{Time, Space, and Faith}

I'm no farmer, but I could totally relate to this post. Sometimes we need a little time, space, and faith to let a miracle unfold. And who among us isn't praying for a miracle of some sort?

{Play Dough Love}

The boys have really been into play dough lately. I attempted to make some a few months back, but it turned out too soft and runny - a complete mess to play with. I recently came across a different recipe and decided to try one more time. This one turned out great!

Here's the recipe:

*Mix the following items together in a saucepan:

1 C. flour

1 C. salt

4 T. cream of tartar

*then add these:

2 C. water

2 T. veg. oil

* Turn the heat on low and stir continuously until the mixture congeals

*split the dough into 4 equal parts.

* spread out each into a pancake and add food coloring.

* fold in the coloring until completely incorporated

*store in an airtight container for months and months. Enjoy!

{Green Blankie}

We were given several hand-knit and crocheted blankets when our first child was born. Before his first birthday, he had attached himself to one particular blanket...."green blankie", as it is affectionately referred to. I've always thought this was very sweet, and planned to keep the blanket to bring back out when HIS first child is born. I imagined his tiny son or daughter wrapped snugly in the warmth of this well-loved blanket. Now that he's five, he still spends each night with his green blankie......it just looks a little different than it did 5 years ago....

No, this is not the work of a GIANT moth. Those massive holes were made by lovingly dragging green blankie across the floor, snagging it on toys, books, and furniture, or whatever else was in his path. It's miraculously survived 5 years of naps, sicknesses, tantrums, and bedtime stories.

This boy is hard on everything (you should see his jeans). He doesn't seem to be bothered with the fact that his beloved blankie is falling apart. One of these days, I'll probably find him snuggled up with nothing but a ball of green yarn.