Monday, November 25, 2013

Thanksgiving Feather Garland and More

It took me a bit to get the Thanksgiving decorations up this year. Finally last weekend, for the Duplo party, I got me rear in gear and got to work.

I wanted something to replace the Halloween pennant banners that I had made. At first I thought that leaves would be the way to go, but then I saw this feather garland, and decided to branch out of the transnational and try something a little new and fun.
And while I love the look of felt, I really wanted something a bit simpler to make. Enter paper and my Silhouette Cameo. (Have I told you how much I love that thing??) I downloaded a feather pattern and proceeded to cut out feathers in three sizes out of paper I had in my paper stash.

Then I simply used my sewing machine to stitch them together. Viola! I added one to our old window that is sitting on our desk along with the Give Thanks printable found here. And I hung the longer one over our hanging picture display.

Of course I redid the chalkboard for Thanksgiving. My sister-in-law had emailed me this idea and I went with it and made it my own. And added a turkey made by Peachy.
I kept my mini pumpkin hurricane from Halloween and flanked it with this printable I popped into a frame and a canvass print.

I have a great fall table runner from my mom that fits perfectly on our skinny table at the top of our stairs. That coupled with a frame I made, a wooden pumpkin basket filled with some gourds, and this printable backed with a Silhouette cutout, finished that table.

Finally in the entryway, I gathered up all of our mini pumpkins and gourds, added some candles, and this printable in a frame.
These new decorations coupled with having a busy week are about all that held off the Christmas decorations this year! What about you, did you decorate for Thanksgiving or have you already started on Christmas?
I am linking up with Dare to DIY. 
http://newlywoodwards.com/
Go and check out all of the other great ideas!

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Cream 2.3


I figured I would be remiss to do a post on Peachy and not one on Cream. Beside, there are so many great things that I want to remember about my Sweet Cream right now. While the saying is terrible twos, I really love this age! Don't get me wrong, we butt heads plenty. And her stubborn personality is indeed a challenge, but their little personalities that are coming out so strongly right now are so irresistible.

As I said, Miss Cream has a side of her that is all stubborn and prickly, but she her other sweet and charming side outweighs it by far. Maybe she is like prickly pear jelly in that way?? :o) Cream loves her Peachy, mommy, and daddy. She is the best snuggler. And even asks for "nuggles" now. How can I resist??!! She will also come up to us and ask us "You play with me?" Irresistible!

She is a little chatterbox and likes to try to out talk her sister in words and volume. Here are just a few of her great quotes:

"Love you soon!" When she is saying goodbye to someone.
"Daddy no say love you me!" After Mr. Cherry had left for work one morning and she had forgotten that he really had said goodbye.
"Daddy, don't cry when the puppy bites you!" Out of nowhere one day to Mr. Cherry.
"Cars are driving crazy!" When we were out on the interstate one recent day.

I love to hear her little voice chime in with mealtime and bedtime prayers. And her singing voice is simply sweet. Her favorite song is "Jesus Loves Me." She will even sing it to her dolls when she is pretending to put them to bed.

She is very good at starting arguments with her sister. Four year olds are sticklers for the rules and facts and it drives Peachy nuts when Cream spouts off some sort of untruth. For example, she loves to say that she is four and Peachy is two. Ha! That gets her every time! She is very adamant that she is in the right and uses phrases like, "Yes it is!" "No it is not!"
She is such a little blessing to our family. I know she will be in for a bit of a shock in February when little Shortcake comes along, but I know she will adjust and be an awesome big sister.

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Peachy 4.5


This month Peachy turned 4 and a half. We are six months away from five years old! Peachy has really grown up lately. She looks much more mature to me and acts the same.
She is still as creative as ever, always having an idea for a project. Some of her art and projects truly amaze me. She really has a creative mind. We also do some preschool everyday. She knows all of her upper and lowercase letters and has started to do a little sounding out. (Although she is a bit hesitant.)
She is also grasping numbers and always asking me what this plus that equals. (Keeps me on my tows and my mind sharp, I tell you.) She loves attending our church's Sunday School and it is a true joy to watch her little faith grow and blossom. She recently sang with the other children in Sunday School in front of the church and she stood up there and sang her heart out.
Before bed each night she asks for a story from one of her children's Bibles and loves learning "Jesus" songs. We downloaded some children's Christian music onto her little mp3 boombox and it makes my heart so happy to hear her and Cream singing along with the truths of God's word.
We started both girls in gymnastics three weeks ago and she loves her class. (Unfortunately I am with Cream during her class time so I don't get to see much of what she is up to.) We still attend our parent and child class offered through our state and city. She is the oldest one in the class and it is fun watching her be a leader in there.
She is thoroughly excited to be a big sister again and will often hug and pat my tummy. (As well as marvel at how big it is getting. :o)
She is also being an excellent sister to Cream. It has been so much fun watching them bond more and more in the recent months. They will play and play some days. (And some days they will fight and fight. Ah, sisterly love.)
What a blessing and joy to watch this little girl grow and flourish in our home and family.

Monday, November 18, 2013

DUPLO LEGO House Party

Have you heard of House Party? It is a website that provides parties sponsored by name brands.
The loot inside our party pack.
You apply at the House Party website for any parties that interest you and if you are chosen you will receive a party pack with a few party supplies, but also some of the sponsor's product.
Cream examining the House Party box when it was delivered.
You are not required to sell anything, you just have the party and tell people about it. In the past we have hosted a Pull Ups Potty Dance Party.
Peachy helping to decorate the juice boxes.
This weekend we were one of the lucky households selected for a DUPLO LEGO House Party!! Our prize pack was awesome.
The finished juice boxes.
We received 6 DUPLO sets, 3 Jake and the Neverland Pirates and 3 Disney Planes.
Our party favor bags.
We invited some friends to come and join us in playing with our new DUPLOs and all of the kids had a blast. I think the first hour of the party was spent with kids all over the floor playing!
Rocking LEGO Jello!
I also provided a few other fun activities and some snacks.
The party in full swing.
I printed off some LEGO coloring sheets for a coloring station. I also had graham crackers, frosting and M&Ms for the kids to make their own LEGO treat.
The snack station was a big hit. (I am sure the parents loved me filling their kiddos up on graham crackers, frosting, and M&Ms at 5:30! :o)
I found this awesome LEGO shaped mold on Amazon and made some Jello Jigglers with it. Peachy and I had fun making our juice boxes and favor bags look like LEGO blocks.
MMM, colored frosting!
We had a great time and feel so blessed to have been chosen for this party. The girls have been playing with our new DUPLOS ever since the party! (And Mr. Cherry and I have been joining right in!)
The girls love their new fleet!
*I was provided with the party pack in order to host the party. All opinions written here are my own.*

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

November, I'm Loving It

Its that time again, dear readers, my list of items loved this month!
1) Trader Joe's Pumpkin Butter and Cranberry Apple Butter: Get yourself to a Trader Joe's (or have someone you know and love get themselves to a TJ's) and pick up a jar or two or three of these tummy treats. They are a seasonal product, as far as I am aware, and you do not want to miss out! They are yummy on toast, waffles, pancakes, and even in oatmeal (more on that later.)
2) Steel Cut Oatmeal: I actually bought some steel cut oats for a recipe. Since I had the remainder of the container sitting there, I started making it for breakfast in place of my regular oatmeal. And while it does take a bit longer, it is really good. And good for you, too. I have found it I make myself a serving of oatmeal, it keeps me full the majority of the morning. Of course I add fun things like Trader Joe's Pumpkin Butter, or nuts and craisins, and diced fruit and it actually feels like I am eating something way naughtier than I am.
3) JibJab:  I know that you have all heard of JibJab before. You know the place you can turn your entire family into dancing elves through Office Max for Christmas. However, the girls and I recently started playing around with the website and we had a blast. There is just something so stinking funny about seeing your entire family, cuties and all, sing and dance to the Monster Mash. Good times.
4) My Imaginary Well Dressed Toddler Daughter Pinterest Board: This tongue in cheek Pinterest board mocks elaborate and over the top children modeling pictures with "quotes" from the child Quinoa. The above picture contains the caption, "Quinoa always looks forward to celebrating Cher Appreciation Day at school." The creator has lots of great boards. Good for lots of laughs at the expense of others, of course.
And that is what I am loving this month. How about you?

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Christmas Craft Show

This weekend I got into the upcoming Christmas spirit a bit early by participating in a local Boutique. It was held in connection with a holiday tour of 7 decorated homes in the area. 
As usual, I was a crafting whirlwind right up until the night before the show, but all of my work paid off with a great booth and a good show. I had my every growing and changing menagerie of up-cycled friends there, in addition to my art caddies, large and small, and crayon rolls. 
As a special to the show, I also offered some Christmas scrappy bunting. It was my biggest booth to date, 10 feet by 10 feet. Mr. Cherry helped me plan my booth floor plan once again. (I am so thankful for a suppirtive and helpful husband!! Especially one who has such better spacial skills than I.) I used my basket and hook set up on my craft paper covered peg board walls. 
I also added two small Christmas trees to each side. And of course I had to get out my vintage Christmas linens.

And since it was a two day show, there was some inevitable down time. I had brought along my Christmas cards and almost finished working on addressing them! It feels so good to get ahead a bit.

I would like to use this time as a little reminder to you all of the importance of shopping handmade and small local businesses all throughout the year, but especially at Christmas. 
A small order can make someone like my day. Before you go out to Target and the mall to do your shopping, maybe take a look at your downtown and see what gifts you can purchase there. 
Or stop by Etsy and browse all of the great handmade items for the people on your giving list. (And if you just so happen to need something for a little person, my shop is kiki b omi designs. I hope to have it filled with soon!!)

Monday, November 11, 2013

Little Man Tie Tee Shirts


Have you ever seen the Blume line of products for kids? So many fun ideas! A friend recently sent me a request to make her adorable little boys some Blume inspired Little Man Tie Shirts since she couldn't find matching shirts in the correct sizes. She wants to use them for their family's Christmas pictures. Isn't that going to be awesome?
I started by purchasing plain red shirts. I found mine at Target. Then I took a man's tie and cut it down to make a tie for each shirt. I wish I could tell you how I ended up making the tie, but it was really by trial and error. After stitching the ties up, I decided to connect them to the shirts with velcro. That way they can be removed for washing.
I can't wait to see your little men in their tie shirts, Jenny!

Friday, November 8, 2013

Foodie Friday: Bacon Cheeseburger Bombs

I made these Bacon Cheeseburger Bombs a few weeks ago and we all enjoyed them. I did make a couple of minor changes to the original recipe from Spend with Pennies. I started by adding some dill pickle relish to the mix, because what is a cheeseburger doing without any pickles, I tell you? I also didn't have any bacon on hand, so I used bacon bits. (I know this is a bit of a travesty, but it is what it is!) I also just used shredded cheese rather than the cheese cubes the recipe suggests in an effort to get them in the oven so that we could eat. These were a yummy meal for our family and one that we will make again. You can get the recipe here.

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Halloween Photo Dump


Sorry these are out of order.

Blogger isn't cooperating with me today.

Here are some of the pictures I got of the girls for Halloween. (Note that there aren't any in their costumes besides the ones Mr. Cherry took the night before. It just wasn't meant to be!)
The girls and I wen't out and collected leaves for a project.

Note the lack of leaves in our yard. We live in a new subdivision and the trees are just starting to be planted. Advantage? Not so many leaves to rake. Disadvantage? No trees.

The girls and I started carving pumpkins a couple of nights before Halloween. 

Last year after Halloween I picked up one of those carving kits on clearance.

Peachy was pumped about using it.

Those suckers are a lot of work!

We got them both hallowed out and Peachy's carved, at which point I decided to wait and do the rest when Mr. Cherry came home.

We chose the only two cute patterns in the book.

Seriously, why does Halloween have to be all spooky and gore?

The girls and I also decorated sugar cookies.

Don't tell (really I don't care) I bought the plain cookies and frosting at the bakery department of the grocery store.

All of the fun and yumminess and none of the baking. Winning!
We did our normal around the block for trick-or-treating. Peachy was having a grand old time, but Cream had enough after a few houses. We also went to a local pizza place that was giving free slices for kids in costume with a paying adult that afternoon. That was a good treat. The next day we hosted a Halloween playgroup here. And then on Saturday I was in charge of the fall festival aty our church. We got in plenty of partying, I tell you!