He's an artist AND a songwriter

After I tucked my kids into bed last night, I ran to the store.  I enjoy doing this occasionally, but Ethan doesn't seem to think it's a very good idea.  He didn't want me to leave even though he was going to be in his room the whole time.  He told me he was going to miss me while I was gone.  I hugged him and off I went. 

When I got home, I found this original piece of work on my bed:

Okay, what can I say?  This one won't be going in the recycle can with most of the others.

Egg Hunts and Baskets

We took the kids to the city egg hunt on Saturday.  It was more like a candy race, but they were both very excited:

 and even though they didn't get very much, they had a lot of fun.

The next morning, the kids got to search the house for their baskets.  They were so excited to find them.  And even more excited to find that not only did they get candy and treats, but new toothbrushes and garden gloves too!



Dyeing Easter Eggs

They liked watching the dye fizzle in the vinegar . . .

 Getting a closer look:

 His egg is soaking in the blue

 "stickering" the egg was her favorite part!

Happy Easter!

Hope you feel the happiness of Easter this time of year!

Help! Attack of the Papers

I'd like to take you on a quick tour of my house, if you don't mind.  First off, if you look to the left of my computer, you will see this:

 and on the downstairs kitchen counter:

 and here is the bench to our kitchen table:

 and on the floor next to the phone table:

 and on the kitchen counter:

 here is the floor of our family room:

 and my bathroom counter:

 this is what the ledge of my tub looks like:

 and now entering Ethan's room . . . his table:

 and here . . . Here is the bin where all of these pictures are supposed to be kept:

 yes, it's overflowing . . .

I gather pictures every day and put them in neat stacks.  I take stacks to the recycle bin each week.  And yet, they continue to grow.  Taking over my house.  And all the while, a very cute little boy (with ink smudges on his hands AND face) smiles and smiles as he draws.

Brown Butter Ginger Cookies

Brown Butter Ginger Cookies

I posted several pictures of these cookies on my food blog not too long ago, but after tasting another, I couldn't pass up the chance to post the recipe too.  These are SO GOOD.  They are the perfect combination of soft and chewy.  I found the recipe on one of my favorite food blogs, Desserts for Breakfast.  I love her food pictures, and her recipes too.  You should spend a little time searching her recipe index!

Brown Butter Ginger Cookies
makes ~5 dozen

5 cups flour
4 tspn baking soda
2 tspn ground cinnamon
1 1/2 Tbspn ground ginger
1 tspn ground cloves
1/2 tspn salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1/2 cup brown butter
2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup + 2 Tbspn molasses
1 cup chopped crystallized ginger (bigger pieces are better than smaller, IMO)

1. In a bowl, combine flour, baking soda, spices, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a separate bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar until fluffy.
3. Stir the eggs and molasses into the butter mixture.
4. In two stages, gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet. Mix until combined. Stir in chopped ginger
5. Let the dough rest, covered in plastic-wrap, in the freezer for about 20-30 minutes.
6. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
7. Remove dough from freezer. Shape the dough into small spheres, about an inch and a half in diameter. Place the dough spheres on silpats, parchment paper, or a greased baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Press down lightly--but only enough to keep the dough spheres from rolling. Do not press the cookies flat!
8. Bake for 10-12 minutes until firm.
Enjoy!

On a Wet Spring Morning

Close Ups, in Black and White

I really haven't taken that many picture of my kids lately.  I guess with the 365 ending, I sort of lost my momentum.  I took these a day or so ago and thought they turned out fun.

Ethan, with pen in hand.  Always drawing . . .

 Madeline with wet hair, in the tub

Baby Shoes

I made two more pairs of baby shoes this week.

 I really like the soles:

 And the second pair is almost identical, but with a different lining fabric

 I realized as I was making these, that I have now made five pairs of baby shoes and all of them have been for boys!

If someone ever has a girl, I know what will be fun to make them . . . with lace and a little ribbon.

Boys!

Ethan had one really nice pair of cords:

He has only had them since his birthday in December, but now they have gone the way of all little boy pants.

I felt better though, when my mom told me how her little brother put holes in his jeans EVERY day when he was in first grade.  The store had a no-hole guarantee, so my grandma just took the holey one in every day and got another new pair.  They couldn't have stayed in business for long!

And it's funny how my sister has a lot of hand-me-downs for Madeline from her daughter, but I don't have much to give her from Ethan for her son.  :)

The Pillowcase Dress

I'd like to introduce you to the easiest dress pattern I have ever seen, the pillowcase dress!

 It was so quick and easy, that now I'm on the hunt for some cute pillowcases with print fabric!  (which I have discovered are hard to find!)

Madeline looks really cute in it, but she was too busy wearing her princess dress to bother trying it on this morning when I had my camera out.  So those pictures will have to wait for another day.

If you have a little girl, you should really try this one out!

Playing = Messy Rooms

It was one of those fabulous mornings, a few days ago, when my kids were just getting along!  It was all laughing and playing and no fighting and crying.  They played for an hour before breakfast and, after eating quicker than normal, went into Madeline's room and closed the door.   

They were in there long enough for me to clean the kitchen, do some laundry, read blogs, and sew something I'll probably show you tomorrow.  That's when they opened Madeline's room and went into Ethan's.  And that's when I took a look at the damage report:

 After another hour of playing, they finally emerged from Ethan's room and announced that they were done playing.  So I went to take a peek in Ethan's room, and well . . . this is as far as the door would open.

It took us A LONG time to clean everything up.  So was it worth it?

OH YES!!!  Playing happily for hours is ALWAYS worth the mess!

April Recipe

Stuffed Poblanos

From Martha Stewart, everyday food

Serves 4
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 ½ hours

1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes in puree
1 jalapeño chile (ribs and seed removed, for less heat) chopped
2 small onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves (2 whole, 1 minced)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 can (19 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
½ cup cornmeal
1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
1 tsp cumin
4 large poblano chiles, halved lengthwise, ribs and seeds removed

Preheat oven to 425. In a blender, combine tomatoes in puree, jalapeño, half the onions, and 2 whole garlic cloves; puree. Season with salt. Pour sauce into a 9x13 baking dish; set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine beans, cornmeal, ½ cup cheese, remaining onions, minced garlic, cumin, and ¾ cup water; season with salt and pepper.

Dividing evenly, stuff poblano halves with bean mixture; place on top of sauce in baking dish. Sprinkle poblanos with remaining ½ cup cheese; cover baking dish tightly with foil.

Bake until poblanos are tender, about 45 minutes. Uncover, and continue to cook until sauce is thickened slightly and cheese is browned, 10-15 minutes more. Let cool 10 minutes.

Recommended side: roasted cauliflower

Sun and Swings

When the snow finally melts, there is nothing like soaking up the sun:

 and what better way than on swings?!

 I'm glad that spring has come.