food color dyed easter eggs

We spent the morning dyeing two dozen easter eggs using simple food coloring mixed with white vinegar and water. The process proved to be enjoyable and easy for my son, as well as quick. Since we were going for a more pastel look with the colors, just a minute or two was all it took to achieve the results. A good thing for Lars, since he was all over getting each one of those eggs in and out of the dye bath on his own, without any hesitation and as quickly as he possibly could! We finished in under an hour with some very pretty half hard-boiled and half hollow (and now slightly cracked) colored variations; and two very stained toddler hands... i'll be scrubbing at those for days :)

*For food dyed eggs mix 20 drops food coloring with 1 tsp. white vinegar and 1 cup hot water in glass jars or containers deep enough to submerse the eggs. For very deep, rich toned colors leave eggs in dye bath up to10  minutes.

a bull's eye bully

 

{my bible}

When my son was born I began reading a book called 'What do you really want for your children' by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer.  It was given to me by my midwife and I have read it cover to cover and treasured it since.  It's full of all kinds of  'radical' ideas (respect your children, allow them to do what they feel in the moment, give them personal space ~ imagine!) on raising what he calls 'no - limit' kids.  There is truly not one ounce of advice or research I can disagree with in this book, and I have regarded it as somewhat of a tome as I approach daily life with my son.  I mention all of this in the midst of a very unnerving event that happened while we were out shopping yesterday.  With some spring weather finally making it's appearance, we discovered our son was in need and ready for some new clothing.  Having just scanned the ads in the Sunday paper, we headed to the big box with the bulls eye to load up on wardrobe essentials.  Upon arriving, I explained beforehand to my son that he would be expected to ride in the cart as opposed to his choice of walking.  He gave me no grief and agreed to follow instruction.  Of course at two and a half this all pleasantly slipped his mind once we entered into the store, and a tantrum ensued.  Now I have a couple different options here... I can turn around and head back out the door, place my kicking and screaming child back into the car seat at his verbal and physical disapproval, and head home while left shaken to the core without anything we intended to pick up on our outing.  OR... I can employ Dr. Dyer's technique and see my son's tantrum as truly what it is, a simple human expression of needs that are being displayed the only way he knows how (at this moment in time) and listen and respect and communicate him through the emotional event.  Well naturally I chose the latter, and while I was calmly talking my son down from his temper tirade, my husband stepped away as preferred.  And it was during this momentary separation of the three of us that another individual entered the equation.  Naturally bystanders are inevitable, and in these cases even in my best attempts to find a quiet corner of the store, we may still experience some spectators.  But I don't concern myself with them, therefore comments they may make never enter my ear.  Not so this time, because as my husband kept in sight but with slight distance, he discovered a muttering elderly woman likely in her nineties calling my son a 'very very bad boy', and 'an unhappy boy with unhappy parents' and on and on, loud enough for anyone nearby to hear, and she herself drawing attention and creating a small crowd.  My husband couldn't stand by and just listen, so he informed this bitter old lady that that 'very bad boy' was in fact his son and did she have an opinion on how the situation should be handled?  She proceeded to say her children never acted that way and were now old and grown and successful parents themselves, successfully insulting my husband once again.  Her advice was to take something away for his behavior.  Like what, his clothing?? We are in a retail store and brought in with us only his snacks and juice... to conclude this entire event was very emotional for me, and although tantrums may be unpleasant at times for others, (this one lasted less than five minutes) as there are options for us there are options for them.  In a 200,000 + square foot store, my advice is to step away and keep your cruel comments to yourself.

weekend

it was another sunny sunday this past weekend and we took full advantage of it. after a breakfast of the best waffles out there, we headed out back to survey the damage done by six months of snow, rain and wind. our yard was looking pretty shabby due to overgrown grass and a few projects left undone. before we knew it lunchtime rolled around and we had a shorn lawn and new flower bed. after eating we went back out to soak up more sun and finish our work... that is until my son was ready to collapse from all the fun around 3pm... we'll plant the flowers next weekend~

year of the rabbit

i love a fresh start...happy 2011 everyone!!

just a few ways i'd like to spend my time in january...

links via images

mountain holiday

fireside kiss

first~ever hot chocolate

sledding!

matchbox toys

rockets + airplanes

holiday view

we had a delightful holiday this year at the mountain. we spent our time filling up on sweets and snow, and although Lars and i could not hit the slopes this year (but will be for sure next year) my husband braved them alone; only to return a few hours later to claim it's just no fun without us~ aahhh, we love him for that!

holiday home top 10

~wooden bird napkin rings~scrap fabric garlands~

~coffee filter pom poms~vintage glass balls~

~whimsically wrapped gifts~tons of ribbon and ornaments~

~a very excited two year old~guitar rock pjs~

~wool sock monkey~handmade felt garland~

describe your holiday home  'top 10'....

just a few more things we'd like to add under the tree...

...we're really into the alphabet, numbers, and of course motorcycles over here right now!

renewing our spirits

after spending weeks and weeks shuttling from work to home, home to gift shopping, gift shopping to holiday activities, repeat repeat repeat, we were all in for some much needed fresh air. after we couldn't take being couped up indoors for a second more, the three of us layered up and headed here for a late fall hike. although there is a bigger bite in the air now and the trails were a bit muddy, it wasn't raining and we were surrounded by the fresh smell of enormous douglas firs and forest. armed with coffee, we marched on for much further than i imagined Lars would go; he insisted walking the entire length and has managed to impress us once again with his independence and stamina.

the cutest little boy came in the mail today...

last month i placed an order for a custom handmade waldorf inspired toy for my son. i wanted a race car theme because right now he loves nothing more than 'nice, cool race car(s)' in his words. the artist suggested that i submit a photo so that she could make the doll in his likeness. i had the perfect one having just celebrated Halloween. when the package arrived in the mail today my husband and i were thrilled to see just how much it really looked like him! this artist's work is truly phenomenal. we can not wait to give this to our son for christmas and begin a collection of these delightful toys.

shop handmade here

two year olds love holiday light displays...(ok so do we)

with just a little over a week left until christmas, it's beginning to feel like crunch time over here. although we can now check this and this off our list of festive activities, we still have one more to go. i'm hoping we'll be able to fit it in before we leave for our trip. Oh yeah, add packing and wrapping on that lengthy, taunting little to-do list...

1 four layer cake, 7 vintage belt buckles, and 40 years of life

my husband's 4oth went off without a hitch! he made it through the entire day in great spirits and in the evening we celebrated with his favorite - german chocolate cake. this cake was truly a labor of love, this being the first year i ever made it entirely from scratch. with four layers, the coconut pecan filling, and rich chocolate frosting, i spent all morning and afternoon on tuesday 'building' it (i felt like this guy). after cake we opened gifts; he has another vintage belt buckle to add to his collection - one of my favorites so far, with a native buffalo theme. here's to my husband!!

carousels, hot air balloons, and a newborn

holiday shopping in the city and a visit with my beautiful friend and her newborn baby boy couldn't have been better. we don't get to see nearly enough of each other but now that she has entered mommyhood i'm hoping all that will change! after 2 hours of making funny baby faces and the latest in video gaming (her husband has the coolest job with microsoft} we headed across the bridge for downtown coffee and carousels. Lars couldn't have been more full of joy during his festive ride; and afterwords we headed here and here for this year's tree ornaments. with our little guy growing so fast we've begun a new tradition~ it'll be fun to look back 10 years from now at our growing collection...

my new favorite ornament...check out this amazing anthropologie inspired DIY tutorial; i may have to try my hand at it to add to my collection...

...and my new favorite baby!!

sweets for my sweet friend and her new baby boy!

impending our meeting of a certain special little one, Lars and i baked what will be the first of many holiday cookies this season.  using a recipe from this book (which i found thrifting last christmas; it's vintage quality is fantastic and the projects in it are truly timeless) we had fun taking turns cutting, frosting and sprinkling our festive shapes.  the cookies turned out great and were a hit~ my only challenge was keeping my husband from eating the whole batch...  we'll definitely be baking more of these again soon.

SUGAR COOKIES

makes 2 dozen

1       stick unsalted butter

1       c. granulated sugar

2c.    sifted all-purpose flour

1/4t. salt

1/2t. baking powder

1       large egg

2T.    brandy

1/2t. vanilla extract

ROYAL ICING

1c. confectioner's sugar

1    egg white

food coloring

cream butter + sugar. sift together dry ingredients; add to butter mixture and beat well. add the egg, brandy and vanilla and beat again until well mixed. shape dough into two flattened rounds and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (i put mine in the freezer for 20 min.)

roll out dough and cut shapes. bake in a 350 oven for 8-10 minutes and do not allow to brown. cool on racks and frost with royal icing and decorate.

misty morning

spending most of our time indoors during these cold season days can really take a toll on our spirits. that's why we've instituted the 10am event. rain or shine, for the last week Lars and I have been heading outdoors and to the alleys for some much needed fresh air and mud puddle inspiration. an hour and a couple a blocks later, we are refreshed, have no more ants in our pants, and ready for a hearty lunch of soup, quesadillas, or whatever sounds good and warms our tummies.