Halloween Cookies

We recently made some sugar cookies for Halloween.  Our orange and purple cookie cutters include shapes like a witch, pumpkin, ghost, cat, crescent moon, and bat.  This is the first year I've attempted sugar cookies with the girls because it is such a long process and messy!  Flour is loads of fun to play with and put everywhere, in case you didn't know.

 

 

I altered an old sugar cookie recipe to have pumpkin and pumpkin spices in them and it turned out better than I expected.

 

Pumpkin Sugar Cookies

 

1 cup powdered sugar

1 cup sugar

1 stick butter

2/3 cup oil

2 eggs

1/2 cup pumpkin

4 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

(cloves would also be good but I didn't have any on hand)

1 teaspoon vanilla

 

Mix in order of appearance.  Knead for a little bit.  Add extra flour if too sticky and soft.  Roll out and use cookie cutters.  Bake at 350 degrees for 13 minutes or until golden brown around the edges.

Rolling pins are also lots of fun, especially when banging against the table.  The cookies are not too sweet and go really well with tea.  The pumpkin and spices give it a nice depth of flavor.

I'm glad we were able to do it (although I cut out most of the cookies once they were in bed).  I don't know if I'll want to do it again at Christmas this year.  Maybe try out some other cookie recipes instead.  Easy ones.

Happy First Day of Fall!

To welcome autumn, we decided to do a fall leaf craft project.  We collected fallen leaves and yellow petals in our back yard.  Our neighbors have a beautiful tree covered in yellow flowers that hangs over our yard.  There are always butterflies fluttering around it and the area below is carpeted with yellow petals.  Not quite fall leaves but they look right and it's not easy to get the fall leaf experience in California.

 

 

 

I printed off a variety of fall leaf outlines (I love how easy the internet makes things like this for me).  They colored them however they wanted.  D used only fall colors, while T really wanted blue leaves.

 

After tearing up the leaves and petals into little bits, it was time for the glue.  I outlined the leaves with the glue in sections.  The girls spread the leaf bits over the glue and patted them down in place. 

It took M a little bit to learn to wait before patting down the leaves until there were enough covering the glue that her hands wouldn't get all messy, but she had the hang of it by the end.

I shook off the extra leaf pieces back into the bucket for them to control the mess.  It was a messy project but not too bad and clean up was easy.

 

Voila!  A fun fall project that got them outside for a bit but wasn't too messy.  



First Ever Family Camping Trip

Sunday night we went on our first ever family camping trip.  We headed to Hurkey Creek Campground up in Mountain Center near Idyllwild.  We went on a Sunday night because the campground was full for the weekend by the time I tried to make reservations.  There were maybe 4 other spots filled that night so we basically had the place to ourselves.  It was nice and peaceful although camping when its busy would also be a good experience. 

The temperatures were really cold, dropping to 37 degrees in the wee hours of the morning but we came prepared with lots of layers and extra blankets to cover our sleeping bags.  I didn't take a single picture of our campsite.  I could kick myself for that.  But we were busy setting up the tent and cooking, lighting fires, playing cards, roasting marshmallows and other busy things.  So no pictures just means we were having fun. 

The campground is family friendly with a nice playground and multiple, well-lit bathrooms. 

The playground is for older kids though.  The twins at four are at a good starting age for it. 

Toddler M couldn't do much on it and I had to be there with her the whole time to make sure she didn't get stuck anywhere.



There are a few hiking trials and a creek through the campground.

None of which we got to see because our one attempt to explore resulted in none stop complaining, a trip to the bathroom and us giving up and heading back to the playground. 

We managed to explore a stone house and fireplace about 4 spots down from ours before the complaining started. Maybe when they are older, we'll get to see more.

Camping with the girls went more smoothly than I was expecting. We definitely did have some problems and meltdowns on the way.  Both of our air mattresses had leaks, so between that and the cold we didn't sleep that well.  It was so cold in the morning that we didn't want to get up.  But one "Mommy, I need to go potty!" got me out of bed pretty quickly. 

The girls had fun and it was a good introduction for them to the great outdoors.  They got to roast marshmallows, see how to build a fire, see their breath when they exhaled and listen to owls hooting during the night.  We all got a lot of exercise and fresh air.

Since we have never been up in that area before, we drove up to Idyllwild from Mountain Center.  We had planned to go to the nature center there but it is closed on Mondays.  So instead we just stopped by the Ranger Station Welcome Center.  I picked up some info for next time.  The girls looked at stuffed animals, skulls and nests.  Plus the ranger gave them a coloring book and the Smokey the Bear comic book warning of fire danger from the 60s that I remember reading as a kid in school.  I'm sure others of you will recognize it too.

We headed across the street to have some brunch at the Mexican restaurant's fast food café.  Yummy, fluffy pancakes.  I look forward to camping as a family again.  Maybe next time we'll camp at a beach.  As the girls get older, we will definitely come back to camp at Hurkey Creek.

Stomach Bugs and a Growing Garden

Over the weekend we caught whatever horrible stomach bug is going around.  It ruined both my birthday and Mother's Day (not really ruined but made parts of it less fun . . . much less fun).

 

 

This is a scene from Monday morning and really shows what we did all day.  Couch time with books, Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood and a barf bowl next to poor D, who was still at it until lunch time.  Horrible, horrible, horrible.  So sorry for little cousin H that picked it up from the girls.  I hope she doesn't spread it to anyone else. 

 

On a better note though, things outside are still growing and the little rain we received last week is helping.  More is forecasted for tomorrow so I hope we get something.



Baby M checking out the strawberries and green onions a few weeks ago.

One tomato plant is out front in a pot and has produced four tomatoes so far.  These two in the back yard were planted much later. They have a couple small ones growing and a few flowers showing promise.

 Sunflowers that the girls planted are all starting to bloom

So proud of how big the green onions have gotten.  Any time I've grown them before they never got as big as store bought.  These are huge and tasty.

The pot of herbs are flourishing-- sage, chives, thyme and parsley.  Next time I need some cilantro and basil.

Strawberries are bearing the occasional fruit and the radish plant from the OC Fair Centennial Farm trip has gotten so big.

Our limes are coming along.  There are already some little ones growing and still more blooms.  Yay!

Sewing Skirts and a Dress

I decided to make some green skirts for the girls for St. Patrick's Day.  Green is not a color they really have much of in their wardrobe.  Mostly pink, purple, blue.  I knew I wanted something festive for them to wear.  While getting some random items at Walmart, I stopped by the material and craft section.  I saw, to my amazement, the racks fully stocked with cute new designs and colors unlike the usual sad and empty selection.  I bought 3 half yards of coordinating greens. 

 

 I have made this type of skirt before following a tutorial and it really is such an easy and cute skirt.  The twins' skirts are different with the order of the prints.  For M's I didn't quite have enough, so one of the strips is much thinner than the others and I had to throw in a little be of another scrap fabric so there would be enough.  The skirts are similar yet very different, just like sisters.

I had D and T's skirts done by St. Patrick's Day so they could wear them to their Tiny Tots class.  M didn't get hers until a few days ago, but she didn't mind (I'm enjoying her lack of strong opinions concerning her wardrobe while I can!).

Last month I also had a quick sewing project, making a dress for little H's birthday.  Toddler M "helped" me with the pins.  I can sew with her in the room for a little bit while she is distracted looking through things.  But she has discovered that the sewing machine makes a loud beep when she pushes buttons.  Now she's tall enough to reach them, she usually heads that way before long and makes sewing difficult.  Still at least I can get a little done.

 This dress is one I had planned and prepped from when the twins were little and never got around to making.  I used store bought tank top, using the bottom half of it to make a ruffle. It turned out cute and was really fast to make, especially since I had already hemmed it two years ago.

Down on the Farm

After hearing about the OC Fair Centennial Farm Discovery Days this morning, I made an impromptu decision to head there with the girls.  We had fun.  They have all the farm animals including calves, kids, chicks and adorable piglets.

I think only horses and turkeys were missing.  M mooed when she saw the cows and tried bleating at the sheep.  She really like the animals.  D and T planted radish seeds that they brought home and we put in our garden. 

The farm also had a produce bin for people to take the fresh picked fruits and veggies in lieu of donation.  The kids could then walk around the farm and find where they were grown.  They had huge, gorgeous heads of lettuce that I wanted to get, but didn't have a bag for.  Unfortunately I couldn't handle it with the stroller and the kids.  I really wish I had been able to though.  It looked so tasty.  Instead we settled on a leaf of swiss chard and a radish.  The girls and I munched on the swiss chard while we walked around to find where it was growing.  They thought it was bitter but ate it anyway.  We tried the radish at home because I needed to wash and cut it.  They were much more willing to eat it because they saw how and where it grew.

It was a fun morning.  If I had a chance to do it again, I would definitely bring a bag for produce, go earlier (arrive at 9 instead of 10) when there are fewer school groups and not forget my hat. 

Care Caps Needs Help

When I was new to Little Rock and before the kiddos nixed my free time, I volunteered with a wonderful group of ladies making care caps.  Once a month I went to the family home across the street from UAMS (where my husband worked and the girls were all born) to volunteer my time and sewing/pinning skills.  Care Caps is a non profit group that sews comfortable head coverings for cancer patients.  Mary started it to honor her sister after she lost her battle with cancer.  She goes to different locations with a trailer full of sewing machines and material.  Volunteers meet for about 4 hours and sew caps that will then be shipped to clinics all across the US and passed out free of charge to cancer patients.

 

It was a rewarding experience for me, both getting to be around such wonderfully sweet ladies that volunteer and helping people who have to fight such a horrible disease.  Mary sacrifices so much of her time (without pay) and keeps things running smoothly.  I continued to volunteer while pregnant with the twins (just moving from the sewing machines to pinning which I could do from a more comfortable seat on the couch).  Mary made two darling baby quilts for the twins which was such a nice surprise when I was half living at the hospital while the girls were in the NICU.  She is so giving.  After the twins arrived, I couldn't help any more.  But I did visit once in awhile (and slowed down production as the ladies oohed and aahed over the twins). 

 

Here are the twins on one of her quilts when they were 4 months old.

 

After nine years however the nonprofit is struggling financially.  There have been years where they dipped under and had cut back but now this is the second year in a row and they have cut back all they can.  The project takes about $28,000 annually to stay afloat, but fundraising efforts the last two years have brought in only $21,000 annually. Unfortunately, with the worst case scenario (“no donations”), Care Caps will end in June. 

 

If you are interested in helping out a wonderful small charity, this is the link for their donation pledge page.  They don't take credit cards unfortunately.  You'll have to mail in a check if you want to help out.  Another way to help if you purchase things from amazon.com is to go to smile.amazon.com and enter Volunteer America—1776 (which is Care Caps official name) under donation charity and then use the smile.amazon page every time you shop there.  Every little bit helps and would be much appreciated.

 

My Lil Owl's Birthday

My sweet little baby turned one last week.  It is hard to believe it though because its gone by so fast.  I've learned a lot about taking photos since her big sisters' first birthday photo shoot.  I still have so much to learn about my camera and maybe some day I will.  For now though I have improved and am happy with that. 

Look how much she has grown.  I took the photos in the same laundry basket.  She is getting to be such a big girl!

Her sisters wanted to help with the photo shoot.  D dressed up her bouncy horse with a tutu and earrings.  They both helped to keep M distracted so she wouldn't pull so much on the paper chain decorations or the blanket (the backdrop is just a blanket over her pack and play).

We celebrated her party on the 4th since daddy had that day off.  She got to wear a fluffy party dress thanks to Leila.  They make such adorable clothes for girls.

It was an owl theme with pale pinks and greens.  I covered a post with brown packing paper and blew up balloons for a tree.  I imagined the top much fuller, but apparently 14 balloons don't go as far as in my imagination. 

I made a couple tissue paper poofs and added eyes, a beak, feet and wings out of scrapbook paper.  I hung the little one from the tree.  The big pink one hung from the living room fan.

 

I made a collage out of baby pictures in the shape of a one.  They move from when she was newborn at the top left to 2 weeks ago on the bottom right.  It is neat seeing how much she has grown.

 



I would have liked to bake the cake.  Baking birthday cakes is something I've always done since I learned to bake.   Since I didn't have much time and my newly married sister-in-law's mother-in-law has a cake business, it seemed like a better idea (and much nicer looking one) to order it instead.  The cake was vanilla with chocolate in it.  It was so rich and delicious.  The gum paste owls that were perched on top of both the big cake and the smash cake are too cute.  I have to find out if they keep.  Maybe I'll save them in M's memory box. 

M liked eating the frosting and the chocolate ribbon on her vanilla cake but didn't smash it too much or get really messy. 

My one year old girl already walks a little by herself although she still prefers crawling for speed. She's a climber.  She's up on stools, step ladders, chairs, the couch and the coffee table every chance she gets.  She says mama, dada, Yeiya (for Leila), more and dog.  She can sign more and all done, she claps and tries to blow kisses.  She is pointing at things now, so I tell her what they are called.  I don't know if she is actually ahead of what her sisters were doing at this age or if I'm just busy with all of them, so not paying as much attention and time is going by so quickly. 

Happy New Year

2014 has come to an end.  It was a year full of change for us.  Starting of course with a new baby girl (who just had her first birthday) and followed by a move cross country back home to California.  It has been so nice living near family again.  We have settled into a rental here in Brea.  The community is nice, the neighborhood has good amenities, and shopping is very close.  I continue to slowly get the house in order but it already feels like home. 

We had a wonderful Christmas.  We rounded out our advent calendar with baking more cookies, seeing some neighborhood lights, trying unsuccessfully to get a picture with Santa, making Christmas cards and watching a couple Christmas movies.  We headed down to my sister's house for an insane Christmas Eve with 5 littles running around and opening presents.  We spent all Christmas Day at my in-laws.  My husband unfortunately was on call and had to head into work twice during the day but at least we were able to spend some of the day with him.

I hadn't planned on doing any New Year's resolutions this year but I did start thinking about goals and things I'd like to change when writing this post so here is my list:
1) to knit more than last year.  That isn't saying much since I only did a handful of small projects last year.  Already this year I have finished a pair of fingerless mitts for Oma and have started testing a pattern for a designer on Ravelry. 
2) to finish Baby M and Little H's growth charts and make M's baby quilt.  I have the applique ironed on the growth charts but need to stitch them down, add the ruler lines and quilt it all together.  For the baby quilt I still haven't decided on a pattern, although I do have most of the material.
3) organize and stick to a weekly cleaning schedule.  It was really nice having someone clean for us in Arkansas while I was pregnant and then trying to keep the house looking good for showings when we were trying to sell it.  I just can't justify having one now though.  If I organize my time and get the twins involved, it should be "easy" to keep this house clean.  Especially since the twins started a Tiny Tots program at the community center today that gets them out of the house for 2 1/2 hours for 3 days a week.  So I have no excuses.
4) have more alone time with my hubby without the kids interrupting.  Between the new baby and not living together for months while he worked in AR and the girls and I came back early to CA, our marriage has definitely taken its hits this past year.  Now that we are settled and M is older we deserve to get some time to ourselves.
5) be more patient with the twins.  I have been losing my temper more than I should and raising my voice too often.  Then they react badly to me yelling at them and it just gets worse.  I need to be a better example for them of how practice patience and self control.

I wish everyone a great adventures and good health in 2015!