Some Tuesday Luvin'

How is everyone this hot, sweaty, humid day? We woke up this morning to no power thanks to the powerful storms that swept through last night. Not a good day to be without air conditioning! I don't know about you all, but I was not made for any temps above 80... ick!

Anyhow, here are some cool things that I have seen and want to make... enjoy and stay cool! =P

* I can't wait for the cooler temps so I can wear stuff like this again!

Source: polyvore.com via Connie on Pinterest

*I am already getting the itch to get another tattoo... 

I am thinking maybe a girlie version of Klint's Tree of Life one?

Source: weheartit.com via Connie on Pinterest

* I love simple things that have lots of meaning... 

these penny charms would be a great addition to my keyring!

Source: etsy.com via Connie on Pinterest

* Nothing says summer more to me than fresh veggies and dip! 

Doesn't this look yummy?!

Source: eatingoutloud.com via Connie on Pinterest

* This photo reminded me of the new Winnie the Pooh movie that is coming out.
I can't wait to take the girls to see it!

Source: flickr.com via Connie on Pinterest

*Speaking of which, have you heard the song from the trailer?
I am in love with it!




*Finally, this is everything I am trying to channel...
gentle parenting is getting easier and more of a habit every day!

Source: jennyanddukefamily.blogspot.com via Connie on Pinterest

So Sweet but Sour!

Yesterday we met up Carena and Heather again for another adventure with our kids- cherry picking! I have never picked fresh cherries and even though this was the sour variety, I couldn't resist eating some. (They really weren't as sour as I was told!)

The kids had a lot of fun picking, Sam and Hailey were so cute trying to pick up ones off the ground or putting fallen ones back onto the tree. Gabby and AJ helped pick a whopping 4 pounds of cherries!! It was a beautiful day filled with laughing, of course, and friends.

From the cherries I decided to make freezer jam and saved a little bit for some yummy banana cherry bread, which I will make tonight. What is your favorite fruit to pick and what do you make with it?

Living a More Authentic Life- Part 1

Always be a first-rate version of yourself, 

instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.

 ~Judy Garland 

Lately I have been thinking about how my life is going and what I envision my life to be, if the world was perfect. Everything from where I was living to what I looked like and the kind of job I had. It didn't surprise me to see that I don't need to win the lottery to have that life, that many of the things on it were things that could not be bought and that I already had. I have happy healthy children, a loving husband, a career in the arts... I fully realize how lucky I am. But some of the things on my list are things that are fully attainable, I just had to make some changes. I am going to be writing about some of those changes, as they happen. Not only to share, but also to hold myself accountable and to hopefully keep up with them. 

The first change is sort of a biggie for us. We are cutting out all junky fast food (i.e. fries, burgers, milkshakes, Taco Bell, take out Chinese, pizza, etc). We made the decision years ago to throw out the fryer and we never regretted that decision, however we have been letting others do the frying which is just as bad. Convenience, price, and pure laziness on our part has led us to eat wayyy more fast food than I would like to admit.

Documentaries are always popular at our house and we have seen quite a few food related ones. Last week we turned on Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution and haven't stopped talking about it since. (Did you know there is HUMAN HAIR in the shiny coating on candy and chocolate?!!!!) Not only did Jamie show the actual amount of fast food a family was eating (which, sadly was very similar to our eating habits) but he filled their home with a year's worth of fast food... ick! 

I love Burger King Whoppers... let me just get that out right now. I love fast food in general. I hate the time it takes to cook, the mess, and the fact that many times the kids don't want to eat what we make. But, I also hate going to the doctors, needles, buying larger clothes, and giving all my money to companies that are using dog food grade beef to make my food. So.... I can easily adjust my attitude towards cooking to make my family healthier and to get myself and my husband to a healthier place. We have the physical activity stuff down, we are a pretty active bunch, but we are sabotaging it with all the junk.

I have armed myself with cook books that are easy to follow and have kid friendly recipes, made a shopping list that passes through just the perimeter of the grocery store and then goes to the farmers market and Trader Joes, and have gotten the kids really excited about these changes.

I am starting out with baby steps... making it all the way to the 4th of July is my first goal. In the meantime I am going to get into a routine of packing lunch when I am at dance, having meals planned out, and making sure that we are home for meals so that we don't get caught out and turn to take out for convenience. Wish me luck, this is going to be a challenge, but one in our best interest!

The Last Couple of Days....

Woke up to this....

 

So we went outside to shovel!

For breakfast ate bright purple pancakes- yummy

Made this monkey mobile for a friend to give... I love how it turned out!

Made this cute little tote for Gabby to give to a friend....

...and filled it with a very cool book and some little gifts.

Cleaned, working on some Etsy things, and finished off the weekend with some very yummy and colorful cupcakes! (Did I mention I am in LOVE with gel food coloring?!)

How was your weekend?? 

La La Love!!

Wow, what a crazy week! So much to see and make.... I have all the pieces cut out for three pretty rainbow scarves so that will get sewed up today. Also, I am working on making my very own t-shirt rag rug from thrifted tees I bought for a song from the Salvation Army. Already I have three HUGE balls of tee shirts cut and rolled, one more to go. I can't wait to get braiding and such! But, here are some more cool projects that I have seen lately:

How cool are these, right?! I hardly have a green thumb, 

but creating these planters just might get me to actually try to keep my plants alive!

There isn't a tutorial and the actual site is in Russian,

but you can get the idea from here and sort of do your own version!

I love making my own playdough with the kids,

but getting boys to craft sometimes is challenging.

What boy wouldn't want to make his own Lego men though? 

Get the how-to here!

If you visit here often, you know that we are a pretty crafty house.

But sometimes even I run out of ideas for the kids to do...

or they want to do something on their own to surprise me.

This Action Pack is a downloadable PDF for only $5, filled with crafts, food, and fun!

It will be available for download on March 1st HERE!

Last year we did a lovely stack of Rainbow pancakes,

this year I am thinking these rainbow cupcakes might just do the trick!

Find this recipe and others from Family Circle here... 

soo many yummy things to eat!

Subway art is all the rage right now,

get your own St. Patrick's Day art here!

Well, there ya go! There are so many cool resources out there for projects,

it is hard to decide which ones to get done first!

Have a great weekend,

and for all my fellow Cleveland folks- stay warm and safe!

Love Is In the Air!!

Seems like love is in the air everywhere I look! Valentine's day wreathes, tiny bottles filled with I Love You messages, cakes with hearts baked in the center.... Yep, definitely almost February!!

Here are some of my favorite projects and lovey-ness that I have seen today:

Aren't these Valentine's Day Gumball Necklaces cute?!!!! 

Find out how to make them here!

"I love every little thing you do."

Isn't that a perfect message for your valentine?

Get your own teeny love note in a bottle here!

Everyone loves those cute little conversations hearts...

why not make them part of your decor?

Here is the tutorial... super cute!

I love cake, this one definitely says LOVE to me!

Find out how this baking genius did it here!

I am searching and searching for a cute and simple wreath idea for our front door...

anyone have any suggestions?

Walking Tacos! YUM!

Ok, so maybe I am the last person on the face of the Earth to hear about this genius idea.... but OMG are Walking Tacos AWESOME! And if you haven't heard about a Walking Taco then today is your lucky day!

So what is a Walking Taco? Basically it is a taco salad in a Doritos or Fritos Bag, allowing you to walk around with your meal without fear of mess! Perfect for picnics, parties, and potlucks of any kind, these meals are simple and pretty mess free.

Here is how we made ours:
Grab your favorite Taco ingredients (minus the taco shells and tortillas) such as diced tomatoes, salsa, lettuce, shredded cheese, guacamole, sour cream, and of course meat. Take a snack size bag of Doritos or Fritos chips, cut it along the side of the bag, smash the chips a little to make them easier to eat, and then add your toppings! Sooooo easy and the kids love them!
This is definitely a repeat recipe for us.... yummo!

The List 9.23.10

Hooray! I am 30 weeks pregnant today which means I am in the 31st week!!! Holy Moly!! I can't believe how fast time is flying yet at the same time it seems like I have been and am going to be pregnant forever. I am so full of baby that I can't see my feet unless I bend way over and at night my stomach becomes my own Discovery Show special. =) Anyhow, here are lots of cool things that I am finding on the web... enjoy!

With fall right around the corner (today it was about 80 degrees) soon enough the long sleeve shirts will be coming out. This 90 Minute Shirt Tutorial from MADE is perfect for cooler temps!

Speaking of MADE, here is a cute and pretty easy pants tutorial to go with that adorable shirt you made above!

Sometimes I think that in the old days things were much easier and teaching kids basic skills like drinking from an open cup wasn't a challenge because there were no Sippy cups. Here is a great post on a Montessori water station for drinking!

I am fascinated with this beautiful Butterfly Paper Mobile.... the tutorial makes it look so easy too!

One of my strategies for having a successful VBAC is reading positive and inspiring birth stories that are the total opposite to what the media and common society would like you to believe- that you CAN have an all natural birth that is not going to traumatize you for life. This photo slide show of an all natural, hospital, VBAC is something that I watch every day and remember that my body is so much stronger than even I know!

We love cupcakes in this house! Frosting, cake, sprinkles.... yummo! These yummy sounding Pink Lemonade Cupcakes sound absolutely dreamy to this preggo. =)

Gabby and AJ love coloring and most of the time they just free-color. I do like this Color Your Own Renoir Painting though.... so pretty!

One thing that I am passionate about is breastfeeding, especially for first time moms who are not even willing to give it a try because of the stereotypes/restrictions that society has put before breasts and breastfeeding. Crunchy Domestic Goddess has a great article about the "Booby Traps that Set Up Breastfeeding Moms for Failure". This is a great read, especially for us breastfeeding advocates!

Looking for some fall or apple themed crafts to do with the kids? Crafty Crow has a great collection of awesome and easy apple crafts here!

How is that for a roundup?! Lol, there is so much going on in the web that I am constantly finding inspiration and tutorials to share. I hope that you found something here you like and if there are things you have seen that you think I would like- please share! Ciao friends!

Fruitful Meditation

Apparently it is pretty Zen to play with your food!

Of course, I don't know if it is good karma to eat a pear that looks like Buddha, but it is definitely cool to see!

The Buddha pears were invented by a Chinese farmer, Gao Xianzhang, who has already grown 10,000 of these spiritual fruits which he plans on selling in Europe and the UK.

Gao spent six years perfecting the intricate baby-shaped pears, carefully crafting each one which grows inside an individual mould. Despite their hefty cost of £5 each, locals in his home village of Hexia, in Hebia, northern China, have reportedly been snapping them up. ‘People seem to think they are cute or lucky and will buy them as soon as they’re off the tree,’ Gao explained.

A Berry Good Morning!

One of my favorite things about the last bit of summer into fall is all the pick your own farms that are in our area. We go apple picking, pumpkin picking, and this year we added raspberry picking to the list! The farm we went to is Rosby's Berry Farm, which is only about 15 minutes away from us. It was hot, humid, and on the brink of raining... but that didn't deter us from picking 3 HUGE quarts of yummy berries. The nice thing about this farm is that every day the owners keep the website updated to let you know if there are enough berries to pick. Since it is early in the season there are days that they need to close down to allow ripening to happen, but if you check the website before you leave you will know if they have berries or not.


Well, with all of those berries I am now looking for some delicious recipes to make.... tonight I think I will be making some peach and raspberry crisp! If you have a good recipe for using raspberries please let me know as I know we will be going back to the farm again soon. =)

(Miss Gabby- the birthday girl and queen of the berries!)