Life Is Dandy

scones.

2012-02-10T08:00:00.001-06:00

Scones are really just gussied up biscuits, but I've always been drawn to them because they seemed like a lady-like snack.

I feel all fancy when I'm eating scones.

That's why I couldn't help myself when I came across Joy the Baker's recipe for Coconut Almond Scones. Biscuits. I think she uses those words interchangeably.

Side note: Joy the Baker is hee-larious. I love her. She does a podcast with her friend, Tracy from Shutterbean and it's great! Makes me laugh all the time and, since I listen to it in my car, I'm sure all the other drivers around me think I'm a total weirdo.

Back to biscuits. Scones.

See how delicious! Flaky, studded with chocolate chips, slightly sweet. Now you can understand why I had to make them.

I have to admit, I flubbed a little on this recipe.

(GASP!)

I know.

Baking is supposed to be exact. I used salted butter instead of unsalted because that was all I had. Also I burned the coconut the first time so I had to start all over with that. You live you learn.

They still turned out delicious though! I highly recommend you make them. Obviously, you can't go wrong!

this dog

2012-02-09T08:00:00.000-06:00

This dog:

:: is so sweet, but...

:: drives me crazy sometimes

:: is the perfect addition to our family

:: is gentle, but ready to protect

:: was a stray

:: was almost given away!

:: calmed down after her puppy days and turned into possibly the best dog I've ever had! I love her so much!

projects

2012-02-08T08:00:00.003-06:00

Do you remember this? It's looking pretty sparse this year, but we built this square foot garden last spring, and before the drought, had a pretty good harvest of lettuce, beets, and a few summer squash.

My current project is to pull everything up, clean it up, and add a little manure/compost to get it all nice and fresh, and ready for...

My greens seedlings! Lil Miss and I started some kale, lettuce varieties, and chard last week. This is my first time starting greens from seeds, but it's actually going quite well. Since this picture even, they've already shot up about an inch and are stretching for the sun!

Since we've had such a mild winter, I figured it was safe to go ahead and start some greens for our salad garden.

I also want to catch up a bit on Lil Miss' scrapbook. I did four pages this weekend. These are just two of them.

Hope you all had a lovely weekend! What projects are you working on?

a day in our life...

2012-02-07T14:41:00.000-06:00

I thought I'd let you all peek into a day in our life. This is just a day. They are all a little different of course, but this is a typical weekday.

Lil Miss wakes up and usually plays with my ipod (and takes pictures of herself) while I get the last few minutes of sleep! (Thanks, PBS Kids!)

Today was wash-the-sheets day, so I stripped my bed as soon as I got up.

We then got up and around and headed to Target. Lil Miss loves to look at the toys. (But then, what kid doesn't?)

We went home, ate lunch, and then worked on a few school things. Lil Miss is working on patterns here.

We are doing a Valentine's theme right now, so she did smallest-greatest ordering with hearts!

We are on Letter M, so she glued macaroni pieces to the letter M.

Then she went down for a nap, and I looked at my to-do list, worked on the computer for awhile, and got some mail out of the way.

Then, I got dinner started. Chili!

While the chili simmered, I got some exercise in...Hooping!

Lil Miss woke up and decided to get her hoop out too.

Hubby came home, we ate dinner, and proceeded to the couch where Lil Miss entertained us until her bedtime.

She brushed her teeth (she's getting pretty good at it!), and went to bed.

After her bedtime, we worked on making some raised beds for our garden this year in the garage. Sorry, no picture for that!

There you have it! A day in our life. :)

Glampin!

2012-01-27T11:47:00.001-06:00

A few months ago, we bought a 1971 Serro Scotty Sportsman! She came to us in great shape, but I am really excited to pretty her up the way she was meant to be.

It's been too cold to work on her lately, but we need to give her a good scrub, new appliances (stove and refridge), and maybe new flooring. Then, I'm going to make her some customized cushion covers and new curtains. She'll be beautiful!

I want everything inside to be of the time period, and I was thrilled to find these little gems at a vintage store, wait for it....in an Airstream trailer!

There is a little set of vintage stores in Airstream campers where I live. They are so cute, I can barely contain myself. I wish I got a picture of them.

Anyway...here's the loot.

Salt and pepper shakers, mugs (that aren't really breakable), and a small but sturdy cutting board.

I also splurged and bought this Japanese tea set. My grandparents have a set pretty similar and I have happy memories of this set from when I was a kid hanging out at their house. I was really excited to see it!

I also snagged the cute little trays you see here in the picture. They will be cute as a message/magnet board, or just as a tray.

Vintage shopping is so much fun! Especially for my Scotty!

food.

2012-01-26T16:04:00.000-06:00

In effort to get Lil Miss to try more things and (hopefully) eat a healthy and balanced diet, I have introduced a new fun way of eating. Muffin Meals! Using just a small muffin pan, you can fill it with all sorts of goodies in preschooler proportions.

I was initially inspired by this site.

This is Lil Miss' lunch from yesterday:

strawberries, yogurt with chia seed "sprinkles," apple people, pumpkin seeds, raisins, and shredded mozzarella.

It's been fun for me too, and actually easier if you can believe it. I just start pulling out whatever's in my fridge.

I've acquired quite the collection of "fun lunch" tools too.

I have egg molds, rice molds, sandwhich shapers, cup cake cups, cookie cutters, candy "eyes" to make silly faces with, and lots of fun stuff. I get a lot of my ideas from websites, but also a bento lunch book that I have as well.

source

And since we're on the topic of food, I made the most delicious, refreshing green monster smoothie today!

It had spinach, cilantro, pineapple, lime, and coconut water. Tropical, delicious, and refreshing!

It's definitely a new favorite and a keeper!

preschool update

2012-01-25T10:38:00.002-06:00

Preschool update! We are up to "Ll." Today Lil Miss did a ladybug cut and paste craft. I cut, she pasted. :)

She also enjoyed a little finger painting action.

We also played this little counting game I found on Pinterest:

Each player rolls the dice and put the corresponding amount in the tray.

(This is the pic I found on pinterest)

Hope you are all having a great week!

Through her eyes...

2012-01-24T09:40:00.001-06:00

On any given weekend, you can find Lil Miss snuggled up with a good book. She loves to read, and I can really sense the yearning that she wants to be able to read herself.

She snuggles up with her animal friends and "reads" them stories all the time!

I'm usually close by, next the warm fire!

Lately, Lil Miss has become interested by photography. Ipod photography that is. I love looking through my pictures and am fascinated by what she sees through the camera.

The last pictures in the post are all taken by Lil Miss. :)

park day!

2012-01-20T09:31:00.004-06:00

We've had a pretty mild winter this year, so last week when we had a nice 65 degree day, we took advantage and headed outside! We actually ended up discovering a new park in our little town!

Windblown hair and all, this girl was having fun!

The slide is definitely her favorite. I love this girl!

cake pops

2012-01-20T09:27:00.000-06:00

I finally tried my hand at cake pops. The first and only batch I've made actually turned out great! It made more than enough to go around, and I was able to share some with my neighbors for them to enjoy as well!

For looking so decadent, they were actually quite easy to make. Bake a cake, crumble it all up, and mix it all up with cream cheese frosting. Then roll the mixture into balls and freeze to harden for a bit. Then melt some candy (I got mine from Hobby Lobby, pink), stick lollipop sticks in the cake balls and dip in the candy. Sprinkle the pop with whatever color you desire (I used silver) and allow to set in the freezer. I actually stored my pops in the freezer as well.

still plugging away

2012-01-19T14:32:00.001-06:00

Plugging away, chugging along...whatever you may call it, we are still here doing our thang! Lil Miss is up to something, it seems, at every point in the day. Whether it is making up ballet moves, looking at books, painting, cutting up construction paper, or playing with her animals, she's always busy. Thus, is the life of a three-year-old.

Most of our preschool-type work still stems from Montessori. We do a lot of fine motor skills activities. Painting, using tongs/tweezers, spooning different mediums, and beading, among other things are all ways to build up those little muscles in her hands that will enable her to write later on.

We kind of started this school year gung-ho, but like Lil Miss, I am learning a lot as well! I'm learning what she can and can't handle, and what is also developmentally appropriate for her. My goals for her for this year are: identifying and knowing the phonetic sound of the letters, counting to 30, and knowing my phone number and her address and our names (which she pretty much already does). She knows all the basics, like colors, animals, parts of the body, shapes, etc.

It's been a big adventure, a lot of trial and error, and tons of learning. I am definitely considering this school year a success even before it's over, and am looking forward to what the next year brings!

homemade almond milk

2012-01-18T14:13:00.000-06:00

My family drinks milk alternatives. The hubs and girly both like soy milk, and I'm okay with that. I like almond milk the best though. However, I usually can't drink or use a half gallon by myself, and it's not that cost efficient to buy the smaller containers.

So I was excited when I got a high speed blender for Christmas and I could start making my own! You just throw some almonds, dates, and a bit of salt and vanilla (opt) in the blender with water and let it whir away!

The first batch I just drank like it was, and it was fine, but this is my second and I'm filtering out the almond pulp to make it more smooth.

Voila! Homemade (raw) almond milk without any extra additives! It will last about four days in the fridge (if I don't drink it all up first!).

First day of school!

2012-01-17T08:16:00.000-06:00

It's Lil' Miss' first day of school! She got enrolled at a Parent's Day Out program at a local church. (We are calling it play school here at home.) While we do plan to homeschool and are doing a lot of preschool work here at home, I wanted to let her have time to meet other kids her age and play and learn all the social aspects that come with that.

Plus, it will be a nice time for me too! :) Lil Miss will only be going one morning a week for now, and maybe two in the Fall.

And yes, she picked her outfit and hair-do!

delicious and festive

2011-12-30T14:49:00.001-06:00

After watching the movie, New Year's Eve, I got inspired to make a new, festive drink for the holidays. The pretty, green swirly cup doesn't hurt either!

One of the characters in the movie drinks a cranberry and amaretto, more specifically, Disaronno. I didn't have the Disaronno so I substituted an amaretto liqueur. Delish!

2011-12-28T14:49:00.000-06:00

Well, it was just about a Christmas without pictures here. Which doesn't make for the greatest blogging, huh? I kept it simple and enjoyed everything this year and left the bulky camera behind. What I DID get though, was Lil Miss creating in the quiet moments, and her Christmas cookie artwork at Mimi's.

Lil Miss definitely snuck her fair shair of gingerbread train when no one was looking!

We had a lengthy 9 hour drive to my mom's house for Christmas, and coming home it rained most of the way. But Lil' Miss and Cricket did wonderfully.

The rain finally cleared and we drove into a sweet, sweet sunrise!

Hope your Christmas was merry and bright!

all dressed up

2011-12-20T10:29:00.000-06:00

Last weekend, we got a little dressed up to attend a Christmas party! Lil' Miss picked out her sweater all by herself for the occasion.

She's also been busy making Christmas crafts!

Just five days left! Merry Christmas!

Christmas-y days

2011-12-13T15:27:00.000-06:00

Hello!

Just wanted to pop in to say hi and share some pictures! We have been quite busy lately, but still are making time to do a few crafty/Christmasy activities too!

Last week, Lil Miss helped me make snowflakes for our back door. We put up our Christmas trees too! All five of them. Too many? Dare I say no. My mother has, like, 9. :)

For the most part, we have been chillin' with friends. We are having a very low-stress holiday season. I'm finished with presents, including mailing some, did ol' fashioned write-them-out-yourself Christmas cards, and make an occasional yummy treat.

And Lil Miss and I went with some good friends to our town's lights display, rode the ponies, and sipped on ~~hot chocolate~~ peppermint mochas.

Lil Miss enjoyed hanging out with her friend! It was freezing that night though!

Hope you are all able to see some pretty lights--even if it's just on a tree.

Japanese Roller Slide

2011-12-13T15:13:00.000-06:00

This looks like so much fun! Its a roller slide in a Japanese park.

Slapsgiving

2011-11-23T08:22:00.000-06:00

(Just kidding...it will be a week of Thanks for us, but feel free to have a chuckle if you get it..MDT!)

I cannot believe Thanksgiving is already upon us. Where in the world did the month of November go? I am in the throws of truly enjoying this season and do not want it to end. I love holiday time.

I've had a lot of time lately to hang with my girl.

Last week we went to a Thai place, and this girl got it on with the Thai food!

Coconut soup. YUM.

I had the Massaman Curry with Tofu. Yum, yum.

And we will be doing a lot of driving this week, probably like lots of others...The days have gotten colder and a little dreary, but that's part of the charm of the holidays. After the holidays, I'm ready for spring again.

I also got a new camera app this week that's been fun to play with.

(loving the fake bokeh!)

I am thankful, this week and always. For my God, my family, my friends, and my sweet, sweet life.

Hope you all have a very Happy Thanksgiving!

our school days

2011-11-15T11:29:00.000-06:00

Lately we've added a lot to our school days. This week, we've been going to a different story time than usual, and they always have something fun planned.

This week, they had karate instructors come and give a short lesson and demonstration to the kiddos. (Sorry to say I didn't get any pictures.)

After storytime, Lil Miss likes to go to the preschool computers and play (learning) games for a bit while I blog. :)

We've also had a little nature observations thrown in the mix. Lil Miss and I have gathered lots of different kinds and colors of leaves to observe (and figure out the name of the tree they come from), and we also found what may be the largest walking stick known to this area!

Check her out. Big mama-jama!

The pic below is one I found while looking for math activities for us to do. Glue the correct number of feathers on the turkey for the number on the page. I thought this would be good and correlate with the Thanksgiving theme we've got going on.

I also scored big at the thrift store this week when I found this music curriculum for Lil Miss. It includes a triangle, lap harp with music, recorder, lesson dvds, and lesson book.

Oh yeah. I'm very excited about this one.

So that's a little taste of how we've been filling our days. Lots of fun!

Bouncy House

2011-11-15T11:17:00.000-06:00

Hello!!! Never a dull moment around here, I took Lil Miss to a bouncy house place to burn some energy.

Needless to say, she bounced and bounced for hours!

A little nervous at first, Lil Miss quickly got the hang of the slide and was very brave! That ended up being her favorite bouncy!

The bouncy houses were huge and were even a lot of fun for me too!

our busy life!

2011-11-03T20:24:00.000-05:00

Hello! It feels like it's been forever since I last posted, but I just wanted to stop in to say I'm still here!

It has been a little hectic as usual, but overall, life is good. :)

The real reason I haven't blogged lately is mainly because I haven't taken a whole bunch of pictures per usual. Also, lightning zapped our computer (among other things), and I needed to get a card reader for my camera card.

So here I am! I will share with you the last couple of pictures I took before the lightning struck.

Soup!

I was pretty proud of this one. Now that Fall is official, we have been enjoying more soup. Tonight's was Minestrone, but in the picture above, I was trying to recreate the delicious Vietnamese Pho that I get at a little restaurant in town. It was good, but nothing like the restaurant makes it.

In the craft department, Lil Miss and I painted owls. (They are made from toilet paper tubes.) Lil Miss did most of the painting, and I touched it up a bit, then drew the faces.

Aren't they cute?

We are still going strong in the homeschool department. Lil Miss is now onto the letter Ii for the week, and can now spell her first and last name, and (almost!) knows my phone number.

She also started reading the Bob Books (beginning reader books), and is working on that. I think she may be the type to just "pick up" reading.

Lil Miss loves to color and play dress up right now. Those seem to be her two favorite things. And she loves to explore outside. Last weekend, she found a juniper tree and made a "blueberry hideout" under it.

Childhood is magical. I keep reminding myself to just slow down a bit and enjoy it (again) with her.

So that's about it. :)

We have big things for our little family on the horizon. I will let you in on it as it gets a bit closer, but it's exciting for sure!

What I'm loving::

2011-10-25T20:19:00.000-05:00

Alternate title of this post:

"My own pinterest board"

Just thought I'd share a little autumn sweets with you today! I love pinterest but have no desire to add another username and password to my wide mix, so here's a little taste of what I'm loving...

Such an easy idea. Lil' Miss and I gathered some pretty red and orange leaves this weekend to press.

I just love these rainbow pumpkins. Who says you have to carve them?

This door hanger would be so easy to do!

So pretty. :) This screams warm woolies and hot cocoa to me.

Love this idea.

This would be pretty in my bedroom with the cabin walls in the back. So dreamy.

It seems like once a year I overdose on this stuff: Chex Muddy Buddys. Yum. I think this year I'm going to make it with Nutella instead of peanut butter.

And finally, a fun Christmas craft.

Happy Tuesday night, folks!

preschool doings...

2011-10-19T12:11:00.000-05:00

Our Letter of the Week is currently Gg so most of our crafty things have been centered around the letter. So since glitter and G both start with the sound, "guh," the two were a great (and fun, albeit messy) combo!

Lil' Miss had lots of fun with this craft.

Then we got the playdoh out and made glitter dough...

...and glitter pumpkin pies. ;)

We've also been having fun making up stories with our felt board.

Recently, we added Mr. Scarecrow and a pumpkin.

Aunt T. sent us some 3D chalk too and we've been playing with it a lot. I was skeptical with how it would work, but it really does! So cool!

You have to use the 3D glasses, but in this picture, the rocket ship really pops out, and the stars do too!

Lots of Fall fun going on around here!

Hope your day has been as special as ours.

these two...

2011-10-18T14:03:00.000-05:00

Hey, hey! We are definitely enjoying the cooler day today! Bring on the chai tea! (or hot cocoa if you prefer!)

So these two...I was talking to the hubs this weekend about it and we've decided they are, for sure, sisters.

Cricket the dog is definitely one of the family. She and Lil' Miss get along so good. They agg (is that even a real word) each other on, love on each other, bug each other, play with each other, and generally just pal around together. (Lil' Miss even tattles on her sometimes!)

I caught them playing in the yard today. Chase. Lil Miss runs, and Cricket runs around the yard as fast as she can. But only when Lil' Miss is running. Except that Cricket doesn't chase her, she just runs with her.

I'm glad I have these two.

And Cricket? She is a human stuck in a dog's body. (C'mon, what dog lover hasn't said that at some point?)