Hands Always Creating

5 Months Today

2012-02-04T02:52:00.000-08:00

Gianna is 5 months old today! Here she is enjoying her most favorite toy, the exersaucer! When she is on the floor she doesn't last too long before getting irritated that she is on her belly or back. The little girl wants to be upright! So, the exersaucer gives me a little back break (from holding her) and I can get some things done around the house while she is perfectly content. This also is a great place to put her during dinner time. The swing is not where she wants to be at all or for longer than 5 minutes.

Her favorites things are when daddy and Hannah sing to her. She loves to be held and "chase" Hannah around the house while I am holding her. She loves when we dance with her. She also loves me.. The only other person that can hold her for longer than a couple of minutes is Jonathan. But that is ok. I love the little girl!

Here we are after giving her a bath. It's one of Hannah's favorite things to do with/for her. Gianna loves it too...although her expression is not giving it away that she loves it.

People usually say Gianna is bright-eyed and bushy-tailed (What does that mean anyway?).

Homemade Strawberry "Sauce"

2012-01-29T10:43:00.000-08:00

(This was Hannah's breakfast. Strawberry Sauce, French Toast, and sliced Cheddar Cheese.)

Ingredients:
15 Strawberries
1/4 cup of Applesauce
1 tbsp Honey

Put in the blender and wa la!

Blooming Potatoes

2012-01-16T11:29:00.001-08:00

These were inspired by the blog, Savoring Time in the Kitchen. They are sort of like a french fry and a baked potato.

First, cut the potato long ways being careful not to go down to the bottom so the potato stays together. Then cut short ways forming a "French Fry" look. I brushed some olive oil on it and then sprinkled it with salt and spices.

Wrap them with tin foil and cook in the oven for about 30 minutes at 400 degrees. After the 30 minutes open up the foil and you can add cheese to it and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes depending on your oven's temperature.

They should pull apart sort of like a Blooming Onion.

ENJOY!!

Counting By Fives

2012-01-14T03:29:00.001-08:00

This activity helped so much in teaching how to count by 5's. We only printed 16 hands (counting up to 60) because I wanted to teach her how to tell time by counting to 60 for 60 minutes. Additionally, print out numbers in 5's so that they can match it up with the hands in order..

Materials:
Paper (large enough for 16-20 hand prints)
Finger Paints (We used Crayola Washables)

Gack-ish

2012-01-13T07:45:00.000-08:00

Hannah and I made Gak the other day and it turned out pretty well. I am wondering if I used real Elmer's Glue, would it have been better. I'm sure we'll do it again soon. This is where I got the directions from: Our Best Bites.

1 teaspoon borax powder

1 1/2 C water, divided

4 oz (1/2 C) Elmer’s glue, clear or white

food coloring

Add borax powder to 1 cup of water and stir to dissolve. Set aside. Pour glue into a medium mixing bowl and add 1/2 C water. Add a few drops of food coloring until desired color is reached and then stir to mix glue solution until smooth. Pour the borax mixture into the glue mixture and watch the solids start to form. Stir for a few moments and then use your hands to gather the mass. The mixture will be very soft and wet. Keep kneading until it firms up and feels dry. Discard excess liquid in bowl. The more you knead and play with the slime the firmer it will become. Store in a ziplock bag or air tight container and the slime will keep indefinitely.

Dyed Rice

2012-01-11T12:43:00.001-08:00

Oh goodness! Does time fly or what? It's been 3 months since I have posted! I am finally to the point of actually taking pictures and posting of the things that we have been doing. I started homeschooling Hannah in September, the same time that I had Gianna, crazzzzyyyy!! But now that Gianna is 4 months old, I am at a point where things are easier most days! Hence posting a creative activity post!

So, what spurred on the dying of rice? My husband's phone took a wash in the washing machine and he tried drying it out by putting it in a bowl of rice. It helped a little bit but he needs to buy a phone. He can receive calls but can't make any and cannot see what is on the screen of his phone. So, what do you do with rice that can't be used besides throwing it out?? Dyed Rice!!

Materials:
- white rice
- rubbing alcohol
- food coloring
-mason jars with lids (I used two because that is all I had)
-a net or strainer (I used an fish net from our fish that passed on)
-paper towels (LOTS)

I used for each jar:
4 tbsp of rubbing alcohol
1/4 cup of rice for each color
4 drops of food coloring
(I used some gel coloring and just let Hannah squirt it until it was the color that she wanted)

Stir coloring until dissolved. Add rice. Shake and let it sit until after you make the next color.

While you are waiting....play around like we did!

This was my favorite color! It sort of looked Turquoise.

This was Hannah's favorite color! Pink!

Spread two sheets of paper towels on a cookie sheet and dump the rice then spread it out to dry.

When it is all dry, either combine the colors, or keep them separate. We liked doing a rainbow of colors.
But you can also do colors depending on the holiday.
Valentines Day: Pink & Red
St. Patrick's Day - Green and Yellow
4th of July - Blue & Red and then don't dye some for "White"
Christmas - Red and Green.

I hope you enjoyed!!

10 Weeks Over Due

2011-10-12T08:52:00.000-07:00

About 10 weeks ago I posted my last post. A LOT has happened since then. 1.) I had our baby on September 4th!! We had a baby girl named Gianna Marie and she weighed in at 7 lbs 4 oz. I had an all natural delivery and it hurt! I came into the hospital at 7cm and 5 hours later she was born!! I have an awesome husband who helped me tremendously through the laboring and through the delivery! And he thinks that I am pretty awesome for doing a natural delivery! :-)

35 Weeks and Counting!

2011-08-01T18:57:00.000-07:00

I was possibly 32 weeks in this picture in front of the gate. I should definitely take another side shot of the belly. It has definitely grown! It's amazing how 3 weeks can make a big difference.

Here is me and my little girl at the pool. It's a little hard to see the belly but it is there! I am 35 weeks today! I'm feeling pretty good most of the time but ready to meet our newest addition!

Feeling Better!

2011-07-12T18:37:00.000-07:00

At just shy of 33 weeks, I am feeling much better than precious weeks! My midwife recommended Iron Supplements, which I have been taking and there is great improvement! ALSO....I don't have Gestational Diabetes!! I still have to watch what I eat when it comes to sugar and carbs, but my blood sugar goes back down after 1 hour!! This whole thing has been such an eye opener for me in such a good way. I am so aware of what carbs and proteins do to my body. Eating protein is so important in order to balance out your blood sugar! I am still pretty strict on what I eat and trying hard not to eat carbs without protein. I LOVE potato chips and tortilla chips with salsa and could seriously just eat that. But I see that it really affects my body in a bad way. I am not eating ice cream everyday but have switched to a "carb friendly" ice cream and will eat a little bit of that occasionally. I am SO happy to have passed the glucose test so I wanted to share!!

On not so pleasant stuff...I am getting HUGE!! And this baby is all over the place and kicking and poking. She really gets restless when I am on the computer. I guess she doesn't like the position I am in when I am sitting in the chair. :-) I still walk 3-4 miles a day or every other day with our doggie, Molly. Jonathan has jumped in and started walking her too, which lessens the stress on the days when I can't wake up at 6am to get an hour in. I have a hard time with hills. I DO NOT LIKE HILLS!! And our neighborhood has some steep ones.

That's about it. I don't have any pictures...just thoughts, which is rare. Over all, I feel good. And I am very happy with our soon to be extended family! This week and weekend we will be finishing up the baby's room!! I will definitely have pictures for that!

Easy Curls

2011-07-07T18:20:00.000-07:00

I was reading in a magazine and a "top notch" hair stylist said that the easiest way to get curls in your hair is to wash your hair at night and then put it up in a bun on the top of your head. I decided to try it with Hannah first. I REALLY like the way it comes out. The only problem, for me, is that I take showers in the morning. So, I still put it up in a bun on the top of my head but it takes a long time to dry. One day I will need to shower at night...and then I will have beautiful curls like my daughter did when I put a bun on her head.

Ya like??

Pregnancy Woes

2011-06-24T18:41:00.000-07:00

I am 30 weeks today!! Only ten more to go. It seems like you will never get to this point and then it happens and speeds up.

My pregnancy has been great up until about 2-3 weeks ago when I started getting RLS (Restless Legs Syndrome) in full force. So much that it has kept me awake most of the night. It is awful! I had it first when I got pregnant with Hannah and then had it occasionally since then. I have noticed it so much more during this pregnancy and worse! I found out that I am anemic and after researching tonight, I am noticing a link with iron deficiencies and RLS. The doctor recommended an iron supplement, which I have been on for 3 days. she says it take about a week for it to start working.

I am SO desperate for a good nights rest that I drank Chamomile Tea before I went to bed last night, and I have to say I had awesome sleep. I know I woke up a couple of times but it wasn't due to RLS...it's just because I am pregnant and toss and turn constantly to find a good position. Oh well, that will definitely end in 2 1/2 months when the baby is out and I can sleep on my back and possibly tummy. I despise sleeping on my sides. I wish I could take my arms off for the night and then put them back on because they just get in the way.

I also, possibly have gestational diabetes. FUN!...not! I took the 1 hour glucose test and failed and now just waiting for the paper work to do the 3 hour test. I keep telling myself, "this is not my fault". It is supposedly because of the placenta excreting a hormone that blocks the insulin from working and I should be fine once this little girl comes out. Until I take the 3 hour test, I am checking my blood sugars with a diabetic tester of my husband's...religiously. If you know me...I can verge on the line of OCD until I figure things out. Well, I haven't figured things out regarding carbs to protein ratio to figure out how it will affect my blood sugar spikes. So, I will most likely drive myself crazy figuring it out.

I had an awesome day today, though. I started charting my numbers so I can show it to my doc when I see her. My blood glucose #'s have been well in range and not going high at all. It takes a lot of work though. But I remember charting and calculating all of the calories that I was taking in when I lost 20 pounds. I was a fanatic but it worked. I need to see what these carbs are doing to my body.

Here are my reasons for being a fanatic. My baby's health...my baby's health....my baby's health.

God has blessed me with another baby and I want to take care of her the best that I can. That is good enough reason to eat the best possible way that I can.

Happy Father's Day!

2011-06-20T18:47:00.001-07:00

We had a great Father's day day yesterday. It's fun to take a day and celebrate someone, especially a loved one. Even though we are to do it everyday, the one day makes it extra special. My mom took Hannah over night and we picked her up after church on Sunday and had brunch together. Then we took naps. Jonathan plays on a co-ed soccer team every Sunday so we all went and watched him then went out to eat afterward. See the cake? Hannah and I made it for him. It was a chocolate boxed cake with peanut butter frosting and Reece's peanut Butter Cups cut in half and placed around the outer rim of the cake. He was a happy guy! I am still coming down from the sugar high even as I type this.

Happy Father's Day to my hubby! Love you!

Vegetarian Chili

2011-06-10T15:35:00.001-07:00

Vegetarian Chili
2 Carrots
1 Red Pepper
1 Yellow Pepper
3/4 cup of corn niblets
..............
2 cans of Diced Tomatoes
4 tbsp Chili Powder (I used Fiesta Chili Powder but regular is fine)
1 tbsp Garlic Powder (Feel free to use diced garlic cloves)
1 tbsp Cumin
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Cinnamon
...............
1 Can of Black Beans
1 Can of White Cannelloni Beans
1/2 cup dry Lentils
2 cups of Veggie Broth

Saute in olive oil, carrots, peppers, corn until a little soft. In a blender, combine diced tomatoes, chili and garlic powder, cumin, salt and cinnamon. Blend well. Add to the sauted veggies. Add the Vegetable Broth, beans and lentils. Stir and turn on high till it starts to boil. Turn down and simmer. Stir occasionally.. I simmered it for about an hour to get the seasonings tasty and so that the lentils cooked.

I also added a baked potato on the bottom of the bowl then added shredded cheese and sliced avocados on top.

Saute Sugar Snap Peas with lots of yummy seasonings. It stays crispy and SOOOO good!!
(I also got this idea from my friend, Genelle.)

Food Cravings of the Week

2011-06-08T17:48:00.000-07:00

I am craving popsicles, ice, fruit, ice cream....or anything in those food groups. It's hot here...really hot. I would much rather have this weather than cold freezing snow. So, I am not complaining but I am pregnant and I want my insides to be a little cooler. So, these are some things that I am craving:

Mango Popsicle

Ingredients

2 cup mango chunks, peeled and pitted

sugar, to taste

¼ cup vanilla yogurt

¼ cup water

silicon cupcake molds

Chocolate Pudding Pops

1 pkg. (3.9 oz.) JELL-O Chocolate Instant Pudding

2 cups cold milk

1 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

Peach- Mango Popsicles
1 cup puréed mango (from peeled fruit)
1 cup puréed ripe peaches (from peeled fruit)
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons sugar
Lime or lemon juice to taste
6 to 8 popsicle sticks

Watermelon Frosty
2 1/4 cups frozen watermelon cubes
1/2+ cup water
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1 lemon, squeezed
1/2 banana

Disney Dole Whip Float
From the looks of it, it seems like it has:
Ice cream
Dole Pineapple Juice

Visit to Knoebels

2011-06-06T18:56:00.001-07:00

Seriously....this is one of the best amusement parks....ever! Knoebels!!!
If you live within the vicinity of Pennsylvania..it is worth the day trip or you can stay at one of their cottages. Or you can camp here too. We go here every year. Sometimes twice a year. Thankfully, we have family the is 20 minutes from the park and we just stay at their house.

A rainbow pose!

On the "Kiddie Whip". She was scared to go on this last year but smiled and gave me a thumbs up while riding it this year.

Here comes the W-H-I-P!!

Here are the go carts for little kids. I wouldn't want to be the attendant to this ride. He was a little uptight..but I can see why. Kids at this age cannot drive. Hannah spent most of the time riding in a circle but she got stuck so he had to get her unstuck.. While he was getting her unstuck another child would ram into his legs. Constant ramming at the legs. Poor guy!

My dad, her Pap Pap, went with Hannah on this really really wet ride. It about a 50 foot drop. I heard her scream from where I took the picture....which was far. But she loved it! So, you get wet going down it and then you stand on the bridge over head and get more wet!

Pretty Cool, huh!?

This a train that takes through the back of Knoebels and into the mountain/wooded area. Love it!

A ball pit. I didn't think about it till now. I would be surprised if they cleaned it. Maybe they do, I am not sure. Never mind, I don't want to think about it.

Just a random statue by the river. I thought he would make a fine picture!

DC Visit

2011-06-06T18:38:00.001-07:00

My dad and step-mom came for a visit this past week and we went to Washinton, D.C.. The weather was p-e-r-f-e-c-t! Not hot at all and beautiful blue skies! We, my immediate family, don't take advantage of D.C. like we should. We said that there is so much to do, even tons of free stuff, that is would take weeks to see it all.

My dad is a super big military guy and it was so nice to be able to go here with him and kind of see it through his eyes and appreciate the military memorials. It gives you greater respect when you know that he fought in a war and what it means to him and so many others. I wish I would have taken a picture of the sign at this memorial. The Korean War Memorial. It said, "Freedom is Not Free". So true. Hundreds of thousands died so we could live in this "free" country.

The National Monument. I had never walked up to it all of the times that I visited D.C. It is HUGE!

The Lincoln Memorial. It is HUGE too. Just look at how small my 5-year-old daughter is compared to it!

The World War II Memorial. The really neat thing about these war memorials, is the respect that is given by the people that are there. There is a quiet when you walk into it that is so peaceful and allows such reflection. (A little challenging with little ones for it to be quiet but I felt it.) This is my dad and step-mom. Isn't this a sweet picture?

This is us standing in front of The White House. All four of us...one in the belly, though! We don't usually have family pictures together because I am the one taking the pictures. But my dad takes good pictures. So, I trusted him with my camera! lol. :-)

Mason Jar Madness

2011-06-04T19:58:00.000-07:00

I am on a Mason jar kick these days. I am getting about 10 of them this week and I have been thinking about ways to use them! We really need "mood" lighting outside in our back yard. I didn't realize how dark it was until we were making S'mores with my dad and step-mom and the fire pit was starting to go out and I couldn't see them at all. The only other light that we have is the big spot light. Anyway, I am very excited to do something with the jars that are being so kindly donated to me by a friend! Now I need to figure out which style I like best for our yard! Fun Fun!! :-)

Mason Jar Pendant Lights

Soap Dispenser
(with tutorial)

Mason Jar Lantern for Outdoors (with tutorial)
Mason Jar Lantern with Christmas Lights

Pottery barn Inspired Ladder Lantern

Fort Kit Tutorial

2011-05-27T18:15:00.000-07:00

supply list:

sheets (2 twin flat sheets)
clothes pins
clamps
rope
flashlight/headlamp
suction cups
adult t-shirt (for the ties)
bags (or fabric for making them) for the accessories and the kit

I found this kit while visiting Pinterest tonight and had to share. I think that this would make a great personalized gift for a birthday party or Christmas present. I found it on Saltwater-Kids website where she had more tutorials. So, check it out.

Here is her breakdown for what she paid:

Thrift Store:
2 sheets - $1.25/each
pillowcase (for the bag lining & accessory bag) - $.50
Dollar Store:
clothes pins, clamps, and rope ($1/each)
Home Depot:
flashlight & suction cups - $2/each
My Stash:
The bag and ties were made from thrifted fabric & shirt in my stash - free!

........that comes to $10.00!

She originally got it from a blog called Bloom. Or if you don't want to make your own....Amazon has it for twice the amount.

Right Brained Child

2011-05-25T17:54:00.000-07:00

I am blessed with being able to use both sides of my brain. I am a Professional Organizer and can really help people to be more organized. But there is the other side of my brain that gets me into trouble. I love being creative. I tend to lean towards the unstructured spontaneous side of life. I need to be more structured and plan things.

But on most days, this is how I feel...especially today:

Fun Creative Kid Ideas

2011-05-16T20:01:00.001-07:00

I have spent WAYYYYYY too many hours on Pinterest. Why did I go there? It's never ending but oh so much fun to look at and get creative ideas. That is why I made a post on Creative Kid Ideas.

ENJOY!!!!!

Would love to make this for the little baby girl coming in September!!
Found this at Two Peas in a Bucket.

Colored Bubble Painting. Hannah would SO love to make this. Especially since she loves blowing bubbles with her milk. Found it at Meet the Dubiens.

This is something that Hannah and I could make for the baby's room. it is SO child friendly but it doesn't look like a child made it. Found it at Meet The Dubiens.

This is Sidewalk Chalk Paint. I found it at the Idea Room.

And these cute little grassy heads are found at the Family Fun Magazine website!!

Baby Girl Nursery Ideas

2011-05-15T08:54:00.000-07:00

I just love all of the colors in this pictures...
Although there is lots of blue it still screams girlie to me.

I'm not sure where this one came from but it is still cute.

Whimsical and Airy

Whimsical and Asian Inspired

Wouldn't these be fun to have Pom Poms hanging from the ceiling? What girl wouldn't like them? I might have to make some for Hannah as well!

S'More Time!

2011-05-14T20:21:00.001-07:00

It's that time of year for us. We bought a fire put for our back yard and put it to good use. We had S'Mores!! It was both Hannah and I second time having them. I lived in Florida for most of life and the last thing that you wanted to do was sit in front of a fire in 90 degree weather, so I guess that is why I had never had a S'More until last year. Crazy, huh?

(I sure wish that Blogger wouldn't distort my pictures. I promise, they come out so much better than what is shown. If anyone has any tips on posting quality pictures on Blogger, I would love to know.)

Carrot Muffins

2011-05-14T19:50:00.000-07:00

I SOOO wanted something sweet tonight but I didn't want to eat just plain chocolate chips or just candy. So, I decided to bake Carrot Muffins with mini chocolate chips. For the first time.

Previously about a year or so ago, I was not a baker. I am a cooker. There is so much more freedom when you making meals. You can add stuff or omit stuff. You can get creative and make up your own meals. I have even stumbled upon a meal by just taking the first steps in starting a meal. I started out going in one direction in a meal and turning it into something else. And making it delicious!!

BUT...baking. It is difficult, for me, because you can't stray too far from the recipe. You have to pretty much use exacts. I..don't...like...exacts! But I am learning that it will come out better if I follow the recipe.
............................................................................................................
For this Carrot Muffin recipe, I only strayed by added a little bit more Soy Milk because it was so dry. And added the milk proved to be a good decision.

2 cups of flour
1/2 cup dry sweetner
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 medium carrots, grated
3/4 cup soy milk (I probably put in 1 full cup)
egg replacer, equal to two eggs
1/4 melted margarine
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Mix dry ingredients (Flour, dry sweetner, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon) then add the wet ingredients (carrots, soy milk, egg replacer, margarine). Mix and then bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes. (I did it for 13 minutes because I have a gas oven.)
..........................................................................................................................

I drizzled cookie icing on the top just so my family would definitely help me to eat all 24 muffins. I doubled the recipe because it said it only made six muffins. Well, doubling got me 24.

Royal Paper Towel Family

2011-05-11T18:15:00.000-07:00

Here is the beginning of our Royal Paper Towel Roll Family. Introducing the King and Queen. Kids will soon follow!

Happy 5th Birthday, Hannah!

2011-05-11T17:41:00.000-07:00

This cake was actually REALLY easy! I bought one box of white cake mix. ALL of the rainbow colors in food coloring gel.

Once I mixed the cake (following the box directions), separated the batter into 6 bowls and added the food coloring to make the colored batter.

All I did, seriously, was pour half of the batter from each bowl into the middle of the cake pan. And then again to the other cake pan. It turned out very pretty just sitting in the pan! Somehow the colors mixed like this.

I put both pans into the oven and baked it. I never understood evenly baking until I baked both cakes. I suggest you bake one cake pan at a time. It still came out alright but I wasted a lot of cake because of how unevenly it cooked.

We celebrated Hannah's 5th birthday last month....and collectively decided on a theme together. She had already had a princess theme for her 4th birthday and I wanted to encourage her to have something other than princesses. So, we agreed on a Rainbow Party!! It was fun for both of us. The only thing that she requested was to have a rainbow on top of the cake. I used mostly Skittles and some Jelly Beans. Did you know Skittles doesn't have blue in their candy assortment!?

These are the invitations that we sent out to the invitees!

In no particular order...Introducing Hannah's friends who came to the party!!