Spring me from this funk!

The best thing I did this weekend was get outside. I've been a funky monkey lately and not in a good way.  Scott and I took Harlie to Mather Lake twice and I was able to catch up with a good friend over some tea outside a Starbucks. Aside from just enjoying the sunshine and fresh air, the new sights and sounds offered a nice distraction from the pressures that loom.

Three-year-olds also help keep you in the moment. It's all about right now. All the time.

Sidewalk chalk...so cool because it dries instantly and becomes pastel in color. 1 part cornstarch, 2 parts water, food coloring.

Photo Scavenger Hunt

A couple weeks ago I sent Scott and Harlie off on a scavenger hunt while I fixed lunch. Harlie came back home with her Halloween pumpkin filled with things like leaves, a twig, a piece of bark and a flower (had to put a challenging one on there).  So this weekend, I wanted to go on one with her, but told Scott it was going to be a photo scavenger hunt so we could search for different things that we couldn't necessarily carry back with us. Plus mama loves taking pictures, so double score!

Here's the list he came up with:

So off we went...luckily we live right across the street from a big park, so Harlie didn't have to travel too far to start checking the ten items off of her list.

 

1. TURKEYS!!!

2. TENNIS COURTS!

OH, I SEE SOMETHING.....

3. STATUE!

4. BBQ! (Photo by HSW)

5. SLIDES!

6. DRINKING FOUNTAIN!

7. LEAF! (The first one we found had a spider on it, EW!)

8. ACORN!   9. ROCK!

10. HORSESHOE PIT!

Harlie decided the horseshoe pits were great for races! Ready, set, go!

We spotted more turkeys on our way back home. SILLY TURKEYS!

Be Mine

Heart stamps made out of toilet paper rolls and Valentine's Day cards on the cheap? Yes please!

Harlie's gift for Daddy...cupcakes!

Date Night in, thanks to the hubs!  Austin was sweet enough to take a pic. :-)

Scott made the best dinner ever! I was so impressed that it may have been the best salmon I've ever had, it was so perfectly cooked.

Roasted Wild Salmon with Tomatoes, Basil, and Capers, Parmesan-Crusted Cauliflower, and Rice

I got the easy job and made some chocolate covered strawberries for dessert. 

Last year we had a pretty good V-day and this year was even better!  Maybe staying in is the way to go.  Love ya babe!

Mr. Cool

Austin,

I love this photo of you. You have grown into such a handsome young man.  I love your stance and the way your hand it situated so cooly in the pocket of your pants. You are headed off  to your school's Winter Ball right now, and even though the dance theme is 'Retro', you don't care and are going in jeans and your favorite "Erin I need to get this dry cleaned soon" jacket. You have made plans to meet up with your (girl) friend Jessica.  I had the pleasure of meeting her the other day and she seems like a very sweet girl.  I'm proud that you decided to go tonight and sad that you're not feeling very well. I hope you have fun anyway, make some memories, dance a little (I know you are worried about all the grinding you heard about, which makes me laugh), and don't worry too much about Uncle Josh busting ya out.

Love ya,

Your "Stepmama"

`

Long Lost Twin

Sooo....last night Harlie discovered the 'replacement' Soothe and Glow Seahorse that we had purchased in a panic a couple years ago when Horsey turned up missing.  At the time, Harlie pretty much freaked at the sight of the imposter and rejected him immediately.  So since then, he's been tucked away, just in case Horsey's guts stopped working and needed replacing.  At our current house, he's been on the top shelf in the entry way closet, and Harlie spotted him last night when Scott was putting his coat away.  This time she was actually delighted  to discover Horsey's long lost friend, brother, cousin....whatever.  She has a couple of friends (Elinor! Brandi!) who also have a Soothe and Glow seahorse, so she now understands that her beloved Horsey is not exactly one of a kind and has adopted this shiny new seahorse as her own. She's even named him Finny (too cute). Finny actually accompanied Harlie to pre-school today, since "he's never been". So now we'll see if Horsey gets put on the back burner for awhile just like when Elephant (a gift from Helen and Bri) came along a year ago.  I have to say it even made my heart break a little for dear Horsey. Gosh darn sentimental shmuck that I am.

Tonight as Harlie gets her Star Wars fix before bed.

Yes You Can!

From Harlie's daily log sheet:


Quote of the day:

(talking to herself) 

" I am going to build a tower. It is going to be wonderful though. You can do anything if you want."


Amen Sista.

Winter Sandbox

One of my friends pinned this on Pinterest and I thought it would be a fun project for Harlie and I to do, since it sounded so easy (see: I DON'T CRAFT).  Also, I knew that I had some alphabet macaroni leftover from a bag that mom gave Harlie in her Easter basket, and I had read in the blog comments that some readers had used pasta instead of rice. So then after some google searching I came across this recipe that had a smaller yield. Colored ABC macaroni would be fun, but I only had a little bit so I decided to try both rice and macaroni!  They both worked great, and it was so easy.  Harlie ended up playing for close to an hour with the final product. I thought it would be good to document some of these fun and successful crafts on here, so I can revisit them on a rainy day.

***Reminder to self:  Do not leave play rice outside unattended....birds can eat it and die. Also, not to be ingested by humans either, as this recipe uses hand sanitizer (oh yum!).

You'll need rice (or macaroni), food coloring, rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer (an alternative I picked up from a blog comment, since I don't have rubbing alcohol handy), plastic bags, and a trusty assistant.

The original recipe called for 1 cup of rice per color, but I only had a about a cup of macaroni so I cut the recipe in half so I could use all 4 colors (2 of rice and 2 of macaroni)

Add 4-5 drops of food coloring and 1/2 Tbs of hand sanitizer to a plastic bag and then seal and squoosh around to get it mixed.

Add 1/2 cup of rice and then seal again and more squooshing.

Spread on baking sheet and then let dry (alcohol will evaporate so this only takes 30 min to an hour).

Once dry, dump the rice into a baking dish or large plastic container and let your kid let loose with some spoons, cups and bowls (or sand toys would work too, but probably with more rice).

It looks really pretty laid out all neatly, but it's even more fun once the colors mingle.

Pretty pretty rainbow!!!