Whoop-ie!"I'm doing it, Mom! I'm becoming potty trained!" (He still goes out in public with a diaper, but at least that's progress.) The secret: removing all underwear, diapers, and letting him run around naked (Thanks, Dr. Borus, for the tip. I owe you a plate of these, below).

For the recipe for these Pumpkin Whoopie Pies, go here.

Last week I picked up some chocolate gold coins at the party supply store and we had a little scavenger hunt to find them.

I made little clues by drawing pictures of places around the house. The jackpot: the stash of coins hidden in the laundry basket!

I thought these matchbooks were darling. I used the motif for our upcoming service auction at church. There I go again with birds.

I hope you have a fun, creative day, and enjoy the little victories, though they may be as small as tinkling in the potty!

Rug Quandary Solved

I think little miracles make life interesting. The new rug came yesterday and I was relieved that, one, I still loved it after I got it out of the packaging, and two, that I was able to sell the other rug I had on Craig's List yesterday afternoon.
And, in case you were wondering what this body of two is morphing into, get a lookie here. I'm due October 21st, so I guess that makes it two and half more months left. But who's counting?

Some Lady's Smiling in Heaven
I got this unfinished quilt topper at a church rummage sale several years ago.Now I'm making it into a quilt, probably finishing what a lady who's passed on started fifty or more years ago. I hope she's proud right now. I will be when I get it done.
Speaking of little ladies, here's one here with her new sparkly shoes and purse. It's fun to have a little girl interested in wearing shoes and walking around strutting her little stuff. $1.25 couldn't have been spent better.

Happy Birthday, Emily!

Emily is the master cake maker. This is one of the many talented creations that has come from her kitchen. I wish she and I were eating a slice of this together today.
She is funny and loves the outdoors. She goes hiking, camping, biking, running and exploring in the wilderness and I love reading about her adventures on her blog. She recently ran the Moab Half Marathon and once played on a co-ed collegiate water polo team. I am always impressed by her tenacity and involvement in so many different activities.
She is a great aunt. Whenever I am out of things to do with my kids, I think, "What would Emily do right now with them?" She's that good. She does all the fun things the "favorite aunts" do with kids: plays games, paints, draws, goes on exploring adventures, and shows great interest in her nieces and nephews.
Happy Birthday, Emily!

Ever since we shared a bedroom together in Charlotte, NC, we've been best of friends. We would dress up in our wonderwoman leotards and jump on our beds and spread our entire bookshelf of books all over the room (much to our mother's chagrin). We would sing Alvin and the Chipmunks songs together as they played from our plastic record player. We have enjoyed many moments together and I'm happy to say I think there'll be many more to come!

Join Us for Sunday Dinner

Pan-fried chicken tenderloins (in olive oil, of course!), mashed red potatoes with chicken gravy, fresh corn and green beans, and one hour dinner rolls with homemade strawberry jam.
Notice the girlie bib Finn is wearing (a 10 cent yard sale find yesterday). (And, what you can't see is that Finn isn't wearing any diaper or underwear. We're in the throes of serious potty training. So far, no diaper, a slight accident on the chair, and it's looking better for this 3-year-old and his mom, who doesn't want 3 kids in diapers). Wish us luck!

And, lest you be fooled and think we eat like this every Sunday: you should've come last Sunday when we had none other than nachos!

Making Bunting

I've been wanting to make bunting to hang above the kid's beds for a long time now. Thanks to this gal, I overcame my fear of using iron-on adhesive and fray check (how are those for fears?!?) and got to use up some of my favorite fabric remnants too. It took me about 3 hours from start to finish to make this, and that included interruptions for diaper changes and snacks. I'm sure the next one won't take as long. Go ahead, give it a try!

{I also think this would be really easy and cute made with scrapbook paper. And, it would take alot less time too.)

To make bunting, you will need:

• Various fabrics (I like to use old pillowcases, fabric remnants and odds and ends)
• Bias tape (I made my own)
• Heat & Bond iron-on fabric adhesive
• Fray check
• An iron
  

{one}

Cut pattern for bunting triangle, whichever size you like (I used a piece of copy paper)

{two}

Cut out fabric using paper pattern

{three}

Sew bias tape onto the two long pointed edges of triangle (not the top)

{four}

Iron triangle piece flat (and admire your handiwork)

{five}

Next, make a template for the size of your letters. Draw your letters and cut out

{six}

Apply fray check to edges of letters and allow to dry according to bottle directions

{seven}

Apply Heat & Bond to back of letter according to package directions and iron onto triangle piece

{eight}

If you like, you can applique around edges of letter (I used yellow thread)

{nine}

Sew piece of bias tape along top to connect letters, hang, and enjoy!

ABC's by Martha

For a while I've been looking for some vintage alphabet pictures to put up in the play room. When I went to my sister Whitney's in Boise, she showed me this set and I got some when I got back. They're by Martha Stewart, so they're new, but they look old.
I love this one of the red fox. I think I will always feel a connection to foxy things because they remind me of my parents (fox pelts around the house, fox door knocker, fox sign at the start of the driveway).
And now I sing "The Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night" with this little squirmer and it's something he really enjoys. He is pictured here doing his business in his favorite place: Legoland.

What About This Greenie?

Later on today, in my frantic search for a rug (I've brought home about five different rugs now and been to twice that many stores), I found this one on sale at Pottery Barn. I like it. But does it have enough Anthro-appeal? It does look nice with the slight tint of red in my brown couches.

Again, I'm asking you for an opinion! This is serious stuff! I need opinions!

Thanks again for all your comments,

Sarah

Good, Better, Best

So I decided that I wanted a change in my living room rug. (Call it nesting, call it vanity, call it a need for control). The one I have now is a hand-me-down from my mom (bless her heart), but I want something a little more contemporary and in more earth tones to go with the living room.

{above} : the existing rug

{above} : the TJ-Maxx-good-deal-of-a-rug (the one in my price range). Note the earth tones and how well it goes with my wall color. Only snag: it is still a more traditional style, which is what I wanted to break away from.

{above} : the rug I really want and have gone ahead and ordered, but I can still cancel the order (do you ever do that?) Sidenote: I had two rugs in my car today and a couple chairs that I had bought yesterday, taken home to try them out, and then took them back today. I'm crazy. But, anyways, isn't this rug beautiful? Anthropologie sells a 2x3 foot version of this rug and I found a 5x8 foot version online last night. It is loop pile, which is different from the cut pile I have right now. It is alot more than the TJ Maxx rug, but I absolutely love it.

What rug should I go with?

I heard a while ago that you should only put things in your home that you love. I believe in that mantra. But, what do you do when you're trying to save some money and still get the look you want?

Readers, I need your opinions today, before the order on the bird rug goes through! I want to know what you think.

Thanks,

Sarah

Ch-ch-ch-changes

This little thing and I (along with her older brother) are going out today on an excursion. It's a much-needed outing that I need to make. I hope to visit some of my favorite stores for inspiration and just a day out. And, the thing I love about coming back home after an extended period of time is the new outlook I have on my home. I get a hankering for changing around pictures, putting up new things and just changing things up a bit. Here's to new beginnings and new creations!

Unpacking

We had a great time in the West and enjoyed visiting cousins, swimming in natural and man-made bodies of water, eating lots of cake and working hard.
Lucy and Finn enjoyed the beach in McCall, Idaho. We discovered very quickly that armbands are a must, especially with Miss Lucy.
Finn celebrated his 3rd birthday in Boise. The really cool, 4-layer dump truck cake ended up a ding-dong landfill cake with cars placed by Finn. My first attempt at a "cool" cake went down the tubes. No matter....who doesn't love a good ding-dong?
Lucy helping herself to the candy. We slept in a bed in the cool basement of my parent's rental house in Middleton, Idaho for most of the Summer. It was nestled on a grassy-lawn, tree-filled plot surrounded by a babbling brook, in the middle of a dry, shrub-steppe. We got to experience mice, snakes and frogs first-hand. I will always remember the Summer of 2008.

Donuts for Michelle

My friend Michelle asked a while back for a tutorial on my homemade donuts.  Well, I finally got around to making them.  Alert: this may create an intense desire to make these things!

Raised Donuts

1 cup sugar

1 cup shortening

3 teaspoons salt

4 eggs

1 quart milk, warmed

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/3 teaspoon mace or nutmeg

3 packets yeast

Cream sugar, shortening and salt together.  Add eggs and mix.  Add lukewarm milk, flavoring and yeast that has been dissolved in 1 cup warm water.

(I used fresh nutmeg).  Add enough flour to make a dough a little softer than bread.

(I kneaded it on the counter to incorporate enough flour as the mixer bowl wasn't big enough).

Let raise twice its size.

Punch down dough.

Roll out 1/3" thick.

Cut into desired shapes and let raise until double.

Put in hot grease, turn, let brown again.  Remove and drain.  Glaze.  (It's important to let the grease be hot enough--- about 375 degrees--- test it by sticking a piece of dough in.  If it sizzles immediately and rises to the surface, then the oil is hot enough.)

Glaze

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup warm water (1 tablespoon at a time)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 tablespoon Karo syrup

maple flavoring or cocoa powder, optional

These are fun boxed up in wax paper and delivered to neighbors or friends!

Summer At It's Finest

I apologize for no picture. See, we're spending the Summer in Boise and I didn't bring my camera charger, so I'm stuck with only about ten minutes of camera-time.

Also, as my life is crazy right now (we're helping work on my parent's new home in Boise) and between house and apartment-hopping, I don't have regular access to the Internet. So, I just wanted to check in, my blogging world friends, and say I'm still here and I will be posting regularly come August.

Have a GREAT SUMMER!

P.S. Michelle, I haven't forgotten your request for a donut tutorial. I will post on that when I get back to my own digs. Or, maybe I can convince Whitney to photograph while I make donuts. Check back.