Saturday, March 26, 2011

Playdough!

I love playdough!  It's probably because my mom made playdough often for us growing up.  I remember watching her knead the food coloring into the dough and hardly being able to wait for it to be cool so we could play.  I can't even imagine how many batches she must have made.  And, now I have already made over a hundred batches myself since Lainey has been born.  My kids love playdough...shaping it, imagining, cutting it with cookie cutters, stamping it, pounding, rolling...you name it.

After getting some wet snow last night, we opted not to go to the zoo and spend the afternoon making brand new batches of playdough and doing a few other fun things instead.  My friend, Alison, listed in her blog (mentioned in a previous post of mine) that she used Kool-Aid in her playdough.  So, I thought we would give that a try...and that was just enough of a twist to make the kids think this playdough was THE BEST EVER! :)  We spent the afternoon making 7 jumbo batches...because I will tell you, this recipe makes a pretty big batch.  If you're using food coloring, you could easily split your batch in half and knead two different colors into the separate halves depending on how many kiddos you have playing.

Here is the recipe my mom used over and over...as did many of my aunts...and now many of my cousins are using with their kids.  I hope you can enjoy it as much as we do!

Happy Playing!

Playdough

2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup salt
1 T. alum
2 cups water
3 T. vegetable oil
food coloring or Kool-Aid packet

Mix together flour, salt and powdered alum.

Put the water, oil and food coloring/Kool-Aid (unless splitting batch and kneading food coloring into dough) in a saucepan.  Heat to boiling (or almost).  Add flour mixture and stir. Turn out on table and knead while still very warm.  

Store in the fridge in a ziplock bag, and it will keep quite awhile.  You can keep it at room temp also, but it won't keep quite as long....but still a long time.  :)


 The kids' creative space today.



Friday, March 25, 2011

March 15th




I had an extraordinary ordinary birthday day.  I awoke to streamers in the doorway, a nicely decorated table and the best homemade birthday cards!  The kids wished me happy birthday several times throughout the day as we went to our various activities...and Matt brought home salads from Chili's for supper.  :)  I couldn't have asked for anything more!


Thursday, March 24, 2011

Kindergarten Round-Up

I can hardly believe we moved to Nebraska when Sophie was 5 weeks old, and today I took her hand and walked her into elementary school for Kindergarten Round-Up.  She was so excited, she kept asking all morning if it was time for lunch so she could get ready to go.  She is more than ready with her birthday being in September; we debated what to do last year...send her, hold her?  I'm glad we waited, as she has flourished in pre-school, developed skills of compassion and teaching, and is just so ready to jump into her Kindergarten year full-steam ahead.  But, that doesn't mean I didn't walk into the building with just a little tug at my heart for my baby who is growing up just a little fast.  I was excited with Sophie and for her today...but I have a couple months to get ready for the real thing yet.  :)

 Sophie with her Kindergarten Round-Up teacher, Mrs. Cesare.

  She marched right in and got right to work.  :)

I love this little girl!  ♥


Saturday, March 12, 2011

She's Seven!

Where has the time gone that my baby turned 7 years old on March 11th!?!  Lainey is so mature.  There are many times when I step back and just watch her...amazed by what she can do, what she can create.  She gets right out of bed in the morning and has her own routine to get ready and out the door to the bus.  I LOVE to listen to her read.  The words she can sound out and recognize continue to amaze me.  And, I love that she loves reading!

She reasons so well with Sophie and Sawyer.  She's a teacher by nature.  I love listening to her explain situations or tell why something has to or can't happen.

We've done some growing this year too...dealing with friendship issues at school.  I love her kind heart and her desire to do what is right.

I just LOVE this child.  I love that God entrusted me with her...to teach her, to help her, to guide her, to pray for her, to love her, to hug her, to be with her, to laugh with her...the honor to be her mom.  7 years ago she fulfilled my greatest desire.

Happy ,Happy Birthday, Miss Lainey Ann!  We LOVE you so very much!

Lainey ♥
Traditional Running Through the Streamers!
The Birthday Girl! #7
Star Birthday Pancakes
Lainey's Surprise Birthday Sign
Opening a few gifts before going out for dinner.
Gifts from Sophie...
Sawyer's Gift (is that a look of pride I see?)
Eating at Hu Hot Mongolian Grill...Lainey's choice for dinner!
7 Years Old!
after dinner and presents...and ready for bed!  (we didn't even have cake that night...we had it for breakfast the next morning!)  :)
Lianey's Birthday Party on the 12th...all of the girls in her class painting bowls...
...eating pizza with Shirley Temples and watching Tangled!  The girls made YUMMY bags of regular popcorn, cheese corn and caramel corn mixed with pretzels and candy.
Lainey's choice of cake this year...a ducky bathtub.  :)
Happy 7th Birthday, Lainey!


Friday, March 11, 2011

Happy ♥ Day!

February 14, 2011

Matt was in Portland for Valentine's Day, so we sent him a picture text of the kids that day...and did a couple other special things for him.  But, to start of our day, I made the kids heart pancakes with whipped cream...and had the table set with their special surprises.  I LOVE doing these special little things!  Then, Sawyer and I were in charge of Sophie's Valentine's party at school and Sophie, Sawyer and I were in charge of Lainey's party in the afternoon.  Hope you're Valentine's Day was special in whatever ways you were able to enjoy it!

My three little Loves!
Lainey ♥

Sophie ♥
Sawyer ♥




Sophie's party craft (yep...salt dough heart magnets)  :)
Sawyer playing one of the games...timed stacking conversation hearts
Lainey's party snack...cheese, crackers & salami.  

Happy Valentine's Day!


Snow Day Activity



February 1, 2011

My friend, Allison, has an amazing blog that I thoroughly enjoy reading.  She is an amazing photographer, first of all, so just looking at her blog is a joy.  But, beyond that, she has delicious recipes and fun ideas.  If you're interested, it's www.thishomemadelife.com.  On her site one day, she listed a recipe for salt dough and showed her boys making salt dough hearts for Valentine's Day.  So, after doing centers for our first snow day, I needed to mix it up on Snow Day #2.  I thought the Salt Dough magnet hearts for Valentine's Day would be a fun project for the kids.  And, it was!  We all had a great time!  I LOVED watching the kids create, taking their time to paint their hearts in just the way they wanted it done.  I think the grandparents and few others that received them for Valentine's Day enjoyed them as well.

Our Salt Dough Hearts
The kids other creations baking in the oven...a heart pot, a bumblebee, a doll bed (pillow included), and a snowman.  I cannot remember what the top two small objects are.  :)
Sophie concentrating on one of her hearts.

Lainey designing her hearts.
Sawyer LOVED painting the hearts...and spent more time painting than the girls, carefully making sure everything was JUST the way he wanted it.  So cute!




What a FUN afternoon!

 Beautiful creations!




Sunday, February 27, 2011

December Travels



December 2010


Our Christmas travels began in Wallace with Matt's family:

The guys headed outside for some fun shooting clay targets.

Santa made a surprise visit after supper.

The kids, Lainey, Sophie, Aldyn, and Sawyer, sang Christmas carols before present-opening. 

Grandpa Monte, Grammy Ruth, Sawyer, Sophie, Lainey, Aldyn & Emme 

From Wallace, we went to Kearney:

I tried to get a good picture of the grandkids after Christmas Eve mass...this was the best one.  :)


 Kinley on Christmas morning

Aubrey Lynne 

Sawyer and Keaton sporting matching bear claw slippers 

The kids each decorated gingerbread houses. 


From Kearney we headed up to Humphrey for the Keller Family Christmas:

Playing Scrabble with my Grandma Keller the night before the Keller party.

Lainey walking with Kinley in the school gym during the Keller Christmas party.

A couple of the great-grandkids watching the grandkids do the gift exchange. 

Sophie entertaining Aubrey. 

From Humphrey, we drove to Holdrege for the Turnquist Christmas party.

Some of the great-grandkids singing Christmas carols.

It was a great Christmas season.  We were very fortunate to have great travel weather and blessed with time with family.