Toddler Fun: Farm and Garden

We headed out to Underwood Family Farm last week with some friends. I have to give it an all around A+. We got there early and got to play in the main yard. It was a great place for a toddler. There was a large wooden train to play on, animals to feed, a little playground area with a sandbox. Also, Big tractor tire tunnels to walk through and get muddy. I think by far the favorite was this chicken show. Just a bunch of singing clucking puppets. Boots was beyond fascinated. Mercifully the show is short and you can get away before it starts up again. :D

Then it was out to the fields to pick Bell Peppers, Raspberries, and Spinach. We would have gotten strawberries, but we had just bought a ton that weekend. 

 For Mother's Day Boots had gotten me herb seeds since I had said I wanted an herb garden. I hadn't gotten around to planting it yet so with a little help from Mr. Black Sneakers we did just that. 

 Boots loved to pick up each seed and drop it into the pot. One. by. One. 

He even liked putting the dirt into the pot which was very surprising, but it looks like he's getting over his texture phobia. I think about these activities we do and I know he won't remember them, but I love learning how to be a mom and hope that lots of different experiences will inspire him as he grows. Maybe he'll say he has a love for gardening and always has even before he can remember. 

Quilting

I've been fliting around doing different projects here and there (story of my life). Recently I was going through my stash of fabric and came across this quilt top I had pieced together when I was like, 12. 

I was really into purple at the time. So into purple that I had a party where I required the guests to show up in purple, complete with purple decorations. Obsessed much? Probably.

Anyway, I cut the fabric with some scissors and sewed long rows and then sewed those rows together. I thought it would work and was a little disappointed (ok more than a little) when it didn't turn out straight and corners didn't match up. I was so disappointed at my failed quilting attempt that I didn't try to quilt ever again. And this piece has sat in my stash for 14 years. I contemplated giving it away a few times, but I thought who would want it?

I recently have been revived in my desire to quilt. Fabric being somewhat expensive to practice on I realized I had the perfect candidate. I've lovingly taken a seam ripper to it and decided I would redo it again and make it something that I would actually like to have or give away completed (and not just to a thrift store).

I'm a little embarrassed by the jagged and unevenness of the squares. Apparently I was just hacking a way at it with a pair of blunt scissors or a kitchen knife. Some of the squares were even an inch wider than others. Thank goodness for rotary cutters! 

Toddler Fun: The Beach

I've been wanting to catalog some fun toddler activities while I'm here in L.A. We've been a year and a half and will probably be here for 6 months - 2 years more. It's about time I actually start doing things. :D

So first on the list of course is THE BEACH!

I think we are really lucky to live so close to the beach. The Shoe family always hits Santa Monica Beach when we need some sun and (almost) free fun. It does cost $2 an hour to park with a 2 hour limit, but we are usually tired by then anyway.
We used to park at the mall parking garage a couple of blocks away from Santa Monica Pier. It was free because the mall was under remodeling or something. It's opening this August so I doubt we'd be able to do that, but I think it's worth it to pay two bucks not to walk that far with a very wiggly toddler.

This was the first time Boots has really been old enough to explore. Boots was a little wary at first. He's never wanted to leave the beach towel before. He has a thing with weird textures.  This time we plopped him in the sand and he actually enjoyed it. It wasn't long before he was taking off after some "doggies" (his word for any animal). He even got his feet in the ocean.

Father and son moment

Here is a tip: For those that love the beach, but hate the sand because it gets everywhere, getting it off can be tricky. Before you hop into the car dust some baby powder on the sandy places. It absorbs the moisture and the sand will dust off easily!

Whipped Cream

If you need a super quick recipe for whipped cream here you go!

I modified it from a couple of different recipes from allrecipes.com

1 package cream cheese

1/2 - 3/4 C white sugar

1 t vanilla extract

1 pint heavy whipping cream

Put it all in a stand mixer and whipped it up. 

It was yummy and held up really well! Just what I was looking for! I finally got to use my different sized baking pans that I got for Christmas from Mr. Black Sneakers. White cake mix, strawberries, and the frosting. So easy and so good!

Freebie: 4th of July tags/cupcake toppers

Well, I took a little break from blogging, but just to let you know I'm still here I made these especially for you! Or anybody who happens to be coming along. I *think* they will work for a 2 inch punch. Or you can just cut them out. 

They are for personal use only, and if you want to share please tell them where you found it and not give out the file or direct link. Thanks! 

Download Here

Enjoy! 

Weekly Date Night

When Mr. Black Sneakers and I got married we had decided that going on a date a week was mandatory. We wanted to always be close. 2 1/2 years, several moves, 1.5 kids and a 80 hour a week job later... we realized we were slacking. Date night turned into, we put Boots down and we turn on the TV. Which isn't all that different from most of our week nights. I decided something needed to change. 

It was just so lucky that I happened upon Simply Modern Mom. I saw a button for Project 52: Date Nights - dating my husband one week at a time. This was just what I needed! So I had Mr. Black Sneakers sign the pledge and we made the commitment. One date night a week. It would take effort, mostly be free, and Boots was not allowed. I especially liked the part about not doing the same thing twice in a month. As much as I do like movies, I've had my fill. 

I spent some time looking at other people's date nights to gather ideas and there are a few general ideas that float around. One that caught my attention was couples playing the wii together. Well, Sneaks sold some weights he had and we are getting ours tomorrow! :D I know what we'll be doing this weekend.

But on to our first date. 

 Sneaks grilled some delicious Tri Tip and corn (4 for $1.00!). Boots joined us for the beginning portion, but as you can see it was past bedtime. Sneaks gave him a bath afterwards while I fixed my hair and make up. Then we sat out on our patio next to the fire. We were going to eat s'mores, but forgot marshmallows. Instead we just talked. It was still really nice. 

The important thing is that an effort is being made again and it feels great! 

Pizza Puffs Pronto!

Well, we are all moved into our new apartment! There are still boxes everywhere and Baby Toddler Boots loves to help unpack... and repack.

This weekend he helped daddy put together his crib. He especially loved holding the drill.

I'm still trying to figure out where all my kitchen stuff is. Oh yeah, and grocery shopping would be good. So what to make for lunch while the boys work?

Our Best Bites has a great recipe for stuffed pizza rolls. However I didn't feel like making dough, and none on hand... Wait what can I make with a roll of crescent rolls, 2 cheese sticks and a jar of marinara? Yes I can make pizza puffs!

I cut the cheese sticks into fourths since there were 8 rolls. Then I rolled them up. 

I brushed on some olive oil and sprinkled with garlic and parmesan cheese. 

Finish off with some sauce in a bowl and lunch is served in 15 minutes! 

(probably not the healthiest thing in the world, I would not recommend eating a lot of these things...)

Linking to DIY Day at A Soft Place To Land