For little artists...

My sister found this idea on another blog and we are going to try to tackle it today. We are really excited about it. The woman who came up with it is a GENIUS! She has the best ideas. So we are going to try to tackle this artists apron for the little people in our lives.

(OK, so Ryder is only 12 inches long and weighs about a pound and oh yah, he's not born yet, but he is still getting one... I am going to be ready when he says he wants to color!)

Here is the link:

http://obsessivelystitching.blogspot.com

Thank you Obsessively Stitching!

Kit's dream

Kit came across this photo on a cichlid (African cichlids are Kit's favorite fish) website. This 30 foot tank was just placed at the Radisons Hotel in New Jersey. It is 8 feet deep and 5 feet wide. We tried to find out exactly how many gallons this sucker is, but no luck for us.

My husband is drooling.

(Note the size of the kid in the picture...)

Just had to share for all those fish lovers out there!

Christmas stories for kids...

I LOVE children's books and Christmas specific stories are no exception.

A great place for ideas for specific holiday stories is to go to a book store like Barnes and Noble and in their children's section, they feature a display with certain books pertaining to a time of the year. It could be a holiday or something like going back to school... It is such a fun place to peruse, especially with little people.

Here are a few of our family's favorites...

I hope that you enjoy these stories as much as we do...

Hooked...

Now that we have transformed our guest room into Ryder's room, we are trying to make the fish room and futon a little more comfortable for guests.

We plan to have a few when the little man arrives.

One of the things that I wanted to add was a place for guests to put their wet towels. Kit likes to drape his over the door, but then you can't shut the door, (which generally you need a little privacy if a bath towel is involved in whatever you are doing.)

So we found a solution.

We added this hook to the back of the door, and the little sucker holds 5 pounds and has been getting the job done. Plus it came in a metal finish so you would never know that it will come off with out any permanent damage to the door.

So now when you come to stay with us, you will have a place to hang your hat (or a wet towel... Heck, hang what ever you want, you're our guest!)

Lot's of Smiles...

One of Kit's favorite things is homemade frozen cookie dough. My sister always has some on hand and it has become a must have on hand item in our house. Thanks Cole... His two top choices are oatmeal raisin and chocolate chip. I have tried a couple of different oatmeal raisin recipe's but the one that seems to be the biggest hit with my Kit is the one on the lid of the Quaker Oats canister.

So for the last couple of years, I have a routine. I make a regular batch, then use my handy dandy cookie scooper from the Pampered Chef, and then put it in a freezer safe tubber ware. Then Kit eats it.

(Sometimes we make them for company, which is so nice to have fresh home made cookie dough on hand.)

It is so fun to tell him that a whole fresh batch is ready for him.

I love putting a smile on that man's face.

The Tangible Kingdom

Our friends Mark and Jamie gave us this book at Thanksgiving and it has been such an amazing perspective on church and community. It has challenged how I view church and ultimately how we should "do" church. I love things that challenge me so I wanted to recommend it.

It also has a small group guide, but I have just been reading the book. I am about 1/4 of the way in and would strongly recommend this book already.

Thanks Thrashes!

Making progress...

We made our FIRST step toward making the front yard a little bit better. We got our tree and planted it where the old birch tree was. We chose a tabebuia Ipe. It's a flowering tree that has blossoms that smell like cotton candy. We are excited to watch this guy grow, sans any CATS!

When I finally got around to the "after" picture, it was pouring outside.

But you get the idea.

We will keep you updated on our progress. this is going to be one of those "slowly but surely" projects I am sure...