Memorial Day 2011

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Here is the link to the video: http://www.onetruemedia.com/shared?p=e1573ca363507b24343a8e&skin_id=1602&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=text_url

Fun with Art

Mary loves art and  I wanted to share some of her pictures she has done in the last 6 months.  This one is of a spotted dog.  She put a whole bunch of spots on the page and then added the face, ears and legs.  I just thought it was so unique how she did it.

This is one she did of fall leaves.  She just said she wanted to paint one day and I gave her a blank sheet of paper and it was in the fall and she painted away and then brought it to me and said,  "Look Mommy, fall leaves!"

This next one is of 4 people dancing. I just loved the motion and feeling of her figures.  She loves to paint and she loves red.

This last one she did last week.  Again she just wanted to paint and I gave her a sheet of paper and she worked on it while I was doing up the breakfast dishes.  She told me it was a lady dancing.  Again I just loved the feeling an motion she put into it.  She is only 4 years old but I think she has some talent :)  This one I framed and put up in our living room.  It made her so happy!!

Making a Commercial

We had some fun the other morning at breakfast.  Mary looked at the peanut butter jar and spelled out J...I...F and when we asked her to say what it spelled she said, "Peanut Butter"!  We thought, "Hey that would make a cute commercial!"  So, here is our attempt at making a commercial. 

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Here is the link to the video: http://www.onetruemedia.com/shared?p=dfe92983642d631f975812&skin_id=1602&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=text_url

Through the Fire

Rich was able to do our first bisque fire on the lamps he has made.  The next firing is the glaze firing.  He said the glaze firing  makes the colors on the designs really pop! 

This is one of my favorites for this batch.  He has made 14 and they all are so beautiful that it is hard to pick one as my favorite.

Seedlings

Before Easter, Rich's Dad, gave Mary some little pots and seeds to start some pumpkins, watermelons, basil and parsley.  She was so excited to plant her seeds.  We put the seeds in the little pots and them put them in our kitchen window sill to sprout.  They all came up nicely.  Last week we planted the basil and parsley in a large pot outside.  It will be so nice to have fresh herbs this summer.  We are going to plant the pumpkins and watermelons in a larger raised bed outside but we still need to make that.  So the plants are still happy and growing in our window sill.  It will be fun if Mary can raise a pumpkin to carve for Halloween and we can have some pumpkin pie!

My Morning Bird

It is late and I am sitting here in the living room making this post after I have put Mary to bed.  For me as a mother there is just something so sweet about your sleeping child.  The busyness of the day has washed away and peace fills their little room as you  hear there gentle breaths and you think what a miracle they are.  I came out here and posted this slide show of my Mother's Day Weekend.  As I watched the slide show one more time before I posted it, tears just flowed down my cheeks, thanking God for His wonderful gift to Rich and I, our precious Mary girl!  Thank you Lord for all your wonderful gifts, we are so undeserving and yet you love us so. 

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Here is the link to the video: http://www.onetruemedia.com/shared?p=df25292674c871439825a0&skin_id=1605&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=text_url

Swing Low, Swing High!

We have been having wonderful weather and a certain little girl has been really enjoying her swing set! Rich has one more thing to put on it. It is the swinging seats that face each other. He plans on putting that on this weekend, sometime between all the Mother's Day activities! Mary will be having her first ballet performance with her class on Saturday. We are all excited to see it. I wish you all a blessed Mother's Day. My heart goes out to all those whose moms have died and I pray for the Lord's comfort for you. I am so thankful to be a mom and have the privilege of raising Mary.

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Here is the link to the video: http://www.onetruemedia.com/shared?p=decc6494e7e859af992a02&skin_id=601&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=text_url

Chocolate Chip Cookies



Friday night Rich made chocolate chip cookies.  He came up with the recipe by mistake a few months back and now it is our all time favorite.  Here is the recipe:

Daddy's Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/4 cups unsifted flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar, packed

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

2 cups chocolate chips

1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Stir flour with baking soda, baking powder and salt and set aside.  Beat butter with sugar and brown sugar at medium speed until creamy.  Add vanilla and eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed until incorporated.

Gradually blend dry mixture into creamed mixture.  Stir in chocolate chips and nuts (if desired).  Drop by tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheets.  Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown.

Rich was using a recipe off the back of a chocolate chip bag.  By accident he put in 1 teaspoon of baking powder then realized it was supposed to be baking soda, so he added that too.  The cookies came out so yummy and light.  They are kind of like a shortbread cookie and chocolate chip cookie blend.   We just love them.

We had a busy and fun weekend.  The weather has warmed up.  It has been a long winter and we are finally getting to enjoy some warmer weather.  We ordered a swing set from Walmart for Mary.  Rich went and picked it up on Saturday and started assembling it.  He got the main frame and slide done and then we quit to make dinner.  Mary had so much fun on that slide.  She must have gone up and down it 50 times!  Sunday evening he put up the swings and see-saw swing.  So she was thrilled again.  I know she will get so much fun and good exercise out of it.  I will be posting pictures some time this week of her playing on it.