Freedom Cake

Mary and I made a red, white and blue cake today.  We call it our freedom cake.  I used a box of white cake mix and divided it into thirds.  I used food coloring to dye one blue and one red. 

  

Then I baked them.  The blue one looked green because of the browning of the outside.  I frosted it with butter cream frosting.

Mary decorated it on the top.  I just turned her loose and she thought up the design all herself.

I thought she did such a good job and she is only 5!

Then we put some candles on it.

Here's the happy girl with her cake.  She can hardly wait for daddy to get home and see it!

Fun Father's Day Picture

On Father's Day at our church they served a pancake breakfast and then they had this little photo booth set up in the corner of the fellowship hall and 2 gals were taking pictures with a nice digital camera.  They took a serious one and a fun one and I fell in love with the fun one.  Mary picked out her Viking costume all on her own.  She sure takes after Rich in her dramatic flare.  Rich was very active in the drama group at our church down in Southern California and he took acting classes at the local community college and did really well.

 

Ballet Recital

Mary had her end of the year ballet recital on Saturday night.  She had so much fun.  She loves getting on stage and performing.  I was able to get a video of her from back stage. I ordered a DVD of the whole performance but I will have to wait a few weeks for it.  The whole night was just wonderful.  My sister came from out of town to see Mary and watch the show.  She had a wonderful time and enjoyed all the dances.  Here is Mary with her grandma before the performance.

After her performace she was on a high.  You can see the energy in this shot. lol

Daddy gave her flowers after the show and a kiss!

A pose at home with flowers from Daddy.

The roses were so pretty!  I put them in a vase and they were just beautiful the next day.

Here is the video I took from back stage.  Mary is the little dancer on the end.

 

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Here is the link to the video: http://www.onetruemedia.com/shared?p=1116781fd26052488bca93c&skin_id=1602&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=text_url

Salt Dough

Mary and I did a fun project for a Father's Day gift for my father-in-law.  We got the recipe for salt dough off the Internet.  Here is the link to the web page we got the recipe from: http://www.theimaginationtree.com/2011/06/salt-dough-footprint-keepsakes.html

Here is a cute picture from that web page showing how to make the dough.

We baked it in the oven for several hours and then after it cooled I spray painted it with a copper spray paint.  Then we bought a wooden stand for it to go on.  Here is Mary showing her grandpa that the print is her hand print.

This is what it looked like when we finished it.

I thought it was such a great keepsake of a child's hand print and so easy to do!

Salt dough recipe:

1 cup salt

1 cup plain flour

Up to half a cup of water

 

Bake in the oven at 200 degrees for 3 hours or until dry

Father's Day Slide Show

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Here is the link to the video: http://www.onetruemedia.com/shared?p=110e9d8052e07c8fa20184d&skin_id=601&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=text_url

Daddy

Just yesterday Mary was outside playing in the yard and I was sitting out there watching her.  She talks often of what will happen or what she wants when she grows up.  She began asking me about my wedding dress and what shoes I wore.  I told her I had a beautiful white dress and I still have it saved in my closet.  She asked me why and I told her I was saving it because it was so special to me and maybe one day when she was grown and wanted to get married that she could wear it.  I told her I had white beaded and sequined shoes.  She really like that.  She asked if Daddy had black pants and black shoes.  I said yes that he did and his suit was called a tuxedo.  She asked, "Did he have sequins on his shoes too!"  I smiled and said no, that they were just shinny black.  She then asked about our wedding rings.  So, I told her about them and how daddy proposed to me on the beach and gave me my ring.  I said yes!  She said, "and you gave him a big hug!"  Yes I did.  I chuckled as our first kiss was on our wedding day, so that is what I gave him, a big hug.  I had not told her that yet.  She thought over all she had asked and what I had told her and she said, "Mom, I am going to marry a godly man who loves me and God and we are going to get married and we are going to have a baby boy!"  Before I said anything she went out into the middle of the lawn and knelt down and prayed the sweetest prayer.  She then came back and said now I don't have to worry because I just prayed about it!  That moment made my heart smile.  I am so thankful for my husband and I am so happy to be celebrating him this Sunday.  He is a great dad and such a good example for Mary.  Thank you Lord

Homemade Play Dough

Mary and I had another creative moment today.  I had been thinking of making her some play dough for a while now.  She has some store bought play dough but it was in bad shape and just didn't work very well even when it was new.  I went to a friends house and saw her homemade play dough and it was wonderful.  Mary had so much fun playing with it that I decided it was time for me to make some.  Today we made red and she loved it!  I couldn't believe how easy it was.  We will make another color tomorrow.  I have included the recipe at the bottom.  We did the one with baking soda and it worked great.  I would of used Cream of Tartar because my friend said that is what she used but I didn't have any.  So we did the substitute.

 

Ingredients for this classic play dough recipe: •plain white flour – 1 cup •salt – 0.5 cups •cream of tartar – 2 tsp (you can substitute 2 tbsp of baking soda) •water – 1 cup •cooking oil – 1 tsp (if you use baking soda, add 1 tbsp of oil instead of 1 tsp) •food coloring

Directions for this classic play dough recipe: •Mix all the ingredients together with a fork in a mixing bowl until the mixture is smooth and one solid color •Pour the mixture into a pan and bring to a boil over medium heat. •Stir until smooth and then until play dough bunches up to form a ball •Take it out of the pan and allow the play dough to cool •Knead for a few minutes and store in an airtight container

Homemade Fortune Cookies

I had fun learning how to make fortune cookies yesterday and today.  The recipe I used yesterday did not taste that well but it gave me a chance to practice.  I found another recipe on this blog post http://ceramiccanvas.com/2010/01/homemade-fortune-cookies/ and used it today.  The cookies tasted much better.  The only thing I did different is I did not use the lemon zest in mine.  Here are the steps: 

You make up the batter.

Use a table spoon full of batter on a greased pan (if you don't grease it you will be in trouble)

After they are done baking you need to work fast.  Flip them upside down put in your messages.  I used scriptures but you could use anything you want for whatever occasion you want to have them. Fold them in half and bend them over a mug rim and then put them in a muffin pan to keep their shape until they cool ...

... and then enjoy!

Dog Paddle

A few days ago it was pretty warm.  So I pulled Mary's wading pool and set it up.  Both her and Mac had so much fun.  Mary wanted to teach Mac how to dog paddle.  lol  I put together a little video of their fun.

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Here is the link to the video:  http://www.onetruemedia.com/shared?p=10f82e9b029b3f927d84601&skin_id=601&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=text_url
 

Growing and Remembering

The other day I realized that every year Rich takes a picture of Mary and I at my mom's grave.  It was so fun to pull these up and see how she has grown.  We go out on Memorial Day to remember my mom and other family members.  My mom died 18 years before Mary was born, so I know she will think that she died an eternity before she was born.  I thought that of my mom's mom and she only died 12 years before I was born.  So we want to show Mary how much we love and miss my mom and it is also a wonderful opportunity to talk about heaven.  When we place the flowers on my mom's grave we read 1 Thess. 4:16 & 17 to her and I know some day she will be reading it to us.  Tears always fill my eyes as I read it because it is such a blessed hope.  This is what it says, "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord."  We also put a copy of the verse with the flowers.

         

2007 Mary is 7 mos. old

2008 Mary is 19 months old

2009 Mary is 2 1/2 years old

2010 Mary is 3 1/2 years old

2011 Mary is 4 1/2 years old.  This is at my cousin's grave.

2011 at my mom's grave

2012 Mary is 5 1/2 years old