Need Beginner Reader Book Suggestions!

Annika has decided that she likes reading.

It might have to do with the fact that we've set up a reward system to keep her interested in reading.

Hey- I'm okay with that! As long as she keeps at it ...reading will get easier for her.

Now I'm on the look-out for EASY, beginner (pre-primer) books for her. I mean the kind that have only a few words on the page and the pictures kind of go with the words. Most of the books at our Borders (and library) have lots of words (the early readers really aren't for beginner readers!). I want to encourage her- not discourage her.

Got any suggestions for me?

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Baby Avie Turns Three

Three Years Ago:

Avie Baby, Avie Baby

You're my girl; you're my girl!

I sure like to hold you. I sure like to hold you.

In my arms; in my arms!

(sung to the tune of "Frère Jacques")

Now look at you!

It took the Birthday Girl the entire day to eat her one cupcake!
Train set from Mommy & Daddy!

Annika was excited to play with the train set too!

After some serious train play time we all went outside for some good winter fun! That means sledding, attempting to make a snow man (snow wasn't quite right) and taking a walk through the woods with the dogs.

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Ava's Birthday Cupcakes

Ava's birthday is tomorrow (23rd) but we decided to celebrate it today (Sunday).



She picked out the sunflower cupcakes (with a little nudge from me) from the "Hello, Cupcake!" book Mama sent me last year. LOOOOOOOVE that book!



Yesterday Ava and I baked up the cupcakes (ahem...Funfetti cake box mix..but hey- Ava loved the colors!). Late last night, after the girlies were down for their "sleep-over" I decorated the cupcakes. They were lots of fun and easy- especially compared to the Fairy Toadstool Cakes I made for Annika's last birthday.

I will also admit that I used canned frosting. (but it did make the cupcake decorating experience virtually painless!)

This is Ava's special cupcake- it's the only one with THREE (cookies) flowers.

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New bed for Avie Baby

We barely managed to fit Ava's new mattress set in the van along with the girls in their seats. Ava is sooooo excited to have her new bed!

THANK YOU UROMA and UROPA (and Oma!) for the lovely sheets- they're the Brooke Sheet Set from Pottery Barn Kids. They are soooo cute!

My Silly Avie Baby!
Here's Ava's room today: the crib pushed aside to make way for the Big Girl Bed. You can see the paint samples (I did get different paint samples last night that I'll try out later today). You can also see how small the room is- I mean- it's the perfect size for a bedroom. We'll take out the big reclining chair (that was my nursing chair) and the crib. I might take out the desk for now too.

shhhhhh!
Don't tell Ava but she's getting a train set for her birthday. We're going to put our old coffee table in her room and set the train set up on the table. I'm also hoping to get her a cute child-sized reading chair from Ikea (and maybe a lamp) to create a reading nook for her.


Any ideas for quilts that would go with her new sheet set? We're not entirely in love with the quilt that goes with the sheet set from Pottery Barn Kids- and we were thinking of something that would go with other sheets. IDEAS??????

Shadow I saw this morning. Just had to take a photo of it!Today we'll make play dough cookies (after we pick up Annika from school). This time we're trying a regular sugar cookie recipe instead of the recipe we used before.

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Next Stop: Bonkersville

Ding. Ding.
Next train heading to Looney Land.

Care to join me?

I got a notice in the mail yesterday about an overdue book from our local library. A book I thought I'd taken back weeks ago. (I usually have them out for one week)

I searched this house and I can't find it. (I have always kept library books separate from the rest of our books lest a problem should arise...like this one!) I've searched our cars and still can't find it. Where could that sucker be?

And now I can't find my book bag I always use for library books. (eta: I found the book bag; no books in it)

I feel like I'm losing my mind. in Bonkersville. Looney Land.

Somebody please tell me I'm not losing my mind! I'm such a creature of habit!

ETA: Guess where the book was? Just guess!
.........................................................................................................................................
...........................................................
.....in the library! (funny place for a book to be!)

*sigh*
I guess the good news is that I cleaned up the play area. Oh...and I haven't gone completely bonkers- YET.

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I've got the blues ...or not

Actually, I think it'd be more accurate to say I don't have the blues...or at least the correct blue for Ava's room.

It's a good thing that Sherwin Williams sells paint samples...I'd be miffed if I paid for a full gallon of blue paint that wasn't quite right. (or four gallons as I got four samples)

As it turns out I don't think any of them are right. I think they're all too saturated (is that the right word? too dark is what I mean). Even though they're light blues I think they'd darken the room too much- especially since it's a small room with one window facing East. I think I need to go a shade lighter.

Can you read the paint names?

What do you think?

I will take photos of it on a cloudy day and post them...however I think I'll take my samples back to Sherwin Williams and have them lighten them.

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Trim Options

Yesterday while shopping at Home Depot (sans kids, thank you very much Mark!) I picked up two pieces of trim. I didn't scrutinize trim styles- I just picked up two of the shortest pieces that would fit in my car- a wide baseboard trim and a narrower casing trim. I wanted to get an idea what it would look like to use painted trim.

I'm holding up the casing trim sample. Can you tell?
Okay...I think I need to take a few more photos of the casing trim around the stained doors and windows (which isn't super easy to do). BUT I will say that I'm loving that extra wide (7.5") white baseboard. It really gives the walls an extra something....

The casing trim sample I picked out is 3.5" wide and is rounded on two sides (no fancy schmancy routering).

More photos:

Kitchen window:

I don't think I'd leave the final trim such a bright white (that is if I don't paint the window casing as well).


Ava attempting to help me by holding up one of the trim photos. I will say I'm not as sure about the window trim as I am about the baseboard. I think the doors will look fine with white (or most likely off-white/cream) trim.

Thoughts? Ideas for the window and door casing trim?

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We *heart* balloons!

Our girls love balloons.



Really hard to tell...right?



Ava had a hard time hanging on to her balloon. She enjoyed letting it go and having either her Mommy or nice sister get it down for her. That was amusing for about a minute for this Mommy.

Annika retrieving-yet again for the millionth time-Ava's balloon. What a nice sister! (and look at that jump!)
There was a balloon fundraiser through the school and I wisely got two balloons...one for Annika and one for Ava (even though Ava doesn't go to school yet). I thought I'd hang on to a small piece of sanity - and make both of the girls super happy at the same time. What a deal! Ava is convinced that her balloon says- Happy Valentine's Day Ava even though I tried over and over again to show her that it only says Happy Valentine's Day. Silly Mommy trying to correct her nearly three year old! What was I thinking?

Speaking of nearly-three-year-olds...I bought paint samples at Sherwin Williams last night....I can't wait to try them out on Ava's bedroom walls - and then you can all vote for your favorite!

(I'm thinking of painting her room a sky blue with big puffy clouds but I'm having trouble locating inspiration photos...anybody got anything like that?)

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Valentine's Day Treats :: Fun Craft Project

Do you see the heart?

I couldn't help myself...


I just had to make something fun for Annika's classmates to give away as Valentine's Day treats.

Here are a few:







I hope you can tell what they're supposed to be!

They are lollipop flowers!

I used my handy dandy Cricut machine to cut flowers and hearts in varying sizes and different papers. (I just poked the lollipop through the flowers and hearts to create a layered flower) The treats for the girls have butterflies (Martha Stewart butterfly punch) on them. I found an awesome blog that had free valentines to color. Annika colored all the valentines and I had her write her classmates names on them. I poked the lollipop through a valentine and then added pretty ribbon- I hope the ribbon will hold it all in place. If nothing else- I'm sure the kids will love getting lollipops!


Here's the gift for Annika's teacher:


I totally copied this idea from Just a Girl's awesome blog! It's a hand sanitizer! Thanks Chris for the great idea!



I just peeled the label off, slapped on some ladybug vellum stickers, added a flower embellishment and a valentine Annika colored...and Wa La- we have the teacher's gift!



(Annika's class is celebrating Valentine's Day tomorrow as they'll be celebrating 100th Day on Friday:: Lots of celebrations this week!)

Are you making anything special for Valentine's Day?


Oh MY! That totally reminds me! We need to make chocolate truffles and make the Chocolate Bomb Cake for Valentine's Day! I hope there's still time to make them!


***I'm hooked on making these lollipop flowers. I think I'll make several more today and surprise my girlies tomorrow with them! Visit Hooked on Houses to see what others are hooked on today!

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just another day in our life

My quick "artwork" I made during nap time yesterday:
I already had the frame and matting (I think I bought them at Wal-Mart)...I just used the butterfly punch from the Martha Stewart line (bought it at Michaels) and just punched out a bunch of butterflies from my favorite paper. I used 3-D glue dots to adhere them to black cardstock. The LOVE vinyl lettering was a door prize gift from several months ago.

We've had a couple of days in the 40s and 50s and now the snow is almost ALL GONE. Normally I'd be jumping for joy...(even though I know we have at least two more months of hard winter ahead).

BUT here's the thing....Annika has ski school this week. Tonight as a matter of fact.

Will they be able to have ski school when it's almost 60F outside? Ski school is only for two weeks (last week and this week)- so she's only got two classes left. She LOVES skiing.

So while I'm excited at the warmer weather I'm also rather sad for my oldest. I hope they'll reschedule ski school for a different day- because sadly I know winter will come crashing back with full vengeance.


Anyway...Annika gets to celebrate her half-birthday today at school today (since she has a summer birthday). We made zucchini brownies last night. I hope they won't be too messy...and I wonder if the kids will be able to guess the "magical" ingredient in them. Hee hee.

Here's something I didn't know...Ava knows her alphabet. We were reading Dr. Seuss's "ABC" book yesterday before nap time. I pointed to a letter and she knew it! She's also able to navigate the Starfall ABC site- I mean she's able to use the mouse and follow along. Perhaps I shouldn't be surprised but I didn't know how to use a computer until I got to college! (I think it also means she's got great hand-eye coordination) Okay...she doesn't know how to use the computer but she's figured out what to do with the mouse.


I finally made the Candy Heart Counting Game. It is a big hit with the Girlies. (ummm...perhaps because I let them eat some of the heart candies!) Ava needs a little help counting out the candies. I think it's great for her!





Annika helps Ava...Big Sisters are great for that! A glimpse of our daily life:

Ava in the car seat - off to pick up Annika from school. (just woke her up from her nap)



Big Bear sits in Annika's booster seat and waits faithfully for her. He waits in the car for Annika every school day. He's a Good Bear and a Great Friend.

Hmm... What else?

Ava's birthday is coming up soon. I'm planning on painting her room a sky blue with white clouds. This weekend I'll get various paint samples and see if you can help me choose one. She'll also be getting a big girl bed. It's hard to believe she's almost THREE!

I've got to get off and clean up the DISASTER in the basement. So...I managed to take down the Christmas stuff....except I more or less tossed it down the stairs. I don't look forward to it but I need to put it away. UGH! Somebody please save me! It's so bad that you can hard wade through the stuff to get to the treadmill. Obviously I need the Cleaning Super Hero to come Save the Day! (where is he anyway????)

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Drowning in Kid Stuff....

We're drowning in kid stuff around here. .....glurb. burble...gasp! HELP!

Whew! I managed to come up for some air. That's better. I can breathe again.



I admit that I haven't done the best job taming the Kid Stuff. I've got part of it sorted out but then the rest of it gets out of hand. It seems like I can never get on top of it. *sigh*


Here's what I've got so far (and the photos you're about to see is from a CLEAN kid area):



Now you see it....

and now you don't...

Kid play area- I like my clothesline with kid art. The red cloth chest (from Ikea) holds dress up clothes. I'm planning on putting a peg rack up to hang up the dress up clothes - some day!
The untamed mess. I used to love these open bins but now it's just not working out for us. I'm thinking of getting a cabinet (with doors!) to hide all this junk (I mean kid stuff).

Here's an idea I've seen others do: instead of keeping every single piece of artwork ever created I take photos (or scan) of the artwork and then create a photobook. I do keep some of the more interesting pieces (haven't found a great storage solution for those other than plastic bins with lids). Examples of a few pages from Annika's art book from last year (this is the first one I've completed)

This is in my utility room- I wish I had a Before photo of this room. It was an ankle breaking/twisting disaster! You couldn't step two feet into the room as there was this giant mound of Stuff (mostly related to the Never Ending Kitchen Island Project). I finally talked Mark into putting up shelves (bought on sale). I can't tell you how much I LOVE LOVE LOVE having the stuff up on shelves! I'm not finished with the area BUT perhaps you'll notice - there are several boxes on the first shelf (up from the bottom) that are kid craft materials. I LOVE having the craft materials in their own bins! I don't have them labeled....and I doubt I will (it's see through anyway). My guess that what's stored in the bins will change over time. By the way- I don't allow my Girlies free reign in this room. I am usually the one to take kid craft stuff out. I just bought some spray paint to pretty up my pegboard that I'm planning on hanging up in here. I can't wait to take photos of this room when I'm finished prettying it up! (I hope that does happen). What I don't have photos of: I've got several large plastic bins with lids AND labels of clothing the girlies have outgrown. They're stored in the basement...or in our master bedroom closet (that's an oops).

Okay...so I've shown you (most) of our kid stuff. Now it's your turn to share! While you're at it why don't you visit The Shabby Nest and her The Taming the Kid Clutter Party! Come on! It'll be fun!

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