Tumbling Tots

Ava had so much fun participating in the Tumble Tots class at our local YMCA. She has watched Annika get to participate in classes but this is the first non-music class she's gotten to do.

Every day she'd ask if today is Her Class. Every. day.


First some stretching exercises. Now she can do a perfect somersault And hop like a frog. Complete with frog sounds.
Somersaults with legs spread apart- more challenging because they weren't supposed to use their hands

Slither like a snake. Fun!
Hanging on the low bars (trying to make a L with her body)

Twirling on the low bars


Concentrating hard while walking on the balance beam Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed


"No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed!"

The parents were allowed to watch the last class of the session. Now I understand why they don't allow parents to stick around. Most of the kids wanted to visit with their parents instead of doing the exercises they were asked to do. Not Ava. She loved her class!

We can't wait until the next session starts!

Hmmm...maybe I should put ponytails in Ava's hair. It does look a little wild (even when it's brushed).

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New Game + Ice Cream = Happy Girls

Girls' New "Game"- Toss the Plastic Bag Up in the Air as High as It Will Go.

Even better if Daddy tosses the bags up in the air. I still haven't figured out the point to this "game". Silly Mommy.



We've had a few gorgeous, sunny, & very warm days. Very unusual weather for November in these parts. We took full advantage of it by playing outside and....
making Ice Cream!



I'm not sure we've ever made ice cream outside in November. Nope.
Crank that baby!

= Happy Girls!
{Dulce de Leche Ice Cream} - I *love* dulce de leche!!!
I honestly can't remember where I found this recipe...certainly online via Google.
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk (yummmmmmmy)
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
1 cinnamon stick
2 tsp vanilla

Pour sweetened condensed milk into a medium saucepan (and lick out the dredges. oh yum!). Cook over medium-low heat; STIRRING CONSTANTLY. And I mean stir constantly...that stuff burns FAST! (I use a whisk) Cook until thick and golden brown- around 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Since I always end up with burned little bits I strain this thick sweet goo through sieve into a large bowl.

Meanwhile, in another medium saucepan over medium-low heat bring the cream, milk and cinnamon stick to a simmer. Remove from heat and remove the cinnamon stick.
Whisk a little bit of the hot milk mixture into the bowl of cooked condensed milk. Gradually add more milk and whisk until well mixed. Add vanilla.

Cover and refrigerate until cold. Stir mixture. Transfer to ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's directions.

Now enjoy this tasty treat!

**Sharing on Beauty & Bedlam's Tasty Tuesday post.**

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Fast Fall Festoon (or something like that)

Here's a super fast & easy & fun fall project....

Decorating with WAXED LEAVES!
I used poster putty on the backs of my waxed leaves and stuck them around my kitchen. This project may seem a little cheesy but any project I can get done in a few minutes is great in my book!


Dressing up a very plain ol' dishwasher front. It definitely needs it.

I'm not sure how long these decorations will last but at least it cheers up the kitchen a bit. And it was cheap! (cost of paraffin and disposable tray was maybe $4)
Here's my version of a double boiler. I used a disposable pan on top of my pot of boiling water. I used paraffin wax (find it in the canning supplies section of our grocery store). I carefully dipped the leaves in the wax (both sides) and placed them on some parchment paper to dry. I didn't let my girls do this- I didn't want any burnt little fingers. Ah yes, and you can see my batch of newly made soap in the background. I hope to some day soon have a cold process soap making tutorial up. It smells lovely!

Go check out other DIY projects at A Soft Place to Land. I've found lots of inspirational projects there!

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Fall-o-Lanterns

This year we carved Fall-o-Lanterns.

What's the difference you ask?

Well...we didn't manage to carve our pumpkins before Halloween. And we couldn't very well NOT carve our pumpkins. Hence we decided on carvings that were ummmm...more fall-ish than Halloween-ish.

Four Big Pumpkins we picked from the Pumpkin Patch a week ago...two starting to rot. I guess that what happens when you have a very wet fall!

Hey Look! Even I got to help with the carving this year! I honestly can't remember the last time I carved a pumpkin. Seriously.
The girls chose tricky patterns so Mark and I did the carving while the girls got to separate the seeds from the stringy pumpkin goo. Minimal whining. Okay. A LOT of whining.

The girls' cat pumpkins...
Do you see the tiny orange things hanging from the branches? The girls and I painted the bodies of acorns orange and then used a black marker to create faces on them...for mini jack-o-lanterns.

Mark's very cool raven and my free-hand maple leaves with swirls (no top since it was rotting. yuck).
I went a little batty this year. The funny thing is that only about half of the bats stayed up...the rest flew away. Oh...and the evening that I started putting these bats up on the walls I had real bats brushing by me. Probably to keep the nasty bugs away from me. :-)

Night time photos. Spooky Goodness.
Isn't that raven too cool?

We hope you all had a safe and fun Halloween!

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Halloween at Shake Rag Alley

Waiting for friends to arrive at Shake Rag Alley to do some Trick-or-Treating. It's not that cold Annika!

This little bat likes to stick out her tongue. Maybe she's trying to catch a juicy bug! (errr...hopefully not) This Big Cat is anxious to see her friends and do some trick-or-treating!


The Trick-or-Treating Gang..... Little Andrew Mouse you'd better watch out! Annika the Cat is hungry! LOL!


This is our first time T-O-T-ing at Shake Rag Alley in Mineral Point. It looked like a miniature version of Stonefield Village.

This is one Happy Little Bat.

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Annual Visit to the Pumpkin Patch

Okay...this chair at the Vesperman Farm (our local pumpkin patch) is just too funny. Looks like Mark has a van on his arm!







There are definitely lots to choose from this year! Definitely different from last year...this pumpkin farm didn't have any pumpkins to pick.


How about this one? And let's not forget to take this one too....
Perky Pumpkin Pickers! We each got to pick one pumpkin.

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Stonefield Village Spooky Halloween {with friends!}

Oh me!

Oh my!

Ghosts & Goblins...or Music Divas, Cats, Zookeepers, Bats & more to enjoy!

On the weekend before Halloween we enjoyed a visit to Stonefield Village- all decked out for Halloween! Even better is that we got to enjoy it with friends!

Much laughing & candy was enjoyed by all.

Ava & Wynne ....just the cutest pair. ever.
Listening to a Halloween story

Need any witch-y services?

A Cat & a Bat (oh where is her hat?) enjoying their root beer they got at the Saloon.
All the kids in one photo....

This was our first time visiting Stonefield Village near Cassville, WI. It certainly won't be our last!


Yes, those are the same costumes as last year. The girls both decided that they wanted to be the same things as last year (cat & bat). I shouldn't complain...it doesn't get any easier than that!

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