Stay.See.Make.Do.

Slings and Aros

First, the Aro:  I went and saw New Moon.  I enjoyed it, but I have to say it would have been better if I hadn't seen so many of the preview trailers.  I think, as difficult as it may be, I will try to avoid the trailers for Eclipse.  Since I know the story from the books, I want the movie to be more of a surprise.

Ok, now the Sling:

We've had the Ava sling from Lucky Baby for over a week now and have enjoyed using it, mostly at certain times of day.  I can see where it will be a lifesaver in the early evenings when I'm trying to get ready for suppertime.  It isn't safe to wear while actually cooking, but is nice during prep work while the baby is still small and when she's sleepy.  What's it best for?  Any time the baby wants to be held but I need the use of both hands, like when helping one of my kids with his schoolwork.

I love that it is sized to fit me and I don't have to fiddle with a strap and buckle.  On the other hand, it is my size and doesn't fit anyone else in my family so I'm the only one who can wear it.  The fabric is pretty and also sturdy, but light enough to feel comfortable.

If you think you would enjoy baby wearing, I would recommend this item.  If I had purchased from Lucky Baby instead of winning this as a prize, I would have chosen a model with the Minky fabric.  Seriously, have you felt Minky?  Softest. Fabric. Evah.

I Won Something from TwilightMOMS and Lucky Baby!

I am so stoked about winning this lovely baby sling from a drawing that TwilightMOMS did with Lucky Baby!  Gotta love those online giveaways.

Thanks to both of them for the opportunity to own my first ever baby sling.  You'd think by the sixth baby we'd own a sling, but we never have.  We've had front packs and backpacks, but nary a sling in sight.  I hope it works out for us because it sounds so comfortable, and that Ava sling is gorgeous t'boot.  It has super colors for wearing at Christmas time.

You can follow TwilightMOMS on Twitter at http://twitter.com/TwilightMOMS

I'm on Twitter too at:  http://twitter.com/StacieMakeDo .  I used to have my account "protected" but have recently unlocked it.  If I can get by with few spammers I'll leave it open.  Yeah, we'll see how that goes...

Almost a Banging Wall

Back at the end of August we took an afternoon to make a Banging Wall, of sorts.  We don't have a wall or a fence rail to pound nails into, so we used twine to suspend a 1x2 from a shady tree and then we hung items for noise-making with more twine.  We left it up for a few days until the wind wreaked havoc on it, but by then the kids had mostly lost interest anyway.  It was quick, easy and fun while it lasted.  And don't forget noisy!

Back and Ready?

Whew!  Well, I'm back and ready to continue blogging.

You know, just because I was having a baby doesn't mean I stopped Making and Doing.  It just means that I was too tired to tell you about it at the time, not to mention the taking, downloading and posting of photos.

Wait, back up - I HAD MY BABY!  She was born healthy and strong by required cesarian, and is now (gasp!) almost six weeks old.  

And that means daily life is once again turned upside down as we all get re-adjusted to crying and diapers and a tiny person to cuddle.

Ah.  Life is good.

This says it all:

Advice from Jenny the Bloggess.

I am having a baby ... SOON.

Oh, Give Me a Home...

...where the horny toads roam.  No rude comments, please.  I'm talking about the real thing, horned toads: 

I think he's kinda cute.  Perhaps it's his small size?  Found by eldest on our property - the majority of which we don't mow and is covered in sandstone and sagebrush.

Cookie Dough Craving

One thing I have always found true about expecting a baby:  cravings.

In my case the longing for different foods changes as my pregnancies progress.  This time around I've been through chocolate, gummy bears, cinnamon candies, and Arby's sauce, among others.  Nothing too strange, like chalk or dirt, thank goodness.  Well, maybe French roasted decaf coffee beans is weird - but not harmful.  Lots of people eat them covered in chocolate. 

So the other day I needed chocolate chip cookie dough.  We had some in ice cream, but I didn't really want the ice cream part, just the dough part.  What to do?  I generally don't put too much worry into the occasional taste of raw cookie dough by myself or my older children when we are baking, salmonella notwithstanding.  But the warnings about raw eggs always single out pregnant women and very young children, so I knew a few big spoons of the stuff wasn't going to be a good idea.  In the past I have made the dough and simply left out the eggs, but the taste was never quite right.

Enter recipezaar.com and a wonderful person named Heather.  Thank goodness I had a box of instant vanilla pudding waiting in the cupboard.  I hope you do, too, along with the other more usual ingredients.  Because if you like cookie dough you're going to want to make this.

Here is her recipe:  Safe to Eat Raw Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.

I made a few modifications.  The pudding I had was the larger 5.1 oz box, so I went with about half of it, which is less than the recipe calls for but worked just fine.  The other half I held in reserve in case I wanted to make another batch (I did).  The first batch I used two cups of white flour.  The second time around I put in one cup white, one of Wheat Montana Prairie Gold.  (Wheat Montana flour is the best I've ever used, seriously.  I can taste the difference when I'm forced to use other brands.  Guess I'm a flour snob?)  Lastly, I only used one cup of chocolate chips each time.  Sacrilege, I know.  First batch was semi-sweet and second batch was milk chocolate.  I prefer the semi-sweet.  Both batches were a hit with the whole family.  Good thing, or I would've been forced to eat it all myself.

And I wonder why I gain so much weight when I'm expecting???  Sigh.  I am trying.  Really, I am.

Sparkle paint on a summer's day

We tried out our new Elmer's Sparkle Squeeze'n Brushes.  They are advertised as "no mess" and while I wouldn't go quite that far with a two year old and a four year old using them, I would agree to "much less messy" than traditional tempera and brushes.  As you can see, we didn't even use smocks and the small smears of paint that got on the clothes did wash out easily as the package said they would.  Overall, a success - but I'm not sure I'll be buying them again since as far as making art goes, the brush part itself is somewhat lacking.  The little girls didn't seem to notice, or mind. 

Tea for Two, Anyone?

 

Summer Treat

The latest popular request in our house for afternoon treats this summer is for these:
Slushies from the Hillbilly Housewife.

The longer you blend them, the smaller the ice crystals become, until they are so close to the texture of the Icee you buy at the c-store that you'll be surprised.  Mmmmmm.  They do seem to melt faster the longer you blend them.

I let the 4 cups of ice sit for a few minutes to "soften" in the 2 cups of water.  Whether you want to do this will probably depend on your freezer and if you have an ice maker (the shape of your "cubes"), and how well your blender handles ice.  I think mine is awesome.