Polka Dot Panda

I have a niece who loves pandas. We drew her name for the Christmas Exchange. And my little one decided we'd make a panda for her cousin. Once we finished, my little one decided the panda needed five white polka dots on its belly. I can't help but love the way she knows exactly what she wants.

Materials:
8" x 10" canvas
pink metallic paint
paintbrush
felt (black + white)
tacky glue

Process:
1. First, my little one painted the canvas pink. It took two coats.
2. Second, we checked the internet for panda photos to get a feel for our subject matter.
3. Next, I cut the felt into shapes, based upon my daughter's precise descriptions.
4. Lastly, she glued each piece into place. Including the polka dots.

Giving Thanks

November 24th...Today I'm thankful for:

1. Jon finished his report cards. He submits them three times a year and it's always a stressful time when he's doing them. Yippee for the first batch being done!
2. A doctor's appointment. All is well. It's good to be checked.
3. A lunchdate with my Mom. At Panera Bread. I had chicken noodle soup and a decaf gingerbread latte.

Thanksgiving Treats

14 goodie bags successfully delivered to preschool classmates + teachers:

• cardstock tags stamped with pumpkins
• cellophane harvest bags stuffed with treats
• chocolate brown + white checked ribbons tied up neatly

I found three similar recipes online for a Thanksgiving Snack Mix. I took what I liked from each recipe and wound up with this recipe:

• goldfish crackers: represent abundance + togetherness
• pretzels: represent arms folded in thanks + prayer
• candy corn: during the first Winter, the Pilgrims were allotted only 5 kernels of corn per day because food was so scarce
• bugles: represent a cornucopia, a horn of plenty
• dried cranberries: Thanksgiving is the celebration of the harvest
• sunflower seeds: represent the potential of a bounteous harvest for the next season if they are planted + tended well
• chocolate kisses: represent the love of family + friends that sweeten our lives

Wrapped + Ready

I set a deadline last week to get my first batch of gifts ready by today. And I did.

Ready to go:

• 4 brothers-in-law
• 4 sisters-in-law
• 1 godson
• 1 niece

Giving Thanks

November 21st...Today I'm thankful for:

1. A husband who took our daughter to ballet class at 9:00 am. I went back to bed for an hour.
2. A husband who listened...really listened...when I complained about being overwhelmed. In only a matter of hours, he was working hard to make me feel better and less overwhelmed.
3. A husband who adores his family.

November 22nd...Today I'm thankful for:

1. Our church. I love seeing familiar faces week after week, knowing that we belong there, too.
2. An afternoon at the farm with friends. Came home with carrots, potatoes, red onions, yellow onions, cippolini onions, garlic, cauliflower, and peanuts. Yes, peanuts!
3. Preparing for the week. It's a doozy of a week, but I feel like we're ready to tackle it. One day at a time.

November 23rd...Today I'm thankful for:

1. Having some extra time in my day. Jon picked G up from school (which gave me back 1 hour) and my tutoring gig was cancelled (which gave me back 2.5 hours).
2. Watching my daughter hand out Thanksgiving goodie bags. She was so proud to share with her classmates.
3. My little turkey of a daughter. Check out the headband she made in school.

Giving Thanks

November 20th...Today I'm thankful for:

1. A lunchdate with my brother + G.
2. Making crafty things with my daughter.
3. Catching up on my TiVo'd shows.

Giving Thanks

November 19th...Today I'm thankful for:

1. My very first time sitting on the other side of the table at a parent-teacher conference.
2. A reliable babysitter (poppy).
3. Hot apple cider with a cinnamon stick.

Giving Thanks

November 18th...Today I'm thankful for:

1. G went back to preschool. I love how everyone at the school made a big fuss when they saw her walk through the doors this morning.
2. Christmas wrapping. I started tonight. Yahoo!
3. A lunch date with my daughter. Just the two of us.

wrapping paper from paper source. top: cocoa cups, winter tweets. bottom: candy canes, mittens.

Giving Thanks

November 17th...Today I'm thankful for:

1. One of the best days I've ever had with my mom. More details to come later. But she really is the best.
2. A safe journey. It's good to be home in my bed.
3. A new stroller. The Kooper Buggy in appletree.

Giving Thanks

November 14th...Today I'm thankful for:

1. Sorting, filing, and shredding papers. These have been on my To Do list for months. Even better was that Jon and I did it together. It took two hours. G painted with watercolors on our kitchen floor while he and I worked at the dining room table.
2. Vapor bath soap. I love the smell of menthol.
3. A phone call from Dad. He's on a trip to Missouri and he called to say hi. He sounds happy.

November 15th...Today I'm thankful for:

1. Family. Spent the day on Long Island for my cousin Shari's baby shower. It'll be awhile before I see my aunts and cousins again, so I really took the time to enjoy today.
2. Christmas music. My mom gave me my first dose of the season.
3. An early bedtime. I'm done for the night.

November 16th...Today I'm thankful for:

1. Good health. It's finally come back to our house after being away for a week.
2. A deadline. I'm self-imposing a deadline of next Monday to finish some Christmas crafts. It'll feel so good to be creative AND reach completion very soon.
3. Tiny ballet slippers. My little girl wore hers all day long to keep her piggies warm. Then she tucked them into a corner of my bedroom so she'll know where to find them tomorrow.

Best Bar Ever

Cadbury Roast Almond chocolate bars taste like heaven on Earth. I can only find them in one drugstore around here. I just bought the last two bars. I hope they restock their shelves next week.

Giving Thanks

November 13th...Today I'm thankful for:

1. A husband who keeps me sane when my hormones take over. I don't know how he puts up with me.
2. A daughter who tapes drawings to my bedroom door. She writes MAMA in giant letters and always draws me with a smile on my face.
3. A nap.
4. The Stickies application on my Mac. I have no less than ten stickies keeping track of everything I can't remember.
5. Mint Cookie Crumble ice cream from Stewart's.

Giving Thanks

November 12th...Today I'm thankful for:

1. My health. My husband has H1N1. My daughter has a viral infection. I'm doing okay.
2. Vinegar. I went through an entire bottle of white vinegar (Heinz brand) during a cleaning frenzy today.
3. Good mail. Three magazines came for me today. Two for Jon. And one for G. We all read at the table after eating lunch.