Carnival Town

Carnival Town 
-NORAH JONES
Round 'n' round
Carousel
Has got you under its spell
Moving so fast, but
Going nowhere

Up 'n' down
Ferris wheel
Tell me how does it feel
To be so high
Looking down here
Listen

Apple-Cinnamon Coffee Cake

Today is Johnny Appleseed's birthday. In celebration, my four year old and I baked apple-cinnamon coffee cake for breakfast. Happy Birthday John Chapman!

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (by Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault, illustrated by Lois Ehlert) is a fun picture book with repeated phrases that children love to read out loud along with you. This book is a favorite at our house. To extend the fun, I created this accompanying play set.

 

I originally intended to make flannel board letters out of felt but instead opted to add magnets to the back of the tree and use them alongside our fridge magnets. This turned out to be a good choice.

Even the teenagers are having fun with this!

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

I try not to duplicate posts from my various blogs but after my previous Pinterest Fail, I was anxious to post my latest success everywhere possible.

These Cinnamon Roll Pancakes were seriously the bomb!

I made them last Saturday morning and they were indeed fabulous. Next time (and there will DEFINITELY be a "next time") I think that I will make the glaze and swirl mixture the night before to save prep time in the morning.

Warning: They are quite filling. Even my teenage son couldn't finish a second pancake.

Wassail for a Snowy Day

A cold snowy afternoon deserves a pot of hot wassail. Here's is my great aunt's recipe, a personal favorite.

Sliced Ginger Root

Wrap in tulle netting:
12 whole cloves
4 sticks of cinnamon
8 allspice berries
1 medium piece of ginger root, sliced

Boil together for 10 minutes:
2 1/4 cups of sugar
1 quart water
Spices (from above)

Cinnamon Sticks

Add the following ingredients and simmer together:
3 cups orange juice
2 cups lemon juice
2 quarts apple cider

Serve hot. Can be stored in the fridge for several days and simply reheated by the cupful in the microwave.

I use a tea ball for the cloves and allspice berries and just boil the ginger root and cinnamon sticks in the mixture directly. I leave the spices in the mixture and the cider becomes stronger as it sits. If desired, you can remove the spices before storing in the refrigerator.

Cookie Plates

I saw this cute idea on Pinterest a couple of months ago and decided to try it out. I purchased a few glass plates in varying sizes and a couple of  small glass vases and candlestick holders. (All from the thrift store, of course.) I carefully glued the vases and candlestick holders to the underside of each plate. Because I used graduated sizes, I can also stack them on top of each other.

Here's how they turned out:

I have used them on several occasions and have received compliments each time. I have found that using a wider based vase or candlestick gives the cookie plate more stability.

My only complaint is that using the E6000 glue means that the plates smell for a while. I suggest leaving them outside for a few days until the majority of the smell dissipates.

Homemade Halloween 2012

We were in a hurry to go trick or treating so I didn't get great shots of this year's costumes. The kids were just patient enough for me to snap a couple of shots each of them.

Being the baby of the family means you get to wear your older brother's previous Halloween costume. I don't think either of my boys have actually seen the show Blue's Clues but we have a few story books with the character.

To make Link from Legend of Zelda, I used a green wool poncho we found at the thrift store. There was just enough fabric for the tunic and a matching hat. It ended up being cheaper than new fabric. The shield was a dollar store find that we painted with craft paint.

The leather trench coat for my oldest son's Loki costume was a thrift store score a couple of weeks ago. I do wish I had gotten a better picture of the boot covers. I was pleased with how well they turned out. I also wish I had taken a picture of the back of his hair. We let him grow it out for Halloween but he is getting a haircut this weekend!

Snow White took quite a bit of sewing time but was a lot of fun. I just had  regular dress pattern to work with and I had a bit of trouble getting the velvet top to fit properly but in the end it turned out pretty. My daughter made her own shoes (again, we missed the photo op for those as well) and they are darling gold shoes with bows on the toes.