~

"You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up."

Deuteronomy 6:5-7

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

For A Sweet New Nephew

There are a lot of hobbies I really enjoy doing. The only thing is, I spend most of my time educated my young boys and the rest is spent keeping our home. Needless to say, there isn't much time for doing the things I really enjoy doing.

Every now and then, a special occasion brings the opportunity for me to do one of the hobbies I really enjoy. Since Ian and I were first married, and he bought me my first sewing machine, it has been a tradition for me to make each of my new niece and nephews a baby quilt. Some have been quite elaborate and some stray towards the simple side.

I love working on each one of them as I think of the new member of our extended family that will soon be joining us. I think of what a delight that little child will be to their family's as well as ours. To me, the best crafts are the ones you get to give away as gifts.

So this one's for a special new nephew who joined our family. Made with love from his Aunt Angie!

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Having A Little Fun

Even though currently, I have 3 boys, that doesn't mean we don't enjoy a good craft every now and then. By now, my boys have learned they have a mom that loves to do crafts and they have become happy to play their part.

This project was actually Jacob's idea so I can't even take credit.

Edible Peanut Butter Playdough
It calls for just a few basic ingredients that yield lots of fun and smiles.


In a mixer, beat ingredients together.
*Warning-with children involved, this is a messy project!


It will end up looking something like this...


For best playdoh results, divide into equal portions and refrigerate before attempting to play with it. Afterwards, you can do this...


Or this...


Or this...


And even this...


The best part about this recipe is it really tastes yummy. Because I prefer NOT to play with my food before I eat it, I covered mine with chocolate!


The lesson we learned today, you can have fun with what you eat! This recipe makes a whole lot so I would suggest cutting it in half.

Peanut Butter Playdough
3 1/2 C peanut butter
4 C confectioners sugar
3 1/2 C honey
4 C dry milk powder

In a large bowl, cream together peanut butter and sugar, then beat in honey and hold in milk powder. Divide into 15 equal portions and refrigerate or freeze until ready to use.





Sunday, November 6, 2011

36 Weeks

My pregnancy tracker says 29 days until the baby is due...how crazy is that? Although with all the contractions I've been having the last two weeks, I can't help but wonder if this baby will come early (or just on time).

In honor of not knowing exactly how much longer I'll have this glorious belly, we staged a home-made photo shoot. Courtesy of the best 8 year old photographer I know, Jacob. It's kinda hard to take pictures of yourself, you know?



Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Just For Fun

Around here, any occasion to dress up in a costume is most welcomed! Also, any opportunity for me to take pictures of my kids being cute is welcomed too.

We like to call him, "Ninja Nathan". Because he's so darn tough!




This one reluctantly put on his costume...and then ended up loving it so much he didn't want to take it off. I must say, it looked particularly cute on him.


"I don't want my mask on!" Does it make me a bad mom because I take pictures of my kids crying?



Jay's costume was a very unique request. Don't ask me where he got the idea from. With the mask off, you can tell he's not himself. He ended up having the stomach flu and getting sick later that night. In the middle of the night, that little boy came to my bedside and said "Mom, I don't feel good...bluaaaahhhhhh". Oh the joys of being a mother.



What would trick or treating be without a friend in tow? This is the crew we took out.