~~*HANDMADE CHRISTMAS*~~ Felt Play Food

I recently posted about how I hope to make as many gifts as possible this Christmas. I should have started months ago. Well, actually I did, but then stopped........for a long, long time. I started back up again in early November, but still have so much to do.

I began earlier this month, with a new project, something I've never attempted before......felt food. The first batch is actually for my niece's birthday. I was supposed to go to her BD party in PA a few weeks ago, but things didn't work out like we planned. So I knew I'd have to mail her gift. Then more ideas kept popping into my head. So she still hasn't received her BD gift (so sorry, Kyra). But that's because I came up with a few things to add that I really think she'll like.

Oh, and after seeing all of these things I'm creating for her cousin, Alexa has now requested them for Christmas, too. She doesn't know that some of what she's seeing will be hers. Shhh.

This first one is for Kyra. I'll make one for Alexa, too. I love the fact that you can put the toppings on the pizza, and take them off again. I'll think they'll enjoy pretending that way.

The cheese and sauce are sewn on, but the rest of the toppings are removable. So fun!

There are onions, green peppers, and pepperoni. Mmmmm. Yummy. I wrapped it in cellophane on a cardboard circle (kind of like you'd get a frozen pizza from a box).

I also made Kyra a breakfast tray. I bought an unfinished tray at the craft store, put a doily on it, and filled it with....

bacon,

an egg,

and pancakes with syrup with butter,

And it's all wrapped up and ready for Kyra.

Then I made this cheeseburger, fries and cookies "bag lunch" for Alexa.

Taylor made the "Mrs. Felt's" cookie bag for me to put the chocolate chip cookies in. And the cheeseburger can be put together like the pizza.....lots of parts to the sandwich make it more fun to play with, I think.
I am working on chinese take-out food for Kyra and Alexa and a teatime tray for Kyra. I'll try to post pics of those, once they are completed.



Creating felt food is so addictive! I don't use a machine. Everything is sewn by hand, so I can sit and watch a movie after the kids are in bed, as I sew. I also don't us patterns (I'm such a rebel). I just see something I think the children would enjoy playing with, and attempt it. Most of the time it works out, but sometimes it doesn't. Well, what you think? Mind you, these are first attempts, so be nice to me.

How are your Christmas crafts coming?
Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend!
TTFN
~Tina

Our Thanksgiving Day 2008

We spent our Thanksgiving here, this year, the kids, John and I. Although no family was able to spend this holiday with us, we still wanted it to be special, of course, so Taylor and I planned the menu and created a cozy, yummy Thanksgiving dinner.

We started this Thanksgiving Day, as we always do, with breakfast and the Macy's Parade. I made orange cranberry mini muffins. The house smelled so good as they were baking, and they were quite tasty, too.

Skylar was thrilled to see David Archuleta (from American Idol) perform in the parade. ANd even though the parade is long, and Evan was back and forth between watching it, running like a wild boy all through the house, and playing in the other room, some of the parade managed to catch his eye.

He got a kick out of the Sesame Street gang.

All the children started out watching, but came and went as they pleased. Although Skylar was glued to the TV until David Archuleta performed.

Throughout the day, we played games, relaxed, watched movies, and ate too much. Skylar played outside for a time, too.

As part of our dinner, Taylor made my grandma's scalloped potatoes. I remember making these in my grandma's kitchen when I was about Taylor's age.

We had pumpkin pie and chocolate pie for dessert. I made the chocolate pie that I used to make when John and I were first married. It's so simple and delicious! I'll try to post the recipe later. It requires no baking, but it does have to chill for 4 hours.

We had quite a nice dinner together. After we prayed, everyone listed something they were thankful for. You know, I think we should do that every day. And here is our traditional centerpiece. My mom bought this for John and I when we first got married and left PA. She has a matching one, so that no matter where we are on Thanksgiving, we can look at the same centerpiece and be reminded of our family.

Before bed, we put on our pjs, and watched movies. The original plan was for us all to watch the classic Cheaper By The Dozen, but it was too slow moving for the younger set, so John took Alexa and Evan upstairs to watch The Incredibles.

Hope your Thanksgiving was a pleasant one. And good luck if you go shopping this weekend!

TTFN

~Tina

It's That Time of Year Again

With the onset of cold weather always seems to come the illnesses. We, like most other people, get the vast majority of our viruses in the Fall and Winter months (although we had our share this past summer, too).

I know viruses just have to run their course, and there's not much we can do, other than fluids and rest, to help them along. But sometimes we get sick from infections, and sometimes those infections can be dangerous.

I recently found out about something called MRSA.

"MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) is a type of Staph bacteria found on the skin and in the nose that is resistant to antibiotics. More than 90,000 Americans get potentially deadly MRSA infections every year and in 2005, nearly 19,000 Americans died from MRSA infections. More deaths are linked to MRSA infections than AIDS."

The above quote is from the website stopmrsanow.org. This site is full of information that we can use to educate and protect ourselves and our children against this deadly infection.

This site also gives the following tips on how to prevent the spread of MRSA:

Scrub up - Wash your hands frequently with soap and warm water for at least 15 seconds - the time it takes to sing Happy Birthday twice - or use an alcohol-based hand rub sanitizer.
Wipe it down - Use a disinfecting bleach solution to wipe down and disinfect hard surfaces. Make sure to use clean cloths to avoid spreading MRSA from one surface to another. (1 tablespoon of disinfecting bleach diluted in 1 quart of water)
Cover your cuts - Keep any nicks or wounds covered with a clean, dry bandage until healed.
Keep to yourself - Do not share personal items, like towels or razors, that come into contact with bare skin.
Use a barrier - Keep a towel or clothing between skin and shared equipment.

Getting sick is an unavoidable fact of life, but it only makes sense to take steps to lessen our risks, especially for the potentially serious stuff. So, please take a minute to stop by this site to get more valuable information on MRSA.

Hope you are having a happy (and healthy) holiday week!

TTFN

~Tina

Scenes from our Feast of Christ the King Teatime

The cake baking.....

and decorating for Christ the King.

The finished results........

Sky's made an "I *heart* Christ" cake. and Alexa wanted hers to look more like a crown. They had so much fun decorating their cakes however they wanted.Teatime hugs....And somehow, they always get a little silly during this time.....(as you can see by Alexa trying not to laugh with cake in her mouth).

And the decorations to glorify the King...... Coloring the beautiful image of Christ the King.......
Evan had to be a part of the action.....
They turned out beautifully!
And the jeweled candle holders turned out lovely, too.

For their liturgical year notebooks, Skylar and Alexa made these (Sky didn't finish hers, yet).
Hope your weekend was wonderful! Have a great week!

TTFN

~Tina

Toddler School for my Little Guy

This past week, Evan worked with the wooden beads,

hung the monkeys from a bucket,

practiced using the shape sorter, and built a tall tower with mommy.
He also built a clown face felt puzzle, with some help from mommy,counted peanuts and fed the elephants,did some stamping,and also sorted and counted colors and shapes on this math activity bar. Then Evan did some more math using these number cards and noodles.
For fun, he played with bubbles,
and his Thomas Trains.And then he did some repairs around the house.
He also played outside with his sisters and went to co-op on Friday. And we read plenty of stories throughout the week. We visited the library and played playdoh. This is one busy little boy! No wonder he needs a nap every day!

TTFN

~Tina