Is it Christmas?

You would have thought that if you were at our house this past weekend. Since Valentine's Day was on Monday, Libby and I celebrated over the weekend...the whole weekend. I picked Libby up from school on Friday and we went shopping for treat bag stuff for her school Valentine's party on Monday. Then we went out for dinner at Cracker Barrel and requested a table by the fire. It was so nice! I was warm and toasty all through dinner. Libby got hot and had to move to a chair across the table, away from the fire.

I told Libby Saturday was going to be our fun day and asked her what she wanted to do. I was going to take her somewhere and do something. Sometimes I think I really do have the sweetest little girl in the world. She was so excited about Fun Day. She said we could play games all day, read books and drink hot chocolate! I love her to pieces! So that is what we did on Saturday.

On Sunday we went out to eat at a little local place called Mike's Pizza. We had a nice little table by the fire. I stayed warm and toasty all through dinner. Libby got hot and had to move to a seat across the table, away from the fire. Deja vu?

Oh...How could I forget Libby's Valentine's surprise:

Before I let Libby open her prize, I wanted to check the lighting to make sure there wasn't going to be a glare. This is the pose Libby gave me.


Ok. Let the fun begin!

A box of Tinkerbell chocolate! It just doesn't get better than that!

Or does it?

Valentine's Slipper socks.

Lots of Valentine socks! Libby loves funny socks.

She also loves stickers...

...pens and notebooks!

Since spring is just around the corner, according to Mr. Groundhog, it's time for a new umbrella!

Libby was pretty excited about this umbrella because she said it was just like Mary Poppins' umbrella in the Jolly Holiday song. I love this little girl.

I love that she gets excited about anything and everything makes her happy...

Like these Valentine's tights!

We are getting to the big presents now. See I told you...Christmas all over again! I have no self control! Just look how happy she is, so it's all worth it.

Two new Tinkerbell dolls: Fawn and Iridessa. Libby opened Iridessa first. When she noticed she had two boxes shaped the same she said she hoped the next box was Fawn. It was! You would have thought she just won the lottery! Of course I didn't think this through very well. After Libby opened all her presents, she ditched me and went upstairs to play...leaving me all alone...to crochet.

Speaking of which, here is one of my latest projects. I made an iPod case/pouch for Libby. Isn't it cute?! She loved it.

Perfect fit!

Here is another one of my projects I just finished. I made a baby blanket for one of my friend's little boy, Colten. He was born in October, but I didn't know how to crochet then! My friend just got the blanket today and loved it. She's supposed to be sending me a pic with the baby in the blanket! I'm really pleased with how it turned out.

And that pretty much sums up the week for my little love bug and me! I hope all of you found something to warm your hearts and bring you joy this week. My week was overflowing with love and joy!

Photo shoot with Nana

Libby and I wanted to take some pictures of Nana for Michelle and Trevor's birthday card. (Nana used to be Michelle's dog.) Not just a picture...we wanted Nana to wear a party hat and a lei. It sounded easy enough. Libby and I went over to Mike's house with our party attire and camera to see Nana. She was very excited to see us, so we had to play with her for a while until she calmed down. Then we put a lei and a party hat on her and were ready for pictures. Except...

Nana wouldn't sit still. She kept following us. Then she was trying to chew her lei.

Then she wouldn't look at us.

Her party hat fell off. Well, she shook it off.

That's just not a pretty face. And her hat at the back of her neck.

OK. It's time for Libby to take control of the situation. Nana is excited Libby is going to be in the picture with her.

Finally! There's the shot! Who wouldn't want to be at this party!!

I'm so glad I am a baby nurse and not a pet photographer! The babies are way more cooperative when I try to take their picture!

Happy Birthday Michelle and Trevor!

We have two birthdays to celebrate this month. Libby's "Big Sister" Michelle, and her little boy, who Libby calls, "Mean Trevor." They are both in Florida right now so we can't spend their special day with them, so we thought we would throw them a party and pretend they were here with us! First, we had to make a cake! Since it's close to Valentine's Day, we chose a heart shaped chocolate brownie cake! Yum! Actually, we tried a new recipe: Beanie Brownies! Healthy and delicious! I'll add the recipe at the end of the post for those of you brave enough to try something new!

My favorite little assistant baker!

Her job is to add ingredients, sample, and lick the bowl! She does it very well!

Who wants some chocolate kisses?

Yum! Look at all that chocolate deliciousness!

Libby is the birthday boy by proxy! She's pretending she's Trevor! It's his 2nd birthday! We haven't seen him since he was 2 months old! That's when Libby gave him his nickname "Mean Trevor." Libby said he kept hitting her! Uh-huh...

Here is Libby making a wish for Trevor and blowing out his candles!

I think his wish came true!

Especially if he wished for one super cool Aunt!

Libby loves a good party!

What's a party without the Happy Birthday song?!

Happy Birthday Mean Trevor and Big Sister! Hope you have a great day and get everything you wish for! Wish we were there with you! Lots of Love!

Recipe for Beanie Brownies:

1 box low fat brownies; 1 can black beans; Puree can of black beans in blender. Do not drain beans before you puree. Combine brownie mix and beans in bowl. Mix well. If batter is a little too thick add a little water. Pour into greased pan. Follow baking directions on box. For icing: Put a tub of sugar free chocolate icing in microwave for 10-15 seconds until melty. With pastry brush, glaze brownies. Let cool. Enjoy! Don't worry...you can't even taste the beans! Low fat brownies loaded with fiber!

Things to do on a Snowy Day!

Libby and I usually go to Walmart on Friday nights. This Friday we went to see Beauty and the Beast which was playing at the Tipton High School. My brother Jack and his three girls went along with us. I love watching Libby react to what she sees. She is at the age that she still thinks things are real...like the actors on stage. She was literally sitting on the edge of her seat while she was watching the musical. It was a very good performance, and for $5/ticket...you can't beat that kind of entertainment!

Since we missed our Walmart trip Friday, I was planning on going Saturday after breakfast. That's when I looked outside...Snow. Not just flurries, it was coming down fast and steady. Crap. I thought about still going before it got worse. Then I remembered Walmart doesn't have a parking garage. I get kind of spoiled parking in a garage at home and at work. I don't really ever have to clean snow off my truck. I didn't want to start today. Cancel the trip to Walmart. Libby, she's a little smarter than me...when I told her we couldn't go, she said, "I already knew that because I saw the snow." There you go. I'm not smarter than a first grader!

Now to think of things to fill the day. We already watched several episodes of iCarly, read 7 books, made each other Valentine's cards with paper, markers and stickers, played go fish...it was time to dig deeper into my bag of tricks. I suggested cooking something. Libby was all for it! She loves to bake. She wanted to make something out of her Paula Dean "My First Cookbook." The only thing I had all the ingredients for were vanilla cupcakes. Perfect.

Here is Libby reading the directions. At first she is really reading, then she starts making up her own story.

Then she decides she won't cooperate with pictures today. She likes to have her picture taken, more than most children I think! But sometimes she thinks it's funnier when she hides from the camera! Little booger!

See that look on her face. She knows she is being difficult!

Notice where she is sitting. She likes to sit up on the counter when we bake so she can be right in the middle of all the action.

Don't forget the chef's hat! She's hoping she will be able to use her pig whisk that grandma got her, along with her own measuring cups and spoons.

But before we really get started Libby thinks we should have a sweet tart and make "sweet tart faces." Here's mine...

...and here is Libby's!

A snow day isn't a snow day unless you stay in your jammies all day!

Libby is surprised by how yummy butter and sugar is whipped together. This is from a girl who likes to eat butter out of the tub...and peanut butter and jelly, too.

This is the real reason Libby likes to bake. The beaters. It doesn't matter what is on them, she wants to lick them. What makes it even better is there is a mirror over our sink (I have no idea why! It came with the house!). Libby likes to watch herself in the mirror to see how messy her face gets while she's licking the beaters. I love this child of mine!

The next best thing after the beaters is the sprinkles! It is not truly done until it is covered in sprinkles. And there is no such thing as too much!

Let's talk about the cupcakes for a minute. YUM! I used almond extract instead of vanilla in the cake and icing. SOOO GOOD! I wish you all could taste these cupcakes! If you feel like braving the snow, come on over...we will share our cupcakes with you! But you better hurry...they are going fast!

Let's check on the weather...

Five inches in a matter of hours! Perfect for packing snowballs, snowmen or sledding. Forget about the three inches of ice below it!

This used to be my playground...well Libby's anyway. It won't be seeing any action for a while!

I was tempted to get the Christmas decorations back out and decorate this tree outside. Wouldn't some lights and ornaments perk it right up?? I agree!

How about a little entertainment?

Mike came by looking for some part for his snow plow. He got stuck in my driveway when he was trying to leave. Libby and I had a few laughs about that. He was in that spot about 20 minutes.

Finally free! No wait...stuck again! Seven more minutes in this spot. A few more giggles from the crowd inside. He got free only to advance a few more feet and get stuck again, only a few minutes this time before he made it to the "shallow" part of the driveway and finally out to the road. Cheers! Libby called him when he made it to the road to tell him she saw that he got stuck. I love it when kids point out the obvious. As long as the pointing isn't at me, of course.

I hope all of you had your own snow day adventures today! And remember...the groundhog didn't see his shadow, so spring is just around the corner!