Odd Dotty Dollymaker

Easter Weekend in Review: or Mitsuwa Musings

This past weekend was probably one of the most fun Easters I've celebrated in a long time. Why? Because that's what it felt like. A celebration! It started on Saturday. We decided to make it to church that day. And boy howdy, what an amazing experience it was! *Let me just clarify that I don't think I've ever actually said the phrase "boy howdy" out loud...sometimes my head words are different than my mouth words.* The husband and I left feeling so filled and moved and excited to be celebrating the most important event in the history of the planet!

So, then it was time for the Sunday festivities. Now, for a long time I haven't been one for using the Easter Bunny in our celebrations. I don't judge others that do, it's just something that we as a family have decided isn't important for us to include. We do love to have fun, though, and so we still hunt for eggs. In years past we've made 11 sheep eggs and one shepherd egg. The shepherd egg is in charge of finding all his lost sheep. This year, however, I had grand plans of coloring the eggs because that's fun, too. But sometimes? Plans fail. And so we just had boiled eggs for the kids to hunt and find. And then consume. It was simple, laid back and the kids still loved it.

 

And then? Instead of cooking up the traditional ham and fixin's, we headed out with some of our good friends to one of my favorite places in the Chicagoland area. Mistuwa! *cue heavenly music here*

  

Mmmm...Beef Curry Udon Noodles. YES! PLEASE!

 

Mama D had the Korean dinner. The presentation lacked nothing. Beautiful!

 

The husband and the boy had some after dinner drinks with the huge tapioca balls called Boba. They're like little gelatinous balls of fun for your mouth! Feel like so!

 

Viddy Cent and Mama D. Love that family! Viddy Cent had Matcha ice cream and Mama D had lychee and red bean. Yum!

 

The girl with her mango ice cream. It tasted exactly like a frozen mango on a cone. With a little frozen milk and sugar thrown in. So good.

 

Me? I had to have the red bean ice cream. You see, I'ma splain something to you, my dear friends. I love beans. In any shape or form...except maybe for butter beans. Those things scare me. But other than that I don't think I've met a bean that I immediately didn't drop on bended knee and propose to. I. Love. Beans. So yeah. I kinda enjoyed my ice cream.

It was so great to take our time and sit and chat and break bread and enjoy LIFE with one another. That's what Easter's all about, after all, isn't it? Jesus told us He came that we may have life and have it abundantly! *John 10:10* I love that! And that's what we try to celebrate every day as a family.

So after dinner we took some time to wander around the supermarket and pick up some goodies.

 

Those right there? Those are red bean cakes, or as I like to call them "Mine". They don't last very long in our house. As of the typing of this post, there are only two left. *ahem*

Another must do while at Mitsuwa, is the visiting of the Pastry House Hippo. That's where you'll find all kinds of super fresh and delicious pastries filled with custards, chocolate and yes, bean paste. Guess which ones I get? Okay, I usually get one filled with chocolate,too. My love for chocolate is equal to, if not even a bit greater than *shhhh...don't tell the beans* my love for beans. But, seriously? I ALWAYS forget to take a picture of the happy hippo treats, and they NEVER make it home. Generally, they are eaten in the car on the way back or immediately consumed upon arrival. Which is too bad, because some of them are really cute. So, you'll just have to make a trip yourself and taste the yumminess for yourself. You will not be sorry you did!

And that was our super laid back, super filling and super fun Easter as a family. What did you do?

 

 

Because sometimes? I just want a brownie!

 

Over the past several years, I have changed how my family and I eat dramatically.  We eat as clean as possible, buy pretty much only organic produce and have now switched over to eating only grass fed beef and "fresh air" pork from local farmers via Wallace Farms. If they deliver in your area, I would HIGHLY recommend adding yourself to their email list. But when you have a sweet tooth as big as Australia, sometimes? You just want a brownie.

A couple of months ago I stumbled upon this recipe while in a desperate fit of chocolate deprival. It rocked my world view. So I thought I'd share it with you, my friends. You're welcome.

Brownies So Good They'll Melt Your Face Clean Off (that's the working title)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C) and grease a 9x9 pan. (I use organic virgin coconut oil to grease it because a) it's good for you b) it smells YUM c) I can and d) it smells YUM! Also? As a bonus, you can just rub the rest into your hands as a moisturizer! )

2. In a medium bowl mix together the melted butter, sugar and vanilla. Beat in the eggs. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt in another bowl. Gradually stir the flour mixture in the egg mixture. At this point you can add nuts if you so desire. I have never liked nuts in my brownies. I like my brownies to be nothing but pure unadulterated pieces of gooey chocolaty heaven. But I won't judge you if you like to add walnuts. I'll still love you. I just won't eat your brownies.

3. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until brownie begins to pull away from the edges of the pan. Let cool on a wire rack before cutting into squares.

I love love LOVE this recipe! It comes together so quickly, which is always good when you have those gotta-have-chocolate-in-my-mouth-NOW moments. And I don't feel so bad about having it as a treat every day of the week now and then because I know everything that's in it.

So give it a try! And then invite me over to share in your efforts!

Bananagrams! Do doo da-do-do

Bananagrams! Do doo da-do. BANANAGRAMS! Do dooo da-do-do da-do-do da-do-do-da-do-do-do-da-do.

Am I the only one that has this run through their head whenever they say, think or see the word Bananagrams?

 

It fits so perfectly into the song! Try it! It's too fun! Almost as fun as actually playing the game itself! Have you played it, yet? Have you even heard of Bananagrams? If not, check it out. Our whole family loves playing it!

So much so, that we thought it would be a grand idea to host a "First Annual"...you know, coz every time you do something for the first time it's the 'first annual', right?...Bananagrams Tournament. Which we did. We even had a trophy for the Tourney Champ!

I thought it would be nice to have some themed decor for the event. I do loves me a good theme party. We invited a few friends that shared our love for the game and welcomed them with a front door wreath;

 

See? The 'Welcome' banner is made to resemble the tiles of the game. The colors of the event? Yellow, green and brown naturally.

Once inside they were welcomed again with a little vignette showcasing the coveted trophy of the evening!

 

The trophy was handmade by yours truly based on these from Shanty 2 Chic.

 

Okay, so the husband actually designed the graphics, coz he's pretty much full of the awesome. I knew what I wanted, but he knew how to make it happen. S'why I married him, yo.

Also? What's a party/tourney without some banners for decoration? Well, it's certainly not a party/tourney I'd want to be a part of! So, I made banners for the game words 'split', 'peel', 'dump' and 'bananas'. I really did make these...after the hubs taught me how.

 

Three guesses for where we hung the 'Dump' sign. HINT: We are nothing, if not classy!

 

For food we had lots of banana-fied treats. Those pictures came out too blurry, though. Sorry! But they were yummy! There was a banana split station, banana bread, banana cake and cookies made to look like Bananagrams tiles. For the non-sweet tooths, a friend was kind enough to bring her 'Bananaless Puke Dip'. I made signs for each station and put them in tiny frames I found at JoAnn for $1 each.

 

So, after everyone arrived and mingled a bit. Names were drawn and the games were afoot!

 

Those are my hurrrrsband's hands. I lurrrv them. I have a thing about hands. And I'm pretty sure he has the sexiest hands ever invented. The End.

All games were recorded on our dry erase board.

 

And, lo! But who should the reigning champ be?

 

That's right! Mine own flesh and blood! That's m'girl!! I'm so proud. She totally rocked that tourney like an old school jam! Also, she has started her own blog. Check it out!

It really was a good time. We hope to have a re-match sometime later this year. If you love to play Bananagrams, I would suggest having yourself a tournament. If anything, it gives you a chance to wear your cute yellow shoes!

 

Merry Christmas!

Hoping you all are having a blessed Christmas today! And that you are filled with peace and joy and cheer!

 

 

 

Just a few shots taken today by the girl on her new camera. She's quite the photog, isn't she?

Merry Christmas, again! You are loved!

My Life is a Carnival

As I said in the last post, this past year has been crazy for us. A lot has happened that I can't share here for various reasons. The year isn't over yet and isn't showing any signs of slowing down either. Today, thanks to my kids, I discovered that my life is a carnival. Just when it feels as though things may be calming down, the crazy calliope starts its music again and the curtain rises to reveal the next ride or attraction. Usually my initial reaction is to feel as though I am in the middle of the first twenty minutes of Moulin Rouge. You know that part that feels like complete sensory overload? And you feel all oppressed, crazed and hopeless? All you can do is sit there, holding on, hoping that it'll fade away. But it doesn't. It just changes.

It changes into something that at first seems overwhelmingly broken. And it is. It is broken. But one thing I've learned this year is to find the beauty in the broken. Because it's there. Sometimes it's buried pretty deep, but it's there. I haven't found the beauty in everything that's happened just yet. But I know I will. And before I get any more vague, there is a point to this post! This morning, as the curtain was rising again to reveal another show, my kids were playing quietly together in the living room. I came in to find that they had built an entire carnival out of Legos!

There was a Ferris Wheel; notice the map next to it. That's the directory.

 

A Goldfish game. Apparantly you throw the disk to hit the target and win a goldfish.

 

A Rollercoaster.

 

The Balloon Salesman.

 

Face Painting.

 

Dunk Tank.

 

A brick wall to break to win the huge diamond.

 

There was even a Cotton Candy booth.

 

And a Food booth!

 

I loved everything about it! I loved that my children worked together to create it. I loved all the creativity that went into it. The attention to details. I loved all the colors and how fun it looked. And so even though right now my life is a crazy carnival? At least it's colorful!

From This Day Forward...or I Heart Autumn

So, many moons have passed since these fingers have even thought about hammering out anything on this blog. It's not that there hasn't been anything happening. It's that there has been so much happening! Some good, some bad, a lot of just plain life. This past year has been crazy for the family and I. Crazy. With a capital "What The Fraggle Rock Was That All About?!". Always in the back of my mind was the lonely little piece of webistate sitting here. No one watching it. No one even flushing the toilets to make sure the pipes don't burst. I thought about getting rid of it. But that made me sad. I thought about trying to post something. But that made me overwhelmed. Where do I start again? How do I try to cram everything that's been happening into a post? How do I share with you all everything that I have learned this past year? Everything that I've made and done?

The answer? I don't. I am just starting from right here, right now. It's time to move forward.

I have found a plethora of fun, new to me, crafty blogs. Blogs that have inspired me with their creativity, their resourcefulness and their simple approach to living artfully. You can check 'em all out on the side there. Under "Blogs I Love to Love". And if you find any new blogs that aren't listed there, I would love to know about them! Shoot me an email or leave a comment. I heart comments!!

One of my newest focuses has been on decorating my house for the Holidays using what I already have. Or spending very little on some simple supplies. We made it through Halloween pretty successfully with some fun decor. I'll have to show you next year as that is past, and we are forward thinkers now. So onto Thanksgiving. It's honestly been hard for me to get inspired to decorate for this one, as I am chompin' at the bit to get my Christmas on. I love Christmas. I will never get sick of it. I don't hate that there have been Christmas decorations out in some stores since September! But! I also don't want to lose sight of the Holiday that we all stop to really concentrate on being grateful. Because I for one, have a LOT to be thankful for! One of them being Autumn. I'm thankful to live in a place that actually has Autumn. It's my favorite season. I love everything about it. The smells, the sites, the sounds, the feel. For me, Autumn is the beginning of a new year. It's always felt that way for some reason. So I thought I could start my Thanksgiving decor off by making an Autumn inspired pillow for the bench in my foyer.

 

It cost me NOTHING! That's my favorite price tag. I used fabrics that have been sitting around for years to make this. It feels good to finally put them to use. And to feel like I am slowly but surely turning my house into a home.

 

I love how it turned out! What do you think? Do you heart Autumn as much as I?

This post is partying over here:

'Tis the Season!

This is by far one of my most favorite times of the year. I love Christmas. I love everything it stands for. Hope. Joy. Light. Thinking of and serving others, and spending time with those you love. This is what Christmas is to me. And this is what I want Christmas to be for my children. It is so easy to get caught up in the commercialism of the season. I know it's hard for me to keep focus sometimes, if I'm being honest. But one thing that I have found to combat the superficiality of the Holiday season, that is spreading like a cancer throughout our culture, is traditions. Traditions keep us, as a family, grounded and give us a sense of stability...which is something I think a whole lot of us could use right about now. So, I wanted to share with you one of my favorite traditions that we keep each year. It's the Advent Activity Calendar.

 

We started doing this about four years ago, after I read someone's blog post about their advent activity calendar. I wish I could remember where I read it so I could give some credit, but as with any really good idea, the point is to share it regardless of who started it, right? It's such a simple idea that adds so much to our enjoyment of the season, that I think everyone who celebrates Christmas should try it at least one year!

Here's what you do. Find or make an Advent Calendar. It doesn't have to be anything fancy, even a paper chain countdown could work. Starting with December 1st, come up with an activity to do each day until Christmas. Some ideas could be as simple as watching your favorite Christmas movie or as complex and involved as signing up as a family to donate and volunteer for a toy drive. The sky's the limit! The point is to do things together. One favorite of ours that makes in there every year is to have a night where we paint each other's toe nails...boys and all. Other ideas that we have done or will do are: bake cookies, drive around to see all the Christmas lights, play charades, have a tea party, give each other crazy hair make-overs and making a craft together. Whatever it is, have fun and don't take it too seriously. There have been several days where the activity didn't pan out, but we made sure to still do something together. A word of caution, however. We made the mistake of trying to fit every single Christmas movie we own in the calendar last year, by the fourth movie night the kids were bored and not really excited to open the next day's activity for fear it was another of the same kind. So don't be like us. Remember, variety is the spice of life!

I would love to know if you try this, and what some of the activities that you do are! So, please let me know!! I would also love to hear about your traditions! Send me an e-mail or leave a comment!

Please hold...

Hey all you lovely reader(s), I have not fallen off the face of the earth, and I have not stopped crafting. I have just been letting real life, and Twitter, take over my time. But! Plans are in place to change that a bit. So, please hold while all the kinks are worked out to let more frequent blogging ensue. See you again real soon!!

xoxo

~Sara

Happy Arbor Day!

 

Stand still

It's amazing how fast your world comes to a halt when one of your children just isn't feeling well.

 

I am hoping that we will be back to the regularly scheduled program tomorrow.