::the beautiful straw ornaments a friend brought back from Finland years ago. ::the winterland scene that is too high for little hands to reach.  Made up of felt trees, a piece of muslin, a string of lights, handmade snowmen, a thrifted deer, pine cone elves and our Advent calendar. ::the pine cone elves The Bird [...]

I made these for the kids’ Advent calendar. A star for The Boy. A heart for The Girl.

Hope you are having a lovely Thanksgiving weekend! Although I’m aware that it’s a bit late to be sharing my recipe for cranberry sauce, you can really make this year-round, if you have cranberries in your freezer.  Now is the time to stock up! This cranberry sauce is absolutely perfect, if I may say so [...]

I was so proud of myself for getting the Halloween costumes done with time to spare that I vowed then and there to have all of my Christmas preparations done early as well.  I set myself the goal to have all of my shopping, wrapping, mailing and crafting done by the end of November.  I [...]

I have been wanting to make Kirsten’s Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookies for ages and what better excuse then Halloween Day?  So, I give you Rose’s version of the Tollipop Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies, written Kirsten style: Since it is Halloween Day, Ask The Boy if he wants to make cookies with you while The Girl [...]

This was the first year I had two costumes to make, and knowing it would take some serious time, I started in early September.  I cannot say how happy I was to have them finished with a week to spare. I am so thrilled with how both costumes look, and I am really happy that [...]

I woke up to the sound of The Boy’s footprints running through the house to check if The Easter Bunny had come during the night.  Since The Daddy Monkey was taking the kids to the grandparents’ house that morning, we had decided to do our Easter activities (baskets, egg hunt, dinner) when they returned. Big [...]

I’ve already said how much I love Spring and Easter.  I’ve been really looking forward to this weekend and the holiday.  The Boy has always loved Easter and all its festivities, and The Girl is interested participating in whatever The Boy is doing.  I really hope Phase I of the Backyard Spruce-Up is done this [...]

Hello. I am still here. There’s the Happy Spring banner I made last year while The Girl was just two months old.  However did I manage that?  Ah yes, she used to nap.  The banner is felt and for some reason I just love it so much.  But I am a sucker for Spring anyway.  [...]

For the past three years I’ve drawn a simple little portrait of my family for our holiday card.  The first year I actually hand painted each one with watercolors.  It’s become somewhat of a tradition for us, and people start asking me in November if I’m going to make our cards again.  Looks like I’ll [...]