My girls received new dress up dresses from my mom today. Well, she mailed a check, and I visited the local re-run shop. The girls don’t need to know that I worked as a middle man.
I brushed and curled their hair a few minutes into what turned into an all day dress up fest (first photo is pre-hairdos.) Honestly, I go back and forth about dress up clothes. Sometimes they start to drive me insane and I stuff them all in the attic. But really, they love to dress up almost more than anything else, so of course I let them. Today I found a big open wicker basket for the purpose of dress up storage. I was playing with the idea of a little open rack for hanging, but realized that I would have to be out of my mind to really think they might hang their dresses. If they can just throw them in the basket at the end of the day, I’ll be happy. Of course I work every day to teach my kids to clean up after themselves. But, it serves me well to make cleaning up as easy as possible.
Beatrix was hilarious examining her little wooden “tea cup” today during a tea party. She noted with great offense that the cup that Larkspur handed her had a chip in it. (It wasn’t really meant to be a tea cup, but a sugar bowl.) I assured her that it was okay, and she carried on.
I met two friends this morning to help them choose yarn for projects and gifts at our new yarn shop: Old Town Yarnery. I am just so grateful to have a local yarn shop again, and to have one with great atmosphere is a nice bonus. If you are local, please stop by and check it out! Maureen is sourcing some lovely yarns. I want this shop to stick around.
Because I am such a fun mom, some of my kids got bars of soap in their Christmas stockings. That’s almost better than coal. Actually, all of them but Seth love felting soap. So as soon as they saw their soap bars, that is where their minds went. I was reminded that it’s a messy activity, but at least the mess is just soap and water.
Tomorrow for my birthday dessert, I am making Cranberry Clafouti. I love this recipe. I am a big fan of custard and of cranberries. I’ll try it with other fresh berries next summer as well, if I still want sweets. I stopped eating sugar almost completely (raw honey in my tea on occasion, the exception) a couple of months ago and I don’t ever really crave it anymore. I am not a purist though. So there was an apple cranberry crisp on Christmas, there will be clafouti (I don’t even know how to pronounce that word) on my birthday, and then some of this crazy delicious stuff on New Year’s Eve that my friend…Eve gave me for my birthday (she added 1/2 cup chopped dates along with the pecans, and then a cup of chocolate chips on top–I recommend these changes!) I’ll go back to my regular no sugar, no gluten eating habits next week. But in the meantime, I will enjoy these little treats.
Maybe I’ll be back with a few photos before the new year, but if not, Happy New Year to all of you!
p.s. I found the book! And my friend Lori gave me this one for my birthday. I am about to get so organized it’s going to be amazing.
Every picture you take has such gorgeous light and show such wonderful life.
absolutely adorable!
Happy Birthday to you!!!!! I hope you had (are having) a wonderful day!
happy birthday, ginny! cranberry clafouti sounds SPOT on. i had pumpkin pie for my birthday “cake” this year, and promptly decided this the. best. cake. ever. i can’t decide if i should’ve been doing this all along, or if i’m just getting old and boring. whatever.
silas didn’t get any mention here, but can i say, i think he’s about the most dapper dude in the bunch? 🙂
looks like a lot of fun…and congrats on finding THE BOOK- my sis and I might have mislaid our organizing books from our mom…St Anthony, help us
Happy Birthday! I hope you had a wonderful day.
Ginny, may I ask: do you just have fantastic lighting, or is there a certain way in which your photos always come out so crisp? I have admired them for months and now simply have to ask 🙂
Happy Birthday Ginny! I love Clafouti, never had it with cranberry, it sounds intriguing, tart. You can hear the word here:
http://www.howjsay.com/index.php?word=clafoutis
Love dress up too. Me too with the organization!
Happy Day!
Warm regards,
Lisa
Hooray on finding the book 🙂
I also LOVE cranberries and never had them growing up. I might have to make this recipe I will just use something gluten free – maybe coconut flour.
I recently saw a link somewhere to put slices of raw rhubarb in sugar and store in the frigde and it becomes rhubarb ‘candy’ . I might have to try and do it with some cranberries and see how it comes out. I know you said you gave up sugar but it might be nice to have one of these cranberries as a back up in the fridge just incase you get a sugar craving, they might be good in tea too.
Happy Birthday Ginny!
My husband celebrates on the 31st….48 years this year….yikes….seems we were just 28!!!! Oh well….we don’t act our age. 😉
I have made the clafoutis and it’s divine!! Happy Birthday precious mama of the small things. Blessings to you from the Father!
Your gifts of soap reminded me of my mother. When we would shop for a gift for a girlfriend’s birthday, occasionally we would want to buy a pretty smelling soap. My mother, who is an immigrant from Asia, would say, “No, no. That is insulting. It means you think the person stinks and they need the soap.” To this day my sisters and I never give gifts of soap (or perfume). I don’t know if it was an Oriental thing or just my mother, but the idea is firmly ingrained in us.
Thank you for the clafouti link. I’ve made clafouti from our own cherries, but never thought of cranberries.
Happy Birthday!
Love your new header pic! Happy New Year!
Dress-up can get so messy but you are so right about kids loving it. It is so much fun to see what crazy get-ups they come up with and when friends come over the fun just multiplies! But oh how I hate clean-up too! I have to keep reminding the kids to put all that stuff back in the dress-up box and bucket. Yes, they need two holders for all their crazy costumes. Every once in awhile I go through the dress-up and choose a few items to go but it is so hard to choose. Hanging cloths up? I don’t think I could get mine to do that either.
The girls look so lovely in their new dresses (even without the curls).
Just last night I was trying to figure out what to do with all of our dress up clothes. So a minute I thought maybe we should let most of them go, but they all have so much fun with them!
Happy Birthday dear Ginny!
Clafouti is pronounced clafootee (it’s a short a)! The best one is the cherry one (put you either have to pit them first or deal with it when you are eating which can get very annoying!)
I hope you have a wonderful birthday!
Happy Birthday Ginny!!!! Hope you have a wonderful day!!! Loved the pictures of your girls all dressed up!
Happy Birthday! The cranberry clafouti looks yummy – I’ll have to try it for the last remaining bag of cranberries I have.
Happy birthday!
I just saw the Yarnery !! Eager to go visit!
Happy Birthday.
May 2012 be wonderful and oraganised!
You must have a better re-run shop than around here… those dresses are incredible!!!
Happy Birthday, Ginny!! I feel the same way about dress up and this Christmas added to the anxiety (and the overflowing dress up basket). Luckily my mom bought my two oldest toy boxes – could clean up be any easier – just throw EVERYTHING into the toy box. And the answer to the question, “Moooom, do you know where my X is???” – “Check the toy box, honey!!” AWESOME.
I know you mentioned that “Organizing for People with ADD” book before. I’m curious if you suffer from ADD? I was just diagnosed with adult ADD and I finally feel like my life makes sense – as in, “Oh that’s why I do that and can’t do this…” If so, I’d love if you’d share any other resources you have.
I really want to start the new year off right with a plan of attack for clutter and getting organized too. The second book your friend gave you sounds awesome too – especially since it goes week by week.
~Lindsay
Wishing you a happy birthday…cranberry clafoutis sounds good, not your average birthday cake for sure!
I love the picture of the kids gathered around the table with the colourful wool and their soap.
Have a wonderful birthday and a happy new year. Thanks a lot for all the sharing!A
Dress up is always a blast. We grew up with a big trunk in the basement full of old costumes, homemade capes, and great-grandma’s old costume jewelery. Endless fun! Happy birthday and happy new year!
happy birthday Gina. Have a good new year in you life and with your kids.
Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday, Ginny.
I never comment unless you have a yarn give away.
But I read your blog and enjoy it.
So glad you found the book. I also have a love/hate with dress-up clothes. My three love wearing them and often change several times a day. I used two bins. Easy to clean up and easy on my mental health.
Happy birthday to you! Lovely photos…. Beatrix face is a must! I have an aunt in Italy named Beatrice(nicknamed Bice, a la Dante!) and she was a bit like your girl when she was young. My granny had three girls but she always stood up….
I am glad you have a local yarn store to peruse in time for your birthday…
Have a wonderful birthday. So glad you found the missing book!
Thank you for mentioning your sugar-free ways 🙂 After the comments on my post I was starting to think I was crazy for wanting to do the same, but once again you save my sanity. Happy early birthday to you (again)!!!
I rather fancy that book myself, lol actually I need it lol
Happy Birthday 🙂
Jacq
Happy early birthday! I just had mine on the 27th:
http://www.creatingafamilyhome.com/2011/12/its-my-birfday.html
I have the same thought as you about organization and it made me chuckle: “I am about to get so organized it’s going to be amazing.” Good luck to you!!! It’ll take me a few months at least to get organized because it’ll involve getting some new furniture and moving around the furniture we have left. We have no attic or basement storage, so it’s a challenge to keep everything in our living space.
Oh, and happy new year!
Happy birthday to you Kelly!!
Thanks, Ginny! 🙂