Harrison's Birthday Gift- Week 1

So yesterday Dad and I spent a couple of hours on Harrison's birthday gift. Time was limited due to a very busy Thursday but we got quite a bit done. 

Before going out to the shop

The wood - Oak

All the wood is now cut to size and the equal pieces have been married up with each other. Once the wood is cut to size, you need to look at each piece to see which way the grain goes. We married up three pieces so we had to make sure that we had two pieces with the grain facing upwards, the other down. To check this you look at the end of the wood. Of course, we also wanted the grain on each piece to match it's partner as close as possible to not only look nice but to hide the joins. 

Checking out the grains

Cutting the wood

Once we had that done, we started to level out the edges so that the pieces would fit together nicely. The machine didn't cooperate as nicely as we had hoped so this process took a little longer than usual. Dad did figure out the problem though, so next week, it's levelling the rest of the pieces and gluing some of the boards together. 


Stay tuned!

Crafty Wednesday

Today was a weird day made up of many activities including another failed attempt at an Easter craft. This one I hope to rectify, I just need to get more materials, although Charlotte seems to like it the way it is. So, rather than leave you wondering what that could be, I give you one we did a couple of weeks ago. 


As April is coming up, I am sure there will be many April showers. You know what they say about those though... they bring May flowers. Charlotte has a fascination with flowers. She seems to have inherited her Nana and Poppy's green thumbs. I used to have plants in the house and they all gradually died... apparently you need to water them. Nana and Poppy's house is full of plants. Of course, they are all out in bloom ALL the time. So, whenever we go there to visit, Charlotte is fascinated by all the flowers. Nana gave her a couple of plants and of course, Mommy can't let them die. But, being up for the challenge (if a three year old can look after plants so can I), we've kept them all alive and well, they are also out in bloom! Everyday Charlotte checks to see if there are new flowers out.


So, when Charlotte came across this craft (we went through a number of different ones to do), she jumped at it. It's very easy to do and quite a nice one. Just take an egg carton and cut out some cups. Paint them, glue in some coloured tissue paper, thread them with pipe cleaner and voila, spring flowers. We put ours in a little vase and they now take centre stage on our table.

Muffin Monday

I've been looking at different muffin recipes over the past week or so looking for some lower fat alternatives to the fat induced ones. In doing so, I found some really nice ones that I'll share later (once I've tried them out) and also realized that really, the key to making the muffins lower in fat is to find an alternative to the butter or oil that is used. You may or may not know that one of the suggested alternatives to oil is applesauce. So, I decided to take a recipe I have made in the past and change a couple of ingredients.


The result? While they didn't rise as high (the originals have HUGE lovely tops), and they were more dense than the original recipe, they were quite nice. The cinnamon mixture on top was a nice contrast to the apple and cranberries. The ultimate test? Little Miss C. She LOVED them. Ate three on Friday alone. 


Below is the original recipe (fat is good once in awhile) with my alternatives in brackets.


Cranberry Apple Muffins


Ingredients
2 1/4 cups flour
1 1/2 c brown sugar (I only used 1 cup)
1 tsp baking soda
1 egg
1 cup plain yoghurt ( I didn't have yoghurt and used fat free sour cream instead)
1/2 cup oil ( used 1/2 cup applesauce)
2 cups chopped apple
2/4 cup chopped cranberries


Topping:
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped almonds (I used chopped pecans)
3 tbls rolled oats
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tbls melted margarine


Combine topping in a bowl an set aside. Combine in a bowl: flour, sugar and baking soda. In a separate bowl, combine the egg, yoghurt, and applesauce and mix well. Stir the flour mixture with the wet ingredients until just combined. Stir in the apples and cranberries. 

Pour into paper liners and sprinkle on topping. Pat down the topping a little. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. I used two different liners. I wanted to try the stand alone paper cups. I quite liked the outcome. Enjoy!

Stand alone muffin cups 

The standard Muffin cups

Crafty Wednesday

Today was a day for a number of little craft projects. There was a spring lamb (that looked more like a rather large fly with a HUGE white body), pirate and princess hats made out of newspaper and a swan origami (both of which were courtesy of Daddy). What I'll tell you about though are the Rapunzel Sisters Charlotte and I made this afternoon. 


After making the spring lamb this morning and feeling a little let down by the result (me, not Charlotte), a request was made to make some hand puppets. "Of course "I said and went off to find a couple of odd socks. Being a three year old who constantly takes off her socks coupled with the land beyond the dryer, she has a few that have lost their twin. We chose a couple of different coloured pink ones and away we went. We had the googlie eyes and pipe cleaner already out so it was just a matter of getting some wool for the hair. I still have some left over wool from the scarf I made Charlotte for Christmas so we cut some of it into pieces and we started gluing the girls together.



Charlotte chose who would have what coloured eyes and hair and well, she was the one who wanted a smile. I told her when they were done that it looked like the sisters had moustaches. She just laughed. She's very happy with the outcome.

When asked what she wanted to call them...
"Rapunzel and Rapunzel" was the answer, and so the twins were born.

A very special gift - the beginning

I enjoy making things. I've been trying to get my craft on more this year than I have in the past couple of years. While a lot of the crafts I've been doing revolve around things for Charlotte, they are crafts none the less. There's something about taking a material of some sort and making it into something wonderful and appreciated. Whether it be painting, sewing, knitting, card making, scrapbooking, woodworking, baking or cooking, it's the act of making something into nothing that's so wonderful. 

Today, while Mom kindly looked after Harrison, Dad and I went and bought the wood for my next project. My Dad does a lot of woodworking and has made some beautiful pieces of furniture over the years, a couple of which I am the proud owner of. I've made a couple if pieces over the years myself (with a lot of help from Dad) namely a towel/blanket rack and a coffee table. 

Soon after Charlotte was born, I started thinking about her first birthday and what we were going to get her for a gift. I decided that I wanted to make her something that she could keep forever. I thought about a jewelry box or a similar keepsake but I decided against that. I then thought about a chest of some sort. When I was living home and after I had a towel rack under my belt, I thought about making a hope chest of some sort. Not for my bountiful dowry, but rather to hold blankets and such when I finally got a place of my own. I even had pictures of the one I wanted made. Well, time passed, I moved away, and said chest was never made. 

Well, 10 years later, I found myself thinking about that chest. I decided to make something like that for Charlotte. It would be a piece of furniture that would grow with her as she grew. It would start out as a toy chest and then, when she had her own place, we/she could line it with cedar and put blankets or whatever she wanted in it. So, that's what I decided to make for her. Of course it wasn't going to be just a plain box. I decided to make it into a bench with a back and arm rests. It took 3 months to make (I went to Mom & Dad's 1-2 times a week) and well, Charlotte now has a piece of furniture that I hope she'll appreciate when she gets older and treasure like I do the pieces Dad made for me. 

Starting Charlotte's gift

She seemed to like it....

Doing a little chisel work

The final product

As for Harrison, as the weeks pass, I'll show you my progress. We have the wood, a plan, and next week, we'll begin. I'm looking forward to spending time with Dad in the shop and giving Mom (and Dad) a chance to bond with Harrison (we'll probably go when Charlotte is in daycare) over the next couple of months. More importantly, I'm looking forward to making Harrison's 1st birthday gift. A gift I hope he'll cherish forever and know how very much I love him.

Happy St Patrick's Day!

Top of the morning to you!


For me, St. Patrick's Day is the beginning of Spring. I know that soon (hopefully sooner rather than later), the buds will start to come out on the trees, the crocuses will begin to bloom and the smell of springtime will be in the air.


Today we're having great friends in for an Irish-themed supper where I am sure we'll share some wonderful stories and laughs as we catch up from the last time we got together. The guinness is in the fridge chilling, supper is in the slow cooker (OMG it smells good) and dessert will be prepared later today. 


Before that though, we'll be watching with anticipation, England play Ireland in Rugby. Being married to an Englishman and having an English father, I of course support England. It'll be an interesting one. The England team is a young one and they are playing in Ireland on St. Patrick's day. They are the underdogs, but you know what they say about underdogs. They beat France last week, they'll do it again this week.


I'll leave you now, on this St Patrick's Day, with an Irish blessing.


May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of his hand.

May God be with you and bless you:
May you see your children's children.
May you be poor in misfortune,
Rich in blessings.
May you know nothing but happiness
From this day forward.

May the road rise up to meet you
May the wind be always at your back
May the warm rays of sun fall upon your home
And may the hand of a friend always be near.

May green be the grass you walk on,
May blue be the skies above you,
May pure be the joys that surround you,
May true be the hearts that love you.

Friday is Games Night!

Last Friday, we held the First Weekly Wellsman Family Games Night with Charlotte. Andrew and I always said that once the kiddies were old enough to appreciate it, we'd start doing a weekly games night. It's a night of spending time as a family with no TV or any other electronic device or distraction. As the kids grow up we want to make sure that we have one evening over the weekend that is just for the four of us. A chance to spend quality time with each other. Hopefully it'll help keep the lines of communication open as they grow and mature. 


We decided that we'd start last week. We told Charlotte to choose whatever games she'd want to play and once Daddy got home from work we'd have supper, sitting around the coffee table and then we'd break out the games. Charlotte couldn't wait. For our first games night I made nachos topped with yumminess and salad. The four of us sat around the coffee table, chatting about our day (something we do every suppertime) and enjoying our meal. Once we had cleared up, out came the games. 

Charlotte had chosen her memory game and Princess Shutes (no more snakes) and Ladders to play. First off, Daddy and Charlotte played the memory game. Charlotte is very good and one most of the games. Apparently Daddy knew where some of the matches were but let her get them instead. Well, not Mommy. Unfortunately my competitive side kicked in and I won. Yes, I won. I know, I should have let her win, but Charlotte needs to learn that she can't always win. Doesn't she? I think so anyway. 

Let the games begin

Guess who's winning

Just hanging, having a kick

My competitive side had just kicked in when we started to play Shutes and Ladders. I (also known as Snow White) got an early lead (thanks to a ladder) and was well on my way to winning when the dreaded shute got in my way. Needless to say I went back to the beginning and little Miss Charlotte (aka Aurora and Belle - yes, she was playing with two) lunged ahead (also thanks to a ladder) and won the game. It was well played and she was very happy she won.

At the beginning, Snow White was in the lead

One roll of the dice and the tables were turned

And the winner..... again

By the time we'd finished the game, it was well past Charlotte's bedtime and so after books and songs, she was sound asleep in bed. 


We all throughly enjoyed our first games night and look forward to tonight's with anticipation. Pizza has been requested for supper and the memory game is on the list again tonight. There's a rematch in Charlotte and Mommy's future. Bring it!

Crafty Wednesday

Charlotte loves snow globes. She wanted every one she saw over the Christmas holidays. Luckily, our little Elf Shakey, left her and Harrison one for Christmas. That was a Christmas one though and well, he's packed away. Mean Mommy. 


We have a snow globe in our living room. It's one I gave Andrew years ago. Charlotte looks at it fondly most days and says she wishes she could have one. She asked the other day if we could make one. Sure I said. While I didn't know how to make one, I knew where to find out. After a couple of searches on the Internet, I knew what we had to do.

Basically, all you need is a clean jar, water, a hot glue gun, glitter and a figurine. We pretty much had everything except a figurine. After a meltdown in the dollar store yesterday, we (or rather I) decided we did have one in the house and looked though her many bins of odds and ends for said figurine. It was decided we'd use her Olivia figurine for the snow globe.


So, this afternoon having everything we needed, away we went.

Olivia and all the components

A couple of websites suggested using floral foam in the base. So, that's what we did. We attached the foam to the jar lid using hot glue. We then set Olivia into the foam and adhered it using hot glue. NOTE: Make sure that you securely attach the figurine so that it doesn't come adrift when shaking. 

For people with kids who are familiar with the TV Show.... I kept hearing the theme song "Olivia, Olivia...."

Once your figurine is attached, fill your jar with cold (warm may get cloudy) water. Leave about a 1cm gap at the top. Next add the glitter. We added about 1/2tsp of glitter (a combination of silver, red, and white).

Carefully adding the glitter

Next, add hot glue around the inside of the jar lid and then attach the lid and tighten. If desired, add ribbon or glitter to the outside of the lid and voila. A snow globe. Just shake and away you go.

"Olivia, Olivia...."

Harrison is Seven Months Old Today!

Where does the time go? I can't believe Harrison is seven months old today. I said to Andrew yesterday that I don't know where the time has gone and I don't feel like I have done anything over the past said months. He pointed out I've looked after the two kiddies during that time. Upon reflection we have done quite a bit. I've especially made an effort to spend quality time with them each and everyday and not let the usual daily stuff get in the way. We're looking forward to the warmer months ahead where trips to the beach and parks for picnics are on the agenda.


Harrison continues to grow and explore. He's starting to go from sitting to belly a lot more as he tries to reach those toys just beyond his reach (mean Mommy). He knows he's got to get his legs under him, so that's what he's working on now. 


He's liking his solids (although not as much as his sister did) and now eats an array of fruits, veggies and chicken and beef. He's not a great fan of the meat but will eat it mixed with something else. He loves carrots and well, he can't get enough of banana and his cinnamon apple/raisin mix. 


Charlotte still makes him laugh the most. As soon as she starts to play with him he's all laughs and giggles. Of course, Mommy and Daddy get a laugh out of him too! He now gives us kisses. Well, that's what we call them. He grabs your face and attaches his gummy mouth to whatever he can get. Usually the chin. They're sloppy and wet but lovely. I think he does it because I do the same to him. I just can't get enough of those kissable cheeks.


Sleeping continues to be good. He actually slept all the way through last night without a peep. I'm just not sure if it's the last effects of the cold or if he is finished with his nighttime feed. His appetite has been off for the past week so it's hard to tell. It would be great if that was the case though. He still loves his naps too. He's definitely a baby who needs his sleep.


We've been taking Harrison swimming for the past couple of months and he loves it. He actually kicks his legs and lies all the way back. Maybe he'll be a swimmer like his Mommy. Having said that, he enjoys watching rugby with his Daddy, so who knows what he'll want to do. Whatever it is, I'm sure he'll enjoy it.


His favourite thing to do is still the jolly jumper. He loves to be standing and hops up and down even when our laps. 


How to describe our little boy? He's a happy, content little man who fills our days with love and joy.


Love you Babes!

Happy 7 months Harrison!

Giving his sister a kiss

Crafty Wednesday

This week has been, for lack of a better word, crappy. Both Harrison and Charlotte have colds, but Harrison, being only 6.5 months old isn't handling it as well as his older sister. Thinking back, he's ben a bit off since last Wednesday. His nap schedule was off, he wasn't eating as much, but he was still a happy baby. Then Monday morning came. Well, said happy baby wasn't happy anymore. Instead, he was congested, coughing, spluttering, crying, whinnying, not sleeping and in general, miserable. So's Mommy...Miserable that is. Oh, and spluttering, crying, whinnying and not sleeping. Just kidding. Sort of. We've tried to make him as comfortable as possible. The infant tylenol helps a bit, he's lathered in vicks, HATES to have his nose syringed and we've hauled out the warm mist humidifier for the nights. Hopefully a combination thereof will help.


With Harrison being so poorly, I've spent the last three days inside. His lack of sleep and wanting to be in Mommy's arms when awake has meant long days and nights. No chance of getting out for any alone time or meeting a friend time. Hence, cabin fever on top of a lack of sleep... wasn't kidding about being miserable.


Having Harrison feeling unwell has also meant Charlotte has felt the need for attention or lack of. Luckily she had daycare yesterday so when Harrison did sleep, Mommy could too. Today, I thought Old Man winter (or Sheila) would help out and keep Daddy home, but alas, he (or she) left early and Daddy left for work at noon. Luckily though, the lack of sleep finally hit Harrison and well, he slept long enough for Charlotte and I to get a little craft on.


Charlotte loves caterpillars and butterflies. She has a couple of books about how caterpillars become butterflies (The Very Hungry Caterpillar and The Crunching Munching Caterpillar) and has been fascinated with them since she was very little. When she saw this little caterpillar she wanted to make it. And a butterfly too. Oh, and a couple of flowers as, according to Charlotte, the butterfly would need them. They were pretty easy. We had picked up more pipe cleaners and googly eyes on the weekend so we put them to good use.

Mr Caterpillar

The Butterfly and the flowers

The flowers became a ring

The caterpillar hitched a ride on the scooter

To have gotten the time to get this written was another miracle. Harrison has been asleep for an hour. Maybe he's getting better. I hope so. There's nothing worse than having a child who's sick. All you can do is love them, cuddle them and hope that they'll feel better soon.

Our family... in words

I've seen these types of pictures around a lot recently. I even have something similar in my kitchen. Some of the bloggers I follow do them for every holiday. They layout all the words associated with any particular holiday, print them up, put in a small frame and show them on their mantles for a couple of weeks.Yesterday, I decided to try and do something for our family. I thought of words that meant a lot to me and how I view our family unit and then laid them out in photoshop.  I was at first going to put our names in this one but I then decided to do a separate one for that. I happened to have a couple of frames in the house and voila. 

The Finished Product