Saturday, August 25, 2012

Little Chick's First Diorama

"To create something with one's own hands is a fulfilling process and the results so rewarding." ~Mama Hen
Little Chick made her first diorama this week. She was supposed to choose a book and create a scene depicting where the story took place. She chose to do The Mitten by Jan Brett. She had so much fun from the very beginning while searching for the right size box at a few shoe stores all the way to the very last touches of adding animals and a snow covered log. Each step of the way Little Chick used her imagination and creativity to make the best diorama she could. She began by looking for some branches in the backyard that she would use for the trees. She painted them white and added glitter for a glimmery sparkle. She did her first real sewing project ever. I was so proud of her. She threaded the needle herself and stitched along to put together her mitten. She added white felt for snow and cotton that she painted with iridescent glitter glue. She painted the little house and the roof and then added more sparkle for a snowy look. She created Baba and Nikki on paper and cut them out. She had so much fun putting all of the animals and characters into the scene. It has been a delightful experience and I am proud of my Little Chick!
Threading the needle.
Sewing her mitten.
Painting the house.
Painting the snowflakes.
A touch of glitter.
Iridescent glittery sparkle.
Drawing Nikki.
Adding the door and windows.
I am so proud of you Little Chick!

Sunday, August 19, 2012

My Little Baker - Delicious Maple Syrup Cookies

"Passing on my love for baking to my daughter is a delicious treat and a warm memory we will always cherish." ~Mama HenLittle Chick and I love to bake! We found a fantastic recipe book at Barnes and Noble filled with wonderful treats that everyone will love. The book is called Allergy-Free Desserts by Elizabeth Gordon and we absolutely loved the first cookie recipe we chose. We made Maple Cookies and I highly recommend this recipe. (I did add cinnamon, because I love cinnamon in all my cookies.)
Maple Cookies

3 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon ground flaxseed meal

1 3/4 cups Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon xanthum gum

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup organic palm fruit shortening

1/2 cup Grade B maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut

Bake at 375 for about 10 minutesA pinch of saltBrown sugarMaple Syrup

Delicious!

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Little Chick's Surprise

"The delight in giving and receiving surprises fills one's heart with the utmost joy!" ~Mama Hen
Ever since I saw the movie The Holiday, I have dreamed of making a beautiful tent for my baby girl. I found some delicate yet fancy curtain panels that I wanted to make this tent out of. I bought a large hoola hoop and opened it to add the curtain panels. Grandma Hen gave me some gorgeous pearl stands to decorate and to hang it to the beam in our family room. I had fun decorating the top so that Little Chick can look up and see some sparkling shimmer from above. The best part was waking up Little Chick at midnight and carrying her down to see her great big surprise right as Grandma Hen and I had just finished sewing and putting it all together. Her eyes were filled with such joy and happiness as she said, "Mommy, this is for me!" She went in and saw all of her little animals waiting. It was a really spectacular surprise for all!
Lots of fun art!

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Change is Good

"Change is good! The view from a new location can be refreshing, rejuvenating and can inspire great things." ~Mama Hen
Little Chick loves her Hermit Crabs! She just got a new one over the weekend that she named Mitzy. Mitzy is smaller than the other two crabs, but they all have been getting along nicely. Sassy, who used to live in the mint green shell, moved into a new home last week. It was so exciting! We had just read Eric Carle's book, A House for a Hermit Crab, the night before. When Little Chick woke up in the morning she came running to tell me that Sassy had moved into a new home! Bunny decided to move when she saw the luxury home that Sassy had chosen. She moved shortly after. That was another exciting day. Then Mitzty thought it might be kind of fun to see what all the excitement was all about. However, she couldn't be bothered with a new home yet. She has been running around the last few days without a shell. As Little Chick puts it, "Mitzy is naked!" Every now and again she crawls back to her old shell, but decides running around without a shell and skinny dipping in her pool is much more fun! It has been a fun couple of weeks with our adorable Hermit Crabs!
Meet Mitzy
A little dip in the pool.
Little Chick and her friend set up a party!
Very cool! Love the high heels with socks!

Thursday, August 2, 2012

The Power of Music

"Music has the power to transcend one's soul to a wonderfully happy place." ~Mama Hen
What do Frank Sinatra, Mozart, Neil Diamond, Fred Astaire, Kenny Rogers, Elvis Presley, Maroon 5, Adele, Bing Crosby, Antonio Vivaldi, Andre Rieu, Beethoven, Alicia Keys, Beatles, Dorris Day, Dean Martin, David Grey, Kathleen Battle, Mariachi, Bachata, Salsa, Luis Juan Guerra, Juanes, The Secret Garden, The King and I, My Fair Lady, Lady and the Tramp, Luciano Pavarotti, Bob Marley, Four Tops, REM, Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Beyonce, the Bee Gees, Charlie Daniels Band, Bruce Springsteen, Clint Black, Billy Ray Cyrus, Disco, Latin Rock, Instrumental Movie Soundtracks, and Music Together and Kindermusik (and of course so much more) have in common? Little Chick! My daughter loves music! All kinds of music. I have always been drawn to a variety of music genres and I have been playing a myriad of songs for Little Chick since the beginning. She has become such an avid listener to this variety I have exposed her to and she has also come to learn all the artists names and will request various genres when she is in the mood for something. I gave her an IPOD Shuffle for her birthday and she can't get enough of it. I think one of the greatest gifts is music. It can transcend us to a happier peaceful place within seconds of listening. This love of music has fueled her desire to learn the piano. She wants to learn the violin so she can "be just like Andre Rieu". I think that is a great goal and I love filling Little Chick with the knowledge of music!
Thanksgiving Thursday: 1.) Little Chick and my family 2.) Music and the beautiful way it can lift us up. 3.) Summer fun! 4.) Wishing upon the stars at night. 5.) Little Chick's giggle.
 

Blog Design By Sour Apple Studio © All Rights Reserved.