traffic light experiment

so want to try this at home.

hmmm bacon

cat just didn't want bacon. the bacon lover at our house soon shooed her away.
 

our valentine's day card

Getting out a family letter by Christmas is overrated. We believe in the Valentine’s Day letter at our house.

Anyway, 2009 for the Otto Family:

We still live in Twin Falls, despite my efforts to move to Maine. We did manage to escape to San Diego for a week in the spring. We were even able to fit all our camping stuff in our Honda Accord.

Doug still works for Interpath Lab, doing all sorts of fun things to body fluids (can you mention body fluids in a family letter? I am not really sure).

I still watch two little kids at home who manage, despite my efforts, to grow bigger.

Mallory turned 4, and despite my efforts, still loves pink.

Isaac is 2 and promises to never to fall out of a window again.

Baby #3 should be coming around the end of May.
If, despite my efforts, this letter leaves you wanting to know more, you can always check out the family blog at http://thestarslikedustencircleme.blogspot.com, where there are usually cute pictures of the kids.

love Doug, Rebecca, Mallory, Isaac and insert name here

valentine's boxes 2009

mallory's was a mesh up of free downloads that i liked...  the large owl card in front, i used a template from here  (i changed the owl a little)...

the girl valentines are from here.  the tweet valentines are from here.

isaac's was just an envelope covered with a printed page of vintage valentines. i believe i found the link here.


others that i printed out but i didn't end up using: you're mooooovelous and happy valenswine's day 

 wood you be mine?

cake balls

for last year's valentine's day, i made these cake balls. mine didn't turn out as pretty as hers. but man, did it ever taste good. i used this recipe for the cream cheese frosting. mmmm...i think i might just make some for this year.

of course, it was incredibly messy. and i should have taken off the wedding ring.

the kids had a lot fun licking the beaters and the bowl. sure made a mess on their faces too.

another craft from the past- christmas 2008

these are salt dough cookies (and i am not sure where i got the recipe, but this looks similiar) mallory decorated them and we gave them out as teacher gifts. this one had light blue, white, and red glitter and was my favorite combination. will have to remember that.

isaac's valentine's cards from last year

got the pdf from here. i liked the look of the heart suckers to match the snail's antennae.

a question for you

does this look like a mustang? or like a spaceship?

chicken glaze

used this for chicken wings.  but i don't really like chicken wings, so i think i will save this recipe for a marinade for chicken breasts:

1/2 cup mango nectar (i used apricot-pineapple preserves)
1/4 cup honey
1-2 T. red hot sauce (i used 1/2 cup.  the good kind with lime juice)
salt and pepper

rub for the 40 chicken wings:
1 T. salt
1 T. pepper
2 t. garlic powder
2 t. onion powder
2 t. ground tumeric

2 T. canola oil.


not sure how i'll put this together for chicken breasts, but i'll figure it out

random links

they might be giants on wait wait don't tell me.   thanks jennifer

i have been dancing to this song.

this was fun.  i usually eat the food.  unless it landed in something gross.  this study says 30 secs is ok.  but i remember reading somewhere that 5 secs wasn't quick enough or that brushing it off/washing it off didn't work.  i might have to do my own study....hehehe...

cute.

i shoot all my employees.

love the choreography. who doesn't love 76 trombones?

my hair after my brush of insanity

trivets

mallory and isaac went with grandma s. to home depot and made trivets. and then we came home and painted them. and mallory just had to have glitter. isaac smushed his glitter.

toby

when i was in sixth grade, the cool thing were stuffed lizards.  so my mom and i traced this from a friends stuffed lizard, and i made toby.  (see this is why my sarcastical bear project is forever doomed.)  i left out the seam allowances, and i chose thin fabric and stuffed him with rice.  poor toby got his first hole the next day.  so he is covered in iron on patches. still, he was well loved.

he now resides by my sewing machine. and i can remember that even mistakes can be cute. and have character. and to remember to add in seam allowances.

be prepared.

 

if you look closely at the tupperware, you can see the lid is about to burst open. hence why i had him take it out. hence why he wore a mask, lab coat, and gloves.

more from my productive early morning endeavors

 

a notebook that i covered for my grandma (tutorial here).  she's turning 90 in february.  and she goes and swims every morning.  and goes to a poetry club.  and a socrates club.

 

 

 mallory made her a bag.  she got a sewing machine for christmas.   (a very cheap one, that doesn't work very well.   halfway through this "tiny bag"  as she called it, she lost interest and wanted to put beads on it.)

 wrapped up in a grocery bag.  tacky?  perhaps.  but convenient.