Happy Memorial Day!

Who kept the faith and fought the fight;
The glory theirs, the duty ours.
~Wallace Bruce


I hope all of you have a wonderful Memorial Day!  Wishing I had planned a picnic today so I could use some of these ideas....

All images found via Pinterest.

DIY:: Teacher's Gift

Need an idea for a teacher's gift?  We made this one last year for the kids' daycare teachers.  It was super-easy, useful, and really well-received!

source

I bought bottles of Softsoap at the Dollar Tree, and soaked them in the tub overnight to loosen the labels.  I removed the labels the best I could by scraping them with a razor.  I did use Goo Gone for some stubborn spots, but don't leave it on too long!  It eats away at the bottle a little bit, and the bottle looks cloudy instead of clear.

Design your own label, or use this template from Jill Means.  I downloaded the template, but it's in PDF form, so you can't manipulate the font at all or add your own text, so I wound up making my own.  You really could just download it, then print it out and neatly write your child's name on it with a thin marker.  Or better yet, have your child sign it him or herself!  Then, you photocopy or print it onto transparency paper.  Cut it out, and slide it into the bottle.  The soap helps it stick to the front of the bottle so it looks like a label.

Isn't it cute?  And inexpensive.  Gotta love that!

NYC, Wicked, and The Rapture

First of all, let me say how happy I am that we all survived The Rapture!  Have you ever been a part of such craziness in your life as last Saturday?  My dad, my mom, Michael, and I took the train into NYC for the day.  It was such a beautiful day, which is saying a lot if you know how the weather on the East Coast has been lately.  I don't get a chance to go to NYC often, so I was super-excited to go and spend the day there.  I was all set to take lots of photos, since I was carrying my camera in my new Jo Totes bag, but I got all caught up in the sights and didn't take too many.

We rode into Penn Station and walked down 7th Street towards Times Square.  7th Street is in the Fashion District, and I was all about being a tourist that day, so I whipped out my camera when I saw Parsons New School of Design.  Helloooooooo?  Tim Gunn?  Are you in there?!?!?!?

The city was teeming with Mennonites that day.  I'm not sure if it was because of the anticipated Rapture, or just happenstance, but either way it was a strange juxtaposition to see all of those white bonnets in the middle of the Big Apple.

Are you ready for the ultra-touristy shots?

My parents dressed in green because we were seeing Wicked.  Could they be any cuter?  There is no one in the world I would rather spend time with than these two.

It was an interesting day to be in NYC because of the whole Rapture thing.  Fun, and interesting.  The crazies were definitely out.

Well, that crazy is always out.  :)  But there were a few more that day...

Let's just cover up a few things in this next photo to protect your tender eyes.

Suffice it to say:  YIKES!

But the real reason we went to NYC was to see Wicked.  And it was absolutely amazing.  I haven't stopped thinking about it!

Have you seen it?  I would love to know what you thought!  (I also loved how Rachel and Kurt performed "For Good" on Glee tonight!)  It was a fabulous day.  I can't wait to go back to NYC!

Letters, Letters, Everywhere!

In my last post, I told you about how we are all about letters these days.  Charlotte and Gavin are learning to write them, so they are constantly asking for a pen and paper to practice.  And Nathan is learning to recognize his letters, too.

So it should come as no surprise that I walked into Charlotte's room the other day and discovered this:

Do you admire her organizational skills?  One letter on each drawer.  Perhaps it's the beginning signs of a little OCD.  And there were scribbles outside of her room as well, and on the bathroom door:

*sigh*  

That's Michael's grandmother's old furniture.  You know, the furniture we repainted to match her crib and bought all new hardware for?  Looks like there's a bit more refinishing in our future.

Thank You!

Hi There.  I know I've been MIA for a few days.  It's been a crazy few days: lots of family stuff going on, lots of work stuff going on, lots of stuff going on.   I want to THANK YOU for sticking with me on this little blog.  I do have some good things in store for you, I promise!

Since I haven't blogged since Mother's Day, I thought I'd share a few photos and details about the brunch I hosted.  The weather was spectacular, the food was delicious, and the company was the best of all.  Our guests left at about 1:00 pm, and Michael and I did something we NEVER EVER do.  We just sat.  Sat!  We sat on our deck, drank champagne,  and watched the kids play for hours and hours.  It was most perfect way to spend my Mother's Day.

I wanted to decorate for the brunch using vintage flashcards.  We've been doing so much work with letters around our house lately; Gavin and Charlotte are learning to write them, and Nathan is learning to recognize them.  The problem was I couldn't find any vintage flashcards that I liked.  So I designed my own!  I'm all about the cheap and easy!

Here's a photo of my sisters and me with my Mom.

(L to R:  Audrey, Sarah, Mom, Laura, Me, Katie)

And here's a shot with my littles.  I've just accepted the fact that it's never a good photo.

Here is a shot of me with my Mother's Day gift:  a camera bag from Jo Totes.  I may or may not have had 4 glasses of champagne before this photo was taken.  This bag deserves a post of its own.  I'm headed to NYC this weekend, and I'll be seeing how the Jo Totes bag does in action.  I'll keep you posted.

I hope all of you had a wonderful, relaxing Mother's Day.  You sure do deserve it.  Cheers!

Recipe: Syrupy Overnight French Toast

For about six years now, I have hosted a brunch on Mother's Day.  It's simple, low-key, and no-stress, which is totally my kind of brunch.  Each of the guests brings a dish or a dessert, so thankfully I have very little to prepare on Mother's Day.

One of my favorite go-to recipes for a brunch is Syrupy Overnight French Toast. I originally saw the recipe in an issue of Good Housekeeping several years ago.  I was in a doctor's office when I spotted it, and it looked delicious (and easy!), so I stealthily ripped the page out of the magazine.  (Please tell me I'm not the only one who has ever done that.)

Anyway, this recipe never disappoints.  I love that you make it the night before, so the effort is minimal the next day.  The brown sugar caramelizes into a delicious syrup, so you don't have to add any more.  Perfection.

Overnight Syrupy French Toast


6 Tbsps. of butter
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
5 large ripe bananas, cut diagonally into 1/2-inch thick slices
1 (12-oz) long loaf of French or Italian bread, cut into 1-inch thick slices
6 large eggs
2 cups milk
2 tsps. vanilla extract
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 cups sliced almonds or coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans

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Directions

1. In microwave-safe small bowl, heat butter in microwave oven on High 1 minute or until melted. Stir sugar into butter until moistened. With fingertips, press sugar mixture onto bottom of 13-inch by 9-inch glass baking dish. (It's okay if mixture does not cover bottom.) Spread fresh or dried fruit over sugar mixture; top with bread slices, cut sides down.
2. In medium bowl, with whisk, beat eggs; whisk in milk, vanilla, and cinnamon. Slowly pour milk mixture over bread; press bread down to absorb egg mixture. Sprinkle with nuts. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove plastic wrap from baking dish.  Bake, uncovered, 45 to 50 minutes or until bread is golden brown and knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
   
   
   
   
   Enjoy!

Freebie::Mother's Day Printable Cupcake Toppers/Circle Tags

Mother's Day is less than a week away!  I'm hosting our annual Mother's Day Brunch, and have lots of fun ideas that I'm hoping come to fruition this week.

Are you planning anything?  Feel free to download these cupcake toppers for your sweet treats this weekend!  Simply use a 2-inch circle or scalloped punch.  Enjoy!