Posts by Rebecca Simmons

posted on January 16, 2014 by Rebecca Simmons

10 Practical sewing projects for home (and school)

It’s been a while since I felt the urge for straight stitch sewing. The monotonousness of sewing a house full of curtains (and comforters) had me burned out. But after a few projects of deciphering patterns and sewing dresses for girls, some simple projects with a quick gratifying end was in order. The process is satisfying, having something start to finish that can be accomplished on the fly, in a short time.

Over the course of several short times, here’s what I’ve been working on since Christmas.

1. Placemat Runner for Countertop Eating – My girls eat at our kitchen countertop for breakfast before school, snacks and weekend lunches. Our countertops are soapstone and scratch very easily. To protect the countertops I sewed this fun little placemat runner. It took one yard of fabric, plus the extra for the divider strips, and an old quilted shower curtain was upcycled for the backing of it. To make it: cut placemat size pieces of fabric to number the amount of seats you have (I used one yard cut into four equal peices), add three inches of divider material between each place, sew pieces together like a quilt (sewing front to fronts along edges to make the seam on the back) then sew the entire thing inside out to the backing and topstitch the edges and seams along the divider pieces.

2. Matching Server Runners – The spot opposite these three bar stools is usually where I can be found in the kitchen, doling out the food. Once in a while I get to sit not those fun stools, when not in mom mode. But as a whole, I like my perch and cook spot. And I wanted my own little runner to put my bowls and cutting boards. To make them: Use the leftover piece from the original one yard of fabric, cut in lengthwise and add fabric to ends just like the placemat runner.

3. Upcycled dishcloths – I’ve been trying to clean out my sewing stash. And in that, are things I think I can reuse rather than throw out. Therefore, the backing of these washcloths is terricloth fabric that was once the cover on our diaper changing pad. There was a small stain on one part that I discarded. But the rest made for absorbent washcloths for dishes. It will make me happy as I do dishes. To make it: Cut squares that are fitting to your reusable materials – about 9″x9″. Place fabric front to front, sew inside out, reverse and topstitch edges.

4. Drying Rack Mat – These days not everything fits in the dishwasher after dinner. And some things are better off not in there anyway. But I hate the drips of water left on the countertops while things dry. A fun rack mat was my solution. The backside is a hand towel I no longer needed, which makes it super absorbent for catching drips. To make it: Cut fabric the size of your hand towel, sew inside out then topstitch edges and sew extra seams every three inches the width of the rack mat. Pick a fun fabric, to make yourself extra happy.

5. Table Runner and Reversible Children’s Tablecloth – My middle girl has been talking about “the other” elementary class having one of the table cloths that I made in past years for the younger classroom at their Montessori school. So I had to sew another one to donate to the class. This time I used the leftover material to make a table runner. Then I had to make another one for “the other” class to be fair – which is number 6 on this list. To make the tablecloth: It’s 45″x33″ sewn inside out with a topstitch, using a different fabrics for the top and bottom.

6. Children’s table runner – Even at home, my girls love to make things homey and decorate. We’ll be making more of these for our children’s table in our kitchen. To make it: lay out fabric as you see it here, with extra backing fabric to fold edges over and topstitch around it.

7. Scrap Fabric Napkins for School Lunchs – My girls love having fun napkins choose from when packing lunches. To make these: Take scrap fabrics, sew back to front inside out and topstitch – because it’s SO easy. And they are reversible! Mine are usually about 9″x9″ but vary in sizes.

8. Silverware holders for Lunches – I have hopes of getting a higher return on kids using forks to eat fruit, by sending silverware in these cute holders for lunch. To make them: Use the size of fabric that would be for a napkin (above) and cut it in half, sew just like a napkin, then fold down the top and sew edges together.

9. Day Planner Cover and Pencil Pouch – I’m still an old school, paper and pencil planner gal. I like to touch, and squiggle, erase and doodle out my lists. My calendars almost serve as a journal to me, with notes in the margins to keep my home running smoothy and a place to store my random thoughts when they hit me. When I was feeling super lost this week, I ran into Office Depot to grab something I could jot down all my good intentions (like the Valentine banners I want to make). But the options were all so b-o-r-i-n-g – and uninspiring. I found one that fit my practice needs, and came straight home to sew a cover for it. To sew it: Think of it as a book cover we used to make in grade school to cover our text books and sew fabric instead of taping a brown paper bag (you did the too right?). Open the book out to measure the fabric and plan enough to cover the inside pouch, allowing 1/4″ for the seam. Iron in all the sides and sew. Then sew the flaps over to fit the cover. The pouch was extra, because I’m always losing my pencils and writing utensils. Ribbons are tied onto the spiral notebook as bookmakers.

10. Simple Cafe Curtains – What started all this sewing was my long break from sewing curtains. But there were three linger curtains that I never finished during my last go of it about a year ago when decided I just could NOT bare to sew to another straight line. The mismatched ones left bugged me long enough – that I finally finished them as I cleaned out the sewing shelves and unfinished project. To make them: Measure window and add an inch (to be on the safe side) all around the sides – more if you want curtains to gather and be full. I like mine nearly flat when closed. And sew like an inside out pillow case. Top stitch only the top where the clips hold the fabric and leave the other edges seamless for flow like feel.

posted on January 13, 2014 by Rebecca Simmons

January sunshine and muddy rivers

After the rain passed, this weekend was full of sunny times, spontaneous kid gatherings, sleepovers, two nights of multi-family dinners around the table eating in shifts (with seven kids), and trips to the park with parades of bikes, wagons and toes in muddy river water. I do love a house full of warm bodies and kid chaos. It fills my heart with joy. Just as much as four year-olds sunbathing in January, right smack in the middle the tennis court.

And these two…. don’t mess with a girl and her stick.

I love when boys enter on the scene in our girl world. It spices things up.

Happy Monday to everyone. The temps are dropping back down, more snow is in the forecast and I planning on sharing all my sewing happenings soon. So keep reading!

posted on January 8, 2014 by Rebecca Simmons

Mudroom tour

Since we did all our big renovations last year, I have been meaning to do an official reveal of the mudroom. The details of it took a little longer to come together, as we went through a few seasons using it, seeing how we fit into it.

I’m sure there have been glimpse in photos here and there because it’s an extension of our kitchen. But this morning, with the snow, and all the boots and coats and ski pants living in it – I decided it’s a well used snowy winter scene worth posting about. And it’s useful!

Pre-renovations a portion of the kitchen was a makeshift mudroom, to prevent everyone from dumping everything at the door. What is the mudroom now, was an underused screened in-porch with no direct access to the backyard. While it was nice when I needed to contain toddlers while I cooked, as they grew, the girls (and us) wanted more freedom to come and go outside. And more places to hang school bags as activities increase and the kids grow. Now the space works perfectly.

There’s an overflow of winter boots happening now. In the non winter months it is a different scene, with windows swung open, doors opened to the backyard and kids, dogs and cats coming and going. But for now, this scene of winter boots is perfect. All the coats and bibs hanging about are fun. As the snow melts, they’s stay, waiting, hoping for the next snow day. I do love winter. I love that we live somewhere with four distinct seasons.

The coat hook rack that you can’t really see during winter, behind all the coats, is really cool. It’s this one from Anthropologie.

And for the littles, there’s a place for them to hang their coats and bags within reach. It was custom built to be that way, to fit the space and provide low hooks. It’s part of our routine when we come inside, that the girls are responsible for hanging their coats and putting their shoes/bags away. With this set up, even my youngest can be independent. The white ceramic bowl, if you are wondering, is the dog (and cat) water bowl. On most days there’s a towel there too, to wipe off muddy dog paws.

Inside the bench, under the bins that hold old newspapers, dog leashes, and bags, is LOTS of space for shoes, socks, hats and gloves. Each girl gets her own drawer then one for mom. Dad keeps his stuff in a hall closet. Mainly because his shoes are so BIG.

The windows all overlook the backyard and were designed so I could have a panoramic view of the yard from the kitchen. They were handmade by our contractor to match other window styles on this 95 year old house. The ceiling and floors were original to the screened in porch. They were sanded, scraped and sealed with clear stain. The built in bench was made out of reclaimed barn wood, also by our contractor. A glimpse into the organization… Because I must have organization. If not I’ll go bananas. An orderly home makes me a more peaceful mom.

This is not organizational, just a photo I snapped this morning after the girls took off for school. The dog wanted out, the cat wanted in, and I am in my essential wool socks. Because in this old house that I love, it’s chilly this time of year with single pane windows. The cat was making her way in, to sleep on the heat vent – a popular spot.

Now for a little look back, at the porch before it was a mudroom.

I do SO very much love my new kitchen and mudroom. But if I could I would jump right back into these photos from days gone past. They are sweet times that I miss very much.

When the “mudroom” was in the kitchen.

And this was the scene in the kitchen, even before the “mudroom” was in the kitchen.

posted on January 7, 2014 by Rebecca Simmons

Going to school in the snow

It was officially 1 degree when my kids went to school today. There was snow on the ground and they were dressed like their cousin who attends school in Aspen, Colorado – minus the ski pants that they didn’t wear because that was too out-of-the-ordinary for their comfort zone. But they were wearing layers, fleece and wool socks.

My youngest was not thrilled to go back to school after winter break on this record breaking cold morning. Her snow boots were on the wrong feet and refused to wear a hat to the car because it would “mess up my braid.” But that is normal for this one, and we roll with it.

Despite the cold, my girls will STILL go outside and play today. They might not last long and those who are cold will trickle back in as they choose. But who wouldn’t WANT to go throw snowballs with their friends outside. I just have to say, rock on Montessori. They chose not to be shut down by cold weather.

I do understand schools clossing in districts where children are not equipped with clothing to safely be warm enough in this weather, and when standing at a bus stop is a problem. But all the private schools are closed here too. And the roads are fine. Adults are all expected to be at work today as usual, unless you have a snow kid at home.

While some are surprised the my girls had school today. I think it’s great. The parent handbook addresses wearing proper clothing to school for outside play. And when it gets to be winter, emails are sent out reminding parents to dress their children in winter coats, hats and gloves because unless it’s raining hard —they go outside.

I could go on my soap box about schools not offering enough outside play time. But I won’t. I’ll just encourage you to bundle up the little ones and get outside no mater what the temperatures are today. Even if it’s not long, some bone chilling cold is good for the soul sometimes. And the hot chocolate when you come in will taste better than usual.

posted on January 6, 2014 by Rebecca Simmons

Snow day!

The letter on today’s coffee cup is a C for COLD. It’s not every decade we have temperatures in the single digits here but we might be headed that way today. There is lots of hot cocoa and frothy coffee, and looking out the snowy windows.

We made it out of for a walk to the park. But as temperatures drop, it might be our only trip outside today.

Here’s to East Tennessee snow angels and one happy little girl to be in the snow even though it was 16 degrees!

posted on January 5, 2014 by Rebecca Simmons

Cooking, vegetarianism and family food battles

These are the few months where I don’t have my vegetable CSA to rely on, which dictates what’s for dinner. Therefore I have been enjoying trying new recipes and buying ingredients from the store to match a recipe I see in a magazine. I’m happy to be cooking. I really do love it, most days. Except the request for kid dinners gets really boring to me. I can only serve/eat so much pasta and cheese, pizza, hummus, black beans, steamed broccoli, raw carrots, chips and salsa and taco night.

Cooking for five is not easy here because all of us except my husband, have picky tendencies. Aside from him, my four-year-old is the most willing to try new things and eat about anything. I’ll eat anything as long as it’s not meat. Processed soy is a rare treat and better be worth it.

I’m still a vegetarian, but not as hard core. For example I might eat a soup that has chicken stock in it because in certain things, it just makes things taste better. I’d rather make my own bone broth for the real food health benefit. But the time I had good intentions of doing it with a leftover rotisserie chicken, I bailed, with a case of the hebejebes. I cook a few meat dishes for my family because it seems like the best, less processed option on a whole foods scale. But it’s always local, organic meat that I can slide from the package to the baking pan with little or no handling and hassle. It goes straight from oven to table, and I cut chicken in the pan with a pizza cutter to avoid putting on my cutting boards (truely).

Nine years into this kid gig, I’ll be the first to say we’ve had our share of food battles. I have a “vegetarian” kid who won’t eat nuts or beans (except hummus). Some battles we’ve overcome and some I’ve compromised on. I still ask that everyone tries things (my non-eater gets a pass at meat since I don’t eat it either) at dinner, and we have a rule against saying negative comments about what others are choosing. I’ve come along way from taking tofurky and PETA literature to Thanksgiving dinner. But I still want my girls to understand where their food comes from.

I DO go to added lengths at dinner to make sure there is something everyone will like because I don’t want anyone to leave the table hungry. BUT I will not be a short order cook. And if you don’t like dinner, then you can have breakfast in the morning. There’s no snacking later because you didn’t like what I cooked.

Tonight was a perfect example of a dinner made for grown ups, with kids in mind.

We had stuffed peppers from the December Vegetarian Times magazine. I kept some of the arborio rice out separate and side of parmesan cheese because my girls are not keen (like most kids) on much of anything mixed all together. I wasn’t either as a kid and have memories of hiding all kinds meat loafs and casseroles on a ledge under the table.

For sides I made sautéed kale with shiitake mushrooms, onions, dill, coriander, garlic salt and sesame oil. It was so yummy mixed with the stuffed mushrooms. I also made a garbanzo bean salad with parmesan cheese, dill, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. I kept some plain garbanzo beans on the side the girls. And we had broiled asparagus because I love it and my “vegetarian” can eat her weight in it.

As a safe bet for all, I baked a pack of chicken tenders (not breaded) in a honey mustard sauce. My girls, all of them, will eat anything dipped in ketchup – sadly. A couple weeks ago I started giving them one serving of ketchup in a tablespoon size glass bowl. The ketchup bottle stays in the kitchen while we eat. And everyone uses a lot less ketchup!

Everyone tried something new tonight but I had a backup of something they liked. No one left the table hungry. And mom and dad were happy to not be eating kid food.

I have to report, that after some hard, long years of getting kids to eat things other than chicken nuggets and pizza, it’s paying off. They ask for kid dinners but don’t expect them. They take turns helping in the kitchen and my middle girl surprised me by making us all lunch one day last week on winter break. It was a break through, a pay off moment. That same day I read a mom’s Facebook status where she said food battles were wearing her out. She has four very young children. I reassured her being a food conscious mom will payoff. And to hang in there.

Here’s what was for dinner, with many small bowls on the table that make passing and serving easier for children – especially my youngest.

Another magazine I’ve been cooking several new things from is the December issue of Real Simple. They ran an article called 10 easy side dishes for the holidays. The roasted mushrooms, braised carrots, roasted endive, beet and ricotta salata salad, and sweet potato wedges were great and will become regular things here. And it’s easy ways to add something to the table to make a kid dinner feel grown up.

My hope in exposing my children to different foods is that one day, just maybe, when they are grown and out to dinner on a date they will choose NOT to order a grill cheese sandwich. I do have one who will eat plain lettuce and calls it “a salad.” It’s the little successes that gives a mom the power to keep going. And the sheer will to not eat any…more…kid…dinners.

If you are wanting to read more about cooking at the Simmons house, read about our 10 Day Real Food Challenge we did spring 2012. There were several more posts too – here, here, here, and here covering everything from popsicles to homemade pizza, restaurant night at home, making yogurt and muffins for snack.

Good luck. And hang in there mamas!

posted on January 1, 2014 by Rebecca Simmons

2014…so far it’s glitter, good food and big plans

The good thing about children getting older is they remember traditions, and appreciate the experiences we created for them in the past. The bad thing is when we don’t do them again, they remember what we did before.

I puttered out on offering any New Year’s Eve celebrations for the girls. There was no horns, balls dropping or ringing in the new year on France time. My older girl was disappointed by my lack of New Year’s excitement. It’s endearing really, that she remembered and was asking for that silly stuff at 9:30 when she felt funny going to bed minus the hoopla.

We made up for it with a New Year’s Day cake. I knew the black eyed peas and collard greens wouldn’t be as greatly appreciated by the girls as the parents. But, tradition is tradition and maybe one year they’ll actually feel strange if it’s not offered to them.

The black-eyed peas and collard greens were delicious – good enough to have for dinner on a regular Wednesday. However I’ll take any excuse to make a big chocolate cookie cake. My daughter made the banner for the cake, and felt much more celebratory about the whole day. Chocolate does have that affect on a girl.

In the South having collard greens and black-eyed peas is a must on New Years Day. Without them you’ll have bad luck and be broke. But being a foodie, I have to dice it up bit.

I have been in a food rut since fall. But now I’m feeling more motived to cook again. So I started off the new year with this dish.

A recipe from the Vegetarian Times inspired me, that featured separate black-eyed peas and kale. Earlier in the week I made the recipe from the same December issue, with chickpeas, pasta and tomatoes in vegetable broth. I sort of married the two ideas for this collards and black-eyed peas delight.

First I chopped up a full bunch of collards, finely, rolling the leaves and cutting with scissors. I diced half of an onion and but both in the stock pan. I poured in about 1 cup of vegetable broth with two tablespoons of butter. What makes collards yummy to most southerns is cooking them with ham and other animal parts I don’t even want to think about. I substitute with butter to get some animal fat in there. I let that cook for about 30 minutes before adding one can of diced (drained) tomatoes. And then I kept it simmering for about 30 minutes after that. As it cooks, add flavor. I used Tabasco sauce (a southern thing), garlic salt, turmeric, parsley, oregano and then when something was missing I put in a teaspoon of stoneground mustard because I didn’t have any dried mustard.

Cook the black-eyed peas separate by boiling them with salt. I soaked mine over night and then quick boiled them for 20 minutes in the afternoon, soaked them till dinner then boiled them until soft and poured the whole pot (with water) into the collard greens. I left the whole concoction simmering on the stove for another 30 minutes or so until we were all ready to eat. The longer you cook it all the softer the greens get. So really, it’s a preference thing. I still like some crunch to my greens.

While all that was cooking in the kitchen there was crafting in the basement, book snuggles with sisters, hair designs happening, ping-pong and girly giggles.

Every year we go around the table after dinner talking about our family resolutions – as so many of you probably do. We started doing this as group art time in the early years, before little ones could write a list of resolutions. This year everyone just blurted out things as I attempted to jot down notes.

The big picture is, everyone wants to travel more – the kind that requires stamps on our passports. I’m game! The youngest girl wants to go Asheville – this weekend. They are looking for adventure.

My husband was blessed this year with a new work adventure as he started his own company and left the safe zone of a regularly scheduled paycheck. It was a leap he’s been waiting to take since the night we met and he told me he wanted to “buy and sell companies.” I was thinking Pretty Woman and Richard Gere. I was 21 years old. He was 25. This summer we’ll celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary. Time.. is.. flying. Well I really be 38 in February? The number looks s-t-r-a-n-g-e.

Things are going great for him. His resolution was to keep it that way. I’m always leery of risk. I’m super proud of him for taking this leap and I knew it would great for our family. For the first time ever, I convinced him to take off the time between Christmas and New Year’s Day. So I think I’m going to like this new set up!

In 2014 I’m focusing on the smaller day-to-day things that will make our family better, happier and growing together. I’m not sure exactly how yet, but I’m going try and be more patient, peaceful, organized, attentive, present and a better listener to my girls. And of course, I vow to exercise more, eat less chocolate (ahem), walk the dog, go to yoga…all that jazz.

But taking time for more glitter, saying yes to more glue and worrying about the details later is a good place to start…I figure.

posted on January 1, 2014 by Rebecca Simmons

Christmas catch up and welcome New Year

This is a very late Christmas catch up post, on New Year’s Day. We rung in 2014 on Monday with an evening out, because finding a babysitter on New Year’s Eve is impossible. So I spent New Year’s Eve writing, hoping to catch up here and get even with the calendar. Then time got a way, the neighbors were yelling Happy New Year, I went to sleep, and the kids woke me up. It happens…. I want to blog, then things come up and then I wonder, do I really want to share that? Then time passes, I decide to sleep on it and a new day comes.

It’s a delicate balance of what to share and what secrets to keep for myself. So my presence here has been hit or miss the last few months. But I hope to share more in the new year, as I feel some serious sewing coming on and I am digging myself out of a food rut. The fun stuff is easy to write about. And I do love to write.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas full of meaning and love. This was my first Christmas when the merry and the joy part didn’t quite jive with jolly. But it was filled with meaning and love.

As some of you remember, it was Christmas last year when my middle girl was asking Santa for a baby brother – which tipped my maybe just one more gauge into trying for just one more.

After a year-long journey that ended with no baby to celebrate or plan for, this Christmas had a looming sadness over it for me. In November there was a second miscarriage that I decided not to share about here (nor did we tell the girls this time). So this season I felt the loss of two little souls, had an emptiness within me, and I just wanted to be still. I did the bare minimums to make my girls happy. Shopping was sparse and holiday outings were pared down. I worried the girls would notice Christmas morning was minimalistic, and be disappointed. But that wasn’t the case. And once again I learned less is better.

My youngest girl talked and talked and talked – even having conversations with our elf up until the day before Christmas – about getting a “real live” turtle. In the end, a new wooden play toaster and bakery set made her very happy.

The others were thrilled with a CD player, 80’s cd’s and a set of curlers for her hair. The Flying Turtle scooters were a bigger hit than I predicted and have kept them happily zooming around the basement. The dog is still happily snoozing on her new bed which holds a poignant reminder printed on it, “Always kiss your dog goodnight.” Sometimes we don’t show enough love for this loony dog who still tests our patience with all her barking and chewing (she’s almost age 4). I think the saying works for us all, across the board.

The santa bag that is usually overflowing with gifts was WAY less than full this year. But it was all I felt like doing and my thought was….it’ll have do. I still worried they would feel something wasn’t quite festive enough on Christmas morning.

It turned out, I was so wrong. Because it was so merry.

My girls made it so very merry. These little elves of mine had been busy making things for each other, and sneaking a quick buy here and there with their own money – all for each other! For days they held each other in suspense, begging to open this or that from under the tree. But they waited.

On Christmas Eve I sat in front of the tree feeling the sadness and looking where there seemed to be a missing stocking. And then, I started inspecting the homemade wrappings and decorations that had been proudly placed on and under the tree. Our home is full of love and I see it in all my girls do…even when it’s making up after a fight. They remind me daily to be more patient and kind when my fuse is low. They stop to give me a hug when they see I need one, understanding a little love makes everything better. I can always learn something from them. And I learned a lot by looking under the tree Christmas Eve.

And on Christmas morning in their mama made matching night gowns (the one thing I made sure to get done this season), they darted out of my bedroom to the tree and immediately started sharing the gifts they had prepared for each other. They were most excited to give than to receive. And watching it made my Christmas morning more than merry.

This year has made me appreciate my girls to the fullest, be more proud of them, feel incredibly blessed to have three healthy children, and be thankful for my three perfect pregnancies I loved and cherished. The second miscarriage this year taught us these things more than ever, after a rare chromosome abnormality was suspected at 11 weeks, followed by a loss of a heartbeat at 12 weeks and a miscarriage at 14 weeks that I attempted to have naturally without a D&C.

The year 2013 held ALOT to cope with. Yet it’s difficult to move on from it. I’ve learned I’m perfectly happy to be a stay-at-home-mom (forever I thought I sold myself short) and my girls deserve every part of me that I give to them. I don’t mean to gush and make this into an I love my kids post, because everyone loves their kids. But after what we went though this year, there won’t be a single day in 2014 where I take them for granted.

We wish you a Happy New Year full of good things to come.

posted on December 19, 2013 by Rebecca Simmons

Christmas around the house

For the first year, all the greenery in our home is real. Real wreaths, real accent trees all around the house, real garland inside and out and sprigs of tree trimmings in vases. It seemed like the year to keep it real, in so many ways. It was much easier than digging through boxes in the basement and it felt like the genuine thing to do. It’s amazing how much artificial greenery and trees (yes trees) we have accumulated through the years. And I honestly don’t remember buying hardly any of it.

As a whole, Christmas around the house is more simple this year. The girls decorated the tree and I only got out ONE box of ornaments, leaving many (and most of my favorites) untouched. But when the tree seemed finished to them, I agreed and left the other boxes in storage. It it was a group effort getting the house ready for Christmas and only the most requested items made it out the boxes. Little touches from little hands are everywhere, reminding me of what’s important.

Every year I make more of an effort to take the focus off the stuff, the gifts, the hustle, and the trying to just get it all done. As impossible as this sometimes seems this time of year, we DO make progress. I’ve said to no to many outings, play dates, sleepovers, gatherings, shows, train rides and events – to just be home with my girls. Because this year it feels like the right place to be, at home, together, creating calm, and keeping our days as simple as we can.

Almost all my shopping was done online and wrapping has been an evening event that everyone has done together. Wrapping can be challenging for some around here, as there there is very little actual wrapping paper. Instead there is a pile of creative inspiration – bags to be repurposed, a box of Christmas stamps, fabric, leftover ribbon from other projects, newspaper for tissue paper, gift tags to be made. It’s all about resourcefulness and being creative, two things I love.

I hope you all are finding peace this season. Enjoy these snapshots of these corners of our home filled with silly, simple and little things that are giving me joy right now.

posted on December 12, 2013 by Rebecca Simmons

Winter birthday party full of crafts and fun

My middle girl turned seven Saturday. With cold temperatures, winter birthday parties can be tricky. Backyard parties allow the most guests for home parties. But in the cold, kids want to stick the inside more. This year, my girl recalled the hot chocolate and Frosty the Snowman movie party she had when was four. We played pin the nose on Frosty, scooped “snowballs” aka cotton balls and did fun little four-year old things. She asked for a party at home like that again, “but with bigger kid things because my friends don’t like those kinds of things anymore.” Of course, she is SEVEN now. But it was so sweet that she remembered that party so fondly, recognizes that she is growing up, and that she still likes the same kinds of things. And more than anything, she cherishes having a winter birthday.

And these days, I’ll embrace any kind of little girl sweetness. Because I know, come eight, it might different. Still sweet. But much bigger. Here’s what we did for seven.

A little note: I LOVE parent drop off parties now. It’s so nice to spend time with just the kids, and have the focus all on the children. I really had fun with the girls at this one!

We turned the basement into the craft area. There we made beeswax candles (with kids from Hearthsong), clay snowmen and ornaments using polymer clay by Sculpey (available at big craft stores) and decorated snowflakes (from Hearthsong) with glitter. These are crafts my girls have loved and mastered through the holiday years at home. They naturally became teachers for their friends. Which really helped me while facilitating crafts with 10 girls at one time.

After the basement, they ran up to decorate the gingerbread houses.

I love, love, love these candles filling our home and lighting out dinner table during the winter months. These are the “demonstration candles” my girls made before the party and placed them on the candle table. Next to them is a tin of assorted small Christmas cookie cutters they used to cut out designs for the candles.

The clay pieces get baked at 275 degrees for 15 minutes. I think they turned out SO cute. They used cookie cutters for the patterns, flatting the clay out mostly by hand. Some found the need for rolling pins. In which I was thrilled that I (a hoarder of all things small and Montessori like) had seven child size rolling pins. Crazy! I know.

The first girl to make a glitter snowflake asked about the mess, “We just do it right here? What about all the glitter?” I loved responding don’t worry – that’s what the basement is for. It was a free pass to use lots of glitter! Our basement will forever be covered in glitter. But really, that is no different than it ever has been before. Because girls LOVE glitter. And I can’t deny a girl of that. In all, they were very mindful Montessori (because most all the guests were school friends) crafters.

The birthday girl was a little worried about how I was going make the basement suitable for a party. It’s our crash all, craft all, place of great fun – but very practical, always full of laundry, and not fancy like a party. Twinkle lights and a real Christmas tree, cut down by the birthday girl, were the answer.

That all lasted about 45 minutes. Then they ran upstairs eager to decorate gingerbread houses.

I pre made the houses using graham crackers and frosting. A note if you do this – get the good the crackers. I tried the Kroger brand first, only to find out they were half the size, and half broken. I used tubes of Betty Crocker frosting to make the houses, about one tube per two houses. It wasn’t cheep, but it stuck like glue in comparison to the second batch I made (after the party) using a tub of frosting that just doesn’t harden enough to prevent the awful collapse that is followed by frustration and tears. So either make your own gingerbread house frosting (which I have done but was trying to take short cuts for making this many) or get the tubes. For the children to decorate them, they each had their own Betty Crocker bag of frosting with the built in cookie decorating tip – which is different than the hard to squeeze tubes which use the decorator tips you buy separately.

This was the prep…..

Here is the set up with the candy for decorating. Each girl got a small holder for her decorations, and then of course went back for more.

There is natural about this candy. I can not lie. Lots of cheery food coloring that we embrace this time of year for something like this. For ideas for a heather version, check out the real gingerbread houses we made two years ago using all candy from the health food store. This time, we were going for the birthday affect.

And the during…

It was a cold day outside, bordering freezing temperatures. While driving to the birth center on the day my middle girl was born, it snowed. She was supposed to be have been born on Thanksgiving but she was 10 days late and became a Christmastime snow baby. It only seemed to right to make snow at her party!

I bought five jars of fake snow. It started out a controlled science experiment. And turned into the most perfect moment with the birthday girl throwing snow in the air. They ice skated on it, and had a blast. Coincidentally, Dean Martin’s Let It Snow came on the player while it was all happening. It was a perfect birthday moment for mom. And when I really appreciated my husband who took whole heartily took on his task as Mr. Wizzard for this project.

The only rule was the snow had to stay on the concrete, so it could be swept up later. Because I read on the Amazon reviews that it’s a nightmare to get out of the grass.

For our first party ever, I bought a piñata. Because I was worried what I would do to keep 10 girls entertained inside for three hours. My plan that fake snow and a piñata would get them outside worked. And I learned a valuable mom lesson. When you deprive your children of piñata for this many years, such a simple thing, they are REALLY excited. As my girls stuffed it full of candy – an amount of candy they have never before seen in this house – my oldest said in sheer amazement, “Mom I can not believe you bought this much candy!” Yes, sometimes I can surprise them. This face was worth the cost of the candy and the sugared up kids. We told them to eat two pieces and take the rest home. Sorry parents.

And the girl’s dad who lives here was pretty darn excited to get out his Georgia Tech baseball bat for the occasion!

It was COLD. Hot chocolate and popcorn was welcome. Part of the party fun is the preparations. For me and the girls. I love seeing them all get involved to wish a sister happy birthday.

All that was left was cake, presents and watching Frosty the Snowman – which was a special request to relive the four-year-old party. Melt.My.Heart!!!

Happy seventh birthday my snow baby!