James, Jen, and Lee: One Happy Family

James: RSD - ready to paint

2012-02-05T23:08:00.000-06:00

I finally finished adding detail to the trenches and am now ready to move on to painting. Here is the total build progress so far:

This is a picture I forgot to post last time, it compares the resin barrel for the forward guns with the styrene replacement I used.

Trench details:

Bottom of the hull:

The puritst in me won out and I removed the cross support from the two bridge towers.

Finally, here is everything ready to paint. All of the small stuff has been drilled and mounted on sticks to allow for easier painting.

James: Republic Star Destroyer, Movin' right along

2012-01-28T16:16:00.001-06:00

Yes, I do listen to Muppet music while modeling. I got a little more work done this week. I used my trusty pinvise to drill out the barrels on the main guns, then added a little photetch detail to them.

With those cleaned up I've moved on to detailing the front of the hull. I added some more detail around the bridge towers:

The RSD has a set of forward guns on the side trenches, this kit came with resin barrels that were thick and looked out of scale to me. I replaced them with some smaller, and thinner styrene barrels from the 1/700 scale battleship kit:

All that's left now is to add some extra detail to the trenches and I'm ready to start painting.

James: Republic Star Destroyer - Detail

2012-01-20T19:49:00.000-06:00

I originally went to the hobby store just for paint, but things didn't work out that way. I think I finally know how my wife feels at the antique mall. When I got there they were having a sale on open box models. I found this 1/700 scale battleship for $5.00:

Great deal, I'm not sure why but they are normally about $20.00. I wish they had more that one, because this kit comes with all kinds of great parts for detailing. I also found some really cool photo etch parts. They are for 1/25 scale model car hinges, but to me they just screamed armor panels.

With all of this, my plans for a stock build of the RSD were blown. Instead of painting, I have been spending this week adding detail to the rear of the ship. I still plan on adding more the side trenches as well.

James: Venator Class Republic Star Destroyer

2012-01-16T17:24:00.001-06:00

The mighty Venator, backbone of the Old Republic's navy. I love this ship, not only is it a great design but you can clearly see that it is a predecessor to the Empire's fearsome Imperial Star Destroyer. This kit I got for Christmas, and it is truly spectacular. Mastered by Nicholas Sagan and cast by .jpg models, this is one of the best resin kits I have ever worked on, the level of detail and accuracy is better that most styrene kits, and that includes the RSD produced by Revell.

Now for a few pictures:

Here is the kit with all the goodies it comes with

Not included with the kit, my new favorite tool. A gift from the in-laws, I don't know how I have ever lived without it.

My copy came with only one big casting flaw. This top part of the back "fin" was gone.

Not a problem, I used some sheet styrene to build and replace the fin and armor panel. Now good as new.

There were also a few minor air bubbles in my cast, but nothing a little bit of putty and sandpaper can't fix.

Smooth

And that's it so far. I'm going to the hobby shop tomorrow for some paint, and hopefully have some more update pictures soon.

Jen: Potty-training...

2012-01-14T18:55:00.000-06:00

So we've seriously begun the world of potty-training. I've been lax about it, because we've travelled and we've been sick and this and that, and now that Lee is quickly nearing the age of 3, I'm feeling quite the strain to get him potty-trained as soon as possible. So our endeavors have been pretty much to take the potty wherever we are playing, and make him sit on it at least every hour.

To parent's who have successfully done this before... helpful hints, tips and advice would be greatly appreciated.

Lee doesn't mind sitting on the potty. He hates "going to the bathroom to sit on the potty." I've done everything from bribing him with m&m's as a reward for going, to doing celebratory dances. He's happy when he's proud of himself, but the real truth of the matter is that he simply doesn't care if he goes in his diaper vs. going in the potty. He won't tell me when he needs to go. He'll let me know after... sometimes. Pooping in his diaper is fine with him. He won't initiate coming to me to tell me he's poopy.

I have gone to Target and bought him several training pants along with those plastic covers, and they are helping. He at least knows and feels when he's wet. I hate cleaning out the non-urine undies, but it's part of the job. As green and earth-friendly as I want to be, I don't think I could ever do cloth diapers. I just don't enjoy it. At all.

But wish us luck. I hope we're not completely behind the rest of the world in this. I think I'm just going to have to do one week straight of potty training - religiously - and then, at the end, hopefully, we'll be done with diapers.

At least, for now.

Jen: The Sinus infection virus from HELL!

2012-01-14T18:48:00.000-06:00

We are on day 10 of having a sinus infection virus thing. On day 2, we took him to the Doctor - my goal was to nip this in the bud early before it became a full-fledge upper respiratory infection. I didn't realize then that this wasn't a quick 24 hour sinus infection. We're on day 10 of Lee being sick (Day 5 of me being sick) and still going strong.

The Doctor is positive it's viral, and therefore, anti-biotics are mostly ineffective. I've been on amoxicillin for 4 days now, and am not any better, so I'm going to guess the Doctor's right. My Doctor was at least going to try something when I sat in her office and begged for anything that could possibly help clear my nose, relieve my headache, stop my watery eyes, and get rid of my sore throat and cough.

Please note that I am a life-long Zyrtec subscriber, and will continue to take that probably until I die. It also, has been ineffective in helping relieve any or all sinus infection symptoms.

Lee was given an antibiotic on day 4, to which he immediately threw up (within 30 seconds of being given first dose) and then continued to be sick for the next 2 days. The Doctor believes (we haven't done further testing on this yet, of course) that it was probably an early allergic reaction to the anti-biotic. So great. Something else to worry about in the future. Sigh.

Lee's been doing his nebulizer 4 times a day. The poor baby can't really clear his nose well, and I am almost physically unable to hold him down anymore to try and bulb out his nose... Not that I still haven't tried on several occasions. But at least I can hear a slight improvement in his lungs after each neb treatment, and his nose usually runs buckets afterwards, which is better than clogging up, I suppose.

He hasn't really run a fever, but his overall lethargy and easily tired behavior makes me believe he doesn't feel his best.

I sincerely hope this doesn't last much longer for either of us. It's turning out to be the longest 2 weeks ever. This illness is one of the more long-term I've experienced... I've gotten very used to getting an anti-biotic or Z-pak or something that gets you feeling better in a day or two's time. This just sort of knocks you flat until it runs it's course, and I'm not seeing an end in sight yet. Need prayers!

Lee doing a nebulizer treatment. They have a special face-mask for little kids, which makes it helpful to keep on. It's not his most favorite of things to go through.

This was just as he was feeling a bit better and recovering from the anti-biotic illness. Notice I covered the couch with a sheet, and there is also a trash can right next to him. He didn't want to be set up in the den in front of the TV. He much preferred watching James' iPad at the end of the couch. Silly boy. I've also kept a steady cup filled with half gatorade, half water to keep him dehydrated. We had a scare on day 4/5 to which we had to get at least 5 oz. down him by 6 p.m., otherwise, we would have had to take him to the hospital. Can I just say that frozen gatorade popsicles are a hit?

Jen: Lee's new big boy bedroom!

2012-01-14T18:31:00.000-06:00

James and I decided when we put Lee in his toddler bed, that our goal for him was to be in a twin size bed by the time he was three. I don't know about other parents, but for us, it's good to set goals like that because it gives us a deadline to work towards. Lee is perfectly big enough to handle his new bed. We do have a footstool on one end so that he can climb up easier, but he hasn't fallen out and we've had no accidents. We are getting one of those kid side bumper protector things to help prevent future problems that might occur, but he's definitely at the age where a twin bed is perfectly reasonable for him. He loves it. I love it because he loves it. His room seems much bigger now, which surprises me because the bed and nightstand take up more space than his toddler bed, but the way we rearranged the furniture gives him much more space and now he loves going to "Lee's room" to play.

I did score this headboard, footboard, and nightstand for $100 off of Craigslist. I was originally looking for a Captains bed - I knew that I loved the idea of bookshelves and spaces to put things, but then I came across this set and knew that it was perfect. It's a slightly lighter color than the other pieces of furniture that he has in his room, and if I ever get really annoyed with that, I can easily varnish the set to make the room match. But the day we picked this up, it was kind of a last minute decision, and we borrowed the truck from Dad (thanks Dad) and went ahead to get these pieces.

We hadn't bought the mattresses and hadn't made room in his room for these pieces yet, and I think it surprised us to find that this is what we spent the day doing. But we went ahead and bought him new mattresses - good ones that will last him a minimum of 10 years if I have my way about it - and went even further and rearranged his room and set his bed up.

I don't have his official new bedding yet. I haven't found the right set on Ebay yet. I want a specific Pottery Barn Kids comforter set without paying $1000.00 for it. So it will wait until I come across it. It will happen. It always does. So he has a misc. collection of sheets and pillowcases and bedspreads and quilts and comforters, and for him not quite 3 years of age yet, it's just fine and dandy.

I love the bookshelf space the headboard and nightstand offer. Those features were the main reason I needed this set.

I fell in love with the footboard that also had shelves. I thought that was very practical and brilliant and we always need more shelves to have a place to "put away" toys. Always.

His dresser drawers and bookshelf dresser piece were moved against the wall his toddler bed once sat. It opened the room up a lot. I just love these pieces -t hey hold so much and are really perfect. Thank you Diane! I also have plans over the next month to get Lee's fish tank filled and working. He will love it, and I've really lagged in putting it together.

We're about to move my comfortable recliner into the room next door. But for now, until we can get that room cleaned out, it sits here. Once gone, there will be tons more space. Surprisingly, Lee loves that little corner between the footboard and the wall. I find him playing there almost every day.

I'm going to reuse this photo because it gives a perfect show of the footboard shelves. Don't you love them?

Jen: Hanna Andersson Pajamas

2012-01-10T14:22:00.000-06:00

My friend, Leigh Anne, introduced me to the Hanna Andersson pajamas and I am so glad that she did. I'm writing this post for all of you who have never heard of Hanna Andersson. The brand is AMAZING. What I find most impressive about these pajamas is the fact that they are soft - so incredibly soft - especially in comparison to other pajama brands, like Carters, GAP, Old Navy, Target, or Wal-mart. Dilliards "Little Impressions" is very similar to "The Children's Place" to be me, where the pajamas to tend to fit better according to size, but are made out of very thin material so they don't hold up in numerous washes and you usually can't get more than a few wears out of them before they fade.

Don't even get me started on the Disney Store clothes. I will never buy another pair of pajamas from the Disney store. They are cheap, cheap material, and they fade almost 40% after the first wash. And that is doing as the instructions detail. They are just poor quality.

Which leads me back to the Hanna Andersson pajamas. They just don't fade drastically. If they do, it's over severe long-term use and abuse. They are very well put together. You can tell just by feeling them, that the company uses a higher product material than most other brands.

I also love that no matter how many times you wash them, they don't shrink. The sizing is very straight-forward, and you know that when you buy a 4t, you will be getting a 4t. It doesn't run small or large. Which is something I wish other brands would catch onto. I can't tell you the times I've bought Old Navy pajamas, and had to buy them 2 sizes up just to fit Lee now. And there isn't any growing room. It's ridiculous.

There is one con to the Hanna Andersson pajamas. They are pricey. Very pricey. A normal pair of pajamas will run you anywhere from $28 (on sale) to $42. Compared to the prices of Old Navy, which usually give you a sale price of 2 pairs for $20, or something to that effect. Yes, in comparison, if money is what you are concerned about, it's not really a comparison at all. Hanna Andersson is expensive.

However, after buying loads and loads of Old Navy and The Children's Place pajamas, and watching them thin, shrink, and fade, when you really look at it, you will get more product for your money by just paying for a few pairs of the Hanna Andersson pajamas.

Now, if you are on a budget each month, like we are - I wish money grew on trees as it seems to do for some people! But for us, we pick and choose the things we feel are important and necessary, and give up other things so that we can have the things we need. There are sacrifices every month. There isn't a month that goes by where we get all 5 things that we "need" to buy that month.

What kinds of things are sacrificed to buy other things? Well, it really depends on the month. Last month, we had to get the Highlander inspected, and we had to get the oil changed and get new tags on the van. That was about $140 that we hadn't wanted to spend, but those things had to get done. Therefore, $140 had to come out of another budget. Whether that be shoes, or misc. items, or books, or going out, then so be it. There are some months that we simply can't afford to eat out. There are some months that we don't buy name brand and completely organic products when grocery shopping. There are some months where Lee and I stay home so as not to have to pay 2 vehicle gas bills.

There is give and take with live and living month to month, and having children just means that more is sacrificed each month because there are things that children need en masse month to month in order to live. You have to buy new shoes at least every 3 months. And usually, we need more than 1 pair. And I am very particular about shoes - I'll have to do a post later about what my thoughts are in regards to shoes.

But shoes are the perfect example of the fact that having children means that every few months, you are out a couple hundred dollars on shoes, clothes, and things you didn't really consider before, because as an adult, you can usually wait more than 3 months to buy new things for yourself. I know for me, I'm lucky if I get new bras every year. Forget buying new outfits. I'll buy a new pair of jeans every other year or when the ones I have wear out. I'll buy a new pair of tennis shoes about every 3 years.

But then again, I personally don't find it a problem to make personal sacrifices so that my child can get the things he needs. I grew up with all the necessities I needed and more. My parents sacrificed much for me and my sister growing up, and taught me that part of being an adult, much less a good parent, means that you always, always put your child's needs above your own. And I'll tell you something honest. When you take care of your child, you feel as though you are taking care of yourself. And it doesn't feel like a sacrifice in the end. You feel proud that you were able to provide for your family.

With that being said, however, I am one that never shied away from a used item. It was still new to me, in the end. The first car my husband and I bought was used. But it was our brand new car. I do have standards. I love a bargain, I love thrift shopping, I love ebay - but that doesn't mean I want a product that looks used and dirty and has holes. When I do shop off of Craigslist and the like, I do make sure that what I'm buying (although slightly used) is in either new condition or has more life to give than life given.

Which leads me back to my Hanna Andersson pajamas being expensive dilemma. I am a very good ebayer. I know how to search for exactly what I'm looking for, and I know what is a reasonable ebay price vs. someone who hasn't done their research in how much worth to put on an item. With that being said, I have found Lee everything and more that I want for him in new or practically new condition, at used prices. INCLUDING the Hanna Andersson pajamas.

What are $42 new on the Hanna Andersson website (http://www.hannaandersson.com/home.asp), I can buy from $14-20. And that includes shipping.

The pair below, that Lee is currently wearing today (and yes, we're having an indoor pajama day because he's still getting over his respiratory infection) I bought off of ebay for $11. They are perfect in condition. There are no signs of wear, no signs of wash, and no signs of "being used," other than the fact that they didn't arrive in original packaging.

I'm not saying buying used is the way to go, if you prefer buying new. But I am saying that even used, the Hanna Andersson quality is going to outshine a new pair of pajamas from other store brands. Any day.

James: X-Wing Finished

2012-01-01T12:16:00.000-06:00

Finally finished with the X-Wing, and I couldn't be more happy with how it turned out. Before I get to the pictures, I want to share this great behind the scenes clip that is part of the bonus features on the new Blu-Ray release of Star Wars:

You can see both the early concept model, and a great picture of "Blue One" before it was repainted red.

Now on to my build, here it is finished and weathered:

The first two show a comparison of the cockpits:

Next, a close up of the upper wing panels:

And finally some "hero" shots of the model:

James: X-Wing, Part 2

2011-11-27T00:51:00.000-06:00

I chose the Binary Sunset track for this post on the build because much like Luke I am looking forward with hope. I have made a lot of progress since the last post, but you will have to forgive the picture quality, I only had my Ipad camera with me. First up, some pictures showing more accuraizing work. Here is a picture of the back of the studio Hero model. If you look at the trench of the back of the wings you will see a thin rod going the length of the wing. The kit doesn't have that bit, so I cut some small brass rod and added it myself.

Hero:

Old kit:

New kit with brass rod:

The next big problem to over come was the clear canopy. Bottle paint doesn't stick to clear parts well, and the provided kit decals were not the right color I wanted. Since I lack an airbrush, the only other option was to use a spray can. I started by masking the clear areas off and using my exacto to cut out the template. Then it was just as simple as spray, clear coat and remove the tape.

I have also tried a new technique to get better definition in my panel lines. On the old kit, I sprayed the primer and base coat so thick that you can't see any of the panel lines, which just kills all sense of reality and scale. On this kit I tried a "pre-shade" before painting. On the bare plastic I used a fine point sharpie and traced the panel lines on the wings. I found that a wet Q-tip would remove the excess, leaving only the recessed panel lines with color. The next part would be far easier with an airbrush, but after a few attempts I got good results spraying over the wing with the rattle can, and still getting a good look.

Before:

With Pre-Shade:

I now have the model all together, and have completed the decaling and washing. All I need to do now is pastel chalk work, and one more clear coat to finish this one up. I'll leave you with a current pic and a comparison with the old kit.

Jen: Building Fun!

2011-11-12T12:27:00.000-06:00

I love finding different kinds of blocks to build with. Lee loves building things, and we've finally reached the point where we can build something completely before he has to knock it over. There were a few months where you could barely pile 3 blocks together before he was pushing it over and gleefully clapping about it. *headdesk*

But he's loving building things now, and between my parents and me, we've got several different kinds of building blocks. This day at my parents house was spent using Lincoln Logs and the game of Zenga. We built for about an hour and had a blast. See what we created?

Zenga blocks make great towers!

I just love his intense concentration while building. The plywood underneath Lee is an unfinished project of my Dad's. He's currently building him an electric train table, but for now, the piece of wood made a great flat base for our block building. Easier to build on opposed to carpet.

He got it really tall!

He had to be really careful as he reached the top - it started leaning a bit!

Oh, what's this? The Zenga blocks box? The perfect thing to use as a bat to knock over this particular tower.

We also built a fort and fence...

I realize now that I probably should have gotten out some of Lee's small animals to play in the fort, but we were at my parents house and we were having too much fun simply building that I didn't really think about using what we built as a "toy" to play with. Oh well... next time.

Lincoln Logs are amazing. So much fun. I'm honestly not sure which one of us had more fun.

Lee particularly loved the yellow flags. They sort of made the Lincoln Logs worthwhile. :)

Jen: Early morning coloring!

2011-11-09T12:18:00.000-06:00

Lee woke up in the mood to color. I'm always encouraging arts and craft activities, so I've got a plethora of coloring books at my disposal. Out of the three that I picked out for him this morning, Peanuts, Winnie-the-Pooh, and Planet Earth Animals, Pooh won out. He's quickly becoming obsessed with Winnie-the-Pooh since the recent movie came to DVD, and he absolutely adores it. So we had fun coloring this morning.

I always try to make the effort to do the same crafty things he's doing, so I wanted to share that I'd found some wonderful adult coloring books in the "Dover Coloring Books." I'm currently working on one called, "Christmas Around the World," and I love it. It's gorgeous. It's very intricate and there is so much detail - I'm having a blast. So I have my coloring book, and Lee has his, and we had a fine morning together.

Can I just say that we have gotten our $11 dollars worth out of this Ikea rug? It washes in the washing machine, and it's fabulous for protecting the carpet from art and food. And if it gets ruined, I'm not bothered, because it was only $11 bucks.

I'm very impressed with his trying to stay in the lines. He draws with James' iPad sometimes, and what's impressive is that his drawings usually turn out recognizable to what he's labelled them as. "Batman" usually is in black, with a yellow belt, and Lee draws two eyes and a mouth. I'm probably bias, but I can't help but be enormously proud of his artistic achievements at the mere age of 2.

Concentrating! I love how involved he gets into his coloring. For a 2 year old, he does really well!

Can you tell we're going to be left-handed? Not sure where that came from...

I am proud of my crayons box. I found this for $1.00 at Target on one of their end of aisle clearance things. It's been a perfect way to keep the crayons together, and most importantly, keeps the crayons from being all over the house. Because that did happen a lot before I got this beloved box. And I hated stepping on crayons all over the place. It was dreadful.

Jen: Making binoculars out of toilet paper rolls!

2011-11-08T23:42:00.000-06:00

Some days I feel particularly crafty, and today was one of those days. It wasn't planned. I was in the bathroom collecting toilet paper tubes for our school (they have asked people to bring extra supplies for their science labs), when Lee came in, immediately plucked two up from the pile I had pulled out of the mostly empty trash, and put them to his face, looking through the holes. Voila - a project was introduced! So I went around the house and gathered a few things I had on hand - because I am a firm believer in doing as many projects as one can think of with already-in-the-house-objects. When I have to think about getting to the store and going out for something with Lee... well, the project quickly becomes unappealing at times. But luck was on my side today, and so we sat at Lee's craft table (and yes, I probably will keep my $1.00 Halloween plastic cloth on it until December because I'm just that lazy to care about changing it for Thanksgiving) and began our project.

Supplies: Two toilet paper rolls, colored paper (cardstock might be preferable, but I just used regular colored paper - not even construction, although that would work perfectly as well), scissors, glue, and ribbon.

The perfect "helping" job for a 2 year old. "Remove extra tissue from this." He loved it.

First, measure the roll on the paper and cut the paper to fit the roll.

I glued the paper to the roll, and then glued it shut. You can speed up the holding process by using a glue gun. But I didn't feel like getting the glue gun out, so I just used regular Elmers.

This is a terrible photo (sorry!) but basically I just put glue around the top circle and then covered it with ribbon.

Here is the completed ribbon circles - both the tops and bottoms of both rolls. Then, I glued the tubes together. Here is me pressing my fingers together for what felt like an eternity, to get the glue to harden enough so that they would actually stick together.

I then glued ribbon around the middle in two places, to help hold the tubes together. I love how they came out. I suppose if you wanted, you could further decorate them, or paint the inside of the tubes, or add string to allow it to be carried around one's neck. Lee is 2 and I'm not fond of things that go around his neck yet. He's also rough, and these were very cheaply made - but he got a lot of playtime out of them. We peered at each other all day through them and "discovered" things. It was fun, and easy, and the project as a whole (gathering supplies, doing, and cleaning up) only took about an hour. It was a good morning!

Jen: Hi-Ho! Cherry-o!

2011-11-02T12:03:00.000-05:00

Lee, being only two, is still too little to play this game correctly - but I found a brand new game at the local Goodwill (best place to shop, ever btw) and I decided to make up our own version of a "game" for Lee to play.

Lee and I had a blast putting 10 cherries in each bucket, and then putting them back out on the tree. It is great Montessori-esque hand practice to move the cherries from one bucket to place on a hole, and then back again.

The cherries are the perfect size for his little hands, and he LOVED the "game."

This is after we put 10 cherries on each tree out of the buckets. I was most pleased that the game contained all of the right pieces. Sometimes, with Goodwill, you have to be careful - but we really lucked out with the condition of this one. :)

What the cover looks like for those of you who are looking for it!

Lee discovered that if you pick up the board game, the buckets are easily slid out. He had a great time filling one bucket with cherries, and then pouring the bucket into another bucket. This kept him occupied for almost 2 hours. This will be something I pull out to play with weekly. It was so much fun!

Jen: The Brick Bible

2011-11-01T13:31:00.001-05:00

So we were at Sams the other day and I came across this book called "The Brick Bible: A New Spin on the Old Testament," and I thought it was fabulously fun.

At first, I cringed, thinking it was somewhat blasphemous because it uses fun lego creations to depict scenes from the Bible. In my opinion, this has to be done very carefully, as to keep the stories accurate, historical, and truthful to the Word.

I was really surprised when I continued to be drawn to this book and, after picking it up and perusing it for a few minutes, I found myself both captivated and absorbed by the creativity, the originality, and the honest nature in which the author depicts both the uncomfortable and the awkward moments in the Old Testament. What I found most impressive was the intelligent way the images presented both amusing and comical moments, all the while preserving the respect and Holy nature that the scripture deserves.

My favorite chapter has to be the Old Law, because the "Do and Do Not" rules of the time are both shocking and amusing in their extremeness. What I like about the way the comic presents itself, is that it's very straight-forward in explaining confusing parts of scripture and putting it into a modern day way of explanation.

The Brick Bible doesn't shy away from moments of reality in dealing with murder, stoning, rape, incest, and other things that are all horrific in their own right, but a brutal reality of what occurred during that time of history. I appreciate books that strive for truthfulness and historical accurateness opposed to fiction for the light-hearted.

I ended up buying the book, after some deliberation on whether or not I wanted to use it as a supplement to Lee's Bible story-time book that I read from daily. My main concern was that I in no way wanted to make parody or teach parody of the Bible. But after deliberation, I came to the conclusion that this Brick Bible is simply a modern-day depiction of an accurate portrayal of the Old Testament, and in that - it should be used, and applauded for it's brilliance and originality.

Lee adores it. When I was younger, I had a Precious Moments bible, that used drawings and things to depict moments of the Bible, and in that - I don't see any difference between the Precious Moments and the Lego buildings. I'm just jealous that I didn't think of it first.

You can purchase your own Old Testament (parts of) from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Brick-Bible-New-Spin-Testament/dp/1616084219/ref=nosim/thebricktesta-20/

or you can view the website to view for FREE the stories shown in the book: http://www.bricktestament.com/index.html

1 Kings 3-20 'So in the middle of the night, she took my son while your servant was asleep, and laid her dead son at my breast.'

The Forbidden Fruit in the Garden of Eden

Crossing the Jordan

David Decapitates Goliath

David Kills the Messenger

Executed Kings Hung on Display

God Tortures Job

Jephthah Kills His Virgin Daughter

Samson's Final Mass Murder

Abram did what Sarai said and had sex with Hagar.

And pairs of clean and unclean animals entered the ark.

Executed Kings Hung on Display

Exodus 8:6 "So Aaron stretched out his hand and over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up. (2nd plague)

Exodus 39:32 "All the work for the Dwelling was done exactly as Yahweh had ordered Moses. On the first day of the first month of the second year, the Dwelling was erected."

Genesis 22:12 'The angel said, 'Do not lay your hand on the boy, for now I know that you fear God since you did not withhold your only son from me.'

Tower of Babel

Jen: Yogurt and Dried Fruit breakfast

2011-10-31T11:59:00.000-05:00

Trying new things to keep Lee interested in breakfast is a challenge. Although he usually wakes up ready to eat, getting him to sit down and each breakfast once it's made has been a challenge. He wants to play, and to get up, and to be elsewhere.

He's currently 2 years and 10 months old, and he is a snacker. What that means, parents, is that instead of wanting to eat 3 meals a day, he just eats and munches on things all day long. Which, for toddlers, is perfectly acceptable, and is probably healthier for your body than eating 3 meals a day.

What makes having a snacker difficult is trying to keep the foods that he wants to snack on daily, healthy. I can't even begin to tell you how easy it is to hand over a bag of processed sugary food. Just open the package, hand it over, and you are done.

And it's a daily struggle to not give into temptation - especially when I'm exhausted, and James has been working one of his night shifts and won't be up for several hours. It's even more a struggle knowing that no matter what you make him now, won't last him two hours, and in less than that amount of time, I'll be going through this again, as he never gets "full" as he refuses to eat a whole meal.

I've been on a diet myself the past month that seems to be more of a life-style change than an actual diet. Apparently I'm one of those lucky people that can easily put on weight, and then I'm meant to keep that weight for the rest of my life. My body just doesn't want to let go.

So with the acceptance of this, true or untrue - it is what it is - I have decided to stop feeling guilty and simply change a few things about what I eat, and with time, I hope that the weight will reduce itself to put me in a healthy way, and I'll be happy and pleased with whatever that turns out to be for me.

My "diet" basically consists of earthy-foods. I have stopped eating pre-packaged things, things that have been processed in a way that it loses it's natural integrity - which basically means, that I'm cooking a lot, instead of opening and eating pre-prepared food, and eating out.

I buy fresh fruit and vegetables, although I do occasionally still eat frozen, as long as they are natural and organic and haven't gone through a process that loses what makes them good for you.

I've cut out snacks, I've cut soda and juice - rather, I make my own juice from fresh fruit.

This all seems pretty severe - but I would be lying if I said I switched over to this immediately. I will still eat chips twice a week during lunch. I make sure that I buy baked kettle chips, or something equally as "best for you as possible" even though chips in general aren't healthy at all. But I've cut back from eating chips 7-10 times a week with meals. I did have one Dr. Pepper last week. But I'm not having 2-4 per day anymore. Kool-aid is still one of my favorite drinks, and I will make a pitcher a week. Mostly, I drink enormous amounts of iced tea and water now, which suits me fine.

I haven't completely given up saltines. Oh my gosh - saltines are a secret love of mine. I could eat a bag of those for a meal if I let myself. I love them with sprite, and with spice tea. I love them with fruit and with cheese. There won't be a week that will go by that I won't eat saltines with some meal. And I'm sure they are processed. But they aren't high in cal. or carbs. and it's something I'm not willing to give up. In my mind, there are worse things I could be addicted to.

But back to the post at hand - figuring out what to feed a snacking toddler all day long, all the while making sure what he eats is both healthy and nutritious, and that I'm not filling him up on sugars that will make his behavior horrible and him go from sugar high to collapse in a short amount of time.

He adores yogurt. Of all kinds. He just wants to eat yogurt all day long, every day. He thinks it's ice cream, I think. But I'm honestly not sure how much is "too much" in regards to yogurt. Here was his breakfast this morning:

Two yo-toddler yogurts, one strawberry-banana, one blueberry.

Bowl of dried natural fruit. Make sure you find some that don't use sulfur and don't add sugars and sweetners.

Even after this meal, he still wanted more yogurt. I made him wait an hour. I'm maxing him out on 3 yogurts a day. Maybe that's bad, but until I can find out how much is too much, I'm limiting him. I do switch over from yo-toddler to organic plain a lot.

I have to say that I've become a fan of the Yo-baby/Yo-toddler yogurts, mainly because a lot of their mixes include vegetables.

Getting Lee to eat vegetables is a nightmare. I have finally resorted to simply buying yogurts with vegetables mixed in, and natural, organic, vegetable juice. I've even gone so far as to include sweet peas mushed in mac-n-cheese, and squash mushed into mashed potatoes. Which, he won't really eat unless I force feed them to him. But hand him a carrot, and he just looks at me like I'm disgusting, much less trying to get him to eat broccoli or celery.

I did learn that he loves salad as long as there is ranch dip to "dip" the lettuce into. Apparently, two year olds are big on "dipping" food. I can't tell you how many a meal was eaten with success simply because I provided some sort of dipping sauce.

But I can get him to eat grapes, and some fruit, as long as it's cut up bit-size. He loves bananas, and those, like yogurt, I have to limit per day, because he could eat an entire bushel in one sitting. I have been buying dried fruit for snacking, simply because it's a healthier alternative to chips or junk food. Lee loves toast, and so one of the snacks is some kind of toast. Eggs have become a staple every day, and not necessarily for breakfast. He can gobble one down and beg for another in less than a minute, but he doesn't usually finish the second, so I've made eggs a snack (or a meal, whatever you like). He does love oatmeal, and so I make sure he has some type of oatmeal at least 3 times a week for breakfast. He loves peanut butter and jelly, but won't eat anything else with it, so he has that for lunch quite often. Cereal in a baggie has become a snack. He loves chicken nuggets, and that has become a snack (or dinner if you like).

The point is that he will only eat one thing at a time, and in that sitting, because he's eating munching all day long, his helpings aren't that big. Just a few and he's done. Just something to keep him going.

I'm guessing this changes as he grows older, and perhaps I'm doing badly by letting him snack all day long - but it's what is working for us. Sitting him down for 3 meals a day wasn't getting him fed. He is an incredibly stubborn child, and I'm not above letting him go hungry until I win whatever I'm trying to feed him. He's gone over 24 hours not eating anything, simply because he wouldn't eat something I was making him eat. And I let him, because in the end - I won, and that was the point. But I think as long as I'm careful about WHAT he eats, I'm not as concerned at the moment of WHEN he chooses to eat them.

He still sits at the table with us when we eat. And I do always make him a plate of whatever we are eating. But the majority of the time, he'll sit quietly while we eat, and pick and play, but not really eat anything. And then 20 minutes after we finish, he's wanting a yogurt or something else.

My food philosophy is that I won't be a parent who forces a child to clean the plate. But I'm also not going to be the mom who cooks 2 or 3 meals per meal in order to suit everyone. I have no problem giving my healthy, growing toddler, veggies and fruit and yogurt and chicken and oatmeal and eggs and cheerios in small portions throughout the day instead of force-feeding him three meals a day. He's still getting what he needs, and I'm not being put out by having to cook all the time, until he gets old enough where he doesn't need to snack in small portions throughout the day, and can hold a bigger meal at one time, for longer.

Jen: Lee's new outfit for church

2011-10-30T23:31:00.000-05:00

I just had to do a quick post about this. I dressed Lee up in several clothing items that weren't bought together (or even from the same store) and I was so pleased with how the outfit came together. I think he looks darling, and so in front of the church this morning, I had to stop and grab a few photos.

Lee: Halloween pics.

2011-10-29T14:43:00.000-05:00

Lee is Captain America this year for Halloween. Here are some pics of him in costume:

Jen: QI

2011-10-21T20:33:00.003-05:00

I've recently discovered a show called QI through my obsession with all that encompasses David Tennant, a.k.a "My Doctor." I began watching this on youtube, and after falling out of my chair laughing at this episode, I've tried to immerse myself in this humorous, very witty, and mostly intelligent show. I love the knowledge gained after watching an episode, and I love the way that information is given. I think Stephen Fry is wonderful at playing host - I can't imagine anyone better positioned, but the panel is always fun.

Here are several links of this Christmas special episode they did, and hopefully, it'll capture your attention like it did mine, and you'll quickly become a fan of the show as much as I. In this particular episode, I was in tears of laughter by the end of the 2nd clip.

Hitler: "These new uniforms are cool." Best. Line. Ever. I about died.

Jen: Types of Oatmeal

2011-10-18T15:52:00.004-05:00

This week I read Lee "Goldilocks and the three bears" and it occurred to me that perhaps, I've never had real, authentic "porridge." So I went on a researching venture to find out exactly what constituted as "porridge."

Wikipedia states the following:

Porridge (also spelt porage, parritch, etc.^[1]) is a dish made by boiling oats (rolled, crushed, or steel cut) or other cereal meals in water, milk, or both. It is usually served hot in a bowl or dish. Other grains or legumes may be used, although dishes prepared with other ingredients are often referred to by other names, such as polenta or grits.

Oat and semolina porridge are the most popular varieties in many countries. In addition to oats, cereal meals used for porridge include rice, wheat, barley, and corn. Legumes such as peasemeal can also be used to make porridge. Gruel is similar to porridge but is much more like a drink; it has a very thin consistency and is made with water. It was served in Victorian workhouses as a standard meal.^{[citation needed]}

Porridge was a traditional food in much of Northern Europe and Russia. Barley was a common grain used, though other grains and yellow peas could be used, depending on local conditions. It was primarily a savory dish, with a variety of meats, root crops, vegetables, and herbs added for flavor. Porridge could be cooked in a large metal kettle over hot coals, or heated in a cheaperearthenware container by adding hot stones until boiling hot. Until leavened bread and baking ovens became commonplace in Europe, porridge was a typical means of preparing cereal crops for the table. It was also commonly used as prison food for inmates in the UK prison system and so "doing porridge" became a slang term for a sentence in prison.

In many modern cultures, porridge is eaten as a breakfast dish, often with the addition of salt, butter, sugar, milk or cream, depending on regional preferences. In the English speaking Caribbean islands it is common to add cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar and almond essence to the oats, water and milk. Some manufacturers of breakfast cereal, such as Scott's Porage Oats, sell ready-made versions. Porridge is one of the easiest ways to digest grains or legumes, and is used traditionally in many cultures as a food to nurse the sick back to health. It is also commonly eaten by athletes in training.

I then went on to research what the main differences between types of oatmeal are. I stumbled across this Q&A on Chow that states:

What’s the difference between steel-cut, Scottish, Irish, rolled, quick-cooking, old-fashioned, and instant oats?

Some are milled differently, while others are exactly the same but called different names. For every type, the oats first undergo cleaning, hulling, and conditioning, which removes the outer shell (called a hull), leaving the inner kernel or oat groat. The groat is then brushed clean in scouring machines. Next, a kiln heats the groats to about 215 degrees Fahrenheit to deactivate their enzymes, which limits how the oils present in the germ can react with oxygen, making the oats stable for storage. Chelsea Lincoln, a representative from Bob’s Red Mill Natural Foods, says this is important because “oats go rancid very quickly if not stabilized.”

From there, the whole oat groats are processed differently depending on what type of oatmeal they are being made into. Lincoln says that to make steel-cut oats (also known as Irish oats), the groats are chopped up with steel blades. “This allows for a chewier oatmeal,” says Lincoln. For Scottish oats, the groats are ground into a meal, which makes a “porridge-type oat with a nice, creamy texture.” Irish and Scottish oats take about 30 minutes to cook.

Rolled (also known as old-fashioned) oats take less time to cook. The groats are softened by steaming, then run through metal rollers to flatten them. Lincoln says that Bob’s Red Mill regular rolled oats are flattened to 0.024 to 0.032 inches, while quick-cooking oats are rolled even thinner—about 0.017 to 0.022 inches—so they will cook in under five minutes. Instant oats are also rolled thin, but are then “cooked and then dried again,” says Lincoln. Just add hot water and stir.

After reading several of the suggestions in the comments, I was led to this website: Bob's Red Mill. One comment suggested that Bob's Scottish is the very best in that the oats are less flat than rolled, and more creamy and complex than the steel cut. I have to say that after some research, the idea of the huge stones grinding the oats like the ancient Celts does make the oats more appealing for me to try. This person also hinted that the Irish steel cutting process couldn't be older than the 1800s, which I found interesting as a bit of trivia.

As a southern in the United States, I've grown up with old-fashioned oats for my oatmeal, which I love because they are really quick to cook and I love the mush they present as not being too chewy but not being liquid either. I've always loved Malt-a-meal, but it's horrible for you, and so I'm hoping to find that by making porridge, I can find more of a texture that is similar to the malt-a-meal that differs so greatly from regular oatmeal. I have always hated and despised grits (I know... how can I be a Texan and hate them - but I do.) I find them grainy and bland, with a consistency that feels more like instant potatoes that hasn't been mixed together properly.

I did discover Polenta as an adult, but I can't seem to believe that it's breakfast food as I think of it much like mashed potatoes, which in my mind, is a supper food.

I'm really excited to order some fine oats from Bob's and try some authentic Scottish oatmeal, as Scotland is where oatmeal originated. I'll do another post later on after my shipment has arrived, and after the preliminary testing has been accomplish. :)

I ended up ordering a Myrtlewood Spurtle, which is listed as:

A traditional Scottish cooking implement used to stir oats as they cook and slowly soften in the pot. Each of our Myrtle Wood Spurtles is handcrafted in Oregon with its own unique shape. You can use your spurtle to stir porridge made from a variety of whole grain cereals from Bob's Red Mill. It is said that stirring your porridge clockwise while slowly cooking porridge in the morning will bring good luck!

I also settled on getting the Organic Scottish Oatmeal, which is listed as:

Oatmeal originated in Scotland centuries ago and was different from our modern rolled oats. A coarse meal was produced by slowly grinding the kernel between two large mill stones. Our Scottish Oatmeal is produced in the same old fashioned way and contains all the health giving nutrients of the best quality oats from which it was ground--the germ, the oil and the fiber. The result is a surprisingly unique and flavorful hot cereal.

Wish me luck. Apparently, it will take longer to cook these oats (30 minutes opposed to under 5), but I'm really looking forward to tasting the difference between this and my normal Old-fashioned oats for breakfast.

In reference to my original search for "porridge," I also have ordered a ready-made Scotts Porridge Oats box from The British Food Depot, so that I can compare authentic Scottish oatmeal to the more British pre-made porridge.

Jen: Fall Activities!

2011-10-11T16:16:00.003-05:00

Like Christmas, there are a million things to do here in the Fall. I've got my best friend coming down this week with her three kids, and so I've been pre-planning activities to do while they are here, as well as other things to take Lee to up to the point where Christmas stuff begins. So again, like the Christmas list, I've decided to make a list of Fall activities for me to look back on and reference. I hope you get some use out of my list as well!

March 5-December - Fairy Tale Gardens at the Dallas Arboretum

Sept 19 - Nov 22 - Pecan Grove Under 5 Activities

October 10-November 12 - Joseph and the Amazing Technicolored DreamCoat by Artisan Center Theatre

October 10-October 23 - West Side Story at Dallas Fair Park

October 12 - Somethin' pumpkin at Nash Farm

October 12 - Hamlet by Shakespeare Dallas

October 12, 16 - The Pillowman by Collin Theatre Center

October 13-22 - The Fantasticks by Circle Theatre

October 13-22 - The Importance of being Earnest by WingSpan Theater Company

October 13-29 - Pillow Talk by Garland Civic Theatre

October 14-23 - Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Dallas Children's Theatre

October 14-16 - Hollywood Classics by the FSO at Bass Hall

October 14-30 - Oliver at Casa Manana

October 14-23 - Sense and Sensibility by Stolen Shakespeare Guild

October 15 - Butterfly Flutterby

October 20 - One Man, Two Guvnors by National Theatre Live

October 20-23 - Iron Kisses by Theatre TCU

October 22-23, November 26-27 - Canton in the City

October 22-November 27 - Arms and the Man by Stage West

October 23-24 - Fall Festival in the Japanese Gardens

October 21-23, 28-30 - Boo at the Zoo

October 21-23 - Giselle at Bass Hall

October 22 - Field to Fabric at Nash Farm

October 29-30 - Family Fun at Dallas Arboretum

October 29 - Cirque Mechanics: Boom Town by Eisemann Center for the Performing Arts

November 8-13 - Shrek the Musical at Bass Hall

November 18-29 - The Great Russian Nutcracker by Moscow Ballet

November 18-Dec 23 - Scrooge, the Musical by Artisian Theatre Center

November 19 - The ScrewTape Letters by Fellowship for the Performing Arts

Things to Do:

Legoland Discovery Center

Sea Life Aquarium

Fort Worth Zoo

Log Cabin Village

Fort Worth Botanic Garden

Fort Worth Museum of Science and History

The Modern

Kimball Art Museum

Amon Carter

Fort Worth Stockyards - The Herd 11:30 & 4 p.m.

Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge

Dallas World Aquarium

Dallas Children's Museum

Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens - Fall events calendar

Pumpkin Patch at Big Tex

Gnismer Farms

Hall's Pumpkin Farm

Henrietta Creek Orchard

Six Flags over Texas

Butterfly Habitat at Texas Discovery Gardens

The Flower Mound Pumpkin Patch

Owens Spring Creek Farm

Disney on Ice

Children's Aquarium at Fair Park

Dallas Zoo

Eatzi's Market and Bakery

Home Depot Kids Clinic

Jen: Etsy Find - designsmartstudios

2011-10-11T15:47:00.003-05:00

I have fallen in love with Stephanie Kisabeth's (designsmartstudios) store on Etsy. I love the appealing flash card, magnet, and placemat art. There is something about how the art is done that makes me want to own everything she makes. In particular, my favorites have to be the "red barn" series, and the "princess" set. Everything is beautiful and original, and I love the bright and vibrant colors. What makes these most appealing to me is that they 1) can come with a ring to keep the cards together (anyone who has a toddler has a difficult time keeping track of cards en mass), 2) that the cards are laminated (because toddlers are known for being highly destructive of paper goods) and 3) that they also come in collections of magnet backings (because the refrigerator can never have enough pleasant magnets to look at).

Alphabet Art Childrens Magnet Learning Letters

Childrens Educational Solar System Planets Placemat

Childrens Art Sea Animals Learning Flash Cards

Children's Learning Flash Cards- Shapes

Childrens Art Educational Firefighter Magnet Opposite Set

Children Art Educational Farm Animal Flash Cards

Princess Children's Educational Wall Art or Flashcards

Childrens Learning Art Print Flashcards

Jen Etsy Finds!

2011-10-10T12:19:00.018-05:00

Easter Egg Recycled Rainbow Crayon- (Set of 5) by zeebree:

Felt Food Refrigerated Set- Gallon of Milk, Butter and Eggs by The Felted Pear:

Mail and Mail Bag for your favorite little mailman or to use with Playhouses by missprettypretty:

Batman 16 count crayon holder by AuntJennys:

Reversible Fabric Bin made with Batman Fabric by divasintuition:

I love this: Lee has a ton of little Imaginext men now, and I want this to put all the little guys in next to his play sets to "pick up" when he's done. How marvelous for a little boy!

Sensory Color Sorting Play Set by MamaMayI:

Oversized Felt Shapes by feltyfun:

Learn to count 0-100 by Nomadimps:

Elementary Bible Vocabulary Word Match on Felt by ambrcoop:

Limited Edition Early Learning Kit by TimeforTots:

Five Complete Montessori Practical Life Home School Activities Sets by mykidswantadog:

Montessori & Homeschooling Cutting Work by CloverMontessori:

Rainbow Beanbag and Toss/Storage Basket Set by Violet:

Printable Phonics Coloring Book by wilsons:

Halloween Paint With Water, Paint Your Own Artwork - Set of 4 Booklets and Brushes by Farrago:

Insect Cards with Moths & Beetles - Printable PDF by AliceCantrell

Printable Nature Walk Coloring Book by wilsons:

Fish Aquarium Kid Kit by Smartbottomkids

James: X-Wing, Part 1

2011-10-09T20:40:00.001-05:00

I have completed the first sub-assemblies on my X-Wing as well as the fist part modifications. Here is the end of the kit laser cannon. As you can see it end in a solid tip.

I have used my pin vise to open up then ends. Now instead of a closed off end, the cannons have an open barrel. It's a small thing, but will improve then end result.

I have also completed Luke in his pilot suit, cockpit and the droid strip.

Just so you can see the improvement here they are compared to the last X-Wing I built.

Now it is time to move on to the wings and fuselage. More to come.

Jen: Great things for Toddlers on Etsy!

2011-10-05T15:22:00.020-05:00

I just love Etsy. I know I've gone on about it before, and I will continue to do so. I just love the idea of handcrafted gifts and supplies and I love the small-business (working from home) aspects of it. I would rather buy something someone has made specifically for me, instead of something commercial, anytime.

If you can find the time to search for specific items, they have a huge selection of items that are perfect for children. Those gifts that you just can't find anywhere, and don't have the talent or the time to make them yourself.

Here are items I've come across this week that I think are fantastic for kids, and I hope to get some of them for Lee, for Christmas!

Rainbow Sorting Tiny Acorns, Educational Toy / Waldorf Wooden Toy / Montessori Toy by theenchantedcupboard:

Rainbow peek-a-boo playsilks. Set of 7 Hand dyed play silks 11 x 11" by naturalkidsandtoys:

Personalized Kid's Lap Desk with Cars and Trucks by everafterdesign6:

A Book That Makes you Both Smile. Toddler Interactive Book by denisejacobsohn:

Custom Artwork Hanger for Children by dreaminggiggles:

Wooden Leaf Puzzle by justhatched:

Fabric Match Game Cards by dbByDesign:

Kids car seat organizer by SewnNatural:

Child's Stephen Joseph Quilted TRAIN Backpack Personalized by DeerpathDesigns:

Wooden Rainbow Matching and Sorting Game - Ball, Scoop and Cups Play Set for Boys and Girls by BlackbearyMountain:

CRAYON WALLET with crayons and 4x6 scratch pad by Monkeycheeks:

Car Caddy Roll up Tote with Road by Natasha Box:

12 Assorted Pine Mini-Vehicles by ClickityClack:

Wool felt playmat - little city, big country by Playdaytoys:

Microwave Minute - 15 piece all wood play food and microwave by ForeverandAfters:

Washing Machine - Front-Loading Toy - All Wood by ForeverandAfters:

Jen: Pre-Christmas planning!

2011-10-04T12:57:00.003-05:00

I love Christmas. Like... ridiculously so. My parents ensured that my sister and I had marvelous Christmas experiences growing up, and to this day - the entire month is a time filled with heart-warming joy and a love for the season.

Everything about Christmas is just wonderful to me. The music, the atmosphere, the smell, the weather, the cooking, the baking, the spending time with family and friends, the idea of giving and receiving gifts, the fun of Santa, and of course, the most important - the celebration of the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

It's something I look forward to every year, and plan with sort of a single-minded focus to have the BEST holiday that we can manage.

So now it's October, and Christmas is 2 months away. Last year, I did really good in that I bought gifts all year round and sort of hid them in our "gift closet" and by the time Christmas came around, I didn't have much to buy because I'd already found everything I wanted to buy for everyone.

This year, that didn't happen. Finances were more stretched (we're okay now, but it took us a while to get to this place of semi-non-worry (LOL)), and having a 2 1/2 year old is much more difficult to shop with than a 1 1/2 year old. So now, I'm pushing everyone for their lists early, because so much of what people want now is only available online, or impossible to achieve, as everyone wants one thing from a completely different store than another, and I can't possibly make that kind of numerous outing excursions dragging Lee along. The entire idea of it makes me have a headache and fills me with an exhaustion only another parent with a toddler can understand.

So I'm determined to make full use of internet shopping this year, and so I'm hounding everyone early about what they want, because I've done really badly at shopping throughout the year so far. But alas, I'm not worried and stressed yet. Oh, no. I'm on top of my game and I will succeed! LOL!

I've really also gotten into the lovely concept of home-made gifts. And as I have 2 months left, my goal is to try and make something (even if it's small) for those closest around me. (FYI - if the time comes around and you didn't receive anything, it will probably be because I bit off mor than I could chew, and not that you aren't close to me). But it's a small goal of mine, and I hope to achieve it. But that will be a blog for post-Christmas, probably.

Aside from gifts, though, I am determined to make this holiday season a very family oriented one in that I want to experience the different holiday excursions our community offers and enjoy them. We usually pick one or two each year to take part in, but as I've been researching - there is just SO much available that I want to do. And, being a stay-at-home mom, I have more of an availability to take Lee to experience more of these things.

So I thought I'd make a blog post about the things I've discovered that I want to do, so that if someone else in this area comes across this, it can all be found in one condensed spot, instead of 100 different websites. I've done the research, and it's overwhelming, and I'm partly doing this for myself, so I can look back here and go down the list, as sort of a checklist. LOL!

So here are our options (and I'm sure I've missed some, and I hope you will point them out to me!) in no particular order.

A TON of things are happening in Grapevine, TX. "The Christmas Capital of Texas," as it's referred to. Here's a link to the city's website.

1. Ice! at the Gaylord Texan. November 1 - January 1.

2. The North Pole Express

3. Carol of the Lights and the Light Show Spectacular at the Gazebo

4. Parade of Lights (We saw this last year and it's setup was AMAZING. I can't wait to go this year)

5. Canton in the City (Canton is known for it's Flea Market, and so this is amazing!)

6. Santa's Wonderland at Bass Pro Shop (this was SO great last year. I was ridiculously impressed and can't wait to take Lee back!)

7. Victorian Christmas at Nash Farm

8. Journey to Bethlehem at Church at the Cross

Things at Bass Hall:

1. The Nutcracker

2. Irving Berlin's White Christmas

3. Holiday's with U.N.T.'s One O'Clock

4. Home for the Holidays with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra

5. Handel's Messiah by the Southwestern Seminary Master Chorale

6. Christmas with the Von Trapp Singers

Fort Worth Botanical Gardens:

1. Birds' Christmas Tree

Fort Worth Christmas Light Trails:

1. Nov. 26 - Dec. 31, 2009 - Prairie Lights Holiday Display (Grand Prairie, TX)

2. Nov. 27 - Dec. 31, 2009 - Highland Park NeighborhoodHighland Park, TX)

3. Nov. 27 - Jan. 3, 2010 - Christmas in the Square (Frisco, TX)

4. Nov. 27 - Dec. 27, 2009 - Drive Though Holiday Lighting Display (Denison, TX)

5. Dec. 5 - 31, 2009 - Deerfield Holiday Lighting (Plano, TX)

6. Dec. 5 - 31, 2009 - Kessler Park Holiday Lights (Dallas, TX)

7. Dec. 12 - 31, 2009 - Interlochen Lights Display (Arlington, TX)

Downtown Fort Worth:

1. Fort Worth Parade of Lights

2. Six Flags Holiday in the Park (November 25-January 1)

Dallas:

1. Annual Gingerbread House Contest

2. Children's Medical Center Holiday Parade

Weatherford:

1. The Star of Bethlehem Experience

Jen: The Promise

2011-10-04T12:38:00.004-05:00

THE PROMISE

The Promise in Glen Rose is something I remember with extreme awe and fascination as I look back to the times I got to attend growing up, and then as a teenager. The Promise is an amazing play about the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is an amazing production filled with uplifting songs, brilliant dramatization, and provides a wonderful look at a period of time 2,000 years ago, when all of this happened - bringing it alive and making it real to the audience.

There are live animals, and water, and the costumes are amazing, and it's just AMAZING.

I'd put it in the back of my mind for several years, and as I was searching a live nativity for us to take Lee to, I was once again reminded of this gorgeous play and now I can't wait to take Lee to it.

Luckily for me, the play is showing RIGHT NOW. The 2011 season is every Friday and Saturday night September 2 - October 11.

I've got Leigh Anne and the kiddos coming next week, and if we can work it out - I think we'd all have an amazing time together!

Jesus is Resurrected!

The birth of Christ. I think the Wise Men's costumes are amazing.

The live animals make this production extra-ordinary!

The Crucifixion.

Jesus calms the storm.

All images are were taken from the Promise website. All copyrights belong to them.

Jen: Oatmeal challenge

2011-10-04T11:44:00.003-05:00

I've been enjoying a friend of mine's blog called "Mom in a Box" and her latest blog was about how to make oatmeal differently and keep it interesting and new instead of same-o, same-o, day after day.

Like her, I'm also an oatmeal snob. Which is strange, because growing up, we lived on instant oatmeal. And now, I can hardly stand to look at instant. Real is SO much better, and it really isn't any more difficult to put together than instant.

I use Quaker Old-Fashioned grains, and usually put 3/4 cup into a bowl and add about a 1 1/4 cup water and then put it in the microwave for 2 1/2 minutes. It leaves it a bit on the dryer side than the liquidy side, but I prefer that because I like to add a bit of milk to it, softening it down and making it mushy (and cooling it off more quickly).

I then split that bowl with Lee and we both have a lovely breakfast. I did try other suggestions of adding honey instead of sugar, and more natural sweeteners, but I was raised on oatmeal and brown sugar, and it's not something I'm willing to give up at the age of 28. I will, however, continue to introduce a more healthier bowl of oatmeal to Lee, so that he will grow up with more varied tastes.

I enjoyed a bit of brown sugar in mine. Just a teensy bit to give it a sweet-ish flavor. My favorite way to make the oatmeal. And only 15 calories per teaspoon. I can deal with 15 calories in my oatmeal in the mornings.

Lee enjoyed plain with frozen blueberries. I loved the suggested concept that by adding frozen blueberries, it not only adds great flavor and is healthy, but it also cools down the very hot oatmeal quickly. I will admit that I did put this back in the microwave for 20 seconds, just to make sure the blueberries were warm and gooey.

Jen: Folder project for mom finished!

2011-10-04T11:42:00.002-05:00

There is no rhyme or reason to these folders - I honestly just painted whatever came to me. I will admit that by the time I reached 6 and 7, I was sort of... desperate for ideas. But they eventually came to me, and I feel proud that I got them all done in one day.

The only downside is the crick in my neck from looking down to paint for so many hours. But alas, I will survive.

Jen: Painting Project for Mom's Classroom:

2011-10-03T01:01:00.003-05:00

I've been painting manilla filing folders for mom's classroom. She hangs them on the wall and then has the students put their papers in them each week. Sort of a cheap way to organize. The last time I decorated folders for her was when I was in middle school, and now - the ones she's still using, are so torn up and ratty that I just had to update them.

So here's what I accomplished tonight. Obviously, I had no template and did everything free-hand. I'm no artist. But I had a lot of fun - Lee painted too, using his watercolors on a towel in the floor - so we had "painting" night. But it was fun.

These started as plain, yellow-manilla, and now they POP! Hopefully. At least, they will after I get them glittered tomorrow. *squee*

James: X-Wing, the Kit

2011-10-01T17:17:00.000-05:00

Now that I have all the preliminary work done, it is time to open the kit and start organizing the parts; working out what order to assemble; which parts are better to paint before or after assembly and all the good stuff. To start here is what the box looks like. This is the 1/72 scale Fine Molds X-Wing.

This is literally the best injection plastic kit you can buy. Fine Molds was allowed access to the Lucas Film vaults and as a result were able to get very accurate measurements of the Hero models of Red 1,2,3, and 5. The kit has alternate parts needed to get the correct detail for each variant. Here is shot of the parts:

and while not complete the decals included will cover most of the markings I need:

While researching I found a really nice picture of a the master used to cast the pyro models.

And here it is compared to the kit. As you can see this highlights some of the differences between the Hero and Pyro models.

The only real problem with the kit that I have is that the instructions are in Japanese, go figure.

Lucky for me, after some looking I found a translation to English over on HobbyLink Japan:

Right now, the plan is to build the cockpit, wings and fuselage all separate, then paint and assemble. I already have the cockpit together and will have pics of that with my next entry.

Jen: Chaosverse by EarlGreyTea68

2011-09-28T15:17:00.001-05:00

We all know that I'm a complete nerd. I don't even have to admit it - it's apparent in everything that I love. LOL.

This past year or so, I've been extraordinarily obsessed with all that is Doctor Who. Leading me to read some fabulous fan writer's stories (fanfiction) about further journey's with the Doctor and exploring different facets of his personality and life and history.

I came across, well - was introduced to this series by a good friend, and have fallen in love with it, wholeheartedly. I've been doing a book club discussion each week, which covers 3 chapters a week of the series (which is really, really long on it's own), but I love being able to discuss the story with other fans, as well as talk one on one with the author of the series, who is very lovely and enthusiastic and who is quickly becoming someone I greatly admire, as well as being a fan of!

The Chaosverse by EarlGreyTea68 is something to not be missed. It's a fantastic series of stories that follow the Doctor and Rose and their adventures through falling in love, building a family, and what that means to try domesticity as a Time Lord. It's brilliant and epic and amazing.

Here's a link to the chronology of the series: http://earlgreytea68.livejournal.com/82528.html

Jen: The best play car garage

2011-09-28T15:07:00.000-05:00

This has been a fabulous buy. Lee loves cars, matchbox and other, and this is a wonderful play set that I found. He plays with it for HOURS and for that, it gets rave reviews from me. It's big and heavy-duty, and yet plastic so it's easily moved to the side when he's done with it. But he is constantly pushing cars down the ramps and using the elevators and he loves it. So I really recommend it to those of you with toddler boys.

I don't know if it's made anymore, really, but it is Fisher Price.

Jen: The beginnings of an organized home.

2011-09-28T15:02:00.000-05:00

I am one of the least organized persons I've ever encountered, although I am a ridiculous list maker. But lately, I've been planning on things to organize the house, because I just can't live in chaos any longer. I've reached my limit, which is really saying something.

What I did do, however, instead of just look at my house and say, "We have got to organize the house," is I have taken to focusing on one project at a time, and getting that one thing organized. And by doing it that way, the house is slowly becoming organized.

I got boxes from Target to organize the toys in the den. This made the shelves under the TV really useful and I love the board books on the top shelf.

I've gone a bit plastic box crazy - they are so wonderful in putting different toys together that have lots of books. Here is Lee's Mr. Potato head collection, a box of blocks, and his music box.

This is something I'm still working on. The shelves finally got put in by my parents - THANK YOU PARENTS - but now, my cookie cutter collection is in a small box and a target sack. Which looks terrible. I've got to come up with something better. It's on my to-do list.

Top shelf of misc. unorganized crap. What do you do with these large things in your own home? I have very little cabinet space in my kitchen, and am just distraught about what to do!

I used a screwdriver and hung this little shelf yesterday. I'm thrilled with it.

I organized the recipe book cabinet. There is still too much stuff on it, but until a later date, it's 100 times better than it was.

I organized my day-to-day sheet music collection. The rest are on the bookshelves in the den. But this is the stuff I seem to use on monthly basis. Notice Lee's bicycle that Mother painted from a garage sale (it was a little girls bike and we made it CARS), and Lee's little school desk that I found at an antique shop in DeWitt, AR for $6.

I am in the process of finding a person to recover our glider. Lee as a toddler has managed to ruin the seat by spilling who knows what in the seat that won't come out. But try not to focus on that. Focus on the mass collection of children's books I've just added to one of the bookshelves. Thanks very much to my mother in law, and half-price books. And of course, there was an extra shelf that was just calling for me to put another plastic container full of Lee's car collection in it. But it gets it out of the way, and for that, I'm happy.

Jen: Lee's transition to a "Big Boy" bedroom

2011-09-28T14:48:00.001-05:00

Eventually, we will move and then we'll redo Lee's room. Probably in some sort of superhero room or other. I suppose it really will depend on what we can beg of my mother in law to make in regards to a twin sized quilt. LOL! He currently has the most AMAZING dinosaur bedding that she made, and I'll have to get pictures of it when I get it washed.

But for now, I am celebrating the "transition" room, and so I wanted to post a few photos, post-baby room.

There is a lot more room now that the baby changing table is out of there! I love the afternoon ambient light through his white window curtains.

We weren't ready to remove the rocking recliner. We still read together in this chair, and rock at night. And Lee is constantly climbing up in it and reading on his own. So the chair, even though it takes up a good part of the room, for now, stays because of it's usefulness.

Lee showing off that he can read on his bed. Notice the glowlight AND the star turtle. We're going through a period of being terrified of the dark, and so these two nightlights stay on during the night and keep the monsters at bay.

I'll be sad when we officially move to the "Big boy bedroom" because that will mean that there won't be a place for Nannie's Noah's Ark cross-stitch. This was given to us on loan from my mother, and when we move, it'll probably be returned to her. :(

The Imaginext and Fisher price play set corner!

Lee being a ham and a half! Notice the Curious George. Bedtime could NOT happen without him to snuggle with.

Showing off "playing" in his new bedroom.

Showing me a plane. He loves "zooming" things around the room!

Jen: The Playroom is finally organized!

2011-09-28T14:38:00.000-05:00

Lee loves his slide that his grandparents bought him. We have this art table for him to eventually use, but right now, it's mostly used to just pile misc. stuff on. Sigh.

We've been working on our colors on our "Color Wall." In particular, Lee's favorite activity is to peel the stickers off of the board and bring them to me. Luckily, I had a stroke of genius when applying these, and used blue sticky tack, and as such, I just have to pat them back on the board. Which is why they are kind of stuck on.

We finally rearranged Lee's baby room and gave him a "big boy room," but I didn't want to get rid of his changing table shelf until I had to (as we still might eventually have #2), but we moved it to the playroom and it has made the most perfect toy organizer. I love it!

Lee's tent and tunnel, and of course, his MD playset.

Bear chair, and Lee's nameplate paintings. The only thing I really notice in this photo is the lack of window curtains. I have GOT to get on that!

Lee's train table that he LOVES and plays with every single day. And of course, the playroom fireplace, that we use to pile things onto. Because we live in Texas and it's HOT, and I think if I ever did turn it on, we'd all die of suffocation.

I finally organized a lot of Lee's baby toys into this bin organizer in the hallway outside of Lee's room. I love it. I got it on Black Friday from Big Lots, and so it was relatively inexpensive - but I LOVE it. What a marvelous invention. Baskets. On a shelf.

Jen: Imaginext

2011-09-28T14:25:00.001-05:00

We took a day trip to Toys R Us last month, which is something we do a few times a year to just get an idea of what's "new" in the world of Toys (I think we'll always be kids at heart, James and me). We went specifically to view and price the Imaginarium medieval castle and several other toys. I could easily buy them online, but hate doing that without getting a good idea how large these toys are and how durable they seem to be. 2 1/2 is still very YOUNG when it comes to how rough Lee tends to play with things.

So we went to look. What we discovered was that some of the large items we were searching for were really BIG and really EXPENSIVE. Like one would be a major Christmas gift, kind of big.

So we started looking for more age-appropriate playsets we could find for Lee. Something we could get for him now, that wouldn't be overly enormous, but still offer him some kind of imaginative play set, play.

What we came across was a group of toys called the Imaginext series. We bought two sets (well, one that day and one last week), but they are FABULOUS for a 2 1/2 year old boy. They are big enough that I feel safe with them, and there aren't tiny pieces that are easily swallowed. Everything is really sturdy and Lee ADORES them.

I don't know about all boys, but I know that mine loves anything with wheels, anything that flies, and anything superhero. This is a series built for young kids and I really appreciate that Imaginext makes it not only affordable comparatively to other playsets, but that they make them especially for young children.

We got this Batman set, and Lee loves playing "Batman and Robin Hood." LOL!

What I like about the Imaginext series is that you can keep buying more little guys and vehicles like this that go with the big sets. The amount of little guys like this are ENDLESS. There are so many. And a small set goes anywhere between $5 and $13 depending on how big the vehicle is or how many guys are in each set.

Personally, I've been trying to get a 2 pk set like this every time I go to the store. It's an easy way to build up the extras, and only spend $5 a pop.

Lee loves his Batmobile - though this is the larger one and not the one that actually fits INSIDE of the playset. So now we get to buy another one because I didn't measure them when I bought it. But Lee flies it around the house, so this particular Batmobile was worth the penny.

We also have added the Spiderman play set alongside Lee's batman one. There are several large ones, and I haven't decided how many we'll get. Right now - these are his MAJOR play toys, and he hasn't bored of them yet, after almost 2 weeks straight of playing. I love these toys for that.

James: Episode III builds

2011-09-25T16:32:00.000-05:00

I just finished clearing these last two models off the bench, so I am now ready to start working on my X-Wing. These latest two models are both from Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. First up is Anakin's fighter, the ETA-3 Jedi Interceptor, seen at the opening battle.

I like this little fighter, you can almost see it leading to the later TIE fighter design.

Next is the Alpha-3 Nimbus-class V-wing starfighter. This ship gets very little screen time. They are used as background fighters in the opening battle, but you can't really see them. You can catch a quick glance of them as they escort the Emperor's Shuttle with the crispy-fried Vader.
Skip to min. 1:56 in the video to see them.

So, now with that project finished I can now clear my bench and get down to work the X-wing. I have most of the research done, and now just need to finish planing a few more of the details out. More on that next time.

James: X-Wing

2011-09-16T17:39:00.001-05:00

The Incom T-65 X-Wing, the ship that killed two Death Stars. The fighter of choice for both the Rebellion and our hero Luke Skywalker. It remains one of the coolest ship to ever grace the silver screen.

I have been wanting to do a great model of this fighter since I started this hobby. I did a really crap version in college, made out of the AMT kit, and it was so bad I scraped it for parts years ago. I then found a Japanese company, Fine Molds, that made one of the most fantastic plastic kits of the X-Wing I had ever seen. I then promptly proceeded to build and screw it up. It was ok for where my skill level was at the time, but to this day I remain very disapointed at it.

Ughhh, I have so many flaws in that Pic I just can't even go into them. I have therefore decided to build another Red 5 model, one that I can be proud of and that shows my current level of skill. Before I can start, this time I am going to do the proper research. Here is what I have found so far.

There were many different versions of the filming model made durring the 1976/77 production of Star Wars. For the X-Wings, you have the "Hero" model that was used for up close filming shots, the "Pyro" that was stuffed with explosives, and then the "Set" models that were used with actors. This is what makes it difficult to model an "accurate" Red 5. The Hero's were made by a seperate ILM department than the Pyro's and the set builders didn't get to talk to the model builders and just built off a series of blueprints that they had. Since the Pyro's were designed to blow up, they were not given near the level of detail and attention that the Hero models recived.

This is one of the Pyro models built by the legendary John Dykstra. And no, that is not a misprint calling it "Blue 4". In the early drafts of the script, and even in the first novelizations, the X-Wings were called Blue Squadron. When doing the fist test shots, the blue didn't work against the blue screen and so the color was changed to Red to stand out better. This model later became Red 2.
Here are some other really cool behind the sceens pics of the ILM modelers working on the props. I like them because you can see just how big the filming models are. Then fist pic is from the Death Star trench run with the Red 5 Hero in front.

The next pics are from the studio set. These are screen captures of Luke getting into Red 5 in the Rebel Hanger. In the third picture I have highlighted areas of interest. Notice the solid red stripe, the yellow bar in front of the torpedo tube and the red arrow after it, and the lack of yellow on the top right intake.

Now here are pictures of the Hero model used for Red 5.

In these pictures you can see the seperated striping on the hull, yellow lines on the top of the nose, and yellow on the top right intake. Also, missing are the yellow strip and red arrow by the torpedo launcher seen on the set prop.
To furter complicate matters, the bright lights that were used during fiilming and the adjustments done in post to composit the footage of the models together with the film washed many of the detail out. In these screen shots you are looking at the same Hero model of Red 5, however, the yellow and grey paneling you can see on model photos are noticably gone and faded in the screen shots.

So this leaves me with a choice, which repesentation of the X-Wing do I try to build? For me, I am going with a blend of what is seen on the screen and the Hero model. At the end of the day, screen accuracy would leave the model looking a little to dull and colorless.

Jen: Next: Superhero Bedroom for Lee?

2011-09-12T10:49:00.003-05:00

So Lee, at the old age of 2 years and 9 months, has become a fan-boy of all that is superhero. I'm not sure of the exact day that this occurred on, but it's gripped him rather quickly. His current personal favorites would be Spiderman (piderman) and Batman. Truly, I can only imagine that this obsession will only grow, if James has anything to do with it.

My only regret is that I didn't take a photo of my son while we went to the store yesterday. Imagine if you will, Green lantern shirt, Batman converse, and holding both Superman in one hand, and Spiderman in the other. Several people commented on the love of his shoes - my response was, "really? They couldn't be more dirty!" But to each their own.

Come February, our lease opens up and we haven't made a decision as to what we're going to do when that time comes. Obviously, that will depend on if the rent goes or what not, or how desperate we are to move elsewhere. We currently have a financial plan to get out of debt that we're both taking pretty seriously and have made some real headway if we can just continue doing it. But I'm not sure how far ahead we'll be come February. We may need to stay a few more months before any permanent decision is made.

We've discussed moving, we've discussed the option of buying our first home, we've discussed the option of staying until we get everything paid off and just paying the difference of the rent if it goes up. The problem is that we're not in agreement to stay after we leave here, and I'm not sure I'm willing to move just to move across town. Or even stay in the same town. To be honest, we haven't even made the decision to stay in Texas or not. February seems so incredibly far off, even though it's really not.

But regardless of what we decide to do, we have decided that there needs to be changes to Lee's room in the next year. He's currently got a baby nursery still - Precious Moment's Noah's Ark being the current theme. But I think for his "big boy bedroom", we're going to have to go with Superheroes.

I've been searching Pottery Barn Kids and they have a fabulous selection of Batman and Spiderman bedding that will be perfect. We're already planning on getting the Star Wars bedding for the guest room, since it's already nerd-city in there. LOL.

But I'm thinking hand-painted murals in his bedroom. But to do that, I want a more permanent bedroom. So I'm forced to wait until we make a decision as to where we're going to move, and when.

We're also discussing when we need to move Lee to a "big boy bed". He's still in a toddler bed, but he's able to climb in and out of regular beds perfectly now, so I'm thinking in the next 6 months, we'll need to upgrade him to a twin. So of course, we've been researching beds. I would love for him to have a Cargo Twin, so there are drawers and space underneath to put clothes and toys, but it's also really high and for a 3 year old, it seems a lot more impractical than for a 15 year old. So we may just get him a simple twin for now and exchange it later when he gets older. Another concern is his height. Like his Dad, but taller, I think, he's going to be LONG. Will he fit in a normal twin bed? Will we need to find him an extra-long twin or upgrade him to double or something? Will he just hang off a foot at the end of the bed? Does that mean I need to find him a bed that doesn't have a footboard?

The things that cross my mind when trying to buy a bed. Sigh.

This week, my goal is to get rid of the changing table and accessories out of his room. He currently has a recliner that James and I still use - I think... but I would like to make some room in there for Lee's toys and try to make it less like a nursery. And also, to have more room to put Lee's toys than in the den where I trip over them all of the time.

JBF is coming to town in a few weeks and I may just suck it up and take everything there to sell. It's a pain to do it alone, but it might just be worth it in the end to just get rid of things, and make a small profit at the same time.

Jen: Playsets for Lee

2011-08-30T16:49:00.009-05:00

Lee has finally reached the age where he is using his imagination to "pretend play". Which is wonderful because it means he can keep himself occupied on his own for longer periods of time. Which is nice for me, because he's very constant at 2, and as an only child thus far, wants and think he needs 100% of whomever is around's attention, at all times.

So in doing research for what to buy, because although we have a lot of "educational toys" and "books", and "stuffed animals" - we don't actually have many "pretend-play sets" for him to play with. Well - we have the brilliant train table and set, thanks to Lee's Godparents, and that has been WONDERFUL, but it kills my knees to have to sit with him and play that for hours on end. With any of these smaller play sets, we can set them in the den and he can play while I work or knit or do some other activity... even for 20 minutes. LOL

I know from experience that the Imaginarium Medieval Castle Set will be a hit, because when we recently took a vacation to Yellowstone, one of the places we stayed at had one - Lee was BEYOND infatuated, and Mom and Dad considered getting it for Christmas, but I'm thinking that's still several months away and I think he would really love and enjoy one now.

Another play set that caught my attention was the KidKraft Deluxe Fire Rescue Set. It looks fabulous and I think Lee would fall over with joy over it.

The Melissa & Doug Foldable Horse Stable seems like a lot of fun as well. I love the horses that go with it, and Lee loves making "horse" sounds. I think this is going to be another he won't outgrow anytime soon.

Also, the KidKraft Fun Explorers Pirate Playset looks really cool. I may actually like this as much as Lee does. *smirks*

Jen: Allegro Fabrics

2011-08-30T11:48:00.004-05:00

I adore the Allegro Fabrics website. It is a fabric website, with patterns especially for kids. Bright and happy and gorgeous and good quality. The fabric there is a bit on the pricey side - but it's completely worth it.

For Christmas, I decided that my sister, Shannon, needed a fairy quilt. I found Michael Miller's fairy fabrics on the Allegro Fabrics website and had this quilt made up for her by IcePurplePenguin on Etsy. The colors are periwinkle blues and navy blues, with the fairy square patches in between. I think the third photo down is the best representation of the colors of the quilt.

Anyway - if you are looking for happy, bright, and kid-friendly patterns, without them being too childish, this is your new favorite fabric site. To me, there is a certain elegance to all of the fabrics - I just love them.

There is also patterns and dress kits and all sorts of things on the site. It's just a really lovely website.

And if you find a fabric that you decide you need, but don't feel up to sewing the project yourself - do what I did and find someone on Etsy to help you out. I've never sewn a quilt before and it was intimidating. Now, that I'm a bit more comfortable with sewing, I might try one out for myself soon. :)

Jen: Baked Ziti

2011-08-29T11:22:00.004-05:00

My friend Leigh Anne made this for me the past few times I've gone to visit, and I've loved it every time. This latest time, I begged for the recipe and she finally shared it with me. I made it right away and success - it was wonderful! I'm not sure where she got it, and it very well may be somewhere online - so if this recipe matches someone who deserves credit, just let me know and I'll credit them with it. LOL. But it's wonderful so if you are reading this, you probably want to give it a go.

Baked Ziti:

Ingredients:

8 oz. ricotta cheese (real)

8 oz. mozzarella cheese shredded

2 jars of your favorite Marinara Sauce (I used Barilla)

1 box penne pasta

1 red onion (saute in olive oil)

2 cloves garlic (saute in olive oil)

mild sausage (precook meat) (I used Jimmy Dean Country Mild)

Directions:

Brown sausage meat - I cooked it fully before putting into the casserole

Saute onion and garlic

Boil pasta

In casserole dish, I layered the bottom of the dish with 1/2 jar of marinara. Then added pasta. Then added sausage and onion/garlic mix. Then added remainder 1/2 jar plus second jar of marinara. Added cheese and stirred together well. Saved just a bit of cheese to add to top after it comes out of the oven.

Cover with foil - 350 for 30 minutes.

Add remaining cheese and eat! Yum!

Side Note: I didn't end up using the whole box of penne pasta. I think 3/4 box is more than enough with a regular rectangular casserole dish. Also, I probably ended up adding more than 8 oz. of Ricotta and Mozzarella. Probably ended up using about 10 oz. of each. But to each their own.

This can very well be a vegetarian meal as well - just lose the sausage. I also think mushrooms would be fabulous to add to this dish. Possibly even some celery and eggplant. But James loves the sausage and that's probably how I'll continue to make it. It was wonderful!

Four Layer Dessert

2011-08-29T10:17:00.006-05:00

My all-time favorite summer dessert is the four layer dessert. My family used to make it for Thanksgiving and then it became sort of the staple for hot summer day desserts. I've had several people ask me to share the recipe with them, and must admit that it's not my own but the family's. And who knows where they got it from. But here it is!

I will say that I've made this several times now, and I've made it slightly different each time. Listed below is the recipe that Shari sent me when I begged her for it. When I made it for Mom and Dad, they complained that the cream cheese layer (2nd layer) wasn't equal enough... so I started doubling that and we all found we preferred the taste. After doubling it, though, James decided that there wasn't enough chocolate layer - so my latest attempt consisted of doubling the 2nd layer and using 2 large boxes of chocolate pudding instead of 2 small boxes. It turned out beautifully. But whatever you prefer, obviously. In the photo that I posted, that was with the 2nd layer doubled. I also prefer the taste in the crust by using real butter instead of vegetable oil.

Ingredients:
1 stick butter/margarine
1 cup flour
1/2 cup crushed/chopped pecans
8 oz. (1 bar) cream cheese
1 cups confectioner sugar
2 small tubs of cool whip, or 1 large tub
2 small packages of chocolate instant pudding
3 cups milk

1st layer-
1 stick margerine, 1 cup of flour, 1/2 cup crushed/chopped pecans.
melt margerine (about 30 sec in micro) add flour and pecans. mix by hand & spread into baking dish. Bake @ 375 for 15 minutes. Allow to cool completely before adding layers (takes about an hour)

2nd layer-
8oz (1 bar) of cream cheese softened (about 15sec in micro), 1 cup of powdered/confectioner's sugar, 1 cup cool whip. Mix and spread onto cooked crust

3rd layer-
2 small packages of instant pudding (chocolate) & 3 cups of milk. Blend with wisk for 2-6 minutes then pour over 2nd layer

4th layer-
use rest of cool whip and then sprinkle top with more pecans

Refrigerate for an hour and serve.

Enjoy!

Paint with Water

2011-08-20T16:24:00.003-05:00

For a year now, I've been searching almost every store we go in for "Paint with water" books. We had tons of them when I was a child and I remember how much fun they were. The paint was already on the pages and it's fantastic for small children because all they need is a small bowl of water and a paintbrush, and there is hours of fun to be had.

We recently went to Colorado Springs on vacation, and in one of the small toy shops in Manitou Springs had these "Magic Paint Posters" booklets, and so I bought several. I am completely ecstatic that I found these, and although they aren't as awesome as the original "Paint with water" books, the principle is very similar and I love these.

Here is Lee trying one out for the first time. You use Q-tips to paint with, and each individual coloring page has a set of paints on it. You just put the Q-tip in water, and then on the paint square, and then you can paint with that color. It's brilliant. It's not messy, and it's an easy clean up.

For my 2 year old son, it's FABULOUS.

Magic Paint Posters Link: http://www.savvistuff.com/magicpaintposters.aspx

In my online search of "Paint with water", I did find some that are the real deal. Here's an Amazon link of where you can find them, if you are like me and think they are wonderful.

http://www.amazon.com/Disneys-Mickey-Mouse-House-Paint/dp/1403734003/ref=pd_sim_sbs_b_8

James: Animated X-Wing, epilogue

2011-08-02T19:16:00.000-05:00

As a follow up, here is Spike with Jay at his new home in San Fransisco. He had a slight accident in the mail, but a little super glue and he will be good as new.

James: Animated X-Wing Finished

2011-07-20T03:57:00.000-05:00

So finally done, and ready to ship. I admit I'm more than a little nervous trusting my work to the "delicate" hands of the US Postal Service, so I'm really hoping that this arrives in one piece. So let me proudly introduce "Spike"

James: Animated X-Wing, part 3

2011-07-17T00:10:00.000-05:00

My decals from JBOT finally arrived in the mail today. With these bad boys in hand it is time to move to a finish on this project. I was able to add they eyes, orange striping and detail R2 up quite nicely. All that's left for me to do is give the parts a gloss coat, then fit everything together.

Next update: Finished model!

James: Animated X-Wing, part 2

2011-06-13T22:24:00.001-05:00

Just an update post with the work I finished today.

First up, I got the the lower part of the mouth cut and glued back together. All I did was use my razor saw to cut the lower hull in two, the using sandpaper added the angle and glued it all back together.

After the glue set, I added some styrene rod to the inside to add some structural support.

Next up on the chore list was the base. The kit comes with a base, but the adding of the open mouth ruined the balance, so I had to make my own. Not a problem though, all I needed was a cheap wooden plaque and a few quick cuts of styrene sheet.

And now here it is all together:

I'm now ready to start painting. I need to get a good primer coat on, check for any missed seams that need filling and then really start to bring this model to life. I'm still waiting on the decals, but hope to have them by the next post so I can show them as well.

James: Animated X-Wing

2011-06-12T16:02:00.001-05:00

This new project is another first for me, it is commissioned build. True, it's for a friend and it's more of a gift, but those are just details really. A few weeks ago my friend Jay showed me this picture of an X-wing, but it was animated in a Pixar "Cars" style. I thought it looked cool, and even do-able as a model project. All this has lead me to working on trying to re-create the below picture. It is a rough sketch of what I am trying to do. I have re-colored the X-Wing to match the logo of Jay's work and have ordered some custom decals from a friend of my on the SSM message boards.

This is the kit I've started working from. It is a really bad model of the X-Wing issued from AMT. It sufferers from a lot of inaccuracies, but for what I'm doing it's perfect. It sells for cheap, as no real Star Wars modeler would want the thing, and since I'm modeling a caricature of the X-wing the lack of detail and cartoonish nature of the kit works in my favor.

Here is the beginning of the modifications I'm making to this kit. The fuselage comes in a top and bottom piece. So to build the mouth I have filled in the top half with sheet styrene and will cut the bottom to form the open look.

And just in case you didn't believe me when I told you how bad this kit is, here is the pilot figure. It is molded into the top part of the kit, and apparently AMT thinks that X-Wing pilots are monkeys because his arms are massively out of scale with his body. Thankfully, you won't see this by the time I'm done.

The is one of the completed wings. It took me five minutes to put it together and a day and half to putty and sand all of the seam gaps. Anywhere you see white, that is the dried putty filling in what used to be empty space. You can see that kit has a huge gap between where the engine meets up with the rest of the wing.

And just because I couldn't stop myself, I have been detailing some of the model. The wing is supposed to have wires and mechanical "stuff: in the access panels on the inside of the wings. As this kit has none of that, I am using some small brass rod to add in what should have been there from the start. I'm not sure anyone but me will notice this once the painting is done, but it's the small things that keep this hobby fun.

So that's as far as I am right now. I'm still waiting on the decals to be printed and shipped and I still have the custom stand to build and the lower mouth to modify. As much as I love build a kit straight from the box and trying to match with as much accuracy the filming model as possible, I have to admit being free to use complete creative license on a project is really fun. I think I'm going to be really sad when I finish this one and have to put it in the mail.

James: Daleks Finished

2011-05-31T11:24:00.000-05:00

The Daleks are done. And, now that they are I'm not sure I will ever do another figure model EVER again. These two, while fun were very tedious and I had to spend a lot of time working on a lot of fine detail painting. First up is the "closed" Dalek. As you may recall from my last post, there were several things about this kit that needed fixing. For the sensor light at the end of the eye stalk, I found some sequins at Hobby Lobby that just happened to be a perfect fit. They catch normal light very well and give the illusion of being lit.

I also scratch built new lasers for both Daleks. While not exactly accurate, they are much better than then junk clear parts included in the kit.

Remember this guy:

Well, after a coat of custom mixed flesh color, and a few chalk washes I ended up with something fairly good. The eye was hard to get looking right, and after some time with the hair dryer I got the tentacles to soften up and that allowed me to pose them a bit.

Here are the two Daleks side by side:

"Must Exterminate the Doctor!"

This other thing that set this build apart and gave me a bit of trouble were the electronics. This kit does light and talk:

Though again, why they chose to use a line of dialogue from one specific episode is still beyond me. I much would have prefered this:

Oh well, I still had a lot of fun working on this and on the whole am rather glad I have them.

Jen: Vickie's Baby Shower!

2011-05-23T14:27:00.001-05:00

I went to one of my very good friend's baby shower this week and had a really great time! Some of my oldest childhood friends attended, and although we've moved apart and haven't stayed in touch much, we got on fabulously as though time hadn't passed between us. It was really great to see everyone and I was really happy to get to share in the joy of Vickie's soon-to-arrive baby boy.

Here's some photos from the day:

Vickie - last few days of being pregnant!

My gift was the leachco baby bath full of stuff. LOL. I forgot about wrapping. Oops.

Staci with baby boy. Staci is my oldest friend - since the 4th grade. It was really lovely to see her again at the shower.

Me and Staci.

Vickie, Staci, Jacob, Me, and Catherine (Staci's twin sister) My oldest friends minus one.

James: British TV

2011-05-20T10:49:00.000-05:00

Hello, my name is James, and I like British Television. Or, to be more precise I like Steven Moffat. This man is an amazing writer. Jen started me watching "Dr.Who" with her, and while I enjoyed the show, it wasn't until Moffat took over the show with the 11th Doctor that I started to love it.

But, as much as I love that show, I have recently found "Sherlock". This is another of Steven Moffat's shows and all I can say is "wow". The show follows the familiar characters of Sherlock Holmes and Watson, but the setting is a modern day London. It seems like an odd twist, but it works.

Sadly, season 1 of "Sherlock" is only three hour and half episodes. I can't wait until August for season 2.

Jen: Driveway Play

2011-05-18T18:47:00.000-05:00

We're still figuring out that our feet go "on" the pedals. But we'll get it soon!

Trying to "push."

No! I don't want to turn around and smile, Mommy!

Checking out the rake and the trash bins.

Running into Mommy is fun! Ouch.

Green!

Blue!

Jen: Chicken strip meal leftovers and tantrums

2011-05-18T18:38:00.000-05:00

Tonight's dinner was much the same as last night, only I added carrots and made mashed potatoes to go with it instead of cheesy scalloped. Pretty boring, I know, but in this economy - we eat leftovers.

Unfortunately, Lee decided to hate leftovers and refused to eat. This scene escalated for about 10 minutes before Lee went to time out. He missed his nap today and dinner just didn't happen. I'll give him some cereal and yogurt in an hour and see if he'll eat that. Sigh.

Jen: Fried Chicken Strip meal

2011-05-18T17:32:00.000-05:00

Toddler meals are difficult to do, I've discovered - not because cutting things up for toddler sized mouths is hard, but because there are so few things that toddlers are willing to put in their mouths. Lee tries to dictate what goes in his mouth, when - which is extremely annoying when we finally sit down to eat dinner and Lee decides he isn't going to eat. But we've discovered that Lee loves chicken nuggets - and although we had to try this same meal for him several times in order for him to dig in and give it a go, he finally succumbed and I got him to eat it tonight. So yay! Now I've got to wrack my brain for another meal that he'll eat most of.

I included a ranch dressing salad with croutons, cheesy scallop potatoes, a roll, and a dollop of bbq sauce for dipping.

Lee's plate

Mommy's plate

Jen: Packed Lunch for Toddler (In a hurry!)

2011-05-18T11:13:00.000-05:00

How to pack a toddler to-go lunchbox in a hurry:

Since Lee goes to his Pop's house when I work, I don't have to work at sending fresh fruit with Lee. Dad gives him a banana or grapes or whatever side is in the fridge that day when Lee wants a snack.

For snacks, Lee pretty much will munch on a carrot (with dip) or some grapes or a banana. He really does eat a ton of fruit, so I usually don't pack one with his lunch. Lee is a muncher - he snacks all day long rather than sits for one meal. I expect for this meal, he'll eat one side of the crustless sandwich (probably the jelly side - sigh), about 5 cheese-its (I know... not the healthiest, but today, it was that or cheetos and I hate giving Lee chips) and he'll probably scarf down the entire yogurt and then complain that there is only one.

Since I ran out of carrots and broccoli this morning, I'm going to the store right after work, I'll make sure Lee has a good lot of veggies for dinner. That's tricky, because currently, Lee doesn't really like to eat veggies. So I trick him. LOL. I'll mush some peas into applesauce, or make him a "smoothie" with something. I'll post about it later!

Quick hint for crustless bread: Use a cookie cutter. It rocks.

Jen: Lee's Monkey Alphabet book

2011-05-17T18:46:00.001-05:00

This is easily my favorite of Lee's books that Grama has made. The stitching is so intricate and so detailed - and there is SO much of it. Each page just captures your attention and pops off the pages. Lee loves the little monkeys. I love all of the alphabet actions. This is a beautiful, gorgeous book and I am so grateful to Grama for making it for us. This, along with his other books, will go in a keepsake box when Lee's a bit older so we can keep them nice and clean.

Lee's Alphabet Book

And we end with Love. I love the material in the Elephant. The white dots are precious.

Jen: Lee's "Colors" book

2011-05-17T18:34:00.000-05:00

I love Lee's Colors book. I think it's really pretty and I love how each color just pops out of each page. I think the choice of the khaki-yellow background is perfect because it makes the embroidered pictures stand out all the more. What I like most about this book is that it isn't just one color - it's the details that make each of these pictures seem real.

The cover - a color wheel!

Personally, I love "RED" most out of this book, because I've always had a thing for a pretty pile of apples. The detail in the basket is just wonderful! I really like the cloth material in the bluebird. I love the little blueberries on the stem.

How does any cat survive without a green polka-dot bow-tie? Bow-ties are cool - this is one "cool cat." The purple grape jelly reminds me of the jars my Nannie used to keep in her bedroom closet to give out for gifts. And the way Lee currently says "pur-ple" is completely adorable.

I love the curly spirals on the pumpkin - it makes it seem much more "harvesty", if that makes any sense, whatsoever. I'm not sure I'd ever eat hot-pink ice cream, but Lee seems to really like the cone because his Pop takes him for ice cream every Friday after his MDO school.

The flames on the sun are so shiny - Lee loves to feel them. I just love that the brown bear is actually brown. There are too many color books where "brown, yellow, and orange" all seem to look really similarly. I love that each color is really poignant in this book.

The bunny is very shiny and sleek, and this is the cutest green frog I've ever seen. Lee looks at me with that expression much too often. It's going to be the downfall of my parenting.

Nothing beats a rainbow exit.

Jen: Lee's Animal Book by Grama!

2011-05-17T18:21:00.000-05:00

Lee's Grama made these for him a while ago and I've been meaning to blog about them before and never got the chance - so I'm taking the opportunity to now! Lee adores these books, and we are forever opening them up and reading them. What I love most about this book is that each of the animals "feels" differently, and for my busy 2 year old - having him "pet" each animal keeps him from wriggling away. He tries to make all of the animal sounds, until we get to the cow, and then everything from then on out is "moo" - mainly because he really just loves saying "moo." Even on the re-read, every animal says "moo." I kind of hope we outgrow the moo phase soon. :)

Personally, I love how Grama embroidered Lee's name on all of his books. If we ever have another, she'll have to make personalized books for the next as well!

Whenver I say "horse" Lee hops up and down on my leg, wanting to "giddy-up." Sometimes, we just steer clear of the horse, and move right on to the Duck.

Personally, I love the glamour of the chicken. A Diva as a chicken can be. Again, Lee loves the turtle - mainly because it's his new word of the day.

The puppy is SO soft - I just love it. Lee prefers the cat.

The horrid moo-cow.

The feel of the pig has to be my favorite, and I think the chick is just so cute!