1st Day of School

Lyla started her first day of school this morning and of course in true fashion I was snapping photos all morning. She looked so cute and all grown up!

Here is a sketch of the backpack I decided to make her.

I decided to make the pencil part out of felt to cut cut down of having to sew seam. Here are all the pieces cut out before they were sewn together.

I used an old dress I got from a thrift store and wore once for a costume party. I Used the straps for the backpack straps, some of the material for the backpack lining and the zipper.

I designed it so that the pencil is actually a front pouch. Here is Lyla sporting her smart backpack at her new school. Eeek - It is so quite here this morning without her, what am I going to do with all my free time? maybe....Get stuff DONE!!!

Cherry Pie in the sky

I recently saw this lattice pie pocket mold on the williams-sonoma site and had to grab it to make some pretty little pies with Lyla. This mold is so easy to use you just cut out the dough using one side of the mold and then seal the pocket together using the other side. Then bake on a cookie sheet for 25 minutes. It's as easy as Pie!

I wanted to use fresh cherries since it is cherry season, but I figured that would be too much work for Lyla. She thoroughly enjoyed the canned stuff anyways.

I love her face when she is concentrating - Aaron makes the same face when he is concentrating.

Oh so Yummy!!!!

felt flower headband

I made this felt flower headband using this tutorial from the purl bee to make the flowers.

Then applying hot glue to the bottom side of the headband and wrapping yarn around it.

Then I left the excess thread attached to the flower and simply sewed it to the yarn that was glued on the headband. P.S. I love my new macro lens!

Pretty Little Lyla! I'd like to make these in a few colors - maybe using blues and greens. I really like girly stuff life flowered headbands but in more masculine colors, I guess it's my tom-boy roots that keep springing out.

Toddler Music

I have recently discovered Laurie Berkner and Lyla loves her so much. It's so cute she runs around the house singing her songs - I love the sound of Lyla's sweet voice when she sings. I recommend The Best of Laurie Berkner if you are looking for fun music for your kids to sing along to.

july 4th photos

I made this little flag banner for july decoration to hang under my mantel, which has become my seasonal decoration spot. I used this tutorial and I love how vintage all american cute it came out.

Then of course I had to take 4th of july photos of my girls in front of my homemade banner in their very cute matchy but not too matchy jean dresses. I would like to make this a yearly tradition. Can't wait to scrap these!

Beautiful Sage's first 4th of July!

7 years of Love

Today marks seven years since Aaron and I committed our lives to each other. Marriage has truly been one of the most amazing things that has happened in my life. Not that it hasn't had it's trying times but when I sit and think over the past 7 years I can truly say it has been an adventure beyond my wildest dreams and I am more in love with Aaron today then I was on the day I said I would spend the rest of my life with him.

So to my love - I have truly loved the past 7 years being your wife, best friend and mother to your children and I still look forward to growing old with you!

- Pokey

Aaron did a photo journey for our anniversary last year so I wanted to do one this year. Here is our story (the short version) in picture form. I'm also including my favorite songs that remind me of us.

On our DTS outreach in Laos

Vietnam at Angkor Wat

Saying goodbye at the airport before we came back on staff with YWAM

Our crazy hair stage

Engaged

Married

Our honeymoon to the Florida Key

Kunming, China

Adventuring in China

You and me plus baby Lyla makes 3

Our trip to Savannah this year

Our family of 4

Pass the Peas Please

Preface

I have always enjoyed cooking. I think it's actually a passion that was passed down to me by my Mom and Dad. My Dad was always cooking some exotic cuisine and my Mom loved trying new and different recipes . Some of my favorite childhood memories where making apricot jam from the fruit we picked in our backyard and making homemade pumpkin seeds after carving our jack-o-lanterns in the fall. When I began thinking about how I want my children to have a creative, lively childhood full of fond memories - teaching them to make food from scratch possibly even from a home garden was one of the things I felt would inspire a wondrous childhood. We have yet to make a home garden (maybe next spring) but for now we have begun to play with our food! I'm hoping to make this a regular part of my blog - nothing weekly or anything (I'm too unorganized for that). But just something I feature at least once a month - hopefully more.

When I started looking for fun recipes to make with Lyla I came across this ladys blog. She has a book published called toddler cafe which looks like a lot of fun and these minty pea pops are from her book but she has also graciously put the recipe on her blog click here to see it. Now I don't know about your two year old but mine isn't the best pea eater. I usually have to hide them in mac n' cheese or other pasta dishes but to no avail - she usually eats around the little green intruders. So I was a little uncertain about how these pops would be accepted. I also have a personal experience with pea popsicles in China (both peas and corn are seen as dessert foods in China), and let me tell you they where disgusting.

Right from the get go I thought we might be in trouble when I told Lyla to put the cup of peas into the food processor she said "Mamma these are not tasty." I convinced her we were going to make them tasty and she hesitantly poured them into the processor. Lyla totally enjoyed making these pops and they were a success - she love love loved them! I even tried one and thought they were pretty great.

Bought this on amazon - perfect little 1 oz size portions and I can use it later when I start making Sage's baby food so I can easily freeze it into individual portions.

finger lickin' good

Having way too much fun eating pea's!

We had to break the sticks in half so they fit better

Perfect Summer Snack!