Hot Chocolate Gift!

With the thermometer reading -15 degrees this morning, it was the perfect time to make some hot chocolate. Which reminded me of this fun gift we received. It is homemade hot chocolate in a nice disposable travel mug. It was in a clear bag tied shut with a ribbon.

Here is the fun disposable mug filled with homemade hot chocolate, you can get these by the plastic/styrofoam cups at the grocery store.

Then inside the cup in a plastic bag was the hot chocolate, so you just need to pour out the mix and add hot water. YUM!

"Mini" Projects

Here are a few of Molly's favorite "Mini" projects from the past few days. These are the random fun things we come up with to do when we only have a spare 20 minutes or so to fill. They are simple, but keep her entertained and busy!

Toothpick Marshmallow Houses
This has been a favorite lately, she is always asking if she can build something with marshmallows. We have a lot of "houses" decorating the kitchen!

Yarn Hearts
I saw this fun activity in the new Family Fun magazine, and thought it looked fun and easy. However... Cornstarch Glue!!! Not sure if anyone has made it before and has some tips for me, but it was definitely a major FAIL! So, to save to project, we just dipped foot long pieces of yarn in Elmers glue and laid them inside a cookie cutter on wax paper. Then let is dry for a day. It was super messy, but I think that made Molly like it even more!

Easy Bake Oven
I don't know how Molly got it in her head that she wanted an Easy Bake Oven for Christmas, but it was all she said if anyone asked her what was on her list. She was lucky enough that her Grandma got her one! Now, anytime we need an activity that is sure to make her SO happy, the Easy Bake Oven comes out.

Family Pictures

This past year was a whirlwind of emotions, and some day's were harder to get through than others; I can't imagine what it would have been like without our amazing family and friends to lean on. During this year, I am so happy to have made an amazing new friend, Lynette, who was going through an extremely rough year of her own. She is an inspiration to me in so many ways, and I feel very blessed to call her a friend. She is also and amazing photographer, and volunteered to take our families pictures this fall. Here are a few of my favorites, she did amazing, I usually don't post pictures of myself, but I am so happy with these! Here is her photography website, if you live in West Michigan, check it out.

This is my absolute favorite ever! I love the fall background!

I think this one is so real, it reminds me of us!

This one of Molly is so pretty!

Here is the first one a little closer, since it is hard to see on the computer.

There are a ton more that we love, but this is just a quick preview of my favorites. We have never had a family picture taken before, so these pictures mean the world to me, and I will treasure them forever.

Snow Paint!

Molly had lots of fun today painting the snow around our house. She had a spray bottle of blue and a spray bottle of red (water w/food color) to use. She had so much fun playing outside for a LONG time, and fell asleep tonight the second she hit the pillow!

We saw this fun idea over at The Idea Room, super easy and hours of fun!

Happy 102nd Birthday Great Grandma!

Today is my Great Grandma's 102nd birthday! This picture is from our Christmas party this year. She just loved Nora, and Nora loved talking and smiling to her. I am so happy my girls get to see there Great Great Grandma!

What We've Been Up To...

Life has definitely not slowed down over here. We are BUSY, but having lots of fun along the way. Randal has off of work this week, so we are using every minute. I have been trying to get caught up on a ton of projects and get the house ORGANIZED. So far so good. :) Here is a few of the things We've Been Up To...

I made a practice cake for Nora's birthday. We are having a very hungry caterpillar party, and I wanted to try and see if I could make the cake. Since I had never tried fondant before, practice was needed. It was super fun, stay tuned for her real cake in Feb. I have a lot more I want to do to her cake. :)

Molly has been crafting like crazy. She LOVES to craft! I wonder who she gets that from...

Nora is crawling all over the place, and pulling up on EVERYTHING, even her sister! She is loving eating real food, and can't get enough chicken and pancakes! I can hardly believe she will be one in a month!

And Molly just gets older every time I look at her! She is doing great in preschool and gymnastics. Later this month she will have another MRI. We will also be meeting with the pediatric ophthalmologist about her eye surgery.

Car Emergency Kit!

Lately we have been noticing our car kit is extremely lacking, we are out of Kleenex and band-aids, and when we got out the flashlight the other day, the batteries were leaking acid. Needless to say, since it was -4 degrees today, it was the perfect time to redo the Emergency Car Kit in case we ever need it.

Here is what we put in ours:
-Band-aids
-Peroxide
-Kleenex
-General First-aid Kit
-Matches
-Disposable Camera
-Hand Sanitizer
-Towel
-Flashlight/Batteries
-Hat and Gloves
-Dry Socks
-Duct Tape
-Multi-tool and Knife
-Blanket
-Organic Fruit Leather
-Hand Warmers
-Notepad and Pencil
-10 $1 bills
-Chapstick
-Plastic bag
-Sunscreen
-Poncho
-Bungee Cords
-Jumper Cables
-Tire Gauge
-Glow Stick

I got the idea to put it in a clear container and label it with my silhouette from Life In The Thrifty Lane. Thanks for the GREAT idea. :)