Willow's 8th Birthday Party

Finally had Willow's friend-party yesterday

She once again decorated the cakes







I decorated a little, but didn't go too nuts (the pinwheels went home with the kids along with hibiscus-print tote bags, leis and hair clips, and shell necklaces)



Hubby printed off some coloring/activity sheets





Only two guests came (of the dozen invited), but they had a great time!

Berry Farm

Snowcream

Today was all about the snowcream. 

Some people may think making ice cream out of snow is a terrible idea.  What about pollutants in the air?  What about bacteria?  Well, to that, i suggest giving up fresh spinach and other foods known to occasionally poison people.  Or just relax and take your chances, because life is dangerous and fun.

First, i made a wine snowcone, because i can.

Then i went for the real thing.

1 large bowl of fresh, clean snow
2 cups heavy cream
1 can evaporated milk
2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla

Just mix everything together and stick it in the freezer to set back up while your little snow-fetchers change into dry clothes.

It's worth every carb.

But if you're lactose intolerant or refuse to eat large amounts of refined sugar, i offer instead the alternative snowcream:

I can of coconut milk, 2 tsp vanilla, and a couple tsp xylitol mixed into a medium bowl of snow.

Let it not be said that i'm not flexible!

Snowpocalypse

Well, not quite as the weather predicted, but we did get a lot of snow for southwest Missouri.

Out the front door

The back

The driveway...somewhere...

Our street

The main street

But we started our day with Little House on the Prairie.

Then we did a project with the flowers Dale has given me over the years

We pressed the dried petals onto contact paper

Ember was distraught when she realized the flowers were in fact dead.

Willow posed with hers

Ryvre's--it looks like petals scattered on the table, which is what i was going for

The contact paper didn't stick as well as i had hoped it would; i had to finish the edges with packing tape, and the above is the result of Ember shaking hers up and dragging it around the house.  Oh well, it's sort of like a flat, petal-filled snow-globe.

Our snack: strawberry chardonnay cheddar with fresh strawberries (i suggest eating them with graham crackers--tastes like cheesecake, minus the sweetness)

Willow needs more than one craft per day.

Ready to brave the blizzard

The road didn't get plowed, but we still got mail!

Willow slid down everything

Who needs a sled?  We have plastic cutting boards!

But some would rather tumble down the hill than slide.

One Big Christmas Post

Christmas, for us, is a time to travel to a colder place (NW Missouri) and visit relatives.

Here are most of the relatives (not pictured is one additional set of grandparents, one great-grandma, and the uncle who took the picture):

It also usually snows.  This year there was enough to play in, but not too much to get around (unlike last year).

There are, of course, cookies to eat.

And presents to open.

And birds to feed

And martial arts moves to practice with Papa.

We <3 Christmas.

Chocolate Covered Pretzels

Gingerbread Houses

I'll be honest.  I HATE gingerbread houses!  Such a pain.  I even cheat and use a kit.  But the kids love them, so here we go:

HallowBirthdayPalooza

Today we celebrated two birthdays and Halloween, all at once!

My oldest is 9 now



And my youngest is 5.



They decorated their own cakes



Ryvre's



Ember's











This year's Trick-or-Treat lineup: Black Kitty (Rome), Percy Jackson (Ryvre), Prairie Girl (Willow), Ariel (Ember), Orange Kitty (Kassi), Prince Zuko (Tristan), and a Christmas Tree (Toly)



I loved how they ran to each house