The Big White Farmhouse | intentional living, little by little

June 28, 2011

{kids crafts} Recycled Crayons

A great craft to do with the kids on a day when it’s too hot to go outside: RECYCLED CRAYONS! They are so easy and fun to do and the possibilities are endless!

Here’s what you do:
Find a bunch of old or broken crayons. Remove all of the wrappers. Break the crayons into small pieces and place into a muffin tin or silicone pan (we used a mini brownie pan made of silicone that I had on hand). Place in the oven at 275 degrees for 15 minutes, or until melted. (If using silicone, I recommend placing it on a firm cookie sheet before putting into the oven.) Remove from the oven and let your new crayons set completely, about 1 hour. Then, pop them out and color away!

The boys just loved this project and we came up with a lot of ideas for next time:

I would use an Xacto knife to cut slits down the paper before peeling the wrappers off of the crayons. This step took the longest and we had some trouble with the older crayons (the paper tended to stick more).
I want to try to make crayons in different shapes. I know they have candy molds at Michaels for pretty cheap, which would work perfectly for this craft! How adorable would they be as party favors?
I think it would be neat to combine two colors into one space. Once you have them all melted, swirl the colors with a stick!

June 27, 2011

{read along} Mitten Strings for God: Mornings

See my thoughts on chapter 1 here.

Chapter 2: MORNINGS

There are certain perks to having only little ones in the house. Our mornings tend to be much like the ones described in the book: early morning risers climbing into bed with me for a little extra snuggle time. I have one sweet boy who likes to curve himself around the shape of my spine, the other who spreads out on the foot of my bed.

The mornings are early, REALLY early… but they are sacred. I am embracing this time for its simplicity and simple rhythm because I know this will all change soon. School, extra-curriculars, sports, friends…the days are going to be filled to the brim before I know it. Here are some of my thoughts to making our mornings a great beginning to our days:

Get up before the boys. In an ideal world, I would be doing this now, but those boys just wake up so. darn. early! Hopefully, in a few years, I’ll be able to wake up earlier than them and have some quiet time to myself before the business of the day begins.
No rushing. I don’t like chaos and my kids don’t work well with a stressed out Mamma. When our day starts with rushing around, I feel like we all leave the house a little off. A little frazzled.
Prepare beforehand for a peaceful routine. I am practicing this skill right now, since I know I will need to have it perfected by the time the boys are a little older. When we need to be out of the house at a certain time, I make a plan of what needs to be done and work backward. I try to do as much as I can the night before: clothes laid out, diaper bag packed, papers signed, etc. I think that really helps the flow of our mornings.

What do you do in your home in order to create a peaceful morning?

June 24, 2011

{i want to remember} – 6/24/11

Sometimes life gets so busy that I forget to notice and appreciate the little things. Here are some of the things I am loving this week:

I WANT TO REMEMBER… how D always, ALWAYS remembers to say thank you. He will actually repeat it and repeat it until you acknowledge him.

I WANT TO REMEMBER… how J has two teeth at 6 1/2 months old! I just love his little toothy grin!

I WANT TO REMEMBER… how M colors everything in rainbows! He will take each little space in a picture and color it a different color. Sometimes it takes him 15-20 minutes to finish one page, but what an eye for detail and precision. I can only imagine what his future holds with those qualities!

I WANT TO REMEMBER… how both of the big boys’ have taken to wearing baseball caps around the house. They never liked hats when they were babies and have always fussed when forced to wear winter caps. So it’s a big surprise now that they just LOVE their Cowboys & Boston caps!

I WANT TO REMEMBER… how great it felt to sew a little this week. I pulled out my hand sewing and for the first time since J was born, I was able to get a little done! The ideas are flowing and I can’t wait to get a project started! Perhaps a baby quilt?

June 23, 2011

{in the kitchen} Strawberry Cobbler Cake

Oh, how I love strawberry season! We bought a 2lb. container this weekend for $4! $4.00!! That’s a super great price around these parts.

After a quick search on the interwebs, I decided to try this yummy seasonal recipe: Strawberry Cobbler Cake! It’s got all the makings of a cobbler, but just a tad more cakey. How’s that for a description?! It was yummy and the boys gobbled it right up. In fact, M declared it was the best thing he’d ever eaten, which is HUGE, since he is my straight shooter and frequently likes to tell me when things are “disgusting” or “so gross”.

STRAWBERRY COBBLER CAKE
1. Preheat oven to 350. Soften 3/4 cup butter and beat on medium. Add 3/4 cup sugar and continue to mix well. Add 1 egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla, mixing well.
2.Combine 1 1/4 cups flour with 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add to butter mixture, alternately with 1/2 cup milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.
3. Pour into greased 8″ pan. Pour in batter and top with 2-3 cups of strawberries (which have been hulled and sliced in half), cut side down.
4. Make topping: Mix 1/4 cup flour and 1/4 cup sugar in a small bowl. Cut in 1/4 cup chilled butter. Sprinkle over cobbler. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes! Enjoy!

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