Things to be Grateful for...

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you'll notice that many of my posts centre around crafts, recipes, and the day trips that I take with the kiddies.  Today, I'm writing about what I am grateful for.

The other day, I was reading this post by Suzanne from a Girl for All Seasons.   She had posted some pictures of a quilt block and asked her readers to answer 3 questions (tell her something real about yourself, give a photography tip, and tell her about something you are grateful for) in order to win some lovely fabric and letterpress cards.   I missed my chance to win but I posted a response anyway.   Why?  Well, when most bloggers do a giveaway (including yours truly), they always ask you to "follow" them on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr, StumbleUpon, etc etc.  So, it's a refreshing change when someone just wants to know something about her readers.

This is what I wrote: 

Happy Blog Anniversary! I was going to write a reply yesterday but there was a little hand tugging on my pants leg. And of course I never came back until now… now that my little angels are sleeping. Speaking of sleep, today I was super grumpy that my little one woke me up before the sun came up. And I mean grumpy grouchy and very crusty. Not one of my finer mom moments… It was also a wet, miserable, snow and rain day here in Toronto, Canada. So that didn’t help much either. When #2 took his lunch nap and #1 actually wanted to nap with me (what a sweetie!), I ended up giving myself a break and took at nap with him. When I woke up, the sun was shining through my window in the most beautiful way. And as I lay there, looking at my sleeping son, I felt so grateful for the opportunity to be able to see my kids grow up. Then, #2 woke up and called me from the other room. And when I saw his sweet, smiling face, again, I felt so grateful. It was such a nice moment with the two kiddies that I didn’t bother to reach for my camera. I just recorded the moment in my mind (and now on your blog!).  

Here are my two favourite people under 4 feet tall. 

Here is my favourite person above 4 feet tall

So that's what I am grateful for today! Oh, and the kids went to bed early tonight. Yay!

Please leave me a comment and let me know what you are grateful for today!

Toddler Backpack: Dump Truck for Shannon

I love making toddler backpacks.  This one is for Shannon's son.  She originally wanted to buy him a choo choo train backpack but decided on the dump truck design. I wish I could've been a fly on the wall when she gave this to her little boy.   She sent me a note afterwards which really made my day. Her son loves it and will only take it off long enough to put more stuff into it. Awww!!!! Now that's what I like to hear :o)

This past summer, I had made a backpack for little J (blogged about it here).  The face of the backpack is the same but the details are different.  Shannon chose to use dark brown as her accent colour instead of white.   Hence, the piping, zipper, side pocket trim, and strap webbing are dark brown.  Also, this one is a true toddler backpack sized for little bodies.

I'm making a new backpack this week and will post pictures once I have them ready.  I've also been "told" by Joshie that I need to make him a "mean T Rex" backpack so he can bring it with him on his first day of school.


I create and sell toddler backpacks through my Josh & Teo ETSY Shop.  However, if you know how to sew and would like to tackle this project, visit Made by Rae's website to purchase a PDF copy of the pattern.  

Happy Sewing!

Another Toddler Apron and a Birthday Party at Loblaws

A couple of weeks ago, Joshie was invited to a cooking birthday party.  Yay!!!  We love those!  His friend A was having her party at the Loblaws on Queens Quay.  So of course I made her an apron.  

I'm all about the personalization so she got a nice big A on her apron.  I used a font called "Ravie" for the A.  For details on how to do an applique, I put more details in this post.  She's quite the fashionista (yes at 4 years old), so I went back to an old favourite of mine:  brown plaid.

I used D rings for the neck closure but next time, I might do snaps and put 3 or 4 on the strap. I used bias tape for the ties and enclosed the entire apron.

I wrapped the apron in tissue paper and stamped a little card.

 

I tried to get Joshie to model the apron for me but he wasn't cooperating as soon as I pulled out the camera.  Meanwhile, Baby Bunny was standing patiently to the side, watching me try to get a smile from Joshie.  Then Bunny said "try" and I asked, "really?  you want to try to model it?"  He nodded his head, so I quickly put the apron on him.

The party was so much fun.   The kids made their own pizzas, decorated cupcakes, made fruit skewers and wore chef hats and aprons.  Joshie was quite impressed by the automatic soap dispenser and wanted to wash his hands all the time.  Poor Baby Bunny had to stay at home because he wasn't old enough to go to cooking school.

Here's what the pizza looked like.  It was really good.

Joshie spent a lot more time eating his pizza than his fruit or even the Birthday Cake!  Shocking!

After the party, we went to A's house and had an impromptu play date.  I got to play with girly toys instead of my usual trucks and superheroes.  It was a great day!

Recipe: Milky Jell-O Jigglers

Are we enjoying Jell-O week yet?  

Today we are making Jell-O Jigglers again but with a bit of a twist.   Recently, I posted a tutorial on how to make Jello Jigglers using an ice cube tray from Ikea.  The kids are still asking for some more.  Joshie is my "little chef" but lately Baby Bunny has been pushing his way into the kitchen and demanding to stir the Jello.  He can't say Jello yet but we know when he says something that sounds like "doh doh", it means Jello.  He also yells "see see" whenever Joshie is up on the stool and then yells something that sounds like "stir stir".

We made the hearts but we also made their favourite Sesame Street characters.  It's a little hard to see the detail in Grover's face because the Jell-O is still quite transparent.  

So to solve this problem, we are going to change the recipe slightly. It will still be extremely easy but you will need one secret ingredient switch up:  MILK!  There's a ton of recipes out there which use dry jello pudding, but I think this is better because you don't have to go out and buy anything extra.

Here's what you need:
1 pkg Jello
1 flexible ice cube tray
1/2 cup hot milk
1/4 cup cold water
Pam cooking spray

Gather your ingredients!  

Boil your milk in a microwaveable mug. Be careful - it's hot! Add the Jell-O and stir. It's going to look crazy lumpy and you're going to wonder why you deviated from the original recipe. Pour your lumpy mixture into a blender or even better, use an immersion blender.   Now add your cold milk and blend again.

Don't forget to use your cooking spray to keep the Jell-O from sticking to the ice cube tray.  This is very very important!  Make sure you blot any excess.  Quickly pour the mixture into your ice cube tray.  Chill for about 2 hours.

Here it is!  Once again, Mom saves the day!

Don't be shy about using other colours!

Have fun!

Happy Valentine's Day

The balloons say it all!  How'd I get them so straight?  I had a little helper...

 Hope everyone has a nice day!  

It's Jell-O Week - Round Up and Tutorials

Did you know that this week is Jell-O week?  I kid you not!  To celebrate this "holiday" week, here's a round up of really cool Jello Tutes and pics
 

1. Orange Slice Jello Shots  2.  Jello Hearts  3.  7 Layer Finger Jello  4.  The Bramble  5.  Blueberry Martini Jello Shots  6.  Stained Glass Jello  7.  Rainbow Cherry Jigglers  8.  Rainbow Jello 

And for any last minute Valentine's stuff, here are links to my tutorials

My Day with One

My day with one... or should I say #2?  Yesterday, Joshie spent the day at Nonna's house (thank you!) so it was just me and Baby Bunny.  What to do?  I rarely get one on one time with him so it was a real treat for me! 

We didn't do anything too exciting but it was just nice to be able to give him my full attention.  Joshie had that when he was a baby but Bunny grew up always having to share.

Here's what I learned:

• Bunny is quite independent
• He runs really fast!
• Being with 1 now seems sooooo easy
• This is what it will be like when Joshie goes to school

First, we went grocery shopping and he helped me put away his snacks

Then we went to the sewing store to pick up some piping and bias tape.  He loves going there and hiding between the fabric bolts and choosing different colours of ribbon.  The ladies that work at Fabrictown are really nice to him and they don't mind that he runs up and down the aisles.

Then we went for a walk.  He wanted to hold my hand (sniff sniff).

Time for lunch so we made a salad

Naptime is over but now it's time for a little yoga. Hurry up bunny because it's time to pick up big brother!   We miss Joshie!

Recipe: Rolled Oatmeal Cookies

We love oatmeal cookies.  Usually around Valentine's Day, I make sugar cookies using this sugar cookie recipe.  This year, we're making rolled oatmeal cookies instead. 

These are great because they are healthy and easy to make.

 

Enjoy!

Zoo Adventures

Yesterday it was 5C... yes, in February!  I remember trudging through snow in February when I was a kid (yes I realize this makes me sound old), so it was a real treat to be able to take the kids to the zoo.  

Yi Ma CT took me and the kids to the Toronto Zoo for a little fun.  Honestly, I was surprised that they lasted until 4:30pm with NO NAP!!!  I guess it's because they had such a good time.

Today's fave?  The new baby polar bear!  The little cub was just introduced to the public 3 days ago.  There's a contest on right now to name this little guy on the zoo’s website and Facebook page.   It runs until March 16, then an online vote will be held to pick the most popular name.   Teo wants to call it "bear".

Here is a picture of him... so cute!

We had to see the penguins

The baby gorilla came right up to the glass and was very interested in my camera.

The aquarium was mesmerizing.   This little fishie has a stripe that make it seem like he has an eyebrow!

The kids were fantasizing about their fave ice cream flavours

When I got home - this was waiting for us from hubby.  Did we try each one?  Almost - we got through 4 of them before Baby Teo started kicking furiously in his booster seat.  Oops... probably too much cocoa or sugar for the night. 

All in all, a great day!