Don't Eat the Fortune Cookies (a tutorial)

I mentioned here about my first date with my husband at an Asian restaurant. So when we celebrated his birthday (which also happens to be a celebration of our first date), I made fortune cookies for him. Not the edible kind; these were made out of felt.

This was an easy and fun project and one I knew he would appreciate.

First I typed up and cut out fortunes and messages for him

First you cut circles out of felt. I made them about 1.5 inches in diameter but would recommend 2 -2.5 inches.

Then I laid a small piece of thin wire across the circle

I covered each piece of wire with a small piece of felt and glued it on with foam/felt glue

Place message inside, on top of the wire

Fold circle around the fortune/message

Fold in half again

Finished product!

I placed them in a Chinese takeout container

~Angela

A family on wheels!

I'll let the pictures tell the story, but to sum it up, my little girl LOVED rollerskating. We all did. We love adventures and FUN and this was both!

 

the smallest little skates I've ever seen:)

putting on the skates

our family on wheels

a little rest at the end was well deserved

~Angela

A Day at the Beach

We enjoyed our first day at the beach this year. The sand, the sun, the cool water of Lake Michigan...refreshing and so, so fun.

I still hear my daughter's shrieks of laughter as I look back at the pictures.  

It is these simple memories I love the most. I'll let the photos tell the story...

Daddy pushing the stroller to get to the shoreline (a workout and a half)

our little corner of the beach

something about these chubby little feet that just makes me smile

throwing sand

oops! Sand in the hair!

 

swimming in a dress...why not? One little girl was too excited to take the time to put a swimsuit on



Running along the dunes

~Angela

I Will be Present in the Moment

I take photos because I want to remember. And write because it’s therapeutic; it’s my way to wind down and relax. I love to share ideas and projects that inspire me. I love to create. In addition to scrapbooking (which I already do), I recently started blogging (obviously). Both blogging and scrapbooking help me document the moments, and create a record for my family (and online readers) that we are making the most of life. They also take up a lot of my time. Because now in addition to writing my own blog, I have been invited to guest post on other blogs, enter contests on other blogs and follow more blogs than I have hands and feet. So this new hobby has become one of the most time consuming hobbies I have.

I justify the time spent in my art room arranging photos and the time spent hovering over my computer, uploading pictures and typing away because I enjoy it. But it’s ironic that my blog “The Simple Things” about Simplifying my life/Enjoying the simple things in life has not simplified my life at all. And I don’t want to miss out on creating more memories and enjoying life’s moments because I am too busy recording every single moment of my family’s life from behind the camera, thinking about how I will turn this into a blog post or a scrapbook page layout later. I want to enjoy these moments through my own eyes. I will -occasionally- leave the camera behind. I will focus on the memories as we are making them, not in how I will document them later.

I will be present in the moment.

I originally wrote this as an entry for a contest at Real Simple.com.

~Angela

Super SIMPLE Recipe: Taco Casserole

This recipe started out when I planned on making crock pot spaghetti but the only ground beef I had was seasoned for tacos, so I improvised. And this is a new favorite recipe for my family.

Ingredients:

Box of noodles, cooked and drained

1 lb ground beef or turkey, browned, drained and seasoned with taco seasoning

2 cans Fire Roasted Tomatoes (like RoTel, but I substitute generic)

2 C shredded cheese.

Put in a crock pot on low for 4 hours (or high for 1 hour).

Easy, right? And tasty!

~Angela

Am I a Bad Mom if I Forgot to Brush My Daughter's Teeth Today?

I always made a point to celebrate Mother's Day by honoring my mom and in recent years, my mother-in-law too. But now that I am a mom, I appreciate the holiday a bit more; I appreciate my mom more. I appreciate the memories my mom created for me, I appreciate the advice, I appreciate the sacrifices she made for me. And I understand more. I understand more than ever what tired exhausted feels like. I understand how your heart literally stops beating when you hear the screams of agony when your child is in pain. I understand the exhilaration when your child smiles for the first time, calls your name, takes her first steps and says "I Love You." Motherhood has been the most challenging, rewarding and life-changing experience ever.

My Mom & I

There are days where I think to myself I got this mom thing down. These are usually the days that my daughter wakes up singing and says "Good Morning Mama" when I walk into her room, greeting me with the sleepy smile of a good night's sleep. We rock and cuddle before we get ready for the day and we leave the house on time, her in an adorable, matching outfit. We play and laugh and have lots of hugs. I am lucky that we have a lot of these days. And on these days I think I could handle 10 more kids.

There are also days where I want to cry because I don't think I am a good enough mom. These are the days that my daugther insists on wearing pajamas all day and when I finally convince her to wear clothes, I don't argue when those clothes don't match or are on backwards. I am usually tired, and I doubt every thing I do. Am I patient enough? Am I making life fun enough? Am I instilling in my little girl the things that matter most: good manners, faith, the importance of family? Am I teaching her all she needs to know? Am I providing nutritious meals? And although I have jokingly said many times that they let anyone be parents, more than once I have felt like the wrong person for the job.

Today was a day I wavered when I reflected on my success as a mom. My plan for today was to sleep in. I have been looking forward to this for weeks. With my husband at work and my daughter up earlier than usual, I quickly realized my plan would not happen. But I did not see my little girl at all yesterday (which I also feel terribly guilty about as I missed a major milestone: her first running race) so I welcomed an early morning cuddle in place of the extra sleep I so desperately wanted/needed. I went in to cuddle and she had other plans. Books and balloons and activites that required energy. Energy I did not have. And as I raced around in record time to get my little girl and I ready for church (per her request), we arrived at church and sang and worshipped and prayed together and I felt better. Until in the middle of the service I realized in the crazybusy morning and my fog of tiredness that I never brushed my daughter's teeth. Now this is terrible in so many ways, but even more so because in this home, we ALWAYS brush our teeth. Dental hygiene is something we take very seriously. And I cannot even bring myself to admit this to my husband. (he'll find out when he reads my blog). How can I have been so rushed that I forgot that? I certainly never forget to brush my own teeth! In marches in the guilt...

We spent the afternoon with cousins, who brought me flowers in honor of Mother's Day. This was such a sweet gesture and although I graciously accepted them, I can't help but think that I deserve them less than she does. This woman is raising her son and another little boy that needs a Mama. She may not have given birth to him, but she loves him and cares for him and has sacrificed her own family, her own life, to raise this little boy. She is his Mama too. She deserves these flowers. She deserves more than these flowers. I admire her. I have so much respect for her. Again, I feel guilty- here she is, raising two children, one not her own, and I didn't even remember to brush my daughter's teeth this morning.

cousins!

I opened Mother's Day gifts from my husband and little girl- charms for a bracelet, a handwritten letter from my husband and my favorite card ever. I don't feel deserving of these either.

This card was made for me. It reads "The Best Things In Life Aren't Things"

We enjoyed dinner outside together at a local restaurant. There was a family at a table next to us with little girls. The kids were glancing back and forth and smiling and talking to each other as little girls do. It was sweet. Parents also started chatting and exchanging Mother's Day greetings. As the older of the two little girls went to leave, she stopped at our table with her Daddy and said to me "You look like a nice Mommy and I wanted to give you this." She handed me a decorated jar with handmade lotion inside that she made with her grandma. I fought back tears because: 1) I was very touched 2) It gave me hope that this family (well, everyone really, but most especially my little girl) could see that I try really hard to be a good Mama. Mind you, I don't know this little girl, but that gift she gave me was exactly what I needed today.

Underneath my insecurities, my worries and my struggles, there is one thing that has never wavered and that is the love I have for my little girl. I understand love more now that I am a mom than I ever have and I can only hope that my excess of love makes up for the areas that I may be lacking.

My little girl, who I love SO much

To all Moms and women that love and care for children, whether you have given birth to them or not, Happy Mother's Day!

~Angela

Keepsake Tree Painting

I made this for my little girl's 2nd birthday party. It is a great momento of the day spent with family and hangs in her bathroom.

I have a thing for trees. I am a nature lover and I like the symbolism trees have- as they grow and branch out they still remaine firmly rooted. I like that this tree has become a family tree since it contains the fingerprints of our family that was at my little girl's party.

I painted the tree with empty branches on a wooden canvas prior to the party. And as guests arrived, I asked them to ink their thumb with the green inkpad press onto a branch to make a leaf, then write their name next to it.

~Angela

Teddy Bear Park & Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives

This weekend we enjoyed a trip to Stillwater, MN for a playdate and to check out a restaurant: Smalley's Pirate BBQ, which will be featured on Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives tomorrow night.  We met up with my grandma, mom, brother and aunt for a day of play, family and food- nothing better, right?

We started out the day at Teddy Bear Park which was hit for all ages.



Bundle with her Uncle Matt

My little girl LOVED this motorcycle. Motorcycles are one of her favorite things.

Daddy and his little girl

It did not seem like we were that high up...

 ...Until we had to get down.

The fam & a teddy

 

I wish our little girl was in this photo, but we couldn't keep her still long enough:)

We look like the paparazzi

"Hold my hand, Yaya" on the way to the restaurant

Smalley's Pirate BBQ

Even the kids meal was "pirate-y"

Corn fritters with butter rum sauce...yum!

Carribean Fish tacos



Fried jalepenos with sea salt- complimentary upon asking

The fam again enjoying lunch before heading out to explore the shops.

~Angela