My Sweet Valentine

Well, on Vtines Day, I woke up early and poached a couple eggs for Mr.Toddlerwhisperer...he was shocked because I am usually fast asleep when he leaves for work, but I was inspired by Lucy over at Attic24 to try poaching eggs her style. Which happens to be quite fabulous.

I mentioned to Mr.TW that I didn't need any chocolates or flowers, but if he really had to get me a gift to go to the thrift store and find me some Pyrex. You laugh? I was serious.

He was late coming home, so I knew he was out there, "junkin'" as he would say...and I was pleasantly surprised when the door finally swung open...and...there he stood with a bag from Trader Joes. Um...that's not pyrex. He handed each munchkin a chocolate toffee bar, and a box of Cocoa Truffles he bought for me, along with a bottle of the most amazing(ly cheap and tasty) bubbly pink wine. (Boy was that DELICIOUS with the truffles) and I loved that he only spent $9 for the champagne bubbly wine AND the melt in your mouth truffles.

But the best part was when he went back out to the car and brought in a couple bags from Goodwill!! Pyrex!!! No...even cooler!! He found this set of four dinner plates, four salad plates, and four soup bowls looking for a new home for only$9.99. I've taught him well. :)

And try as I may, I cannot find anything like them on the web. I've looked at Anchor Hocking glass, at Federal Glass, Indiana Glass...If you happen to know this pattern or glassmaker will you leave me a comment?

It looks blown and the edges are uneven.

So, my sweet man did really well for me. I couldn't have asked for anything more! :) How was your Valentine's day? Get anything interesting?

Valentine Baked Doughnuts

Well, this isn't a craft, but a recipe of sorts. I bought a tube of biscuits, and this RECIPE was included...They were really fun to make with the kids, and they were fun to eat too. I think cinnamon would have been nice in the sugar mix as well.

We used heart shaped cookie cutters for the center of the doughnuts.

And they made sweet little doughnuts for the ones we love. :) I think these would make an awesome treat for Valentine's day.

The $3 Valentine Wreath

Well, hubby was off work on Monday due to the holiday, and I was not going to let the opportunity pass for me to have some alone time, so I hopped in the truck and hit up three Goodwill Stores in my search for hidden treasures (pyrex). I didn't find anything, however, the last Goodwill was right next door to a Dollar Tree. And the rest becomes this super easy tutorial.

First, you need to pick up a willow wreath from the "floral" section of the Dollar Tree. (I was surprised at the variety of sizes available!) And I picked up two bags of 300 ct rose petals from the valentine section. You will also need your glue gun and plenty of glue sticks.

Find a comfortable spot to lay it all out. I dumped both colors out so I could just be random when selecting.

I took each petal and put one finger in the middle and gathered the sides around that finger...

then slipped the finger out and glued right there in the middle.

And just started placing them close together into the willow wreath. (and totally find something for your children to do while you are doing this...mine were coloring)

I attached a ribbon onto the back of the wreath and have it hanging on my front door!

Happy Valentine's day!!

To ME!!! I kid, I kid. This was our big Valentine's Eve purchase. I had been duct taping my lint catcher into the cracked lint catcher holder for each load in my old dryer, and finally on Thursday, a blanket caught onto the holder, pulled it away from the dryer and pretty much ruined it. We needed a new one anyway, ours was 7 yrs old in January and the quality was definitely lacking. We just bought the dryer yesterday and in a couple weeks we will go and by a new washer too. The place was awesome because they are liquidator, and this was a $1000 retail dryer, and we paid $350...not too shabby!!

A look onto our piano top...
The Valentine bears I made the kids this weekend. I used Lionbrand's Bear in a Jiff pattern.. I think every Valentines day, I want to make the kids something special...we also gave them a book each, and a new shirt...I think this will be our Valentine tradition.
I was suckered into teaching the 2 &3 year olds at church today...this works out because both my babes are in that class...we made these "Valentines" with the verse John 3:16.
Later we are making cookies and having a surf 'n turf dinner here at home, some organic, grass fed steaks and prawns. I love spending time with my little family...hope you are having a beautiful day as well!!

feeble attempt at a cookie cake

so the tots are at this great age where they enjoy fun, dirty, crafty, messy holiday fun. but this is not about them...even though it was intended to be that way. :)

I have had these foil baking pans for a year, bought them last year on clearance, so yesterday I decided to make a cookie cake with the kids. I was lazy and didn't feel like driving all the way across town to Whole Foods to buy a healthier version of refrigerated cookie dough, so I bought the Pillsbury Simply instead.

I left it out of the fridge for about an hour to get it all soft. the kids were now napping. i plopped the package into the ungreased foil pan, smooshed it all around the bottom and cooked according to package directions.

When it cooled, I iced it with chocolate frosting I picked up at the grocery store too. (I abhore corn syrup and this kind of icing, but it was quick and simple so I bought it.)

Did you know Pillsbury made their frosting in a squirt tube?? It's the same stuff that comes in the tub...only more fun. So now you can fake your baking skills and make pretty cupcakes...and decorate your Valentine cookie cakes...as well as...ahem *cough cough*...me. :)

nifty thrifty melts

We had such a fun morning. A friend of mine posted this idea on our forum and I decided to give it a whirl.

After the tots woke up, we got to work peeling all those scrappy old crayons I keep finding everywhere in the house. I thought it would be a lot faster...silly me...I was thinking my three year old would be peeling paper off too...but alas, I peeled and he watched. ***He did tell me that I was so nice and he was so happy I was his mommy in the middle of this project...totally melted my heart!!***

After literally almost an hour of peeling...(And I really didn't have that many crayons to peel) I was done. I placed them on wax paper on a cutting board and chopped them into smaller pieces with my chef's knife. When I finally had the bowl full of chopped crayons, I had my babes add the pieces to these Target dollar spot ice cube trays I bought a couple weeks ago.

I placed them in the oven at 250 degrees for about 12-14 minutes and took them out to cool.
After about 45 minutes I took them out to the delight of two VERY happy babes. I busted out the drawing pad and they have been scribbling away ever since...and talk about a really fun VALENTINE?! My friend who posted this idea on our forum is going to stick one crayon to a piece of cardstock with the words, "You color my world, Valentine" or "You melt my heart, Valentine." Love this!! :)

A Pocket full of Lovies

I usually have neither the time, nor the energy to create a special Valentine for mine...I usually just do the commercialized thing...
Not this year!! My new and improved crafty self went all out!! Yesterday it was melting dark chocolate pieces to dip fresh strawberries in, and today...while hubby was at work, it was finishing his special V-day card!!
I made a very simple card with some very simple hearts...ya know the ones from elementary school where you fold the paper and cut out the heart? I made a pocket in the heart on the inside. I printed out a list of things I love about my Honey, and cut those into strips. On the end of the strips I glued more of the simple hearts and arranged them in the pocket. I am so excited for him to come home from work and read each little love line...Some are silly, some are sweet...

To all of you, hope your day is special. Lots of love to you!!

XOXOXO me