well…i did it!
at first the kids were bummed to be torn away from the tv and computer.
but on wednesday morning while getting dressed out of her jammies annie asked excitedly
"what's our craft today mama?"
that made me so happy.
it was very low key…very laid back…small crafts….took very little time.
and they really did like it.
and i did too.
scott informed me he "wasn't into crafting" so he would not be participating…at all.
bummer….that time has come. i missed him.
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monday:
popsicle stick christmas trees
we made them into ornaments.
i let them use the glue gun…i thought they would like that…turns out they don't….HA.
at one point i looked over and sean was playing in the glitter making it like snow.
UGH.
***edited to add…we used green craft sticks that come pre-colored and i cut them with big scissors to get the different sizes. don't use good scissors for this…and watch out…the pieces fly everywhere!
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tuesday:
pompom ornament
cottage cheese break.
it's simple as can be.
push stick pins through pom poms and stick them into the Styrofoam.
and even a big kid sat down and made two ornaments herself…
these were easy and fun.
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wednesday:
felt gingerbread men
i googled "gingerbread man shape" and printed out an image to make a pattern.
we cut them out, picked out buttons, strung our (huge blunt) needles,
sewed the face and belly buttons first…then sewed the back and front together with a big stitch.
just before we closed up the last few stitches (10-15 of them….)
we stuffed it with just a few cotton balls for plumpness.
this was a hard craft.
but rewarding.
annie was tired and playing barbies ALONE-DON"T-BOTHER-ME-GO-AWAY so we let her be.
lauren was studying.
scott was playing ball.
so the just three of us sat on the couch and sewed gingerbread men.
talby said many times "this is fun…i didn't know i could sew!"
made me feel a little guilty.
but now she knows.
and sean liked it too…he made one for his friend with his initials on the back…sweet.
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thursday:
sugar cookies (used this recipe from REAL SIMPLE)
i almost gave up.
i was tired and they were spastic.
but i just plowed through…and i only yelled twice.
****edited to add: in case you weren't aware…you need TONS of flour on your counter, rolling pin
and hands when working with sugar cookie dough. it's very sticky. i don't want you to give up because
you thought you were doing it wrong. the flour was why i was yelling…SO MESSY!!!****
we only baked them…the frosting part was way more than i could handle.
i was on my own with kids all night.
i was tired.
did i tell you that already?
because i had already been baking all day…
yes…i made the peppermint swirled cupcakes.
so good.
i think i will have another one right now!
i also made the chocolate mint brownies that IS christmas tradition for me. (left sidebar for recipe)
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friday:
gingerbread house.
it deserves it's own post…when (and IF) i do it!
i have paid my friend to bake it the past two years but this year on my 35 things list (right sidebar)
i said i wanted to make one myself…what was i thinking?
i have all day today to figure out how to bake one.
yuck…i get weird about having to learn something new. change is hard.
are you feeling crafty now?
here is a collage of the arts and crafts i was inspired by and wishing i could make all of them.
maybe i could still…over winter break.
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1. cafe mom 2. clover lane 3. nini makes 4. 5. parents 6. sarah's art house 7. the joy of today
8. no time for flash cards 9. just for fun 10. parents 11. zakka life 12. elise blaha 13. sara's art house
14. martha stewart 15. crafty crow 16. oh so happy together
although i linked everyone individually i found almost all of them through THE CRAFTY CROW.
i love that site. i check it all the time!
are YOU going to craft with your kids this week?
no pressure from me.
but tell me if you do…..i want to know.
i hope my kids still want to do it next week also.
chris - mom of five for almost 29 years, and NEVER did it! before you have me beheaded, i always had a sweet neighbor (sans kids) who loved to do it! bliss! i babysit a darling little korean girl who grew up loving to gut the pumpkins at halloween~kept her busy and me happy for many years! i thought all of these photos were wonderful, but the one that really cracked me up was where you could see the dog looking longingly out the screen door!
Courtney Walsh - oh my gosh. i forgot to dye eggs this year!! how did that happen??? these look perfect! i love the really bright ones! 🙂
JustMommer - Hint for next year, for younger kids, slip the boiled egg inside a wisk and they can hold the handle and dip into the dye.
Julie - I could come steal that daisy bowl.
adore.
I make my mom dye eggs with the kids.
I can’t do it. Just can’t.
You are rad.
The end.
Holly - Oh Meg, you crack me up!! I love reading your post 🙂 And dying the eggs outside…. totally brilliant!! Why didn’t I think of that?!
Michele Renee - OK, I must be weird because I have made egg salad about a thousand million times since I was a teenager.
johnnie - I have to pull out my Red/White checkered Betty Crocker cookbook to look up the directions each time too!
I always loose half the eggs while boiling due to cracking open. Im at a 2:1 ratio on survivors!
kristine - i had to google how to hardboil too! i remember watching a rachael ray show when she was joking with a guest about, “oh but i’m sure you can at least hard boil an egg!” and i was thinking how glad i was that i wasn’t the guest b/c i would have had to say “actually….” and i thought for sure she would just give the two step directions but she didn’t!
the lcd screen on my camera broke last week! boo! fortunately i bought the accidental warranty so i don’t have to pay BUT they kept it for three weeks! so no easter pics. i KNEW you’d have great ones of eggs on here! i love all the colors!
adrianne - I love your daisy bowl.
(I also love the picture with Waffle in the house looking out at all the fun…forlorn…)
brooke - don’t feel so bad…the first time i tried to hard boil eggs for my daughter i boiled all the water and then carefully dropped the cold eggs into the boiling water…went back to check 5 minutes later and had a pot full of shells and boiled egg guts…ha!
but as we speak i am googling a recipe for egg salad as i have way too many hard boiled eggs for a party of three!!
having a seven year old too i laughed out loud at your putting your egg in talby’s friend’s drink and then snickering about it…love these little mishaps as it will be what is remembered the most about that day…
Susie - My favorite picture is the one with Waffle in the door in the background!
susan - it’s fun to let the kids make a mess! we love doing our eggs too! hope you had a beautiful Easter!
Jessie Westfall - Found your blog through my friend Jody and I must tell you that I too had to google hard boiling my first time. I LOVE dying eggs and I even buy the clearanced out dye so we can do it anytime we want. It makes for great colorful healthy snacks for the kids. Glad it all went well for you.
Tiffany Feger - you make a regular thing look so inviting! i took pics of my kids outside too, but not like that.
amanda fuentes - Ha ha, I recently had to google how to hard boil eggs too! We did our eggs last night – out of a dozen only 8 made it after dropping and cracking while boiling!
tami reed - Happy Easter looks like you guys are having a great time! My kids decorated eggs too lol.
Kirsten - Ah!!! Love Waffle peeking out the door – gosh, that looks so perfect…we were inside, with pouring rain and 30mph winds howling. Pink lemonade, to boot…like a picture postcard. With dyed fingers 🙂
Willy Van Os - Happy Easter!
bobbie - I did it by myself with my two girls and our baby tonight. I was so nervous but it went great! I gave the baby a lollipop (ha!) to keep her happy in her high chair and the girls and I just went to work. It was the cleanest and funnest egg dye I’ve ever done. I used gel food dye colors mixed with vinegar and water and we got the best colors! Even better than pink lemonade! 🙂
Christy - Too funny, because here I sit at nearly 9pm to google how long to cook the eggs. Hoping to dye with my munchkin tomorrow b/f our family comes for dinner. 🙂 Looks like you created everlatsing memories & lots of eggs! Happy Esater!
Christina - The lemonade story is priceless.
About hard boiling eggs…first of all, a couple of days ago my oldest wanted hard boiled eggs so I put the water on to boil, it came to a boil, and then I remembered you are supposed to put it all in together and bring to a boil. I cracked one egg putting it in, from the heat, and the other I think cooked in three seconds.
Then yesterday I made some new, the right way, and when they were done I changed the hot water for cold and set them on the stove to cool. I was going to put them in the fridge for another time. Way to plan ahead! I left the house with the kids for six hours, and came back to find them still sitting on the stove. Nice.
You are still the coolest mom around.
julia - I used to have to have things a certain way…then I had my third…I’m learning to go with the flow too.
karen - Oh Waffle…i bet you would have loved to be out there and make a mess out of it all!!
kathy b - One year, as a preschool director, I hard boiled over 300 eggs. I learned the hard way that the same rules don’t apply for cooking eggs at that volume. They dyed just fine but one child dropped an egg out of his basket on the way out the door and we discovered they were not cooked but still runny.We had to quickly put a warning sign up for the rest of the parents,” eggs are not to be eaten, just decorative”. Everyone has an egg story.
Kathy b
Amy - I have been hard boiling eggs for years and just when I think they are perfect I crack them open and they are either raw or the shell won’t come off! (not to make you paranoid or anything) I put my eggs on to boil today, began talking college choices with my daughter and burned them. They look alright but I’m sure they aren’t inside! ah well, the dogs will have a happy easter!
Tanya H - confession: I have been a mother for nearly 8 years and this is the first time I have dyed eggs with my kids by myself. I had to call my mom to find out how to hard-boil eggs. Fabulous. 😀
Sharley McMullen - Next year try dyeing brown eggs, Our Western magazine called Sunset showed a picture, so my grandchildren and I tried it the eggs come out a deep rich jewel tones, do have to leave them in the dye a bit longer. Glad you learned to boil eggs!!
I assume you brought them to a boil, cover and turn off and let sit for 14mins and then submerge in an ice bath till cold?
Laurie, from Maryland - I’ve got a few cool kids of my own (20, 17, and 11), who frequently don’t feel like doing what I’ve planned. I try to enjoy whoever shows up, without being mad at those who don’t. Not always easy. I’ve noticed that when my oldest is home from college, she seems more eager to do things with the family, though. I guess there’s hope!
Kate - Hi! Congratulations! That is a huge accomplishment!
If you have a mom egg dyeing party – I am so there!
`Kelly - Congratulations on learning to hard boil eggs! 🙂
I have two handy egg decorating tips that I learned this year and just have to share. Tip #1 – If you use a whisk to hold your egg instead of a spoon or those little dipper things that come in the box, hands stay clean and eggs are less likely to break. It does mess up your whisk a little but I decided I’m going to stock up on good wire whisks from thrift stores this year and stick them with our Easter stuff to use next year. It worked wonderfully. Tip #2 – use mason jars instead of cups. It just looks really cool 🙂
linda lou - meg you should of called i would of decorated eggs with you girls! (: they are beautiful…
happy easter to you and your family.
Diana - p.s. LOVE Waffle looking out the door… TOO cute! LOL!
Diana - no way! really?!?! i never woulda guessed you hadn’t done this. but remember, you do so much OTHER stuff with them. and now you have done THIS, and had so much FUN, right? {get out your craft stuff… glitter, bits of fabric, buttons, ribbon, all those neat things, and let them fancy their eggs up… regular glue works, or tacky glue, or your hot glue gun thingy… my grandkids LOVE doing that}
gonna google the deviled eggs recipe, too? {i have a good one if you need it… i make deviled eggs all the time… you let me know, i can send it tonight when we get back from family bbq}
HAPPY EASTER, MEG! xoxo
♥
meaghan - i totally googled it too…
anna. - I’m a stalker and former super-mean-to-my-mom teenager. I sure hope that kid isn’t being too hard on you. I could just kick myself when I look back at my nasty attitude. Too cool is something we all regret. Wishing you love and kindness for your holiday weekend.
amy j. - I did the same thing. Thank goodness for Google.
a-m - We’re just about to do the same thing now! We’re going to try rolling the eggs in a mixture of olive oil and food colouring after their first dunking this year. If it works I’ll post the results, if not well I’ll try and show willing!
a-m x
Keri ~ Forever Folding Laundry - You are not the only egg Googler out there…I had to do the same thing yesterday. 🙂
Poor Waffle looked like he wanted in on the action. He would look cute dyed a nice shade of Easter egg pink. 🙂
~Keri
Lori - Am I the only one that noticed Waffle in the background of the one picture? I bet he was wishing he could join in the fun! 🙂 Too cute!
Michelle B. - Toooo funny about putting your egg in her lemonade! That really makes me laugh! Your egg pictures turned out fantastic!
Julie - I can’t stop laughing (out loud, mind you) about the pink lemonade… and then the picture of the afterwards. Oh, HOW FUNNY! And that’s not good, considering I had the stomach flu two days ago and my ribs HURT. But I laugh anyways, because that is soooo funny! I can totally see myself doing that.
And eggs… I only boil them once a year–for Easter. So I have to google it EVERY year. At least you are considering yourself a pro now!
PS: I am making baked french toast for brunch tomorrow. CAN’T WAIT. My husband is so excited (so am I). It’s been too long. I am going to try to tweak it a bit, since my youngest son is allergic to eggs. Apparently you can make french toast with bananas instead of eggs. Who knew! I googled that, too. Sounds yummy enough, but man, I am going to miss the real thing. My youngest is 3 now, so he’s at an age where we can’t just always serve him something “special”–he’s starting to feel really left out.
Christine - I have been reading your blog for a few months now and just love it so much! Thanks for sharing your beautiful images and thoughts. It is funny as I was dying eggs yesterday with my boys I thought about you because of the rainbow of bright colors – I thought: I bet she LOVES this! So I had to laugh when you said it was your first time to do it with the kids. LOVE that you put the egg in the lemonade. LOL Funny how things don’t turn out like how we have them in our heads, but they always turn out, don’t they?
jeanne - All I have are brown eggs…how do you think they will turn out:-) I love that you dipped your egg in her drink…so me.
Becky @ Farmgirl Paints - I can’t believe you’d never hard boiled an egg! You are so funny. Those were great pics. We do ours tonight. It’s one of my fav things to do. I did it every year growing up and it’s just one of my best memories. Happy Easter to ya Meg:)
Tanya - In her lemonade! Ah that is TOO funny! Happy Easter!
Flower Patch Farmgirl - C is 5 and has never dyed eggs before. It always gets away from me. But this year, I took the plan one step further and bought the dye tablets and an extra dozen eggs! Except…tomorrow is the Big Day and the eggs are still white.
Also – are you Meg or Megan? I feel so strange not knowing for sure. I definitely want to say the right name in my head when I talk to myself about you.
(Kinda creepy, I know.)
Dianne - Looks like you had a lovely time 😉
holly - i have to look up how to hard boil eggs EVERY single time I make them! 🙂 I love the picture of the dog looking out the window at you & the kids dying eggs. so sweet.
my mom is here visiting for a few days…. we had a great time catching up yesterday. She confided to me that she accidentally put desitin on her toothbrush (thinking it was toothpaste) & put it in her mouth. HYSTERICAL. I almost peed in my pants I was laughing so hard.
have a happy Easter!
Susan - Love the eggs but I am most impressed with your hard boiling skills! I am 50 and I have been hard boiling eggs for 40 of those years and I have never had a perfect batch…EVER! I am off to google this right now. Have a happy Easter!
Messy@Bungalow'56 - I woke up this morning wondering whether we were going to empty the eggs or boil them. Mine always crack. So now I know I can google it and the decision is made. Thanks. Wish it were warm enough here to do it outside. Still snow in the backyard. The Easter Bunny always has such a hard time of it.
Dana
callie grayson - awesome!!!
The smile on Talby’s face is the greatest!! Your kids will remember all the fun you do with them.
Let us know how the deviled eggs tun out!!
xx
callie
gina - oh yeah we dyed 7 packs of eggs yesterday and we all have colored hands. 🙂 Have a VERY happy Easter!!
candace - Fun stuff I miss dying eggs – we did it almost every year growing up. And in the south you learn to hard boil eggs as a youngster – I think that deviled eggs are the admission ticket to potlucks.
Have a happy Easter!
kristi rediske - Love all the Easter egg decorating pictures-I did that with my kids for years-they are grown now and I miss it. I especially love the picture where the dog is in the doorway looking out-to cute. What a great family you have-God has blessed you!
Sara @ It's Good to be Queen - this is just funny stuff. love it.
shelly - I couldn’t hard boil eggs until last week either! How nuts! We just never needed them…if we did my mom always made them.
It looks like everyone had a blast 🙂 the dyed fingers should be faded by Sunday…when my oldest was little, he had to sing at church with crazy egg dye fingers-Lovely-mother of the year for sure!
Kirsten - my family will only eat eggs if they are scrambled, so i have to google how to hard-boil eggs every easter, too. so you’re not the only dork! and every year, my mom cracks a few and i do not. i’m so glad i learned how to boil eggs from google and not my mom.
looks like a blast! i love it that you dipped one in the lemonade. that is awesome! (and something i would totally do).
Jill - So cute! That looks like a lot of fun for the kids that were there. 🙂