Ice Skating

Believe it or not this was the girls' first time on skates! I know bad mama. Sarah wasn't that impressed, but Hannah was a natural. She was on the ice for over two hours. She and her friends Chase and James had a blast racing across the pond. we are now on the look out for skates for Hannah.

Look Who's Three!

I can't believe it was three years ago today that God blessed us with such a beautiful little girl. The time has gone by so quickly and Rebekah has become such a lively and precious little girl.

Wonderful friends of ours hosted a sledding and skating party for a few families. What a perfect way to celebrate a birthday. And they were gracious enough to let me bring decorations to their house. Yes there is the Happy Birthday banner. Many of you guessed right! It fit perfectly in their house. I wish the picture was better.

I think the thrill of Rebekah's day was holding Peter Rabbit! She is our animal lover. Peter was so good, I almost might consider a rabbit as a family pet.


Of course there were presents and cards many of which were handmade. Thank you to all! Rebekah loved each and every one of them.

The day wouldn't have been complete with out a birthday crown and cupcake. I just love this three year old face! Thank you RaRa! for the delicious cupcakes!

Calorimetry

Even if I haven't posted about it. There has been quite a bit of knitting going on. This warm and cozy headband was knit from some left over yarn. It is really for me, but I can't seem to take a decent picture of myself so Hannah modeled it. I love this pattern as the headband buttons for a perfect fit. And better yet the button holes are a result of the pattern. This one came out a bit wide so I think next time I will decrease the number of rows, but other than that it is a winner.

Oh and a note about the name. From the designer . . .

"Calorimetry is a scientific term describing the measurement of heat lost or gained.

Knit hats are a wonderful way to block out the cold, but when you have long hair it usually requires wearing it down, not often the most comfortable option on a blustery day. This headscarf allows you to wear your hair up while keeping your ears warm and preventing heat from escaping from the top of your head."

The pattern is a freebie on Ravelry. You can find it here. A word of caution - if you have never visited the ravelry site be warned - you could be swallowed up for quite a few hours. It is a wonderful place to track your own projects, yarn stash, needles and more as well as search for pattern, tips and meet other knitters. If you do stop by you can see what I have been working on - just search for heartfelthome!

Winter Nature Table

Our Winter Nature Table is really a Nature Cubby. We have been trying to find a place for our nature table for a while now. Sarah came up with this cubby idea. I think it will work great. The cubby is in the kitchen by the door, so it will be easy for the kids to deposit their treasures. Plus everyone who visits is sure to see it.

Winter here in New Hampshire is white, white and more white, with a dab of brown, on occasion some blue, but mostly grey. I think the girls collection perfectly represents this peaceful and quite time of the year.

The girls had a wonderful time with some Stockmar Modelling Beeswax. Sarah sculpted the birds we have been seeing at the feeder. While Hannah made this adorable sledding snowman.

Check out some other fabulous nature tables, crafts, pictures and more at The Magic Onions' Friday's Nature Table.

Some Surprise Crafting

The Christmas holidays are over, but the celebrating doesn't end for our family. We have two birthdays in January so you now that means a little more crafting, sewing, knitting and baking.

Here is a little peak at some of the projects in the works. After the celebrations I'll be back to show you what we created.

Spinach Quiche

This was one of those dinners where I was trying to clean out the fridge and I really wasn't sure how it was going to turn out. I found a recipe on line to use as a jumping off point, but didn't have all the ingredients it called for, so I was sort of one my own. The result? One of the best quiches I have ever had! Everyone loved it, even the picky one in the middle.

Ingredients:

3Tbsp butter

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

10 oz fresh baby spinach (could use frozen, thawed and drained)

1 can mushrooms, drained ( could use fresh)

1tsp each of basil, oregano, and parsley (use the herbs your family likes)

8 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese

salt and pepper to taste

4 eggs, beaten

1 cup milk

9 in unbaked deep dish pie crust

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium fry pan, melt the butter and saute the garlic and onion until lightly browned. Add the spinach and wilt. Add mushrooms, herbs and half of the cheddar cheese. Stir until heated through and the cheese had melted. Season with slat and pepper and spoon into the pie crust.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. Season with salt and pepper. Pour into the pie shell. Let it sit for a minute to make sure that the egg mixture has soaked through the spinach layer.

Bake in a preheated oven for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining cheddar cheese and bake for an additional 35 to 40 minutes. Allow to stand for 10 minutes before serving.

I served this with sausage patties and biscuits. This quiche was filling enough and rich enough that we could have done without the sausage. Next time I will serve it with fruit salad. It would also be awesome with shrimp!

A Sweater for Rosie

Rebekah wanted some clothes for her doll Rosie. So for her birthday I decided to knit her this sweater. The pattern is free and can be found here just scroll down, it's on the right hand side.

Rebekah loves Rosie's sweater and now wants some more clothes. So I am in search of Waldorf doll clothes patterns. If you have any suggestions please let me know. Thanks!