Inspiration from South Africa

I love how the blogosphere brings people together from all over the world.  It creates this amazing sense of community for sharing ideas.  There are so many crafts that other bloggers have inspired me to delve into... felt food, freezer paper stenciling, ribbon barrettes, etc.  I'm indebted to so many.

I was honored this past week when Joyful Mama (from South Africa, host of the World Cup, which I hope everyone is watching) wrote that she was linking to my felt sugar cookie post.  Even more exciting was when I looked at her creations.  I have to make that cupcake.  Isn't it too yummy!

SOURCE:  Joyful Mama

http://joyfulmamasplace.blogspot.com/

You can check out more at Joyful Mama's Place.

Who has inspired you today?

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The Countdown is On...

The countdown is on for my daughter's birthday.  Since she is beginning to grasp the concept of time (though everything in the past was yesterday and everything in the future is tomorrow), we created a little countdown chain for her to enjoy.  The first orange ring is for Daddy's Birthday.  The second orange ring at the top is for her Birthday Party.  For her, it is a reminder of how soon her party is.  For Mommy, it's a reminder of how little time she has left for preparations.  Obviously, I'll have a busy weekend.

Happy Friday to you.  May your weekend be a delightful one.

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Joy in little things...

You may have noticed in some of my other photos that there is this bowl of lettuce that keeps showing up in the background.  Well, I thought I'd share today a little story of why I find this bowl so fun and why I keep it prominently on my outdoor dining table.  It's partially because I love the visual texture and freshness.  It's partially because I love that feeling of growing a tiny bit of my own food (most of my garden is herbs).  It's partially because I enjoy teaching my children where food comes from. 

However, I must admit that the primary reason I love this is because of the sly look my almost-three-year-old gives me when she swipes a leaf and thinks she's getting away with something.  I never knew that the secret to getting a toddler to eat her greens is to make it seem like an adventure.  It makes me laugh every time.

What made you laugh today?

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Please wash your hands...

My friend recently had a beautiful baby girl, born at 34 weeks after a long period of bed rest for Mommy.  She is absolutely precious.  With such a tiny three week old baby, it was completely understandable that my friend was nervous about an upcoming family reunion.  She mentioned having seen a mother at a store with a sign that essentially said to please not touch the baby.  However, she was too shy to ask her where she got it.  It turns out that there are several etsy shops that sell these style of signs.  However, there wasn't time to order one... thus this one was born.

The tag is pink and brown to replicate much of her nursery decor.  I designed this one using MS Word (because I still need to buy better design software).  One side asks that people wash their hands.  On the other side, her name.  (Isabel... isn't that a beautiful name.)  It was printed double-sided on cardstock and then laminated.  All that was left was to punch a ribbon hole in top, thread the ribbon through, and attach to the car seat.

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Art in little places

Want a fun playtime activity for the kids (depending on their age) or yourself.  Grab some different colored sharpies and ziploc bags and go to town.  I was inspired by To Be Charmed's post about spicing up Ziploc bags.  So much fun.

I started decorating a few bags to store strawberries, but then I just couldn't stop.  My creations are nowhere near the originals.  But, they were fun.

So go, grab a few pens, and create your own generations.  Packed sandwiches are so much more fun when adorned with a little sailboat or with Dr. Seuss' Green Eggs and Ham.

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Baby Food

With the season's bounty coming in, I want to start preparing homemade baby food for my son.  Plus, he's starting to move toward chunkier foods and I don't like the options in the store.  I've started introducing him to pure avocado and peach.  And this weekend I want to try out Honest Fare's Zucchini and Potato recipe, as featured on Ohdeedoh.

What are other good sources for more advanced baby foods?  I definitely want to start working on some options for my little man... maybe even biter biscuits.

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Strawberry White Grape Jello with Fresh Fruit and Panna Cotta

As promised, here is the recipe for the Strawberry White Grape Jello with Fresh Fruit and Panna Cotta.  Bon appétit.

RECIPE
For the Jello:
1 gelatin package
1 cup water
2 cups Strawberry White Grape juice
Fresh fruit (blueberries and strawberries)

Combine gelatin and water in a bowl.  Heat the juice in a saucepan on medium high.  Combine with gelatin and water.  Once slightly cool, pour mixture into containers so that they are 1/3 to 1/2 full.  Add fresh fruit and place in fridge to set overnight.

For the Panna Cotta (based on Tartelette recipe):
2 tbls cold water
2 tsp gelatin
2 cups heavy cream
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup yogurt

Combine gelatin and cold water in a small bowl.  Set aside.  Combine heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla extract in a saucepan over medium heat.  Once steaming, remove from heat and whisk in gelatin mixture until dissolved.  Stir in the yogurt until combined.  Let stand for 30 minutes until slightly cooled.  Pour a layer of panna cotta on top of the gelatin mixture.  Return to refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

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