Mini pumpkin muffins }{ recipe

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

This week has been busy with preparations for our family's Thanksgiving meal. Today we set the table and I baked mini pumpkin muffins. Each of us will be bringing three dishes, and I figured I would get a head start on mine now.

Tomorrow there will be so much cooking, talking, drinking, and making merry, that I know I won't have time for blogging. So I wanted to share this awesome little recipe with you tonight. It's delicious and it comes in bite sized pieces for less guilt. Well, that word shouldn't be allowed on Thanksgiving at all anyway.

The original recipe is found here: Allrecipes' pumpkin chocolate chip muffins. I doubled the recipe and made half with raisins, and the other with peanut butter chips instead of chocolate (as per a family member's request)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups of sugar
• 1/4 cup of apple sauce
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups of canned pumpkin
• 1/2 cup of water
• 3 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp of baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup of raisins
• 1/2 cup of peanut butter chips

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 400F and grease or line a pan of 24 mini muffins
2. Mix the sugar, apple sauce, and eggs.
3. Add the canned pumpkin and the water and mix.
4. In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients, then combine them with the pumpkin mixture.
5. Divide the batter however you like and add the raisins and chips. My family wanted more peanut butter chips, so I divided the batter into approximately thirds and added the raisins to 1/3 and peanut butter chips to the other 2/3.
6. Spoon the batter in the liners/greased pan and bake for about 15-17 minutes. Repeat until you use all the batter. We got 60 mini muffins today with these measurements.

I set them on a platter, but somehow the mini muffins seem to be disappearing...

A day for giving thanks

I love Thanksgiving.

It's the one holiday, squeezed between two other awesome but very commercialized holidays, that still centers around family. At least for us it does. It's not that I don't love Christmas, I do. Believe me, I do. But there's just something fulfilling about thanksgiving and getting together with the family for a big feast. I like the idea of taking time to reflect on the things I am grateful for, and we do it almost every day before bed or at dinner time. But then, to have a special day dedicated to that, that's just gravy.

So, in honor of this great holiday, here's my list of 10 things I am thankful for (in no particular order).

The princess drew this for me at school

1. Life: waking up everyday to a brand new day, alive and healthy.
2. Beauty: take a look outside and find beauty around you. It's there.
3. Family: it's a given, but I love my family so much. All of them, even when I'm mad at them.
4. Laughter: its infectious, and the cure for the worst cases of the blues. Go figure.
5. Friends: a second family that I've chosen myself. Here's to making new ones and finding long lost others.
6. Opportunity: I've been given so many great opportunities, though I haven't succeeded in all.
7. This blog: it's been neglected but never abandoned because it makes me so happy and provides an outlet for my scattered brain.
8. You: my bloggy friends who still take time to stop by, read a bit, and say hello sometimes. You make my life happier.
9. My husband: life would be so much sadder without him to share it with.
10. My daughters: yeah, they're family of course, but they get a special place of their own. I'm so thankful and amazed that they're here.

And speaking of family, here's what I received from mine. My aunt sent me these adorable mittens for N1 (the princess) and the cutest hat for N2 (the dragon). One day I hope to be as good as she is with crochet...

Thank you for stopping by!

One for the family

This post goes out to our families scattered throughout three continents.

The Squish with her eyes open:

This week, in honor of Thanksgiving, I will be posting more than usual. Today, a little Squish for the family, tomorrow a thank you post, and Wednesday, a recipe for bite-sized yummies for Thanksgiving dinner. Hope you're all having a wonderful week!

Happy birthday princess!

This weekend we celebrated our princess' 4th birthday. At her request, she had a castle cake and an ocean theme.

I have a lot of respect for cake chefs... I worked my butt off but the cake was a disaster! I used this fondant recipe and this buttermilk frosting. It turned out delicious and I got lots of compliments on the taste, but all I could see were the mistakes I made.

But all that matters in the end is that she loved it.

Thank you Ojiichan and Obaachan! (Fall dresses)

Tomorrow I'll be posting a fun craft we did over the weekend with the princess (involving pumpkins, yay!)

But today I wanted to take the time to say thank you to Naomi's wonderful grandparents in Japan: Obaachan and Ojiichan. They always think of her (and now Nina too) and send her lots of goodies from over there.

She loves to get packages from them, and this time she decided to model the dresses that came in. She was so excited. I wish they could see how happy she was.

He's quite a catch

Another reason why I love my husband:

He made me strawberry cheesecake for my birthday!

What about you? What are some reasons you love your S.O.?

Presenting...

Our dragon baby, born in August, which makes her a lion dragon (a particularly fiery species I believe).

The dragon just hours after she was born

N, the princess, holding N, the dragon after meeting her for the first time

the dragon taking a nap in her bassinet

I'm still adjusting to life with two girls, still trying to find a place to live in Canada (real estate is hard to come by, sheesh), and still not able to access my crafting tools.

But I've got the itch to blog, so one way or another I'll be stopping by to post.

More sweet crochet

Remember this post? I forgot to show you all the finished cupcake. So here it is.

Whenever N. asks me to make something for her, I let her choose the color combination and the style. She's never asked for anything crazy yet, thankfully. Even though I'm making it, I want her to start thinking about the colors and how they go together. And I want her to be able to make her own choices (within reason).

But sometimes I feel like I'm creating a little monster, she's become so particular about clothes and shoes...

What about you? How much choice do you think younger children should be able to have in their daily life? Is it different in the domain of aesthetics?

Love

How can you describe what a parent feels when he/she looks at her little one's face?

All these creative attempts that just burst out sometimes owe more than a little to her.

Sweet things

Life's sweetest treasures need to be enjoyed whenever you can...

I don't often talk about my other life (i.e. my academic career), but... I've been recently told about an upcoming conference that I might be able to present in if I can finish an article I'm working on and get it approved in time. 

Combine that with the pregnancy's final trimester, my husband working out of state, and taking time to enjoy these sweet last months with my oldest girl as an only, there has been little time for crafting. 

I promise I'll share any crafting we end up doing. (^_^)

Happy Easter! (And musings on drawing with kids)

Happy Easter everyone!

I try not to bring in religion to the blog too much, but I do hope you don't mind me celebrating some of the more important holidays for me. Easter is of course a big one, so I'd like to wish you all a blessed weekend.

I wanted to do a little illustration with an Easter theme, and N. of course wanted to join in. She never misses an opportunity to draw with me. In fact, it's one of her favorite things to do.

Here are a couple of things that I noticed when it comes to doing that:

1. No matter how stocked her crafting station is, as long as my supplies are out they're the only thing she'll use.
2. She will finish her work first, and then she absolutely must help me with mine. 

I used to worry and fret about her using some of my more expensive materials, but then...

I want her to feel free to experiment with art supplies and have fun with them, not feel like they're so precious she can't use them. She should also enjoy doing it, not worry about what I'm going to do if she adds something to my picture or spills some water on my watercolor.

So, with a herculean effort, I let go of it all. I let her use any and all supplies she wants (unless it's dangerous of course - no hot glue gun yet!), however she wants to, including on the picture I was working on. If it's something I really want to do alone, I wait until after she goes to sleep.

Today, we did these -

A long-haired girl on an egg hunt:

A bunny on a field:

Did you notice her addition to the bunny? She said it was a girl bunny and she needed a hair bow (which N. promptly supplied):

This hair bow makes me so happy. How could I ever say no to adding a hair bow to a bunny?

What are your plans for the weekend? 

Dragon Lily }{ the sketchbook challenge

According to the Chinese lunar calendar, beginning on January 23, 2012 is a year of the dragon (see here for other years). According to their traditional zodiac, the dragon is energetic, fearless, warm-hearted, and charismatic as well as arrogant and impatient. Dragon babies are very popular in East Asia (also here and here). 

You can probably see where I'm going with all this - the growing dragon in my belly. To be honest, I'm not one to believe in zodiacs, but I find myself calling this little girl (yes, it's a girl!) my little dragon all the time. I even checked her compatibility, and it turns out they are most compatible with rats (N. is a rat). I hope it's true and they turn out to be the best of friends. 

Then, last week I stopped by a flower shop that I hadn't seen before just to check out their selection. They had these beautiful pink and orange flowers in one arrangement. I asked the shop keeper what kind they were and he said they were "dragon lilies." Boom. I had to get some.

March's sketchbook challenge's theme is "flowers" so I decided to draw a dragon lily in honor of my little dragon. It was quick work, nothing elaborate - just an outline filled in with copic markers.

Now let's just hope she doesn't breathe fire. 

Do you believe in zodiacs? What's your Chinese zodiac sign?

Confession

I have a confession.

I've been sick, exhausted, and barely keeping up with our daily routine. But... I shouldn't complain too much.

There is a good reason for it: We have a new Ricefield baby on the way.

Yep. I'm pregnant and just getting over the first trimester. Looking forward to having a bit more energy, but it doesn't like it's getting better any time soon. I'm not going to lie, pregnancy doesn't make me glow or thrive. It makes me sick. But yes, the end result is more than worth it, so all's good.

We're due in August by the way.

Other than that... We had a good valentine's day with pink cupcakes and origami boxes with treats for N.'s friends and teachers.

Ok, hit me with your good news.

Vacation, had to get away

I've been away now for a while, visiting family. Where my mom lives, internet connections are very, very slow. But I figured I had to share at least some pictures of the trip so far. 

Can you guess where we are? If you know me fairly well, that's an easy answer. 

I hope everyone's having a wonderful new year so far.

N. at the beach with tio Erick (my big brother)

Relaxing in the pool after the beach 

My cousin's pet - a very talkative parrot 

The backyard at the beach house 

Some flowers my husband really liked

The beach

Crabs at the beach. We eat them like this, yikes.

N. and her cousin on a kid sized VW Beetle. They didn't actually drive it, but there was an 8-year old boy driving it before.

This is what a cashew fruit looks like for those who don't know it.  

My 18 month old nephew. He was eating some fruit, that's why his mouth is lopsided.

N.'s ice cream one night.

Monkey statue at the beach house

Goodbye ballerina

N. had to make a choice.

We don't want to overschedule her, or be those parents running around from class to class and never giving anyone a chance to just be, just relax as a family. Still, I also want to give her a chance to try out the things she's interested in. Then again, how much can you trust the request of a toddler to be more than a passing phase? I listen to what she says, and I believe she knows what she wants. But when you have to prioritize...

The point is she asked to go to ballet *and* gymnastics, and we agreed on a trial basis. We tried it out, but the schedule was getting to be too much for me and her during the week. I asked her to choose one.

She chose gymnastics. So it's goodbye, ballerina.

WNY Kids salon }{ Review

This is an unusual post for me - I'm not crafting or making anything today. But I felt like I had to share this awesome find in the WNY area.

N. was the flower girl to her godfather's wedding and she was so excited about the dress, the shoes, the basket with flower petals, everything. We decided to take her to have her hair done at a salon, but we weren't sure if she'd sit tight for it. But then I found this place: Kiddie Cuts and More.

What we found - the owner was incredibly sweet, wonderful with N., and worked her magic on her hair while N. watched Elmo on one of her tvs strategically placed so she'd be looking up from her chair. Oh, yeah, and the chair? It was a little panda. Plus, she has tons of bows (or you can bring your own), books, and toys for the kids to stay entertained if there should be a sibling waiting his or her turn. N. loved the place and didn't want to leave! I had to promise her we'd go back another time.

So, kids' salons? For a family on a budget like us, it sounds crazy. But this place was totally worth it.

The beach

Hey friends. Just a quick stop to share a couple of images from this week at the beach. 

We're having so.much.fun.

Hope all's well and everyone is enjoying their week.

Comfort

According to dictionary.com

com·fort

   [kuhm-fert]  Show IPA

–verb (used with object)

1.

to soothe, console, or reassure; bring cheer to: They tried tocomfort her after her loss.

2.

to make physically comfortable.

3.

Obsolete . to aid; support or encourage.

–noun

4.

relief in affliction; consolation; solace: Her presence was acomfort to him.

5.

a feeling of relief or consolation: Her forgiveness affordedhim great comfort.

6.

a person or thing that gives consolation: She was a greatcomfort to him.

There quite a few things that bring me comfort. Like the steady breathing coming from the sleeping little girl next to me. She passed out tonight, she was that tired. We're at my family's house since we'll be leaving early tomorrow for the beach. But I'll be blogging from there. No break this time.

Something else that brings me comfort - a hot cup of tea or coffee in the morning and afternoon.

What brings you comfort?

An easy but cute piece to hang on your wall...

... by your child!

I don't remember where I got this idea, but I read somewhere that stamping some medium, framing, and posting it on the wall can make for pretty cute decor. I had been looking for another addition to N.'s play area, so I thought, why not let her do it? She loves to stamp.

She choose the stamps (and yes, I let her use mine, not just her kiddie ones) and went to town on several pieces of paper. Then I asked her which image she liked best ad she said the boy and girl. There was also a cherry blossom stamp very close to it, and when I measured the frame I realized it would have to go in as well. I cut it out in the shape and size of the frame and inserted it, then hung it up proudly.

She was so excited to see her stamping go up on the wall. And I think it turned out pretty nice. What do you think? What would you have done differently?


We also decided to buy some fresh flowers to add to our living room. She and I both love flowers, and we frequently buy some at the market. She chose the roses, pink of course.

What do you display around the house that was chosen or made by a child in your life?

Mini drawstring bags

We had such an eventful weekend over here. It was my husband's birthday and he was home, so we celebrated it with a small party. It was so much fun - friends, good food, and lots of playing. I made some shrimp dip for the crackers, and chocolate cake with brigadeiro frosting and raspberry preserves for the filling.

We also had further proof that our little one is quite the sensitive child - we went to a live entertainment show and she was terrified of the dark lights and loud speakers.

I've also been continuing to work on things for the shop. I finished making some mini drawstring bags, complete with crochet flowers attached. I know some of you were wondering what I'm planning to sell. Well, to be honest, a bit of everything just like on the blog. I just like all the different crafts too much! So,  the shop will have small items of sewing, photography, watercolor, drawing/sketching, crochet and knitting... It's a hodge podge of crafts.

It's been such a busy month already and it will only get busier. I say, bring on the challenges, summer. I love it!

How has your summer been so far?