she and whim

We love shaving cream here. You probably have playtime with it too. A few months ago we changed it up and added food coloring!

We experimented with different color combinations and made an overall mess :)

Their hands were dark blue when we finished! I wasn’t sure it would wash off (maybe wear off after a week?), but after a LONG playtime bath they didn’t look like smurfs anymore. :) It also reaffirmed the choice of stainless steel tables – no stains and squeaky clean from the shaving cream!

Then the other day we gathered snow loving animals (and dinosaurs because they’re extinct and anything goes), and the boys had fun pretending their plastic friends were in a winter wonderland.

And shortly after the icebergs were squirted from the can, big bro made “real snow” :)

We also looked up pictures of snowflakes and talked about how each one is uniquely made – and who else is an original? These guys sure are! And yep, you too! :)

It has been a fantastic school year for all the shorts. How is it almost over already?! We’re so thankful for their amazing teachers. I volunteered to organize my youngest’s Teacher Appreciation gifts from his class, and we surprised them yesterday with all their goodies!

I came up with a “You’re sweet” theme because boy, it’s the truth! :) Money was collected from the parents for gift cards that I wrapped in cellophane like candy. Each parent filled out recipe cards of their favorite sweet, yummy dessert that were given in the handmade envelope that says, “Mrs. Brown is the sweetest!”. And each parent helped fill in a card for their munchkin that said, “I think Mrs. Mason is the sweetest because…”. I took a class pic for the cover and bound all the cards with a post screw. (You can too – click here for recipe, candy and kid cards.) One set is shown here, but both teachers received their own. They also got the morning off to get a start on their gift card spending and grab lunch while another mom and I watched the class – and they deserved every penny of that gift money after our whirlwind of kid corralling ;) They’re so amazing!!!

And we all know who else is just as terrific – your mama!

Since I was making these gift cards, I made some for the moms we’re honoring Sunday, too – and here’s how it was done:

You’ll need decorative paper, roll of cellophane, 2 clear hair rubberbands, and your gift card. Optional supplies that make life easier: x-acto, ruler, and cutting mat.

I trimmed my decorative paper to 8 1/2 x 11 and ran through my printer with the “Happy Mother’s day! You’re the sweetest! xoxo” message. You can too – click here. Then I trimmed and folded it to look like this:

I sealed with a little double stick tape. Then I cut a piece of 10″ x 8″ cellophane and wrapped around the card (be sure your seam is on the back). I twisted each end and rubber-banded to close. And presto, you’ve got a cute gift card!

Yay for all the teachers and moms! :D

P.S. The link for teacher gifts at the top of this post has a page with the candy gift card wrapping template using the all-occasion phrase, “You’re the sweetest! xoxo”.

{design © claire sneau : for personal use only}

Guess who’s not allergic to corn and peanuts anymore!! I was completely ecstatic when I got the results in the mail! AND, his remaining allergies to milk, wheat, oats, rye and eggs have gone down some too – it was severe and now it’s just bad. Boy, was results day a happy day!! So, to celebrate the great news I’ve attached a recipe card for these allergy-free muffins. I make up his recipes since he’s allergic to so many things. This muffin recipe has been baked and tweaked loads of times and is the best version to date. :)

The recipe is wheat-free, and free of flours that have similar proteins to wheat. Spark isn’t gluten intolerant, but allergic to the wheat protein. But if you are gluten intolerant, this recipe is gluten-free too! It’s also dairy-free, soy-free, egg-free, and peanut-free. And I like it because it has a veggie (pumpkin) and fruit (applesauce – which was added recently, when he out grew his apple allergy.) Also, please note that the brand of “butter” spread is not Smart Balance, but Earth Balance.

The PDF has 2 copies of the recipe, just because there was space – maybe you could pass one along to a friend? Print one page, flip the paper and print again, and trim – so the recipe card is printed front and back. (See this post for specific paper used and trimming instructions.)

If you or someone you love has food allergies, I truly hope this recipe helps! :)

{design © claire sneau : for personal use only}

Today is Earth Day! It’s a big deal in our house for several reasons:

1. It’s my girl’s 7th birthday!!!

2. We are big recyclers and our kids are part of Green Team at school.

So, in honor of this great Earth, here’s a recycle sign that I made for our house a while back. Since our recycle can is next to our regular trash can, I made it to help the kids (and company) remember which is which…

I’ve also made the sign in 4 color schemes, so hopefully there’s one that looks good next to your recycle bin :)

Now, go recycle and happy Earth Day!!

{design © claire sneau : for personal use only}

My son’s preschool teachers asked if I could make a class quilt for the school’s annual charity auction. The proceeds went to a one-year-old little girl in the community battling leukemia :( I was so surprised and excited when they asked, and loved that the money raised went to someone who needed it. I don’t pretend to be a great quilt maker. I’ve just been learning as I go – and I learned a lot making this one!

For the front, I pre-cut all the pieces of fabric and planned which fabric markers I wanted with each piece. I taped them all on pieces of cardboard and the kids wrote their names on them, along with the verse and back wording. And they did a great job! Not a single fabric-marker-on-clothes accident :)

And a little bird for an added detail :)

And the teachers names and school year are on the back.

I love wonky, modern quilts and thought the style went so well with the youthfulness of the kids that helped make it. What a treat to be a part of such a fantastic project! And yay for something to snuggle up in :)

This post is a little later than I had planned, but luckily the Good Book never gets old! :)

So here it is: Matthew 28:5-6 Do not be afraid, for I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.

This verse is my most favorite of all – and I just want to add 20 exclamation marks to it! I love how the angel shows up to Jesus’ distraught friends and says,”Surprise!!! But don’t be afraid!” You know they were scared out of their minds. God just knows we all love a good surprise! I sure do :) And any time fear sneaks in, I remember this one… Surprise! Don’t be afraid – He has risen!!

HAPPY EASTER!

{design © claire sneau : for personal use only}

Today the most mantastic guy was born – and I get to be married to him!!! I’m a lucky gal. He’s my best friend and an amazing dad. The 4 shorts and I are so thankful for him! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

My 2 year old had blood drawn for his annual food allergy test today. When the lady at the lab was asking me insurance questions my cutie piped in… “I’n awergic to crackers. But I’n not awergic to rhinos!” Rhinos are his favorite :)

He didn’t flinch or make a peep while the viles were drawn. Such a big dude! I love that kid! And now we wait one week for the results to come in….

The boys are doodle bug (and general animal) loving fanatics. Now that spring is here, they are on the hunt every day. They miss their doodle bugs at night or when they drop them and can’t find those little guys again. My favorite was when my youngest came shuffling out of his room the other morning, shoulders stooped, and I asked what was wrong. He said in his little 2 year old voice, “I miss Sweetie. She was my doodle bug last night. I dropped her on the deck and she fell down the crack. *sigh* She was a wife.” :D And he shuffled to the kitchen all sad. So after all this heartache, we decided to make some doodle bugs to keep in the house to play with too, just in case we need an emergency buddy.

We had to do serious doodle bug research for this project, so we decided the best doodle bugs were at the park! So we headed out…

…only to find a hungry tree that gobbled them up! After a quick escape, there was lots of exploring, playing, and finally some doodle bug hunting. Then we found one!

And don’t even think about taking that doodle bug away – or that cheetah in his pocket. :)

The next day I made a quick pattern (that you can use too). It’s just a simple line drawing in 4 sizes (a dad, mom, kid and baby, as requested by my guys). I cut the grey fabric from the pattern, then cut strips of striped material and sewed them to the bottom of each grey piece. Then I stitched them together leaving a hole at the bottom. These are the bugs, some inside out and some partially stuffed. I like the striped fabric, the black being their many little legs :)

And action shots of the fellows… one serious and the other, not so much.

After they stuffed them, I stitched closed, and then Mr. 5 year old drew the stripes and eyes on with a grey fabric marker. I’m glad we made so many because 4 have already disappeared!

We also made a set for their cousin’s 2nd birthday. Hope he enjoys them as much as my guys do :)

Yay for doodle bugs!!

{design © claire sneau : for personal use only}

Swedish Wafle Day is almost here! This Saturday, March 25th!! Yes, it’s a real reason to make waffles! :) And here is our favorite swedish waffle recipes from our 1947 swedish cookbook (given to me by my great friend, Candy)…

CRISP CREAM WAFFLES

1 1/3 cups flour

1/2 cup water

1 3/4 cups heavy cream

3 tablespoons melted butter

Beat cream stiff. Sift in flour, add cold water and stir until well blended. Then carefully stir in melted butter. Heat waffle iron slowly; brush generously with butter. Pour in a few tablespoons of batter and bake until golden. Place on rack to keep crisp. Serve with coffee or as a dessert with jam and sugar. (We have ours with real maple syrup.)

And for my sweet one with allergies and my gluten and lactose intolerant hub – it’s Van’s gluten-free waffles - yum! Am I so thankful for them (the waffles and my guys)!

Happy Swedish Waffle Day!