Tummy Time Tuesday: Root Vegetables

Root vegetables are the best models. 

Seriously.  They are knockouts on the runway called a knife. 

They pose elegantly for still shots. 

God was just so creative with some of the things He decided to grow in the earth. 

This recipe is easy . . . but the Hottie claims it took me 45 minutes to cut up all of the vegetables.  (No wonder I don’t seem to get anything done around the house.)

Ingredients

• 1 lb sweet potatoes (cut into 2 inch chunks)
• 1 lb potatoes (cut into 2 inch chunks)
• 2 large carrots (guess what? cut into to 2 inch chunks)
• 2 parsnips (peeled and cut into 1.8 inch chunks)
• 4 turnips (scrubbed and quartered)
• 1 head of garlic (I separated the bulbs and skinned them.  Yes, you will have BAD breath from this dish.)
• sea salt
• rosemary (fresh, if available)
• 2-3 tbsp olive oil or coconut oil

Directions

Make sure you have time, a sharp knife, and a good cutting board.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  You can line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Or if you are like me, simply place the chopped root veggies on a well-used stone . . . or plane ol’ cookie sheet.  Actually, a 9x13 glass pan will work.  Simply put, don’t be a slave to the recipe.

Once you have your veggies ready to go, have a party in a bowl with them.  Add the olive oil and sea salt and toss this colorful bounty.  (This would be an excellent time to add dried rosemary if you don’t have fresh rosemary.)

IF you are a prepared chef, after pouring your roots onto the cookie sheet, lay the rosemary springs on top. 

Roast vegetables for 35 minutes or until they are golden brown and soft. 

An artisan loaf and grilled portabella mushrooms accompanied our meal.

Easy Painted Globe Ornament

Let’s pretend that you need an ornament and you need it fast.

It has to be homemade.

And . . . your kids have to make it. 

All of your kids.  The youngest, well, second to youngest, included.

 

Not you.  The adult.  A kid.

(Not that I am remade our Christmas ornaments for the ornament exchange my sister hosted or anything.  Not me!  Ahem.)

Hurry. 

Drive to a craft store and purchase a clear, plastic, round ornament, or whatever shape you like.  There are also hearts and ovals. 

Make sure you have some paint.

That’s it. 

Kind of. 

I told the Granola Boys that they could choose three colors. 

Take the metal top off of the round sphere, and drizzle as much paint into the globe as you feel comfortable with – knowing that gravity sometimes can be especially strong in little ones’ hands. 

The next step is the most fun for the kiddos.  (Make sure you put the metal top back on the ornament!)

Let them roll the paint around. 

I did set some boundaries with the younger ones . . . like you can’t turn the globe upside down.

Though there was a close call.

Stay tuned; I will show you what I did make for the ornament exchange!

Tot School: 31 months

Gabe is currently 31 months

It’s been awhile since Gabe (Smiley) has hit the blog in a formal way . . . his moment to shine . . . Tot School.  I admit that since Naomi has been born, organizing workboxes and Tot Trays has proven difficult. 

I tend to gravitate towards the couch, which is NO WHERE near the school room.  So, the little man hasn’t done much by way of manipulatives.  This actually has been good for him though.  He has been joining in crafts and Advent activities with his big brothers.

The big news is that he has started using understandable sentences and complete thoughts.  It has been fun seeing this development in him and his delight at being able to express himself better. 

And what has warmed my heart is how he says, “I love you.”  The best part – he says it totally UNPROMPTED!!!!!

His activities include . . .

• using paint to make an ornament (see tomorrow’s post)

• making a pine tree

This was especially humorous to watch because his left hand NEVER touched the tree.  But he was oh-so-proud of his creation!

We also did a very non-granola activity . . . the boys got to eat this toxic concoction.  Yup. 

• Gabe made a Christmas wreath.  Originally he was supposed to tear the green paper.  It would be an understatement to say that didn’t fly with this little guy.  Asher ended up ripping the paper for him and Gabe was delighted to put glue ALL OVER THE PLATE and add a few pieces of greenery.

• He was part of a tea party.
• Read Who Is Coming to Our House for Totally Tots with Daddy.

• Played in the snow.  When we went on a walk this evening, we decided to pull Gabe in the sled.  When Gabe saw the sled, he called it a boat.  “Ride boat, Daddy!!”

• He has developed a new love for Legos. 

• Advent activities – lots of them.  It has been really rich.  A lot of the printables I am using in the morning come from Bible Story Printables.

• I caved in and made a Sensory Bin.  It has been a hit with all of the boys.

Favorite Pictures

(His new hair cut.  It’s so short.  Boo-hoo!)

For more Tot School posts head on over to Carisa’s blog!

Ornament Show and Tell

When our tree comes out of hibernation, you will often find me hibernating in the kitchen.

Making hot chocolate.  Lining up the Christmas music.  Umm . . . truth be told (sorry Hottie) avoiding the whole “barn raising” of the tree. 

You see, the tree is beautiful (thanks Pam) but it has lots of branches.  So many branches that it goes through the alphabet twice.  And it’s messy.  And I simply wouldn't want to spoil all that father/son bonding time.  I would just be an extra hand . . . in the way.  Right?

So kind of me.

I love the end result, though. 

In reality I do enjoy parts of the tree decorating process . . . like how all of the ornaments end up on the bottom of the tree. 

I love telling the stories behind each ornament.  The boys love to hear them, making for a good audience.  Most of our ornaments have stories.  The Hottie’s mom purchased an ornament for him each year.  It typically represented a highlight from his year or an event that stood out in her memory bank . . . like when the Hottie Daddy used to work at a Christmas Tree farm.  Mama (my MIL) gave the Hottie a car ornament loaded with a pine tree. 

And now she has passed that tradition on to my children.  I’m excited to see what they are going to receive this year!

Because I’m gonna met Jolanthe, Lord willing, in a little less than a year . . . and I really want her to link up to my Elementary Round Up for her older children, I thought it would be magnanimous of me to participate in her ornament show and tell.

Go grab some hot chocolate and hover around my tree for awhile (don’t worry, all of my helpers are sleeping as I write this!)

_______________________

I wouldn’t be a busy little Martha if it weren’t for this ornament, I mean date.  Here hangs Brian’s and my FIRST ornament as a married couple.  Precious. 

 

Growing up, it was rare that we didn’t make a trip to Florida for our family vacation.  As we passed through the southern states I was always in awe of how many signs there are advertising for Rock City.  One year I went so far as to count them.  As I recall, there were over 200 billboards.  I believe I highly annoyed my mom.  But it must have made an impression on her . . . she bought me this ornament! 

This isn’t even my ornament, but I would like to have a retro looking tree one year.  Old looking ornaments but not necessarily old ornaments.

After the year of the retro tree, I’d like to have a glass figurine tree.  Normally, I’m not into “glass.” I’m a pottery girl.  Give me something funky.  But there is something spellbinding about the way the lights flicker through a glass dove.

 

Speaking of doves . . . this is my most recent ornament.  My friend Melanie gave this to me.  Actually, it isn’t unique to me.  I still admire it, though.  She had made one for all of the ladies sitting at her table at our church’s Christmas Tea.  (Let’s not mention that I was over 1/2 hour late to said event, in clothes with puke on them, and crying as I was escorted to my seat.)

While we are on handmade ornaments, I can boast of making this colorful glass ornament with a bunch of 5 year olds . . . back in the day when I was a kindergarten teacher.  Did I mention there was glass and paint involved?

This Kashmiri ornament floods my mind with memories for two reasons.  We purchased it in India from a very persistent shop keeper.  On the day we purchased this ornament I remember getting really mad at a cow that was in my way. 

And the second reason I smile when I look at this intricately painted ornament . . . I had given it to my grandma.  When she passed away, my mom gave it back to me.

For many of you who know me, need I explain this ornament?  It speaks for itself.

Yet another ornament that isn’t mine . . . but oh so cute.  And we have three sets of these on our tree.  They remind me of a dear friend.

 

But these ornaments . . .

they really make me laugh.  Because they aren’t ornaments.  They are part of our wooden nativity set. 

I was looking everywhere for them last night.  I needed them for this blog post.  

I found them this morning.  Sleeping on the job. 

Silly Wise Man and Cow. 

Silly sons.

Click on the button and take a peak into someone’s house!  Or at least Jolanthe’s!

Tea with Tina on a Thursday

I don’t often write a blog post for a specific person. 

But today, this post is dedicated to Auntie.

We had some tea (my favorite kind). 

It (the tea) is kind of hard to come by . . . unless you happen to live in Azerbaijan.  Or you own an international grocery store.  Or someone leaves you a care package FULL of gifts to open whenever the baby blues hit . . . or all the children are screaming at once – whichever comes first. 

The boys begged me to put our tea party on “the blog.”

And so I am . . . mostly one-handed once again.

Tea time commenced at 11:00 am.  It was accompanied by almond cookies compliments of the Sue Gregg dessert cookbook.

It wasn’t too terribly formal.  Just pajamas and bed-head.

But it lacked one thing . . . YOU!

So, here is some tea and cookies . . .

  

Enjoy!