my dearest little girl (34 mos)

and the countdown for your birthday begins.  mom & grandma have been very busy preparing all your "birthday stuff".  and as always, i love everything to be handmade, personalized & unique.  [it's tiring & time consuming, but i'm doing it all for you.]

 

so what is up with you lately?  we're constantly reminding you to say please.  and thankfully, we have been hearing it more often than not.  we seldom hear you say YES but NO is pretty much your favorite word. you nod your head for approval or shake it otherwise. 

 

i reintroduced you to avocado & i'm so glad you loved it.  you like to jump - in the couch, in bed, in all the chairs, in the steps.  you like to receive coins & you place them in your piggy bank [which is half full already].  we taught you a couple of times to blow the candle, but you don't know how to do it until now.  surprisingly, you knew how to whistle right after you turned two.  however, you're good with blowing the straw in your cup.  [thank dad for the one time tutorial.]

everything in sight is "all mine" for you.  since you're the only kid in the house & no siblings to share your stuff with.  but if you're around other people, you are fine sharing anything.  [so i'm not worried about you getting selfish.] "pee-pee by myself", "jump by myself", "eat by myself", "put shoes by myself"..."i want to do it by myself" is your recurrent theme every single day.

one night, i asked you what you want for your birthday & you blurted out, "MONEY!" grandma & i were speechless. we expected you to say toys instead. was that just a random answer or where you thinking about your piggy bank?  we will never know what was in your mind when you said that. 

 

first official salon haircut

enjoying the last day of indian summer 

a closer look at momy's giant sunflower 

all the girlies in the house need to have a backpack

my dearest little girl (33 mos)

at two & three quarters...you're independent, observant, witty, strong willed, thoughtful, demanding, hyper, loud  & talkative.  [well, maybe kids your age are like this to some extent.]  as always, you're a constant joy to mommy, daddy & of course, grandma.

 

reasoning with you is a never ending battle.  [i think] a lot of times though you're merely testing if we will give in to your demands.  hopefully, this is just a phase. 

 

MCHS Employee Picnic @ Carson Park

birthday breakfast for dad

birthday weekend fishing with mom

@ birchwood

scared of the fish???

avery @ 33 months 

you'll be three soon & we're all looking forward to celebrate your birthday.

my dearest little girl (32 mos)

this month, a very big change happened for all of us.  mommy went back to work - full time.  i think you did much better with the transition than i did.  [maybe] separation anxiety for me? luckily, dad had some scheduled time off on my first week back to work.  so you & grammy had company all week long.

i bet you missed me a tad bit.  mommy misses you everyday for sure.  somehow, my daily pep talks with you have been very helpful.  you've adapted to the thought that "mom's going to work."

 

carousel ride with daddy @ the northern wisconsin state fair

 

sunflower field by county road H with mom

and grams  

DIY - repurposed oatmeal container (cookie canister)

this is my favorite canister these days. and why is that? it holds my healthy oatmeal cookies plus i decorated this myself.

start with the oatmeal container.

measure the length & circumference of the container. cut the fabric using the same measurements plus add an inch.

remove the label & apply all-purpose glue to the side of the container. attach the fabric & use clothes pin to hold it together. 

add embellishments like ribbons or tags.

 

DIY - framed chalkboard

this is my 50 cents garage sale find that i turned into a chalkboard for avery.

use 3 coats of chalkboard spray paint.

and let it dry for a few hours between each coat.

prime by rubbing the side of the chalk onto the entire chalkboard. then erase.

i decided not to paint the frame yet.

since this little girl will be busy writing pretty soon.

oatmeal cookies

the best & easiest oatmeal cookies ever. mommy approved for our little avery to indulge anytime she wants. its healthy & less sugary. and if i'm craving for something sweet, this is my to-go-to cookie.

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 c old-fashioned rolled oats
• 3/4 c whole wheat flour
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 stick butter, softened
• 1/2 c brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• raisins (optional)

Instructions

1. stir together oats, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, & salt.

2. in a separate bowl, beat together butter & sugar with an electric mixer until light & fluffy. then mix in the egg and vanilla.
3. add oat mixture and beat until just combined.

4. using a cookie scoop, drop dough by heaping tablespoons 2 inches apart onto baking sheets and slightly flatten with a fork. [i added the raisins before flattening the dough.]

5. bake in a preheated oven at 375F for about 6-8 minutes or until golden brown.

adapted from epicurious.com

buttermilk pancakes

pancakes will always be a breakfast staple in our household [aside from french toast, of course]. i'm always on the lookout for great pancake recipes. and my favorite food blog just happens to have one. so here is my version of buttermilk pancakes adapted from baked bree.

Ingredients:

• 1 c unbleached flour
• 2 c whole wheat flour
• 6 tbs honey
• 2 tsps baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 1/2 c buttermilk
• 1/2 c skim milk or more (optional - for thinner batter)
• 1 stick butter, melted
• 2 tsps vanilla
• 4 eggs
• dash of cinnamon & nutmeg (optional)

Instructions:

1. in a bowl, whisk the wet ingredients. in another, whisk the dry ingredients.
2. mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients until the batter comes together. make sure not to over mix.
3. pour batter onto a medium-high skillet. i use my electric griddle @ 300-350F.
4. cook until golden brown. serve with maple syrup & fruits.

my dearest little girl (31 mos)

our big girl avery - our one big ball of energy. we are certainly trying our best to keep up with you this days.

naps have been rare lately. however, the lack of it never slowed you down. your appetite for food is very consistent. breakfast is always your biggest meal of the day. snacks are very limited or none at all [unless we're not home for the day].

grandma's been teaching you a lot of filipino words & songs. you're catching on pretty quick [obviously]. i've yet to get a good video of you singing or talking in filipino.

pedicure time with mom

at phoenix park with mom & grandma

first bus ride

chippewa river by durand

avery @ 31 months 

vanilla cupcakes

birthday cakes are fun but birthday cupcakes are more fun. to celebrate my mom's birthday, i baked this vanilla cupcakes for her.

Ingredients:

• 2 sticks butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 4 eggs, room temperature
• 3/4 c whole wheat flour
• 3/4 c all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 3 tsp vanilla
• 6 tbsp milk, room temperature

1. in a bowl, add all the ingredients (except the milk) & beat with a hand mixer.

2. pour milk & continue beating until smooth.

3. place batter in cupcake liners & bake in a preheated oven at 350F for 15-20 minutes.

as always, this recipe was inspired from one of my favorite blogs - baked bree. the original recipe should be topped with royal icing but i opted for vanilla buttercream frosting instead.

blowing the candles before midnight

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MoM!

vendor event IV

my fourth vendor event in augusta during
the bean & bacon days 2012.

this is my mom

my friend janine - selling her handmade trinkets

and our girl - handing out candy to the crowd

mothers' day photo contest

check out this article here.

and for winning the mothers' day photo contest, i received 4 movie tickets to carmike cinema, a fitness shirt & a $50 chamber gift certificate.

my dearest little girl (30)

two & a half...is that you already? you've hurdled another important milestone. there's been so much going on with you all the time. everyday is always a surprise - new words, new songs, new tricks, new expressions.

this month, i heard you say "my mom", "my dad" & "my grandma". this meant a lot to me. you're beginning to learn the concept of ownership & possession. i'm actually glad you didn't learn this early on. [ask me why....]

jumping non-stop from one rock to the next at phoenix park

with mom & gram

our new home

when one door closes, another one will surely open. for our case, it literally "closed & opened."

a couple of months ago [in the dead of winter], my family drove around searching for the perfect home. all house hunters will agree with me that finding the right one is not easy.

and after miles & miles of driving, we finally found it.

here's a look at our new home....