Another Dollar Store Find

This if for all you scrapbookers out there... I've made another great Dollar Store find! Page protectors... a pack of ten for a buck! I bought ten of them the other day... can't be that price!

No quite, but okay...

We were given a doorway jumper by our neighbors. I keep putting Allison in it, about once a week, to see if she is into her jumping phase yet... I'm pretty sure she doesn't quite get it yet. This is all she wanted to do in it.

Not quite the right idea, but I guess it works!

Playing with sounds

Allison has started to play with her mouth, practicing all kinds of sounds. I got this during a diaper change (thats why her pants are half down...).

Feet!

Allison is beginning to discover her feet. We caught this cute video today... its the first times she's shown interest in her cute little tosies. =) Sorry its sideways... couldn't figure out how to turn it without video editing software.








PS - I promise her feet really aren't as big as they look... her cute shoes have almost a whole inch and a half of growing room in them!

Books, books, and more books

I am currently obsessed with finding books for Allison, and I'm always looking for a deal. On a teacher's salary with a grad student in the house, its hard to swallow the $12, $15 or $20 price tags on some kids and baby books. However, I made a find. Two actually.

#1 - Pioneer Book on Center Street in Provo. This is an AWESOME used bookstore. It's huge and has some really great classics. Its like a treasure hunt. I found a few little board books for Allison that I like for less than $1.50 each!

#2 - The Dollar Store! I never even thought about the dollar store for books. I was there yesterday buying gift wrap (I only buy that at the dollar store) and happened to walk by the kids section, with a whole huge section of books. Now, granted they aren't really as cute as your standard $10 or $12 kids book, but they are still cute... and you really can't beat $1!

In the same vein, I'm almost done with Allison's gospel ABC Book. Its turning out SO cute. Right now I just need to find a picture of obedience (anyone have ideas for where to find one or one you could email me?), get photos of her grandparents and glue in a little mirror for the "You" page. It turned out so cute... take a look!

Its not Christmas Time unless...

Everyone has their favorite Christmas candy or dish, right? Something that your holiday season is incomplete without. Mine is Cracker Toffee. I made some today, and felt like sharing. You may thing its a little strange based on the recipe, but trust me, it is delicious (after all, whats not good about butter, sugar and chocolate?).

Cracker Toffee

• Saltine Crackers
• 1 cup butter (no margerine allowed!)
• 1 cup brown suger
• 1 1/2 - 2 cups chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350* F. Place the saltines side-by-side on a jelly roll pan (thats a cookie sheet with sides!) covering the entire pan.
2. In a medium sized sauce pan, melt butter and sugar together. Boil together 3 minutes (time starts when it starts to get frothy). Pour mixture over the soda crackers and spread out as necessary.
3. Bake in oven for 5 minutes.
4. Sprinkle chocolate chips over baked toffee-cracker mixture. Allow to soften thouroughly, then spread chocolate over the entire pan of candy. Sprinkle with chopped nuts (I use walnust) if desired. Chill in the fridge until chocolate had hardened up again.

Seriously... SO good!

Two Discoveries

Discovery #1 - Our digital photo camera takes videos. Now, I actually knew this, but I assumed it took short videos, on the order or 5 - 10 seconds. But I was wrong. Our camera will take videos as long as we have memory for. So, cross "video camera" off my immediate wish list.

Discovery #2 - Allison is tickilish on her ribs, and the ensuing laughter is ADORABLE!

Binky Clip

I'm sure most of you have seen those cute binky clips in baby boutique stores. They are adorable, and I've wanted one for Allison, but I have a hard time swallowing the $20-25 price tags. So, I tried my hand at making one. I found some cute beads on sale at Michael's and JoAnns and went to work. I'm not sure I'm CRAZY about the clip that I've used on it to attach it to her clothes, but, worst-case-scenario I'll clip the wire when I find one I like better and restring it. I think it turned out pretty well... in fact, I made two. Its nice to actually finish something on my "Projects I'd Like To Do" list. =)

The Understanding...

Allison and I have finally come to an understanding about her afternoon naps. Its been a long time coming, but I think we finally figured out an arrangement that works for both of us. When Allison starts rubbing her eyes, mommy will take her into her room and sit down on the rocking chair. I'll rock and snuggle her until she closes her eyes, then lay her down on her tummy, with her binky, in her crib. In exchange, Allison will take a good afternoon nap of at least an hour and a half. Oh... and she'll be cute while she sleeps. =0)

Inspired

My friend April totally inspires me. She's amazing... she's a great mom, makes super cute, crafty things and was the kind of teacher I am trying to be. We got together yesterday and she told me about her blog. I decided to try it... we'll see how it goes.