Animal Train

We had another busy fun weekend!

We kicked off Friday with a visit to our local train museum with our friends. 

Little G was more interested in the trains than I figured he would be. 

In this last picture he was watching the train go by and it was blowing his mind a little bit!

On Saturday we went to the zoo with Little G's cousin P and her mom.  This was Little G's first zoo trip, but I'm sure it won't be his last.

Little G was so absorbed in each exhibit that he didn't want to leave it to move on to the next one. 

This is how they hold hands.  Super sweet!

The petting zoo was popular too. The kids were pretty sure the goats were puppies.  Little G did correctly identify the sheep, which is impressive since the picture in children's books aren't really the same as the real thing. 

Our little kangaroos!

The carousel was a huge hit with Little G.  There were tears when that was over. 

All of that and we were home by 1:00!

Tomato Soup

This afternoon I made one of my favorite soups for dinner.  It's so easy and tasty that I thought I would share.  I adapted the recipe from this one I found at Pots and Pins . 

I follow the basic recipe as outlined, but I use dill instead of italian seasoning, and don't add the cheese.  I found that the cheese gave it a texture that I didn't care for. Today I substituted a mixture of sour cream and whole milk for the cream called for and it turned out great.

I usually make a double batch and freeze half in containers that hold two servings.  It is SO much better than canned soup for an easy lunch and doesn't take too long to thaw if I put it directly into a sauce pan on the stove.

We enjoyed some of my homemade bread from the freezer.  I put it in the oven to get warm and crusty. 

The best part of dinner was that Big G caught an early flight home and ate with me!  He also got a chance to play with his very excited little boy before bedtime.

Even Little G enjoyed some soup.  He ate his bread and soup mixed together to make using a utensil easier for a little guy and even asked for "moe" when he finished his first bowl!

Links & Other Stuff

A miscellaneous collection of things rattling around in my head...

It may be a good thing I don't have a girl or I would own even more fabric that I don't use than I already do. Things like this make me want to buy a pattern and fabric.  Unfortunately, more often than not my motivation ends there.

Then there's this pattern which I think could be made into boyish pants if made without the ruffle.

I've never used an Oliver+S pattern, but I've read good things about them. 

On the cooking front there's this . I'm intrigued and thinking about giving it a try!  I love the idea of being able to pull a meal from my freezer on the days when I don't have a chance or the inspiration to cook.  It would be great for new parent gifts too.

Also, last night I made this . I've always had trouble getting breads to not turn out like bricks and this definitely isn't light as a feather, but it's better than my previous efforts.  I'm going to keep practicing.

I guess I'm on a cooking kick because today I ordered Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day and Mad Hungry Feeding Men and Boys . I've read about both of them on several blogs and decided to bite the bullet. 

I'll close with some random cuteness.

Eating cottage cheese with a spoon is messy business!

Labor Day Fun

We had a great time over the long Labor Day weekend spending time with my husband's side of the family.  There are three toddlers so it was chaotic at times!

We rented a house at the lake and there was a small beach and a kayak so we spent a lot of time outside.

The kids all took turns getting a ride in the kayaks with their daddy/uncle. Contrary to appearances, they really liked it and didn't want to get out when their turn was over.

We had good food, lots of laughs and relaxation - well, relaxation as much as possible when you have three toddlers in your care! 

It couldn't have been better and we were sad to go home on Monday!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Ok, well maybe it isn't the most wonderful time, but it's definitely one of my favorites!  You see, I'm a consignment sale junkie and late each summer and winter there are tons of seasonal children's consignment sales.  I love scouring the tables and racks to find super cute high end dress clothes for Little G for a fraction of the new retail price.  They are often in brand new condition since they are only worn a few times for special events.  When G was younger I also found lots of baby gear for a fraction of the price.  Since most of that type of thing is used for a very brief time it is usually in good condition too. 

I've been to a few lot of sales this season and while I haven't necessarily purchased a lot at each sale, it has been worthwhile. 

Here are some pics of my favorites so far:

Our back yard "play ground"

Also, including a refashion of sorts.  The monogram on this little shirt was almost correct, but since accuracy counts when it comes to monograms I got out my needle and thread and voila!

Before

After

The Ensemble!

This one is going to be cute with some white knee socks and black shoes:

On that note, why is it so tough to find cute black dress shoes for little boys?  They all look like clunky old man shoes! 

I actually purchased fabric a little while ago to make a longall in almost this exact color and pattern!  Now I can save that fabric for another project. 

I've also found some play clothes, but I try to focus on dress clothes since they often have less wear and more of a discount over the new retail price. 

And lest you think I've deprived my child of toys (you were really worried, right?), one or two of those have made their way home too!  I've even started Christmas shopping for him. 

Ladder Hill Designs Tinkle Time Trainer Pants Pattern Review

You've no doubt been waiting with baited breath for the update on the training pants I've been making for Little G.  Well, the wait is over and without further ado here is the finished product:

I think they are cute, although the more astute among you (you know who you are), will notice that the print is upside down on the front and right side up on the back.  I'm going to blame that on the one year old who was "helping" me while I tried to get the pieces for these pants cut.  He helped by hanging off of my body, yelling and in general doing whatever he could do to transfer my attention from the fabric to himself.  I guess I should really just be appreciative that it's only upside down!

They have adjustable side snaps so they can grow a little as he does and they can pull on/off OR snap on/off in case of accidents.  There is an absorbant lining between the inner and out layers of cotton knit, as well as a layer of waterproof fabric inside so that wet accidents are somewhat contained. 

Little G's verdict is.... drumroll please........

He likes them!! I tried them on and they fit him and he didn't want to take them off!  I'm hoping it's a positive sign.  Now to work on the courage to put them on him without a diaper underneath. 

Here's a random pic of our crazy guy being his goofy little self.

Here is the pattern I used.  It is the Tinkle Time Trainer by Ladder Hill Designs and I recommend it.  There are several pieces to cut out, but the directions are very detailed and there are several choices on style, materials, etc. 

I also purchased a new pair of snap pliers and some snaps from Kam Snaps and they made all the difference in applying the snaps.  At no point did I want to throw them out the window or yell and gnash my teeth. 

I'm temporarily declaring these a success.  I'll withhold final judgement until we actually use them!

Tool of the Devil

My old snap pliers are dead to me.  I normally would donate something like this that wasn't broken and hadn't been used that much.  In this case, I've decided not to inflict the frustration of using them onto an unsuspecting person just trying to score a good deal at the thrift store. 

They are going in the garbage!  I'm currently debating whether or not to hold some sort of destruction party before throwing them away. 

For your own information and so you never accidently purchase these, they are Dritz brand and I bought them at JoAnn several years ago.  They are difficult to use and the finished product isn't great in my opinion. 

I'm not saying I blame them for the training pants flop, but they definitely didn't help.  On that note, I have good news about my second attempt at training pants for Gabriel.  More on that next time...