Legos and love

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day. I love the day for showing appreciation for our friends, family, teachers and colleagues. It's not really a day of red-hot love (sorry, Jer) and, anyways, I'm thankful for a husband who shows his love in thoughtful ways here and there throughout the year, rather than saving it for February 14. (Though I never mind a nice bit of chocolate or some bubbles...)

My blog is a little bit of everything as I chronicle life with two small children, a loving husband and one fat cat, living, working and playing in Chicago.  So that said, I present to you: Jack's valentines project.

After Jossie's birthday bash, Maria offered to help Jack with his valentines. I was grateful for the break from being crafty. And then I pushed myself into the scene in typical me style.

Maria made Lego-themed valentines with Jack, and God bless her patience for gluing all of those itty-bitty hearts onto the cards. We found creative sayings online.

(Gratuitous Pinterest moment.) Then I threw in the Lego-shaped crayons idea. I have five years' worth of crayons from restaurants, and I bought a Lego mold. A silicon mold is key to this project.

Before we go any further, I might suggest you step away from the crayons and call me, and let's get a drink instead. I'll go grab my purse.

You're still here? Okay onward to the project.

After the painful task of peeling the wrappers off of the crayons and chopping them up into uniform sizes (no one ever tells you what a pain this task is and how you're probably going to ruin your cutting board), we filled up our molds. Jossie loved helping with this, with her chubby little fingers. I adore those chubby little fingers.

Put the mold on a baking sheet and bake at 275 degrees for 15 minutes or so. Let stand for a few hours and then peel the silicon mold away from the crayon. I found little treat bags for the crayons and used my new love - paper (or washi) tape - to affix them to the little red envelopes. And voila! Jack's classmates can now give me the stink eye for giving them crayons instead of candy this Valentine's Day...

XOXO

Unleash your inner artist! GapKids Shine On Saturdays

This post is sponsored by GapKids. Check out all the fun Shine On activities at your nearest Gap store. For event dates and locations, visit Gap’s Facebook page and join the conversation on Twitter with hashtag #ShineOn.

It is no secret that I love fall. I just love it. Apples, pumpkins, leaves changing colors, you name it.

As summer is winding down, I feel the pace already quickening at our home - preparing for school time, weekend football games, and soccer and music classes for the kids. We're replacing our worn sandals with new sneakers and updating our fall wardrobes.

If you are doing back-to-school shopping this weekend, join select GapKids stores this Saturday for their Shine On Saturdays events. Your kids can participate in a series of special art projects.  From creating geometric masterpieces on canvas using paint and tape to making colorful, custom journals to get kids ready for back-to-school, the projects will help your little ones express their creativity. Designed by Merrilee Liddiard of Mer Mag, the projects were inspired by the GapKids and babyGap fall collection, including the best new 1969 denim - Jewel Box Skinnies for girls (the new skinny jean updated in bright stretchy denim) and Action Stretch Denim for boys (designed for play all day- it’s denim that’s made to move). This video explains it all:

For those in the Chicago region, make an animal character badge this Saturday:

August 25, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
GapKids, Oakbrook Shopping Center, 533 Oakbrook Center, Oak Brook, IL 60523

If you are not in Chicago, please check out Gap's Facebook page for other participating cities. Happy crafting!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

I love love

I have always loved Valentine's Day. Not so much for the hot and heavy romance but more for expressing friendship, thanks and admiration. The only lace I'm dealing with on this holiday is on my paper doilies.

And having kids now - well watch out. It's post-11 p.m., and I've spent the evening putting together valentines, pulling together treats I'll serve to Jack's preschool class and making a heart-shaped meatloaf for Jack and Jossie's lunch tomorrow.

If this is wrong, I don't want to be right.

Barefoot Contessa's turkey meatloaf

1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 tablespoon good olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (1/4 teaspoon dried)
1/6 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup chicken stock
1 teaspoons tomato paste
2.5 pounds ground turkey breast
3/4 cups plain dry bread crumbs
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup ketchup

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  In a medium saute pan, over medium-low heat, cook the onions, olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme until translucent, but not browned, approximately 15 minutes. Add the Worcestershire sauce, chicken stock, and tomato paste and mix well. Allow to cool to room temperature.

Combine the ground turkey, bread crumbs, eggs, and onion mixture in a large bowl. Mix well and shape into a rectangular loaf on an ungreased sheet pan. Spread the ketchup evenly on top. Bake for 1 1/2 hours until the internal temperature is 160 degrees F and the meatloaf is cooked through.

And here's an idea I stole from Pinterest for Jack's valentines for his preschool buddies.

Happy hearts to you!

Birthday fun

A plate of cake crumbs and a mug of milk sit beside me. The birthday weekend is winding down.

We celebrated Jossie girl's big day (which is Tuesday, mind you) with a small family party Saturday. The theme was Woneder Woman, and I got all craftastic beforehand with some comicbook-covered letters, sweets and an homage to my sweetie.

How to get your Mod Podge on

I didn't even know what the heck Mod Podge was before I started this crafty journey, but my sister set me straight. Blessedly, this glue product is non-toxic, which is important when I decide to craft, as I usually get my supplies all over my pj top, the cat and the kitchen sink. Seriously, I'm not a crafter; this was a super-simple project:

Materials:

1. Cardboard letters, which you can buy from any craft store or if you want to get snazzy, from Paper Source.

2. Cool paper to cover the letters; I used Wonder Woman comics, which was a journey in of itself. I headed to a comic store that was literally a block from my office. I never even knew it existed.

3. A foam roller.

4. A craft knife and self-healing cutting board (I used one of my Ikea cutting boards).

5. Mod Podge for paper (I prefer matte - I hear it has less fumes).

Directions:

1. Using foam roller, spread Mod Podge over the front of cardboard letter.

2. Place paper over letter and flip over.

3. Cut around the edges of the letter using your craft knife.

4. Flip over and admire your beautiful work.

5. Spread one more layer of Mod Podge atop the paper (it will dry clear) and let dry overnight. 

Jack and I also made a sweets plate of red and blue star sugar cookies with edible gold glitter, chocolate red lips and Twizzler yellow lassos.

Everyone got a party favor bag of these treats to bring home; a great Etsy seller made me some fun custom stickers and I found the brown kraft bags at The Container Store.

And for the last year, I've been taking pictures of Jossie month by month; I copied this birthday banner idea from my friend Abby:

A good time was had by all. We served sparkling wine, which I highly suggest for all birthday parties. I was tickled pink (sorry) that Jeremy found a J Vineyards Brut Rose.

And there was cake from Sweet Mandy B's.

Which little sister greatly enjoyed: