roar!

There's been a bear sighting! Logan's favourite game of late is to pretend he's a bear. He gets up in your face, puts on a snarly expression and roars: "RAAAR! BEAR!" and his hands go up to show his claws followed by fits of giggling. It's really cute and we always act scared of Logan the bear.

Much cuter than the ACTUAL BLACK BEAR I SAW IN OUR BACKYARD LAST NIGHT. What? I'm not needing to act as much now.

We're really not that far from civilization. In fact we live in a large subdivision of more than eighty-five homes. There are people everywhere. Trucks, cars, atv's and lots of noise. and there is a black bear.

I'm sure you can imagine: the neighborhood was a-buzzin' last night. phones were ringing. even a conservation officer received a call...

our new favourite chocolate chip cookie

It's our new favourite and you must try -- especially if you're a peanut butter lover!

The original recipe for Peanut Butter-Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies is from Kraft Canada and here's my version (because I can never leave a recipe alone).

Peanut Butter-Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

1-1/2 cups smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup butter/margarine, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1-1/2 tsp vanilla
1-1/2 cups quick oats
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Beat peanut butter and butter with sugars until light and fluffy. Blend in eggs and vanilla.
3. In a separate bowl, mix flour, oats and baking soda. Add to peanut butter mixture, stir until just combined and stir in chocolate chips.
4. Drop by teaspoonfuls, 1 inch apart on parchment lined baking sheets (or use your little tiny icecream scoop with the scraper thingy inside).
5. Bake 10 to 12 minutes (my oven does them perfectly in 8 min) until centres are just set. Cool on baking sheets 5 minutes and cool completely on wire racks.


All three boys have been eating these so fast, I swear they're inhaling them. My changes to the recipe just 'health it up' a bit with more oats and whole wheat flour instead of all purpose. It does make for a heartier cookie but I found the original recipe tasted too buttery almost. TOO BUTTERY, think that's possible?

finished projects

The past couple of weeks have been spent getting a few projects off the 'to do' list with the help of our friendly neighborhood Ikea...

I saved most of Carter and Logan's soothers -- is that weird? I had wanted to make shadow boxes with them for so long and finally got to it. As you can see, Carter was a bit more dependent than Logan was. I actually had to dig for the larger shadow boxes that were meant for another project to fit all of them in. Oh, and did you notice the pink empty one in the background? Might as well take care of one for the new little girl at the same time...

I used scrapbooking rub-ons to put the boys' names on the glass. (Yes, the pink one has a name on it already too but no close ups!) The red ribbon on the orange and green soother in Carter's box was his last one. Logan's is blue and still has the tether attached.

Special shelves for special things. The boys now each have a shelf above their bed for treasured items. Notice the fabulous McQueen artwork? Nothing more than an Ikea frame, checkered wrapping paper (also from Ikea) and repositionable wall decals from Home Depot. Carter and Logan were so pleased with the four frames hanging in their room!


Finally a valance to go with that blind. I used the same pattern in the nursery before Carter was born but this time added a rod pocket instead of stapling to a board and attaching to the wall with L-brackets. It means that light peeps through the top but was much, much easier! And while we're on the topic of window treatments: does anyone know how to get a spring-loaded blind to work again? This one is stuck closed and I've unrolled and rerolled so many times but nothing seems to work? I just can't seem to roll it loosely. Advice/recommendations would be much appreciated!

Mike also put the wire shelving I requested in the boys' closet (hooray!). Carter and Logan decided it should be their job to move all their clothing from Logan's former room (the nursery) into our temporary shelving. Didn't they do a fabulous job?

This weekend closet doors will be hung and this room will officially be decorated and done. And it will be the only one in the house that is decorated and done.

margaret bag

Look what I managed to find the time to make yesterday. 20 minutes here, 20 minutes there and voila! My own 'Margaret Bag' from Oh Fransson! It was super easy (this is the shoulder bag version rather than the cross body version) and a fun little project for ME! It's just the right size for purse necessities.

Now I'm off shopping with the boys to try it out...

danger mom

My 'bravery' was noted by another mom of boys of similar ages to Carter and Logan on the painting trucks post. Here's some more bravery for you: decorating cupcakes -- aka: whole wheat banana chocolate chip muffins but with icing, anything can be a cupcake, right? -- and painting Easter eggs.... I didn't think that these pictures needed all that much explanation. Enjoy!

And on to the Easter eggs...

The first dozen eggs were beautiful shades of spring colours but then they needed more eggs!
How could I have thought that one dozen eggs would be enough?

Okay, you see the fun we're having here!

All the eggs in the second batch came out in shades of green, khaki and teal.

Except for Carter's hands which stayed a vibrant blue and orange, respectively. Jus because the little wire egg dippers were a butcumbersome for a four-year-old and a two-year-old.
SO MUCH FUN!

So, is it bravery, foolishness or a bit of fun with a big-time mess?
(they were just so, so proud of their coloured eggs!)