Valentine's @ the Park

J asked what I wanted to do for Valentine's day and I said "go to the park." Yes, I know it is the middle of winter but the need to experience some sun on my body is huge, so we went to the park in Reno and had a picnic. I think the smiles on their faces tell you it was an afternoon enjoyed by all.


Boo-Ba

Peanut


He seems a little young to be doing this but he climbed several times with our help and had a lot of fun. I think it was only his second visit to a park.




My favorite picture of the day--K all smiles.

Visit a park it's good for the winter heart!

Valentine Card

Here is our final card project. The children and I made this for J and we were very happy with the result. I used 2 lunch bags folded in half and then stapled the binding. I had 2 pockets at that point so I snipped off the ends of 2 of the bags to get 2 more pockets. Then the 3 older children wrote or dictated their messages for Daddy and decorated their cards. I attached a little pretty scrap paper for tabs and we filled the pockets. (I think scrap paper is so handy and I keep a file of my scraps for various uses).


Our cover


An inside page with one of the children's handprints.


Another handprint and a vintage print printed from here. I discoverd this wonderful blog 2 weeks ago and have printed out many things to frame for added touched here and there.


The back cover with B's handprint.

Such a cute keepsake that can be made in so many ways--give it a try!

Scroll down to see the original post and link to the idea for this card with a lot more detailed pictures.

Cute Card--you want to take the time to look at this.

I just had to share this because I think it is so neat and could be used for so many occasions. It is a fun interactive card or book that you can make with so many of your own supplies or your children's. We are going to make one soon and I will post pictures when it is finished.

Here is the link--enjoy.

A Quick Heart Game

I made this game for K's Tot School with a Valentine's theme but you could make it with any theme you need.

Supplies:
dollar store stickers
blank business cards




Take 2 cards and adhere the same sticker on each card and presto you have cards to play matching games --try Go Fish or Memory. I made 10 pairs but make as few or as many as you would like. You could also turn this into a File Folder Game by attaching one set of cards to the inside of a folder and have your tot match them up.



Enjoy!

Snowflake Craft

This was a fun multi-aged craft. First I gathered all things, white, clear or natural from around the house. We used white beans, white pom poms (not seen in the picture), white and clear buttons, and white and clear beads.


I"m not sure where this muffin tin presentation came form but somewhere in blogland (sorry) but sometimes a craft is all about the presentation and organization to make it interesting to the reluctant crafter.

Then E took some popsicle sticks and glued them into a snowflake pattern for everyone to paint white and then we decorated with our stash of items and glue.


Here are E and K's creations.


I hung them with fishing line from our dinning light and it makes a cute display of the children's handiwork.

Go ahead give it a try and enjoy the time with you precious children.

Wintery Days

What do we do all day (besides lessons)? How do we spend Winter days? Here's a look.


We let the 3 years old have the camera--not bad if I do say so myself, yes K really took this pictures.


We loose our first tooth. A noticed it was loose on Friday afternoon and by bedtime he was in the bathroom with a mouthful of blood doing the extraction himself. It was uncanny because the previous day as part of our Dino study we studied and made a booklet on the 4 types of teeth.


We learn to self-feed with a spoon. B is now 16 months.


We pull out the ball pit.


We make transformers out of math rods and tape.


E gave K a manicure and a pedicure.


Build a snowman, of course--E did this all on her own and then helped A build one too.


And we play in the snow in our boots, jacket and swimsuit--K wanted to also go in the sprinklers but I had to tell he no, much to her disappointment.

Happy Winter!

Daybook

I am thankful for: the wonderful white snow falling outside and the chicken on the stove.

I am reading: I just started reading James Dobson's Bringing Up Boys because I am wondering if I am missing something or expecting to much.

Around the house: E and A are learning to vacuum. I finally took the experts advice and grouped my chicken/rooster collection together and I am very pleased with the results.


This is the top of my china hutch.

On the to do list: I have a stack of printouts that need to be glued and cut for file folder games, more blog posts, scrapbooking and this behemoth of a mess, Jay calls it "the Tammy know one knows":



This is the top of my dresser/ night stand. It is a major dumping ground for reading materials, lists and future education plans. Can you spy how many books are on it? Too Many! I need to straighten, dust and trash this whole area and there is even a pile on the bottom that you can't see.

When will I ever learn: to stop throwing these precious gift away (or at least put them in the garage garbage where they won't be found.) I started a box to keep the really special ones in but I have cause one to many protruding lips and vanishing smile.



On the menu: Chicken and Dumplings (Jay's favorite), perfect for a snowy day. I have tried scratch dumplings but the best is Bisquick. And for another night Mexican soup from Ina Garten of Barefoot Contessa.

Something new I am trying: I found this great list the other day and it was such an answer to prayer. Sometimes it feels like my prayers are all over the place and this has given me a focus for praying for my children. It is also neat because it gives me something to share with them each morning and lets them know Mommy is praying for them. It is a list of verses to pray each day of the month. Click here to see.

In the learning loft: We are studying Dinosaurs, Winter, Australia, the 12 disciples and Ben Franklin. We are reviewing the continents and place value. We are starting to experiment with graphing and counting by 2's and 5's.

Quiet Time ponderings: Practicing the Law of Love. I think we are all familiar with the verses that say "Love your neighbor as yourself" but do you know God wants more than that from us? In John 13:34 Jesus says "A new command I give you: Love one another as I have loved you, so you must love one another." Jesus doesn't say love others as long as it works for you or as long as it is easy but he says love one another as I have loved you. Jesus also says never will I leave you, never will I forsake you. So we, striving to be more and more like our savior, ought to never stop loving the people in our lives no matter how difficult. Jesus never gives up on us and we are never to give up on others. In the verses just prior to John 13:34 Jesus is having the last supper with his disciples and he is trying to tell them who is going to betray Him, Judas. Did you catch that Judas, the very one who shows his sinfulness and disloyalty was welcome at the dinner table. Judas, no matter how vile or disloyal was gathered with Jesus and sat among his closest friends. We are to do that in our own lives. No matter how much someone hurts us, we are to gather them among our closest most trusted friends and welcome them at our tables, in our very lives. How? Romans 5:5 says "God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. It is by the Holy Spirit in us that we can love the people Jesus places in our lives. We are to love like Jesus does, not matter the situation, Jesus laid it all down and gave it all up. We are to give up ourselves, our feelings, our concerns, our needs and replace it with the spirit of God and love as He does.

Matt. 7:12 says "so in everything do to others what you would have them do to you." So I ponder as I go through my day how to love the little ones and big ones in my life, as Jesus does. I think of how I want to be treated and cared for and then do in kind to others. Oh how I wish I was more perfect, more like Christ, because I daily miss the mark but yet I ask myself what can I sacrifice so they can have abundant life, what can I give, what can I teach, how must I behave to communicate that I love them and so does our Lord.

Blessings To You All!

"Nutella Cookies"

On Christmas morning I found a jar of Nutella in my stocking. Nutella is a wonderful chocolate hazelnut spread that makes the driest graham cracker taste like a decadent dessert. But better than a cracker is a cookie. I stumbled upon this recipe from the Food Network show Everyday Italian and it is yummie. Giada calls the recipe hazelnut biscotti but we just call them Nutella cookies. We omit the hazelnuts and ad 3/4 cup chocolate chips. Enjoy!



Got Nutella?

Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti
Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup chocolate hazelnut spread (recommended: Nutella)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In another medium bowl combine the butter, chocolate hazelnut spread, sugar, and brown sugar. Using an electric mixer, cream the ingredients together, about 4 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until smooth, about 1 minute. Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, stir in the flour mixture until just combined. Add the hazelnuts and stir until just combined.

Using a tablespoon measure, spoon out the cookie dough onto a cookie sheet, spacing the mounds about 4 inches apart. Use the tines of a fork to flatten the cookie dough. Bake until lightly golden around the edges, about 10 to 12 minutes. Use a metal spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack and let cool.

Where We Have Been & Where We Are Going!

Happy New Year everyone. I just wanted to share a few glimpses into our lives as we review the last 12 months and look ahead to the next 12. It is my aim to not just create a brag list but rather let you know how we really live here in the mountains raising our sweet ones.

The year has been a blessing and we have had to take it day by day and month by month. As many of you know the building industry has come to a grinding halt which has rocketed us into very uncertain financial times. Our lives have become truly dependent on the Lord and he has not let us down. God has provided for us through several Cornerstone remodels, H & R Block, family, gifts cards, hand me downs, our church, consignment stores and thrift stores. At times I have felt like life is boring and nothing ever exciting happens to me but when I reflect I truly praise God for the slow lifestyle we live here in Truckee. Now, that is not to say that I am bored in the least. A home, husband, 4 children and a home-school keeps me very busy in the day in and day out and I frequently say "I wish I could get bored." I love my family dearly and pray that in the coming year the Lord will continue to endear my heart to theirs and show me their real worth and value in His eyes. So let me start with me. The highlight of my year was all the hiking that we got to do this summer and fall (scroll down to see me and my shadows on a fall hike). I love the outdoors and I look forward to finding more family friendly hikes this next summer season. Blogging also became a big part of my time this year--there is a whole world out there, pick your hobby and you can find an online community to share your passion with and glean ideas and encouragement from. As for me I read homeschooling blogs, frugal living blogs, decorating blogs and spiritually encouraging blogs. I continue to enjoy great music and good books. Kari Jobe was the music artist of the year for me; check her out on YouTube if you need some good inspiring tunes. As far as books I read the Forever Faithful series by Karen Kingsbury, Unafraid and Unshaken by Francine Rivers. Unafraid and Unshaken our 2 books about the women in the lineage of Christ, both were great and gave me new thoughts to ponder about Ruth and Mary. I have started reading the Tea Shop Mysteries by Laura Childs (Available through the Truckee Library). Now I am not typically a murder mystery fan but these are great and super fun to read. I get to indulge my love of tea and reading in one fell swoop. I also revisited an old favorite The Shaping of a Christian Family by Elizabeth Elliot, just great encouragement for caring for my home and family. This next year I hope to read books by Debbie Macomber (Truckee Library). I read A Cedar Cove Christmas and really enjoyed it so I plan to continue on in the series. How do I have time to read? I make time. I try to get 30 minutes a day to read whatever I want. It doesn’t always work out but I think it is one of the keys to staying sane in a busy noisy house. I have discovered that it is not enough for me to be left alone in a room full of people doing their own thing but that I actually need to retreat alone and for me that is usually my room. So in the next year I hope to spruce it up with a few more pretty accessories, courtesy of the thrift store and a can a spray paint if necessary. I also aspire to beautify a few more areas in our home through thrifty finds and hope to be better at taking before and after photos. I pray that our lives both inside and out will be a thing of beauty to the Lord. I pray that the Lord will keep my heart open to whoever and whatever he brings into my life in 2010 (2010, can you believe it? I can't) So on the inner beautification side, I am continuing to work my way through the bible, book by book, trying to walk in the spirit day by day, praying the scriptures for my loved ones and keeping the Sabbath set apart as a day of rest and reflection with our family. I plan to do a bit more studying on fasting in the next year and have been so delighted to share my love of bible women with others. This past summer I lead a bible study called Bible Moms and then subsequently got to teach on Jochebed (the mom of Moses) at our local MOPS and Mary at our church's Christmas tea. I always knew I wanted to teach/speak but I just never thought it would be form the word, I always thought it would be in the form of counseling. Just a few last thoughts on the year ahead--I hope to reinstitute Movie Time Monday at our hose. I did this during the summer and it allowed me to get a lot of scrapping done while the children enjoyed a movie. I hope to sit more. Yes, you read that right, I said sit more. Just sit and enjoy my surroundings and the people in them. Sitting needs to become a discipline for me because many days I never even leave my house but I never just sit and enjoy what is in or around me. And finally, I hope we can plan a camping trip to Yosemite, I haven't been since I was very little and would love to enjoy it again with our family.
So enough about me and on to the rest of the Garbarino clan.

Kensley is 3 years old and full of life, both happiness and venom. She loves to dance, wear fancy shoes, look at books, count, paint and color. However, look out if she doesn’t like what you say or you cross a line she screams with the best of them.

July 2009--Lake Nacimiento

Emry Anne is 7 and in second grade. She loves to dance, draw, play with friends, watch TV and listen to books on tape. The Boxcar Children have been her favorite CD's to listen to. It has been a new world for us this year with all of the new girls in the neighborhood. Emry is learning to strike a balance between times with friends, TV and just being content to BE at home. It has and is a growth process for us both.

Martis Creek--2009

Ayden is 5 1/2 and in kindergarten. The boy loves to build and anything that transforms. He learned to ride his bike this fall on his own. He picked up a neighbors bike and just rode off leaving me with my mouth hanging open and Emry screaming "He's riding a bike, he's riding a bike! We also rejoiced this fall because Ayden is pull-up free--yahoo! (Only 2 more to go) Ayden is the opposite of Emry, she has friends in all directions and Ayden has very few. At times it has left him feeling very sad and mischievous to see his sister, his best friend, play with others. So we are problem solving and seeking solutions on this issue. It is so sad to see my dear boy cry tears over being left out.

Our backyard--June 2009

Brady is one and so much fun! He has been walking for the last month and talking up a storm. They say boys are so much slower to develop linguistically but that is not and has not been our experience. Brady has so many words and daily seems to come up with new ones. Last night he was saying Kensley's name, he tries to repeat most everything, now if he would just stop hitting his head on the tile.

Learning Loft--September 2009


Me and my precious jewels--Crystal Falls--September 2009

Now as for Jay he is plugging along. He continues to engineer, workout and love good food. He has perfected a sourdough starter and bread this year as well as tiramisu. He has us starting a P90x hybrid with Tony Horton's, One on One series this week and he still desires to stay fit and encourage others to do the same. We are blessed that he will be working for H & R Block again this winter and possibly the U.S. Census in the spring. He still plays monster with the children and is currently instituting a memory game with the children all over the house in the evenings. He has been attending a men's bible study on Friday mornings, reading Jerry Bridges online devotional, enjoying Facebook and maintaining 2 blogs of his own (see the sidebar for his links).

Paige Meadows--October 2009


Angora Lakes--October 2009

So that is it our lives in a nutshell. Thanks to everyone who sent us pictures and cards, we love the updates and pray your hearts will be open to the hand of the Lord in your lives in 2010--May God Bless You!

Sledding at the Pond

I don't remember the last time we have had this much snow in December and the children are loving it. We live really close to a pond that has a wonderful walking trail and a great sledding hill. So after much begging (badgering) off we went.


Jay built a jump for the children. It is fun to see them progress in their bravery over the years and hear shouts of awesome as they crash and tumble at the bottom of the hill. Jay thinks he looks like the wrinklie Robert Redford, makes me want to watch The Horse Whisperer.


A with his birthday sled, using it as a house. The boy is all about anything that transforms, no uni-taskers here.


B is a great boy, at one point he actually scooted backward all the way down the hill.


K was so wonderful, she did not complain once about all the climbing sledding requires, amazing for a 3 year old.


K and Daddy prepare for take off.


More K and Daddy.


B sitting so compliantly on a blankie. He especially loves his hot pink boots worn by all the Garbarino children. I took him out to walk about the outdoors yesterday and he was so cute stomping around in his boots on the decks and patio. He has been walking full time for about a week and a half.


A has become such a good sport with sledding. I remember the days when he would rather cry than climb up the hill for another run--he is so much fun now.

Christmas Glimpses

I just wanted to share a few things we have been keeping busy with this season and give you a glimpse into our Christmas traditions old and new.


Many of you know that Jay and I are venturing into the gift basket business. This is one of our baskets I completed for a friend of Jay's as a gift. It is so satisfying to be able to present something so pretty, professional and enticing and it is not hard. All it takes is a few extra details, a little creativity and a few extra steps and you can give someone a wonderful home-baked gift.

This is our collection of Christmas books. I purchase one or two Christmas books each year. This year I purchased the Mike Huckabee book A Simple Christmas. The book is filled with fun stories from his Christmas celebrations and the lessons he has learned through them. I also bought Christmas In The Big Woods. During the month of December we usually try to do something Christmas related on most nights. A lot of times is is reading Christmas books from our collection or from the library, watching a Christmas show or looking at lights around the neighborhood.

Okay, how odd she would show a picture of her hutch but I was so pleased with how it turned out that I just had to share it. On our sidebar I have added some blogs I read that have inspired be to decorate and this is the outcome of that inspiration. Jay gave me the hutch when we moved into our house 7 1/2 years ago and he bought me the dishes several Christmases ago. The dishes are perfect for Christmas but I also use them throughout the year. Also on the shelf as a nod to me new thrifty ways you can see a white mini teapot from the thrift store and a glass creamer from a yard sale. I hope to add to this red and white collection as I thrift about.


Each Christmas we make a gingerbread nativity and this is this years version. We used black gumdrops for the sheeps' legs this year instead of black licorice and I like them better. Ayden made Mary, she is the gumdrop figure in the middle with the big yellow gumdrop, that is actually her hair. And Jay was inspired to hang the star over the stable by attaching it to our cabinet. He also imprinted the roof and walls before baking so that they would look like siding and shingles. Oatmeal was used for the flooring. This is always a fun project to get us working together and the children eating a ton of sweets.

Now onto the pictures of the actual people in the house--enjoy!

B eating a Christmas ornament cookie.


E getting ready to sprinkle on some sweetness to her Christmas cutouts.


K, the girl getting "bigger and bigger" baking with Jay.

Fellas baking together.

I hope you have enjoyed our mini tour of traditions old and new. Gotta go I think they are watching Charlie Brown's Christmas without me--again!

Education and Planning Links

Okay, so another apology is due. I did not realize that our education links were not working and it has been months since I added them and referred several people to them but nevertheless they are now fixed. I use all of these links when planning our lessons. It is super easy. I usually have a theme or 2 that I am working on and just simply look them up on these links, it is a great help to me and brings some fun creative ideas and tools to our education. Enjoy!

Thrifty Fix

Oh so sorry, I think the Thrifty Home Inspirations links are fixed, I set it up wrong and now come to find out all of my education links are not correct, I'll fix that later today--so sorry everyone--now get some tea and dream decorating dreams, on a dime of course.

Thrifty Home Inspirations

I have recently been inspired by several blogs that use thrift store finds to beautify their homes and themselves. I have added a new gadget (Blogs For Thrifty Home Inspiration) on our sidebar so that everyone can enjoy the wonderful frugality and creativity of these women. In today's world where money is tight or non existent, these ladies offer wonderful inspiration for refreshing your wardrobe or home. I have been inspired to visit our local thrift store on the last 2 days of the month when everything is 50% off. I have found some linens, pillows, baskets, books and clothing. I hope to refresh our home with new wall decor using platters and plates. I also have my eyes out for a few furniture pieces that could be painted. These ladies have encouraged me to re-purpose and repaint what I have or what I find. I am having a great time treasure hunting and getting creative. I hope you to will be encouraged and inspired to create beauty in your homes and lives.