Cake Pops and Reindeer Treats....

Finley got a Cake Pop Bakery last night for Chanukah!  She's been asking for one forever, and she often quotes the commercial (at least I think that is what she is doing!!) 

She tells me "Mum, you can EAT all the FUN that you make!"

She was really excited to open her first gift :)

She was though dissapointed, upon seeing the black and white Manual/Recipe book.  She said "Where are all the fancy color pictures?  This is supposed to be an Activity Kit they said!"

It's hard to explain to her that Infomercials, as amazing as they seem (I am personally addicted to them) that sometimes they....well....embellish a little ;)

Anyhow, we'll be making Cake Pops this weekend to hand out as Christmas Treats for the neighbors.  Anyone ever make any?  Any tips?  Where do I find replacement sticks?  I can't wait to try it!  I am most definitely going to be reading up on some Bakerella tutorials!

Finley also came home from school with this really neat idea they made at school.  Check out how easy and fun this would be to do with your child!  Mix glitter and oats.  Done!! :)

I thought I was all done with my Christmas shopping (I may have gone a little overboard this year.  Mr. SLD tells me it's ok since I'm still new to this.  But I think he's just hoping that I got him a lot of gifts ;)  I actually went overboard on Finley, but shhhhhh.....we don't need to tell him that ;)

Anyhow, I thought I was done with shopping, until last night I got into bed with Finley to read her bedtime books.  We started one book and she stopped me and said "Mummy is this book by Jan Brett?  I really love her books, and she is a very good artist."

Huh?  How many kindergartners know books by their author/illustrator!!??

She told me she loves some of her books she's read at school, like "The Mitten"

I guess I better go shopping and see if I can find some Jan Brett Books in this tiny town! :)  When a 5-year old asks for books by author, I figure I have to comply with the request, no?! ;)

xo,
Shari

When Good Ideas Turn Bad, and how to Change the World

Random title, I know.  But stay with me :)

I've been envisioning this dress for a year.  A Double Bubble, cinched Waist Dress.  I have literally been dreaming about how great it would be.

We finally made one.  Harp music is floating through my head....I LOVE it!!!

 

Now, it's time to get Finley in it.......

MASSIVE FAIL!!!  LOL!!!

I guess some dreams should NOT be turned into reality! ;)

Embrace your imperfections and learn from them :)  I try to teach that to Finley EVERY SINGLE day.  She is one of those kids whose biggest fear is the fear of failure.  So much so, that she would rather not even try sometimes.  That makes me sad, but she is a pretty special kid, and even though she'll sometimes be terrified to try something new, other times she'll surprise us with the amazingly fresh ways that she thinks.

For example.....last night we had Family Game Night.  We were playing an I Spy game (the kid is a champion).  But for some reason last night she wasn't in the lead.  She would barely pipe up when she saw a match!  And Mr. SLD and I were occasionally trying to let her get the matches before us so that she could earn the points.

Well, at one point the three of us were all staring at the cards, and there are obviously two bumblebee matches.  No one says a thing, and Finley finally points at them with her arms, saying "It's....it's....!!!" And there we are, trying to give her the chance to say it, so we're saying "Name it, and it's your win!!" and she doesn't name the match.

We ask her why and she says to us "I just wanted one of you guys to get the match.  So I just pointed at them....waiting for you to see it."  Our hearts melt.  

So I say "Finley, why did you do that?  Why didn't you call out the match so that you can win the stack?" and she replies with....

"Because I am so Kind."

WHOA.  First laughter, then the tears roll.  Who knew that raising a five year old could be so emotionally gratifying and complicated at the same time?  We want to instill in her the desire to win and try her best, and yet at the same time, she's also managed to keep her kindness at the forefront.

I am amazed at the beauty that is a five year old.  When I think about that kindness, in a world when all is not always kind, I feel at peace.

It's there, you just have to look for it.  You can change the world with Kindness.

xo,

shari

Giving is the best way to receive....

“They who give have all things; they who withhold have nothing” Hindu proverb

I've always been a giver. Sometimes a little too much ;) I'm the girl who roots for the underdog, cheers for my opponent, and will give whatever I can to help someone that I know is in need. My parents grew up with very little, especially my late-father, and the amazing stories he's shared about how people helped them out in their lives really inspired me (I'll share those another time!)

Most of you probably don't know, but I have a job. A job job; or work work.... Meaning I work outside of sewing :) I manage the philanthropic activities of a large private Family Foundation, plus some other stuff. :)

So, the reason I mention this is (I get to the point eventually, stick with me!!) ...I was inspired by my amazingly talented friend Ashley when I saw her list her gorgeous dress on eBay to raise money for our online friend Jane's and her daughter, who organized a team called Anna's Bananas in order to raise money for Down Syndrome Association of Delaware.

Well, I had to do something too to help out team Anna's Bananas! Now I didn't think I could raise quite so much per dress on eBay, so I decided I would sell a few items in my shop each week, where 100% of the sale would be donated to Team Anna's Bananas! But wait, there's more! (Feel like you're watching an infomercial?;) I asked my generous boss if he would match my sales, which I was hoping might be about $100, and he did even better! He's donating an additional $250 to the effort!

So...time to start shopping for a great cause! I am listing my first item (below) for Team Anna's Bananas today and as the week goes on I plan to list more in my etsy shop.

Thank so much for being a part of a great effort. :)