toy test::A+

It's that time of year again. Gift giving. I love it. I love to see the wonderful expressions on the faces of my children when they open gifts. And although this is my year of handmade gifts, there are some things that I just can't make. So what to do? Picking toys is not easy, however, there is a toy website called ebeanstalk, dedicated to selecting good, safe baby toys and kids toys. BUT they need help from moms like me to help pick the toys. Naturally I offered to be a toy tester...I've got a great little panel of judges here to help me out. The toy they sent to the Clothesline family is called Play Foam, one of their many learning toys . Here is the deal on this toy… my girls love it! It came with six great colors. Play Foam is made of foam beads that stick together but aren't really sticky. It's true. You can mold and mash this stuff into any shape you want and it will keep it's shape but not stick to the table or your hands. It doesn't have a scent or leave any colorful residue behind like some moldable stuff. To me it feels like pulling apart a rice crispy treat but with less stickiness. The girls squeezed and pulled and spread out the play foam for hours. No kidding! We had several days of rain and Play Foam was a great way to spend some creative time. After making several different shapes the girls ended up mixing it all together. I'm not usually one to condone the mixing of any moldable stuff, but after all of the colors were mixed it was pretty and it lead to even more fun.

The girls got out their toy pots and pans and cups and saucers and started fixing up a grand feast for their dolls and stuffed animals. There is no limit on how much fun you can have with Play Foam...just let your imagination take over! It holds it's shape and it doesn't dry out and there was not messy to clean up!

If you want to check out this and other great toys at ebeanstalk just click the following links.
baby toys
kids toys
learning toys

Have a great day. xo ANG

snow?

Just the other day it was warm enough for a nice walk down at the river. The sun was warm and the river was crystal clear.

Even yesterday was warm enough (low 50's) to play with friends at the playground before lunch. But as the day progressed the temperature steadily dropped. Then, this morning when I left to go grocery shopping it was raining. When I was finished shopping the snow was coming down! The girls were thrilled! I supposed all the crazy snow that Houston had has finally reached us here in Virginia. It won't even be enough to play in and as I write this the snow is slowing down and melting as it hits the ground. But man, it sure it pretty to see.

xo ANG

a birthday wish

Happy Birthday to a special friend!

Here's a virtual card especially for you!
Peas in a pod, these two.

I am so thankful that you are such a sweet and special friend to my girls. I hope your birthday is out of this world!

art you should see

I received my copy of Craft Leftovers Monthly in the mail yesterday. It's chocked full of so much fun stuff. There are recipes for food, recipes for tea, recipes for salts and scrubs! There's a crochet project, knitting project, an embroidery pattern, and even a paper snowflake template...ya know, for inspiration so the entire house can be filled with snowflakes. I suppose it's time to break out the scissors...closely monitored scissors, of course. What? I know my girls are almost 7 and 4 1/2 but there is a lot of fabric and yarn lying around and very tempting long locks of hair. We've never had a scissor incident and I'd like to keep it that way.
Now, I won my copy of Craft Leftovers Monthly from Regina. She was hosting a giveaway over at her wonderful blog Creative Kismet. If you've never been there you should pop over there and check it out. But be prepared...there's lots of crafty inspiration over there. Regina is a wonderfully talented artist. She paints and sews and creates wonderful mixed media pieces all the time. A while back she was even on the Martha Stewart Show! Anyway, Regina has an Etsy shop called Creative Kismet Studios with lots of great stuff in it. You'll find something irresistible there, I know you will! Her prices are great and her products are wonderful. She's got lots of prints for sale, tea wallets, stationary, ornaments, and pin cushions. Regina is offering free shipping on selected items until December31st, so shop now before it's too late!

(graphic/button from CreativeKismet.com)

happy thanksgiving

I'm just popping in this morning before the Thanksgiving Day Parade comes on t.v. to share with you some things that I am thankful for today.

*an amazing family
*good health

*a cozy home

* this little girl that is intense and mellow...and funny

*wonderful friends

*freedom

*this little girl that is thoughtful and sweet...and funny

*a merciful and gracious God who loves His children

*the ability to stay home with my children

*and last, but certainly not least, this wonderful husband of mine who is smart and sensitive, a provider and a Daddy, and so, so funny! Now you can see where the girls get their sense of humor :o)

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving...and remember to give thanks. xo ANG

a winner*

Okay, today is the big day! I am ready to announce the ecostore USA giveaway winner! Are you ready? Alright...here we go!

The winner

of the $25 gift certificate

to ecostore USA is...

Rebekah of Sunnybrook Farm Designs!

Congratulations Rebekah! Enjoy the natural goodness that is ecostore USA. Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway. I appreciate you stopping by and leaving a comment.

*Just so you know, there is exactly one month until Christmas. I don't know about you, but my handmade gift list is freaking me out. I need to get busy! Sew, knit, crochet, embroider, but most importantly relax, enjoy, reflect, and appreciate all of the blessings in my life. Happy Wednesday. xo ANG

a supreme day

Today is Tim's birthday!

A supremely special day here in the Clothesline household.

I am supremely blessed to have a wonderful, funny, supportive, intelligent, patient husband. The girls are supremely blessed to have an energetic, fun, caring, attentive daddy. Here's a little something I made for him. The lighting wasn't so great so the color is off. The scarf is charcoal gray. It is supremely warm and soft (Patons Classic Wool). I used this pattern, which is free, and I've got some matching, manly fingerless gloves on the hook right now. Hopefully they'll be done before Thanksgiving.
And because making a cute card together is so important, here is the supremely cute card that the girls and I made for him. Together we put the toppings on the pizza. Then I gave them each a white triangle of card stock for their individual messages. They asked that I write their message, then they got to draw and color. I then glued the layers together and viola! A supremely cute card for a supreme dad!

Enjoy your weekend! xo ANG