tunes for tuesday

this week it's sam's turn:

tunes for tuesday

sam and i are big music fans. i am constantly looking for something new to listen to, and sam is usually looking for something to sing (i was pretty distraught a couple of weeks ago when my mp3 player threatened to kick the bucket, let me tell you). so, i thought it would be fun to start a "tunes for tuesday" post. sometimes they'll be my picks, sometimes sam's, but i think it will be fun to go hunting for new music to share and i hope you agree.

my pick for this first tunes for tuesday:

whoa buddy…let's back that blog up a minute

here are a few of my favorite photos from the fourth of july weekend.

we really had a fabulous/busy one (as usual).

summer accessories

i'll admit it. i bought one of those straw hats/fedoras i've been seeing on other bloggers' "must have summer fashion" posts (well, a cheaper version, anyway). i still haven't had the courage to wear it outside the house, but i have been admiring it sitting in a corner of my bedroom (and occasionally on my head in front of the mirror). i've been mostly relying on my extensive (some might say "excessive") collection of scarves and homemade bead necklaces for a bit of summer accessorization (if it wasn't a word, it is now).

do you read those "must have" posts? if so, what have you been coveting? if not, what is your "go to" accessory that gets pulled out every summer?

and our winner is…

random.org has chosen missy! congrats!

i was so glad to have a few new visitors, and hopefully i'll be doing another handmade giveaway soon!

have a sweet holiday weekend

i baked a batch of good ol' "to my valentine" oatmeal cookies for mike's fourth of july work cookout today. this is probably my most favorite iced cookie recipe because they not only look really fun and festive, but they have a bit more flavor than a sugar cookie (sam performed the quality control for me, of course.)

i'm sure i've blogged about these cookies before, but i'm not sure if i included the recipe or not. so here it is, just in case:

To My Valentine Oatmeal Cookies

2½ cups flour 2 Tbs milk

1 tsp baking powder 1 egg

½ tsp salt 1 tsp vanilla

¾ cup sugar 1 cup oats

¾ cup butter or margarine

1) sift dry ingredients into bowl

2) add butter, sugar, milk, egg, and vanilla; beat until combined, about 2 minutes

3) add oats and mix well

4) roll to ¼ inch thick and cut into hearts (or stars)

5) bake on a greased cookie sheet at 350° (moderate) 12–15 minutes or until lightly browned

6) frost with a glaze made from powdered sugar, vanilla, food coloring, and enough milk to make a spreading consistency

(you can download a recipe card here.)

we're off to visit family and eat yummy stuff, celebrate a birthday or two, and see some fireworks. huzzah! what are your plans?

shaun the sheep

this morning, sam was very keen to watch the dvd of shaun the sheep that we (or more precisely, i) got from the library. so, later on when he wanted to investigate the cottonballs from the bathroom, i thought it would be more fun to make our own shaun.

i got out some construction paper and glue, and sam collected some of the cottonballs. a little less than 10 minutes later, sam was pleased to have his very own sheep. i think he was quite proud of his cottonball-gluing abilities, and i was quite proud of the fact that when i asked him to clean up the cottonballs, he not only put all the unusued ones back in the container, he even carried the container up to the bathroom and put it away.

i thought this might be a fun activity for other kids, so i made a pdf available for download here. enjoy!

(sam and shaun)

and for anyone who doesn't know about shaun the sheep, here's a little introductory video: