Shortcut Chocolate Croissants

This is a favorite Sunday morning treat in our house.  They are ridiculously easy to make (and I'm sure incredibly unhealthy - but that's why they are a treat ;-) ) and if you add some fresh fruit and a hot cup of coffee, they make a great breakfast.

 

Very easy recipe after the jump.

Motivational Sticker Chart for the Preschooler

So is Skinner right?  Several of my friends have had great success motivating their almost three year old kiddos to do wonderful things by using a sticker chart.  We're giving it a try, Ben style.  He picked out the poster board.  And the stickers.  We wrote down the positive behaviors together.  Each time he does one, he adds a sticker to the chart.  I had visions of 1) a fabulously behaved preschooler and 2) an adorably organized chart much like the ones I remember from elementary school.  Read after the jump for the reality :)

Lemon and Rosemary Roast Chicken in the Slow Cooker

Add a roaster chicken and all of your ingredients are right there in that picture.  This dinner tastes delicious and takes about 7 minutes (really.  that's it.) to prep.  Then, put everything in a slow cooker and by dinner the bird is so tender and amazing.  Cheap meal, tasty meal, lots of leftovers for soup or salad or whatever else you want to make. (Please forgive the sad state of my rosemary.  I live in a climate that is not so kind to the plant over the winter.  It was the best I could clip from  my herb garden :) )

Read more after the jump.

Double Sided Fleece Blanket for Toddlers - Naptime Project

Ben, the three year old, has been so patient as I keep stitching things up for his little sister, and I have been really wanting to make him something of his own.  Every time I'm working with fleece, he steals the fabric and says it is his blanket, so I thought I'd make him one.  The boy loves his Baltimore sports teams, so I bought a yard of each of the fabrics above and made him a blanket that he can actually use.  I told him if he took a good nap, I'd have a surprise for him when he woke up.  And I did!  I don't think I've ever been happier to give someone something I made.  He has been wanting a blanket from some of my fabric stash for so long.  He immediately wrapped himself in it and stole my heart.

Click on "read more" to get the full how to.

Oh the Fabric

These are all so beautiful.  Definitely the women at the cutting table cringed as I rolled my overflowing-with-fabric-bolts cart over to them.  I'm using it to make something for my expectant sister and a little something to sell on my etsy shop.  Only I can't say what it is because what if my sister reads this and the surprise is ruined?!

Now if you're not my sister, you can click here to see what I'm also going to make her with this gorgeous Alexander Henry fabric.

Katrina's Soaker Tutorial for the Novice Sewer - Part 3

Depending on when the kiddos wake up from their naps, this will be the last in the Katrina Tutorial Series!  The first tutorial covered cutting the pattern and sewing the wetzone layer on to the soaker.  The second tutorial showed sewing the soaker body and the waist and leg bands.  This one will show you how to sew the waist and leg bands to the soaker body.  And you'll be all done!

Katrina's Soaker Tutorial for the Novice Sewer - Part 2

Here is part two of the tutorial.  Also, if you are a super newbie sewer, this post on Prudent Baby's Blog is a great place to see a quick and easy video tutorial on using a sewing machine. 

For Part One of the tutorial, click here.

Read more after the jump.

Home Grown Lavender Oil and Potpourri

I love the scent of real lavender, and I have a LOT of dried lavender from my garden.  It's all sitting very prettily in a basket on a shelf just waiting for me to be inspired.  In fact, it's sitting right next to all of the empty baby food jars which are also waiting for some magical inspiration.

So here is my current inspiration: two easy things to do with all (ok, some) of that lavender.

First is an oil infusion which I think I can use for several things.  I'll use it in the cloth wipe solution for Josie's bum.  I'll use it in the bathtub on my sad and dry winter skin.  And I think I'll use it as a hostess gift, too.

Second is an easy peasy potpourri using a baby food jar.

Not that there is too much of a how-to, but read about it after the jump.

Spiced Hot Chocolate

This hot chocolate is so easy to make and is so rich to drink. It always makes us slow down and enjoy it and relax. Ben and I make it together before his nap. He stacks up some hatboxes, calls them train cars, and pretends he is on the Polar Express. Nothing helps you go to sleep like a full belly of warm chocolate milk :)  Get the very easy how to after the jump.

Katrina's Soaker Tutorial for the Novice Sewer - Part 1

I love these fleece cloth diaper covers in the Katrina pattern. It is so generous of her to share it with all of us cloth diapering mamas! While I sell some in my etsy shop, I think that if you are a handy mama, you can sew your own. It really feels wonderful to know that you've made something for your own little one. So if you are a novice sewer, this tute is for you!

Get the first part of the tutorial after the jump.  I'll add the next parts over the next couple of days.

The Shop Is Stocked!

I have been working for several weeks to plan, buy material, and sew. I'm finally to the stocking stage! More to come, but I'm so excited that I've finally got something up! Several of the fleece cloth diaper covers are in stock and ready to ship.

Please come on over for a visit at Liberty's Belle!