Let's build a snowman

Gabriel had WAY too much fun building this snowman. I took it all in from the warmth of the living room picture window...

Once again I forgot that I can't turn the camera sideways if I'm taking a video. So, you have to watch it with your head turned to the side. I know, it's lame. But this video is worth it. Watch as Gabe conquers the hefty snowman (and note how red his face is...).

And now, the head:

Voila!

Brrr. It's cold outside... But this sure is fun.

Iowa - part 1

Our last morning in Iowa we had a big surprise: SNOW! and lots of it. It delayed our travel plans by a few hours, but it was worth it to have a morning outside. We made it home late last night and were surprised to find more snow here in Arkansas this morning. It must have followed us South.

We took a lot of pictures over the weekend, so I'll do my best to post them in batches over the next few days. Here are the snow pictures.

Gabe built these humongous snowmen (more on that later...including some video)
Linda had never seen so much snow. Amazing!

Liam thought it was pretty fun, but definitely cold.

Linda: I think I'm the cow whisperer.

She spent a lot of time with the calves and was even able to bottle feed them.

Gabe took Liam and I on a really fast sleigh ride. It was a lot of fun, and brought giggles out of Liam.

A family sleigh ride...

So fun!

Liam thinks Iowa is great!

Mr. Blue Eyes

I don't think they could be any bluer. This is my favorite of his hats that I have made for him. He likes to look at himself in the mirror when he is wearing it. It makes him smile.

On Saturday Gabriel made this reindeer for our front porch. Liam likes it, too.

What a fun Christmas decoration. Gabriel does great work.

Toys R Us buys back Avent bottles!

Toys R Us is giving store credit for the full retail price of your used Avent bottles. No proof-of-purchase, receipt, or anything else is required. All you have to do is bring in your bottles and they'll give you a store credit.

Why?

Due to concerns over BPA (bisphenol A) found in the bottles, Avent issued a warning. Toys R Us has decided to buy them back in an effort to eliminate these bottles from the market. It's not a recall. The FDA hasn't gotten there yet (although Canada just declared BPA toxic, and Europe did a while ago...).

I know, it sounds to good to be true, but it isn't! I took some back to the Toys R Us in Fayetteville, AR yesterday and walked away with $50 in store credit.

Be thrifty and get some extra funds for Christmas toys (they have a good selection of wood and other eco-friendly toy options) and be green by getting rid of those toxic bottles. What a great Thursday!

See more Thrifty Green Thursday ideas at The Green Baby Guide.

For more info on the dangers of BPA, go here.

fun things

The weather was freezing on Saturday: the daytime high didn't get out of the upper 30's. Brrrr...
Perfect weather for raking the yard with Daddy!

Is Your Mama a Llama? Linda is reading Liam one of his favorite books we checked out from the library. It's good to cuddle up with your Auntie, favorite blamket, and a good book.

Chocolate Oatmeal Flaxseed Cookies

I just thought I'd share one of my favorite recipes.

I make cookies every week for Gabe to take in his lunch. This is my adaptation of Betty crocker's "Chocolate Oatmeal Chewies." It is definitely more nutritous, but it's still a cookie.

1/2 cup sucanat (dehydrated can juice), brown sugar, or turbinado sugar
1/2 cup agave nectar (or honey)
i cup butter, softened
1/4 cup milk
1 egg

2 2/3 cup rolled oats
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup baking cocoa (I use fair trade certified...)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup ground flaxseeds, in a shallow dish

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Beat sucanat, agave nectar, butter, milk, and egg in large bowl with electric mixer (or by hand and stirring very vigourously) until combined and slightly fluffy. Stir in oats, flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.

3. Forming one cookie at a time, roll approximately 2 tbsp of dough into a ball. Roll cookie in the flaxseeds, coating all sides. Place down on prepared cookie sheet, flattening slightly with your fingers. Space 1-2 inches apart.

4. Bake 10-12 minutes, or until edges are set but center is still slightly soft. Let cool on a wire rack.

Makes 2 dozen cookies.
I hope you enjoy these as much as we do!

Kitchen

Finally, two years after we "completed" our remodel, we finished the kitchen! It now has a gorgeous slate tile backsplash and a range hood/microwave combo over the stove. We were going to buy just a regular range hood, but this one was on clearance at Best Buy, making it the less expensive option.

Here it is:

Notice my orchid with yet another flower spike coming up!

Linda helped tile mosaic covers for the outlet plates. They turned out fantastic.