Play Dough--From Scratch

Hello Rain!  It is soooo nice of you to visit today!  We were hoping you would come soon, as we got our water bill in the mail the other day.  It wasn't pretty.

When we woke up to the sound of thunder this morning and an overcast sky, I actually breathed a sigh of relief and thought, "Maybe, maybe, it will rain."  And then it did.  Whew.  A much needed light rain has been with us off-and-on all day, and it has been so nice.  However, rainy days have the potential to be very boring, so as soon as the rain started falling, I started brainstorming things we could do inside.  

A few weeks ago on a particularly hot day that kept us inside, my Little Man and I made play dough.  I need to give a little background info on myself before I continue though.  Play dough is one of my least favorite things.  It always has, and still does, completely gross me out.  It stinks.  It's sticky.  It makes a mess.  In fact, I remember as a little girl, I would not go over to a friend's house anymore after she made me play with it.  Even when I taught kindergarten, I did not have it in my classroom.  My poor students were deprived of the creativity and enjoyment that goes along with play dough! I know it's good for little ones to play with.  It's good for fine motor development.  It builds creativity.  And supposedly it's fun.  When I found a recipe on Pinterest for homemade play dough, it intrigued me, and I decided we would try it, for Cooper's sake.  This has turned out to be mine and Cooper's new favorite thing! I like it because it doesn't stink (in fact, it smells really good!), it isn't sticky (more like modeling clay than typical play dough), and it's edible (although I doubt it tastes very good). Cooper loves it too, and it has held his attention longer than any other craft/special activity I've done with him.  We have cookie cutters, different sized containers, rulers, and other little things we use with it.  A favorite has been the tips to my icing bag.  We use them like stamps, and they leave neat shapes in the dough. We have played and played and played with this stuff!

Smelling, not eating.  In fact, he hasn't yet eaten any!

I love the way he sticks the tip of his tongue 
out when he's concentrating! 

When I saw the rain this morning, I decided it was time for some more play dough!  We still have our original blue play dough, and I bought a box of strawberry jello at the store the other day for red.  This stuff is so easy to make, and one of the reasons I like this recipe is because Coop can help me make it.  I love activities where kids are part of the whole thing!  

This was the only picture I could get of Cooper playing with his
play dough today, but it is a cute one!

For whatever reason, Cooper likes to pretend the play dough is a
band aid and put it on his "boo-boos" (which are also pretend)

Sadie enjoys eating it off the floor while we play.
It's a win-win for all!

My little buddy and me this morning: 

This little boy is my heart!

Play dough recipe:

• warm water – 1 cup
• white flour – 1 cup
• salt – 2 tbsp
• cream of tartar – 2 tbsp
• cooking oil – 2 tbsp
• Jello – 3 oz package (I buy the store brand jello)

Mix all of the ingredients together in a small saucepan.  

Cook over medium heat, stirring continuously until it thickens into a ball of dough.  This step takes a few minutes.  You'll know it's ready when you won't be able to stir anymore!

Once it has finished cooking, place the dough onto a floured surface and wait for it to cool some.

Once it is cool enough to handle, knead it, adding in flour until it is no longer sticky (I usually end up using at least a cup).  

When you are finished playing, store in the refrigerator in an airtight container (I put ours in a baggy and a container).  It will keep for at least a few weeks in the refrigerator.  If at any time it starts to be a little sticky, just add more flour!  

The Tool Boy

Our boy is a handy man in the making!  His toddler obsession is not the sweet or typical trains, cars, or dinosaurs.  Cooper's love is tools and lawn equipment.  (I'm sure you've picked up on this, as the most recent 3 posts have been about these things!)  In fact, his speech seems to be developing around these words.  His favorite words to say are moa, bloa, toos, and chai-suh!  (mower, blower, tools, and chainsaw) 

When we're inside and Little Man is bored or winding down, he'll bring us the I-Pad and say, "Chai-suh, chai-suh!!" (chainsaw).  His favorite form of calm indoor activity is when we pull up Stihl chainsaw videos on You Tube.  We watch video and after video of trees being cut down or firewood being prepared.

We also have a Home Depot catalogue/advertisement on lawn equipment.  He loves this catalogue!  He brings it over to us, sits beside us or in our lap, and points to the different equipment, oohs and aahs over it, and then turns the page.  He does not let me read books to him, but he'll go through this catalogue all day!

When we're outside, he likes to get out all of Karl's lawn stuff, including the chainsaw.  Obviously, he's not allowed to play with the chainsaw like he is the blower, but he does love to admire it!  He'll point to trees and say, "Chai-suh!"  If it were up to him, we wouldn't have any trees anymore!

His favorite store... wanna take a guess... Toys R Us?  Target?  No, no.  

Home Depot

This is How We Mow the Grass

Karl is a very lucky daddy.  His little boy loves to help him mow the grass, and he makes sure he is always available to help any time he hears that mower!  Our little wiggle worm, who normally does not want to be held, will let Karl hold him the WHOLE time he mows.  It's amazing how tired Karl is now after he does yard work these days! ;)

Little Man talks to his daddy while he mows the grass...

And he helps him push the mower too.

My favorite is when he plugs Karl's ears!

He even takes part in the clean up!

A New Addition

Haha!  This post is definitely NOT what you're thinking!  And I think I know what you're thinking because I would have thought that too based on that tricky title.  Nevertheless, I bet I have your attention now!  Our new addition is not to our family, but to our house.  Karl and I have always wanted a screened in porch.  We always planned to add one to our house, but "someday down the road."  This spring we decided now is as good a time as ever.  Cooper's love of the outdoors might be a problem this summer when the heat is unbearable, and this gives us a place that is still outside, but much cooler and nicer than being in the uncovered outdoors!  A good friend of ours did the construction (and did an AMAZING job), but Karl wanted to do the demolition on our old deck.  He's been pretty overworked and stressed out lately, so a little demo project allowed him to release some built up tension!  When Coop saw the tools come out, he decided to get on board with this project too!

Demolition: 

When I would try to move Cooper or take him inside, he would CLING to his daddy!  That boy was not going to miss the fun!

However, a popsicle on a hot day can be quite persuasive.  Cooper spent a lot of time at a window with a popsicle during the next few weeks.  While Blake and his crew worked, Cooper would watch them throughout the day.  He would sometimes take his drill or tape measure to the windows, throw back the blinds, and hold them up for the guys to see.  As soon as he would get up from his nap, he would get his popsicle, find the window that had the best view that day, and sit and watch.  My blinds have a lot of popsicle drippings on them!

Once Karl would get home, we would go out to see the progress and socialize, and that was when Cooper was in his element!  He would move wood around, play with their tools, "talk" to them, and try to build and fix stuff on his own.  I have to admit, I was pretty impressed when he picked up a screwdriver and started trying to tighten the screws on the floor!  They kept their tools and equipment in our garage at night, and this was Little Tool Man's favorite thing of all.  He would go in the garage and go straight for their stuff squealing, "Toos!  Toos!  Oooh, ohhh!  Toos, Mama, toos!" (fyi-"toos" is how Coop says "tools").  He would get so excited about this treasure that he would kind of dance around waving his arms and trying to jump!  Every now and then, he would very carefully pick up one of the "toos" (the chalk line was a favorite), and just hold it and look up at me with the biggest grin and twinkle in his eyes!  He loved to go over to all the different tools, squat down beside them, touch them, and then start talking about them.  As much as Cooper loved tools before this project, he really became infatuated with them during it.  He absolutely LOVED spending time with those guys, and they were so kind and patient with Cooper.  They let him play with all their stuff and get in their way as much as he wanted.  I think Cooper found his calling during those three weeks! :)

The finished project:

 

This was before it was finished, but the three lights on the overhang are Karl's favorite.  He wanted lights out there so he could see when he was grilling and it was dark.  These lights are really great and light up the entire deck, but not in an overly bright way.  They're perfect!  The lights on the inside of the porch have a dimmer, which is my favorite!

Karl and I had an ongoing dispute over whether to stain or paint the ceiling.  I desperately wanted it painted to show off the v-groove, and he definitely wanted it stained.  I'm not sure how I got my way on this one, but I am so glad I did.  That ceiling fan works wonders out there too.  The deck gets afternoon sun, but that thing keeps the temperature comfortable.

We still have some decorating to do (Karl wants to put a mantle on the chimney and a tv for football games and movies, and I'm looking for a rug and accessories), but we have already gotten so much use out of this deck.  Our only regret is not doing it sooner!

Summer's Start

Well hello again!  It's been awhile.  Get cozy, and we'll "chat," as I have a lot of catching up to do on this ol' blog!

What better way to kick off summer than by spending a weekend at the lake?  At the end of May, we visited the Hartmann's lake house in Knoxville for a wonderful weekend with good friends.  Karl and I had many discussions on whether or not we should bring Cooper.  (He has a pretty bad record with long (and short) car rides.)  We went back and forth many, many times; however, in the end we decided to pack him in the car too.  I am happy to report that it was the right decision!  My little boy shines brightest when he is outside, and as a dare devil with a love for water, I think it's safe to say this was the best weekend of his life!  He was in his own little paradise!

He was not very happy about his life jacket at first, but as soon as he stepped onto a jet ski with his daddy, he learned the fun that happens when he puts that thing on.  He never fought us on putting on his life jacket again.  In fact, he would have a meltdown when we took it off!

His 1st ride

Little Man took a little snooze during
one ride.  Talk about relaxing!

He spent the weekend going on jet ski rides with Karl, playing captain on the boat (he gave that horn a good workout!), jumping off the back of the boat into the water, floating, and relaxing.  In the evenings, Mrs. Hartmann would take him on little walks, and they would come back with fresh flowers in hand and stories of "fie-fies" (fireflies).  Oh, how Cooper loved the "fie-fies!"

It was a weekend we will never forget.  The food, friends, and surroundings were all as amazing and peaceful and fun as always.  But watching our little boy soak up summer and nature in all its glory with squeals of excitement and joy--that was priceless to his parents' hearts!