The Quillow Near Failure

One of my recent craft projects was this fleece quillow (a quilt/blanket that folds into a pocket becoming a pillow.)  It is a Christmas gift for my adorable niece. It looks great now, but it was quite a challenge getting there.

Somehow I managed to turn an "under an hour craft" into a three night ordeal. I mean, seriously! Who makes five errors in a simple project?  Without going into all the details, I'll just say that most of the pink applique work was not part of my original plan, but added to cover up my mistakes. Although not part of the original plan, I like the extra applique on both the blanket and the pillow. I think I'll intentionally add it to the other gifts on my list!

EASY Pumpkin Pie for a Crowd

Not only is this pumpkin pie awesome, but it is an easy way to serve a large crowd. My dear friend DY shared this recipe with me. It is seriously tasty and super easy to make.

29oz can pumpkin
4 eggs
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 box yellow dry yellow cake mix
1 cup melted butter
pecans (optional)

• Mix pumpkin, eggs, sugar, evaporated milk and spices.
• Pour into 13x9 ungreased pan
• top with 1 box yellow cake mix
• drizzle 1 cup melted butter on top (and optional pecans)
• Bake at 350 for 1 hour

Gift Ideas for Great Grandma

Struggling to find that perfect Christmas gift for your Great Grandmother? Here's a list of ideas that may help...

• New bath towels or bed linens. Depending on her age, your great grandma either grew up during the Great Depression or shortly thereafter. She may still live with the depression era mentality, following the unspoken motto of, "only replace what no longer works." Yes, thread bare towels still technically work, but doesn't your grammy deserve a nice plush towel to dry off with?
• Stationary, cards, and stamps. If your grandmother likes to keep in touch with friends and family through writting letters, consider stocking her desk full of paper, stationary, cards, pens - and most importantly- stamps.
• A year's subscription to her favorite magazine. 
• An indoor potted amaryllis bulb. These are often seen in stores around Christmas time. Sold in small decorative pots, these plants go from bulb to bloom in a matter of weeks. These big, bright, long lasting flowers provide a cheerful glimpse of spring during long grey winters.
• A CD of favorite songs from her youth. Unless your grandmother still has an old record player, she is probably no longer able to listen to her favorite bands from her youth. Find out which bands she enjoyed as a teenager/young adult and look for a digital version (assuming she has a CD player.) Whether she likes Sinatra or The Kingston Trio, she will enjoy being able to once again listen to her favorite music. (I did this for my grandma last year and she loved it!)
• Consumable gifts. Look for items that she considers luxury and wouldn't purchase for herself. For example, specialty jams, lotions, exotic flavored coffees, or her favorite chocolates (unless, of course, she's diabetic.) Or how about some individually wrapped nutritious snacks paired with pretty paper plates and napkins to eat them on?  
• Pillow Pet Pee-Wees. These miniature versions are just as cute as the original. The smaller size is perfect for grandma to place behind her back while watching tv, or to support her elbow as she reads the morning paper. And they are just so darn cute! 
• Handheld video games. The simple $15 versions sold at Target provide hours of entertainment. Hearts, Solitaire, and Tetris are classic favorites.
• An activity puzzle book.  Wordsearch, Sudoku, and crossword puzzles also provide hours of mind stimulating entertainment.
• A digital picture frame. This is an electronic photo frame that alternately displays digital pictures, showing a new image every few moments. Preload the gift with favorite family photos from both the present and the past. Try to include an image of each family member. 
• A Grandmother's Legacy book. This is a journal type book found at Hallmark with pre-printed interview questions about life. The idea is that over the next several months, Nana will take the time to answer the questions, filling the book with the stories of her life. Ideally she would then return the book to the original giver. My husband did this a few years ago with his Grammy. He then surprised her the following year by typing, printing, and binding the questions and answers in the legacy book to provide copies for each family member. The following Christmas he gave her the duplicate copies he had printed and she was able to give copies to the other members of the family. 
• The gift of time. Grandmothers love spending time with their grandchildren. Make a commitment to spend more time together. Start a recurring lunch date, a monthly shopping outing, drive her to church each week, or even something as simple as a regular phone call. Nothing would please her more than to frequently enjoy your company.

Linking up with Lines Across My Face and Family Ever After and Positively Splendid, Cowgirl Up!

Chicago with Baby: A Weekend Getaway

Weekly business trips have separated this family for the past several months, but thankfully, my husband's work project is finally complete. To celebrate our return to "normalcy," we took a family mini-vacation in mid October, spending a long weekend in Chicago. (Marriott rewards points = free hotel. Yay!)

Much to my surprise, Chicago + October weather + a young toddler, was an extremely enjoyable combination. The weather was sunny and crisp, the tourist crowds were minimal, and our daughter proved to be the perfect age to bring along on our weekend getaway.

At 17 months, she is old enough to conveniently bring along (no more nursing, baby food, or constant diapering) yet still young enough to be easily entertained.  Simply experiencing life is enough excitement of its own; there was no need to find specific kid-oriented activities. Whereas a 3 year old might have been bored with the double decker bus tour, she took in the sights and sounds with awe. When she did get tired, she simply snuggled against my chest (or stroller) and fell asleep.

Additionally, because she is still a toddler, her portion of the vacation was virtually free. Her museum and aquarium admittance was free. We never bought a kids meal on this trip, we simply asked for an extra plate and gave her portions from our meals. (Although, she did get her own fruit smoothie when I knew she wouldn't eat the Chicago style hotdogs.)

Here are a few photos and our basic itinerary...

Thursday: We arrived around noon, purchased our 3-day unlimited public transportation passes, and rode the subway to the Field Museum of Natural History. The museum has beautiful architecture and more exhibits than one could possibly see in a day.

In the dinosaur exhibit. The crowds were minimal on a Thursday
afternoon in October.

Friday: If you ever go to Chicago, you have to check out the Hop On Hop Off tours by the Chicago Trolley Company. This was our favorite activity of the vacation. This is a double decker bus / trolley tour showing you all of the major highlights of the city. Plus, because it is "hop on hop off" you can get off at the sites that interest you knowing that additional buses will arrive every 10 minutes for continuation of the tour.

Millennium Park was our favorite stop on the bus tour. The Bean Sprout loved chasing the pigeons and playing with the warped reflective images of herself at "Cloud Gate" (the silver bean sculpture.) Other stops we enjoyed were, walking along the Chicago River, the observatory at the John Hancock Tower, and window shopping at the Magnificent Mile. Dinner was a classic deep dish pizza at Lou Malnati's. Awesome pizza. So glad we got there early- the place was packed when we left.

Cloud Gate at Millennium Park

Walking along the Chicago River. I love when
random strangers go out of their way to
offer to take a family photo!

Saturday: We began the morning at the Shedd Aquarium, which was nice, but I prefer the Atlanta Aquarium. We ate Chicago style hotdogs for lunch at Portillo's, then we took the "El" to Wrigley Field. We spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out at Navy Pier. We ate Garrett's Chicago Mix popcorn (carmel and cheese popcorn) and watched the sun set over the Chicago skyline. 

Garrett's Chicago Mix Popcorn- cheese and carmel corn mix.

Cute and happy at Navy Pier.

Sunday: Drive home.

Baby logistics: 

• Our hotel was conveniently located downtown, therefore, there was no need for taxis or  a car rental - we walked or took the subway/train. We purchased the 3 day unlimited public transportation pass.
• We took an umbrella stroller with us everywhere. It folds up small enough to take on the crowded subway and when she's walking, it makes a great bag and jacket holder :-)
• I used a large purse to tote everything we might need during the day- snacks, water bottles, maps, a travel book, camera, diapers, wipes, and two small toys.
• Our keychain size Magna-Doodle was an infinitely valuable toy for this trip. 
• By eating dinner before 6p each night, we avoided long lines and were able to get our exhausted baby back to the hotel and in bed on time. 
• She slept in the pack-n-play we brought from home. 
• Our hotel room had a separate sleeping area. (Rewards points =  free hotel; would never have gotten a suite otherwise, but it was a nice perk :) This was awesome because we could stay up and watch TV after we put the baby to bed.