are these not the cutest crafts you've ever seen??  

i've been trying to think of a way to display them & have come up with this. . . 

'land of nod' always has the neatest things & i found art clotheslines, as i call them, to display isabella's artwork.  now we can rotate them & she can enjoy the beauty of her work everyday in her own room & my kitchen is no longer taken over by crafts!!  love 'land of nod' !!  

creativity

my child love, love, loves crafts - did i say LOVES?  we have a blast doing them & she couldn't be more proud with the finished product.  because she loves doing them so much it's sometimes challenging to think of new ideas.  these have been the best crafts i've found so far.  we have 3 or 4 boxes of them & they are all different.  you can find them on amazon or we've also purchased them at barnes & noble.  each craft comes separately packaged in the box & all you need is glue!! 

we did a lady bug today, but somehow lost the bug's eye within like 5 minutes of opening the package.  i'm sure it will turn up when i least expect it.  
i've started displaying her artwork in her room, on an art clothesline from the 'land of nod'.  she gets a kick out of seeing her artwork displayed.  i'll post a pic next time.  
let your creative juices flow. . .  ;-)

~happy new year~

we were blessed with another year full of sweet moments with a bright, beautiful & sweet toddler.  i couldn't ask for anything more & look forward to more wonderful memories to make & cherish.  she topped off the end of my year by telling me tonight before bed, "i want to be a mommy just like YOU when i get big". . .   
happy new year to you & yours . . .  may you live fully in the moment of this upcoming year!! 

merry christmas

so it's time to officially retire my role as mrs claus this year.  my house looks like someone turned it upside down & shook it, then turned it right side up again.  i look at it as a sure sign that a wonderful christmas was had here & many more memories were made & tucked away to revisit later.  we had a white christmas this year & enjoyed a crackling fire throughout the day.  now to spend the rest of 2010 not doing much of anything, being lazy, playing with puppets & pretend dress up clothes, eating lots of treats & simply enjoying every moment with my family.  hope you & yours had a fantastic christmas!  
merry christmas from the nitto family!! 

2 things. . .  

if you're thinking about getting an ipad & you can't quite decide, i must tell you that if you have small children it is sooo worth it!  isabella uses her ipad daily & loves it.  with all the available educational apps, she is learning so much.  she's been using hers since summer & is a pro at it.  we even use it for movies in the car & it comes in handy out to eat.   

in between baking cookies & christmas parties, we did a couple of projects this weekend.  made an imprint of isabella's hand for the christmas tree. . .  yet another attempt to try to keep her little ;-)

i love getting christmas cards & hate when i can't display them, so i hung one of isabella's cute art clips, from 'the land of nod', across the breakfast room window.  now we look at them while we eat & isabella loves asking about each & everyone of them.  we just may have to do this again next year.   

 

my mom gave me a box of all 'my' ornaments several years ago that i had accumulated over the years as a child.  i cherish these, as each one holds a special little memory of its own.  part of the fun of the holidays is taking them out of the box every year & reminiscing a little with each one.  since isabella's birth was 3 weeks before christmas, she received quite a few ornaments.  she may not remember when she received them, but boy do i.  what a magical time that will never leave my memory.  every year we give her an ornament or two under the tree, so when that day comes when she finds herself decorating her own tree, in her own space, she'll have quite the collection. . .     & i can already see her with a smile on her face, reminiscing with each one. . .

 

~our annual gingerbread house~

sticky fingers & chocolate kisses = smiling hearts

 

'baby it's cold outside'. . .   it's currently 28 & snowing!  yes, in atlanta & it's not even winter yet!! i can't say i'm not enjoying it though. . .   i am snuggled under a blanket next to my little girl while she plays christmas games on her ipad.  we don't mind the cold & the snow, especially this time of year.  we had a fantastic day making holiday treats & watching the snowflakes out the breakfast room window while eating our lunch.  hope you all are enjoying getting ready for the holidays like our family is. . .  ho ho ho!