Spreading the Love!

I love this time of year, if only for the fact that we keep the kids out of sports in the winter so that we can take a breather between the insanity of Fall and Spring activities. It gives us the opportunity to do things as a family that we just can't fit into our busy schedules during the other seasons. Yesterday was just another Saturday that other people might take for granted, but for us it was fairly free and that meant it was deliciously open for anything to happen! With a relatively empty schedule (Bill still had 2 cars he's working on, the twins had a basketball free-throw comp., Char had a birthday party and there's never a shortage of housework for me...hey that's a free day in this house!), Bill took the boys with a group of dads and kids to see Star Wars Episode 1 in 3D. We rarely ever go to the movies as a family (multiply the $12 ticket by 7...ouch!), so this was a really great opportunity for them to have some "guy-bonding".



While the guys were meeting with Darth Maul, I had to come up with something for the girls and I to do. Sure, we could've vegged in separate rooms losing ourselves in various electronic media, but I wanted to spend some real time with my girls. Taking a note from my dear friend Mary, I decided we were going to practice hospitality and make Valentine treats to share. Gwen provided her ipod player and we listened to Sarah Jarosz as we rolled, stirred, and decorated to our hearts' content. Making sweet confections is such a great way to explore personal creativity while creating something that can fill someone with nourishment for their body and soul! When all was finished, I had the girls deliver some of the treats to our neighbors (who are the best, btw!). We cut up some of the marshmallow treats for Charlotte's class snack for Valentine's day (I'm class mom) and the rest have been a treat for us! Perhaps the best part is that my girls and I spent an afternoon together, creating something for others and making memories for ourselves.

Maddie Stirring the marshmallows

We use a whole stick of butter and a whole bag of Jet-Puffed Marshmallows!

No extra flour needed and no wasted dough when you use parchment paper to roll!


Sweet, but they need a little something!

A dash of love

A pinch of creativity

A ton of fun!

Gwen's vision

Maddie's labor of love

This has Charlotte written all over it!

Even I got to play!


Practicing Hospitality!