10 fun bedtime books for a toddler

My son Alex recently started to actually love and enjoy bedtime reading - oh joy for me, now we are always on a lookout for new books!!! Here is a list of 10 - so far we truly enjoyed 'llama llama red pajama' - it is so FUN to read - the rhyming, the message - we could read it over and over. Get it!! :)

tickle monster

goodnight goodnight construction site

boogie monster

llama llama red pajama

giraffes can't dance

don't let the pigeon drive the bus

bedtime is canceled

i love you stinky face

red knit cap girl

alexander and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day

Homemade Honey Oat Granola

Lately i have been trying  to make as much as possible from scratch - did you know how simple it is to make honey oat granola bars? My toddler doesn't like oats but ate these granolas oh so very happily:)

4 cups oats
1cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt

Combine all and press down on a baking dish. Bake for about 10 minutes at 450 degrees. Once cool, cut into bars. Update: We like them baked at 425 degrees - still crispy but also a bit soft. 

“Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.” ― Dr. Seuss

dislike ironing no more

"Ironing is the use of a heated tool  to remove wrinkles from fabric. The heating is commonly done to a temperature of 180-220 °Celsius, depending on the fabric. Ironing works by loosening the bonds between the long-chain polymer molecules in the fibers of the material. While the molecules are hot, the fibers are straightened by the weight of the iron, and they hold their new shape as they cool." (wikipedia)


  I don't know what kind of fabric my hubby's shirts are made of but i can't seem to get the 'molecules' hot enough to straighten those fibers. At least to my perfection - which is not that high, really. This afternoon i had this brilliant idea - i was packing stuff away, and found my quilter's liquid press aid - this one:

light bulbs went off bright and shiny - let me tell ya, i did a lot of ironing this afternoon. Why didn't i think of using it before? It even has a picture of a button up shirt!!

look at this before and after - ah... happy dance and lotsa singing, it was way EASIER with way BETTER results way FASTER. Makes all wrinkles go away and makes the fabric crispy - like brand new.

his and hers - done!

I might iron all of Alex's button up shirts tomorrow. 

wordless

Photo Love. Lens Love.

Alex loves copying everything we do. See in this photo - he stuck his hand in his pocket just like his daddy did, isn't that so darn cute? :) 

We recently went to Arkansas for a mini vacation and i had a great chance to try 70-200mm lense i borrowed as my mother's day gift. My verdict - it is heavy but totally worth carrying it around - it is amazing! 

I normally use 50mm f 1.4 - about 95% of the time - a prime lense which translates into 'zoom' is your 'feet'. It was nice to use a zoom lense that had f 2.8 at all ranges. 

(I am the only person who doesn't like seeing own self portraits? )

I want to blog more but right now things are busy - we are prepping to hold a garage sale on Saturday, pack our stuff and move abroad. Bye for now~

Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness

• I did it! After a few months of paperwork, fingerprints, passport sized photos, copies of variety documents, proof of marriage, proof of living together, etc etc etc - finally it was time to do my US citizenship exam. There were one hundred questions on US civics and history. I memorized them all. Did you know representatives are elected every two years so stay close to their constituents, public opinion and more aware of community concerns? And senators are elected for six years so they could be independent from public opinion? Anyways, i could talk and talk and answer all 100 questions and possibly more. But I was  supposed to get 6 right answers out of 10 questions - which was easy! 

  Thanks a lot for my hubby for helping me to study and watching Alex while i did so. Thanks for endless number of friends supporting and praying for me. I felt very loved and cared. Also, my facebook 'study' buddies. There were quite a few times when i needed help. Here is one example:

  
  

  

  
  

  For those of you who are curious, here are the questions i was asked:

  1. What is an amendment?

  2. Who is the Commander in Chief of the military?

  3. How many amendments does the Constitution have?

  4. What do we show loyalty to when we say the Pledge of Allegiance?

  5. Who did the United States fight in World War II? 

  6. What is the capital of Oklahoma?