Eco Chic Family Blog

Her 1st dance......

Our town is having it's 7th annual Father/Daughter dance tonight and Maggie and her daddy just left.  Maggie has been SO excited about this!  She insisted that this was a Ball, her daddy was her Prince and she was Cinderella.  We were going to go buy her a new dress and shoes but she insisted on wearing her "gown" to the ball.  She was not going to have it any other way.

I can't believe my baby is going to a dance.  But what better person to go with, her Prince.

Here she is just before she left:

 

 

I can't wait for them to come home so I can hear all about it.

Oh, and I was happy to hear that I was NOT a wicked step-sister but instead I am her Fairy Godmother. 

Discount School Supply

Discount School Supply is awesome!  Check them out!  They have great prices and they ship out their products really quick!  I ordered something at 1:30pm and it arrived at my house the next day!  Absolutely love this place!!!  It's one of my addictions!  :)

Rainbows!

We have had rainbows everywhere the last two days.  We have had snow and LOTS of rain.  And when I say rain I mean RAIN!  While leaving work I was getting on the freeway and there was the most beautiful vivid rainbow I have ever seen!  Usually the rainbows I see are more "pastel", but this was bright, primary colors.  I wish Maggie had been with me.  She has been into rainbows lately. I was also bummed because I didn't have my camera.  I almost grabbed it.  Wish I had, it would have been a beautiful picture!

What is it about rainbows that are so exciting?  They make me warm and fuzzy.  I smile like a school girl. 

Coconut Macaroons

One word sums these cookies up....YUMMY!  Chris found this recipe in my Coconut Lover's Cookbook by Bruce Fife, N.D. cookbook.  He tried them out thinking he was getting macaroons, but they turned out more like merangue cookies with coconut in them.  Here is a picture of the little clouds of wonderful, along with the recipe!

 

2 egg whites
Dash of salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cups sugar
1 cup shredded coconut

Beat egg whites with salt and vanilla until soft peaks form.  Gradually add sugar, beating until stiff.  Fold in coconut.  Coata cookie sheet with a generous amount of butter.  Drop batter by the rounded teaspoon onto the cookie sheet.  Bake at 325 degrees F for 20 minutes.  Makes about 1.5 dozen.

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"Sugar" means any dry sweetener of your choice. 
We used unsweetened shredded coconut.  They turned out wonderful.  In fact, my husband made a second batch today.  :)  They are perfect for a quick treat, they take almost no time to prepare and bake. 

Enjoy!

Valentine Butterfly

No Time For Flashcards has the cutest little butterfly made out of doilies.  Super easy, super cute!  Take a look!

Here is our spin on the project:

   

Of course ours HAD to have glitter on it.  As does everything we make.  :)  And, it was made by a very tired, cranky little girl who should have been in bed a 1/2 hour before it was made!  Although it is very cute, I can see where it could also look a bit like a turkey in the face.  LOL

Love is in the air!

Yesterday I had the pleasure of working from home.  Normally I leave the house at 7am to head for work, starting work at 9am.  But I got to make better use of that time yesterday!  I got to do some Valentine crafts with Maggie!  It felt so good being able to be home with her and do something fun on a work day!

First thing we made was a heart to hang in our window:

 

Here is what we did!

-Cut out two red hearts from contruction paper.  I have a large metal cooking cutter we used for a template.
-Maggie glued the two hearts together with stick glue.-
-Punched holes with a hole puncher (I punced the holes so we would get them in the right spot!)
-Got a long piece of yarn and Maggie laced it thru.  She was very excited that she was "sewing".
-Maggie rubbed a glue stick all over the front of the heart then sprinkled glitter on it.  Turned it over and did the other side.

SUPER easy craft for little hands.  Very little supervision if you are looking for something to occupy your little one while you are trying to get something else done!

You can use stickers, doilies, paint, what ever comes to mind.

Our second project turned out a little different than I had in mind, but since this wasn't about me, it was about Maggie using her own creativity, I think she did a great job!

 

Another super easy craft with little supervision!

-Traced out hearts on construction paper and cut them out
-Maggie wanted to color with her hearts with chalk.
-Hang in window with tape.

Again, your little one can use their imagination and make their own perfect creation!

Happy Crafting! 

 

Hiding Spots

I don't know about your household, but ours is covered in secret little hiding spots.  Maggie is, and has been consumed with tents and hiding spots for some time now.  I know I have seen Raising Lovies mention it on her blog, so I know there have to be more kids who are doing this.  I remember doing it myself.  My mom was awesome to make me some real creative places to call "mine".  Whether it was a refrigerator box to converting the dining room table to a tent, it seemed I had one actively going in our house for a few years!  Many tea parties and pretend friends had a blast in there with me!  And remember, these special places don't have to be in the house only! 

I have been trying to think of different creative ideas for these special places.  So here are some ideas I came up with:

1. Throw a sheet or large blanket (or two) over your clothesline outside.

2. Get a large cardboard box, refrigerator box is the best!  Cut windows, doors, decorate the outside with paint, color crayons etc.  Make curtains for your windows, and bring in a small chair and some books!

3. Get a couple of chairs and drape a sheet or blanket over the top

4. A card table can provide hours of entertainment underneath!

5. Place blankets or sheets around the sides of your kitchen table

6. Put a couple of chairs in front of your couch and drape a big blanket over everything.

7. If you have a bunk bed drape sheets over the bottom bunk, big cushy area to lay!

Use your imagination! 

My favorite memory was of a refrigerator box.  We cut out windows and a door.  My mom made some curtains out of left over fabric.  We drew grass and flowers on the bottom of the box outside with crayons and markers.  We drew window boxes with flowers under the windows.  We decorated the inside.  My fort was outside under a big shaded oak tree.  My dog and I played for hours!

Sunday Morning Breakfast

Because I work full time we don't get to have many breakfasts together at the family table.  So I really enjoy my Saturday and Sunday mornings with my family making breakfast then sharing it together at the table talking about what our plans are for the day.

This morning we made homemade Cherry Oat Scones.  We started out gathering all of our ingredients and getting them "Maggie ready" so she could participate in making breakfast.  We also got our teapot and teacups out so we could make some tea as well.  The scone recipe was new to us so we were excited about what to expect.  We weren't disappointed!  They were delicious!  Good enough to share the recipe!  So here it is!

Cherry Oat Scones
Preheat oven to 375 and place rack in center oven.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1/3 cup dried cranberries or cherries (we used cherries)
Zest of one lemon or orange (we had lemon)
2/3 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces

Egg Wash: 1 large egg & 1 tablespoon milk or cream

Add all dry ingredients and mix together.  The add in butter using two knives or a pastry blender.  Cut in butter until it resembles coarse crumbs.  Add the dried fruit and zest and mix until combined.  Stir in buttermilk, (adding more if necessary) and mix just until the dough comes together.  Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead the dough four or five times and then pat, or roll the dough into a circle that is 7 inches round and about 1 1/2 inches thick.  Cut this circle into 8 triangular sections.  Place the scones on the prepared baking sheet.  Make the egg wash and brush on tops of scones.  We then sprinkled pink colored sugar on top.  Bake for about 15-18 minutes or until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Remove from oven and transfer to wire rack to cool.

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As I said above, these turned out very well.  We were each full with eating just one.  Maggie wanted peppermint tea this morning, so we had that as well.
Here is a picture of our finished product:

 

This is a very adaptable recipe using coconut flour, coconut milk, stevia, etc.  Since Maggie does have sensitivities to gluten next time we will be adapting the recipe.  I will post that recipe when we make them again....which will be soon!

We sat at our kitchen table with the sunrise coming over the mountains.  The sun was starting to shine and the view of the lake was absolutely beautiful.  We all sat and just stared out the window for a bit enjoying the view before even talking about our day.

I feel blessed today!

Nimli-review

I found an absolute wonderful company called Nimli.  I have been flipping thru their site for a few days now and I am super impressed with their products.  Nimli is devoted to natural, organic and sustainable living.  They are showing that you do not have to give up being green to have style!

I had the opportunity to be able to try 3 of their products.  I was very happy with all three. 

The first product is the Azuri Raindrops Wrap in Wine.  Not only is this one my favorite colors to wear, it also had "sparkles" on it.  Which, for those who know me well I love anything that shines and sparkles!  The wrap is handmade and organic.  Super soft and has a delicate flow.  And, it looks like it is on sale right now!  Run over to Nimli and check it out!  You will LOVE it!
 

The second product is the Maternity Salon Moisture Blast Conditioner.  This smelled heavenly!  I couldn't wait to use it!  The conditioner is made with certified botanical plant extracts, soy enriched.  Maternity Salon products are free from any animal testing, and all product bottles are made with 100% recycled material.  In my book this is great stuff all the way arond.  My hair felt soft, smooth and had a nice shine to it after one use.  I am looking forward to seeing the results I get over the next few weeks.  
  
 

And then I got to try the Scrubz Fruit Sugar Body Scrub.  My other two prodcts were great, but this was my favorite!  This smelled so yummy!  I keep holding the jar up to my nose because it's so delicious!  This is another natural handmade product.  Scrubz is a body and face scrub made with 9 different oils to help soften and smooth your skin. It comes with a little scooper that makes it easy to get out if you are in the shower.  I can tell you, my legs felt wonderful after I shaved them.  They were so soft to the touch.  I am definitely going to be buying this product in the future.  Maggie asked me "what makes you smell so good."   I will be trying out lots of different products from Nimli. 
 

Nimli has great products for not only women, but for men, kids, beauty & health, home, pets, etc.  Go check them out!  You wont regret it! Nimli

Underconstruction

I know, ya'll are probably wondering what the heck I am doing with the blog.....again.  I am going to be adding some of my old pages, old resource links and some new things to the blog.  Typical woman, can not make up her mind, right?!! 

I am still getting the hang of this blog thing and trying to find my "groove".  It's coming though!

I am so excited to see so many new people stopping by!  Looking forward to seeing you back!

For today my work is done.  I am going to go have a snuggle party with my little sweety.  We have on our flannel pj's, a bowl of popcorn and are going to watch Enchanted!

Have a great evening!