Colander Cruising

I haven't done a "Snippet of Sunshine" post in a while, so I thought this might be a good one to mention. With each passing day, I am noticing more moments when the children are entertaining themselves, and less moments of me playing Event Planner, if you will. This is huge in the world of parenting. It's especially exciting to see the sibling relationship evolving between my daughter and son. Big sister has an idea, little brother wants "in" on said idea, and she happily obliges!

Take the newest activity to hit our household: Colander Cruising! Roo just decided one morning to use the colander as a scooter of sorts, and she spent a good chunk of time sliding and scooching up and down the hallway. This is the same girl I found "ice skating" on the living room carpet this past winter by putting one bare foot (sweaty, sticky feet work best for this so there's less chance of slipping off the book. Gross, but true.) on a slippery-backed book (library books are great for this as the children's books generally have that plastic cover to protect the book) and using the other foot to push off the carpet: propelling herself around the room on her slippery "ice skate." Although, it resembled skate boarding more than ice skating, if you ask me. Not that I would ever tell her that. But, back to the current favorite:

She had a captive audience. And, being the kind of big sister she is, she couldn't wait to give her brother a spin.

Watching moments like these naturally unfold in our day fills my heart with much happiness. I love seeing the inner-workings of a 4 year old's mind put into action. I really love witnessing Roo drawing her brother into her world of play.

So, that's where I found my snippet of sunshine today. Where's yours? :)

A feast for the senses...

It's here! The orders I placed for wool felt have arrived. I'm so excited. When my husband and my daughter came back from the mailbox carrying packages, I could hardly contain myself. Like a child on Christmas morning, I was!


I even waited to open the packages until after the children went to bed, just so I wouldn't feel rushed to look everything over while trying to also manage dinner and bedtime, etc.


I ordered 100% real wool (organic, plant-dyed and premium all-wool from A Child's Dream Come True) and a few pieces of a wool/rayon mix from Prairie Point Junction's Wool Felt Central. Everybody told me I would instantly notice the difference between wool felt and that thinner, cheaper acrylic felt that you find in the craft stores. Ooh, they were right. It's soft and thick and I am so happy I special ordered it.


I have two June bugs celebrating their 1st and 4th birthdays this year. I thought it was high time I made some birthday crowns for their special days. I also have big plans for some homemade felt characters for a flannel board I'm making as a Christmas present. Plus, I think I'm going to make some little fairies/gnomes and outfit them in some cute, wool clothes. Keep in mind, these are my plans, not necessarily what will actually be accomplished! Except for the crowns. I will be making those. I'll plan on posting the finished products here as incentive to complete them on time!

A stack of wool, ripe with possibility, is where I found my snippet of sunshine today, where's yours? :)

Is this the shower or the produce department?

As I try to take a more natural approach to all things in my daily life, I replaced our phthalate and phosphate-loaded shampoos and conditioners and replaced them with Dr. Bronner's pure castile soap. It was a good switch: I love using these products in place of regular shaving cream on my legs. And they work great as a body wash too.

What I love most are the scents. The peppermint scented one was our winter staple. Using it made our bathroom smell like a candy cane making factory! Definitely strong, with the potential to be overpowering. But, fortunately, I love the smell of candy canes because it makes me think of Christmas. And anyone that knows me, will tell you that I am a Christmas fanatic. Although, you do need to be careful with the peppermint soap. It produces an invigorating tingle on your skin. Which is great if you're lathering up your feet, but be careful around your eyes! In fact, I'd recommend not using it on your face. But, that's just my two cents.

Oh, and while I'm adding my two cents, I have to say that I don't recommend using it to wash your hair if your hair is long. I have long hair and I find it really hard to wash out without leaving tons of oily residue behind. The products are made with essential oils, after all. However, my husband LOVES using it as shampoo. He doesn't find it leaves any residue at all. So, it all depends on hair length and thickness, I suppose.

I've also tried the eucalyptus, the tea tree, and the lavender scent. After the first time I used the lavender, my husband hugged me and asked, "Did the baby throw up in your hair today?" Nice. I don't think that was quite the reaction the product manufacturing team was going for with that one. And there goes our chance for any future endorsement deals.

Because we have said so long and farewell to old man winter, I decided to purchase a fresh scent for Spring. I got just what I was looking for too: this citrus-orange one delivers. If I close my eyes, it smells like freshly-squeezed orange juice is pouring out of the shower head. Really. It smells heavenly (if you like the smell of oranges, that is). So fresh and fruity. Great products you can feel good about using.

So, that's where I found my snippet of sunshine today, where's yours? :)

Rain, Rain, Come to Stay

Today was a wonderfully dreary, cold, wet day! The kind of day that makes me want to hole up in the craft room and create. So, that's just what I did! I made myself a cup of cocoa, threw on some extra layers (the windows in here provide no insulation from the cold at all), put on some music, closed the door (one of the key components around here), and got to work. Pure bliss, I tell ya.

After an extremely rough night with our youngest, I felt the need to recharge. Sometimes that means sleep, but today that meant doing something crafty. So I puttered, experimented, and played while the rest of the family played downstairs.

There is something about the rain that makes me just itch to sew or craft. I have always loved the rain. Maybe it's because we don't see much of it around here. Growing up, we spent summers back East, where it is not uncommon to see consecutive days of rain. I remember my Mom and I were the only ones not grumbling or complaining about the gray, wet days. Together, she and I reveled in the rainy days. Then, when the storms passed, we would go out walking: splashing in puddles and breathing in the smell of freshly scrubbed earth!

We had snow mixed with rain ALL day today. It was glorious! I'm almost a little sad that tomorrow is supposed to be warm and sunny. Oh, which reminds me, the rain is where I found my snippet of sunshine today, where's yours?

Bliss in a Carton

I've stumbled across a little bit of lusciousness in the form of rice milk ice cream. You read that right, RICE MILK ice cream! I'm no stranger to the non-dairy ice cream case. I've tried soy, coconut milk, and other rice milk products and they have all left a bad taste in my mouth (literally!).

But, the makers of Good Karma Organic Rice Divine ice cream will be having some good karma following them after creating the goodness that is their "Mudd Pie." If my eyes were closed and I tasted this yumminess, I'd never guess that is was not the real deal. It actually tastes like honest-to-goodness, full-fat, milky, creamy, ice cream! And did I mention the chunks of chocolate cookie sprinkled throughout? Oh my! Plus, as if the good taste wasn't enough reason to buy it, eating Good Karma even supports green farming. Love that.

Someone finally got the non-dairy, gluten-free ice cream right on! Thank goodness. Because sometimes a girl just has to have some ice cream. With summer not far off, I see a lot of Good Karma in my future!

So, that's where I found my snippet of sunshine today. Where's yours? :)

Not for the birds...

I love when useful meets cute!! I came across this pincushion at JoAnn's the other day. I already have 2 pincushions, so I put it back on the shelf after admiring it longingly. But when I realized that everything else I was buying was already on sale, I had an unused 40% off coupon in my hand. Back to the pincushion shelf I went and snatched this birdhouse without hesitation. I love birds and I love sewing (usually!). To have the two combined makes me so happy. Plus, the little roof comes off and there is a small storage space inside! Too adorable. Maybe this little addition to my sewing table will draw me back into the habit of creating (and away from the computer a little more often).


So, that's where I found my snippet of sunshine today. Where's yours? :)

Random Bits of Happy

I'm a simple gal. It doesn't take much to bring a smile to my face. Little things. Little bits of sunshine scattered throughout my day. It could be the smell of coffee brewing (even though I don't drink coffee, I love the smell), putting on warm socks fresh from the dryer, or my daughter handing me "the most best rock" she's ever seen. All of these things make my soul feel just a little bit lighter. The little random bits that make my day brighter.

I've been trying to be more conscious of all the goodness surrounding my place in this world. Often, this array of wonder and delight presents itself in the smallest ways. Ways so unassuming and seemingly insignificant, that you'd miss them if you weren't taking the time to slow down and notice. So, that's what posts under this label, "Snippets of Sunshine," are all about: the little things that give me pause, make me smile, fill my soul with sunshine. The little things that are part of my daily round and could easily be overlooked and forgotten--if I hadn't taken the time to note them here! ;)

Today's little random bit of "happy" I'm going to share is just that: little and happy. Specifically, little push pins with happy pictures on them:

I found them here on Etsy. I also picked up several decorated lightswitch plate covers and outlet covers in the Elegance, Owl, and the Grateful tree design:

Our playroom colors are pale yellow and apple green, so this cover looks lovely in there. (Not that you can tell from my picture...sorry. Must have taken a breath at the exact moment of clicking -- it's a bit blurry. Of course, that doesn't explain the poor lighting, does it? ;) Hmm...oh well. It's cute and it has trees on it. You get the idea!)

So, that's where I found my snippet of sunshine today. Where's yours? :)