Merry Christmas and Happy New Year !

Wishing you and your families a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year from Little Mochi and the Munchkins

^_^

Mommy made it for me!

I have picked up the knitting needles and I am determined to make lovely things for family next year for Christmas and just because presents.  So to start things off I made little fingerless gloves for the girls.

{For any knitters out there I cast on 19 and did a stocking stich to the length of the little ones hands ~ basically I guessed ^_^}

What do you think?  I am sure that my gauge is off and they are not completely symmetrical but Squirt loves her gloves.  I think it is not too shabby for being the first thing I have knitted in YEARS.  I have BIG aspirations to knit a lovely winter caplet / shawl and blankets for myself to use while reading on those chilly afternoons. So off I go to practice and make me a pair of lovely fingerless gloves ^_^

So which do you  crochet or knit? 

Ja matta ne,

Little Mochi

Wordless Wednesday ~ Rediscovered

Ja matta ne,

Little Mochi

Found it on Pinterest ~ Bun

Okay I am a new fan of Pinterest!  I keep finding cool things to try and well I thought I would share my experience.

Have you ever wondered how Tinker Bell was able to have such a lovely bun?!?! 

I have and I found out that it is actually a Sock Bun!  Yup!  I finally tried it after seeing three different photos of this tutorial on Pinterest.  

 Look!!!  See how cute?!?!?!

Okay the first time I was not able to get all my crazy hair to cooperate but I found out that you keep it taught and roll it tightly on the way down you will get a nice neat little bun or if you roll it a bit losely it will give you a larger poofier bun.  I have to say that this is a great way to wear it up in a bun since there are NO pins and is comfy to wear all day.

If you like curls try putting up your hair while damp and leave in overnight or all day and then when you unroll you will have lovely waves.  Unless you are like me and my pin straight hair... looks wavey for about 5 minutes then it is just a mess.  

Shoganai (しょうがない) ~ It can't be helped.

All in all I love it and doing my hair up in a bun eventhough I am wearing sweats around then house makes me feel better.... Hubby said 'cuz you put forth a LITTLE effort' ~ Men ^_^

So go now to your sock drawer and or the pile of socks without mates and cut off the toe and you are good to go. 

Ja matta ne,

Little Mochi

Monday Music

Currently we are on our Christmas Break and the girls have gravitated to this group we stumbled upon Pandora one day.  What they loved are the instruments ~ they are hollow and very modern.  No boring ole Stradivarius here! 

We hope that all you Lovelies are having a wonderful Christmas Holiday.

P.S.  Visit Storynory for a great little audio stories to keep the little ones occupied.

Ja matta ne,

Little Mochis

Wordless Wednesday ~ 'Look Mommy, Baby Jesus!'

Pumpkin's inspiration:

 


Merry Christmas,
Little Mochi
^_^

Monday Music

This is just one of the songs that we are listening to in between all the Christmas songs and carols.



Little Drummer Boy is one of my favorite songs during Christmas. 

What is your favorite song/carol?

Ja matta ne,
Little Mochi
^_^

Sofa or Wall

I am thinking that I need to get these printed or embroidered on some fabric and make some pillows for the living room or framed

^_^

This would be spectacular in the powder room ^_^

At the beginning of this posting it was a question on what to do with these but now I have decided.  Bibliophile pillows for my fluffy chair, Calories framed in the kitchen, and Karma framed for the powder room. 

Ja matta ne,

Little Mochi

No oven Thanksgiving

Yup!  

The oven is kaput!  

Well to be honest with you Lovelies it has been this way for about 5 years now and I have been making due with a counter oven.  The counter oven and my regular sized oven are now dearly departed and I am planning a NO OVEN Thanksgiving ~ crazy I know!

So how is the turkey going to be cooked to golden perfection?!?!  Roaster thingy that just cooks the turkey which has been working perfectly the past 5ish Thanksgiving.

Pumpkin has suggested having asparagus or Brussels sprouts instead of our traditional green bean casserole.

Squirt loves pumpkin pie so Jello No Bake pie is on the menu ~ the girls and I will make individual little ones.  

For those of us in the house that do not like pumpkin pie {me and ironically Pumpkin}  we are going to try a Lava Chocolate Cake made in the crock pot. 

Of course we will have stuffing and our favorite smashed potatoes {not mashed - smashed little potatoes pan fried to golden goodness}

We will also be writing down all the things we are thankful for and making our little turkey place mats.

Well, this is the plan as of right now for us to feast on all day Thursday.  

What is on your menu for your day of thanks giving? 

Ja matta ne,

Little Mochi

Sunday Citar

source

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.

~ Albert Camus

Ja matta ne, 

Little Mochi

For those cooler days ahead..

Source: downtownn.tumblr.com via Sharon on Pinterest

 My Mom is a tea (ocha) pusher.....'Look at your Obaahchan, she is 90 something and she drinks tea everyday'.  Now I know why she lived such an active life to that age.  Except I will not float aloe in my tea, I will take mine straight up ;)

What is your favorite hot beverage on those cool nights?

Ja matta ne,
Little Mochi

Music Monday ~ Chirstina Perri

Love this song!  I will have to give it to the Twilight movies when it comes to their soundtracks.

Another song that is a sad but I for some reason love that we are listening to lately.  Vivid lyric that jumped out at me the first time I heard the song... 'You are going to catch a cold from the ice in your soul'

What new song or artist that is getting a lot of playtime on your play list?

Ja matta ne,

Little Mochi

Sunday Citar

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.  It turns what we have to enough and more.  It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion to clarity.  It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.  Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.

~ Melody Beattie

Ja matta ne,

Little Mochi

I Choose

Last night I was able to take part in a parent workshop provided by the Girl's school PTA.  I am still working on re wiring my brain so I will be able to talk to the Girls and have them LISTEN to what is said.  Hugging and our little rituals that we do was re enforced as a terrific thing to provide the girls with structure, letting them know that we love them, and it also helps with brain development.  

Interesting tid bit.  Physical touch is an important part of their emotion and intellectual development.  I was surprised to hear that a child needs 10 hugs per day for optimal brain development ~ so go find a little one and hug 'em quick ~ even if this may not be entirely accurate those hugs will not be for nothing ;)

Another thing that I love is this pledge that we said at the close of the workshop ..

 

I choose

To live by choice, not by chance,

To make changes, not excuses,

To be motivated, not manipulated,

To laugh instead of limit,

To learn from my mistakes,

To respond with humor, not react with horror,

To choose to listen and encourage,

To be constructive NOT destructive.

Now with some parenting tips and suggestions I will go forth and be able to talk to my kids so they will listen and talk to me ;)

Do you have any parenting books that you found to be a life saver for you and your family?

Ja matta ne,

Little Mochi

Wordless Wednesday ~ Story time

Ja matta ne,

Little Mochi

November

source

 Looking forward to a some color in our little corner of texas, baking , embroidery, going to learn how to knit {we will see if I can do it on my own}, starting a gratitude journal,  Thanksgiving with my lovely family, and last but NOT least Little Pumpkin's birthday ;)

What is on your list for November? 

Ja matta ne,

Little Mochi 

Happy Halloween

source Graphic Fairy

 Will you be trick or treating in your neighborhood?  The girls are excited to visit one house in particular ~ 'the Boo Man's house'.  Every year he dresses up and pretends to be a statue and then when the unsuspecting little ones come up to the door he jumps out at them ~ you can hear screams down the street and then hysterical giggling.  I love how there are still people out there that will trick you then give you treats ~ makes lovely memories for my little ones ;)

We hope everyone has a safe and spooky night tonight! 

Ja matta ne, 

Little Mochi

It's Electric!!!

My weekend will be filled with making the girls their costumes for Halloween and more crazy antics in the backyard ;)

Have a wonderful weekend Lovelies!

Ja matta ne,

Little Mochi

My First Zucchini :)

Meet my zucchini plant...

She grew to be ginormous, look at the size of those leaves!

Meet our First zucchini that finally made an appearance in October... if we did not find it the other day I wonder how big it could have gotten?

Meet the Yummy Chocolate Zucchini bread made from our first zucchini.  The sucker was so big we had chocolate bread and a stir fry dinner out of that ONE squash ;)

 

 Meet the happy little Munchkins with fresh from the oven bread.

 Now rush over to BS' in the Kithchen to get this very easy and nummy recipe and make a batch for your lovelies ;)

Ja matta ne,
Little Mochi

A little mantra for today...

Source: bodyzen.tumblr.com via Cassie on Pinterest

Something I need to repeat a few times today to keep motivated.  

What image,saying, and or song do you use to keep going?

Ja matta ne,

Little Mochi

Monday Music

Love the base and the confidence that he will one day have her affections.

Ja matta ne,

Little Mochi

Sunday Citar

 

“I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that makes the weather. I possess tremendous power to make life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration, I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis is escalated or de-escalated, and a person is humanized or de-humanized. If we treat people as they are, we make them worse. If we treat people as they ought to be, we help them become what they are capable of becoming"

~ Goethe

Ja matta ne,
Little Mochi

Sunday Citar

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life.  Don't be trapped by dogma ~ which is living with the results of other people's thinking.  Don't let the noise of others opinion drown out your own inner voice.  And most important have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.  They somehow already know what you truly want to become.  

Everything else is secondary.

Steve Jobs

Quick Snack ~ Marshmallow Sundae

A surprise snack is something that the Munchkins look forward to each day after school.   Now this snack is not something that you guys have probably not tried, seen, or thought about making.  I say make it again!  The Munchkins were so happy with this snack and their enormous smiles and yummy noises were just what I needed that day as well :)

You will need your favorite chocolate chips, I used dark chocolate.

 Large marshmallows and some fun sprinkles.

 Melt chocolate, dip fluffy marshmallows, and then sprinkle.
  {don't they look like little ice cream sundaes?!?!}

Place into fridge then walk to get kiddos.

When you get home present those little lovelies and watch the smiles brighten the room :)

Ja matta ne,

Little Mochi

I heart...

Starting Mommy and Me book club again with Squirt.  This month we are reading Ella and so far we are loving the story and racing to finish.

The lovely thunderstorm last night to help out our very thirsty state.

Having little helpers handy to get our Fall garden planted.

Cat naps in the car after a long day at school.

Wishing everyone a lovely weekend :)

Ja matta ne,
Little Mochi

Wordless Wednesday ~ Caught Red Handed!

Ja matta ne,

Little Mochi

Tummy Tuesday ~ Beer Bread

This is a wonderfully delicious and hearty quick bread to make this fall.

I have made this several times since we found out about this lovely bread and I have left out some things from the original recipe... it was a herb type of bread but that is just too fancy for us ;)  It is a very simple recipe that the girls can do on their own... so much fun to hear the giggles when the beer is poured into the bowl :)  

This is our little Squirt so proud that she can get the sticky batter into the pan ;)

Cheddar Beer Bread

adapted from Taste Space

3 cups flour

1 Tbs sugar

1 tsp salt

1 Tbs baking powder

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese { we use the girls discretion on the amount of cheese :)}

12 ounce beer { use cheap beer save to good stuff for Sunday football}

Heat oven to 375

Combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and cheddar cheese in a large mixing bowl

Slowly stir in beer and mix till just combined { this is the girls favorite part}

Spread into a greased 8x8 pan {or 8 inch loaf pan}

Bake until golden brown and toothpick comes out clean ~ about 45 minutes

Enjoy with a big bowl of soup!

I know it is kinda late in the day for a post but better late than never.  We hope that you try out this bread and please check out the original link for a Dill and Cheddar Beer Bread recipe.

Ja matta ne,

Little Mochi

Some advice for my Girls

Source: pinterest.com via Stine on Pinterest

Ja matta ne,
Little Mochi

Reading Nook

The Power of a Positive Mom.  Karol Ladd

What is in your reading nook ?

Ja matta ne,

Little Mochi

Sunday Citar

“Our treatment of others says a lot about who we are; it puts our character on display to the world, and advertises whether our hearts are selfish or loving. Those who are on our path are easily hurt, us included. We must strive to behave in a loving way towards everyone as often as we possibly can. As human beings we are vulnerable, and deserve to be treated as the sacred beings we are. “~ Spirit Speaks in Whispers 

Ja matta ne,

Little Mochi

Wordless Wednesday ~ They ARE real!

Ja matta ne,

Little Mochi

Perspective

People deal too much with the negative, with what is wrong...Why not try and see positive things, to just touch those things and make them bloom?
—Thich Nhat Hanh

Ja matta ne,
Little Mochi

Which Princess are you?

I found this while killing some time trying to avoid scrubbing floors, laundry, and planning out dinner(s).  So take a few minutes and find out if one of these lovelies fits your personality ;)

Source: thedisneyprincess.tumblr.com via Marisol on Pinterest

* ARIES (Jasmine) willful, feisty, independent 

* TAURUS (Belle) creative, loyal, dependable 

* GEMINI (Alice) curious, childlike, talkative 

* CANCER (Cinderella) cautious, nurturing, empathetic 

* LEO (Charlotte) provocative, demanding, flamboyant  {Tiana's friend in Frog prince}

* VIRGO (Tiana) realistic, knowledgeable, modest 

* LIBRA (Mulan) intellectual, easygoing, indecisive 

* SCORPIO (Pocahontas) intense, secretive, passionate 

* SAGITTARIUS (Rapunzel) adventurous, spirited, happy 

* CAPRICORN (Aurora) respectful, devoted, classy

* AQUARIUS (Ariel) idealistic, rebellious, open minded 

* PISCES (Snow White) dreamy, compassionate, kind 

I am Cinderella ~ which are you? 
Okay!  Now back to work ;)

Ja matta ne,

Little Mochi

I heart . . .

source

One of my all time favorite series ;)

What I love even more is watching Squirt experience this wonderful story.


We wish everyone a safe and happy long weekend ;)


Ja matta ne,
Little Mochi

 

Small consolation

Source: messagewithabottle.tumblr.com via Marisol on Pinterest

Number one on my gratitude list is Hubby!  He works all the time and tied to a pc and may not seem like he does a lot around the house.  But he does keep me sane, smiling, and usually can put things into perspective ~ ' she is only # years old'.  For this I am forever grateful and blessed to have him a part of our lives.

Ja matta ne,

Little Mochi